Pointer
An occupational surname for a maker of points or tagged laces, with some bearers also descending from French Pointier families.
The #4,752 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,426 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained from Middle English poynt or point, ultimately from Old French point and Latin punctum, meaning a point or tip. In medieval dress, a "point" was a tagged lace or cord used to fasten clothing, so a Pointer was likely someone who made these items. The name could also be influenced by the older French form Pointier, which appears in some families.
History
English records and 19th-century surname dictionaries treat Pointer mainly as an occupational name, and the related spelling Poynter is common. Some sources note that a few Poynter/Pointer families were of French Huguenot origin, descending from Pointier immigrants who came to England after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The surname is therefore best seen as having more than one historical source.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older costume, a "point" was not an abstract idea but a practical lace or cord used to tie clothing together.
From the historical record
“+ Fr. dextre, Lat. dexter, right] POINTER (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Point or Lace Maker [M.E. poynter,poyntour, f. M.E. poynt, ^oint, Fr. point — Lat. punct-um, a point] 'Point : A tagged lace, used in ancient dsess.'—HalHwell. Vasse le VoyTa.tex.—Hun£ Rolls.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)