Faulkner
An occupational surname for a falconer—someone who kept, trained, or hunted with hawks.
The #952 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,467 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Faulkner is an occupational surname meaning “falconer,” a person who handled and trained hawks for hunting. It goes back to Anglo-Norman and French forms such as Fauconnier, built on the word for a falcon. Older sources sometimes spell the name Falconer or Faulkner interchangeably, reflecting the same trade-based origin.
History
The surname appears in medieval and early modern records in several spellings, especially Falconer and Faulkner. It spread in England and later became established in Scotland and North America as the occupational name became hereditary. 19th-century surname dictionaries consistently treat Faulkner as a variant of Falconer rather than a separate origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Falconry was once a high-status pastime, so a falconer could serve in an elite household rather than only as a field worker.
From the historical record
“FAULD. A Scotticism for Fold. FAULKNER. See Falconer. FAULTLESS. Two London traders bear this unobjectionable name. FAUNCE. Perhaps from A-Norm. faun, a flood-gate or water-gate. FAUNTLEROY. FANTLEROY. As several anrugerous families — apparently unconnected with each otlier — have borne this name, it is presumed to…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom