Surnames Categorized "occupations"

Azzarà Italian
Sicilian name, derived from Greek dialects of southern Italy. It is from Greek ψαράς (psaras) meaning "fisherman".

Baas Dutch
Means "boss, overseer" in Dutch.

Bailey English
From Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin baiulus "porter".

Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

Barber English, Scottish
Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living, ultimately from Latin barba "beard".

Barbier French
French cognate of Barber.

Barsotti Italian
Probably from the medieval Latin word baro meaning "man, freeman" (of Frankish origin).

Bautista Spanish
Derived from the given name Bautista.

Biermann German
Derived from German bier "beer" and mann "man". The name may have referred to a brewer or a tavern owner.

Binici Turkish
From the Turkish word binici meaning "rider, horseman".

Boerefijn Dutch
Possibly an adaptation of French beurre fin meaning "good butter".

Breiner German, Swedish
Occupational name derived from Middle High German brie "porridge".

Brewer English
Occupational name for a maker of ale or beer.

Brewster English
Variant of Brewer, originally a feminine form of the occupational term.

Brodbeck German
Means "bread baker" from Middle High German brot "bread" and becke "baker".

Buckley 2 Irish
From Irish Ó Buachalla meaning "descendant of Buachaill", a nickname meaning "cowherd, servant".

Butcher English
Occupational name for a butcher, derived from Old French bouchier.

Cannon English
From the ecclesiastical usage of canon, referring to a church official or servant who worked in a clergy house.

Carman 1 English
Occupational name for a carter, from Middle English carre "cart" (of Latin origin) and man "man".

Carpenter English
From the occupation, derived from Middle English carpentier (ultimately from Latin carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").

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-).

Carver English
Occupational surname for a carver, from Middle English kerve "cut".

Cavalcante Italian
Derived from Italian cavalcare "to ride".

Cavallo Italian
Means "horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.

Chancellor English
Occupational name for an administrator, a chancellor, from Norman French chancelier.

Chandler English
Occupational name meaning "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin candela via Old French.

Chase English
Occupational name for a hunter, from Middle English chase "hunt".

Chlebek Polish
From Polish chleb "bread", used to denote a baker.

Cleary Irish
From Irish cléireach meaning "clerk" (see Clark).

Colombo Italian
Either from Italian colomba "dove" indicating a dove keeper, or from the given name Colombo, which is derived from the same word. This was the Italian surname of the 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus.

Constable English
From Old French conestable, ultimately from Latin comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".

Cook English
Derived from Old English coc meaning "cook", ultimately from Latin coquus. It was an occupational name for a cook, a man who sold cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house.

Cookson English
Patronymic form of Cook.

Cooper English
Means "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.

Das Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Hindi, Marathi
Means "servant, devotee" in Sanskrit.

Dobos Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian dob meaning "drum". Originally the name was given to someone who played drums or made them.

Dwerryhouse English
Indicated a person who worked or lived at a dyehouse, which is a place where dyeing was done.

Episcopo Italian
Means "bishop" in Italian, ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos).

Evangelista Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "evangelist" in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Fabre Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Farmer English
Occupational name for a tax collector, from Middle English ferme "rent, revenue, provision", from medieval Latin firma, ultimately from Old English feorm. This word did not acquire its modern meaning until the 17th century.

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Fishman English
Occupational name for a fisherman.

Fisker Danish
Means "fisherman" in Danish.

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".

Forester English
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see Forest).

Gardener English
Occupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).

Garver German
Variant of Gerber.

Geiger German
Means "fiddle player" in German, derived from Old High German giga "fiddle".

Grieve Scottish
Occupational name meaning "steward, farm manager" in Middle English, related to the German title Graf.

Halász Hungarian
Means "fisherman" in Hungarian.

Hall English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

Harper English
Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.

Hauer German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Haumann German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop" and man "man", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Hayward English
Occupational name for a person who protected an enclosed forest, from Old English hæg "enclosure, fence" and weard "guard".

Hooper English
Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.

Hopper English
Occupational name for an acrobat or a nickname for someone who was nervous or restless. A famous bearer was the American actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010).

Houtkooper Dutch
Means "buyer of wood" in Dutch.

Hunter English, Scottish
Occupational name that referred to someone who hunted for a living, from Old English hunta.

Jäger German
Means "hunter" in German, from Old High German jagon meaning "to hunt".

Jardine English, Scottish
Means "garden", denoting someone who worked as a gardener.

Kasabian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Ղասաբյան (see Ghasabyan).

Kaufmann German, Jewish
Means "trader, merchant" in German.

Kellogg English
Occupational name for a pig butcher, from Middle English killen "to kill" and hog "pig, swine, hog".

Kerner German
Derived from Old High German kerno "seed", an occupational name for one who sold or planted seeds.

Kitchens English
Variant of Kitchen.

Knight English
From Old English cniht meaning "knight", a tenant serving as a mounted soldier.

Koch German
German cognate of Cook.

Kocsis Hungarian
Means "coachman" in Hungarian.

Kohler German
From Middle High German koler meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal seller".

Koopman Dutch
Occupational name meaning "merchant" in Dutch.

Kowalski m Polish
From Polish kowal meaning "blacksmith". This is the second most common surname in Poland.

Krämer German
Means "shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German kram meaning "tent, trading post".

Krantz German, Jewish
Variant of Kranz.

Küchler German
Occupational surname for a baker who made small cakes or cookies, derived from Middle High German kuoche "cake, pastry".

Kulkarni Marathi
Means "village clerk, revenue collector" in Marathi.

Kuznetsov m Russian
Derived from Russian кузнец (kuznets) meaning "blacksmith".

Laguardia Italian
Occupational name meaning "sentry, sentinel" in Italian, also a locative name referring to a person who lived near a watchtower. Fiorello Laguardia (1882-1947) was the first mayor of New York of Italian origin.

Lakatos Hungarian
Means "locksmith" in Hungarian, a word of Romance origin.

Láník m Czech
Derived from Czech lán, a measure of land equal to approximately 18 hectares. The name loosely translates as "farmer" and is considered a Moravian equivalent of Sedlák.

Lantos Hungarian
Means "minstrel, bard, lutist" in Hungarian, from lant meaning "lute".

Ławniczak Polish
From Polish ławnik meaning "alderman".

Leclerc French
Means "the clerk" in French.

Lécuyer French
From French écuyer meaning "squire, shield-bearer", from Latin scutarius, a derivative of scutum "shield".

Lehmann German
From Middle High German lehenman meaning "vassal, liege man".

Lovász Hungarian
Means "groom, stableman, ostler" in Hungarian.

Maki 1 Japanese
From Japanese 牧 (maki) meaning "shepherd, tend cattle".

Markwardt German
Variant of Marquardt.

Marmo Italian
Means "marble" in Italian, possibly indicating a person who lived near a quarry or one who worked with marble.

Marquardt German
From Old High German marka "border, boundary" and wart "protector". This was an occupational name for a border guard.

Marshall English
Derived from Middle English mareschal "marshal", from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German marah "horse" and scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.

Máselník m Czech (Rare)
Referred to one who churned or sold butter or buttermilk, derived from Czech máslo "butter".

Mason English
Occupational name for a stoneworker or layer of bricks, from Old French masson, of Frankish origin (akin to Old English macian "to make").

Masson 1 French, Scottish
Variant of Mason.

Mayer 3 English
Occupational name for a mayor, from Middle English mair, derived via Old French from Latin maior.

Melnik Russian, Belarusian
Means "miller" in Russian and Belarusian.

Merchant English
Variant of Marchand.

Meyer 1 German
From Middle High German meier meaning "bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings Meier and Meyer are more common in northern Germany while Maier and Mayer are more common in southern Germany.

Miller English
Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Millhouse English
Name for someone whose house was in a mill or who worked in a mill.

Mills English
Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.

Millward English
Means "guardian of the mill" in Old English.

Milne Scottish
From Scots and Middle English milne (a variant of mille) meaning "mill".

Moździerz Polish
Means "mortar" in Polish. It probably referred to someone who worked with or sold mortar.

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Myer English
From Old French mire meaning "doctor", derived from Latin medicus.

Najjar Arabic
Means "carpenter" in Arabic.

Notaro Italian
Occupational name for a clerk, derived from Latin notarius.

Nyilas Hungarian
Means "archer, bowman" in Hungarian.

Offermans Dutch
From Dutch offer meaning "offering, donation", referring to a person who collected money in a church.

Palomer Provençal
Means "pigeon keeper" from Latin palumbes "pigeon".

Pan 1 Provençal
Means "baker", from Latin panis meaning "bread".

Park 2 English
From Middle English park, from Latin parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.

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.

Parsons English
Originally denoted a son of a parson, a derivative of Latin persona "person".

Patel Gujarati
Means "landowner" in Gujarati.

Pecora Italian
Means "sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.

Pesce Italian
Means "fish" in Italian, referring either to a fisherman or to a person who resembled a fish in some way.

Peynirci Turkish
From Turkish peynir meaning "cheese".

Podsedník m Czech
Means "one who sits behind" in Czech, an equivalent to Zahradník mainly used in the region of Moravia.

Porcher English, French
Means "swineherd" from Old French and Middle English porchier, from Latin porcus "pig".

Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Priddy Welsh
From Welsh prydudd meaning "bard".

Procházka m Czech
Means "walk, wander, stroll" in Czech. This was an occupational name for a travelling tradesman.

Rautio Finnish
Means "smith" in Finnish.

Rettig German
Derived from Middle High German retich, Middle Low German redik meaning "radish", an occupational name for a grower or seller of radishes.

Reuter 2 German
From Middle High German riutœre meaning "highwayman, thief".

Rider English
Variant of Ryder.

Rimmer English
Occupational name meaning "poet", from Middle English rime meaning "rhyme".

Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.

Ruskin 1 Scottish
From Gaelic rusgaire meaning "tanner".

Ryba um Polish, Czech
Means "fish" in Polish and Czech, an occupational name for a fisher.

Rybář m Czech
Czech form of Rybár.

Sappington English
Possibly from the city of Sapperton, England, derived from Old English sapere meaning "soap maker" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Sastre Spanish
Spanish cognate of Sarto.

Sawyer English
Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Schenk German, Dutch
From Middle High German, Middle Dutch schenke meaning "wine server" (from Old High German scenken "to pour out").

School Dutch
From Dutch school, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school", indicating a person who worked at or lived near a school.

Schröter German
Means "beer-porter, wine-porter" in German, an occupational name for a carrier of wine or beer barrels.

Schüttmann German
Means "watchman, guard" from Middle High German schützen "to protect".

Scriven English
Occupational name meaning "writer, clerk, scribe" in Old French, derived from Latin scriba.

Senft 1 German
Occupational name for a mustard seller, from German Senf "mustard".

Sergeant English, French
Occupational name derived from Old French sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin servire "to serve".

Sexton English
Occupational name for a sexton (Middle English sexteyn), a caretaker for a church or graveyard.

Shearer English
English cognate of Scherer.

Shepard English
Variant of Shepherd.

Shepherd English
Occupational name meaning "shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English sceaphyrde.

Shriver German
German cognate of Scriven.

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.

Smith English
Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).

Sörös Hungarian
From Hungarian sör meaning "beer". Originally the name was given to beer brewers.

Sparacello Italian
From Sicilian sparaciu meaning "asparagus", an occupational name for an asparagus seller or grower.

Steed English
Occupational name for one who tended horses, derived from Middle English steed, in turn derived from Old English steda meaning "stallion".

Steele English
Occupational name for a steelworker, from Old English stele meaning "steel".

Stewart Scottish
Occupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard". The Stewart family (sometimes spelled Stuart) held the Scottish crown for several centuries. One of the most famous members of the Stewart family was Mary, Queen of Scots.

Stoddard English
Occupational name for a horse keeper, from Old English stod "stallion, stud" and hierde "herder".

Tailor English
Variant of Taylor.

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.

Tasker English
From Middle English taske meaning "task, assignment". A tasker was a person who had a fixed job to do, particularly a person who threshed grain with a flail.

Teke 2 Turkish
Occupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish teke "goat".

Tesař m Czech
Means "carpenter" in Czech, ultimately from the Old Slavic word tesla meaning "adze".

Thatcher English
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).

Thayer French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Tailler.

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.

Toller English
Occupational name meaning "tax gatherer", derived from Old English toln "toll, fee, tax".

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".

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).

Vacca Italian
Means "cow" in Italian, originally denoting a person who worked with cattle.

Vadas Hungarian
From Hungarian vad meaning "wild", either a nickname or an occupational name for a hunter of wild game.

Weaver 1 English
Occupational name for a weaver, derived from Old English wefan "to weave".

Weimann German
From German Wein meaning "wine", an occupational name for a wine seller or producer.

Woodward English
Occupational name for a forester, meaning "ward of the wood" in Old English.

Yates English
From Old English geat meaning "gate", a name for a gatekeeper or someone who lived near a gate.

Zapatero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Savatier.

Zimmermann German, Jewish
From the German word for "carpenter", derived from Middle High German zimber "timber, wood" and mann "man".