vægger

Vægger is a Danish term that can refer to historical occupations and, less commonly, to a surname. In historical use, a vægger was an official or tradesperson responsible for weighing goods, often at markets, ports, or customs posts. The vægger operated scales and weights and kept records of transactions to ensure fair trade and standardization of measurements. In many Danish towns, weighers played a regulated role and could be mentioned in archival documents, guild records, or municipal ordinances. Today, the specific occupational title vægger is largely obsolete outside historical contexts.

In addition to its occupational sense, vægger can appear as a family name. It is a rare surname in Denmark and Norway, where surnames based on old trades are preserved in genealogical records. As with other occupational surnames, its bearers may have ancestral ties to families involved in trade, measurement, or provisioning, but it does not denote a current professional title in modern usage.

Etymologically, væg­ger derives from the Danish root vægt, meaning weight, combined with the common agent suffix -er, forming a noun that denotes someone who weighs. The linkage to weight and measurement reflects the historical function of the role. Related terms in the same linguistic family include vægt (weight) and the verb veje (‘to weigh’).

See also: vægt, veje, weighing in markets, historical trades in Denmark.