Kiger
A surname of likely German or Dutch origin, probably arising as a nickname or regional name that was later carried into English-speaking countries.
The #7,429 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 68,855 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kiger is most likely a variant spelling that developed from a Germanic nickname or local-name form. In many cases, surnames of this shape come from a short personal name, a byname, or a place-based form that was later altered in spelling after migration. The exact root is not certain, so the safest explanation is that it is a Germanic surname with an unclear but probably nickname-based origin.
History
The name appears in English-language records largely through German-speaking immigration, especially in the United States. As with many immigrant surnames, spellings could shift when families settled in new regions and clerks wrote the name phonetically. The modern concentration of the surname in the U.S. suggests a relatively small family line that expanded there rather than a very widespread European name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the surname is relatively uncommon, small spelling changes in records can make family lines hard to trace, especially across 19th-century immigration documents.