Tanner
An occupational surname for a leather worker—someone who tanned hides into leather.
The #709 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,325 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Tanner comes from the Middle English word for a leatherworker, from Old English roots tied to tanning hides. The literal sense is straightforward: someone whose trade was preparing animal skins into leather. Historical sources also note related forms such as Tannour, Le Tannur, and Taunator, all pointing to the same occupation.
History
This is a common English occupational surname, so it arose independently in many places wherever tanning was a local trade. Medieval records show it early and often, and the name remained especially natural in towns where leatherworking was important. The surname later spread widely to North America and other English-speaking regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries often link Tanner with Barker, because bark was used in the tanning process to treat leather.
From the historical record
“TANNAR\ (Eng.) Leather-Maker [O.E. TANNER r tannere\ See the quot. from 'The Tanner of Tamworth' under Barker. TANNATTl = Tann' (q.v.) -|- the Fr. dim. TAN N ETT J suff. -at, -et. There seems to have been some con- fusion with Dannatt, Dannett, q.v. TAN NOCH 1 (Celt.) Dweller at a Meadow”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)