English surnames evolved to describe what a person did: Cooper made barrels, Fletcher made arrows, Baker made bread. These occupational surnames — once given to distinguish individuals in a community — have been crossing into first-name use for decades. In 2024, this trend is near its peak: five occupational surname names are in the boys' top 50.
Here's the complete picture from 2024 SSA data.
Boys: Occupational Names
The top tier (inside the top 100)
Oliver — #3 (15,343 babies). Old French Olivier, possibly connected to olivier (olive tree), but also possibly from the Germanic Alfher (elf army). Oliver has been climbing since around 2000 and is now #3 — the highest any historically occupational-sounding name has reached in modern American naming. It's more than just an occupation name: Oliver Twist, Oliver Cromwell, John Oliver — the name has a specifically English literary and cultural presence. Oliver has become the most popular boys' name in the UK and Australia, with the US following the same trajectory.
Asher — #20 (8,123 babies). Asher is biblical (see biblical names) but also sounds occupational (one who makes ash). The -er ending places it in the occupational name family phonetically even though its origin is Hebrew. Top 25 and still climbing.
Carter — #45 (6,267 babies). Old English cartere, a person who transported goods by cart. Carter has been in the top 100 for over fifteen years. It's also a presidential surname (Jimmy Carter), which reinforces its mainstream presence. See presidential names.
Cooper — #50 (5,699 babies). Middle English couper, a maker of barrels and casks. Cooper has been solidly top 75 for over a decade. It has the Cooper Industries, Alice Cooper, and Gary Cooper associations alongside the craft meaning.
Walker — #82 (4,023 babies). Old English wealcere, a person who cleaned cloth by treading on it. Walker has been climbing steadily. It has the two-syllable, -er ending that defines the category.
Parker — #97 (3,605 boys). Old English parkere, a gamekeeper of a park or hunting enclosure. Parker has been inside the top 100 for over a decade and is used for both boys and girls. Charlie Parker (jazz saxophone legend) gives it an artistic association alongside the occupational one.
Mid-chart occupational names (100–300)
Archer — #115 (3,093 babies). Old English arcere, a person who shoots arrows. Archer has been climbing dramatically — from #355 in 2009 to #115 in 2024. See pop culture names for the Archer animated series connection. It has a physical, warrior quality that other occupational names (Cooper, Baker) don't.
Hunter — #128 (2,831 babies). Old English hunta, a person who hunts game. Hunter was top 50 as recently as 2014 and has been declining since. Still inside the top 130, but clearly past its peak — the same pattern as Mason, Logan, and other names that were dominant in the 2010s.
Sawyer — #132 (2,756 boys; also #297 for 1,062 girls). Old English sagere, a person who saws wood. Sawyer has been climbing for fifteen years. Tom Sawyer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876) adds the literary dimension; Lost's Sawyer character (2004–2010) gave it a TV-drama push.
Ryder — #134 (2,694 babies). Old English ridere, a person who rides horses; a knight. Ryder has been top 150 for over a decade. It has the physical, active-outdoor quality of Hunter and Archer.
Baker — #313 (1,089 babies). Old English bæcere, a person who bakes bread. Baker has been climbing since around 2010. It's a clean, two-syllable occupational name without the hunting/fighting overtone that ages some occupational names faster.
Spencer — #387 (840 babies). Old French despencier, a person who was in charge of provisions (a dispenser). Spencer has been mid-chart for twenty years. The Diana Spencer (Princess of Wales) association keeps it in the British royal vocabulary as well.
Wilder — #391 (830 babies). Old English wildēor, a wild animal; or a surname meaning "from the wild." Wilder is the nature-adjacent occupational name that has been climbing fastest of late. It has Billy Wilder (the director) and Gene Wilder (Willy Wonka) as artistic reference points.
Miller — #438 (721 babies). Old English mylnere, a person who operates a mill. Miller is following the same path as Baker — a straightforward trade name that sounds contemporary because it fits the surname-as-first-name pattern. Still climbing.
Girls: Occupational Names
Harper — #12 (7,370 babies). Old English hearpere, a person who plays the harp. Harper has been one of the defining girls' names since entering the top 10 in 2015. Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) made the name literary; the general occupational-name trend made it fashionable. At #12, it's the most successful occupational surname used as a girls' name in modern American history.
Parker — #104 (2,517 girls). As noted above — genuinely unisex.
Juniper — #111 (2,441 girls). Not strictly occupational, but the juniper is also associated with traditional crafts (juniper wood for smoking and curing). See nature names — Juniper sits at the intersection of nature and occupational naming.
Sawyer — #297 (1,062 girls). As noted above.
Taylor — #353 (877 girls). Old French tailleur, a person who cuts and makes clothing. Taylor has been declining for girls since its peak in the early 2000s (it was top 15 as recently as 2007). Still top 360. Taylor Swift has perhaps kept it more visible than it would otherwise be.
Why occupational names work now
They're historically English. The English-speaking world is the primary source of occupational surnames — French, German, and Italian naming traditions assigned surnames differently. This gives English occupational names a specifically Anglo-American cultural flavor.
They're masculine but approachable. Cooper, Fletcher, Hunter, Archer — these are names associated with physical skills and traditional male trades. They signal strength without the aggressive edge of warrior names. This makes them appeal to a range of parent preferences.
They're crossing to girls. Harper at #12 for girls is the most significant data point. Parker at #104, Sawyer at #297, Taylor at #353 — the occupational surname trend has moved from a primarily boys' phenomenon to a genuinely unisex one. The path is clear: first boys use the name (Hunter, Mason), then girls start using it (Harper, Sawyer), then the boys' count begins to decline as the name becomes gender-associated.
The -er ending is the key. Oliver, Cooper, Hunter, Sawyer, Archer, Fletcher, Parker, Baker, Miller, Wilder — all end in -er. This single sound pattern accounts for most of the occupational names currently in the top 500. The -er ending sounds modern (Archer, Wilder) while having roots that go back centuries.
What's next. Mason (#42) and Hunter (#128) are declining; Cooper (#50) and Archer (#115) are holding or rising. The next wave may include Fletcher (#560), Fisher (very rare), and Potter (rare). The occupational names that haven't crossed yet tend to be either too common as regular words (Farmer, Singer) or too associated with a specific trade context (Cobbler, Smithy).
Explore related topics: English names · Scottish names · presidential names
Data: SSA 2024 US release. Occupational etymology from standard English surname dictionaries.