Meacher Family History

From a compound of Middle English meten ‘to measure (out) meet out repay’ + yare yarewe ‘thoroughly completely; promptly quickly’, the term likely refers to someone who met his obligations fully and promptly, or, more likely, who required others to do so.

The name appears to have originated in Stour Provost, Dorset, where the variant Metyard is recorded in the 18th century, evident in the 14th-century examples.

For the sense, compare and contrast Stallabrass.