Hussein ArabicFrom the given name
Husayn. A famous bearer was the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (1937-2006).
Ionesco RomanianVariant of
Ionescu. French-Romanian playwright Eugène Ionesco (1909-1994), born
Ionescu, is a famous bearer of this surname.
Jackson EnglishMeans
"son of Jack". Famous bearers of this name include the American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and the singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
Janvier FrenchEither from the given name
Janvier or the French word
janvier meaning
"January", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.
Jeffers EnglishPatronymic from the given name
Jeffrey. A famous bearer was poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962).
Jenkins EnglishFrom the given name
Jenkin, a diminutive of
Jen, itself a Middle English form of
John.
Johnson EnglishMeans
"son of John". Famous bearers include American presidents Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).
Kästner GermanMeans
"cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German
kaste "box".
Katırcı TurkishDerived from Turkish
katır meaning
"mule", a name for a person who made transports by mule.
Kearney IrishFrom the Irish name
Ó Ceithearnaigh meaning
"descendant of Ceithearnach", a given name meaning "warrior".
Kellogg EnglishOccupational name for a pig butcher, from Middle English
killen "to kill" and
hog "pig, swine, hog".
Kendall EnglishDerived 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".
Kennedy IrishFrom the Irish name
Ó Cinnéidigh meaning
"descendant of Cennétig". This surname was borne by assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963).
Kerekes HungarianOccupational name for a maker of wheels, from Hungarian
kerék meaning
"wheel".
Kilduff IrishFrom the Irish
Mac Giolla Dhuibh meaning
"son of the black-haired man".
Kinsley EnglishFrom the name of a town in West Yorkshire, meaning "clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name
Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with
cyne meaning "royal".
Kipling EnglishFrom the name of a town in Yorkshire, of Old English origin meaning "Cyppel's people", from a given name
Cyppel of unknown meaning. A famous bearer of this name was the author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936).
Kistler GermanOccupational name meaning
"chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German
kiste.
Kitchen EnglishOccupational name for a person who worked in a kitchen (of a monastery for example), derived from Old English
cycene, ultimately from Latin
coquina.
Kneller GermanOriginally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German
knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".
Knowles EnglishFrom Middle English
knoll, Old English
cnoll meaning
"small hill, knoll". A famous bearer is American singer Beyoncé Knowles (1981-).
Koizumi JapaneseFrom Japanese
小 (ko) meaning "small" and
泉 (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain". A notable bearer of this name is Junichiro Koizumi (1942-), who was Prime Minister of Japan.
Kopitar SloveneFrom Slovene
kopito meaning
"hoof", an occupational name for a shoer.
Korošec SloveneOriginally indicated a person from Koroška (Carinthia), a medieval Slovene state, now divided between Slovenia and Austria.
Kravitz JewishOccupational name derived from Polish
krawiec meaning
"tailor".
Krückel GermanNickname for a crippled person or someone who walked with a cane, from Middle High German
krücke meaning
"cane".
Küchler GermanOccupational surname for a baker who made small cakes or cookies, derived from Middle High German
kuoche "cake, pastry".
Kulmala FinnishFrom Finnish
kulma meaning
"corner" with the suffix
-la indicating a place.
Kumięga PolishPossibly from Polish
kum "godfather, friend" or
komięga "raft, barge".
Lacroix FrenchMeans
"the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.
Lagorio ItalianFrom a nickname derived from Ligurian
lagö, referring to a type of lizard, the European green lizard. This little reptile is respected because it supposedly protects against vipers.
Langdon EnglishDerived from the name of various places, of Old English origin meaning
"long hill" (effectively
"ridge").
Langley 1 EnglishFrom any of the various places with this name, all derived from Old English
lang "long" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Laporte FrenchMeans
"the door, the gateway" in French, from Latin
porta. This was a name for someone who lived near the town gates or who operated them.
Laterza ItalianFrom the name of the town of Laterza near Taranto in Apulia. It is typical of southern Italy.
Laurito ItalianFrom the name of the town of Laurito, near Salerno in the area of Naples.
Lavigne FrenchMeans
"the vineyard" in French, referring to a person who lived close to a vineyard, or was from the town of Lavigny.
Leavitt EnglishFrom the name of various places called Livet in Normandy, France. They are possibly of Gaulish origin.
Leblanc FrenchMeans
"the white" in French, from
blanc "white". The name referred to a person who was pale or whose hair was blond.
Lecomte FrenchMeans
"the count" in French, a nickname for someone in the service of a count or for someone who behaved like one.
Lécuyer FrenchFrom French
écuyer meaning
"squire, shield-bearer", from Latin
scutarius, a derivative of
scutum "shield".
Ledford EnglishFrom the name of English places called
Lydford, derived from
hlud meaning "loud, noisy" and
ford meaning "ford, river crossing".
Lefèvre FrenchOccupational name meaning
"blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin
faber.
Lehmann GermanFrom Middle High German
lehenman meaning
"vassal, liege man".
Leitner GermanReferred to one who lived on a hillside, from Middle High German
lite "slope".
Leitzke GermanEither from
Leitzkau, the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt, or from a diminutive of the given name
Leutz, a variant of
Lutz.
Lemaire FrenchMeans
"the mayor" in French. It was a title given to a town official, or else a nickname for someone who was pompous and officious.
Lémieux FrenchDerived from the place name
Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.
Lemoine FrenchMeans
"the monk" in French. This was typically a nickname or an occupational name for a person who worked in a monastery.
Lincoln EnglishOriginally 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.
Linwood EnglishOriginally from place names meaning "linden tree forest" in Old English.
Lithgow ScottishHabitation name meaning derived from Brythonic roots meaning "pool hollow". A famous bearer of this name is actor John Lithgow (1945-).
Löfgren SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
löv (Old Norse
lauf) meaning "leaf" and
gren (Old Norse
grein) meaning "branch".
MacBeth ScottishDerived from the Gaelic given name
Mac Beatha meaning "son of life", which denoted a man of religious devotion. This was the name of an 11th-century Scottish king, and the name of a play based on his life by William Shakespeare.
Machado Portuguese, SpanishDenoted a person who made or used hatchets, derived from Spanish and Portuguese
machado "hatchet", both from Latin
marculus "little hammer".
Madison EnglishMeans
"son of Maud". A famous bearer of this surname was the fourth American president James Madison (1751-1836).
Mallory EnglishFrom Old French
maleüré meaning
"unfortunate", a term introduced to England by the Normans.
Mandela XhosaPossibly from Xhosa
mandla meaning
"district, region". This name was borne by the South African activist and president Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). His family's surname was apparently adopted in the 18th century from an ancestor's given name.
Marsden EnglishFrom a place name derived from Old English
mearc "boundary" and
denu "valley".
Marston EnglishFrom a place name derived from Old English
mersc "marsh" and
tun "enclosure".
Mathers EnglishOccupational name meaning
"mower, cutter of hay" in Old English.
Maxwell ScottishFrom a place name meaning "Mack's stream", from the name
Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name
Magnus, combined with Old English
wille "well, stream". A famous bearer was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.
McGuire IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Mag Uidhir meaning
"son of Odhar", a given name meaning "pale-coloured".
Meadows EnglishReferred to one who lived in a meadow, from Old English
mædwe.
Mencher PolishPossibly an occupational name derived from Polish
maczarz meaning
"miller".
Mercado SpanishMeans
"market" in Spanish, originally given to a person who lived near a market or worked in one.
Merrill 2 EnglishFrom the name of various places in England, derived from Old English
myrige "pleasant" and
hyll "hill".
Messina ItalianFrom the name of the Sicilian city of Messina, founded by Greek colonists. The city was named after the Greek city
Μεσσήνη (Messene).
Messner GermanOccupational name for a sexton or churchwarden, from Old High German
mesinari.
Midgley EnglishFrom the English village of Midgley in West Yorkshire, meaning "midge (insect) wood" in Old English.
Milburn EnglishDerived from various place names meaning "mill stream" in Old English.
Milford EnglishOriginally derived from various place names all meaning "ford by a mill" in Old English.
Miranda Spanish, PortugueseHabitational name from any of the numerous places in Spain and Portugal bearing this name, possibly derived from Latin
mirandus "admirable, wonderful". A notable bearer was the Portuguese-born Brazilian singer and actress Carmen Miranda (1909-1955).
Modugno ItalianFrom the town of Modugno, in Apulia in southern Italy. It is the surname of the Italian actor and singer Domenico Modugno (1928-1994).
Moffett ScottishFrom the town of Moffat in Scotland, meaning "long field" in Gaelic.
Moloney IrishFrom Irish
Ó Maol Dhomhnaigh meaning
"descendant of a church servant".
Monahan IrishFrom Irish
Ó Manacháin meaning
"descendant of Manacháin". The given name
Manacháin meant "little monk", from
manach "monk" and a diminutive suffix.
Montero SpanishMeans
"hunter" in Spanish, an agent derivative of
monte meaning "mountain, wilderness".
Montoya SpanishFrom 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".
Morales SpanishDerived from Spanish
moral meaning
"mulberry tree", of Latin origin.
Mushyan ArmenianOriginally denoted someone who came from the Armenian town of Mushi.
Namgung KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
南 (nam) meaning "south" combined with
宮 (gung) meaning "palace, house". This is the most common Korean compound surname.