Majors
A surname that likely began as a nickname or status-based byname, originally tied to the military rank of major.
The #3,650 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,676 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Majors is usually explained as deriving from the military title major, a rank word from Latin major, meaning “greater” or “senior.” As a surname, it would most naturally have been applied to someone who held that rank, served in a major’s household, or was otherwise associated with the office. The final -s may reflect a plural or possessive form that became fixed as a family name.
History
The name appears in English-speaking records chiefly as a surname rather than a title, and it has remained relatively uncommon. Like many rank-based surnames, it may have arisen independently in more than one family. In modern usage it is found in Britain, the United States, and other English-speaking regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the word major means “greater,” the surname ultimately shares a Latin root with words like major, majority, and mayor.
From the historical record
“* Henry Byrome, of Byrome, died seised of the majors of Parre and Byrome,* 1614: Baines' Lancashire, ii' 2»4« . . . . «• Wfohn Byrom, of Byrom, in the parish of”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)