Sauer
A German surname meaning “sour” or “morose,” sometimes also linked to a place-name near the river Sau.
The #2,364 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,009 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name comes from German sauer, meaning “sour.” As a surname it was likely first applied as a nickname for someone thought to be sharp-tempered, crabbed, or dour. Some older writers also suggested a locational origin for at least one family, connecting it with the river Sau near their lands, but the descriptive explanation is the main one.
History
The surname is established in German-speaking areas and is straightforward in form, which helped it survive with little alteration. English and American records often keep the spelling Sauer, while related forms such as Sawer or Sawyer can appear in broader onomastic discussions, though they do not have the same origin. The name is also found in compounds and related surnames in older German sources, such as Sauerbier and Sauerwein, which show how productive sauer was as a naming element.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname dictionaries often glossed Sauer simply as “sour,” a rare example of a surname whose literal meaning is still immediately recognizable today.
From the historical record
“j (Ger.) Saxon [see Sax(e in Diet.] SAUER (Ger.) Sour SCHAEFER SCHAEFFER SCHAFER SCHAFFER Morose [M.H.Ger. O.H.Ger. jdr]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)