Fletcher (surname)
Language(s) | Middle English |
---|---|
Origin | |
Meaning | Regional and occupational name for an arrowsmith or seller of arrows |
Region of origin | French (La Flèche), England, Scotland, Ireland |
Fletcher is a surname of French, English, Scottish, and Irish origin. The name is a regional (La Flèche) and an occupational name for an arrowsmith a maker and or seller of arrows, derived from the Middle English, Old English "Fulcher" or Old French flech(i)er (in turn from Old French fleche "arrow").[1][2] The English word was borrowed into the Goidelic languages[citation needed], leading to the development of the Scottish name "Mac an Fhleisteir" (also spelt "Mac an Fhleisdeir"),[3][4] "the arrowsmith's son".
Fletcher was not necessarily the surname of a Fletcher/Arrowsmith, for example, John Little the Blacksmith, "Smith" not been his actual surname. The earliest record of the name is Jean de la Flèche (c.1030 – c.1097), a Norman noble from La Flèche, where he became its first Seigneur (lord) and held its original castle (the current one, on the same site is from the 15th century). He was father of Elias I, Count of Maine and a great grandfather of King Henry II. Jean de la Flèche was given land in England for services by William the Conqueror and some of his decedents and family settled in Yorkshire, England following the Norman Conquest. There is a record of a Robert le Flecher in 1203 (in the "Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire", during the reign of King John), William Flecher’ also in 1203, and Peter le flechier in 1227. The name is often confused with Flesher,[1] due to the phonetic similarity.
People[]
- Adam Fletcher (disambiguation), multiple people
- Alan Fletcher (graphic designer) (1931–2006), British graphic designer
- Alan Fletcher (actor), Australian actor
- (born 1955), member of the Texas House of Representatives from Harris County, Texas since 2009
- Andrew Fletcher (politician) (1653–1716), politician and Scottish Patriot
- Andrew Fletcher (musician) (born 1961), member of the English electronic music group Depeche Mode
- Art Fletcher (1885–1950), American baseball player
- Arthur Fletcher (1924–2005), American government official
- Arthur Fletcher (rugby league), English rugby league player
- Banister Fletcher (Senior) (1833–1899), English architect and historian, also Member of Parliament, father of
- Sir Banister Fletcher (1866–1953), English architect and historian
- Barry Fletcher (born 1935), English cricketer
- Betty Fletcher (1923–2012), U.S. federal judge
- Bryan Fletcher (disambiguation), multiple people
- Cari Fletcher (born 1994), American actress, singer, and songwriter
- Carl Fletcher (Canadian soccer), footballer born 1971
- Carl Fletcher (Welsh footballer), footballer born 1980
- Carrie Hope Fletcher, Westend actress, singer, author, blogger, vlogger
- Charles Henry Fletcher, patent medicine, advertising pioneer, Fletcher's Castoria
- Chris Fletcher (born 1948), American football player (San Diego Chargers)
- Christopher Fletcher (born 1957), English cricket player (Sussex)
- Christopher D. M. Fletcher (born 1958), British pathologist
- Christy Fletcher (born 1933), Irish football (soccer) players
- Colin Fletcher (1922-2007), Welsh-American backpacker and author
- C.T. Fletcher (born 1959), American ex.powerlifter, actor, video-blogger.
- Cyril Fletcher (1913–2005), English comedian, actor and businessman
- Darren Fletcher (born 1984), Scottish footballer
- Darrin Fletcher (born 1966), American baseball player
- Duncan Fletcher (born 1948), Zimbabwean cricketer and coach of the England and India cricket teams
- Dustin Fletcher (born 1975), Australian football player
- Elias I, Count of Maine (died 11 July 1110), Count of Maine and great grandfather of Henry II of England
- Eric Fletcher (1903-1990), English politician and peer
- Ernie Fletcher (born 1952), governor of Kentucky
- Frank Friday Fletcher (1855–1928), admiral in the United States Navy
- Frank Jack Fletcher (1885–1973), admiral in the United States Navy
- Freddie Fletcher (born 1950), English Actor
- Giles Fletcher, the Elder (c. 1548–1611), English poet and diplomat
- Giles Fletcher (c. 1586–1623), English playwright
- Guy Fletcher (born 1960), English keyboard player from the band Dire Straits
- Guy Fletcher (songwriter), English songwriter and session singer
- Harvey Fletcher (1884–1981), American physicist and inventor
- Henry Fletcher (disambiguation), multiple people
- Horace Fletcher (1849–1919), American health-food faddist of the Victorian era
- Isaac Fletcher (1784–1842), American lawyer and politician
- Isaac Fletcher (English politician) (1827–1879) English MP
- James C. Fletcher (1919-1991), Former NASA administrator
- Jane Fletcher (1870–1956), Tasmanian author and poet
- Jane Fletcher (writer) (born 1956), English author of lesbian fiction
- Jason Fletcher (1975), American Sports Agent
- Jean de la Flèche (c.1030 – c.1097), 11th-century French nobleman
- Joan Bamford Fletcher (1909–1979), Canadian member of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
- John Fletcher (disambiguation), multiple people
- Joseph Fletcher (1905–1991), professor
- Justin Fletcher (born 1970), English children's TV personality
- Keith Fletcher (born 1944), English cricketer
- Kelvin Fletcher (born 1984), Emmerdale Actor and Strictly Come Dancing 2019
- Lawrence Fletcher (died 1608), Jacobean actor
- Lloyd Fletcher (1915–1991), United States Court of Federal Claims judge
- Louise Fletcher, (born 1934), American actress
- Lucy Nettie Fletcher (1886-1918), nurse
- Mark Fletcher (disambiguation), several people
- Moses Fletcher, Mayflower pilgrim
- Najuma Fletcher (born 1974), Guyanese track and field athlete
- Neil Fletcher, (born 1944), British politician
- Norman Fletcher (disambiguation), multiple people
- Percy Fletcher (1879–1932), British composer
- Peter Fletcher (disambiguation), multiple people
- Phineas Fletcher (1582–1650), English playwright
- Ray Fletcher (1921–1991), British politician
- Richard Fletcher (disambiguation), multiple people
- Rod Fletcher (born 1945), English footballer
- Rod Fletcher (basketball), American college basketball player
- Sally Fletcher-Murchison (born 1933), American/Hawaiian ceramicist
- Samuel Fletcher (died 1950), Canadian politician
- Sherry Fletcher (born 1986), Grenadian track and field sprinter
- Steven Fletcher (footballer) (born 1987), Scottish international footballer
- Tait Fletcher, American former professional MMA fighter
- Thomas Fletcher (disambiguation), multiple people
- William Bartlett Fletcher, Sr. (1862–1957), Rear Admiral in the United States Navy
- William Roby Fletcher South Australian Congregationalist minister and University administrator
- Yvonne Fletcher (1959–1984), police officer killed by a gunshot from the Libyan Embassy in London
Fictional characters[]
- Christian Fletcher, Fletcher Christian was master's mate on board HMS Bounty during Lieutenant William Bligh's voyage to Tahiti during 1787–1789
Also, one of the names of the main antagonist in the Tamil movie Dasavathaaram, starring Kamal Haasan
- Irwin Maurice "Fletch" Fletcher, the main character in the novel Fletch and subsequent novels by Gregory McDonald
- Jamie "Fletch" Fletcher, in the British soap opera Hollyoaks
- Jerry Fletcher, the protagonist of Conspiracy Theory (film), portrayed by Mel Gibson
- Fletch, one of the thugs working for the villain "Ellis DeWald" in the movie Beverly Hills Cop III, portrayed by Michael Bowen
- Jessica Fletcher, the main character of the television series Murder, She Wrote
- Karl Fletcher, a central character of the British television series Dream Team
- Morris Fletcher, a recurring character in The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen
- Mundungus Fletcher, a Harry Potter character
- Norman Stanley Fletcher, the lead character in the British sitcom Porridge
- SJ Fletcher and Sid Fletcher from the British soap opera EastEnders
- Will Fletcher, a character in the ITV television drama series The Bill
- Ferb, Lil Fletcher, D-Fletcher, and Lawrence Fletcher, from the Disney Channel series Phineas and Ferb
- The Fletcher family in the movie Raise Your Voice
- Brigadier General Fletcher, a character in the video game Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
- James Emerson (Jaimy) Fletcher, a major supporting character in L. A. Meyer's Bloody Jack series
- Fletcher Reede, the protagonist of the movie Liar Liar
- Terence Fletcher, in the 2014 movie Whiplash
See also[]
- Fletcher (disambiguation)
- Justice Fletcher (disambiguation)
- Fletching
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Reaney, Percy Hilde; Wilson, Richard Middlewood (2006). A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.). London: Routledge. pp. 1183–1184. ISBN 0-203-99355-1.
- ^ "Fletcher Name Meaning and History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
- ^ http://www2.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/faclair/sbg/lorg.php?faclair=sbg&seorsa=Beurla&facal=Fletcher&eis_saor=on&tairg=Lorg
- ^ http://www.faclair.com/ViewEntry.aspx?ID=F5FDE99F93D774C87B280A0240CF402A
- Surnames
- English-language surnames
- Occupational surnames