Dinger
Likely a surname formed from a Germanic place-name element or nickname pattern, with some early evidence pointing to German and Dutch forms.
The #9,524 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,435 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical references are not strong enough to give one secure derivation, but they suggest a Germanic surname, probably from a place-name or a short personal-name form. One source connects it with German and Dutch name forms such as Dinger and related spellings; another places it among surnames built from place-name elements ending in -ing. The name may also have been influenced by Germanic words like German Ding, meaning an assembly or court, though that connection is not certain.
History
The surname appears in German- and Dutch-looking forms in 19th-century onomastic works, and it is also found in English surname lists as a rare name. In modern use it is especially established in the United States, where it remains uncommon. Because the old sources are brief and partly incidental, its exact line of descent is still uncertain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old Germanic surname dictionaries sometimes group Dinger with other names ending in -ing, a common formative element in German place and family names.
From the historical record
“Ding. N. Dengir ; cogn. G. Dinger ; Dch. Denike, Dinger ; FI. Dengis ; p.n. (one who whets) Dingley. A loc. n., Northants Dingwall. A loc. n., Scotl. Din ham. A loc. n., Monmth.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)