Griesemer Family History

reduced form of Griesemeier, a distinguishing name for a tenant farmer whose farm was on sandy soil, from Middle High German griez ‘sand’, ‘sandy bank (of a river)’ + meier ‘tenant farmer’ (see Meyer). perhaps also a dialect reduction of Griesheimer, a habitational name for someone from any of several places in southern Germany named Griesheim.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press