Tabor
An occupational surname for a taborer: someone who played a small drum, or tabour.
The #2,360 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,990 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as a shortened form of Middle English or Anglo-French tabourer, meaning a player of the tabour or tabor, a small drum. The word ultimately goes back to the instrument name, related to forms like tabour and tambour. In older surname books, Tabor is grouped with other music-based occupational names such as Piper and Fidler.
History
The name appears in medieval and early modern English records in several related spellings, including Tabberer and Tabrar, which reflect the occupational term more directly. Over time, shorter forms like Tabor became established as surnames in their own right. Because tabor players were associated with fairs, festivals, and household entertainment, the surname fits the wider medieval pattern of surnames derived from entertainers and musicians.
Origin
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Fun fact
Old surname writers often grouped Tabor with Piper, Fiddler, and Harp(er) as a classic occupational name for a musician.
From the historical record
“TA'BOIS, V. Talboys. TABOR, meton. for Tabopep. \ V. Tab(b)e TABORER TABRAR TACEY, a double dim. of Eustace, q.v. TACKLEY (Eng.) Bel. to Tackley (Oxf. : 13th”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)