Comer
Usually an English occupational surname, from a wool-comber, though in some cases it may be locational.
The #2,148 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,277 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The common explanation is that Comer is a shortened or simplified form of Comber, a name for a wool-comber. The word comes from Middle English comb(e) or combe in this occupational sense, referring to someone who prepared wool by combing out the fibers. Some historians also noted that a few bearers may instead descend from a place-name such as Comberwell, but the occupational origin is the stronger general explanation.
History
The surname appears in records as Comber and related forms, with Comer showing a later spelling simplification by loss of the internal b. Because wool-combing was once an important trade, the occupational surname became established and widely passed on. In some families, however, local origins may have contributed to the name independently.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers explicitly remarked that Comer is a common simplified spelling of Comber, with the b dropping out over time.
From the historical record
“NEW (Eng.) the New (-Comer) [M.E. '«OTe, O.E. niwe] Richard le Newe. — Hund. Rolls.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)