Surnames Categorized "leadership"

This is a list of surnames in which the categories include leadership.
usage
Abioye Western African, Yoruba
From the given name Abioye.
Baas Dutch
Means "boss, overseer" in Dutch.
Baasch Low German
From Middle Low German bas meaning "boss".
Bachmeier German
Originally referred to a farmer whose farm was beside a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and meier "steward, tenant farmer".
Barone Italian
From the title barone "baron", derived via Latin from Frankish baro "man, warrior, servant".
Bašić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the chief", derived from Serbo-Croatian baša meaning "chief, boss" (of Turkish origin).
Begum Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
From a title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in India and other parts of southern Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the Turkic title beg meaning "chieftain" (modern Turkish bey).
Bhattacharya Bengali
From a Bengali title composed of the Sanskrit words भट्ट (bhatta) meaning "scholar, lord" and आचार्य (acharya) meaning "teacher".
Bishop English
Means simply "bishop", ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer". It probably originally referred to a person who served a bishop.
Caito Italian
Occupational name from Sicilian càjitu meaning "official, leader", ultimately from Arabic قاضي (qadi) meaning "judge".
Callan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cathaláin meaning "descendant of Cathalán".
Capitani Italian
Occupational name meaning "captain" in Italian, ultimately from Latin caput "head".
Cheng 1 Chinese
From Chinese (chéng) meaning "rule, order, regulations", also referring to the territory of Cheng (in present-day Henan province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Connell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Conaill meaning "descendant of Conall".
Constable English
From Old French conestable, ultimately from Latin comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".
Conti Italian
From the Italian noble title conte meaning "count", derived from Latin comes. It denoted a person who worked for a count or, in rare cases, was a count.
Cunningham 2 Irish
From Irish Ó Cuinneagáin meaning "descendant of Cuinneagán", a diminutive of Conn.
Dean 2 English
Occupational surname meaning "dean", referring to a person who either was a dean or worked for one. It is from Middle English deen (ultimately from Latin decanus meaning "chief of ten").
Dong Chinese
From Chinese (dǒng) meaning "direct, supervise".
Duke English
From the noble title, which was originally from Latin dux "leader". It was a nickname for a person who behaved like a duke, or who worked in a duke's household.
Earl English
From the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English eorl meaning "nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.
Fallon Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fallamháin meaning "descendant of Fallamhán", a given name meaning "leader".
Faraldo Italian
From a given name, ultimately the Germanic name Faroald.
Fattore Italian
Means "land agent, bailiff, steward, farmer" in Italian.
Fitzroy English
Means "son of the king" in Anglo-Norman French, from French roi meaning "king". This name has been bestowed upon illegitimate children of kings.
Fürst German
From a nickname meaning "(sovereign) prince" in German. The word fürst itself is derived from Old High German furisto "first".
Graf German
From the German noble title Graf meaning "count", ultimately from Greek γραφεύς (grapheus) meaning "scribe".
Graves English
Occupational name for a steward, derived from Middle English greyve, related to the German title Graf.
Grayson English
Means "son of the steward", derived from Middle English greyve "steward".
Grieve Scottish
Occupational name meaning "steward, farm manager" in Middle English, related to the German title Graf.
Haupt German
German cognate of Head.
Head English
From Middle English hed meaning "head", from Old English heafod. It may have referred to a person who had a peculiar head, who lived near the head of a river or valley, or who served as the village headman.
Heeren Dutch
From Dutch heer "lord, master", a nickname for a person who acted like a lord or who worked for a lord.
Herzog German
From a German title meaning "duke", a nickname for a person who either acted like a duke or worked in a duke's household.
Hidalgo Spanish
Means "nobleman" in Spanish. The Spanish word is a contraction of the phrase hijo de algo meaning "son of something". This surname was typically in origin a nickname or an occupational name for one who worked in a noble's household.
Hodžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hodža meaning "master, teacher, imam", a word of Persian origin.
Hofmeister German
Means "master of the household", from Old High German hof "yard, court, house" and meistar "master" (from Latin magister).
Hoxha Albanian
From the Persian title خواجه (khvajeh) meaning "lord".
Hrabě Czech
Means "count" in Czech, perhaps used to denote someone who worked for a count or acted like a count.
Jonker Dutch
From the Dutch title jonkheer meaning "young lord". It was originally a medieval noble designation (not an actual title) for a young nobleman.
Kaiser German
From Middle High German keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name Caesar.
Kasun Croatian
Possibly derived from the old Slavic word kazati meaning "to order, to command".
Khan Urdu, Pashto, Bengali
From a title meaning "king, ruler", probably of Mongolian origin but used in many languages.
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).
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".
Király Hungarian
Means "king" in Hungarian, of Slavic origin (a cognate of Król).
Knežević Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of Serbo-Croatian knez meaning "prince" (ultimately of Germanic origin).
Königsmann German
Means "king's man", or someone who played a king in a play.
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.
Kynaston English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "Cynefrith's town" in Old English.
Laird Scottish
Means "landowner" in Scots, derived from northern Middle English laverd "lord", from Old English hlafweard.
Ławniczak Polish
From Polish ławnik meaning "alderman".
Lemaire French
Means "the mayor" in French. It was a title given to a town official, or else a nickname for someone who was pompous and officious.
Longstaff English
Occupational name for an official who was equipped with a ceremonial staff, or a nickname for a tall person.
Mac Eachairn Scottish Gaelic
Means "son of Eacharn", where the given name Eacharn is from the Old Irish name Echthigern.
Maestri Italian
Means "master" in Italian.
Marshall English
Derived from Middle English mareschal "marshal", from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German marah "horse" and scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.
Masterson English
Patronymic derived from Middle English maister meaning "master", via Old French from Latin magister.
Mayer 3 English
Occupational name for a mayor, from Middle English mair, derived via Old French from Latin maior.
McCrory Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Ruaidhrí meaning "son of Ruaidhrí".
Meyer 1 German
From Middle High German meier meaning "bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings Meier and Meyer are more common in northern Germany while Maier and Mayer are more common in southern Germany.
Murray 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Muireadhaigh meaning "descendant of Muireadhach".
Ó hEachthighearna Irish
Means "descendant of Echthigern" in Irish.
Ó Maolmhuaidh Irish
Means "descendant of Maolmhuadh", Maolmhuadh being a given name meaning "proud chief", derived from Gaelic maol meaning "chief" and muadh meaning "proud, noble".
Ó Muireadhaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Murray 2.
Pajari Finnish
Means "boyar", the Finnish form of the Russian noble title боярин (boyarin).
Palladino Italian
From Italian paladino meaning "knight, defender", from Late Latin palatinus meaning "palace officer".
Patil Indian, Marathi
Means "village chief" in Marathi.
Penn 1 English
Derived from various place names that were named using the Brythonic word penn meaning "hilltop, head".
Pretorius Southern African, Afrikaans
From Latin praetor meaning "leader". This name was adopted in the 17th century by Wesselius Praetorius as a Latin translation of his previous surname Schulte. It is now common in South Africa.
Prinsen Dutch
Means "son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.
Prinz German, Jewish
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.
Pulkrábek Czech
Derived from the medieval status name purkrabí meaning "burgrave". It is derived from German Burggraf meaning "castle count".
Queen English
From a given name that was derived from Old English cwen meaning "queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.
Rais Italian
Occupational name for the fisherman in charge of the boat, from Italian rais "captain", of Arabic origin. It is typical of Sicily and Sardinia.
Rao 1 Indian, Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit राज (raja) meaning "king".
Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.
Schipper Dutch
Occupational name meaning "skipper, ship captain" in Dutch.
Schultheiß German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German schultheiße meaning "mayor, judge".
Sergeant English, French
Occupational name derived from Old French sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin servire "to serve".
Shah Persian, Urdu
Derived from Persian شاه (shah) meaning "king".
Shehu Albanian
From the Arabic title شيخ (shaykh) meaning "sheik".
Spellmeyer German
Possibly from German spielen meaning "to play, to jest" combined with meyer meaning "village headman". Perhaps it referred to someone who was played or acted as the village headman.
Starosta Polish
Means "mayor, leader, elder" in Polish.
Stewart Scottish
Occupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard". The Stewart family (sometimes spelled Stuart) held the Scottish crown for several centuries. One of the most famous members of the Stewart family was Mary, Queen of Scots.
Sultan Arabic
From a nickname meaning "sultan, ruler" in Arabic.
Sultana Bengali, Urdu, Maltese
Bengali, Urdu and Maltese form of Sultan.
Sumner English
Occupational name for a summoner, an official who was responsible for ensuring the appearance of witnesses in court, from Middle English sumner, ultimately from Latin submonere "to advise".
Vámos Hungarian
Means "customs officer" in Hungarian, a derivative of vám "customs".
Vicario Spanish, Italian
Means "vicar" in Spanish and Italian, an ecclesiastic title used to denote a representative of a bishop. It is derived from Latin vicarius meaning "substitute, deputy".
Vogt German
Occupational name from Middle High German voget meaning "bailiff, administrator, steward", ultimately from Latin advocatus.
Wang 1 Chinese
From Chinese (wáng) meaning "king, monarch". This is the most common surname in China (and the world).
Wibowo Indonesian
From Indonesian wibawa meaning "authority, power", ultimately from Sanskrit विभव (vibhava).
Wójcik Polish
From the Polish word wójt meaning "chief, mayor" (related to German Vogt).
Zupan Slovene
From Slavic župan meaning "head of the district, community leader".