Endicott
A surname from a place-name meaning “cottage at the end” or “border cottage.”
The #7,028 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 64,849 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Endicott is generally explained as an English habitational surname from a place or topographic description built from Old English elements meaning “end” and “cot” or “cottage.” In older surname dictionaries, it is glossed as “cottage at the end” or “border/corner cottage,” pointing to a dwelling at the edge of a settlement or near a boundary. The name may have arisen independently in more than one locality, as was common with English surnames formed from everyday landscape terms.
History
The surname is best known in the United States through early colonial New England, especially the Endicott family of Massachusetts, including Governor John Endecott (often spelled Endicott in later records). English surname handbooks of the 19th century treated it as a locational or topographic name rather than a nickname or occupational label. The spelling has varied over time, and Endecott is a historical variant.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older reference works explicitly paired Endicott with other cottage-based surnames like Heathcote and Middlecott to illustrate how many English surnames grew from simple location words.
From the historical record
“land. ENDICOTT ((£•)> ^^^y Border or Corner cottage, {v. Haverkotte Kingscote, Oldenkot, Prescott, and Wildcodt.) ENGELEN (IB-), Angels. Engelenburg, Angel's hurgh. ENGL von und zu AYagrain ((©•), Angel of and in Wagrain. ENRIQUEZ (Sp.), Enrique's or of Enrique or Henry, {v. Diaz.) EPERVIER, 1' {£.), the Haivh. {v.…”
— Surnames