Witcher
A surname most likely from a Middle English word for a witch or enchantress, though some early references may also reflect spelling variation from other names.
The #6,437 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 58,530 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Witcher is generally explained as coming from Middle English wicche, meaning 'witch' or 'sorceress,' with the suffix -er forming a descriptive or occupational-style surname. The old dictionaries also connect it with earlier forms such as Wicher or Whitcher, showing that spelling varied a great deal in medieval records. In this reading, the name would originally have been a nickname for someone associated in some way with a witch, magic, or a reputation for uncanny knowledge.
History
Early surname records cited by older etymologists include forms like Richard le Wicher, suggesting medieval use in England. The name appears in later surname lists with many spelling variants, including Whitcher and Wicher, which is typical of names recorded before spelling was standardized. In modern times Witcher survives as a relatively uncommon surname, especially in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 20th-century surname scholar explicitly treated Witcher as a variant of Whitcher, showing how closely the two names were linked in historical spelling.
From the historical record
“l^er, Lalier, Plainer, Ponder, Eayuer, Slader, Streeter, Stocker,Stoner, To-wTier, Witcher, and numerous others, belong to this class. In Germany, Belgium, ka., the suffix ER denotes the town from which the person came, as Piusbridger, Dantziger,”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom