Eiler
A Germanic surname most likely descended from an old personal name, originally meaning something like “noble army warrior.”
The #7,560 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,217 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually traced to an old Germanic personal name, commonly reconstructed in forms like Agilheri or Eilher. The second element, -heri, means “army” or “warrior,” while the first element is the older and less certain part of the name. In later surname use, Eiler functions as a shortened hereditary form based on that given name.
History
The excerpts connect Eiler with other Germanic surnames that arose from shortened or reshaped old personal names. It appears in German-language surname lists and was also noted as known in the Netherlands. In the United States, the name is uncommon but established, likely brought by German-speaking immigrants and their descendants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source explicitly grouped Eiler with surnames built from very old Germanic personal names rather than from occupations or places.
From the historical record
“Ehrlacher, Ehrleck, Eichberg, Eichhorn, Eichler, EiLER, Eilhower, Ekerman, Eliaers, Ellard, Eller, Ellery, Ellet, Elmore and Elsmore, Elsbury, Elsworth, Elvert, Emmes, Emmons, Enders, Endres, Engel, Englert, Engley, Enness, Enniss, Enwright, Epes, Eppert, Erdis, Erlund, Erney, Ernst, Erquit, Erskine, Erving…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)