Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
NoeMedieval English, Korean A patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah from the Hebrew word "noach" meaning long-lived. Possible origins could be ... [more]
NoirFrench Means "black" in French, originally used in Northern France as an ethnic nickname for someone from Southern France, Spain, Italy or North Africa. It also may have been used for someone who wore dark clothing or for someone who had an occupation during the night or was associated with the night.
NolfGerman, Dutch From a short form of the personal name Arnolf, composed of the Germanic elements arn 'eagle' + wulf 'wolf'. Dutch: from a reduced form of Nodolf, derived from the personal name Odolf by transfer of the final -n in a preceding personal name such as Jan, Simoen
NoonEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname for someone of a sunny disposition (noon being the sunniest part of the day); or (ii) from Irish Gaelic Ó Nuadháin "descendant of Nuadhán", a personal name based on Nuadha, the name of various Celtic gods (cf... [more]
NoorhaniEstonian Noorhani is an Estonian surname meaning "young goose".
NoorzaiPashto Means "son of light", from Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light, illumination" combined with Pashto زوی (zoy) meaning "son (of)".
NoseJapanese From Japanese 能 (no) meaning "ability, talent, skill" and 勢 (se) meaning "force, energy, strength".
NovoGalician, Portuguese Nickname from Portuguese and Galician novo ‘new’, ‘young’ (Latin novus). The word was also occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name, particularly for a child born after the death of a sibling, and this may also be a source of the surname.
NuteAnglo-Saxon, English Derived from the given name Cnute. Alternatively, it may be of nickname origin, from the Old English word hnutu, which meant brown, and would have been given to someone with a brown complexion.
ObinagaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 帯 (obi) meaning "sash; belt" and 長 (naga), the root form of 長い (nagai) meaning "long; lengthy".... [more]
Ó BolguidirIrish The name Ó Bolguidir has changed considerably in the time that has passed since its genesis. It originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Bolguidir, which likely meant "yellow-belly" (from bolg odhar).
ObuchMedieval Polish (Rare) Obuch is a surname found in Poland and specifically areas that were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom. It was the name of a long handled battle hammer and may have denoted someone handy with the weapon or who produced the weapon... [more]
OcchiItalian From Italian occhio "eye", a nickname for someone with good eyesight, or with distinctive eyes.
OcchibelliItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and bello "beautiful, good", as a nickname for someone with keen eyesight or attractive eyes. May also originate from a place of the same name.
OcchibiancoItalian Means "white eye" in Italian, most often given to foundlings.
OcchiboveItalian Probably means "ox eyes, cow eyes", from Italian occhio "eye" and bove "ox", perhaps a nickname for someone with large, dark eyes.
OcchiochiusoItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and chiuso "closed, shut", perhaps a nickname for someone who was blind, or known for being lazy.
Ó CróinínIrish It literally means "little saffron-colored one’s descendant".
OdehArabic (Mashriqi) Derived from Arabic عودة ('awdah) meaning "return". This surname is primarily found in the Levant.
OdhamEnglish Variant of Odom, altered by folk etymology as if derived from a place name formed with -ham.
OdishoAssyrian Means "servant of Jesus" from Syriac ܥܒܕܐ (ʿaḇdā) meaning "servant" and ܝܫܘܥ (Išōʿ) meaning "Jesus".
OdomEnglish Medieval nickname for someone who had climbed the social ladder by marrying the daughter of a prominent figure in the local community, from Middle English odam ‘son-in-law’ (Old English aðum).
O'DowdIrish The original Gaelic form was Dubhda. The first portion of the name comes from the word dubh, which means "black" or "dark-complexioned."
OechslinGerman (Swiss) South German (also Öchslein): from Middle High German ohse ‘ox’ + the diminutive suffix -lin. An occupational name for someone who tended cattle, or for a cattle dealer; or a nickname for a farmer who used oxen for plowing, or for someone perceived to resemble an ox.
O'feeIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fiaich "descendant of Fiach".
O'GalvinIrish Anglicized form of Ó Gealbháin, which means "descendant of the bright, fair one", derived from the Gaelic elements geal "bright" and ban "fair, white". A known bearer of the original form of the surname is Ciarán Ó Gealbháin, former signer of the Irish traditional music band Danú.
OggScottish Anglicized form of a nickname from the Gaelic adjective óg meaning "young", used to distinguish the junior of two bearers of the same personal name.
OğuzTurkish From the name of an ancient Turkic people, itself derived from a Turkic word meaning "tribe, clan".
Ó hAngluinnIrish A patronymic surname meaning "son of Anglninn." This name is, in turn, thought to be derived from Irish Gaelic word anglonn, which means "hero" or "champion."
ÓhearcáinIrish The surname ÓhEarcáin (Harkins) is derived from the Irish nickname of Erc or Earc meaning freckled. The diminutive of Erc or Earc is Ercáin or Earcáin. When the Irish alphabet added the aspirate “h” the name became hErcáin or hEarcáin with the hereditary surname prefixes Uí hErcáin, UahErcáin, ÓhEarcáin and (female)Ní Earcáin that was anglicized as Harkin, Harkan, or Harkins... [more]
OldEnglish From Middle English old, not necessarily implying old age, but rather used to distinguish an older from a younger bearer of the same personal name.
O'LennonIrish Original form of Lennon. Probably a variant of Ó Leannáin (from a by-name meaning "lover"), but may also be derived from O'Lonain (from lon, "blackbird").
OliphantEnglish Means "elephant" (from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German olifant "elephant"), perhaps used as a nickname for a large cumbersome person, or denoting someone who lived in a building distinguished by the sign of an elephant.
OllEstonian Oll is an Estonian surname, possibly derived from the masculine give name "Olev".
ÖlmezTurkish Means "immortal, undying, eternal" in Turkish.
OmtzigtDutch Derived from Dutch omzicht meaning "cautious, careful, circumspection", ultimately from the verb omzien meaning "to look around". It may have originated in a Dutch village with several farms named Omzicht, or as a nickname for a cautious person... [more]
OnasisGreek From Turkish oynas which means "Lover".
ÖncüTurkish Means "innovator, pioneer, trailblazer" in Turkish.
OnnoEstonian Onno is an Estonian surname derived from "onu" meaning "uncle".
OnotoraJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 男虎 (onotora) meaning "male tiger", from 男 (o) meaning "male; man", の (no), an unwritten possessive particle, and 虎 (tora) meaning "panthera tigris", referring to someone with qualities of a male tiger.... [more]
OrakzaiPashto Means "lost son" from Pashto ورک (worak) meaning "lost" and زوی (zoy) meaning "son".
OrangeMedieval English, Medieval French, English Derived from the medieval female name, or directly from the French place name. First used with the modern spelling in the 17th century, apparently due to William, Prince of Orange, who later became William III... [more]
OrfanelliItalian Means "little orphans" in Italian, ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀρφᾰνός "without parents; bereft". Given to children raised in an orphanage.
OrfanovRussian Derived from Greek ὀρφανός (orphanos) meaning "orphan".
Orus-oolTuvan Means "Russian boy" in Tuvan, from Tuvan орус (orus) meaning "Russian (person)" combined with оол (ool) "son, boy".
OsakoJapanese From Japanese 大 (o) meaning "big, large" combined with 迫 (sako) meaning "imperative".... [more]
Ó ScannailIrish Ó Scannail is both the name of a sept in Ireland and a surname. It is derived from the Gaelic term scannal, meaning "contention" or "strife."
OsterdayAmerican (Germanized, Rare) One day in Germany there was a male infant left on the steps to a church. When someone found the baby on the steps, they decided to name him Oster because that day was the day of Easter. Easter in German is Oster... [more]
OumKhmer Alternate transcription of Khmer អ៊ំ or អ៊ុំ (see Um).
OvechkinRussian Patronymic derived from Russian овечка (ovechka) meaning "lamb". A famous bearer is the Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin (1985-).
PacynaPolish Unflattering nickname from paczyna meaning "clod", "brickbat", or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a boatman, from the same word in the sense meaning "oar", "rudder".
PahlevanyanArmenian Means "son of the wrestler" or "son of the champion", ultimately from Persian پهلوان (pahlevân) meaning "strong man, champion, wrestler".
PaiaEstonian Paia is an Estonian surname derived from "pai" meaning "good".
PaixãoPortuguese Means "passion" in Portuguese, a reference to the Passion, the final period before the death of Jesus commemorated during Holy Week. It was originally used as a nickname for someone born on that day or for someone who had completed a pilgrimage on that day.
PakCircassian Circassian name derived from Adyghe пакъ (pāq) meaning "snub-nosed, bluntnose".
PanzeriItalian Either a nickname from Italian pancia "belly, paunch", referring to someone with a prominent belly (see Panza), or an occupational name for someone who manufactured girdles and armour, from panciere "corset, girdle; paunce (armour covering the belly)", ultimately from the same root.
PanzicaItalian From Sicilian panzicu "pot-bellied, paunch".
PapazoglouGreek Means "son of the priest", derived from the Greek παπάς (papás) meaning "priest" combined with the Turkish oğlu or oğul meaning "son, descendant".
PapinFrench Either from Old French papin "pap (for kids)" a noun derivative of paper "to munch or eat" (from Late Latin pappare in origin a nursery word) as a nickname probably referring to a glutton... [more]
PappalardoItalian Means "glutton, hypocrite" in Italian, originally a nickname for a gluttonous person or someone who pretended to observe religious fasts while eating meat in secret.
ParPortuguese Derived from Portuguese meaning "pair, couple, equal".
ParamarIndian, Gujarati Means "one who strikes the enemy" from Sanskrit पर (para) meaning "other, alien, foreigner, enemy" and मार (mā́ra) meaning "killing, slaying, destroying".
ParamoreFrench (Rare) origin is unknown but the meaning of the name is lover used in France and England
ParataMaori From a transliteration of the English word "brother" or "brothers".
ParlettiItalian (Rare) It is a surname of Italian origin, believed to mean "talkative", although few have this surname. Approximately 11 people bear this surname.
ParmarIndian, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi Derived from Sanskrit परमार (paramara) meaning "slayer of enemies", from पर (para) meaning "enemy, adversary" and मार (mara) meaning "killing, slaying, destroying".
ParmentierFrench An occupational surname for a maker of "facings" and "trimmings".
ParsiPersian, Indian (Parsi) Derived from Persian پارسی (pârsi) literally meaning "Persian", though it also refers to the Parsi (or Parsee), a Zoroastrian community in India.
PashaAlbanian, Ottoman Turkish (Anglicized), Turkish (Anglicized) Pasha or pascha (Ottoman Turkish: پاشا, Turkish: paşa), formerly anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries and others... [more]
PashaeiPersian From the Ottoman title pasha, which was used by high-ranking military officers.
PasquaFrench Derived from Pasqua, a nickname for a person born during Easter (which itself is derived from Latin pascua). Famous beaters include Charles Victor Pasqua (1927-2015), a French businessman and a Gaullist politician.
PasseFrench Possibly a nickname from passe 'sparrow
PasseleweMedieval English The medieval name is from Old French passe(r) ‘to pass or cross’ + l’ewe ‘the water’, hence a nickname, probably for a ferryman or a merchant who was in the habit of traveling overseas, or else someone who had been on a pilgrimage or crusade.
PassmoreEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname for someone who crossed marshy moorland (e.g. who lived on the opposite side of a moor, or who knew the safe paths across it); or (ii) perhaps from an alteration of Passemer, literally "cross-sea", an Anglo-Norman nickname for a seafarer... [more]
PaterDutch From Latin pater ‘father’, also used to denote the father superior in a religious order, hence probably a nickname for a "solemn" or "pompous man."
PateraCzech Nickname for the illegitimate son of a priest.
PathanIndian (Muslim), Bengali, Urdu, Pashto Derived from Hindustani पठान (paṭhān) meaning "a Pashtun (person)", referring to the Pashtun ethnic group inhabiting present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is sometimes used by Pashtuns who ancestrally migrated to India.
PathirajaSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit पति (pati) meaning "husband, lord" and राज (raja) meaning "king".
PathiranaSinhalese Possibly from a title derived from Sanskrit पति (pati) meaning "husband, lord" and राणा (rana) meaning "king".
PatiñoSpanish, Galician From a diminutive of Spanish or Galician pato meaning "duck", used as a nickname for a person who waddled.
PätsEstonian Päts is an Estonian surname meaning "pone" or "loaf".
PattaItalian Possibly from patta "draw, settlement", perhaps a nickname given to a negotiator. The same term can also mean "heat, warmth of the hearth".
PaytasHungarian, English (American) From the Hungarian nickname pajtás meaning "comrade, pal". Possibly originates from the Ottoman Turkish word پایداش (paydaş) meaning "partner, sharer". A notable bearer of the surname is the American YouTuber Trisha Paytas.
PaytonIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Peatáin "descendant of Peatán.
PazziItalian From Italian pazzo "crazy, insane, mad".
PeabodyEnglish Probably from a nickname for a showy dresser, from Middle English pe "peacock" (see Peacock) and body "body, person". Alternatively it may be from the name of a Celtic tribe meaning "mountain men" from Brythonic pea "large hill, mountain" combined with Boadie, the tribe's earlier name, which meant "great man" (or simply "man") among the Briton and Cambri peoples... [more]
PecchiaItalian Nickname, probably for an industrious person, from pecchia "bee".
PeetEnglish, Dutch Derived from a pet form of the given name Peter. As a Dutch nickname, it is derived from Middle Dutch pete meaning "godfather, godmother, godchild".
PeinadoSpanish Derived from peinado meaning "combed" (past participle of peinar meaning "to comb"), hence a nickname for a well-groomed person or for someone with naturally smooth rather than curly hair.
PelagattiItalian Probably derives from an old expression meaning "cheat, scoundrel", literally a combination of pela "to skin" and gatti "cats".
PeledJewish Derived from Hebrew פלדה (plada) meaning "steel".
PelekanosGreek Means woodpecker" from Greek pelekanos "green woodpecker" (cognate with pelekan "pelican"; both come from pelekys "axe" the pelican because its beak is shaped like an axe the woodpecker because it uses its beak like an axe).
PellegrinFrench Unknown. Possibly a variant of Pellegrino. This surname was given to the Chilean named Raúl Alejandro Pellegrin Friedmann (1958-1988; nicknamed JoséMiguel).
PellerinFrench From Old French pellerinpelegrin "pilgrim" (from Latin peregrinus "traveler") applied as a nickname for a person who had been on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or to a famous holy site elsewhere... [more]
PellicanoItalian, Sicilian nickname from dialect pelecanòpelicanò "woodpecker" from modern Greek pelekanos "green woodpecker" (cognate with pelekan "pelican"; both come from pelekys "axe" the pelican because its beak is shaped like an axe the woodpecker because it uses its beak like an axe).
PenningEnglish, Dutch, Low German From early Middle English penning, Low German penning, and Middle Dutch penninc, all meaning "penny". It was used as a topographic surname or a nickname referring to tax dues of a penny.
PensaItalian Possibly from Italian pensa "think", indicating the bearer was known for being thoughtful or intelligent.
PerdikisGreek A surname derived from the Greek word "πέρδικα", meaning partridge or grouse. It appeared first time in the Byzantine Empire during the 11th century.
PerdueEnglish, Irish, French English and Irish from Old French par Dieu ‘by God’, which was adopted in Middle English in a variety of more or less heavily altered forms. The surname represents a nickname from a favorite oath... [more]
PereireBreton (Latinized, Archaic) This surname is the Gallic (Gaulish) origin and it means wild pear tree. There are also similar spellig in the Iberian Peninsula such as Pereiro, Pereyro, Pereiros, Perero and Pereros. These surnames (last names) correspond to families of the Celtiberian culture.
PereiriCeltic (Latinized, Archaic) Pereiri or Pereiro is a Galician surname in the north of Spain. It's a last name belonging to ancient Celtic tribes.
PereseGascon Meaning the pear tree. It have a second meaning that is Son of Peter and it's a surname of the Christian inspiration. In Catalonia there is a derivative that is Parés (Variations: Pares, Parès, Parè and Pare).
PernaItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from the dialectic word perna "leg", denoting someone with a deformed or missing leg, or a variant of Perla.
PerpichEnglish (American) Americanized spelling of Croatian and Serbian Prpić. Prporuše was a term denoting young girls who, in the dry season, would visit houses in the village and pray for rain.
PerronSpanish Spanish (Perrón) : probably from an augmentative of perro 'dog'.
PersiaItalian, Spanish Ethnic name or regional name for someone from Persia (modern-day Iran) or some other country with Persian-speaking peoples or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries (see the given name Persis)... [more]
PeršinCroatian, Serbian From Croatian peršin meaning "parsley," likely referring to a grower or seller.
PervakUkrainian, Russian Derived either from Russian первый (pervy) meaning "first" or directly from colloquial Ukrainian первак (pervak) meaning "firstborn".
PeskaCzech From a pet form of the personal name Pešek
PestanaPortuguese Nickname for a person with prominent eyelashes, from Portuguese pestana "eyelash".
PetitjeanFrench Nickname for a small or little man, or ironically a large or tall man, derived from Old French petit meaning "small, little" combined with the given name Jean 1... [more]
PetitoItalian, Judeo-Italian Nickname for a small person, derived from a dialectal word ultimately from French petit meaning "small, little".
PettiferEnglish Nickname for a good infantryman, an old soldier who had lost a foot, or a person who was never tired of walking, derived from Old French pedefer, pied de fer meaning "iron foot".
PfautzGerman It was originally given as a nickname for a chubby person.
PfefferGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a spicer, or a nickname for a person with a fiery temper, for a small man, or for a dark-haired person. Derived from German Pfeffer "pepper".
PfeilGerman From Middle High German pfil ‘arrow’ (from Latin pilum ‘spike’, ‘javelin’), either a metonymic occupational name for an arrowsmith or possibly a nickname for a tall thin man.
PhenixFrench (Quebec, Anglicized) Either (i) an anglicization of French Canadian Phénix, literally "phoenix", probably originally a nickname of now lost import; or (ii) a different form of Fenwick.
PheonixEnglish A rare nickname given for someone's appearance of blonde and red hair just as a phoenix has colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet.
PhilippartBelgian In the Medieval period, of Ancient Greek origin, derives from philippos, a compound made of philein meaning "to love", and hippos, a horse, hence "lover of horses".
PhonekeoLao From Lao ພອນ (phone) meaning "blessing" and ແກ້ວ (keo) meaning "jewel, gem".
PhonesavanhLao From Lao ພອນ (phone) meaning "blessing" and ສະຫວັນ (savanh) meaning "heaven".
PhonevilayLao From Lao ພອນ (phone) meaning "blessing" and ວິໄລ (vilay) meaning "splendid, beautiful".
PiChinese, Korean From Chinese 皮 (pí) meaning "skin, hide, leather".
PicaItalian, Catalan Nickname for a gossipy or garrulous person, from the central-southern Italian word pica ‘magpie’. Compare Picazo.Catalan: habitational name from any of the numerous places called Pica.Catalan: from either pica ‘pointed object’ (weapon, etc.) or a derivative of picar ‘to prick’.
PickettEnglish Of Norman origin, from the personal name Pic, here with the diminutive suffixes et or ot, and recorded as Picot, Pigot and Piket. The name is ultimately of Germanic derivation, from pic meaning "sharp" or "pointed", which was a common element in names meaning for instance, residence near a "pointed hill", use of a particular sharp or pointed tool or weapon, or a nickname for a tall, thin person.
PiénoelFrench (Rare) French surname that possibly refers to the buckled shoes that the original bearer was wearing, in which case it is derived from Old French pié meaning "foot" combined with Old French noiel meaning "buckle"... [more]
PierahudBelarusian Derived from Belarusian перагуд (pierahud) meaning "prolonged rumble". This may have been a nickname for a gossip.
PiggEnglish Derived from Middle English pigge meaning "young hog".
PikachuBrazilian From Japanese ピカチュウ (Pikachuu), derived from the onomatopoeic words ピカピカ (pikapika), a sparkly sound, and チュウチュウ (chuuchuu), a mouse sound. It happens to be a nickname for someone with a short stature who runs super fast according to the famous barrier Yago Pikachu (born Glaybson Yago Souza Lisboa) a Brazilian footballer who plays for Fortaleza.
PikkEstonian Pikk is an Estonian surname meaning "long" and "tall".