CaligiuriItalian Comes from the Greek words "kalos" meaning "beautiful" and "gheros" meaning "elderly," and was often given to children in the hopes that they would retain their beauty in their old age.
CalimerisGreek It can be Kalimeris as well and it means good morning.
CallenderEnglish 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.
CanabravaBrazilian Cana is the short form of 'cana de açucar' that means "sugar cane", and Brava is the feminine form of 'bravo' that means "angry". There is a municipality in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, called Canabrava do Norte, and according to oral tradition, the origin of the name is due to the disease and subsequent death of some animals after eating a plantation of sugar cane.
CanizalesSpanish (Latin American) This surname came from around the beginnings of 1800 in south regions of Colombia where sugar cane was cultivated. It's a variation of Cañizales, that literally means "sugar cane fields".
CannavaroItalian Probably from a nickname used to refer to rope makers or hemp growers. This surname is most famously borne by brothers Fabio (1973–) and Paolo Cannavaro (1981–), former football players.
CantalupiItalian Denoting a person from Cantalupo, the name of several towns and counties near wooded areas where wolves could be heard. From Italian canta "singing" and lupo "wolf". ... [more]
CantellowEnglish Means "person from Canteleu, Canteloup, etc.", the name of various places in northern France ("song of the wolf").
CanteloupFrench Name of several places in France. The surname means "Song of the Wolf" from canta and loup as in "place where the wolves howl".
CaramelleFrench Name given to a chalumeau player, derived from the old French chalemel, calamel or chalemie, which in turn were derived from the Latin word calamus meaning "reed". Italian variations of the surname are: Caramella, Caramelli, Caramello (diminutive: Caramellino) and Caramelo.
CarandangFilipino, Tagalog Occupational name for someone who dried things using fire, derived from Tagalog dangdang meaning "heating, toasting, drying through exposure to fire or glowing coals".
CarbonellEnglish From a medieval nickname for a dark-haired or swarthy person, from Anglo-Norman carbonel, literally "little charcoal".
CarboneroSpanish Famous bearers are Carlos Carbonero, a Colombian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sampdoria on loan from Fénix and Sara Carbonero, a Spanish sports journalist.
CarganicoItalian Possibly from cargar, an Italic descendent of Latin carrico "to load", indicating someone who carried or loaded items for transport for a living.
CarlanderSwedish Combination of the given name Karl or Swedish karl "man" and ander, from classical Greek andros, "man".
CarlsbergGerman Variant spelling of Karlsberg or derived from the name of a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
CarlströmSwedish Combination of the given name Carl and Swedish ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
CarnigliaItalian Derived from the Latin word “carnem”, meaning “flesh”, and likely referred to a person who worked with meat or was a butcher. The surname may have also been adopted as a nickname for someone who was particularly robust or fleshy.
CarosellaItalian From carosello "carousel, merry-go-round", possibly a nickname for a farmer, as a carousel was an allotment of grain collected by farmers. Also a type of jousting tournament.
CarpenitoItalian This surname derives from a person who had worked as a "carpenter".
CarradineEnglish, German (Anglicized) Variant spelling of Caradine. This name is borne by members of the Carradine family of actors, notably the American actor John Carradine (1906-1988).
CarrenderEnglish (American) Probably from Scottish kerr meaning "rough, wet ground" combined with ender (possibly related to the end of something). It probably denoted someone who lived between rough, wet ground and normal ground.
CarstairsEnglish (British) From the manor or barony of the same name in the parish of Carstairs (= 1170 Casteltarres, 'Castle of Tarres').
CartagenaSpanish From the name of the city of Cartagena in southeastern Spain, derived from Latin Carthāgō Nova meaning "New Carthage" (ultimately derived from Phonecian qrt-ḥdšt meaning "new city").
CaruthersScottish Means "Rhydderch's fort" in Cumbric. This might refer to the king of Alt Clut, Rhydderch Hael.
CarvoeiroPortuguese Derived from the Portuguese word "carvão," which means "coal." It likely originated as a surname for someone who worked with or lived near coal, or it could have been a nickname based on physical characteristics or personal attributes associated with coal.
CasabuenaSpanish (Modern, Rare) Means "Happy House" or "House of Happiness" in Spanish, with the Spanish word "Casa", which means "House" and Buena, meaning "Happy" or "Happiness".
CasiellesAsturian From the town of Casielles, Asturias, Spain. From "casa" (house) and the suffix -ielles, a diminituve suffix, so this surname could mean "little houses".
CastañedaSpanish Habitational name from any of various places called Castañeda, a Spanish word meaning "chesnut grove", itself derived from castaña meaning "chesnut".
CastellanItalian This name is of Latin origin. It comes from "castellanus" meaning 'castellan, steward of a castle'.
CastelmurRomansh Derived from Romansh castel "castle" and mür "wall".
CastigliaItalian A Regional name for someone from Castile in Spain. Castile was an independent kingdom between the 10th and 15th centuries, it formed the largest power in the Iberian peninsula. The name derives from the many castles in the region.
CastrejonSpanish Habitational Name From Any Of Various Places Called Castrejón Especially In Valladolid Province Or A Topographic Name From A Diminutive Of Castro ‘Castle’ From Latin Castrum ‘Fort Roman Walled City’.
CatchpoleEnglish Meant "bailiff, especially (originally) one who could seize domestic animals in lieu of tax or debt" (from Anglo-Norman cachepol, from cacher "to chase" + pol "chicken").
CatterallEnglish Derived from a town in England named "Catterall".
CaulfieldIrish Comes from the Irish Gaelic Mac Cathmhaoil, which was Anglicized to McCawell and then morphed into Caulfield. Mac Cathmhaoil comes from a word meaning "chieftan".
CavadentiItalian From Italian cava ("to extract, to pull out") and denti ("teeth"), an occupational name for a dentist.
CavadzadəAzerbaijani Means "child of Cavad", using the Persian suffix زاده (zade) meaning "offspring".
CeaușescuRomanian (Rare) Derived from Romanian ceauș "doorman, courier, usher" (ultimately derived from Ottoman Turkish çavuş "messenger, sergeant"). A notable bearer of the surname is the infamous Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu.
CedergrenSwedish Combination of Swedish ceder "cedar" and gren "branch".
ČelikovićCroatian, Serbian, Bosnian Derived from Serbo-Croatian "čelik", ultimately from Turkish çelik, meaning "steel". The -ović suffix is a patronym.
CenturiónSpanish Originally a nickname derived from Spanish centurión (ultimately from Late Latin centum) literally meaning "centurion". Historically, a centurion is a military officer who commanded one hundred men in an Ancient Roman army during the classical period.
CerasuoloItalian Means "cherry-colored." Appears as a word in many Italian dictionaries, but may have origins in the Greek period of Naples, where it seems to have originated. There are at least two villages found with the name, the most notable being near Monte Cassino, where many Japanese-American soldiers won Medals of Honor or other awards for heroism during WW II... [more]
CerqueiraPortuguese Habitational name from any of various places named Cerquerira, in most cases from a Latin derivative of quercus "oak". The family name also occurs in Sicily, probably of the same origin.
ChalcraftEnglish Surname of Anglo- Saxon origin. Topographical or locational surname... [more]
ChallonerFrench, Welsh Derived from a town in France of the same name. This family derive their origin from Macloy Crum, of the line of chiefs in Wales, who resided several years in Challoner.
ChamanaraPersian Occupational name for a gardener, derived from Persian چمن (chaman) meaning "lawn, meadow" and آرا (ara) meaning "arrange, decorate".
ChamapiwaShona Chamapiwa means "that which you have been given". It is a call to appreciate that which you have from God
ChampagneFrench regional name for someone from Champagne, named in Latin as Campania (from campus "plain", "flat land"). This is also the name of various villages in France, and in some cases the family name may derive from one of these.
ChamplainFrench Name given to those who live in or around fields. Known barrer of the name is Samuel de Champlain who founded Quebec, Canada and after whom the lake is named.
ChatatebaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 茶立場 (Chatateba) meaning "Chatateba", a division in the area of Tōkaichi in the city of Hachinohe in the prefecture of Aomori in Japan.
ChâtelainFrench from châtelain "lord (of the manor)" Old French chastelain (from Latin castellanus a derivative of castellum "castle") applied either as a status name for the governor or constable of a castle or as an ironic nickname.
CherkaouiArabic (Maghrebi) Derived from Arabic شَرْقِيّ (šarqiyy) meaning "eastern", denoting someone who comes from the east (chiefly Moroccan).
ChernenkoUkrainian, Russian From Ukrainian чорний (chorniy) or Russian черный (cherniy) both meaning "black".
CherneskiUkrainian This surname means 'black', from the Slavic root word cherno or charno.
ChernookyRussian Derived from Russian черноокий (chernooky) meaning "black-eyed, having dark brown eyes". This surname has Polish, Ukrainian or Belarusian noble origin.
CherrymanEnglish It is topographical or perhaps occupational and describes a person who lived or worked at a cherry orchard, or who lived by a house known by the sign of the cherry. In the days before house numbering, it was the tradition in almost all western countries to give the house a sign... [more]
ChildressAnglo-Saxon The surname Childress may have been a nickname for an orphan, or an occupational name applied to someone who ran an orphanage. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English word cildra-hus, which means "children's house" or "orphanage".
ChimalhuaNahuatl Means "has a shield, possessor of shields" in Nahuatl.
ChomchuenThai Means "congratulations" from Thai ชม (chom) meaning "see, watch, praise, admire" and ชื่น (chuen) meaning "happy, joyful, delighted".
ChoquetteFrench Altered spelling of French Choquet, a Picard form of Old French soquet, which was the term for a tax on wines and foodstuffs, hence a metonymic occupational name for a collector of such taxes.
ChristmasEnglish Either an occupational name for someone who was responsible for arrangement of festivities for Christmas day, or it might a nickname for someone who was born on Christmas.
ChuibekovSlavic (Rare) The name Chuibekov means "son of Chuib". It originates from Eastern Europe/Russia, and is very rare today. It is most prevalent in Central Asia, especially Kyrgyzstan, where the majority of the population is descended from early Siberians, and first found in Mongolia... [more]
ChulanontThai From Thai จุลา (chula) of unknown meaning and นนท์ (non) meaning "fun; joy".
CifuentesSpanish Habitational Name Probably From Cifuentes In Guadalajara Named From Spanish Cien ‘Hundred’ (From Latin Centum) + Fuentes ‘Springs’ (From Latin Fontes; See Font ) Because Of The Abundance Of Natural Springs In The Area.
CimpoieruRomanian Occupation surname originating from bagpipe players; Romanian version of Piper
CinfuegosAsturian This indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Quirós.
CinnamondScottish, Irish, English Possibly originates from Scottish place name Kininmonth. Probably introduced to Northern Ireland by Scottish settlers where it remains in Ulster. Another origin is the French place name Saint Amand originated from French Huguenots settling in Ireland.
CitarellaNeapolitan Occupational name for someone who made or played a guitar, derived from chitarra or catarra "guitar".
CiubotaruRomanian Means "boot maker" in Romanian, the one that makes boots ("ciubota" (singular), regionalism for "cizma"/"gheata"). Not the same with "shoe maker" (or "Schumacher" in German) as the Romanian "Ciubotar" refers strictly to boots and not all kinds of shoes.
ClevelandEnglish English regional name from the district around Middlesbrough named Cleveland ‘the land of the cliffs’, from the genitive plural (clifa) of Old English clif ‘bank’, ‘slope’ + land ‘land’... [more]
ClevelandNorwegian (Anglicized) Americanized spelling of Norwegian Kleiveland or Kleveland, habitational names from any of five farmsteads in Agder and Vestlandet named with Old Norse kleif "rocky ascent" or klefi "closet" (an allusion to a hollow land formation) and land "land".
ClevengerEnglish, Anglo-Saxon The surname is derived from the Old English word cleofan which means to cleave or split.
CleverleyEnglish Probably means "person from Cleveley", Lancashire ("woodland clearing by a cliff").
CojuangcoFilipino From Hokkien 許寰哥 (Khó͘ Hoân-ko), which was the nickname of Co Yu Hwan (許玉寰), a Chinese migrant who arrived in the Philippines in the 19th century. This is the name of a prominent political and business family in the Philippines.
CommanderAnglo-Saxon, French From Middle English comander, comandor and comandour and also from Old French comandeor, all meaning "commander", "leader" or "ruler". The first recorded use of the name is through a family seat held in Somerset.
ConfaloneItalian from gonfalone "standard banner" from Old French gonfalon (of ancient Germanic origin) a metonymic occupational name for a standard bearer either in a military context or as the officer of a guild responsible for carrying the banner in religious processions... [more]
ConsidineIrish Anglicisation of Irish Mac Consaidín meaning "son of Consaidín". The given name Consaidín is the Irish form of Constantine... [more]
ConsiglioItalian Meaning "counselor" or "one who gives good advice".
CookinhamJewish (Americanized) This has the form of an English habitational name; however, there is no record of any such place name in the British Isles, and the surname does not appear in present-day records. It is probably an Americanized form of Jewish Guggenheim .