Alger is both a given name and a surname. It originates from the
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
name
Ælfgar, meaning "
elf
An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
spear."
Notable people with the name include:
Given name
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Alger of Liège (1055–1131), French Roman Catholic priest
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Alger "Texas" Alexander (1900–1954), American blues singer
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Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 – November 15, 1996) was an American government official who was accused of espionage in 1948 for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. The statute of limitations had expired for espionage, but he was convicted of perjur ...
(1904–1996), American diplomat and alleged Soviet spy
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Alger H. Wood (1891–1970), American football and basketball coach
Surname
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Abby Langdon Alger (1850–1905), American writer, translator
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Alpheus B. Alger (1854–1895), Massachusetts State Senator
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Bruce Alger (1918–2015), American Congressman from Texas
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Cyrus Alger (1781–1865), American metallurgist and arms manufacturer
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Fanny Alger (1816–1889), the first plural wife of Joseph Smith Jr.
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Francis Alger (1807–1863), American mineralogist
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Frederick M. Alger Jr. (1907–1967), American politician and diplomat
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Harry Alger (1924–2010), Canadian politician
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Horatio Alger
Horatio Alger Jr. (; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was an American author who wrote young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to middle-class security and comfort through good works. His writings wer ...
(1832–1899), American author
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Ian Alger (1926–2009), innovative psychotherapist
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John Goldworth Alger
John Goldworth Alger (1836–1907) was an English journalist and author.
Life
Born at Diss, Norfolk, Diss, Norfolk, and baptised on 7 August 1836, he was the only son of John Alger, a corn merchant there, by his wife Jemima, daughter of Salem Gold ...
(1836–1907), English journalist and author
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Jonathan R. Alger, President of James Madison University
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Mary Donlon Alger (1893–1977), American lawyer, politician and first woman appointed to a federal judgeship in New York
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Pat Alger
Patrick J. Alger (born September 23, 1947, in LaGrange, GeorgiaCarlin 2003, p. 3.) is an American country music songwriter, singer and guitarist and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010) and the Georgia Music Hall of ...
(born 1947), American country music songwriter, singer and guitarist
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Percival Alger (born 1964), Filipino Olympic fencer
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Philip Rounseville Alger (1859–1912), American naval officer
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Paul Alger (born 1943), German football player
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Peter Alger (born 1952), New Zealander potter
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Ross Alger (1920–1992), Canadian politician
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Royce Alger (born 1965), American wrestler and mixed martial artist
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Russell A. Alger (1836–1907), U.S. Senator from and Governor of Michigan and U.S. Secretary of War
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Stephen Alger (born 1958), British tennis player
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William Rounseville Alger (1822–1905), American Unitarian minister, aphorist, and author
See also
References
{{given name, type=both
Masculine given names
English-language surnames