Daily AncestorBaxter
Baxter is an old Scottish and northern English word for a baker, at first meaning a woman who baked.
The word comes from Old English bæcestre, the feminine form of bæcere, baker. Wiktionary marks it obsolete and limits it to northern England and Scotland.
Baxter survives mainly as a British surname. In early use the form Bakster was feminine and Baker masculine, but over time both were used for either sex. Brewster, a woman who brewed, is formed the same way.
As seen in a recordScottish burgh and court records of the 1500s and 1600s
Jonet Broun, baxter in Leith
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Baxter." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/baxter. Last checked 2026-10-12.