Browse Surnames

Cartwright English
Occupational name indicating one who made carts.

Gelens Dutch
Variant of Geelen.

Brannon Irish
Variant of Brennan.

Antonini Italian
Means "son of Antonino".

Gary English
Variant of Geary.

Rojo Spanish
Means "red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.

Brand 2 German, Dutch
From Old High German brant or Old Dutch brand meaning "fire", originally a name for a person who lived near an area that had been cleared by fire.

Schwarzenberg German
Means "black mountain" in German.

Yamada Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Kraemer German
Variant of Krämer.

Appeldoorn Dutch
Variant of Van Apeldoorn.

Mutton English
Referred to a shepherd or else someone who in some way resembled a sheep, derived from Norman French mouton "sheep".

Matijević Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Matija".

Kirby English
From numerous towns in northern England named Kirby or Kirkby, derived from Old Norse kirkja "church" and býr "farm, settlement".

Gladwyn English
Variant of Gladwin.

Boerefijn Dutch
Possibly an adaptation of French beurre fin meaning "good butter".

Battle English
From a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.

Losnedahl Norwegian
From Norwegian dahl meaning "valley" and Losna, a place in Norway.

Pokorny Polish
Polish form of Pokorný.

Çelik Turkish
Occupational name for a metalworker, meaning "steel" in Turkish.

Tanzer German
Means "dancer" in German, derived from Middle High German tanzen "to dance".

Arthurson English
Means "son of Arthur".

Nygård Norwegian
From Norwegian ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and gård (Old Norse garðr) meaning "farm, estate".

Maestri Italian
Means "master" in Italian.

Paul English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Lindgren Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch". A famous bearer of this name was Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002).

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

Koppel Estonian, Danish
From Low German koppel meaning "paddock, pasture" (a word borrowed into Estonian).

Tomàs Catalan
Derived from the given name Tomàs.

Mac Giolla Phádraig Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kilpatrick.

Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.

O'Hannagan Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Kovačić Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Patronymic derived from South Slavic kovač meaning "blacksmith".

Bonheur French
From Old French bonne heure meaning "good time" or "lucky".

Warshawsky Jewish
Variant of Warszawski.

Aloi Italian
From a dialectal form of the name Aloisio.

Xun Chinese
From Chinese 荀 (xún) meaning "plant, ancient state".

Hall English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

Vinci 2 Italian
Originally indicated a person from Vinci near Florence, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci.

Law English
Derived from Old English hlaw "hill".

Thayer French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Tailler.

O'Leary Irish
From Irish Ó Laoghaire meaning "descendant of Laoghaire".

West English, German
Denoted a person who lived to the west of something, or who came from the west.

Grgić Croatian
Means "son of Grgur".

Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.

Regan Irish
Variant of Reagan.

Jonkheer Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Wild English, German
Means "wild, untamed, uncontrolled", derived from Old English wilde. This was either a nickname for a person who behaved in a wild manner or a topographic name for someone who lived on overgrown land.

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

Steffensen Danish
Means "son of Steffen".

MacNeil Scottish
Variant of McNeil.

Rennell English
Variant of Reynolds.

Owston English
Denoted a person who came from any one of the places in Britain called Ouston or Owston.

Krantz German, Jewish
Variant of Kranz.

Émile French
Derived from the given name Émile.

Félix French, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Felix.

Maas Dutch, Low German
From the given name Maas.

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

Veres Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Vörös.

Spiker Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Spijker 1 or Spijker 2.

Bernat Catalan
Derived from the given name Bernat.

Giffard French, English
Possibly 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.

Joó Hungarian
Variant of Jó.

Matsumoto Japanese
From one of the many places with this name in Japan, derived from Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Bandini Italian
From the Latin name Bandinus, a derivative of Bandus, which is of unknown meaning.

Jensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jens". This is the most common surname in Denmark.

Minett English
From the medieval given name Minna.

Roxas Filipino
Filipino form of the Spanish Rojas.

Schrader Low German
Variant of Schröder 1.

Stieber German
Derived from Middle High German stiuben meaning "to run away". It may have been given as a nickname to a cowardly person or a thief.

Steinsson Icelandic
Means "son of Steinn".

Kocsis Hungarian
Means "coachman" in Hungarian.

Engman Swedish
From Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person who lived in a meadow.

Balázs Hungarian
Derived from the given name Balázs.

Huffmann German
Variant of Hoffmann.

Van Achthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

Opeyemi Yoruba
From the given name Opeyemi.

Ó Ríoghbhárdáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Riordan.

Iliescu Romanian
Means "son of Ilie".

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).

Patel Gujarati
Means "landowner" in Gujarati.

Westbrook English
From the name of places in England, derived from Old English west "west" and broc "brook, stream".

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

Okonkwo Igbo
From the given name Okonkwo.

Huxley English
From the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).

Cheng 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zheng.

Averesch Dutch
From a place name, possibly from a dialectal variation of Dutch over meaning "over" combined with esch meaning "ash tree".

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

Serra Italian, Portuguese, Catalan
Italian, Portuguese and Catalan cognate of Sierra.

Haywood English
From various place names meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.

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

Ottosson Swedish
Means "son of Otto".

Bristol English
From the name of a city in England meaning "the site of the bridge".

Lagorio Italian
From a nickname derived from Ligurian lagö, referring to a type of lizard, the European green lizard. This little reptile is respected because it supposedly protects against vipers.

Fletcher English
Occupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French fleche meaning "arrow".

Behrends German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Koenigsmann German
Variant of Königsmann.

Padilla Spanish
From various Spanish place names, derived from Spanish padilla, Latin patella meaning "shallow dish", used to indicate a depression in the landscape.

Zhou Chinese
From Chinese 周 (zhōu) referring to the Zhou dynasty, which held power from 1046 to 771 BC, continuing for a few more centuries as figureheads.

Randolph English
Derived from the given name Randolf.

Biskup Polish
Polish cognate of Bishop.

Bologna Italian
From the name of the city of Bologna in northern Italy. It may derive from a Celtic word meaning "settlement".

Roosa Dutch
From Dutch roos meaning "rose".

Basile Italian, French
From the given name Basilio or Basile.

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Izumi Japanese
From Japanese 泉 (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain".

Danell English
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Ravenna Italian
From the name of the city of Ravenna in northern Italy, which is of uncertain origin, possibly Etruscan.

Okamura Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Acciai Italian
Derived from medieval Italian accia meaning "axe", ultimately from Latin ascia.

Headley English
From place names meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.

Penders Dutch
From Middle Dutch paender meaning "brewer", derived from panne meaning "pan, pot", ultimately from Latin patina.

Phan Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Pan 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 潘 (phan).

Schubert German
Variant of Schuchardt. This name was borne by the Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828).

Winton English
Derived from the name of several English villages. Their names derive from Old English meaning "enclosure belonging to Wine".

Spyrou Greek
Means "son of Spyros".

Norberg Swedish
Variant of Nordberg.

Scrivener English
Variant of Scriven.

Broż Polish
Derived from Broż, a diminutive of Ambroży.

Krawiec Polish
Means "tailor" in Polish.

Shah Persian, Urdu
Derived from Persian شاه (shāh) meaning "king".

Montana Italian
Variant of Montagna.

Travis English
English variant of Travers.

Josephs English
Derived from the given name Joseph.

Kasabian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Ղասաբյան (see Ghasabyan).

Escarrà Spanish
Possibly from Catalan esquerrá meaning "left-handed".

Breda Italian
From the name of a town near Venice, possibly derived from a Lombardic word meaning "field".

Lopez Spanish
Unaccented variant of López.

Ayodele Yoruba
From the given name Ayodele.

Woodhams English
Variant of Woodham.

Filipek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Filip.

Leggièri Italian
Means "light, thin" in Sicilian.

MacConnell Scottish, Irish
Variant of McConnell.

Nurmi Finnish
Means "meadow, field" in Finnish. It was the surname of the athlete Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973).

Isaacson English
Means "son of Isaac".

De Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Rademacher Low German
Low German cognate of Rademaker.

Duncanson Scottish
Means "son of Duncan".

Gensch German
From the given name Gensch, a Sorbian form of John.

Hayden 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hÉideáin or Ó hÉidín.

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

Liu Chinese
From Chinese 刘 (liú) meaning "kill, destroy". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Han dynasty.

Camus French
Means "flat-nosed" in French. A notable bearer was the French philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960).

Moreau French
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

McGuire Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mag Uidhir meaning "son of Odhar", a given name meaning "pale-coloured".

McConnell Scottish, Irish
Derived from Gaelic MacDhòmhnaill (see MacDonald).

Kinley Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Fabbri Italian
From Italian fabbro meaning "blacksmith", ultimately from Latin faber.

Caulfield English
From a place name meaning "cold field", from Old English ceald "cold" and feld "pasture, field".

Julien French
From the given name Julien.

Kwan Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Guan.

Cuoco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.

Montero Spanish
Means "hunter" in Spanish, an agent derivative of monte meaning "mountain, wilderness".

Fitzroy English
Means "son of the king" in Anglo-Norman French, from French roi meaning "king". This name has been bestowed upon illegitimate children of kings.

Hallman Swedish
From Swedish hall (Old Norse hallr) meaning "rock, boulder, slab" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Bengtsson Swedish
Means "son of Bengt".

Dalí Spanish
From a given name, itself a diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element adal meaning "noble". This was the surname of the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).

Hoxha Albanian
From the Persian title خواجه (khājeh) meaning "lord".

Borja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the Spanish town of Borja in Aragon, derived from Arabic برْج (burj) meaning "tower".

Ware 1 English
From Old English wer meaning "dam, weir", indicating someone who lived near such a structure.

Schweitzer German
Indicated a person from Switzerland (see Schweiz).

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

Scola Italian
From Italian scuola meaning "school".

Périgord French
From the name of a region in southern France, possibly of Gaulish origin.

Skjeggestad Norwegian
From a place name, derived from Norwegian skjegg "beard" and stad "town, place".

Björkman Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Hagihara Japanese
From Japanese 萩 (hagi) meaning "bush clover" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

McFee Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of MacDhubhshìth.

Verhoeven Dutch
Means "from the farm" in Dutch, derived from hoeve "farm", and so indicated a person who lived on a farm.

Robertsson Swedish
Means "son of Robert".

Pavletić Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Pavle.

Jervis English
Variant of Jarvis.

Ó Dubháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Duane.

Callahan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ceallacháin meaning "descendant of Cellachán".

Beaumont French, English
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and mont "mountain".

MacClelland Irish, Scottish
Variant of McClelland.

León 1 Spanish
Referred to a person from the city of León in northern Spain, derived from Latin legio (genitive legionis) meaning "legion", so named because the Roman 7th Legion Gemina was stationed there.

Kunkel German
Occupational name for a maker of distaffs, from Middle High German kunkel "distaff, spindle", of Latin origin.

Brook English
Denoted a person who lived near a brook, a word derived from Old English broc.

Dubois French
Means "from the forest", from French bois "forest".

María Spanish
From the given the name María.

Laganà Italian
Occupational name for a greengrocer, meaning "vegetables" in southern Italian dialects, ultimately from Greek λάχανον (lachanon).

Stilo Italian
Derived from the name of the town of Stilo in southern Italy. It is possibly derived from Greek στῦλος (stylos) meaning "column, pillar".

Kurata Japanese
From Japanese 倉 (kura) or 蔵 (kura) both meaning "granary, storehouse" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Abbatantuono Italian
Variant of Abatantuono.

Villar Spanish
Spanish cognate of Vilar.

Alserda Frisian
Designated a person who was from a farm called Alserd, of uncertain meaning.

Botwright English
Variant of Boatwright.

Demir Turkish
Means "iron" in Turkish, originally referring to an ironworker.

Dreessen Dutch
Variant of Driessen.

Gajos Polish
Derived from Polish gaj meaning "grove, thicket".

Alinari Italian
Means "son of Alinario", which is from the Germanic name Ellanher.

Charbonneau French
Derived from a diminutive form of French charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.

Laine Finnish, Estonian
Means "wave" in Finnish and Estonian.

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

Johannessen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Johannes".

Koenig German
German cognate of King.

Shiratori Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 鳥 (tori) meaning "bird".

O'Connell Irish
Variant of Connell.

Siebert German
Derived from the given name Siegbert.

Dibra Albanian
From the Albanian name for the city of Debar in Macedonia, originally given to someone who came from there.

Riese German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German, from Old High German risi.

Blakeley English
From name of various English places, derived from Old English blæc "black" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Da Costa Portuguese
Variant of Costa.

D'Angelo Italian
Means "son of Angelo".

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

Markwardt German
Variant of Marquardt.

Romanyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Roman.

Vasileiou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βασιλείου (see Vasiliou).

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Martinović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Martin".

Stanković Serbian
Means "son of Stanko".

Alferink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Alfhard" in Dutch.

Horsfall English
From a minor place in Yorkshire derived from Old English hors "horse" and fall "clearing".

Alink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Ale 2" in Dutch.

Tafani Italian
From the nickname tafano meaning "gadfly", indicating an annoying person.

Robertson English
Means "son of Robert".

Danielsson Swedish
Means "son of Daniel".

Lewerenz German
From a northern German form of the given name Lorenz.

Hightower English
Possibly a variant of Hayter.

De Santis Italian
Italian form of Santos.

Gordon Scottish
From the name of a place in Berwickshire, Scotland, derived from Brythonic words meaning "spacious fort".

Albanesi Italian
Originally indicated a person who came from Albania.

Rutgers Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger.

Mac Neachtain Irish
Means "son of Nechtan" in Irish.

Monte Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Italian variant of Monti, as well as a Portuguese and Spanish cognate.

Plaza Spanish
Spanish cognate of Piazza.

Sepúlveda Spanish
Derived from the name of the Sepúlveda Valley in the mountains of Segovia, and was originally used to denote people from that region. It is possibly derived from Spanish sepultar "to bury".

Coppola Italian
From the name of a type of hat characteristic of Sicily and southern Italy. This surname indicated a person who wore or made these hats. A famous bearer is the filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (1939-), as well as other members of his extended family also in show business.

Hatheway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Obradović Serbian
Means "son of Obrad".

Van Aalst Dutch
Variant of Van Alst.

Putnam English
From Puttenham, the name of towns in Hertfordshire and Surrey in England, which mean "Putta's homestead".

Ávila Spanish
From the name of the city of Ávila in Spain. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly of Punic or Celtic origin.

Hendrix Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik. A famous bearer was the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).

Hopkins English
Patronymic formed from a diminutive of Hob.

Schult Low German
Low German variant of Schulz.

Itou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 伊藤 (see Itō).

Waters 2 English
Derived from the given name Walter.

Fenn English
From a name for someone who dwelt near a marsh, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp, bog".

Vilaró Catalan
Catalan variant of Vilar.

Soares Portuguese
Means "son of Suero".

Siegert German
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

Lukács Hungarian
From the given name Lukács.

Stark English, German
From a nickname meaning "strong, rigid", from Old English stearc or Old High German stark.

Rooijakkers Dutch
Means "red field", from Dutch rood "red" and akker "field".

Nishikawa Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Peltola Finnish
From Finnish pelto meaning "field" with the suffix -la indicating a place.

Morrish English
Variant of Morriss.

Sauvageot French
French diminutive form of Savage.

Jeffery English
Derived from the given name Jeffrey.

Dreier German
Variant of Dreher.

Hynes Irish
Variant of Hines.

Arnolfi Italian
Means "son of Arnolfo".

Miyake Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 宅 (yake) meaning "house, home".

Yamasaki Japanese
Variant of Yamazaki.

Acker German, English
Denoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning "field".

Nazaryan Armenian
Means "son of Nazar".

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.

Antall Hungarian (Rare)
Variant of Antal.

MacAmhalghaidh Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McCauley.

Albini Italian
Means "son of Albino".

Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.

Frankenstein German, Literature
From any of the various minor places by this name in Germany, meaning "stone of the Franks" in German. It was used by the author Mary Shelley in her novel Frankenstein (1818) for the character of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monster and brings it to life. The monster, nameless in the novel, is sometimes informally or erroneously called Frankenstein in modern speech.

Rocha Portuguese, Galician
Portuguese and Galician cognate of Roach.

Arterbury English
Variant of Atteberry.

Ó Ceallacháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Callahan.

Kato Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 加藤 (see Katō).

Al-Hashim Arabic
From the given name Hashim.

Bergfalk Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and falk (Old Norse falki) meaning "falcon".

Sergeant English, French
Occupational name derived from Old French sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin servio "to serve".

Kauffmann German, Jewish
Variant of Kaufmann.

Nazarenko Ukrainian
From the given name Nazar.

Romijnsen Dutch
Means "son of Romein" in Dutch.

Aling Dutch
Variant of Alink.

Pabst German
From German Papst, a cognate of Pope.

Fontana Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Fontaine.

Kelley Irish
Variant of Kelly 1.

Pusztai Hungarian
From Hungarian puszta meaning "plain, steppe". The name was given to someone living on a plain.

Coste French
French form of Costa.

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

Meeuwessen Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Riker German
Possibly a variant of Reich.

Pontecorvo Italian, Jewish
From the name of a town in central Italy, home to an old Jewish community. The town's name is derived from Italian ponte "bridge" and curvo "curved".

Keys 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.

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

De Wit Dutch
Variant of De Witte.

Araújo Portuguese
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many areas that bear this name in Portugal, which is of unknown meaning.

Sauter German
Occupational name for a cobbler, from Latin sutor "sewer, cobbler".

Slade English
Derived from Old English slæd meaning "valley".

Caldwell English
From various English place names derived from Old English ceald "cold" and wille "spring, stream, well".

Ludvigsen Danish
Means "son of Ludvig".

Arrington English
From the name of a town in Cambridgeshire, originally meaning "Earna's settlement" in Old English (Earna being a person's nickname meaning "eagle").

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

Leroy French
Variant of Rey 1, using the definite article.

Crespo Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Referred to a person with curly hair, from Latin crispus meaning "curly".

Abatescianni Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Gianni.

Eliasson Swedish
Means "son of Elias".

Duda um Polish, Czech
Means "bagpiper" in Polish and Czech.