Pavone ItalianMeans
"peacock" in Italian. It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
Pawłowski m PolishHabitational name for someone from a town named
Pawłowo, derived from the given name
Paweł.
Paxton EnglishFrom an English place name meaning "Pœcc's town".
Pœcc is an Old English name of unknown meaning.
Payne EnglishFrom a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin
paganus meaning
"heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.
Paz SpanishMeans
"peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.
Peacock EnglishFrom Middle English
pecok meaning
"peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
Peak EnglishOriginally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English
peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.
Peck 2 EnglishOccupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English
pekke.
Pecora ItalianMeans
"sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.
Peel EnglishNickname for a thin person, derived from Old French
pel, Latin
palus meaning
"stake, post" (related to English
pole).
Peerenboom DutchFrom Dutch meaning
"pear tree", referring to someone who lived or worked at a pear orchard.
Pei ChineseFrom Chinese
裴 (péi), possibly referring to an ancient city.
Pellegrino ItalianMeans
"pilgrim, traveller" in Italian, ultimately from Latin
peregrinus.
Pemberton EnglishFrom the name of a town near Manchester, derived from Celtic
penn meaning "hill" combined with Old English
bere meaning "barley" and
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Peña SpanishOriginally denoted a person who lived near a jutting rock, from Spanish
peña meaning
"rock, cliff".
Pender 1 EnglishFrom Middle English
pind "to pen up". This was an occupational name for someone who penned animals.
Penders DutchFrom Middle Dutch
paender meaning
"brewer", derived from
panne meaning "pan, pot", ultimately from Latin
patina.
Peng ChineseFrom Chinese
彭 (péng) referring to the ancient state of Peng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Jiangsu province.
Penn 1 EnglishDerived from various place names that were named using the Brythonic word
penn meaning
"hilltop, head".
Penn 2 EnglishOccupational name for a person who kept penned animals, from Old English
penn.
Penny EnglishNickname meaning
"penny, coin" from Old English
penning.
Penzig YiddishDenoted a person who came from Penzig, the German name for Pieńsk, a town in southwest Poland. It is derived from Polish
pień meaning "stump, tree trunk".
Pereira Portuguese, GalicianFrom Portuguese and Galician
pereira meaning
"pear tree", ultimately from Latin
pirum meaning "pear".
Périgord FrenchFrom the name of a region in southern France, possibly of Gaulish origin.
Perry 1 EnglishFrom Old English
pirige meaning
"pear tree", a derivative of
peru meaning "pear", itself from Latin
pirum. A famous bearer was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.
Perugia ItalianFrom the name of the city of Perugia in Umbria, Italy. It was known as
Perusia in the classical period, and it is of Etruscan origin.
Pesaro ItalianFrom the name of the city of Pesaro, in the Marche region (Latin
Pisaurum).
Pesce ItalianMeans
"fish" in Italian, referring either to a fisherman or to a person who resembled a fish in some way.
Petit French, Catalan, EnglishMeans
"small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan
petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.
Pfaff GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"priest, cleric" from Old High German
pfaffo, from Latin
papa.
Pfeiffer GermanOccupational name meaning
"pipe player" in German, from Middle High German
pfifen "to whistle".
Pfenning GermanFrom Old High German
pfenning meaning
"penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.
Phạm VietnameseVietnamese form of
Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese
范 (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.
Philips English, DutchMeans
"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.
Piątek PolishMeans
"Friday" in Polish, derived from the word
piąty meaning "fifth".
Piazza ItalianMeans
"plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin
platea.
Picard FrenchOriginally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French
pic meaning "pike, spike".
Picasso ItalianFrom 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.
Piccoli ItalianNickname for a short person, from Italian
piccolo "small".
Pickering EnglishFrom the name of a town in Yorkshire, derived from Old English
Piceringas, the name of a tribe.
Pickle EnglishDerived from Middle English
pighel meaning
"small field".
Pierno ItalianFrom the name of the small town of Pierno in southern Italy near Potenza.
Pini ItalianName for a person who lived near a pine tree, from Italian
pino, Latin
pinus.
Piotrowski m PolishHabitational name for a person from towns named
Piotrów,
Piotrowo or
Piotrowice, all derived from the given name
Piotr.
Piovene ItalianFrom the name of the town of Piovene Rocchette in Veneto, Italy.
Piper EnglishOriginally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).
Pisani ItalianFrom Italian
pisano, the name for an inhabitant of the city of Pisa, Italy. The city's name is of unknown meaning.
Pitt EnglishOriginally given to a person who lived near a pit or a hole, derived from Old English
pytt "pit".
Pittaluga ItalianOriginally 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 EnglishIndicated 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 FrenchDerived from French
plat "flat" and
mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.
Plank German, EnglishMeans
"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.
Plaskett EnglishOriginally denoted a dweller by a swampy meadow, from Old French
plascq meaning
"wet meadow".
Platt EnglishFrom Old French
plat meaning
"flat, thin", from Late Latin
plattus, from Greek
πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.
Pleško SloveneNickname for a bald person, from Slovene
pleša meaning
"bald patch".
Pletscher GermanPossibly from the name of a field where cattle fodder was grown, from German
Bletsch.
Plourde FrenchPossibly derived from French
palourde, a type of a shellfish.
Podsedník m CzechMeans
"one who sits behind" in Czech, an equivalent to
Zahradník mainly used in the region of Moravia.
Poggio ItalianMeans
"hillock, small hill" in Italian, a derivative of Latin
podium meaning "balcony, platform".
Poirier FrenchMeans
"pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.
Poirot French, LiteratureFrom a diminutive of French
poire "pear", originally referring to a pear merchant or someone who lived near a pear tree. Starting in 1920 this name was used by the mystery writer Agatha Christie for her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Christie based the name on that of Jules Poiret, a contemporary fictional detective.
Poletti ItalianFrom a diminutive of the given name
Paolo. This name is typical of northern and central Italy.
Pollock ScottishFrom the name of a place in Renfrewshire, Scotland, derived from a diminutive of Gaelic
poll meaning
"pool, pond, bog". A famous bearer was the American artist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956).
Pololáník m CzechDerived 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 GermanFrom the name of a town in Pomerania, Poland (formerly part of Germany). In Polish it is called Połczyn.
Pond EnglishOriginally referred to one who lived near a pond.
Pontecorvo Italian, JewishFrom 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 EnglishFrom Old English
pol meaning
"pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.
Popa RomanianFrom Romanian
popă "priest", from Old Church Slavic
popŭ. This is the most common surname in Romania.
Pope EnglishFrom 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
πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".
Popescu RomanianPatronymic derived from Romanian
popă "priest". This is the second most common surname in Romania.
Poppins LiteratureUsed by P. L. Travers for the magical nanny in her
Mary Poppins series of books, first published in 1934. It is not known how Travers devised the name. She may have had the English words
pop or
poppet (meaning "young woman") in mind.
Porcher English, FrenchMeans
"swineherd" from Old French and Middle English
porchier, from Latin
porcus "pig".
Porras Spanish, CatalanFrom a nickname meaning
"club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin
porrum meaning "leek".
Porter EnglishOccupational name meaning
"doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French
porte "door", from Latin
porta.
Porto ItalianDesignated a person who lived near a harbour, from Italian
porto, Latin
portus.
Pospíšil m CzechNickname for a person in a hurry, from Czech
pospíšit "hurry".
Potenza ItalianFrom the name of the southern Italian city of Potenza, called
Potentia in Latin, meaning "power, force".
Potter EnglishOccupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Pottinger EnglishOccupational name, either for an apothecary, from Old French
potecaire, or a seller of stew, from Old French
potagier.
Poulin FrenchDerived from Old French
poule meaning
"chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.
Pound EnglishOccupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English
pund "animal enclosure".
Power 1 English, IrishFrom Old French
Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.
Power 2 EnglishFrom 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.
Pozzi ItalianFrom Italian
pozzo meaning
"well, pit", derived from Latin
puteus.
Pratt EnglishFrom Old English
prætt meaning
"trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.
Prescott EnglishFrom the name of various English places meaning
"priest's cottage" in Old English.
Preston EnglishOriginally derived from various place names meaning
"priest town" in Old English.
Pretorius AfrikaansFrom 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.
Prieto SpanishFrom a nickname meaning
"dark" in Spanish, referring to a person with dark hair or skin.
Prinsen DutchMeans
"son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.
Prinz German, JewishMeans
"prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.
Procházka m CzechMeans
"walk, wander, stroll" in Czech. This was an occupational name for a travelling tradesman.
Profeta ItalianFrom 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.
Protz GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".
Proulx FrenchDerived from Old French
preu meaning
"valiant, brave".
Provenza ItalianFrom the name of the Provence region of southern France (in Italian
Provenza). It is derived from Latin
provincia "province", a territorial division.
Prunty IrishFrom Irish
Ó Proinntigh meaning
"descendant of Proinnteach", a given name probably derived from Irish
bronntach meaning "generous".
Pryor EnglishOriginally belonged to one who was a prior (a religious official), or one who worked for a prior.
Puerta SpanishMeans
"door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.
Pugliese ItalianFrom 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.
Pulkrábek m CzechDerived from the Czech medieval title
purkrabí, itself from German
Burggraf, meaning
"burgrave".
Purcell EnglishFrom Old French
pourcel "piglet", from Latin
porcellus, a derivative of
porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.
Puskás HungarianOccupational name for a gunsmith or cannon maker, from Hungarian
puska meaning
"gun" (from German, itself from Latin
buxis "box").
Pusztai HungarianFrom Hungarian
puszta meaning
"plain, steppe". The name was given to someone living on a plain.
Putin m RussianFrom Russian
путь (put) meaning
"road, path". This surname is borne by the Russian president Vladimir Putin (1952-).
Putnam EnglishFrom
Puttenham, the name of towns in Hertfordshire and Surrey in England, which mean "Putta's homestead".
Quattrocchi ItalianFrom Italian
quattro meaning "four" and
occhi meaning "eyes", a nickname for a person who wore glasses. It is usually found in Sicily.
Queen EnglishFrom a given name that was derived from Old English
cwen meaning
"queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.
Quesada SpanishHabitational name from Quesada, a place in Jaén in southern Spain. The place name is of uncertain derivation; it could be connected to Old Spanish
requexada meaning
"corner, tight spot".
Quick EnglishNickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English
cwic meaning
"alive".
Quigg IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Cuaig meaning
"descendant of Cuaig", a given name of unknown meaning.
Quigley IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Coigligh meaning
"descendant of Coigleach", a given name meaning "untidy".
Quijada SpanishMeans
"jaw" in Spanish, a nickname for someone with a large jaw.
Quincy EnglishOriginally from various place names in Normandy that were derived from the given name
Quintus.
Quinlan IrishFrom Irish
Ó Caoindealbháin, which means
"descendant of Caoindealbhán", a given name meaning "handsome form" (using a diminutive suffix).
Quinn IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Cuinn meaning
"descendant of Conn".
Quiñones SpanishFrom various Spanish place names derived from
quiñón meaning
"shared piece of land", derived from Latin
quinque "five".
Quintana Spanish, CatalanOriginally 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.