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.
Aguilar SpanishFrom a place name that was derived from Spanish
águila meaning
"eagle", ultimately from Latin
aquila.
Astor OccitanDerived from Occitan
astur meaning
"hawk". The wealthy and influential Astor family, prominent in British and American society, originated in the Italian Alps.
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.
Bird EnglishOccupational name for a person who raised or hunted birds.
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).
Chaykovsky m RussianRussian form of
Chayka. A famous bearer was the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Chaykovsky (1840-1893), with the surname commonly Romanized as
Tchaikovsky.
Chevrolet FrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning
"goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
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.
Coelho PortugueseFrom the Portuguese word for
"rabbit", either a nickname or an occupational name referring to a hunter or seller of rabbits.
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.
Colt EnglishOccupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English
colt.
Corvi ItalianNickname derived from Italian
corvo meaning
"crow".
Da Gama PortugueseVariant of
Gama. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524).
Drake EnglishDerived from the Old Norse byname
Draki or the Old English byname
Draca both meaning
"dragon", both via Latin from Greek
δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent".
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".
Faulkner English, ScottishOccupational name meaning
"keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots
faulcon, from Late Latin
falco, of Germanic origin.
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).
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.
Gallo Italian, SpanishMeans
"rooster", ultimately from Latin
gallus. This was a nickname for a proud 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.
Geier GermanMeans
"vulture" in German, a nickname for a greedy person.
Geissler GermanOccupational name for a goat herder, from southern German
Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix
ler signifying an occupation.
Griffin 2 EnglishNickname from the mythological beast with body of a lion with head and wings of an eagle. It is ultimately from Greek
γρύψ (gryps).
Gujić BosnianMeans
"son of a snake" from the Bosnian word
guja meaning "snake".
Hahn GermanFrom a nickname for a proud or pugnacious person, from Old High German
hano meaning
"rooster, cock".
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).
Hawk EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English
hafoc "hawk".
Hawking EnglishFrom a diminutive of
Hawk. A famous bearer was the British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018).
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".
Hummel 2 German, DutchNickname for a busy person, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch
hommel, Middle High German
hummel, all meaning
"bee".
Jeż PolishMeans
"hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.
Kafka m CzechDerived from Czech
kavka meaning
"jackdaw". A notable bearer was the author Franz Kafka (1883-1924).
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.
Kinnunen FinnishPossibly derived from the Finnish dialectal word
kinni meaning
"animal skin, fur", borrowed from Swedish
skinn.
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.
Krebs GermanMeans
"crab" in German, perhaps a nickname for a person with a crab-like walk.
Kukk EstonianMeans
"rooster" in Estonian, ultimately of Germanic origin.
Lagorio ItalianFrom a nickname derived from Ligurian
lagö, referring to a type of lizard, the European green lizard. This little reptile is respected because it supposedly protects against vipers.
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.
Merlo Italian, SpanishMeans
"blackbird", ultimately from Latin
merula. The blackbird is a symbol of a naive person.
Moschella ItalianFrom a diminutive of Italian
mosca meaning
"housefly", perhaps originally a nickname for an annoying person.
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".
Palumbo ItalianFrom Italian
palombo meaning
"pigeon" (also "dogfish"). This form is typical of southern Italy.
Pavone ItalianMeans
"peacock" in Italian. It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
Peacock EnglishFrom Middle English
pecok meaning
"peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
Pecora ItalianMeans
"sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.
Pender 1 EnglishFrom Middle English
pind "to pen up". This was an occupational name for someone who penned animals.
Pesce ItalianMeans
"fish" in Italian, referring either to a fisherman or to a person who resembled a fish in some way.
Phạm VietnameseVietnamese form of
Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese
范 (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.
Picasso ItalianFrom Italian
pica meaning
"magpie". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. The Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.
Plourde FrenchPossibly derived from French
palourde, a type of a shellfish.
Porcher English, FrenchMeans
"swineherd" from Old French and Middle English
porchier, from Latin
porcus "pig".
Poulin FrenchDerived from Old French
poule meaning
"chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.
Pound EnglishOccupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English
pund "animal enclosure".
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.
Rapp 2 GermanFrom Middle High German
raben meaning
"raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.
Ratti ItalianFrom Italian
ratto meaning
"rat", originally denoting a sly individual.
Ravn DanishMeans
"raven" in Danish, from Old Norse
hrafn.
Reiher GermanMeans
"heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.
Rey 2 EnglishMeans
"female roe deer" from Old English
ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.
Ryba u & m Polish, CzechMeans
"fish" in Polish and Czech, an occupational name for a fisher.
Rybár m SlovakMeans
"fisher" in Slovak, from
ryba meaning "fish".
Şahin TurkishMeans
"hawk" in Turkish (of Persian origin), probably used to refer to someone who was a hawk tamer.
Schlender GermanFrom Middle High German
slinderen "to dawdle" or Middle Low German
slinden "to swallow, to eat".
Serpico ItalianFrom a nickname derived from Italian
serpe "serpent, reptile".
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".
Sokol m & u Slovak, Czech, JewishFrom Czech and Slovak
sokol meaning
"falcon", a nickname or an occupational name for a falconer. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Sokołowski m PolishUsually refers to the city of Sokołów Podlaski in Poland. It may sometimes be derived from Polish
sokół meaning "falcon".
Sówka PolishFrom a diminutive of Polish
sowa meaning
"owl".
Spurling EnglishFrom Middle English
sparewe "sparrow" and the diminutive suffix
-ling.
Stoddard EnglishOccupational name for a horse keeper, from Old English
stod "stallion, stud" and
hierde "herder".
Swallow EnglishFrom the name of the bird, from Old English
swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.
Szarka HungarianFrom Hungarian
szarka meaning
"magpie", often used as a euphemistic term for a thief.
Teel EnglishFrom Middle English
tele meaning
"teal, duck".
Teke 2 TurkishOccupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish
teke "goat".
Thrussell EnglishFrom Old English
þrostle meaning
"song thrush", referring to a cheerful person.
Todd EnglishMeans
"fox", derived from Middle English
todde.
Tupper EnglishOccupational name for a herdsman, derived from Middle English
toupe "ram".
Uccello ItalianMeans
"bird" in Italian, either a nickname for a person who resembled a bird or an occupational name for a birdcatcher.
Vacca ItalianMeans
"cow" in Italian, originally denoting a person who worked with cattle.
Villalobos SpanishHabitational name for a person from the town of Villalobos, Spain, which is derived from Spanish
villa "town" and
lobo "wolf".
Visser DutchOccupational name meaning
"fisherman" in Dutch.