Eikenboom DutchMeans
"oak tree", from Dutch
eik "oak" and
boom "tree".
Einstein JewishOrnamental name derived from German
ein "one" and
stein "stone". A famous bearer was the German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955).
Eld SwedishFrom Old Norse
eldr, modern Swedish
eld, meaning
"fire".
Elder EnglishDerived from Old English
ealdra meaning
"older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.
Elizondo SpanishOriginally referred to a person who lived close to a church, from Basque
eleiza "church" and
ondo "near".
Ellington EnglishFrom 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".
Ellison EnglishPatronymic form of the English name
Ellis, from the medieval given name
Elis, a vernacular form of
Elijah.
Ellsworth EnglishHabitational 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".
Elton EnglishFrom an English place name meaning
"Ella's town".
Ely EnglishFrom the name of a town in eastern England meaning "eel district".
Elzinga DutchProbably from a place name that was a derivative of Dutch
els meaning "alder tree".
Emerson EnglishMeans
"son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.
Emmet EnglishVariant of
Emmett. This name was borne by the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet (1778-1803).
Endicott EnglishTopographic name derived from Old English meaning
"from the end cottage".
Engberg SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
äng (Old Norse
eng) meaning "meadow" and
berg meaning "mountain".
English EnglishDenoted 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 SwedishFrom 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 SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
äng (Old Norse
eng) meaning "meadow" and
ström (Old Norse
straumr) meaning "stream".
Erdős HungarianOccupational name meaning
"forester", derived from Hungarian
erdő "forest".
Escamilla SpanishDerived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.
Escárcega SpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Eskarzaga, which itself is derived from Basque
hazkar "maple".
Esparza SpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Espartza, a town in the province of Navarre.
Espina SpanishMeans
"thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.
Espinosa SpanishFrom 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.
Esposito ItalianMeans
"exposed" in Italian and denoted a child who was rescued after being abandoned by its parents.
Esser GermanMeans
"cartwright", related to Old High German
ahsa "axle".
Everest EnglishOriginally 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).
Ewart 2 EnglishFrom the name of an English town, derived from Old English
ea "river" and
worþ "enclosure".
Fabbri ItalianFrom Italian
fabbro meaning
"blacksmith", ultimately from Latin
faber.
Fairburn EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"fern stream", from Old English
fearn "fern" and
burna "stream".
Fairclough EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"fair ravine, fair cliff" in Old English.
Falco ItalianDerived from Italian
falco "falcon". The name was used to denote a falconer or a person who resembled a falcon in some way.
Falkenrath GermanDerived from Middle High German
falke "falcon" and
rat "counsel, advice".
Fallon IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Fallamháin meaning
"descendant of Fallamhán", a given name meaning "leader".
Falstaff LiteratureThe 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.
Faragó HungarianAn occupational name meaning
"woodcutter", from Hungarian
farag meaning "carve, cut".
Färber GermanOccupational name meaning
"dyer", derived from German
Farbe "colour".
Farina ItalianOccupational name for a miller, derived from Italian
farina "flour".
Farmer EnglishOccupational 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 EnglishIndicated 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".
Farran EnglishDerived from Old French
ferrant meaning
"iron grey".
Farro ItalianDerived from the name of a place on Sicily, Italy, derived from Latin
far meaning "wheat, spelt".
Fashingbauer GermanFrom
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 ItalianMeans
"land agent, bailiff, steward, farmer" in Italian.
Faucher FrenchOccupational name meaning
"mower" in French, ultimately from Latin
falx meaning "sickle, scythe".
Faulkner English, ScottishOccupational name meaning
"keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots
faulcon, from Late Latin
falco, of Germanic origin.
Fava ItalianFrom Italian
fava referring to a type of broad bean.
Favager FrenchPossibly indicated a person from the town of Faverges in eastern France, derived from Old French
faverge meaning "forge".
Fay 1 French, EnglishReferred 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 EnglishFrom a nickname for a person who was thought to have magical qualities, from Middle English
faie meaning "magical, enchanted".
Fear EnglishDerived from Middle English
feare meaning
"friend, comrade".
Fehér HungarianMeans
"white" in Hungarian, originally referring to a person with white hair or complexion.
Fejes HungarianDerived from Hungarian
fej meaning
"head", originally a nickname applied to a stubborn person.
Fekete HungarianMeans
"black" in Hungarian, originally a nickname for a person with dark hair or a dark complexion.
Feld German, JewishMeans
"field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.
Feng 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
冯 (féng), which referred to an ancient city in Henan province.
Fenn EnglishFrom a name for someone who dwelt near a marsh, from Old English
fenn meaning
"fen, swamp, bog".
Fenwick EnglishFrom an English place name, derived from Old English
fenn "fen, swamp, bog" and
wic "village, town".
Fermi ItalianOriginally indicated a person from the town of Fermo in the Marche region of Italy, originally called
Firmum in Latin meaning "strong, steady, firm".
Ferrari ItalianOccupational name for a metalworker or smith, derived from Latin
ferrarius, a derivative of
ferrum meaning "iron".
Ferreira Portuguese, GalicianDenoted a person from a town named because it was near an iron mine, from Latin
ferrum meaning "iron".
Ferro Italian, SpanishMeans
"iron", ultimately from Latin
ferrum. This was an occupational name for one who worked with iron.
Fèvre FrenchOccupational name meaning
"blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin
faber.
Fiala m CzechMeans
"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.
Fields EnglishName for a person who lived on or near a field or pasture, from Old English
feld.
Figueroa SpanishFrom places named for Galician
figueira meaning
"fig tree".
Filipowski m PolishEither 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).
Finch English, LiteratureFrom 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).
Finnegan IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Fionnagáin meaning
"descendant of Fionnagán". The given name
Fionnagán is a diminutive of
Fionn.
Fiscella ItalianDerived from Italian
fiscella, which was a basket used to conserve cheese. The name was probably used to denote a person who made cheese.
Fitzgerald IrishMeans
"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.
Fitzroy EnglishMeans
"son of the king" in Anglo-Norman French, from French
roi meaning "king". This name has been bestowed upon illegitimate children of kings.
Flanagan IrishFrom 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.
Flannery IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Flannghaile meaning
"descendant of Flannghal", a given name meaning "red valour".
Fleming EnglishGiven to a person who was a Fleming, that is a person who was from
Flanders in the Netherlands.
Fletcher EnglishOccupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French
fleche meaning "arrow".
Flintstone Popular CultureFrom 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.
Flower EnglishFrom 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).
Flynn IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Floinn meaning
"descendant of Flann".
Fodor HungarianFrom Hungarian
fodor meaning
"curly, wavy", referring to a person with curly or wavy hair.
Foley IrishFrom Irish
Ó Foghladha meaning
"descendant of Foghlaidh". The byname
Foghlaidh meant "pirate, marauder, plunderer".
Fonda ItalianOf 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, PortugueseOriginally belonged to a person who lived near a dry spring, from Latin
fons "well, spring" and
siccus "dry".
Fontaine FrenchDerived from Old French
fontane meaning
"well, fountain", a derivative of Latin
fons.
Ford EnglishName 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, FrenchOriginally 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 EnglishDenoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see
Forest).
Forney GermanName for someone who lived near ferns, from Old High German
farn "fern".
Forst GermanDerived 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".
Fortier FrenchDerived from Old French
fort "stronghold", indicating a person who lived near or worked at such a place.
Fortune EnglishFrom Middle English, ultimately from Latin
fortuna meaning
"fortune, luck, chance". This was possibly a nickname for a gambler.
Foster 2 EnglishOccupational name for a scissor maker, derived from Old French
forcetier.
Foster 3 EnglishOccupational name for a maker of saddle trees, derived from Old French
fustier.
Foster 4 EnglishNickname given to a person who was a foster child or foster parent.
Fournier FrenchOccupational name for a baker, from French
fourneau meaning
"oven".
Fowler EnglishOccupational name for a fowler or birdcatcher, ultimately derived from Old English
fugol meaning "bird".
Fox EnglishFrom the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.
Frank 3 German, Dutch, Danish, NorwegianName for a person from Franconia in Germany, so called because it was settled by the Frankish people. A notable bearer was the German-Jewish diarist Anne Frank (1929-1945), a victim of the Holocaust.
Frankenstein German, LiteratureFrom any of the various minor places by this name in Germany, meaning
"stone of the Franks" in German. It was used by the author Mary Shelley in her novel
Frankenstein (1818) for the character of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monster and brings it to life. The monster, nameless in the novel, is sometimes informally or erroneously called Frankenstein in modern speech.
Franklin EnglishDerived from Middle English
frankelin meaning
"freeman". It denoted a landowner of free but not noble birth, from Old French
franc meaning "free". Famous bearers include American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and American singer Aretha Franklin (1942-2018).
Franzese ItalianFrom a nickname that indicated a person who came from France. It is typical of the area around Naples.
Fraser ScottishMeaning unknown, originally Norman French
de Fresel, possibly from a lost place name in France.
Freeman EnglishReferred to a person who was born free, or in other words was not a serf.