Abe 2 JapaneseFrom Japanese
安 (a) meaning "peace" and
部 (be) meaning "part, section".
Ahlberg SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
al (Old Norse
ǫlr) meaning "alder" and
berg meaning "mountain".
Ahlgren SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
al (Old Norse
ǫlr) meaning "alder" and
gren (Old Norse
grein) meaning "branch".
Ahlström SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
al (Old Norse
ǫlr) meaning "alder" and
ström (Old Norse
straumr) meaning "stream".
Albero ItalianFrom Italian
albero meaning
"tree", ultimately from Latin
arbor, referring to someone who lived in the woods or worked as a woodcutter.
Almstedt SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
alm (Old Norse
almr) meaning "elm" and
stad (Old Norse
staðr) meaning "town, city".
Aoki JapaneseFrom Japanese
青 (ao) meaning "green, blue" and
木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Aritza Spanish, BasqueFrom Basque
aritz meaning
"oak tree". This was a nickname of Iñigo, the first king of Pamplona, Spain (9th century).
Ash EnglishFrom Old English
æsc meaning
"ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.
Assenberg DutchFrom Dutch
es meaning "ash tree" (plural
essen) and
berg meaning "mountain".
Barton EnglishFrom a place name meaning "barley town" in Old English.
Baum German, JewishMeans
"tree" in German. A famous bearer was the American author L. Frank Baum (1856-1919).
Baumgartner GermanOccupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German
Baumgarten "orchard" (derived from
Baum "tree" and
Garten "garden").
Baumhauer GermanOccupational name meaning
"woodcutter", derived from German
Baum "tree" and
hauen "to chop".
Beauchêne FrenchFrom French place names derived from
beau "beautiful" and
chêne "oak".
Beech 2 EnglishOriginally a name for a person who lived near a beech tree, from Old English
bece.
Björkman SwedishFrom Swedish
björk (Old Norse
bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and
man (Old Norse
maðr) meaning "person, man".
Bokor HungarianTopographic name derived from Hungarian
bokor "bush". This is also the name of a village in Hungary.
Braddock EnglishFrom various locations derived from Old English meaning
"broad oak".
Buchholz GermanFrom Middle High German
buoche "beech" and
holz "wood".
Busch GermanMeans
"bush" in German, a name for someone who lived close to a thicket.
Bush EnglishOriginally a name for a person who lived near a prominent bush or thicket.
Carrasco SpanishTopographic name derived from Spanish
carrasca meaning
"holm oak" (species Quercus ilex).
Carvalho PortugueseMeans
"oak" in Portuguese, perhaps originally referring to a person who lived near such a tree.
Chastain FrenchFrom Old French
castan "chestnut tree" (Latin
castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair.
Dąbrowski m PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various locations named
Dąbrowa or
Dobrów, derived from Polish
dąb meaning "oak".
Delaney 1 EnglishDerived from Norman French
de l'aunaie meaning
"from the alder grove".
Desrosiers FrenchMeans
"from the rose bushes", from French
rosier "rose bush". It probably referred to a person who lived close to, or cared for a rose garden.
Doubek m CzechMeans
"small oak" in Czech, derived from
dub "oak".
Du ChineseFrom Chinese
杜 (dù) meaning
"stop, prevent" or
"birchleaf pear tree".
Dubois FrenchMeans
"from the forest", from French
bois "forest".
Eikenboom DutchMeans
"oak tree", from Dutch
eik "oak" and
boom "tree".
Escobar SpanishDerived from Spanish
escoba meaning
"broom plant", from Latin
scopa. It originally indicated a person who lived near a prominent patch of broom.
Fairburn EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"fern stream", from Old English
fearn "fern" and
burna "stream".
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.
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.
Figueroa SpanishFrom places named for Galician
figueira meaning
"fig tree".
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).
Forney GermanName for someone who lived near ferns, from Old High German
farn "fern".
Foster 3 EnglishOccupational name for a maker of saddle trees, derived from Old French
fustier.
Gerst GermanOccupational name for a barley farmer, derived from Old High German
gersta "barley".
Greenwood EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived in or near a lush forest, from Old English
grene "green" and
wudu "wood".
Grover EnglishFrom Old English
graf meaning
"grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908).
Hawthorne EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a hawthorn bush, a word derived from Old English
hagaþorn, from
haga meaning "enclosure, yard" and
þorn meaning "thorn bush". A famous bearer was the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of
The Scarlet Letter.
Haywood EnglishFrom various place names meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.
Hollins EnglishReferred to someone living by a group of holly trees, from Old English
holegn.
Holme English, ScottishReferred either to someone living by a small island (northern Middle English
holm, from Old Norse
holmr) or near a holly tree (Middle English
holm, from Old English
holegn).
Holmes English, ScottishVariant of
Holme. A famous fictional bearer was Sherlock Holmes, a detective in Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.
Homewood EnglishFrom various place names derived from Old English
ham meaning "home" and
wudu meaning "wood".
Inada JapaneseFrom Japanese
稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Itō JapaneseFrom Japanese
伊 (i) meaning "this" and
藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
Jabłoński m PolishOriginally denoted someone who lived by an apple tree, from Polish
jabłoń meaning
"apple tree".
Jaworski m PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various places named
Jawory or
Jaworze, derived from Polish
jawor meaning "maple tree".
Jedlička m CzechDerived from Czech
jedle meaning
"fir tree", given to a person who lived near a prominent one.
Katō JapaneseFrom Japanese
加 (ka) meaning "add, increase" and
藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The latter character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
Kohl GermanDerived from Middle High German
kol "cabbage".
Koivisto FinnishMeans
"birch forest" in Finnish, derived from
koivu "birch tree".
Kundakçı TurkishFrom Turkish
kundak meaning
"stock, wooden part of a rifle".
Kwiatkowski m PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various locations named
Kwiatków,
Kwiatkowo or
Kwiatkowice, named from a diminutive of Polish
kwiat meaning "flower".
Lee 2 Korean, ChineseKorean form of
Li 1, from Sino-Korean
李 (i). This is the second most common surname in South Korea. It is also a variant Chinese romanization of
Li 1.
Lepik EstonianMeans
"alder forest" in Estonian, from
lepp "alder tree".
Li 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
李 (lǐ) meaning
"plum, plum tree". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Tang dynasty.
Lindgren SwedishFrom Swedish
lind meaning "linden tree" and
gren (Old Norse
grein) meaning "branch". A famous bearer of this name was Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002).
Lindqvist SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
lind meaning "linden tree" and
qvist (Old Norse
kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".
Ljunggren SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
ljung (Old Norse
lyng) meaning "heather" and
gren (Old Norse
grein) meaning "branch".
Ljungman SwedishFrom Swedish
ljung (Old Norse
lyng) meaning "heather" and
man (Old Norse
maðr) meaning "person, man".
Mata Spanish, Portuguese, CatalanFrom Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan
mata meaning
"trees, shrubs", possibly from Late Latin
matta meaning "reed mat".
Matsumoto JapaneseFrom one of the many places with this name in Japan, derived from Japanese
松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and
本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Morales SpanishDerived from Spanish
moral meaning
"mulberry tree", of Latin origin.
Mutō JapaneseFrom Japanese
武 (mu) meaning "military, martial" and
藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
Nash EnglishDerived from the Middle English phrase
atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).
Nespoli ItalianFrom the name of towns such as Nespoli and Nespoledo, derived from Italian
nespola meaning "medlar (tree)".
Nogueira Portuguese, GalicianFrom Portuguese and Galician
nogueira meaning
"walnut tree", from the Late Latin
nucarius, ultimately from Latin
nux meaning "nut".
Norwood EnglishOriginally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.
Oakley EnglishFrom a place name meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. It was borne by American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).
Okabe JapaneseFrom Japanese
岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and
部 (be) meaning "part, section".
Oliveira PortugueseMeans
"olive tree" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin
oliva. It indicated a person who lived near or worked with olive trees.
Olmo SpanishMeans
"elm tree" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
ulmus. The name originally indicated a person who lived near such a tree.
Olszewski m PolishOriginally denoted someone who lived near an alder tree, from Polish
olsza meaning
"alder tree".
Peerenboom DutchFrom Dutch meaning
"pear tree", referring to someone who lived or worked at a pear orchard.
Pereira Portuguese, GalicianFrom Portuguese and Galician
pereira meaning
"pear tree", ultimately from Latin
pirum meaning "pear".
Perry 1 EnglishFrom Old English
pirige meaning
"pear tree", a derivative of
peru meaning "pear", itself from Latin
pirum. A famous bearer was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.
Pini ItalianName for a person who lived near a pine tree, from Italian
pino, Latin
pinus.
Poirier FrenchMeans
"pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.
Quirós SpanishDenoted a person from one of the various places of this name in Spain, which may derive from Galician
queiroa meaning
"heather".
Ramsey English, ScottishMeans
"garlic island", derived from Old English
hramsa "garlic" and
eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.
Reis German, JewishFrom Middle High German
ris meaning
"twig, branch, bush", denoting a person who lived in an overgrown area. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Ridley EnglishDenoted a person who hailed from one of the various places of this name in England. The places are derived from Old English
hreod "reed" or
ryddan "to strip, to clear" combined with
leah "woodland, clearing".
Rietveld DutchMeans
"reed field", from Dutch
riet "reed" and
veld "field". It is found mostly in the western part of the Netherlands (the Holland area).
Robledo SpanishMeans
"oak wood" from Spanish
roble "oak", ultimately from Latin
robur.
Robles SpanishOriginally indicated a person who lived near an oak tree or forest, from Spanish
roble "oak", from Latin
robur.
Roggeveen DutchMeans
"rye field" in Dutch. A famous bearer was Jacob Roggeveen (1659-1729), the first European explorer to Easter Island.
Roosevelt DutchMeans
"rose field" from Dutch
roos "rose" and
veld "field". This was the surname of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).
Rose 1 English, French, German, JewishMeans
"rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German
rose, all from Latin
rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish
רויז (roiz).
Rowntree EnglishOriginally given to a person who lived near a rowan tree or mountain ash.
Roydon EnglishOriginally derived from a place name meaning
"rye hill", from Old English
ryge "rye" and
dun "hill".
Royle EnglishOriginally derived from a place name meaning
"rye hill" from Old English
ryge "rye" and
hyll "hill".
Rush EnglishIndicated a person who lived near rushes, the grasslike plant that grows in a marsh, from Old English
rysc.
Rye EnglishTopographic name. It could be a misdivision of the Middle English phrases
atter ye meaning
"at the island" or
atter eye meaning
"at the river". In some cases it merely indicated a person who lived where rye was grown or worked with rye (from Old English
ryge).
Saitō JapaneseFrom Japanese
斎 (sai) meaning "purification, worship" and
藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
Salcedo SpanishDerived from Latin
salix meaning
"willow tree". The name was originally given to one who lived near a willow tree.
Saller 2 GermanDenoted a person who lived by a prominent sallow tree, from Middle High German
salhe "sallow tree".
Sasaki JapaneseFrom Japanese
佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" (repeated, indicated by the iteration mark
々) and
木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Satō JapaneseFrom Japanese
佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and
藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character might indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan. This is the most common surname in Japan.
Segal 2 FrenchOccupational name for a grower or seller of rye, from Old French, from Latin
secale "rye".
Seward 2 EnglishMeans
"swineherd" from Old English
su "sow, female pig" and
hierde "herdsman, guardian".
Soto SpanishMeans
"grove of trees, small forest" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
saltus.
Souček m CzechFrom Czech
suk meaning
"tree knot". This could either be a topographic name or a nickname for a stubborn person.
Suzuki JapaneseFrom Japanese
鈴 (suzu) meaning "bell" and
木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood". This is the second most common surname in Japan. A notable bearer was the artist Suzuki Harunobu (1725-1770).
Tamm EstonianMeans
"oak" in Estonian. This is among the most common surnames in Estonia.
Tash EnglishFrom Middle English
at asche meaning
"at the ash tree".
Tremblay FrenchFrom French
tremble meaning
"aspen". It is especially widespread in Quebec, being the most common surname there.
Underwood EnglishMeans
"dweller at the edge of the woods", from Old English
under and
wudu.
Vernon EnglishLocational name in the Eure region of Normandy, from the Gaulish element
vern "alder (tree)" with the genitive case maker
onis.
Wheatley EnglishFrom any of the various places in England with this name, meaning "wheat clearing" in Old English.
Womack EnglishOf uncertain origin. One theory suggests that it indicated a dweller by a hollow oak tree, derived from Old English
womb "hollow" and
ac "oak".
Woodham EnglishIndicated a person who had a home near a wood, derived from Old English
wudu "wood" and
ham "home, settlement".
Woodrow EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"row of houses by a wood" in Old English.
Woodward EnglishOccupational name for a forester, meaning
"ward of the wood" in Old English.
Žitnik SloveneFrom the Slavic root
žito meaning
"rye, grain". This was an occupational name for a dealer in rye or a baker.