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Quiz about The Derivation of English Occupational Surnames

The Derivation of English Occupational Surnames Quiz

Many surnames are derived from occupations. The following ten common English surnames may all stem from an ancestor's job. How many do you know?

A multiple-choice quiz by Belleiscute. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
Belleiscute

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
355,668

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
753

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which job was assigned to a medieval "barker"? Hint

A kennel keeper

A glove maker

A tanner of leather

A seller of street merchandise

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Question 2 of 10

2. What did a "chapman" do? Hint

Merchant

Garment maker

Cleric

Scrivener

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Question 3 of 10

3. What on Earth was the job of a 12th century "crowther"? Hint

A transient harvester

Keeping crows

Making music

Managing crowds at fairs and market days

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Question 4 of 10

4. What trade or occupation would a medieval English "foster" have engaged in? Hint

A saddle tree maker

A woodsman

A brewer

A maker of bricks

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which occupation would a post-Norman Conquest "palmer" be involved in? Hint

A tender of greenhouse plants

A greens keeper

A cutpurse ("palming" the riches of others)

A pilgrim to the holy land

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which position did a "spencer" hold in Anglo-Norman England? Hint

A coin maker (a maker of pence)

Steward (distributor of the king's possessions)

A keeper of poultry

A butcher

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Question 7 of 10

7. What occupation would a "turner" have pursued in 12th century England? Hint

Making beds and "turning" the linens in medieval households

Agitating or "turning" newly-woven cloth in a urine-based bath

Pulling the hides out of tanning solution and "turning" them to be scraped free of hair

Making or "turning", usually wooden, objects on a lathe

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Question 8 of 10

8. What would a "ward" have done in pre-Norman conquest England? Hint

Oversaw management of the deer in the royal forests

Kept the watch

Upheld the law

Worked as a mercenary soldier

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Question 9 of 10

9. What trade kept a "warner" occupied? Hint

An animal trainer

A park keeper

A wheel maker

A sheep shearer

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Question 10 of 10

10. What did a "webster" do? Hint

A writer

A weaver

A wainwright

A wattle maker

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which job was assigned to a medieval "barker"?

Answer: A tanner of leather

The Middle English word "bark" meant to tan hides. This is believed to have originated in the stripping of bark from trees to use in the tanning process. The name is of ancient origin, stemming from the times before the Norman Conquest. Another potential occupational derivation is from the Old French "bercher" or shepherd, with barkers tending flocks as a result.

2. What did a "chapman" do?

Answer: Merchant

There are several occupational-related meanings for chapman; however, all have something to do with buying and selling, and can encompass merchants, traders, businessmen, or peddlers. It is a surname of Anglo-Saxon origin and is closely related to the German Kaufmann.

3. What on Earth was the job of a 12th century "crowther"?

Answer: Making music

Crowther comes from the Middle English word "croude", a stringed instrument similar to a violin. The first recorded use of the surname stems from the 13th century.

4. What trade or occupation would a medieval English "foster" have engaged in?

Answer: A saddle tree maker

The name "foster" first appeared in England following the Norman Conquest in 1066, and is derived from the Old French "fustier/fustre", meaning a block of wood. Other possible occupational origins include a forester, or a crafter of metal implements called "forcetier", similar to modern-day shears.

5. Which occupation would a post-Norman Conquest "palmer" be involved in?

Answer: A pilgrim to the holy land

The original derivation of the name came from the Old French word "palmer". Palmers were so named because they returned form the holy land bearing palm leaves. Later the word palmer came to mean missionary.

6. Which position did a "spencer" hold in Anglo-Norman England?

Answer: Steward (distributor of the king's possessions)

The first recorded use of the name Spencer comes from the Domesday book of 1086. Robert le Dispenser, the first known person to use the name, was a knight who likely arrived in England with the Norman Conquest. Over time the name was shortened and changed to Spencer.

7. What occupation would a "turner" have pursued in 12th century England?

Answer: Making or "turning", usually wooden, objects on a lathe

Turner is of Anglo-Norman derivation. Some other potential occupational-related meanings for the name may be one who turns the spit in a kitchen, a translator/interpreter or an official who organizes a tournament.

8. What would a "ward" have done in pre-Norman conquest England?

Answer: Kept the watch

A ward was an Old English term for a civil guard or keeper of the watch. There is also some speculation that ward stems from the Celtic word bard, and may have indicated a poet/musician as an ancestor.

9. What trade kept a "warner" occupied?

Answer: A park keeper

There are two possible derivations for the surname Warner; one from Anglo-Norman-French meaning a keeper of parks/warrens, the other from Old German designating an army guard.

10. What did a "webster" do?

Answer: A weaver

Webster (and Webb) stem from the Anglo Saxon "wefan": to weave. The surname is believed to have a Flemish origin as well, where the term first applied to female weavers only.

Source: Author Belleiscute

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