Carter EnglishOccupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French
caretier. A famous bearer was the American president Jimmy Carter (1924-2024).
Luna SpanishFrom various places in Spain meaning "moon".
Bachmann GermanDenoted a person who lived near a stream, from Middle High German
bach "stream" and
man "man".
Proulx FrenchDerived from Old French
preu meaning
"valiant, brave".
Dickinson EnglishMeans
"son of Dicun",
Dicun being a medieval diminutive of
Dick 1. American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was a famous bearer.
Winton EnglishDerived from the name of several English villages. Their names derive from Old English meaning "enclosure belonging to
Wine".
Erdős HungarianOccupational name meaning
"forester", derived from Hungarian
erdő "forest".
Bähr GermanFrom Middle High German
bër "bear" or
ber "boar". This was originally a nickname for a strong or brave person.
Sacco ItalianOccupational name for a maker of sacks, from Italian
sacco, Latin
saccus.
Hambleton EnglishFrom various English place names, derived from Old English
hamel "crooked, mutilated" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Ely EnglishFrom the name of a town in eastern England meaning "eel district".
Altena DutchFrom the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "close, near" in Dutch.
Reis German, JewishFrom Middle High German
ris meaning
"twig, branch, bush", denoting a person who lived in an overgrown area. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Perrier FrenchOccupational name for a person who worked with stone, derived from French
pierre meaning
"stone", from Latin
petra, Greek
πέτρα (petra).
Raine 2 English, FrenchDerived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element
ragin meaning "advice, counsel".
Moloney IrishFrom Irish
Ó Maol Dhomhnaigh meaning
"descendant of a church servant".
Keith ScottishFrom a place name that is probably derived from the Brythonic element
cet meaning
"wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.
Muraro ItalianOccupational name for a wall builder, from Italian
murare meaning
"to wall up".
Holst Danish, Low German, DutchOriginally referred to a person from the region of
Holstein between Germany and Denmark. A famous bearer of this name was the English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934).
Grimm GermanFrom 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.
Dior FrenchPossibly from French
doré meaning
"golden". A famous bearer was the French fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).
Savage EnglishEnglish nickname meaning
"wild, uncouth", derived from Old French
salvage or
sauvage meaning "untamed", ultimately from Latin
silvaticus meaning "wild, from the woods".
Philips English, DutchMeans
"son of Philip". Famous bearers of this surname were Frederick Philips (1830-1900) and his son Gerard (1858-1942), the Dutch founders of the company Philips.
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).
Norris 1 English, ScottishMeans
"from the north" from Old French
norreis. It either denoted someone who originated in the north or someone who lived in the northern part of a settlement.
Kalb GermanOccupational name meaning
"calf (animal)" in German.
Fitzgerald IrishMeans
"son of Gerald" in Anglo-Norman French. It was brought to Ireland with William the Conqueror. A famous bearer was Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), an American jazz singer.
Strudwick EnglishFrom an English place name derived from Old English
strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood" and
wic meaning "village, town".
Hu ChineseFrom Chinese
胡 (hú) meaning
"beard, whiskers, recklessly, wildly, barbarian".
Branco PortugueseMeans
"white" in Portuguese, referring to someone with light skin or hair.
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.
Alma FrisianMeans
"son of Ale 2", the suffix
-ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.
Luther GermanFrom the old given name
Leuthar. It was notably borne by the religious reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546).
Trengove EnglishOriginally indicated a person from Trengove in Cornwall, England.
Romagna ItalianFrom the region of Romagna, on the Adriatic coast of Italy. It is derived from Latin
Romania meaning "land of the Romans".
Lecomte FrenchMeans
"the count" in French, a nickname for someone in the service of a count or for someone who behaved like one.
Bauer GermanFrom Old High German
bur meaning
"peasant, farmer".
Boerefijn DutchPossibly an adaptation of French
beurre fin meaning
"good butter".
Plaskett EnglishOriginally denoted a dweller by a swampy meadow, from Old French
plascq meaning
"wet meadow".
Jernigan EnglishPossibly derived from the old Breton name
Iarnogon meaning "iron famous".
Mills EnglishOriginally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English
mille.
Agnelli ItalianFrom Italian
agnello meaning
"lamb" (ultimately from Latin
agnus), denoting a pious or timid person.
Hooper EnglishOccupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.
Pfenning GermanFrom Old High German
pfenning meaning
"penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.
Yūki JapaneseFrom Japanese
結 (yū) meaning "tie, bind" and
城 (ki) meaning "castle".
Gully EnglishNickname for a big person, from Middle English
golias meaning "giant" (ultimately from
Goliath, the Philistine warrior who was slain by David in the Old Testament).
Glazier EnglishMeans
"glass worker, glazier", from Old English
glæs meaning "glass".
Draper EnglishOccupational name for a maker or seller of woollen cloth, from Anglo-Norman French
draper (Old French
drapier, an agent derivative of
drap "cloth").
Takala FinnishMeans
"(dweller in the) back", probably denoting someone who lived in a remote area, from Finnish
taka.
John EnglishDerived from the given name
John. A famous bearer is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight.
Perugia ItalianFrom the name of the city of Perugia in Umbria, Italy. It was known as
Perusia in the classical period, and it is of Etruscan origin.
Barber English, ScottishIndicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living, ultimately from Latin
barba "beard".
Waller 1 EnglishDerived from Old French
gallier meaning
"person with a pleasant temper".
Haley EnglishFrom the name of an English town meaning "hay clearing", from Old English
heg "hay" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Björkman SwedishFrom Swedish
björk (Old Norse
bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and
man (Old Norse
maðr) meaning "person, man".
Inada JapaneseFrom Japanese
稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Lie NorwegianFrom Norwegian
li, Old Norse
hlíð meaning
"hillside, slope".
Talbot EnglishOf Norman origin, possibly derived from an unattested Germanic given name composed of the elements
dala "to destroy" and
bod "message".
Newton EnglishFrom the name of one of many English towns meaning "new town". A famous bearer was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).
Barrett EnglishProbably derived from the Middle English word
barat meaning
"trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.
Corwin EnglishDerived from Old French
cordoan "leather", ultimately from the name of the Spanish city of Cordova.
Mathers EnglishOccupational name meaning
"mower, cutter of hay" in Old English.
Brock EnglishDerived from Old English
brocc meaning
"badger", ultimately of Celtic origin.
Aldana BasqueFrom the name of a Basque town, derived from
aldats meaning
"slope".
Stumpf GermanNickname for a short person or a topographic name someone who lived near a prominent stump, from Middle High German
stumpf.
Santos Portuguese, SpanishFrom Portuguese and Spanish
santo meaning
"saint", ultimately from Latin
sanctus. This was a nickname for a pious person.
Song Chinese, KoreanFrom Chinese
宋 (sòng) referring to the Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1279.
Trask EnglishOriginally indicated a person from Thirsk, North Yorkshire, derived from Old Norse
þresk meaning "fen, marsh".
Kleid JewishOccupational name for a tailor, from Old High German
kleid meaning
"garment, clothing".
Smolak PolishOccupational name for a distiller of pitch, derived from the Old Slavic word
smola meaning
"pitch, resin".
Gallo Italian, SpanishMeans
"rooster", ultimately from Latin
gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.
Horsfall EnglishFrom a minor place in Yorkshire derived from Old English
hors "horse" and
fall "clearing".
Peerenboom DutchFrom Dutch meaning
"pear tree", referring to someone who lived or worked at a pear orchard.
Abelló CatalanFrom the Latin given name
Abellio, which may have been derived from the name of a Pyrenean god.
Ruzzier ItalianFrom a dialectal variant of
Ruggiero. It is typical of northeastern Italy, the area around Trieste.
Oomen DutchPatronymic derived from Middle Dutch
oom meaning
"(maternal) uncle".
Nickleby LiteratureCreated by Charles Dickens for the title character in his novel
Nicholas Nickleby (1839). He probably based it on
Nicol, a medieval vernacular form of
Nicholas, with the common English place name suffix
-by, which is derived from Old Norse
býr meaning "farm, settlement".
Gerst GermanOccupational name for a barley farmer, derived from Old High German
gersta "barley".
Grayson EnglishMeans
"son of the steward", derived from Middle English
greyve "steward".
Fürst GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"(sovereign) prince" in German. The word
fürst itself is derived from Old High German
furisto "first".
Penn 1 EnglishDerived from various place names that were named using the Brythonic word
penn meaning
"hilltop, head".
Lenz GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"springtime" in German.
Aita ItalianOriginally denoted a person from Aieta, Italy, a place name derived from Greek
ἀετός (aetos) meaning "eagle".
Schuchardt GermanFrom Middle High German
schuochwürte meaning
"shoemaker, cobbler".
Sörös HungarianFrom Hungarian
sör meaning
"beer". Originally the name was given to beer brewers.
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.
Copperfield LiteratureCreated from the English words
copper and
field by the author Charles Dickens, who used it for the title character in his novel
David Copperfield (1850).
Winterbottom EnglishFrom Old English
winter meaning "winter" and
botm meaning "ground, soil, bottom". This name probably referred to a winter pasture at the bottom of a lowland valley.
Cloutier FrenchDerived from French
clou meaning
"nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.
Sartre FrenchFrench cognate of
Sarto. A famous bearer was the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980).
Markey IrishFrom the Irish
Ó Marcaigh meaning
"descendant of Marcach", a given name meaning "horse rider".
Foley IrishFrom Irish
Ó Foghladha meaning
"descendant of Foghlaidh". The byname
Foghlaidh meant "pirate, marauder, plunderer".
Bruce ScottishPossibly from the name of the town of Brix in Normandy, which is of unknown meaning. It was brought to Scotland in the 12th century by the Anglo-Norman baron Robert de Brus. It was later borne by his descendant Robert the Bruce, a hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland.
Campana Italian, SpanishOccupational name from Late Latin
campana meaning
"bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.
Parma ItalianFrom the city of Parma in northern Italy, the name of which is probably of Etruscan origin.
Carrara ItalianFrom the name of a city in Tuscany famous for its marble quarries. It is probably derived from Late Latin
quadreria meaning "quarry".
Burgess EnglishFrom Middle English and Old French
burgeis meaning
"city-dweller", ultimately from Frankish
burg "fortress".
Skov DanishTopographic name meaning
"forest, wood" in Danish, from Old Norse
skógr.
Poletti ItalianFrom a diminutive of the given name
Paolo. This name is typical of northern and central Italy.
Frisk SwedishFrom Swedish
frisk "healthy", which was derived from the Middle Low German word
vrisch "fresh, young, frisky".
Coupe EnglishFrom Middle English
coupe meaning
"barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.
Kundakçı TurkishFrom Turkish
kundak meaning
"stock, wooden part of a rifle".
Acone ItalianPossibly from the name of a harbour in Bithynia (in modern Turkey).
Layton EnglishDerived from the name of English towns, meaning "town with a leek garden" in Old English.
Van Assen DutchMeans
"from Assen", a city in the Netherlands, which is possibly from
essen meaning "ash trees".
Kidd EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"young goat, kid" in Middle English, of Old Norse origin.
Suess GermanVariant of
Süß. A famous bearer was the American children's author Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel.
Lyon 2 English, FrenchFrom a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English
lion meaning
"lion".
Kalbfleisch GermanOccupational name for a butcher who dealt in veal, from German
kalb meaning "calf" and
fleisch meaning "meat".
Kumięga PolishPossibly from Polish
kum "godfather, friend" or
komięga "raft, barge".
Jennings EnglishFrom the given name
Jenyn, a diminutive of
Jen, itself a Middle English form of
John.
Meadows EnglishReferred to one who lived in a meadow, from Old English
mædwe.
Moore 1 EnglishOriginally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English
mor meaning
"open land, bog".
Chapman EnglishOccupational name derived from Old English
ceapmann meaning
"merchant, trader".
Correia PortugueseMeans
"leather strap, belt" in Portuguese, denoting a person who worked with leather products.
Caulfield EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"cold field", from Old English
ceald "cold" and
feld "pasture, field".
Booker EnglishOccupational name meaning
"book maker", derived from Old English
boc "book".
Burnett EnglishMeans
"brown" in Middle English, from Old French
brunet, a diminutive of
brun.
Dreher GermanMeans
"turner" from Middle High German
drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.
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.
Wardrobe EnglishFrom Old French
warder "to guard" and
robe "garment", an occupational name for a servant responsible for the clothing in a household.