Ulmer
A surname of Germanic origin, often meaning “famous wolf” or sometimes “owl-famous,” and also used for people from Ulm or similar places.
The #4,348 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 37,813 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Ulmer can have more than one historical source. In Germanic name-formation, it may come from a personal name built from elements meaning “wolf” and “famous,” such as Old High German/Old Saxon forms like Ulfmar or Ulfmari. Some early scholars also connected it with a form meaning “owl-famous,” from words for “owl” plus “famous,” though that explanation is less certain. In some cases it may also be a habitational surname for someone from Ulm or another place-name source.
History
Medieval records show forms such as Ulmer and Ulfmer, and the surname appears in Domesday-era and later English materials as a personal-name-based surname. In English use, it was often treated as a descendant of an old baptismal name, while German usage may also reflect place-based naming. The surname is relatively uncommon today, but it survives in both English-speaking and German-speaking contexts.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers disagreed about whether the first element was linked to wolves or owls, which makes Ulmer a nice example of how old name-etymologies can branch in more than one direction.
From the historical record
“ULMAR I A.-Sax. Wulfmar, i.e. Wolf- ULMER J Famed [O.N. mcerr = O.E. mcere, famous, glorious] 2 the O.l'eut. Ulmar, Ulmer = Owl- Famed [O.H.Ger. ula, uwila = O.E. lile (Dut. uil), owl + O.H.Ger. and O.Sax. mdri = O.E. metre, famous, etc.] Ulmer and Ulfmer (common) are the Domesday- Bk. forms.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)