Carder
An occupational surname for someone who carded wool or other fibers before spinning.
The #6,188 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,841 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Carder comes from Middle English carden, meaning to card or comb wool with a toothed card before spinning. The surname originally identified a person who did this textile work. In older sources, the trade is sometimes described as especially associated with women, but the name itself is occupational rather than gender-specific.
History
The surname appears in medieval English records and later spread as a hereditary family name. It is especially well attested in English urban and cloth-producing areas, where wool processing was an important trade. Modern bearers in the United States reflect later English and British migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A related older occupational term is cardmaker, referring to someone who made the wired cards used in wool processing.
From the historical record
“name of Garden. CARDER. One who dresses wool, so called from the card or comb which he uses. CARDINALL. See Ecclesiastical Sur- names. There is a family of Cardinali in Italy. CARD]\L\KER. A maker of cards, in- struments with wire teeth, with which wool is ' teased ' or worked.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom