Unisex Surnames

D'Ovidio Italian
From the given name Ovidio.

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

Doyle Irish
From the Irish Ó Dubhghaill, which means "descendant of Dubhghall". A famous bearer was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.

Dragić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Patronymic from any of the Slavic given names starting with Drag (see Drago).

Drago Italian
From a nickname meaning "dragon" in Italian.

Dragović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Drago".

Drake English
Derived from the Old Norse byname Draki or the Old English byname Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent".

Draper English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of woollen cloth, from Anglo-Norman French draper (Old French drapier, an agent derivative of drap "cloth").

Drechsler German
Variant of Dressler.

Drees Dutch
Variant of Dries.

Dreesen Dutch
Variant of Driessen.

Dreesens Dutch
Variant of Driessen.

Dreessen Dutch
Variant of Driessen.

Dreher German
Means "turner" from Middle High German drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.

Dreier German
Variant of Dreher.

Dreschner German
Derived from Middle High German dreschen "to thresh". A thresher was a person who separated the grains from a cereal plant by beating it.

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

Dressler German
Means "turner" from Middle High German dreseler, an agent derivative of drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.

Dreyer German
Variant of Dreher.

Dries Dutch
From the given name Dries.

Driessen Dutch
Means "son of Dries".

Driscoll Irish
From Irish Ó hEidirsceóil meaning "descendant of the messenger".

Droit French
Means "right, straight" in French, a nickname for an upright person.

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

Du Chinese
From Chinese 杜 (dù) meaning "stop, prevent" or "birchleaf pear tree".

Duane Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dubháin meaning "descendant of Dubhán".

Duarte Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Duarte.

Dùbhghlas Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of Douglas.

Dubois French
Means "from the forest", from French bois "forest".

Duchamp French
Variant of Deschamps. A famous bearer was the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).

Duchamps French
Variant of Deschamps.

Duda um Polish, Czech
Means "bagpiper" in Polish and Czech.

Dudek um Polish, Czech
Means "hoopoe (bird)" in Polish and Czech.

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

Duerr German
Variant of Dürr.

Duff Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Dhuibh or Ó Duibh.

Duffy 1 Irish
Derived from Irish Ó Dubhthaigh meaning "descendant of Dubthach". Their original homeland was Monaghan where the surname is still the most common; they are also from Donegal and Roscommon.

Duffy 2 Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Dhuibhshíthe.

Dufort French
Means "from the fort", from French fort "stronghold".

Dufour French
Occupational name for a baker, from French four "oven".

Duguay French
Means "from the ford", from French gué "ford".

Duke English
From the noble title, which was originally from Latin dux "leader". It was a nickname for a person who behaved like a duke, or who worked in a duke's household.

Dukes English
Patronymic form of Duke.

Dumas French
Means "from the farm", from Occitan mas "farmhouse", from Latin mansus "dwelling". A famous bearer was the French author Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870).

Dumbledore Literature
From the dialectal English word dumbledore meaning "bumblebee". It was used by J. K. Rowling for the headmaster of Hogwarts in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.

Dumitrescu Romanian
Means "son of Dumitru".

Dumitru Romanian
Derived from the given name Dumitru.

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

Dunai Hungarian
From Duna, the Hungarian name for river Danube.

Dunbar Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and barr meaning "summit", so called from its situation on a rock that projects into the sea.

Duncan Scottish
From the given name Duncan.

Duncanson Scottish
Means "son of Duncan".

Dunkel German
Means "dark" in German.

Dunn English, Scottish, Irish
Derived from Old English dunn "dark" or Gaelic donn "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion.

Dunst German
Derived from Middle High German dunst "haze".

Dupond French
Variant of Dupont.

Dupont French
Means "from the bridge", from French pont "bridge".

Dupuis French
Means "from the well", from Old French puts, Latin puteus "well".

Dupuy French
Means "from the hill", from Occitan puy "hill", from Latin podium "platform".

Durán Spanish
Spanish cognate of Durand.

Durand French, English
From Old French durant meaning "enduring", ultimately from Latin durans. This was a nickname for a stubborn person.

Durant English, French
Variation of Durand.

Durante Italian
Italian cognate of Durand.

Đurić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Đuro".

Durnin Irish
From Irish Ó Doirnáin meaning "descendant of Doirnín", a given name meaning "little fist".

Dürr German
Means "thin" in German.

Dustin English
From the Old Norse given name Þórsteinn.

Duval French
Means "from the valley" in French.

Dwerryhouse English
Indicated a person who worked or lived at a dyehouse, which is a place where dyeing was done.

Dwight English
From the medieval feminine name Diot, a diminutive of Dionysia, the feminine form of Dionysius.

Dyer English
Occupational name meaning "cloth dyer", from Old English deah "dye".

Dykstra Frisian
From Frisian dyk meaning "dike, ditch". The name was given to a person living near a dyke or embankment.

Dyson English
Means "son of Dye".

Dziedzic Polish
Derived from Polish dziedzic "landowner".

Eads English
Means "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam".

Eady English
From a diminutive of the given name Eda 2 or Adam.

Earl English
From the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English eorl meaning "nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.

Earls English
Patronymic form of Earl.

Easom English
Variant of Eads.

Eason English
Variant of Eads.

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

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

Eberhardt German
Derived from the given name Eberhard.

Ebner 1 German
Originally indicated a dweller on a flat piece of land, derived from Middle High German ebene "plateau".

Ebner 2 German
Means "judge, arbiter" from Middle High German ebenære.

Ebrahimi Persian
From the given name Ebrahim.

Eccleston English
Denoted a person from any of the various places named Eccleston in England, derived from Latin ecclesia "church" (via Briton) and Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Ecclestone English
Variant of Eccleston.

Echevarría Spanish
Variant of Echeverría.

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

Eckstein German
From Old High German ekka meaning "edge, corner" and stein meaning "stone".

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

Edgar English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

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

Edvardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Edvard".

Edwards English
Means "son of Edward".

Edwardson English
Means "son of Edward".

Eerkens Dutch
Variant of Erkens.

Egawa Japanese
From Japanese 江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Egger German
South German occupational name meaning "plowman" or "farmer", derived from German eggen "to harrow, to plow".

Eichel German
Means "acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.

Eide Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse eið meaning "isthmus".

Eikenboom Dutch
Means "oak tree", from Dutch eik "oak" and boom "tree".

Eilerts German
Derived from the given name Eilert.

Einarsson Swedish
Means "son of Einar".

Einstein Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German ein "one" and stein "stone". A famous bearer was the German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955).

Ek Swedish
Means "oak" in Swedish.

Eklund Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Ekmekçi Turkish
Means "baker" in Turkish.

Ekström Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

El-Amin Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الأمين (see Al-Amin).

Eld Swedish
From Old Norse eldr, modern Swedish eld, meaning "fire".

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

Eldred English
From the given name Ealdræd.

Eldridge English
Derived from the given name Aldric.

Elena Italian
Derived from the given name Elena.

El-Ghazzawy Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الغزّاوي (see Al-Ghazzawi).

El-Hashem Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الهاشم (see Al-Hashim).

Eliassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Elias".

Eliasson Swedish
Means "son of Elias".

Eliot English
Variant of Elliott.

Eliott English
Variant of Elliott.

Elizondo Spanish
Originally referred to a person who lived close to a church, from Basque eleiza "church" and ondo "near".

Ellery English
From the medieval masculine name Hilary.

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

Elliot English
Variant of Elliott.

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

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

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

Ellisson English
Variant of Ellison.

Elliston English
Variant of Ellison.

Ellsworth English
Habitational name for a person from the town of Elsworth in Cambridgeshire. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements ælf meaning "elf" or eald meaning "old") combined with worþ meaning "enclosure".

Elmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Elmersson Swedish
Means "son of Elmar".

El-Mofty Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic المفتي (see Al-Mufti).

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

Elvis English
Variant of Elwes.

Elwes English
Derived from the given name Eloise.

Elwin English
Variant of Elwyn.

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

Ely English
From the name of a town in eastern England meaning "eel district".

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

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

Émile French
Derived from the given name Émile.

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

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

Emmitt English
Variant of Emmett.

Endicott English
Topographic name derived from Old English meaning "from the end cottage".

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

Engel German
Derived from German given names beginning with Engel, such as Engelbert.

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

Engman Swedish
From Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person who lived in a meadow.

Engström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Ennis Irish
Variant of Innes 1.

Enns German
Derived from a short form of the German given name Anselm.

Enríquez Spanish
Means "son of Enrique".

Episcopo Italian
Means "bishop" in Italian, ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos).

Erckens Dutch
Variant of Erkens.

Erdős Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "forester", derived from Hungarian erdő "forest".

Erickson English
Means "son of Eric".

Ericson English, Swedish
Means "son of Eric".

Ericsson Swedish
Means "son of Eric".

Eriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Erik".

Eriksson Swedish
Means "son of Erik".

Erkens Dutch
Derived from the given name Erk, a variant of Erik.

Ermacora Italian
From the given name Ermacora.

Ernst German, Dutch, Danish
From the given name Ernst.

Erős Hungarian
Means "strong" in Hungarian.

Escamilla Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.

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

Escarrà Spanish
Possibly from Catalan esquerrá meaning "left-handed".

Escobar Spanish
Derived from Spanish escoba meaning "broom plant", from Latin scopa. It originally indicated a person who lived near a prominent patch of broom.

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

Espensen Norwegian
Means "son of Espen".

Espenson Norwegian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Espensen.

Espina Spanish
Means "thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.

Espino Spanish
Variant of Espina.

Espinosa Spanish
From Spanish espinoso meaning "thorny", ultimately from Latin spinosus, a derivative of spina meaning "thorn, spine". This was the real surname of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), who was of Portuguese Jewish origin.

Espinoza Spanish
Variant of Espinosa.

Esposito Italian
Means "exposed" in Italian and denoted a child who was rescued after being abandoned by its parents.

Esser German
Means "cartwright", related to Old High German ahsa "axle".

Essert German
Variant of Esser.

Esteban Spanish
From the given name Esteban.

Esteves Portuguese
Means "son of Estevão".

Estévez Spanish
Means "son of Esteban".

Estrada Spanish
Spanish form of Street.

Eszes Hungarian
Means "clever, bright" in Hungarian.

Étienne French
From the given name Étienne.

Etxebarria Basque
Original Basque form of Echeverría.

Etxeberria Basque
Original Basque form of Echeverría.

Eustis English
Derived from the given name Eustace.

Evangelista Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "evangelist" in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Evans Welsh, English
Means "son of Evan".

Evanson English
Means "son of Evan".

Evelyn English
Derived from the given name Aveline.

Evensen Norwegian
Means "son of Even".

Evered English
From the given name Everard.

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

Everett English
From the given name Everard.

Everhart German
Variant of Eberhardt.

Everill English
Derived from the feminine given name Eoforhild.

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

Evers Dutch
Means "son of Evert".

Évrard French
From the given name Évrard.

Ewart 1 English
From a Norman form of Edward.

Ewart 2 English
From the name of an English town, derived from Old English ea "river" and worþ "enclosure".

Expósito Spanish
Spanish cognate of Esposito.

Ezra Jewish
From the given name Ezra.

Fabbri Italian
From Italian fabbro meaning "blacksmith", ultimately from Latin faber.

Fabbro Italian
Variant of Fabbri.

Fabel German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Fabian.

Fábián Hungarian
Derived from the given name Fábián.

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

Fabien French
Derived from the given name Fabien.

Fabre Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Fabron French
Diminutive form of Fabre.

Faerber German
Variant of Färber.

Fairbairn Scottish, English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English and Scots.

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

Fairchild English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.

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

Falco Italian
Derived from Italian falco "falcon". The name was used to denote a falconer or a person who resembled a falcon in some way.

Falconer English, Scottish
Variant of Faulkner.

Falk Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German
From Old Norse falki or Old High German falco meaning "falcon".

Falkenrath German
Derived from Middle High German falke "falcon" and rat "counsel, advice".

Falkner English, German
English variant and German cognate of Faulkner.

Fallon Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fallamháin meaning "descendant of Fallamhán", a given name meaning "leader".

Falstaff Literature
The name of a buffoonish character, John Falstaff, appearing in four of William Shakespeare's plays. He is the central character in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602). Shakespeare probably adapted it from the surname of John Fastolf, a 15th-century knight. The medieval surname Fastolf, no longer in use, was derived from the Norse given name Fastúlfr.

Fan Chinese
From Chinese 范 (fàn) meaning "bee".

Fannon Irish
From the Irish Ó Fionnáin meaning "descendant of Fionn".

Faragó Hungarian
An occupational name meaning "woodcutter", from Hungarian farag meaning "carve, cut".

Faraldo Italian
From a given name, ultimately the Germanic name Faroald.

Färber German
Occupational name meaning "dyer", derived from German Farbe "colour".

Farina Italian
Occupational name for a miller, derived from Italian farina "flour".

Farkas Hungarian
Means "wolf" in Hungarian.

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

Farnham English
Indicated a person from any of the various towns named Farnham in England, notably in Surrey. Their names are from Old English fearn "fern" and ham "home, settlement" or ham "water meadow, enclosure".

Faron French
From the given name Faron.

Farran English
Derived from Old French ferrant meaning "iron grey".

Farrell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fearghail meaning "descendant of Fearghal".

Farro Italian
Derived from the name of a place on Sicily, Italy, derived from Latin far meaning "wheat, spelt".

Fashingbauer German
From Fasching, a German carnival (Fastnacht meaning "eve of the beginning of the fast", or the time before Lent) celebrated in Austria and Bavaria, and bauer meaning "farmer".

Fattore Italian
Means "land agent, bailiff, steward, farmer" in Italian.

Faucher French
Occupational name meaning "mower" in French, ultimately from Latin falx meaning "sickle, scythe".

Faucheux French
Variant of Faucher.

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

Faure Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Faust German
Derived from the given name Faust, a form of Faustus.

Fausti Italian
From the given name Fausto.

Fava Italian
From Italian fava referring to a type of broad bean.

Favager French
Possibly indicated a person from the town of Faverges in eastern France, derived from Old French faverge meaning "forge".

Favero Italian
Variant of Fabbri.

Favre French
Southern French variant of Fèvre.

Favreau French
Diminutive of Favre.

Fay 1 French, English
Referred to a person who came from various places named Fay or Faye in northern France, derived from Old French fau "beech tree", from Latin fagus.

Fay 2 English
From a nickname for a person who was thought to have magical qualities, from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted".

Fazekas Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "potter" in Hungarian.

Fear English
Derived from Middle English feare meaning "friend, comrade".

Fehér Hungarian
Means "white" in Hungarian, originally referring to a person with white hair or complexion.

Feigenbaum German, Jewish
Means "fig tree" in German.

Fejes Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian fej meaning "head", originally a nickname applied to a stubborn person.

Fekete Hungarian
Means "black" in Hungarian, originally a nickname for a person with dark hair or a dark complexion.

Feld German, Jewish
Means "field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.

Feldt German, Danish, Swedish
North German, Danish and Swedish variant of Feld.

Feliciano Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Feliciano.

Felipe Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
From the given name Felipe.

Félix French, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Felix.

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

Feng 2 Chinese
From Chinese 凤 (fèng) meaning "phoenix, fire bird, fenghuang".

Fenn English
From a name for someone who dwelt near a marsh, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp, bog".

Fenstermacher German
Means "window maker" in German.

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

Ferber German
Variant of Färber.

Ferguson Irish, Scottish
Means "son of Fergus".

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".

Fernandes Portuguese
Means "son of Fernando".

Fernández Spanish
Means "son of Fernando". This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Fernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Fernández.

Ferrara Italian
Italian form of Ferreira.

Ferrari Italian
Occupational name for a metalworker or smith, derived from Latin ferrarius, a derivative of ferrum meaning "iron".

Ferraro Italian
Variant of Ferrari.

Ferreira Portuguese, Galician
Denoted a person from a town named because it was near an iron mine, from Latin ferrum meaning "iron".

Ferreiro Galician
Galician cognate of Ferrari.

Ferrer Catalan
Catalan cognate of Ferrari.

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

Ferreyra Portuguese, Galician
Variant of Ferreira.

Ferri Italian
Variant of Ferro.

Ferro Italian, Spanish
Means "iron", ultimately from Latin ferrum. This was an occupational name for one who worked with iron.

Fertig German
Means "ready, prepared" in German.

Fèvre French
Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.

Field English
Variant of Fields.

Fields English
Name for a person who lived on or near a field or pasture, from Old English feld.

Fierro Spanish, Italian
Variant of Ferro.

Figueroa Spanish
From places named for Galician figueira meaning "fig tree".

Filep Hungarian
From the given name Fülöp.

Filip um Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak
Derived from the given name Filip.

Filipek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Filip.

Filipović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Filip".