Yaeger
A spelling variant of the German occupational surname for a hunter.
The #9,212 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,290 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Yaeger is a spelling variant of German Jäger, meaning “hunter.” The name goes back to Middle High German and ultimately to the verb for hunting, so it was originally an occupational byname for someone who hunted game or worked as a gamekeeper. In English-language records, the umlaut is often dropped and the spelling is adapted as Yeager, Yaeger, or Jager.
History
The surname entered English-speaking countries through German and German-American migration, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the United States, spellings without the umlaut became common because English lacked the German ä. The name is also found in related forms such as Yeager and Jager, which often reflect the same original German surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is etymologically connected to the common German word Jäger, still used today for “hunter.”