Surname Stegers - Meaning and Origin
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Stegers: What does the surname Stegers mean?
The last name Stegers is a name of Dutch origin, meaning ‘stagers’ or ‘stair makers’. This is derived from the Dutch word ‘steege’ which was used to refer to the steps or stairs used to access the upper floors of a home or other structure in Holland during the Middle Ages. The people who created these steeges or stairs were called stagers, which is where the last name Stegers originates.
The name Stegers became widely used in northern and western Europe during the 1500s and 1600s. Records of individuals with this last name can be found throughout Holland, Belgium, and northern France where their skill set of stair-building was in demand.
Stegers is also used as a patronymic form to denote direct paternal lineage. In this context, the phrase ‘van Stegers’ is commonly used as a prefix to denote descent from the original Stegers family.
The current status of the name is primarily concentrated in Holland, Belgium, and France, with smaller pockets of descendants in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is most common in the Netherlands, where it is the 39th most popular surname.
In total, the Stegers name has endured through centuries of cultural and societal shifts and continues to be used by the descendants of the original stair-makers to this day.
Order DNA origin analysisStegers: Where does the name Stegers come from?
The last name Stegers is most commonly found in the Netherlands today, where it is among the 200 most common last names in the country. In a recent census, it was revealed that the name was associated with 3,918 people.
It is also common in parts of Germany, especially in the western states of Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Rhineland-Palatinate and parts of Austria, Belgium, and France, though not as frequent as it is in the Netherlands.
It is also known to be among the top 1,000 last names in the United States and Canada, though it is quite rare there. According to the latest census conducted in the US, the Stegers family was associated with 400 people living in the country.
The name Stegers is thought to have originated from the Dutch word 'stegers' which means 'a small bridge'. It is believed that the name began as a nickname for someone who frequently crossed bridges in their daily route or was in charge of the upkeep of small bridges.
Popular variations of the last name include Stegers, Stephan, Steegers, and Stegere, while derivatives of the name are found in the forms Steger or Stegher. It is rarely used as a given name, with just a handful of occurrences recorded.
Variations of the surname Stegers
Stegers is a Dutch patronymic surname derived from the given name Stefanos, which is the Greek form of the masculine given name Stephen. It is derived from the Greek word “stephanos", meaning "crown", and in Christian tradition, it is used to refer to Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian faith.
Variants of Stegers include the Dutch spelling Stegers, the German spelling Steigers (or Steiger), and the Swedish spelling Stege(r), and other variants such as Steggers, Stegeers, Steggers, and Steegers.
The surnames of the same origin include:
Stegmann, Stegemann, Stegner, Stieger, Steiger, Steigemann, Steigler, Steigmeier, Steinkamp, Steinemann, Steinhauer, Steuck, Stieglitz, Streit, Stricker, Struve, Stuben, Stubbs, Stutzman, Stubbis, Suermann, Süple, Suttner, Swart, Sylvester, Szalay, Stas, Stoll, Schilling, Schlegel, Schubert, Schulte, and Schwab.
It is important to note that these spellings and surnames are regional, and each region may have a different version of the name. For example, Stegers can be spelled differently in different German-speaking countries, with the German-Austrian version being Steiger, and the German-Swiss version Steig.
Overall, Stegers is an old surname that was likely adopted in northern Europe in the Middle Ages. It is a patronymic surname derived from the given name Stefanos, and its spellings and surnames of the same origin shows regional variety and regional nuances.
Famous people with the name Stegers
- Dana Stegers: Dutch actress known for her roles in films such as Brimstone and Scoundrels.
- Martina Stegers: Austrian actress known for her roles in films such as The Best Offer and October Song.
- Alfred Stegers: German actor known for his roles in films such as The White Ribbon and The Reader.
- John Stegers: American actor known for his roles in films such as The Patriot and Snow White and the Huntsman.
- Joe Stegers: American actor known for his roles in films such as The Fault in Our Stars and Bridge of Spies.
- Kaja Stegers: Popular Dutch YouTuber and Instagram celebrity with over 450,000 followers.
- Matthias Stegers: Dutch entrepreneur and investor who founded the media and journalism platform De Correspondent.
- Michael Stegers: German artist best known for his post-impressionist landscape and figurative artworks.
- Joanne Stegers: American visual artist who has exhibited her works in renowned galleries such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
- Nathalie Stegers: Belgian designer and former creative director of the esteemed fashion house Maison Margiela.