Steiger
A German surname usually referring to someone who lived or worked on a steep path or hillside, and sometimes to a mine overseer.
The #8,313 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 77,457 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Steiger is a German surname built on the verb steige(n), meaning "to climb" or "to go up." In surname use, it can point to a person associated with a steep ascent or path, and in some contexts to a "mine foreman" or overseer, from older mining vocabulary. The name may also be treated in some sources as topographic, referring to someone living by a narrow uphill track.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas and was later carried into places of German immigration, especially North America. Historical surname dictionaries sometimes gloss it as "climber," while others connect it to a steep path or hillside, showing that the name could be interpreted in more than one closely related way. Related forms such as Steigerwald and Steiger are also found in German surname lists.
Origin
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Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older German mining language, a Steiger could mean a supervisor or foreman, which gives the surname an occupational edge beyond the literal idea of climbing.
From the historical record
“FN. 1) von Auerswald (0. Auerswalde). Eichwald. Qrunwald. Maiwald. Osterwald. Schwarxwald. Steiger- wald. 2) Bärwalde. Fürstenwalde. Reck- lenwalde. Schwachenwalde (-walde in FN. selten, da diese F. dann”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen