Capello 2 ItalianNickname for a thin person, from Italian
capello meaning
"a hair", ultimately derived from Latin
capillus.
Capitani ItalianOccupational name meaning
"captain" in Italian, ultimately from Latin
caput "head".
Carbone ItalianFrom a nickname for a person with dark features, from Italian
carbone meaning
"coal".
Cardona CatalanFrom the name of a town in Catalonia, of uncertain meaning.
Carideo ItalianOriginally denoted someone from San Pietro di Caridà, a town in Calabria. The town's name may be derived from Greek
χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness".
Carlisle EnglishFrom the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans
Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of
Lugus". Later the Brythonic element
ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.
Carman 1 EnglishOccupational name for a carter, from Middle English
carre "cart" (of Latin origin) and
man "man".
Carman 2 EnglishFrom an Old Norse byname derived from
karlmann meaning
"male, man".
Carmody IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Cearmada meaning
"descendant of Cearmaid", a Gaelic given name.
Carmona SpanishFrom the name of the city of Carmona in Andalusia, Spain. It is possibly derived from Phoenician
𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤌𐤍 (Qart Ḥamun) meaning "city of Hammon" (the name of a Carthaginian god, see
Ba'al Hammon).
Carnevale ItalianFrom an Italian nickname meaning
"carnival", perhaps given to a festive person.
Carpenter EnglishFrom the occupation, derived from Middle English
carpentier (ultimately from Latin
carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").
Carrara ItalianFrom the name of a city in Tuscany famous for its marble quarries. It is probably derived from Late Latin
quadreria meaning "quarry".
Carrasco SpanishTopographic name derived from Spanish
carrasca meaning
"holm oak" (species Quercus ilex).
Carroll IrishFrom the given name
Cearbhall. A famous bearer was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the author of
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Carson ScottishMeaning uncertain, possibly from the town of Courson in Normandy.
Carter EnglishOccupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French
caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).
Caruso ItalianMeans
"close-cropped hair" in Italian, also having the secondary sense "boy, young man".
Carvalho PortugueseMeans
"oak" in Portuguese, perhaps originally referring to a person who lived near such a tree.
Carver EnglishOccupational surname for a carver, from Middle English
kerve "cut".
Casal SpanishFrom the Spanish word
casal meaning
"house", ultimately from Late Late
casalis and Latin
casa.
Case EnglishFrom Norman French
casse meaning
"box, case", ultimately from Latin
capsa. This was an occupational name for a box maker.
Cason EnglishFrom the English place name
Cawston, derived from the Old Norse given name
Kálfr combined with Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Cassano ItalianIndicated a person from any of the various towns named Cassano in Italy.
Cassidy IrishFrom Irish
Ó Caiside meaning
"descendant of Caiside".
Caiside is a given name meaning "curly haired".
Castilla SpanishOriginally indicated a person from Castile, a region (and medieval kingdom) in Spain. The name of the region is derived from Late Latin
castellum meaning "castle".
Castle EnglishFrom Middle English
castel meaning
"castle", from Late Latin
castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.
Castro Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"castle" in Spanish and Portuguese, referring to one who lived near a castle. A famous bearer was Fidel Castro (1926-2016), revolutionary and president of Cuba.
Catalán SpanishOriginally indicated a person who came from Catalonia, a region of eastern Spain.
Caulfield EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"cold field", from Old English
ceald "cold" and
feld "pasture, field".
Causer EnglishOccupational name for one who made leggings, derived from Old French
chausse "leggings".
Causey EnglishIndicated a person who lived near a causeway, from Old French
caucie.
Cavallo ItalianMeans
"horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.
Čech CzechMeans
"Czech". The name was used to differentiate a native of Bohemia from the natives of Silesia, Moravia and other regions that are now part of the Czech Republic.
Cecil WelshFrom the Welsh given name
Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name
Sextilius, a derivative of
Sextus.
Cervantes SpanishPossibly from Old Spanish
servanto meaning
"servant" or
ciervo meaning
"stag". A famous bearer was the Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).
Chadwick EnglishFrom the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to
Chad" in Old English.
Chalupník CzechDerived from Czech
chalupa meaning
"cottage". The name referred to a peasant farmer who owned a very small piece of land.
Chamberlain EnglishOccupational name for one who looked after the inner rooms of a mansion, from Norman French
chambrelain.
Chambers EnglishFrom Old French
chambre meaning
"chamber, room", an occupational name for a person who worked in the inner rooms of a mansion.
Chancellor EnglishOccupational name for an administrator, a chancellor, from Norman French
chancelier.
Chandler EnglishOccupational name meaning
"candle seller" or
"candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Old French.
Chaplin English, FrenchOccupational name for a chaplin, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French
chapelain. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977).
Chapman EnglishOccupational name derived from Old English
ceapmann meaning
"merchant, trader".
Chaput FrenchFrom a diminutive of the Old French word
chape meaning
"cloak, hood". The name referred to a person who made, sold or often wore cloaks.
Charbonneau FrenchDerived from a diminutive form of French
charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
Charmchi PersianMeans
"leather worker" in Persian, from
چرم (charm) meaning "leather" combined with
چی (chi), denoting an occupation.
Charron FrenchMeans
"cart" in Old French, used to denote a carter or a cartwright.
Chase EnglishOccupational name for a hunter, from Middle English
chase "hunt".
Chastain FrenchFrom Old French
castan "chestnut tree" (Latin
castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair.
Chaves Portuguese, SpanishFrom the name of a Portuguese city, derived from the Roman name
Flavius (being named for the emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius).
Chávez SpanishVariant of
Chaves. A famous bearer was the labour leader César Chávez (1927-1993).
Chaykovsky RussianRussian form of
Chayka. A famous bearer was the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Chaykovsky (1840-1893), with the surname commonly Romanized as
Tchaikovsky.
Chen ChineseFrom Chinese
陈 (chén) meaning
"exhibit, display, old, ancient" and also referring to the former state of Chen, which existed in what is now Henan province from the 11th to 5th centuries BC.
Cheshire EnglishOriginally indicated a person from the county of Cheshire in England. Cheshire is named for its city
Chester.
Chester EnglishFrom the name of a city in England, derived from Latin
castrum "camp, fortress".
Chevalier FrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
chevalier meaning
"knight", from Late Latin
caballarius "horseman", Latin
caballus "horse".
Chevrolet FrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning
"goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
Chey KhmerMeans
"victory" in Khmer, from Sanskrit
जय (jaya).
Chmela CzechDerived from Czech
chmel "hops", referring to a person who grew hops, a plant used in brewing beer.
Church EnglishFrom the English word, derived from Old English
cirice, ultimately from Greek
κυριακόν (kyriakon) meaning "(house) of the lord". It probably referred to a person who lived close to a church.
Cingolani ItalianFrom Cingoli, a town in the Marche region of Italy. It is derived from Latin
cingo "surround, ring".
Cino ItalianFrom the given name
Cino, a short form of names ending in
cino.
Cisternino ItalianFrom the name of the town of Cisternino, near the city of Bari in southern Italy.
Čížek CzechMeans
"siskin" in Czech, referring to a type of bird in the finch family.
Clancy IrishFrom Irish
Mac Fhlannchaidh meaning
"descendant of Flannchadh". The given name
Flannchadh means "red warrior".
Clark EnglishMeans
"cleric" or
"scribe", from Old English
clerec meaning "priest", ultimately from Latin
clericus. A famous bearer was William Clark (1770-1838), an explorer of the west of North America.
Clay EnglishMeans simply
"clay", originally referring to a person who lived near or worked with of clay.
Clayton EnglishFrom the name of various places meaning "clay settlement" in Old English.
Clemens EnglishDerived from the given name
Clement. This was the surname of the author Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), also known as Mark Twain.
Clifford EnglishDerived from various place names that meant "ford by a cliff" in Old English.
Clifton EnglishDerived from various place names meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English.
Clinton EnglishDerived from the English place name
Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or
Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". This surname is borne by former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).
Close EnglishFrom Middle English
clos meaning
"enclosure", a topographic name for someone who lived near a courtyard or farmyard.
Cloutier FrenchDerived from French
clou meaning
"nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.
Cobb EnglishFrom a medieval English byname meaning
"lump".
Cock EnglishDerived from the medieval nickname
cok meaning
"rooster, cock". The nickname was commonly added to given names to create diminutives such as
Hancock or
Alcock.
Cockburn Scottish, EnglishOriginally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English
cocc "rooster" and
burna "stream".
Cody IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Cuidighthigh or
Mac Óda. A famous bearer was the American frontiersman and showman Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917).
Coelho PortugueseFrom the Portuguese word for
"rabbit", either a nickname or an occupational name referring to a hunter or seller of rabbits.
Cohen JewishMeans
"priest" from Hebrew
כֹּהֵן (kohen). It originally denoted one of the priestly tribe of Levi.
Coiro ItalianFrom Italian
cuoio meaning
"leather", ultimately from Latin
corium. This was an occupational surname for a leather worker or tanner.
Cojocaru RomanianFrom Romanian
cojoc meaning
"sheepskin coat". This was an occupational name for a maker of these coats.
Colby EnglishFrom various English place names, which were derived from the Old Norse nickname
Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and
býr "town".
Collingwood EnglishFrom a place name, itself derived from Old French
chalenge meaning "disputed" and Middle English
wode meaning "woods".
Collins 1 IrishAnglicized form of
Ó Coileáin. A famous bearer was Michael Collins, an Irish nationalist leader who was assassinated in 1922.
Colombera ItalianFrom a derivative of Italian
colomba "dove" indicating a house where doves were held.
Colombo ItalianEither from Italian
colomba "dove" indicating a dove keeper, or from the given name
Colombo, which is derived from the same word. This was the Italian surname of the 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus.
Colquhoun ScottishFrom a place name meaning
"narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.
Colt EnglishOccupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English
colt.
Como 2 ItalianFrom the name of the city of Como in Lombardy, the rival city of Milan during the Middle Ages. Its name may come from a Celtic root meaning "valley".
Comstock EnglishPossibly from the name of the River Culm in Devon, England. This name is seen in the Domesday book as Culmstoke or Colmstoke.
Comtois FrenchIndicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".
Conner EnglishFrom Middle English
connere meaning
"inspector", an occupational name for an inspector of weights and measures.
Connolly IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Conghalaigh, which means
"descendant of Conghalach".
Conghalach is a nickname meaning "valiant".
Conroy IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Conaire, which means
"descendant of Conaire".
Conaire is a nickname meaning "hound keeper".
Constable EnglishFrom Old French
conestable, ultimately from Latin
comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".
Conti ItalianFrom the Italian noble title
conte meaning
"count", derived from Latin
comes. It denoted a person who worked for a count or, in rare cases, was a count.
Contreras SpanishFrom the name of a town in Burgos, Spain, derived from Late Latin
contraria meaning "area opposite".
Cook EnglishDerived from Old English
coc meaning
"cook", ultimately from Latin
coquus. It was an occupational name for a cook, a man who sold cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house.
Coombs EnglishFrom Old English
cumb meaning
"valley", the name of several places in England.
Cooney IrishFrom Irish
Ó Cuana meaning
"descendant of Cuana".
Cuana probably means "handsome, elegant". The Cooney sept originated in County Tyrone.
Copperfield LiteratureCreated from the English words
copper and
field by the author Charles Dickens, who used it for the title character in his novel
David Copperfield (1850).
Coppola ItalianFrom the name of a type of hat characteristic of Sicily and southern Italy. This surname indicated a person who wore or made these hats.
Corcoran IrishFrom Irish
Ó Corcráin meaning
"descendant of Corcrán", a given name derived from the Gaelic word
corcair "purple".
Corey EnglishDerived from the Old Norse given name
Kóri, of unknown meaning.
Corleone Sicilian, LiteratureFrom the name of the town of Corleone in Sicily, which is of uncertain meaning. This surname is well known from the novel
The Godfather (1969) by Mario Puzo, as well as the films based on his characters. The story tells how Vito Andolini comes to America from Sicily, receiving the new surname
Corleone at Ellis Island, and starts a criminal empire based in New York.
Corna ItalianDerived from the names of places in northern Italy, especially Lombardy, from a word that means
"crag, cliff" in the Lombard dialect.
Cornett EnglishDerived from Old French
cornet meaning
"horn", referring to one who worked as a horn blower.
Correia PortugueseMeans
"leather strap, belt" in Portuguese, denoting a person who worked with leather products.
Corvi ItalianNickname derived from Italian
corvo meaning
"crow".
Corwin EnglishDerived from Old French
cordoan "leather", ultimately from the name of the Spanish city of Cordova.
Ćosić Croatian, SerbianFrom Croatian and Serbian
ćosav "beardless", ultimately from Persian
کوسه (koseh) meaning "shark".
Costa Portuguese, Italian, CatalanMeans
"riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".
Cotterill EnglishDerived from Middle English
cotter meaning
"cottager", referring to a small tenant farmer.
Couch CornishFrom Cornish
cough "red", indicating the original bearer had red hair.
Coupe EnglishFrom Middle English
coupe meaning
"barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.
Courtenay 1 EnglishFrom the name of towns in France that were originally derivatives of the Gallo-Roman personal name
Curtenus, itself derived from Latin
curtus "short".
Coutts ScottishFrom the name of the town of Cults in Aberdeenshire, derived from a Gaelic word meaning "woods".
Cowden EnglishFrom various English place names, which meaning either "coal valley", "coal hill" or "cow pasture" in Old English.
Coy EnglishMeans
"quiet, shy, coy" from Middle English
coi.
Cracchiolo ItalianDerived from Italian
cracchiola, referring to a chicory-like vegetable.
Craig ScottishDerived from Gaelic
creag meaning
"crag, rocks, outcrop", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.
Crawford EnglishFrom a place name derived from Old English
crawa "crow" and
ford "river crossing".
Cremaschi ItalianFrom the name of the city of Crema in Lombardy, northern Italy.
Cremona ItalianFrom the Italian city of Cremona, south of Milan, in Lombardy.
Crewe EnglishOriginally denoted someone from Crewe in Cheshire, which is from Welsh
criu "weir, dam, fish trap".
Croft EnglishFrom Old English
croft meaning
"enclosed field".