Hello and welcome. This is interesting. I had the surnames in mind this day and seeing this, I wonder if this phenomenen you mention is typical only for English surnames. Dutch, which in the past has been so closely related to English does not have this.
We have f.i. surnames like: Bakker, but no Bakster. Wever, but no Weefster. Brouwer but no Brouwster. And does this tell something about differences in societies? Was our society more partriarchal than the English? Were in certain societies people rather named after their father ( John Johnson, William Williamson, (
>Icelandic, Scandinavian and Dutch traditions have this a great deal) than after their father's profession?
Or, if a man had no real profession or trade all one could do was to take this son of/daughter of choice? ( Jónsón-Jónsdóttir ). Hessels means son or daughter of Hessel (old Dutch proper name) Jacob comes back in the surname Jacobse-Jacobsen. Hendrikse- Hendriksen, etc.
Many thing to consider.
