Homer
Usually a medieval personal name, possibly linked to St. Omer or to an old Anglo-Saxon place-name, later fixed as a surname.
The #5,610 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,814 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Homer is recorded by older writers as a medieval personal name. One explanation connects it with St. Omer in Picardy, suggesting a French place-and-saint source for at least some early bearers. Another line of explanation treats it as Anglo-Saxon in origin, associated with local names such as Homerton, Homersham, and Homersfield, which imply a personal name element behind the surname.
History
Historical sources note Thomas de Homere in Dorset in 1338 as an early recorded bearer. Bardsley also treats Homer alongside Holmer as a local or occupational-looking surname, though he notes the place-name evidence strongly. The surname later became established in England, with Staffordshire especially mentioned as a long-standing family area.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name may have helped generate English place-names rather than simply coming from them: Homerton, Homersham, and Homersfield were cited as clues to an older personal-name source.
From the historical record
“older orthography. HOMER. A medieval personal name. A saint bearing it gave name to St. Omer in Picardy, from whence the founder of the family may have come to England — not necessarily, however, since Homertou, Ho- mersham, Homersfield, &c., point distinctly to some Anglo-Saxon proprietor who re- joiced in this…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom