Does a Surname in Your Family Reflect an Ancestor’s Days of Labor? and Another Goodbye

This holiday weekend, meant to honor those who work, is a good time to think about where some of the surnames in our genealogy might have originated. Most genealogists know that early people had only given names. When communities were small, there likely was just one John and he lived near the church on a hill or one Mary, and she was little. However, by the time of the Middle Ages, villages had become more populated, and calling someone just John or Mary now became problematic. As a result, names became more specific so one person could be separated from another. Now, John’s name may have transitioned into John Churchill and Mary might have become Mary Little, to distinguish them from the John near the mouth of two rivers (John Rivers) or the Mary who had long white hair (Mary Whitehead). This didn’t just happen to English names, of course. You will see the same thing occurring in most other languages.

Geographical surnames were expanded by surnames derived from a father or mother’s name. Now, John, son of John, might be John Johnson, and Mary, daughter of Agnes, might, in the Middle Ages in England, become Mary Anotdoghter.

By far, the largest category of surnames was work-related. John, the blacksmith, and Mary, the cook, were joined by all the other Johns and Marys engaged in common occupations. Archer, Barber, Tanner, Piper, Miller, Weaver, Shoemaker, and Gardener are just a few examples. And these names appear with their equivalents across Europe. Since blacksmiths were so important everywhere, the fact that we have smiths in so many languages shows just how dominant that occupation was throughout the world.

Most of us have occupational names in our family trees, no matter where our family originated. Your first German Lederer was probably a leather worker, same as an English Tanner or a Jewish Garber/Gerber. Your early French Ferrier and your Italian Ferraro were both likely blacksmiths; their names translate to Smith, just as the German Schmidt does. 

Here are just a few common surnames that might give you a clue as to what your ancestors did for a living:

Bailey: bailiff

Barker: shepherd or tanner

Baxter: female baker

Clark: clerk

Coleman: someone who gathered charcoal

Collier: coal miner

Faulkner: falcon trainer

Hager: woodcutter

Keeler: bargeman

Kellogg: hog breeder/slaughterer

Kemp: warrior, champion (perhaps at wrestling or jousting)

Mercer: merchant, especially of fine cloth

Parker: gamekeeper

Redman: roof thatcher

Salzman: salt merchant

Schumacher, Sandler, Schuster: shoemaker

Scully: town crier

Todd: fox hunter

Travers, Travis: toll-bridge collector

Ward: watchman, guard

Webb/Webster: weaver (male and female versions)

(Illustrations: Falconer and toll collector, medieval images, in the public domain) 

There are many more occupational surnames in just about every language and in everyone’s family tree. Some will be quite familiar to you, like Miller, Tailor, Baker, or Bishop; others will be more challenging to decipher, such as some in the above list. 

So as you enjoy this Labor Day weekend, we aren’t just marking the end of summer, we are honoring all of the wagon makers (Wainwrights), barrel makers (Coopers), goat herders (Goddard), Hunters, Masons, and millions like them who came before us. No matter from what country your family originated, those early laborers in our families helped to define how we think of ourselves today.

A Few More Resources:

“England Surnames Derived from Occupations, Ranks (National Institute), FamilySearch Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/England_Surnames_Derived_from_Occupations,_Ranks_(National_Institute)

“German Surnames from Occupations,” Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:German_surnames_from_occupations

“Occupational Surnames,” Namenerds.com, http://www.namenerds.com/uucn/listofweek/jobnames.html

“Our Last Names Reveal a Lot About our Labor Days,” by Richard Lederer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 September 2015, https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-last-names-english-language-lederer-2015sep05-story.html

StLGS News Flash, “Understanding Obsolete Occupations,” 4 August 2019, http://stlgs.blogspot.com/2019/08/did-you-have-ancestor-who-was-milliner.html

“Surnames via Occupations,” Behind the Name, https://surnames.behindthename.com/names/source/occupation

In Memoriam, Patricia "Pat" Payton

St. Louis Genealogical Society has lost yet another of our long-time supporters, Patricia "Pat" Payton, who passed away on 22 August 2021. Industrious, organized, and incredibly good-hearted, Pat took over as the head of our Trading Post, the society's used book area, in the early 2000s. She successfully kept the area running smoothly and profitably, including staffing our Trading Post booth at many local conferences, for years. She was an avid researcher, joining the society's annual Salt Lake City Research Trip every fall for at least a decade. Loving her Irish background, Pat would arrive in Salt Lake City with an armload of supplies, set up shop at her favorite spot, and offer assistance to anyone who needed it. 

Pat had a wonderful, low-key sense of humor and a gruff exterior that hid a kind, gentle spirit. Along with working on genealogy, Pat loved to garden, and she adored her family. She belonged to many organizations and, in addition to her volunteer work for StLGS, she was a generous donor. Those of us who had the pleasure of knowing Pat will miss her big smile, her caring nature, and her endless love for what she believed in and the people who were important in her life. We extend our deepest sympathy to her devoted companion, Jean Hudson; her two daughters, Jamie McBurnett and Marissa (McBurnett) Preuss; her siblings and her many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. (A service for Pat will be held at Kutis Funeral Home on Gravois Road on Saturday, 11 September 2021 at noon, with visitation beginning at 11:00 a.m.)