Family name origins & meanings
- English (mainly Borders) : from Middle English yonger ‘younger’, hence a distinguishing name for, for example, the younger of two bearers of the same personal name. In one case, at least, however, the name is known to have been borne by an immigrant Fleming, and was probably an Americanized form of Middle Dutch jongheer ‘young nobleman’ (see Jonker).
- Americanized spelling of various cognate or like-sounding names in other languages, notably German Junger and Junker, or Dutch Jonker.