Meir

Meir (Hebrew: מֵאִיר) is a Jewish male given name and an occasional surname. It means "one who shines".^[1] It is often Germanized as Maier, Mayer, Mayr, Meier, Meyer, Meijer, Italianized as Miagro, or Anglicized as Mayer, Meyer, or Myer.^[2] Notable people with the name include:

Given name:

• Rabbi Meir, Jewish sage who lived in the time of the Mishna
• Jacob ben Meir, known as Rabbeinu Tam (1100–1171), renowned Ashkenazi rabbi, French Tosafist, and leading halakhic authority in his generation
• Meir Amit (1921–2009), Israeli general and politician
• Meir Ariel (1942–1999), Israeli singer/songwriter
• Meir Bar-Ilan (1880–1949), rabbi and Religious Zionism leader
• Meir Ben Baruch (1215–1293) aka Meir of Rothenburg, a German rabbi, poet, and author
• Meir Daloya (1956–2024), Olympic weightlifter
• Meir Dizengoff (1861–1936), Israeli politician
• Meir Har-Zion (1934–2014), Israeli commando fighter
• Meir Dagan (1945–2016), Mossad chief
• Meir Kahane (1932–1990), rabbi and political activist
• Meir Lublin (1558–1616), Polish rabbi, Talmudist and Posek
• Meir Nitzan (1931–2025), the mayor of Rishon-LeZion, Israel
• Meir Pa'il (1926–2015), Israeli politician and military historian
• Meir Shalev (1948–2023), Israeli writer
• Meir Shamgar (1925–2019), Israeli President of the Israeli Supreme Court
• Meir Shapiro (1887–1933), Hasidic Rabbi and creator of the Daf Yomi
• Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (1843–1926), rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism in Eastern Europe
• Meir Zorea (1923–1995), Israeli general and politician
• Meir Sheetrit (born 1948), a current Israeli Knesset member for the Kadima party
• Meir Talmi (1909–1994), Israeli politician
• Meir Tamari (1927–2021), South African-Israeli economist
• Meir Tapiro (born 1975), Israeli basketball player, and current CEO of Ironi Nes Ziona
• Meir Teomi (1898–1947), Ukrainian actor
• Meir Teper, American film producer and businessman
• Meir Tobianski (1904–1948), Israeli officer wrongly executed as a traitor
• Israel Meir Kagan (1838–1933), Polish rabbi, Halakhist and ethicist
• Yisrael Meir Lau (born 1937), the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel
• Yitzchak Meir Alter (1799–1866), Polish rabbi and founder of the Ger (Hasidic dynasty) within Hasidic Judaism

Surname:

• Elchanan Meir (1936–2014), Israeli psychologist
• Gideon Meir (1947–2021), Israeli diplomat
• Golda Meir (1898–1978), a founder of the modern State of Israel, Hebraicized from Meyerson
• Jessica Meir (born 1977), comparative physiology researcher, astronaut, and aquanaut
• Nati Meir (born 1955), Romanian politician

Localities

• Meir, Antwerp, shopping street in Antwerp, Belgium
• Meir, Egypt
• Meir, Staffordshire