Surname Salter - Meaning and Origin
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Unraveling the Salter Surname: A Personal Journey with iGENEA DNA Testing
My experience with the iGENEA DNA test was enlightening and enriching. A deep dive into my ancestry enlightened me on the origins of my surname, Salter. Surprisingly, the genetic journey connected me to distant relatives, fortifying my sense of belonging and shaping my identity.
W. Salter
read moreSalter: What does the surname Salter mean?
The last name Salter is of English and Scottish origin and typically associates with someone who worked as a salt producer or seller. The name is derived from the Middle English word "sa(u)lter" which is an occupational name for a producer or seller of salt. Salt was a valuable commodity in ancient times, and those involved in the production or selling of it had an important occupation. This surname first appeared in recorded history in the 12th century. Since it was quite common for individuals of that period to be referred to by their occupation, a person who worked in the aforementioned sector would have been known as 'the salter'. As such, it's an example of the many early English surnames that were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames.
Order DNA origin analysisSalter: Where does the name Salter come from?
The last name Salter is most commonly found today in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. It is generally of English and Irish origin, derived from the Middle English word "salter," meaning "a dealer in salt and other commodities." In the US, the Salter surname is particularly common throughout the South, the Midwest, and the East Coast, with particularly large concentrations in North Dakota, Maine, and North Carolina. The largest number of bearers of the name, however, are found in California.
In the UK, the Salter surname is more widely distributed and occurs in many parts of the country, but is especially common in the east, north-east, and south-east of England in particular.
In Canada, the Salter name is most often found in Ontario, though it is also commonly seen in the other provinces.
Within the US, the Salter surname also has a large presence in African-American culture, as it was a name adopted by freed slaves after the Civil War. It is also held by many Native American tribes as either an anglicization or adoption of a name from different languages, such as the Cherokee Salter.
Overall, the Salter last name is very much a prominent one today, particularly in Britain, the US, and Canada. Despite originating in England, its prevalence and diversity across countries speaks to its multicultural history and successfully transcultural adaptation.
Variations of the surname Salter
The surname Salter is derived from the medieval job of salter, one who works with salt or specialized in the trade or sale of salt. As a result, variations, spellings and surnames of the same origin for Salter can include Saltar, Saltaire, Salters, Saltersby, SALTAN, Salten, Saltn, Salton, Selter and Slatter.
In England the name Salter originated in Somerset, where the Salter family lived at Salter near Wellington for centuries. The Salter surname was first recorded in Somerset in the 13th century in the form of Saltere in the records of East Ogwell in Devon. This spelling remained in use until about the 15th century when it became the Anglicised version we are familiar with today, Salter. The variations in spelling that followed have been large, some of them becoming surnames in themselves.
In Scotland, the name Salters may have been derived from the Middle English word ‘saltere’, which was used to mean a dealer in salt, or from certain places called Salters, such as a village near Galashiels in the Scottish Borders.
The spelling variants of this name also include SAWTER, SAULTAR, SAULTER, SAULTAR, SAUPTAIR and SAULTAIR. In addition to the spelling variations, there are numerous English and Scottish surnames derived from the same origin such as Salterne, Salterstone, Savery, Salaries, Solder, Salvester, Selecter, Sauter, Saltness, Salterthwaite, and Salterton.
The Salter name has spread from its origins in England and Scotland to Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. It has also been suggested that the name Salter may have been derived from the Old English personal name Sulter, which was in turn derived from a word meaning ‘dweller by the sea’.
Famous people with the name Salter
- Mormon Leader Orson Pratt Salter
- British writer and philosopher Roger Scruton
- British film editor Paul Salter
- Author John Salter
- 19th century railroad executive Charles S. Salter
- American biologist and Nobel Prize winner George Wald
- Actor Max Salter
- British Royal Navy Admiral Sir Algernon Lyons Salter
- British actor William Salter
- British author, foreign service officer and Victorian traveller Richard Francis Burton
- Artist John Myer Salter
- Russian painter Nicholas Salter
- American baseball player William Salter
- English composer John Salter
- American football player Brayden Salter
- English sculptor Joseph Salter