Fountain
A habitational surname for someone who lived by a fountain or spring.
The #1,774 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,290 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname comes from residence near a fountain, spring, or other water source. It is closely related to the French habitational name De la Fontaine, and ultimately to the same Latin root behind words like 'fountain' and 'font.' In older English records it also appears in forms such as Fountains and Founteyn.
History
The name is recorded in medieval English sources in place-based forms, showing that it was used for people identified by where they lived. It later became a stable hereditary surname in England and also overlaps in form with French names brought into English usage. Modern bearers may descend from either English or French lines, depending on family history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval surname writers often glossed it simply as 'at the fountain,' making this one of the more transparent place-based surnames.
From the historical record
“there. Ibid. FOUNTAIN. From residence near one — like the Fr. De la Fontaine. FOURDRINIER. O. Fr. " The blacke thorne that beareth sloes ; also the wild or mountain plumnie tree." Cotgrave. The surname is analogous to our indigenous Thorne, Hawthorne, &c. FOURMY. Fr. fourmi — an ant ; pro- bably allusive to industry.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom