Child
An old English surname that began as a title or nickname for a youth, noble heir, or young person of status.
The #6,483 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 58,955 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname comes from Middle English child, from Old English cild, meaning a child or young person. In some early English and Anglo-Saxon contexts, the word could also be used more specifically for a noble youth, heir, or young person of rank. The surname was therefore likely first applied as a nickname or status label rather than from a trade or place name.
History
The name appears in early records and was used in medieval England as a descriptive byname. Lower notes that forms like Child and Childe were associated with the idea of a son or heir in noble and royal families, and he also points to old literary uses such as 'the Childe of Elle.' The surname has remained established in England and later spread to other English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The word survives in old ballads and poetry where 'childe' could mean a young nobleman or knightly figure, not just a small child.
From the historical record
“Derljy. CHILD. The son and heir in noble and royal families. The word was em- ploved by Spenser, and in the old ballads, as the " Childe of Elle," " Child Waters," &c. See Eng. Surn. i. 214. InDomesd.the epithet Cild or Cilt is applied to several persons of distinction. Le Child. H.R. CHILDE. CHILDS. See Child.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom