Frequency: (270)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Dutch: from Dutch zanger ‘singer’, hence an occupational name for a singer or chorister, or nickname for someone who was always singing. Compare German Sanger.
2. German: variant of Zenger.
3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name from German Zange ‘pincers’, ‘pliers’ + the agent suffix -er.
GIVEN NAMES: German 5%; Jewish 4%. Armin, Manfred; Meier (2), Aron.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
