Draper
An occupational surname for a cloth dealer or fabric seller.
The #1,467 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,686 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Draper comes from Middle English and Old French words for a cloth dealer, ultimately from French drap, meaning cloth or fabric. In medieval records it appears in forms like le Draper, literally “the draper.” It is closely related to other cloth-trade surnames such as Mercer and Linendraper.
History
The name is well attested in medieval English records, where it was used for people whose trade was selling cloth rather than making it. It remained a straightforward occupational surname and later became common in England and the English-speaking world. Historical spellings include Draper and Drapper.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval sources show specialized forms such as Le Linendraper, which points to a seller of linen specifically.
From the historical record
“is an ancient form of the name. DRAPER. A draper — a dealer in cloth. Fr. di-aj). Le Draper. H.R. DRAWBRIDGE. First imposed upon a retainer in a fortified house whose duty it was to superintend the drawbridge. Harry o' the Drawbridge would be a ^'ery likely appellation for such a guardsi#in. DRAWSWORD. A name…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom