Unisex Surnames

Henriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Henrik".

Henriksson Swedish
Means "son of Henrik".

Henriques Portuguese
Means "son of Henrique".

Henry English
Derived from the given name Henry.

Henryson English
Means "son of Henry". A bearer of this surname was the poet Robert Henryson (1425-1500).

Henson English
Means "son of Henne", a medieval diminutive of Henry.

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).

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

Herbert English, German, French
Derived from the male given name Herbert.

Herberts English, Dutch
Variant of Herbert.

Herbertson English
Means "son of Herbert".

Herbertsson Swedish
Swedish form of Herbertson.

Herceg Croatian
Croatian form of Herzog.

Herczeg Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herczog Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herman English, Dutch
From the given name Herman.

Hermann German
From the given name Hermann.

Hermans Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Herman".

Hermansen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Herman".

Hermanson English
Means "son of Herman".

Hermansson Swedish
Means "son of Herman".

Hernández Spanish
Means "son of Hernando" in Spanish.

Hernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Hernández.

Hernando Spanish
From the given name Hernando.

Herrema Frisian
Frisian variant of Heeren.

Herrera Spanish
Spanish form of Ferreira.

Herrero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Ferrari.

Herriot English
From an Old French diminutive of the given name Herry.

Herrmann German
From the given name Hermann.

Hersch German, Jewish
Variant of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Herschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.

Hershey English
Originally denoted a person from Hercé in Normandy.

Hertz German
Derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.

Herzog German
From a German title meaning "duke", a nickname for a person who either acted like a duke or worked in a duke's household.

Hewitt English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Hugh.

Hext English
From a nickname meaning "tallest" in Middle English. It is most common in the southwest of England in the county of Devon.

Heydari Persian
From the given name Heydar.

Heyman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Heymans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Hibbert English
Derived from the given name Hilbert.

Hickey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hÍcidhe meaning "descendant of the healer".

Hicks English
Derived from the medieval given name Hicke, a diminutive of Richard.

Hidaka Japanese
From Japanese 日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" and 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high".

Hidalgo Spanish
Means "nobleman" in Spanish. The Spanish word is a contraction of the phrase hijo de algo meaning "son of something". This surname was typically in origin a nickname or an occupational name for one who worked in a noble's household.

Hiedler German
From southern German Hiedl meaning "underground stream".

Hier Welsh
Means "tall, long" from Welsh hir.

Hierro Spanish
Spanish form of Ferro.

Higashi Japanese
From Japanese 東 (higashi) meaning "east".

Higgins Irish
From Irish Ó hUiginn meaning "descendant of Uiginn". Uiginn is a byname meaning "Viking".

Hightower English
Possibly a variant of Hayter.

Hildebrand German
From the given name Hildebrand.

Hill English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a hill, derived from Old English hyll.

Hillam English
From English places by this name, derived from Old English hyll meaning "hill".

Hilmarsson Icelandic
Means "son of Hilmar".

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.

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

Hines Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hEidhin meaning "descendant of Eidhin", a given name or byname of unknown origin.

Hino Japanese
From Japanese 日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" or 火 (hi) meaning "fire" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Hinrichs Low German
Derived from the given name Hinrich.

Hintzen German
Means "son of Hintz", a diminutive of Heinrich.

Hiramatsu Japanese
From Japanese 平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree".

Hirano Japanese
From Japanese 平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Hirata Japanese
From Japanese 平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Hirsch 1 German
Means "deer, hart" in German. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a deer in some way, or who raised or hunted deer.

Hirsch 2 Jewish
Derived from the given name Hirsh.

Hirschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Hisakawa Japanese
From Japanese 久 (hisa) meaning "long time ago" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Hitler German
Variant of Hiedler. This was spelling used by Alois Hitler, the father of German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), when he adopted his stepfather Johann Georg Hiedler's surname.

Hjort Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish cognate of Hart.

Ho Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Hokkien)
Cantonese and Min Nan romanization of He.

Hoàng Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Huang, from Sino-Vietnamese 黃 (hoàng).

Hobbes English
Derived from the medieval given name Hob. A famous bearer of this name was British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), the author of Leviathan.

Hobbs English
Derived from the medieval given name Hob.

Hobson English
Means "son of Hob".

Hoch German
Means "tall" in German.

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

Hodges English
Patronymic of Hodge, a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Hodgson English
Means "son of Hodge", a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Hodson English
Means "son of Hodge", a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Hodžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hodža meaning "master, teacher, imam", a word of Persian origin.

Hoedemaeker Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoedemaekers Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoedemaker Dutch
Occupational name for a hat maker, from Dutch hoed "hat" and maker "maker".

Hoedemakers Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoefler German
Variant of Hofer.

Hoek Dutch
From Dutch hoek meaning "corner".

Hoekstra Frisian
From Frisian hoek meaning "corner".

Hofer German
Occupational name for a farmer, from German Hof "farm", from Old High German hof "yard, court".

Hoffman German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Hoffmann.

Hoffmann German
From Middle High German hofmann meaning "farmer".

Höfler German
Variant of Hofer.

Hofmann German
Variant of Hoffmann.

Hofmeister German
Means "master of the household", from Old High German hof "yard, court, house" and meistar "master" (from Latin magister).

Hofwegen Dutch
Variant of Van Hofwegen.

Hogan Irish
From Irish Ó hÓgáin meaning "descendant of Ógán". The given name Ógán is a diminutive of óg meaning "young".

Hogarth English
Variant of Hoggard.

Hoggard English
Occupational name meaning "pig herder", from Old English hogg "hog" and hierde "herdsman, guardian".

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

Holgersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Holger".

Holgersson Swedish
Means "son of Holger".

Holguín Spanish
Possibly from Spanish holgar "to rest, to enjoy oneself".

Holland 1 English
From various English places of this name, derived from Old English hoh "point of land, heel" and land "land".

Holland 2 Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person from the Dutch province of Holland 1.

Hollands English
Variant of Holland 1.

Hollins English
Referred to someone living by a group of holly trees, from Old English holegn.

Holloway English
From the name of various English places, derived from Old English hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and weg "path, way".

Holm Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Swedish, Danish and Norwegian holme, holm meaning "islet" (Old Norse holmr).

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).

Holmes English, Scottish
Variant of Holme. A famous fictional bearer was Sherlock Holmes, a detective in Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.

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".

Holmwood English
Variant of Homewood.

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).

Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".

Holtman Dutch
Dutch cognate of Holzmann.

Holtz German
German cognate of Holt.

Holub mu Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian
Means "dove, pigeon" in Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian.

Hölzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Holzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Holzknecht German
Occupational name for a forester's helper, from Old High German holz "wood" and kneht "servant, apprentice".

Holzmann German
Derived from Old High German holz "wood" and man "man", a name for someone who lived close to a wood or worked with wood.

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

Honda Japanese
From Japanese 本 (hon) meaning "root, origin, source" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Honeycutt English
Derived from the name of the English town of Hunnacott, derived from Old English hunig "honey" or the given name Huna combined with cot "cottage".

Honeysett English
Possibly a variant of Honeycutt.

Hood English
Metonymic occupational name for a maker of hoods or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood, from Old English hod.

Hooker English
Originally applied to one who lived near a river bend or corner of some natural feature, from Old English hoc "angle, hook".

Hooper English
Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.

Hoover German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Huber.

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

Hopkins English
Patronymic formed from a diminutive of Hob.

Hopper English
Occupational name for an acrobat or a nickname for someone who was nervous or restless. A famous bearer was the American actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010).

Hopson English
Variant of Hobson.

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.

Horne English
Variant of Horn.

Hornick Czech (Anglicized), Slovak (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Horník.

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

Horsfall English
From a minor place in Yorkshire derived from Old English hors "horse" and fall "clearing".

Horton English
From the names of various places in England, which are derived from Old English horh "dirt, mud" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Horvat Croatian, Slovene
From Croatian and Slovene Hrvat meaning "Croat, person from Croatia".

Horváth um Hungarian, Slovak
Hungarian and Slovak form of Horvat. This is the second most common surname in Hungary and the most common surname in Slovakia (where is is typically borne by those of Hungarian ancestry).

Horvatinčić Croatian
Patronymic derived from Horvat.

Hoshino Japanese
From Japanese 星 (hoshi) meaning "star" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Hosseini Persian
From the given name Hossein.

Hou Chinese
From Chinese 侯 (hóu) meaning "lord, nobleman".

Houben Dutch
Derived from the given name Hubert.

Houk Dutch (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Hoek.

House English
Referred to a person who lived or worked in a house, as opposed to a smaller hut.

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

Houtkooper Dutch
Means "buyer of wood" in Dutch.

Houtman Dutch
Dutch cognate of Holzmann.

Hovanesian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Հովհաննիսյան (see Hovhannisyan).

Hovhannisyan Armenian
Means "son of Hovhannes" in Armenian.

Howard 1 English
Derived from the given name Hughard or Hávarðr.

Howard 2 English
Occupational name meaning "ewe herder", from Old English eowu "ewe" and hierde "herdsman, guardian".

Howe English
Name for one who lived on a hill, from Middle English how "hill" (of Norse origin).

Howell Welsh
From the Welsh given name Hywel.

Howland English
Variant of Holland 1.

Howse English
Variant of Howe.

Hoxha Albanian
From the Persian title خواجه (khājeh) meaning "lord".

Hsieh Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 谢 (see Xie).

Hsu 1 Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 徐 (see Xu 1).

Hsu 2 Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 许 (see Xu 2).

Hu Chinese
From Chinese 胡 (hú) meaning "beard, whiskers, recklessly, wildly, barbarian".

Huang Chinese
From Chinese 黄 (huáng) meaning "yellow".

Hubbard English
Derived from the given name Hubert.

Hüber German
Variant of Huber.

Huber German
Occupational name for a farmer, derived from Old High German huoba "plot of land, farm".

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

Huddleson English
Means "son of Hudel", a diminutive of Hudde.

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

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

Hudson English
Means "son of Hudde".

Huerta Spanish
Means "garden, orchard" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin hortus.

Huff English
Means "spur of a hill", from Old English hoh.

Huffman German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Hoffmann.

Huffmann German
Variant of Hoffmann.

Hughes 1 English
Patronymic of the given name Hugh.

Hughes 2 Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.

Hull English
Variant of Hill.

Hult Swedish
Swedish form of Holt.

Humbert French
From the given name Humbert.

Hume Scottish, English
Variant of Holme. A famous bearer was the philosopher David Hume (1711-1776).

Hummel 1 German, Dutch
Derived from the given name Humbert.

Hummel 2 German, Dutch
Nickname for a busy person, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch hommel, Middle High German hummel, all meaning "bee".

Humphrey English
Derived from the given name Humphrey.

Hunnicutt English
Variant of Honeycutt.

Hunnisett English
Possibly a variant of Honeycutt.

Hunt English
Variant of Hunter.

Hunter English, Scottish
Occupational name that referred to someone who hunted for a living, from Old English hunta.

Hurst English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a thicket of trees, from Old English hyrst "thicket".

Hussain Arabic
Derived from the given name Husayn.

Hussein Arabic
From the given name Husayn. A famous bearer was the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (1937-2006).

Hutchinson English
Means "son of Huchin", a medieval diminutive of Hugh.

Hutmacher German
German cognate of Hoedemaker.

Hutson English
Variant of Hudson.

Huxley English
From the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).

Huxtable English
Derived from the name of an English place meaning "hook post", from Old English hoc "hook" and stapol "post".

Huỳnh Vietnamese
Variant of Hoàng used more often in southern Vietnam.

Hyde English
From Middle English hide, a unit of land, approximately the size necessary to support a household.

Hyland 1 English
Topographic name meaning "high land", from Old English heah and land.

Hyland 2 Irish
Variant of Whelan.

Hynes Irish
Variant of Hines.

I Korean
Variant of Lee 2.

I'Anson English
Variant of Janson.

Ibáñez Spanish
Means "son of Ibán".

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

Ibbot English
Variant of Ibbott.

Ibbott English
Matronymic surname derived from the medieval name Ibota, a diminutive of Isabel.

Ibrahim Arabic, Urdu, Hausa
From the given name Ibrahim.

Ibrahimović Bosnian
Means "son of Ibrahim".

Ibsen Danish
Means "son of Ib". A famous bearer was the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906).

Idowu Yoruba
From the given name Idowu.

Igarashi Japanese
From Japanese 五十 (i) meaning "fifty", an unwritten subject marker が (ga), and 嵐 (arashi) meaning "storm".

Iglesias Spanish
From Spanish iglesia meaning "church", from Latin ecclesia (of Greek origin).

Ignácz Hungarian
Derived from the given name Ignác.

Ihejirika Igbo
Means "the one that I have is greater" in Igbo.

Ikeda Japanese
From Japanese 池 (ike) meaning "pool, pond" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Ikin English
Derived from a diminutive of the medieval given name Ida.

Ikonomou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Οικονόμου (see Oikonomou).

Ilbert English
Derived from a Norman form of the Old German given name Hildiberht.

Ilić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Ilija".

Iliescu Romanian
Means "son of Ilie".

Illés Hungarian
Derived from the given name Illés.

Ilves Estonian
Means "lynx" in Estonian.

Im Korean
From Sino-Korean 林 (im) meaning "forest", making it the Korean form of Lin, or 任 (im) of uncertain meaning, making it the Korean form of Ren.

Imai Japanese
From Japanese 今 (ima) meaning "now, present" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Inaba Japanese
From Japanese 稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf".

Inada Japanese
From Japanese 稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

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

Ingesson Swedish
Means "son of Inge".

Ingham English
From the name of an English town, of Old English origin meaning "Inga's homestead".

Ingólfsson Icelandic
Means "son of Ingólfr".

Ingram English
Derived from the given name Ingram.

Íñiguez Spanish
Means "son of Íñigo" in Spanish.

Iñíguez Spanish
Variant of Íñiguez.

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

Innes 2 Scottish
From the given name Aonghus.

Innocenti Italian
From a nickname meaning "innocent" in Italian.

Inoue Japanese
Means "above the well", from Japanese 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit", an unwritten possessive marker の (no), and 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper".

Ioannou Greek
Means "son of Ioannis".

Ion Romanian
From the given name Ion 1.

Ionesco Romanian
Variant of Ionescu. French-Romanian playwright Eugène Ionesco (1909-1994), born Ionescu, is a famous bearer of this surname.

Ionescu Romanian
Means "son of Ion 1" in Romanian.

Iordanou Greek
From the name of the Jordan river, which is from Hebrew יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend" or "flow down".

Irvin Scottish, English
Variant of Irvine 1 or Irwin.

Irvine 1 Scottish
Originally derived from the name of a Scottish (North Ayrshire) town, which was named for the River Irvine, derived from Brythonic elements meaning "green water".

Irvine 2 English
Variant of Irwin.

Irving Scottish, English
Variant of Irvine 1 or Irwin.

Irwin English
Derived from the Old English given name Eoforwine.

Isaacson English
Means "son of Isaac".

Isaksen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Isak".

Isaksson Swedish
Means "son of Isak".

Ishida Japanese
From Japanese 石 (ishi) meaning "stone" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Ishikawa Japanese
From Japanese 石 (ishi) meaning "stone" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Ismail Arabic
From the given name Ismail.

Ito Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 伊藤 (see Itō).

Itō Japanese
From Japanese 伊 (i) meaning "this" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Itou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 伊藤 (see Itō).

Iturburua Basque
Means "by the fountain" in Basque, from iturri "fountain, spring".

Ivanković Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Ivan.

Ivanović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Ivan".

Ivarsson Swedish
Means "son of Ivar".

Ivers English, Irish
Patronymic derived from the given name Ivor.

Iversen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Iver".

Iwai Japanese
From Japanese 岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Iwamoto Japanese
From Japanese 岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Iwasaki Japanese
From Japanese 岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Iwata Japanese
From Japanese 岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Iyer Tamil
Referred to a person belonging to the Iyer subcaste of the larger Brahmin caste. The Iyer subcaste is traditionally devoted to the God Vishnu.

Izquierdo Spanish
Means "left, left-handed" in Spanish, ultimately from Basque ezker.

Izumi Japanese
From Japanese 泉 (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain".

Jack English, Scottish
From the given name Jack.

Jackman English
Means "servant of Jack".

Jackson English
Means "son of Jack". Famous bearers of this name include the American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and the singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).

Jacobs English, Dutch
Derived from the given name Jacob.

Jacobse Dutch
Variant of Jacobs.

Jacobsen Danish
Means "son of Jacob".

Jacobson English
Means "son of Jacob".

Jacques French
From the French given name Jacques.

Jacquet French
From a diminutive of the given name Jacques.

Jaeger German
Variant of Jäger.

Jafari Persian
From the given name Jafar.

Jäger German
Means "hunter" in German, from Old High German jagon meaning "to hunt".

Jager German
Variant of Jäger.

Jagger English
From an English word meaning "carter, peddler". A famous bearer is the British musician Mick Jagger (1943-), the lead singer of the Rolling Stones.

Jagoda Polish
Means "berry" in Polish.

Jahn German
From a Low German short form of Johannes.

Jain Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Referred to a person who followed the principles of Jainism, a religion practiced in India. Jains are the followers of Lord Mahavira (599-527 BC).

Jakab Hungarian
Derived from the given name Jakab.

Jakeman English
Means "servant of Jack".

Jakobsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jakob".

Jakobsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Jakob".

James English
Derived from the given name James.

Jameson English
Means "son of James".

Jamison English
Means "son of James".

Jamshidi Persian
From the given name Jamshid.

Janda mu Czech, Polish
Derived from the given name Jan 1.

Janković Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Janko".