As surnames became necessary due to the Norman habit of re-using personal names, the trade by which one earned a living became important as a means of identification. The meanings are generally self-evident, with words usually taken from French (Grosvenor - hunter) or Latin (Aurifaber - goldsmith). Some sources are less obvious than others: Bacchus - bakehouse, Kellogg - kill-hog, Plummer - leadworker. An '-s' ending indicated 'son of' while an 's' or 'x' added to some names would indicate that the original bearer was female (Webster not Webber, Brewster not Brewer).
| Abbott | Aguilar | Alderman |
| Ambler | Archer | Arkwright |
| Armer | Armour | Arrowsmith |
| Ashburner | Ashman | Aurifaber |
| Ayler | Bacchus | Bachelor |
| Backer | Bacon | Bailey |
| Baker | Ballester | Balmer |
| Banister | Bannerman | Barber |
| Barker | Baron | Barrell |
| Barter | Baxter | Bayliss |
| Beamer | Bean | Beeman |
| Bellringer | Belt | Berryman |
| Bessemer | Bishop | Bisp |
| Blacker | Blaker | Blaxter |
| Blecher | Bloom | Bloomer |
| Boatswain | Boatwright | Bond |
| Bookbinder | Booker | Boorman |
| Boot | Boote | Boothman |
| Botwright | Boucher | Boulter |
| Bourchier | Bowerman | Bowler |
| Bowmaker | Bowman | Bowring |
| Bowyer | Boyter | Brasher |
| Brasseur | Brayer | Brazier |
| Brewer | Brewster | Bridgeman |
| Bridger | Bridle | Brownsmith |
| Buckler | Buckman | Bulger |
| Bullinger | Bulmer | Burgess |
| Burl | Burle | Burman |
| Bushell | Buss | Butcher |
| Butler | Butner | Butters |
| Buttery | Button | Cake |
| Cakebread | Calverd | Camp |
| Cann | Cannel | Cannell |
| Canter | Caperon | Capon |
| Capper | Card | Carder |
| Carpenter | Carter | Cartwright |
| Carver | Catchpole | Cater |
| Century | Chafer | Chaffer |
| Chalker | Challender | Challenger |
| Challinor | Chalmers | Chamberlain |
| Chambers | Chancellor | Chandler |
| Chaplin | Chapman | Chase |
| Chaucer | Chauncellor | Chaundler |
| Cheator | Cheese | Cheeseman |
| Cheesewright | Chenevix | Clarges |
| Clark | Clarke | Cleaver |
| Clerk | Clothier | Cloutman |
| Coke | Collier | Colthard |
| Coltman | Conner | Constable |
| Cook | Cooke | Cooper |
| Copestake | Coppersmith | Corden |
| Cordiner | Cordwainer | Corker |
| Costner | Cotter | Cotterill |
| Cottier | Cotton | Couch |
| Coucher | Couchman | Coulthard |
| Coultman | Counter | Courtiour |
| Cowper | Coxetter | Cribb |
| Crocker | Croker | Cropper |
| Crowther | Crozier | Cryer |
| Culpepper | Cuss | Cutter |
| Dance | Dancer | Day |
| Dayman | Daymond | Deacon |
| Deathridge | Demmer | Dempster |
| Dethewright | Dexter | Digweed |
| Diver | Draper | Drapper |
| Drawer | Dray | Dring |
| Driver | Dyer | Earl |
| Earle | Ewer | Faber |
| Falconar | Falconer | Falder |
| Falkner | Farman | Farmer |
| Farrar | Farrier | Faulkner |
| Fearon | Feather | Feaver |
| Femister | Fender | Fennell |
| Ferrier | Fewster | Fewtrell |
| Fiddler | Fielder | Filer |
| Finesilver | Fisher | Fisk |
| Fiske | Fitter | Flann |
| Flanner | Flaxman | Flesher |
| Fletcher | Flinter | Floater |
| Flower | Footman | Foreman |
| Forest | Forester | Forestier |
| Forster | Fournier | Fowler |
| Franklin | Frankling | Franklyn |
| Frater | Freebody | Freeland |
| Freeman | Frere | Freshwater |
| Frobisher | Fuller | Furber |
| Furminger | Galley | Galpin |
| Gard | Gardiner | Gardner |
| Garland | Garlic | Garlicke |
| Garnet | Garnett | Gaylor |
| Gilder | Gilroy | Ginger |
| Girdler | Glaisher | Glass |
| Glover | Goatman | Goldsmith |
| Gossard | Grainger | Grave |
| Gravenor | Greensmith | Grieve |
| Groom | Groser | Grosvenor |
| Grunsell | Guild | Hacker |
| Hansard | Harper | Hawker |
| Hayward | Hensman | Herd |
| Hewer | Hine | Hollier |
| Hollister | Hooper | Hopper |
| Horder | Hornblower | Horner |
| Hotter | Hucker | Hunt |
| Hunter | Husband | Hussey |
| Inman | Iremonger | Jagger |
| Jenner | Joiner | Judge |
| Keech | Kellogg | Kember |
| Kemp | Kempe | Kempster |
| Kew | Kilner | Kiss |
| Kisser | Knight | Labbett |
| Ladel | Ladell | Lander |
| Langcake | Larbalestier | Larner |
| Latimer | Latter | Lavender |
| Lawman | Le Mare | Le Patourel |
| Le Sueur | Leach | Leadbeater |
| Leadbetter | Leadbitter | Leaker |
| Leaper | Leather | Lecomber |
| Ledbetter | Leech | Legate |
| Limer | Lister | Loader |
| Lockhart | Locksmith | Lockyear |
| Lodder | Lorimer | Lusher |
| Luther | Lymburner | Machin |
| Maidman | Malter | Mangall |
| Mangold | Marbler | Marchant |
| Mariner | Marker | Marler |
| Marner | Marshall | Mason |
| Massinger | Masters | Mather |
| Mayer | Mercer | Merchant |
| Messenger | Mew | Meystre |
| Miller | Millman | Mills |
| Milner | Minter | Molyneaux |
| Monger | Monk | Mower |
| Moyne | Mulliner | Mustard |
| Mutter | Naismith | Napier |
| Napper | Naylor | Neate |
| Needler | Nunn | Nurse |
| Offer | Officer | Osler |
| Ostler | Ostridge | Otter |
| Oxnard | Oyler | Packer |
| Page | Paget | Paige |
| Painter | Pakeman | Pallister |
| Palmer | Paniers | Panter |
| Panther | Pape | Pardner |
| Pargeter | Parker | Parkman |
| Parmenter | Paroissien | Parson |
| Parsons | Partner | Patten |
| Pattern | Pearl | Pearman |
| Pease | Peever | Pegler |
| Pelter | Pepper | Peppercorn |
| Perrier | Pestell | Pester |
| Petcher | Peutherer | Physick |
| Pilcher | Pillinger | Pinder |
| Pinn | Piper | Pitman |
| Plater | Player | Pledger |
| Plowman | Plowright | Plum |
| Plumer | Plummer | Porcher |
| Porter | Pothecary | Potter |
| Pottinger | Poulter | Priest |
| Prince | Prior | Procter |
| Provost | Punter | Purser |
| Purves | Quaif | Quaife |
| Quarrell | Quarry | Quilter |
| Raper | Rastel | Rastell |
| Ratter | Reader | Redman |
| Reeve | Renner | Restler |
| Retter | Rider | Ridler |
| Rimmer | Ringer | Ripper |
| Roadnight | Roller | Roope |
| Roper | Rover | Rower |
| Rozier | Runciman | Rutter |
| Rymer | Sacker | Sadler |
| Sailer | Salter | Sanger |
| Sangster | Sapper | Sargent |
| Sawyer | Sayer | Scrimgeor |
| Scrimgeour | Scrimshaw | Scullion |
| Scutt | Seaman | Secker |
| Sedgman | Sellar | Sellars |
| Senior | Service | Sevier |
| Sewer | Sexton | Seyler |
| Sharman | Sheather | Shepherd |
| Sheriff | Shingler | Ship |
| Shipman | Shipwright | Shoesmith |
| Shooter | Shopper | Shutler |
| Shuttle | Sievewright | Sievwright |
| Silk | Silver | Silversmith |
| Simister | Singer | Sixsmith |
| Sizer | Skinner | Slater |
| Slaymaker | Slipper | Sloper |
| Smith | Smither | Smithers |
| Snider | Sniders | Soper |
| Spence | Spencer | Spender |
| Spice | Spicer | Spier |
| Spindler | Spooner | Spurrier |
| Squier | Squiers | Squires |
| Stainer | Steadman | Stearman |
| Steel | Steele | Steward |
| Stocker | Stockfish | Storer |
| Stringer | Sucksmith | Summer |
| Sumner | Surgeon | Sutler |
| Swingler | Tabberner | Taberer |
| Tanner | Taper | Tapper |
| Tasker | Taverner | Taylor |
| Teacher | Tector | Tennant |
| Thatcher | Thaxter | Theaker |
| Thew | Threader | Thresher |
| Thrower | Tiller | Tillman |
| Timberman | Tinker | Tinkler |
| Tisser | Tisserand | Todhunter |
| Toller | Tolman | Toner |
| Tozer | Tranter | Trenchard |
| Trencher | Tricker | Trinder |
| Tripe | Trippe | Tripper |
| Trist | Trouncer | Trumper |
| Tubman | Tucker | Tuckerman |
| Tumman | Tunnah | Tunnard |
| Tupper | Turner | Tyler |
| Ulman | Usher | Vavasour |
| Vavasseur | Veck | Veil |
| Vender | Venner | Verrier |
| Vicar | Vicars | Vickers |
| Vickery | Vinter | Voller |
| Wafer | Wager | Waggoner |
| Waghorn | Waghorne | Wagstaff |
| Wagstaffe | Wain | Waine |
| Wainman | Wainwright | Wait |
| Waite | Wakeman | Walker |
| Waller | Want | Ward |
| Warde | Warden | Warman |
| Warner | Warrender | Warrener |
| Washer | Watchman | Waterer |
| Waterman | Wax | Waxman |
| Weather | Weaver | Webb |
| Webbe | Webber | Webster |
| Wheeler | Wheelwright | Whistler |
| Whitbread | Whitcher | Whiter |
| Whitesmith | Whittier | Wicker |
| Wildsmith | Woodger | Woodman |
| Woodward | Woodyer | Wooler |
| Wooller | Woolman | Workman |
| Wort | Wright | Wrighte |
| Yeoman | Younghusband |
This collection of names was compiled by Kate Monk and is ©1997, Kate Monk.
Copies may be made for personal use only.