Groom (surname) explained

Groom
Meaning:a profession, responsible for the feeding and care of horses
Region:England
Origin:English
Variant:Grooms, Groome

Groom is a surname of English origin. Its English usage comes from the trade or profession, a person responsible for the feeding and care of horses, not to be confused with the much more socially distinguished roles in the English Royal Household of Groom of the Chamber, or Groom of the Privy Chamber, Groom of the Robes, Groom of the Stole, and Groom of the Stool.

History

The English etymology for Groom comes from the East Anglian occupational name for a servant or a shepherd, from Middle English grom(e) ‘boy’, ‘servant’ (of uncertain origin), which in some places was specialized to mean ‘shepherd’.[1] [2]

Popularity

[3] Groom ranks 5,545 out of 88,799 in popularity in the United States and is also common in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

List

Notes and References

  1. http://www.ancestry.com/facts/groom-family-history.ashx Retrieved 2009-06-22
  2. Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press,
  3. http://surnames.behindthename.com Behind The Names Popularity Search, Retrieved: 2009-06-22