Meitner is a surname that originated in Austria. The correct pronunciation of Meitner is /ˈmaɪtnər/, where the "ei" is pronounced like the English "eye" sound and the "er" is pronounced like the English "ir" sound. The spelling of Meitner is based on the German language, where the "ei" combination is commonly used to represent the English "eye" sound. Meitner is known as the namesake of the chemical element meitnerium, which is named after her contributions to nuclear physics.