Derivation of Lerner Family Name
LERNER
This name comes from the Yiddish meaning "Student". In Eastern Europe, it was common practice for men to marry at a very early age and to carry on with their studies of the Torah whilst being supported by their wives and families.
Names denoting occupation and trade are extremely common amongst most peoples, not excepting the Jewish people.
Ashkenazi Jews in particular, seem to have used this source for creating family names, especially from the 19th century when laws were passed in Europe forcing all Jews to assume fixed family names (which until then they had not deemed necessary). The haste in which such laws had to be enforced may explain why many not only used the name of the trade, but also the tools used within the trade. Whatever the reasons, the wide range of Jewish family names coming from their occupations uniquely illustrates both the variety of trades they were occupied in and the areas where they greatly dominated.
(Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica; Diaspora Museum, Israel)