Medieval Surnames and their Meanings
Medieval Surnames and their Meanings
In modern times, people still regularly take on their father’s name at birth and their husband’s after marriage. However, medieval surnames normally had significant meaning attached to them, making them incredibly important.
The following is a list of some of the more common medieval surnames along with their meanings:
| Medieval Surnames | Meanings |
|---|---|
| Ashdown | Dweller on ash-tree hill |
| Baker | Bread maker |
| Bennett | Blessed |
| Bigge | Big and strong |
| Brewer | Someone who brewed beer or ale |
| Brickenden | Brick-maker |
| Brooker | Dweller by-the-brook |
| Browne | Brown-haired or dark-skinned |
| Carpenter | Maker of wooden objects |
| Cheeseman | Cheese-maker |
| Clarke | Cleric, Secretary or Scholar |
| Cooper | Maker of wooden buckets |
| Fletcher | Arrow maker |
| Foreman | Looks after pigs |
| Godfrey | God-peace |
| Gregory | Watchful |
| Hughes | Son of Hugh |
| Hunter | Someone who hunts for wild animals |
| Mannering | Manly |
| Mercer | A trader of textiles, especially silk |
| Miller | Someone who operated a mill for grinding grain |
| Nash | Dweller by the ash tree |
| Payne | Pagan |
| Rolfe | Peasant |
| Shepherd | Sheep herder and carer |
| Tanner | Someone who prepared leather by tanning |
| Taylor | Clothes maker |
| Thatcher | Maker or repairer of thatched roofs |
| Walter | Dweller by water |
| Ward | Watchman or Guardian |
| Webb | Weaver |
| Wood | Dweller by the wood |
See also: Medieval Names
MLA Citation/Reference
"Medieval Surnames and their Meanings". HistoryLearning.com. 2023. Web.