All Surnames

Dykstra Frisian
From Frisian dyk meaning "dike, ditch". The name was given to a person living near a dyke or embankment.

Dyson English
Means "son of Dye".

Dziedzic Polish
Derived from Polish dziedzic "landowner".

Eads English
Means "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam".

Eady English
From a diminutive of the given name Eda 2 or Adam.

Earl English
From the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English eorl meaning "nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.

Earls English
Patronymic form of Earl.

Easom English
Variant of Eads.

Eason English
Variant of Eads.

Easton English
From the name of various places meaning "east town" in Old English.

Eaton English
From any of the various English towns with this name, derived from Old English ea "river" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Eberhardt German
Derived from the given name Eberhard.

Ebner 1 German
Originally indicated a dweller on a flat piece of land, derived from Middle High German ebene "plateau".

Ebner 2 German
Means "judge, arbiter" from Middle High German ebenære.

Ebrahimi Persian
From the given name Ebrahim.

Eccleston English
Denoted a person from any of the various places named Eccleston in England, derived from Latin ecclesia "church" (via Briton) and Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Ecclestone English
Variant of Eccleston.

Echevarría Spanish
Variant of Echeverría.

Echeverría Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, which itself is derived from Basque etxe "house" and berri "new".

Eckstein German
From Old High German ekka meaning "edge, corner" and stein meaning "stone".

Economou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Οικονόμου (see Oikonomou).

Edgar English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Edison English
Means "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam". The surname was borne by American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).

Edvardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Edvard".

Edwards English
Means "son of Edward".

Edwardson English
Means "son of Edward".

Eerkens Dutch
Variant of Erkens.

Egawa Japanese
From Japanese 江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Egger German
South German occupational name meaning "plowman" or "farmer", derived from German eggen "to harrow, to plow".

Eglīte f Latvian
Feminine form of Eglītis.

Eglītis m Latvian
Derived from Latvian egle meaning "spruce tree".

Eichel German
Means "acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.

Eide Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse eið meaning "isthmus".

Eikenboom Dutch
Means "oak tree", from Dutch eik "oak" and boom "tree".

Eilerts German
Derived from the given name Eilert.

Einarsson Swedish
Means "son of Einar".

Einstein Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German ein "one" and stein "stone". A famous bearer was the German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955).

Ek Swedish
Means "oak" in Swedish.

Eklund Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Ekmekçi Turkish
Means "baker" in Turkish.

Ekström Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

El-Amin Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الأمين (see Al-Amin).

Eld Swedish
From Old Norse eldr, modern Swedish eld, meaning "fire".

Elder English
Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.

Eldred English
From the given name Ealdræd.

Eldridge English
Derived from the given name Aldric.

Elena Italian
Derived from the given name Elena.

El-Ghazzawy Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الغزّاوي (see Al-Ghazzawi).

El-Hashem Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الهاشم (see Al-Hashim).

Eliassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Elias".

Eliasson Swedish
Means "son of Elias".

Eliot English
Variant of Elliott.

Eliott English
Variant of Elliott.

Elizondo Spanish
Originally referred to a person who lived close to a church, from Basque eleiza "church" and ondo "near".

Ellery English
From the medieval masculine name Hilary.

Ellington English
From the name of multiple towns in England. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements ælf meaning "elf" or eald meaning "old") combined with tun meaning "enclosure, town".

Elliot English
Variant of Elliott.

Elliott English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Elias.

Ellis English, Welsh
Derived from the given name Elijah, or sometimes Elisedd.

Ellison English
Patronymic form of the English name Ellis, from the medieval given name Elis, a vernacular form of Elijah.

Ellisson English
Variant of Ellison.

Elliston English
Variant of Ellison.

Ellsworth English
Habitational name for a person from the town of Elsworth in Cambridgeshire. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements ælf meaning "elf" or eald meaning "old") combined with worþ meaning "enclosure".

Elmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Elmersson Swedish
Means "son of Elmar".

El-Mofty Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic المفتي (see Al-Mufti).

Elton English
From an English place name meaning "Ella's town".

Elvis English
Variant of Elwes.

Elwes English
Derived from the given name Eloise.

Elwin English
Variant of Elwyn.

Elwyn English
Derived from the given names Ælfwine, Æðelwine or Ealdwine.

Ely English
From the name of a town in eastern England meaning "eel district".

Elzinga Dutch
Probably from a place name that was a derivative of Dutch els meaning "alder tree".

Emerson English
Means "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.

Émile French
Derived from the given name Émile.

Emmet English
Variant of Emmett. This name was borne by the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet (1778-1803).

Emmett English
Derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Emma.

Emmitt English
Variant of Emmett.

Endicott English
Topographic name derived from Old English meaning "from the end cottage".

Engberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and berg meaning "mountain".

Engel German
Derived from German given names beginning with Engel, such as Engelbert.

English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.

Engman Swedish
From Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person who lived in a meadow.

Engström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Ennis Irish
Variant of Innes 1.

Enns German
Derived from a short form of the German given name Anselm.

Enríquez Spanish
Means "son of Enrique".

Episcopo Italian
Means "bishop" in Italian, ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos).

Erckens Dutch
Variant of Erkens.

Erdős Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "forester", derived from Hungarian erdő "forest".

Ergeshov m Kyrgyz
Means "son of Ergesh".

Ergeshova f Kyrgyz
Feminine form of Ergeshov.

Erickson English
Means "son of Eric".

Ericson English, Swedish
Means "son of Eric".

Ericsson Swedish
Means "son of Eric".

Eriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Erik".

Eriksson Swedish
Means "son of Erik".

Erkens Dutch
Derived from the given name Erk, a variant of Erik.

Ermacora Italian
From the given name Ermacora.

Ernst German, Dutch, Danish
From the given name Ernst.

Erős Hungarian
Means "strong" in Hungarian.

Escamilla Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.

Escárcega Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Eskarzaga, which itself is derived from Basque hazkar "maple".

Escarrà Spanish
Possibly from Catalan esquerrá meaning "left-handed".

Escobar Spanish
Derived from Spanish escoba meaning "broom plant", from Latin scopa. It originally indicated a person who lived near a prominent patch of broom.

Esparza Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Espartza, a town in the province of Navarre.

Espensen Norwegian
Means "son of Espen".

Espenson Norwegian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Espensen.

Espina Spanish
Means "thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.

Espino Spanish
Variant of Espina.

Espinosa Spanish
From Spanish espinoso meaning "thorny", ultimately from Latin spinosus, a derivative of spina meaning "thorn, spine". This was the real surname of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), who was of Portuguese Jewish origin.

Espinoza Spanish
Variant of Espinosa.

Esposito Italian
Means "exposed" in Italian and denoted a child who was rescued after being abandoned by its parents.

Esser German
Means "cartwright", related to Old High German ahsa "axle".

Essert German
Variant of Esser.

Esteban Spanish
From the given name Esteban.

Esteves Portuguese
Means "son of Estevão".

Estévez Spanish
Means "son of Esteban".

Estrada Spanish
Spanish form of Street.

Eszes Hungarian
Means "clever, bright" in Hungarian.

Étienne French
From the given name Étienne.

Etxebarria Basque
Original Basque form of Echeverría.

Etxeberria Basque
Original Basque form of Echeverría.

Eustis English
Derived from the given name Eustace.

Evangelista Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "evangelist" in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Evans Welsh, English
Means "son of Evan".

Evanson English
Means "son of Evan".

Evelyn English
Derived from the given name Aveline.

Evensen Norwegian
Means "son of Even".

Evered English
From the given name Everard.

Everest English
Originally denoted a person from Évreux in Normandy, itself named after the Gaulish tribe of the Eburovices. Mount Everest in the Himalayas was named for the British surveyor George Everest (1790-1866).

Everett English
From the given name Everard.

Everhart German
Variant of Eberhardt.

Everill English
Derived from the feminine given name Eoforhild.

Everly English
From place names meaning derived from Old English eofor "boar" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Evers Dutch
Means "son of Evert".

Évrard French
From the given name Évrard.

Ewart 1 English
From a Norman form of Edward.

Ewart 2 English
From the name of an English town, derived from Old English ea "river" and worþ "enclosure".

Expósito Spanish
Spanish cognate of Esposito.

Ezra Jewish
From the given name Ezra.

Fabbri Italian
From Italian fabbro meaning "blacksmith", ultimately from Latin faber.

Fabbro Italian
Variant of Fabbri.

Fabel German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Fabian.

Fábián Hungarian
Derived from the given name Fábián.

Fabian German, English, Polish
Derived from the given name Fabian.

Fabien French
Derived from the given name Fabien.

Fabre Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Fabron French
Diminutive form of Fabre.

Faerber German
Variant of Färber.

Fairbairn Scottish, English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English and Scots.

Fairburn English
From a place name meaning "fern stream", from Old English fearn "fern" and burna "stream".

Fairchild English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.

Fairclough English
From a place name meaning "fair ravine, fair cliff" in Old English.

Falco Italian
Derived from Italian falco "falcon". The name was used to denote a falconer or a person who resembled a falcon in some way.

Falconer English, Scottish
Variant of Faulkner.

Falk Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German
From Old Norse falki or Old High German falco meaning "falcon".

Falkenrath German
Derived from Middle High German falke "falcon" and rat "counsel, advice".

Falkner English, German
English variant and German cognate of Faulkner.

Fallon Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fallamháin meaning "descendant of Fallamhán", a given name meaning "leader".

Falstaff Literature
The name of a buffoonish character, John Falstaff, appearing in four of William Shakespeare's plays. He is the central character in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602). Shakespeare probably adapted it from the surname of John Fastolf, a 15th-century knight. The medieval surname Fastolf, no longer in use, was derived from the Norse given name Fastúlfr.

Fan Chinese
From Chinese 范 (fàn) meaning "bee".

Fannon Irish
From the Irish Ó Fionnáin meaning "descendant of Fionn".

Faragó Hungarian
An occupational name meaning "woodcutter", from Hungarian farag meaning "carve, cut".

Faraldo Italian
From a given name, ultimately the Germanic name Faroald.

Färber German
Occupational name meaning "dyer", derived from German Farbe "colour".

Farina Italian
Occupational name for a miller, derived from Italian farina "flour".

Farkas Hungarian
Means "wolf" in Hungarian.

Farmer English
Occupational name for a tax collector, from Middle English ferme "rent, revenue, provision", from medieval Latin firma, ultimately from Old English feorm. This word did not acquire its modern meaning until the 17th century.

Farnham English
Indicated a person from any of the various towns named Farnham in England, notably in Surrey. Their names are from Old English fearn "fern" and ham "home, settlement" or ham "water meadow, enclosure".

Faron French
From the given name Faron.

Farran English
Derived from Old French ferrant meaning "iron grey".

Farrell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fearghail meaning "descendant of Fearghal".

Farro Italian
Derived from the name of a place on Sicily, Italy, derived from Latin far meaning "wheat, spelt".

Fashingbauer German
From Fasching, a German carnival (Fastnacht meaning "eve of the beginning of the fast", or the time before Lent) celebrated in Austria and Bavaria, and bauer meaning "farmer".

Fattore Italian
Means "land agent, bailiff, steward, farmer" in Italian.

Faucher French
Occupational name meaning "mower" in French, ultimately from Latin falx meaning "sickle, scythe".

Faucheux French
Variant of Faucher.

Faulkner English, Scottish
Occupational name meaning "keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots faulcon, from Late Latin falco, of Germanic origin.

Faure Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Faust German
Derived from the given name Faust, a form of Faustus.

Fausti Italian
From the given name Fausto.

Fava Italian
From Italian fava referring to a type of broad bean.

Favager French
Possibly indicated a person from the town of Faverges in eastern France, derived from Old French faverge meaning "forge".

Favero Italian
Variant of Fabbri.

Favre French
Southern French variant of Fèvre.

Favreau French
Diminutive of Favre.

Fay 1 French, English
Referred to a person who came from various places named Fay or Faye in northern France, derived from Old French fau "beech tree", from Latin fagus.

Fay 2 English
From a nickname for a person who was thought to have magical qualities, from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted".

Fazekas Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "potter" in Hungarian.

Fear English
Derived from Middle English feare meaning "friend, comrade".

Fedorov m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Фёдоров (see Fyodorov).

Fedorova f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Фёдорова (see Fyodorova).

Fehér Hungarian
Means "white" in Hungarian, originally referring to a person with white hair or complexion.

Feigenbaum German, Jewish
Means "fig tree" in German.

Fejes Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian fej meaning "head", originally a nickname applied to a stubborn person.

Fekete Hungarian
Means "black" in Hungarian, originally a nickname for a person with dark hair or a dark complexion.

Feld German, Jewish
Means "field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.

Feldt German, Danish, Swedish
North German, Danish and Swedish variant of Feld.

Feliciano Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Feliciano.

Felipe Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
From the given name Felipe.

Félix French, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Felix.

Feng 1 Chinese
From Chinese 冯 (féng), which referred to an ancient city in Henan province.

Feng 2 Chinese
From Chinese 凤 (fèng) meaning "phoenix, fire bird, fenghuang".

Fenn English
From a name for someone who dwelt near a marsh, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp, bog".

Fenstermacher German
Means "window maker" in German.

Fenwick English
From an English place name, derived from Old English fenn "fen, swamp, bog" and wic "village, town".

Ferber German
Variant of Färber.

Ferguson Irish, Scottish
Means "son of Fergus".

Fermi Italian
Originally indicated a person from the town of Fermo in the Marche region of Italy, originally called Firmum in Latin meaning "strong, steady, firm".

Fernandes Portuguese
Means "son of Fernando".

Fernández Spanish
Means "son of Fernando". This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Fernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Fernández.

Ferrara Italian
Italian form of Ferreira.

Ferrari Italian
Occupational name for a metalworker or smith, derived from Latin ferrarius, a derivative of ferrum meaning "iron".

Ferraro Italian
Variant of Ferrari.

Ferreira Portuguese, Galician
Denoted a person from a town named because it was near an iron mine, from Latin ferrum meaning "iron".

Ferreiro Galician
Galician cognate of Ferrari.

Ferrer Catalan
Catalan cognate of Ferrari.

Ferrero Italian
Regional variant of Ferrari. It is typical of the area around Turin.

Ferreyra Portuguese, Galician
Variant of Ferreira.

Ferri Italian
Variant of Ferro.

Ferro Italian, Spanish
Means "iron", ultimately from Latin ferrum. This was an occupational name for one who worked with iron.

Fertig German
Means "ready, prepared" in German.

Fèvre French
Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.

Fiala m Czech
Means "violet" in Czech, referring to the flower. It may have originally referred to a person who lived near a sign bearing violets, or it may have been given to a person who lived in a place where violets grew.

Fialová f Czech
Feminine form of Fiala.

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.

Field English
Variant of Fields.

Fields English
Name for a person who lived on or near a field or pasture, from Old English feld.

Fierro Spanish, Italian
Variant of Ferro.

Figueroa Spanish
From places named for Galician figueira meaning "fig tree".

Filep Hungarian
From the given name Fülöp.

Filip um Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak
Derived from the given name Filip.

Filipek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Filip.

Filipov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Filip".

Filipova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Filipov.

Filipová f Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak feminine form of Filip.

Filipović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Filip".

Filipowska f Polish
Feminine form of Filipowski.

Filipowski m Polish
Either a patronymic from the given name Filip, or a habitational name denoting a person from the Polish town of Filipów (also derived from the given name).

Filippi Italian
Derived from the given name Filippo.

Filippov m Russian
Means "son of Filip".

Filippova f Russian
Feminine form of Filippov.

Finch English, Literature
From the name of the bird, from Old English finc. It was used by Harper Lee for the surname of lawyer Atticus Finch and his children in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).

Findlay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Fini Italian
Derived from given names ending in fino, such as Serafino.

Finlay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Finley Scottish
Anglicized (typically American) form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Finn Irish
Derived from the given name Fionn.

Finnegan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fionnagáin meaning "descendant of Fionnagán". The given name Fionnagán is a diminutive of Fionn.

Finnin Irish
Diminutive form of Finn.

Fiore Italian
Derived from the given name Fiore.

Firmin English, French
From the given name Firmin.

Fiscella Italian
Derived from Italian fiscella, which was a basket used to conserve cheese. The name was probably used to denote a person who made cheese.

Fischer German
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in German.

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Fishman English
Occupational name for a fisherman.

Fisker Danish
Means "fisherman" in Danish.

Fitzgerald Irish
Means "son of Gerald" in Anglo-Norman French. It was brought to Ireland with William the Conqueror. A famous bearer was Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), an American jazz singer.

Fitzpatrick Irish
Means "son of Patrick" in Anglo-Norman, usually adopted as an Anglicization of Mac Giolla Phádraig.

Fitzroy English
Means "son of the king" in Anglo-Norman French, from French roi meaning "king". This name has been bestowed upon illegitimate children of kings.

Fitzsimmons Irish
Means "son of Simon 1" in Anglo-Norman French.

Fitzwilliam Irish
Means "son of William" in Anglo-Norman French.

Flanagan Irish
From Irish Ó Flannagáin meaning "descendant of Flannagán". Flannagán is a given name meaning "blood red". From County Roscommon in Ireland, it has many other spellings.

Flanagon Irish
Variant of Flanagan.

Flannery Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Flannghaile meaning "descendant of Flannghal", a given name meaning "red valour".

Flater German
Means "reed bed" in German.

Fleischer German
Occupational name meaning "butcher" in German.

Fleming English
Given to a person who was a Fleming, that is a person who was from Flanders in the Netherlands.

Fletcher English
Occupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French fleche meaning "arrow".

Fleury French
From the name of various towns in northern France, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Florus.

Flintstone Popular Culture
From the English words flint and stone, created by Hanna-Barbera Productions for the caveman family (Fred, Wilma and Pebbles) in their animated television show The Flintstones, which ran from 1960 to 1966.

Flipse Dutch
Variant of Flipsen.

Flipsen Dutch
Means "son of Flip".

Florea Romanian
From the given name Florea.

Flores Spanish
Means "son of Floro" in Spanish.

Floros m Greek
From Greek φλώρος (floros) meaning "greenfinch", derived from classical Greek χλωρός (chloros) meaning "green".

Florou f Greek
Feminine form of Floros.

Flower English
From Middle English flour meaning "flower, blossom", derived from Old French flur, Latin flos. This was a nickname given to a sweet person. In other cases it could be a metonymic occupational name for a maker of flour (a word derived from the same source).

Flowers English
Variant of Flower.

Floyd Welsh
Variant of Lloyd.

Flynn Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Floinn meaning "descendant of Flann".

Fodor Hungarian
From Hungarian fodor meaning "curly, wavy", referring to a person with curly or wavy hair.

Foerstner German
Variant of Förstner.

Foley Irish
From Irish Ó Foghladha meaning "descendant of Foghlaidh". The byname Foghlaidh meant "pirate, marauder, plunderer".

Fonda Italian
Of Italian origin, possibly from a place derived from fondo meaning "deep". The family of Henry Fonda (1905-1982) came from the Netherlands, but they were of Genoese origin.

Fonseca Spanish, Portuguese
Originally belonged to a person who lived near a dry spring, from Latin fons "well, spring" and siccus "dry".

Fontaine French
Derived from Old French fontane meaning "well, fountain", a derivative of Latin fons.

Fontana Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Fontaine.

Ford English
Name given to someone who lived by a ford, possibly the official who maintained it. A famous bearer was the American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947).

Forest English, French
Originally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French forest, from Latin forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".

Forester English
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see Forest).

Forestier French
French cognate of Forester.

Forney German
Name for someone who lived near ferns, from Old High German farn "fern".

Forrest English
Variant of Forest.

Forsberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish fors meaning "waterfall" and berg meaning "mountain".

Forst German
Derived from Old High German forst "forest". Probably unrelated to the Old French word forest, which was derived from Latin, Old High German forst was derived from foraha meaning "fir tree".

Förstner German
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest (see Forst).