Baugher
A surname most likely from German Bacher or Bauer, brought into English spelling by immigrant families.
The #9,227 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,488 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually explained as an Anglicized or altered form of a German surname such as Bacher or Bauer. In the excerpt provided, Baugher is directly linked with Bacher, suggesting a German source rather than an originally English word. Depending on the family line, the deeper root may relate either to a person living by a stream or ditch (from Bach, "brook") or to a farmer (from Bauer), both common German surname bases.
History
Baugher is found in the United States, especially among descendants of German-speaking immigrants whose names were reshaped in English spelling. The form appears to have developed as a local or phonetic rendering of a German surname rather than a long-established English surname. Because multiple German surnames can converge on similar spellings, different Baugher families may not share exactly the same origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same spelling can sometimes hide more than one ancestry, because Baugher may reflect either a brook-related German name or a farming-related one.
From the historical record
“Bauer, p. 310 Baugh = Bach, Baugher = Bacher, Baughnian = Bachman, Baum, p. 317 Baumann, p. 310 Baumbach, p. 314 Baumeister, p. 311”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names