WEBSTER

Webster: translation

English: transferred use of the surname, which originated as an occupational name for a weaver,Old Englishwebbestre(a derivative ofwebbweb). The -estresuffix was originally feminine, but by theMiddle Englishperiod the gender distinction had been lost. Use as a given name in America no doubt owes something to the politician and orator Daniel Webster (1782–1852) and the lexicographer Noah Webster (1758–1843).