Topper Family History
Topper Surname Meaning
English: occupational name from an -er derivative of Middle English toppen topen meaning either ‘to take the top off (something) to shave’ or ‘to put the top on something’. Topper could for example denote a barber, a sheep shearer, or a roofer, but there is no contextual evidence at present to settle the matter.
However, there is no reason to suppose, as Reaney does, that a topper was ‘probably the one who put the ‘toppe’ (i.e. the tuft of wool) on the distaff’. As McKinley points out, this was unlikely to give rise to a distinct occupation and in any case spinning was a female occupation, whereas all early examples of the surname belong to men. Compare Topp.
English: perhaps also a topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill (Middle English toppe + -er).
German (Töpper): variant of Toepfer.
German (mainly Töpper): habitational name from Topper, a place near Krossen, Brandenburg.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022