EnglishMarseille's Personal Name List

Originally denoted one who lived in or worked in a forest, derived from Old English wudu "wood".

Means "son of Will". A famous bearer was the American president Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924).

Means "son of William".

Means "son of Wilkin".

Originally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English hwit "white".

Variant of Walsh.

Derived from Old English wic meaning "village, town".

Patronymic derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter.

Derived from Old English weard meaning "guard, guardian".

Occupational name for a person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. It is derived from Middle English walkere, Old English wealcan meaning "to move".

Indicated a person from the city of Vemula in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Means "son of Thomas".

Derived from the given name Thomas.

Derived from Old French tailleur meaning "tailor", ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut".

From the Sanskrit word ताम्बूल (tambula) meaning "betel leaves". These leaves are used in rituals and worship, and the name was originally given to a person who grew or sold them.

Bengali, Urdu and Maltese form of Sultan.

Variant of Stewart.

Nickname for a lively person or for a traveling entertainer. It can also refer to a descendant of Ludwig der Springer (AKA Louis the Springer), a medieval Franconian count who, according to legend, escaped from a second or third-story prison cell by jumping into a river after being arrested for trying to seize County Saxony in Germany.

Occupational name for a person who dispensed provisions to those who worked at a manor, derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry".

Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).

From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.

From Sanskrit सिंह (sinha) meaning "lion". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh male followers the surname Singh and all females Kaur. It is among the most common surnames in India.

Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Urdu form of Shirazi.

Means "joy, shelter, comfort" in Sanskrit.

Derived from Old English sælig "blessed, fortunate, prosperous, happy" and was used as a term to describe someone with a cheerful, happy disposition.

Originally given to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic.

Derived from the given name Samuel.

From Japanese 幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness, good luck" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Topographic name for someone who lived near a notable crag or outcrop, from Middle English rokke "rock" (see Roach), or a habitational name from a place named with this word, as for example Rock in Northumberland.

Means "son of Robin".

Means "son of Robert".

From Middle English and Old French roche meaning "rock", from Late Latin rocca, a word that may be of Celtic origin. It indicated a person who lived near a prominent rock, or who came from a town by this name (such as Les Roches in Normandy).

Derived from the given name Richard.

Scots variant of Read 1.

From Sanskrit राज (raja) meaning "king".

A cognate of Prescott.

Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

Means "son of Philip".

Derived from the given name Philip

Means "son of Peter".

Transferred use of the surname Payne.

Means "village chief" in Marathi.

Means "landowner" in Gujarati.

Variant of Parish 1.

Originally indicated a person from Padmore in England, derived from Old English padde "toad" and mor "moor, marsh".

Means "son of Neil".

From the name of a village in Andhra Pradesh, India.

From the name of a Pakistani town that was in undivided India.

Derived from the name of the town of Nagar in Maharashtra, India.

Derived from the region in Scotland called Moray (Gaelic Moireabh), possibly of Pictish origin, meaning "seashore, coast". A notable bearer of this surname was General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the first British Governor-General of Canada.

Derived from the given name Maurice.

Originally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English mor meaning "open land, bog".

Alternate transcription of Hindi मिश्र (see Mishra).

Means "mixed, mingled, honourable" in Sanskrit.

Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Derived from the name of the town of Mhasla in Maharashtra, India.

Scottish and Irish variant of McLean.

Derived from the Old German given name Meginhard.

Occupational name for a stoneworker or layer of bricks, from Old French masson, of Frankish origin (akin to Old English macian "to make").

Derived from the given name Martin. This is the most common surname in France.

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.

From a variant of the medieval female personal name Mabbe, a shortened form of Amabel. A fictional bearer is Elizabeth Mapp, busybodyish spinster in the 'Mapp and Lucia' novels of E.F. Benson.

From Irish Ó Loingsigh meaning "descendant of Loingseach", a given name meaning "mariner".

Variant of Lowell.

Derived from the given name Lewis. The author C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a bearer of this surname.

Variant of Lane.

Means "boy, prince" in Sanskrit.

Means "village clerk, revenue collector" in Marathi.

From an area called Korra or Korrapalem combined with Telugu పతి (pati) meaning "belongs to".

From Old English cniht meaning "knight", a tenant serving as a mounted soldier.

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).

From a title meaning "king, ruler", probably of Mongolian origin but used in many languages.

Means "princess", ultimately from Sanskrit कुमारी (kumari) meaning "girl". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh female followers the surname Kaur and all males Singh. In many instances, it is also used as a middle name with the family name serving as the surname.

From Sanskrit ज्योतिश (jyotisha) meaning "astronomer".

Derived from the given name Joseph.

Derived from the given name Jordan.

Derived from the given name Jon, a medieval variant of John.

From an English surname meaning "son of John". As a given name, it is most common in English-speaking Africa.

Derived from the given name Gervais.

Derived from the given name James.

Referred to a person who followed the principles of Jainism, a religion practiced in India. Jains are the followers of Lord Mahavira (599-527 BC).

Means "servant of Jack".

Derived from the given name Isaac.

From the Welsh given name Hywel.

Derived from the given name Hughard or Hávarðr.

Derived from Middle English hop meaning "small valley".

Derived from the male given name Herbert.

Derived from the given name Henry.

From place names meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.

Patronymic derived from the Norman name Hagano.

Transferred use of the surname Hartigan.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Harry.

Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.

Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

Means "protected" in Sanskrit.

Derived from the Welsh given name Gruffudd.

Descriptive name for someone who often wore the colour green or someone who lived near the village green.

Borne by Lucien Greaves, a social activist and the spokesman and co-founder of The Satanic Temple.

Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Derived from the English place name Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by William de Graham [1].

The name Gooding comes from the baptismal name for "the son of Godwin"

Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

Variant of Gittings.

Originally indicated someone who lived near a ravine, from Middle English gil (of Old Norse origin).

Means "son of Gib".

Diminutive form of Gilbert.

Derived from the given name George.

Meaning unknown, related to the Charan caste of Gujarat.

Variant of Franklin.

English form of the Late Latin name Franciscus meaning "Frenchman", ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used (Proto-Germanic *frankô). This name was borne by the 13th-century Saint Francis of Assisi, who was originally named Giovanni but was given the nickname Francesco by his father, an admirer of the French. Francis went on to renounce his father's wealth and devote his life to the poor, founding the Franciscan order of friars. Later in his life he apparently received the stigmata.

Due to the renown of the saint, this name became widespread in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. However, it was not regularly used in Britain until the 16th century. Famous bearers include Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), a missionary to East Asia, the philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon (1561-1626), the explorer and admiral Francis Drake (1540-1595), and Pope Francis (1936-).

In the English-speaking world this name is occasionally used for girls, as a variant of the homophone Frances.

Variant of Forester.

Variant of Ford. This is a very common spelling in Ireland.

Derived from the given name Aveline.

Derived from the given name Elijah, or sometimes Elisedd.

Means "son of Edward".

Variant of Cruz more common among Christians from India.

Variant of Cruz more common among Christians from India.

Means "son of David". This was the surname of the revolutionary jazz trumpet player Miles Davis (1926-1991).

Means "servant, devotee" in Sanskrit.

Derived from the given name Daniel.

From the Old Breton given name Cunmin, a cognate of Cuimín, introduced to Britain at the time of the Norman Conquest [1].

Name for someone from Comberbach in North Cheshire. May come from etymological elements meaning "stream in a valley."

Patronymic form of Cock.

Derived from French corbeau meaning "raven," originally denoting a person who had dark hair.

Variant of Clark.

Bengali form of Chaudhary.

Alternate transcription of Bengali চৌধুরী (see Chowdhury).

Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi चौधरी (see Chaudhary).

Alternate transcription of Bengali চৌধুরী (see Chowdhury).

Alternate transcription of Hindi चौधरी (see Chaudhary).

From a title meaning "holder of four", from Sanskrit चतुर् (chatur) meaning "four" and धुरीय (dhuriya) meaning "bearing a burden".

Alternate transcription of Marathi चौधरी or Gujarati ચૌધરી (see Chaudhary).

Occupational name for a hunter, from Middle English chase "hunt".

From the given name Charles.

Occupational name meaning "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin candela via Old French.

Occupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).

English: habitational name from a place in Greater Manchester (formerly in Cheshire) called Carrington, probably named with an unattested Old English personal name Cara + -ing- denoting association + tun ‘settlement’.
Scottish: habitational name from a place in Midlothian named Carrington, probably from Old English Ceriheringa-tun ‘settlement of Cerihere’s people’.

From a Gaelic nickname cam beul meaning "wry or crooked mouth". The surname was later represented in Latin documents as de bello campo meaning "of the fair field".

Occupational name for a person who finished freshly woven cloth by passing it between heavy rollers to compress the weave. From Old Franch calandrier, calandreur.

From the Welsh male personal name Cadwgan, literally probably "battle-scowler". Cadogan Estate is an area of Chelsea and Belgravia, including Cadogan Square, Sloane Street and Sloane Square, owned by the earls of Cadogan, descended from Charles Sloane Cadogan (1728-1807), 1st Earl Cadogan.

Derived from Middle English burgh meaning "fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.

From the given name Brian.

Variant of Brown.

Variant of Brewer, originally a feminine form of the occupational term.

Variant of Braithwaite.

Habitational name from any of the places called Bradshaw, for example in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, from Old English brad "broad" + sceaga "thicket".

From Welsh ap Owain meaning "son of Owain".

Derived from Old English burna "stream, spring".

From a nickname, a variant of Black.

Means simply "bishop", ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer". It probably originally referred to a person who served a bishop.

From a Bengali title composed of the Sanskrit words भट्ट (bhatta) meaning "scholar, lord" and आचार्य (acharya) meaning "teacher".

Derived from Middle English beste meaning "beast", an occupational name for a keeper of animals or a nickname for someone who acted like a beast. A famous bearer of this surname was soccer legend George Best (1946-2005).

From the given name Benjamin

Possibly a variant of Bell 1 or Bell 2.

Aristocratic surname from French, meaning "beautiful grove"; comes from a place name in Leicestershire. A famous namesake is British polar explorer Belgrave Ninnis, who perished in Antarctica on a 1912 expedition.

Habitational name from any of the numerous places named with Old English bearo, bearu "grove" or from Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, which is named with an unattested Celtic word, barr, here meaning "promontory", and Old Norse ey "island". Also a topographic name for someone who lived by an ancient burial mound, from Middle English berwe, barwe.

From Middle English bark meaning "to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.

Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living.

Variant of Bandyopadhyay.

From the name of the village of Bandoghat combined with upadhaya "instructor, priest".

From Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin baiulus "porter".

From Hindi बच्चा (bachcha) meaning "child", a word of Persian origin. This surname was adopted by the Indian poet Harivansh Rai Srivastava (1907-2003).

Derived from the given name Austin.

From the given name Arthur.

Means "strong arm" from Middle English. Tradition holds that the family is descended from Siward, an 11th-century Earl of Northumbria. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), a jazz musician, and Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), an astronaut who was the first person to walk on the moon.

Occupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin arcus "bow" (via Old French).

From the personal name Anthony.

Means "happiness, bliss" in Sanskrit.

Variant of Allen.

Derived from the given name Adam.

Means "anointing" in Sanskrit.

From the given name Abbas.