Browse Surnames

Michiels Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Michiel".

Aaltonen Finnish
From Finnish aalto meaning "wave".

Ó Síoda Irish
Means "descendant of Síoda", a byname meaning "silk" in Irish.

Maki 1 Japanese
From Japanese 牧 (maki) meaning "shepherd, tend cattle".

Ó Cuana Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cooney.

Victors English
Derived from the given name Victor.

Astor Occitan
Derived from Occitan astur meaning "hawk". The wealthy and influential Astor family, prominent in British and American society, originated in the Italian Alps.

Hodges English
Patronymic of Hodge, a medieval diminutive of Roger.

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

Alfredson English
Means "son of Alfred".

Fredriksson Swedish
Means "son of Fredrik".

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Christian English, French, German
Derived from the given name Christian.

Sárközy Hungarian
Variant of Sárközi.

Garrard English
From the given name Gerard.

Aleksić Serbian
Means "son of Aleksa".

Courtemanche French
Means "short sleeve" in French.

Bennet English
Derived from the medieval English given name Bennett.

Crusan Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cruyssen.

Abelli Italian
From the given name Abele.

Ilić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Ilija".

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

McWilliam Scottish
Means "son of William" in Gaelic.

Bove Italian
Derived from an Italian nickname meaning "bull, ox".

MacGobhainn Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Mac Ghabhann.

Altoviti Italian (Rare)
Derived from the Lombard given name Altwidus.

Teke 2 Turkish
Occupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish teke "goat".

Petersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Peter".

Pesaro Italian
From the name of the city of Pesaro, in the Marche region (Latin Pisaurum).

Rantanen Finnish
From Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".

Moen Norwegian
Means "the sandy ground" in Norwegian.

Fortier French
Derived from Old French fort "stronghold", indicating a person who lived near or worked at such a place.

Hart English
Means "male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.

Vinter Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian variant of Winter.

McEachern Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Eachairn.

Magalhães Portuguese
Denoted a person hailing from one of the numerous minor places of this name in Portugal, possibly of Celtic origin. A notable bearer was the Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães (1480-1521), normally called Ferdinand Magellan in English.

Gujić Bosnian
Means "son of a snake" from the Bosnian word guja meaning "snake".

Lombardi Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, which was named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who invaded in the 6th century. Their name is derived from the Old German roots lang "long" and bart "beard".

Jonker Dutch
From the Dutch title jonkheer meaning "young lord". It was originally a medieval noble designation (not an actual title) for a young nobleman.

Elwin English
Variant of Elwyn.

Mendelssohn Jewish
Means "son of Mendel".

MacKenzie Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacCoinnich meaning "son of Coinneach". It originates from the Kintail area of Scotland on the northwest coast.

Pollock Scottish
From the name of a place in Renfrewshire, Scotland, derived from a diminutive of Gaelic poll meaning "pool, pond, bog". A famous bearer was the American artist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956).

Padmore English
Originally indicated a person from Padmore in England, derived from Old English padde "toad" and mor "moor, marsh".

Capitani Italian
Occupational name meaning "captain" in Italian, ultimately from Latin caput "head".

Evans Welsh, English
Means "son of Evan".

Ó Cathasaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Casey.

Raimondi Italian
Derived from the given name Raimondo.

Friis Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian (mostly Danish) form of Fries.

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.

Goretti Italian
Derived from the given name Gregorio.

Toft English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in Britain of that name, derived from Old Norse topt meaning "homestead".

Van Altena Dutch
Variant of Altena.

Grigore Romanian
From the given name Grigore.

Henriques Portuguese
Means "son of Henrique".

Paulissen Dutch
Means "son of Paul".

Weiß German
Variant of Weiss.

Colijn Dutch
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolaas.

Mejía Spanish
Possibly from a nickname derived from Spanish Mesías meaning "Messiah", from Latin Messias, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyaḥ) meaning "anointed".

Carbone Italian
From a nickname for a person with dark features, from Italian carbone meaning "coal".

Costanzo Italian
From the given name Costanzo.

Sartor Italian
Variant of Sarto.

Nordskov Danish
Means "north woods" in Danish.

Lamb English
From the name of the animal, perhaps a nickname for a shy person.

Mac Cnáimhín Irish
Means "son of Cnámh". The Irish given name Cnámh means "bone".

Carideo Italian
Originally denoted someone from San Pietro di Caridà, a town in Calabria. The town's name may be derived from Greek χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness".

Lyall Scottish
From the Old Norse given name Liulfr, which was derived in part from úlfr "wolf".

Fedorenko Ukrainian
Derived from the given name Fedir.

Svenson Swedish
Variant of Svensson.

Kolen Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.

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

Gelashvili Georgian
Means "son of Gela".

Lorenzo Spanish
From the given name Lorenzo.

Van Niftrik Dutch
Means "from Niftrik", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.

Begum Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
From a title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in India and other parts of southern Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the Turkic title beg meaning "chieftain" (modern Turkish bey).

McNab Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Aba meaning "son of the abbot".

Herbertsson Swedish
Swedish form of Herbertson.

Strnad mu Czech, Slovene
Means "bunting (bird)" in Czech and Slovene.

Laursen Danish
Means "son of Laur", a short form of Laurits.

Chambers English
From Old French chambre meaning "chamber, room", an occupational name for a person who worked in the inner rooms of a mansion.

Fear English
Derived from Middle English feare meaning "friend, comrade".

Miura Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet".

Hayward English
Occupational name for a person who protected an enclosed forest, from Old English hæg "enclosure, fence" and weard "guard".

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

Wong 1 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wang 1.

Lewis 1 English
Derived from the given name Lewis. The author C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a bearer of this surname.

Jöllenbeck German
From the name of a village in western Germany, itself derived from the name of the Jölle, a small river, combined with Low German beck "stream".

Sciarra Italian
From Sicilian sciarra meaning "quarrel, dispute", originally a nickname for a quarrelsome person.

Neal English
Derived from the given name Neil.

Maldonado Spanish
From a nickname meaning "badly given, ill-favoured" in Spanish.

Olivier French
Derived from the given name Olivier.

Babić Serbian, Croatian
Matronymic surname derived from Serbo-Croatian baba "grandmother, old woman".

Dupuy French
Means "from the hill", from Occitan puy "hill", from Latin podium "platform".

Schneijder Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Snijder.

Íñiguez Spanish
Means "son of Íñigo" in Spanish.

Mac Ghabhann Irish
Means "son of the smith" in Irish.

Tilki Turkish
From a nickname meaning "fox" in Turkish.

Barta Hungarian
From the given name Barta.

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

McNeil Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacNèill meaning "son of Niall".

Flynn Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Floinn meaning "descendant of Flann".

Hope English
Derived from Middle English hop meaning "small valley".

Freitas Portuguese
Means "broken" in Portuguese, a name for one who lived on broken, stony ground.

Zanetti Italian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Giovanni. A famous bearer is Argentinian soccer player Javier Zanetti (1973-).

Stacy English
Derived from Stace, a medieval form of Eustace.

Feigenbaum German, Jewish
Means "fig tree" in German.

Georgiou Greek
Means "son of Georgios".

Kazemi Persian
From the given name Kazem.

Hartman Dutch, German
Dutch and Americanized form of Hartmann.

Jérôme French
Derived from the given name Jérôme.

Szombathy Hungarian
From Hungarian szombat meaning "Saturday".

Maas Dutch, Low German
From the given name Maas.

Ferraro Italian
Variant of Ferrari.

MacLachlainn Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McLaughlin.

Teodoro Portuguese
Derived from the given name Teodoro.

Economou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Οικονόμου (see Oikonomou).

Dirchs Dutch (Rare)
Means "son of Dirk".

Puig Catalan
Catalan cognate of Poggio.

Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".

Roggeveen Dutch
Means "rye field" in Dutch. A famous bearer was Jacob Roggeveen (1659-1729), the first European explorer to Easter Island.

Persson Swedish
Means "son of Per".

Parks English
Patronymic form of Park 3.

Shinozaki Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Živković Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Živko".

Johnston Scottish
From the name of a Scottish town, which meant "John's town".

Alinejad Persian
Means "descendant of Ali 1" in Persian.

Christophers English
Derived from the given name Christopher.

Vlahović Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic from Serbo-Croatian Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".

Bălan Romanian
Means "blond" in Romanian.

Meinhardt German
Derived from the given name Meinhard.

Maestri Italian
Means "master" in Italian.

Sams English
Derived from the given name Samuel.

Jundt German
Derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Judith.

Nisi Italian
Means "son of Niso", an Italian form of the mythological name Nisus.

Van Andel Dutch
Means "from Andel", a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "upper forest" in Old Dutch.

Ambrosi Italian
Means "son of Ambrogio".

Thibault French
Derived from the given name Thibault.

Hamasaki Japanese
From Japanese 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Toller English
Occupational name meaning "tax gatherer", derived from Old English toln "toll, fee, tax".

Millward English
Means "guardian of the mill" in Old English.

Acheson Scottish
Scots form of Atkinson.

Araujo Spanish
Spanish form of Araújo.

Bullard English
Possibly a nickname derived from Middle English bole "fraud, deceit".

Sheach Scottish
Variant of Shaw 2.

Allsopp English
From the name of the village of Alsop en la Dale in Derbyshire, England. It means "Ælli's valley" in Old English.

Ó Maoláin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Mullen.

Rhee Korean
North Korean form of Lee 2.

Eriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Erik".

Maroz Belarusian
Belarusian form of Moroz.

Schultz German
Variant of Schulz.

Agema Frisian
Means "son of Age 1".

Ueno Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.

Espinosa Spanish
From Spanish espinoso meaning "thorny", ultimately from Latin spinosus, a derivative of spina meaning "thorn, spine". This was the real surname of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), who was of Portuguese Jewish origin.

Pärn Estonian
Means "linden tree" in Estonian.

Swango German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Schwangau.

Hirsch 1 German
Means "deer, hart" in German. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a deer in some way, or who raised or hunted deer.

De With Dutch
Variant of De Witte.

Abbatantuono Italian
Variant of Abatantuono.

Di Mercurio Italian
Means "son of Mercurio".

Menéndez Spanish
Means "son of Menendo" in Spanish, the given name Menendo being a medieval Spanish form of Hermenegildo.

Nishitani Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Mueller German
Variant of Müller.

Bosco Italian
Means "forest" in Italian.

Van Damme Flemish
Means "from Damme", the name of a town in Belgium, derived from Dutch dam meaning "dam". A famous bearer is the Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960-), who was born with the surname Van Varenberg.

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

Roy 2 Scottish
From Gaelic ruadh meaning "red-haired".

Moores English
Variant of Moore 1.

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

De Clercq Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Haber German, Jewish
Occupational name for one who grew or sold oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Wirner German
From the given name Werner.

Durán Spanish
Spanish cognate of Durand.

Reenberg Danish
Meaning unknown. The second element is probably from Old Norse berg "mountain" (modern Danish bjerg).

Jernigan English
Possibly derived from the old Breton name Iarnogon meaning "iron famous".

Nigro Italian
Variant of Negri.

Almássy Hungarian
Means "from the apple orchard", derived from Hungarian alma meaning "apple".

Donoghue Irish
From Irish Ó Donnchadha meaning "descendant of Donnchadh".

Lupo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wolf".

Kamiya Japanese
From Japanese 神 (kami) meaning "god" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Hildebrand German
From the given name Hildebrand.

Trueman English
Variant of Truman.

Tamboli Marathi
From the Sanskrit word ताम्बूल (tāmbūla) meaning "betel leaves". These leaves are used in rituals and worship, and the name was originally given to a person who grew or sold them.

Rodney English
From a place name meaning "Hroda's island" in Old English (where Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame").

O'Brien Irish
From the Irish Ó Briain meaning "descendant of Brian".

Capella Catalan
Catalan form of Kappel.

Van Amelsvoort Dutch
Means "from Amersfoort", a city in the Netherlands. It means "ford of the Amer (Eem) River" in Dutch.

Schmidt German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker", a cognate of Smith.

Léandre French
Derived from the given name Léandre.

D'Ambrosio Italian
From the given name Ambrogio.

Woods English, Scottish
Variant of Wood.

Short English
From a nickname for a short person, from Middle English schort.

Bélanger French
From the given name Bérenger.

Hershey English
Originally denoted a person from Hercé in Normandy.

McEwan Scottish
Anglicized form of MacEòghainn.

Geary English
Derived from a Norman given name that was a short form of Germanic names starting with the element ger "spear".

Antonini Italian
Means "son of Antonino".

Dunbar Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and barr meaning "summit", so called from its situation on a rock that projects into the sea.

Penzig Yiddish
Denoted a person who came from Penzig, the German name for Pieńsk, a town in southwest Poland. It is derived from Polish pień meaning "stump, tree trunk".

Godard French
Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

Markó Hungarian
Derived from the given name Márk.

Kovács Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kovač.

Adenauer German
Denoted a person from the town of Adenau in Germany. The name of the town is of uncertain etymology.

Flintstone Popular Culture
From the English words flint and stone, created by Hanna-Barbera Productions for the caveman family (Fred, Wilma and Pebbles) in their animated television show The Flintstones, which ran from 1960 to 1966.

Sheppard English
Variant of Shepherd.

Dykstra Frisian
From Frisian dyk meaning "dike, ditch". The name was given to a person living near a dyke or embankment.

Quijote Literature
Spanish form of Quixote.

Östberg Swedish
From Swedish öst (Old Norse austr) meaning "east" and berg meaning "mountain".

Hyland 2 Irish
Variant of Whelan.

Cisternino Italian
From the name of the town of Cisternino, near the city of Bari in southern Italy.

Tornincasa Italian
From a medieval Italian name given to a boy born after the death of a previous one, derived from Italian ritorna in casa "come back home".

Ready 2 Scottish
Originally denoted a person from Reedie farm in Angus, Scotland.

Comstock English
Possibly from the name of the River Culm in Devon, England. This name is seen in the Domesday book as Culmstoke or Colmstoke.

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

Good English
From a nickname meaning "good", referring to a kindly person.

Darling English
From a nickname or byname derived from Middle English dereling, Old English deorling, meaning "darling, beloved one".

Aloi Italian
From a dialectal form of the name Aloisio.

Colton English
From a place name meaning "Cola's town".

Harlow English
Habitational name derived from a number of locations named Harlow, from Old English hær "rock, heap of stones" or here "army", combined with hlaw "hill".

Whittaker English
Variant of Whitaker.

Prinz German, Jewish
German form of Prince. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Cecil Welsh
From the Welsh given name Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name Sextilius, a derivative of Sextus.

Hou Chinese
From Chinese 侯 (hóu) meaning "lord, nobleman".

Porto Italian
Designated a person who lived near a harbour, from Italian porto, Latin portus.

Prosdocimi Italian
From the given name Prosdocimo, Italian form of Prosdocimus.

Horvatinčić Croatian
Patronymic derived from Horvat.

Constantino Portuguese
From the given name Constantino.

Joossens Flemish
Means "son of Joos".

Kavanaugh Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Calderón Spanish
Occupational name for a person who made, repaired or sold cauldrons or kettles, from Spanish calderón "cauldron", from Late Latin caldaria.

Lacy English
Variant of Lacey.

Beyersdorf German
Means "farmers village", from German Bauer meaning "farmer" and Dorf meaning "village".

Chevrolet French
From a diminutive of chèvre meaning "goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.

Armati Italian
From Italian armato meaning "armed, armoured, equipped".

Garrido Spanish
Means "elegant, ostentatious" in Spanish.

Winfield English
From various English place names, derived from Old English winn "meadow, pasture" and feld "field".

Anton Romanian
From the given name Anton.

Vicente Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Vicente.

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

Dickerson English
Means "son of Dick 1".

Toma Romanian
From the given name Toma 2.

Casal Spanish
From the Spanish word casal meaning "farmhouse, country house", ultimately from Late Late casalis, from Latin casa.

Reier German
Variant of Reiher.

Smolak Polish
Occupational name for a distiller of pitch, derived from the Old Slavic word smola meaning "pitch, resin".

Kinley Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Zawisza Polish
Derived from the Old Polish given name Zawisza.

MacMhaoilein Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McMillan.

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

Tremblay French
From French tremble meaning "aspen". It is especially widespread in Quebec, being the most common surname there.

Bakken Norwegian
Means "the slope, the hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Kitchen English
Occupational name for a person who worked in a kitchen (of a monastery for example), derived from Old English cycene, ultimately from Latin coquina.

Franjić Croatian
Means "son of Franjo".

Gump German (Rare), Popular Culture
Possibly from a nickname derived from Middle High German gumpen meaning "to hop, to jump". This surname was used by author Winston Groom for the hero of his novel Forrest Gump (1986), better known from the 1994 movie adaptation.

Ibrahimović Bosnian
Means "son of Ibrahim".

Rocco Italian
Derived from the given name Rocco.

Mihaljević Croatian
Means "son of Mihael".

Akabane Japanese
From Japanese 赤 (aka) meaning "red" and 羽 (hane) meaning "feather".

Blanc French
Means "white" in French. The name referred to a person who was pale, or whose hair was blond.

Roux French
Derived from Old French ros meaning "red", from Latin russus, a nickname for a red-haired person.

MacBay Scottish
Variant of MacBeth.

Poggi Italian
Variant of Poggio.

Mulrennan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Maol Bhréanáin.

Stidolph English
From the Old English given name Stithulf.

Pound English
Occupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English pund "animal enclosure".

Samuel English, Welsh, French, Jewish
Derived from the given name Samuel.

Fry English
From Old English frig (a variant of freo) meaning "free".

Arkema Frisian
Means "son of Arke 2".

Gough 1 Welsh
Nickname for a red-haired person, from Welsh coch "red".

Bryan English
From the given name Brian.

Pletscher German
Possibly from the name of a field where cattle fodder was grown, from German Bletsch.

Eliasson Swedish
Means "son of Elias".

Sumner English
Occupational name for a summoner, an official who was responsible for ensuring the appearance of witnesses in court, from Middle English sumner, ultimately from Latin submoneo "to advise".

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

MacFhionnlaigh Scottish Gaelic
Means "son of Fionnlagh" in Scottish Gaelic.

Roxas Filipino
Filipino form of the Spanish Rojas.

Ulfsson Swedish
Means "son of Ulf".

Daubney English
From any of the various towns in France called Aubigny, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Albinus.

Bower English
From Old English bur meaning "dwelling, room".

Myles English
From the given name Miles.

Casado Spanish
From a nickname meaning "married" in Spanish.

Naess Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Hoch German
Means "tall" in German.

Trafford English
From a place name meaning "fish-trap ford" in Old English.

Van Baarle Dutch
Means "from Baarle", a town in both the Netherlands and Belgium.

Yıldız Turkish
Means "star" in Turkish.

Huang Chinese
From Chinese 黄 (huáng) meaning "yellow".

Marek um Polish, Czech, Slovak
Derived from the given name Marek.

Pond English
Originally referred to one who lived near a pond.

Samuelson English
Means "son of Samuel".

Altena Dutch
From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "close, near" in Dutch.

Kuijlaars Dutch
Derived from Middle Dutch cule "hole, pit".

Jagger English
From an English word meaning "carter, peddler". A famous bearer is the British musician Mick Jagger (1943-), the lead singer of the Rolling Stones.

Hüber German
Variant of Huber.

Abraham Jewish, English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch
Derived from the given name Abraham.

Andriessen Dutch
Means "son of Andries".

Gottschalk German
Derived from the given name Gottschalk.

Fuchs German
From Old High German fuhs meaning "fox". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.

Ruoho Finnish
Means "grass" in Finnish.

Agua Spanish
Means "water" in Spanish, indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.

Mochizuki Japanese
Means "full moon" in Japanese, a compound of 望 (mochi) meaning "wish, desire" and 月 (tsuki) meaning "moon".