Buckles
Likely an occupational surname for someone who made buckles or related metal fittings.
The #7,220 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,785 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Buckles is most likely an occupational surname from Middle English words for a buckle-maker or maker of metal fastenings. The historical sources connect it with forms such as le Bokeler and bokel-smith, pointing to a craftsman who made buckles or similar hardware. The plural-looking ending in Buckles is later surname shaping rather than a literal plural meaning.
History
The name appears in medieval English records in occupational forms, especially in York and London references cited by early surname scholars. Later writers sometimes treated Buckles alongside Buckler and related forms, which can reflect spelling variation and occasional confusion among similar craft names. In modern use, Buckles survives as a relatively uncommon English-language surname, especially in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname studies even link the name to old lists of medieval trades, where buckle-makers were grouped with other specialist metalworkers.
From the historical record
“Btuskler.—Occup.' tbe buckler,' a maker of buckles. Beatrice Bokeler, 4 Edw. (4 York, ■ -' Regini”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances