Thacker

Recorded as Thacker, Thecker and Thaker, this is an English medieval surname. It is occupational, and it is said, is mainly to be found in the West Midlands. It derives from the same root as the more usual surname Thatcher, that is from the word "thack", meaning thatch, and itself a development of the pre 7th century Norse-Viking "thak", with the agent suffix "-er", taken to mean "one who does or works with". Among the craftsmen who walked in procession in the medieval York mystery plays were the Tille-thekers, men who covered roofs with tiles, whilst Thomas Ledtheker is recorded as a freeman of the city of York in the year 1305. His surname indicates that he used lead to roof buildings. Job descriptive surnames denoted the actual occupation of the namebearer, and only gradually became hereditary, when a son followed his father into the same line of work. Early examples of the surname recordings include: William Thecker of London in 1301; Richard the Thaker of Yorkshire, in 1316; and Roger le Thakkere of Cambridgeshire, in 1339. In Staffordshire the christening of John Thacker was recorded at St. Matthew's church, Walsall, on May 28th 1570. A coat of arms granted to a family of the name is blazoned as follows: Gules, on a fess Or, between three lozenges ermine a trefoil slipped azure between two eagles' heads erased of the field. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William le Thekere. This was dated 1273, in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.