An American surname, from Dutch.
"The Rutgers family has lived in New Jersey since the seventeenth century when they arrived as Dutch settlers."
The word Rutgers comes from a Dutch family name meaning "son of Rutger," which is equivalent to the names Roger or Rodgarus. This surname was adopted into English through its association with the university founded by Samuel Finley Brown Morse, though the etymology itself traces back directly to that original patronymic form.