Browse Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the gender is unisex; and the order is random.
usage
gender
Brankovič Slovene
Slovene form of Branković.
Kaur Indian (Sikh)
Means "princess", ultimately from Sanskrit कुमारी (kumārī) meaning "girl". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh female followers the surname Kaur and all males Singh. In many instances, it is also used as a middle name with the family name serving as the surname.
Kurosawa Japanese
From Japanese (kuro) meaning "black" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh". A notable bearer was Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), a Japanese film director.
Derichs German
Means "son of Dirk".
Michaels English
Derived from the given name Michael.
Murdoch Scottish
Scottish form of Murdock.
Chai Chinese
From Chinese (chái) meaning "firewood".
Simon English, French, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Simon 1.
Durnin Irish
From Irish Ó Doirnáin meaning "descendant of Doirnín", a given name meaning "little fist".
Keo Khmer
Means "glass" in Khmer.
Padmore English
Originally indicated a person from Padmore in England, derived from Old English padde "toad" and mor "moor, marsh".
Guzmán Spanish
From the name of the town of Guzmán in Burgos, Spain. The town's name itself may be derived from an old Visigothic given name, from the Germanic elements *gautaz "a Geat" and *mannô "person, man".
Seaver English
From the unattested Old English given name Sæfaru, derived from the Old English elements "sea, ocean" and faru "journey".
Araya Spanish
Denoted a person from Araia in the Basque Country, Spain. It is of uncertain meaning.
Kobayashi Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" and (hayashi) meaning "forest".
Triggs English
From a byname derived from Old Norse tryggr meaning "true, loyal".
Hamm English
Means "river meadow" in Old English.
Amsel 2 German
Means "blackbird" in German.
Joiner English
Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).
McReynolds Scottish, Irish
Means "son of Reynold" in Gaelic.
Cruyssen Dutch
From the name of a place in the Netherlands, derived from kruis "cross".
Demirović Bosnian
Means "son of Demir".
Sanchez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Sánchez.
Ó Briain Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Brien.
Sauber German
Means "clean, tidy" in German.
Baron English, French
From the title of nobility, derived from Latin baro (genitive baronis) meaning "man, freeman", possibly from Frankish barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or acted like a baron.
Fairclough English
From a place name meaning "fair ravine, fair cliff" in Old English.
Major 2 Hungarian
Hungarian form of Meyer 1.
Minett English
From the medieval given name Minna.
Amantea Italian
From the name of a town in Calabria, Italy. It is possibly derived from Arabic (dating from the Arab raids of the 9th century) meaning "the fortress".
Barta Hungarian
From the given name Barta.
Nespoli Italian
From the name of towns such as Nespoli and Nespoledo, derived from Italian nespola meaning "medlar (tree)".
Boon 2 English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Bohon, in Manche in France. The town's name is of unknown origin.
Afolayan Yoruba
Means "walks like a wealthy person, walks with confidence" in Yoruba.
Chowdhury Bengali
Bengali form of Chaudhary.
Albu Romanian
From Romanian alb meaning "white".
Gavrilović Serbian
Means "son of Gavrilo".
Rice Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.
Doctor English
Originally denoted someone who was a doctor, ultimately from Latin doctor meaning "teacher".
Camus French
Means "flat-nosed" in French. A notable bearer was the French philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960).
Ó Seighin Irish
Means "descendant of Seighin". The given name Seighin means "small hawk" from Old Irish séigene.
Nazarian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Նազարյան (see Nazaryan).
Morita Japanese
From Japanese (mori) meaning "forest" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Karlsson Swedish
Means "son of Karl".
Paget English, French
Diminutive of Page.
Descoteaux French
Means "from the hillside", from French coteau "hillside".
Mały Polish
Polish cognate of Malý.
Feigenbaum German, Jewish
Means "fig tree" in German.
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".
Van der Aart Dutch
Means "from the earth", derived from Dutch aarde "earth". It perhaps referred to either an earth bank or to a farmer.
Mingo Spanish
From the given name Domingo.
Booth English
Topographic name derived from Middle English both meaning "hut, stall".
Sturm German
Means "storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.
Miguel Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Miguel.
Popa Romanian
From Romanian popă "priest", from Old Church Slavic popŭ. This is the most common surname in Romania.
Cao Chinese
From Chinese (cáo) referring to the ancient state of Cao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
Cuoco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.
Wheeler English
Occupational name for a maker of wagon wheels, derived from Middle English whele "wheel".
Ó Loingsigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Lynch.
Modugno Italian
From the town of Modugno, in Apulia in southern Italy. It is the surname of the Italian actor and singer Domenico Modugno (1928-1994).
Poingdestre Jèrriais
Jèrriais form of Poindexter.
Battaglia Italian
From a nickname meaning "battle" in Italian.
Fortune English
From Middle English, ultimately from Latin fortuna meaning "fortune, luck, chance". This was possibly a nickname for a gambler.
Magorian Irish
Possibly a variant of McGowan or McGovern.
I Korean
Variant of Lee 2.
Sanna Italian
From Italian sanna or zanna meaning "tusk, fang", a nickname for a person with a protruding tooth. It is especially common on Sardinia.
Kevorkian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Գեւորգյան (see Gevorgyan).
Courtenay 1 English
From the name of towns in France that were originally derivatives of the Gallo-Roman personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short".
Mikkelsen Danish
Means "son of Mikkel".
Traves English
English variant of Travers.
Perkins English
Means "son of Perkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.
Kartal Turkish
From a nickname meaning "eagle" in Turkish.
Porsche German
Possibly derived from German Bursche meaning "boy, servant" or from the given name Boris.
Palmeiro Portuguese
Portuguese form of Palmer.
Samuels English
Derived from the given name Samuel.
Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".
Penzik Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.
Román Spanish
From the given name Román.
Medeiros Portuguese
From various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese medeiro meaning "haystack", ultimately from Latin meta meaning "cone, pyramid".
Clifton English
Derived from various place names meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English.
Meyer 2 Jewish
From Hebrew מֵאִיר (meir) meaning "enlightened".
Kövér Hungarian
Means "fat" in Hungarian.
Ó Comhraidhe Irish
Means "descendant of Comhraidhe", in which the given name Comhraidhe is of unknown meaning.
Alink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Ale 2" in Dutch.
Lindsay English, Scottish
From the region of Lindsey in Lincolnshire, which means "Lincoln island" in Old English.
Traylor English
Meaning unknown.
Ó Cinnéidigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kennedy.
Ashley English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and leah "woodland, clearing".
Hooper English
Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.
Barsamian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Պարսամյան (see Parsamyan).
Wild English, German
Means "wild, untamed, uncontrolled", derived from Old English wilde. This was either a nickname for a person who behaved in a wild manner or a topographic name for someone who lived on overgrown land.
McKendrick Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacEanruig meaning "son of Eanraig".
Barre French
French cognate of Barr.
Sandu Romanian
From the given name Sandu.
Nixon English
Means "son of Nick". A famous bearer was the American president Richard Nixon (1913-1994).
Bernardi Italian
From the given name Bernardo.
Haight English
Topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, derived from Old English heahþu "height, summit".
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).
Kwan Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Guan.
Fiore Italian
Derived from the given name Fiore.
Howell Welsh
From the Welsh given name Hywel.
Lorenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.
Sorg German
Variant of Sorge.
Mahmoud Arabic, Persian
From the given name Mahmud.
Király Hungarian
Means "king" in Hungarian, of Slavic origin (a cognate of Król).
Azarola Basque
Possibly from Basque azeri meaning "fox".
Mark 1 English
Derived from the given name Mark.
Amato Italian
From the given name Amato.
Farro Italian
Derived from the name of a place on Sicily, Italy, derived from Latin far meaning "wheat, spelt".
Saqqaf Arabic
From Arabic سقف (saqaf) meaning "roof".
Borbély Hungarian
Hungarian cognate of Barber.
Nikula Finnish
From the given name Niku, a Finnish form of Nicholas.
Kundert German
Derived from the given name Konrad.
Philippe French
From the given name Philippe.
Abeln German
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Albert.
Garner 1 English
From Old French gernier meaning "granary", a derivative of Latin granum meaning "grain". This name could refer to a person who worked at a granary or lived near one.
Hino Japanese
From Japanese (hi) meaning "sun, day" or (hi) meaning "fire" and (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Jakobsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jakob".
Friedrich German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.
Herrero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Ferrari.
Teahan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Téacháin meaning "descendant of Téachán". The given name Téachán possibly means "fugitive".
Finley Scottish
Anglicized (typically American) form of MacFhionnlaigh.
Sultan Arabic
From a nickname meaning "sultan, ruler" in Arabic.
Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.
Tsui Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xu 1.
Peng Chinese
From Chinese (péng) referring to the ancient state of Peng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Jiangsu province.
Grasso Italian
Means "fat" in Italian, originally a nickname for a stout person. It is derived from Latin crassus.
Peltola Finnish
From Finnish pelto meaning "field" with the suffix -la indicating a place.
Kasprzak Polish
Means "son of Kacper".
Ottosson Swedish
Means "son of Otto".
Grahn Swedish
From Swedish gran meaning "spruce".
Imai Japanese
From Japanese (ima) meaning "now, present" and (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".
Altink Dutch
Variant of Alting.
Szántó Hungarian
Occupational name for a ploughman or tiller, derived from Hungarian szánt meaning "to plow".
Ojala Finnish, Estonian
From Finnish and Estonian oja meaning "ditch, channel, brook" with the suffix -la indicating a place.
Kinsley English
From 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".
Narang Hindi
From the name of a Pakistani town that was in undivided India.
Otero Spanish
Means "hill, knoll, height" in Spanish.
Ryland English
From various English place names, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and land "land".
Priede Latvian
Means "pine tree" in Latvian.
Giese German, Danish
Derived from a short form of the given name Giselbert or other Old German names beginning with the element gisal meaning "pledge, hostage".
Derrick English
Derived from the given name Derrick (see Derek). A famous bearer of this surname is the character Stephan Derrick from the German television series Derrick (1974-1998).
Ayers 1 English
From Middle English eir meaning "heir".
Mac Maghnuis Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McManus.
Macías Spanish
Derived from the given name Mateo.
McIntosh Scottish
From Scottish Gaelic Mac an Tòisich meaning "son of the chief".
Colquhoun Scottish
From a place name meaning "narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.
Kozel um Belarusian, Czech
Belarusian and Czech cognate of Kozioł.
Small English
From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.
Pleško Slovene
Nickname for a bald person, from Slovene pleša meaning "bald patch".
Shepherd English
Occupational name meaning "shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English sceaphyrde.
Mendel 1 Jewish
Derived from the given name Mendel.
Rubio Spanish
Nickname for a person with red hair, from Latin rubeus "red".
Sessa Italian
Originally indicated a person from from Sessa or Sessa Cilento, Italy (from Latin Suessa, of uncertain meaning).
Bruno Italian, Portuguese
Means "brown" in Italian and Portuguese, a nickname for a person with brown hair or brown clothes. A famous bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).
Bradshaw English
From any of the places by this name in England, derived from Old English brad "broad" and sceaga "thicket".
De Jong Dutch
Means "young" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch jonc. This is the most common surname in the Netherlands.
O'Connor Irish
From Irish Ó Conchobhair meaning "descendant of Conchobar".
Krawczyk Polish
From a diminutive of krawiec meaning "tailor".
Abramson English
Means "son of Abraham".
Böhler German
Derived from the name of several German towns called Boll or Böhl, meaning "hill".
Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.
Ruskin 2 English
From a diminutive of the feminine given name Rose.
Silva Portuguese, Spanish
From Spanish or Portuguese silva meaning "forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.
Bourke English
Variant of Burke.
Gustafsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustaf". The actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was originally named Greta Gustafsson.
Webb English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".
Morais Portuguese
Portuguese cognate of Morales.
D'Ovidio Italian
From the given name Ovidio.
Gheorghe Romanian
Derived from the given name Gheorghe.
Duguay French
Means "from the ford", from French gué "ford".
Alesini Italian
Means "son of Alesino", a diminutive of Alessio.
Regan Irish
Variant of Reagan.
Van Rijn Dutch
Means "from the Rhine". A famous bearer was the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669).
Thatcher English
Referred to a person who thatched roofs by attaching straw to them, derived from Old English þæc meaning "thatch, roof". A famous bearer was the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).
Mills English
Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.
Leslie Scottish
From a Scottish clan name, earlier Lesselyn, derived from a place name in Aberdeenshire, itself probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly".
Vasile Romanian
Derived from the given name Vasile.
Demir Turkish
Means "iron" in Turkish, originally referring to an ironworker.
Hermann German
From the given name Hermann.
Ó Sirideáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Sheridan.
Haraguchi Japanese
From Japanese (hara) meaning "field, plain" and (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".
Metzger German
Means "butcher" in German.
Milojević Serbian
Means "son of Miloje".
Van Assen Dutch
Means "from Assen", a city in the Netherlands, which is possibly from essen meaning "ash trees".
Miura Japanese
From Japanese (mi) meaning "three" and (ura) meaning "bay, inlet".
Antonescu Romanian
Means "son of Anton".
Tolbert English
Possibly from a Germanic given name of unknown meaning. The second element of the name is derived from beraht meaning "bright, famous".
Dumitrescu Romanian
Means "son of Dumitru".
Anjema Frisian
Denoted a person from the village of Anjum in the Netherlands. It possibly means "corner" in Dutch.
Pastore Italian
Means "shepherd" in Italian.
Stanford English
Derived from various English place names meaning "stone ford" in Old English.
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.
Lundberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and berg meaning "mountain".
Lorenzo Spanish
From the given name Lorenzo.
Gibson English, Scottish
Means "son of Gib".
Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.
De Lorenzo Italian
Means "son of Lorenzo".
Salih Arabic
From the given name Salih.
Tindall English
From Tindale, the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from the name of the river Tyne combined with Old English dæl "dale, valley".
Lee 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".
Amundsen Norwegian
Means "son of Amund". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928).
Matić Croatian
Means "son of Matija".
Vervloet Flemish
Means "from the stream" in Dutch.
Dennis English
From the given name Dennis.
Thrussell English
From Old English þrostle meaning "song thrush", referring to a cheerful person.
Pozzi Italian
From Italian pozzo meaning "well, pit", derived from Latin puteus.
Ayodele Yoruba
From the given name Ayodele.
Sciacca Italian
Originally denoted someone from Sciacca, Sicily, Italy, which is of uncertain origin.
Chiba Japanese
From Japanese (chi) meaning "thousand" and (ha) meaning "leaf".
Penzig Yiddish
Denoted a person who came from Penzig, the German name for Pieńsk, a town in southwest Poland. It is derived from Polish pień meaning "stump, tree trunk".
Lager Swedish
Means "laurel" in Swedish.
Groos German
Variant of Groß.
Etxebarria Basque
Original Basque form of Echeverría.
Lynn English
From the name of a town in Norfolk (King's Lynn), derived from Welsh llyn meaning "lake".
Blanxart Catalan
Catalan form of Blanchard.
McEachern Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Eachairn.
Watanabe Japanese
From Japanese (wata) meaning "cross, ferry" and (nabe) meaning "area, place".
Vogt German
Occupational name from Middle High German voget meaning "bailiff, administrator, steward", ultimately from Latin advocatus.
Arias Spanish
Possibly derived from a medieval given name of Germanic origin.
MacEalair Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McKellar.
Isaacson English
Means "son of Isaac".
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.
Dudek um Polish, Czech
Means "hoopoe (bird)" in Polish and Czech.
Bajusz Hungarian
Means "moustache" in Hungarian.
Troy English
Originally denoted a person from the city of Troyes in France.
Segal 1 Jewish
From the Hebrew phrase סגן לויה (seḡan Lewiya) meaning "assistant Levite".
Hashemi Persian
From the given name Hashem.
Jassim Arabic
From the given name Jasim.
Ó Corra Irish
Means "descendant of Corra" in Irish. The given name Corra means "spear".
Kubo Japanese
From Japanese (ku) meaning "long time ago" and (ho) meaning "protect".
Smith English
Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).
Schorel Dutch
Variant of Schoorl.
Sinclair English
Derived from a Norman French town called "Saint Clair".
Winther Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish variant of Winter.
Yakovenko Ukrainian
Derived from the given name Yakiv.
Vespa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wasp".
Hébert French
Derived from the given name Herbert.
Bautista Spanish
Derived from the given name Bautista.
Cunningham 2 Irish
From Irish Ó Cuinneagáin meaning "descendant of Cuinneagán", a diminutive of Conn.
Lowry English, Scottish
From a diminutive of the given name Laurence 1.
Corrà Italian
From a short form of the given name Corrado.
Piątek Polish
Means "Friday" in Polish, derived from the word piąty meaning "fifth".
Blomgren Swedish
From Swedish blomma (Old Norse blóm) meaning "flower" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".
Severijns Dutch
Derived from the Latin given name Severinus.
Van der Veen Dutch
Means "from the swamp", from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat". It originally indicated a person who resided in a peat district or fen colony.
Stjepanić Croatian
Means "son of Stjepan".
Adolfs Dutch
Means "son of Adolf".
Ávila Spanish
From the name of the city of Ávila in Spain. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly of Punic or Celtic origin.
Wyndham English
From the name of the town of Wymondham, meaning "home belonging to Wigmund", from the given name Wigmund combined with Old English ham meaning "home, settlement".
Fleischer German
Occupational name meaning "butcher" in German.
Hiramatsu Japanese
From Japanese (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree".
Mei Chinese
From Chinese (méi) meaning "plum, apricot".
Humphreys English
Derived from the given name Humphrey.
Morales Spanish
Derived from Spanish moral meaning "mulberry tree", of Latin origin.
Oomen Dutch
Patronymic derived from Middle Dutch oom meaning "(maternal) uncle".
Nguyễn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Ruan, from Sino-Vietnamese (nguyễn). This is the most common Vietnamese surname, accounting for over a third of the population.
Shaw 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived near a prominent thicket, from Old English sceaga meaning "thicket, copse".
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.
Sweeney Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Suibhne.
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.
Van Baarle Dutch
Means "from Baarle", a town in both the Netherlands and Belgium.
Poindexter English
From the Jèrriais surname Poingdestre meaning "right fist".
Naggi Italian
Originally denoted a person from the town of Naggio in Lombardy, Italy.
Victors English
Derived from the given name Victor.
Dudley English
From a place name meaning "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.
Negrescu Romanian
Patronymic derived from Romanian negru "black".
Joosten Dutch
Derived from the given name Joost.