Palm
A surname that likely began as a nickname for someone linked to palm branches or Palm Sunday observance.
The #4,986 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 43,850 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as coming from the word for a palm tree or palm branch, ultimately from Latin palma. In medieval English records, related forms such as Palmer referred to a pilgrim who carried a palm branch as a sign of a journey to the Holy Land. As a shorter surname, Palm may also have arisen independently from the same religious symbol or as a reduced form of Palmer.
History
The historical notes in older surname books focus mainly on Palmer, which was widely used for a pilgrim or devotee associated with Palm Sunday and the Holy Land. Palm itself is less common and may sometimes be a shortened or simplified form of that older name. In English-speaking countries it has remained relatively uncommon, with concentrations in the UK, North America, and parts of northern Europe where the same word-based surname pattern also appears.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In medieval usage, a "palmer" was often imagined as carrying a palm branch home from pilgrimage as proof of devotion.
From the historical record
“PALLISTER = Palister, q.v. PALMER (A.-Lat.) Palm-Bearing Pilgrim (from Falestipe) {M.E. palmer(e;O.E.palm + the agent, suff. -ere ; Lat. palma, a”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)