Surnames Categorized "tools"

This is a list of surnames in which the categories include tools.
usage
Acciai Italian
Derived from medieval Italian accia meaning "axe", ultimately from Latin ascia.
Anker Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Metonymic surname for a sailor, meaning "anchor" in Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.
Bakó Hungarian
Means "axeman" in Hungarian.
Bannister English
From Norman French banastre meaning "basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.
Beck 4 English
From Old English becca meaning "pickaxe", an occupational surname.
Beiler German
Derived from Middle High German beile meaning "measuring stick".
Bell 1 English
From 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 German
From Middle High German biutel meaning "bag", originally belonging to a person who made or sold bags.
Botello Galician
Occupational name for a maker of bottles, from Galician bottela meaning "bottle".
Campana Italian, Spanish
Occupational name from Late Latin campana meaning "bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.
Case English
From Norman French casse meaning "box, case", ultimately from Latin capsa. This was an occupational name for a box maker.
Cloutier French
Derived from French clou meaning "nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.
Dreher German
Means "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 German
Derived from Middle High German dreschen "to thresh". A thresher was a person who separated the grains from a cereal plant by beating it.
Dressler German
Means "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.
Faucher French
Occupational name meaning "mower" in French, ultimately from Latin falx meaning "sickle, scythe".
Fiscella Italian
Derived 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 English
Occupational name for a scissor maker, derived from Old French forcetier.
Gabler German
Occupational name for someone who made or sold forks, from Old High German gabala "fork".
Gereben Hungarian
Means "hackle, hatchel" in Hungarian (a hackle is a tool used to comb out fibers).
Glöckner German
Derived from Middle High German glocke "bell". It may have referred to a person who worked at or lived close to a bell tower.
Gwózdek Polish
Derived from either archaic Polish gwozd meaning "forest" or gwóźdź meaning "nail".
Hackett English
From a diminutive of the medieval byname Hake, which was of Old Norse origin and meant "hook".
Hafner German
Occupational name for a potter, derived from Old High German hafan "pot, vessel".
Horn English, German, Norwegian, Danish
From 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.
Jehlička Czech
From Czech jehla meaning "needle", most likely borne by tailors in reference to their occupation.
Kijek Polish
Means "small stick", from Polish kij "stick".
Kladivo Czech
Means "hammer" in Czech, a nickname for a blacksmith.
Knef German
Occupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German knif meaning "shoemaker's knife".
Košar Croatian
From Croatian koš meaning "basket", originally indicating a person who made or sold baskets.
Krückel German
Nickname for a crippled person or someone who walked with a cane, from Middle High German krücke meaning "cane".
Krüger 2 German
In southern Germany an occupational name for a potter, derived from Middle High German kruoc meaning "jug, pot".
Kunkel German
Occupational name for a maker of distaffs, from Middle High German kunkel "distaff, spindle", of Latin origin.
Lončar Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Means "potter", from Serbo-Croatian lonac, Slovene lonec meaning "pot".
Longstaff English
Occupational name for an official who was equipped with a ceremonial staff, or a nickname for a tall person.
Machado Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who made or used hatchets, derived from Spanish and Portuguese machado "hatchet", both from Latin marculus "little hammer".
Martel 2 French, English
Nickname for a smith, derived from Old French martel "hammer", ultimately from Late Latin martellus.
Martelli Italian
Italian form of Martel 2.
Mataracı Turkish
Occupational name for a person who made water bottles or flasks, from Turkish matara "flask".
Mazza Italian
From a nickname (perhaps occupational) meaning "maul, mallet" in Italian.
Messer German
Occupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German messer "knife".
Metz 1 German
Occupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German metze "knife".
Moles Catalan
From Catalan mola meaning "millstone".
Nagel German, Dutch
Means "nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.
Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).
Penders Dutch
From Middle Dutch paender meaning "brewer", derived from panne meaning "pan, pot", ultimately from Latin patina.
Plank German, English
Means "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, Catalan
From a nickname meaning "club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin porrum meaning "leek".
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.
Sacco Italian
Occupational name for a maker of sacks, from Italian sacco, Latin saccus.
Sadler English
Occupational name for a maker of saddles, from Old English sadol "saddle".
Samaras Greek
Means "saddle maker" in Greek.
Schrijnemakers Dutch
Occupational name for a cabinet maker, from Dutch schrijn "box, container" and maker "maker".
Schwinghammer German
Occupational name for a blacksmith, literally meaning "swing hammer" in German.
Sherman 1 English
Means "shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.
Sherman 2 Jewish
Means "tailor" in Yiddish, derived from שער (sher) meaning "scissors".
Sitko Polish
Means "fine sieve" in Polish, a diminutive of the Polish word sito "sieve".
Sommer 2 German
From Middle High German sumber or sommer meaning "basket, wickerwork, drum".
Spannagel German
Occupational name for a nailsmith, from Middle High German span nagel "connecting bolt".
Spijker 2 Dutch
Occupational name for a nailsmith, from Dutch spijker "nail".
Spitznagel German
Means "sharp nail" in German, an occupational name for a nailsmith.
Spooner English
Occupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".
Stenger German
Occupational name for a post maker, from Old High German stanga "pole".
Stringer English
Occupational name for a maker of string or bow strings, from Old English streng "string".
Tasse French
From Old French tasse "purse, bag", an occupational name for a maker or seller of purses.
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.
Tollemache English
Means "knapsack" in Old French.
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.
Van Ankeren Dutch
Means "from the anchor" in Dutch.
Varela Spanish
Derived 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 Spanish
Derived from Spanish vela meaning "sail" or the homonym vela meaning "watchful".
Windsor English
From 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.
Zappa Italian
From 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).