All Surnames (page 16) - Behind the Name

PHILIPS English, Dutch
Means "son of PHILIP". Famous bearers of this surname were Frederick Philips (1830-1900) and his son Gerard (1858-1942), the Dutch founders of the company Philips.

PHILLIPS English
Means "son of PHILIP".

PIĄTEK Polish
Means "Friday" in Polish, derived from the word piąty meaning "fifth".

PIAZZA Italian
Means "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square.

PICASSO Italian
From Italian pica meaning "magpie". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. The Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.

PICCIRILLO Italian
From Neapolitan piccerillo meaning "small, young".

PICCOLI Italian
Nickname for a short person, from Italian piccolo "small".

PICKERING English
From the name of a town in Yorkshire, derived from Old English Piceringas, the name of a tribe.

PICKLE English
Derived from Middle English pighel meaning "small field".

PIERCE English
From the given name PIERS.

PIERNO Italian
From the name of the small town of Pierno in southern Italy near Potenza.

PIERRE French
From the given name PIERRE.

PIERSON English
Means "son of PIERS".

PIETRI Italian
Derived from the given name PIETRO.

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

PILKVIST Swedish
From Swedish pil "willow" and qvist "twig, branch".

PINHEIRO Portuguese
Means "pine tree" in Portuguese.

PINHO Portuguese
Habitational name meaning "pine" in Portuguese.

PINI Italian
Name for a person who lived near a pine tree, from Italian pino, Latin pinus.

PIONTEK Polish
Germanized or Americanized form of PIĄTEK.

PIOTROWSKI Polish
Name for a person from a town named Piotrów, Piotrowo or Piotrowice, all derived from the given name PIOTR.

PIOVENE Italian
From the name of the town of Piovene Rocchette in Veneto, Italy.

PIPER English
Originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).

PIRAINO Italian
From the name of the town of Piraino on Sicily.

PISANI Italian
From Italian pisano, the name for an inhabitant of the city of Pisa, Italy. The city's name is of unknown meaning.

PITTALUGA Italian
Originally a nickname for somebody who steals grapes from vineyards. In the Genoese dialect pittà means "to pick" and uga means "grapes" (uva in Italian).

PITTS English
Indicated a person who lived by a pit or hollow, from Old English pytt. It could also indicate a person from Pitt (Hants) or Pett (East Sussex) in England.

PLAMONDON French
Derived from French plat "flat" and mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.

PLANCHE French
French form of PLANK.

PLANCK German
German variant of PLANK.

PLANK German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.

PLANQUE French
French form of PLANK.

PLASKETT English
Originally denoted a dweller by a swampy meadow, from Old French plascq meaning "wet meadow".

PLATT English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατυς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.

PLEŠEC Slovene
Variant of PLEŠKO.

PLEŠKO Slovene
Nickname for a bald person, from Slovene pleša meaning "bald patch".

PLETCHER German
Anglicized form of PLETSCHER.

PLETSCHER German
Possibly from the name of a field where cattle fodder was grown, from German Bletsch.

PLOURDE French
Possibly derived from French palourde, a type of a shellfish.

POCOCK English
Variant of PEACOCK.

PODSEDNÍK Czech
Means "one who sits behind" in Czech, an equivalent to Zahradník mainly used in the region of Moravia.

POGGI Italian
Variant of POGGIO.

POGGIO Italian
Means "hillock, small hill" in Italian, a derivative of Latin podium meaning "balcony, platform".

POINDEXTER English
From the Jèrriais surname Poingdestre meaning "right fist".

POINGDESTRE Jèrriais
Jèrriais form of POINDEXTER.

POIRIER French
Means "pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.

POKORNI Hungarian
Hungarian variant of POKORNY.

POKORNY Polish
Polish form of POKORNÝ.

POKORNÝ Czech, Slovak
Means "humble" in Czech and Slovak.

POLÁK Czech
Means "Pole, person from Poland" in Czech.

POLETTI Italian
From a diminutive of the given name PAOLO. This name is typical of northern and central Italy.

POLLEY English
From Old French poli meaning "polite, courteous".

POLOLÁNÍK Czech
Derived from Czech polo "one half" and lán, a medieval Czech measure of land (approximately 18 hectares). The name denoted someone who owned this much land.

POLZIN German
From the name of a town in Pomerania, Poland (formerly part of Germany). In Polish it is called Połczyn.

POND English
Originally referred to one who lived near a pond.

PONTECORVO Italian, Jewish
From the name of a town in central Italy, home to an old Jewish community. The town's name is derived from Italian ponte "bridge" and curvo "curved".

POOLE English
From Old English pol meaning "pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.

POPE English
From a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin papa, ultimately from Greek παππας (pappas) meaning "father".

POPESCU Romanian
From Romanian popă "priest", from Slavic pop.

POPŁAWSKI Polish
From Polish poplaw meaning "flowing water, flood".

POPOV Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of the priest", derived from Russian and Bulgarian поп (pop).

POPOVSKI Macedonian
Means "son of the priest" in Macedonian.

PORCHER English, French
Means "swineherd" from Old French and Middle English porchier, from Latin porcus "pig".

PORRA Catalan
Variant of PORRAS.

PORRAS Spanish, Catalan
From a nickname meaning "club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin porrum meaning "leek".

PORSCHE German
Derived from the given name BORIS.

PORTELLI Italian
Diminutive form of PORTO.

PORTER English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

PORTNER Low German
Low German cognate of PORTER.

PORTO Italian
Designated a person who lived near a harbour, from Italian porto, Latin portus.

PORTOGHESE Italian
Means "Portuguese" in Italian.

POSPÍŠIL Czech
Nickname for a person in a hurry, from Czech pospíšit "hurry".

POTENZA Italian
From the name of the southern Italian city of Potenza, called Potentia in Latin, meaning "power, force".

POTTER English
Occupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels.

POTTINGER English
Occupational name, either for an apothecary, from Old French potecaire, or a seller of stew, from Old French potagier.

POULIN French
Derived from Old French poule meaning "chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.

POULSEN Danish
Means "son of POUL".

POUND English
Occupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English pund "animal enclosure".

POWELL Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Hywel meaning "son of HYWEL".

POWER (1) English, Irish
From Old French Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.

POWER (2) English
From Middle English povre meaning "poor", via Old French from Latin pauper. It could have been a nickname for someone who had no money or a miser.

POWERS English
Variant of POWER (1) or POWER (2).

POZZI Italian
From Italian pozzo meaning "well, pit", derived from Latin puteus.

PRATT English
From Old English prætt meaning "trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.

PRAŽAK Czech
Means "from PRAGUE" in Czech.

PREBENSEN Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of PREBEN".

PRESCOTT English
From the name of various English places meaning "priest's cottage" in Old English.

PRESLEY English
Variant of PRIESTLEY. This name was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).

PRESSLEY English
Variant of PRIESTLEY.

PRESTON English
Originally derived from various place names meaning "priest town" in Old English.

PRETORIUS Southern African, Afrikaans
From Latin praetor meaning "leader". This name was adopted in the 17th century by Wesselius Praetorius as a Latin translation of his previous surname Schulte. It is now common in South Africa.

PRICE Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Rhys, which means "son of RHYS".

PRICHARD Welsh
Variant of PRITCHARD.

PRIDDY Welsh
From Welsh prydudd meaning "bard".

PRIESTLEY English
From a place name meaning "priest clearing", from Old English preost and leah.

PRIETO Spanish
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish, referring to a person with dark hair or skin.

PRIFTI Albanian
From Albanian prift meaning "priest".

PRINSEN Dutch
Means "son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.

PRINZ German, Jewish
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.

PRITCHARD Welsh
From Welsh ap Richard meaning "son of RICHARD".

PROBERT Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Robert, which means "son of ROBERT".

PROCHÁZKA Czech
Means "walk, wander, stroll" in Czech. This was an occupational name for a travelling tradesman.

PROFETA Italian
From Italian profeta meaning "prophet". It probably came from a nickname indicating a person who wanted to predict the future. It is typical of southern Italy.

PROHÁSZKA Hungarian
Hungarian form of PROCHÁZKA.

PROSDOCIMI Italian
From the given name Prosdocimo, Italian form of PROSDOCIMUS.

PROTZ German
From a nickname meaning "showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".

PROUDFOOT English
Nickname for a person with a proud step.

PROULX French
Derived from Old French preu meaning "valiant, brave".

PROVENZA Italian
From the name of the Provence region of southern France (in Italian Provenza). It is derived from Latin provincia "province", a territorial division.

PROVENZANO Italian
Variant of PROVENZA typical of southern Italy, namely Sicily and Calabria.

PRYCE Welsh
Variant of PRICE.

PRYOR English
Originally belonged to one who was a prior (a religious official), or one who worked for a prior.

PUERTA Spanish
Means "door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.

PUGA Galician
Means "thorn, prickle" in Galician.

PUGH Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Hugh meaning "son of HUGH".

PUGLIESE Italian
From an adjectival derivative of Puglia, from Latin Apulia, a region of southeast Italy containing the boot heel and some of the coastline of the Adriatic Sea. It is a regional name for someone from that region.

PUIG Catalan
Catalan cognate of POGGIO.

PULKRÁBEK Czech
Derived from the medieval status name purkrabí meaning "burgrave". It is derived from German Burggraf meaning "castle count".

PURCELL English
From Old French pourcel "piglet", from Latin porcellus, a derivative of porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.

PUSKÁS Hungarian
Occupational name for a gunsmith or cannon maker, from Hungarian puska meaning "gun" (from German, itself from Latin buxis "box").

PUSZTAI Hungarian
From Hungarian puszta meaning "plain, steppe". The name was given to someone living on a plain.

PUTNAM English
From Puttenham, the name of towns in Hertfordshire and Surrey in England, which mean "Putta's homestead".

QADIR Arabic
Derived from the given name QADIR.

QUARANTA Italian
Means "forty" in Italian.

QUATTROCCHI Italian
From Italian quattro meaning "four" and occhi meaning "eyes", a nickname for a person who wore glasses. It is usually found in Sicily.

QUEEN English
From a given name that was derived from Old English cwen meaning "queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.

QUICK English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".

QUICKLEY (1) English
Variant of QUICK.

QUICKLEY (2) Irish
Variant of QUIGLEY.

QUIGG Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuaig meaning "descendant of Cuaig", a given name of unknown meaning.

QUIGLEY Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Coigligh meaning "descendant of Coigleach", a given name meaning "untidy".

QUINCEY English
Variant of QUINCY.

QUINCY English
Originally from various place names in Normandy that were derived from the given name QUINTUS.

QUINLAN Irish
From Irish Ó Caoindealbháin, which means "descendant of Caoindealbhán", a given name meaning "comely form".

QUINN Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuinn meaning "descendant of CONN".

QUIÑONES Spanish
From various Spanish place names derived from quiñóon meaning "shared piece of land", derived from Latin quinque "five".

QUINTANA Spanish, Catalan
Originally indicated someone who lived on a piece of land where the rent was a fifth of its produce, from Spanish and Catalan quintana "fifth", from Latin quintus.

QUIRK Irish
Variant of QUIRKE.

QUIRKE Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuirc meaning "descendant of Corc", a given name meaning "heart".

QUIRÓS Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various places of this name in Spain, which may derive from Galician queiroa meaning "heather".

RÁCZ Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian rác meaning "Rascian", a former name for Serbians who lived in the Habsburg Empire.

RADCLIFF English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.

RADCLYFFE English
Variant of RADCLIFF.

RADEMACHER Low German
Low German cognate of RADEMAKER.

RADEMAKER Dutch
From the occupation of rademaker meaning "maker of wheels", from Dutch rad meaning "wheel".

RADEMAKERS Dutch
Variant of RADEMAKER.

RADEV Bulgarian
Means "son of Rade", a diminutive of RADOSLAV, RADOMIR, or other names beginning with рад (rad).

RADIĆ Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic derived from the given name RADE.

RADKOV Bulgarian
Means "son of RADKO".

RAFFERTY Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Rabhartaigh meaning "descendant of Rabhartach". The given name Rabhartach means "flood tide".

RAGNO Italian
From a nickname meaning "spider" in Italian.

RAGNVALDSSON Swedish
Means "son of RAGNVALD".

RAIMONDI Italian
Derived from the given name RAIMONDO.

RAINES English
Originally denoted a person from Rayne, Essex, England (possibly from an Old English word meaning "shelter") or from Rennes, Brittany, France (from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones).

RAINS English
Variant of RAINES.

RAIS Italian
Occupational name for the fisherman in charge of the boat, from Italian rais "captain", of Arabic origin. It is typical of Sicily and Sardinia.

RAKE English
Originally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English hrace meaning "throat".

RAKES English
Variant of RAKE.

RALSTON Scottish
Originally denoted a person from Ralston, Scotland, which was derived from the given name RALPH combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

RAMAKER Dutch
Variant of RADEMAKER.

RAMAKERS Dutch
Variant of RADEMAKER.

RAMECKERS Dutch
Variant of RADEMAKER.

RAMIRES Portuguese
Means "son of RAMIRO" in Portuguese.

RAMÍREZ Spanish
Means "son of RAMIRO" in Spanish.

RAMOS Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin ramus meaning "branch".

RAMSAY Scottish
Variant of RAMSEY.

RAMSEY Scottish, English
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.

RANA Italian, Spanish
Means "frog" in Italian and Spanish.

RANDAL English
Derived from the given name RANDEL.

RANDALL English
Derived from the given name RANDEL.

RANDELL English
Derived from the given name RANDEL.

RANDRUP Danish
From the name of homesteads in Denmark (in Viborg or Rebild municipalities).

RANERI Italian
Derived from the Italian given name RANIERO.

RANTA Finnish
Originally indicated a person who lived near the shore, from Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".

RAO (1) Indian, Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit राज (raja) meaning "king".

RAO (2) Italian
Derived from the given name RAUL.

RAPALLINO Italian
From the name of the town of Rapallo near Genoa.

RAPP (1) Swedish
From Swedish rapp meaning "quick, prompt", one of the names adopted by soldiers in the 17th century.

RAPP (2) German
From Middle High German raben meaning "raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.

RAPTIS Greek
Means "tailor" in Greek.

RASCH German
German form of RASK.

RASK Danish, Swedish
Means "energetic, quick, healthy" in Danish and Swedish.

RASKOB German
Variant of RASKOPF.

RASKOP German
Variant of RASKOPF.

RASKOPF German
Possibly from German rasch "quick" and Kopf "head".

RASMUSSEN Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of RASMUS".

RASPUTIN Russian
From Russian распутье (rasputye) meaning "crossroads". A famous bearer was the Russian mystic Grigoriy Rasputin (1869-1916).

RATTI Italian
From Italian ratto meaning "rat", originally denoting a sly individual.

RATTRAY Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".

RAUTIO Finnish
Means "smith" in Finnish.

RAVENNA Italian
From the name of the city of Ravenna in northern Italy, which is of uncertain origin, possibly Etruscan.

RAY English
Variant of REY (1), REY (2), RYE or WRAY.

RAYNE English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".

RÉ Italian
Italian form of REY (1).

READ (1) English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.

READ (2) English
From Old English ryd, an unattested form of rod meaning "cleared land". It is also derived from various English place names with various meanings, including "roe headland", "reeds" and "brushwood".

READDIE English
Variant of READY (1).

READY (1) English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".

READY (2) Scottish
Originally denoted a person from Reedie farm in Angus, Scotland.

READY (3) Irish
Anglicized form of Ó RODAGH.

REAGAN Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ríagáin meaning "descendant of RIAGÁN". A famous bearer was American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).

REECE Welsh
Derived from the given name RHYS.

REED English
Variant of READ (1).

REENBERG Danish
Meaning unknown. The second element is probably from Old Norse berg "mountain" (modern Danish bjerg).

REES Welsh
Derived from the given name RHYS.

REESE Welsh
Derived from the given name RHYS.

REEVE English
Occupational name derived from Middle English reeve, Old English (ge)refa meaning "sheriff, prefect, local official".

REEVES English
Variant of REEVE.

REGAN Irish
Variant of REAGAN.

REGENBOGEN German, Jewish
From a German nickname meaning "rainbow".

ŘEHA Czech
Derived from the given name ŘEHOŘ.

REID Scottish
Scots variant of READ (1).

REIER German
Variant of REIHER.

REIHER German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.

REIJNDERS Dutch, Frisian
Variant of REINDERS.

REILLY Irish
Anglicized form of Ó RAGHAILLIGH.

REINDERS Dutch, Frisian
From the given name REINDERT.

REIS German, Jewish
From Middle High German ris meaning "twig, branch, bush", denoting a person who lived in an overgrown area. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

REITER German
Variant of REUTER (1).

REMINGTON English
From the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, derived from the name of the stream Riming combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, town".

RENAUD French
From the given name RENAUD.

RENDÓN Spanish
Possibly derived from a variant of Spanish de rondón meaning "unexpectedly, rashly".

RENNELL English
Variant of REYNOLDS.

RENNOLD English
Variant of REYNOLDS.

RENNOLL English
Variant of REYNOLDS.

RESNIK Slovene
Possibly from Slovene resa meaning "heather".

RETTIG German
Derived from Middle High German retich, Middle Low German redik meaning "radish", an occupational name for a grower or seller of radishes.

REUTER (1) German
Fom Middle High German riute meaning "cleared land".

REUTER (2) German
From Middle High German riutœre meaning "highwayman, thief".

REVIE English
Variant of REEVE.

REY (1) English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.

REY (2) English
Means "female roe deer" from Old English ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.

REYER German
Variant of REIHER.

REYES Spanish
Spanish variant of REY (1).

REYNDERS Dutch, Frisian
Variant of REINDERS.

REYNELL English
Variant of REYNOLDS.

REYNOLDS English
Derived from the given name REYNOLD.

ŘEZNÍČEK Czech
Diminutive of ŘEZNÍK.

ŘEZNÍK Czech, Slovak
Means "butcher" in Czech and Slovak.

RHEE Korean
North Korean form of LEE (2).

RHODES English
Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.

RHYDDERCH Welsh
From the given name RHYDDERCH.

RIBEIRO Portuguese
Means "little river, stream" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".

RIBER Danish
Originally indicated a person from the county or town of Ribe in southwestern Denmark.

RICCHETTI Italian
Diminutive form of RICCI.

RICCI Italian
From Italian riccio meaning "curly", a nickname for someone with curly hair. It is ultimately from Latin ericius meaning "hedgehog".

RICE Welsh
Derived from the given name RHYS.

RICHARD English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name RICHARD.

RICHARDS English
Derived from the given name RICHARD.

RICHARDSON English
Means "son of RICHARD".

RICHELIEU French
From the name of the town of Richelieu, derived from French riche "wealthy" and lieu "place". The historic figure Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), born Armand du Plessis, was so-called because he became the first Duke of Richelieu. He appears in Alexander Dumas' novel 'The Three Musketeers' (1844).

RICHTER German
Means "judge" in German, from Middle High German rihtære.

RICKARD English
From the given name RICHARD.

RIDER English
Variant of RYDER.

RIDLEY English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places of this name in England. The places are derived from Old English geryd "channel" or hreod "reed" combined with leah "woodland, clearing".

RIESE German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German.

RIETVELD Dutch
Means "reed field", from Dutch riet "reed" and veld "field". It is found mostly in the western part of the Netherlands (the Holland area).

RIGBY English
Originally derived from a the name of a town in Lancashire, itself from Old Norse hryggr "ridge" and býr "farm".

RIGGI Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Reggio Calabria, from Latin Rhegium, of Greek origin.

RIGHI Italian
From the given name ARRIGO.

RIGÓ Hungarian
Means "thrush" in Hungarian.

RIJNDERS Dutch, Frisian
Variant of REINDERS.

RILEY (1) English
From the name of the town of Ryley in Lancashire, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and leah "clearing".

RILEY (2) Irish
Variant of REILLY.

RIMMER English
Occupational name meaning "poet", from Middle English rime meaning "rhyme".

RINALDI Italian
Derived from the given name RINALDO.

RINNE (1) Irish
Anglicized form of Ó RINN.

RINNE (2) Finnish
Means "hillside" in Finnish.

RÍOS Spanish
Spanish cognate of RIOS.

RIOS Portuguese
Originally denoted a person who lived near a river, from Portuguese rios "river", ultimately from Latin rivus.

RITTER German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of RYDER.

RIVA Italian
Means "bank, shore" in Italian, from Latin ripa, denoting one who lived by a river or a lake.

RIVERA Spanish
From Spanish ribera meaning "bank, shore", from Latin riparius.

RIVERO Spanish
Variant of RIVERA.

RIVERS English
Denoted a person who lived near a river, from Middle English, from Old French riviere meaning "river", from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".

RIZZO Italian
Variant of RICCI.