All Surnames

usage
Keil German
Means "wedge shaped" in German. It was used to denote a person who owned a wedge-shaped piece of land.
Keir Scottish
Variant of Kerr.
Keith Scottish
From a place name that is probably derived from the Brythonic element cet meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.
Kelemen Hungarian
Derived from the given name Kelemen.
Keller German
Means "cellar" in German, an occupational name for one in charge of the food and drink.
Kelley Irish
Variant of Kelly 1.
Kellogg English
Occupational name for a pig butcher, from Middle English killen "to kill" and hog "pig, swine, hog".
Kelly 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ceallaigh meaning "descendant of Ceallach".
Kelly 2 Scottish
From a Scottish place name derived from coille meaning "grove".
Kelsey English
From an English place name meaning "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce" in combination with eg "island".
Kemény Hungarian
Means "firm, hard, tough" in Hungarian.
Kemp English
Derived from Middle English kempe meaning "champion, warrior".
Kempf German
German cognate of Kemp.
Kendall English
Derived from the town of Kendal in England, so-called from the river Kent, on which it is situated, and Old English dæl meaning "valley, dale".
Kendrick 1 English
From the Old English given names Cyneric or Cenric.
Kendrick 2 Welsh
Derived from the given name Cynwrig.
Kennard English
Derived from the given names Cyneweard or Cyneheard.
Kennedy Irish
From the Irish name Ó Cinnéidigh meaning "descendant of Cennétig". This surname was borne by assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963).
Kenyatta Eastern African, Kikuyu
From kinyata, the name of a type of ornamental belt worn by the Maasai. This was the surname of the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978). He adopted the surname in his youth.
Keo Khmer
Means "glass" in Khmer.
Kerekes Hungarian
Occupational name for a maker of wheels, from Hungarian kerék meaning "wheel".
Kermit Manx
Anglicized form of Mac Diarmada (see McDermott).
Kermode Manx
Anglicized form of Mac Diarmada (see McDermott).
Kerner German
Derived from Old High German kerno "seed", an occupational name for one who sold or planted seeds.
Kerper German
Variant of Gerber.
Kerr Scottish, English
From Scots and northern Middle English kerr meaning "thicket, marsh", ultimately from Old Norse kjarr.
Kersey English
From an English place name meaning derived from Old English cærse "watercress" and ieg "island".
Kertész Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "gardener" in Hungarian.
Kevorkian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Գեւորգյան (see Gevorgyan).
Key 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.
Key 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.
Keyes 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.
Keyes 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.
Keys 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.
Keys 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.
Khachaturian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Խաչատրյան (see Khachaturyan).
Khachaturyan Armenian
Means "son of Khachatur" in Armenian. A famous bearer was the Armenian composer Aram Khachaturyan or Khachaturian (1903-1978).
Khalil Arabic
From the given name Khalil.
Khan Urdu, Pashto, Bengali
From a title meaning "king, ruler", probably of Mongolian origin but used in many languages.
Khoroushi Persian
Derived from the given name Kurosh.
Kidd English
From a nickname meaning "young goat, kid" in Middle English, of Old Norse origin.
Kiefer 1 German
Means "pine tree" in German.
Kiefer 2 German
Occupational name for a barrel maker, derived from Old High German kuofa meaning "barrel".
Kijek Polish
Means "small stick", from Polish kij "stick".
Kikkert Dutch
Derived from Dutch kikker meaning "frog".
Kilduff Irish
From the Irish Mac Giolla Dhuibh meaning "son of the black-haired man".
Killam English
Denoted one who hailed from the English town of Kilham, meaning "kiln homestead".
Killough Irish
Indicated a person who was from Killough (County Down, Northern Ireland) or Killough (Wicklow, Ireland). The place name Killough means "church on the lake", derived from the Irish cill "church" and loch "lake".
Kilpatrick Irish
From the Irish Mac Giolla Phádraig meaning "son of the servant of Saint Patrick".
Kim Korean
Korean form of Jin, from Sino-Korean (gim) meaning "gold". This is the most common surname in Korea.
Kimball English
Derived from the Welsh given name Cynbel or the Old English given name Cynebald.
Kimberley English
From various English places called Kimberley. They mean either "Cyneburga's field", "Cynebald's field" or "Cynemær's field".
Kimura Japanese
From Japanese (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and (mura) meaning "town, village".
King English
From Old English cyning "king", originally a nickname for someone who either acted in a kingly manner or who worked for or was otherwise associated with a king. A famous bearer was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).
Kingsley English
From a place name meaning "king's clearing" in Old English.
Kingston English
From a place name meaning "king's town" in Old English.
Kinley Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.
Kinnaird Scottish
From the name of a place in Scotland, in Gaelic An Ceann Ard, meaning "high headland". In the 12th century a Norman nobleman received a charter of land here from King William the Lion (King of Scots), and was thereafter known by this name.
Kinnunen Finnish
Possibly derived from the Finnish dialectal word kinni meaning "animal skin, fur", borrowed from Swedish skinn.
Kinsey English
Derived from the given name Cynesige.
Kinsley English
From the name of a town in West Yorkshire, meaning "clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with cyne meaning "royal".
Kipling English
From the name of a town in Yorkshire, of Old English origin meaning "Cyppel's people", from a given name Cyppel of unknown meaning. A famous bearer of this name was the author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936).
Király Hungarian
Means "king" in Hungarian, of Slavic origin (a cognate of Król).
Kirby English
From numerous towns in northern England named Kirby or Kirkby, derived from Old Norse kirkja "church" and býr "farm, settlement".
Kirch German
German cognate of Church.
Kirchner German
Derived from Middle High German kirchenaere meaning "sexton".
Kirk English
From northern Middle English kirk meaning "church", from Old Norse kirkja (cognate of Church). A famous fictional bearer is the starship captain James Kirk from the Star Trek television series (1966-1969), and subsequent films.
Kis Hungarian
Variant of Kiss.
Kishimoto Japanese
From Japanese (kishi) meaning "beach, shore, bank" and (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Kiss Hungarian
Nickname meaning "small" in Hungarian.
Kistler German
Occupational name meaning "chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German kiste.
Kita Japanese
From Japanese (kita) meaning "north".
Kitagawa Japanese
From Japanese (kita) meaning "north" and (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
Kitchen English
Occupational name for a person who worked in a kitchen (of a monastery for example), derived from Old English cycene, ultimately from Latin coquina.
Kjær Danish
Topographic name for someone living near a wetland, from Danish kær "marsh", from Old Norse kjarr "thicket".
Kjeldsen Danish
Means "son of Kjeld".
Kjellsson Swedish
Means "son of Kjell".
Klaasen Dutch
Means "son of Klaas".
Kladivo Czech
Means "hammer" in Czech, a nickname for a blacksmith.
Klasson Swedish
Means "son of Klas".
Klausen Danish
Means "son of Klaus".
Kleid Jewish
Occupational name for a tailor, from Old High German kleid meaning "garment, clothing".
Klein German, Dutch, Jewish
Means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).
Klement Czech, Slovak
From the given name Klement.
Klerk Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.
Klerks Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.
Klerkx Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.
Klerx Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.
Klíma Czech
Derived a diminutive of Kliment.
Klímek Czech
Derived from a diminutive of Kliment.
Klimek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of Klemens.
Kloet Dutch
Possibly from Middle Dutch cloet meaning "lump, ball". In some cases this was a nickname for an oafish person. In other cases it may have been a name for someone who lived near a sign that had a globe on it.
Kloeten Dutch
Variant of Kloet.
Klossner German
Derived from German Klausner, Middle High German klosenære meaning "hermit".
Klymenko Ukrainian
From the given name Klym.
Knaggs English
From Middle English knagg meaning "small mound, projection". It is found most commonly in the north of England, in particular Yorkshire.
Knef German
Occupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German knif meaning "shoemaker's knife".
Kneib German
Variant of Knef.
Kneller German
Originally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".
Knepp German
Variant of Knopf.
Knežević Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of Serbo-Croatian knez meaning "prince" (ultimately of Germanic origin).
Knight English
From Old English cniht meaning "knight", a tenant serving as a mounted soldier.
Knochenmus German
From German Knochen "bone" and Mus "sauce". It probably referred to someone who worked in the butcher trade.
Knopf German
Means "button" in German, originally belonging to a button maker or button seller.
Knopp German
Variant of Knopf.
Knowles English
From Middle English knoll, Old English cnoll meaning "small hill, knoll". A famous bearer is American singer Beyoncé Knowles (1981-).
Knox Scottish
From the name of various places in Scotland and northern England, derived from Scottish Gaelic cnoc "round hill".
Knudsen Danish
Means "son of Knud".
Knutsen Norwegian
Means "son of Knut".
Knutsson Swedish
Means "son of Knut".
Ko Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Hokkien)
Cantonese and Min Nan romanization of Gao.
Kobayashi Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" and (hayashi) meaning "forest".
Kóbor Hungarian
From Hungarian kóbor meaning "wanderer, ranger".
Koç Turkish
Means "ram" in Turkish.
Koch German
German cognate of Cook.
Kock Low German, Dutch
Low German and Dutch cognate of Cook.
Kocsis Hungarian
Means "coachman" in Hungarian.
Koeman Dutch
Variant of Koopman.
Koemans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.
Koenig German
German cognate of King.
Köhl German
Variant of Kohl.
Kohl German
Derived from Middle High German kol "cabbage".
Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.
Kohler German
From Middle High German koler meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal seller".
Kohout Czech
Czech cognate of Kohut.
Kohut Ukrainian
Means "rooster" in Ukrainian, a nickname for a proud person.
Koizumi Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" and (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain". A notable bearer of this name is Junichiro Koizumi (1942-), who was Prime Minister of Japan.
Kok Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.
Kokkinos Greek
From a nickname meaning "red" in Greek.
Kokot Slovene, Croatian
Slovene and Croatian cognate of Kohut.
Kolář Czech
Means "wheelwright", a derivative of Czech kolo "wheel".
Kolar Croatian, Slovene
Croatian and Slovene cognate of Kolář.
Kolarić Croatian
Patronymic form of Kolar.
Kolbe German
From Middle High German kolbe meaning "club".
Kolen Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.
Kolijn Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.
Kollen Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.
König German
German cognate of King.
Königsmann German
Means "king's man", or someone who played a king in a play.
Koning Dutch
Dutch cognate of King.
Konishi Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" and 西 (nishi) meaning "west".
Kontos Greek
Means "short" in Greek.
Kool Dutch
Derived from a short form of the given name Nicolaas.
Koole Dutch
Derived from a short form of the given name Nicolaas.
Koolen Dutch
Derived from the given name Nicolaas.
Kools Dutch
Derived from the given name Nicolaas.
Koopman Dutch
Occupational name meaning "merchant" in Dutch.
Kopecký Czech
Derived from Czech kopec meaning "hill". The name was given to a person who lived close to a hill.
Kopitar Slovene
From Slovene kopito meaning "hoof", an occupational name for a shoer.
Kopp German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Jakob.
Koppel Estonian, Danish
From Low German koppel meaning "paddock, pasture" (a word borrowed into Estonian).
Korhonen Finnish
Possibly from archaic Finnish korho meaning "deaf, hard of hearing". This is the most common surname in Finland.
Korošec Slovene
Originally indicated a person from Koroška (Carinthia), a medieval Slovene state, now divided between Slovenia and Austria.
Korrapati Indian, Telugu
From an area called Korra or Korrapalem combined with Telugu పతి (pati) meaning "belongs to".
Kos Slovene
Means "blackbird" in Slovene.
Košar Croatian
From Croatian koš meaning "basket", originally indicating a person who made or sold baskets.
Koskinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish koski meaning "rapids". This is the second most common surname in Finland.
Kosmatka Polish
Derived from Polish kosmaty meaning "shaggy, hairy".
Kostelecký Czech
Originally denoted a person from a village named Kostelec, derived from Czech kostel meaning "church".
Koszorús Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian koszorú meaning "garland, wreath, girdle", a name for someone who made garlands.
Koumans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.
Kováč Slovak, Czech
Slovak and Czech cognate of Kovač.
Kovac Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Czech
Simplified spelling of Kováč or Kovač.
Kovač Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Slovene
Means "blacksmith", a derivative of Slavic kovati meaning "to forge".
Kovachev Bulgarian
Patronymic derived from Bulgarian ковач (kovach) meaning "blacksmith".
Kovačić Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Patronymic derived from South Slavic kovač meaning "blacksmith".
Kovačič Slovene
Slovene form of Kovačić.
Kovács Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kovač.
Kovalchuk Ukrainian, Russian
Derived from Ukrainian and Russian коваль (koval) meaning "blacksmith".
Kovalenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian коваль (koval) meaning "blacksmith".
Kovalev Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Ковалёв (see Kovalyov).
Kovalyov Russian
Patronymic from Russian коваль (koval) meaning "blacksmith".
Kovář Czech
Czech cognate of Kovač.
Kövér Hungarian
Means "fat" in Hungarian.
Kowalczyk Polish
Patronymic derived from Polish kowal "blacksmith".
Kowalski Polish
From Polish kowal meaning "blacksmith". This is the second most common surname in Poland.
Kozel Czech
Czech cognate of Kozioł.
Kozioł Polish
Means "male goat" in Polish, probably used to denote a goatherd.
Kozlov Russian
Patronymic from Russian козёл (kozyol) meaning "male goat", probably used to denote a goatherd.
Kozłowski Polish
Originally a name for a person from Kozłów, Kozłowo, or other places with a name derived from Polish kozioł meaning "male goat".
Krajnc Slovene
Originally denoted a person from Carniola (Slovene Kranjska), a region that makes up a large part of central Slovenia.
Krakowski Polish, Jewish
Habitational name for a person from the city of Kraków in southern Poland.
Král Czech
Czech form of Król.
Kráľ Slovak
Slovak form of Król.
Kralj Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Slovene, Croatian and Serbian form of Król.
Kramář Czech
Czech form of Krämer.
Krämer German
Means "shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German kram meaning "tent, trading post".
Kramer Low German, Jewish
Low German and Jewish form of Krämer.
Kranz German, Jewish
Derived from Old High German kranz meaning "wreath", an occupational name for a maker of wreaths or an ornamental Jewish name.
Krastev Bulgarian
Means "son of Krastyo".
Kratochvil Czech
Derived from Czech kratochvíle meaning "pastime".
Kraus German
From Middle High German krus meaning "curly", originally a nickname for a person with curly hair.
Krause German
Variant of Kraus.
Krauss German
Variant of Kraus.
Krauß German
Variant of Kraus.
Kravchenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian кравець (kravets) meaning "tailor".
Kravitz Jewish
Occupational name derived from Polish krawiec meaning "tailor".
Krawczyk Polish
From a diminutive of krawiec meaning "tailor".
Krawiec Polish
Means "tailor" in Polish.
Krebs German
Means "crab" in German, perhaps a nickname for a person with a crab-like walk.
Krejči Czech
Means "tailor" in Czech.
Krikorian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Գրիգորյան (see Grigoryan).
Kristensen Danish
Means "son of Kristen 1".
Kříž Czech
Means "cross" in Czech, ultimately from Latin crux.
Križman Slovene
From Slovene križ meaning "cross".
Król Polish
Means "king" in Polish. The name referred to one who acted like a king or was connected in some way with a king's household.
Kron German, Swedish
From German Krone and Swedish krona meaning "crown" (from Latin corona), perhaps a nickname for one who worked in a royal household.
Kroon Dutch, Estonian
Means "crown" in Dutch and Estonian (from Latin corona).
Krstevski Macedonian
Means "son of Krste".
Krückel German
Nickname for a crippled person or someone who walked with a cane, from Middle High German krücke meaning "cane".
Krüger 1 German
In northern Germany an occupational name for a tavern keeper, derived from Middle Low German kroch meaning "tavern".
Krüger 2 German
In southern Germany an occupational name for a potter, derived from Middle High German kruoc meaning "jug, pot".
Krūmiņš Latvian
From Latvian krūms meaning "bush, shrub".
Krupa Polish
Means "groats, grain" in Polish.
Krupin Russian
Derived from Russian крупа (krupa) meaning "grain".
Kruse German
Variant of Kraus.
Krusen Dutch
Anglicized form of Cruyssen.
Kuang Chinese
From Chinese (kuàng), which refers to the clan of the same name.
Kubo Japanese
From Japanese (ku) meaning "long time ago" and (ho) meaning "protect".
Kučera Czech
Means "curl" in Czech, a nickname for a person with curly locks of hair.
Küchler German
Occupational surname for a baker who made small cakes or cookies, derived from Middle High German kuoche "cake, pastry".
Küçük Turkish
Means "small" in Turkish.
Kudrna Czech
Means "curl" in Czech, a nickname for someone with curly hair.
Kuhn German
Derived from a diminutive of the German given name Konrad.
Kuijlaars Dutch
Derived from Middle Dutch cule "hole, pit".
Kuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.
Kuiper Dutch
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Dutch.
Kuipers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.
Kukk Estonian
Means "rooster" in Estonian, ultimately of Germanic origin.
Kulkarni Indian, Marathi
Means "village clerk, revenue collector" in Marathi.
Kulmala Finnish
From Finnish kulma meaning "corner" with the suffix -la indicating a place.
Kumagai Japanese
From Japanese (kuma) meaning "bear" and (gai) meaning "valley".
Kumamoto Japanese
From Japanese (kuma) meaning "bear" and (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Kumięga Polish
Possibly from Polish kum "godfather, friend" or komięga "raft, barge".
Kundakçı Turkish
From Turkish kundak meaning "stock, wooden part of a rifle".
Kundert German
Derived from the given name Konrad.
Kunkel German
Occupational name for a maker of distaffs, from Middle High German kunkel "distaff, spindle", of Latin origin.
Kunkle German
Variant of Kunkel.
Kuntz German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.
Kunz German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.
Kunze German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.
Kurata Japanese
From Japanese (kura) or (kura) both meaning "granary, storehouse" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Kuroda Japanese
From Japanese (kuro) meaning "black" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Kuroiwa Japanese
From Japanese (kuro) meaning "black" and (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks".
Kuroki Japanese
From Japanese (kuro) meaning "black" and (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Kurosawa Japanese
From Japanese (kuro) meaning "black" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh". A notable bearer was Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), a Japanese film director.
Kurucz Hungarian
Derived from the Hungarian word kuruc, referring to rebels who fought against the Habsburgs in the late 17th to early 18th century.
Kurz German
Means "short" in German, ultimately from Latin curtus.
Kurzmann German
Means "short man" in German.
Kusumoto Japanese
From Japanese (kusu) meaning "camphor tree" and (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Kuzmenko Ukrainian
Derived from the given name Kuzma.
Kuznetsov Russian
Patronymic form of Russian кузнец (kuznets) meaning "blacksmith".
Kwan Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Guan.
Kwiatkowski Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations named Kwiatków, Kwiatkowo or Kwiatkowice, named from a diminutive of Polish kwiat meaning "flower".
Kwok Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Guo.
Kyle Scottish
Derived from Scottish Gaelic caol meaning "narrows, channel, strait", originally given to a person who lived by a strait.
Kyler Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cuyler.
Kyles Scottish
Variant of Kyle.
Kynaston English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "Cynefrith's town" in Old English.
Kyselý Czech
Means "sour" in Czech. It was most likely used to denote a person known for having a bad mood.
Laakkonen Finnish
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Niklas.
Laaksonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish laakso meaning "valley".
Labelle French
Means "fair, beautiful" in French.
Labriola Italian
Originally indicated a person from the town of Abriola in southern Italy.
Lacey English
Derived from Lassy, the name of a town in Normandy. The name of the town was Gaulish in origin, perhaps deriving from a personal name that was Latinized as Lascius.
Lachance French
Means "chance, luck" in French, a nickname for a lucky person.
Lachapelle French
Means "the chapel" in French, most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.
Làconi Sardinian
From the name of the town of Làconi on Sardinia, Italy.
Lacroix French
Means "the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.
Lacy English
Variant of Lacey.
Lafrentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.
Lafrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.
Laganà Italian
Occupational name for a greengrocer, meaning "vegetables" in southern Italian dialects, ultimately from Greek λάχανον (lachanon).
Lager Swedish
Means "laurel" in Swedish.