Sheriff
A surname from the office of sheriff or shire-reeve, originally applied to someone who held or worked for that role.
The #7,180 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,297 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname comes from the Old English office name for a shire-reeve, the royal official in charge of a shire or county. Older sources gloss the name as "shire-reeve," and later spelling often reflects the modern office word "sheriff." In some cases it may have begun as an occupational byname for someone who served as sheriff or in a sheriff's household or administration.
History
The name appears in medieval records both as a byname and as a hereditary surname, especially in England. Because sheriffs were important local officials, the surname could be adopted by families associated with county administration. Later spellings such as Sherriff are common, and the name also has a long history in Scotland and England.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval Latin records often translated the office behind this surname as vicicom(es), the term used for a county deputy or vice-count.
From the historical record
“SHERGOLD. See Sheargold. SHERIFF. SHERRIFF. From the oftice, A-Sax. scH'-^^rc/Vf, i.e., "shire-reeve." The Domesday equivalent is vicccomes, which implies the deputy or substitute of a count, whose jurisdiction extended over a shire or county. SHERIN. Sherwin, by the suppression of W. SHERINGTON. A parish in co. Wilts,”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom