Shumaker
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of shoes.
The #4,165 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,289 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Shumaker is a spelling variant of the common occupational name Shoemaker, from words meaning “shoe” plus “maker.” The excerpt also notes a related German form, Shuman, built from words meaning “shoe” and “man,” with the sense of a shoe dealer or shoemaker. In practice, the surname reflects someone identified by the trade of making or selling footwear.
History
English Shoemaker and its spelling variants became hereditary surnames in the period when craft names were commonly fixed as family names. Shumaker is especially familiar in North American records, where spelling variation often reflected local pronunciation and the preferences of clerks and ministers. Related forms such as Schumaker and Shoemaker occur alongside it.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Occupational surnames like this one were among the easiest to understand in medieval communities: the name often doubled as a quick label for a person’s trade.
From the historical record
“Shidl. Scul, a scowl, a frown. Shumaker. Seed, a shoe ; niacian, to make ; ere, one who. A shoe-maker. Shuman. Seed, a shoe ; mann, a man. A shoe-man ; a dealer in shoes.”
— Family Names from the Irish, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman and Scotch