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Old Name	New Name or Meaning
Nailor / Naylor / Nellier	1) Made iron nails by hand More Info 2) Maintained the teeth (nails) on the carding machine used on wool & cotton before weaving
Naperer / Napier	Servant in charge of table linen in large houses
Narrow Weaver	Wove ribbons, tapes etc.
Navvy / Navigator / Navor	Labourer on canals or railways, roads etc.
Neatherd /er	Cowherd
Neats Foot Oil Dealer	Neats Foot Oil is obtained by boiling the feet of cattle. It is used to render leather soft and pliable
Necessary Woman	Servant who emptied and cleaned the chamber pots
Necker	Fed the cardboard into box-making machinery
Nedeller	Needle maker
Needle Pointer	1) Filed or fettled the points in needle manufacture 2) Needlepoint craftswoman
Netter	Net maker
Night Soilman / Nightman	Emptied cesspits, ashpits and outside toilets - "middins" - usually required to work from 9pm to 5am.See also Gong Farmer
Nightwalker	Night watchman or bellman
Nimgimmer	Doctor
Nipper	Carter's assistant for delivery of goods
Nob Thatcher	Wig maker
Noon Tender	Guarded quayside goods whilst officers were at lunch
Noterer	Notary
Nurse Child	A child being looked after by another family for payment

Occupier	Tradesman
Oil Colour Man	Employed in the paint manufacturing trade, mixing pigmented paints
Oil & Colour Man	Dealer in the victualling trade - not to be confused with the above!
Oilman	Lamp oil seller
Oil Miller	Miller of seed to extract oils for food manufacture. Rapeseed, cottonseed, linseed etc. Cottonseed oil was also used to lubricate the spinning mule.
Olitor	Kitchen gardener – Olitory; a kitchen garden
Oliver Smith/Man	A blacksmith who used a foot operated hammer called an Oliver
Onsetter	Performs the duties of a Banksman, except at the bottom of the shaft.
On the Club	This is not an occupation but is often seen in census returns. It refers the the person being out of work and drawing benefit from "the Club", which was an appropriate insurance scheme.
Orderly	Military batman or officer's servant
Ordinary Keeper	Innkeeper with fixed prices
Orrery Maker	Made an apparatus which showed planetary movements - after the inventor, the Earl of Orrery
Orrice Weaver	Designed / wove lace patterns in silk
Osier or Withy Peelers	Peeled bark from willow stems (osiers) for basket weaving - usually women & children
Osler	Bird catcher
Ostiary	Monastery doorkeeper
Ostler / Hostler	Originally, a Hostler was the host of an Inn or (H)ostelry. Later became the man employed to look after the horses of the visitors
Out Crier	Auctioneer
Outworker	Home-worker, particularly in weaving
Overlooker	Overseer or foreman esp. in textile mills
Overman	Colliery supervisor - checked the workers and coal quality
Overmantel Maker	Craftsman who made ornamental structures over a mantelpiece. See Example.
Overseer	The officials who performed the assessment and collection of the poor-rates. More Info.
Owler	Smuggler - particularly sheep or wool
Oyster Hawker	Street seller of pickled oysters - 18/19th century
Oyster Dredger	Crew member on an oyster boat