Swanger
A surname most likely of Germanic origin, probably from a place-name or older German word form that was later reshaped in English-speaking countries.
The #9,217 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,315 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Swanger is most plausibly a German or German-American surname that has been Anglicized in spelling and pronunciation. The ending -er often points to someone from a place or region, or to a surname formed from an older Germanic name element. The initial Swan- may reflect a German place-name, a dialect form, or a sound-altered spelling that was stabilized after immigration to English-speaking areas.
History
The name is found mainly in the United States, where many bearers descend from German-speaking immigrants whose surnames were adapted to English spelling. In some cases, surnames of this type were altered repeatedly in records, so modern forms can hide an older continental original. Because Swanger is relatively uncommon, its exact line-by-line history is often easier to trace in family records than from the surname alone.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Uncommon surnames like Swanger often preserve older spellings that disappeared in the original homeland but survived in American records.