Looking for surname origin?

Question:

Looking for surname origin?

The surnames are Texter and Greier. I've looked them up before but could find nothing. Maybe someone can help. These are for friends. Because I already know my surname originated from Scotland.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I took a brief look at some databases that I have a subscription to and found that the name Texter seems to come from Germany. I found that most of the Texters in the census records that have German roots resided in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, although there were other locations as well.

Here are a few free places to research Texter further:

http://genforum.genealogy.com/texter/...
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.text...
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi...
http://www.gencircles.com/globaltree/gos...
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/f...

The same sites can be used to research Grier, which I found to also be of German origin. Most of the ships records show Germany as birthplace.

The best thing I can tell you though is that both of these names seem to have german origins, however, the only way that that can be confirmed for your friends family is to research family members one by one, generation by generation. For example, my husband has the last name of Kelley. Kelley is traditionally an Irish name; however, I have yet to find his tie to Ireland. He carries a traditionally Irish name, but I have found he seems to have more English blood than anything.

I hope that this helps. Blessings to you and your friends.