It’s Labor Day weekend, and so time once more to turn our attention to the original, pre-barbecue significance of the holiday and celebrate some hard-working occupational names.

　　We’re focusing on the more uncommon, fresher sounding examples, and those with less obvious meanings, so no Archer, Shepherd or Baker.  The er-ending trade names have continued their popularity run, with some individual examples rising (Ryder, Sawyer, Tucker) and others falling (Cooper, Carter, Hunter, Tanner).

　　Here are some examples of occupational surname names that still seem fresh enough to consider, together with the sometimes surprising trades they originally represented—even if it was so long ago that many don’t have much meaning in today’s world:

　　The _er-_ending brigade:

　　Banner— flag bearer

　　Barker –stripper of bark from trees for tanning

　　Baxter— a baker, usually female

　　Beamer — trumpet player

　　Booker — scribe

　　Bouvier—French for herdsman

　　Boyer — bow maker, cattle herder

　　Brenner — charcoal burner

　　Brewster — brewer of beer

　　Bridger — builder of bridges

　　Carver — sculptor

　　Chaucer — maker of breeches, boots or leg armor  (with its bonus literary connection)

　　Collier — charcoal seller, coal miner

　　Coster — fruit grower or seller

　　Currier — leather finisher

　　Cutler — knife maker

　　Decker — roofer

　　Dexter — dyer

　　Draper — woolen cloth maker or seller

　　Drover—driver of sheep or cattle

　　Duffer — peddler

　　Farrier— iron worker

　　Fletcher — arrow maker

　　Forester — gamekeeper, forest warden

　　Foster — sheep shearer

　　Fowler — hunter of wild birds

　　Glover — maker or seller of gloves

　　Granger — granary worker

　　Hooper —  one who makes or fits hoops for barrels

　　Hopper — dancer, acrobat

　　Jagger — peddler, usually of fish

　　Keeler — barge maker

　　Kiefer — barrel maker

　　Lander — launderer

　　Lardner — servant in charge of the larder

　　Lorimer — a spur maker

　　Mercer — merchant, especially in luxury fabrics

　　Miller — grinder of corn

　　Painter

　　Potter — maker or seller of earthenware pottery

　　Quiller — scribe

　　Ranger — game warden

　　Sadler— saddle maker

　　Salter — worker in or seller of salt

　　Sayer — assayer of metal, food taster

　　Slater — roofer

　　Smith—blacksmith

　　Sumner — court summoner

　　Thatcher — roofer

　　Tolliver — metal worker

　　Turner — turner of wood on a lathe

　　Webster — weaver, originally female

　　Wheeler— wheel maker

　　Not all trade names end in _er—_as evidenced by these others:

　　Baird, Bard— minstrel or poet

　　Beaman— beekeeper

　　Carbry—charioteer

　　Chapin/Chaplin— clergyman

　　Cormac—charioteer

　　Devin—poet

　　Farrar— blacksmith, metalworker

　　Fisk— fisherman

　　Hayward—fence keeper, guardian

　　Laird—Scottish landowner

　　Naylor—carpenter

　　Reeve— bailiff, chief magistrate

　　Smith— metal worker, blacksmith

　　Steele— a steel worker

　　Travis— gate keeper, toll collector

　　Ward— watchman, guard

　　Wright— carpenter