Joyner
An English occupational surname meaning a joiner or woodworker who fitted pieces together.
The #1,177 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 10,331 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Joyner is a variant spelling of Joiner, from Middle English joiner, a maker or fitter of joints in woodwork. The word ultimately comes from Old French joiner/joindre, meaning “to join.” In surname use, it refers to the trade rather than to the modern sense of a “joiner” as a person who likes to join things socially.
History
The name appears in English records as a trade-based surname and is treated by early surname writers as a relatively rare occupational form. In later centuries it spread to North America along with English migration, where both Joyner and Joiner became established spellings. It is found today especially in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname collectors noted that Joyner seemed less common than other craft surnames such as Carpenter, and may have become established somewhat later.
From the historical record
“^' David aile Hope. O. 1590. Fulk Hape-Joyner and Elii. Hopkyn : Harriaee Lie. (London), i. lou. 1678. Bopt.— May. d. John Hope ; St. Jm. Clerkenivell. I j8i.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances