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Origin / History of the Potter Name

This is an English occupational surname for a maker of drinking and storage vessels.  From the Olde English pre-7^th Century word ‘pott’, itself derived from the Roman (Latin) ‘pottus,’ meaning drink or draught.  In the Middle Ages the term ‘potter’ covered workers in metal as well as earthenware and clay; the potter was sometimes also a bell-founder.  The surname has been recorded in various spellings including Podder, Potter, Powter, and Powder, and early examples include the first recorded spelling of the family name: that of Seuard le Potter 1172, in the transcripts of charters relating to the Gilbertine Houses, during the reign of King Henry II; Geoffrey Poter in the Curia Regis rolls of Leicestershire 1196; John le Potier in the Pipe Rolls of Essex 1197; and Lambert le Pottur in the Curia Regis rolls of Essex 1214.  Other later recordings showing the surname development and taken from the surviving registers of the diocese of Greater London are those of John Powter at St Martins in the Field, Westminster 1717; and George Powder and his wife Caroline, at the christening of their son Godfrey at St Mary Whitechapel, Stepney 1759.  The most famous namebearer is probably Beatrix Potter (1866 - 1943), the English author and illustrator.

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