Last Name: BarkerOccupation: ShepherdOrigin: Barker comes from the Norman word barches, meaning “shepherd,” the person who watches over a flock of sheep.
Last Name: BlackOccupation: DyerOrigin: Men named Black were cloth dyers who specialized in black dyes. In those days, all cloth was originally white, so it had to be dyed different colors.
Last Name: CarterOccupation: Delivery personOrigin: A person who drove a cart pulled by oxen, carrying goods from town to town, was named Carter.
Last Name: ChamberlainOccupation: Personal servantOrigin: Noblemen required servants to cook, clean, and generally care for their large estates. Chamberlains cleaned the chambers, or rooms, of a nobleman’s home.
Last Name: ChandlerOccupation: CandlemakerOrigin: The French word chandelier refers to a person who makes candles.
Last Name: CookeOccupation: CookOrigin: The name Cook was given to people who made their living cooking for others. The e in Cooke was added to disguise the name’s meaning.
Last Name: CooperOccupation: BarrelmakerOrigin: Cooper was the name for someone who made wooden barrels.
Last Name: FisherOccupation: FishermanOrigin: People named Fisher were professional fishermen.
Last Name: GardinerOccupation: GardenerOrigin: This is a variation of the Norman word gardinier, which means a gardener, a person who cares for plants and lawns.
Last Name: HansardOccupation: SwordmakerOrigin: Hansard in French means “a long, pointed sword.” Swordmakers were given this name to identify their craft.
Last Name: KelloggOccupation: SlaughtererOrigin: Kellogg was a nickname for a pork butcher. Its literal meaning is “kill hog.”
Last Name: Kemp (Kempe)Occupation: WrestlerOrigin: These were unusually strong fellows who wrestled for a living. The name comes from the Old English word cempa, meaning “warrior.”
Last Name: LeachOccupation: DoctorOrigin: Leach comes from the word laece, meaning “doctor.” Medieval doctors also used blood-sucking worms called leeches on their patients. They believed these worms would purify the patients’ blood and rid them of disease.
Last Name: ParkerOccupation: Park keeperOrigin: Noblemen often kept beautiful parks on their estates. Watchmen, or “parkers,” guarded the parks from outsiders.
Last Name: SmithOccupation: MetalworkerOrigin: Anyone who worked with metal was called a smith. This name was originally a friendly nickname referring to the person or his business. Eventually it became one of the most popular English names.
Last Name: StoneOccupation: StoneworkerOrigin: Stone is the nickname for someone who worked with stone, a mason or stonecutter.
Last Name: WallOccupation: MasonOrigin: Wall was the name given to a special kind of mason, one who had great speed and skill in building straight wall structures.
