Browse Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the gender is unisex; and the order is random.
usage
gender
Courtois French
French form of Curtis.
Jasso Basque
Variant of Jaso.
Coemans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.
Soldati Italian
From Italian soldato meaning "soldier", ultimately from Latin solidus, a type of Roman coin.
Bardolph Literature
The name of a drunken thief and frequent companion of John Falstaff in four of William Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare probably adapted it from the aristocratic English surname Bardolf, now rare, which was itself derived from the Germanic given name Bardulf.
Arias Spanish
Possibly derived from a medieval given name of Germanic origin.
Shelton English
From the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.
Escamilla Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.
Van Hassel Dutch
Means "from Hassel", a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It may be derived from Old Dutch hasal meaning "hazel tree".
Pacheco Spanish, Portuguese
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Francisco.
Rosenberg German, Swedish, Jewish
Means "rose mountain" in German and Swedish. As a Swedish and Jewish name it is ornamental.
Mag Aonghuis Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McGuinness.
Björk Swedish
From Swedish björk meaning "birch tree", Old Norse bjǫrk.
Garry English
Variant of Geary.
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.
Hale English
Derived from Old English halh meaning "nook, recess, hollow".
Al Saud Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic آل سعود (see Al Su'ud).
Fabron French
Diminutive form of Fabre.
Fowler English
Occupational name for a fowler or bird catcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".
Lewerenz German
From a northern German form of the given name Lorenz.
Blain Scottish
From the given name Bláán.
Van Agteren Dutch
Means "from behind", probably referring to a place behind something, such as a building or a place at the end of the road.
Seabrook English
Denoted a person from a town by this name in Buckinghamshire, England. It is derived from that of a river combined with Old English broc "stream".
Townsend English
Indicated a person who lived at the town's edge, from Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town" and ende "end, limit".
Colquhoun Scottish
From a place name meaning "narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.
Bristol English
From the name of a city in England meaning "the site of the bridge".
Giordano Italian
Derived from the given name Giordano.
Heinrich German
Derived from the given name Heinrich.
Raine 2 English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".
Ó Manacháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Monahan.
Wolter German
From the given name Walter.
Parri Italian
From the given name Gaspare.
Price Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Rhys, which means "son of Rhys".
Habicht German
German cognate of Hawk.
Eriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Erik".
Ekström Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Kinley Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.
Hagen Norwegian, Dutch
From Old Norse hagi or Old Dutch hago meaning "enclosure, pasture".
Sundberg Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "strait" and berg meaning "mountain".
Dirkse Dutch
Means "son of Dirk".
Mac Giolla Bhrighde Irish
Means "son of the servant of Brighid" in Irish.
Klausen Danish
Means "son of Klaus".
Aleppo Italian
From the name of the Syrian city of Aleppo, which is from Arabic خالاب (Khālāb), of uncertain meaning.
Lo Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Luo.
Abbasi Persian, Urdu
From the given name Abbas.
Fodor Hungarian
From Hungarian fodor meaning "curly, wavy", referring to a person with curly or wavy hair.
Turati Italian
From the name of the town of Turate near Como in Lombardy.
Mehmedović Bosnian
Means "son of Mehmed".
Morita Japanese
From Japanese (mori) meaning "forest" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Slater English
Occupational name indicating that an early member worked covering roofs with slate, from Old French esclat "shard", of Germanic origin.
Van Asch Dutch
Variant of Van As.
Mercado Spanish
Means "market" in Spanish, originally given to a person who lived near a market or worked in one.
Keighley English
Derived from an English place name meaning "clearing belonging to Cyhha". The Old English given name Cyhha is of unknown meaning.
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.
Lang German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.
Lapointe French
Means "the point (of a lance)" in French, possibly a nickname for a soldier.
Weiß German
Variant of Weiss.
Robbins English
Derived from the given name Robin.
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".
Linville English
From an unknown place name.
Tar Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian tar meaning "bald".
Nardovino Italian (Rare)
Either from Nardo, a short form of names like Bernardo or Leonardo, or from Ardovino, a variant of Arduino.
MacClery Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cléirich.
Lémieux French
Derived from the place name Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.
Scola Italian
From Italian scuola meaning "school".
Ernst German, Dutch, Danish
From the given name Ernst.
Driessen Dutch
Means "son of Dries".
Nikolajsen Danish
Means "son of Nikolaj".
Naggi Italian
Originally denoted a person from the town of Naggio in Lombardy, Italy.
Medeiros Portuguese
From various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese medeiro meaning "haystack", ultimately from Latin meta meaning "cone, pyramid".
McLean Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacGillEathain or MacGillEain meaning "son of the servant of Eòin".
Sonnen German
Means "sun" from Middle High German sunne. It probably denoted someone of cheerful temperament or a person who lived in a sunny area.
Ihejirika Igbo
Means "the one that I have is greater" in Igbo.
Chevrolet French
From a diminutive of chèvre meaning "goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
Sergeant English, French
Occupational name derived from Old French sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin servio "to serve".
Hutmacher German
German cognate of Hoedemaker.
Gang Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Kang).
Sheenan Irish
Variant of Shannon.
Howe English
Name for one who lived on a hill, from Middle English how "hill" (of Norse origin).
Obradović Serbian
Means "son of Obrad".
Merckx Dutch, Flemish
From the given name Mark.
Barros Portuguese, Spanish
From the Portuguese and Spanish word barro meaning "clay, mud". This could either be an occupational name for a person who worked with clay or mud such as a builder or artisan, or a topographic name for someone living near clay or mud.
Adesso Italian
Perhaps a nickname for a punctual or fast person, from Italian adesso meaning "now, at this moment".
Dean 2 English
Occupational surname meaning "dean", referring to a person who either was a dean or worked for one. It is from Middle English deen (ultimately from Latin decanus meaning "chief of ten").
Adriaans Dutch
Means "son of Adriaan".
Fujioka Japanese
From Japanese (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
Grigorescu Romanian
Means "son of Grigore" in Romanian.
Ziętek Polish
Possibly from a diminutive of Polish zięć meaning "son-in-law".
Fava Italian
From Italian fava referring to a type of broad bean.
Sims English
Variant of Simms.
D'Onofrio Italian
Means "son of Onofrio".
Nicholls English
Derived from the given name Nichol.
Adamczak Polish
Derived from the given name Adam.
Oliversson Swedish
Means "son of Oliver".
Galli Italian
Variant of Gallo, common in northern Italy.
Beaumont French, English
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and mont "mountain".
Ó Conaill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Connell.
Stroud English
From Old English strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood".
Siegel 2 German
Derived from the diminutive of Old German given names beginning with the element sigu meaning "victory".
Georges French
From the given name Georges.
Willemsen Dutch
Means "son of Willem".
Liu Chinese
From Chinese (liú) meaning "kill, destroy". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Han dynasty.
Cabrera Spanish
From various place names derived from Late Latin capraria meaning "place of goats", from Latin capra meaning "goat".
Daniell English
Derived from the given name Daniel.
Azzarà Italian
Sicilian name, derived from Greek dialects of southern Italy. It is from Greek ψαράς (psaras) meaning "fisherman".
Calvo Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Means "bald" in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, from Latin calvus.
Ruggles English
From a medieval diminutive of the given name Roger.
Bourgeois French
French cognate of Burgess.
Bosque Spanish
Spanish form of Bosco.
Janzen Dutch
Means "son of Jan 1".
Frank 2 English
From Old English franc meaning "free".
Huff English
Means "spur of a hill", from Old English hoh.
Burke English, Irish
Derived from Middle English burgh meaning "fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.
McLaughlin Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacLachlainn meaning "son of Lachlann".
Lobo Spanish, Portuguese
Originally a nickname meaning "wolf" in Spanish and Portuguese.
York English
From the name of the English city of York, which was originally called Eburacon (Latinized as Eboracum), meaning "yew" in Brythonic. In the Anglo-Saxon period it was corrupted to Eoforwic, based on Old English eofor "boar" and wic "village". This was rendered as Jórvík by the Vikings and eventually reduced to York.
Eason English
Variant of Eads.
Dixon English
Means "son of Dick 1".
Spurling English
From Middle English sparewe "sparrow" and the diminutive suffix -ling.
Stroman German
Means "straw man" in German, an occupational name for a seller of straw.
Skinner English
Occupational name for a person who skinned animals, from Old Norse skinn.
Ilves Estonian
Means "lynx" in Estonian.
Robustelli Italian
From a nickname for a strong person, from Italian robusto "strong", from Latin robustus "firm, solid, oaken".
Tod English
Variant of Todd.
Ó Doibhilin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Devlin.
Pastore Italian
Means "shepherd" in Italian.
Sarno Italian
Originally denoted a person from Sarno in Italy, named for the Sarno River (called Sarnus in Latin).
Toset Catalan
Catalan form of Tosi.
Mikaelsson Swedish
Means "son of Mikael".
Gold English, German, Jewish
From Old English and Old High German gold meaning "gold", an occupational name for someone who worked with gold or a nickname for someone with yellow hair. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Cuesta Spanish
Spanish form of Costa.
Demetriou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Δημητρίου (see Dimitriou).
Bohn German
Occupational name for a bean grower, derived from Middle High German bone "bean".
Angenent Dutch
Referred to person who lived at the end of the road or the village, derived from Dutch an gen ent meaning "at the end".
Son Korean
Korean form of Sun, from Sino-Korean (son).
Acosta Spanish
Spanish form of Da Costa (from a misdivision of the surname).
Bautista Spanish
Derived from the given name Bautista.
Miyazaki Japanese
From Japanese (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".
Kruse German
Variant of Kraus.
Sargsyan Armenian
Means "son of Sargis" in Armenian.
Monette French
Variant of Monet.
Stuber German
Occupational name for the owner of an inn, derived from Old High German stuba "room".
Lovrić Croatian
Means "son of Lovro".
Hendrix Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik. A famous bearer was the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).
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".
Shimada Japanese
From Japanese (shima) meaning "island" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Hext English
From a nickname meaning "tallest" in Middle English. It is most common in the southwest of England in the county of Devon.
Aaltonen Finnish
From Finnish aalto meaning "wave".
Egger German
South German occupational name meaning "plowman" or "farmer", derived from German eggen "to harrow, to plow".
Grover English
From Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908).
Thorsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Thor".
Mohammad Persian, Urdu, Bengali
Derived from the given name Mohammad.
Nathans Jewish
Derived from the given name Nathan.
Abbes Dutch
Means "son of Abbe".
Inada Japanese
From Japanese (ina) meaning "rice plant" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Paternoster English, Italian
Occupational name for a maker of rosaries, also called paternosters. They are derived from the Latin phrase pater noster "our Father", the opening words of the Lord's Prayer.
Maçon French
French cognate of Mason.
Ward 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac an Bhaird, which means "son of the bard".
Kawa Polish
Derived from Polish kawka "jackdaw".
Stumpf German
Nickname for a short person or a topographic name someone who lived near a prominent stump, from Middle High German stumpf.
Perko Slovene, Croatian
Derived from an archaic diminutive of Peter.
Ó Braonáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Brennan.
Bajusz Hungarian
Means "moustache" in Hungarian.
Perrot French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.
Vargas Spanish, Portuguese
Means "slope, flooded field, pastureland" or "hut", from the Spanish and Portuguese dialectal word varga.
Kuntz German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.
Van Aarle Dutch
Variant of Aarle.
Bardsley English
From the name a village near Manchester, from the Old English given name Beornræd and leah "woodland, clearing".
Kimura Japanese
From Japanese (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and (mura) meaning "town, village".
Howard 1 English
Derived from the given name Hughard or Hávarðr.
Muratović Bosnian
Means "son of Murat".
McWilliam Scottish
Means "son of William" in Gaelic.
Orsini Italian
From a nickname meaning "little bear" in Italian, from Latin ursus "bear".
Tót Hungarian
Variant of Tóth.
Salcedo Spanish
Derived from Latin salix meaning "willow tree". The name was originally given to one who lived near a willow tree.
Woodward English
Occupational name for a forester, meaning "ward of the wood" in Old English.
Jung 1 German
Means "young" in German, from Middle High German junc.
Comtois French
Indicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".
Tornincasa Italian
From a medieval Italian name given to a boy born after the death of a previous one, derived from Italian ritorna in casa "come back home".
Krämer German
Means "shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German kram meaning "tent, trading post".
Thacker English
Northern Middle English variant of Thatcher.
Novosel Croatian
Means "new settler" in Croatian.
Ness English, Scottish, Norwegian
From English ness and Norwegian nes meaning "headland, promontory", of Old Norse origin, originally referring to a person who lived there.
Kravets Ukrainian
Means "tailor" in Ukrainian.
Zuñiga Basque
From the name of a Spanish town, formerly named Estuniga in Basque, possibly derived from Basque istuin "channel, strait".
Olmos Spanish
Variant of Olmo.
Bullard English
Possibly a nickname derived from Middle English bole "fraud, deceit".
Schwarzenegger German
From a place name, derived from Old High German swarz meaning "black" and ekka meaning "edge, corner". A famous bearer of this name is actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947-).
Traylor English
Meaning unknown.
Szűcs Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "furrier" in Hungarian.
Lázár Hungarian
From the given name Lázár.
Pugh Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Hugh meaning "son of Hugh".
Cuoco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.
Williams English
Means "son of William".
Darling English
From a nickname or byname derived from Middle English dereling, Old English deorling, meaning "darling, beloved one".
Mäkelä Finnish
Means "the place of the hill" in Finnish.
Quinlan Irish
From Irish Ó Caoindealbháin, which means "descendant of Caoindealbhán", a given name meaning "handsome form" (using a diminutive suffix).
Todd English
Means "fox", derived from Middle English todde.
Marín Spanish
Derived from the given name Marino.
Haggard English
From a nickname meaning "wild, untamed, worn", from Old French, ultimately from a Germanic root.
Wang 4 Yiddish
Name for a Jew from Hungary, ultimately from Russian Венгрия (Vengriya) meaning "Hungary".
Mei Chinese
From Chinese (méi) meaning "plum, apricot".
Gatsby English (Rare), Literature
Rare variant of Gadsby. This name was used by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald for the central character in his novel The Great Gatsby (1925). In the book, James Gatz renames himself as Jay Gatsby at age 17 because he believes it sounds more sophisticated.
Reich German, Jewish
Nickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German rihhi "rich, powerful".
Andrade Portuguese, Galician
Possibly from the given name André.
Ericson English, Swedish
Means "son of Eric".
Rimmer English
Occupational name meaning "poet", from Middle English rime meaning "rhyme".
Poole English
From Old English pol meaning "pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.
Manfredonia Italian
Originally indicated a person from Manfredonia, Italy. The city was named for the 13th-century King Manfred of Sicily.
Gwerder German (Swiss)
From Swiss German gwerig meaning "agile, alert".
Sampson English
Derived from a medieval form of the given name Samson.
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".
Sherman 1 English
Means "shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.
Fehér Hungarian
Means "white" in Hungarian, originally referring to a person with white hair or complexion.
Arechavaleta Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Aretxabaleta in Spain. It means "oak trees" in Basque.
Thälmann German
From the given name Thilo. It was borne by the German communist party leader Ernst Thälmann (1886-1944).
Hiramatsu Japanese
From Japanese (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree".
Herrmann German
From the given name Hermann.
Norwood English
Originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.
Martinsson Swedish
Means "son of Martin".
Mullane Irish
Variant of Mullen.
Simoneit German
From the given name Simon 1.
Sumner English
Occupational name for a summoner, an official who was responsible for ensuring the appearance of witnesses in court, from Middle English sumner, ultimately from Latin submoneo "to advise".
Nygård Norwegian
From Norwegian ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and gård (Old Norse garðr) meaning "farm, estate".
Wirt German
Variant of Wirth.
Jovanović Serbian
Means "son of Jovan".
Kistler German
Occupational name meaning "chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German kiste.
Arntz Dutch
Means "son of Arend".
Voigts German
Patronymic variant of Vogt.
Quijano Spanish
From the name of a village in northern Spain.
Asanuma Japanese
From Japanese (asa) meaning "shallow" and (numa) meaning "swamp, marsh".
Allison English
Means "son of Alan" or "son of Alexander" (as well as other given names beginning with Al).
Everett English
From the given name Everard.
Konishi Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" and 西 (nishi) meaning "west".
Bäcker German
Variant of Becker, mostly found in northern Germany.
Thompsett English
From a diminutive of the given name Thomas.
Wechsler German, Jewish
Means "money changer, banker", from German wechseln "to exchange".
Taube German
From a nickname meaning "dove" in German.
Keyes 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.
Marshall English
Derived from Middle English mareschal "marshal", from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German marah "horse" and scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.
Joyner English
Variant of Joiner.
De Vos Dutch
Variant of Vos.
Iliescu Romanian
Means "son of Ilie".
Mac Uileagóid Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McElligott.
Sawyer English
Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
Verboom Dutch
Means "from the tree" in Dutch.
D'Amore Italian
From the given name Amore.
Tadić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Tadija".
Terrazas Spanish
Originally a name for a person from Terrazas in the Spanish city of Burgos, a place name meaning "terraces".
Ó Tíghearnaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Tierney.
Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.
Lowell English
From a nickname derived from a Norman French lou meaning "wolf" and a diminutive suffix.
Randal English
Derived from the given name Randel.
Murtas Sardinian
From Sardinian murta meaning "myrtle".
Lorentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.
Foster 2 English
Occupational name for a scissor maker, derived from Old French forcetier.
O'Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.
Amos Jewish
From the given name Amos.
Laitinen Finnish
Finnish surname of unknown origin.
Gallagher Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Gallchobhair meaning "descendant of Gallchobhar".
Walmsley English
Originally denoted a person from the English town of Walmersley.
Binici Turkish
From the Turkish word binici meaning "rider, horseman".
Arvidsson Swedish
Means "son of Arvid".
Sandberg Swedish, Norwegian, Jewish
From Swedish and Norwegian sand (Old Norse sandr) meaning "sand" and berg meaning "mountain" (or in the case of the Jewish surname, from the Yiddish or German cognates).
Paget English, French
Diminutive of Page.
Márquez Spanish
Means "son of Marcos".
Revie English
Variant of Reeve.
Nicotera Italian
From the name of the town of Nicotera in Calabria.
Kahler German
From a nickname derived from German kahl meaning "bald".
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".
Schulte Low German
Low German variant of Schulz.
Norman English
Referred to a person who was originally from Scandinavia or Normandy. Even before the Norman Conquest, Scandinavians were settling the north and east of England. The Normans who participated in the Conquest were originally from Scandinavia, but had been living in Normandy, France for over a century and spoke French.
Hirata Japanese
From Japanese (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".