A dialectal or archaic term for someone who works with or manages sheep (related to 'fagald').
Derived from Old English 'fæg' (sheep) with the agent suffix '-er.' Related to 'fagald' (sheep enclosure) and 'Faeroe' (sheep islands).
Old occupational surnames and words like 'fager,' 'shepherd,' and 'herder' disappeared as subsistence farming declined in industrialized societies, but they survive in surnames—your 'Shepherd' or 'Shepherd' ancestor literally herded sheep.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.