Browse Surnames

Findlay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".

Schofield English
From various northern English place names, which were derived from Old Norse skáli "hut" and Old English feld "field".

Miles English
From the given name Miles.

Ledford English
From the name of English places called Lydford, derived from hlud meaning "loud, noisy" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Jó Hungarian
Means "good" in Hungarian.

Gheorghe Romanian
Derived from the given name Gheorghe.

Mayer 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Ferrara Italian
Italian form of Ferreira.

Headley English
From place names meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.

Van Houtum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Montoya Spanish
From the name of a village in the province of Álava in Spain. It is possibly of Basque origin, or possibly from Latin mons "mountain, hill".

Leggièri Italian
Means "light, thin" in Sicilian.

Levine Jewish
Patronymic from the given name Levi.

Hult Swedish
Swedish form of Holt.

Nicholls English
Derived from the given name Nichol.

Belluomo Italian
Variant of Bellomo.

Sandford English
Indicated a person from Sandford, England, which means simply "sand ford".

Paz Spanish, Portuguese
Means "peace" in Spanish and Portuguese, originally a nickname for a calm person.

Svensen Norwegian
Means "son of Sven".

Nikolajsen Danish
Means "son of Nikolaj".

Blakeslee English
Variant of Blakesley.

Wilbur English
From the nickname Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.

Marsh English
Originally denoted one who lived near a marsh or bog, derived from Old English mersc "marsh".

Košar Croatian
From Croatian koš meaning "basket", originally indicating a person who made or sold baskets.

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.

Macey English
Variant of Massey.

Lawrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Knutsson Swedish
Means "son of Knut".

Houston Scottish
From a place name meaning "Hugh's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow.

Wörnhör German
From the given name Werner.

Eliasson Swedish
Means "son of Elias".

Khachaturyan Armenian
Means "son of Khachatur" in Armenian. A famous bearer was the Armenian composer Aram Khachaturyan or Khachaturian (1903-1978).

Iyer Tamil
Referred to a person belonging to the Iyer subcaste of the larger Brahmin caste. The Iyer subcaste is traditionally devoted to the God Vishnu.

Martinez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Martínez.

Buhr Low German
Low German form of Bauer.

Huerta Spanish
Means "garden, orchard" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin hortus.

Delacroix French
Means "of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads. A notable bearer was the French painter Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863).

Kyler Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cuyler.

Capello 2 Italian
Nickname for a thin person, from Italian capello meaning "a hair", ultimately derived from Latin capillus.

Lémieux French
Derived from the place name Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.

Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.

Luo Chinese
From Chinese 罗 (luó) referring to the minor state of Luo, which existed from the 11th to 7th centuries BC in what is now Hubei province.

Dinapoli Italian
Variant of Di Napoli.

Nespola Italian
Variant of Nespoli.

Thompkins English
From a diminutive of the given name Thomas.

Ádám Hungarian
Hungarian form of Adam.

Simms English
Derived from the medieval given name Sim, a short form of Simon 1.

Sydney English
Variant of Sidney.

Lowe 1 Jewish
Americanized form of Löwe.

Alscher German
Means "son of Adalheidis".

Martínez Spanish
Means "son of Martín" in Spanish.

Ó Duibh Irish
Means "descendant of Dubh", Dubh being a byname meaning "dark".

Najm Arabic
From the given name Najm.

Morimoto Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Pabst German
From German Papst, a cognate of Pope.

Napier English
Means "linen keeper" in Middle English, from Old French nappe "table cloth".

Gerhardsson Swedish
Means "son of Gerhard".

Thayer French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Tailler.

Aguilar Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish águila meaning "eagle", ultimately from Latin aquila.

Bunnag Thai
From the name of Bunnag, an 18th-century general of Persian heritage.

Kárpáti Hungarian
Derived from Kárpátok, the Hungarian name of the Carpathians.

Suen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Sun.

Beake English
Variant of Beck 3.

Castañeda Spanish
Habitational name from any of various places called Castañeda, from a Spanish word meaning "chestnut grove", itself derived from castaña meaning "chestnut".

Nakano Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Iwata Japanese
From Japanese 岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Schultze German
Variant of Schulz.

Lamb English
From the name of the animal, perhaps a nickname for a shy person.

Keir Scottish
Variant of Kerr.

Cantú Spanish (Mexican)
Variant of Cantù, common in Mexico.

Talbot English
Of Norman origin, possibly derived from an unattested Germanic given name composed of the elements dala "to destroy" and bod "message".

Lovell English
Variant of Lowell.

Lincoln English
Originally indicated that the bearer was from the English city of Lincoln, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". A famous bearer was Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.

Banks English
Originally indicated someone who lived near a hillside or a bank of land.

Ravn Danish
Means "raven" in Danish, from Old Norse hrafn.

Aldenkamp Dutch
Possibly from an unknown place name meaning "old field" in Dutch.

Pentti Finnish
Derived from the given name Pentti.

Zegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Bach 2 Danish
Variant of Bak.

Ilie Romanian
From the given name Ilie.

Cleveland English
Derived from a place name meaning "cliff land" in Old English.

Pásztor Hungarian
Means "shepherd" in Hungarian.

Matsubara Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Beirne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Cojocaru Romanian
From Romanian cojoc meaning "sheepskin coat". This was an occupational name for a maker of these coats.

Clinton English
Derived from the English place name Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". This surname is borne by former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).

Troy English
Originally denoted a person from the city of Troyes in France.

Nani Italian
Variant of Nana.

De Vito Italian
Means "son of Vito 1".

Gerver German
Variant of Gerber.

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

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

Ochoa Spanish
Spanish form of Otxoa.

McDaniel Scottish
Variant of MacDonald.

Waltersson Swedish
Variant of Walterson.

Werner German
From the given name Werner.

Irvine 2 English
Variant of Irwin.

Gottschalk German
Derived from the given name Gottschalk.

Prohászka Hungarian
Hungarian form of Procházka.

Horvatinčić Croatian
Patronymic derived from Horvat.

Antonelli Italian
Means "son of Antonello".

Herbertson English
Means "son of Herbert".

Díez Spanish
Means "son of Diego" in Spanish.

Monday 3 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Eoin. The last part of the surname was mistakenly taken as the Gaelic word for "Monday", Luain.

Travere French
French variant of Travers.

Britton English
Originally given to a person who was a Briton (a Celt of England) or a Breton (an inhabitant of Brittany).

Fortuin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Fortune.

Yuuki Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 結城 (see Yūki).

Orellana Spanish
Originally indicated a person from one of the two towns named Orellana in Badajoz, Spain. Their names are probably derived from Latin Aureliana meaning "of Aurelius".

Volk German
Derived from given names beginning with the Old High German element folk meaning "people".

Stanek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Stanisław.

Basso Italian
Originally a nickname for a short person, from Latin bassus "thick, low".

Anton Romanian
From the given name Anton.

Lane 1 English
Originally designated one who lived by a lane, a narrow way between fences or hedges, later used of any narrow pathway, including one between houses in a town.

Burnham English
From the name of various towns in England, typically derived from Old English burna "stream, spring" and ham "home, settlement".

Dedrick English
Derived from the given name Dederick, an older form of Derek.

Santini Italian
Diminutive form of Santo.

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

Karlsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Karl".

Sarka Hungarian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Szarka.

Winters English, Dutch
Variant of Winter.

Jamison English
Means "son of James".

Dallas 2 Scottish
From the name of a place in Moray, Scotland possibly meaning "meadow dwelling" in Gaelic.

Gevorgian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Գեւորգյան (see Gevorgyan).

Fujimoto Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Cameron Scottish
Means "crooked nose" from Gaelic cam "crooked" and sròn "nose".

Grillo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "cricket", perhaps given originally to a cheerful person (the cricket is associated with cheerfulness).

Acciaio Italian
Variant of Acciai.

Farley English
From various English place names meaning "fern clearing" in Old English.

Alden English
Derived from the Old English given name Ealdwine.

Al Saud Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic آل سعود (see Al Su'ud).

Klimek um Polish, Czech
Derived from a diminutive of Klemens.

Anaya Spanish
From the names of a few Spanish towns, possibly of Arabic origin meaning "stagnant water" or "path".

Kyle Scottish
Derived from Scottish Gaelic caol meaning "narrows, channel, strait", originally given to a person who lived by a strait.

Robert French, English
From the given name Robert.

Amsel 2 German
Means "blackbird" in German.

Kotnik Slovene
From Slovene kot meaning "corner". The name referred to someone who was from a remote area.

Wheelock English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Wheelock, England. It was named for the nearby River Wheelock, which is derived from Welsh chwylog meaning "winding".

Jedynak Polish
Means "only child" in Polish.

Stanford English
Derived from various English place names meaning "stone ford" in Old English.

Backus English
Means "bakery", an occupational name for a baker, from Old English bæchus literally "bake house".

Elzinga Dutch
Probably from a place name that was a derivative of Dutch els meaning "alder tree".

Rae Scottish
Variant of McRae.

Eriksson Swedish
Means "son of Erik".

Bogdán Hungarian
From the given name Bogdan.

Vernersen Danish
Means "son of Verner".

Alfonso Spanish
From the given name Alfonso.

Dimitriou Greek
Means "son of Dimitrios".

Trueman English
Variant of Truman.

Storstrand Norwegian
Originally denoted someone from Storstrand farm in Norway, derived from stor meaning "big" and strand meaning "beach".

Campana Italian, Spanish
Occupational name from Late Latin campana meaning "bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.

Koizumi Japanese
From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" and 泉 (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain". A notable bearer of this name is Junichiro Koizumi (1942-), who was Prime Minister of Japan.

Ogtrop Dutch
Originally denoted a person who was from the town of Ochtrup in Germany, which is of uncertain origin.

Grosso Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Aloia Italian
Variant of Aloi.

Merx Dutch, Flemish
From the given name Mark.

Alemagna Italian
From Alemannia, the Latin name for Germany.

Buonarroti Italian
From the medieval Italian given name Buonarroto meaning "good increase". This was the surname of the Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo (1475-1564).

Cotterill English
Derived from Middle English cotter meaning "cottager", referring to a small tenant farmer.

Itou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 伊藤 (see Itō).

Idowu Yoruba
From the given name Idowu.

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".

Elliot English
Variant of Elliott.

Boyer Occitan
Occitan cognate of Bouvier.

Kundert German
Derived from the given name Konrad.

Traverso Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Herriot English
From an Old French diminutive of the given name Herry.

Schneijder Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Snijder.

Garrido Spanish
Means "elegant, ostentatious" in Spanish.

Zheng Chinese
From Chinese 郑 (zhèng), which refers to the ancient state of Zheng. Zheng existed between the 9th to 4th centuries BC in present-day Henan province. A famous bearer of this surname was the 15th-century explorer Zheng He.

Tkachenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".

Alberighi Italian
Variant of Alberici.

Amano Japanese
From Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Scarpa Italian
Means "shoemaker" from Italian scarpa meaning "shoe".

O'Kane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Acciaioli Italian
Variant of Acciai.

Giuliani Italian
From the given name Giuliano.

Guttuso Italian
From a Sicilian nickname meaning "sad". It was name of the famous Italian painter Renato Guttuso (born 1912).

Sun Chinese
From Chinese 孙 (sūn) meaning "grandchild, descendant". A famous bearer of the surname was Sun Tzu, the 6th-century BC author of The Art of War.

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

Byquist Swedish
Variant of Byqvist.

Vásquez Spanish
Means "son of Vasco".

Brouwer Dutch
Occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch brouwer.

Hasegawa Japanese
From the Japanese place name 長谷 (Hase, not a standard reading) combined with 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Choe Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 최 (see Choi).

Milić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Mile".

Van Hautum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Acconcio Italian
From the medieval Italian given names Accuntius or Acconcius, of uncertain meaning.

Chevrolet French
From a diminutive of chèvre meaning "goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.

Mac Néill Irish
Irish form of McNeil.

Kinsey English
Derived from the given name Cynesige.

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

Schlender German
From Middle High German slinderen "to dawdle" or Middle Low German slinden "to swallow, to eat".

Szwarc Polish
Polish phonetic spelling of German Schwarz.

Juárez Spanish
Variant of Suárez.

Sorenson Danish (Anglicized), Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Sørensen or Sörensson.

Maurin French
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

Shaughnessy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Seachnasaigh.

Reeves English
Variant of Reeve.

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

Love English
From the Old English given name Lufu meaning "love".

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

Meeuwsen Dutch
Derived from the Dutch given name Meeuw, which comes from Bartholomeus (see Bartholomew).

Perko Slovene, Croatian
Derived from an archaic diminutive of Peter.

Konstantinou Greek
Means "son of Konstantinos".

Korrapati Telugu
From an area called Korra or Korrapalem combined with Telugu పతి (pati) meaning "belongs to".

Petrović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Petar".

Kjær Danish
Topographic name for someone living near a wetland, from Danish kær "marsh", from Old Norse kjarr "thicket".

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".

Aita Italian
Originally denoted a person from Aieta, Italy, a place name derived from Greek ἀετός (aetos) meaning "eagle".

Treloar English
Originally denoted a person from a place of this name in Cornwall, England.

Geiger German
Means "fiddle player" in German, derived from Old High German giga "fiddle".

Muhlfeld German
Means "mill field" in German.

Akiyama Japanese
From Japanese 秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Wilkinson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Aslan Turkish
From the given name Aslan.

Szulc Polish
Polish form of Schulz.

Zhuk Belarusian
Means "beetle" in Belarusian.

Béringer French
From the given name Bérenger.

Kovalenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian коваль (koval) meaning "blacksmith".

Pawlitzki German
German surname derived from a Slavic form of the given name Paul.

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).

Pan 2 Chinese
From Chinese 潘 (pān) meaning "water in which rice has been rinsed", and also referring to a river that flows into the Han River.

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

Moya Spanish
From any of various towns named Moya in Spain, of uncertain meaning.

Laninga Frisian
From Frisian lân meaning "land".

Starr English
From Middle English sterre meaning "star". This was usually a nickname, but it could also occasionally be a sign name from the name of an inn called the Star.

Ungureanu Romanian
From Romanian ungur meaning "Hungarian".

Kumięga Polish
Possibly from Polish kum "godfather, friend" or komięga "raft, barge".

Bartolomei Italian
Derived from the given name Bartolomeo.

Kirchner German
Derived from Middle High German kirchenaere meaning "sexton".

Leblanc French
Means "the white" in French, from blanc "white". The name referred to a person who was pale or whose hair was blond.

Banderas Spanish
Spanish cognate of Banner.

Cantrell English
Originally a name for someone from Cantrell in Devon, from an unknown first element and Old English hyll meaning "hill".

María Spanish
From the given the name María.

Churchill English
From an English place name meaning "church hill". A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II.

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

Ulfsson Swedish
Means "son of Ulf".

Sachs German
Originally indicated a person from Saxony (German Sachsen). The region was named for the Germanic tribe of the Saxons, ultimately derived from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife".

Segers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

DeGarmo French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of French de Garmeaux, which may derive from a place called Garmeaux in Normandy.

MacBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.

Bíró Hungarian
Derived from bíró meaning "judge" in Hungarian.

Wash English
Derived from the Norman name Wazo.

Ó Catháin Irish
Means "descendant of Cathán".

Yamamoto Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Gonzalez Spanish
Unaccented variant of González.

Sheridan Irish
From the Irish name Ó Sirideáin meaning "descendant of Sirideán". The given name Sirideán possibly means "searcher".

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

Haugen Norwegian
Means "hill" in Norwegian, referring to a person who lived on a hilltop.

Hayden 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hÉideáin or Ó hÉidín.

Hamilton English, Scottish
From an English place name, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).

Mikkelsen Danish
Means "son of Mikkel".

Van Damme Flemish
Means "from Damme", the name of a town in Belgium, derived from Dutch dam meaning "dam". A famous bearer is the Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960-), who was born with the surname Van Varenberg.

Scarsi Italian
Nickname for a poor or miserly person, from Italian scarso "scarce, scant".

Walczak Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Walenty.

Carr 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Carra.

Underwood English
Means "dweller at the edge of the woods", from Old English under and wudu.

Agosti Italian
Means "son of Agosto", a variant of Augusto.

Baumgarten German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Metz 2 German
Derived from Mätz, a diminutive of the given name Matthias.

Rantanen Finnish
From Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".

Nykvist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

St Pierre French
From a French place named for Saint Peter.

Carlisle English
From the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.

Guillory French
Derived from the Old German given name Williric.

Biermann German
Derived from German bier "beer" and mann "man". The name may have referred to a brewer or a tavern owner.

Spears English
Patronymic form of Spear.

Moradi Persian
From the given name Morad.

Sciacchitano Italian
Variant of Sciacca.

Regan Irish
Variant of Reagan.

Kaczka Polish
Means "duck" in Polish.

Trevis English
English variant of Travers.

Ó Dubháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Duane.

Ludvigsen Danish
Means "son of Ludvig".

Jagoda Polish
Means "berry" in Polish.

Van Daal Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Steffensen Danish
Means "son of Steffen".

Desmond Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Deasmhumhnaigh meaning "descendant of the man from South Munster", originally indicating a person who came from the region of South Munster (Desmond) in Ireland.

Knepp German
Variant of Knopf.

Abrahamsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Abraham".

Lama Italian
Derived from the name place Lama, common in Italy.

Hölzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Pletscher German
Possibly from the name of a field where cattle fodder was grown, from German Bletsch.

Isaacson English
Means "son of Isaac".

Fattore Italian
Means "land agent, bailiff, steward, farmer" in Italian.

Saleh Arabic
From the given name Salih.

Wolters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Wörner German
From the given name Werner.

Honda Japanese
From Japanese 本 (hon) meaning "root, origin, source" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Alvarsson Swedish
Means "son of Alvar".

Connery Irish
Variant of Conroy.

Wyman English
From the Old English given name Wigmund.

Berne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Hawk English
Originally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English hafoc "hawk".

McFly Popular Culture
Invented name, using the prefix Mc-, from Irish mac "son", and the English word fly. This name was created for the time-travelling hero Marty McFly of the Back to the Future movie series, beginning 1985.

Westley English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English west "west" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Koolen Dutch
Derived from the given name Nicolaas.

Boyko Ukrainian
Originally indicated a member of the Boykos, an ethnic group of western Ukraine.