All Surnames

Chia Chinese (Hokkien)
Hokkien romanization of Xie.

Chiba Japanese
From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf".

Chilikov m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian челик (chelik) meaning "steel" (of Turkish origin).

Chilikova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Chilikov.

Chiu Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zhao.

Chlebek Polish
From Polish chleb "bread", used to denote a baker.

Chmela m Czech
Derived from Czech chmel "hops", referring to a person who grew hops, a plant used in brewing beer.

Chmelová f Czech
Feminine form of Chmela.

Chmiel Polish
Polish cognate of Chmela, from Polish chmiel.

Cho Korean
Korean form of Zhao, from Sino-Korean 趙 (jo).

Choe Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 최 (see Choi).

Choi Korean
From Sino-Korean 崔 (choe) meaning "high, lofty, towering".

Chong Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zhang.

Chou Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 周 (see Zhou).

Choudhary Hindi, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi चौधरी (see Chaudhary).

Choudhury Bengali
Alternate transcription of Bengali চৌধুরী (see Chowdhury).

Chow Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 周 (see Zhou).

Chowdhury Bengali
Bengali form of Chaudhary.

Christensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Christen 1".

Christian English, French, German
Derived from the given name Christian.

Christians English
Derived from the given name Christian.

Christiansen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Christian".

Christianson English
Means "son of Christian".

Christinsen English
Means "son of Christian".

Christison English
Means "son of Christian".

Christodoulou Greek
Means "son of Christodoulos".

Christoffersen Danish
Means "son of Christoffer".

Christopher English
Derived from the given name Christopher.

Christophers English
Derived from the given name Christopher.

Christopherson English
Means "son of Christopher".

Chu Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 朱 (see Zhu).

Chung Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 정 (see Jeong).

Church English
From 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.

Churchill English
From an English place name meaning "church hill". A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II.

Chvátal m Czech
Derived from chvátat meaning "to hurry".

Chvátalová f Czech
Feminine form of Chvátal.

Čierna f Slovak
Feminine form of Čierny.

Čiernik m Slovak
Variant of Čierny.

Čierniková f Slovak
Feminine form of Čiernik.

Čierny m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Černý.

Cinege Hungarian
Means "titmouse bird" in Hungarian.

Cingolani Italian
From Cingoli, a town in the Marche region of Italy. It is derived from Latin cingo "surround, ring".

Cino Italian
From the given name Cino, a short form of names ending in cino.

Ciobanu Romanian
From Romanian cioban meaning "shepherd".

Cipriani Italian
From the given name Cipriano.

Cisternino Italian
From the name of the town of Cisternino, near the city of Bari in southern Italy.

Čížek m Czech
Means "siskin" in Czech, referring to a type of bird in the finch family.

Čížik m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Čížek.

Čížiková f Slovak
Feminine form of Čížik.

Čížková f Czech
Feminine form of Čížek.

Claasen Dutch
Means "son of Klaas".

Clacher Scottish
From Scottish Gaelic clachair meaning "stonemason".

Claes Flemish
From the given name Klaus.

Claesson Swedish
Means "son of Claes".

Clancy Irish
From Irish Mac Fhlannchaidh meaning "descendant of Flannchadh". The given name Flannchadh means "red warrior".

Clark English
Means "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.

Clarke English
Variant of Clark.

Clarkson English
Patronymic form of Clark.

Clausen Danish
Means "son of Claus".

Clay English
Means simply "clay", originally referring to a person who lived near or worked with of clay.

Clayton English
From the name of various places meaning "clay settlement" in Old English.

Cleary Irish
From Irish cléireach meaning "clerk" (see Clark).

Clemens English
Derived from the given name Clement. This was the surname of the author Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), also known as Mark Twain.

Clemensen Danish
Means "son of Clemens".

Clément French
Derived from the given name Clément.

Clement English
Derived from the given name Clement.

Clemente Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Clemente.

Clery Irish
Variant of Cleary.

Cleveland English
Derived from a place name meaning "cliff land" in Old English.

Clifford English
Derived from various place names that meant "ford by a cliff" in Old English.

Clifton English
Derived from various place names meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English.

Cline German (Anglicized), Jewish
Anglicized spelling of Klein.

Clinton English
Derived 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-).

Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Close English
From Middle English clos meaning "enclosure", a topographic name for someone who lived near a courtyard or farmyard.

Cloutier French
Derived from French clou meaning "nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.

Cobb English
From a medieval English byname meaning "lump".

Coburn Scottish, English
Variant of Cockburn.

Cochran Scottish
Variant of Cochrane.

Cochrane Scottish
From the name of a place in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Its origin is uncertain.

Cock English
Derived 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, English
Originally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English cocc "rooster" and burna "stream".

Cocks English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Cody Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuidighthigh or Mac Óda. A famous bearer was the American frontiersman and showman Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917).

Coelho Portuguese
From the Portuguese word for "rabbit", either a nickname or an occupational name referring to a hunter or seller of rabbits.

Coello Galician
Galician cognate of Coelho.

Coeman Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Coemans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Coenen Dutch
Derived from the given name Coenraad.

Coghlan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Cochláin.

Cohen Jewish
Means "priest" from Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohen). It originally denoted one of the priestly tribe of Levi.

Coiro Italian
From Italian cuoio meaning "leather", ultimately from Latin corium. This was an occupational surname for a leather worker or tanner.

Cojocaru Romanian
From Romanian cojoc meaning "sheepskin coat". This was an occupational name for a maker of these coats.

Coke English
Variant of Cook.

Cokes English
Variant of Cook.

Cola Italian
From the given name Nicola 1.

Colbert English, French
Derived from the given name Colobert.

Colby English
From various English place names, which were derived from the Old Norse byname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "farm, settlement".

Cole English
From a medieval short form of Nicholas or from the byname Cola.

Coleman Irish, English
From the given name Colmán.

Colijn Dutch
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolaas.

Colin French
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolas.

Collado Spanish
Means "hill" in Spanish.

Collingwood English
From a place name, itself derived from Old French chalenge meaning "disputed" and Middle English wode meaning "woods".

Collins 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Coileáin. A famous bearer was Michael Collins, an Irish nationalist leader who was assassinated in 1922.

Collins 2 English
Means "son of Colin 2".

Colombera Italian
From a derivative of Italian colomba "dove" indicating a house where doves were held.

Colombo Italian
Either 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.

Colón Spanish
Spanish form of Colombo.

Colquhoun Scottish
From a place name meaning "narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.

Colson English
Means "son of Col".

Colt English
Occupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English colt.

Colter English
Variant of Colt using an agent suffix.

Colton English
From a place name meaning "Cola's town".

Columbo Italian
Variant of Colombo.

Combs English
Variant of Coombs.

Como 1 Italian
From the given name Giacomo.

Como 2 Italian
From 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 English
Possibly from the name of the River Culm in Devon, England. This name is seen in the Domesday book as Culmstoke or Colmstoke.

Comtois French
Indicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".

Confortola Italian
From the old Italian given name Conforto meaning "comfort".

Connell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Conaill meaning "descendant of Conall".

Connelly Irish
Variant of Connolly.

Conner English
From Middle English connere meaning "inspector", an occupational name for an inspector of weights and measures.

Connery Irish
Variant of Conroy.

Connolly Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Conghalaigh, which means "descendant of Conghalach". Conghalach is a nickname meaning "valiant".

Connor Irish
Variant of O'Connor.

Conroy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Conaire, which means "descendant of Conaire". Conaire is a nickname meaning "hound keeper".

Constable English
From Old French conestable, ultimately from Latin comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".

Constantin Romanian, French
From the given name Constantin.

Constantinescu Romanian
Means "son of Constantin".

Constantino Portuguese
From the given name Constantino.

Conti Italian
From the Italian noble title conte meaning "count", derived from Latin comes (genitive comitis) meaning "companion, attendant". It denoted a person who worked for a count or behaved like one.

Contreras Spanish
From the name of a town in Burgos, Spain, derived from Late Latin contraria meaning "area opposite".

Conway Welsh, English
From the name of the River Conwy in Wales, or the town situated at the mouth of the river. It is possibly derived from Welsh cyn "foremost" and the common river name suffix wy.

Cook English
Derived 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.

Cooke English
Variant of Cook.

Cookson English
Patronymic form of Cook.

Coolen Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.

Coombs English
From Old English cumb meaning "valley", the name of several places in England.

Cooney Irish
From Irish Ó Cuana meaning "descendant of Cuana". Cuana probably means "handsome, elegant". The Cooney sept originated in County Tyrone.

Cooper English
Means "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.

Copperfield Literature
Created 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 Italian
From the name of a type of hat characteristic of Sicily and southern Italy. This surname indicated a person who wore or made these hats. A famous bearer is the filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (1939-), as well as other members of his extended family also in show business.

Corcoran Irish
From Irish Ó Corcráin meaning "descendant of Corcrán", a given name derived from the Gaelic word corcair "purple".

Corey English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Kóri, of unknown meaning.

Corleone Sicilian, Literature
From 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 Italian
Derived from the names of places in northern Italy, especially Lombardy, from a word that means "crag, cliff" in the Lombard dialect.

Cornell English
Derived from the given name Cornelius.

Cornett English
Derived from Old French cornet meaning "horn", referring to one who worked as a horn blower.

Corrà Italian
From a short form of the given name Corrado.

Correa Spanish
Spanish form of Correia.

Correia Portuguese
Means "leather strap, belt" in Portuguese, denoting a person who worked with leather products.

Cortés Spanish
Means "polite, courteous" in Spanish.

Cortez Spanish
Variant of Cortés.

Corti Italian
From Italian corte meaning "court, yard".

Corvi Italian
Nickname derived from Italian corvo meaning "crow".

Corwin English
Derived from Old French cordoan "leather", ultimately from the name of the Spanish city of Cordova.

Cory English
Variant of Corey.

Ćosić Croatian, Serbian
From Croatian and Serbian ćosav "beardless", ultimately from Persian کوسه (kūseh) meaning "shark".

Costa Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".

Costantini Italian
From the given name Costantino.

Costanzo Italian
From the given name Costanzo.

Coste French
French form of Costa.

Côté French
French form of Costa.

Cotterill English
Derived from Middle English cotter meaning "cottager", referring to a small tenant farmer.

Couch Cornish
From Cornish cough "red", indicating the original bearer had red hair.

Coughlan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Cochláin.

Coughlin Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Cochláin.

Coumans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Coupe English
From Middle English coupe meaning "barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.

Courtemanche French
Means "short sleeve" in French.

Courtenay 1 English
From the name of towns in France that were originally derivatives of the Gallo-Roman personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short".

Courtenay 2 English
From the Old French nickname court nes meaning "short nose".

Courtney English
Variant of Courtenay 1 or Courtenay 2.

Courtois French
French form of Curtis.

Cousineau French
Derived from Old French cosin meaning "cousin".

Coutts Scottish
From the name of the town of Cults in Aberdeenshire, derived from a Gaelic word meaning "woods".

Couture French
Means "tailor" in Old French.

Cowden English
From various English place names, which meaning either "coal valley", "coal hill" or "cow pasture" in Old English.

Cox English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Coy English
Means "quiet, shy, coy" from Middle English coi.

Cracchiolo Italian
Derived from Italian cracchiola, referring to a chicory-like vegetable.

Craig Scottish
Derived from Gaelic creag meaning "crag, rocks, outcrop", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.

Crawford English
From a place name derived from Old English crawe "crow" and ford "river crossing". A notable bearer was the American actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur.

Crawley English
From various place names derived from Old English crawe "crow" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Cremaschi Italian
From the name of the city of Crema in Lombardy, northern Italy.

Cremona Italian
From the Italian city of Cremona, south of Milan, in Lombardy.

Cremonesi Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Cremona in Lombardy.

Crespi Italian
Variant of Crespo.

Crespo Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Referred to a person with curly hair, from Latin crispus meaning "curly".

Crewe English
Originally denoted someone from Crewe in Cheshire, which is from Welsh criu "weir, dam, fish trap".

Crisp English
English cognate of Crespo.

Cristea Romanian
From the given name Cristian.

Crnčević Serbian, Croatian
Derived from Serbian and Croatian црн (crn) meaning "black".

Croce Italian
Italian form of Cross.

Crocetti Italian
Italian diminutive form of Croce.

Croft English
From Old English croft meaning "enclosed field".

Cropper English
Occupational name derived from Middle English croppe "crop", referring to a fruit picker or a crop reaper.

Crosby English
From the name of various towns in England, derived from Old Norse kross "cross" (a borrowing from Latin crux) and býr "farm, settlement".

Cross English
Locative name meaning "cross", ultimately from Latin crux. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.

Crouch English
Variant of Cross.

Crowley 1 Irish
From the Irish name Ó Cruadhlaoich meaning "descendant of Cruadhlaoch", a given name meaning "hardy hero".

Crowley 2 English
Variant of Crawley.

Cruickshank Scottish
From a nickname meaning "bent leg" in Scots.

Crusan Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cruyssen.

Cruyssen Dutch
From the name of a place in the Netherlands, derived from kruis "cross".

Cruz Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Cross.

Császár Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kaiser.

Cseh Hungarian
Means "Czech" in Hungarian.

Csintalan Hungarian
Means "mischievous, naughty" in Hungarian.

Csizmadia Hungarian
Means "bootmaker" in Hungarian.

Csonka Hungarian
Means "maimed, mutilated" in Hungarian.

Csorba Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "chipped, jagged" in Hungarian.

Čtvrtník m Czech
Derived from Czech čtvrtlán meaning "one quarter of a lán", where a lán is a medieval Czech measure of land (approximately 18 hectares). The name denoted someone who owned this much land.

Čtvrtníková f Czech
Feminine form of Čtvrtník.

Cucinotta Italian
Derived from a diminutive of Italian cucina meaning "kitchen".

Cuéllar Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Cuéllar in the Segovia province of Spain. It may be derived from Latin collis meaning "hill".

Cuesta Spanish
Spanish form of Costa.

Cuevas Spanish
Derived from Spanish cueva meaning "cave".

Cuijper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cullen 1 English
From the name of the German city of Cologne, which was derived from Latin colonia "colony".

Cullen 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Coileáin or Ó Cuilinn.

Cummings English
Variant of Cummins.

Cummins English, Scottish, Irish
From the Old Breton given name Cunmin, a cognate of Cuimín, introduced to Britain at the time of the Norman Conquest.

Cunha Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Cunha, possibly from Portuguese cunha meaning "wedge".

Cunningham 1 Scottish
From the name of place in the Ayrshire district of Scotland. It possibly comes from Gaelic cuinneag meaning "milk pail".

Cunningham 2 Irish
From Irish Ó Cuinneagáin meaning "descendant of Cuinneagán", a diminutive of Conn.

Cuocco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.

Cuoco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.

Curie French
Occupational name for a farm hand, from Old French éscuerie "stable". Famous bearers were the married scientists Marie (1867-1934) and Pierre Curie (1859-1906), who studied radioactivity.

Curran Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Corraidhín meaning "descendant of Corraidhín".

Curry Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Comhraidhe or Ó Corra.

Curtis English
Nickname for a courteous person, derived from Old French curteis meaning "refined, courtly".

Cuyler Dutch
Variant of Kuijlaars or Koole.

Cuyper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuypers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cvetkov m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Цветков (see Tsvetkov).

Cvetkova f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Цветкова (see Tsvetkova).

Cvetković Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Cvetko".

Czajka Polish
Means "lapwing (bird)" in Polish.

Czajkowska f Polish
Feminine form of Czajkowski.

Czajkowski m Polish
Originally indicated a person from any of the Polish towns named Czajków, all derived from Polish czajka meaning "lapwing (bird)".

Czinege Hungarian
Variant of Cinege.

Daalman Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Daalmans Dutch
Originally indicated a person who lived in a valley, from Dutch dal meaning "dale, valley" and man meaning "man".

Dabney English
Variant of Daubney.

Dąbrowska f Polish
Feminine form of Dąbrowski.

Dąbrowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations named Dąbrowa or Dobrów, derived from Polish dąb meaning "oak".

Da Costa Portuguese
Variant of Costa.

Daelman Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Daelmans Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Da Gama Portuguese
Variant of Gama. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524).

D'Agostino Italian
From the given name Agostino.

Dahl Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley". A famous of this surname was author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) who is mostly remembered for children's stories such as Matilda and Henry Sugar.

Dahlberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and berg meaning "mountain".

Dahlman Swedish
From Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Dahlmans Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Dalca Romanian
Meaning uncertain.

Dale English
From Old English dæl meaning "valley", originally indicating a person who lived there.

Daley Irish
Variant of Daly.

Dalgaard Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley" and garðr meaning "yard, farmstead".

Dalí Spanish
From a given name, itself a diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element adal meaning "noble". This was the surname of the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).

Dallas 1 English
From Old English dæl meaning "valley" and hus meaning "house".

Dallas 2 Scottish
From the name of a place in Moray, Scotland possibly meaning "meadow dwelling" in Gaelic.

Dalton English
Derived from a place name meaning "valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was the English chemist and physicist John Dalton (1766-1844).

Daly Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh meaning "descendant of Dálach".

Dam Dutch, Danish
Means "dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".

D'Ambrosio Italian
From the given name Ambrogio.

Damiani Italian
Derived from the given name Damiano.

D'Amore Italian
From the given name Amore.

Damyanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Damyan".

Damyanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Damyanov.

Danailov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Danail".

Danailova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Danailov.

Danchev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Dancho".

Dancheva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Danchev.

Dane 1 English
Variant of Dean 1 or Dean 2.

Dane 2 English
Originally denoted a Dane, that is a person from Denmark.

Danell English
Derived from the given name Daniel.

D'Angelo Italian
Means "son of Angelo".

Daniau French
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Daniel um English, French, German, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Daniell English
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Danielová f Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak feminine form of Daniel.

Daniels English
Variant of Daniel.

Danielsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Daniel".

Danielson English
Means "son of Daniel".

Danielsson Swedish
Means "son of Daniel".

Dannel English
Variant of Daniel.

Danniel English
Variant of Daniel.

Danniell English
Variant of Daniel.

D'Antonio Italian
Means "son of Antonio".

D'Aramitz French
Originally denoted one who came from Aramits, the name of a town in the French Pyrenees that is possibly derived from Basque haran meaning "valley".

Darbinian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Դարբինյան (see Darbinyan).

Darbinyan Armenian
From Armenian դարբին (darbin) meaning "blacksmith".

Darby English
From the name of the English town Derby, derived from Old Norse djúr "animal" and býr "farm, settlement".

Darcy English
From Norman French d'Arcy, originally denoting someone who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. A notable fictional bearer is Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

Darling English
From a nickname or byname derived from Middle English dereling, Old English deorling, meaning "darling, beloved one".