Paisley ScottishFrom the name of a town near Glasgow, which may ultimately be derived from Latin
basilica "church".
Palencia SpanishHabitational name from the city or region of Palencia in northern Spain.
Palmer EnglishMeans
"pilgrim", ultimately from Latin
palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
Palmisano ItalianLocative name from the town of Palmi in the Calabria region of southern Italy.
Palumbo ItalianFrom Italian
palombo meaning
"pigeon" (also "dogfish"). This form is typical of southern Italy.
Pantoja SpanishOriginally indicated a person from the town of Pantoja, in Toledo, Spain.
Panza Italian, LiteratureFrom a variant of the Italian word
pancia meaning
"stomach, paunch", originally a nickname for a chubby person. The Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel
Don Quixote (1605), where it is the surname of Don Quixote's squire Sancho Panza. Not a common Spanish surname, Cervantes may have based it directly on the Spanish word
panza (a cognate of the Italian word).
Parish 1 EnglishOriginally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, which got its name from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii.
Park 2 EnglishFrom Middle English
park, from Latin
parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.
Parker EnglishMeans
"keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.
Parma ItalianFrom the city of Parma in northern Italy, the name of which is probably of Etruscan origin.
Parodi ItalianFrom the name of a village near Genoa in northern Italy.
Parrino SicilianFrom a Sicilian variant of Italian
padrino meaning
"godfather".
Parsamyan ArmenianMeans
"son of Parsam", possibly from an Assyrian name
Barsauma meaning "fasting".
Parsons EnglishOriginally denoted a son of a parson, a derivative of Latin
persona "person".
Pasternak Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, YiddishMeans
"parsnip" in various Slavic languages, ultimately from Latin
pastinaca. A famous bearer was Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), author of
Doctor Zhivago.
Pataki HungarianDerived from Hungarian
patak meaning
"creek, brook" (a word of Slavic origin). It was given to people who lived near a creek.
Paternoster English, ItalianOccupational 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.
Pavia ItalianFrom the name of the city of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy. It is of unknown meaning.
Paxton EnglishFrom an English place name meaning "Pœcc's town".
Pœcc is an Old English name of unknown meaning.
Peck 2 EnglishOccupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English
pekke.
Pemberton EnglishFrom the name of a town near Manchester, derived from Celtic
penn meaning "hill" combined with Old English
bere meaning "barley" and
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Peng ChineseFrom Chinese
彭 (péng) referring to the ancient state of Peng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Jiangsu province.
Périgord FrenchFrom the name of a region in southern France, possibly of Gaulish origin.
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.
Perugia ItalianFrom the name of the city of Perugia in Umbria, Italy. It was known as
Perusia in the classical period, and it is of Etruscan origin.
Pesaro ItalianFrom the name of the city of Pesaro, in the Marche region (Latin
Pisaurum).
Petit French, Catalan, EnglishMeans
"small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan
petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.
Phạm VietnameseVietnamese form of
Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese
范 (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.
Philips English, DutchMeans
"son of Philip". Famous bearers of this surname were Frederick Philips (1830-1900) and his son Gerard (1858-1942), the Dutch founders of the company Philips.
Piazza ItalianMeans
"plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin
platea.
Picard FrenchOriginally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French
pic meaning "pike, spike".
Picasso ItalianFrom Italian
pica meaning
"magpie". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. The Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.
Pickering EnglishFrom the name of a town in Yorkshire, derived from Old English
Piceringas, the name of a tribe.
Pierno ItalianFrom the name of the small town of Pierno in southern Italy near Potenza.
Piovene ItalianFrom the name of the town of Piovene Rocchette in Veneto, Italy.
Pisani ItalianFrom Italian
pisano, the name for an inhabitant of the city of Pisa, Italy. The city's name is of unknown meaning.
Pletscher GermanPossibly from the name of a field where cattle fodder was grown, from German
Bletsch.
Plourde FrenchPossibly derived from French
palourde, a type of a shellfish.
Poggio ItalianMeans
"hillock, small hill" in Italian, a derivative of Latin
podium meaning "balcony, platform".
Poirot French, LiteratureFrom a diminutive of French
poire "pear", originally referring to a pear merchant or someone who lived near a pear tree. Starting in 1920 this name was used by the mystery writer Agatha Christie for her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Christie based the name on that of Jules Poiret, a contemporary fictional detective.
Poletti ItalianFrom a diminutive of the given name
Paolo. This name is typical of northern and central Italy.
Pollock ScottishFrom the name of a place in Renfrewshire, Scotland, derived from a diminutive of Gaelic
poll meaning
"pool, pond, bog". A famous bearer was the American artist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956).
Polzin GermanFrom the name of a town in Pomerania, Poland (formerly part of Germany). In Polish it is called Połczyn.
Pontecorvo Italian, JewishFrom the name of a town in central Italy, home to an old Jewish community. The town's name is derived from Italian
ponte "bridge" and
curvo "curved".
Poole EnglishFrom Old English
pol meaning
"pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.
Pope EnglishFrom a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin
papa, ultimately from Greek
πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".
Poppins LiteratureUsed by P. L. Travers for the magical nanny in her
Mary Poppins series of books, first published in 1934. It is not known how Travers devised the name. She may have had the English words
pop or
poppet (meaning "young woman") in mind.
Potenza ItalianFrom the name of the southern Italian city of Potenza, called
Potentia in Latin, meaning "power, force".
Potter EnglishOccupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Pottinger EnglishOccupational name, either for an apothecary, from Old French
potecaire, or a seller of stew, from Old French
potagier.
Power 1 English, IrishFrom Old French
Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.
Prescott EnglishFrom the name of various English places meaning
"priest's cottage" in Old English.
Pretorius AfrikaansFrom Latin
praetor meaning
"leader". This name was adopted in the 17th century by Wesselius Praetorius as a Latin translation of his previous surname
Schulte. It is now common in South Africa.
Prinsen DutchMeans
"son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.
Profeta ItalianFrom Italian
profeta meaning
"prophet". It probably came from a nickname indicating a person who wanted to predict the future. It is typical of southern Italy.
Provenza ItalianFrom the name of the Provence region of southern France (in Italian
Provenza). It is derived from Latin
provincia "province", a territorial division.
Prunty IrishFrom Irish
Ó Proinntigh meaning
"descendant of Proinnteach", a given name probably derived from Irish
bronntach meaning "generous".
Puerta SpanishMeans
"door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.
Pugliese ItalianFrom an adjectival derivative of Puglia, from Latin
Apulia, a region of southeast Italy containing the boot heel and some of the coastline of the Adriatic Sea. It is a regional name for someone from that region.
Purcell EnglishFrom Old French
pourcel "piglet", from Latin
porcellus, a derivative of
porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.
Putnam EnglishFrom
Puttenham, the name of towns in Hertfordshire and Surrey in England, which mean "Putta's homestead".
Quesada SpanishHabitational 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".
Quigg IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Cuaig meaning
"descendant of Cuaig", a given name of unknown meaning.
Quigley IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Coigligh meaning
"descendant of Coigleach", a given name meaning "untidy".
Quinlan IrishFrom Irish
Ó Caoindealbháin, which means
"descendant of Caoindealbhán", a given name meaning "handsome form" (using a diminutive suffix).
Quinn IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Cuinn meaning
"descendant of Conn".
Quiñones SpanishFrom various Spanish place names derived from
quiñón meaning
"shared piece of land", derived from Latin
quinque "five".
Quintana Spanish, CatalanOriginally indicated someone who lived on a piece of land where the rent was a fifth of its produce, from Spanish and Catalan
quintana "fifth", from Latin
quintus.
Quirke IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Cuirc meaning
"descendant of Corc", a given name meaning "heart".
Quiroga GalicianOriginally denoted a person from the town of Quiroga in Galicia, Spain.
Quirós SpanishDenoted a person from one of the various places of this name in Spain, which may derive from Galician
queiroa meaning
"heather".
Quixote LiteratureCreated by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes for the main character in his novel
Don Quixote (1605), about a nobleman who goes mad after reading too many heroic romances and decides to become a wandering knight under the name Don Quixote. His real name in part one of the book is conjectured to be
Quixada or
Quesada, though in part two (published 10 years after part one) it is revealed as Alonso
Quixano. The Spanish suffix
-ote means "large".
Rademaker DutchFrom the occupation of
rademaker meaning
"maker of wheels", from Dutch
rad meaning "wheel".
Rafferty IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Rabhartaigh meaning
"descendant of Rabhartach". The given name
Rabhartach means "flood tide".
Raines EnglishOriginally denoted a person from Rayne, Essex, England (possibly from an Old English word meaning "shelter") or from Rennes, Brittany, France (from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones).
Rais ItalianOccupational name for the fisherman in charge of the boat, from Italian
rais "captain", of Arabic origin. It is typical of Sicily and Sardinia.
Randrup DanishFrom the name of homesteads in Denmark (in Viborg or Rebild municipalities).
Rapp 1 SwedishFrom Swedish
rapp meaning
"quick, prompt", one of the names adopted by soldiers in the 17th century.
Ravenna ItalianFrom the name of the city of Ravenna in northern Italy, which is of uncertain origin, possibly Etruscan.
Read 2 EnglishFrom 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".
Reagan IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Riagáin meaning
"descendant of Riagán". A famous bearer was the American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
Regenbogen German, JewishFrom a German nickname meaning
"rainbow", probably a habitational name for someone who lived in a house with the sign of a rainbow. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Remington EnglishFrom the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, derived from the name of the stream
Riming combined with Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, town".
Rendón SpanishPossibly derived from a variant of Spanish
de rondón meaning
"unexpectedly, rashly".
Rettig GermanDerived from Middle High German
retich, Middle Low German
redik meaning
"radish", an occupational name for a grower or seller of radishes.
Rey 2 EnglishMeans
"female roe deer" from Old English
ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.
Rhodes EnglishTopographic name derived from Old English
rod meaning
"cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.
Riber DanishOriginally indicated a person from the county or town of Ribe in southwestern Denmark.
Richelieu FrenchFrom the name of the town of Richelieu, derived from French
riche "wealthy" and
lieu "place". The historic figure Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), born Armand du Plessis, was so-called because he became the first Duke of Richelieu. He appears in Alexander Dumas' novel
The Three Musketeers (1844).
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).
Rigby EnglishOriginally derived from the name of a town in Lancashire, itself from Old Norse
hryggr "ridge" and
býr "farm, settlement".
Riggi ItalianFrom the name of the Italian city of Reggio Calabria, from Latin
Rhegium, of Greek origin.
Riley 1 EnglishFrom the name of the town of Ryley in Lancashire, derived from Old English
ryge "rye" and
leah "woodland, clearing".