Booker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Booker is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a dealer or maker of books, or anyone whose affairs were otherwise concerned with books. The distinguished name Booker is derived from the Old English boker. 1 Alternatively, the name could have been Anglo Saxon for “bocere,” a writer, doctor, interpreter. 2 And yet another source claims the name was occupational for “the butcher.” 3

Early Origins of the Booker family

The surname Booker was first found in Lancashire where the spelling variations of the name are numerous. Bowker was typically a Lancashire variant while in London “in the pedigree of Booker (London Visitation, 1633-5) the following variations occur: John Booker, John Boochard, and Edmund Boocher.” 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings: John Boker, Norfolk; and William le Bocer, Salop (Shropshire.)