Soyer

SOY-er
French, Turkish
"master, lord; nobleman"

Soyer Origin and Meaning

The name Soyer is a boy's name meaning "master, lord; nobleman".

While this may sound like an alternative spelling of the unisex Sawyer, it is in fact a multicultural choice of French and Turkish origin, more familiar as a last name than a given name.

From its French roots, Soyer is adapted from sieur, giving it the meaning "master, lord, sir". From its Turkish origin, it derives from the elements soylu meaning "noble" and er meaning "man" or "soldier", giving it the meanings "nobleman" or more figuratively, "brave and noble hero".

Other sources suggest it could have emerged from the Welsh Sayer meaning "carpenter", in turn linking it back to sound alike Sawyer, meaning "woodcutter".

One notable bearer is Victorian chef, philanthropist, and inventor Alexis Benoît Soyer, who invented the Soyer stove for army usage during the Crimean War of the 1850s.

Given to a handful of boys in the US since the 2000s, this name may be too close to Soya to compete with Sawyer.