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Cottier (surname)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cottier is a surname. It is of English origin, but can also be an Americanized form of a French and Swiss surname.

Origin of the surname

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The surname Cottier is of English origin and a variant of the surname Cotter.[1] This English surname is a status name, for a cotter. This name is made up of the Old English elements cot "cottage", "hut" and the suffix er. In the feudal system a cotter held a cottage by service (rather than by rent).[2] Similarly, Reaney gives the surname deriving from the Old French cotier "cottager" (see: villein). Early bearers of the English surname are Robert le Robert le Cotier in 1198; and William le Coter(e) in 1270 and 1297.[3]

The surname Cottier, in some cases, is an Americanized form of the French Gauthier.[1] The French surname Gauthier (also found in Switzerland) is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements wald "rule" and hari, heri "army".[4]

Variations

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The surname can be rendered into the Irish language and the Manx language as Mac Coitir and Mac Oitir.

People with the surname

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Cottier Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
  2. ^ "Cotter Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
  3. ^ Reaney, Percy Hilde; Wilson, Richard Middlewood (2006). A Dictionary of English Surnames (PDF) (3rd ed.). London: Routledge. p. 758. ISBN 0-203-99355-1.
  4. ^ "Gauthier Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 12 April 2008.