Fowler surname meaning

Fowler is an English occupational surname for a person who caught or kept birds. In historical usage, the work could include supplying game birds or caring for birds used in falconry, not simply hunting for food. Foweler, Fouler, and Fowlar show older spelling variation. Fowler is sometimes confused with Fuller, the cloth-finishing occupation, but the two surnames have different roots and trades. Because bird catching was a repeatable occupation, the surname could arise independently in many communities. Occupation is the high-confidence catalog type. A modern Fowler need not have any connection with falconry or a particular medieval estate.