As described in historical dictionaries

Patronymica Britannica (1860)

PORTER. The keeper of a door. Lat. poiia. The meaning was sometimes extended, and implied a castellan, or keeper of a castle. This was the case with the first of this name and fanrily in Cornwall, who, in a dateless deed, of prolwlbly not later than the XIII. century, is styled Janitor de Tremaion. He received a grant of lands from the Valletorts, then lords of Trematon, and those lands, situate just outside the venerable walls of that fine old feudal fortress, are still possessed by his descendants, who have ever since resided in the immediate vicinity. See C. S. Gilbert's Cornw. H.R. Portarius. Lc Porter. &e.

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.


Surname type: Occupational name

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

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