Maurer Family History

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a mason especially a builder of walls of stone or brick from an agent derivative of Middle High German mūre German Mauer ‘wall’ (from Latin murus ‘wall’ especially a city wall). In the Middle Ages the majority of dwellings were built of wood (or lath and plaster) and this term would have specifically denoted someone employed in building defensive walls castles churches and other public buildings.

This form of the surname is also found in some other European countries e.g. in France (Alsace and Lorraine) the Netherlands Poland Czechia Slovakia and Slovenia (see also 2 below). Compare Mourer and Mowrer.

In some cases also an Americanized or Germanized form of Slovenian Mavrer or Mavrar: occupational name of German origin (see 1 above) at least in some cases applied as a translation into German of the Slovenian surname Zidar.