Browse Surnames

Baggi Italian
Variant of Baggio.

Jassim Arabic
From the given name Jasim.

Andersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Anders". A noteworthy bearer was the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875).

Craig Scottish
Derived from Gaelic creag meaning "crag, rocks, outcrop", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.

Abrami Italian
Derived from the given name Abramo.

Orbán Hungarian
Derived from the given name Orbán.

Tatham English
From the name of the town of Tatham in Lancashire, itself from the Old English given name Tata combined with ham meaning "home, settlement".

Wiegand German
From the given name Wiegand.

Borgia Italian
Italian form of Borja. This was the name of an Italian noble family who were influential during the Renaissance period.

Farmer English
Occupational name for a tax collector, from Middle English ferme "rent, revenue, provision", from medieval Latin firma, ultimately from Old English feorm. This word did not acquire its modern meaning until the 17th century.

Arce Spanish
Means "maple tree" in Spanish.

Long English
Originally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.

Martens Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Marten".

Wilms Dutch
Derived from the given name Willem.

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

Knutsen Norwegian
Means "son of Knut".

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.

Holmström Swedish
From Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Voß German
Variant of Voss.

Golob Slovene
Means "pigeon" in Slovene.

Matsuda Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Thompkins English
From a diminutive of the given name Thomas.

Grenville English
Variant of Granville.

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

Hampton English
From the name of multiple towns in England, derived from Old English ham "home" or ham "water meadow, enclosure" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Gonzales Spanish
Variant of González.

Stern 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.

Vidović Croatian
Means "son of Vid".

Barone Italian
Italian cognate of Baron.

Rounds English
Patronymic derived from Middle English rond meaning "round, plump", ultimately from Latin rotundus.

Godard French
Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

Alan English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Lehtonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish lehto meaning "grove, small forest".

Slootmaekers Dutch, Flemish
Occupational name for a locksmith, from Dutch slot "lock" and maker "maker".

Sánchez Spanish
Means "son of Sancho".

Horvat Croatian, Slovene
From Croatian and Slovene Hrvat meaning "Croat, person from Croatia".

Dudek um Polish, Czech
Means "hoopoe (bird)" in Polish and Czech.

Tracey 1 English
From the village of Tracy-sur-mer on the Normandy coast in France. It was brought to England with William the Conqueror.

Balboni Italian
Derived from the given name Balbino.

Jonasen Danish
Means "son of Jonas 2".

Mészáros Hungarian
Means "butcher" in Hungarian.

Rider English
Variant of Ryder.

Andreassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Andreas".

Mag Raith Irish, Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of McRae.

Arroyo Spanish
Means "stream, brook" in Spanish.

Ó Néill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Neal.

Sander German, Danish
Derived from the given name Alexander.

McCleary Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cléirich.

Schumacher German
Variant of Schuhmacher.

Murgatroyd English
From a place name meaning "Margaret's clearing".

Scrivenor English
Variant of Scriven.

Farkas Hungarian
Means "wolf" in Hungarian.

Ławniczak Polish
From Polish ławnik meaning "alderman".

Arkes Dutch
Means "son of Arke 2".

Kiefer 1 German
Means "pine tree" in German.

Aaij Dutch
Derived from the given name Aaij, a short form of Adriaan and other names.

Hamasaki Japanese
From Japanese 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

MacKenny Scottish
Variant of McKenna.

MacFarland Irish, Scottish
Variant of McFarlane.

Mingo Spanish
From the given name Domingo.

Ananias Dutch
From the Latin given name Ananias.

Orsós Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian orsó meaning "spindle", an occupational name for a seller or maker of spindles.

Ayers 3 English
Indicated a person from the town of Ayr in Scotland. The town was named for the river that flows through it, itself derived from an Indo-European root meaning "water".

Quiñones Spanish
From various Spanish place names derived from quiñón meaning "shared piece of land", derived from Latin quinque "five".

Satou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see Satō).

Gage French, English
Occupational name derived either from Old French jauge "measure" (a name for an assayer) or gage "pledge, payment" (a name for a moneylender). Both words were ultimately of Frankish origin.

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

Ter Avest Dutch
Means "at the edge, eave" indicating a person who lived at the edge of a forest or under a covered shelter.

Davis English, Scottish
Means "son of David". This was the surname of the revolutionary jazz trumpet player Miles Davis (1926-1991).

De Veen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Abrahams Jewish, English, Dutch
Means "son of Abraham".

Church English
From the English word, derived from Old English cirice, ultimately from Greek κυριακόν (kyriakon) meaning "(house) of the lord". It probably referred to a person who lived close to a church.

Roig Catalan
Means "red" in Catalan, from Latin rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.

Dreesens Dutch
Variant of Driessen.

Levine Jewish
Patronymic from the given name Levi.

Camacho Spanish, Portuguese
Meaning unknown, possibly related to the Celtic root *kambos meaning "crooked, twisted".

Arts 2 Dutch
Dutch cognate of Arzt.

Vila Catalan
Catalan form of Villa.

Andries Dutch
Derived from the given name Andries.

McInnes Scottish
Variant of MacInnes.

Amsing Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Amse" in Dutch.

Bagheri Persian
From the given name Bagher.

MacFarlane Scottish
Variant of McFarlane.

Stankić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Stanko".

Antall Hungarian (Rare)
Variant of Antal.

Sommer 1 German, English
Means "summer", from Old High German sumar or Old English sumor. This was a nickname for a cheerful person, someone who lived in a sunny spot, or a farmer who had to pay taxes in the summer.

Heikkinen Finnish
From the given name Heikki.

Kwan Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Guan.

Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.

Kimberly English
Variant of Kimberley.

Mustonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish musta meaning "black".

Østergård Danish
From Danish øst meaning "east" and gård meaning "enclosure, farm".

Svensen Norwegian
Means "son of Sven".

Toole Irish
Variant of O'Toole.

Ahearne Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hEachthighearna.

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

Willis English
Derived from the given name William. A famous bearer of this surname is actor Bruce Willis (1955-).

Planque French
French form of Plank.

Guillot French
From a diminutive of the given name Guillaume.

Hicks English
Derived from the medieval given name Hicke, a diminutive of Richard.

Post Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person who lived near a post, ultimately from Latin postis.

Barr English
Indicated a person who lived near a barrier, from Old French barre.

Abrahamsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Abraham".

Schroeder German
Variant of Schröder 1 and Schröder 2.

Abbatantuono Italian
Variant of Abatantuono.

Travieso Spanish
Spanish form of Travers.

Wendell German
Variant of Wendel (typically American).

Leonard English
Derived from the given name Leonard.

Zambrano Spanish
Possibly a habitational name for someone from Zambrana, a town in the province of Álava in Spain.

Thayer French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Tailler.

Van Heel Dutch
Means "from Heel", a small town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Matheson Scottish
Means "son of Matthew".

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

Sanford English
Variant of Sandford.

Mach mu Czech, Polish
From a diminutive of the given names Matěj or Maciej.

Leitz German
Derived from the archaic given name Leutz, a variant of Lutz.

Chaudhuri Bengali
Alternate transcription of Bengali চৌধুরী (see Chowdhury).

Hakobyan Armenian
Means "son of Hakob" in Armenian.

Babič Slovene
Slovene form of Babić.

Lombardo Italian
Variant of Lombardi.

Meier 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Daley Irish
Variant of Daly.

Stanciu Romanian
Derived from Romanian stânci meaning "rocks".

McDonald Scottish
Variant of MacDonald.

Jedynak Polish
Means "only child" in Polish.

Endicott English
Topographic name derived from Old English meaning "from the end cottage".

Samuelson English
Means "son of Samuel".

Lukács Hungarian
From the given name Lukács.

Carbone Italian
From a nickname for a person with dark features, from Italian carbone meaning "coal".

Obradović Serbian
Means "son of Obrad".

Coumans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Moon 3 Irish
Variant of Mohan.

Vastagh Hungarian
Variant of Vastag.

Hooker English
Originally applied to one who lived near a river bend or corner of some natural feature, from Old English hoc "angle, hook".

Acquafredda Italian
Denoted a person who came from one of the various places in Italy with this name, derived from Italian meaning "cold water".

Tang 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Deng.

Küchler German
Occupational surname for a baker who made small cakes or cookies, derived from Middle High German kuoche "cake, pastry".

Rowan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruadháin.

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

Vincent 1 English, French
From the given name Vincent.

Di Pietro Italian
Means "son of Pietro" in Italian.

Solo Basque
Means "rural estate" in Basque.

Gagné French (Quebec)
Variant of Gagneux. This surname is especially common in Quebec.

Nasato Italian
Nickname for someone with a prominent nose, from Italian naso "nose".

Benson English
Means "son of Benedict".

Filippi Italian
Derived from the given name Filippo.

Buckholtz German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Buchholz.

Van Ophoven Dutch
Means "from Ophoven", the name of towns in the Netherlands. Their names mean "upper gardens, upper courtyards" in Dutch.

Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.

Faerber German
Variant of Färber.

Nicolas French
Derived from the given name Nicolas.

Bernardi Italian
From the given name Bernardo.

Danell English
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Olsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Ole".

Belo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bello.

Gauthier French
Derived from the given name Gauthier.

Mottershead English
From the name of a lost place in Cheshire, derived from the Old English byname Motere meaning "speaker" and heafod meaning "headland".

Babcock English
Derived from the medieval name Bab, possibly a diminutive of Bartholomew or Barbara.

Pinto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
Means "mottled" in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, derived from Late Latin pinctus, Latin pictus "painted".

Altink Dutch
Variant of Alting.

Kovalchuk Ukrainian, Russian
Derived from Ukrainian коваль (koval) meaning "blacksmith".

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.

Odell English
Originally denoted a person who was from Odell in Bedfordshire, derived from Old English wad "woad" (a plant that produces a blue dye) and hyll "hill".

Humbert French
From the given name Humbert.

Hsu 2 Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 许 (see Xu 2).

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

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

Tavares Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Tavares, likely of pre-Roman origin.

Lane 2 French
Derived from a French word meaning "wool", designating one who worked in the wool trade.

Smythe English
Variant of Smith.

Zini Italian
Derived from names such as Lorenzino, a diminutive of Lorenzo, or Vincenzino, a diminutive of Vincenzo.

Morriss English
Derived from the given name Morris.

Albero Italian
From Italian albero meaning "tree", ultimately from Latin arbor, referring to someone who lived in the woods or worked as a woodcutter.

Jafari Persian
From the given name Jafar.

Deighton English
From English towns by this name, from Old English dic "ditch" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Schipper Dutch
Occupational name meaning "skipper, ship captain" in Dutch.

Ripley English
From the name of various English towns, from Old English rippel "grove, thicket" and leah "woodland, clearing". A notable fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley from the movie Alien (1979) and its sequels.

Gutierrez Spanish
Variant of Gutiérrez.

Forsberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish fors meaning "waterfall" and berg meaning "mountain".

Normand French
French form of Norman.

Takala Finnish
Means "(dweller in the) back", probably denoting someone who lived in a remote area, from Finnish taka.

Braxton English
From an English place name place name meaning "Bracca's town" in Old English.

Flower English
From Middle English flour meaning "flower, blossom", derived from Old French flur, Latin flos. This was a nickname given to a sweet person. In other cases it could be a metonymic occupational name for a maker of flour (a word derived from the same source).

Rudaski Polish (Anglicized)
Americanized variant of Rudawski.

De Filippis Italian
Means "son of Filippo".

Maus German
From a nickname meaning "mouse", from Old High German mus.

Ilbert English
Derived from a Norman form of the Old German given name Hildiberht.

Kirch German
German cognate of Church.

Ainsley Scottish
From a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English anne "alone, solitary" or ansetl "hermitage" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Ząbek Polish
From Polish zab "tooth" and a diminutive suffix.

Crusan Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cruyssen.

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

Carlson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Kurucz Hungarian
Derived from the Hungarian word kuruc, referring to rebels who fought against the Habsburgs in the late 17th to early 18th century.

Semenyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Semen.

Palacios Spanish
Spanish cognate of Palazzo.

Teahan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Téacháin meaning "descendant of Téachán". The given name Téachán possibly means "fugitive".

Sherburne English
Variant of Sherburn.

Becket English
Variant of Beckett.

Bennet English
Derived from the medieval English given name Bennett.

Itō Japanese
From Japanese 伊 (i) meaning "this" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Van Antwerpen Dutch
Variant of Van Antwerp.

Russo Italian
Variant of Rossi.

Ó Maolagáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Milligan.

Taggart Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac an tSagairt meaning "son of the priest". This name comes from a time when the rules of priestly celibacy were not strictly enforced.

Pender 1 English
From Middle English pind "to pen up". This was an occupational name for someone who penned animals.

Hendriks Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Gunnarsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Gunnar".

MacDermott Irish
Variant of McDermott.

Sienkiewicz Polish
Patronymic from the given name Sienko, an old diminutive of Szymon. This was the surname of the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916).

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

Vinter Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian variant of Winter.

Villaverde Spanish
Originally denoted a person from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and verde "green".

Bloodworth English
Originally indicated someone from the town of Blidworth in Nottinghamshire, which was derived from the Old English byname Blīþa (meaning "happy, blithe") combined with worð "enclosure".

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

Connell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Conaill meaning "descendant of Conall".

Adamo Italian
Italian form of Adam.

Dekker Dutch
Means "roofer, thatcher" in Dutch.

Tyrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Gonzalo Spanish
From the given name Gonzalo.

Quickley 1 English
Variant of Quick.

Wilkins English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Picard French
Originally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French pic meaning "pike, spike".

Lyon 2 English, French
From a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English lion meaning "lion".

De Vito Italian
Means "son of Vito 1".

Niemec Polish
Means "German" in Polish.

Isaacson English
Means "son of Isaac".

Harvey English
From the Breton given name Haerviu (see Harvey).

Appleby English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English æppel "apple" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".

Donohue Irish
Variant of Donoghue.

París Spanish
Spanish form of Paris.

Pozzi Italian
From Italian pozzo meaning "well, pit", derived from Latin puteus.

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

Arena Italian
Italian cognate of Arenas.

Mizushima Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Rask Danish, Swedish
Means "energetic, quick, healthy" in Danish and Swedish.

Żuraw Polish
Means "crane" in Polish, a nickname for a tall person.

Umar Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Umar.

Ó Maol Bhréanáin Irish
Means "descendant of a follower of Saint Brendan" in Irish.

Johansen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Johan". This is the second most common Norwegian surname.

Takeuchi Japanese
From Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Lazăr Romanian
From the given name Lazăr.

Lovelace English
From a nickname for a lothario, derived from Middle English lufeles, Old English lufuleas meaning "loveless".

Amadori Italian
Means "son of Amatore".

Janda mu Czech, Polish
Derived from the given name Jan 1.

Agnellini Italian
From a diminutive of Agnelli.

Abt German
German cognate of Abate.

André French
Derived from the given name André.

Sówka Polish
From a diminutive of Polish sowa meaning "owl".

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

El-Mofty Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic المفتي (see Al-Mufti).

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

Kenyatta Kikuyu
From kinyata, the name of a type of ornamental belt worn by the Maasai. This was the surname of the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978). He adopted the surname in his youth.

Nervetti Italian
Possibly a nickname for an innkeeper, from archaic Milanese nervètt, a local meal prepared from a calf.

Sturm German
Means "storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.

Breiner German, Swedish
Occupational name derived from Middle High German brie "porridge".

Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pareo meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin pario meaning "to produce, to give birth").

Speziale Italian
Means "grocer" in Italian, derived from Latin speciarius "spice seller".

Stephens English
Derived from the given name Stephen.

Woods English, Scottish
Variant of Wood.

Ziętek Polish
Possibly from a diminutive of Polish zięć meaning "son-in-law".

Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.

Harrell English
From the given name Harold.

Beulen Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Vaughan Welsh
From Welsh bychan (mutated to fychan) meaning "little". It was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.

Hubbard English
Derived from the given name Hubert.

McKellar Scottish
From Gaelic MacEalair meaning "son of Ealar".

Jewel English
Variant of Jewell.

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

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

Mathiasen Danish
Means "son of Mathias".

Brantley German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Brändle.

Radcliff English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.

Agresta Italian
From Latin agrestis meaning "rural, rustic".

Struna Slovene
From Slovene struna meaning "string, cord", possibly denoting a maker of rope.

Lazarević Serbian
Means "son of Lazar".

Meyer 1 German
From Middle High German meier meaning "bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings Meier and Meyer are more common in northern Germany while Maier and Mayer are more common in southern Germany.

Stevenson English
Variant of Stephenson.

Stuart Scottish
Variant of Stewart.

Yuen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Ruan.

Dunbar Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and barr meaning "summit", so called from its situation on a rock that projects into the sea.

Sugiura Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet".

Riley 1 English
From the name of the town of Ryley in Lancashire, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Shehu Albanian
From the Arabic title شيخ (shaykh) meaning "elder, chief, sheikh".

Christianson English
Means "son of Christian".

Forst German
Derived from Old High German forst "forest". Probably unrelated to the Old French word forest, which was derived from Latin, Old High German forst was derived from foraha meaning "fir tree".

Baggins Literature
Created by J. R. R. Tolkien for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the hero of The Hobbit (1937), and also for his cousin Frodo Baggins, the hero of The Lord of the Rings (1954). He probably derived it from the English word bag. The Baggins family home was called Bag End, and Tolkien himself had an aunt who owned a farm by this name, so that may have been his inspiration. Tolkien used English-like translations of many hobbit names; according to his notes the real hobbit-language form of the surname was Labingi.

Seki Japanese
From Japanese 関 (seki) meaning "frontier pass".

Sands English
From Old English, indicated the original nearer lived on sandy ground.

Trudu Sardinian
Means "thrush" in Sardinian (from Latin turdus).

Fleischer German
Occupational name meaning "butcher" in German.

Kean Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Leavitt English
From the name of various places called Livet in Normandy, France. They are possibly of Gaulish origin.

Thorburn English, Scottish
Derived from the Old Norse given name Þórbjǫrn.

Szilágyi Hungarian
Denoted one from the region of Szilágy in Hungary, derived from Hungarian szil meaning "elm" and ágy meaning "bed".

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

Teke 1 Turkish
Originally denoted someone from Teke, Turkey.

Alescio Italian
From the given name Alessio.

O Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 오 (see Oh).

Alesci Italian
Means "son of Alessio".