Egger
A surname most often from the German short form of old compound names like Eckhart, though in some places it can also point to a person from a place called Egg.
The #9,728 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 92,605 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Egger is usually explained as a shortened form of older Germanic personal names built on the element eck- / eg-", often seen in names such as Eckhart. In that sense, it developed as a surname from a given name rather than from the modern English word "egg." In some southern German and Swiss settings, it may also be locational, referring to someone who lived near an "egg" or "eck"—a ridge, corner, or edge—or who came from a place with that name.
History
19th-century surname scholars regularly linked Egger with Eckhart and related names, and German reference works also note it as a southern German form. The name is especially common in German-speaking Alpine areas, including Switzerland, southern Germany, and Austria. English-language surname books also sometimes treated it as a variant or short form in the wider family of Eck- and Egg- names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several old surname studies group Egger with names built on the idea of an 'edge' or 'corner,' which is why it can look like it has something to do with eggs even though it usually does not.
From the historical record
“Eacher. A.S. Ecga, Egeor (point, edge); D. Egger; Dch. Eger; p.n. Eacott. A.S. Ecgheard ; D. Eckert, Eigaard ; G. Eckardt ; FI. Eekhout ; p.n. (strong edge)”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)