Szilágyi HungarianDenoted one from the region of Szilágy in Hungary, derived from Hungarian
szil meaning "elm" and
ágy meaning "bed".
Schofield EnglishFrom various northern English place names, which were derived from Old Norse
skáli "hut" and Old English
feld "field".
Sappington EnglishPossibly from the city of Sapperton, England, derived from Old English
sapere meaning "soap maker" and
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Soto SpanishMeans
"grove of trees, small forest" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
saltus.
Brown EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin. A notable bearer is Charlie Brown from the
Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.
Wheeler EnglishOccupational name for a maker of wagon wheels, derived from Middle English
whele "wheel".
Tamboia ItalianPossibly means
"drummer", from Italian
tamburo meaning "drum".
Royce EnglishOriginally derived from the medieval given name
Royse, a variant of
Rose.
Small EnglishFrom a nickname for a small person, from Middle English
smal.
Weimann GermanFrom German
Wein meaning
"wine", an occupational name for a wine seller or producer.
Wardrobe EnglishFrom Old French
warder "to guard" and
robe "garment", an occupational name for a servant responsible for the clothing in a household.
Tarantino ItalianLocational name that originally designated a person who came from Taranto, a city in southeastern Italy, which was originally called
Τάρας (Taras) by Greek colonists. A famous bearer of this name is the American director Quentin Tarantino (1963-).
Allegri ItalianFrom an Italian nickname derived from
allegro meaning
"quick, lively".
He ChineseFrom Chinese
何 (hé), representing a southern pronunciation of the name of the ancient state of Han (see
Han). After Han was destroyed by the state of Qin, those who resettled further south changed their name to this character in order to match the local pronunciation.
Mejía SpanishPossibly from a nickname derived from Spanish
Mesías meaning
"Messiah", from Latin
Messias, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew
מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyaḥ) meaning "anointed".
Ebner 2 GermanMeans
"judge, arbiter" from Middle High German
ebenære.
Barnes EnglishDenoted a person who worked or lived in a barn. The word
barn is derived from Old English
bere "barley" and
ærn "dwelling".
Guevara SpanishHispanicized form of
Gebara. A notable bearer was Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara (1928-1967).
Talbot EnglishOf Norman origin, possibly derived from an unattested Germanic given name composed of the elements
dala "to destroy" and
bod "message".
Triggs EnglishFrom a byname derived from Old Norse
tryggr meaning
"true, loyal".
Poulin FrenchDerived from Old French
poule meaning
"chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.
Chase EnglishOccupational name for a hunter, from Middle English
chase "hunt".
Shen ChineseFrom Chinese
申 (shēn) referring to the ancient state of Shen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Peña SpanishOriginally denoted a person who lived near a jutting rock, from Spanish
peña meaning
"rock, cliff".
Fleury FrenchFrom the name of various towns in northern France, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name
Florus.
Motta ItalianFrom various names of places around Italy. It is derived from a Gaulish word meaning "hill".
Ardelean RomanianFrom the Romanian region of Ardeal, also called Transylvania. It is possibly derived from Hungarian
erdő meaning "forest".
Vonnegut GermanPossibly from the German words
von meaning "from, of, by" and
gut meaning "good". A famous bearer was the American author Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007).
Horton EnglishFrom the names of various places in England, which are derived from Old English
horh "dirt, mud" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Chevalier FrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
chevalier meaning
"knight", from Late Latin
caballarius "horseman", Latin
caballus "horse".
Truman EnglishMeans
"trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).
Cornett EnglishDerived from Old French
cornet meaning
"horn", referring to one who worked as a horn blower.
Durnin IrishFrom Irish
Ó Doirnáin meaning
"descendant of Doirnín", a given name meaning "little fist".
Dior FrenchPossibly from French
doré meaning
"golden". A famous bearer was the French fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).
Ellington EnglishFrom the name of multiple towns in England. 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
tun meaning "enclosure, town".
Campana Italian, SpanishOccupational name from Late Latin
campana meaning
"bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.
Koivisto FinnishMeans
"birch forest" in Finnish, derived from
koivu "birch tree".
Zappa ItalianFrom Italian
zappa meaning
"hoe, mattock", probably denoting a farmer. Two musicians of Italian origin have bore this name: Francesco Zappa (1717-1803) and Frank Zappa (1940-1993).
Weaver 1 EnglishOccupational name for a weaver, derived from Old English
wefan "to weave".
Schuchardt GermanFrom Middle High German
schuochwürte meaning
"shoemaker, cobbler".
Manco ItalianMeans
"left-handed" in Italian, derived from Latin
mancus meaning "maimed".
Abbadelli ItalianMeans
"little abbot" from Italian
abate and the diminutive suffix
-elli.
Raine 2 English, FrenchDerived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element
ragin meaning "advice, counsel".
Longstaff EnglishOccupational name for an official who was equipped with a ceremonial staff, or a nickname for a tall person.
French EnglishOriginally denoted a French person, from Middle English
Frensch, Old English
Frencisc.
Butler English, IrishOccupational name derived from Norman French
butiller "wine steward", ultimately from Late Latin
butticula "bottle". A famous bearer of this surname is the fictional character Rhett Butler, created by Margaret Mitchell for her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936).
Iturburua BasqueMeans
"by the fountain" in Basque, from
iturri "fountain, spring".
Von Brandt GermanMeans
"from the area cleared by fire", from Middle High German
brant.
McGuire IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Mag Uidhir meaning
"son of Odhar", a given name meaning "pale-coloured".
Giffard French, EnglishPossibly from Old French
gifart meaning
"chubby" or possibly from the Germanic name
Gebhard. Walter Giffard was one of the Norman companions of William the Conqueror.
Amano JapaneseFrom Japanese
天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and
野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Cecil WelshFrom the Welsh given name
Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name
Sextilius, a derivative of
Sextus.
Craig ScottishDerived from Gaelic
creag meaning
"crag, rocks, outcrop", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.
Sandford EnglishIndicated a person from Sandford, England, which means simply "sand ford".
Alserda FrisianDesignated a person who was from a farm called Alserd, of uncertain meaning.
Dickman EnglishFrom Old English
dic "ditch" combined with
man "person, man". It was originally a name for a ditch digger or someone who lived near a ditch.
Read 1 EnglishMeans
"red" from Middle English
read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.
Tindall EnglishFrom
Tindale, the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from the name of the river Tyne combined with Old English
dæl "dale, valley".
Prince English, FrenchFrom a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner, ultimately derived from Latin
princeps.
Schröter GermanMeans
"beer-porter, wine-porter" in German, an occupational name for a carrier of wine or beer barrels.
Sonnen GermanMeans
"sun" from Middle High German
sunne. It probably denoted someone of cheerful temperament or a person who lived in a sunny area.
Cárdenas SpanishFrom the name of towns in the Spanish provinces of Almería and La Rioja. They are derived from Spanish
cárdeno "blue, purple".
Bullard EnglishPossibly a nickname derived from Middle English
bole "fraud, deceit".
Blake EnglishVariant of
Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).
Holland 1 EnglishFrom various English places of this name, derived from Old English
hoh "point of land, heel" and
land "land".
Herschel German, JewishDiminutive form of
Hirsch 1 or
Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.
Blau GermanMeans
"blue" in German, most likely used to refer to a person who wore blue clothes.
Orsós HungarianDerived from Hungarian
orsó meaning
"spindle", an occupational name for a seller or maker of spindles.
Sitko PolishMeans
"fine sieve" in Polish, a diminutive of the Polish word
sito "sieve".
Castle EnglishFrom Middle English
castel meaning
"castle", from Late Latin
castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.
Toledano SpanishDerived from the name of the city of Toledo in Spain, which was from Latin
Toletum, which may have been derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".
Hakala FinnishFrom Finnish
haka meaning
"pasture" with the suffix
-la indicating a place.
Devlin IrishAnglicized form of the Irish
Ó Doibhilin meaning
"descendant of Doibhilin", a given name that may be derived from the Gaelic term
dobhail meaning "unlucky".
Gerst GermanOccupational name for a barley farmer, derived from Old High German
gersta "barley".
Ortiz SpanishMeans
"son of Orti", a byname deriving either from Latin
fortis meaning "brave, strong" or
fortunius meaning "fortunate".
Fonda ItalianOf 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.
Silver EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English
seolfor "silver".
Baldinotti ItalianDerived from the given name
Baldinotto, from the Latin name
Baldinoctus, a diminutive of
Baldo.
Terrell EnglishProbably derived from the Norman French nickname
tirel meaning
"to pull", referring to a stubborn person.
Monti ItalianMeans
"mountain, hill" in Italian, from Latin
mons.
Langdon EnglishDerived from the name of various places, of Old English origin meaning
"long hill" (effectively
"ridge").
Villa Italian, SpanishMeans
"town" in Italian and Spanish, from Latin. It was originally given to a person who came from a town, as opposed to the countryside.
Miyamoto JapaneseFrom Japanese
宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and
本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin". A notable bearer is video game pioneer Shigeru Miyamoto (1952-).
Arenas SpanishFrom various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish
arena meaning
"sand".
Perrier FrenchOccupational name for a person who worked with stone, derived from French
pierre meaning
"stone", from Latin
petra, Greek
πέτρα (petra).
Knight EnglishFrom Old English
cniht meaning
"knight", a tenant serving as a mounted soldier.
Rais ItalianOccupational name for the fisherman in charge of the boat, from Italian
rais "captain", of Arabic origin. It is typical of Sicily and Sardinia.
Gilliam EnglishVariant of
William. A famous bearer of the name is cartoonist and filmmaker Terry Gilliam (1940-).
Dibra AlbanianFrom the Albanian name for the city of Debar in Macedonia, originally given to someone who came from there.
Harlow EnglishHabitational name derived from a number of locations named Harlow, from Old English
hær "rock, heap of stones" or
here "army", combined with
hlaw "hill".
Penn 2 EnglishOccupational name for a person who kept penned animals, from Old English
penn.
Quixote LiteratureCreated by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes for the main character in his novel
Don Quixote (1605), about a nobleman who goes mad after reading too many heroic romances and decides to become a wandering knight under the name Don Quixote. His real name in part one of the book is conjectured to be
Quixada or
Quesada, though in part two (published 10 years after part one) it is revealed as Alonso
Quixano. The Spanish suffix
-ote means "large".
Kavanagh IrishDerived from the Irish Gaelic name
Caomhánach, which means "a student of saint
Caomhán". It was the name used by a 12th-century king of Leinster, Domhnall Caomhánach, the eldest son of the historic Irish king Diarmait Mac Murchada.
Rendón SpanishPossibly derived from a variant of Spanish
de rondón meaning
"unexpectedly, rashly".
Hope EnglishDerived from Middle English
hop meaning
"small valley".
Van Hassel DutchMeans
"from Hassel", a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It may be derived from Old Dutch
hasal meaning "hazel tree".
Buchanan ScottishFrom the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.
Seabrook EnglishDenoted 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".
Mocanu RomanianOriginally 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".
Fejes HungarianDerived from Hungarian
fej meaning
"head", originally a nickname applied to a stubborn person.
Gilmore Scottish, IrishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
MacGilleMhoire or Irish Gaelic
Mac Giolla Mhuire meaning
"son of the servant of Moire".
Hines IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó hEidhin meaning
"descendant of Eidhin", a given name or byname of unknown origin.
Acquati ItalianFrom the name of a village, part of the city of Lecco in Lombardy. Its name is presumably derived from Italian
acqua "water".
Sigourney EnglishFrom the name of the commune of Sigournais in western France, called
Segurniacum in medieval Latin, itself of unknown meaning.
Steuben GermanName for a dweller by a stump of a large tree, from Middle Low German
stubbe "stub".
Love EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Lufu meaning "love".
Bergmann GermanFrom Old High German
berg meaning "mountain" and
man meaning "man", originally denoting someone who lived on a mountain.
Porto ItalianDesignated a person who lived near a harbour, from Italian
porto, Latin
portus.
Niskanen FinnishDerived from Finnish
niska meaning
"neck", indicating someone who lived on a neck of land or who had a distinctive neck.
Sauer GermanMeans
"sour" in German, a nickname for an embittered or cantankerous person.
Vestergaard DanishFrom a place name, derived from Danish
vest "west" and
gård "farm, yard".
Little EnglishMeaning simply
"little", it was originally a nickname given to a short person.
Schwarz German, JewishMeans
"black" in German, from Old High German
swarz. It originally described a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
Abarca SpanishFrom the name of a type of leather-soled shoe or sandal made on the Balearic Islands. It originally indicated a person who made or sold this item.
Loman DutchFrom various place names in the Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch
loh meaning "meadow, clearing".
Haight EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, derived from Old English
heahþu "height, summit".
Cheshire EnglishOriginally indicated a person from the county of Cheshire in England. Cheshire is named for its city
Chester.