Bontrager
A likely Americanized surname of Germanic origin, probably tied to a personal name rather than a place or trade.
The #4,167 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,293 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bontrager is generally treated as a surname of Germanic origin, probably an Americanized spelling of an older Swiss German or German-family form. The first element may reflect a personal name such as Bon-, from forms related to 'good' or to a shortened baptismal name, while the second element likely comes from a dialectal family-name ending or compound element that was reshaped in North America. Because the name is relatively uncommon and not securely documented in the major classic surname dictionaries, its exact original form and literal meaning remain uncertain.
History
The surname is associated especially with North American families of German-speaking, including Swiss Anabaptist, background. Like many immigrant surnames, it likely stabilized in spelling after arrival in the United States, where clerks and families often simplified or altered older dialect forms. Today it is most visible in the U.S., particularly in communities with Pennsylvania German and Amish/Mennonite heritage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Bontrager is relatively rare, it is one of those surnames whose family history often preserves more local migration history than any single universally agreed etymology.