The surname ''Chaucer'' is thought to have one of the following derivations: *The name ''Chaucer'' frequently occurs in the early '' Letter Books'' and in French language of the time it meant "

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

", which meaning is also recorded in the "Glossary of Anglo-Norman and Early English Words".Alfred Allan Kern, ''The Ancestry of Chaucer'' (Google eBook), Lord Baltimore Press, 1906
p. 6
/ref> *From French 'chaussier', 'chaucier', a

hosier Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

. *It may have arisen from 'chaufecire', 'chafewax', i.e. a clerk of the court of Chancery whose duty consisted in affixing seals to royal signature.Grace E Hadow, Chaucer and His Times
(book description)
/ref> However, Kern doubted this derivation, since the surname 'Chaucer' was too common The first two derivations are ultimately traced to Latin ''calcearium'', "shoemaker". The surname may refer to: *

Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

, "Father of English literature" *

Thomas Chaucer Thomas Chaucer (c. 136718 November 1434) was an English courtier and politician. The son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and his wife Philippa Roet, Thomas was linked socially and by family to senior members of the English nobility, though he ...

(c. 1367-1434), Speaker of the English House of Commons

References

{{Cobbler-surname English-language surnames French-language surnames