Constant
A surname that can mean either “steadfast” or “son of Constantine,” with some families using it as a nickname for a very regular person.
The #7,929 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 73,986 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Constant has more than one plausible source. In English usage, it can be a shortened form of Constantine, or it may come directly from the word constant, meaning steadfast, regular, or persevering. The name also appears in French and Latin tradition, where it is connected with Constantia and with the personal name Constantinus/Constantine.
History
Lower records Constant as both a contraction of Constantine and as a sobriquet for someone marked by constancy or routine. The name also appears in older Scottish and English records in several spellings, including Consteane, Conston, and Constantine, showing that it could function as a variant of a given name. In modern English-speaking countries it survives as a relatively uncommon surname, with separate family lines likely having different origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An old nickname-based explanation says a man called “Old Constant” got the name because he turned up at the same time in the same place so reliably that neighbors began using it as a surname-like label.
From the historical record
“Normandy, which is latinized Constantia. CONSTANT. 1. A contraction of Con- stantine. 2. An honourable appellation denoting the constancy of the bearer. 3. A sobriquet apjjlied to one ^vho M'as regular and pertinacious in some habit or custom. I knew a person whose real name was Has- tings, who was better known…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom