Messer Family History

German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a cutler from Middle High German mezzer ‘knife’ from Old High German mezzirahs mezzisahs, a compound of maz ‘food meat’ + sahs ‘knife sword’. The Jewish name is from German Messer ‘knife’ or Yiddish meser.

Dutch: occupational name from Middle Dutch messer ‘cutler’, an agent derivative of meste ‘knife’. German: occupational name for an official in charge of measuring the dues paid in kind by tenants from an agent derivative of Middle High German mezzen ‘to measure’.

English (of Norman origin): occupational name from Old French messier, messer ‘harvester, harvest master, hayward’ (Late Latin messicarius, an agent derivative of messis ‘harvest’).