Agnelli ItalianFrom Italian
agnello meaning
"lamb" (ultimately from Latin
agnus), denoting a pious or timid person.
Agnusdei ItalianFrom Latin
Agnus Dei meaning
"lamb of God". This was a nickname for someone who was particularly religious or someone who wore this symbol.
Bähr GermanFrom Middle High German
bër "bear" or
ber "boar". This was originally a nickname for a strong or brave person.
Beran m CzechDerived from Czech
beran meaning
"ram, male sheep".
Bieber German, JewishFrom Middle High German
biber meaning
"beaver", possibly a nickname for a hard worker.
Bove ItalianDerived from an Italian nickname meaning
"bull, ox".
Brock EnglishDerived from Old English
brocc meaning
"badger", ultimately of Celtic origin.
Bull EnglishFrom a nickname for a person who acted like a bull.
Cabral PortugueseFrom places named from Late Latin
capralis meaning
"place of goats", derived from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
Cabrera SpanishFrom various place names derived from Late Latin
capraria meaning
"place of goats", from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
Cavallo ItalianMeans
"horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.
Cervantes SpanishPossibly from Old Spanish
servanto meaning
"servant" or
ciervo meaning
"stag". A famous bearer was the Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).
Chevrolet FrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning
"goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
Coelho PortugueseFrom the Portuguese word for
"rabbit", either a nickname or an occupational name referring to a hunter or seller of rabbits.
Colt EnglishOccupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English
colt.
Da Gama PortugueseVariant of
Gama. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524).
Fox EnglishFrom the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.
Fuchs GermanFrom Old High German
fuhs meaning
"fox". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
Gagnon FrenchDerived from old French
gagnon "guard dog". The name most likely originated as a nickname for an aggressive or cruel person.
Gama PortugueseProbably from a place name derived from Portuguese
gama meaning
"fallow deer doe", from Latin
gammus.
Gatti ItalianMeans
"cat" in Italian, originally a nickname for an agile person.
Geissler GermanOccupational name for a goat herder, from southern German
Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix
ler signifying an occupation.
Harland EnglishFrom various place names meaning
"hare land" in Old English.
Hart EnglishMeans
"male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.
Hartley EnglishHabitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Hartley, from Old English
heorot "hart, male deer" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Hase GermanFrom Middle High German and Middle Low German
hase meaning
"hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.
Hasenkamp GermanFrom a northern German place name meaning
"rabbit field", from Old Saxon
haso "hare" and
kamp "field" (from Latin
campus).
Herschel German, JewishDiminutive form of
Hirsch 1 or
Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.
Hirsch 1 GermanMeans
"deer, hart" in German. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a deer in some way, or who raised or hunted deer.
Hoggard EnglishOccupational name meaning
"pig herder", from Old English
hogg "hog" and
hierde "herdsman, guardian".
Howard 2 EnglishOccupational name meaning
"ewe herder", from Old English
eowu "ewe" and
hierde "herdsman, guardian".
Jeż PolishMeans
"hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.
Kalb GermanOccupational name meaning
"calf (animal)" in German.
Kazlow m BelarusianDerived from Belarusian
казёл (kaziol) meaning
"male goat", probably used to denote a goatherd.
Kidd EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"young goat, kid" in Middle English, of Old Norse origin.
Kozioł PolishMeans
"male goat" in Polish, probably used to denote a goatherd.
Kozlov m RussianDerived from Russian
козёл (kozyol) meaning
"male goat", probably used to denote a goatherd.
Lamb EnglishFrom the name of the animal, perhaps a nickname for a shy person.
Leeuwenhoek DutchMeans
"lion's corner" in Dutch. The first bearer of this name lived on the corner (Dutch
hoek) of the Lion's Gate (Dutch
Leeuwenpoort) in the city of Delft.
Lis PolishMeans
"fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.
Lowell EnglishFrom a nickname derived from a Norman French
lou meaning
"wolf" and a diminutive suffix.
Lyon 2 English, FrenchFrom a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English
lion meaning
"lion".
Maus GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"mouse", from Old High German
mus.
Mutton EnglishReferred to a shepherd or else someone who in some way resembled a sheep, derived from Norman French
mouton "sheep".
Myška m CzechFrom a nickname derived from Czech
myš meaning
"mouse".
Orsini ItalianFrom a nickname meaning
"little bear" in Italian, from Latin
ursus "bear".
Pecora ItalianMeans
"sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.
Porcher English, FrenchMeans
"swineherd" from Old French and Middle English
porchier, from Latin
porcus "pig".
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.
Ratti ItalianFrom Italian
ratto meaning
"rat", originally denoting a sly individual.
Rey 2 EnglishMeans
"female roe deer" from Old English
ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.
Seward 2 EnglishMeans
"swineherd" from Old English
su "sow, female pig" and
hierde "herdsman, guardian".
Shaw 2 ScottishFrom a given name or byname that was derived from Gaelic
sitheach meaning
"wolf" (Old Irish
sídach).
Shepherd EnglishOccupational name meaning
"shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English
sceaphyrde.
Siegel 1 GermanOccupational name for a maker of seals or signet rings, ultimately from Latin
sigillum "seal".
Sjögren SwedishFrom Swedish
sjö (Old Norse
sær) meaning "lake, sea" and
gren (Old Norse
grein) meaning "branch".
Stoddard EnglishOccupational name for a horse keeper, from Old English
stod "stallion, stud" and
hierde "herder".
Strand Norwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom Old Norse
strǫnd meaning
"beach, sea shore". It was originally given to someone who lived on or near the sea.
Teke 2 TurkishOccupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish
teke "goat".
Todd EnglishMeans
"fox", derived from Middle English
todde.
Tupper EnglishOccupational name for a herdsman, derived from Middle English
toupe "ram".
Vacca ItalianMeans
"cow" in Italian, originally denoting a person who worked with cattle.
Van der Zee DutchMeans
"from the sea" in Dutch. The original bearer may have been someone who lived on the coast.
Villalobos SpanishHabitational name for a person from the town of Villalobos, Spain, which is derived from Spanish
villa "town" and
lobo "wolf".
Voss GermanFrom Middle Low German
vos meaning
"fox". It was originally a nickname for a clever person or a person with red hair.
Weasley LiteratureUsed by J. K. Rowling for the character of Ron Weasley (and other members of his family) in her
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. Rowling presumably derived it from the English word
weasel, perhaps in combination with the common place name/surname suffix
-ley, which is derived from Old English
leah meaning "woodland, clearing".
Wieczorek PolishFrom a nickname meaning
"bat" in Polish, ultimately from
wieczór meaning "evening".
Wilbur EnglishFrom the nickname
Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.
Witherspoon EnglishOriginally given to a person who dwelt near a sheep enclosure, from Middle English
wether "sheep" and
spong "strip of land".
Wolf German, EnglishFrom Middle High German or Middle English
wolf meaning
"wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.