Adler
A German surname meaning “eagle,” originally a bird-name that may also have carried associations of strength and nobility.
The #2,223 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,812 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Adler is the German word for “eagle,” and the surname was taken directly from that bird-name. The old Germanic form is usually connected with words for “eagle,” though 19th-century writers sometimes linked it with older elements meaning “noble” and “bird of prey.” In practice, the clearest and safest explanation is simply that it is a German surname based on the eagle.
History
The name is common in German-speaking areas and was carried into English-speaking countries by German immigrants. Like other surnames from animals and birds, it may have begun as a nickname, a house sign, or a name chosen for its heraldic or symbolic force. Early American references show it as a recognizably German surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Eagle surnames are fairly widespread in German onomastics, and Adler is one of the most straightforward examples.
From the historical record
“-i- manin] Eng. Acreman. ADLER (Ger.lJ Eagle [M.H.Ger.adler, adel-ar; I. O.H.Ger. adal, noble + aro (mod. aar), large bird of prey, eagle] ADOLF \(Ger.) Noble Wolf [f. O.H.Ger. ADOLPH f adal. noble -\- wolf] AHRENS.genit. of Ahrent (with dropped -t-) AHRENT (Ger.) Eagle [L.Ger. arent = Dut,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)