Cao ChineseFrom Chinese
曹 (cáo) referring to the ancient state of Cao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
Wakefield EnglishOriginally indicated a person who came from the English city of Wakefield, derived from Old English
wacu "wake, vigil" and
feld "field".
Brandon EnglishFrom the name of various places in England meaning
"hill covered with broom" in Old English.
Gates EnglishOriginally denoted a person who lived near the town gates.
Quijada SpanishMeans
"jaw" in Spanish, a nickname for someone with a large jaw.
Ingersleben GermanFrom the name of the town of Ingersleben, Germany, which meant "Inge's village".
Azzarà ItalianSicilian name, derived from Greek dialects of southern Italy. It is from Greek
ψαράς (psaras) meaning
"fisherman".
Parma ItalianFrom the city of Parma in northern Italy, the name of which is probably of Etruscan origin.
Steinmann GermanMeans
"stone man" in German, used as a habitational name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or an occupational name for a stone worker.
Aita ItalianOriginally denoted a person from Aieta, Italy, a place name derived from Greek
ἀετός (aetos) meaning "eagle".
Niemczyk PolishFrom Polish
Niemiec meaning
"German" and the patronymic suffix
-czyk.
Hopper EnglishOccupational name for an acrobat or a nickname for someone who was nervous or restless. A famous bearer was the American actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010).
Castañeda SpanishHabitational name from any of various places called Castañeda, from a Spanish word meaning
"chestnut grove", itself derived from
castaña meaning "chestnut".
Van Hassel DutchMeans
"from Hassel", a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It may be derived from Old Dutch
hasal meaning "hazel tree".
Trần VietnameseVietnamese form of
Chen, from Sino-Vietnamese
陳 (trần). This is the second most common surname in Vietnam.
Kolbe GermanFrom Middle High German
kolbe meaning
"club".
MacGregor ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
MacGriogair meaning
"son of Gregor". It originates from the Highland clan Gregor. A famous bearer was the Scottish folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor (1671-1734).
Aue GermanFrom German meaning
"meadow by a river, wetland". There are many places with this name in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Cowden EnglishFrom various English place names, which meaning either "coal valley", "coal hill" or "cow pasture" in Old English.
Carman 1 EnglishOccupational name for a carter, from Middle English
carre "cart" (of Latin origin) and
man "man".
Rettig GermanDerived from Middle High German
retich, Middle Low German
redik meaning
"radish", an occupational name for a grower or seller of radishes.
Guttenberg German, JewishFrom the name of various places, derived from Middle High German
guot meaning "good" and
berg meaning "mountain". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Ardelean RomanianFrom the Romanian region of Ardeal, also called Transylvania. It is possibly derived from Hungarian
erdő meaning "forest".
Ó hÉidín IrishMeans
"descendant of Éidín" in Irish. The given name
Éidín is a diminutive of
éideadh meaning "clothes, armour".
Jonker DutchFrom the Dutch title
jonkheer meaning
"young lord". It was originally a medieval noble designation (not an actual title) for a young nobleman.
Abasolo BasqueMeans
"priest's meadow" from Basque
abas "priest" and
solo "meadow".
Bootsma FrisianOccupational name meaning
"boatman", derived from Dutch
boot "boat".
Long EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.
Van der Veen DutchMeans
"from the swamp", from Dutch
veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat". It originally indicated a person who resided in a peat district or fen colony.
Queen EnglishFrom a given name that was derived from Old English
cwen meaning
"queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.
Aggio ItalianPossibly from the name
Aggius, probably related to the Germanic name
Agi.
Cruyssen DutchFrom the name of a place in the Netherlands, derived from
kruis "cross".
Armati ItalianFrom Italian
armato meaning
"armed, armoured, equipped".
Soldati ItalianFrom Italian
soldato meaning
"soldier", ultimately from Latin
solidus, a type of Roman coin.
Roggeveen DutchMeans
"rye field" in Dutch. A famous bearer was Jacob Roggeveen (1659-1729), the first European explorer to Easter Island.
Sárközi HungarianOriginally indicated someone from
Sárköz, a region in Hungary, derived from
sár "mud" and
köz "margin, lane".
Ratti ItalianFrom Italian
ratto meaning
"rat", originally denoting a sly individual.
Rojo SpanishMeans
"red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.
Aikawa JapaneseFrom Japanese
相 (ai) meaning "mutually, together",
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" or
哀 (ai) meaning "grief, sorrow" combined with
川 (kawa) or
河 (kawa) both meaning "river, stream".
Knox ScottishFrom the name of various places in Scotland and northern England, derived from Scottish Gaelic
cnoc "round hill".
Cojocaru RomanianFrom Romanian
cojoc meaning
"sheepskin coat". This was an occupational name for a maker of these coats.
Hilton EnglishFrom 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.
Bouvier FrenchMeans
"cowherd" in French, from Latin
boviarus, a derivative of
bos "cow".
Mlakar Slovene, CroatianReferred to someone who lived near a pool, derived from South Slavic
mlaka meaning
"pool, puddle".
Irvine 1 ScottishOriginally derived from the name of a Scottish (North Ayrshire) town, which was named for the River Irvine, derived from Brythonic elements meaning
"green water".
Kron German, SwedishFrom German
Krone and Swedish
krona meaning
"crown" (from Latin
corona), perhaps a nickname for one who worked in a royal household.
Knopf GermanMeans
"button" in German, originally belonging to a button maker or button seller.
Laganà ItalianOccupational name for a greengrocer, meaning
"vegetables" in southern Italian dialects, ultimately from Greek
λάχανον (lachanon).
Graves EnglishOccupational name for a steward, derived from Middle English
greyve, related to the German title
Graf.
Li 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
李 (lǐ) meaning
"plum, plum tree". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Tang dynasty.
Page English, FrenchOccupational name meaning
"servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek
παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".
Lachapelle FrenchMeans
"the chapel" in French, most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.
Pecora ItalianMeans
"sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.
Fürst GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"(sovereign) prince" in German. The word
fürst itself is derived from Old High German
furisto "first".
Delaney 1 EnglishDerived from Norman French
de l'aunaie meaning
"from the alder grove".
Nicastro ItalianFrom the name of the town of Nicastro in Calabria, southern Italy.
Roig CatalanMeans
"red" in Catalan, from Latin
rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.
McCauley Irish, ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Amhalghaidh or
Mac Amhalghadha meaning
"son of Amhalghaidh". The given name
Amhalghaidh, from Old Irish
Amalgaid, is of uncertain meaning.
Dunst GermanDerived from Middle High German
dunst "haze".
Terrell EnglishProbably derived from the Norman French nickname
tirel meaning
"to pull", referring to a stubborn person.
Royston EnglishOriginally taken from an Old English place name meaning "Royse's town". The given name
Royse was a medieval variant of
Rose.
Seaver EnglishFrom the unattested Old English given name
Sæfaru, derived from the Old English elements
sæ "sea, ocean" and
faru "journey".
Maxwell ScottishFrom a place name meaning "Mack's stream", from the name
Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name
Magnus, combined with Old English
wille "well, stream". A famous bearer was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.
Steele EnglishOccupational name for a steelworker, from Old English
stele meaning
"steel".
Tucker EnglishOccupational name for a fuller of cloth, derived from Old English
tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.
Koizumi JapaneseFrom 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.
Spooner EnglishOccupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English
spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".
Ravn DanishMeans
"raven" in Danish, from Old Norse
hrafn.
Eccleston EnglishDenoted a person from any of the various places named Eccleston in England, derived from Latin
ecclesia "church" (via Briton) and Old English
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Medeiros PortugueseFrom various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese
medeiro meaning
"haystack", ultimately from Latin
meta meaning "cone, pyramid".
Akkersdijk DutchOriginally denoted a person from the town of Akkersdijk, near Delft in the Netherlands. It means "field by the dyke" in Dutch.
Van Agteren DutchMeans
"from behind", probably referring to a place behind something, such as a building or a place at the end of the road.
Dunn English, Scottish, IrishDerived from Old English
dunn "dark" or Gaelic
donn "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion.
Starr EnglishFrom 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.
Stolarz PolishOccupational name from Polish
stolarz meaning
"joiner, maker of furniture".
Bunschoten DutchOriginally indicated a person from the Dutch town of Bunschoten, which might mean "raised, enclosed land".
Ainsley ScottishFrom 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".
Ferrari ItalianOccupational name for a metalworker or smith, derived from Latin
ferrarius, a derivative of
ferrum meaning "iron".
Bunker EnglishDerived from Old French
bon cuer meaning
"good heart".
Böhm GermanOriginally indicated a person from the region of
Bohemia (
Böhmen in German).
Garner 1 EnglishFrom Old French
gernier meaning
"granary", a derivative of Latin
granum meaning "grain". This name could refer to a person who worked at a granary or lived near one.
Hoedemaker DutchOccupational name for a hat maker, from Dutch
hoed "hat" and
maker "maker".
Papp 2 GermanNickname perhaps related to Latin
pappo meaning
"to eat".
Escárcega SpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Eskarzaga, which itself is derived from Basque
hazkar "maple".
Waller 2 EnglishDerived from Old English
weall meaning
"wall", denoting a builder of walls or someone who lived near a prominent wall.
Petit French, Catalan, EnglishMeans
"small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan
petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.
Žagar SloveneOccupational name for a woodcutter, from Slovene
žaga meaning
"saw".
Yoxall EnglishOriginally indicated a person from the town of Yoxall in Staffordshire, itself derived from Old English
geoc "oxen yoke" and
halh "nook, recess".
Stanley EnglishFrom various place names meaning
"stone clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer was the British-American explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904).
Kitagawa JapaneseFrom Japanese
北 (kita) meaning "north" and
川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream". A famous bearer was the artist and printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806).
Schindler GermanOccupational 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.
Kelly 1 IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Ceallaigh meaning
"descendant of Ceallach". Famous bearers include actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).
Gereben HungarianMeans
"hackle, hatchel" in Hungarian (a hackle is a tool used to comb out fibers).
Clark EnglishMeans
"cleric" or
"scribe", from Old English
clerec meaning "priest", ultimately from Latin
clericus. A famous bearer was William Clark (1770-1838), an explorer of the west of North America.
MacCoughlan IrishMeans
"son of Cochlán". The given name
Cochlán is derived from Irish
cochal meaning "cape" or "hood".
Kahler GermanFrom a nickname derived from German
kahl meaning
"bald".
Gerber GermanMeans
"tanner, leather dresser" in German, derived from Old High German
garawen meaning "to prepare".
Baggins LiteratureCreated 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.
Teke 2 TurkishOccupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish
teke "goat".
Østergård DanishFrom Danish
øst meaning "east" and
gård meaning "enclosure, farm".
Gwózdek PolishDerived from either archaic Polish
gwozd meaning
"forest" or
gwóźdź meaning
"nail".
Sheinfeld JewishOrnamental name derived from German
schön "beautiful, good, nice" and
feld "field".
Curie FrenchOccupational name for a farm hand, from Old French
éscuerie "stable". Famous bearers were the married scientists Marie (1867-1934) and Pierre Curie (1859-1906), who studied radioactivity.
Baart DutchMeans
"beard" in Dutch, originally describing a person who wore a beard.
Alserda FrisianDesignated a person who was from a farm called Alserd, of uncertain meaning.
Roth German, JewishFrom Middle High German
rot meaning
"red". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
Strickland EnglishFrom the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from Old English
stirc "calf, young bullock" and
land "cultivated land".