22,797 Global MESSER Family Members

MESSER Family History

Recorded in many forms including Macer, Maser, Masser, Massier, Maysor, Measor, Messer, and others, this is an English surname but one of early French origins. It was first introduced at the famous Conquest of 1066, or very shortly thereafter and was reintroduced by the Huguenot Protestant refugees in the period after 1580, when the religious persecution of protestants became the norm in France. The name is occupational, derives from the word messier and describes a hayward, one who was responsible for the gathering of the winter hay, and the protection against loss. The French coat of arms is from the city of Lyon...