Showalter
A surname that likely began as a German-derived name, sometimes explained as referring to a maker or keeper of a show altar or display altar.
The #4,044 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,141 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The old explanation in the excerpt connects the first element with a word for a “show” and the second with “altar,” yielding a literal sense like “show altar.” That interpretation is not entirely secure, but the name is often treated as a German surname that was reshaped in English spelling. In many cases, surnames of this type arose from regional German forms that were later simplified or Anglicized after immigration.
History
Showalter is best known in the United States, especially among families of German-speaking ancestry. The surname appears in Pennsylvania and other areas of settlement by German immigrants, where spellings often shifted to fit English usage. Because the etymology is not firmly settled, the name is usually handled cautiously in surname dictionaries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is common enough in the U.S. to rank in the several-thousands in the 2010 Census, but its old word-by-word explanation is still debated rather than certain.
From the historical record
“Showeker, from the same roots. Showalter. Sceawe^ a show ; alter, an altar. A show- altar. Showell. Sceawe, a show ; el, indicative of a person. A showman.”
— Family Names from the Irish, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman and Scotch