WORSTER
Worster is a surname of English origin, whose roots can be traced to the early medieval period of the British Isles.
One derivation recognises the Old English verb wyrstan, which means “to worsen” or “to make worse”. According to this perspective, the name originally served as a nickname for an individual known for aggravating situations or for maintaining a pessimistic outlook, before passing down as a hereditary surname.
Another well‑documented source identifies Worster as a locational name connected to the city of Worcester in Worcestershire. The urban settlement is 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 place name itself is a combination of the Old English pre‑7th century term ceaster, derived from the Latin castra meaning “camp”, and a tribal name of uncertain origin, possibly wigoran or weogoran. Records of the surname originating from this source include William de Worcester (1290, Staffordshire), Reynold Woster (1567, London) and Alice Wooster (1658, London). Early deeds also mention Ralph de Wircestr (1180). The surname appears in London records such as the marriage of Thomas Worster and Grace Winnington at St. Katherine by the Tower on 28 February 1688.
A further interpretation of the name views it as an occupational surname derived from the Old English word wurster, meaning “to work”. In this sense the original bearer was likely an artisan or worker, perhaps involved in carding wool or in the production of wort‑sour, a fermented mash of grains used in brewing. The occupational form is associated with the East Midlands region and occasionally with Scotland, and reflects a link to the labouring classes of those areas.
Over the centuries the surname has accumulated a wide range of variants. Common forms include Worcester, Worster, Wooster and Wostear; older spellings such as Wordster, Wordstar, Wordstare, Wordsterre and Wurster; alternative versions like Wosker, Worsky, Wurtser, Worserke; and Anglicised adaptations of German names such as Worsters, Ostere and Oster. These variations appear in manuscripts from the 1500s through to the 1700s, and their distribution reflects migration and regional influences.
The surname remains most common in the United Kingdom, particularly in the English counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Shropshire, as well as in Scotland and Ireland. In the United States it is chiefly found in the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin, where early settlers carried the name across the Atlantic. The surname is also recorded in Canada, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.
In contemporary times the Worster family continues to retain a presence in these regions, with many individuals carrying the name while honouring the historical roots that tie them to the land and to the occupational traditions of their forebears.
Typical given names associated with the Worster surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Edward
- Gary
- John
- Kyle
- Malcolm
- Martin
- Michael
- Mp
- Paul
- Peter
- Roger
- Terence
- William
Female
- Angela
- Catherine
- Christine
- Claire
- Deborah
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Pamela
- Sarah
- Sharon
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 Worster in...
Braille
⠺⠕⠗⠎⠞⠑⠗
Morse
.-----.-....-..-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 295 people named Worster in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named Worster.
