Crocker
Usually an occupational surname for a maker or seller of crocks, earthenware jars, or pots.
The #1,757 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,157 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The most common explanation is that Crocker began as an occupational name for someone who made or sold crocks, meaning earthen pots or jars. The medieval word appears in forms such as Middle English crok/crock, ultimately tied to an old Germanic word for a pot or pitcher. Some 19th-century writers also treated the name as a corruption of Croker, so in a few families the surname may have been reshaped from that form rather than arising independently.
History
Medieval records cited by surname dictionaries show early spellings such as le Crocker and le Crokker in England, especially in county records. The name remained in use in England and later spread to other English-speaking countries. Because spelling was fluid, Crocker and Croker can overlap in history, and some bearers may have separate origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname fits a very old everyday trade: before mass-produced pottery, a crock-maker was a useful local craftsman.
From the historical record
“CROCKER. 1. A maker of earthen jars, provincially called crocks. Le Croc- kere. H.R. 2. A corruption of Croker. CROCKFORD. Possibly Crocketford, a village in co. Kirkcudbright. CROFT. Places in cos. Leicester, Lin- coln, York, Durham, and Hereford. Croft castle, in the first-named county, was the seat of an ancient…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom