Trotter
Originally a byname for someone who trotted—especially a messenger or runner.
The #1,801 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,494 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname most likely began as an occupational nickname for a runner, messenger, or someone who moved at a trot. The form is tied to Old French words such as trotier/trotteur, from a Germanic root meaning “to trot.” Some 19th-century writers also noted a possible deeper Germanic personal-name connection, but the “trotter” meaning is the clearest and most widely accepted explanation.
History
The name appears in medieval English records as a descriptive byname and later became established as a hereditary surname. It also exists in French as Trottier, which helped reinforce the interpretation through cross-Channel parallels. In English-speaking countries the name is now well established and fairly widely distributed, though not among the most common surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname dictionaries often grouped Trotter with other “movement” names like Walker, Runner, and Turner.
From the historical record
“of Worcester, d. a.d. 717/8. TROTTER (A.-Fr.-Teut.) Pedestrian, Run- ner,Messenger [O.Fr. trotier (Fr. trotteur); of Teut. orig.] Trottier is a fairly common French surname. An p.Ger. Trothari, 'Beloved Army', is recorded ; but a corresponding A.-Sax.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)