Browse Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the gender is unisex; and the order is random.
usage
gender
Bogdanić Croatian
Means "son of Bogdan".
Burakgazi Turkish
Possibly from the given name Burak and Arabic غازي (ghāzī) meaning "warrior".
Puga Galician
Means "thorn, prickle" in Galician.
Spitz German
Means "sharp" in German, indicating the original bearer lived near a pointed hill.
Kelly 1 Irish
Anglicized 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).
Medeiros Portuguese
From various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese medeiro meaning "haystack", ultimately from Latin meta meaning "cone, pyramid".
Agosti Italian
Means "son of Agosto", a variant of Augusto.
Huxtable English
Derived from the name of an English place meaning "hook post", from Old English hoc "hook" and stapol "post".
Llywelyn Welsh
Derived from the Welsh given name Llywelyn.
Fuller English
Occupational name for a fuller, a person who thickened and cleaned coarse cloth by pounding it. It is derived via Middle English from Latin fullo.
Teke 1 Turkish
Originally denoted someone from Teke, Turkey.
Samuelsson Swedish
Means "son of Samuel".
Ó Corraidhín Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Curran.
Lorenzo Spanish
From the given name Lorenzo.
De Campo Italian
Locative surname derived from place names called Campo (meaning "field").
Traverso Italian
Italian form of Travers.
Ghorbani Persian
From the given name Ghorban.
Clancy Irish
From Irish Mac Fhlannchaidh meaning "descendant of Flannchadh". The given name Flannchadh means "red warrior".
Kurz German
Means "short" in German, ultimately from Latin curtus.
Chadwick English
From the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.
Leary Irish
Variant of O'Leary.
Everill English
Derived from the feminine given name Eoforhild.
Attar Persian
From Persian عطر (ʿaṭr) meaning "fragrance, perfume", ultimately from Arabic. It probably denoted a seller of perfume.
Barros Portuguese, Spanish
From the Portuguese and Spanish word barro meaning "clay, mud". This could either be an occupational name for a person who worked with clay or mud such as a builder or artisan, or a topographic name for someone living near clay or mud.
Ivanović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Ivan".
Yamamoto Japanese
From Japanese (yama) meaning "mountain" and (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Schuster German
Means "shoemaker, cobbler", from Middle High German schuoch "shoe" and suter, from Latin sutor "sewer, cobbler".
Gebara Basque
Habitational name for someone who lived in Gebara, a village in the province of Álava in Spain.
Sipos Hungarian
Occupational name for a fife player or piper, from Hungarian síp "whistle, pipe".
Welch English
Variant of Walsh.
Smeets Dutch
Variant of Smit.
Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.
Fairchild English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.
Petrenko Ukrainian
From the given name Petro.
Kuhn German
Derived from a diminutive of the German given name Konrad.
Van Vliet Dutch
Means "from the stream" in Dutch.
Horsfall English
From a minor place in Yorkshire derived from Old English hors "horse" and fall "clearing".
Jovanović Serbian
Means "son of Jovan".
Croft English
From Old English croft meaning "enclosed field".
Mathiasen Danish
Means "son of Mathias".
Moran Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Móráin meaning "descendant of Mórán", a given name meaning "great, large".
Bourke English
Variant of Burke.
Hoffmann German
From Middle High German hofmann meaning "farmer".
McCabe Irish, Scottish
Means "son of Cába", where Cába is a byname meaning "cape, cloak" (from Latin cappa).
Augustin French, German
From the given name Augustin.
Hölzer German
German cognate of Holt.
Silje Norwegian
Derived from the given name Silje.
Ó Cuinn Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quinn.
Schmitz German
Variant of Schmidt, originating in the Rhine area in western Germany.
Klerx Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.
Wendell German
Variant of Wendel (typically American).
Aho Finnish
Means "meadow, glade" in Finnish.
Gully English
Nickname 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).
Persson Swedish
Means "son of Per".
Martynyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Martyn.
Kok Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.
Dekker Dutch
Means "roofer, thatcher" in Dutch.
Skov Danish
Topographic name meaning "forest, wood" in Danish, from Old Norse skógr.
Fransson Swedish
Means "son of Frans".
Butler English, Irish
Occupational 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).
Zyma Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Zima.
Ilves Estonian
Means "lynx" in Estonian.
Garnett 1 English
Occupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French carne "hinge".
Agli Italian
From place names like Agliè, Aglietti, Agliana and Agliate, all originating from the Latin name Allius or Alleius.
Niskanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish niska meaning "neck", indicating someone who lived on a neck of land or who had a distinctive neck.
Beck 3 English
From a nickname for a person with a big nose, from Middle English bec meaning "beak".
Lewis 1 English
Derived from the given name Lewis. The author C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a bearer of this surname.
Lamberti Italian
Derived from the given name Lamberto.
Hayward English
Occupational name for a person who protected an enclosed forest, from Old English hæg "enclosure, fence" and weard "guard".
Ragno Italian
From a nickname meaning "spider" in Italian.
Toset Catalan
Catalan form of Tosi.
Ungureanu Romanian
From Romanian ungur meaning "Hungarian".
Byrd English
Variant of Bird.
Iyer Tamil
Referred to a person belonging to the Iyer subcaste of the larger Brahmin caste. The Iyer subcaste is traditionally devoted to the God Vishnu.
Castro Spanish, Portuguese
Means "castle" in Spanish and Portuguese, referring to one who lived near a castle. A famous bearer was Fidel Castro (1926-2016), revolutionary and president of Cuba.
Dickman English
From Old English dic "ditch" combined with man "person, man". It was originally a name for a ditch digger or someone who lived near a ditch.
Sas Hungarian
Means "eagle" in Hungarian.
Lazăr Romanian
From the given name Lazăr.
Padmore English
Originally indicated a person from Padmore in England, derived from Old English padde "toad" and mor "moor, marsh".
Jurić Croatian
Means "son of Jure".
Brooks English
Variant of Brook.
Ezra Jewish
From the given name Ezra.
Dragić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Patronymic from any of the Slavic given names starting with Drag (see Drago).
Brewer English
Occupational name for a maker of ale or beer.
Szweda Polish
Derived from Polish Szwed meaning "Swede, person from Sweden".
Moore 3 English
Nickname for a person of dark complexion, from Old French more, Latin maurus, meaning "Moorish".
Abatescianni Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Gianni.
Tavares Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Tavares, likely of pre-Roman origin.
Wang 2 German, Dutch
From Middle High German and Middle Dutch wange meaning "cheek", possibly a nickname for someone with round or rosy cheeks.
Kunkle German
Variant of Kunkel.
Boyer Occitan
Occitan cognate of Bouvier.
Marley English
Originally denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in Britain called Marley, ultimately meaning either "pleasant wood", "boundary wood" or "marten wood" in Old English. One of the main characters in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843) bears this surname. It was also borne by the Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Fujimori Japanese
From Japanese (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and (mori) meaning "forest".
Begbie Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse given name Baggi and býr "farm, settlement".
Whitney English
Originally from the name of an English town, meaning "white island" in Old English.
Baier German
Variant of Bayer.
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".
Kingsley English
From a place name meaning "king's clearing" in Old English.
Vrabec um Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak
Means "sparrow" in several languages, from Old Slavic vorbĭ.
Meijer Dutch
Dutch form of Meyer 1.
Gwerder German (Swiss)
From Swiss German gwerig meaning "agile, alert".
Ó Gallchobhair Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Gallagher.
Terzić Bosnian
From Bosnian terzija meaning "tailor", ultimately of Persian origin.
Olsson Swedish
Means "son of Olaf".
Charmchi Persian
Means "leather worker" in Persian, from چرم (charm) meaning "leather" combined with چی (chī), denoting an occupation.
Spanò Sicilian
From Sicilian spanu meaning "sparse, thin hair", ultimately from Greek σπάνιος (spanios) meaning "scarce, rare".
Schirmer German
Means "fencer, fencing master", from Old High German skirmen meaning "to defend".
Ignácz Hungarian
Derived from the given name Ignác.
Mac Mathghamhna Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McMahon.
Craig Scottish
Derived from Gaelic creag meaning "crag, rocks, outcrop", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.
Tuft English
Denoted one who lived near a clump of trees or bushes, from Middle English tufte "tuft, clump", from Old French.
Hennig German
From a diminutive of the given name Heinrich.
Hutson English
Variant of Hudson.
Harrell English
From the given name Harold.
Nazaretyan Armenian
Means "son of Nazaret".
Nakagawa Japanese
From Japanese (naka) meaning "middle" and (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
Kirch German
German cognate of Church.
Sörensen Swedish
Swedish form of Sørensen.
Losa Spanish
From Spanish losa meaning "tile, slab".
Ackerman English
Means "ploughman", derived from Middle English aker "field" and man.
Pilgrim English, German
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.
Leonardson English
Means "son of Leonard".
Vivas Catalan
From the Catalan byname vivas meaning "may you live", which was bestowed upon children to bring good luck.
Landi Italian
Derived from the given name Lando.
Findlay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.
Hutmacher German
German cognate of Hoedemaker.
Gandhi Gujarati, Hindi
From Sanskrit गान्धिक (gāndhika) meaning "perfumier, perfume seller", derived from गनध (gandha) meaning "scent, perfume". Notable bearers include Indian civil rights leader Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, and Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi (1917-1984).
Alders Dutch
Means "son of Aldert".
Provenza Italian
From the name of the Provence region of southern France (in Italian Provenza). It is derived from Latin provincia "province", a territorial division.
O'Brian Irish
Variant of O'Brien.
Timberlake English
From an English place name, derived from Old English timber "timber, wood" and lacu "lake, pool, stream".
McBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.
Forester English
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see Forest).
Bachchan Hindi
From Hindi बच्चा (bachchā) meaning "child", a word of Persian origin. This surname was adopted by the Indian poet Harivansh Rai Srivastava (1907-2003).
Baldwin English
Derived from the given name Baldwin.
Way English
From Old English weg meaning "way, road, path".
Teke 2 Turkish
Occupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish teke "goat".
Caldwell English
From various English place names derived from Old English ceald "cold" and wille "spring, stream, well".
Clifford English
Derived from various place names that meant "ford by a cliff" in Old English.
Merrick Welsh
Derived from the given name Meurig.
Erkens Dutch
Derived from the given name Erk, a variant of Erik.
Pokorny Polish
Polish form of Pokorný.
Miyake Japanese
From Japanese (mi) meaning "three" and (yake) meaning "house, home".
Kanzaki Japanese
From Japanese (kan) meaning "god" and (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".
Rutgers Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger.
Dam Dutch, Danish
Means "dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".
McWilliam Scottish
Means "son of William" in Gaelic.
Ateljević Serbian
Probably from Hatelji, the name of a town in Serbia, which is of unknown meaning.
Evanson English
Means "son of Evan".
Francis English
Derived from the given name Francis.
Coenen Dutch
Derived from the given name Coenraad.
Bak Danish
Means "slope, hillside" in Danish, from Old Norse bakki "bank".
Ó Mocháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Mohan.
Rahimi Persian
From the given name Rahim.
Michalak Polish
Means "son of Michał".
Gautier French
From the given name Gautier.
Vinković Croatian
Means "son of Vinko".
Vela Spanish
Occupational name for a guard, from Spanish vela meaning "watch, vigil".
Murdock Irish
Derived from the given name Murchadh.
Ó Seanáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Shannon.
Rojas Spanish
Variant of Rojo.
Gaillard French
Means "lively, strong" in French.
Pugliese Italian
From an adjectival derivative of Puglia, from Latin Apulia, a region of southeast Italy containing the boot heel and some of the coastline of the Adriatic Sea. It is a regional name for someone from that region.
Jonasson Swedish
Means "son of Jonas 2".
Hudson English
Means "son of Hudde".
Myer English
From Old French mire meaning "doctor", derived from Latin medicus.
Dirksen Dutch, German
Means "son of Dirk".
Cuyler Dutch
Variant of Kuijlaars or Koole.
Urbina Basque
Derived from Basque ur "water" and bi "two", indicating a place where two waterways met.
Howard 2 English
Occupational name meaning "ewe herder", from Old English eowu "ewe" and hierde "herdsman, guardian".
Fitzgerald Irish
Means "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.
Pusztai Hungarian
From Hungarian puszta meaning "plain, steppe". The name was given to someone living on a plain.
Valenti Italian
Patronymic from the given name Valente, an Italian form of Valens. A famous bearer of the surname was Jack Valenti (1921-2007), advisor to American president Lyndon Johnson.
Romà Catalan
Catalan form of Romano 1 or Romano 2.
Ueda Japanese
From Japanese (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Keys 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.
Walentowicz Polish
Means "son of Walenty".
Ó Máille Irish
Means "descendant of a nobleman" from the Irish Gaelic mál.
Bíró Hungarian
Derived from bíró meaning "judge" in Hungarian.
Gronchi Italian
From the Tuscan word gronchio meaning "numb, bent". This is an Italian regional surname typical of Tuscany. A famous bearer was the Italian president Giovanni Gronchi (1887-1978).
Gilliam English
Variant of William. A famous bearer of the name is cartoonist and filmmaker Terry Gilliam (1940-).
Bove Italian
Derived from an Italian nickname meaning "bull, ox".
Monet French
Derived from either of the given names Hamon or Edmond. A famous bearer was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).
Swanson English
Patronymic form of Middle English swein meaning "servant" (of Old Norse origin). This word was also used as a byname, and this surname could be a patronymic form of that.
Idowu Yoruba
From the given name Idowu.
Håkansson Swedish
Means "son of Håkan".
Landau German, Jewish
Derived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".
Matheson Scottish
Means "son of Matthew".
Aylmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.
Baumhauer German
Occupational name meaning "woodcutter", derived from German Baum "tree" and hauen "to chop".
Ó Marcaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Markey.
Alinejad Persian
Means "descendant of Ali 1" in Persian.
Wernher German
From the given name Werner.
Asanuma Japanese
From Japanese (asa) meaning "shallow" and (numa) meaning "swamp, marsh".
Waldvogel German, Jewish
From a nickname for a carefree person, derived from German Wald meaning "forest" and Vogel meaning "bird". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Gil Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Gil 1.
Gallardo Spanish
Means "gallant, elegant" in Spanish.
Van Ankeren Dutch
Means "from the anchor" in Dutch.
Cristea Romanian
From the given name Cristian.
Sundberg Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "strait" and berg meaning "mountain".
Samuel English, Welsh, French, Jewish
Derived from the given name Samuel.
McCleary Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cléirich.
Kjær Danish
Topographic name for someone living near a wetland, from Danish kær "marsh", from Old Norse kjarr "thicket".
Bašić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the chief", derived from Serbo-Croatian baša meaning "chief, boss" (of Turkish origin).
Hussein Arabic
From the given name Husayn. A famous bearer was the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (1937-2006).
Burgstaller German
From German Burg "fortress, castle" and Stelle "place, position". This was a name given to a person dwelling at or near such a site.
Vaughan Welsh
From Welsh bychan (mutated to fychan) meaning "little". It was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
Short English
From a nickname for a short person, from Middle English schort.
Szwarc Polish
Polish phonetic spelling of German Schwarz.
Roberts English
Means "son of Robert".
Warwick English
From the name of an English town, itself derived from Old English wer "weir, dam" and wic "village, town".
Nosek mu Czech, Polish
Means "small nose" in Czech and Polish.
Morrison English
Means "son of Morris".
Knef German
Occupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German knif meaning "shoemaker's knife".
Deering English
From the Old English given name Deora meaning "dear, beloved".
Lahtinen Finnish
From Finnish lahti meaning "bay, cove".
Arrighetti Italian
Means "son of Arrighetto", a diminutive of the given name Arrigo.
Holzknecht German
Occupational name for a forester's helper, from Old High German holz "wood" and kneht "servant, apprentice".
Britton English
Originally given to a person who was a Briton (a Celt of England) or a Breton (an inhabitant of Brittany).
Uchimura Japanese
From Japanese (uchi) meaning "inside" and (mura) meaning "town, village".
MacKenzie Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacCoinnich meaning "son of Coinneach". It originates from the Kintail area of Scotland on the northwest coast.
Szewc Polish
Means "shoemaker" in Polish.
Panders Dutch
Variant of Penders.
Xylander German
From Greek ξύλον (xylon) meaning "wood, timber" and ἀνδρός (andros) meaning "man". This surname was a Greek translation of German surnames of the same meaning.
Ionesco Romanian
Variant of Ionescu. French-Romanian playwright Eugène Ionesco (1909-1994), born Ionescu, is a famous bearer of this surname.
Orsós Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian orsó meaning "spindle", an occupational name for a seller or maker of spindles.
Mac Dhuibhshíthe Irish
Means "son of Duibhshíth" in Irish. The given name Duibhshíth means "black peace".
Pereira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".
Jónás Hungarian
Derived from the given name Jónás.
Kosmatka Polish
Derived from Polish kosmaty meaning "shaggy, hairy".
Brotz German
Variant of Protz.
Nani Italian
Variant of Nana.
Faragó Hungarian
An occupational name meaning "woodcutter", from Hungarian farag meaning "carve, cut".
Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.
Meissner German
Originally denoted a person from the German town of Meissen, which is probably of Slavic origin.
Abelen Dutch
Patronymic surname derived from Abel or a diminutive of Albert.
Tarasenko Ukrainian
From the given name Taras.
Julien French
From the given name Julien.
Houtkooper Dutch
Means "buyer of wood" in Dutch.
Voltolini Italian
From the name of the alpine valley of Valtellina in Lombardy, northern Italy.
Beyer German
Variant of Bayer.
Anderson English
Means "son of Andrew".
Charpentier French
French cognate of Carpenter, derived from Old French charpentier.
Marsden English
From a place name derived from Old English mearc "boundary" and denu "valley".
Elizondo Spanish
Originally referred to a person who lived close to a church, from Basque eleiza "church" and ondo "near".
Van Dam Dutch
Means "from the dam" in Dutch.
Pryor English
Originally belonged to one who was a prior (a religious official), or one who worked for a prior.
Novosel Croatian
Means "new settler" in Croatian.
Symons English
Derived from the given name Simon 1.
Soucy French
Originally denoted someone from French towns by this name in Aisne or Yonne, both derived from the Latin name Suciacum.
Virtanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish virta meaning "stream". This is the second most common surname in Finland.
Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.
Bunnag Thai
From the name of Bunnag, an 18th-century general of Persian heritage.
Geissler 2 German
Occupational name for a goat herder, from southern German Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix ler signifying an occupation.
Ross English, Scottish
From various place names (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), which are derived from Scottish Gaelic ros meaning "promontory, headland".
Blackburn English
From the name of a city in Lancashire, meaning "black stream" in Old English.
Gomółka Polish
Derived from Polish gomółka, a type of round cheese, ultimately from an old Polish word meaning "round".
Borgia Italian
Italian form of Borja. This was the name of an Italian noble family who were influential during the Renaissance period.
Martel 1 English, French
Derived from the given name Martel, a medieval diminutive of Martin.
Gniewek Polish
Derived from Gniewek, a diminutive of Zbigniew, Jarogniew, or other names containing gniew "anger".
Rodgers English
Derived from the given name Rodger.
Battaglia Italian
From a nickname meaning "battle" in Italian.
Von Ingersleben German
Means "from Ingersleben", a town in Germany, which means "Inge's village".
Dean 2 English
Occupational surname meaning "dean", referring to a person who either was a dean or worked for one. It is from Middle English deen (ultimately from Latin decanus meaning "chief of ten").
Isaksson Swedish
Means "son of Isak".
Kayode Yoruba
From the given name Kayode.
Peláez Spanish
Means "son of Pelayo".
Hughes 2 Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.
Montoya Spanish
From the name of a village in the province of Álava in Spain. It is possibly of Basque origin, or possibly from Latin mons "mountain, hill".
Pugh Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Hugh meaning "son of Hugh".
Wolf German, English
From Middle High German or Middle English wolf meaning "wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.