Lechner
A German surname originally referring to someone who held or worked a fief or leased holding.
The #7,972 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,414 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lechner is a German surname built on Middle High German leh(e)n, meaning a fief, leaseholding, or granted estate. In older Austrian and Bavarian usage, it referred to the holder of such a Lehengut, or a tenant/fief-holder. The name is therefore occupational or status-based rather than a nickname.
History
The surname is especially associated with Austria and southern German areas, and historical writers note it as common there. In some regions it appears alongside the related form Lehner, which reflects the same basic idea of holding land by lease or fief. The name later spread with German-speaking migration, including to eastern regions and overseas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century onomastic writers explicitly glossed Lechner as the owner of a Lehengut, making it one of the clearer examples of a surname tied to medieval land tenure.
From the historical record
“daher die FN. auf 'lehner und - lechner (bes. in Österreich und bei den Salzburger Aus- wanderern in Ostpreußen): Älmoslechner (Cilli). Ängerleehner,”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen