Eisen
A German surname from the word for “iron,” often tied to ironworking or a strong, iron-like nickname.
The #9,621 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 91,426 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Eisen is the German word for “iron,” ultimately from Old High German isarn / eisen-type forms meaning the same thing. As a surname, it could have been given to someone who worked with iron, sold iron goods, or perhaps to someone thought of as hard, strong, or unbending. Older surname dictionaries also connect it with related Germanic name forms built from the same iron element.
History
The name is well attested in German-speaking areas and also appears in related spelling forms in English, Dutch, and French records. Nineteenth- and early twentieth-century surname scholars treated it as part of a larger family of names formed from iron-related words and occupational bynames. In modern usage it is especially familiar as a German surname, though spelling and pronunciation can vary by country.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Iron-based surnames are common across Europe because ironworking was such an important medieval trade.
From the historical record
“zon. From Isen ; a loc. n., Germ, Esson, Norm. Or F. Eisse. ; Eissen ; D., S. Eisen ; A.S. Isen (iron) ; p.n. N.-Fr. De Aison J. De Eisenne in Rot. Hund. Izzard. From Essarts ; a loc. n.,”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)