Krueger surname meaning

Krueger is the common American spelling of German Krüger. In southern Germany and related Ashkenazic use it is an occupational name for a maker or seller of stoneware mugs and jugs, from Middle High German kruoc / German Krug, “jug” or “pitcher.” In northern Germany the same surname denotes an innkeeper, from Low German and German Krug, “inn” or “tavern.” Both readings are job names; regional vocabulary supplies the difference. Kruger and Krug are closely related forms. Occupation is high confidence because DAFN’s southern and northern explanations are both occupational, even when the exact trade (pottery versus hospitality) varies by dialect.