Browse Surnames

Šarić Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian šaren meaning "colourful, patterned".

Desjardins French
Means "from the gardens", from French jardin "garden".

Ismail Arabic
From the given name Ismail.

Strudwick English
From an English place name derived from Old English strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood" and wic meaning "village, town".

Leitner German
Referred to one who lived on a hillside, from Middle High German lite "slope".

Prifti Albanian
From Albanian prift meaning "priest".

Miles English
From the given name Miles.

Finnegan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fionnagáin meaning "descendant of Fionnagán". The given name Fionnagán is a diminutive of Fionn.

Watkins English
Derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, which was a diminutive of the name Walter.

Ruskin 2 English
From a diminutive of the feminine given name Rose.

Vela Spanish
Occupational name for a guard, from Spanish vela meaning "watch, vigil".

Tómasson Icelandic
Means "son of Tómas".

Kovačič Slovene
Slovene form of Kovačić.

Ohme German
From Middle High German oem meaning "maternal uncle".

Guan Chinese
From Chinese 关 (guān) meaning "frontier pass".

Mac Amhalghaidh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McCauley.

Mészáros Hungarian
Means "butcher" in Hungarian.

Rae Scottish
Variant of McRae.

Shelton English
From the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.

Lê Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Li 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 黎 (lê). This is the third most common surname in Vietnam.

Abategiovanni Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Giovanni.

Han Chinese, Korean
From Chinese 韩 (hán) referring to the ancient state of Han, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Shanxi and Henan provinces.

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

Bogdán Hungarian
From the given name Bogdan.

Clayton English
From the name of various places meaning "clay settlement" in Old English.

Ferrer Catalan
Catalan cognate of Ferrari.

Moon 3 Irish
Variant of Mohan.

Jerome English
Derived from the given name Jerome. A famous bearer of this surname was the American-born Jennie Jerome (1854-1921), Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill.

Vrabec um Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak
Means "sparrow" in several languages, from Old Slavic vorbĭ.

Cody Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuidighthigh or Mac Óda. A famous bearer was the American frontiersman and showman Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917).

Gorman 1 German
From the Old German given name Germund.

Ludwig German
From the given name Ludwig.

McClain Scottish
Variant of McLain.

Banks English
Originally indicated someone who lived near a hillside or a bank of land.

Voss German
From Middle Low German vos meaning "fox". It was originally a nickname for a clever person or a person with red hair.

Scarsi Italian
Nickname for a poor or miserly person, from Italian scarso "scarce, scant".

Van der Laar Dutch
Variant of Van Laar.

Palmisano Italian
Locative name from the town of Palmi in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

James English
Derived from the given name James.

Rowe 2 English
From the medieval name Row, which is either a variant of Roul or short form of Roland.

Garnier 1 French
From the given name Garnier.

Ó hEaghra Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Hara.

Meaney Irish
Variant of O'Mooney.

Meeuwes Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Dickens English
From the medieval given name Dicun, a medieval diminutive of Dick 1. A famous bearer of this surname was the British author Charles Dickens (1812-1870).

Zino Italian
Derived from the given name Zino, a short form of names ending with -zino, such as Lorenzino, a diminutive of Lorenzo, or Vincenzino, a diminutive of Vincenzo.

Dupuis French
Means "from the well", from Old French puts, Latin puteus "well".

Pagano Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.

Joshi Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Nepali
From Sanskrit ज्योतिश (jyotiśa) meaning "astronomer".

Reier German
Variant of Reiher.

Bryan English
From the given name Brian.

Jørgensen Danish
Means "son of Jørgen".

Briley English
Possibly a variant of Brierley.

Brisbois French
Referred to a person who cleared land, from Old French briser "to cut" and bois "forest".

Krupa Polish
Means "groats, grain" in Polish.

Mac Giolla Phádraig Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kilpatrick.

Gallardo Spanish
Means "gallant, elegant" in Spanish.

Nikolić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Nikola 1".

Van der Veen Dutch
Means "from the swamp", from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat". It originally indicated a person who resided in a peat district or fen colony.

Vivas Catalan
From the Catalan byname vivas meaning "may you live", which was bestowed upon children to bring good luck.

Andreu Catalan
From the given name Andreu.

Engberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and berg meaning "mountain".

Lewin English
Derived from the given name Leofwine.

Alberdingk Dutch
Variant of Alberink.

Ó Cuinneagáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cunningham 2.

Brigham English
Originally referred to one who came from a town called Brigham, meaning "homestead by the bridge" in Old English. This is the name of towns in Cumberland and Yorkshire.

Hofmeister German
Means "master of the household", from Old High German hof "yard, court, house" and meistar "master" (from Latin magister).

Inada Japanese
From Japanese 稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Văn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wen, from Sino-Vietnamese 文 (văn).

László Hungarian
Derived from the given name László.

Krikorian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Գրիգորյան (see Grigoryan).

Heikkilä Finnish
From the given name Heikki with the suffix -lä indicating a place.

Holden English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and denu "valley".

Foss English
Variant of Fosse.

Arenas Spanish
From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish arena meaning "sand".

Vik Norwegian
Means "cove, inlet" in Norwegian.

Mac Maghnuis Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McManus.

O'Neal Irish
From Irish Ó Néill meaning "descendant of Neil".

Gál Hungarian
Derived from the given name Gál.

Findlay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Roca Spanish, Catalan, Occitan
Spanish, Catalan and Occitan cognate of Roach.

Miguel Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Miguel.

Arrighi Italian
Means "son of Arrigo".

Courtenay 1 English
From the name of towns in France that were originally derivatives of the Gallo-Roman personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short".

Pavić Croatian
Means "son of Pavle".

Goretti Italian
Derived from the given name Gregorio.

Forestier French
French cognate of Forester.

Romijnders Dutch
Variant of Romeijnders.

Lindholm Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island".

Leitzke German
Either from Leitzkau, the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt, or from a diminutive of the given name Leutz, a variant of Lutz.

Øster Danish
From Danish øst meaning "east", originally denoting a dweller on the eastern side of a place.

Lenox Scottish
Variant of Lennox.

Garnett 1 English
Occupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French carne "hinge".

Brierley English
From an English place name, derived from brer "briar" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Kean Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Tighe Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Taidhg.

Messina Italian
From the name of the Sicilian city of Messina, founded by Greek colonists. The city was named after the Greek city Μεσσήνη (Messene).

Kováts Hungarian
Variant of Kovács.

Okafor Igbo
From the given name Okafor.

Souza Portuguese
Variant of Sousa.

Bernat Catalan
Derived from the given name Bernat.

Lafrentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Szarvas Hungarian
Means "deer" in Hungarian.

Devin 1 Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish surnames Ó Damháin or Ó Dubháin.

Casas Spanish
From Spanish casa meaning "house", of Latin origin.

Holst Danish, Low German, Dutch
Originally 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).

Readdie English
Variant of Ready 1.

Mah Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 马 (see Ma).

Profeta Italian
From Italian profeta meaning "prophet". It probably came from a nickname indicating a person who wanted to predict the future. It is typical of southern Italy.

Ó Damháin Irish
Means "descendant of Damhán".

Palacios Spanish
Spanish cognate of Palazzo.

Harding English
Derived from the given name Heard. A famous bearer was American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).

Bret French
French form of Brett.

Thayer French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Tailler.

Beethoven Dutch (Archaic)
From a place name derived from Dutch beet "beet, beetroot" and hoven "farms". This name was borne by the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), whose family was of Flemish origin. The surname is now mostly extinct.

Plešec Slovene
Variant of Pleško.

Grigore Romanian
From the given name Grigore.

McGough Irish
Variant of Gough 2.

Amantea Italian
From the name of a town in Calabria, Italy. It is possibly derived from Arabic (dating from the Arab raids of the 9th century) meaning "the fortress".

Sangster English, Scottish
Occupational name or nickname for a singer, from Old English singan "to sing, to chant".

MacAngus Scottish
Variant of MacInnes.

Bengtsdotter Swedish
Means "daughter of Bengt".

Veronesi Italian
Variant of Verona.

Buono Italian
From a nickname meaning "good" in Italian.

Suen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Sun.

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

Tschida German
Possibly derived from a Slavic given name of unknown meaning.

Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.

Weasley Literature
Used by J. K. Rowling for the character of Ron Weasley (and other members of his family) in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. Rowling presumably derived it from the English word weasel, perhaps in combination with the common place name/surname suffix -ley, which is derived from Old English leah meaning "woodland, clearing".

Vale Portuguese
Means "valley" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin vallis.

Deák Hungarian
Possibly a Hungarian form of Deacon.

Seymour 1 English
From Saint Maur, a French place name, which commemorates Saint Maurus.

Förstner German
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest (see Forst).

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

Morton English
Derived from a place name meaning "moor town" in Old English.

Alfaro Spanish
Originally denoted someone who was from the city of Alfaro in La Rioja, Spain. It is possibly derived from Arabic meaning "the watchtower".

Bajusz Hungarian
Means "moustache" in Hungarian.

Mac Diarmada Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McDermott.

Carlevaro Italian
Northern Italian variant of Carnevale.

Hunnisett English
Possibly a variant of Honeycutt.

Maes Flemish
Flemish form of Maas.

Petrić Croatian
Means "son of Petar".

Schneiders German
Variant of Schneider.

Kok Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.

Robson English
Means "son of Rob".

Connor Irish
Variant of O'Connor.

Nathanson Jewish
Means "son of Nathan".

Bakker Dutch
Dutch cognate of Baker, from Middle Dutch backere.

English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.

Poulsen Danish
Means "son of Poul".

Lázaro Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Lázaro.

Hollands English
Variant of Holland 1.

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

Kenyatta Kikuyu
From kinyata, the name of a type of ornamental belt worn by the Maasai. This was the surname of the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978). He adopted the surname in his youth.

O'Hanigan Irish
Variant of O'Hannigain.

Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.

Munson English
Patronymic formed from the Norman French nickname moun meaning "monk".

Simons English, German, Dutch
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Walterson English
Means "son of Walter".

Kerner German
Derived from Old High German kerno "seed", an occupational name for one who sold or planted seeds.

Akkermans Dutch
Dutch form of Ackermann.

Jonkheer Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

MacFarland Irish, Scottish
Variant of McFarlane.

Hayasaka Japanese
From Japanese 早 (haya) meaning "already, now" and 坂 or 阪 (saka) meaning "slope".

Torres Spanish, Portuguese
Name for a person who lived in or near a tower, ultimately from Latin turris.

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

Koumans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Varela Spanish
Derived from Spanish vara "stick". It may have originally been given to one who used a stick in his line of work, for example an animal herder.

Asturias Spanish
From the name of a region in Spain, formerly a medieval kingdom. It is possibly derived from Basque asta "rock" and ur "water".

Penzik Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Hancock English
From a diminutive of the medieval name Hann.

Alvarado Spanish
From a Spanish place name, possibly derived from Spanish alba "white".

Sundén Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "sound, strait".

Franke German, Dutch
Variant of Frank 3.

McCleary Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cléirich.

Gruber Upper German
From German Grube meaning "pit", indicating a person who lived or worked in a pit or depression. This is the most common surname in Austria.

Buckley 1 English
From an English place name derived from bucc "buck, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Abiodun Yoruba
From the given name Abiodun.

Heiman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Rudenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian рудий (rudy) meaning "red".

Wong 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Huang.

Holmwood English
Variant of Homewood.

Schwenke 2 German
From a given name, a Low German diminutive of Swanhild.

Ławniczak Polish
From Polish ławnik meaning "alderman".

Travert French
French variant of Travers.

Ventura Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
From the given name Bonaventura.

Ludvigsen Danish
Means "son of Ludvig".

Stanley English
From various place names meaning "stone clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer was the British-American explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904).

Strobel German
Diminutive form of Straub.

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

Ter Avest Dutch
Means "at the edge, eave" indicating a person who lived at the edge of a forest or under a covered shelter.

Ingesson Swedish
Means "son of Inge".

Boyer Occitan
Occitan cognate of Bouvier.

Färber German
Occupational name meaning "dyer", derived from German Farbe "colour".

Loman Dutch
From various place names in the Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch loh meaning "meadow, clearing".

Mac Cárthaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McCarthy.

Glas German, Dutch
German and Dutch cognate of Glass.

Sarti Italian
Variant of Sarto.

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

Fontana Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Fontaine.

Sheenan Irish
Variant of Shannon.

Blakely English
Variant of Blakeley.

Dreyer German
Variant of Dreher.

Barbier French
French cognate of Barber.

Nordström Swedish
From Swedish nord (Old Norse norðr) meaning "north" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Balık Turkish
From a Turkish word meaning "fish".

Como 2 Italian
From the name of the city of Como in Lombardy, the rival city of Milan during the Middle Ages. Its name may come from a Celtic root meaning "valley".

Herrera Spanish
Spanish form of Ferreira.

MacIntosh Scottish
Variant of McIntosh.

Ambrogi Italian
Means "son of Ambrogio".

Mateos Spanish
Derived from the given name Mateo.

Olivier French
Derived from the given name Olivier.

Vilaró Catalan
Catalan variant of Vilar.

MacCoinnich Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of MacKenzie.

Gutiérrez Spanish
Means "son of Gutierre".

Nørup Danish
From the name of Danish villages named Nørup or Norup.

Svensson Swedish
Means "son of Sven".

Barone Italian
Italian cognate of Baron.

Kavalchuk Belarusian
Belarusian cognate of Kovalchuk.

Cardoso Portuguese, Spanish
From a place name meaning "thorny" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin carduus.

MacInnes Scottish
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Aonghais meaning "son of Aonghas".

Elton English
From an English place name meaning "Ella's town".

Sauvageon French
French diminutive form of Savage.

Alberink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Albert" in Dutch.

Power 2 English
From Middle English povre meaning "poor", via Old French from Latin pauper. It could have been a nickname for someone who had no money or a miser.

Martinsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Martin".

Wegener Low German
Low German variant of Wagner.

Pietri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

McElligott Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Mac Uileagóid meaning "son of Uileagóid", a diminutive of Uilleag.

Forst German
Derived from Old High German forst "forest". Probably unrelated to the Old French word forest, which was derived from Latin, Old High German forst was derived from foraha meaning "fir tree".

Van Agteren Dutch
Means "from behind", probably referring to a place behind something, such as a building or a place at the end of the road.

Nazarian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Նազարյան (see Nazaryan).

Moloney Irish
From Irish Ó Maol Dhomhnaigh meaning "descendant of a church servant".

Backus English
Means "bakery", an occupational name for a baker, from Old English bæchus literally "bake house".

Carstensen Danish
Means "son of Carsten".

Osborne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

Narváez Spanish
From the name of a town in central Spain.

Dietrich German
Derived from the given name Dietrich.

Ó Rinn Irish
Means "descendant of Rinn". The given name Rinn means "star" in Irish.

Holmberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and berg meaning "mountain".

Boesch German, Low German
Variant of Bösch 1 or Bösch 2.

Ahlström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish al (Old Norse ǫlr) meaning "alder" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Ó Comhraidhe Irish
Means "descendant of Comhraidhe", in which the given name Comhraidhe is of unknown meaning.

Laurenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Neville English, Irish
From the names of towns in Normandy, variously Neuville or Néville, meaning "new town" in French.

Neroni Italian
Variant of Neri.

Boulos Arabic
From the given name Bulus.

Šimić Croatian
Means "son of Šime".

Rickard English
From the given name Richard.

Wade 2 English
From the Old English given name Wada, a derivative of the word wadan "to go".

Einarsson Swedish
Means "son of Einar".

Kostić Serbian
Means "son of Kosta".

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

Napoli Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Lithgow Scottish
Habitation name meaning derived from Brythonic roots meaning "pool hollow". A famous bearer of this name is actor John Lithgow (1945-).

Miller English
Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Yuen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Ruan.

McNiel Scottish
Variant of McNeil.

Mac Eoghain Irish
Means "son of Eoghan" in Irish.

Jäger German
Means "hunter" in German, from Old High German jagon meaning "to hunt".

Rusnak Polish
Means "Russian" in Polish.

Hagen Norwegian, Dutch
From Old Norse hagi or Old Dutch hago meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Bartosz Polish
Derived from the given name Bartosz.

Piraino Italian
From the name of the town of Piraino on Sicily.

Mertens Dutch, Low German, Flemish
From the given name Merten.

Apted English
Probably from an unidentified place name meaning "up tower" in Old English.

Borbély Hungarian
Hungarian cognate of Barber.

Alba Spanish
From a Spanish nickname meaning "white".

Allaway Scottish
From a Scottish place name, itself derived from alla "wild" and mhagh "field".

Popović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the priest", derived from Serbo-Croatian pop meaning "priest".

Hooper English
Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.

Gerig German
Variant of Gehring.

Mac Giolla Rí Irish
Means "son of the king's servant" in Irish.

Kjeldsen Danish
Means "son of Kjeld".

Rimmer English
Occupational name meaning "poet", from Middle English rime meaning "rhyme".

Hoch German
Means "tall" in German.

Coello Galician
Galician cognate of Coelho.

Spitznagel German
Means "sharp nail" in German, an occupational name for a nailsmith.

Grahame Scottish
Variant of Graham.

Urban mu Czech, Slovak, Polish, German
Derived from the given name Urban.

Garland English
Means "triangle land" from Old English gara and land. It originally belonged to a person who owned a triangle-shaped piece of land.

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.

Ibarra Basque, Spanish
From Basque place names derived from ibar meaning "meadow".

Alles Dutch
Means "son of Alle".

Churchill English
From an English place name meaning "church hill". A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II.

Belmonte Spanish, Italian
From various place names in Italy and Spain meaning "beautiful mountain".

Robustelli Italian
From a nickname for a strong person, from Italian robusto "strong", from Latin robustus "firm, solid, oaken".

Đỗ Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Du, from Sino-Vietnamese 杜 (đỗ).

Cocks English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Iwamoto Japanese
From Japanese 岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Meyer 4 English
Variant of Myer.

Laterza Italian
From the name of the town of Laterza near Taranto in Apulia. It is typical of southern Italy.

Bieber German, Jewish
From Middle High German biber meaning "beaver", possibly a nickname for a hard worker.

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

Beumers Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Aguado Spanish
Derived from Spanish agua "water", indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.

Riordan Irish
From Irish Ó Ríoghbhárdáin meaning "descendant of Rígbarddán".

Silveira Portuguese
Means "forests" in Portuguese.

Meyer 1 German
From Middle High German meier meaning "bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings Meier and Meyer are more common in northern Germany while Maier and Mayer are more common in southern Germany.

Kelsey English
From an English place name meaning "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce" in combination with eg "island".