Browse Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the gender is unisex; and the order is random.
usage
gender
Noble English, Scottish
From a nickname meaning "noble, high-born, illustrious", derived via Middle English and Old French from Latin nobilis. In some cases the nickname may have been given ironically to people of the opposite character.
Hubbard English
Derived from the given name Hubert.
Yeung Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Yang.
Tanzer German
Means "dancer" in German, derived from Middle High German tanzen "to dance".
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".
Jesus Portuguese
Derived from the given name Jesus.
Olofsson Swedish
Means "son of Olof".
Hosseini Persian
From the given name Hossein.
Vance English
Indicated a dweller by a fen, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, marsh".
Lehtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish lehti meaning "leaf".
Philippe French
From the given name Philippe.
Windsor English
From the name of a few English towns, one notably the site of Windsor Castle. Their names mean "riverbank with a windlass" in Old English, a windlass being a lifting apparatus. In 1917 the British royal family adopted this name (after Windsor Castle), replacing their previous name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Villanueva Spanish
Originally denoted someone who came from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and nueva "new".
Dixon English
Means "son of Dick 1".
Valdez Spanish
Means "son of Baldo".
Herriot English
From an Old French diminutive of the given name Herry.
Hilton English
From various English place names derived from Old English hyll "hill" and tun "enclosure, town". Famous bearers of this name include the Hilton family of hotel heirs.
Wallace Scottish, English, Irish
Means "foreigner, stranger, Celt" from Norman French waleis (of Germanic origin). It was often used to denote native Welsh and Bretons. A famous bearer was the 13th-century Scottish hero William Wallace.
Mussolini Italian
From Italian mussolina meaning "muslin", a type of cloth, itself derived from the city of Mosul in Iraq. This name was borne by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945).
Airò Italian
From the given name Aroldo.
Tomčić Serbian, Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Toma 2.
Jérôme French
Derived from the given name Jérôme.
Corleone Sicilian, Literature
From the name of the town of Corleone in Sicily, which is of uncertain meaning. This surname is well known from the novel The Godfather (1969) by Mario Puzo, as well as the films based on his characters. The story tells how Vito Andolini comes to America from Sicily, receiving the new surname Corleone at Ellis Island, and starts a criminal empire based in New York.
Hawkins English
From a diminutive of Hawk.
Pető Hungarian
Derived from an old diminutive of Péter.
Pärn Estonian
Means "linden tree" in Estonian.
Chu Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese (see Zhu).
McRae Scottish
From Gaelic Mag Raith meaning "son of Rath", a given name meaning "prosperity" or "grace".
Ferrero Italian
Regional variant of Ferrari. It is typical of the area around Turin.
Huddleson English
Means "son of Hudel", a diminutive of Hudde.
Mac Óda Irish
Means "son of Odo" in Irish.
Devos Flemish
Flemish variant of Vos.
Jusić Bosnian
Perhaps means "son of Josip".
De Felice Italian
Means "son of Felice".
Amoretto Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Amore.
Thayer French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Tailler.
Farran English
Derived from Old French ferrant meaning "iron grey".
Aartsen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".
Zaman Arabic, Urdu
Derived from the given name Zaman.
Gujić Bosnian
Means "son of a snake" from the Bosnian word guja meaning "snake".
Hennig German
From a diminutive of the given name Heinrich.
Grimm German
From a nickname for a stern person, derived from Old High German grim "stern, severe, angry". Famous bearers include Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), known for compiling German folktales.
Shaughnessy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Seachnasaigh.
Ramsey English, Scottish
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.
Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.
Domínguez Spanish
Means "son of Domingo".
Beech 1 English
English cognate of Bach 1.
Scheinberg Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "beautiful mountain" from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and berg "mountain".
McReynolds Scottish, Irish
Means "son of Reynold" in Gaelic.
Fusco Italian
From Italian fosco meaning "dark", from Latin fuscus. This was a nickname for a person with dark features.
Koolen Dutch
Derived from the given name Nicolaas.
Spirou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Σπύρου (see Spyrou).
Knight English
From Old English cniht meaning "knight", a tenant serving as a mounted soldier.
Salonen Finnish
From Finnish salo meaning "forest".
Knežević Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of Serbo-Croatian knez meaning "prince" (ultimately of Germanic origin).
Rostami Persian
Derived from the given name Rostam.
Weimann German
From German Wein meaning "wine", an occupational name for a wine seller or producer.
Abeln German
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Albert.
Abramson English
Means "son of Abraham".
Padovan Italian
Regional variant of Padovano.
Cheng 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zheng.
Noyer French
French form of Nogueira.
Ruiz Spanish
Means "son of Ruy" in Spanish.
Vinci 2 Italian
Originally indicated a person from Vinci near Florence, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci.
Wagner German
From Middle High German wagener meaning "wagon maker, cartwright". This name was borne by the German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883).
Hermanson English
Means "son of Herman".
Malley Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Máille.
Valero Spanish
From the given name Valero.
Dupont French
Means "from the bridge", from French pont "bridge".
Acker German, English
Denoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning "field".
Mac Naoimhín Irish
Means "son of Naomhán" in Irish.
Kyler Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cuyler.
Zimman Jewish
Possibly a variant of Zimmermann.
Ahearn Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hEachthighearna.
Ó Maolagáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Milligan.
Outterridge English
Derived from the Old English given name Uhtric.
Jain Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Referred to a person who followed the principles of Jainism, a religion practiced in India. Jains are the followers of Lord Mahavira (599-527 BC).
Bajusz Hungarian
Means "moustache" in Hungarian.
Ardelean Romanian
From the Romanian region of Ardeal, also called Transylvania. It is possibly derived from Hungarian erdő meaning "forest".
Béranger French
From the given name Bérenger.
Ellis English, Welsh
Derived from the given name Elijah, or sometimes Elisedd.
Van Buren Dutch
Means "from Buren", a small town on the island of Ameland in the north of the Netherlands, as well as a small city in the Dutch province Gelderland. The place names derive from Old Dutch bur meaning "house, dwelling". In the 16th century the countess Anna van Buren married William of Orange, the founder of the Dutch royal family. A famous bearer of this surname was Martin van Buren (1782-1862), the eighth President of the United States.
Blair Scottish
From any one of several places of this name in Scotland, which derive from Gaelic blàr meaning "plain, field, battlefield".
Shriver German
German cognate of Scriven.
Araujo Spanish
Spanish form of Araújo.
Leyton English
Variant of Layton.
Paul English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Paul.
Laguardia Italian
Occupational name meaning "sentry, sentinel" in Italian, also a locative name referring to a person who lived near a watchtower. Fiorello Laguardia (1882-1947) was the first mayor of New York of Italian origin.
Salvaggi Italian
Italian form of Savage.
Plaza Spanish
Spanish cognate of Piazza.
Maślanka Polish
Polish cognate of Máselník.
Van Horn Dutch
Dutch form of Horn.
Wehnert German
Variant of Wagner.
Alfsson Swedish
Means "son of Alf 1".
Antonise Dutch
Derived from the given name Antonius.
Potter English
Occupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Belanger English
From the given name Berengar.
Ballerini Italian
From Italian ballerino meaning "dancer", an occupational name or nickname for someone who liked to dance.
Pan 2 Chinese
From Chinese (pān) meaning "water in which rice has been rinsed", and also referring to a river that flows into the Han River.
De Bruijn Dutch
Dutch cognate of Brown.
Egawa Japanese
From Japanese (e) meaning "bay, inlet" and (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
Claes Flemish
From the given name Klaus.
Beitel German
Variant of Beutel.
Bradford English
Derived from the name of the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire, which meant "broad ford" in Old English. This is also the name of other smaller towns in England.
Bevan Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Evan meaning "son of Evan".
Barrett English
Probably derived from the Middle English word barat meaning "trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.
Mogensen Danish
Means "son of Mogens".
Fairburn English
From a place name meaning "fern stream", from Old English fearn "fern" and burna "stream".
Oppenheimer German
Originally indicated a person from Oppenheim, Germany, perhaps meaning "marshy home". A notable bearer was the American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967).
Elmersson Swedish
Means "son of Elmar".
Shepherd English
Occupational name meaning "shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English sceaphyrde.
Van der Linden Dutch
Means "from the linden trees", from Dutch linde meaning "linden tree".
Ó Móráin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Moran.
Picard French
Originally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French pic meaning "pike, spike".
Gadhavi Gujarati
Meaning unknown, related to the Charan caste of Gujarat.
Thorsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Thor".
Farnham English
Indicated a person from any of the various towns named Farnham in England, notably in Surrey. Their names are from Old English fearn "fern" and ham "home, settlement" or ham "water meadow, enclosure".
Nieri Italian
Either a variant of Neri, or from the Italian name Raniero.
Lichtenberg Jewish
Means "light hill" in German.
Kumagai Japanese
From Japanese (kuma) meaning "bear" and (gai) meaning "valley".
Ahmad Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Indian (Muslim)
Derived from the given name Ahmad.
Reece Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.
Ruskin 2 English
From a diminutive of the feminine given name Rose.
MacCrumb Scottish
Anglicized form of MacChruim.
Minett English
From the medieval given name Minna.
Zentai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the city of Senta in Serbia (formerly a part of Hungary and called Zenta).
Bologna Italian
From the name of the city of Bologna in northern Italy. It may derive from a Celtic word meaning "settlement".
Miazga Polish
Derived from Polish miazga "pulp, crush".
Abram English
Derived from the given name Abraham.
Salihović Bosnian
Means "son of Salih".
Núñez Spanish
Means "son of Nuño".
Mark 1 English
Derived from the given name Mark.
Marsh English
Originally denoted one who lived near a marsh or bog, derived from Old English mersc "marsh".
Curran Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Corraidhín meaning "descendant of Corraidhín".
Dirix Flemish, Dutch
Means "son of Dirk".
Tate English
Derived from the Old English given name Tata.
Welch English
Variant of Walsh.
Ilie Romanian
From the given name Ilie.
Eason English
Variant of Eads.
Olasz Hungarian
Means "Italian" in Hungarian, from Old Slavic volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).
Kim Korean
Korean form of Jin, from Sino-Korean (gim) meaning "gold". This is the most common surname in South Korea.
Szabolcsi Hungarian
From the name of the Szabolcs region in Hungary, derived from the given name Szabolcs.
Yuan Chinese
From Chinese (yuán), (yuán) or (yuán), which mean "origin, source".
Howard 1 English
Derived from the given name Hughard or Hávarðr.
Niemelä Finnish
From Finnish niemi meaning "peninsula, cape" with the suffix -la indicating a place.
Ismail Arabic
From the given name Ismail.
Craig Scottish
Derived from Gaelic creag meaning "crag, rocks, outcrop", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.
Cucinotta Italian
Derived from a diminutive of Italian cucina meaning "kitchen".
Bramson Jewish
Means "son of Bram".
Davison English
Means "son of David".
Bruno Italian, Portuguese
Means "brown" in Italian and Portuguese, a nickname for a person with brown hair or brown clothes. A famous bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).
Mocanu Romanian
Originally indicated a member of the Mocani, who were Romanian shepherds from Transylvania. Their name is said to be from the Romanian word moacă meaning "club".
Rémy French
From the given name Rémy.
Itou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 伊藤 (see Itō).
Mhasalkar Marathi (Rare)
Derived from the name of the town of Mhasla in Maharashtra, India.
Gutiérrez Spanish
Means "son of Gutierre".
Necchi Italian
Possibly from Italian neccio, a type of flat bread.
Keen English
From Old English cene meaning "bold, brave".
Zuñiga Basque
From the name of a Spanish town, formerly named Estuniga in Basque, possibly derived from Basque istuin "channel, strait".
Provenzano Italian
Variant of Provenza typical of southern Italy, namely Sicily and Calabria.
Woolf English
Variant of Wolf.
Cox English
Patronymic form of Cock.
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.
Miyajima Japanese
From Japanese (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and (shima) meaning "island".
Crewe English
Originally denoted someone from Crewe in Cheshire, which is from Welsh criu "weir, dam, fish trap".
Plamondon French
Derived from French plat "flat" and mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.
Breisacher German
Originally denoted one who came from the town of Breisach, in Germany. The town's name is possibly from a Celtic word meaning "breakwater".
Rosario Spanish
Spanish form of Rosário.
Ó Gallchobhair Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Gallagher.
Pierno Italian
From the name of the small town of Pierno in southern Italy near Potenza.
Everill English
Derived from the feminine given name Eoforhild.
MacInnes Scottish
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Aonghais meaning "son of Aonghas".
Swallow English
From the name of the bird, from Old English swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.
Hill English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a hill, derived from Old English hyll.
Johansson Swedish
Means "son of Johan". This is the second most common surname in Sweden.
Aaltink Dutch
Variant of Alting.
Yuuki Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 結城 (see Yūki).
Carver English
Occupational surname for a carver, from Middle English kerve "cut".
Jundt German
Derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Judith.
Paredes Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who lived near a wall, from Portuguese parede and Spanish pared meaning "wall", both derived from Latin paries.
Fonda Italian
Of Italian origin, possibly from a place derived from fondo meaning "deep". The family of Henry Fonda (1905-1982) came from the Netherlands, but they were of Genoese origin.
Appelo Dutch
Indicated a person who was from a farm called Aperloo, probably a derivative of appel meaning "apple".
MacQueen Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Shuibhne.
Negrini Italian
Variant of Negri.
Wyndham English
From the name of the town of Wymondham, meaning "home belonging to Wigmund", from the given name Wigmund combined with Old English ham meaning "home, settlement".
Wegner Low German
Low German variant of Wagner.
Takala Finnish
Means "(dweller in the) back", probably denoting someone who lived in a remote area, from Finnish taka.
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.
Edwardson English
Means "son of Edward".
Prescott English
From the name of various English places meaning "priest's cottage" in Old English.
Barnes English
Denoted a person who worked or lived in a barn. The word barn is derived from Old English bere "barley" and ærn "dwelling".
West English, German
Denoted a person who lived to the west of something, or who came from the west.
John English
Derived from the given name John. A famous bearer is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight.
Ó Dubhshláin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Dolan.
Correia Portuguese
Means "leather strap, belt" in Portuguese, denoting a person who worked with leather products.
Soldati Italian
From Italian soldato meaning "soldier", ultimately from Latin solidus, a type of Roman coin.
Tyson 2 English
Variant of Dyson.
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.
Keyes 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.
Lusk Scottish
Possibly from the place name Leask in Aberdeenshire, of unknown meaning.
Smeets Dutch
Variant of Smit.
Veenstra Dutch
Derived from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat".
Shinohara Japanese
From Japanese (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and (hara) meaning "field, plain".
Ludwig German
From the given name Ludwig.
Riese German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German, from Old High German risi.
Adamsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Adam".
Mayer 3 English
Occupational name for a mayor, from Middle English mair, derived via Old French from Latin maior.
MacBeth Scottish
Derived from the Gaelic given name Mac Beatha meaning "son of life", which denoted a man of religious devotion. This was the name of an 11th-century Scottish king, and the name of a play based on his life by William Shakespeare.
Elliott English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Elias.
Emmitt English
Variant of Emmett.
Van den Akker Dutch
Means "from the field" in Dutch.
Antuma Frisian
Variant of Antema.
Anjema Frisian
Denoted a person from the village of Anjum in the Netherlands. It possibly means "corner" in Dutch.
Aust German
Derived from Aust, an archaic diminutive of August.
Henson English
Means "son of Henne", a medieval diminutive of Henry.
Sangster English, Scottish
Occupational name or nickname for a singer, from Old English singan "to sing, to chant".
O'Donnell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Domhnaill meaning "descendant of Domhnall".
O'Brian Irish
Variant of O'Brien.
Terranova Italian
Means "new land" in Italian.
Tahirović Bosnian
Means "son of Tahir".
Low English
Variant of Law.
Zelenko Ukrainian
Ukrainian cognate of Zieliński.
Rattray Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".
Reuter 2 German
From Middle High German riutœre meaning "highwayman, thief".
Ó Murchadha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Murphy.
Kunze German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.
Toller English
Occupational name meaning "tax gatherer", derived from Old English toln "toll, fee, tax".
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).
Jovanović Serbian
Means "son of Jovan".
Mag Uidhir Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McGuire.
Bašić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the chief", derived from Serbo-Croatian baša meaning "chief, boss" (of Turkish origin).
Roca Spanish, Catalan, Occitan
Spanish, Catalan and Occitan cognate of Roach.
Towner English
Variant of Toller.
Meadows English
Referred to one who lived in a meadow, from Old English mædwe.
Grover English
From Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908).
Esser German
Means "cartwright", related to Old High German ahsa "axle".
Pfenning German
From Old High German pfenning meaning "penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.
Reed English
Variant of Read 1.
Avcı Turkish
Means "hunter" in Turkish.
Escobar Spanish
Derived from Spanish escoba meaning "broom plant", from Latin scopa. It originally indicated a person who lived near a prominent patch of broom.
Văn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wen, from Sino-Vietnamese (văn).
Wörner German
From the given name Werner.
Erős Hungarian
Means "strong" in Hungarian.
Nieves Spanish
From the given name Nieves.
Grahn Swedish
From Swedish gran meaning "spruce".
Barwegen Frisian
Derived from the name of a village in Frisia meaning "road to the dike".
Ivers English, Irish
Patronymic derived from the given name Ivor.
Rademacher Low German
Low German cognate of Rademaker.
De Jong Dutch
Means "young" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch jonc. This is the most common surname in the Netherlands.
Laitinen Finnish
Finnish surname of unknown origin.
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.
Kałuża Polish
Means "puddle" in Polish.
Meijer Dutch
Dutch form of Meyer 1.
Ó Caiside Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cassidy.
Weeks English
Derived from Old English wic meaning "village, town".
Bannister English
From Norman French banastre meaning "basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.
Perez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Pérez.
Juan Spanish
From the given name Juan 1.
Gregory English
From the given name Gregory.
Jacquet French
From a diminutive of the given name Jacques.
Papakonstantinou Greek
Means "son of Konstantinos the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Konstantinos.
Botha Afrikaans
South African variant of Both.
Gereben Hungarian
Means "hackle, hatchel" in Hungarian (a hackle is a tool used to comb out fibers).
Hermans Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Herman".
Hutchinson English
Means "son of Huchin", a medieval diminutive of Hugh.
De Kock Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.
Abbadelli Italian
Means "little abbot" from Italian abate and the diminutive suffix -elli.
Lacey English
Derived from Lassy, the name of a town in Normandy. The name of the town was Gaulish in origin, perhaps deriving from a personal name that was Latinized as Lascius.
Rossi Italian
Derived from a nickname for a red-haired person, from Italian rosso, Latin russus meaning "red". This is the most common surname in Italy.
O'Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.
Haase German
Variant of Hase.
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").
Martinson English
Means "son of Martin".
Blake English
Variant of Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).