Driver
An occupational surname for someone who drove a cart, wagon, or animals.
The #2,361 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,994 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Driver is an occupational surname from Middle English, referring to a person who drove a cart, wagon, or other conveyance, or who drove animals such as cattle. The word is built on the verb "drive," ultimately from Old Norse roots that entered English in the medieval period. In surname use, it developed naturally from the everyday job title.
History
The name is recorded in English surname sources as an occupation-based byname and is the kind of surname that could arise independently in many places. Historical dictionaries also note related forms such as Drover and occupational parallels like Carter and Wagoner. In the United States, Driver remains a relatively uncommon but established surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname collections even record a female form, "la Driveres," showing that occupation surnames could be adapted to women as well.
From the historical record
“sans 0. DRIVER, A carter or wagoner. Alio' la Driveres (a female wagoner!) occurs in H.E. DROOP. Ferguson says, O. Norse, drli'qn; sad. DRON. A parish in Fifeshire. DROVER. A driver of cattle.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom