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Old Occupation Names
A list of names for jobs or professions that are no longer common occupations. Often these job titles are incorporated into the root of people's surnames and form a useful guide to help trace ancestry.
| Old Occupation | Description |
|---|---|
| Aurifaber | goldsmith |
| Bailie | bailiff |
| Baxter | baker |
| Bluestocking | female writer |
| Brazier | one who works with brass |
| Brewster | beer manufacturer |
| Brightsmith | metal worker |
| Carter | wagon driver |
| Castor | hat maker |
| Caulker | one who filled up cracks (in ships or windows or seems) |
| Chandler | candle maker |
| Chapman | merchant. |
| Chiffonnier | wig maker |
| Collier | coal miner |
| Colporteur | peddler of books |
| Cooper | barrel maker |
| Cordwainer | shoemaker |
| Costermonger | peddler of fruits and vegetables |
| Crocker | potter |
| Currier | curer of hides |
| Draper | a dealer in dry goods |
| Drover | one who drives cattle, sheep, etc to market |
| Duffer | peddler |
| Dyker | stonemason |
| Faber | artisan |
| Faulkner | falconer |
| Ferrier | blacksmith |
| Fletcher | arrow maker |
| Fowler | bird hunter |
| Fuller | cloth goods cleaner |
| Gaoler | jailer |
| Granger | farmer |
| Hacker | maker of hoes or woodcutter |
| Harper | minstrel |
| Haymonger | dealer in hay |
| Hayward | fence inspector |
| Hillier | roof tiler |
| Hind | farm labourer |
| Hooker | reaper |
| Hooper | barrel hoop maker |
| Hostler | horse groom |
| Jagger | fish peddler |
| Keeler | bargeman |
| Kempster | wool comber |
| Lavender | washer woman |
| Lederer | leather maker |
| Marshall | horse doctor |
| Mercer | cloth merchant |
| Pitman | coal miner |
| Porter | door keeper |
| Ripper | seller of fish |
| Roper | maker of rope or nets |
| Saddler | one who makes, repairs or sells saddles |
| Sauntere | salt maker |
| Scrivener | professional writer |
| Shrieve | sheriff |
| Slater | roofer |
| Spittleman | hospital attendant |
| Tanner | one who cures animal hides into leather |
| Tapley | one who puts the tap in an ale cask |
| Tasker | reaper |
| Thatcher | roofer |
| Tinker | traveling salesman |
| Travers | collector of bridge tolls |
| Tucker | cloth goods cleaner |
| Turner | a person who turns wood on a lathe |
| Wainwright | wagon maker |
| Webster | weaver |
| Wharfinger | owner of a wharf |
| Wheelwright | one who made or repaired wheels |
| Whitesmith | tinsmith |
| Whitewing | street sweeper |
| Whitster | cloth bleacher |
| Wright | workman, especially a construction worker |
| Yeoman | farmer who owns his own land |