Lancaster
A locational surname meaning “from Lancaster,” the historic city and county town of Lancashire, England.
The #1,080 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,540 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lancaster is a habitational surname from the city of Lancaster in Lancashire. The place-name is usually explained as coming from the Roman fort on the River Lune, with the second element from Old English "ceaster" meaning a Roman town or fort; the first element is commonly linked to the river-name Lune or an earlier form of it. In plain terms, the surname originally identified someone who came from Lancaster.
History
The name appears widely as a surname in England and later spread through migration to other English-speaking countries. Early surname use often marked people by their place of origin, and Lancaster was especially natural as a name for families connected with the county town. It also became associated with noble and gentry lineages that took their style from the place-name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some medieval families used forms like "de Lancaster" to signal landholding or origin, and the place-name later gave its name to the House of Lancaster in English history.
From the historical record
“LANCASTER London, 4, 1: MDB. (Baat Rid. YorksX 10, 8; Philadelphia, o, 3. Lamport, Lami>ert.— Local, (i) *of Lamport,' a parish in dioc. of Peterborough; (a) *ofLandport,' a parish in dioc of Winchester.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)