Browse Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the description contains the keywords tree or wood or forest.
usage
keyword
Akamatsu Japanese
From Japanese (aka) meaning "red" and (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree".
Albero Italian
From Italian albero meaning "tree", ultimately from Latin arbor, referring to someone who lived in the woods or worked as a woodcutter.
Aoki Japanese
From Japanese (ao) meaning "green, blue" and (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Apeldoorn Dutch
From the name of a city in the Netherlands, meaning "apple tree" in Dutch.
Arbore Italian
From Latin arbor meaning "tree".
Arce Spanish
Means "maple tree" in Spanish.
Ardelean Romanian
From the Romanian region of Ardeal, also called Transylvania. It is possibly derived from Hungarian erdő meaning "forest".
Aritza Spanish, Basque
From Basque aritz meaning "oak tree". This was a nickname of Iñigo, the first king of Pamplona, Spain (9th century).
Ash English
From Old English æsc meaning "ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.
Ashley English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and leah "woodland, clearing".
Ashton English
Denoted a person from one of the towns in England that bear this name, itself derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Asselman Dutch
Denoted a person from Assel, Asselt or Hasselt, the name of communities in the Netherlands and Belgium. They derive from Old Dutch ask "ash tree" and loh "woods on sandy soil", or hasal "hazel tree".
Assenberg Dutch
From Dutch es meaning "ash tree" (plural essen) and berg meaning "mountain".
Assendorp Dutch
From the name of a place called Assendorp, composed of Dutch essen and dorp, meaning "ash tree village".
Atwood English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the wood".
Averesch Dutch
From a place name, possibly from a dialectal variation of Dutch over meaning "over" combined with esch meaning "ash tree".
Basurto Spanish
From the Basque place name Basurtu, a village (now part of Bilbao) in Biscay. It means "middle of the forest".
Baum German, Jewish
Means "tree" in German.
Baumbach German
From a place name meaning "tree stream" in German.
Baumgartner German
Occupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German Baumgarten "orchard" (derived from Baum "tree" and Garten "garden").
Baumhauer German
Occupational name meaning "woodcutter", derived from German Baum "tree" and hauen "to chop".
Beech 2 English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a beech tree, from Old English bece.
Bērziņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian bērzs meaning "birch tree".
Bezuidenhout Dutch
From Dutch zuid "south" and hout "forest". It refers to the south of the forest in The Hague.
Björk Swedish
From Swedish björk meaning "birch tree", Old Norse bjǫrk.
Björklund Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".
Björkman Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".
Blackwood English, Scottish
From an English place name meaning "black wood".
Bosch 1 Dutch, Low German
Derived from Middle Dutch bosch meaning "wood, forest".
Bosco Italian
Means "forest" in Italian.
Boyce English
From Old French bois meaning "wood", originally given to someone who lived by or in a wood.
Brisbois French
Referred to a person who cleared land, from Old French briser "to cut" and bois "forest".
Buchholz German
From Middle High German buoche "beech" and holz "wood".
Büki Hungarian
Derived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).
Carvalho Portuguese
Means "oak" in Portuguese, perhaps originally referring to a person who lived near such a tree.
Chastain French
From 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.
Colquhoun Scottish
From a place name meaning "narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.
Darrow Scottish
Habitational name from Darroch near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, said to be named from Gaelic darach meaning "oak tree".
Deforest French
Means "from the forest" in French.
Del Bosque Spanish
Means "of the forest" in Spanish.
De Palma Italian
Means "from the palm tree" in Italian.
Dreher German
Means "turner" from Middle High German drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.
Dressler German
Means "turner" from Middle High German dreseler, an agent derivative of drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.
Du Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "stop, prevent" or "birchleaf pear tree".
Dubois French
Means "from the forest", from French bois "forest".
Eglītis m Latvian
Derived from Latvian egle meaning "spruce tree".
Eichel German
Means "acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.
Eikenboom Dutch
Means "oak tree", from Dutch eik "oak" and boom "tree".
Elzinga Dutch
Probably from a place name that was a derivative of Dutch els meaning "alder tree".
Erdős Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "forester", derived from Hungarian erdő "forest".
Fay 1 French, English
Referred to a person who came from various places named Fay or Faye in northern France, derived from Old French fau "beech tree", from Latin fagus.
Feigenbaum German, Jewish
Means "fig tree" in German.
Feld German, Jewish
Means "field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.
Figueroa Spanish
From places named for Galician figueira meaning "fig tree".
Forest English, French
Originally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French forest, from Latin forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".
Forester English
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see Forest).
Forestier French
French cognate of Forester.
Forst German
Derived from Old High German forst "forest". Probably unrelated to the Old French word forest, which was derived from Latin, Old High German forst was derived from foraha meaning "fir tree".
Förstner German
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest (see Forst).
Fujimori Japanese
From Japanese (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and (mori) meaning "forest".
Grabowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Grabów, Grabowa or Grabowo, all derived from Polish grab meaning "hornbeam tree".
Greenwood English
Topographic name for someone who lived in or near a lush forest, from Old English grene "green" and wudu "wood".
Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.
Grünewald German
Means "green forest" from German grün "green" and Wald "forest".
Gwózdek Polish
Derived from either archaic Polish gwozd meaning "forest" or gwóźdź meaning "nail".
Hayashi Japanese
From Japanese (hayashi) meaning "forest".
Hayward English
Occupational name for a person who protected an enclosed forest, from Old English hæg "enclosure, fence" and weard "guard".
Haywood English
From various place names meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.
Hiramatsu Japanese
From Japanese (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree".
Holme English, Scottish
Referred either to someone living by a small island (northern Middle English holm, from Old Norse holmr) or near a holly tree (Middle English holm, from Old English holegn).
Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".
Holzknecht German
Occupational name for a forester's helper, from Old High German holz "wood" and kneht "servant, apprentice".
Holzmann German
Derived from Old High German holz "wood" and man "man", a name for someone who lived close to a wood or worked with wood.
Homewood English
From various place names derived from Old English ham meaning "home" and wudu meaning "wood".
Houtkooper Dutch
Means "buyer of wood" in Dutch.
Im Korean
From Sino-Korean (im) meaning "forest", making it the Korean form of Lin, or (im) of uncertain meaning, making it the Korean form of Ren.
Jabłoński m Polish
Originally denoted someone who lived by an apple tree, from Polish jabłoń meaning "apple tree".
Jaworski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various places named Jawory or Jaworze, derived from Polish jawor meaning "maple tree".
Jedlička m Czech
Derived from Czech jedle meaning "fir tree", given to a person who lived near a prominent one.
Joiner English
Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).
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.
Kiefer 1 German
Means "pine tree" in German.
Kimura Japanese
From Japanese (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and (mura) meaning "town, village".
Kobayashi Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" and (hayashi) meaning "forest".
Kuroki Japanese
From Japanese (kuro) meaning "black" and (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Kusumoto Japanese
From Japanese (kusu) meaning "camphor tree" and (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Lehtonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish lehto meaning "grove, small forest".
Li 1 Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "plum, plum tree". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Tang dynasty.
Liepa Latvian
Means "linden tree" in Latvian.
Liepiņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian liepa meaning "linden tree".
Lin Chinese
From Chinese (lín) meaning "forest".
Lind Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Derived from Old Norse lind meaning "linden tree".
Lindbeck Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and bäck (Old Norse bekkr) meaning "stream".
Lindberg Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and berg meaning "mountain".
Linden German, Dutch
Indicated a person who lived near a linden tree, derived from Old High German linta or Old Dutch linda.
Lindgren Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch". A famous bearer of this name was Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002).
Lindholm Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island".
Lindqvist Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".
Lindström Swedish
Derived from Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Linton English
Originally from place names meaning either "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English.
Linwood English
Originally from place names meaning "linden tree forest" in Old English.
Lockwood English
From an English place name meaning "enclosed wood".
Lyndon English
Originally from a place name meaning "linden tree hill" in Old English.
Madeira Portuguese
Occupational name for a carpenter, from Portuguese madeira "wood".
Maki 2 Japanese
From Japanese (ma) meaning "real, genuine" and (ki) meaning "tree".
Mandel German, Yiddish
Means "almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Mandelbaum Jewish
Means "almond tree" in German.
Marley English
Originally denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in Britain called Marley, ultimately meaning either "pleasant wood", "boundary wood" or "marten wood" in Old English. One of the main characters in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843) bears this surname. It was also borne by the Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Matsubara Japanese
From Japanese (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and (hara) meaning "field, plain".
Matsuda Japanese
From Japanese (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Matsumoto Japanese
From one of the many places with this name in Japan, derived from Japanese (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Matsumura Japanese
From Japanese (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and (mura) meaning "town, village".
Matsuoka Japanese
From Japanese (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
Matsushita Japanese
From Japanese (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and (shita) meaning "under, below".
Midgley English
From the English village of Midgley in West Yorkshire, meaning "midge (insect) wood" in Old English.
Morales Spanish
Derived from Spanish moral meaning "mulberry tree", of Latin origin.
Moreira Portuguese
Derived from Portuguese amoreira meaning "mulberry tree".
Mori Japanese
From Japanese (mori) meaning "forest".
Morikawa Japanese
From Japanese (mori) meaning "forest" and (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
Morimoto Japanese
From Japanese (mori) meaning "forest" and (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Morishita Japanese
From Japanese (mori) meaning "forest" and (shita) meaning "under, below".
Morita Japanese
From Japanese (mori) meaning "forest" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Moriyama Japanese
From Japanese (mori) meaning "forest" and (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".
Nakabayashi Japanese
From Japanese (naka) meaning "middle" and (hayashi) meaning "forest".
Nash English
Derived from the Middle English phrase atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).
Nespoli Italian
From the name of towns such as Nespoli and Nespoledo, derived from Italian nespola meaning "medlar (tree)".
Nogueira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician nogueira meaning "walnut tree", from the Late Latin nucarius, ultimately from Latin nux meaning "nut".
Norwood English
Originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.
Nussbaum German, Jewish
Means "nut tree", derived from the German Nuss "nut" and Baum "tree".
Oleastro Spanish
Means "wild olive" in Spanish, originally indicating one who lived near such a tree.
Oliveira Portuguese
Means "olive tree" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin oliva. It indicated a person who lived near or worked with olive trees.
Olmo Spanish
Means "elm tree" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin ulmus. The name originally indicated a person who lived near such a tree.
Olszewski m Polish
Originally denoted someone who lived near an alder tree, from Polish olsza meaning "alder tree".
Ozoliņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian ozols meaning "oak tree".
Ozols m Latvian
Means "oak tree" in Latvian.
Palmer English
Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
Pärn Estonian
Means "linden tree" in Estonian.
Peerenboom Dutch
From Dutch meaning "pear tree", referring to someone who lived or worked at a pear orchard.
Penzig Yiddish
Denoted a person who came from Penzig, the German name for Pieńsk, a town in southwest Poland. It is derived from Polish pień meaning "stump, tree trunk".
Pereira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".
Perry 1 English
From Old English pirige meaning "pear tree", a derivative of peru meaning "pear", itself from Latin pirum. A famous bearer was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.
Pinheiro Portuguese
Means "pine tree" in Portuguese.
Pini Italian
Name for a person who lived near a pine tree, from Italian pino, Latin pinus.
Poirier French
Means "pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.
Poirot French, Literature
From a diminutive of French poire "pear", originally referring to a pear merchant or someone who lived near a pear tree. Starting in 1920 this name was used by the mystery writer Agatha Christie for her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Christie based the name on that of Jules Poiret, a contemporary fictional detective.
Priede Latvian
Means "pine tree" in Latvian.
Robledo Spanish
Means "oak wood" from Spanish roble "oak", ultimately from Latin robur.
Robles Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived near an oak tree or forest, from Spanish roble "oak", from Latin robur.
Roscoe English
From the name of a town in Lancashire, derived from Old Norse "roebuck" and skógr "wood, forest".
Rowntree English
Originally given to a person who lived near a rowan tree or mountain ash.
Salcedo Spanish
Derived from Latin salix meaning "willow tree". The name was originally given to one who lived near a willow tree.
Saller 2 German
Denoted a person who lived by a prominent sallow tree, from Middle High German salhe "sallow tree".
Salo Finnish
Means "forest" in Finnish.
Salonen Finnish
From Finnish salo meaning "forest".
Sandoval Spanish
Derived from the name of a town in Spain, ultimately from Latin saltus "forest, glade" and novalis "unploughed land".
Sasaki Japanese
From Japanese (sa) meaning "help, aid" (repeated, indicated by the iteration mark ) and (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Sawyer English
Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
Schoorl Dutch
Originally indicated a person from the town of Schoorl in the province of Noord-Holland in the Netherlands. It means "forest by the shore" in Dutch.
Siliņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian sils meaning "pine forest".
Silva Portuguese, Spanish
From Spanish or Portuguese silva meaning "forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.
Silveira Portuguese
Means "forests" in Portuguese.
Skov Danish
Topographic name meaning "forest, wood" in Danish, from Old Norse skógr.
Skovgaard Danish
From a place name, derived from Danish skov "forest, wood" and gård "farm, yard".
Somogyi Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from Somogy, a region within Hungary. It may be derived from Hungarian som meaning "cornel tree".
Soto Spanish
Means "grove of trees, small forest" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin saltus.
Souček m Czech
From Czech suk meaning "tree knot". This could either be a topographic name or a nickname for a stubborn person.
Spooner English
Occupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".
Steuben German
Name for a dweller by a stump of a large tree, from Middle Low German stubbe "stub".
Suzuki Japanese
From Japanese (suzu) meaning "bell" and (ki) meaning "tree, wood". This is the second most common surname in Japan. A notable bearer was the artist Suzuki Harunobu (1725-1770).
Swindlehurst English
From the place name Swinglehurst in the Forest of Bowland in central Lancashire, derived from Old English swin "swine, pig", hyll "hill" and hyrst "wood, grove".
Tash English
From Middle English at asche meaning "at the ash tree".
Teixeira Portuguese
From Portuguese teixo meaning "yew tree".
Ter Avest Dutch
Means "at the edge, eave" indicating a person who lived at the edge of a forest or under a covered shelter.
Thwaite English
Indicated a dweller in a forest clearing or pasture, from Old Norse þveit "clearing, pasture".
Timberlake English
From an English place name, derived from Old English timber "timber, wood" and lacu "lake, pool, stream".
Tjäder Swedish
Means "wood grouse" in Swedish.
Van Andel Dutch
Means "from Andel", a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "upper forest" in Old Dutch.
Van As Dutch
Means "from Asch", a town in the Netherlands, meaning "ash tree".
Van der Linden Dutch
Means "from the linden trees", from Dutch linde meaning "linden tree".
Van Hassel Dutch
Means "from Hassel", a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It may be derived from Old Dutch hasal meaning "hazel tree".
Van Houten Dutch
Means "from forests", derived from Dutch hout "forest".
Van Laar Dutch
Derived from Dutch laar (plural laren), which means "open spot in the forest". These areas were used to graze cattle for example.
Van Rossum Dutch
Means "from Rossum", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It is mentioned as Rotheheim in a 9th-century document, and is derived from Dutch rothe "cleared area in a forest" and heim "home".
Verboom Dutch
Means "from the tree" in Dutch.
Vernon English
Locational name in the Eure region of Normandy, from the Gaulish element vern "alder (tree)" with the genitive case maker onis.
Von Essen German
Means "from Essen", a city in Germany, possibly a derivative of Old High German asc meaning "ash tree".
Waldvogel German, Jewish
From a nickname for a carefree person, derived from German Wald meaning "forest" and Vogel meaning "bird". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Walton English
From the name of any of several villages in England, derived from Old English wealh "foreigner, Celt", weald "forest", weall "wall", or wille "well, spring, water hole" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Womack English
Of uncertain origin. One theory suggests that it indicated a dweller by a hollow oak tree, derived from Old English womb "hollow" and ac "oak".
Wood English, Scottish
Originally denoted one who lived in or worked in a forest, derived from Old English wudu "wood".
Woodham English
Indicated a person who had a home near a wood, derived from Old English wudu "wood" and ham "home, settlement".
Woodrow English
From a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English.
Woodward English
Occupational name for a forester, meaning "ward of the wood" in Old English.
Wootton English
Derived from Old English wudu "wood" and tun "enclosure, town".
Xylander German
From Greek ξύλον (xylon) meaning "wood, timber" and ἀνδρός (andros) meaning "man". This surname was a Greek translation of German surnames of the same meaning.
Zhang Chinese
From Chinese (zhāng) meaning "stretch, extend". It may have denoted a bowmaker whose job it was to stretch bow wood.
Zimmermann German, Jewish
From the German word for "carpenter", derived from Middle High German zimber "timber, wood" and mann "man".