Gunter
An old surname from an early Germanic personal name, later also influenced by the medieval given name Gunter/Gunther.
The #1,457 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,595 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually traced to a medieval personal name such as Gunter or Gunther, from an old Germanic name element seen in names like Gund- or Gunther. In this view, Gunter began as a patronymic surname meaning, in effect, 'son of Gunter.' Some 19th-century writers also linked it to an even older Teutonic personal name, while a folk explanation from 'gaunt' was mentioned but regarded as unlikely.
History
Lower noted Gunter and a related form, Gonther, as names borne by tenants in Domesday Book, showing the name was present in England very early. It appears in medieval records in several spellings, and later became established both in Britain and, through migration, in North America and elsewhere. The surname can also be confused with or influenced by forms such as Gunther and Gunter/Ganter in historical records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A family tradition once explained the name as coming from 'gaunt,' but the old lexicographer Edward Lower explicitly thought that idea was very unlikely.
From the historical record
“ley's Surrey, i. GS. GUNTER. GUNTHER. A tradition in the family says, from gaunt (Vor, allusive to the golden gauntlets in their arms ; but this is very improbable. Guutaric was an old Teutonic personal name, and Gonther and Gunter appear as tenants in Domesd. GUNTON. Parishes in cos. Norfolk and Suffolk. GUPPY.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom