Submitted Surnames Starting with C

usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Card English
English: metonymic occupational name for someone who carded wool (i.e. disentangled it), preparatory to spinning, from Middle English, Old French card(e) ‘carder’, an implement used for this purpose... [more]
Cardamone Italian
Occupational name for a spicer.
Cardei Romanian
Meaning unknown.
Cardella Italian
Habitational name from a place called Cardella in Sicily.
Cardelli Italian
Diminutive form of Cardello.
Cardellini Italian
From a diminutive of Cardelli. A famous bearer of this surname is the American actress Linda Cardellini (1975-).
Cardello Italian
Variant of Cardillo or a diminutive of Cardo.
Cardenal Spanish, Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish cognitive of Cardinal. This surname is common in Nicaragua.
Cardenete Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Cardillo Italian
Cardillo is a surname of Sicilian origin, derived from the word cardilla, meaning ''goldfinch''.
Cardinal English, French
from Middle English, Old French cardinal "cardinal", a church dignitary (Latin cardinalis, originally an adjective meaning "crucial")... [more]
Cardinale Italian, Italian (Tuscan), French, English
Italian cognate of Cardinal, as well as an English and French variant. A known bearer is the Italian actress Claudia Cardinale (1938-).
Cardo Spanish, Italian
From cardo "thistle, cardoon" (from Latin carduus) either a topographic or occupational name for using wool carder thistles, or from the given name Cardo a short form of given names Accardo, Biancardo, or Riccardo.
Cardon French
from the name of several places in southern France called (Le) Cardon. Or from Old Norman French cardon "thistle" (a diminutive of carde from Latin carduus) hence a topographic name for someone who lived on land overgrown with thistles an occupational name for someone who carded wool (originally a process carried out with thistles and teasels) or perhaps a nickname for a prickly and unapproachable person... [more]
Cardone Italian, Sicilian
From Sicilian carduni "thistle, teasel, cardoon" possibly a topographic name but also could mean "rough, uncouth, stingy, or miserly".
Carducci Italian
From Riccarduccio, an affectionate form of the given name Riccardo. A famous bearer of this surname is Italian poet Giosuè Carducci (1835-1907), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1906.
Cardwell English
From the traditionally British surname, which is a variant of the British surname Caldwell, a from the Old English cald "cold" and well(a) "spring, stream".
Care English
Occupational name for a locksmith, Middle English keyere, kayer, an agent derivative of keye.
Careaga Basque (Hispanicized)
Castilianized form of Kareaga.
Carême French
Means "lent" in French.
Carganico Italian
Possibly from cargar, an Italic descendent of Latin carrico "to load", indicating someone who carried or loaded items for transport for a living.
Cargill Scottish, English
Habitational name from a place so named in Scotland.
Carhartt Cornish
the surname of the founder of Carhartt Apparel, a habitational name from Carhart in Cornwall. Possibly also an Americanized form of German Gerhardt.
Cariglia Galician
The surname Cariglia comes from the autonomous region in the northwest Iberian peninsula.
Carilli Italian
Patronymic form of Carillo.
Carillo Spanish, Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Caro.
Carim Filipino, Maranao
From the given name Carim.
Caringal Filipino, Tagalog
Means "very beautiful, very handsome", from Tagalog dingal "beautiful, handsome".
Carino Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Carino.
Carioto Italian
It means “deer” and originates from Italy the surname is considerably rare the total number is still unknown
Carisbrook English
Carisbrooke is a village on the Isle of Wight; the name is thought to mean "Carey's brook". When in 1917 the British royal family changed its name from the "House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha" to the "House of Windsor" and renounced all German titles, the title of Marquess of Carisbrooke was created for the erstwhile German Prince Alexander of Battenberg.
Carisch Romansh
Derived from Romansh casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name Risch.
Ĉaristo Esperanto
Occupational name for a charioteer, from ĉaro, meaning "a chariot, wagon, or cart", and -isto, a suffix used for professions.
Carlan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish O'Carlain or O'Caireallain, from the Irish carla meaning a "wool-comb" and an meaning "one who" which roughly translates as "one who combs wool"... [more]
Carlander Swedish
Combination of the given name Karl or Swedish karl "man" and ander, from classical Greek andros, "man".
Carlberg Swedish
Combination of the given name Carl or Swedish karl "man", and berg "mountain".
Carleton English
English: variant spelling of Carlton.
Carlin Irish (Anglicized), Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Cairealláin (sometimes also anglicized as Carlton), meaning "descendant of Caireallán"... [more]
Carlin French
From a pet form of Charles.
Carlin Swedish (Rare)
Combination of the given name Karl, which is also a common place name prefix, and the common surname suffix -in (originally from Latin -inus "descendant of").
Carlin Italian
Derived from a pet form of the given name Carlo.
Carlin Jewish (Anglicized)
Americanized spelling of Karlin.
Carlin German
Habitational name from a place named Carlin in Germany.
Carling Swedish
From the personal name Karl, which is also a common place name prefix, and the common surname suffix -ing "belonging to".
Carling English (American)
Americanized form of German Garling or Gerling.
Carlo Italian
From the given name Carlo.
Carlos Spanish, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Carlos.
Carlotti Italian
From the given name Carlo.
Carlova Romanian
Meaning uncertain. It may be related to the name Karlov or Karlova. Another possible relative is the surname Korolev, originating from korol meaning "king"... [more]
Carls English
From the given name Carl.
Carlsberg German
Variant spelling of Karlsberg or derived from the name of a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Carlström Swedish
Combination of the given name Carl and Swedish ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Carlyon Cornish
Cornish: habitational name from any of three places in Cornwall called Carlyon, in St. Minver and Kea parishes. The first element is Celtic ker ‘fort’; the second could represent the plural of Cornish legh ‘slab’.
Carmack English
Anyone with information about this last name please edit.
Carmical Scottish, English
Variant spelling of Carmichael.
Carmichael Scottish, English
From the name of a village in Scotland meaning "fort of Michael", from Welsh caer meaning "fortress" and the given name Michael.
Carmiggelt Dutch
Dutch cognate of Carmichael. This was the surname of the Dutch writer, journalist and poet Simon Carmiggelt (1913-1987).
Carmine Italian (Rare), English (Rare)
Derived from the given name Carmine, which in turn was derived from the color of a vivid form of red.
Carnahan Irish
From the Irish Cearnaghan, meaning "victorious"
Carnegie Scottish
Habitational name from a place called Carnegie, near Carmyllie in Angus, from Gaelic cathair an eige "fort at the gap".
Carneiro Portuguese (Brazilian)
Originally from Portugal.
Carneiro Portuguese, Galician
Means "ram" in Portuguese and Galician, either used as an occupational name for a shepherd or a habitational name for someone from any of various places called Carneiro.
Carnell English
A crossbowman or archer who protected castles and fortresses.
Carner German, English
Americanized spelling of German Karner or Körner (see Koerner).... [more]
Carney Irish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Catharnaigh "descendant of Catharnach", a byname meaning "warlike".
Carniglia Italian
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.
Caronongan Filipino, Tagalog (Hispanicized)
Derived from Tagalog karunungan meaning "wisdom".
Carosella Italian
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.
Caroso English (American)
Surname of Panther Caroso from the Star Fox 64 series.
Caroti Italian
From Italian carota "carrot", probably referring to the bearer's hair colour.
Carpenito Italian
This surname derives from a person who had worked as a "carpenter".
Carpentieri Italian
Italian cognate of Carpenter, from carpentiere "carpenter".
Carpintero Spanish
Means "carpenter" in Spanish.
Carpus English (Rare, ?)
Possibly from the given name Carpus.
Carradine English, 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).
Carrasquillo Spanish
The surname Carrasquillo is of Spanish origin and it is derived from the word "carrasca" which means "holm oak". Therefore, the name roughly translates to "a place where there are holm oaks".
Carraway English (British)
The name Carraway belongs to the early history of Britain, and its origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of one having lived on a road near a field or piece of land that was triangular in shape... [more]
Carre French
French (Carré): from Old French carré "square", applied as a nickname for a squat, thickset man.
Carreira Portuguese, Galician
Portuguese and Galician cognate of Carrera.
Carrel French
French: from Old French quar(r)el ‘bolt (for a crossbow)’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of crossbow bolts or a nickname for a short, stout man. The word also meant ‘paving slab’, and so it could also have been a metonymic occupational name for a street layer... [more]
Carrell English
English: from Old French carrel, ‘pillow’, ‘bolster’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of these. In some cases perhaps an altered spelling of Irish Carroll... [more]
Carrender English (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.
Carreño Asturian
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Carrera Spanish, Italian
Spanish: topographic name for someone living by a main road, carrera ‘thoroughfare’, originally a road passable by vehicles as well as pedestrians (Late Latin carraria (via), a derivative of carrum ‘cart’), or a habitational name from any of various places named with this word.... [more]
Carrey Irish
Variant of Carey. A famous bearer is Canadian-American actor and comedian Jim Carrey (1962-).
Carrick Scottish
The possible roots of the Carrick family name may be from the ancient Strathclyde people of the the Scottish/English Borderlands. Carrick may also be of local origin, referring to those who lived in or near the place called Carrick in Ayrshire... [more]
Carrie Scottish
Scottish form of Carry.
Carrier English
An occupational name meaning someone who transports goods.
Carrier French
From carrier, "quarrier, someone who works in a quarry". cf Carrara.
Carrington English, Scottish
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’.... [more]
Carrión Spanish
It comes from the knight Alonso Carreño, who distinguished himself in the conquest of the town of Carrión de los Condes (Palencia), where he founded his solar house.
Carrizo Spanish
Nickname for a person who's bold, shameless.
Carrogu Italian
Possibly from Sardinian carroga "crow, carrion crow".
Carrothers Scottish
Variant spelling of Carruthers.
Carrow English
English: habitational name from either of two places: Carrow in Norfolk or Carraw in Northumberland. The first is thought to be named from Old English carr ‘rock’ (a Celtic loan word) + hoh ‘spur of a hill’, while the last may be named either from an Old British plural of carr, or from carr + Old English raw ‘row’... [more]
Carruthers Scottish
This old Scottish surname was first used by Strathclyde-Briton people. The Carruthers family in the land of Carruthers in the parish of Middlebie, Dumfriesshire. In that are it is pronounced 'Cridders'.... [more]
Carry Irish
Shortened form of McCarry and O'Carry.
Carsin French
Of debated origin and meaning; theories include a contracted form of Caorsin.
Carstairs English (British)
From the manor or barony of the same name in the parish of Carstairs (= 1170 Casteltarres, 'Castle of Tarres').
Carsten English
Could mean son of Carsten.... [more]
Cartagena Spanish
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").
Cartan Irish
Variant of McCartan.
Carten Irish
Variant of McCartan.
Cartier French, Norman
Original Norman French form of Carter. A notable bearer was Breton-French explorer Jacques Cartier (1491-1557), who is known for discovering the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Cartin Irish
Variant of McCartan.
Cartman Popular Culture
Means a man who pulls a cart. A famous bearer is Eric Cartman, Villain Protagonist of the adult cartoon South Park
Cartmell English
Denoted a person from Cartmel, a village in Cumbria, England (formerly in Lancashire). It is the site of a famous priory, inland from Cartmel Sands. The place name is derived from Old Norse kartr meaning "rocky ground" and melr meaning "sandbank".
Cartmill Anglo-Saxon
The name Cartmill is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in or near the village of Cartmel in the county of Lancashire (now part of Cumbria.) Thus, Cartmill is a habitation surname which is derived from the name of a place... [more]
Carton Irish
Variant of McCartan.
Carucci Italian
Derived from Medieval Latin names Carutius or Caruccius or from the Italian term caruccio composed by caro meaning "dear" with the endearment suffix -uccio.
Carulli Italian
It should derive from the late Latin cognomen Carullus, a hypochoristic form of the more widespread cognomen Carus.... [more]
Caruthers Scottish
Means "Rhydderch's fort" in Cumbric. This might refer to the king of Alt Clut, Rhydderch Hael.
Carveth English
From the village of Carveth, from Cornish Karvergh meaning "fort of horses".
Carville French, Irish
As a French location name it comes from a settlement in Normandy. As an Irish name it derives from a word for "warrior".
Carvoeiro Portuguese
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.
Cary African American
This surname is a variant of the surname Carey.
Casa Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Means "house" in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Casabuena Spanish (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".
Casaday Irish
Variant spelling of Irish Cassidy .
Casado Spanish
Origin uncertain. Perhaps from casado "married", it may also be an alteration of Quesada.
Casagrande Italian
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations called Casagrande or Casa Grande, derived from Italian casa meaning "house" and grande meaning "big, large".
Casals Catalan, French
Plural form of Casal.
Casamitjana Catalan
It indicates familial origin within either of 3 farmhouses: the one in Castellnou de Bages, the one in l'Esquirol, or the one in Moià.
Casanabe French
CASANABE is a French name meaning New house.
Casanova Catalan, Italian
Catalan and Italian: topographic name from Latin casa ‘house’ + nova ‘new’, or a habitational name from any of the many places named with these words.
Casapiccola Italian
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations called Casapiccola or Casa Piccola, derived from Italian casa meaning "house" and piccola meaning "small".
Casares Spanish, Galician
One who lived in several places named "Casares".
Casari Italian
Smarano, Italy... [more]
Casarrubias Spanish
Topographic name from the plural of Spanish casa rubia ‘red house’.
Casas Spanish
Origin uncertain. Possibly from casas "houses", which was used for several location names. Alternatively, it may be a corruption of Casaus, which was the name of two French knights that helped in the conquest of Seville.
Casaulta Romansh
Derived from Romansh casa "house" and aulta, the feminine form of the adjective ault, "high".
Casavantes French, Spanish, Basque
Topographic name composed of casa "house" + avant "ahead of forward" + the suffix -es, denoting one who lived in the house located at the beginning of a village. This surname has died out in France.
Cascalho Portuguese (?)
What I know about this surname is that it came from Alentejo, a region in Portugal countryside. The eldest Cascalho I know lived in Évora (city in this province) so I assume the name born there...
Caschimun Romansh (Archaic)
Derived from Romansh casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name Schimun.
Case French
Case. A hut, a hovel.
Caseel Romansh
Variant of Caseli.
Caseli Romansh
Derived from Romansh casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name Seli, a short form of Basilius.
Casella Italian
From casa "house" (Latin casa "hut, cottage, cabin"), perhaps originally denoting the occupier of the most distinguished house in a village. Italian chef Cesare Casella (1960 - ) is one such bearer of this name.
Casement Manx
Anglicized and reduced form of Manx Gaelic Mac Asmuint meaning "son of Ásmundr". A notable bearer was Sir Roger Casement (1864-1916), an Irish-born British consular official and rebel.
Cases Catalan
Catalan family name. Plural of 'casa' meaning 'house', possibly given to people who were given or built a manor or town house or had a slightly better than normal dwelling for their location/village etc..... [more]
Cashion Irish
Anglicized form of either Mac Caisin or Ó Caisin meaning "descendant of Caisín" (see Cassidy).
Casiano Spanish
From the given name Casiano.
Casielles Asturian
From the town of Casielles, Asturias, Spain. From "casa" (house) and the suffix -ielles, a diminituve suffix, so this surname could mean "little houses".
Casilang Tagalog
Literally "One you are born with" in Tagalog.
Casilao Filipino, Cebuano
From Cebuano kasilaw meaning "lustre, shine".
Casillas Spanish
From any of various places called Casillas or Las Casillas, from the plural of casilla, a diminutive of Casa. ... [more]
Casimir French
From the given name Casimir.
Casio Spanish
From the given name Casio.
Caslari Jewish (Archaic), Judeo-Provençal, Judeo-Catalan, Judeo-French
Abraham ben David Caslari was a Catalan-Jewish physician. Abraham Caslari (presumably a different man) is also listed in the index of known Jews in France in the late middle ages in the book Judaia Gallica by Heinrich Gross.
Casley English
Derived from Old English C(e)atta, a personal name meaning "cat" and leah "woodland, clearing"."
Casparin Romansh
Derived from a diminutive of Caspar.
Casparis Romansh
Derived from the given name Casper.
Casperson English
Means "Son of Casper".
Caspescha Romansh
Derived from Romansh casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and Spescha.
Cassar Maltese
Of debated origin and meaning. Theories include a derivation from the Italian given name Cesare (via the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies) and a Maltese adoption of the Sicilian surname Cassarà... [more]
Cassata Italian
Derived from the Italian word cassata, denoting a sweet cake made with cheese and candied fruit.
Cassatt French
Origin uncertain. This is not known as a surname in Britain. It may be an Americanized form of a French name such as Casault.
Cassatta Spanish (Latin American)
Spanish form of Cassata. Mostly used in Argentina.
Casse French
Means "oak" in Gallo-Roman
Cassel English, French, German
A surname derived from the Latin military term castellum "watchtower, fort". A variant spelling of the word castle. Denoted someone hailing from the commune of Cassel in the Nord départment in northern France or the city of Kassel (spelled Cassel until 1928) in Germany... [more]
Casselberry German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of German Kesselberg, which may derive from various places called Kesselberg or Kesselburg in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Bavaria in Germany.
Cassell English
Either (i) "person from Cassel", northern France, or "person from Kassel", Germany ("fort"); or (ii) a different form of Castle ("person who lives by or lives or works in a castle")... [more]
Cassese Italian
From Arabic قِسِّيس (qissis) "priest", perhaps a nickname for someone who worked for or was related to a priest, or perhaps someone who was notably pious.
Cassey Scottish, Irish
This surname originated around ancient Scotland and Ireland. In its Gaelic form it is called, 'O Cathasaigh', which means 'the watchful one'.... [more]
Cassiano Italian
From the given name Cassiano.
Cassio Italian
From the given name Cassio.