A baker; originally, a female baker.
"The baxter quickly kneaded the dough while humming a tune to herself in her small kitchen."
"The baxter is helping to bake bread in the kitchen today."
An occupational surname, from occupations originating in northern England and in Scotland, a variant of Baker.
"The village records list several families with the surname Baxter who traced their lineage back to local baking traditions in northern England and Scotland."
Baxter comes from the Middle English word bakster, which was formed by combining "bake" with a suffix meaning "one who does." The term originally referred simply to a baker, traveling into modern usage as a surname or nickname for someone in that trade.