# Occupational surnames: why is "Taylor" the only one that's spelled "wrong"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399 "2018-05-18T14:14:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/1 "2018-05-18T14:14:49Z")
I know that the English language wasn’t standardized until relatively recently. But all the other “occupational” names are spelled with the current spelling. Smith, Baker, Carpenter, Barber, Weaver, and so on. But I’ve never met, or even read about, anyone with the last name “Tailor.” It’s always “Taylor” with a Y. Why? ---
**Author:** ![ashtayk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@ashtayk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashtayk)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/2 "2018-05-18T14:28:49Z")
I am sure you would have seen Smythe, Bakker, Carpentier and so on. But I grant you that I have never come across Tailor as a last name. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/3 "2018-05-18T14:31:25Z")
I think you hit it in your first sentence. English wasn’t standardized. “Taylor” was probably the more common spelling at one time. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/4 "2018-05-18T14:38:36Z")
From what I can tell Taylor and Tailor were both used for the profession with Taylor being more popular. Sometime around the 19th century the spelling of the profession was standardized as Tailor and people who had the last name did not feel the need to change it. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/5 "2018-05-18T14:45:26Z")
What I want to know is, Y? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/6 "2018-05-18T15:13:56Z")
Others: Faulkner from falconer. Malthus from malt house. (Note the combining into the “th” sound.) Fry from free. Foster from forester. Warner from warriner (rabbit warner dude). Bailey from bailiff. Coward from cowherd (or cow-ward). Hoggart from hogward. Yates from gates(man). Webb from web (weaver). Gardner from gardener. Languages, and spellings, evolve. Get used to it. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/7 "2018-05-18T16:59:20Z")
And another: Clark from clerk ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/8 "2018-05-18T17:21:24Z")
The musician Sting has the family name Sumner. It comes from summoner, a tax collector. Sting has an album called _Ten Summoner’s Tales._ I suppose that’s a reference to Chaucer work of long ago. Oddly, the album has eleven tracks. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/9 "2018-05-18T17:28:47Z")
Is Taylor with a “long” A or a “short” A? \*runs away ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/10 "2018-05-18T20:01:22Z")
Webber from weaver Naylor from nailer ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/11 "2018-05-18T20:16:50Z")
My last name is a thing. It is spelled different from the thing it sounds like. But I still get references of the thing regularly. I don’t think spelling was very standardized early on. No cite, just my WAG. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/12 "2018-05-18T21:37:32Z")
A few more Eisenhower from Iron Worker Wainwright from Wagon Builder Boatwright from Boat Builder Hooker from, uh…, Fisherman. Yeah, that’s it! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/13 "2018-05-18T21:41:20Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > A few more > Eisenhower from Iron Worker > Wainwright from Wagon Builder > Boatwright from Boat Builder > **Hooker from, uh…, Fisherman. Yeah, that’s it**! Or a crochetist. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/14 "2018-05-18T21:48:34Z")
Eisenhauer (pronounced more or less the same as the US president’s name, but with a German accent :)) makes perfect sense in German (iron cutter, literally), though I don’t think it’s a currently usual word. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/15 "2018-05-18T21:50:27Z")
Is Tyler “the same name” (with the same meaning) as Taylor? I think it is but not sure. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/16 "2018-05-18T21:51:53Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > A few more > Eisenhower from Iron Worker > Wainwright from Wagon Builder > Boatwright from Boat Builder > Hooker from, uh…, Fisherman. Yeah, that’s it! > [@silenus](#): > > Or a crochetist. Or a rugbyist. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/17 "2018-05-18T21:57:52Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Hoggart from hogward. Could this also be from hoh=high and gart/garth=enclosed area/courtyard/greenspace? ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/18 "2018-05-18T22:00:13Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > My last name is a thing. It is spelled different from the thing it sounds like. But I still get references of the thing regularly. I don’t think spelling was very standardized early on. No cite, just my WAG. A lot of the possible cites may be lost. People thought it was obvious at the time it was created, so they didn’t need to comment. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/19 "2018-05-18T22:03:12Z")
I think another with a significant-looking spelling difference is Baxter. It’s literally Bake-ster, right? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/20 "2018-05-18T22:44:40Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > I think another with a significant-looking spelling difference is Baxter. It’s literally Bake-ster, right? Cecil has [this](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/446/did-the-surname-brewster-originally-mean-a-female-brewer/) to say: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399.md?page=2)