Browse Surnames

Varga um Hungarian, Slovak
Occupational name meaning "cobbler" in Hungarian.

Steiner German
Variant of Stein.

Nardovino Italian (Rare)
Either from Nardo, a short form of names like Bernardo or Leonardo, or from Ardovino, a variant of Arduino.

Croce Italian
Italian form of Cross.

Moss 1 English
From Middle English mos meaning "bog, moss".

Merkel German
From a diminutive of the given name Markus. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).

Díez Spanish
Means "son of Diego" in Spanish.

Symonds English
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Magee Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.

Holzknecht German
Occupational name for a forester's helper, from Old High German holz "wood" and kneht "servant, apprentice".

Nieves Spanish
From the given name Nieves.

Langley 1 English
From any of the various places with this name, all derived from Old English lang "long" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Constantinescu Romanian
Means "son of Constantin".

Beck 4 English
From Old English becca meaning "pickaxe", an occupational surname.

Merrill 1 English
Derived from the given name Muriel.

Gilbert English, French
Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Pauwels Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Paul".

Bray English
From a place name derived from Cornish bre "hill".

Colijn Dutch
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolaas.

Switzer German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Schweitzer.

Albring Dutch
Variant of Alberink.

Cavalcante Italian
Derived from Italian cavalcare "to ride".

Rinaldi Italian
Derived from the given name Rinaldo.

Parsons English
Originally denoted a son of a parson, a derivative of Latin persona "person".

Castle English
From Middle English castel meaning "castle", from Late Latin castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.

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

Van Alst Dutch
Means "from Aalst", the name of towns in Belgium and the Netherlands, which is possibly from Germanic *alhs meaning "temple, shelter".

Jordan 2 Jewish
Derived from the name of the Jordan river, which is from Hebrew יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend" or "flow down".

Pritchard Welsh
From Welsh ap Richard meaning "son of Richard".

Kimberly English
Variant of Kimberley.

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

Carrasco Spanish
Topographic name derived from Spanish carrasca meaning "holm oak" (species Quercus ilex).

Scheinberg Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "beautiful mountain" from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and berg "mountain".

Arnolfi Italian
Means "son of Arnolfo".

Vasylyshyn Ukrainian
Means "son of Vasyl".

Sitko Polish
Means "fine sieve" in Polish, a diminutive of the Polish word sito "sieve".

Tsui Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xu 1.

Sheehy Irish
Variant of McSheehy.

Kästner German
Means "cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German kaste "box".

Kools Dutch
Derived from the given name Nicolaas.

Hynes Irish
Variant of Hines.

Ma Chinese
From Chinese 马 (mǎ) meaning "horse".

Capela Portuguese
Portuguese form of Kappel.

Wilkerson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Lestrange French
From Old French estrange, a cognate of Strange.

Greenwood English
Topographic name for someone who lived in or near a lush forest, from Old English grene "green" and wudu "wood".

Wescott English
Variant of Westcott.

Ölvirsson Icelandic
Means "son of Ölvir".

Moran Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Móráin meaning "descendant of Mórán", a given name meaning "great, large".

Page English, French
Occupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".

Zentai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the city of Senta in Serbia (formerly a part of Hungary and called Zenta).

Medina Spanish
Means "(Arab) city" in Spanish, derived from Arabic مدينة (madīna).

Hutson English
Variant of Hudson.

Piccoli Italian
Nickname for a short person, from Italian piccolo "small".

Ó Scolaidhe Irish
Means "descendant of the scholar" from Irish scholaidhe.

Nakagawa Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Karimi Persian, Arabic
Derived from the given name Karim.

Gustafsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustaf". The actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was originally named Greta Gustafsson.

Bosch 2 Catalan
Catalan cognate of Bosco.

Funar Romanian
Means "rope maker" in Romanian.

Lemoine French
Means "the monk" in French. This was typically a nickname or an occupational name for a person who worked in a monastery.

Bernhard German
From the given name Bernhard.

Laninga Frisian
From Frisian lân meaning "land".

Buhr Low German
Low German form of Bauer.

Tjäder Swedish
Means "wood grouse" in Swedish.

Ikeda Japanese
From Japanese 池 (ike) meaning "pool, pond" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Reinders Dutch, Frisian
From the given name Reindert.

Dorsey English
Means "from Orsay", referring to the town of Orsay near Paris, its name deriving from the Latin personal name Orcius.

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".

Bustillo Spanish
From the name of Spanish towns, diminutive forms of Busto.

Géroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Greene English
Variant of Green.

Léandre French
Derived from the given name Léandre.

Faure Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Quixano Spanish (Archaic)
Old spelling of Quijano.

Scholz German
Variant of Schulz.

Clifford English
Derived from various place names that meant "ford by a cliff" in Old English.

Strömberg Swedish
From Swedish ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream" and berg meaning "mountain".

Shaw 2 Scottish
From a given name or byname that was derived from Gaelic sitheach meaning "wolf" (Old Irish sídach).

Samuelson English
Means "son of Samuel".

McKowen Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Eoghain.

Mack 2 Scottish, English
From the given name Mack 2.

Ó Cochláin Irish
Means "descendant of Cochlán", where the given name Cochlán is derived from Irish cochal "cape" or "hood". This surname originated in County Cork, Ireland.

Matthewson English
Means "son of Matthew".

Michael English, German
From the given name Michael.

Strohkirch German
Means "straw church" in German.

Perrot French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Krantz German, Jewish
Variant of Kranz.

Rothschild Jewish
From Middle High German rot "red" and schilt "shield", or Yiddish רויט (roit) and שילד (shild). The famous Rothschild family of bankers took their name from a house with a red shield on it.

Carré French
Means "square" in French, derived from Latin quadratus. It was used as a nickname for a squat person.

Acone Italian
Possibly from the name of a harbour in Bithynia (in modern Turkey).

Einarsson Swedish
Means "son of Einar".

Williams English
Means "son of William".

Assendorp Dutch
From the name of a place called Assendorp, composed of Dutch essen and dorp, meaning "ash tree village".

Szántó Hungarian
Occupational name for a ploughman or tiller, derived from Hungarian szánt meaning "to plow".

Siemon German
Variant of Simon.

Budai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the Hungarian city of Buda (one of the two cities that were joined to make Budapest in 1873).

Ortega Spanish
From a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) derived from ortiga "nettle".

Vasylenko Ukrainian
From the given name Vasyl.

Ljunggren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Sovány Hungarian
Means "thin, lean" in Hungarian.

Schindler German
Occupational name for a roof tiler, from Middle High German schindel "shingle". A famous bearer was Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), who saved over a thousand Polish Jews during World War II.

Michel French, German, Dutch, Basque
Derived from the given name Michel, Michiel or Mitxel.

Schultze German
Variant of Schulz.

Coman Romanian
From the name of the Cumans, a Turkic people from the Eurasian Steppe.

Emmitt English
Variant of Emmett.

Langston English
From any of the various locations in England with this name, derived from Old English lang "long" and stan "stone".

Evensen Norwegian
Means "son of Even".

Hendrikx Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Meindl German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino.

Kask Estonian
Means "birch" in Estonian.

Sanz Spanish
From the given name Sancho.

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

Zeng Chinese
From Chinese 曾 (zēng) referring to the former state of Zeng, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hubei province.

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

De Snaijer Dutch
Variant of Snijder.

Mwangi Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Mwangi.

Berntsson Swedish
Means "son of Bernt".

Carlsson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Favero Italian
Variant of Fabbri.

Royer French
From French roue meaning "wheel", ultimately from Latin rota, an occupational name for a wheelwright.

Bertrand French
Derived from the given name Bertrand.

Colin French
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolas.

Okorie Igbo
From the given name Okorie.

Jeong Korean
Korean form of Zheng, from Sino-Korean 鄭 (jeong).

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

Cheng 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zheng.

Delaney 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dubhshláine meaning "descendant of Dubhshláine".

Suggitt English
Variant of Southgate.

MacGobhainn Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Mac Ghabhann.

Abioye Yoruba
From the given name Abioye.

Crespi Italian
Variant of Crespo.

Pintér Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Gwózdek Polish
Derived from either archaic Polish gwozd meaning "forest" or gwóźdź meaning "nail".

Kaufmann German, Jewish
Means "trader, merchant" in German.

Sitz 2 German
Means "house owner", derived from Old High German siz "seat, domicile".

Johnsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of John".

Valentin French, German
From the given name Valentin.

Monaghan Irish
Variant of Monahan.

Millard English
Variant of Millward.

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

Shen Chinese
From Chinese 申 (shēn) referring to the ancient state of Shen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty.

Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Vázquez Spanish
Variant of Vásquez.

Ellery English
From the medieval masculine name Hilary.

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).

Atkins English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

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.

Gates English
Originally denoted a person who lived near the town gates.

Choi Korean
From Sino-Korean 崔 (choe) meaning "high, lofty, towering".

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

Messer German
Occupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German messer "knife".

Ó Laoghaire Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Leary.

Van 't Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Schoorel Dutch
Variant of Schoorl.

Corwin English
Derived from Old French cordoan "leather", ultimately from the name of the Spanish city of Cordova.

Deacon English
Means "deacon", ultimately from Greek διάκονος (diakonos) meaning "servant".

Stasyuk Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Стасюк (see Stasiuk).

Bronson English
Patronymic form of Brown.

Miles English
From the given name Miles.

Durnin Irish
From Irish Ó Doirnáin meaning "descendant of Doirnín", a given name meaning "little fist".

Brannon Irish
Variant of Brennan.

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

Martikainen Finnish
From a diminutive of the given name Martti.

Ström Swedish
Means "stream" in Swedish.

Arterbury English
Variant of Atteberry.

Tamás Hungarian
Derived from the given name Tamás.

Bartlett English
From a diminutive form of Bartholomew.

Adrichem Dutch
From the name of an estate and castle (demolished in 1812) that was formerly in North Holland, the Netherlands. It means "Adrik's home".

Martino Italian
From the given name Martino.

Van Rijn Dutch
Means "from the Rhine". A famous bearer was the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669).

Abbandonato Italian
Means "forsaken, abandoned" in Italian.

Svéd Hungarian
Means "Swedish" in Hungarian.

Elwes English
Derived from the given name Eloise.

Anton Romanian
From the given name Anton.

Duffy 1 Irish
Derived from Irish Ó Dubhthaigh meaning "descendant of Dubthach". Their original homeland was Monaghan where the surname is still the most common; they are also from Donegal and Roscommon.

Rhydderch Welsh
From the given name Rhydderch.

Mac Dhuibhshíthe Irish
Means "son of Duibhshíth" in Irish. The given name Duibhshíth means "black peace".

Henningsen Danish
Means "son of Henning".

Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.

Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.

Ó Caoimh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Keefe.

Schrijnemakers Dutch
Occupational name for a cabinet maker, from Dutch schrijn "box, container" and maker "maker".

Hiramatsu Japanese
From Japanese 平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree".

Capello 1 Italian
From Late Latin cappa meaning "cloak, cape, hood". This was a name for one who made or wore cloaks.

Vasylyk Ukrainian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Vasyl.

Badcock English
From a diminutive of the medieval given name Bada.

Blackburn English
From the name of a city in Lancashire, meaning "black stream" in Old English.

Sobol Ukrainian, Russian, Jewish
Occupational name for a fur trader, from the Slavic word sobolĭ meaning "sable, marten". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Jonkheer Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

Nicholls English
Derived from the given name Nichol.

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

Jansens Dutch
Variant of Jansen.

Paterson English, Scottish
Means "son of Patrick".

Gunvaldsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gunvald".

Baird Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac an Baird.

Pacheco Spanish, Portuguese
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Francisco.

Macauley Irish, Scottish
Variant of McCauley.

Büki Hungarian
Derived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).

Anselmetti Italian
Means "son of Anselmetto", a diminutive of Anselmo.

Achterop Dutch
Variant of Ogtrop.

Atwater English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".

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.

Savić Serbian
Means "son of Sava".

Van der Aart Dutch
Means "from the earth", derived from Dutch aarde "earth". It perhaps referred to either an earth bank or to a farmer.

Fried German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.

Man Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wen.

Hase German
From Middle High German and Middle Low German hase meaning "hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.

Testa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "head".

Tarr Hungarian
Variant of Tar.

Salucci Italian
From Italian sale meaning "salt".

Zhuk Belarusian
Means "beetle" in Belarusian.

Heydari Persian
From the given name Heydar.

Marcos Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Marcos. A famous bearer was Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989).

Meeuwessen Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Ó Briain Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Brien.

Rémy French
From the given name Rémy.

Balogh Hungarian
Means "left handed" in Hungarian.

Heppenheimer German
From the name of the city of Heppenheim in Hesse, Germany.

McCabe Irish, Scottish
Means "son of Cába", where Cába is a byname meaning "cape, cloak" (from Latin cappa).

Piccirillo Italian
From Neapolitan piccerillo meaning "small, young".

Mousavi Persian
From the given name Mousa.

Bowen Welsh
From Welsh ap Owain meaning "son of Owain".

Chaplin English, French
Occupational name for a chaplain, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French chapelain. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977).

Louis French
From the given name Louis.

Bondar Ukrainian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Ukrainian.

Potočnik Slovene
From Slovene potok meaning "stream, brook".

Kleid Jewish
Occupational name for a tailor, from Old High German kleid meaning "garment, clothing".

Arnoni Italian
Means "son of Arnone" from the medieval name Arnone, of uncertain origin.

Huddleson English
Means "son of Hudel", a diminutive of Hudde.

Frank 3 German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Name for a person from Franconia in Germany, so called because it was settled by the Frankish people. A notable bearer was the German-Jewish diarist Anne Frank (1929-1945), a victim of the Holocaust.

Donalds English
Derived from the given name Donald.

Scrivener English
Variant of Scriven.

Wall English
Originally denoted a person who lived near a prominent wall, from Old English weall.

Montes Spanish
From Spanish monte "mountain, hill", derived from Latin mons.

Bullock English
From a nickname meaning "young bull".

Colt English
Occupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English colt.

Sabbadin Italian
From a nickname from Italian sabbato "Saturday", a name for one born on that day of the week.

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).

Blackbourne English
Variant of Blackburn.

Mutō Japanese
From Japanese 武 (mu) meaning "military, martial" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

School Dutch
From Dutch school, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school", indicating a person who worked at or lived near a school.

Tenley English
Possibly from the name of an English town derived from Old English tind "point" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Lambert French
Derived from the given name Lambert.

Marsden English
From a place name derived from Old English mearc "boundary" and denu "valley".

Adkins English
Variant of Atkins.

Kárpáty Hungarian
Variant of Kárpáti.

Tso Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Cao.

Blecher German
Occupational name for someone who worked with tin or sheet metal, from German blech "tin".

Jordan 1 English, French, German
Derived from the given name Jordan.

Salim Arabic
From the given name Salim.

Fabre Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Weeks English
Derived from Old English wic meaning "village, town".

Hersch German, Jewish
Variant of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Muñoz Spanish
Patronymic derived from the medieval Spanish given name Muño, from Latin Munnius, possibly of Germanic origin.

Tímár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "tanner" in Hungarian.

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

Bolton English
From any of the many places in England called Bolton, derived from Old English bold "house" and tun "enclosure".

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Nelissen Dutch
Means "son of Cornelis".

Bellomi Italian
Variant of Bellomo.

Frost English, German
From Old English and Old High German meaning "frost", a nickname for a person who had a cold personality or a white beard.

Plamondon French
Derived from French plat "flat" and mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.

Wada Japanese
From Japanese 和 (wa) meaning "harmony, peace" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Prieto Spanish
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish, referring to a person with dark hair or skin.

Solomon English, Romanian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Solomon.

Lindbeck Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and bäck (Old Norse bekkr) meaning "stream".

Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.

Corrà Italian
From a short form of the given name Corrado.

Cuevas Spanish
Derived from Spanish cueva meaning "cave".

Natale Italian
From the given name Natale.

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

Jewell English
Derived from the Breton given name Judicaël.

Accorso Italian
From the given name Bonaccorso.

Pentti Finnish
Derived from the given name Pentti.

Alfonso Spanish
From the given name Alfonso.

Vinković Croatian
Means "son of Vinko".

Mac Síthigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McSheehy.

Al-Hashim Arabic
From the given name Hashim.

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

Abarca Spanish
From 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.

Yamauchi Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Nagy um Hungarian, Slovak
From a nickname meaning "big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname. In Slovakia this spelling is only used for men, with Nagyová being the feminine form.

Belo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bello.

Gimondi Italian
Probably derived from the Old German given name Gismund.

Sapienti Italian
Means "wise, learned" in Italian.

Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.

Lončar Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Means "potter", from Serbo-Croatian lonac, Slovene lonec meaning "pot".

Murray 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Muireadhaigh meaning "descendant of Muireadhach".

Hollands English
Variant of Holland 1.

Branco Portuguese
Means "white" in Portuguese, referring to someone with light skin or hair.

Heinz German
Derived from a diminutive of Heinrich.

Kaiser German
From Middle High German keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name Caesar.

McFarlane Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic MacPhàrlain or Irish Gaelic Mac Pharlain meaning "son of Parthalán".

Weaver 1 English
Occupational name for a weaver, derived from Old English wefan "to weave".

Tipton English
Originally given to one who came from the town of Tipton, derived from the Old English given name Tippa combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Smits Dutch
Variant of Smit.

Lauwers Dutch
From the given name Laurens.

Roberson English
Means "son of Robert".

Plešec Slovene
Variant of Pleško.