GLOSTER
Gloster is a surname of purely English origin, first recorded in the medieval period. Its earliest attestations appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the entry Durandos de Glouucestre demonstrates the use of a dialectal spelling that would later evolve into the modern form.
The name itself is a compound of two elements. The first, glōf, is an Old English word meaning “glove”, which was often used to refer to the craft of glove‑making or the sale of such articles. The second element, -ster, is a suffix found in medieval surnames that denotes a female occupation or, more generally, a person associated with a particular place or trade. Consequently, one common interpretation is that “Gloster” originally described a glove‑maker or a trader dealing in gloves.
In addition to this occupational derivation, Gloster is also a locational surname taken from the city of Gloucester in the West Country. Gloucester, known in Roman Gaul as Gleawecestre (literally “beautiful camp”), developed into the most important port on England’s western seaboard during the early medieval era. The city is listed in the Domesday Book as Glowcestre, and its prominence as a royal dukedom ensured that the surname was always within the reach of national awareness.
Examples of the name’s medieval use include the entry for William de Glostria in the Oxford pipe rolls of 1242, where the locative form indicates that the individual had migrated from Gloucester to another area. Such occurrences confirm that the spelling Gloster was both a dialectal variant and, at times, almost as commonly used as the “standard” spelling Gloucester.
Over the centuries the surname has remained firmly rooted in the British Isles, with the majority of its bearers found in England. Its association with a historic city and a craft that was once a vital trade gives it a distinguished place among English family names.
Typical given names associated with the Gloster surname
Male
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Jonathan
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Richard
- Simon
- Thomas
Female
- Alexandra
- Elizabeth
- Emily
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Jill
- Katie
- Linda
- Margaret
- Ruth
- Sarah
- Suzanne
- Tracey
- Wendy
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Gloster in...
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There are approximately 349 people named Gloster in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named Gloster.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
