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.
CerritoItalian Variant of Cerri, or directly from Sicilian cirritu "Turkey oak grove".
CerticHungarian (Modern) this is my father's family name. I did not grow up with him but have been told his family came here from Hungary. He was born in Marianna Pennsylvania.
CespedesSpanish From the plural of cesped "peat", "turf" (Latin caespes, genitive caespitis), applied as a habitational name from a place named Céspedes (for example in Burgos province) or named with this word, or a topographic name for someone who lived by an area of peat, or possibly as a metonymic occupational name for someone who cut and sold turf.
CestareEnglish (American, Modern) There is a similar name, Sastre, which is the Spanish form of the surname Sarto, meaning "tailor." The name CESTARE is phonetically similar to Sastre and could be a derivative of that name.... [more]
CestaroItalian From cesta "basket" and the suffix -aro, an occupational name for a basket maker.
CesurTurkish Means "bold, brave, courageous" in Turkish.
ChaKorean Cha is a relatively uncommon family name in Korea. The Yeonan Cha clan is the only clan. The founding ancestor was Cha Hyo-jeon, son of Ryoo Cha-dal (류차달) (10th century AD). Most of the clan's members live in Gyeongsang, Hwanghae, and P'yŏngan provinces... [more]
ChaHmong From the clan name Tsab or Tsaab associated with the Chinese character 張 (zhāng) (see Zhang).
ChabanaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 茶 (cha) meaning "tea" and 花 (bana), the joining form of 花 (hana) meaning "flower".
ChabashiraJapanese (Rare) 茶 (Cha) literally means "green tea" and bashira comes from 柱 (hashira) meaning "pillar".... [more]
ChabataJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 茶 (cha) meaning "tea" and 幡 (bata), the joining form of 幡 (hata), a clipping of 八幡 (Yahata), the name of a Shintō shrine in possibly Hiroshima, Japan.
ChaemchamratThai From Thai แจ่ม (chaem) meaning "bright, clear, shining" and จำรัส (chamrat) meaning "brilliant, radiant, prosperous".
ChaemsaiThai Means "clear, without clouds" in Thai.
ChaffeyEnglish Possibly, Chaffcombe in Somerset or Chaffhay in Devon
ChaffinEnglish A diminutive that originated from the Old French word chauf, which itself is derived from Latin calvus, both meaning "bald". Originally used as an Anglo-Norman nickname for a bald man.
ChageJapanese From Japanese 茶下 (chage) meaning "giver of tea". A notable bearer is Japanese musician Shūji Shibata (1958-), whose stage name is Chage.
ChaissonFrench, English Variant of the French surname Chiasson originally denoting someone from the the municipality of Chiasso in Ticino, Switzerland, located along the Swiss/Italian border.... [more]
ChaisukThai From Thai ชัย or ไชย (chai) meaning "victory" and สุข (suk) meaning "joy, happiness".
ChaisuwanThai From Thai ชัย or ไชย (chai) meaning "victory" and สุวรรณ (suwan) meaning "gold".
ChaitJewish Jewish occupational name derived from the Hebrew word חייט meaning "tailor".
ChaiwongThai From Thai ใจ (chai) meaning "heart, mind, spirit" or ไชย (chai) meaning "victory" and วงศ์ (wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty".
ChakirisGreek Alternate transcription of Greek Τσακίρης (see Tsakiris). The American actor and dancer George Chakiris (1932-), who is best known for portraying the character Bernardo Vasquez in the movie West Side Story (1961), is a famous bearer of this name.
ChakmaBengali From the name of the Chakma people of Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, derived from Sanskrit शक्तिमान (shaktimana) meaning "powerful" (composed of शक्ति (shakti) meaning "power" and the suffix मत् (mana) meaning "as, like, having the qualities of").
ChakravartiMarathi, Hindi Derived from Sanskrit चक्रवर्तिन् (chakravartin) meaning "world-ruler, emperor, monarch" (literally "wheel-turner" or "one who's wheels are turning"), from चक्र (chakra) meaning "wheel, circle" and वर्तिन् (vartin) meaning "abiding, moving, turning"... [more]
ChalaireAmerican (South, Rare, ?) Chalaire is a very rare surname, few people in the United States have the family name and might be raised in the United States. Around 99 people have been found who wears Chalaire as their family name... [more]
ChalametFrench Nickname for someone who played the reed or an occupational name for seller of torches, from a regional form of Old French chalemel meaning "reed" or "blowtorch". A notable bearer is American actor Timothée Chalamet (1995-).
ChalkEnglish English: from Old English cealc 'chalk', applied as a topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of chalk soil, or as a habitational name from any of the various places named with this word, as for example Chalk in Kent or Chalke in Wiltshire.
ChalkokondylisGreek Chalkokondylis (or Chalkokondyles) was a Greek noble family of Athens which was elected during the Florentine possession of the city. The family can be traced back to the 11th century.
ChallengerEnglish Probably from a medieval nickname for a touchy or quarrelsome person (from a derivative of Middle English chalangen "to challenge"). A fictional bearer is Professor George Challenger, irascible scientist and explorer, leader of the expedition to Amazonia in Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Lost World' (1912).
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.
ChalmersScottish Variant of Chambers. The -l- was originally an orthographic device to indicate the length of the vowel after assimilation of -mb- to -m(m)-.
ChamounArabic, Arabic (Maghrebi), Assyrian, Jewish French-influenced variant of Arabic شمعون (see Shamoun), mainly used in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and parts of North Africa. This name was borne by Lebanese president Camille Chamoun (1900-1987).
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.
ChampionEnglish, French Derived from the Middle English and Old French words campion, champiun and champion all meaning "athlete" such as a wrestler or boxer; also "warrior hired to do battle in single combat on behalf of others" (from Late Latin campio genitive campionis a derivative of campus "plain field of battle")... [more]
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.
ChandrasekharIndian A Hindu name meaning literally "holder of the moon" (an epithet of the god Shiva). A notable bearer of this surname was the Indian-born US physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995); the Chandrasekhar limit, i.e. the upper limit for the mass of a white dwarf star beyond which the star collapses to a neutron star or a black hole, is named after him.
ChantryEnglish Means "singer in a chantry chapel" or "one who lives by a chantry chapel". A chantry was a type of chapel, one endowed for the singing of Masses for the soul of the founder (from Old French chanterie, from chanter "to sing").
ChaoChinese Alternate transcription of Chinese 趙 (see Zhao).
ChapaSpanish An occupational name for a metalworker meaning "metal sheet", amongst other things. It may also come from the name of a place in Galicia, Spain, or the Basque word and oak bush, "chaparro".
ChapdelaineFrench Compound name derived from Old French chape meaning "hooded cloak, cape, hat" and de laine meaning "of wool", probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for a maker of such apparel, or as a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive cloak or hat.
ChapelFrench Occupational name for a maker of cloaks or a nickname for a person who wore a distinctive cloak, from a diminutive of Old French chape meaning "cape, cloak".
ChapelleFrench Topographic name for someone who lived near a chapel from French chapelle "chapel" or from several places in France and Belgium called (La) Chapelle and variant of Lachapelle, Capelle, and Chappelle.
ChapinFrench, Spanish From a reduced form of French eschapin or Spanish chapín, a term for a light (woman's) shoe; perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore this type of footwear or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker.
ChapuisFrench Occupational name from Old French chapuis "carpenter joiner" a derivative of chapuiser "to cut" (from Late Latin cappulare). Variant of Chappuis.
CharlierFrench, Walloon Occupational name for a cartwright wheelwright from Old French charrelier a derivative of charrel "cart" a diminutive of char "cart carriage".
CharnockEnglish (Rare) The locational surname originates from two places, Charnock Richard and Heath Charnock, which are both located in Lancashire, England.... [more]
CharodeevRussian Patronymic surname derived from Russian чародей (charodey) meaning "wizard, sorcerer, magician, enchanter".
CharoenphonThai From Thai เจริญ (charoen) meaning "prosper, flourish, grow" and พล (phon) meaning "force, strength, power".
CharoensukThai From Thai เจริญ (charoen) meaning "prosper, flourish, increase" and สุข (suk) meaning "joy, delight".
ChartersEnglish Scottish (Kirkcudbrightshire) and northern English, ultimately of Norman origin. This is a habitational name derived from the French town of Chartres, which is named from the Gaulish tribe recorded in Latin sources as the Carnutes.
ChartierFrench An occupational name for a carter from an agent derivative of Old French charette "cart".
ChaseFrench Topographic name for someone who lived in or by a house, probably the occupier of the most distinguished house in the village, from a southern derivative of Latin casa "hut, cottage, cabin".
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.
ChatelaineFrench A chatelaine is the mistress of a wealthy house or a castle.... [more]