Browse Surnames

Arbeider Dutch
From Dutch arbeider meaning "worker".

Arkwright English
Occupational name meaning "chest maker", from Middle English arc meaning "chest, coffer" and wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".

Armbrüster German
Variant of Armbruster.

Armbruster German
Means "crossbow maker" from German armbrust "crossbow". The word armbrust was originally from Latin arcuballista meaning "bow ballista", but was modified under the influence of German arm "arm" and brust "breast".

Bachvarov m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian бъчвар (bachvar) meaning "cooper, barrel maker".

Baumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German bumann meaning "farmer, builder".

Boatwright English
Occupational name meaning "maker of boats".

Böcker German
Variant of Böttcher.

Bodnár Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Bondarenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian бондар (bondar) meaning "cooper, barrel maker".

Böttcher German
Occupational name meaning "cooper, barrel maker" in German.

Botwright English
Variant of Boatwright.

Bouwmeester Dutch
Means "architect, builder" in Dutch.

Brauer Low German
Derived from Middle Low German bruwer meaning "brewer".

Brewer English
Occupational name for a maker of ale or beer.

Brewster English
Variant of Brewer, originally a feminine form of the occupational term.

Brouwer Dutch
Occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch brouwer.

Carpentier French
French form of Carpenter.

Cartwright English
Occupational name indicating one who made carts.

Chandler English
Occupational name meaning "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin candela via Old French.

Charpentier French
French cognate of Carpenter, derived from Old French charpentier.

Colter English
Variant of Colt using an agent suffix.

Cooper English
Means "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.

Cuijper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuyper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuypers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Demirci Turkish
Means "blacksmith" in Turkish.

De Snaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Dexter English
Occupational name meaning "dyer" in Old English (originally this was a feminine word, but it was later applied to men as well).

Draper English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of woollen cloth, from Anglo-Norman French draper (Old French drapier, an agent derivative of drap "cloth").

Drechsler German
Variant of Dressler.

Dreher German
Means "turner" from Middle High German drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.

Dreier German
Variant of Dreher.

Dreschner German
Derived from Middle High German dreschen "to thresh". A thresher was a person who separated the grains from a cereal plant by beating it.

Dressler German
Means "turner" from Middle High German dreseler, an agent derivative of drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.

Dreyer German
Variant of Dreher.

Dyer English
Occupational name meaning "cloth dyer", from Old English deah "dye".

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

Essert German
Variant of Esser.

Faerber German
Variant of Färber.

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

Fenstermacher German
Means "window maker" in German.

Ferber German
Variant of Färber.

Fischer German
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in German.

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Fisker Danish
Means "fisherman" in Danish.

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".

Foster 2 English
Occupational name for a scissor maker, derived from Old French forcetier.

Foster 3 English
Occupational name for a maker of saddle trees, derived from Old French fustier.

Funar Romanian
Means "rope maker" in Romanian.

Gaertner German
German form of Gardener.

Gardener English
Occupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).

Gardiner English
Variant of Gardener.

Gardinier French
French form of Gardener.

Gardner English
Variant of Gardener.

Garner 2 English
Variant of Gardener.

Gärtner German
German form of Gardener.

Geisler German
Variant of Geissler.

Geißler German
Variant of Geissler.

Geissler German
Occupational name for a goat herder, from southern German Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix ler signifying an occupation.

Glazier English
Means "glass worker, glazier", from Old English glæs meaning "glass".

Glover English
Occupational name for a person who made or sold gloves, from Middle English glovere.

Granger English, French
Means "farm bailiff" from Old French grangier, ultimately from Latin granum meaning "grain". It is borne in the Harry Potter novels by Harry's friend Hermione Granger.

Guerrero Spanish
Means "warrior" in Spanish, an occupational name for a soldier. It is derived from Late Latin werra "war", of Germanic origin.

Guerriero Italian
Italian form of Guerrero.

Hauer German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Hoefler German
Variant of Hofer.

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

Höfler German
Variant of Hofer.

Hooper English
Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.

Horník m Czech, Slovak
Occupational name meaning "miner" in Czech and Slovak.

Hunter English, Scottish
Occupational name that referred to someone who hunted for a living, from Old English hunta.

Jardine English, Scottish
Means "garden", denoting someone who worked as a gardener.

Joiner English
Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).

Joyner English
Variant of Joiner.

Kádár Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Kästner German
Means "cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German kaste "box".

Kiefer 2 German
Occupational name for a barrel maker, derived from Old High German kuofa meaning "barrel".

Kistler German
Occupational name meaning "chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German kiste.

Kistner German
Variant of Kistler.

Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.

Kohler German
From Middle High German koler meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal seller".

Kolář m Czech
Means "wheelwright", a derivative of Czech kolo "wheel".

Kolar Croatian, Slovene
Croatian and Slovene cognate of Kolář.

Kollár m Slovak
Slovak form of Kolář.

Kraemer German
Variant of Krämer.

Krämer German
Means "shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German kram meaning "tent, trading post".

Kramer Low German, Jewish
Low German and Jewish form of Krämer.

Kuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Kuiper Dutch
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Dutch.

Kuipers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Lister Scottish
Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac an Fleisdeir meaning "son of the arrow maker".

Maurer German
Occupational name meaning "wall builder" in German.

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

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

Meunier French
Means "miller" in French.

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

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

Møller Danish
Danish form of Müller.

Monteiro Portuguese
Portuguese cognate of Montero.

Montero Spanish
Means "hunter" in Spanish, an agent derivative of monte meaning "mountain, wilderness".

Mueller German
Variant of Müller.

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.

Palomer Provençal
Means "pigeon keeper" from Latin palumbes "pigeon".

Pander Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Panders Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Parker English
Means "keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.

Paternoster English, Italian
Occupational name for a maker of rosaries, also called paternosters. They are derived from the Latin phrase pater noster "our Father", the opening words of the Lord's Prayer.

Peck 2 English
Occupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English pekke.

Pender 2 Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Penders Dutch
From Middle Dutch paender meaning "brewer", derived from panne meaning "pan, pot", ultimately from Latin patina.

Penner English
Variant of Penn 2.

Penners Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Pfeiffer German
Occupational name meaning "pipe player" in German, from Middle High German pfifen "to whistle".

Pintér Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Piper English
Originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).

Porcher English, French
Means "swineherd" from Old French and Middle English porchier, from Latin porcus "pig".

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

Rybár m Slovak
Means "fisher" in Slovak, from ryba meaning "fish".

Rybář m Czech
Czech form of Rybár.

Sadler English
Occupational name for a maker of saddles, from Old English sadol "saddle".

Samaras m Greek
Means "saddle maker" in Greek, from σαμάρι (samari) meaning "saddle".

Sangster English, Scottish
Occupational name or nickname for a singer, from Old English singan "to sing, to chant".

Savatier French
From Old French savatier "shoemaker", derived from savate "shoe", of uncertain ultimate origin.

Sawyer English
Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Scarlett English
Denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet, a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian سقرلاط (saqrelat).

Scheer German, Dutch
Variant of Scherer.

Schenck German
Variant of Schenk.

Schenk German, Dutch
From Middle High German, Middle Dutch schenke meaning "wine server" (from Old High German scenken "to pour out").

Scherer German
Occupational name for a cutter of cloth or a sheep-shearer, from Old High German skeran "to cut".

Schermer Dutch, Low German
Dutch and Low German form of Schirmer.

Schirmer German
Means "fencer, fencing master", from Old High German skirmen meaning "to defend".

Schlösser German
Variant of Schlosser.

Schlosser German
Occupational name for a locksmith, derived from Old High German sloz meaning "lock".

Schneider German, Jewish
From German schneider or Yiddish shnayder, making it a cognate of Snyder.

Schneiders Dutch
Variant of Snyder.

Schneijder Dutch
Variant of Snyder.

Schreier German, Jewish
Occupational name for a town crier, from Old High German scrian meaning "to shout, to yell".

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

Schubert German
Variant of Schuchardt. This name was borne by the Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828).

Schuchard German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Schuchardt German
From Middle High German schuochwürte meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".

Schuchert German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Schuhart German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Sedlák m Czech, Slovak
Means "farmer" in Czech and Slovak. A sedlák had more land than a Zahradník or a Chalupník, but less land than a Dvořák.

Shearer English
English cognate of Scherer.

Siegel 1 German
Occupational name for a maker of seals or signet rings, ultimately from Latin sigillum "seal".

Slusser German
Variant of Schlosser.

Smolak Polish
Occupational name for a distiller of pitch, derived from the Old Slavic word smola meaning "pitch, resin".

Snaaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Snaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneiders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneijder Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneijders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneijers Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Snider English
Variant of Snyder.

Sniders English
Variant of Snyder.

Snijder Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Snijders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Snyder English
Means "tailor", derived from Middle English snithen "to cut", an occupational name for a person who stitched coats and clothing.

Snyders English
Variant of Snyder.

Spencer English
Occupational name for a person who dispensed provisions to those who worked at a manor, derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry".

Spooner English
Occupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".

Steiner German
Variant of Stein.

Stolarz Polish
Occupational name from Polish stolarz meaning "joiner, maker of furniture".

Tesař m Czech
Means "carpenter" in Czech, ultimately from the Old Slavic word tesla meaning "adze".

Tesařík m Czech
Diminutive of Tesař.

Tinker English
Occupational name for a mender of kettles, pots and pans. The name could derive from the tinking sound made by light hammering on metal. It is possible that the word comes from the word tin, the material with which the tinker worked.

Toller English
Occupational name meaning "tax gatherer", derived from Old English toln "toll, fee, tax".

Towner English
Variant of Toller.

Turner English
Occupational name for one who worked with a lathe, derived from Old English turnian "to turn", of Latin origin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.

Vaccaro Italian
Occupational name meaning "cowherd" in Italian.

Visscher Dutch
Variant of Visser.

Visser Dutch
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in Dutch.

Wagner German
From Middle High German wagener meaning "wagon maker, cartwright". This name was borne by the German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883).

Wayne English
Occupational name meaning "wagon maker, cartwright", derived from Old English wægn "wagon". A famous bearer was the American actor John Wayne (1907-1979).

Weaver 1 English
Occupational name for a weaver, derived from Old English wefan "to weave".

Webb English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".

Weber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.

Webster English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".

Weeber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.

Wright 1 English
From Old English wyrhta meaning "wright, maker", an occupational name for someone who was a craftsman. Famous bearers were Orville and Wilbur Wright, the inventors of the first successful airplane.

Zapatero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Savatier.