All last names came from something, and finding out what that something is can be interesting.
Last names are also called “surnames” or “family names.” For more names, see List 56,
Eponyms.
1. Last names from occupations:
4 The Vocabulary Teacher’s Book of Lists
Copyright © 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
List 4 Last Names
Name Occupation
Bannister crossbowman
Barker shepherd
Black dyer
Boyer one who sold bows
Carter delivery person
Chamberlain personal servant
Chandler candle maker
Chaplin clergyman
Chapman merchant, peddlar
Clark clerk
Cooper barrel maker
Coward cowherd
Currier leather worker
Deemer judge
Faber smith, metalworker
Farman ferryman
Faulkner hawk keeper
Fisher fisherman
Foster forester
Fowler bird hunter
Fuller cloth worker
Furber polisher of armor
Gaylor jailer
Grover woodsman
Hansard swordmaker
Harrower farmer
Joiner carpenter
Kellogg slaughterer
Keefer seller of vats and
bands
Kemp wrestler
Ladd servant
Leach, Leech doctor
Lister cloth dyer
Marner seaman
Name Occupation
Mercer merchant of silks
Milner miller, grain
grinder
Naylor nail maker
Norris wet nurse
Ostler innkeeper
Packard peddler
Packman peddler
Parker park keeper
Pointer lace maker
Porcher swineherd