George
A common surname taken straight from the given name George, ultimately meaning “farmer” or “earth-worker.”
The #235 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,400 Americans shares it.
Etymology
George is a surname formed from the personal name George, which came into English through Old French and medieval Latin from Greek Georgios. The Greek root is georgos, meaning “farmer” or “earth-worker,” from ge “earth” and ergon “work.” As a surname, it is usually simply an inherited personal-name surname rather than a name with a separate topographic or occupational sense.
History
The surname became established in England and other English-speaking areas as the baptismal name George grew popular, especially after St. George became a major medieval cult figure and later England’s patron saint. Lower explicitly notes that it is “the personal name,” and that it seems not to have produced many diminutives or derivatives as a surname. It is also found widely in places influenced by English, French, and Christian naming traditions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because St. George was so widely venerated, George became one of the most familiar given names in Europe before it turned into a widespread hereditary surname.
From the historical record
“GEOFFREY. See Jeflfery. GEORGE. The personal name. Unlike most names of its class, it seems not to have given rise to any diminutive or derivative. GERARD. A Norman personal name, probably identical with Gerald. In the H.R. it is written Fil' Gerardi. The baronet's family derive their origin from the same ancestor…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named George
- Henry George (1839–1897)
- Stefan George (1868–1933)
- Paul George (b. 1990)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.