Browse Surnames

Aldershof Dutch
Means "Aldert's courtyard" from the given name Aldert combined with Dutch hof "yard, court".

Althaus German
Name for a person dwelled in or by an old house, from German alt "old" and haus "house".

Althuis Dutch
Dutch cognate of Althaus.

Appelhof Dutch
Indicated a person who lived by or at an apple garden, from Dutch appel "apple" and hof "yard, court".

Arterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Arterbury English
Variant of Atteberry.

Atteberry English
Means "dweller at the fortified town" from Middle English at and burh "fortified place".

Atterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Auteberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Beethoven Dutch (Archaic)
From a place name derived from Dutch beet "beet, beetroot" and hoven "farms". This name was borne by the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), whose family was of Flemish origin. The surname is now mostly extinct.

Bengoetxea Basque
Means "the house furthest down" from Basque bengo "furthest down" and etxe "house".

Bolton English
From any of the many places in England called Bolton, derived from Old English bold "house" and tun "enclosure".

Booth English
Topographic name derived from Middle English both meaning "hut, stall".

Boothman English
Variant of Booth.

Borg Swedish
From Swedish borg meaning "fortification, castle".

Bourke English
Variant of Burke.

Budny Polish
Possibly from Polish buda meaning "hut, cabin".

Burgstaller German
From German Burg "fortress, castle" and Stelle "place, position". This was a name given to a person dwelling at or near such a site.

Burke English, Irish
Derived from Middle English burgh meaning "fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.

Capela Portuguese
Portuguese form of Kappel.

Capella Catalan
Catalan form of Kappel.

Capilla Spanish
Spanish form of Kappel.

Casal Spanish
From the Spanish word casal meaning "house", ultimately from Late Late casalis and Latin casa.

Casale Italian
Italian cognate of Casal.

Casales Spanish
Variant of Casal.

Castell Catalan
Catalan cognate of Castle.

Castelo Portuguese
Portuguese cognate of Castle.

Castillo Spanish
Spanish cognate of Castle.

Castle English
From Middle English castel meaning "castle", from Late Latin castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.

Castro Spanish, Portuguese
Means "castle" in Spanish and Portuguese, referring to one who lived near a castle. A famous bearer was Fidel Castro (1926-2016), revolutionary and president of Cuba.

Chalupa m Czech
Means "cottage" in Czech.

Chalupník m Czech
Derived from Czech chalupa meaning "cottage". The name referred to a peasant farmer who owned a very small piece of land.

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.

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

Dufort French
Means "from the fort", from French fort "stronghold".

Dvořák m Czech
Occupational name derived from Czech dvůr "manor", indicating a person who worked at such a place. This name was borne by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904).

Dwerryhouse English
Indicated a person who worked or lived at a dyehouse, which is a place where dyeing was done.

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.

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

Fortier French
Derived from Old French fort "stronghold", indicating a person who lived near or worked at such a place.

Garner 1 English
From Old French gernier meaning "granary", a derivative of Latin granum meaning "grain". This name could refer to a person who worked at a granary or lived near one.

Halle German
German variant of Hall.

Häusler German
Name for someone who lived in a house with no land, derived rom Old High German word hus meaning "house".

Hoedemaeker Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoedemaekers Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoedemaker Dutch
Occupational name for a hat maker, from Dutch hoed "hat" and maker "maker".

Hoedemakers Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoefler German
Variant of Hofer.

Hofer German
Occupational name for a farmer, from German Hof "farm", from Old High German hof "yard, court".

Hoffmann German
From Middle High German hofmann meaning "farmer".

Höfler German
Variant of Hofer.

Hofmann German
Variant of Hoffmann.

Hofmeister German
Means "master of the household", from Old High German hof "yard, court, house" and meistar "master" (from Latin magister).

House English
Referred to a person who lived or worked in a house, as opposed to a smaller hut.

Hutmacher German
German cognate of Hoedemaker.

Iglesias Spanish
From Spanish iglesia meaning "church", from Latin ecclesia (of Greek origin).

Kappel German, Dutch
Name for a person who lived near or worked at a chapel, ultimately from Late Latin cappella, a diminutive of cappa "cape", arising from the holy relic of the torn cape of Saint Martin, which was kept in small churches.

Kavalchuk Belarusian
Belarusian cognate of Kovalchuk.

Kavalyow m Belarusian
Derived from Belarusian каваль (kaval') meaning "blacksmith".

Kirby English
From numerous towns in northern England named Kirby or Kirkby, derived from Old Norse kirkja "church" and býr "farm, settlement".

Kirch German
German cognate of Church.

Kirk English
From northern Middle English kirk meaning "church", from Old Norse kirkja (cognate of Church). A famous fictional bearer is the starship captain James Kirk from the Star Trek television series (1966-1969), and subsequent films.

Kneller German
Originally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".

Kováč m Slovak, Czech
Slovak and Czech cognate of Kovač.

Kovačević Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Variant of Kovačić.

Kovačevič Slovene
Slovene form of Kovačević.

Kovách Hungarian
Variant of Kovács.

Kovachev m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian ковач (kovach) meaning "blacksmith".

Kovačić Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Patronymic derived from South Slavic kovač meaning "blacksmith".

Kovačič Slovene
Slovene form of Kovačić.

Kovács Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kovač.

Kovalyov m Russian
Derived from Russian коваль (koval) meaning "blacksmith".

Kovář m Czech
Czech cognate of Kovač.

Kováts Hungarian
Variant of Kovács.

Kowalczyk Polish
Patronymic derived from Polish kowal "blacksmith".

Kröger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Krüger 1 German
In northern Germany an occupational name for a tavern keeper, derived from Middle Low German kroch meaning "tavern".

Kruger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Kurata Japanese
From Japanese 倉 (kura) or 蔵 (kura) both meaning "granary, storehouse" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Lachapelle French
Means "the chapel" in French, most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.

Linna Finnish
Means "castle" in Finnish. A famous namesake is Väinö Linna (1920-1992), Finnish author of The Unknown Soldier.

Ljungborg Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and borg meaning "castle".

Maçon French
French cognate of Mason.

Masson 1 French, Scottish
Variant of Mason.

Melnik Russian, Belarusian
Means "miller" in Russian and Belarusian.

Melnyk Ukrainian
Means "miller" in Ukrainian. This is the most common Ukrainian surname.

Melsbach German
From the name of a German town, possibly meaning "mill stream".

Meunier French
Means "miller" in French.

Milburn English
Derived from various place names meaning "mill stream" in Old English.

Milford English
Originally derived from various place names all meaning "ford by a mill" in Old English.

Millard English
Variant of Millward.

Miller English
Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Millhouse English
Name for someone whose house was in a mill or who worked in a mill.

Mills English
Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.

Millward English
Means "guardian of the mill" in Old English.

Milne Scottish
From Scots and Middle English milne (a variant of mille) meaning "mill".

Milton English
Derived from an English place name meaning "mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote "Paradise Lost".

Miyagawa Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Miyajima Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Miyake Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 宅 (yake) meaning "house, home".

Miyamoto Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin". A notable bearer is video game pioneer Shigeru Miyamoto (1952-).

Miyashita Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

Miyata Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Miyazaki Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Mlynárik m Slovak
Slovak form of Mlynář.

Molina Spanish
Means "mill" in Spanish.

Möller Low German, Swedish
Low German and Swedish form of Müller.

Møller Danish
Danish form of Müller.

Molnár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "miller" in Hungarian.

Moloney Irish
From Irish Ó Maol Dhomhnaigh meaning "descendant of a church servant".

Moulin French
Means "mill" in French.

Mueller German
Variant of Müller.

Muhlfeld German
Means "mill field" in German.

Mulder Dutch
Dutch equivalent of Miller.

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Muller German
Variant of Müller.

Mullins 1 English
Derived from Norman French molin "mill".

Namgung Korean
From Sino-Korean 南 (nam) meaning "south" combined with 宮 (gung) meaning "palace, house". This is the most common Korean compound surname.

Ola Basque
From Basque ola meaning "hut, small house, forge".

Ōshiro Japanese
From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle". It is especially common on Okinawa.

Paisley Scottish
From the name of a town near Glasgow, which may ultimately be derived from Latin basilica "church".

Prescott English
From the name of various English places meaning "priest's cottage" in Old English.

Rademacher Low German
Low German cognate of Rademaker.

Rademaker Dutch
From the occupation of rademaker meaning "maker of wheels", from Dutch rad meaning "wheel".

Rademakers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ramaker Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ramakers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Rameckers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Schofield English
From various northern English place names, which were derived from Old Norse skáli "hut" and Old English feld "field".

School Dutch
From Dutch school, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school", indicating a person who worked at or lived near a school.

Schrijnemakers Dutch
Occupational name for a cabinet maker, from Dutch schrijn "box, container" and maker "maker".

Schuhmacher German
From the Middle High German occupational name schuochmacher meaning "shoemaker".

Schumacher German
Variant of Schuhmacher.

Schuyler Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Schuler.

Scola Italian
From Italian scuola meaning "school".

Sitz 2 German
Means "house owner", derived from Old High German siz "seat, domicile".

Slootmaekers Dutch, Flemish
Occupational name for a locksmith, from Dutch slot "lock" and maker "maker".

Spijker 1 Dutch
Denoted a dweller by or worker at a granary, from Dutch spijker "granary".

Strohkirch German
Means "straw church" in German.

Torres Spanish, Portuguese
Name for a person who lived in or near a tower, ultimately from Latin turris.

Van Althuis Dutch
Dutch cognate of Althaus.

Vargas Spanish, Portuguese
Means "slope, flooded field, pastureland" or "hut", from the Spanish and Portuguese dialectal word varga.

Vermeulen Flemish
Means "from the mill" in Dutch.

Vilaró Catalan
Catalan variant of Vilar.

Villalba Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various Spanish places by this name. It is derived from Spanish villa "town" and alba "white".

Villalobos Spanish
Habitational name for a person from the town of Villalobos, Spain, which is derived from Spanish villa "town" and lobo "wolf".

Villanueva Spanish
Originally denoted someone who came from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and nueva "new".

Villar Spanish
Spanish cognate of Vilar.

Villaverde Spanish
Originally denoted a person from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and verde "green".

Woodrow English
From a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English.

Yūki Japanese
From Japanese 結 (yū) meaning "tie, bind" and 城 (ki) meaning "castle".