Browse Surnames

Aaron Jewish, English
From the given name Aaron.

Abbey English
Indicated a person who lived near an abbey or worked in an abbey, from Middle English abbeye.

Abbott English
English cognate of Abate.

Abel 1 English, French, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Abel.

Abney English
From the name of a town in Derbyshire, derived from Old English meaning "Abba's island".

Abraham Jewish, English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch
Derived from the given name Abraham.

Abrahams Jewish, English, Dutch
Means "son of Abraham".

Abram English
Derived from the given name Abraham.

Abrams Jewish, English
Means "son of Abraham".

Abramson English
Means "son of Abraham".

Acker German, English
Denoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning "field".

Ackerman English
Means "ploughman", derived from Middle English aker "field" and man.

Adair English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Adam u & m English, French, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Adam.

Adams English, Jewish
Derived from the given name Adam.

Addison English
Means "son of Addy 2".

Alan English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Albert English, French, Catalan, Hungarian, Romanian, German
Derived from the given name Albert.

Alberts English, Dutch
Means "son of Albert".

Albertson English
Means "son of Albert".

Albinson English
Means "son of Albin".

Alden English
Derived from the Old English given name Ealdwine.

Alexander English
Derived from the given name Alexander.

Alfredson English
Means "son of Alfred".

Allan English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Allard French, English
Derived from the given name Adalhard (or the Old English cognate Æðelræd).

Allen English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Allison English
Means "son of Alan" or "son of Alexander" (as well as other given names beginning with Al).

Alvin English
Variant of Elwyn.

Anderson English
Means "son of Andrew".

Andrews English
Means "son of Andrew".

Andrewson English
Variant of Anderson.

Anson English
Means "son of Agnes".

Archer English
Occupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin arcus "bow" (via Old French).

Armstrong English
Means "strong arm" from Middle English. Tradition holds that the family is descended from Siward, an 11th-century Earl of Northumbria. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), a jazz musician, and Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), an astronaut who was the first person to walk on the moon.

Arnold English, German
Derived from the given name Arnold.

Arthur English, French
From the given name Arthur.

Arthurson English
Means "son of Arthur".

Ashley English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Ashton English
Denoted a person from one of the towns in England that bear this name, itself derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Aston 1 English
From a place name meaning "east town" in Old English.

Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.

Atkins English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Atkinson English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Attwater English
Variant of Atwater.

Attwood English
Variant of Atwood.

Atwater English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".

Atwood English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the wood".

Audley English
From a place name meaning "Ealdgyð's clearing" in Old English.

Augustine English
From the given name Augustine 1.

Austin English
Derived from the given name Austin.

Avery English
Derived from a Norman French form of the given names Alberich or Alfred.

Babcock English
Derived from the medieval name Bab, possibly a diminutive of Bartholomew or Barbara.

Bailey English
From Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin baiulus "porter".

Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.

Baldwin English
Derived from the given name Baldwin.

Banister English
Variant of Bannister.

Banner English
Occupational name for a flag carrier, derived from Old French baniere meaning "banner", ultimately of Germanic origin.

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

Bannister English
From Norman French banastre meaning "basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.

Barber English, Scottish
Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living.

Bardsley English
From the name a village near Manchester, from the Old English given name Beornræd and leah "woodland, clearing".

Barker English
From Middle English bark meaning "to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.

Barlow English
Derived from a number of English place names that variously mean "barley hill", "barn hill", "boar clearing" or "barley clearing".

Barret English
Variant of Barrett.

Barrett English
Probably derived from the Middle English word barat meaning "trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.

Barton English
From a place name meaning "barley town" in Old English.

Bateson English
Means "son of Bate".

Battle English
From a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.

Baxter English
Variant (in origin a feminine form) of Baker.

Beasley English
From the name of a place in Lancashire, from Old English beos "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Beaumont French, English
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and mont "mountain".

Becket English
Variant of Beckett.

Beckett English
Originally a diminutive of Beck 1 or Beck 3.

Beckham English
From an English place name meaning "Becca's homestead" in Old English (with Becca being a masculine byname meaning "pickaxe"). A famous bearer is retired English soccer player David Beckham (1975-).

Belmont French, English
French and English form of Belmonte.

Bennet English
Derived from the medieval English given name Bennett.

Bennett English
Derived from the medieval English given name Bennett.

Benson English
Means "son of Benedict".

Bentley English
From a place name derived from Old English beonet "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing". Various towns in England bear this name.

Benton English
Denoted someone who came from Benton, England, which is derived from Old English beonet "bent grass" and tun "enclosure".

Bernard u & m French, English, Dutch, German, Czech, Slovene
From the given name Bernard.

Berry English
Derived from a place name, which was derived from Old English burh "fortification".

Beverley English
From the name of an English city, derived from Old English beofor "beaver" and (possibly) licc "stream".

Beverly English
Variant of Beverley.

Bishop English
Means simply "bishop", ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer". It probably originally referred to a person who served a bishop.

Blackman English
From a nickname, a variant of Black.

Blackwood English, Scottish
From an English place name meaning "black wood".

Blakeley English
From name of various English places, derived from Old English blæc "black" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Blakely English
Variant of Blakeley.

Blanchard French, English
Derived from the given name Blanchard.

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

Bonner English
From Middle English boneire "kind, courteous", derived from Norman French bon aire "good bloodline".

Bowman English
Occupational name for an archer, derived from Middle English bowe, Old English boga meaning "bow".

Bradford English
Derived from the name of the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire, which meant "broad ford" in Old English. This is also the name of other smaller towns in England.

Bradley English
From a common English place name, derived from brad "broad" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Brandon English
From the name of various places in England meaning "hill covered with broom" in Old English.

Branson English
Means "son of Brandr".

Braxton English
From an English place name place name meaning "Bracca's town" in Old English.

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

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

Bridges English
Originally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English brigge, Old English brycg.

Brinley English
Possibly from English places named Brindley, derived from Old English berned "burned" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Bristol English
From the name of a city in England meaning "the site of the bridge".

Bronson English
Patronymic form of Brown.

Bryan English
From the given name Brian.

Bryant English
From the given name Brian.

Buckley 1 English
From an English place name derived from bucc "buck, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Bullard English
Possibly a nickname derived from Middle English bole "fraud, deceit".

Bullock English
From a nickname meaning "young bull".

Bunker English
Derived from Old French bon cuer meaning "good heart".

Burgess English
From Middle English and Old French burgeis meaning "city-dweller", ultimately from Frankish burg "fortress".

Burnham English
From the name of various towns in England, typically derived from Old English burna "stream, spring" and ham "home, settlement".

Burton English
From a common English place name, derived from Old English meaning "fortified town".

Butcher English
Occupational name for a butcher, derived from Old French bouchier.

Butler English, Irish
Occupational name derived from Norman French butiller "wine steward", ultimately from Late Latin butticula "bottle". A famous bearer of this surname is the fictional character Rhett Butler, created by Margaret Mitchell for her novel Gone with the Wind (1936).

Caldwell English
From various English place names derived from Old English ceald "cold" and wille "spring, stream, well".

Cannon English
From the ecclesiastical usage of canon, referring to a church official or servant who worked in a clergy house.

Cantrell English
Originally a name for someone from Cantrell in Devon, from an unknown first element and Old English hyll meaning "hill".

Carlisle English
From the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.

Carlyle English
Variant of Carlisle.

Carpenter English
From the occupation, derived from Middle English carpentier (ultimately from Latin carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").

Carter English
Occupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).

Carver English
Occupational surname for a carver, from Middle English kerve "cut".

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

Chadwick English
From the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.

Chamberlain English
Occupational name for one who looked after the inner rooms of a mansion, from Norman French chambrelain.

Chambers English
From Old French chambre meaning "chamber, room", an occupational name for a person who worked in the inner rooms of a mansion.

Chancellor English
Occupational name for an administrator, a chancellor, from Norman French chancelier.

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

Chaplin English, French
Occupational name for a chaplain, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French chapelain. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977).

Chapman English
Occupational name derived from Old English ceapmann meaning "merchant, trader".

Cheshire English
Originally indicated a person from the county of Cheshire in England. Cheshire is named for its city Chester.

Chester English
From the name of a city in England, derived from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".

Christian English, French, German
Derived from the given name Christian.

Christians English
Derived from the given name Christian.

Christianson English
Means "son of Christian".

Christopher English
Derived from the given name Christopher.

Christophers English
Derived from the given name Christopher.

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.

Clarkson English
Patronymic form of Clark.

Clayton English
From the name of various places meaning "clay settlement" in Old English.

Clemens English
Derived from the given name Clement. This was the surname of the author Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), also known as Mark Twain.

Clement English
Derived from the given name Clement.

Cleveland English
Derived from a place name meaning "cliff land" in Old English.

Clifford English
Derived from various place names that meant "ford by a cliff" in Old English.

Clifton English
Derived from various place names meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English.

Clinton English
Derived from the English place name Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". This surname is borne by former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).

Colbert English, French
Derived from the given name Colobert.

Colby English
From various English place names, which were derived from the Old Norse nickname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "town".

Collins 2 English
Means "son of Colin 2".

Colson English
Means "son of Col".

Colter English
Variant of Colt using an agent suffix.

Colton English
From a place name meaning "Cola's town".

Conner English
From Middle English connere meaning "inspector", an occupational name for an inspector of weights and measures.

Constable English
From Old French conestable, ultimately from Latin comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".

Cookson English
Patronymic form of Cook.

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

Corey English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Kóri, of unknown meaning.

Cornell English
Derived from the given name Cornelius.

Cory English
Variant of Corey.

Courtenay 1 English
From the name of towns in France that were originally derivatives of the Gallo-Roman personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short".

Courtenay 2 English
From the Old French nickname court nes meaning "short nose".

Courtney English
Variant of Courtenay 1 or Courtenay 2.

Crawford English
From a place name derived from Old English crawa "crow" and ford "river crossing". A notable bearer was the American actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur.

Cullen 1 English
From the name of the German city of Cologne, which was derived from Latin colonia "colony".

Cummings English
Variant of Cummins.

Curtis English
Nickname for a courteous person, derived from Old French curteis meaning "refined, courtly".

Dabney English
Variant of Daubney.

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

Dalton English
Derived from a place name meaning "valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was the English chemist and physicist John Dalton (1766-1844).

Daniel u & m English, French, German, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Daniell English
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Daniels English
Variant of Daniel.

Danielson English
Means "son of Daniel".

Danniel English
Variant of Daniel.

Danniell English
Variant of Daniel.

Darby English
From the name of the town Derby meaning "deer farm" in Old Norse.

Darcy English
From Norman French d'Arcy, originally denoting someone who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. A notable fictional bearer is Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

Darrell English
Originally denoted one who came from the town of Airel in Normandy, derived from Late Latin arealis meaning "open space".

Darwin English
From the given name Deorwine. A famous bearer was the British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882).

David u & m English, French, German, Welsh, Czech, Portuguese, Romanian, Jewish
From the given name David.

Davids English
Means "son of David".

Davidson English
Means "son of David".

Davis English, Scottish
Means "son of David". This was the surname of the revolutionary jazz trumpet player Miles Davis (1926-1991).

Davison English
Means "son of David".

Dawson English
Means "son of Daw".

Deacon English
Means "deacon", ultimately from Greek διάκονος (diakonos) meaning "servant".

Delaney 1 English
Derived from Norman French de l'aunaie meaning "from the alder grove".

Denman English
From Middle English dene "valley" combined with man.

Dennis English
From the given name Dennis.

Derby English
Variant of Darby.

Derrick English
Derived from the given name Derrick (see Derek). A famous bearer of this surname is the character Stephan Derrick from the German television series Derrick (1974-1998).

Derricks English
Derived from the given name Derrick.

Derrickson English
Means "son of Derrick".

Devereux English
Indicated a person from Evreux in France, itself named after the Gaulish tribe of the Eburovices, which was probably derived from a Celtic word meaning "yew".

Devin 2 French, English
Nickname for a person who acted divinely or prophetically, from Old French devin meaning "divine" or "seer, fortune teller", ultimately from Latin divinus.

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

Dickens English
From the medieval given name Dicun, a medieval diminutive of Dick 1. A famous bearer of this surname was the British author Charles Dickens (1812-1870).

Dickenson English
Variant of Dickinson.

Dickinson English
Means "son of Dicun", Dicun being a medieval diminutive of Dick 1. American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was a famous bearer.

Dickman English
From Old English dic "ditch" combined with man "person, man". It was originally a name for a ditch digger or someone who lived near a ditch.

Dickson English
Means "son of Dick 1".

Disney English
Means "from Isigny", referring to the town of Isigny in Normandy. This surname was borne by the American animator and filmmaker Walt Disney (1901-1966).

Dixon English
Means "son of Dick 1".

Dobson English
Means "son of Dobbe", a medieval diminutive of Robert.

Doctor English
Originally denoted someone who was a doctor, ultimately from Latin doctor meaning "teacher".

Donalds English
Derived from the given name Donald.

Donaldson English
Means "son of Donald". A notable bearer is the online personality Jimmy Donaldson (1998-), who goes by the alias MrBeast.

Downer English
Name for someone who lived on or near a down, which is an English word meaning "hill".

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").

Dudley English
From a place name meaning "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.

Dustin English
From the Old Norse given name Þórsteinn.

Dyson English
Means "son of Dye".

Easton English
From the name of various places meaning "east town" in Old English.

Eaton English
From any of the various English towns with this name, derived from Old English ea "river" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Edgar English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Edison English
Means "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam". The surname was borne by American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).

Edwards English
Means "son of Edward".

Edwardson English
Means "son of Edward".

Elder English
Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.

Eldred English
From the given name Ealdræd.

Eliot English
Variant of Elliott.

Eliott English
Variant of Elliott.

Ellery English
From the medieval masculine name Hilary.

Ellington English
From the name of multiple towns in England. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements ælf meaning "elf" or eald meaning "old") combined with tun meaning "enclosure, town".

Elliot English
Variant of Elliott.

Elliott English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Elias.

Ellis English, Welsh
Derived from the given name Elijah, or sometimes Elisedd.

Ellison English
Patronymic form of the English name Ellis, from the medieval given name Elis, a vernacular form of Elijah.

Ellisson English
Variant of Ellison.

Elliston English
Variant of Ellison.

Elmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Elton English
From an English place name meaning "Ella's town".

Elwin English
Variant of Elwyn.

Elwyn English
Derived from the given names Ælfwine, Æðelwine or Ealdwine.

Emerson English
Means "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.

Emmet English
Variant of Emmett. This name was borne by the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet (1778-1803).

Emmett English
Derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Emma.

Emmitt English
Variant of Emmett.

English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.

Erickson English
Means "son of Eric".

Ericson English, Swedish
Means "son of Eric".

Evans Welsh, English
Means "son of Evan".

Evanson English
Means "son of Evan".

Evelyn English
Derived from the given name Aveline.

Everest English
Originally denoted a person from Évreux in Normandy, itself named after the Gaulish tribe of the Eburovices. Mount Everest in the Himalayas was named for the British surveyor George Everest (1790-1866).

Everett English
From the given name Everard.

Everly English
From place names meaning derived from Old English eofor "boar" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Fabian German, English, Polish
Derived from the given name Fabian.

Falconer English, Scottish
Variant of Faulkner.

Farmer English
Occupational name for a tax collector, from Middle English ferme "rent, revenue, provision", from medieval Latin firma, ultimately from Old English feorm. This word did not acquire its modern meaning until the 17th century.

Faulkner English, Scottish
Occupational name meaning "keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots faulcon, from Late Latin falco, of Germanic origin.

Fenwick English
From an English place name, derived from Old English fenn "fen, swamp, bog" and wic "village, town".

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Fishman English
Occupational name for a fisherman.

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".

Flower English
From 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).

Flowers English
Variant of Flower.

Forest English, French
Originally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French forest, from Latin forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".

Forester English
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see Forest).

Forrest English
Variant of Forest.

Fortune English
From Middle English, ultimately from Latin fortuna meaning "fortune, luck, chance". This was possibly a nickname for a gambler.

Foster 1 English
Variant of Forester.

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.

Foster 4 English
Nickname given to a person who was a foster child or foster parent.

Fowler English
Occupational name for a fowler or birdcatcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".

Francis English
Derived from the given name Francis.

Franklin English
Derived from Middle English frankelin meaning "freeman". It denoted a landowner of free but not noble birth, from Old French franc meaning "free". Famous bearers include American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and American singer Aretha Franklin (1942-2018).

Franklyn English
Variant of Franklin.

Freeman English
Referred to a person who was born free, or in other words was not a serf.

Fuller English
Occupational name for a fuller, a person who thickened and cleaned coarse cloth by pounding it. It is derived via Middle English from Latin fullo.

Fulton English
From the name of the English town of Foulden, Norfolk, meaning "bird hill" in Old English.

Gabriels English
Derived from the given name Gabriel.

Garbutt English
From the given name Gerbold.

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

Gardiner English
Variant of Gardener.

Gardner English
Variant of Gardener.

Garey English
Variant of Geary.

Garfield English
Means "triangle field" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president James A. Garfield (1831-1881).

Garland English
Means "triangle land" from Old English gara and land. It originally belonged to a person who owned a triangle-shaped piece of land.

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.

Garner 2 English
Variant of Gardener.

Garnet English
Variant of Garnett 1 or Garnett 2.

Garnett 1 English
Occupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French carne "hinge".

Garnett 2 English
From a diminutive of the given name Guarin.

Garret English
Variant of Garrett.

Garrett English
Derived from the given name Gerald or Gerard.

Garry English
Variant of Geary.

Gary English
Variant of Geary.

Gibson English, Scottish
Means "son of Gib".

Giffard French, English
Possibly from Old French gifart meaning "chubby" or possibly from the Germanic name Gebhard. Walter Giffard was one of the Norman companions of William the Conqueror.

Gilbert English, French
Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Gladwin English
Derived from the Old English given name Glædwine.

Gladwyn English
Variant of Gladwin.

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

Goddard English
Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

Godfrey English
From the Norman given name Godfrey.