Browse Surnames

Penn 2 English
Occupational name for a person who kept penned animals, from Old English penn.

Ziemniak Polish
Means "potato" in Polish.

Herrera Spanish
Spanish form of Ferreira.

Welter German
Derived from the given name Walter.

Bianchi Italian
From Italian bianco meaning "white", originally given to a person who was white-haired or extremely pale.

Brodbeck German
Means "bread baker" from Middle High German brot "bread" and becke "baker".

Ó Seanáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Shannon.

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

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".

Jacquet French
From a diminutive of the given name Jacques.

Spiker Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Spijker 1 or Spijker 2.

Csonka Hungarian
Means "maimed, mutilated" in Hungarian.

Boerio Italian
From Italian boaro meaning "cowherd".

Asís Spanish
Originally denoted a person from the Italian city of Assisi (called Asís in Spanish).

Nevin 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cnáimhín or Ó Cnáimhín.

Carr 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Carra.

Knutson Swedish
Variant of Knutsson.

Arterbury English
Variant of Atteberry.

Garver German
Variant of Gerber.

Stringer English
Occupational name for a maker of string or bow strings, from Old English streng "string".

Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).

Vergoossen Dutch
Means "son of Goswin".

Huffman German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Hoffmann.

Findlay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Lovel English
Variant of Lowell.

Christians English
Derived from the given name Christian.

Kató Hungarian
Derived from a diminutive of the Hungarian feminine given name Katalin.

Chase English
Occupational name for a hunter, from Middle English chase "hunt".

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

Suggitt English
Variant of Southgate.

Moore 3 English
Nickname for a person of dark complexion, from Old French more, Latin maurus, meaning "Moorish".

Van der Wal Dutch
Means "from the wall" in Dutch.

Dijkstra Frisian
Variant of Dykstra.

Fabien French
Derived from the given name Fabien.

Montana Italian
Variant of Montagna.

Chandler English
Occupational name meaning "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin candela via Old French.

Ó Díomasaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Dempsey.

Rieck Low German
Low German form of Reich.

Maguire Irish
Variant of McGuire.

Ó Conaire Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Conroy.

Anselmetti Italian
Means "son of Anselmetto", a diminutive of Anselmo.

Berge Norwegian, German, Swedish
Variant of Berg.

Ward 1 English
Derived from Old English weard meaning "guard, guardian".

Iñíguez Spanish
Variant of Íñiguez.

Gagnon French
Variant of Gagneux.

Rautio Finnish
Means "smith" in Finnish.

Ebrahimi Persian
From the given name Ebrahim.

Jardine English, Scottish
Means "garden", denoting someone who worked as a gardener.

Romão Portuguese
Portuguese form of Romano 1 or Romano 2.

Sneiders Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Snijder.

Ó Murchadha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Murphy.

Darrow Scottish
Habitational name from Darroch near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, said to be named from Gaelic darach meaning "oak tree".

Ubiña Basque
Possibly a variant of Urbina.

Van Asch Dutch
Variant of Van As.

Trump German
Derived from Middle High German trumbe meaning "drum". This surname is borne by the American president Donald Trump (1946-).

Traverso Italian
Italian form of Travers.

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

Foss English
Variant of Fosse.

Venczel Hungarian
Derived from the given name Vencel.

Schuchert German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Garb German
Variant of Garber.

Corey English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Kóri, of unknown meaning.

McDougall Scottish
Variant of MacDougall.

Klausen Danish
Means "son of Klaus".

Pavia Italian
From the name of the city of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy. It is of unknown meaning.

Kirby English
From numerous towns in northern England named Kirby or Kirkby, derived from Old Norse kirkja "church" and býr "farm, settlement".

Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.

Walsh English, Irish
From Old English wælisc meaning "foreigner, stranger, Celt".

García Spanish
From a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This is the most common surname in Spain.

Tracy English, Irish
Variant of Tracey 1 or Tracey 2.

Kjeldsen Danish
Means "son of Kjeld".

O'Sullivan Irish
Variant of Sullivan.

Lippi Italian
From the given name Filippo. It is common in the area of Florence.

Franco Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Cognate of Frank 1. This name was borne by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (1892-1975).

Pittman English
Variant of Pitt.

Tighe Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Taidhg.

Aldenberg Dutch
Variant of Aaldenberg.

Brandon English
From the name of various places in England meaning "hill covered with broom" in Old English.

Jekyll English
Derived from the Breton given name Judicaël. This name was used by Robert Louis Stevenson for the character of Dr Henry Jekyll in the book Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886).

Warner German, English
Variant of Werner.

Avraham Jewish
From the given name Abraham.

Eustis English
Derived from the given name Eustace.

Abdullah Arabic
Derived from the given name Abd Allah.

Adriatico Italian
Originally denoted a person who lived near the Adriatic sea.

Agema Frisian
Means "son of Age 1".

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

Văduva Romanian
From Romanian văduvă meaning "widow".

Arissen Dutch
Variant of Ariesen.

Close English
From Middle English clos meaning "enclosure", a topographic name for someone who lived near a courtyard or farmyard.

Amato Italian
From the given name Amato.

Pearce English
From the given name Piers.

Klerkse Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Borst Dutch
From a nickname derived from Dutch borst "chest".

Gough 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mag Eochadha meaning "son of Eochaidh".

Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.

Carboni Italian
Variant of Carbone.

Papanikolaou Greek
Means "son of Nikolaos the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Nikolaos.

Schulte Low German
Low German variant of Schulz.

Benoit French
From the given name Benoît.

Stankiewicz Polish
From a diminutive of Stanisław.

Keith Scottish
From a place name that is probably derived from the Brythonic element cet meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.

Bevan Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Evan meaning "son of Evan".

Masterson English
Patronymic derived from Middle English maister meaning "master", via Old French from Latin magister.

Douglass Scottish
Variant of Douglas.

McKendrick Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacEanruig meaning "son of Eanraig".

Bezuidenhout Dutch
From Dutch zuid "south" and hout "forest". It refers to the south of the forest in The Hague.

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

Nieri Italian
Either a variant of Neri, or from the Italian name Raniero.

Fierro Spanish, Italian
Variant of Ferro.

Ó Briain Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Brien.

Peng Chinese
From Chinese 彭 (péng) referring to the ancient state of Peng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Jiangsu province.

Vasilescu Romanian
Means "son of Vasile".

Wiley English
From any of the various English towns named Willey or from the River Wylye.

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

Mihajlović Serbian
Means "son of Mihajlo".

Eliassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Elias".

Bonaventura Italian
From the given name Bonaventura.

Piątek Polish
Means "Friday" in Polish, derived from the word piąty meaning "fifth".

Abels Dutch
Means "son of Abel".

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

Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".

Desrosiers French
Means "from the rose bushes", from French rosier "rose bush". It probably referred to a person who lived close to, or cared for a rose garden.

Kuroda Japanese
From Japanese 黒 (kuro) meaning "black" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Turnbull English, Scottish
Nickname for someone thought to be strong enough to turn around a bull.

Van Donk Dutch
Means "from the hill", derived from Dutch donk meaning "(sandy) hill".

Donnelly Irish
From Irish Ó Donnghaile meaning "descendant of Donnghal". The given name Donnghal means "brown valour", from donn "brown" and gal "valour". This surname is associated with the descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Ó Cuana Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cooney.

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

Albrektsson Swedish
Variant of Albrechtsson.

Langenberg German, Dutch
From various place names meaning "long mountain" in German and Dutch.

Oakley English
From a place name meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. It was borne by American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).

Paddon English
Variant of Patton.

Terrazas Spanish
Originally a name for a person from Terrazas in the Spanish city of Burgos, a place name meaning "terraces".

Giuliani Italian
From the given name Giuliano.

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

Atsma Frisian
Means "son of Atse".

Wruck German
From Middle Low German wrok meaning "cantankerous".

Léandre French
Derived from the given name Léandre.

Roydon English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill", from Old English ryge "rye" and dun "hill".

Aggio Italian
Possibly from the name Aggius, probably related to the Germanic name Agi.

Dirks Dutch, German
Means "son of Dirk".

Lis Polish
Means "fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.

Colquhoun Scottish
From a place name meaning "narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.

Esteves Portuguese
Means "son of Estevão".

Van Dael Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Björnsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Björn".

Alfons Dutch
From the given name Alfons.

Archer English
Occupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin arcus "bow" (via Old French).

Jacobson English
Means "son of Jacob".

Napoletani Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Stefansen Danish
Means "son of Stefan".

Uehara Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Byrne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Zhao Chinese
From Chinese 赵 (zhào), which refers to an ancient city-state in what is now Shanxi province. According to legend, King Mu rewarded his chariot driver Zaofu with the city, at which time Zaofu adopted this surname. The later historic state of Zhao, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, was named after this city.... [more]

Gotti German
Variant of Gott.

Thomson English
Variant of Thompson.

Donaghue Irish
Variant of Donoghue.

McCracken Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Reachtain, Ulster Irish variant of Mac Neachtain.

Giordano Italian
Derived from the given name Giordano.

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.

Vemulakonda Telugu
Indicated a person from the city of Vemula in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Mochizuki Japanese
Means "full moon" in Japanese, a compound of 望 (mochi) meaning "wish, desire" and 月 (tsuki) meaning "moon".

Auer German
From German Aue, Old High German ouwa, meaning "meadow by a river, wetland".

McInnes Scottish
Variant of MacInnes.

Stuart Scottish
Variant of Stewart.

Róbertsson Icelandic
Means "son of Robert".

Rahimi Persian
From the given name Rahim.

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

Anthonyson English (Rare)
Means "son of Anthony".

Flipsen Dutch
Means "son of Flip".

Fabron French
Diminutive form of Fabre.

Obando Spanish
Habitational name for someone who came from Obando in Extremadura, Spain.

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

Ragno Italian
From a nickname meaning "spider" in Italian.

Tomioka Japanese
From Japanese 富 (tomi) meaning "wealth, abundance" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Kertész Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "gardener" in Hungarian.

Van Houtem Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Yokota Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Bambach German
Variant of Baumbach.

Bello Spanish, Italian
Means "beautiful" in Spanish and Italian, originally a nickname for an attractive person.

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

Lacroix French
Means "the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.

Nicolai Italian
Means "son of Nicola 1".

Cabrera Spanish
From various place names derived from Late Latin capraria meaning "place of goats", from Latin capra meaning "goat".

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

Kaluža um Slovene, Czech
Slovene and Czech form of Kałuża.

Collins 2 English
Means "son of Colin 2".

Papp 1 Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" in Hungarian.

Gérard French
From the given name Gérard.

Ajello Italian
Variant of Aiello.

Floyd Welsh
Variant of Lloyd.

Vogel German, Dutch
From Old High German and Old Dutch fogal meaning "bird". It was originally an occupational name for a bird catcher, or a nickname for a person who liked to sing.

Walker English
Occupational name for a person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. It is derived from Middle English walkere, Old English wealcan meaning "to move".

MacEachern Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Eachairn.

Bakó Hungarian
Means "axeman" in Hungarian.

Aloi Italian
From a dialectal form of the name Aloisio.

Carr 1 Scottish, English
Variant of Kerr.

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

Hendrikx Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Rotolo Italian
From the Italian word for a measure of weight, from southern Italian dialects, derived from Greek via Arabic.

Konishi Japanese
From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" and 西 (nishi) meaning "west".

Spannagel German
Occupational name for a nailsmith, from Middle High German span nagel "connecting bolt".

Björk Swedish
From Swedish björk meaning "birch tree", Old Norse bjǫrk.

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

Pfeiffer German
Occupational name meaning "pipe player" in German, from Middle High German pfifen "to whistle".

Német Hungarian
Variant of Németh.

Greenberg German (Anglicized), Jewish
Anglicized form of Grünberg.

Asanuma Japanese
From Japanese 浅 (asa) meaning "shallow" and 沼 (numa) meaning "swamp, marsh".

Lawrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Oliversen Norwegian
Means "son of Oliver".

Beck 3 English
From a nickname for a person with a big nose, from Middle English bec meaning "beak".

Singh Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)
From Sanskrit सिंह (siṃha) meaning "lion". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh male followers the surname Singh and all females Kaur. It is among the most common surnames in India.

Colin French
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolas.

Lichtenberg Jewish
Means "light hill" in German.

Koval Ukrainian
Means "blacksmith" in Ukrainian.

Cracchiolo Italian
Derived from Italian cracchiola, referring to a chicory-like vegetable.

Ölvirsson Icelandic
Means "son of Ölvir".

Kloet Dutch
Possibly from Middle Dutch cloet meaning "lump, ball". In some cases this was a nickname for an oafish person. In other cases it may have been a name for someone who lived near a sign that had a globe on it.

Rose 2 English
Derived from the feminine given name Rose.

Nagy um Hungarian, Slovak
From a nickname meaning "big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname. In Slovakia this spelling is only used for men, with Nagyová being the feminine form.

Musiał Polish
Polish cognate of Musil.

Finley Scottish
Anglicized (typically American) form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Matsuoka Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Case English
From Norman French casse meaning "box, case", ultimately from Latin capsa. This was an occupational name for a box maker.

Estévez Spanish
Means "son of Esteban".

Aben Dutch
Means "son of Abe 2".

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".

Karlsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Karl".

Abramo Italian
Derived from the given name Abramo.

Keeley Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Caolaidhe meaning "descendant of Caoladhe", a given name derived from caol "slender".

Parker English
Means "keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.

De la Fuente Spanish
Means "of the fountain" in Spanish.

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

Caro Spanish, Italian
From Spanish and Italian caro meaning "beloved".

Mullane Irish
Variant of Mullen.

Bellincioni Italian
Means "son of Bellincione", from a medieval name (borne for example by Dante's grandfather) that was probably a derivative of Italian bello "beautiful, fair".

Mac Dhuibhshíthe Irish
Means "son of Duibhshíth" in Irish. The given name Duibhshíth means "black peace".

MacDaniel Scottish
Variant of MacDonald.

North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.

Daniell English
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Stoppelbein German
Means "stump leg" from Middle Low German stoppel "stump" and bein "leg".

Simonsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Simon 1".

Tiedeman Low German
Variant of Tiedemann.

Waller 2 English
Derived from Old English weall meaning "wall", denoting a builder of walls or someone who lived near a prominent wall.

Statham English
From the name of a village in the English county of Cheshire, derived from Old English stæð meaning "wharf, landing place" and ham "home, settlement".

Kavanagh Irish
Derived from the Irish Gaelic name Caomhánach, which means "a student of saint Caomhán". It was the name used by a 12th-century king of Leinster, Domhnall Caomhánach, the eldest son of the historic Irish king Diarmait Mac Murchada.

Pape French
French cognate of Pope.

Sundén Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "sound, strait".

Stanton English
From one of the many places named Stanton or Staunton in England, derived from Old English stan meaning "stone" and tun meaning "enclosure, town".

Soucy French
Originally denoted someone from French towns by this name in Aisne or Yonne, both derived from the Latin name Suciacum.

Wauters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Wickham English
From any of various towns by this name in England, notably in Hampshire. They are derived from Old English wic "village, town" (of Latin origin) and ham "home, settlement".

Carl English, German
From the given name Carl.

Devine 2 English
Variant of Devin 2.

Bryce English
From the given name Brice.

Santiago Spanish, Portuguese
From various Spanish and Portuguese places called Santiago.

Kemény Hungarian
Means "firm, hard, tough" in Hungarian.

Brierley English
From an English place name, derived from brer "briar" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Tamura Japanese
From Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Darzi Persian
Means "tailor" in Persian.

Travere French
French variant of Travers.

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

Friis Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian (mostly Danish) form of Fries.

Bergström Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Bhattacharya Bengali
From a Bengali title composed of the Sanskrit words भट्ट (bhaṭṭa) meaning "scholar, lord" and आचार्य (ācārya) meaning "teacher".

Uchimura Japanese
From Japanese 内 (uchi) meaning "inside" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Brams Danish
Derived from the given name Bram.

Schmid German
Variant of Schmidt.

Baumgarten German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Reier German
Variant of Reiher.

Beake English
Variant of Beck 3.

Blomqvist Swedish
From Swedish blomma (Old Norse blóm) meaning "flower" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Baardwijk Dutch
From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly from Baard, a variant of Bert, and wijk meaning "neighbourhood, district".

Lafrentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Tschida German
Possibly derived from a Slavic given name of unknown meaning.

Connor Irish
Variant of O'Connor.

Borgnino Italian
From a nickname derived from the Piedmontese dialect word borgno meaning "one-eyed". This was the real surname of American actor Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012).

Chai Chinese
From Chinese 柴 (chái) meaning "firewood".

Harden English
From a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.

Anthony English
From the given name Anthony.

Babineaux French
Variant of Babin.

Bonnaire French
French form of Bonner.

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

Arkwright English
Occupational name meaning "chest maker", from Middle English arc meaning "chest, coffer" and wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".

Babatunde Yoruba
From the given name Babatunde.

Bagnoli Italian
Diminutive form of Bagni.

Frye English
Variant of Fry.

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

Couture French
Means "tailor" in Old French.

Salmon English, French
Derived from the given name Solomon.

Thurstan English
Derived from the Old Norse name Þórsteinn.

Glass English, German
From Old English glæs or Old High German glas meaning "glass". This was an occupational name for a glass blower or glazier.

Sultana Bengali, Urdu, Maltese
Bengali, Urdu and Maltese form of Sultan.

Vida Hungarian
From the given name Vid.

Szűcs Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "furrier" in Hungarian.

Evensen Norwegian
Means "son of Even".

Kiss Hungarian
Nickname meaning "small" in Hungarian.

Reeve English
Occupational name derived from Middle English reeve, Old English (ge)refa meaning "sheriff, prefect, local official".

King English
From Old English cyning "king", originally a nickname for someone who either acted in a kingly manner or who worked for or was otherwise associated with a king. A famous bearer was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

Dreyer German
Variant of Dreher.