indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Meaning & History
The harried officials at Ellis Island began to assign surnames based upon the pronunciation of the name by the immigrant, rather than attempting to ferret out the actual spelling. Thus, Allgaeuer (those from the Allgaeu valley in Bavaria {Bayern}) became Allgeier, which unfortunately translates as, "all vulture (or "greedy one")" Thousands of families carry the name, Allgeier, and mostly reside in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and seem largely unaware of their cultural deprivation. Oddly--and contrary to the above narrative--Allgeiers appear around the world and even in German speaking countries, so maybe the Ellis Island officials were more knowledgeable than it appears.