Draper
/ˈdreɪ.pər/noun
An English occupational surname originally for someone who made or sold cloth.
Did you know?Draper is an occupational surname from the same root as French drap, and the deeper ancestry traces through Latin *drappus* or *drappum*, a word for cloth or rag, showing how everyday family names often preserve medieval jobs.
Etymological Timeline
Latin (Late)
Latin
drappus / drappum
“cloth, rag, piece of fabric”
Old French
Old French
drap
“cloth, fabric”
Middle English
English
draper
“a dealer in cloth”
Middle English
English
draperie
“cloth-making or cloth trade”
Modern English
English
Draper
“an occupational surname for a cloth seller or cloth maker”