Beckner
A surname most likely related to German names built on Beck-, often from a brook, baker, or place-name base.
The #6,199 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,973 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Beckner is usually treated as a German surname, but the exact source is not secure from the excerpted evidence. The first element Beck- may reflect German words and name elements associated with a brook or stream, though in some surname families it can also be linked to other Beck- names or places. The ending -ner is a common German surname suffix that often points to someone from a place or someone associated with a particular locality or household.
History
The name appears in German-speaking surname material and was carried into the United States by immigrant families. In American records it has remained a relatively uncommon surname but is now most visible in the U.S. rather than in its original European setting. Because Beckner can overlap with several similar German names, individual family lines may not share a single origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is close in form to several other German Beck- names, which is one reason older etymologists sometimes grouped it with related forms rather than explaining it separately.
From the historical record
“Beckmanii 304. Becknagel 140. ' Beckner 634. * Beckstedt 520; *Beckum 466, 520. Bedeau 647. Bedell 647.”
— Die Personennamen, insbesondere die Familiennamen