Old Fashioned Last Names

These old fashioned last names come from medieval trades, country estates and early Norman families, the kind of surnames that feel at home in a period drama, each listed with its meaning and origin.

173 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Abbott

Servant of an abbot, or nickname

English
Ackerman

Ploughman or farm labourer

English
Alderman

Guild or town official

English
Allgood

Possibly from Old Norse name Alfgaut

English
Applegarth

Apple orchard, from Old Norse

English
Archer

Bowman or maker of bows

English
Arkwright

Maker of chests and storage bins

English
Armitage

Dweller by a hermitage

English
Armstrong

Strong in the arm, a Border nickname

Scottish
Ashworth

Enclosure by ash trees, from Lancashire

English

B

Bartholomew

From Aramaic, son of Talmai

English
Baxter

Baker, originally a female baker

English
Beadle

Parish officer or town crier

English
Beauchamp

Norman French, beautiful field

English
Beckett

Little beak, or dweller by a stream

English
Bellman

Town crier or bell ringer

English
Bishop

Servant of a bishop, or pageant player

English
Boatwright

Builder of boats

English
Bowyer

Maker of bows

English
Brewster

Brewer of ale

English
Buckmaster

Keeper of bucks or goats

English
Butterfield

Pasture producing good butter

English
Bywater

Dweller by the water

English

C

Cartwright

Maker of carts

English
Carver

Wood or stone carver

English
Chamberlain

Officer in charge of a lord's chambers

English
Chandler

Candle maker or seller

English
Chaplin

Chaplain or his servant

English
Chapman

Merchant or trader

English
Chaucer

Maker of shoes or hose, from Old French

English
Cheeseman

Maker or seller of cheese

English
Christmas

Born or baptised at Christmas

English
Cobbold

From an Old English name, possibly famous bold

English
Collier

Charcoal burner or seller

English
Cooper

Maker of barrels and casks

English
Cordwainer

Shoemaker who worked fine Cordovan leather

English
Culpepper

Nickname for a spice seller or herbalist

English
Cutler

Maker of knives

English

D

Deacon

Church deacon or his servant

English
Dimmock

From Dymock in Gloucestershire

English
Doolittle

Nickname for an idle person

English
Draper

Seller of woollen cloth

English
Drinkwater

Nickname, perhaps for a poor man or ironic

English
Dyer

One who dyed cloth

English

E

Eastwood

Dweller by the eastern wood

English

F

Fairbrother

Nickname, possibly handsome brother or friar

English
Fairclough

Beautiful ravine, from Lancashire

English
Fairweather

Nickname for a cheerful, sunny person

English
Farrier

Blacksmith who shod horses

English
Faulkner

Falconer, keeper of hawks

English
Fiddler

Fiddle player or minstrel

English
Fletcher

Maker of arrows

English
Fowler

Hunter who caught wild birds

English
Fuller

One who cleaned and thickened cloth

English

G

Gathercole

Gatherer of coal or cabbage

English
Glazier

Glass worker or window maker

English
Goldsmith

Worker in gold

English
Golightly

Nickname for a messenger, go lightly

English
Goodall

Dweller by the good nook, or good ale

English
Goodbody

Nickname for a good person

English
Goodenough

Nickname, possibly ironic, for an adequate person

English
Goodfellow

Nickname for a good companion

English
Goodhew

Nickname, good servant or good fellow

English
Goodspeed

From a wish of good luck, God speed

English
Goodwin

From Old English Godwine, good friend

English
Gosling

Young goose, a nickname

English
Gotobed

Nickname, possibly for an idler

English

H

Harlow

Army hill, from Old English here and hlaw

English
Hayward

Officer guarding fences and hedges

English
Higginbotham

Valley where oaks grew, from Lancashire

English
Hobson

Son of Hob, a pet form of Robert

English
Hogarth

Hog herd, swineherd

English
Honeycutt

From a place such as Huncote or Hunnacott, Huna's cottage

English
Honeyman

Beekeeper or seller of honey

English
Hornblower

Horn blower who signalled the day

English
Horner

Maker of horn goods or horn blower

English
Hosier

Maker or seller of stockings

English

J

Joiner

Carpenter or woodworker

English

K

Kempster

Comber of wool

English
Kitchener

Servant in a monastery kitchen

English

L

Lardner

Keeper of the larder

English
Latimer

Interpreter, from Latin speaker

English
Lavender

Launderer, from Old French lavandier

English
Leadbetter

Worker in lead

English
Leatherbarrow

From Latterbarrow in Cumbria, a hill name of uncertain meaning

English
Lightfoot

Nickname for a swift runner or messenger

English
Littlewood

Dweller by a small wood

English
Lorimer

Maker of bits and spurs

Scottish
Loveday

Born on a day of reconciliation

English
Lovejoy

Nickname for a pleasure-loving person

English

M

Makepeace

Nickname for a peacemaker

English
Marchant

Merchant, from Norman French

English
Mercer

Dealer in fine fabrics

English
Merryweather

Nickname for a cheerful person

English
Midwinter

Born at midwinter

English
Milner

Miller, from Old English myln

English
Monk

Servant of a monastery, or nickname

English
Montague

From Montaigu in Normandy, pointed hill

English
Mortimer

From Mortemer in Normandy, dead or stagnant pool

English

N

Naylor

Maker of nails

English

P

Palfreyman

Groom who kept saddle horses

English
Pardoner

Seller of papal indulgences

English
Pargeter

Plasterer who decorated house fronts

English
Parmenter

Tailor, from Old French parmentier

English
Pennington

Farm paying a penny rent

English
Pennyfather

Nickname for a miser, penny father

English
Pennyfeather

Probably a variant of Pennyfather, a nickname for a miser

English
Pentecost

Born or baptised at Whitsun

English
Pettibone

From Old French petit bon, little good

English
Pettifer

Nickname, iron foot, from Old French

English
Pettigrew

From Old French petit cru, little growth

English
Pickersgill

Ravine of the pikes or thieves, from Yorkshire

English
Pilcher

Maker of fur garments

English
Pinder

Official who impounded stray animals

English
Plowman

Ploughman, farm labourer

English
Popplewell

Dweller by a pebbly spring

English
Porter

Gatekeeper or carrier

English
Poulter

Dealer in poultry

English
Prior

Servant of a prior

English
Proudfoot

Nickname for someone with a haughty walk

English

Q

Quartermain

Nickname, four hands, from Old French

English

R

Reeve

Manor steward or overseer

English
Rudd

Nickname for a ruddy complexion

English

S

Sadler

Maker of saddles

English
Salter

Maker or seller of salt

English
Sawyer

One who sawed timber

English
Scrivener

Scribe or copyist

English
Sexton

Church caretaker and gravedigger

English
Shakeshaft

Nickname for a spearman, like Shakespeare

English
Shakespeare

Nickname for a spearman, shake spear

English
Shepherd

Keeper of sheep

English
Shufflebottom

Valley with a sheep shelter, from Lancashire

English
Sidebottom

Dweller in a wide valley

English
Skinner

One who prepared animal skins

English
Slater

Roofer who laid slates

English
Spicer

Seller of spices

English
Spooner

Maker of spoons or roof shingles

English
Stannard

From an Old English name, stone hard

English
Stonehouse

Dweller in a stone house

English
Stringer

Maker of bowstrings

English
Sutton

South farmstead

English
Sweetapple

Grower or seller of sweet apples

English

T

Tanner

One who tanned hides into leather

English
Thatcher

Roofer who worked with straw and reeds

English
Thistlethwaite

Clearing overgrown with thistles, from Old Norse

English
Thorogood

Nickname, thoroughly good

English
Thurlow

From Thurlow in Suffolk, probably warriors' burial mound

English
Tiler

Layer of roof tiles

English
Tolliver

From Taliaferro, Italian iron cutter

English
Toogood

Nickname, possibly ironic, too good

English
Tozer

One who teased wool

English
Treadwell

Nickname for a treader of cloth

English
Truelove

Nickname for a faithful lover

English
Trueman

Nickname for a trustworthy man

English
Tucker

One who fulled cloth

English
Tuckwell

Possibly from a place name, spring

English
Turner

Woodworker who used a lathe

English
Twelvetrees

Dweller by a group of twelve trees

English
Tyler

Maker or layer of tiles

English

W

Wagstaff

Nickname for an official who waved a staff

English
Wainwright

Maker of wagons

English
Walker

One who trod cloth to thicken it

English
Waterman

Boatman or water carrier

English
Weatherby

Farm where wethers were kept

English
Webster

Weaver, originally a female weaver

English
Wheelwright

Maker of wheels

English
Whitlock

Nickname for fair or white hair

English
Wildgoose

Nickname for a flighty person

English
Wilkins

Son of Wilkin, a pet form of William

English
Wimbush

From Wimbish in Essex

English
Winterbourne

Stream that flows only in winter

English
Woodward

Forester, keeper of a wood

English
Wyndham

From Wymondham, Wigmund's homestead

English

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Results (6)

Deacon

Church deacon or his servant

English
Tolliver

From Taliaferro, Italian iron cutter

English
Chaplin

Chaplain or his servant

English
Lightfoot

Nickname for a swift runner or messenger

English
Wheelwright

Maker of wheels

English
Ashworth

Enclosure by ash trees, from Lancashire

English

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What makes old fashioned last names feel vintage

A surname sounds old fashioned when it points to a world that has disappeared. Many English names were occupational, and when the job vanished the name was left behind as a small historical record. Fletcher made arrows, Chandler made candles, Wainwright built wagons, Thatcher roofed houses with straw and Fuller cleaned and thickened wool cloth. Few people do those jobs today, so the names now carry the feel of village life in the Middle Ages.

Other names feel dated for social reasons. Norman surnames such as Beauchamp, Montague and Mortimer belonged to the medieval aristocracy and still suggest castles and old titles. Place names ending in ton, ham, worth and ley, like Pennington or Ashworth, describe English farms and hamlets that have stood for a thousand years. Together these names evoke manor houses, parish registers and handwritten letters, even though plenty of modern families still carry them.

Old fashioned last names by origin

Occupational names are the largest group. Besides the trades already mentioned, Cooper made barrels, Cartwright built carts, Webster wove cloth and Tanner prepared leather. Webster and Baxter, a baker, end in ster, an Old English ending once used mainly for women doing the work, although by the time surnames formed it applied to men too. These names are easy to read and have an honest, working character that suits many settings.

Nickname and patronymic names add variety. Whitlock described someone with fair hair, Armstrong a strong fighter, and Goodwin comes from an Old English personal name meaning good friend. Patronymics built on medieval first names, such as Hobson from Hob, a pet form of Robert, or Wilkins from a diminutive of William, sound quaint because the pet forms themselves fell out of use centuries ago. The meaning column in the list shows which type each name belongs to.

Choosing a period name for stories and babies

Historical fiction lives or dies on believable names. If your story is set in Victorian England or colonial America, a surname drawn from this list will sit comfortably beside the first names of the period, and the origin line helps you avoid mistakes such as giving a medieval peasant a Norman aristocratic name. For fantasy with an old English flavor, trade names like Fletcher and Wainwright instantly suggest a busy working town.

Old surnames are also popular as first names. Parents often choose names like Fletcher, Beckett, Harlow or Sutton for their children because they sound distinguished without being common. If you are considering one, say it aloud with the family surname to check the rhythm, and look up the meaning so you know the story behind it. The random picker under the list is a quick way to find candidates you might not think of yourself.

Frequently asked questions

What are some old fashioned last names?

Good examples include Fletcher, Chandler, Wainwright, Thatcher, Cartwright, Beauchamp, Montague, Pennington and Whitlock. Most are English occupational, place or Norman names that feel tied to village life, manor houses and the medieval past, even though many families still carry them today.

Why do some family names sound old?

Names sound old when they refer to things that have vanished, such as forgotten trades, medieval pet names or Norman estates. Fletcher, an arrow maker, is a good example. Spelling also plays a part, since forms like Beauchamp or Wyndham keep older conventions that modern English has dropped.

Do old family names work as first names?

Many are. Surnames such as Fletcher, Beckett, Harlow and Sutton work well as first names because they sound familiar yet uncommon. Check how the name pairs with your family surname and whether its meaning suits you, since a trade name like Tanner carries its own history.

What is the oldest type of English surname?

Norman names, many taken from French places, arrived with the conquest of 1066 and were among the first hereditary surnames in England. Most ordinary families took fixed surnames between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, using occupations, places, nicknames and fathers' names as the source.