Browse Surnames

Nathans Jewish
Derived from the given name Nathan.

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".

Nazario Italian
From the given name Nazario.

Negrini Italian
Variant of Negri.

Nespola Italian
Variant of Nespoli.

Nespoli Italian
From the name of towns such as Nespoli and Nespoledo, derived from Italian nespola meaning "medlar (tree)".

Neumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German niuwe and man meaning "new man, newcomer".

Neville English, Irish
From the names of towns in Normandy, variously Neuville or Néville, meaning "new town" in French.

Newport English
Given to one who came from the town of Newport (which means simply "new port"), which was the name of several English towns.

Nichols English
Derived from the given name Nichol.

Nicolai Italian
Means "son of Nicola 1".

Nicolas French
Derived from the given name Nicolas.

Nicosia Italian
From the name of the town of Nicosia on Sicily.

Nielsen Danish
Means "son of Niels 1".

Nielson English
Variant of Nelson 1.

Niemelä Finnish
From Finnish niemi meaning "peninsula, cape" with the suffix -la indicating a place.

Niftrik Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Nikolić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Nikola 1".

Nilsson Swedish
Means "son of Nils".

Nizzola Italian
From the name of the Italian town of Nizzola near Modena.

Noguchi Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Noguera Spanish, Catalan
Spanish and Catalan form of Nogueira.

Norberg Swedish
Variant of Nordberg.

Norling Swedish
Originally denoted a person who came from the north.

Normand French
French form of Norman.

Norwood English
Originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.

Novosel Croatian
Means "new settler" in Croatian.

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.

Nykvist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

Nyquist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

Nyqvist Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Nyström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

O'Beirne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Ó Braoin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Breen.

Ó Briain Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Brien.

Ó Caoimh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Keefe.

O'Connor Irish
From Irish Ó Conchobhair meaning "descendant of Conchobar".

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

Ó Floinn Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Flynn.

O'Gorman Irish
Variant of Gorman 2.

Ó hAodha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Hayes 2.

Ó hÉidín Irish
Means "descendant of Éidín" in Irish. The given name Éidín is a diminutive of éideadh meaning "clothes, armour".

Ó hÓgáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Hogan.

Okamoto Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

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

Okazaki Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Okonkwo Igbo
From the given name Okonkwo.

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).

Olivier French
Derived from the given name Olivier.

Oliynyk Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian олія (oliya) meaning "oil, fat".

Ó Máille Irish
Means "descendant of a nobleman" from the Irish Gaelic mál.

O'Malley Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Máille.

O'Mooney Irish
From the Irish Ó Maonaigh meaning "descendant of Maonaigh". The given name Maonaigh means "wealthy".

Ó Móráin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Moran.

Opeyemi Yoruba
From the given name Opeyemi.

Oquendo Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Okondo in Álava, northern Spain, possibly derived from Basque ukondo "elbow".

O'Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.

Orlando Italian
Derived from the given name Orlando.

Ormonde Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Ó Rodagh Irish
Means "descendant of Rodach" in Irish. The given name Rodach is derived from from Irish rod meaning "spirited, furious".

Ó Ruaidh Irish
Means "descendant of Ruadh" in Irish.

Osborne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

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

Østberg Norwegian
Norwegian form of Östberg.

Ó Suaird Irish
Means "descendant of Suart" in Irish. Suart is derived from the Old Norse name Sigurd.

Ó Taidhg Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Teague 1.

Ottosen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Otto".

Oursler German
Originally a name designating a person from Ursel (now Oberursel) in Hesse, Germany.

Overton English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in England called Overton, meaning "upper settlement" or "riverbank settlement" in Old English.

Pacheco Spanish, Portuguese
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Francisco.

Padilla Spanish
From various Spanish place names, derived from Spanish padilla, Latin patella meaning "shallow dish", used to indicate a depression in the landscape.

Padmore English
Originally indicated a person from Padmore in England, derived from Old English padde "toad" and mor "moor, marsh".

Padovan Italian
Regional variant of Padovano.

Paisley Scottish
From the name of a town near Glasgow, which may ultimately be derived from Latin basilica "church".

Palacio Spanish
Spanish cognate of Palazzo.

Palazzo Italian
Means "palace" in Italian, from Latin palatium. It was originally used by someone who lived near a palace or mansion, or who worked there.

Palomer Provençal
Means "pigeon keeper" from Latin palumbes "pigeon".

Palumbo Italian
From Italian palombo meaning "pigeon" (also "dogfish"). This form is typical of southern Italy.

Panders Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Pantoja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Pantoja, in Toledo, Spain.

Paredes Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who lived near a wall, from Portuguese parede and Spanish pared meaning "wall", both derived from Latin paries.

Parkins English
Means "son of Parkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Parrino Sicilian
From a Sicilian variant of Italian padrino meaning "godfather".

Parrish English
Variant of Parish 1.

Parsons English
Originally denoted a son of a parson, a derivative of Latin persona "person".

Pascual Spanish
From the given name Pascual.

Pastore Italian
Means "shepherd" in Italian.

Pásztor Hungarian
Means "shepherd" in Hungarian.

Patrick English
From the given name Patrick.

Paulsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Paul".

Paulson English
Means "son of Paul".

Pauwels Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Paul".

Pavičić Croatian
Means "son of Pavao".

Pavlyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Pavlo.

Peacock English
From Middle English pecok meaning "peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.

Pearson English
Variant of Pierson.

Peeters Dutch, Flemish
Dutch and Flemish variant of Peters.

Peltola Finnish
From Finnish pelto meaning "field" with the suffix -la indicating a place.

Penders Dutch
From Middle Dutch paender meaning "brewer", derived from panne meaning "pan, pot", ultimately from Latin patina.

Penners Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Pereira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".

Pereiro Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Pereyra Portuguese, Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Perkins English
Means "son of Perkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Perrier French
Occupational name for a person who worked with stone, derived from French pierre meaning "stone", from Latin petra, Greek πέτρα (petra).

Persson Swedish
Means "son of Per".

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.

Pherigo French (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Périgord.

Philips English, Dutch
Means "son of Philip". Famous bearers of this surname were Frederick Philips (1830-1900) and his son Gerard (1858-1942), the Dutch founders of the company Philips.

Picasso Italian
From Italian pica meaning "magpie". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. The Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.

Piccoli Italian
Nickname for a short person, from Italian piccolo "small".

Pichler Upper German
From Bavarian Bühel meaning "hill".

Pierson English
Means "son of Piers".

Pilgrim English, German
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

Piontek Polish
Variant of Piątek.

Piovene Italian
From the name of the town of Piovene Rocchette in Veneto, Italy.

Piraino Italian
From the name of the town of Piraino on Sicily.

Pittman English
Variant of Pitt.

Planche French
French form of Plank.

Planque French
French form of Plank.

Plourde French
Possibly derived from French palourde, a type of a shellfish.

Poirier French
Means "pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.

Pokorni Hungarian
Hungarian form of Pokorný.

Pokorny Polish
Polish form of Pokorný.

Poletti Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Paolo. This name is typical of northern and central Italy.

Pollock Scottish
From the name of a place in Renfrewshire, Scotland, derived from a diminutive of Gaelic poll meaning "pool, pond, bog". A famous bearer was the American artist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956).

Popescu Romanian
Patronymic derived from Romanian popă "priest". This is the second most common surname in Romania.

Popović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the priest", derived from Serbo-Croatian pop meaning "priest".

Poppins Literature
Used by P. L. Travers for the magical nanny in her Mary Poppins series of books, first published in 1934. It is not known how Travers devised the name. She may have had the English words pop or poppet (meaning "young woman") in mind.

Porcher English, French
Means "swineherd" from Old French and Middle English porchier, from Latin porcus "pig".

Porsche German
Possibly derived from German Bursche meaning "boy, servant" or from the given name Boris.

Portner Low German
Low German cognate of Porter.

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

Poulsen Danish
Means "son of Poul".

Presley English
Variant of Priestley. This name was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).

Preston English
Originally derived from various place names meaning "priest town" in Old English.

Prinsen Dutch
Means "son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.

Probert Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Robert, which means "son of Robert".

Profeta Italian
From Italian profeta meaning "prophet". It probably came from a nickname indicating a person who wanted to predict the future. It is typical of southern Italy.

Purcell English
From Old French pourcel "piglet", from Latin porcellus, a derivative of porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.

Pusztai Hungarian
From Hungarian puszta meaning "plain, steppe". The name was given to someone living on a plain.

Quesada Spanish
Habitational name from Quesada, a place in Jaén in southern Spain. The place name is of uncertain derivation; it could be connected to Old Spanish requexada meaning "corner, tight spot".

Quigley Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Coigligh meaning "descendant of Coigleach", a given name meaning "untidy".

Quijada Spanish
Means "jaw" in Spanish, a nickname for someone with a large jaw.

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

Quijote Literature
Spanish form of Quixote.

Quincey English
Variant of Quincy.

Quinlan Irish
From Irish Ó Caoindealbháin, which means "descendant of Caoindealbhán", a given name meaning "handsome form" (using a diminutive suffix).

Quiroga Galician
Originally denoted a person from the town of Quiroga in Galicia, Spain.

Quixada Spanish (Archaic)
Old spelling of Quijada.

Quixano Spanish (Archaic)
Old spelling of Quijano.

Quixote Literature
Created by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes for the main character in his novel Don Quixote (1605), about a nobleman who goes mad after reading too many heroic romances and decides to become a wandering knight under the name Don Quixote. His real name in part one of the book is conjectured to be Quixada or Quesada, though in part two (published 10 years after part one) it is revealed as Alonso Quixano. The Spanish suffix -ote means "large".

Ralston Scottish
Originally denoted a person from Ralston, Scotland, which was derived from the given name Ralph combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Ramaker Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ramires Portuguese
Means "son of Ramiro" in Portuguese.

Ramírez Spanish
Means "son of Ramiro" in Spanish.

Randall English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randell English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randrup Danish
From the name of homesteads in Denmark (in Viborg or Rebild municipalities).

Rantala Finnish
From Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach" with the suffix -la indicating a place.

Raskopf German
Possibly from German rasch "quick" and Kopf "head".

Rattray Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".

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

Readdie English
Variant of Ready 1.

Reardon Irish
Variant of Riordan.

Redondo Spanish
Means "round" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a plump person, ultimately from Latin rotundus.

Renault French
Derived from the given name Renaud.

Rennell English
Variant of Reynolds.

Rennold English
Variant of Reynolds.

Rennoll English
Variant of Reynolds.

Reynaud French
From the given name Reynaud.

Reynell English
Variant of Reynolds.

Ribeiro Portuguese
Means "little river, stream" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".

Richard English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Richard.

Richter German
Means "judge" in German, from Middle High German rihtære.

Rickard English
From the given name Richard.

Rinaldi Italian
Derived from the given name Rinaldo.

Riordan Irish
From Irish Ó Ríoghbhárdáin meaning "descendant of Rígbarddán".

Ritchie Scottish
From a Scottish diminutive of the given name Richard.

Rivière French
French cognate of Rivers.

Robbins English
Derived from the given name Robin.

Roberts English
Means "son of Robert".

Robledo Spanish
Means "oak wood" from Spanish roble "oak", ultimately from Latin robur.

Rodgers English
Derived from the given name Rodger.

Rodrigo Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Rodrigo.

Rolland French
From the given name Roland.

Rollins English
From a diminutive of the given name Roland.

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

Romeijn Dutch
Derived from the given name Romein.

Romilly English, French
Originally denoted a person who came from any of the various places in northern France called Romilly or from Romiley in England.

Rosales Spanish
Means "rose bushes" in Spanish.

Rosário Portuguese
Means "rosary" in Portuguese. This name was often given to people born on the day of the festival of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Rosario Spanish
Spanish form of Rosário.

Rossini Italian
Diminutive form of Rossi. A famous bearer was the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868).

Rostami Persian
Derived from the given name Rostam.

Roussel French
French form of Russell.

Rowland English
Derived from the given name Roland.

Royston English
Originally taken from an Old English place name meaning "Royse's town". The given name Royse was a medieval variant of Rose.

Rudaski Polish (Anglicized)
Americanized variant of Rudawski.

Rudenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian рудий (rudy) meaning "red".

Ruggeri Italian
Derived from the given name Ruggero.

Ruggles English
From a medieval diminutive of the given name Roger.

Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.

Rustici Italian
From Italian rustico meaning "rustic, rural".

Rutgers Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger.

Ruzzier Italian
From a dialectal variant of Ruggiero. It is typical of northeastern Italy, the area around Trieste.

Ryskamp Dutch
Meaning unknown, probably ending with Dutch kamp meaning "camp".

Sadeghi Persian
From the given name Sadegh.

Salamon Hungarian, Polish
Derived from the given name Salamon or Salomon.

Salazar Basque, Spanish
From Spanish sala meaning "hall" and Basque zahar meaning "old". It can also refer to the town of Salazar in Burgos, Spain, which is of the same origin.

Salcedo Spanish
Derived from Latin salix meaning "willow tree". The name was originally given to one who lived near a willow tree.

Salinas Spanish
Occupational name for a salt worker or someone who lived bear a salt works, from Spanish salina "salt works, salt mine", ultimately from Latin sal "salt".

Salomon French, German, Jewish
Derived from the given name Salomon or Salomo.

Salonen Finnish
From Finnish salo meaning "forest".

Salucci Italian
From Italian sale meaning "salt".

Salvage English
Variant of Savage.

Sampson English
Derived from a medieval form of the given name Samson.

Samuels English
Derived from the given name Samuel.

Sánchez Spanish
Means "son of Sancho".

Sanchez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Sánchez.

Sanders English
Patronymic of the given name Sander, a medieval form of Alexander.

Sanford English
Variant of Sandford.

Sansone Italian
Derived from the given name Sansone.

Santana Spanish, Portuguese
From any of the numerous places named after Saint Anna. A famous bearer is the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-).

Santini Italian
Diminutive form of Santo.

Santoro Italian
Means "all saint's day" in Italian, a nickname for one born on that day.

Sargent English
Variant of Sergeant.

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

Sarkozi Hungarian (Anglicized)
Variant of Sárközi.

Sárközy Hungarian
Variant of Sárközi.

Sarkozy Hungarian (Anglicized)
Variant of Sárközy.

Sartini Italian
Diminutive form of Sarto.

Sartore Italian
Variant of Sarto.

Sauvage French
French form of Savage.

Savchuk Ukrainian
From the given name Sava.

Savidge English
Variant of Savage.

Schäfer German
From Old High German scaphare meaning "shepherd".

Schenck German
Variant of Schenk.

Scherer German
Occupational name for a cutter of cloth or a sheep-shearer, from Old High German skeran "to cut".

Schmidt German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker", a cognate of Smith.

Schmitt German
Variant of Schmidt.

Schmitz German
Variant of Schmidt, originating in the Rhine area in western Germany.

Schnell German
German cognate of Snell.

Schnoor German
Variant of Schnur.

Schoorl Dutch
Originally indicated a person from the town of Schoorl in the province of Noord-Holland in the Netherlands. It means "forest by the shore" in Dutch.

Schorel Dutch
Variant of Schoorl.

Schreck German
From Middle High German schrecken meaning "to frighten, to scare".

Schuler German
Means "scholar, student" in German, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school".

Schulte Low German
Low German variant of Schulz.

Schultz German
Variant of Schulz.

Schulze German
Variant of Schulz.

Schwarz German, Jewish
Means "black" in German, from Old High German swarz. It originally described a person with black hair or a dark complexion.

Sciacca Italian
Originally denoted someone from Sciacca, Sicily, Italy, which is of uncertain origin.

Sciarra Italian
From Sicilian sciarra meaning "quarrel, dispute", originally a nickname for a quarrelsome person.

Scriven English
Occupational name meaning "writer, clerk, scribe" in Old French, derived from Latin scriba.

Scrooge Literature
Created by Charles Dickens for the central character in his short novel A Christmas Carol (1843). He probably based it on the rare English word scrouge meaning "to squeeze". In the book Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old man who is visited by three spirits who show him visions of his past, present and future. Since the book's publication, scrooge has been used as a word to mean "miser, misanthrope".

Seegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Seghers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Segreti Italian
From Italian segreto meaning "secret", a nickname for a confidant.

Sempers English
From the name of various towns named Saint Pierre in Normandy, all of which commemorate Saint Peter.

Serafim Portuguese
Derived from the given name Serafim.

Serafin Polish, Italian
Derived from the given name Serafin or Serafino.

Serpico Italian
From a nickname derived from Italian serpe "serpent, reptile".

Serrano Spanish
Variant of Sierra.

Séverin French
Derived from the given name Séverin.

Seymour 1 English
From Saint Maur, a French place name, which commemorates Saint Maurus.

Seymour 2 English
From an English place name, derived from Old English sæ "sea" and mere "lake".

Shannon Irish
From Irish Ó Seanáin meaning "descendant of Seanán".

Shapiro Jewish
Means "pretty, lovely" in Hebrew, from Aramaic.

Sharman English
Variant of Sherman 1.

Sharrow English
Originally a name for someone from Sharrow, England, derived from Old English scearu "boundary" and hoh "point of land, heel".

Shearer English
English cognate of Scherer.

Sheenan Irish
Variant of Shannon.

Shelton English
From the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.

Shepard English
Variant of Shepherd.

Sherazi Urdu
Urdu form of Shirazi.

Sherman 1 English
Means "shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.

Sherman 2 Jewish
Means "tailor" in Yiddish, derived from שער (sher) meaning "scissors".

Shibuya Japanese
From Japanese 渋 (shibu) meaning "astringent, rough" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Shimada Japanese
From Japanese 島 (shima) meaning "island" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Shimizu Japanese
From Japanese 清 (shi) meaning "clear, pure, clean" and 水 (mizu) meaning "water".

Shinoda Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Shirazi Persian
Originally denoted someone who came from the city of Shiraz, located in southern Iran. The city's name is possibly of Elamite origin.

Shirley English
From an English place name, derived from Old English scir "bright" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Shriver German
German cognate of Scriven.

Siddall English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English sid "wide" and halh "nook, recess".

Siebert German
Derived from the given name Siegbert.

Siegert German
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

Siekert German (Rare)
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

Simmons English
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Simonis Dutch, German
Means "son of Simon 1".

Simpkin English
From a diminutive of the given name Simon 1.

Simpson English
Means "son of Sim", Sim being a medieval short form of Simon 1. This is the name of a fictional American family on the animated television series The Simpsons, starting 1989.

Sinagra 1 Italian
Originally denoted a person from Sinagra on Sicily, possibly derived from Latin sinus "inlet" and ager "field".

Sinagra 2 Italian
Derived from the given name Senagora, an Italian form of Xenagoras.

Siskind Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Sjöberg Swedish
From Swedish sjö (Old Norse sær) meaning "lake, sea" and berg meaning "mountain".

Sjögren Swedish
From Swedish sjö (Old Norse sær) meaning "lake, sea" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Skeates English
From the Old Norse nickname or byname skjótr meaning "swift".