Surnames with "place name" in Description

Achterberg Dutch, German
From the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, for example the village of achterberg in Utrecht. The place names are derived from Low German achter "behind" and berg "mountain, hill".

Acquarone Italian
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a place name or an occupation derived from Italian acqua "water".

Agli Italian
From place names like Agliè, Aglietti, Agliana and Agliate, all originating from the Latin name Allius or Alleius.

Aguilar Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish águila meaning "eagle", ultimately from Latin aquila.

Aiello Italian
From various place names in Italy, such as Aiello del Friuli, Aiello del Sabato and others. They are derived from Latin agellus meaning "little field".

Ainsley Scottish
From a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English anne "alone, solitary" or ansetl "hermitage" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Aita Italian
Originally denoted a person from Aieta, Italy, a place name derived from Greek ἀετός (aetos) meaning "eagle".

Aldenkamp Dutch
Possibly from an unknown place name meaning "old field" in Dutch.

Allaway Scottish
From a Scottish place name, itself derived from alla "wild" and mhagh "field".

Almeida Portuguese
Designated a person who had originally lived in the town of Almeida in Portugal. The place name is from Arabic ال مائدة (al ma'idah) meaning "the plateau, the table".

Alvarado Spanish
From a Spanish place name, possibly derived from Spanish alba "white".

Apted English
Probably from an unidentified place name meaning "up tower" in Old English.

Arenas Spanish
From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish arena meaning "sand".

Argall Cornish
From a place name meaning "shelter, quiet place" in Cornish.

Arriola Spanish, Basque
From Basque place names, themselves derived from Basque arri "stone" and -ola "place of, house".

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".

Ashworth English
From an English place name meaning "ash enclosure" in Old English.

Assink Dutch
From a place name meaning "(farm) belonging to Asse".

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

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

Averesch Dutch
From a place name, possibly from a dialectal variation of Dutch over meaning "over" combined with esch meaning "ash tree".

Aveskamp Dutch
From a place name meaning "edge of camp" in Dutch.

Bagley English
From various English place names, derived from the Old English given name Bacga combined with leah "woodland, clearing".

Balfour Scottish
From various place names that were derived from Gaelic baile "village" and pòr "pasture, crop, cropland".

Barclay English, Scottish
From the English place name Berkeley, derived from Old English beorc "birch" and leah "woodland, clearing". The surname was imported to Scotland in the 12th century.

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

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

Bassani Italian
Derived from the place name Bassano, belonging multiple villages in Italy.

Basurto Spanish
From the Basque place name Basurtu, a village (now part of Bilbao) in Biscay. It means "middle of the forest".

Baumbach German
From a place name meaning "tree stream" in German.

Beauchêne French
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and chêne "oak".

Beaufort French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and fort "strong place, fortress".

Beaulieu French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and lieu "place".

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

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-).

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.

Belmonte Spanish, Italian
From various place names in Italy and Spain meaning "beautiful mountain".

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

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

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

Bloxham English
From a place name meaning "Blocca's homestead". The Old English byname Blocca is of uncertain origin.

Borghi Italian
Locative origin, from the common place name Borgo meaning "village".

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

Brassington English
From a place name, which is derived from Old English meaning "settlement by a steep path".

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

Bray English
From a place name derived from Cornish bre "hill".

Brierley English
From an English place name, derived from brer "briar" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Brinkerhoff German
From a German place name meaning "farm near a slope".

Broadbent English
From a place name derived from Old English brad "broad" and beonet "bent grass".

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

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

Cabrera Spanish
From various place names derived from Late Latin capraria meaning "place of goats", from Latin capra meaning "goat".

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

Cardoso Portuguese, Spanish
From a place name meaning "thorny" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin carduus.

Cason English
From the English place name Cawston, derived from the Old Norse given name Kálfr combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Caulfield English
From a place name meaning "cold field", from Old English ceald "cold" and feld "pasture, field".

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.

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-).

Cockburn Scottish, English
Originally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English cocc "rooster" and burna "stream".

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

Collingwood English
From a place name, itself derived from Old French chalenge meaning "disputed" and Middle English wode meaning "woods".

Colquhoun Scottish
From a place name meaning "narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.

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

Cowden English
From various English place names, which meaning either "coal valley", "coal hill" or "cow pasture" in Old English.

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.

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).

De Campo Italian
Locative surname derived from place names called Campo (meaning "field").

Denzil English
From the place name Denzell, a manor in Cornwall, which is of unknown meaning.

Diefenbach German
From a German place name meaning "deep creek".

Drummond Scottish
From various Scottish place names that are derived from Gaelic drumainn, a derivative of druim meaning "ridge".

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

Echeverría Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, which itself is derived from Basque etxe "house" and berri "new".

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

Elzinga Dutch
Probably from a place name that was a derivative of Dutch els meaning "alder tree".

Escárcega Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Eskarzaga, which itself is derived from Basque hazkar "maple".

Esparza Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Espartza, a town in the province of Navarre.

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

Fairburn English
From a place name meaning "fern stream", from Old English fearn "fern" and burna "stream".

Fairclough English
From a place name meaning "fair ravine, fair cliff" in Old English.

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

Fraser Scottish
Meaning unknown, originally Norman French de Fresel, possibly from a lost place name in France.

Gama Portuguese
Probably from a place name derived from Portuguese gama meaning "fallow deer doe", from Latin gammus.

Glenn Scottish, English
From place names derived from Gaelic gleann "valley". A famous bearer was the American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).

Glynn Welsh, Cornish
Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, from Welsh glyn and Cornish glin, or a habitational name from a place named with this word.

Graham Scottish, English
Derived from the English place name Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by William de Graham.

Granville English
Derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

Haden English
From a place name derived from Old English hæþ "heath" and dun "hill".

Hambleton English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Hamilton English, Scottish
From an English place name, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).

Hanley English
From various English place names meaning "high meadow" in Old English.

Harden English
From a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.

Harel Jewish
Ornamental name adopted from a biblical place name meaning "altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew.

Harland English
From various place names meaning "hare land" in Old English.

Harley English
Derived from a place name meaning "hare clearing", from Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Hartell English
From various place names derived from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and hyll "hill".

Hasegawa Japanese
From the Japanese place name 長谷 (Hase, not a standard reading) combined with 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Hasenkamp German
From a northern German place name meaning "rabbit field", from Old Saxon haso "hare" and kamp "field" (from Latin campus).

Hayden 1 English
From place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill".

Hayes 1 English
From various English place names that were derived from Old English hæg meaning "enclosure, fence". A famous bearer was American President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893).

Haywood English
From various place names meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.

Headley English
From place names meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.

Hepburn English, Scottish
From northern English place names meaning "high burial mound" in Old English. It was borne by Mary Queen of Scot's infamous third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwall. Other famous bearers include the actresses Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).

Hilton English
From various English place names derived from Old English hyll "hill" and tun "enclosure, town". Famous bearers of this name include the Hilton family of hotel heirs.

Hochberg German, Jewish
From place names meaning "high hill" in German.

Homewood English
From various place names derived from Old English ham meaning "home" and wudu meaning "wood".

Houston Scottish
From a place name meaning "Hugh's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow.

Hudnall English
From various English place names, derived from the Old English given name Huda combined with halh "nook, recess".

Ibarra Basque, Spanish
From Basque place names derived from ibar meaning "meadow".

Innes 1 Scottish
From a place name derived from Gaelic inis meaning "island".

Keaton English
From any of three English place names: Ketton in Rutland, Ketton in Durham or Keaton in Devon. The first is probably derived from an old river name or tribal name combined with Old English ea "river", with the spelling later influenced by tun "enclosure, yard, town". The second is from the Old English given name Catta or the Old Norse given name Káti combined with Old English tun. The third is possibly from Cornish kee "hedge, bank" combined with Old English tun.

Keighley English
Derived from an English place name meaning "clearing belonging to Cyhha". The Old English given name Cyhha is of unknown meaning.

Keith Scottish
From a place name that is probably derived from the Brythonic element cet meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.

Kelly 2 Scottish
From a Scottish place name derived from coille meaning "grove".

Kelsey English
From an English place name meaning "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce" in combination with eg "island".

Kersey English
From an English place name meaning derived from Old English cærse "watercress" and ieg "island".

Killough Irish
Indicated a person who was from Killough (County Down, Northern Ireland) or Killough (Wicklow, Ireland). The place name Killough means "church on the lake", derived from the Irish cill "church" and loch "lake".

Kingsley English
From a place name meaning "king's clearing" in Old English.

Kingston English
From a place name meaning "king's town" in Old English.

Kynaston English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "Cynefrith's town" in Old English.

Lamar French, English
Originally from a place name in Normandy, derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool".

Langenberg German, Dutch
From various place names meaning "long mountain" in German and Dutch.

Lémieux French
Derived from the place name Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.

Leslie Scottish
From a Scottish clan name, earlier Lesselyn, derived from a place name in Aberdeenshire, itself probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly".

Linton English
Originally from place names meaning either "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English.

Linville English
From an unknown place name.

Linwood English
Originally from place names meaning "linden tree forest" in Old English.

Lockwood English
From an English place name meaning "enclosed wood".

Logan Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "little hollow", derived from Gaelic lag "hollow, pit".

Loman Dutch
From various place names in the Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch loh meaning "meadow, clearing".

Loyola Spanish, Basque
From the name of a place name near the town of Azpeitia in the Basque Country of Spain, derived from Basque loi meaning "mud". This was the birthplace of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of Jesuits.

Lusk Scottish
Possibly from the place name Leask in Aberdeenshire, of unknown meaning.

Lyndon English
Originally from a place name meaning "linden tree hill" in Old English.

Marlow English
Originally a name for a person from Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England. The place name means "remnants of a lake" from Old English mere "lake" and lafe "remnants, remains". A notable bearer was the English playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).

Marsden English
From a place name derived from Old English mearc "boundary" and denu "valley".

Marston English
From a place name derived from Old English mersc "marsh" and tun "enclosure".

Maxwell Scottish
From a place name meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.

Medeiros Portuguese
From various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese medeiro meaning "haystack", ultimately from Latin meta meaning "cone, pyramid".

Melville Scottish
From the place name Malleville meaning "bad town" in Norman French.

Mendoza Spanish, Basque
From a Basque place name derived from mendi "mountain" and hotz "cold".

Merritt English
From an English place name meaning "boundary gate".

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.

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".

Montague English
From a Norman place name meaning "sharp mountain" in Old French.

Montgomery English, Scottish
From a place name in Calvados, France meaning "Gumarich's mountain". A notable bearer was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.

Morton English
Derived from a place name meaning "moor town" in Old English.

Murgatroyd English
From a place name meaning "Margaret's clearing".

Nickleby Literature
Created by Charles Dickens for the title character in his novel Nicholas Nickleby (1839). He probably based it on Nicol, a medieval vernacular form of Nicholas, with the common English place name suffix -by, which is derived from Old Norse býr meaning "farm, settlement".

Norwood English
Originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.

Novosad m Czech
From place names meaning "new orchard" in Czech.

Oakley English
From a place name meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. It was borne by American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).

Ogden English
From a place name derived from Old English ac "oak" and denu "valley".

Ortega Spanish
From a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) derived from ortiga "nettle".

Padilla Spanish
From various Spanish place names, derived from Spanish padilla, Latin patella meaning "shallow dish", used to indicate a depression in the landscape.

Paxton English
From an English place name meaning "Pœcc's town". Pœcc is an Old English name of unknown meaning.

Penn 1 English
Derived from various place names that were named using the Brythonic word penn meaning "hilltop, head".

Preston English
Originally derived from various place names meaning "priest town" in Old English.

Priestley English
From a place name meaning "priest clearing", from Old English preost and leah.

Quesada Spanish
Habitational name from Quesada, a place in Jaén in southern Spain. The place name is of uncertain derivation; it could be connected to Old Spanish requexada meaning "corner, tight spot".

Quincy English
Originally from various place names in Normandy that were derived from the given name Quintus.

Quiñones Spanish
From various Spanish place names derived from quiñón meaning "shared piece of land", derived from Latin quinque "five".

Radcliff English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.

Rattray Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".

Read 2 English
From Old English ryd, an unattested form of rod meaning "cleared land". It is also derived from various English place names with various meanings, including "roe headland", "reeds" and "brushwood".

Rodney English
From a place name meaning "Hroda's island" in Old English (where Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame").

Ross English, Scottish
From various place names (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), which are derived from Scottish Gaelic ros meaning "promontory, headland".

Roydon English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill", from Old English ryge "rye" and dun "hill".

Royle English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill" from Old English ryge "rye" and hyll "hill".

Royston English
Originally taken from an Old English place name meaning "Royse's town". The given name Royse was a medieval variant of Rose.

Ryland English
From various English place names, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and land "land".

San Nicolás Spanish
Indicated the original bearer was from a place named after Saint Nicholas.

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

Schwarzenegger German
From a place name, derived from Old High German swarz meaning "black" and ekka meaning "edge, corner". A famous bearer of this name is actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947-).

Seymour 1 English
From Saint Maur, a French place name, which commemorates Saint Maurus.

Seymour 2 English
From an English place name, derived from Old English sæ "sea" and mere "lake".

Shirley English
From an English place name, derived from Old English scir "bright" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Sidney English
Originally derived from various place names in England meaning "wide island", from Old English sid "wide" and eg "island". Another theory holds that it comes from the name of a town in Normandy called "Saint Denis", though evidence for this is lacking.

Skalický m Czech, Slovak
Indicated the original bearer came from a place named Skalice, Skalica or Skalička in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, derived from the Slavic root skala meaning "rock".

Skjeggestad Norwegian
From a place name, derived from Norwegian skjegg "beard" and stad "town, place".

Skovgaard Danish
From a place name, derived from Danish skov "forest, wood" and gård "farm, yard".

Smedley English
From an unidentified place name probably meaning "smooth clearing" in Old English.

Solberg Norwegian, Swedish
From a place name, derived from Old Norse sól meaning "sun" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it may be ornamental.

Soriano Italian
From place names such as Soriano Calabro and Soriano nel Cimino. It is typical of southern Italy.

Stanford English
Derived from various English place names meaning "stone ford" in Old English.

Stanley English
From various place names meaning "stone clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer was the British-American explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904).

St John English
From a place named for Saint John.

St Martin French
From a place named for Saint Martin.

St Pierre French
From a French place named for Saint Peter.

Strudwick English
From an English place name derived from Old English strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood" and wic meaning "village, town".

Sudworth English
From an English place name composed of Old English suþ "south" and worþ "enclosure".

Sutton English
From various English place names meaning "south town".

Swindlehurst English
From the place name Swinglehurst in the Forest of Bowland in central Lancashire, derived from Old English swin "swine, pig", hyll "hill" and hyrst "wood, grove".

Tangeman German
Originally indicated a person from a place named Tange in northern Germany.

Taverna Italian
From the place name Taverna, common in different parts of Italy. It means "inn, tavern" in Italian.

Terrazas Spanish
Originally a name for a person from Terrazas in the Spanish city of Burgos, a place name meaning "terraces".

Timberlake English
From an English place name, derived from Old English timber "timber, wood" and lacu "lake, pool, stream".

Travers English, French
From 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".

Upton English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many towns in England bearing this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English upp "up" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Van Buren Dutch
Means "from Buren", a small town on the island of Ameland in the north of the Netherlands, as well as a small city in the Dutch province Gelderland. The place names derive from Old Dutch bur meaning "house, dwelling". In the 16th century the countess Anna van Buren married William of Orange, the founder of the Dutch royal family. A famous bearer of this surname was Martin van Buren (1782-1862), the eighth President of the United States.

Van Leeuwen Dutch
Means "from Leeuwen", the name of towns in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Limburd. The place names may be from the Old Dutch word leo meaning "hill, burial mound".

Vestergaard Danish
From a place name, derived from Danish vest "west" and gård "farm, yard".

Viteri Spanish, Basque
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a Basque place name.

Wade 1 English
Derived from the Old English place name wæd meaning "a ford".

Walkenhorst German
Possibly derived from a German place name Falkenhorst, from Falken meaning "falcons" and Horst meaning "thicket".

Warszawski mu Polish, Jewish
Place name for someone from the Polish city of Warsaw, itself derived from the given name Warsz, a short form of Warcisław.

Washington English
From a place name meaning "settlement belonging to Wassa's people", from the given name Wassa and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". A famous bearer was George Washington (1732-1799), the first president of the United States. This surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, resulting in a high proportion of African-American bearers.

Weasley Literature
Used by J. K. Rowling for the character of Ron Weasley (and other members of his family) in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. Rowling presumably derived it from the English word weasel, perhaps in combination with the common place name/surname suffix -ley, which is derived from Old English leah meaning "woodland, clearing".

Whitaker English
From a place name composed of Old English hwit "white" and æcer "field".

Whittemore English
From various English place names derived from Old English hwit "white" and mor "moor, heath, bog".

Whittle English
From various English place names derived from Old English hwit "white" and hyll "hill".

Winchester English
From an English place name, derived from Venta, of Celtic origin, and Latin castrum meaning "camp, fortress".

Winfield English
From various English place names, derived from Old English winn "meadow, pasture" and feld "field".

Winslow English
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "hill belonging to Wine".

Winthrop English
Habitational name from the place names Winthrope 1 or Winthrope 2.

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

Wyrzykowski m Polish
Possibly from the Polish place name Wyrzyki, of uncertain meaning, maybe "away from the river".

Zellweger German (Swiss)
Originally denoted a person from the Appenzell region of Switzerland. The place name is derived from Latin abbatis cella meaning "estate of the abbot". A famous bearer is actress Renée Zellweger (1969-).