Currier
An occupational surname for a leather dresser or leather finisher.
The #3,403 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,368 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Currier comes from Middle English currier, meaning a worker who dressed, softened, and finished leather. The word is related to Anglo-Norman and Old French forms ultimately connected with the verb meaning to prepare or treat leather. In medieval records, the name appears as a job-based byname for someone in that trade.
History
The surname is well attested in medieval England and later appears in England, Scotland, and especially North America. English surname writers regularly grouped Currier with other leather-working names such as Tanner, Skinner, and Cutter. In the United States, it remained a recognizable but not especially common occupational surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older surname collections list Currier alongside several other leather trades, showing how closely medieval bynames followed everyday occupations.
From the historical record
“LondDO,!; NeKYoik.i. Currer, Currier, Curryar,— Occup, 'ihe currier,' a leather- Jnhanna Coroar. 1375 ; Ibid. p. 17.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances