Medieval Last Names
Most English surnames were fixed between about the 12th and 14th centuries, when clerks, tax collectors and manor courts needed a way to tell one John from another. A medieval last name usually recorded a job, a place, a father or a memorable trait, and many of those labels are still printed on driver’s licenses today.
This list gathers more than 100 medieval last names grouped by how they were formed, with the original meaning of each. They are ideal for historical fiction, tabletop RPG characters or simply decoding your own family name. Pair them with our medieval girl names and medieval boy names, or explore the wider world of last names.
Occupational medieval surnames
A trade surname was the most practical label a village could give. Many of these jobs have vanished, but the names remain some of the most common in British last names today.
| Surname | Original trade | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Smith | Metalworker, blacksmith | The most common English surname |
| Fletcher | Arrow maker | From Old French flechier |
| Bowyer | Maker of longbows | Vital trade in the Hundred Years’ War |
| Thatcher | Roofer using straw or reed | Also Thacker in the north |
| Chandler | Candle maker or seller | From Old French chandelier |
| Cooper | Barrel maker | Middle Dutch kuper |
| Mercer | Dealer in fine cloth, especially silk | Mercers’ Company, London, 1394 |
| Tanner | Leather worker | Often worked outside town walls due to the smell |
| Fuller | Cloth finisher who pounded wool | Also Walker and Tucker in other regions |
| Walker | Fuller who trod cloth in water | Common in northern England |
| Tucker | Fuller (West Country term) | Old English tucian |
| Webster | Weaver (originally female form) | Old English webbestre |
| Baxter | Baker (originally female form) | Old English bæcestre |
| Chaucer | Maker of leggings or boots | Old French chaucier |
| Sawyer | Sawer of timber | Middle English |
| Wainwright | Wagon maker | Old English wægn + wyrhta |
| Cartwright | Cart maker | Old English |
| Lorimer | Maker of spurs and bridle metal | Old French loremier |
| Spencer | Steward of the pantry (dispenser) | Anglo-Norman despensier |
| Chamberlain | Officer in charge of the private chambers | Old French chamberlenc |
| Reeve | Manor official | Old English gerefa |
| Hayward | Keeper of hedges and fences | Old English hege + weard |
| Warrener | Keeper of a rabbit warren | Anglo-Norman |
| Falconer | Trainer of hawks | Old French |
| Forester | Officer of a royal forest | Old French forestier |
| Parker | Keeper of a deer park | Old French parquier |
| Mason | Stonemason | Old French masson |
| Slater | Roofer using slate | Middle English |
Surnames from places and landscapes
A newcomer was often named after the village he came from; a local after a feature near his home. atte Wode (at the wood) became Atwood, and so on.
| Surname | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Ashdown | Hill covered in ash trees | Landscape |
| Atwood | Dweller at the wood | Landscape |
| Attwater | Dweller by the water | Landscape |
| Bradford | Broad ford | Place name |
| Bramley | Clearing overgrown with broom | Place name |
| Crowther | Fiddler (crwth player) | Occupational (Welsh instrument) |
| Blackwood | Dark wood | Landscape |
| Holloway | Sunken road | Landscape |
| Langley | Long wood or clearing | Place name |
| Ravenscroft | Raven’s enclosed field | Place name |
| Thornton | Settlement among thorns | Place name |
| Underhill | Dweller at the foot of a hill | Landscape |
| Wickham | Homestead by a Roman settlement | Place name |
| Stirling | From Stirling, Scotland | Place name |
| Fairfax | Fair hair | Nickname (Old English) |
| Westbrook | Western stream | Landscape |
| Radcliffe | Red cliff | Place name |
| Hathaway | Path through the heath | Landscape |
| Kendall | Valley of the River Kent | Place name |
| Woodhouse | House in the wood | Landscape |
Norman and French noble surnames
After 1066 the Norman aristocracy brought surnames taken from their French estates or from descriptive bynames. Many became great baronial houses.
| Surname | Meaning | Famous family |
|---|---|---|
| Beaumont | Beautiful mountain | Earls of Leicester |
| Montfort | Strong mount | Simon de Montfort |
| Mortimer | Dead sea (Mortemer, Normandy) | Earls of March |
| Percy | From Percy-en-Auge, Normandy | Earls of Northumberland |
| Neville | New town (Néville) | Warwick the Kingmaker |
| Beauchamp | Beautiful field | Earls of Warwick |
| Clifford | Ford by a cliff | Lords of Skipton |
| Devereux | From Évreux, Normandy | Earls of Essex |
| Lovell | Little wolf | Francis Lovell, ally of Richard III |
| Mowbray | From Montbray, Normandy | Dukes of Norfolk |
| Courtenay | From Courtenay, France | Earls of Devon |
| Grey | Grey-haired, or from Graye, Normandy | Lady Jane Grey |
| Mandeville | Magna villa, great estate | Geoffrey de Mandeville |
| Warenne | From Varenne, Normandy | Earls of Surrey |
| Bohun | From Saint-Georges-de-Bohon | Earls of Hereford |
Patronymic surnames: son of…
Naming a man after his father was common everywhere, from English -son to Norman Fitz-, Welsh ap and Gaelic Mac.
| Surname | Meaning | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Fitzgerald | Son of Gerald | Anglo-Norman / Ireland |
| Fitzroy | Son of the king | Anglo-Norman (royal illegitimate sons) |
| Fitzwilliam | Son of William | Anglo-Norman |
| Robson | Son of Robert | Northern England |
| Dickson | Son of Dick (Richard) | England / Scotland |
| Hobson | Son of Hob (Robert) | England |
| Watkins | Little son of Wat (Walter) | England / Wales |
| Jenkins | Little John | Wales / England |
| Hughes | Son of Hugh | Wales |
| Powell | Ap Hywel, son of Hywel | Wales |
| Price | Ap Rhys, son of Rhys | Wales |
| Bevan | Ap Evan, son of Evan | Wales |
| MacDonald | Son of Domhnall (world ruler) | Scotland |
| MacGregor | Son of Gregor | Scotland |
| O’Brien | Descendant of Brian Boru | Ireland |
| O’Neill | Descendant of Niall | Ireland |
| Anderson | Son of Andrew | Scotland / northern England |
| Tennyson | Son of Dennis | England |
Nickname and descriptive surnames
Medieval neighbors were blunt. Many surnames started as jokes about looks, habits or temperament, which makes them great for colorful characters. See also our funny last names.
| Surname | Original meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Armstrong | Strong in the arm | Border reiver clan |
| Brown | Brown-haired or brown-skinned | Very common |
| Russell | Little red one | From Old French rousel |
| Blount | Blond, fair | Anglo-Norman |
| Longfellow | Tall fellow | Middle English |
| Goodfellow | Good companion | Middle English |
| Proudfoot | Haughty walker | Middle English |
| Sparrow | Small, lively person | Middle English |
| Fox | Cunning person | Middle English |
| Wolfe | Fierce person | Middle English |
| Lightfoot | Fast runner or messenger | Middle English |
| Doolittle | Idle person | Middle English |
| Makepeace | Peacemaker | Middle English |
| Golightly | Messenger | Middle English |
| Merriman | Cheerful man | Middle English |
| Truelove | Faithful sweetheart | Middle English |
| Bellamy | Fine friend | Old French bel ami |
| Blanchard | Whitish, pale | Old French |
| Pettigrew | Little growth, small person | Old French petit cru |
| Swift | Quick | Old English |
How to use medieval last names
- Match the century. Before about 1200, most people had a byname rather than a fixed surname. For early medieval characters, use forms like William le Fletcher or Alice atte Wode.
- Use prepositions for flavor. Records show de (of), le (the) and atte (at the): Roger de Beaumont, John le Smyth, Agnes atte Brook.
- Signal class through the name. A de Mortimer or Neville reads as nobility; a Tanner or Hayward reads as a working villager.
- Borrow from real regions. Welsh ap-names, Scottish Mac-names and Irish O’-names instantly place a character. Browse Scottish last names and Irish last names for more.
- For fantasy worlds, remix. Combine a landscape word with a Middle English suffix (-croft, -ley, -ton, -wood) to create believable new surnames, or browse our fantasy last names.
Frequently asked questions
When did people start using last names in medieval times?
In England, hereditary surnames arrived with the Norman nobility after 1066 and spread to ordinary people between the 12th and 14th centuries. By around 1400 most English families had a fixed surname.
What did medieval peasants use as last names?
Peasants were identified by their job (Miller, Smith), father (Johnson), home (Atwood, Underhill) or a nickname (Brown, Swift). These later hardened into family surnames.
What does “Fitz” mean in a surname?
Fitz comes from Anglo-Norman fiz, “son,” from Latin filius. Fitzgerald means son of Gerald; Fitzroy, son of the king, was often given to royal children born outside marriage.
What are cool medieval last names for a character?
Ravenscroft, Blackwood, Mortimer, Lovell, Lightfoot, Falconer, Fletcher, Montfort and Warrener all have strong medieval roots and a memorable sound.
Why are occupational surnames so common?
Trades were a clear, useful identifier in every village, and some jobs existed everywhere. That is why Smith, Miller and Taylor are among the most common last names in English-speaking countries.