Frequency: (498)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. German: variant of Steurer.
2. German: occupational name for a helmsman, from Middle High German stiur ‘steer’.
3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a tax collector, from German Steuer ‘tax’, ‘impost’.
GIVEN NAMES: German 7%. Franz (2), Gebhard (2), Jurgen (2), Benno, Egon, Guenter, Klaus, Kurt.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
