Browse Surnames

Aaldenberg Dutch
Originally denoted a person who came from an uncertain place called Aaldenberg, meaning "old mountain".

Abarca Spanish
From the name of a type of leather-soled shoe or sandal made on the Balearic Islands. It originally indicated a person who made or sold this item.

Abbiati Italian
Originally a name for a person from the city of Abbiategrasso, near Milan in Italy, called Abiatum in Latin.

Åberg Swedish
From Swedish å meaning "river, stream" and berg meaning "mountain".

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

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".

Acquati Italian
From the name of a village, part of the city of Lecco in Lombardy. Its name is presumably derived from Italian acqua "water".

Ahlberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish al (Old Norse ǫlr) meaning "alder" and berg meaning "mountain".

Ainsworth English
Habitational name for a person from the village of Ainsworth near Manchester, itself from the Old English given name Ægen and worþ meaning "enclosure".

Akiyama Japanese
From Japanese 秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Alagona Italian
From the name of the Spanish region of Aragon, which was a medieval kingdom. The region was named for a river, which was itself derived from an Indo-European root meaning "water".

Aleppo Italian
From the name of the Syrian city of Aleppo, which is from Arabic خالاب (Khālāb), of uncertain meaning.

Alfaro Spanish
Originally denoted someone who was from the city of Alfaro in La Rioja, Spain. It is possibly derived from Arabic meaning "the watchtower".

Allsopp English
From the name of the village of Alsop en la Dale in Derbyshire, England. It means "Ælli's valley" in Old English.

Almstedt Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish alm (Old Norse almr) meaning "elm" and stad (Old Norse staðr) meaning "town, city".

Altamura Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Altamura, which means "high walls" in Italian.

Angenent Dutch
Referred to person who lived at the end of the road or the village, derived from Dutch an gen ent meaning "at the end".

Anjema Frisian
Denoted a person from the village of Anjum in the Netherlands. It possibly means "corner" in Dutch.

Aoyama Japanese
From Japanese 青 (ao) meaning "green, blue" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Apeldoorn Dutch
From the name of a city in the Netherlands, meaning "apple tree" in Dutch.

Ardelean Romanian
From the Romanian region of Ardeal, also called Transylvania. It is possibly derived from Hungarian erdő meaning "forest".

Asís Spanish
Originally denoted a person from the Italian city of Assisi (called Asís in Spanish).

Assenberg Dutch
From Dutch es meaning "ash tree" (plural essen) and berg meaning "mountain".

Assendorp Dutch
From the name of a place called Assendorp, composed of Dutch essen and dorp, meaning "ash tree village".

Asturias Spanish
From the name of a region in Spain, formerly a medieval kingdom. It is possibly derived from Basque asta "rock" and ur "water".

Ávila Spanish
From the name of the city of Ávila in Spain. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly of Punic or Celtic origin.

Ayton English
From the name of towns in Berwickshire and North Yorkshire. They are derived from Old English ea "river" or ieg "island" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

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

Bandyopadhyay Bengali
From the name of the village of Bandoghat combined with upadhaya "instructor, priest".

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

Barwegen Frisian
Derived from the name of a village in Frisia meaning "road to the dike".

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".

Báthory Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from Bátor, a village in Hungary, which might be of Turkic origin meaning "hero". This was the surname of a Hungarian noble family who historically controlled the town. One of the family members, Stephen Báthory, became the king of Poland in the 16th century.

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

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

Berg German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Old High German, Old Dutch and Old Norse berg meaning "mountain".

Bergamaschi Italian
Originally indicated an inhabitant of the city of Bergamo in Lombardy.

Bergfalk Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and falk (Old Norse falki) meaning "falcon".

Berggren Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Berglund Swedish
Ornamental name from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Bergman Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person living on a mountain.

Bergmann German
From Old High German berg meaning "mountain" and man meaning "man", originally denoting someone who lived on a mountain.

Bergqvist Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Bergström Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

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

Beyersdorf German
Means "farmers village", from German Bauer meaning "farmer" and Dorf meaning "village".

Blackburn English
From the name of a city in Lancashire, meaning "black stream" in Old English.

Blumenthal German, Jewish
Derived from German Blumen "flowers" and Thal "valley".

Böhm German
Originally indicated a person from the region of Bohemia (Böhmen in German).

Bokor Hungarian
Topographic name derived from Hungarian bokor "bush". This is also the name of a village in Hungary.

Bolívar Spanish
From Bolibar, the name of a small Basque village, derived from Basque bolu "mill" and ibar "meadow". This name was borne by the revolutionary Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).

Bologna Italian
From the name of the city of Bologna in northern Italy. It may derive from a Celtic word meaning "settlement".

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

Borgogni Italian
From the name of the French region of Burgundy (called Bourgogne in French), which is named after the Germanic tribe the Burgundians, meaning "people from the high land".

Boyd Scottish
From the name of the Scottish island of Bute (Bód in Gaelic), which is of unknown meaning.

Braband German
Derived from the name of the region of Brabant in the Netherlands and Belgium. It possibly means "ploughed region" or "marshy region" in Old High German.

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.

Brent English
Originally derived from the name of a hill (or the village nearby) in Somerset, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".

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

Bristow English
From the name of the city of Bristol, originally Brycgstow in Old English, meaning "the site of the bridge".

Buchanan Scottish
From the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.

Budai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the Hungarian city of Buda (one of the two cities that were joined to make Budapest in 1873).

Büki Hungarian
Derived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).

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

Burrows English
Topographic name derived from Old English beorg meaning "hill, mountain" or burg meaning "fort". Alternatively, it could come from a compound of bur "room, cottage, dwelling" and hus "house".

Byqvist Swedish
Derived from Swedish by (Old Norse býr) meaning "village" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Byström Swedish
From Swedish by (Old Norse býr) meaning "village" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Caiazzo Italian
From the name of a city near Naples, originally Caiatia in Latin, a derivative of the given name Caius.

Calabrese Italian
Originally given to a person who came from the region of Calabria in southern Italy.

Campana Italian, Spanish
Occupational name from Late Latin campana meaning "bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.

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.

Carmona Spanish
From the name of the city of Carmona in Andalusia, Spain. It is possibly derived from Phoenician 𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤌𐤍 (Qart Ḥamun) meaning "city of Hammon" (the name of a Carthaginian god, see Ba'al Hammon).

Carrara Italian
From the name of a city in Tuscany famous for its marble quarries. It is probably derived from Late Latin quadreria meaning "quarry".

Castilla Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Castile, a region (and medieval kingdom) in Spain. The name of the region is derived from Late Latin castellum meaning "castle".

Catalán Spanish
Originally indicated a person who came from Catalonia, a region of eastern Spain.

Čech m Czech
Means "Czech". The name was used to differentiate a native of Bohemia from the natives of Silesia, Moravia and other regions that are now part of the Czech Republic.

Chaves Portuguese, Spanish
From the name of a Portuguese city, derived from the Roman name Flavius (being named for the emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius).

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".

Cingolani Italian
From Cingoli, a town in the Marche region of Italy. It is derived from Latin cingo "surround, ring".

Cisternino Italian
From the name of the town of Cisternino, near the city of Bari in southern Italy.

Como 2 Italian
From the name of the city of Como in Lombardy, the rival city of Milan during the Middle Ages. Its name may come from a Celtic root meaning "valley".

Coombs English
From Old English cumb meaning "valley", the name of several places in England.

Corleone Sicilian, Literature
From the name of the town of Corleone in Sicily, which is of uncertain meaning. This surname is well known from the novel The Godfather (1969) by Mario Puzo, as well as the films based on his characters. The story tells how Vito Andolini comes to America from Sicily, receiving the new surname Corleone at Ellis Island, and starts a criminal empire based in New York.

Corwin English
Derived from Old French cordoan "leather", ultimately from the name of the Spanish city of Cordova.

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

Cremaschi Italian
From the name of the city of Crema in Lombardy, northern Italy.

Cremona Italian
From the Italian city of Cremona, south of Milan, in Lombardy.

Cremonesi Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Cremona in Lombardy.

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

Daalmans Dutch
Originally indicated a person who lived in a valley, from Dutch dal meaning "dale, valley" and man meaning "man".

Dahl Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley". A famous of this surname was author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) who is mostly remembered for children's stories such as Matilda and Henry Sugar.

Dahlberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and berg meaning "mountain".

Dahlman Swedish
From Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Dale English
From Old English dæl meaning "valley", originally indicating a person who lived there.

Dalgaard Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley" and garðr meaning "yard, farmstead".

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).

D'Aramitz French
Originally denoted one who came from Aramits, the name of a town in the French Pyrenees that is possibly derived from Basque haran meaning "valley".

Dean 1 English
Derived from Middle English dene meaning "valley".

De León Spanish
Referred to someone from the Leon region of Spain.

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

Desmond Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Deasmhumhnaigh meaning "descendant of the man from South Munster", originally indicating a person who came from the region of South Munster (Desmond) in Ireland.

Dibra Albanian
From the Albanian name for the city of Debar in Macedonia, originally given to someone who came from there.

Di Caprio Italian
From the name of the island of Capri near Naples, itself possibly derived from Latin capra meaning "goat" or Greek κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar".

Dresdner German
Originally indicated a person who came from the city of Dresden in German.

Dumont French
Means "from the mountain", from French mont "mountain".

Duval French
Means "from the valley" in French.

Engberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and berg meaning "mountain".

Feng 1 Chinese
From Chinese 冯 (féng), which referred to an ancient city in Henan province.

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

Fermi Italian
Originally indicated a person from the town of Fermo in the Marche region of Italy, originally called Firmum in Latin meaning "strong, steady, firm".

Ferrero Italian
Regional variant of Ferrari. It is typical of the area around Turin.

Forsberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish fors meaning "waterfall" and berg meaning "mountain".

Freudenberger German, Jewish
Ornamental name from old German freud meaning "joy" and berg meaning "mountain".

Fries German
Denoted someone from Frisia, an area along the coastal region of the North Sea stretching from Netherlands to Germany.

Fujimura Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Furlan Italian, Slovene
From the name of the Italian region of Friuli, in the northeast of Italy, which is derived from the name of the Roman town of Forum Iulii meaning "forum of Julius".

Gadsby English
Habitational name from the village of Gaddesby in Leicestershire, so named from Old Norse gaddr "spur, spike (of land)" and býr "farm, settlement".

Gallego Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain.

Garfagnini Italian
Originally denoted one from the region of Garfagnana in Tuscany, Italy, near the historical city of Lucca.

Gass German
Name for someone who lived on a street in a city, from German gasse.

Gebara Basque
Habitational name for someone who lived in Gebara, a village in the province of Álava in Spain.

Genovese Italian
Denoted a person from the Italian city of Genoa (Genova in Italian).

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.

Gorecki m Polish
Originally indicated a person from Górka, the name of various towns in Poland, ultimately from Polish góra "mountain".

Górski m Polish
From the Polish word góra meaning "mountain".

Gouveia Portuguese
From the name of the city of Gouveia in Portugal, of unknown meaning.

Graner German
Originally denoted a person from Gran, the German name for Esztergom, a city in northern Hungary.

Green English
Descriptive name for someone who often wore the colour green or someone who lived near the village green.

Gronchi Italian
From the Tuscan word gronchio meaning "numb, bent". This is an Italian regional surname typical of Tuscany. A famous bearer was the Italian president Giovanni Gronchi (1887-1978).

Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Guo Chinese
From Chinese 郭 (guō) meaning "outer city".

Haanraads Dutch
Originally indicated a person from Haanrade, a small village in the south of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Hämäläinen Finnish
Derived from the region in southern Finland known as Häme, also called Tavastia.

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

Hardwick English
From Old English heord "herd" and wic "village, town".

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

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".

Head English
From Middle English hed meaning "head", from Old English heafod. It may have referred to a person who had a peculiar head, who lived near the head of a river or valley, or who served as the village headman.

Heppenheimer German
From the name of the city of Heppenheim in Hesse, Germany.

Himura Japanese
From Japanese 緋 (hi) meaning "scarlet, dark red" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Holden English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and denu "valley".

Holmberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and berg meaning "mountain".

Holme English, Scottish
Referred 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).

Holmgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Holmström Swedish
From Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Holst Danish, Low German, Dutch
Originally referred to a person from the region of Holstein between Germany and Denmark. A famous bearer of this name was the English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934).

Hope English
Derived from Middle English hop meaning "small valley".

Horáček m Czech
Diminutive derived from Czech hora "mountain".

Horák m Czech
Derived from Czech hora "mountain".

Horn English, German, Norwegian, Danish
From the Old English, Old High German and Old Norse word horn meaning "horn". This was an occupational name for one who carved objects out of horn or who played a horn, or a person who lived near a horn-shaped geographical feature, such as a mountain or a bend in a river.

Horowitz Jewish
From the German name of Hořovice, a town in the Czech Republic. Its name is derived from Czech hora "mountain".

Huddleston English
From the name of a town in the Yorkshire region of England, which means "Hudel's town" in Old English.

Ingersleben German
From the name of the town of Ingersleben, Germany, which meant "Inge's village".

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

Jöllenbeck German
From the name of a village in western Germany, itself derived from the name of the Jölle, a small river, combined with Low German beck "stream".

Jughashvili Georgian (Rare)
Meaning uncertain. One theory suggests Ossetian roots with the meaning "son of the herder", derived from Ossetian дзуг (dzug) meaning "herd, flock, troop". Alternately, it could be derived from the name of the village of ჯუღაანი (Jughaani) in eastern Georgia. The most notable bearer was Joseph Stalin (1878-1953), born Ioseb Jughashvili, a leader of the Soviet Union.

Kalniņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian kalns meaning "mountain, hill".

Kamiya Japanese
From Japanese 神 (kami) meaning "god" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Kapanadze Georgian
Means "son of the one from Kapan", originally denoting someone who came from the city of Kapan in present-day Armenia (from Armenian կապել (kapel) meaning "to tie, to fasten").

Kecskeméti Hungarian
Originally indicated a person who came from the Hungarian city of Kecskemét, derived from kecske meaning "goat".

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

Kendall English
Derived from the town of Kendal in England, so-called from the river Kent, on which it is situated, and Old English dæl meaning "valley, dale".

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

Kimura Japanese
From Japanese 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Kostelecký m Czech
Originally denoted a person from a village named Kostelec, derived from Czech kostel meaning "church".

Krajnc Slovene
Originally denoted a person from Carniola (Slovene Kranjska), a region that makes up a large part of central Slovenia.

Krakowski mu Polish, Jewish
Habitational name for a person from the city of Kraków in southern Poland.

Kulkarni Marathi
Means "village clerk, revenue collector" in Marathi.

Kumagai Japanese
From Japanese 熊 (kuma) meaning "bear" and 谷 (gai) meaning "valley".

Laaksonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish laakso meaning "valley".

Lagomarsino Italian
Derived from the name of the village of Lagomarsino near Genoa.

Lamon Italian
From the name of the village of Lamon near the city of Belluno in Veneto, Italy.

Landau German, Jewish
Derived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".

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

Lara Spanish
From the name of a village in Burgos, Spain. It might be derived from Latin lar "household god, house, home".

Leeuwenhoek Dutch
Means "lion's corner" in Dutch. The first bearer of this name lived on the corner (Dutch hoek) of the Lion's Gate (Dutch Leeuwenpoort) in the city of Delft.

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

León 1 Spanish
Referred to a person from the city of León in northern Spain, derived from Latin legio (genitive legionis) meaning "legion", so named because the Roman 7th Legion Gemina was stationed there.

Lincoln English
Originally indicated that the bearer was from the English city of Lincoln, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". A famous bearer was Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.

Lindberg Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and berg meaning "mountain".

Lindholm Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island".

Lindsay English, Scottish
From the region of Lindsey in Lincolnshire, which means "Lincoln island" in Old English.

Locatelli Italian
From Locatello, a town in Lombardy, northern Italy, near the city of Bergamo.

Lombardi Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, which was named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who invaded in the 6th century. Their name is derived from the Old German roots lang "long" and bart "beard".

London English
From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain.

Losnedahl Norwegian
From Norwegian dahl meaning "valley" and Losna, a place in Norway.

Lundberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and berg meaning "mountain".

Luzzatto Italian
From an Italian form of Lusatia, a region of eastern Germany.

Lyle English
Derived from Norman French l'isle meaning "island".

Lyon 1 English, French
Originally denoted a person from the city of Lyon in central France, originally Latin Lugdunum, of Gaulish origin meaning "hill fort of Lugus". It could also denote a person from the small town of Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy.

Mägi Estonian
Means "hill, mountain" in Estonian.

Manfredonia Italian
Originally indicated a person from Manfredonia, Italy. The city was named for the 13th-century King Manfred of Sicily.

Mantovani Italian
From the name of the city of Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy (Mantova in Italian).

Marchegiano Italian
From the name of the Marche region in Italy, derived from Late Latin marca meaning "borderland". It was the real surname of the American boxer Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), who was born Rocco Marchegiano.

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

Matsumura Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Mazur Polish
Indicated a person from either Mazovia (Polish Mazowsze) or Masuria (Polish Mazury), regions in Poland.

Medina Spanish
Means "(Arab) city" in Spanish, derived from Arabic مدينة (madīna).

Meggyesfalvi Hungarian
Derived from a Hungarian village named Meggyesfalva meaning "cherry village", from meggy "cherry" and falu "village".

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

Messina Italian
From the name of the Sicilian city of Messina, founded by Greek colonists. The city was named after the Greek city Μεσσήνη (Messene).

Michalski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from a village named Michale or Michały, both derived from the given name Michał.

Midgley English
From the English village of Midgley in West Yorkshire, meaning "midge (insect) wood" in Old English.

Miyajima Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Mizushima Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Mizutani Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Montagna Italian
Means "mountain" in Italian, from Latin montanus, indicating a person who lived on or near a mountain.

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

Montanari Italian
Means "from the mountain" in Italian.

Montero Spanish
Means "hunter" in Spanish, an agent derivative of monte meaning "mountain, wilderness".

Montes Spanish
From Spanish monte "mountain, hill", derived from Latin mons.

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.

Monti Italian
Means "mountain, hill" in Italian, from Latin mons.

Montoya Spanish
From the name of a village in the province of Álava in Spain. It is possibly of Basque origin, or possibly from Latin mons "mountain, hill".

Moriyama Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Munteanu Romanian
From Romanian muntean meaning "mountaineer, from the mountains", ultimately from Latin mons.

Murray 1 Scottish
Derived from the region in Scotland called Moray (Gaelic Moireabh), possibly of Pictish origin, meaning "seashore, coast". A notable bearer of this surname was General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the first British Governor-General of Canada.

Mussolini Italian
From Italian mussolina meaning "muslin", a type of cloth, itself derived from the city of Mosul in Iraq. This name was borne by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945).

Nakajima Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Nakamura Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nascimbeni Italian
From the medieval given name Nascimbene, typical of the Venetian region.

Navarro Spanish
Denoted a person who came from Navarre in northern Spain (Spanish Navarra). The name of the region is of Basque origin, possibly from nabar meaning "brown".

Nibhanupudi Telugu
From the name of a village in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Nishimura Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nishitani Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Nishiyama Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Nordberg Swedish, Norwegian
From Swedish and Norwegian nord (Old Norse norðr) meaning "north" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it is ornamental.

Nørup Danish
From the name of Danish villages named Nørup or Norup.

Novak Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Slavic novŭ "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village.

Nuremberg German
Derived from the name of a city in Bavaria, Germany.

Nyberg Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and berg meaning "mountain".

Nyitrai Hungarian
Indicated someone from Nitra, a city and historic principality of Slovakia (formerly in Hungary). Its name is derived from that of a local river, which is of unknown meaning.

Öberg Swedish
From Swedish ö (Old Norse ey) meaning "island" and berg meaning "mountain".

Oberst German
From Old High German obar meaning "above, upper", indicating a person from the uppermost end of a village or the top of a house.

Oelberg German
Means "oil hill" from Middle High German öl "oil" and berg "mountain, hill".

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

Okamura Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Okumura Japanese
From Japanese 奥 (oku) meaning "inside" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Olander Swedish
Denoted someone from the islands of Öland (eastern Sweden) or Åland (western Finland).

Öman Swedish
From Swedish ö (Old Norse ey) meaning "island" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Omdahl Norwegian
Denoted a person hailing from any one of a number of farms in Norway called either Åmdal or Omdal meaning "elm valley".

Orozco Spanish
From the name of a valley in the Basque region of Spain.

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

Östberg Swedish
From Swedish öst (Old Norse austr) meaning "east" and berg meaning "mountain".

Ostrowski m Polish
From Polish ostrów meaning "river island".

Padovan Italian
Regional variant of Padovano.

Padovano Italian
Originally denoted one who came from the city of Padua in Italy, from Italian Padova, itself from Latin Patavium, of unknown meaning.

Palencia Spanish
Habitational name from the city or region of Palencia in northern Spain.

Palmisano Italian
Locative name from the town of Palmi in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

Parish 1 English
Originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, which got its name from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii.

Parma Italian
From the city of Parma in northern Italy, the name of which is probably of Etruscan origin.

Parodi Italian
From the name of a village near Genoa in northern Italy.

Patil Marathi
Means "village chief" in Marathi.

Pavia Italian
From the name of the city of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy. It is of unknown meaning.

Pei Chinese
From Chinese 裴 (péi), possibly referring to an ancient city.

Périgord French
From the name of a region in southern France, possibly of Gaulish origin.

Perugia Italian
From 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 Italian
From the name of the city of Pesaro, in the Marche region (Latin Pisaurum).

Picard French
Originally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French pic meaning "pike, spike".

Pisani Italian
From Italian pisano, the name for an inhabitant of the city of Pisa, Italy. The city's name is of unknown meaning.

Plamondon French
Derived from French plat "flat" and mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.

Podsedník m Czech
Means "one who sits behind" in Czech, an equivalent to Zahradník mainly used in the region of Moravia.

Potenza Italian
From the name of the southern Italian city of Potenza, called Potentia in Latin, meaning "power, force".

Provenza Italian
From the name of the Provence region of southern France (in Italian Provenza). It is derived from Latin provincia "province", a territorial division.

Pugliese Italian
From 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.

Quijano Spanish
From the name of a village in northern Spain.

Ramsey English, Scottish
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.

Ravenna Italian
From the name of the city of Ravenna in northern Italy, which is of uncertain origin, possibly Etruscan.

Reenberg Danish
Meaning unknown. The second element is probably from Old Norse berg "mountain" (modern Danish bjerg).

Riggi Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Reggio Calabria, from Latin Rhegium, of Greek origin.

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

Roggeveen Dutch
Means "rye field" in Dutch. A famous bearer was Jacob Roggeveen (1659-1729), the first European explorer to Easter Island.

Romagna Italian
From the region of Romagna, on the Adriatic coast of Italy. It is derived from Latin Romania meaning "land of the Romans".

Romano 2 Italian
Denoted a person from the city of Rome, either a resident or someone who visited as a pilgrim. In Calabria it was also used to designate a person from New Rome, a name for Constantinople.

Rosenberg German, Swedish, Jewish
Means "rose mountain" in German and Swedish. As a Swedish and Jewish name it is ornamental.

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".

Rothenberg German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Jewish name it may be ornamental.

Rovigatti Italian
From the name of the city of Rovigo in northeastern Italy near Venice. It was called Rodigium in Latin, and is of unknown meaning.

Rowbottom English
Originally indicated a person who lived in an overgrown valley, from Old English ruh "rough, overgrown" and boðm "valley".

Rowntree English
Originally given to a person who lived near a rowan tree or mountain ash.

Rye English
Topographic 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).

Saar Estonian
From Estonian saar meaning "island".

Saari Finnish
From Finnish saari meaning "island".

Saarinen Finnish
From Finnish saari meaning "island".

Sachs German
Originally indicated a person from Saxony (German Sachsen). The region was named for the Germanic tribe of the Saxons, ultimately derived from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife".

Salamanca Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Salamanca, a city in western Spain that is of unknown meaning.

Sandberg Swedish, Norwegian, Jewish
From Swedish and Norwegian sand (Old Norse sandr) meaning "sand" and berg meaning "mountain" (or in the case of the Jewish surname, from the Yiddish or German cognates).

Sappington English
Possibly from the city of Sapperton, England, derived from Old English sapere meaning "soap maker" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Sárközi Hungarian
Originally indicated someone from Sárköz, a region in Hungary, derived from sár "mud" and köz "margin, lane".

Savona Italian
From the name of the city of Savona in northern Italy, called Savo by the Romans, of uncertain meaning.

Scheinberg Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "beautiful mountain" from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and berg "mountain".

Schöttmer German
Originally indicated a person from Schötmar, Germany (now part of the city of Bad Salzuflen in North Rhine-Westphalia).

Schwarzenberg German
Means "black mountain" in German.

Selby English
From the name of a village that meant "willow farm" in Old English.

Sepúlveda Spanish
Derived from the name of the Sepúlveda Valley in the mountains of Segovia, and was originally used to denote people from that region. It is possibly derived from Spanish sepultar "to bury".

Sessions English
From the name of the city of Soissons in northern France, itself derived from the name of the Celtic tribe of the Suessiones.