Most occupational baby names were originally surnames that described a person's job. Names related to jobs have taken on significant style value over the past years and are destined to rise even further. 

Harper is the top occupational name for girls while Mason is the most popular occupational name for boys. Along with Harper and Mason, occupational names ranking in the US Top 100 include Skylar on the girls' side and Carter, Hunter, Carson, and Cooper for boys.
While technically gender-neutral, occupational names have traditionally been used more often for males and still are more often given to baby boys. Unique occupational names we like for either gender include Baird, Booker, Dancer, Drummer, Fielder, Fifer, Mercer, Painter, Poet, Sailor, Shepherd, and Whistler.

Occupational names can work as a nod to parents' or grandparents' professions or a family business. Or you can choose them, of course, because you simply like the sound and feel.

Occupational Names

Carver is an occupational name with an artistic bent, associated with wood carving predominantly, though it could also be linked to those who carve from stone, marble, ice, and pumpkins. More familiar that the equally arty Painter, but fresher than the 90s style Carter, Carver has received more interest in recent years. 
 As a last name, it has eminent links to botanist and educator George Washington Carver and to short story master Raymond Carver. As a given name, Carver appears as a character in the R. D. Blackmore classic Lorna Doone. and has been borne by computer scientist Carver Mead and former football player Carver Shannon.
 
In the US, it has steadily been gaining popularity since the 2000s and in a recent year it was given to 126 boys — and to 9 girls.

Carver

Chaplin carries two very distinctive images: the beloved Little Tramp and a minister, often to the military. It was the baby-name choice of Ever Carridine in 2010.

Chaplin

One of the most distinguished names in literature could become a hero name in a family of poetry-lovers -- or be seen as a trendy new occupational name. 

Chaucer

Chevalier is a distinguished masculine name of French origin, literally meaning 'knight' or 'horseman.' Derived from the French word 'cheval' (horse), it historically referred to a knight or a member of certain orders of knighthood. The name carries aristocratic connotations and evokes images of chivalry, honor, and gallantry from medieval times. Though uncommon as a first name, it has occasionally been used in French-speaking regions and among families with French heritage. The name gained some recognition through the famous French entertainer Maurice Chevalier. With its sophisticated sound and noble meaning, Chevalier offers parents seeking a rare name with historical depth and elegant pronunciation a distinctive choice.

Chevalier

This Irish surname-name certainly feels brighter and fresher than the English equivalent, Clark.

Cleary

More familiar from TV -- Rake, Leave It To Beaver -- than real life, and perhaps likely to stay that way, given the gruesome association with a butcher's knife. Cleaver was, for instance, the title of the violent mob movie Christopher wrote in the world of The Sopranos.

Cleaver

This occupational surname could find new life with those wishing to honor someone in their heritage who was connected to the tough-as-nails breed that was the pre-modern coal miner. Coll and Collie are some sweet nickname options to tone down the formality of this name.

Collier

This is a name that deserves more attention. Cordell is an occupational name that, through its similarity in sound to Cornell, Denzel, Dashiell,  Boswell and Maxwell, feels both on-trend and upmarket.

Cordell

Both offbeat and upbeat, this evocative traditional Irish name that runs through Celtic mythology is known here via award-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy (born Charles). The author's adopted name is related to Cormac Mac Airt, one of the great legendary high kings of Ireland.
 In two of the Harry Potter movies, Cormac McLaggen is a Gryffindor student.
 
A popular choice in Northern Ireland where it made the Top 100 in a recent year, it is also familiar in Ireland (where it last ranked in 2017) and England and Wales where it was given to 26 boys in a recent count. 
 Despite cool nickname Mac, it has never made it onto the US Top 1000, though it has been used by a solid 150 boys in each recent year.

Cormac

Occupational baby names, including surnames and last names as first names like Sailor, Carter, Shepherd, and Mercer, with meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 11)