Faulkner Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Faulkner last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Faulkner coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Faulkner last name
Meaning of the Faulkner last name: falconer. Faulkner is an English and Scottish surname for a falconer, a man who kept and trained hawks for hunting, from Old French faulconnier. Falconry was a pastime of great households, and a skilled falconer was a valued servant. The last name is spelled Falconer in Scotland and Falkner or Fawkner elsewhere. A curious detail of this surname origin: the novelist William Faulkner added the u to his family's name himself.
Arms associated with the Faulkner name
In England younger sons added small heraldic marks to their father's coat of arms, so relatives named Faulkner could each carry a slightly different shield.
Get your full Faulkner family history
This is only a glimpse of the Faulkner story. The full Faulkner history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Faulkner coat of arms. Get the full Faulkner report.
Faulkner name FAQ
What does the Faulkner name mean?
Falconer. Common variants include Falkner, Falconer, Fawkner.
Where does the Faulkner surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and Australia.
Is there a Faulkner coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Faulkner coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).