Surnames Categorized "ends in -er"

This is a list of surnames in which the categories include ends in -er.
usage
Alexander English
Derived from the given name Alexander.
Auer German
From German Aue, Old High German ouwa, meaning "meadow by a river, wetland".
Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.
Barber English, Scottish
Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living.
Barker English
From Middle English bark meaning "to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.
Baxter English
Variant (in origin a feminine form) of Baker.
Berger 1 French
Occupational name meaning "shepherd", from Old French bergier.
Boucher French
Means "butcher" in French.
Brauer Low German
Derived from Middle Low German bruwer meaning "brewer".
Brewer English
Occupational name for a maker of ale or beer.
Bunker English
Derived from Old French bon cuer meaning "good heart".
Butler English, Irish
Occupational name derived from Norman French butiller "wine steward", ultimately from Late Latin butticula "bottle". A famous bearer of this surname is the fictional character Rhett Butler, created by Margaret Mitchell for her novel Gone with the Wind (1936).
Carter English
Occupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).
Chandler English
Occupational name meaning "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin candela via Old French.
Chester English
From the name of a city in England, derived from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".
Colter English
Variant of Colt using an agent suffix.
Cooper English
Means "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.
Dexter English
Occupational name meaning "dyer" in Old English (originally this was a feminine word, but it was later applied to men as well).
Draper English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of woollen cloth, from Anglo-Norman French draper (Old French drapier, an agent derivative of drap "cloth").
Dyer English
Occupational name meaning "cloth dyer", from Old English deah "dye".
Elder English
Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.
Ferber German
Variant of Färber.
Fletcher English
Occupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French fleche meaning "arrow".
Fournier French
Occupational name for a baker, from French fourneau meaning "oven".
Fraser Scottish
Meaning unknown, originally Norman French de Fresel, possibly from a lost place name in France.
Fuller English
Occupational name for a fuller, a person who thickened and cleaned coarse cloth by pounding it. It is derived via Middle English from Latin fullo.
Gallagher Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Gallchobhair meaning "descendant of Gallchobhar".
Garber German
Variant of Gerber.
Garver German
Variant of Gerber.
Harper English
Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.
Hightower English
Possibly a variant of Hayter.
Hooker English
Originally applied to one who lived near a river bend or corner of some natural feature, from Old English hoc "angle, hook".
Hooper English
Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.
Hunter English, Scottish
Occupational name that referred to someone who hunted for a living, from Old English hunta.
Jager German
Variant of Jäger.
Kaiser German
From Middle High German keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name Caesar.
Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.
Krüger 1 German
In northern Germany an occupational name for a tavern keeper, derived from Middle Low German kroch meaning "tavern".
Meijer Dutch
Dutch form of Meyer 1.
Mercer English
Occupational name for a trader in textiles, from Old French mercier, derived from Latin merx meaning "merchandise".
Mercier French
French form of Mercer.
Miller English
Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".
Moser German
Name for someone who lived near a peat bog, from Middle High German mos.
Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.
Muller German
Variant of Müller.
Oliver English, Catalan, German, French
Derived from the given name Oliver.
Olivier French
Derived from the given name Olivier.
Palmer English
Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
Parker English
Means "keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.
Pelletier French
Derived from Old French pelletier "fur trader".
Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.
Potter English
Occupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Power 1 English, Irish
From Old French Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.
Reuter 1 German
Fom Middle High German riute meaning "cleared land".
Richter German
Means "judge" in German, from Middle High German rihtære.
Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.
Sander German, Danish
Derived from the given name Alexander.
Sangster English, Scottish
Occupational name or nickname for a singer, from Old English singan "to sing, to chant".
Schröder 1 Low German
Occupational name for a tailor, from Middle Low German schroden meaning "to cut".
Schweitzer German
Indicated a person from Switzerland (see Schweiz).
Seeger German
From the given name Sieghard.
Shearer English
English cognate of Scherer.
Silver English
From a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English seolfor "silver".
Skinner English
Occupational name for a person who skinned animals, from Old Norse skinn.
Slater English
Occupational name indicating that an early member worked covering roofs with slate, from Old French esclat "shard", of Germanic origin.
Spencer English
Occupational name for a person who dispensed provisions to those who worked at a manor, derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry".
Steiner German
Variant of Stein.
Sumner English
Occupational name for a summoner, an official who was responsible for ensuring the appearance of witnesses in court, from Middle English sumner, ultimately from Latin submonere "to advise".
Tanner English
Occupational name for a person who tanned animal hides, from Old English tannian "to tan", itself from Late Latin and possibly ultimately of Celtic origin.
Tinker English
Occupational name for a mender of kettles, pots and pans. The name could derive from the tinking sound made by light hammering on metal. It is possible that the word comes from the word tin, the material with which the tinker worked.
Towner English
Variant of Toller.
Tucker English
Occupational name for a fuller of cloth, derived from Old English tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.
Tupper English
Occupational name for a herdsman, derived from Middle English toupe "ram".
Turner English
Occupational name for one who worked with a lathe, derived from Old English turnian "to turn", of Latin origin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.
Tyler English
Occupational name for a tiler of roofs, derived from Old English tigele "tile". A famous bearer of this name was American president John Tyler (1790-1862).
Visser Dutch
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in Dutch.
Walker English
Occupational name for a person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. It is derived from Middle English walkere, Old English wealcan meaning "to move".
Walther German
From the given name Walther.
Weaver 1 English
Occupational name for a weaver, derived from Old English wefan "to weave".
Weber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.
Webster English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".
Winchester English
From an English place name, derived from Venta, of Celtic origin, and Latin castrum meaning "camp, fortress".
Winkler German
Derived from Old High German winkil meaning "corner".