Bridger is an English occupational surname for someone who lived by a bridge or kept one, so it means "bridge keeper" or "one who lives by the bridge". In the United States it recalls the frontier scout Jim Bridger and the Bridger Mountains of Montana, which gives it a rugged Western flavor. Bridger ranked number 1015 in 2000, entered the top 1000 in 2016 and reached number 701 in 2025, its best rank so far.