Tanner Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Tanner last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Tanner last name
Meaning of the Tanner last name: tanner of hides. Tanner is an English surname for a tanner of hides. Tanning was a smelly trade, usually kept at the edge of town near running water. The last name is common in Wiltshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire. A curious detail of this surname origin: in Switzerland and southern Germany a separate Tanner comes from Tanne, "fir tree", so two different meanings share one spelling.
Arms associated with the Tanner name
English heraldry loves puns, choosing figures that echo the sound of a name, and that playful custom runs through many coats of arms linked with the Tanner name.
Get your full Tanner family history
This is only a glimpse of the Tanner story. The full Tanner history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Tanner coat of arms. Get the full Tanner report.
Tanner name FAQ
What does the Tanner name mean?
Tanner of hides. Common variants include Taner, Tannar, Tannor.
Where does the Tanner surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Switzerland.
Is there a Tanner coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Tanner coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).