BunkerEnglish Derived from Old French bon cuer meaning "good heart".
ButlerEnglish, 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).
CarterEnglish 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-).
ChandlerEnglish Occupational name meaning "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin candela via Old French.
ChesterEnglish From the name of a city in England, derived from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".
CooperEnglish Means "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.
DexterEnglish Occupational name meaning "dyer" in Old English (originally this was a feminine word, but it was later applied to men as well).
DraperEnglish Occupational name for a maker or seller of woollen cloth, from Anglo-Norman French draper (Old French drapier, an agent derivative of drap "cloth").
DyerEnglish Occupational name meaning "cloth dyer", from Old English deah "dye".
ElderEnglish Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.
FletcherEnglish Occupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French fleche meaning "arrow".
FullerEnglish 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.
GloverEnglish Occupational name for a person who made or sold gloves, from Middle English glovere.
GruberUpper German From German Grube meaning "pit", indicating a person who lived or worked in a pit or depression. This is the most common surname in Austria.
HarperEnglish Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.
KaiserGerman 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.
MillerEnglish Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".
MoserGerman Name for someone who lived near a peat bog, from Middle High German mos.
MüllerGerman German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.
PalmerEnglish Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
ParkerEnglish Means "keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.
PelletierFrench Derived from Old French pelletier"fur trader".
PorcherEnglish, French Means "swineherd" from Old French and Middle English porchier, from Latin porcus "pig".
PorterEnglish Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.
PotterEnglish 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 1English, Irish From Old French Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.
Reuter 1German Fom Middle High German riute meaning "cleared land".
RichterGerman Means "judge" in German, from Middle High German rihtære.
RimmerEnglish Occupational name meaning "poet", from Middle English rime meaning "rhyme".
RitterGerman From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.
SpencerEnglish Occupational name for a person who dispensed provisions to those who worked at a manor, derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry".
SumnerEnglish 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".
TannerEnglish 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.
ThatcherEnglish Referred to a person who thatched roofs by attaching straw to them, derived from Old English þæc meaning "thatch, roof". A famous bearer was the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).
TinkerEnglish 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.
TuckerEnglish 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.
TupperEnglish Occupational name for a herdsman, derived from Middle English toupe"ram".
TurnerEnglish 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.
TylerEnglish 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).
VisserDutch Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in Dutch.
WalkerEnglish 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".