Lanier Surname

French, Dutch, and English: occupational name for someone involved in the wool trade, from an agent derivative of Old French la(i)ne ‘wool’.
French and Dutch: occupational name, with the definite article, for a pack driver, from French âne ‘ass’, ‘donkey’ (Latin asinus).
French and Dutch: nickname for a falconer, from Old French lanier, lenier, a kind of falcon.
French and Dutch: nickname for a lazy, slow, timid, or cowardly person, from Old French lanier, lenier.

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4