Where does “Spencer” come from?
Spencer (Middle English) comes from Old French espensier, from Latin dispensare, from Latin dispendere, from Latin pendēre, from Latin pendō, from Proto-Italic pendō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)péndeti, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- — to stretch.
Spencer (Middle English): One who works in a spence or buttery
Definitions
- One who works in a spence or buttery
Ancestry of “Spencer”, step by step
Spencer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French espensier
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | espensier | — |
| 2 | Latin | dispensare | present active infinitive of dispēnsō;... |
| 3 | Latin | dispendere | to weight out; weigh out; to weigh out |
| 4 | Latin | pendēre | — |
| 5 | Latin | pendō | to weigh, weigh out |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | pendō | hang, put in a hanging position |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)péndeti | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pend- | to stretch |
via Anglo-Norman despenser
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | despenser | to spend |