WORCESTER
Worcester is a surname of English origin, derived from the county town of Worcester in Worcestershire. The name of the town itself originates from the Old English phrase weogoran ceaster, meaning “Roman fort on the River Wye”, and the surname identifies a person who once lived in or was associated with that city.
The placename is first recorded in Saxon chronicles as Uueogorna ceastre in 889 and as Wigraceaster in 904. It appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wirecestre. The element ceaster comes from the Latin castra, meaning legionary camp, appended to an ancient tribal name—either Wigoran or Weogoran—whose provenance is uncertain. The tribal name is thought to be linked to a river name similar to the Wyre in Lancashire, signifying a winding river.
Locational surnames such as Worcester developed when inhabitants moved from their home town to elsewhere, and they were primarily identified by the name of their birthplace. The surname first appears in the latter half of the twelfth century, with spellings including Worcester, Worster, Wooster and Wostear. The earliest attested case is that of Ralph de Wircestr, dated 1180 in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire during the reign of King Henry XI.
Other early witnesses include William de Worcester, recorded as a witness in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1290. Parish registers from London document a John, son of Isaack and Rebeckah Worcester, christened on 8 November 1635 at St. Mary Whitechapel, Stepney, and a Peter, son of John and Jane Wooster, christened on 3 November 1639 at the same church.
The heraldic badge most commonly associated with the family is a silver shield bearing a black castle between eight red roundels, with a red griffin rampant serving as the crest. This description is drawn from historic coats of arms recorded for the Worcester lineage.
In contemporary usage the surname persists mainly in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. In the United States it ranks near four thousand in surname frequency, with the greatest concentration in Massachusetts, followed by Ohio and California. Canada records a few thousand individuals bearing the name, predominantly in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.
Spelling variants have arisen over time due to regional pronunciation and transcription differences. These include Worchestire, Worsseter, Wussetter, Wurtcheaster and others, all retaining the core meaning of a person from Worcester.
Typical given names associated with the Worcester surname
Male
- Anthony
- Ashley
- Christopher
- Craig
- David
- Graham
- Ian
- John
- Kevin
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Claire
- Clare
- Dawn
- Debra
- Fiona
- Geraldine
- Hazel
- Inge
- Joyce
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Susan
- Victoria
- Winifred
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 Worcester in...
Braille
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Morse
.-----.-.-.-.....-..-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 370 people named Worcester in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around six in a million people in Britain are named Worcester.
Famous people named Worcester
- Robert Worcester - Founder of MORI
- Emma MacLaren was born on 13 February 1991 in Worcester - Fashion model
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.