FOWLER
Fowler is an English surname of occupational origin. The name derives from the Middle English term foulere and the older Old English word fugelere, both of which denote a person who catches, keeps or trains birds. In the medieval period a fowler was an important functionary in a household, responsible for supplying game and, in some cases, for the practice of falconry.
The earliest documented spelling of the name appears as Richard Fugelere in the Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire in 1218, during the reign of King Henry III. This early record confirms the name’s Anglo‑Saxon roots and its classification as a job‑descriptive surname, initially reflecting the actual occupation of its bearers before becoming hereditary.
During the thirteenth and subsequent centuries the surname spread throughout the British Isles. By the early seventeenth century it had reached the New World; a twenty‑two‑year‑old George Fowler is recorded as having sailed aboard the Primrose in July 1635 bound for Virginia.
Several notable individuals bearing the surname have been recorded in the Dictionary of National Biography. Among them, John Fowler (1826‑1864) invented the steam plough and received a prize from the Royal Agricultural Society in 1858 for his steam cultivator. William Fowler (1761‑1832) was an artist reputed to have introduced lead lines in the representation of coloured glass.
In summary, the surname Fowler reflects an occupational lineage tied to bird‑catching and falconry, rooted in early English language and society, and has persisted from medieval England to modern times both in the United Kingdom and abroad.
Typical given names associated with the Fowler surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Fawler
- Foler
- Fowle
- Failor
- Faleiro
- Faler
- Falero
- Faleur
- Fallar
- Faller
- Falor
- Falore
- Fauler
- Fayler
- Faylor
- Fehler
- Feiler
- Fellar
- Feller
- Fellier
- Fellor
- Fewler
- Feyler
- Fieller
- Filar
- Filer
- Filler
- Fillier
- Filor
- Flair
- Flar
- Flare
- Flear
- Fleer
- Flere
- Fleri
- Fleur
- Fleure
- Fleureau
- Fleurie
- Flier
- Fliri
- Floar
- Floare
- Floarea
- Floer
- Flohr
- Floor
- Flor
- Flora
- Flore
- Florea
- Flori
- Floria
- Florie
- Florio
- Floro
- Florou
- Flouer
- Flour
- Floura
- Flouri
- Fluer
- Fluhr
- Flure
- Foeller
- Folea
- Foleher
- Folery
- Follars
- Foller
- Foloray
- Fooler
- Foular
- Fouler
- Foweler
- Fowell
- Fowlar
- Fowlers
- Fowlger
- Fowlor
- Fueller
- Fular
- Fulara
- Fuler
- Fullar
- Fuller
- Fulller
- Fullor
- Fyler
- Phalora
- Phelar
- Phuler
- Phuller
- Valer
- Valera
- Valere
- Valeri
- Valeria
- Valerie
- Valerio
- Valero
- Valeur
- Valier
- Valieri
- Vallar
- Vallario
- Valler
- Vallero
- Vallier
- Valliere
- Vallor
- Valluri
- Valluru
- Valor
- Valori
- Valour
- Veler
- Veller
- Vellore
- Vieler
- Vilar
- Villar
- Villari
- Viller
- Villier
- Villoria
- Viloria
- Violer
- Vlaar
- Voeller
- Voler
- Voliere
- Vollaire
- Vollar
- Vollaro
- Voller
- Vollero
- Vollers
- Vollor
- Voullaire
- Vowler
- Vuller
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Fowler in...
Braille
⠋⠕⠺⠇⠑⠗
Morse
..-.---.--.-....-.
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Fowler are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate Hobnob.
There are approximately 27,519 people named Fowler in the UK. That makes it the 291st most common surname in Britain. Around 423 in a million people in Britain are named Fowler.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Fowler
- Robbie Fowler - Football player
- Kevin Spacey Fowler - American actor, director and producer
- Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler - Politician
- Allison Rebecca Stokke Fowler - American pole vaulter
- Daphne Fowler - Game show contestant
- Harry Fowler - Actor (1926 to 2012)
- Simon Fowler - Musician
- Jack Fowler - Welsh football player (1899 to 1975)
- Anthony Fowler - Amateur boxer
- Christopher Fowler - Writer
- Henry Watson Fowler - Lexicographer, linguist (1858 to 1933)
- Graeme Fowler - Test and County cricketer
- Lee Fowler - Football player
- Maria Fowler - Best known for her appearances on The Only Way Is Essex, You've Been Framed Star
- Francesca Fowler - Actress
- Henry Fowler - Locomotive Engineer (1870 to 1938)
- James Fowler - Scottish football player
- David Fowler - Mathematician (1937 to 2004)
- Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet - Civil engineer (1817 to 1898)
- John Fowler - Agricultural engineer (1826 to 1864)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.