Browse Submitted Surnames

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the usage is English; and the source is Occupation.
usage
source
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Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Abbett English
Variant of Abbott.
Abbitt English
Variant of Abbott.
Ablett English
Possibly a variant of Abbott
Abshire English (American), German (Americanized)
Probably an altered form of Upsher. In some cases, it could instead be an Americanized form of German Ibscher, a nickname for someone living on unallotted land derived from Middle High German überscher "surplus"... [more]
Acre English
Variant form of Acker, or an Americanized form of similar-sounding surnames such as Aaker or Egger.
Aikman English, Scottish
Either a modified form of Akerman or Agemund (see Agmundr), or derived from a coven name composed of Old English ac "oak" and man "person, man".
Akemon English (American)
Americanized form of Aikman.
Albritton English
An occupational name for a nutritionist.
Alderman English
Occupational name for a person who is a member of the governing body of a city or borough, from Middle English alderman, a compound of Old English ealdor "elder" and man.
Apple English
From Middle English appel meaning "apple" (Old English æppel). An occupational name for a grower or seller of apples.
Appleman English
English cognate of Appelman.
Arrowsmith English
Occupational name for someone who made the iron tips for arrows.
Ashman English, Anglo-Saxon
Derived from Anglo-Saxon Æscmann, a byname meaning "pirate, seaman", composed of æsc "(boat or spear made of) ash tree" and man "person, man"... [more]
Ayler English
occupational name from Old French aillier ‘garlic seller’, from ail ‘garlic’ (from Latin allium).... [more]
Bacchus English
(i) Variant of Backus (meaning "one who lives in or works in a bakery", from Old English bǣchūs "bakehouse, bakery"), the spelling influenced by Bacchus (name of the Greek and Roman god of wine).... [more]
Backhouse English (British), English (Australian)
Denoted someone who worked in a bakery, from Old English bæchūs meaning "bakehouse, bakery", a word composed of Old English *bæc "something baked" and hus "house".
Backman English, Swedish, German
Combination of Old English bakke "spine, back" and man "man". In Swedish, the first element is more likely to be derived from Swedish backe "hill", and in German the first element can be derived from German backen "to bake"... [more]
Bacon English, French, Norman
An occupational surname for someone who sold pork, from Middle English and Old French bacun or bacon, meaning 'bacon', which is ultimately of Germanic origin. Can also be derived from the Germanic given names Baco, Bacco, or Bahho, from the root bag-, meaning 'to fight'... [more]
Bailly French, English
French cognate of Bailey, as well as an English variant; derived from Old French baillif "bailiff" (from Latin baiulus).
Baily English
Variant of Bailey.
Bake English
Probably an occupational name for a baker.
Bales English
Variant of Bale.
Ballaster English
Meant "person who makes or is armed with a crossbow" (from a derivative of Middle English baleste "crossbow", from Old French).
Baptist German, English
From the given name Baptist, or an Anglicized form of Baptiste.
Barker English
SURNAME Town cryer, or someone who shouts out notices
Barkis English
Meant "person who works in a tannery" (from Middle English barkhous "tannery" - bark was used in the tanning process). A fictional bearer is Barkis, a carrier in Charles Dickens's 'David Copperfield' (1849) who sends a message via David to Clara Peggotty that "Barkis is willin'" (i.e. to marry her).
Barkus English
Probably a reduced form of Barkhouse, a topographic name for someone who lived by a tannery, Middle English barkhous, or an occupational name for someone who worked in one.
Barron English
Variant of Baron.
Barrowman English
A man employed in wheeling a barrow; specifically, in coal-mining, one who conveys the coal in a wheelbarrow from the point where it is mined to the trolleyway or tramway on which it is carried to the place where it is raised to the surface.
Batchelor English, Scottish
Occupational name for an unmarried man, a young knight or a novice, ultimately from medieval Latin baccalarius "unenfeoffed vassal, knight with no retainers".
Bateman English, Scottish
Occupational name meaning ‘servant of Bartholomew.’
Batey English (?)
Originates from mostly northern England. Is the presumed given name to fishers. (With it meaning "Small fishing boat" in old English.)
Baygents English (American)
Possibly derived from Old French bezant, a kind of silver or gold coin minted in Byzantium, ultimately derived from Latin byzantius "of Byzantium"... [more]
Bayley English
Variant of Bailey.
Baylis English
Derived from the Middle English 'bail(l)i', a development of the Old French 'baillis'. In Scotland the word survives as 'bailie', the title of a chief magistrate for a part of a county or barony. The word survives in England as 'bailiff', an officer who serves writs and summonses for the court.
Beaman English
Variant of Beeman.
Beans English
Variant of Bean.
Becker English
Occupational name for a maker or user of mattocks or pickaxes, from an agent derivative of Old English becca "mattock".
Bee English
From Middle English be meaning "bee", Old English beo, hence a nickname for an energetic or active person or a metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper.
Beeman English
Occupational name for a beekeeper, from Middle English bee "bee" and man.
Beer English
Habitational name from any of the forty or so places in southwestern England called Beer(e) or Bear(e). Most of these derive their names from the West Saxon dative case, beara, of Old English bearu "grove, wood"... [more]
Beerbrewer English
Means Brewer of Beer.
Bellman English
Occupational name for someone who worked as a bell-ringer.
Bellringer English (British, Rare)
Occupational name for a person who rung bells (usually a church bell).
Berner English, Norman
From the Norman personal name Bernier from Old English beornan ‘to burn’, hence an occupational name for a burner of lime (compare German Kalkbrenner) or charcoal... [more]
Berryhill English
A name for someone who worked as a servant at the manor house.
Beste French, English
Nickname from Middle English beste Old French beste "beast animal" (especially those used for food or work) applied either as a metonymic occupational name for someone who looked after beasts such as a herdsman or as a nickname for someone thought to resemble an animal... [more]
Bickerman English
The toponym Bickerton is derived from the Old English beocere, which means bee-keeper, and tun, which originally denoted a fence or enclosure.
Biddle English, Irish
Variant of English BEADLE or German BITTEL. The name is now popular in the north east region of America, where it was brought by English and Irish immigrants.
Binger English
Derived from the Old English name Binningas, which was a name for someone who lived near stables.
Birne English, German, Jewish
Means "pear" in German, making it the German equivalent of Perry 1, perhaps originally referring to a person who harvested or sold pears... [more]
Bizzell English
a corn merchant; one who made vessels designed to hold or measure out a bushel.
Blacksmith English
Occupational name for a blacksmith, a smith who work with iron. The name is rare in England and mostly found in North America, suggesting that it's a translation of a non-English name meaning "blacksmith" (see Kowalski, Raudsepp and Lefèvre for example).
Blade English
Metonymic occupational name for a cutler, from Middle English blade "cutting edge, sword".
Blesse English (British), Filipino, Indian, French
The last name Blesse was first discovered in Oxfordshire and held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. In the Philippines, Blesse means "a blessing in the family." In India, Blesse means "bless you."
Blogg English
The name is most likely Anglo-Saxon or early medieval English in origin. ... [more]
Blood English
Occupational name for a bloodletter, or a blood relative, or an oath-taker, derived from Middle English blood.
Bloom English
Metonymic occupational name for an iron worker, from Middle English blome ‘ingot (of iron)’.
Boatfield English
Occupational name for a person who worked on the deck of a ship.
Bode German, Dutch, English, Danish
Means "messenger, deliverer, herald; prophet, omen", ultimately from Old Germanic budą. This can be an occupational name, or a patronymic derived from a given name containing the element (see Bothe).
Bold English
Denoted a person who lived or worked in the main house or a habitational name for places in England so-called or similar, all derived from Middle English bold "habitation, building", from Old English botl.
Bolt English
Either: an occupational name for an archer or a maker of bolts, or a nickname for a stocky or upright person, derived from Middle English bolt "bolt, crossbow bolt". A famous bearer of the name is Jamaican athletic sprinter Usain Bolt (1986-), widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time.
Bonde English
Variant of Bond.
Bonds English
Variant of Bond.
Bondy English
Variant of Bond.
Bonecutter English
Likely from someone who's job was to work with deceased people.
Bookbinder English
Occupational name for someone who binds pages to make a book, derived from Middle English bokebynder.
Boot English
Metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of boots, ultimately from Old French bote "boot, high-sided leather shoe".
Boots English
Variant of Boot.
Boteler English
Variant of Butler, from Old French bouteillier “bottler”.
Bounds English
Variant of Bond.
Bowdler English
From Dutch de Boelare meaning "from Boelare", the name of a town in the Netherlands. Alternatively, it could derive from English buddler, an occupational name for someone who washes crushed ore.
Bowe Medieval English, English, Irish (Anglicized)
There are three possible sources of this surname, the first being that it is a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of bows, a vital trade in medieval times before the invention of gunpowder, and a derivative of the Old English boga "bow", from bugan "to bend"... [more]
Bower English, Scottish
Scottish: occupational name for a bow maker, Older Scots bowar, equivalent to English Bowyer. ... [more]
Bowerman English, English (American)
1. English: occupational name for a house servant who attended his master in his private quarters (see Bower). ... [more]
Bowker English
A surname of French origin, from the occupational term for 'butcher' (boucher). Some theories have it that it derives from OE 'bocer', meaning a scribe, but the former is more likely and is more widely affirmed.
Bowyer English
English: occupational name for a maker or seller of bows (see Bow), as opposed to an archer. Compare Bowman.
Braley English (American)
A New England variant spelling of Brailey. French: from a diminutive of Brael, from Old French braiel, a belt knotted at the waist to hold up breeches; presumably an occupational name for a maker of such belts... [more]
Branner Danish, German, English
Danish variant of BRANDER and German variant of BRANTNER.
Bresser English
The surname is derived from the old English word brasian, meaning to make out of brass. This would indicate that the original bearer of the name was a brass founder by trade. The name is also derived from the old English Broesian which means to cast in brass and is the occupational name for a worker in brass.
Bride English
Metathesised form of Bird.
Broker English
Name given to someone who worked as a broker, an agent for the sale and purchase of goods and services. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Anglo-French word brocour, which has the same meaning as the English word broker
Brookman English, American
English: variant of Brook. ... [more]
Broward English
Probably a variant of Brower.
Brownsmith English
Occupational name for a worker in copper or bronze.
Bruckman German, English
German (Bruckmann): variant of Bruck, with the addition of the suffix -mann ‘man’. ... [more]
Bryer English
Variant spelling of Brier, or perhaps sometimes an Americanized form of German Breuer.
Buckler English
Occupational name for a maker of buckles, derived from Old French bouclier. Could also be a name for someone who used a buckle, a kind of small shield.
Buckman English
Occupational name for a goatherd (Middle English bukkeman) or scholar (Old English bucman "book man"). It could also be a shortened form of Buckingham or a variant of BUCKNAM.
Buffett French (Anglicized), English
Americanised form or a variant of French Buffet, or probably an English variant of Bufford. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Warren Buffett (1930-), a businessman, investor and philanthropist, and Jimmy Buffett (1946-), a musician.
Burl English
Old English occupational name originally meaning "cup bearer" or "butler" for one who dispensed wine and had charge of the cellar. Eventually the name came to mean the chief servant of a royal or noble household and was replaced by the French language inspired named 'Butler,' akin to the world "bottler".
Busse German, English
German: variant of Buss. ... [more]
Butter English, German
1. English: nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a bittern, perhaps in the booming quality of the voice, from Middle English, Old French butor ‘bittern’ (a word of obscure etymology)... [more]
Buttery English (British)
The baker in Old English.
Cabell Catalan, English, German
As a Catalan name, a nickname for "bald" from the Spanish word cabello. The English name, found primarily in Norfolk and Devon, is occupational for a "maker or seller of nautical rope" that comes from a Norman French word... [more]
Cable English
English: metonymic occupational name for a maker of rope, especially the type of stout rope used in maritime applications, from Anglo-Norman French cable ‘cable’ (Late Latin capulum ‘halter’, of Arabic origin, but associated by folk etymology with Latin capere ‘to seize’).... [more]
Caesar Ancient Roman, English
An Ancient Roman political title that indicated a military leader. A famous bearer was Julius Caesar, Roman general, dictator, and politician. In modern times, the surname is used to refer to an individual with a tyrannical attitude, which references the connotative meaning of the word "caesar", meaning "a dictator".
Cage English
from Middle English, Old French meaning "cage, enclosure". Denoting someone who lived by or was the keeper of a cage, in the sense "lock-up, prison for petty offenders".
Caillot French (African), English
From Old French maillot ‘big mallet’, used as a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked with such an implement, e.g. a smith, and perhaps also as a nickname for a fearsome warrior (see English Mallett)... [more]
Cake English
From the Middle English cake denoting a flat loaf made from fine flour (Old Norse kaka), hence a metonymic occupational name for a baker who specialized in fancy breads. It was first attested as a surname in the 13th century (Norfolk, Northamptonshire).
Callender English
Occupational name for a person who finished freshly woven cloth by passing it between heavy rollers to compress the weave. From Old Franch calandrier, calandreur.
Candy English
perhaps from Middle English candi "crystallized cane sugar" (via French from Persian qand "sugar") and used as a metonymic occupational name for a sugar merchant... [more]
Cane English
From the English word meaning "cane, reed", a nickname for someone tall and thin, or perhaps an occupational name for someone who gathered reeds.
Canes English
Patronymic form of Cane.
Cant English
Means "singer in a chantry chapel", or from a medieval nickname for someone who was continually singing (in either case from Old Northern French cant "song").
Capelle French, English, Dutch, Flemish
French topographic name for someone living by a chapel, from a regional variant of chapelle "chapel" (compare Chapell 2), or a habitational name from any of several places named La Capelle... [more]
Caplin English
Means "singer in a chantry chapel" (from Old Northern French capelain, a variant of standard Old French chapelain (cf. Chaplin)).
Caradine English, German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of German Gardein, itself a Germanized spelling of French Jardin. It could also denote someone from the village and civil parish of Carden in Cheshire, England.
Caraway English
Probably means "spice merchant" (from Middle English carewei "caraway").
Card English
English: metonymic occupational name for someone who carded wool (i.e. disentangled it), preparatory to spinning, from Middle English, Old French card(e) ‘carder’, an implement used for this purpose... [more]
Carden English
Derived from Middle English cardoon "wild thistle, artichoke thistle". Could be a nickname for someone who carded wool (which was originally done with thistles), for a person who lived near a thistle patch, or for a prickly and unapproachable person... [more]
Carder English
Occupational name for a wool carder or someone who makes carders.
Cardinal English, French
From the rank of the Catholic Church, derived from Latin cardinalis "pertaining to a door hinge", through the notion of the function of such priests as ‘pivots’ of church life. It was used as a nickname for someone who habitually wore red or acted like a cardinal.
Care English
Occupational name for a locksmith, Middle English keyere, kayer, an agent derivative of keye.
Carnell English
A crossbowman or archer who protected castles and fortresses.
Carradine English, German (Anglicized)
Variant spelling of Caradine. This name is borne by members of the Carradine family of actors, notably the American actor John Carradine (1906-1988).
Carrell English
English: from Old French carrel, ‘pillow’, ‘bolster’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of these. In some cases perhaps an altered spelling of Irish Carroll... [more]
Carrier English
An occupational name meaning someone who transports goods.
Cartman English
Originally referred to a man who worked with a cart. A famous bearer is Eric Cartman from the adult cartoon South Park
Cassel English, French, German
A surname derived from the Latin military term castellum "watchtower, fort". A variant spelling of the word castle. Denoted someone hailing from the commune of Cassel in the Nord départment in northern France or the city of Kassel (spelled Cassel until 1928) in Germany... [more]
Catching English
Likely a variant of Kitchen.
Catchpole English
Occupational name for a bailiff or a tax collector, from Anglo-Norman chacer "to catch, to hunt" and pol "fowl" (ultimately derived from Latin pullus).
Cave Norman, French, English
A name of various possible origins. As a Norman French name Cave can mean "bald" from cauf or it can mean "worker in a wine cellar" or "one who dwelt in or near a cave". As an English name Cave refers to a Yorkshire river whose fast current inspired the name meaning "swift".
Caylor English
Anglicized form of Kaylor.
Cestare English (American, Modern)
There is a similar name, Sastre, which is the Spanish form of the surname Sarto, meaning "tailor." The name CESTARE is phonetically similar to Sastre and could be a derivative of that name.... [more]
Challinor English
Occupational name for a blanket maker, derived from Middle English chaloun "blanket", itself derived from the French city of Châlons-sur-Marne (now Châlons-en-Champagne), where blankets were made in the Middle Ages.
Chamberlin French, English
French cognate and English variant of Chamberlain. Occupational name for an official in charge of the private chambers of his master from Old French chamberlenc "chamberlain".
Champlin Belgian, English
Means Champion, was a family name in Belgium, a status and influence that was envied by the princes of the region.... [more]
Chantry English
Means "singer in a chantry chapel" or "one who lives by a chantry chapel". A chantry was a type of chapel, one endowed for the singing of Masses for the soul of the founder (from Old French chanterie, from chanter "to sing").
Chaplyn English
son of chaplain or servant of chaplain
Charm English
The surname "Charm" is of English origin and refers to someone who did odd jobs or chores. It's derived from Middle English "char(re)" or "chere," which means "turn (of activity), small job, or chore"... [more]
Chaucer English
Occupational name for a hosier, derived from Old French chaucier, an agent derivative from chauce "stocking, hose". A famous bearer of the name was English author Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), well known for writing the 'Canterbury Tales'.
Cheeseman English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of cheese.
Cheever English
Occupational name for a goatherd or a nickname for a capricious person, from Anglo-Norman chevre "goat". A famous bearer of the name was American author John William Cheever (1912-1982).
Churchward English
Occupational name for a churchwarden, someone who handled the secular affairs of a parish.
Citrone English, Italian
Ultimately from Latin citrum meaning "lemon, citrus fruit". Possibly an occupational name for someone who sells or raise lemons or any citrus fruit.
Clarks English
Variant of Clark.
Claver English, Catalan
occupational name from Old French clavier Catalan claver "keeper of the keys doorkeeper" (from Latin clavarius from clavis "key").
Clayman English, Jewish (Ashkenazi)
Anglicized form of Ashkenazic Jewish Kleimann or Kleiman, from German 'Klei' meaning "clay" and "mann" meaning "man".
Clegg English
From Old Norse kleggi 'haystack'
Clerk English
Variant spelling of Clark.
Clevenger English
Occupational name for a keyholder derived from the word claviger, itself from Latin claviger meaning "key-bearer".
Clinger English (American)
Americanized spelling of German Klinger.Possibly a variant of Clinker. an English occupational name for a maker or fixer of bolts and rivets.
Clutterbuck English
English surname of unknown origin, possibly a corrupted form of a Dutch surname derived from Dutch klateren "to clatter" and beek "brook", or from klateren and bok "buck, billy goat", or from an older form of kladboek meaning "account book, minute book".
Coath English
Derived from the Cornish word for smith, goff.
Cobalt English
Name given to a person who mined cobalt.
Collier English
From the English word for someone who works with coal, originally referring to a charcoal burner or seller. Derived from Old English col "coal, charcoal" combined with the agent suffix -ier.
Comer English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of combs, or to someone who used them to prepare wool or flax for spinning, derived from Middle English combere, an agent derivative of Old English camb meaning "comb"... [more]
Commander English
From Middle English comander "commander, leader, director", derived from Old French comandeor "military commander". This may have been either an occupational name or a nickname.
Coney English
Means "seller of rabbits", or from a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a rabbit (in either case from Middle English cony "rabbit").
Coolidge English
Probably an occupational name for a college servant or someone with some other association with a university college, for example a tenant farmer who farmed one of the many farms in England known as College Farm, most of which are or were owned by university colleges.
Cope English
From Middle English cope "cape, cloak", an occupational name for a maker of cloaks, or a nickname for someone known for wearing one.
Coppersmith English, German (Americanized)
Occupational name for someone who is a maker of copper goods. Sometimes it is an Americanized form of German Kupferschmidt.
Copus English
Uncertain etymology. Possibly related to Cope, Copas, or Copp.
Cord English
Either a nickname or metonymic occupational name from Middle English (Old French) corde "rope cord string" possibly given to someone who wore a cord (round the waist) or who made ropes, bowstrings, etc.
Cordell English
Means "maker of cord" or "seller of cord" in Middle English.
Corden English
Derives from Old French Cordon meaning "a seller of ribbon" or from Cordoan, a locational job description for a worker in fine kid leather. Originally associated with the city of Cordova in Spain... [more]
Corder French (Anglicized, Archaic), English (American)
Linked to both English, French and Spanish origin. Cordier, Cordero, Corder- one who makes cord. Can refer to both the act of making cords (rope), cores of fire wood, or actual location names.... [more]
Core English (American), German (Anglicized)
Core is the anglicized form of the German surname Kohr, also spelled Kürr. Alternately, it is an English name of Flemish origin.
Cork English
Metonymic occupational name for a supplier of red or purple dye or for a dyer of cloth, Middle English cork (of Celtic origin; compare Corkery).
Corke English
Variant of Cork.
Cornet English
Variant of Cornett, meaning Horn.
Cossart English, French
From French, referring to "a dealer of horses" (related to the English word "courser"). This surname was brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066, and became one of the many Anglo-Norman words that made up Middle English.
Coster English
Metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of costards (Anglo-Norman French, from coste 'rib'), a variety of large apples, so called for their prominent ribs.
Cott English
From the Old English personal name Cotta. Possibly an altered spelling of French Cotte, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of chain mail, from Old French cot(t)e ‘coat of mail’, ‘surcoat’... [more]
Cotter English
Derived from the Old English elements cot "cottage, hut" and the suffix -er. In the feudal system a cotter held a cottage by service (rather than by rent). Reaney gives the surname deriving from the Old French cotier "cottager" (see: villein)... [more]
Cottrell English, French
First found in Derbyshire where the family "Cottrell" held a family seat and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege lord for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings, 1066CE... [more]
Court English, French, Irish
A topographic name from Middle English, Old French court(e) and curt, meaning ‘court’. This word was used primarily with reference to the residence of the lord of a manor, and the surname is usually an occupational name for someone employed at a manorial court.... [more]
Coward English
Occupational name for a cowherd, from Old English cuhierde.
Cramer German, English
Variant of German surname Krämer.
Creamer English
Derived from Middle English and Old French creme "cream". This was an occupational name for a seller of dairy products.
Creme English
Variant spelling of Cream.
Cripps English
Occupational name of a pouch maker. Derived from the Middle English plural "crippes" meaning pouch. Metathesized version of Crisp.
Crock English
Means "stone or earthenware jar, pot, vessel", possibly an occupational name for a potter. Compare Crocker.
Crocker English
Occupational name for a potter, from Middle English crockere "potter". Compare Crock.
Crofter English
A surname of Scottish origin used in the Highlands and Islands and means “an owner or a tenant of a small farm”. The Old English word croft seems to correspond with the Dutch kroft meaning “a field on the downs”.
Croom English
An occupational surname for a maker, seller, or user of hooks. Derived from Middle English crome or cromb, meaning "hook" or "crook".
Crowder English
Occupational name for someone who played the crwth, a kind of Welsh bowed lyre widely used during Medieval Europe, derived from Middle English crowdere.
Crowner English
Means "coroner" (from Anglo-Norman corouner "coroner", a derivative of Old French coroune "crown").
Crozier English, French
English and French occupational name for one who carried a cross or a bishop’s crook in ecclesiastical processions, from Middle English, Old French croisier.
Culpeper English
Variant of Culpepper. A famous bearer of the name was English botanist Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654).
Culpepper English
Possibly an occupational name for a herbalist or spicer, from Middle English cullen "to pick, to gather" and peper "pepper".
Culver English
Means "person who keeps or looks after doves", or from a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a dove (e.g. in mild disposition) (in either case from Middle English culver "dove")... [more]
Currier English
Occupational surname meaning "a worker who prepared leather".
Cushing English, French (Anglicized)
Altered form of Cousin, or an Americanized spelling of Cauchon. The English actor Peter Cushing (1913-1994) was a famous bearer of this name.
Cutler English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of cutlery, from Middle English coteler "cutler, knife-maker."
Cutright English (?)
Possibly an occupational name for someone who makes carts.
Cutter English
This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the cutter,' i.e. cloth-cutter
Daggett English
Derived from the Old French word "Dague", meaning knife or dagger, and as such was a Norman introduction into England after the 1066 Conquest. The name is a medieval metonymic for one who habitually carried a dagger, or who was a manufacturer of such weapons.
Damask English
Presumably an occupational name for someone who sold damask a richly woven material of a kind originally made in Damascus.
Dance English
From a nickname for someone notable for their dancing, or an occupational name for a professional dancer or acrobat, derived from Middle English dauncen "to dance".
Dancer English
Occupational name for a professional dancer or acrobat, from Middle English dauncer, an agent derivative of dauncen "to dance".
Danser German, French, English
German: variant of Danzer. Altered spelling of English Dancer.... [more]
Dempster English, Manx, Scottish
Occupational name for a judge or arbiter, derived from Middle English demster "judge, one who pronounces sentence or doom".
Denier French, French (Swiss), English, English (British, Rare)
from Old French denier (from Latin denarius) "penny" originally the name of a copper coin or penny later a term for money in general hence probably an occupational name for a moneyer or minter... [more]
Denyer English
Variant of Denier.
Dicker English
Either an occupational name for a digger of ditches or a builder of dikes, or a topographic name for someone who lived by a ditch or dike, derived from Middle English dike or dik meaning "dyke.
Dinger English
Means "one who rings the bell," which is most likely a butler
Dome English
Occupational name from the Old English root doma, dema ‘judge’, ‘arbiter’. Compare Dempster.
Dove English
From a nickname for a gentle person or an occupational name for a keeper of doves, derived from Old English *dufe or Old Norse dúfa, both meaning "dove, pigeon". In some cases, it is derived from the Middle English given name Dove, of the same origin... [more]
Dowler English
Occupational name for a maker of dowels and similar objects, from a derivative of Middle English “dowle”.
Dragon French, English
Nickname or occupational name for someone who carried a standard in battle or else in a pageant or procession, from Middle English, Old French dragon "snake, monster" (Latin draco, genitive draconis, from Greek drakōn, ultimately from derkesthai "to flash")... [more]
Dransfield English
Means "Drains the fields".
Driver English
Occupational name for a driver of horses or oxen attached to a cart or plow, or of loose cattle, from a Middle English agent derivative of Old English drīfan ‘to drive’.
Drye English
Variant of Dryer.
Dryer English
From an agent derivative of Old English dr̄gean "to dry"; possibly an occupational name for a drier of cloth. In the Middle Ages, after cloth had been dyed and fulled, it was stretched out in tenterfields to dry.
Duck English, Irish
English from Middle English doke "duck", hence a nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a duck, or an occupational name for someone who kept or hunted ducks. Alternatively, a variant form of Duke... [more]
Dukelow English
This surname is of Old French origin. It was initially introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066, and subsequently by French Huguenot refugees fleeing religious persecutions in their own country... [more]
Durward English, Scottish
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper, porter", derived from Old English duru "door" and weard "guard, guardian". In Medieval Scotland, this was a hereditary title for the warden of the king’s door.
Dyker English
From Middle English and Older Scots diker, dicher, denoting someone who dug or maintained ditches. Compare Dicker.
Eamer English
Possibly derived from the given name Eomer, or from Middle English yẹ̄mer "guardian, keeper, protector; guard".
Earle English
Variant of Earl.
Economy Greek (Americanized), English
Americanized form of Greek Οικονόμος (see Economos) meaning "steward", or of the patronymic Οικονόμου (see Economou).
Eisenhower English (American)
American form of German Eisenhauer. A notable bearer was Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), president of the United States between 1953 and 1961. His ancestors immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany in the 1740s and at some point the spelling changed from Eisenhauer to Eisenhower.
Fackrell English
It means woodcutter
Failor English (American)
Americanized spelling of German Failer or Fehler, variants of Feiler.
Farand English (Canadian), French (Quebec)
Derived from the given name FARIMOND or from the French word ferrer meaning "to be clad in iron" or "to shoe a horse".
Farrar English (British)
Northern English: occupational name for a smith or worker in iron, from Middle English and Old French farrour, ferour, from medieval Latin ferrator, an agent derivative of ferrare ‘to shoe horses’, from ferrum ‘iron’, in medieval Latin ‘horseshoe’... [more]
Farrow English
Northern English: hyper-corrected form of Farrar, occupational name for a smith or worker in iron. The original -ar or -er ending of this name came to be regarded as an error, and was changed to -ow.
Fawley English
This is a name for someone who worked as a person who worked as the fowler or the bird-catcher having derived from the Old English word "fugelere" which literally means "hunter of wild birds, fowler"... [more]
Feather English
from Middle English fether fedder "feather" or perhaps a shortened form of Middle English fetherer applied as a metonymic occupational name for a trader in feathers and down a maker of quilts or possibly a maker of pens... [more]
Featherman English
Derived from the Old English word "feþerman," which means "falconer" or "hawk trainer." It was likely used as an occupational surname for someone who was involved in hunting with birds of prey using the falconry or hawking methods.
Feemster English, Scottish
Occupational name meaning "herdsman", from Middle English fee "cattle" and English master.
Fell English, German, Jewish
Metonymic occupational name for a furrier, from Middle English fell, Middle High German vel, or German Fell or Yiddish fel, all of which mean "skin, hide, pelt". Yiddish fel refers to untanned hide, in contrast to pelts "tanned hide" (see Pilcher).
Feller English, German, Jewish
Occupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle English fell, Middle Low German, Middle High German vel, or German Fell or Yiddish fel "hide, pelt". See also Fell.
Fenner English
A surname of either Old French origin, allegedly meaning “huntsman”, or else more probably referring to those who were brought over from the Low Countries to assist in draining the “fens” or wetlands of England and Ireland – a process which lasted from the 9th to the 18th centuries.
Ferrier English, Scottish
Occupational name for an ironsmith, from Old French ferrier "farrier, blacksmith, ironworker".
Fettiplace English (British)
Means “make room” from Anglo-French fete place, probably a name for an usher.
Fieldman English
Meaning "ploughman".
Fifield English
Local. Has the same signification as Manorfield. Lands held in fee or fief, for which the individual pays service or owes rent.
Fisk English
Metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling a fish in some way from Old Norse fiskr "fish" (cognate with Old English fisc)... [more]
Fisk English (British)
English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller, or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling a fish in some way, from Old Norse fiskr ‘fish’ (cognate with Old English fisc).
Fiske English, Norwegian
From the traditionally Norwegian habitational surname, from the Old Norse fiskr "fish" and vin "meadow". In England and Denmark it was a surname denoting someone who was a "fisherman" or earned their living from selling fish.
Flack English
Probably from Middle English flack / flak meaning "turf, sod" (as found in the place name Flatmoor, in Cambridgeshire), and hence perhaps an occupational name for a turf cutter.
Flanner English
This early occupational and mainly 'midlands' English surname, is actually of pre-medieval French origins. Introduced into England at the time of the Norman Conquest of 1066, it derives from the French word flaonet meaning a 'little flan', and described a maker of patisserie or pancakes.
Flax English
Metonymic occupational name for someone who grew, sold, or treated flax for weaving into linen cloth,
Flook English
From Old English flōc "flathead, flounder (fish)".
Flower English
Occupational name for an arrowsmith, from an agent derivative of Middle English flō ‘arrow’ (Old English flā).
Fluke English
Variant of Flook. Can also be an Americanized form of German Fluck or Pflug.
Fluter English
Named after the action of playing a flute or the job of making a flute.
Forman English
An occupational surname for a keeper of swine, Middle English foreman, from Old English for hog, "pig" and mann ‘man’. The word is attested in this sense from the 15th century but is not used specifically for the leader of a gang of workers before the late 16th century.
Forster English (Anglicized), German, Jewish, Slovak
English: occupational and topographic name for someone who lived or worked in a forest (see Forrest). ... [more]
Frankland English
Status name for a person whom lived on an area of land without having to pay obligations. From Norman French frank, 'free' and Middle English land, 'land'. This surname is common in Yorkshire.... [more]
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