Auger

Etymology

Historical surname writers usually connect Auger with the Norman/French personal name Oger or Augier, so the name began as a patronymic meaning “son of Oger/Auger.” John Lower also recorded it as a Norman name and noted a separate English development from Alsager, a place in Cheshire, so the surname may have more than one origin in Britain. The related forms Aucher and Augur are treated as variants in older sources.

History

The name appears in medieval and early modern English records, including a Fitz-Aucher form that preserves the old patronymic pattern. Bardsley and Lower both note the overlap of Auger, Aucher, and Augur in historical spellings. In modern usage it survives as a relatively uncommon surname in the English-speaking world, with a stronger French-looking spelling than pronunciation in some families.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

Older genealogical sources sometimes treated Auger and Aucher as the same surname, which can make family lines look different in records when they may actually be the same name.