Acciai ItalianDerived from medieval Italian
accia meaning
"axe", ultimately from Latin
ascia.
Arkwright EnglishOccupational name meaning
"chest maker", from Middle English
arc meaning "chest, coffer" and
wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".
Bannister EnglishFrom Norman French
banastre meaning
"basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.
Beck 4 EnglishFrom Old English
becca meaning
"pickaxe", an occupational surname.
Beiler GermanDerived from Middle High German
beile meaning
"measuring stick".
Bell 1 EnglishFrom Middle English
belle meaning
"bell". It originated as a nickname for a person who lived near the town bell, or who had a job as a bell-ringer.
Beutel GermanFrom Middle High German
biutel meaning
"bag", originally belonging to a person who made or sold bags.
Bicchieri ItalianMeans
"drinking glasses" in Italian, referring originally to a person who made or sold them.
Borde FrenchFrom Old French
bord meaning
"board, plank", derived from Frankish *
bord. This name belonged to a person who lived in a house made of planks.
Botello GalicianOccupational name for a maker of bottles, from Galician
bottela meaning
"bottle".
Calderón SpanishOccupational name for a person who made, repaired or sold cauldrons or kettles, from Spanish
calderón "cauldron", from Late Latin
caldaria.
Campana Italian, SpanishOccupational name from Late Latin
campana meaning
"bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.
Case EnglishFrom Norman French
casse meaning
"box, case", ultimately from Latin
capsa. This was an occupational name for a box maker.
Cloutier FrenchDerived from French
clou meaning
"nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.
Coupe EnglishFrom Middle English
coupe meaning
"barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.
Crewe EnglishOriginally denoted someone from Crewe in Cheshire, which is from Welsh
criu "weir, dam, fish trap".
Dreher GermanMeans
"turner" from Middle High German
drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.
Dreschner GermanDerived from Middle High German
dreschen "to thresh". A thresher was a person who separated the grains from a cereal plant by beating it.
Dressler GermanMeans
"turner" from Middle High German
dreseler, an agent derivative of
drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.
Dufour FrenchOccupational name for a baker, from French
four "oven".
Faucher FrenchOccupational name meaning
"mower" in French, ultimately from Latin
falx meaning "sickle, scythe".
Fiscella ItalianDerived from Italian
fiscella, which was a basket used to conserve cheese. The name was probably used to denote a person who made cheese.
Foster 2 EnglishOccupational name for a scissor maker, derived from Old French
forcetier.
Foster 3 EnglishOccupational name for a maker of saddle trees, derived from Old French
fustier.
Gabler GermanOccupational name for someone who made or sold forks, from Old High German
gabala "fork".
Garnett 1 EnglishOccupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French
carne "hinge".
Gereben HungarianMeans
"hackle, hatchel" in Hungarian (a hackle is a tool used to comb out fibers).
Glöckner GermanDerived from Middle High German
glocke "bell". It may have referred to a person who worked at or lived close to a bell tower.
Gwózdek PolishDerived from either archaic Polish
gwozd meaning
"forest" or
gwóźdź meaning
"nail".
Hackett EnglishFrom a diminutive of the medieval byname
Hake, which was of Old Norse origin and meant "hook".
Hafner GermanOccupational name for a potter, derived from Old High German
hafan "pot, vessel".
Horn English, German, Norwegian, DanishFrom the Old English, Old High German and Old Norse word
horn meaning
"horn". This was an occupational name for one who carved objects out of horn or who played a horn, or a person who lived near a horn-shaped geographical feature, such as a mountain or a bend in a river.
Huxtable EnglishDerived from the name of an English place meaning "hook post", from Old English
hoc "hook" and
stapol "post".
Jehlička m CzechFrom Czech
jehla meaning
"needle", most likely borne by tailors in reference to their occupation.
Kästner GermanMeans
"cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German
kaste "box".
Kerekes HungarianOccupational name for a maker of wheels, from Hungarian
kerék meaning
"wheel".
Kiefer 2 GermanOccupational name for a barrel maker, derived from Old High German
kuofa meaning
"barrel".
Kijek PolishMeans
"small stick", from Polish
kij "stick".
Kistler GermanOccupational name meaning
"chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German
kiste.
Kladivo m CzechMeans
"hammer" in Czech, a nickname for a blacksmith.
Knef GermanOccupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German
knif meaning
"shoemaker's knife".
Košar CroatianFrom Croatian
koš meaning
"basket", originally indicating a person who made or sold baskets.
Krückel GermanNickname for a crippled person or someone who walked with a cane, from Middle High German
krücke meaning
"cane".
Krüger 2 GermanIn southern Germany an occupational name for a potter, derived from Middle High German
kruoc meaning
"jug, pot".
Kunkel GermanOccupational name for a maker of distaffs, from Middle High German
kunkel "distaff, spindle", of Latin origin.
Lagunov m RussianDerived from Russian
лагун (lagun) meaning
"water barrel". It was used to denote the descendants of a person who made water barrels.
Longstaff EnglishOccupational name for an official who was equipped with a ceremonial staff, or a nickname for a tall person.
Lu 2 ChineseFrom Chinese
卢 (lú) meaning
"rice bowl, black", also referring to an ancient minor territory in what is now Shandong province.
Machado Portuguese, SpanishDenoted a person who made or used hatchets, derived from Spanish and Portuguese
machado "hatchet", both from Latin
marculus "little hammer".
Martel 2 French, EnglishNickname for a smith, derived from Old French
martel "hammer", ultimately from Late Latin
martellus.
Mataracı TurkishOccupational name for a person who made water bottles or flasks, from Turkish
matara "flask".
Mazza ItalianFrom a nickname (perhaps occupational) meaning
"maul, mallet" in Italian.
Messer GermanOccupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German
messer "knife".
Metz 1 GermanOccupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German
metze "knife".
Nagel German, DutchMeans
"nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.
Peel EnglishNickname for a thin person, derived from Old French
pel, Latin
palus meaning
"stake, post" (related to English
pole).
Penders DutchFrom Middle Dutch
paender meaning
"brewer", derived from
panne meaning "pan, pot", ultimately from Latin
patina.
Plank German, EnglishMeans
"plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin
planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.
Porras Spanish, CatalanFrom a nickname meaning
"club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin
porrum meaning "leek".
Potter EnglishOccupational 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.
Rademaker DutchFrom the occupation of
rademaker meaning
"maker of wheels", from Dutch
rad meaning "wheel".
Rake EnglishOriginally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English
hrace meaning
"throat, gorge".
Sacco ItalianOccupational name for a maker of sacks, from Italian
sacco, Latin
saccus.
Sadler EnglishOccupational name for a maker of saddles, from Old English
sadol "saddle".
Sappington EnglishPossibly from the city of Sapperton, England, derived from Old English
sapere meaning "soap maker" and
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Schlosser GermanOccupational name for a locksmith, derived from Old High German
sloz meaning "lock".
Schnur German, JewishFrom Old High German
snuor meaning
"rope, cord", an occupational name for a maker of rope.
Schrijnemakers DutchOccupational name for a cabinet maker, from Dutch
schrijn "box, container" and
maker "maker".
Schwinghammer GermanOccupational name for a blacksmith, literally meaning
"swing hammer" in German.
Sherman 1 EnglishMeans
"shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.
Sierra SpanishOriginally indicated a dweller on a hill range or ridge, from Spanish
sierra "mountain range", derived from Latin
serra "saw".
Sitko PolishMeans
"fine sieve" in Polish, a diminutive of the Polish word
sito "sieve".
Sommer 2 GermanFrom Middle High German
sumber or
sommer meaning
"basket, wickerwork, drum".
Spannagel GermanOccupational name for a nailsmith, from Middle High German
span nagel "connecting bolt".
Spijker 2 DutchOccupational name for a nailsmith, from Dutch
spijker "nail".
Spitznagel GermanMeans
"sharp nail" in German, an occupational name for a nailsmith.
Spooner EnglishOccupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English
spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".
Stenger GermanOccupational name for a post maker, from Old High German
stanga "pole".
Stępień PolishPossibly an occupational name for a herbalist, from Polish
stępa "mortar".
Stringer EnglishOccupational name for a maker of string or bow strings, from Old English
streng "string".
Struna SloveneFrom Slovene
struna meaning
"string, cord", possibly denoting a maker of rope.
Swift EnglishNickname for a quick person, from Old English
swift.
Tasse FrenchFrom Old French
tasse "purse, bag", an occupational name for a maker or seller of purses.
Tesla SerbianOccupational name for a carpenter, derived from Serbian
tesla meaning
"adze". This name was notably borne by the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).
Tinker EnglishOccupational 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.
Turner EnglishOccupational 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.
Varela SpanishDerived from Spanish
vara "stick". It may have originally been given to one who used a stick in his line of work, for example an animal herder.
Vela SpanishOccupational name for a guard, from Spanish
vela meaning
"watch, vigil".
Wheeler EnglishOccupational name for a maker of wagon wheels, derived from Middle English
whele "wheel".
Windsor EnglishFrom the name of a few English towns, one notably the site of Windsor Castle. Their names mean
"riverbank with a windlass" in Old English, a windlass being a lifting apparatus. In 1917 the British royal family adopted this name (after Windsor Castle), replacing their previous name
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Yoxall EnglishOriginally indicated a person from the town of Yoxall in Staffordshire, itself derived from Old English
geoc "oxen yoke" and
halh "nook, recess".
Zappa ItalianFrom Italian
zappa meaning
"hoe, mattock", probably denoting a farmer. Two musicians of Italian origin have bore this name: Francesco Zappa (1717-1803) and Frank Zappa (1940-1993).