# 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:** 2
**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, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/21 "2018-05-18T23:08:10Z")
Cooper Glover Grover Sharp Many names like this. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/22 "2018-05-19T01:01:26Z")
The livery company in the City of London is still called the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/23 "2018-05-19T01:07:20Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Cooper > Glover > Grover > Sharp > Many names like this. How are those spelled differently than the occupations they represent? What do they represent? ---
**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 19, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/24 "2018-05-19T01:13:04Z")
Oh, I wasn’t thinking about the spelling. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/25 "2018-05-19T01:53:44Z")
How about shepherd? As a surname, you see it spelled Shepard, Sheppard, Shephard and Shepperd (and less commonly Shepeard, Shepheard, and Shippard). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/26 "2018-05-19T03:10:29Z")
Eisenhower the iron cutter and Stalin (steelman) fought the Paperhanger. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/27 "2018-05-19T04:49:10Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Eisenhower the iron cutter and Stalin (steelman) fought the Paperhanger. If we’re going by name meanings, “Hitler” means somebody who lives near a fountain or underground stream. And Stalin was a pseudonym. His actual name means Jughashvili, which means either child of somebody from the town of Jugaani or child of a shepherd, depending on whether it’s a Georgian or Ossetian name. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/28 "2018-05-19T05:04:42Z")
Confusingly, “tailor” also means bell strokes (tolling). Cf. _The Nine Tailors._ ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/29 "2018-05-19T05:11:15Z")
I don’t know if it’s authoritative but [this webpage](http://www.localhistories.org/surnames.html) gives some examples of changed-spelling occupations: Coward \< cow-herd Stoddard \< stot-herd Yateman \< gatekeeper Warner \< rabbit warriner ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/30 "2018-05-19T05:48:25Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > How are those spelled differently than the occupations they represent? What do they represent? Cooper (barrel maker) was originally spelled couper or cowper. Glover (glove-maker) does not seem to differ from its original spelling. Grover (dweller in a grove) and Sharp (keen, smart) neither represent occupations nor have changed in spelling (although Sharp is also spelled Sharpe). ---
**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 19, 2018, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/31 "2018-05-19T06:48:20Z")
Other somewhat tangential occupational-name questions: Why do you see people named Shoemaker but never anyone named Cobbler? Everyone with the last name “Knight” can’t literally have been actual knights, because you can’t just be born as a knight, you have to earn that title, so who was the first to adopt that name? Some poser? Are these kind of names common in non-European cultures? What is the MOST RECENT occupation to have people named after it? ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/32 "2018-05-19T07:08:06Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Other somewhat tangential occupational-name questions: > > Why do you see people named Shoemaker but never anyone named Cobbler? > > Everyone with the last name “Knight” can’t literally have been actual knights, because you can’t just be born as a knight, you have to earn that title, so who was the first to adopt that name? Some poser? > > Are these kind of names common in non-European cultures? > > What is the MOST RECENT occupation to have people named after it? Engineer, maybe. There are a bunch of Indian surnames that are English occupations. They’re artefacts of a law that people had to have surnames - many simply adopted their profession’s English language name. [Farokh Engineer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farokh_Engineer), for example. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/33 "2018-05-19T07:17:25Z")
Here’s a few more… [Ardeshir Reporter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardeshir_Reporter) [Nari Contractor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nari_Contractor) [Gary Lawyer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Lawyer) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/34 "2018-05-19T08:13:04Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Other somewhat tangential occupational-name questions: > > Why do you see people named Shoemaker but never anyone named Cobbler? One has more prestige as an occupation, no doubt - shoemakers made shoes, cobblers just fixed them. See also the surname “Cordwainer” Although I was under the impression a lot of people with the surname “Shoemaker” in America were originally “Schumacher” or similar, and German/Yiddish might not have had the distinction. ---
**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 19, 2018, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/35 "2018-05-19T11:17:37Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Cooper > Glover > Grover > Sharp > Many names like this. What’s the “right” spelling for these? All seem to be regular spellings. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/36 "2018-05-19T11:27:58Z")
I’m pretty sure I saw tailor shops in the UK with signs spelling it “taylor”. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/37 "2018-05-19T11:28:18Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Everyone with the last name “Knight” can’t literally have been actual knights, because you can’t just be born as a knight, you have to earn that title, so who was the first to adopt that name? Some poser? It’s an analogue of the German word Knecht, which means servant or soldier. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/38 "2018-05-19T13:30:02Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > Everyone with the last name “Knight” can’t literally have been actual knights, because you can’t just be born as a knight, you have to earn that title, so who was the first to adopt that name? Some poser? You’re not born a tailor or a cobbler, either. And while there were places where you could be born the equivalent of a knight (as that had become an inheritable title), a duke or even a king, often the equivalent lastnames refer to people who were part of their households. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/39 "2018-05-19T13:31:49Z")
This guy, [Phillip Sherman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Sherman), is my 8-th great grandfather, and if you look at his signature on the Portsmouth Compact, he spells it “Shearman” which tells you about the ancestral occupation. He’s got about a bazillion descendants, including the Bushes of presidential fame, so I’m not giving anything away about myself. 🙂 ---
**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 19, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399/40 "2018-05-19T14:17:33Z")
And anyway it’s more badass to be named after a mace. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupational-surnames-why-is-taylor-the-only-one-thats-spelled-wrong/814399.md?page=3)