Jager
A surname of German origin meaning “hunter.”
The #7,621 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,878 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jager comes from German Jäger, “hunter,” from Middle High German jagaere/jeger and ultimately from a Germanic root meaning “to hunt” or “to chase.” The same surname form appears in Dutch and related Germanic traditions, sometimes without the umlaut in spelling. In English-language records, it may also appear as Jagger or Yager as spellings were adapted to local pronunciation.
History
This surname is well attested in German-speaking areas and in records of people of German descent. It also entered English and American records through immigration and spelling simplification, especially where the umlaut was dropped. Historical surname dictionaries regularly gloss it simply as “hunter.”
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
German surname dictionaries often treat Jager and Jäger as the same name, with the spelling difference mostly depending on whether the umlaut is written.
From the historical record
“JAEGER"! (Ger.) Hunter ]JAM.(jex. jeger{e, JAGER ) O.H.Ger. •ya^^eW = Dut.}"a^er] JANSEN \ (Scand.) Jan's or Johan's Son JENSEN J = Johnson, q.v. in Diet. [Dan.- Norw. son, son] JOHANNESEN (Scand.) Johannes's Son 1 _ JOHANSEN (Scand.) Johan's Son J Johnson, q.v. in Diet. [Dan.-Norw.. jij«,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)