Annevelink DutchFrom Dutch
aan 't veldink meaning
"next to the little field".
Barker EnglishFrom Middle English
bark meaning
"to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.
Baumhauer GermanOccupational name meaning
"woodcutter", derived from German
Baum "tree" and
hauen "to chop".
Bennington EnglishFrom the English town name
Benington, which can mean either
"settlement belonging to Beonna's people" or
"settlement by the River Beane".
Brinley EnglishPossibly from English places named
Brindley, derived from Old English
berned "burned" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Brouwer DutchOccupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch
brouwer.
Burgstaller GermanFrom German
Burg "fortress, castle" and
Stelle "place, position". This was a name given to a person dwelling at or near such a site.
Chapman EnglishOccupational name derived from Old English
ceapmann meaning
"merchant, trader".
Doležal m CzechNickname for a lazy person, derived from the past participle of the Czech verb
doležat "to lie down".
Dreher GermanMeans
"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.
Dreschner GermanDerived from Middle High German
dreschen "to thresh". A thresher was a person who separated the grains from a cereal plant by beating it.
Dressler GermanMeans
"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.
Fuhrmann GermanDerived from Middle High German
vuorman meaning
"cartwright".
Gagneux FrenchDerived from Old French
gagnier meaning
"to farm, to cultivate".
Gump German (Rare), Popular CulturePossibly from a nickname derived from Middle High German
gumpen meaning
"to hop, to jump". This surname was used by author Winston Groom for the hero of his novel
Forrest Gump (1986), better known from the 1994 movie adaptation.
Hauer GermanDerived from Middle High German
houwen "to chop", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.
Haumann GermanDerived from Middle High German
houwen "to chop" and
man "man", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.
Hoedemaker DutchOccupational name for a hat maker, from Dutch
hoed "hat" and
maker "maker".
Holguín SpanishPossibly from Spanish
holgar "to rest, to enjoy oneself".
Hunter English, ScottishOccupational name that referred to someone who hunted for a living, from Old English
hunta.
Joiner EnglishOccupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).
Kasun CroatianPossibly derived from the old Slavic word
kazati meaning
"to order, to command".
Kneller GermanOriginally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German
knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".
Muraro ItalianOccupational name for a wall builder, from Italian
murare meaning
"to wall up".
Musil m CzechPossibly from a nickname meaning
"the one who had to", from the past participle of the Czech verb
muset meaning "must" (of Germanic origin).
Papp 2 GermanNickname perhaps related to Late Latin
pappare meaning
"to eat".
Pfeiffer GermanOccupational name meaning
"pipe player" in German, from Middle High German
pfifen "to whistle".
Piper EnglishOriginally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).
Rademaker DutchFrom the occupation of
rademaker meaning
"maker of wheels", from Dutch
rad meaning "wheel".
Roncalli ItalianFrom the names of places like Ronco or Ronchi, quite common in northern Italy, derived from
ronco meaning "cleared land, terraced land". It was the surname of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (1881-1963), the pope John XXIII.
Ronchi ItalianFrom Italian places named Ronchi, derived from
ronco meaning "cleared land, terraced land". It is most common in northern and central Italy.
Schenk German, DutchFrom Middle High German, Middle Dutch
schenke meaning
"wine server" (from Old High German
scenken "to pour out").
Scherer GermanOccupational name for a cutter of cloth or a sheep-shearer, from Old High German
skeran "to cut".
Schirmer GermanMeans
"fencer, fencing master", from Old High German
skirmen meaning "to defend".
Schlender GermanFrom Middle High German
slinderen "to dawdle" or Middle Low German
slinden "to swallow, to eat".
Schreck GermanFrom Middle High German
schrecken meaning
"to frighten, to scare".
Schreier German, JewishOccupational name for a town crier, from Old High German
scrian meaning "to shout, to yell".
Schrijnemakers DutchOccupational name for a cabinet maker, from Dutch
schrijn "box, container" and
maker "maker".
Schuhmacher GermanFrom the Middle High German occupational name
schuochmacher meaning
"shoemaker".
Scrooge LiteratureCreated by Charles Dickens for the central character in his short novel
A Christmas Carol (1843). He probably based it on the rare English word
scrouge meaning
"to squeeze". In the book Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old man who is visited by three spirits who show him visions of his past, present and future. Since the book's publication,
scrooge has been used as a word to mean "miser, misanthrope".
Sherman 1 EnglishMeans
"shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.
Skywalker Popular CultureFrom the English words
sky and
walker, created by George Lucas as the surname for several characters in his
Star Wars movie series, notably the hero Luke Skywalker from the original trilogy (beginning 1977). Early drafts of the script had the name as
Starkiller.
Snyder EnglishMeans
"tailor", derived from Middle English
snithen "to cut", an occupational name for a person who stitched coats and clothing.
Stieber GermanDerived from Middle High German
stiuben meaning
"to run away". It may have been given as a nickname to a cowardly person or a thief.
Terrell EnglishProbably derived from the Norman French nickname
tirel meaning
"to pull", referring to a stubborn person.
Travers English, FrenchFrom an English and French place name that described a person who lived near a bridge or ford, or occasionally as an occupational name for the collector of tolls at such a location. The place name is derived from Old French
traverser (which comes from Late Latin
transversare), which means
"to cross".
Tripp EnglishFrom Middle English
trippen meaning
"to dance", an occupational name for a dancer.
Weaver 1 EnglishOccupational name for a weaver, derived from Old English
wefan "to weave".
Webb EnglishOccupational name meaning
"weaver", from Old English
webba, a derivative of
wefan "to weave".
Webster EnglishOccupational name meaning
"weaver", from Old English
webba, a derivative of
wefan "to weave".
Yokota JapaneseFrom Japanese
横 (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".