Sæther

Sæther is a Norwegian surname and toponym. It originates from farm names in Norway, derived from the Old Norse sætr and the Norwegian sæter, terms for a summer pasture or mountain farm used for grazing during the highland season. As a surname, Sæther is typically toponymic, indicating that an ancestor came from a place named Sæther or from a farm of that name. The spelling with the letter æ is characteristic of Norwegian orthography; in international contexts the name is often rendered as Saether or Saeter.

In modern use, Sæther is most commonly found in Norway and among people of Norwegian descent elsewhere. It can also appear in other countries where Norwegian emigrants settled, sometimes in altered spellings.

The name is associated with various places in Norway named Sæther, reflecting the common practice of using farm or pasture names as family identifiers. The related form Sæter denotes the general pasture farm concept and also serves as a surname and place-name in some cases.

Notable bearers of the surname exist in various fields, including academia, sports, and culture, reflecting the name's continued use in contemporary Norwegian society. See also Sæter for the broader term and toponym.