PercherEnglish In textile mills, woven fabric coming off the mill / loom would pass over a frame, or rod, called a 'perch'. It was the job of the 'Percher' to examine the cloth for defects, and repair them when they were found... [more]
PicklerEnglish Derived from the occupation of "pickler," which referred to someone who worked in the pickling industry, preserving foods such as vegetables or meats in brine or vinegar.
PilchEnglish From Middle English pilch, a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of pilches or a nickname for a habitual wearer of these. A pilch (from Late Latin pellicia, a derivative of pellis "skin, hide") was a kind of coarse leather garment with the hair or fur still on it.
PilcherEnglish Occupational name for a maker or seller of pilches, from an agent derivative of Pilch. In early 17th-century English, pilcher was a popular term of abuse, being confused or punningly associated with the unrelated verb pilch "to steal" and with the unrelated noun pilchard, a kind of fish.
PincockEnglish It is believed to be a variant of the surname Pink, which itself can have several origins, including being a nickname for someone with pink cheeks or a rosy complexion, or an occupational name for a dyer or someone who worked with pigment dyes.
PinnEnglish, German Derived from Middle English pin and Middle Low German pinne, both meaning "peg" or "pin". This was an occupational name from a maker of these things. The German name can in some cases be an occupational name for a shoemaker.
PistarioEnglish (American, Rare) Uncertain etymology, possibly an altered spelling of an Italian or Spanish surname derived from Latin pisto "to pound, to beat", perhaps as an occupational name for a baker.
PitcherEnglish, German From an agent derivative of Middle English pich ‘pitch’, hence an occupational name for a caulker, one who sealed the seams of ships or barrels with pitch. English variant of Pickard... [more]
PlumEnglish From Old French plomb "lead (metal)", a metonymic occupational name for a plumber, or someone who dealt in lead.
PlumEnglish, German From Old Germanic *plūmā "plum", used as a topographic name for someone who lived by a plum tree, a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or sold plums, or perhaps a nickname referring to a plum-coloured birthmark.
PlumerGerman, English, Dutch North German (Plümer) and English: variant of Plum, the suffix -er denoting habitation or occupation. Altered form of South German Pflümer, an occupational name for a grower or seller of plums, from an agent derivative of Middle High German pflume ‘plum’... [more]
PlummerEnglish 1. Occupational name for a worker in lead, especially a maker of lead pipes and conduits, from Anglo-Norman French plom(m)er, plum(m)er ‘plumber’, from plom(b), plum(b) ‘lead’ (Latin plumbum)... [more]
PolandEnglish, German, French (Anglicized), Irish (Anglicized) English and German name is derived from the Middle High German Polan, which means "Poland". The surname originally signified a person with Polish connections.This French surname originated from an occupational name of a poultry breeder, or from a fearful person; it is derived from the Old French poule, which means "chicken".In other cases, particularly in Ireland, the English Poland is a variant of Polin,which is in turn an Anglicised form of the original Gaelic spelling of Mac Póilín, which translated from Irish means "son of little Paul"... [more]
PontzEnglish The name Pontz likely came from Germanic origin, probably originating from the German Pflanzen.
PorcariItalian, English From Italian porci "pigs", denoting someone who worked as a pig herder.
PortEnglish, German, French Either from Middle English porte "gateway, entrance" (Old French porte, from Latin porta), hence a topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town or city, or for the gatekeeper... [more]
PressEnglish, Jewish A nickname for a pious individual from the Middle English form of "priest" or possibly someone employed by a priest. In the Jewish sense, one whose occupation was to iron clothes.
PriestEnglish Derived from the occupation priest, which is a minister of a church. It could also be a nickname for a person who is / was a priest.
PriorEnglish Occupational surname for a prior (a high-ranking official in a monastery), ultimately from Latin prior meaning "superior, first".
ProctorEnglish Occupational name for a legal practitioner in an ecclesiastical court or a person appointed to collect alms for those who could not go out to beg for themselves (i.e., lepers and the bedridden), from Middle English proctour "steward", ultimately a contracted form derived from Latin procurator "agent, manager"... [more]
ProvostEnglish, French Derived from the Middle English provost; referring to the person who heads a religious chapter in a cathedral or educational establishment. It was also used as a nickname for a self-important person and is a French variant of Prevost.
PuckettEnglish Of uncertain origin; perhaps a variant of Pocket(t), from a diminutive of Anglo-Norman French poque "small pouch", hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of purses and pouches or a nickname... [more]
PulverLow German, French, English I comes from the Latin verb meaning "to make powder." This name was given to either an alchemist or one who made gunpowder.
PygallEnglish (Hellenized, Rare) From ancient Greek for rump, associations with prostitution across Europe, commonly given to illegitimate children of prostitutes, found especially in North East England and Nottinghamshire.
PykeEnglish Most likely originates from the words pike (the weapon or the fish), having to do with fishermen or soldiers, or pick, having to do with miners or somebody who tills the ground.
QuakerEnglish, Scottish This surname was used to indicate someone who worked as a son of a vicar, who was a priest in charge of a parish in which most or all of the tithes were paid to another recipient, while the vicar received a stipend.
RangerEnglish, German, French English: occupational name for a gamekeeper or warden, from Middle English ranger, an agent derivative of range(n) ‘to arrange or dispose’.... [more]
RasorEnglish Probably from Old French rasor, meaning "razor".
RavenelEnglish, French Habitational name from Ravenel in Oise or a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of horseradish, from a diminutive of Old French ravene ‘horseradish’ (Latin raphanus)... [more]
RectorEnglish Status name for the director of an institution, in particular the head of a religious house or a college. Also an anglicized form of Richter.
RideoutEnglish Means "outrider (a municipal or monastic official in the Middle Ages whose job was to ride around the country collecting dues and supervising manors)".
RipperEnglish Means "maker, seller or carrier of baskets" (from a derivative of Middle English rip "basket").
RivetFrench, English French: from a diminutive of Old French rive ‘(river) bank’, ‘shore’ (see Rives).... [more]
RivettEnglish, French English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a metalworker, from Middle English, Old French rivet ‘small nail or bolt’ (from Old French river ‘to fix or secure’, of unknown origin).... [more]
RodmanEnglish The surname Rodman is an ancient English surname, derived from a trade name, "men who were by the tenure or customs of their lands to ride with or for the lord of the manor about his business". The most famous bearer of this name is the basketball player Dennis Rodman.
RollUpper German, German, English German: from Middle High German rolle, rulle ‘roll’, ‘list’, possibly applied as a metonymic occupational name for a scribe.... [more]
RollsEnglish Possibly derived from the Latin word rotus, meaning "wheel". It would indicate one who built wheels as a living. A famous bearer was American inventor and entrepreneur Charles Rolls (1877-1910), founder of the Rolls-Royce Ltd along with Henry Royce (1863-1933).
RootEnglish From Middle English and Old French rote, an early medieval stringed instrument similar to a guitar that was played by turning wheels like a hurdy-gurdy.
RoperEnglish English: occupational name for a maker or seller of rope, from an agent derivative of Old English rāp ‘rope’. See also Roop.
RoverEnglish, German (Anglicized) This surname is derived from Middle English roof (from Old English hrof) combined with the agent suffix (i)er, which denotes someone who does/works with something. Thus, the surname was originally used for a constructor or repairer of roofs.... [more]
RuncieEnglish, Scottish Derived from Latin runcinus, and related to the Old French "roncin", for a horse of little value. Middle English, Rouncy, as in Chaucer's Cantebury Tales.... [more]
RutterEnglish Either (i) "player of the rote (a medieval stringed instrument played by plucking)"; or (ii) from a medieval nickname for a dishonest or untrustworthy person (from Old French routier "robber, mugger")... [more]
SakerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of sacks or bags, derived from an agent derivative of Old English sacc meaning "sack, bag".
SaleEnglish, French English: from Middle English sale ‘hall’, a topographic name for someone living at a hall or manor house, or a metonymic occupational name for someone employed at a hall or manor house. ... [more]
SaltEnglish From the name of a town in Staffordshire, derived from Old English sealt "salt" due to its historical mining for salt and alabaster. In some cases, an occupational name for a maker or seller of salt, of the same origin (see Salter).
SalterEnglish Occupational name for someone who worked with salt, derived from Middle English salter.
SarverEnglish, Jewish English and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) occupational name from Old French serveur (an agent derivative of server ‘to serve’), Yiddish sarver ‘servant’.
SaxEnglish From Middle English sax meaning "knife", an occupational name for a knife maker, or perhaps a nickname for someone skilled with a knife.
SayerEnglish Occupational name for a professional reciter or minstrel, derived from Middle English seier "speaker".
SealEnglish Variant of Seals, perhaps an occupational name for a person who makes saddles.
SeamanEnglish Occupational name for a sailor, derived from Old English sǣ "sea" and man. In some cases, from the Old English given name Sǣmann, of the same origin.
SearsEnglish Version of Sayer. Used in the United States. Famous bearer of the name is Richard Warren Sears, one of the founders of Sears, Roebuck and Co.
SheriffEnglish, Scottish Occupational name for a sheriff, derived from Middle English schiref, shreeve, shryve literally meaning "sheriff", or from Old English scir meaning "shire, administrative district" and (ge)refa meaning "reeve"... [more]
ShieldEnglish Metonymic occupational name for an armorer, from Middle English scheld "shield" (Old English scild, sceld).
ShinglerEnglish An occupational name for someone who laid wooden tiles, or shingles on roofs, from an agent derivative of Middle English schingle ‘shingle’. ... [more]
ShinnEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a Skinner, from Old English scinn, Middle English shin ‘hide’, ‘pelt’. In Middle English this word was replaced by the Norse equivalent, skinn.
ShipEnglish This unusual name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is an occupational surname for "a mariner", or perhaps, occasionally a "ship or boat-builder". The derivation of the name is from the Olde English pre 7th Century scip, ship, in Middle English schip
ShipmanEnglish Occupational name for a shepherd, derived from Middle English schep "sheep" and mann.
ShipmanEnglish Occupational name for a boatman or mariner or boatbuilder, derived from Middle English schipman.
ShipperGerman, Jewish, English German and Jewish Cognate and English variant of Schipper. occupational name from Middle English shippere "shipman sailor seaman" (Old English scipere) perhaps also with the sense "skipper" (Middle Low German schipper).
ShoesmithEnglish occupational name for a blacksmith who either specialized in shoeing horses (a farrier) or in making and fitting iron blades known as shoes such as the tips of spades and the plowshares on plow moldboards from Middle English sho "shoe" (Old English scoh) and smith "smith" (Old English smiþ).
SkipperEnglish Occupational name for either a basket weaver Derived from Middle English skeppe witch itself is from Old Norse skeppa... [more]
SlateEnglish Occupational name for a slater, from Middle English slate, "slate".
SlaughterEnglish occupational name from Middle English slaughter "butcher" a derivative of Middle English slaught "butchery" and the suffix er or from a shortened form of the synonymous Middle English slaughterer a derivative of slaughter "butchery" and the suffix er.
SlingerEnglish Travelled with the army's a user of Slings for war. The variant Slingo is a misspelling only appeared after the English civil war. YDNA between the two matches.
SlipperEnglish Occupational surname for a sword-slipper, or scabbard maker.
SmartEnglish From Old English (smeart) meaning "quick". This surname was used to refer to person who worked as a handyman.
SmockEnglish From Middle English smoc, smok meaning "smock", "shift", hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold such garments, or a nickname for someone who habitually wore a smock (the usual everyday working garment of a peasant).
SmokerEnglish Derived from the Old English word "smoc," meaning "smock" or, literally, "woman's undergarment." The name was most likely originally borne by someone who made or sold smocks.
SouterEnglish, Scottish Occupational name for a cobbler or shoemaker, derived from Middle English soutere, ultimately derived from Latin sutor "shoemaker, cobbler".
SovereignEnglish Occupational surname for a leader or supervisor, derived from the English word sovereign meaning "possessing supreme or ultimate power".
SowerEnglish Occupational name for someone who scatters seeds, derived from Middle English sowere.
SpearmanEnglish Occupational name for a soldier armed with a spear, from Middle English spere "spear, lance" and man. It could also be from Old English given name Spereman, of the same origin.
SpeerGerman, Dutch, English German and Dutch cognate of Spear, as well as an English variant of the same surname.
SpellingEnglish, Irish, Jewish Occupational name for a scholar, speaker or a story teller, derived from Middle English spellan meaning "to tell or relate". It could also be a variant of Irish Spillane or Jewish Spellman... [more]
SpenderEnglish Occupational name for a paymaster or someone in charge of finances, from Old English spendan "to spend" and Latin expendere "to pay out".
SpiceEnglish Occupational name for a dealer in spices or an apothecary, derived from Middle English spice.
SpicerEnglish, Jewish, Polish English: occupational name for a seller of spices, Middle English spic(i)er (a reduced form of Old French espicier, Late Latin speciarius, an agent derivative of species ‘spice’, ‘groceries’, ‘merchandise’).... [more]
SpindlerEnglish, German, Jewish Occupational name for a spindle maker, from an agent derivative of Middle English spindle, Middle High German spindel, German Spindel, Yiddish shpindl "spindle, distaff".
SpoonEnglish Apparently a metonymic occupational name either for a maker of roofing shingles or spoons, from Old English spon "chip, splinter" (see also Spooner).
SpoorEnglish, Dutch From Middle Dutch and Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for a maker or seller of spurs.
SpoorsEnglish From Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for someone who made spurs, or perhaps a nickname for someone known for wearing them.
SpringallEnglish Means (i) "operator of a springald (a type of medieval siege engine)" (from Anglo-Norman springalde); or (ii) from a medieval nickname for a youthful person (from Middle English springal "youth").
SpringerEnglish An occupational name for a dancer, or perhaps a hunter, from either Old English springen "to leap" or Middle English springe "snare, trap".
SquireEnglish Surname comes from the occupation of a Squire. A young man who tends to a knight.
SquiresEnglish Surname is plural of Squire. A young person that tends to his knight, also someone that is a member of a landowner class that ranks below a knight.
StaffEnglish Derived from Middle English staf "rod staff, stave" (Old English stæf) used as a nickname either for a tall thin person someone who made staves or for anyone who carried a staff of office.
StaterEnglish Occupational name for an official in charge of a public weighing machine derived from Middle English stater(er), from Latin statera "balance, scales, steelyard; value", ultimately from Ancient Greek στατήρ (stater) "a weight, a standard; a type of coin".
SteelEnglish Variant spelling of Steele, or an Americanized form of the German and Swedish cognates Stahl or Stål.
StiverEnglish Occupational name from Old French “estivur” meaning “plowman”, coming from Latin “stivarius”. This has also been used as a name for someone who played the stive, a type of bagpipe.
StollerGerman, Jewish, English Habitational surname for someone from a place called Stolle, near Zurich (now called Stollen).... [more]
StoterEnglish (Modern) Of Dutch origin and still in use there in a restricted region. Herder of large animals such as cattle or horses. May share a root with Ostler (unverified). Note: Stot in Scottish dialect still means a young bull.... [more]
StriderEnglish Likely an anglicized variation of the Dutch term "Strijder" or German term "Streiter," this surname represents an occupational designation for a soldier or a descriptive term for someone with a combative demeanor.... [more]
SugarbakerEnglish Occupational name for an owner of a sugar-house, a factory where raw sugar was made or refined, derived from Middle English sugre, suker meaning "sugar" and bakere meaning "baker".
SumpterEnglish Occupational name for someone who drove a packhorse, from Middle English sompter.
SumterEnglish This surname is derived from an official title. 'the sumpter.' Old French sommetier, a packhorseman, one who carried baggage on horseback
SutterGerman, English English and South German occupational name for a shoemaker or cobbler (rarely a tailor), from Middle English suter, souter, Middle High German suter, sutære (from Latin sutor, an agent derivative of suere ‘to sew’).
SutterfieldEnglish Possibly derives from the Old English word ''sutere'', and the Latin word ''sutor'', meaning a shoemaker.
SwainScottish, Irish, English Northern English occupational name for a servant or attendant, from Middle English swein "young man attendant upon a knight", which was derived from Old Norse sveinn "boy, servant, attendant"... [more]
SwinehartEnglish, German Means "swine herder", from Middle High German swīn "hog, swine" and hertære "herder".
SwingEnglish Probably an Americanized spelling of German Schwing or from Middle High German zwinc meaning "legal district", hence possibly a metonymic occupational name for a district administrator.
TallantEnglish (British, ?), Norman, Irish English (of Norman origin) occupational name for a tailor or nickname for a good swordsman, from taillant ‘cutting’, present participle of Old French tailler ‘to cut’ (Late Latin taliare, from talea ‘(plant) cutting’)... [more]
TeacherEnglish From an English word for someone who taught schools.
TedderEnglish From the Middle English word Thedere or Teddere which either comes from the Old English name Thēodhere or the Germanic name Theudher. Alternatively, it could be an occupational name from the Middle English Teddere, meaning “one who teds”... [more]
TempleEnglish, French Occupational name or habitational name for someone who was employed at or lived near one of the houses ("temples") maintained by the Knights Templar, a crusading order so named because they claimed to occupy in Jerusalem the site of the old temple (Middle English, Old French temple, Latin templum)... [more]
TemplerEnglish Templer is an Old English surname denoting either a servant of one of the Knights Templar, or a person living near or serving at a church. The meaning is “church attendant”.
TennantEnglish, Scottish Occupational name for a farmer who holds a feudal tenure in a property, ultimately derived from Latin teneo "to hold, to keep".
TodhunterEnglish Occupational name for a fox hunter, from Middle English tod "male fox" and hunter.
TolivarAsturian (Modern, Rare), English (Rare) Variant of Tolliver. Apparently, this name may have originated in Candamo, Asturias, in the 18th (or earlier) century. The "var" last syllable may be related to "fer," and the meaning may be related to iron, e.g. iron miner, iron refiner, etc... [more]
TorreyEnglish Means "conqueror, victor" in Old English.
TozerEnglish Tozer is a surname commonly believed to have originated in Devon, South West England. It is a reference to the occupation of carding of wool which was originally performed by the use of teasels (Latin carduus), via the Middle English word tōsen, to tease (out).
TrainEnglish English (Devon): 1. metonymic occupational name for a trapper or hunter, from Middle English trayne, Old French traine ‘guile’, ‘snare’, ‘trap’. ... [more]
TreadwellEnglish Occupational name for a fuller, a person who cleaned and shrunk newly woven cloth by treading it. It is derived from Middle English tred(en) "to tread" and well "well".
TrippierEnglish This surname is derived from an occupation. 'a tripherd,' a goatherd, Yorkshire and Lancashire. 'Trip, a flock of sheep, a herd of swine or goats' (Halliwell).
TrotterEnglish, Scottish, German Northern English and Scottish: occupational name for a messenger, from an agent derivative of Middle English trot(en) 'to walk fast' (Old French troter, of Germanic origin). ... [more]
TrumpEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a trumpeter, from Middle English trumpe "trumpet".
TrustyEnglish This is a late medieval occupation descriptive name given to a professional witness, in effect an early Solicitor, the name deriving from the Olde French "Attester" - one who testifies or vouches for a contract or agreement.
TumbrellEnglish (Rare, Archaic) Etymology uncertain. Possibly derived from Old English tumbrel, a kind of small, two-wheeled cart designed to be easily tipped over, or from a variant form of timbrel, a percussion instrument similar to a tambourine.
TunnardEnglish Means "town herd", from Old English tun "town, enclosure, yard" and heord "a herd", an occupational name for someone who guarded the town’s cattle.
TuppenEnglish It comes from people who shepherds. The word tup refers to a male sheep, and pen comes from where the sheep were kept. Tupping is a word used to refer to the mating of sheep and may also be related.
TweedelEnglish Tweedel is Scottish for "the dell on the tweed river"
TwineEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a maker of string or thread, and derived from Old English twin meaning "thread, string".
TwinerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of thread or twine; an agent derivative of Old English twinen meaning "to twine".
ValletFrench, English French topographic name from a diminutive of Old French val "valley" (see Val ) or a habitational name from (Le) Vallet the name of several places mainly in the northern part of France and French and English occupational name for a manservant from Old French and Middle English vallet "manservant groom".
VardyEnglish Variant of Verity. A name given to actors who played the part in the medieval travelling theatres.
VassEnglish Status name denoting a serf, Middle English, Old French vass(e), from Late Latin vassus, of Celtic origin. Compare Welsh gwas "boy", Gaelic foss "servant".
VassarFrench, English Name indicating the status of "a vassal or serf" in feudal society.
VavasourEnglish (Rare) From the word for a feudal rank, possibly derived (via Old French) from Latin vassus vassorum meaning "vassal of vassals".
VeeversEnglish Means "dealer in foodstuffs" (from Old French vivres "victuals").
VerdierFrench, Norman, English Occupational name for a forester. Derived from Old French verdier (from Late Latin viridarius, a derivative of viridis "green"). Also an occupational name for someone working in a garden or orchard, or a topographic name for someone living near one... [more]
VerneFrench, English As a French surname refers to someone who lived where alder trees grew. While the English version can mean someone who lived where ferns grew, Verne can also mean a seller of ferns which in medieval times were used in bedding, as floor coverings and as animal feed.
VerrierEnglish, French Means "glassmaker, glassblower, glazier" in French, derived from French verre "glass".
VicaryEnglish (British) There are a number of theories as to the origins of the name, Spanish sailors shipwrecked after the Armada and French Huguenots fleeing the Revolution are two of the more romantic ones. It is more likely to have come as someone associated with the church - the vicar, who carried out the pastoral duties on behalf of the absentee holder of a benefice... [more]
VickersEnglish Means "son of the vicar". It could also be the name of someone working as a servant of a vicar.
WaitmanEnglish From Middle English and Older Scots waithman meaning "hunter; outlaw", equivalent to Old English waþ "hunt, chase; wandering" and mann "person, man".
WaxGerman, Jewish, English German and Jewish variant and English cognitive of Wachs, from Middle English wax "wax" (from Old English weax).
WaxmanEnglish, German (Americanized), Jewish (Americanized) Occupational name for a seller or gatherer of beeswax from wax "wax" plus Middle English man "man". According to the Oxford English Dictionary wax-man is an obsolete term for an officer of a trade guild who collected contributions from members for wax candles to be used in processions... [more]
WeareEnglish (British) Derived from the Old English wer, meaning a "weir, dam, fishing-trap". This was used as an occupational surname for fishermen. Originated in Devon, England.... [more]
WhatelyEnglish Old English location or occupational surname meaning "from the wheat meadow".
WheelwrightEnglish Occupational name for someone who made or fitted wheels and wheeled vehicles, from Old English hwēol and wyrhta. Also compare Wheeler.
WhistlerEnglish An English occupational surname, meaning "one who whistles."
WhitbreadEnglish Either a metonymic occupational name from Middle English whitbred "white bread" or whetebred "wheat bread" denoting someone who baked or sold bread of the best quality made from wheat... [more]
WillmanEnglish Occupational name for someone who was the servant of a man called Will.
WillowsEnglish (British) This is an English residential or perhaps occupational surname. It may originate from one of the various places in England called 'The Willows', or even a place such as Newton le Willows in Lancashire, or it may describe a supplier of willow.
WindusEnglish Variant of Wingers. The name is a metonymic occupational name for a textile worker or weaver, derived from the Middle English wyndhows ("winding house").
WinegardnerEnglish (American) Anglicized form of the German occupational surname Weingartner. A known bearer of this surname is the American writer Mark Winegardner (b. 1961).
WingardEnglish from Middle English vineyerdevine-yard "vineyard" (Old English wīngeard given a partly French form) hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a vineyard or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked in one or a habitational name from any place so named such as Wynyard Hall in Grindon (Durham)... [more]
WoodmanEnglish Occupational name for a woodcutter or a forester (compare Woodward), or topographic name for someone who lived in the woods. Possibly from the Old English personal name Wudumann.
WorkmanEnglish Ostensibly an occupational name for a laborer, derived from Middle English work and man. According to a gloss, the term was used in the Middle Ages to denote an ambidextrous person, and the surname may also be a nickname in this sense.