junger

Junger, often written Jünger in German, is a surname of German origin. The name derives from the adjective jung, meaning young, and historically may have identified a younger person within a family or a junior status. In English-language contexts, the umlaut is commonly omitted, yielding Junger or Juenger.

Notable bearers include Ernst Jünger (1895–1998), a prominent German writer and philosopher whose work spans the 20th century and has influenced literature and political thought. His younger brother Friedrich Georg Jünger was a German writer and artist; the Jünger family is associated with contributions to German letters and intellectual life.

In German grammar, junger is the masculine nominative singular form of the adjective jung when used with an indefinite article, as in “ein junger Mann” meaning “a young man” or “ein junger Bruder” meaning “a young brother.” The surname remains most commonly written with the umlaut (Jünger) but may appear as Juenger or Junger in non-umlaut contexts.