Mosher
An English surname most likely from a now-lost or altered place-name, though its exact origin is uncertain.
The #2,325 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,700 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Mosher is generally treated as an English surname, but its exact source is not securely established in the older surname literature. It may represent a reduced or altered form of a place-name, or a local spelling variant that became fixed as a family name. Because the historical evidence is thin, the literal meaning is not certain.
History
The name is well established in the United States, where it appears in early records and continues to survive as a relatively uncommon surname. Older reference works mention bearers of the name, but not in a way that settles the etymology. In the absence of a clear dictionary entry, its history is best described as that of an established but etymologically obscure English-American surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Mosher is uncommon but long established enough to rank in the U.S. Census, with more than 15,000 bearers in 2010.
From the historical record
“Choules was a well-known divine among us. We have Becket ; and an early freeman of Connecticut was named Peckit. Mr. Mosher lives at Fall River. " Shoddy " is a compound of old greasy clothes and rags. Mr. Snoddy, of Kentucky, was the victim of forgeries in 1859. Stith was the historian of Virgi- nia ; and a Mr.…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)