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.
Arkwright English
Occupational name meaning "chest maker", from Middle English arc meaning "chest, coffer" and wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".
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.
Bicchieri Italian
Means "drinking glasses" in Italian, referring originally to a person who made or sold them.
Borde French
From 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 Galician
Occupational name for a maker of bottles, from Galician bottela meaning "bottle".
Calderón Spanish
Occupational name for a person who made, repaired or sold cauldrons or kettles, from Spanish calderón "cauldron", from Late Latin caldaria.
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.
Combs English
Variant of Coombs.
Coupe English
From Middle English coupe meaning "barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.
Crewe English
Originally denoted someone from Crewe in Cheshire, which is from Welsh criu "weir, dam, fish trap".
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.
Dufour French
Occupational name for a baker, from French four "oven".
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.
Foster 3 English
Occupational name for a maker of saddle trees, derived from Old French fustier.
Funar Romanian
Means "rope maker" in Romanian.
Furnadzhiev m Bulgarian
Occupational name for a baker, derived from Bulgarian фурна (furna) meaning "oven" (of Latin origin).
Gabler German
Occupational name for someone who made or sold forks, from Old High German gabala "fork".
Garnett 1 English
Occupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French carne "hinge".
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.
Huxtable English
Derived from the name of an English place meaning "hook post", from Old English hoc "hook" and stapol "post".
Jehlička m Czech
From Czech jehla meaning "needle", most likely borne by tailors in reference to their occupation.
Kästner German
Means "cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German kaste "box".
Kerekes Hungarian
Occupational name for a maker of wheels, from Hungarian kerék meaning "wheel".
Key 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.
Kiefer 2 German
Occupational name for a barrel maker, derived from Old High German kuofa meaning "barrel".
Kijek Polish
Means "small stick", from Polish kij "stick".
Kistler German
Occupational name meaning "chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German kiste.
Kladivo m 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.
Lagunov m Russian
Derived from Russian лагун (lagun) meaning "water barrel". It was used to denote the descendants of a person who made water barrels.
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.
Lu 2 Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "rice bowl, black", also referring to an ancient minor territory in what is now Shandong province.
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.
Petri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.
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.
Rademaker Dutch
From the occupation of rademaker meaning "maker of wheels", from Dutch rad meaning "wheel".
Rake English
Originally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English hrace meaning "throat, gorge".
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 m Greek
Means "saddle maker" in Greek, from σαμάρι (samari) meaning "saddle".
Sander German, Danish
Derived from the given name Alexander.
Sappington English
Possibly from the city of Sapperton, England, derived from Old English sapere meaning "soap maker" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Schlosser German
Occupational name for a locksmith, derived from Old High German sloz meaning "lock".
Schnur German, Jewish
From Old High German snuor meaning "rope, cord", an occupational name for a maker of rope.
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".
Sierra Spanish
Originally indicated a dweller on a hill range or ridge, from Spanish sierra "mountain range", derived from Latin serra "saw".
Sitko Polish
Means "fine sieve" in Polish, a diminutive of the Polish word sito "sieve".
Slootmaekers Dutch, Flemish
Occupational name for a locksmith, from Dutch slot "lock" and maker "maker".
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".
Stępień Polish
Possibly an occupational name for a herbalist, from Polish stępa "mortar".
Stringer English
Occupational name for a maker of string or bow strings, from Old English streng "string".
Struna Slovene
From Slovene struna meaning "string, cord", possibly denoting a maker of rope.
Swift English
Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.
Tasse French
From Old French tasse "purse, bag", an occupational name for a maker or seller of purses.
Tesla Serbian
Occupational 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 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
Occupational name for a guard, from Spanish vela meaning "watch, vigil".
Wheeler English
Occupational name for a maker of wagon wheels, derived from Middle English whele "wheel".
Whittle English
From various English place names derived from Old English hwit "white" and hyll "hill".
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.
Yoxall English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Yoxall in Staffordshire, itself derived from Old English geoc "oxen yoke" and halh "nook, recess".
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).