Brandon EnglishFrom the name of various places in England meaning
"hill covered with broom" in Old English.
Brassington EnglishFrom a place name, which is derived from Old English meaning "settlement by a steep path".
Braxton EnglishFrom an English place name place name meaning "Bracca's town" in Old English.
Bray EnglishFrom a place name derived from Cornish
bre "hill".
Breckenridge Scottish, EnglishOriginally indicated someone from Brackenrig in Lanarkshire, derived from northern Middle English
braken meaning "bracken" (via Old Norse
brækni) and
rigg meaning "ridge" (via Old Norse
hryggr).
Breda ItalianFrom the name of a town near Venice, possibly derived from a Lombardic word meaning "field".
Breisacher GermanOriginally denoted one who came from the town of Breisach, in Germany. The town's name is possibly from a Celtic word meaning "breakwater".
Brent EnglishOriginally derived from the name of a hill (or the village nearby) in Somerset, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".
Brett EnglishOriginally a name given to someone who was a Breton or a person from Brittany.
Bretz GermanIndicated a person from the town of Breetz in Brandenburg, Germany. The meaning of the town's name is unknown.
Bridges EnglishOriginally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English
brigge, Old English
brycg.
Brigham EnglishOriginally referred to one who came from a town called Brigham, meaning "homestead by the bridge" in Old English. This is the name of towns in Cumberland and Yorkshire.
Brinley EnglishPossibly from English places named
Brindley, derived from Old English
berned "burned" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Brioschi ItalianDerived from the town of Briosco, near Milan. It may be of Lombardic origin.
Bristol EnglishFrom the name of a city in England meaning "the site of the bridge".
Bristow EnglishFrom the name of the city of Bristol, originally
Brycgstow in Old English, meaning "the site of the bridge".
Brivio ItalianFrom the name of the town of Brivio in Lombardy. Supposed it derives from a Celtic word meaning "bridge".
Brodie ScottishOriginally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It is probably from Gaelic
broth meaning "ditch, mire".
Brook EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a brook, a word derived from Old English
broc.
Brownlow EnglishFrom Old English
brun meaning "brown" and
hlaw meaning "mound, small hill". The name was probably given to a family living on a small hill covered with bracken.
Bruce ScottishPossibly from the name of the town of Brix in Normandy, which is of unknown meaning. It was brought to Scotland in the 12th century by the Anglo-Norman baron Robert de Brus. It was later borne by his descendant Robert the Bruce, a hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland.
Buchanan ScottishFrom the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.
Buchholz GermanFrom Middle High German
buoche "beech" and
holz "wood".
Budai HungarianOriginally indicated a person from the Hungarian city of
Buda (one of the two cities that were joined to make Budapest in 1873).
Budny PolishPossibly from Polish
buda meaning
"hut, cabin".
Büki HungarianDerived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).
Bukowski PolishOriginally denoted someone who came from a place called
Bukowo or
Bukowiec, which derive from Polish
buk "beech".
Bulgari ItalianOriginally denoted a person who came from Bulgaria, which is named after the Turkic tribe of the Bulgars, itself possibly from a Turkic root meaning "mixed".
Bunschoten DutchOriginally indicated a person from the Dutch town of Bunschoten, which might mean "raised, enclosed land".
Burgess EnglishFrom Middle English and Old French
burgeis meaning
"city-dweller", ultimately from Frankish
burg "fortress".
Burgstaller GermanFrom German
Burg "fortress, castle" and
Stelle "place, position". This was a name given to a person dwelling at or near such a site.
Burke English, IrishDerived from Middle English
burgh meaning
"fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.
Burnham EnglishFrom the name of various towns in England, typically derived from Old English
burna "stream, spring" and
ham "home, settlement".
Burns 1 English, ScottishDerived from Old English
burna "stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).
Burton EnglishFrom a common English place name, derived from Old English meaning "fortified town".
Busch GermanMeans
"bush" in German, a name for someone who lived close to a thicket.
Bush EnglishOriginally a name for a person who lived near a prominent bush or thicket.
Busto Spanish, ItalianFrom the name of towns in Spain and Italy, derived from Late Latin
bustum meaning "ox pasture".
Cabral PortugueseFrom places named from Late Latin
capralis meaning
"place of goats", derived from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
Cabrera SpanishFrom various place names derived from Late Latin
capraria meaning
"place of goats", from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
Cai ChineseFrom Chinese
蔡 (cài) referring to the ancient state of Cai that existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Caiazzo ItalianFrom the name of a city near Naples, originally
Caiatia in Latin, a derivative of the given name
Caius.
Caivano ItalianFrom the name of the town of Caivano near Naples, derived from Latin
Calvianum, derived from the Roman cognomen
Calvus.
Calabrese ItalianOriginally given to a person who came from the region of Calabria in southern Italy.
Caldwell EnglishFrom various English place names derived from Old English
ceald "cold" and
wille "spring, stream, well".
Cantrell EnglishOriginally a name for someone from Cantrell in Devon, from an unknown first element and Old English
hyll meaning "hill".
Cantù ItalianFrom Cantù, an Italian town located in Lombardy, itself of uncertain origin.
Cao ChineseFrom Chinese
曹 (cáo) referring to the ancient state of Cao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
Cárdenas SpanishFrom the name of towns in the Spanish provinces of Almería and La Rioja. They are derived from Spanish
cárdeno "blue, purple".
Cardona CatalanFrom the name of a town in Catalonia, of uncertain meaning.
Carideo ItalianOriginally denoted someone from San Pietro di Caridà, a town in Calabria. The town's name may be derived from Greek
χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness".
Carlisle EnglishFrom the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans
Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of
Lugus". Later the Brythonic element
ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.
Carmona SpanishFrom the name of the city of Carmona in Andalusia, Spain. It is possibly derived from Phoenician
𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤌𐤍 (Qart Ḥamun) meaning "city of Hammon" (the name of a Carthaginian god, see
Ba'al Hammon).
Carrara ItalianFrom the name of a city in Tuscany famous for its marble quarries. It is probably derived from Late Latin
quadreria meaning "quarry".
Carrasco SpanishTopographic name derived from Spanish
carrasca meaning
"holm oak" (species Quercus ilex).
Carson ScottishMeaning uncertain, possibly from the town of Courson in Normandy.
Carvalho PortugueseMeans
"oak" in Portuguese, perhaps originally referring to a person who lived near such a tree.
Casal SpanishFrom the Spanish word
casal meaning
"house", ultimately from Late Late
casalis and Latin
casa.
Cason EnglishFrom the English place name
Cawston, derived from the Old Norse given name
Kálfr combined with Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Cassano ItalianIndicated a person from any of the various towns named Cassano in Italy.
Castilla SpanishOriginally indicated a person from Castile, a region (and medieval kingdom) in Spain. The name of the region is derived from Late Latin
castellum meaning "castle".
Castle EnglishFrom Middle English
castel meaning
"castle", from Late Latin
castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.
Castro Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"castle" in Spanish and Portuguese, referring to one who lived near a castle. A famous bearer was Fidel Castro (1926-2016), revolutionary and president of Cuba.
Catalán SpanishOriginally indicated a person who came from Catalonia, a region of eastern Spain.
Caulfield EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"cold field", from Old English
ceald "cold" and
feld "pasture, field".
Causey EnglishIndicated a person who lived near a causeway, from Old French
caucie.
Čech CzechMeans
"Czech". The name was used to differentiate a native of Bohemia from the natives of Silesia, Moravia and other regions that are now part of the Czech Republic.
Chadwick EnglishFrom the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to
Chad" in Old English.
Chastain FrenchFrom Old French
castan "chestnut tree" (Latin
castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair.
Chaves Portuguese, SpanishFrom the name of a Portuguese city, derived from the Roman name
Flavius (being named for the emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius).
Chávez SpanishVariant of
Chaves. A famous bearer was the labour leader César Chávez (1927-1993).
Chen ChineseFrom Chinese
陈 (chén) meaning
"exhibit, display, old, ancient" and also referring to the former state of Chen, which existed in what is now Henan province from the 11th to 5th centuries BC.
Cheng 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
程 (chéng) meaning
"rule, order, regulations", also referring to the territory of Cheng (in present-day Henan province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Cheshire EnglishOriginally indicated a person from the county of Cheshire in England. Cheshire is named for its city
Chester.
Chester EnglishFrom the name of a city in England, derived from Latin
castrum "camp, fortress".
Church EnglishFrom the English word, derived from Old English
cirice, ultimately from Greek
κυριακόν (kyriakon) meaning "(house) of the lord". It probably referred to a person who lived close to a church.
Cingolani ItalianFrom Cingoli, a town in the Marche region of Italy. It is derived from Latin
cingo "surround, ring".
Cisternino ItalianFrom the name of the town of Cisternino, near the city of Bari in southern Italy.
Clay EnglishMeans simply
"clay", originally referring to a person who lived near or worked with of clay.
Clayton EnglishFrom the name of various places meaning "clay settlement" in Old English.
Clifford EnglishDerived from various place names that meant "ford by a cliff" in Old English.
Clifton EnglishDerived from various place names meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English.
Clinton EnglishDerived from the English place name
Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or
Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". This surname is borne by former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).
Close EnglishFrom Middle English
clos meaning
"enclosure", a topographic name for someone who lived near a courtyard or farmyard.
Cochrane ScottishFrom the name of a place in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Its origin is uncertain.
Cockburn Scottish, EnglishOriginally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English
cocc "rooster" and
burna "stream".
Colby EnglishFrom various English place names, which were derived from the Old Norse nickname
Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and
býr "town".
Collingwood EnglishFrom a place name, itself derived from Old French
chalenge meaning "disputed" and Middle English
wode meaning "woods".
Colombera ItalianFrom a derivative of Italian
colomba "dove" indicating a house where doves were held.
Colquhoun ScottishFrom a place name meaning
"narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.
Como 2 ItalianFrom the name of the city of Como in Lombardy, the rival city of Milan during the Middle Ages. Its name may come from a Celtic root meaning "valley".
Comstock EnglishPossibly from the name of the River Culm in Devon, England. This name is seen in the Domesday book as Culmstoke or Colmstoke.
Comtois FrenchIndicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".
Contreras SpanishFrom the name of a town in Burgos, Spain, derived from Late Latin
contraria meaning "area opposite".
Coombs EnglishFrom Old English
cumb meaning
"valley", the name of several places in England.
Copperfield LiteratureCreated from the English words
copper and
field by the author Charles Dickens, who used it for the title character in his novel
David Copperfield (1850).
Corleone Sicilian, LiteratureFrom the name of the town of Corleone in Sicily, which is of uncertain meaning. This surname is well known from the novel
The Godfather (1969) by Mario Puzo, as well as the films based on his characters. The story tells how Vito Andolini comes to America from Sicily, receiving the new surname
Corleone at Ellis Island, and starts a criminal empire based in New York.
Corna ItalianDerived from the names of places in northern Italy, especially Lombardy, from a word that means
"crag, cliff" in the Lombard dialect.
Costa Portuguese, Italian, CatalanMeans
"riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".
Courtenay 1 EnglishFrom the name of towns in France that were originally derivatives of the Gallo-Roman personal name
Curtenus, itself derived from Latin
curtus "short".
Coutts ScottishFrom the name of the town of Cults in Aberdeenshire, derived from a Gaelic word meaning "woods".
Cowden EnglishFrom various English place names, which meaning either "coal valley", "coal hill" or "cow pasture" in Old English.
Craig ScottishDerived from Gaelic
creag meaning
"crag, rocks, outcrop", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.
Crawford EnglishFrom a place name derived from Old English
crawa "crow" and
ford "river crossing".
Cremaschi ItalianFrom the name of the city of Crema in Lombardy, northern Italy.
Cremona ItalianFrom the Italian city of Cremona, south of Milan, in Lombardy.
Crewe EnglishOriginally denoted someone from Crewe in Cheshire, which is from Welsh
criu "weir, dam, fish trap".
Croft EnglishFrom Old English
croft meaning
"enclosed field".
Cross EnglishLocative name meaning
"cross", ultimately from Latin
crux. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.
Cruyssen DutchFrom the name of a place in the Netherlands, derived from
kruis "cross".
Cuéllar SpanishDerived from the name of the town of Cuéllar in the Segovia province of Spain. It may be derived from Latin
collis meaning "hill".
Cullen 1 EnglishFrom the name of the German city of
Cologne, which was derived from Latin
colonia "colony".
Cunha PortugueseFrom any of the numerous places in Portugal called Cunha, possibly from Portuguese
cunha meaning "wedge".
Cunningham 1 ScottishFrom the name of place in the Ayrshire district of Scotland. It possibly comes from Gaelic
cuinneag meaning "milk pail".
Czajkowski PolishOriginally indicated a person from any of the Polish towns named Czajków, all derived from Polish
czajka meaning "lapwing (bird)".
Daalmans DutchOriginally indicated a person who lived in a valley, from Dutch
dal meaning "dale, valley" and
man meaning "man".
Dahl Norwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom Old Norse
dalr meaning
"valley". A famous of this surname was author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) who is mostly remembered for children's stories such as
Matilda and
Henry Sugar.
Dahlman SwedishFrom Swedish
dal (Old Norse
dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and
man (Old Norse
maðr) meaning "person, man".
Dale EnglishFrom Old English
dæl meaning
"valley", originally indicating a person who lived there.
Dalgaard DanishFrom Old Norse
dalr meaning "valley" and
garðr meaning "yard, farmstead".
Dallas 2 ScottishFrom the name of a place in Moray, Scotland possibly meaning
"meadow dwelling" in Gaelic.
Dalton EnglishDerived from a place name meaning "valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was the English chemist and physicist John Dalton (1766-1844).
Dam Dutch, DanishMeans
"dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".
Dane 2 EnglishOriginally denoted a Dane, that is a person from Denmark.
D'Aramitz FrenchOriginally denoted one who came from Aramits, the name of a town in the French Pyrenees that is possibly derived from Basque
haran meaning "valley".
Darby EnglishFrom the name of the town
Derby meaning "deer farm" in Old Norse.
Darcy EnglishFrom Norman French
d'Arcy, originally denoting someone who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. A notable fictional bearer is Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen's novel
Pride and Prejudice (1813).
Darnell 2 EnglishFrom the name of a town near Sheffield, derived from Old English
derne "hidden" and
halh "nook".
Darrell EnglishOriginally denoted one who came from the town of Airel in Normandy, derived from Late Latin
arealis meaning "open space".
Darrow ScottishHabitational name from Darroch near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, said to be named from Gaelic
darach meaning "oak tree".
Daubney EnglishFrom any of the various towns in France called Aubigny, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name
Albinus.
Debenham EnglishOriginally denoted a person from the town of Debenham in Suffolk, derived from the name of the River Deben (meaning "deep" in Old English) combined with
ham meaning "home, settlement".
De Campo ItalianLocative surname derived from place names called Campo (meaning "field").
Deighton EnglishFrom English towns by this name, from Old English
dic "ditch" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Delaney 1 EnglishDerived from Norman French
de l'aunaie meaning
"from the alder grove".
Deng ChineseFrom Chinese
邓 (dèng) referring to the ancient state of Deng, which existed during the Shang and Zhou dynasties in what is now either Henan or Hubei province.
Denman EnglishFrom Middle English
dene "valley" combined with
man.
Denzil EnglishFrom the place name
Denzell, a manor in Cornwall, which is of unknown meaning.
Desmond IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Deasmhumhnaigh meaning "descendant of the man from South Munster", originally indicating a person who came from the region of South Munster (Desmond) in Ireland.
Desrosiers FrenchMeans
"from the rose bushes", from French
rosier "rose bush". It probably referred to a person who lived close to, or cared for a rose garden.
Devereux EnglishIndicated a person from Evreux in France, itself named after the Gaulish tribe of the Eburovices, which was probably derived from a Celtic word meaning "yew".
De Vries DutchMeans
"the Frisian" in Dutch, referring to a person from Friesland.
Dibra AlbanianFrom the Albanian name for the city of Debar in Macedonia, originally given to someone who came from there.
Di Caprio ItalianFrom the name of the island of Capri near Naples, itself possibly derived from Latin
capra meaning "goat" or Greek
κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar".
Dickman EnglishFrom Old English
dic "ditch" combined with
man "person, man". It was originally a name for a ditch digger or someone who lived near a ditch.
Disney EnglishMeans
"from Isigny", referring to the town of Isigny in Normandy. This surname was borne by the American animator and filmmaker Walt Disney (1901-1966).
Dorsey EnglishMeans
"from Orsay", referring to the town of Orsay near Paris, its name deriving from the Latin personal name
Orcius.
Doubek CzechMeans
"small oak" in Czech, derived from
dub "oak".
Douglas ScottishFrom the name of a town in Lanarkshire, itself named after a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water, derived from Gaelic
dubh "dark" and
glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to
glas "grey, green"). This was a Scottish Lowland clan, the leaders of which were powerful earls in the medieval period.
Downer EnglishName for someone who lived on or near a down, which is an English word meaning
"hill".
Dresdner GermanOriginally indicated a person who came from the city of Dresden in German.
Drummond ScottishFrom various Scottish place names that are derived from Gaelic
drumainn, a derivative of
druim meaning
"ridge".
Dubanowski PolishOriginally indicated a person from the town of Dubinowo (now Dubino in Belarus).
Dubicki PolishOriginally indicated a person from the town of Dubica in Poland.
Dubois FrenchMeans
"from the forest", from French
bois "forest".
Dudley EnglishFrom a place name meaning "
Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.
Dufort FrenchMeans
"from the fort", from French
fort "stronghold".
Dumas FrenchMeans
"from the farm", from Occitan
mas "farmhouse", from Latin
mansus "dwelling". A famous bearer was the French author Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870).
Dumont FrenchMeans
"from the mountain", from French
mont "mountain".
Dunajski PolishDerived from
Dunaj, the Polish name for the river Danube.
Dunbar ScottishFrom the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland, derived from Gaelic
dùn meaning "fort" and
barr meaning "summit", so called from its situation on a rock that projects into the sea.
Dupont FrenchMeans
"from the bridge", from French
pont "bridge".
Dupuis FrenchMeans
"from the well", from Old French
puts, Latin
puteus "well".
Dupuy FrenchMeans
"from the hill", from Occitan
puy "hill", from Latin
podium "platform".
Dwerryhouse EnglishIndicated a person who worked or lived at a dyehouse, which is a place where dyeing was done.
Dykstra FrisianFrom Frisian
dyk meaning
"dike, ditch". The name was given to a person living near a dyke or embankment.
Easton EnglishFrom the name of various places meaning "east town" in Old English.
Eaton EnglishFrom any of the various English towns with this name, derived from Old English
ea "river" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Ebner 1 GermanOriginally indicated a dweller on a flat piece of land, derived from Middle High German
ebene "plateau".
Eccleston EnglishDenoted a person from any of the various places named Eccleston in England, derived from Latin
ecclesia "church" (via Briton) and Old English
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Echeverría SpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Etxeberria, which itself is derived from Basque
etxe "house" and
berri "new".
Egawa JapaneseFrom Japanese
江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet" and
川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
Eichel GermanMeans
"acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.
Eikenboom DutchMeans
"oak tree", from Dutch
eik "oak" and
boom "tree".
Elizondo SpanishOriginally referred to a person who lived close to a church, from Basque
eleiza "church" and
ondo "near".