Stalker
An occupational surname for a hunter or deer-stalker.
The #9,421 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,440 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained from the Old English verb stalcian, meaning to stalk or move stealthily. In medieval usage, a "stalker" was a huntsman or fowler, and in some sources also someone who illegally hunted deer. The name therefore began as an occupational byname for someone involved in hunting or poaching.
History
The surname is recorded in medieval England, including forms such as William le Stalkere in 1303. Later surname dictionaries keep the same basic explanation, linking it to hunting vocabulary rather than to a place-name. It has remained a fairly uncommon English surname, with later spread to Scotland and North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older sources note that the surname could refer not just to a hunter, but specifically to a deer poacher.
From the historical record
“staves : cp. 'Hedgeley') [O.E. staf + ledhj STALKER (Eng.) Stalker ; hence Fowler, Hunter [i. O.E. st{e)alcian, to stalk] William le Stalkere.— Ch&h' Cbmbrlm'. Aacti., A,D. 1303.4, STALLARD (Eng.) for Stallward=STABLE- Keeper [O.E. st{e)aU, a stall, stable +. w(e)ard, keeper]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)