Buckler
An English surname most likely tied to making buckles, though one old source also linked it to shields or to a surname form related to bachelor.
The #8,419 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,641 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest traditional explanation is occupational: Buckler is taken from an old word for a maker of buckles, with medieval spellings such as Bokeler or Buckeler. Some nineteenth-century writers also connected it with French-looking forms and with the word for a shield, but that is less persuasive for the surname as used in England. A minority view suggested it may be a corruption or variant of Beauclerk, but this was treated as speculative even by the older authorities.
History
Medieval records show early spellings in England, including forms like John le Bokeler in London in the 13th century. The name appears in later English parish and university records, and by the 19th century it was established enough to be discussed as an English surname by several genealogical writers. It is also found in North America and other English-speaking regions through later migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One early record spells the name with the French occupational article, John le Bokeler, which is a classic clue that the surname began as a trade-name.
From the historical record
“local name Buckwell. BUCKLER. Doubtless from the trade of making buckles. Le Bokelcr, 11. R. See imder Smith. Tbe name has, liowe-ser, been thought to be a corruption of Beauclerk. BUCKLEY. A township in Cheshire. BUCKMAN. One who had the care of bucks. BUCKMASTER. One who had the care of deer, or who superintended…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom