Fidler
An occupational surname meaning a fiddler or violin player, with Fidler as an old spelling variant of Fiddler.
The #6,664 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 60,921 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname comes from the occupation of fiddler, meaning a violin or fiddle player. Early lexicographers treat Fidler as a spelling variant or misspelling of Fiddler, both ultimately referring to the same trade. The underlying word is the instrument name fiddle, with the agent ending -er indicating a person who played it.
History
Historical surname dictionaries note Fidler alongside Fiddler as an occupational name, and one source says it was especially found around Ewell in Surrey. The spelling without the double consonant appears in records as a reduced or simplified form. In the United States, related spelling forms such as Fitler also developed.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname writers explicitly grouped Fidler with other straightforward job-based names like Baker, Carter, and Fuller.
From the historical record
“FIDDLER. A violinist. FIDLER. A mis-spelling of fiddler. The name is common about Ewell, co. Sur- rey. t®° FIELD. A component syllable in a great number of family names. It has been said : — " 111 FiehJ, in Ham, in Ley, in Ton, Tlie most of English surnames run." The A- Sax /fZrHs applied to open locali- ties, and…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom