I would like to honour my father in our son his middle name but the first name is off limits as this is also the first name of my husbands stepdad (which would make things very complicated with his biological dad). So we had the idea of coming up with a different way of honour. As my father his last name is [name_m]Smith[/name_m] and he also is a skilled craftsman when it comes to woodwork it seems appropriate to use something like that as a way to honour him. The only problem is that we have a very hard time finding good middle names with a meaning along that line. [name_m]Even[/name_m] the name of a very famous woodworker (we thought of [name_m]Joseph[/name_m], but it’s a little bit to biblical for us) would work for us.
Bekker: one who makes wooden vessels
Bender: makes casks and barrels
[name_m]Farrar[/name_m]: smith/ferrier
Fearson: ironmonger/smith
[name_m]Fletcher[/name_m]: one who makes arrows
There were more, but these were really the only ones that seemed to fit the bill you’re looking for. Unless you want something more like [name_m]Cooper[/name_m], [name_m]Thatcher[/name_m], or [name_u]Carter[/name_u], all of which are occupational surname-names. There is also the super-obvious Carpenter, which might be a little too out there, but not a bad choice!
I think using a name that means something similar to woodworker is too far of a reach to be an honor name. If I were you, I would make your son’s middle name either [name_m]Smith[/name_m], or your father’s middle name. That way, your father will feel honored.
