Tyler
An occupational surname meaning a tile-maker or roof-tiler.
The #509 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,674 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Tyler comes from Middle English forms such as tiler(e), meaning someone who makes or lays tiles. The word goes back to Old English tigele, “tile” or “brick,” plus the agent suffix -er/-ere, so the literal sense is “tile-maker” or “tile-layer.” Historical spellings also show related forms like Tylor, and some sources treated Tylor as a more polished spelling of Tyler.
History
This surname appears in medieval English records in occupational form, like many names based on trades. It is famously borne by Wat Tyler, leader of the 1381 English Peasants’ Revolt, which helped keep the name well known in English history. The surname later became widespread in England and in English-speaking countries abroad.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some early references spell Wat Tyler as “Walterus Helier,” showing how variable medieval surname recording could be.
From the historical record
“TYLER \ (Eng.) Tile- or Brick-Maker TYLOR J [M.E. iyler(e, tiler{e, tygheler(e; i. O.E. tigele, a tile, brick + the agent, suff. -ere] TYMMANY for TImpany, q.v. TYMS = Tims, q.v. TYNAN (Celt.) the Irish O'Teimhneain (mh”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)