Browse Surnames

Lunde Norwegian
Variant of Lund.

Ren Chinese
From Chinese 任 (rén), of uncertain meaning.

Spanò Sicilian
From Sicilian spanu meaning "sparse, thin hair", ultimately from Greek σπάνιος (spanios) meaning "scarce, rare".

Vuković Serbian, Croatian
Derived from the given name Vuk.

De Clerc Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Marie French
From the given name Marie.

Bryson English
Means "son of Brice".

Álvarez Spanish
Means "son of Álvaro".

Benscoter Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Bunschoten.

Opeyemi Yoruba
From the given name Opeyemi.

Haward English
Variant of Howard 1 or Hayward.

Becker German
Derived from Middle High German becker meaning "baker".

Amos Jewish
From the given name Amos.

Choudhury Bengali
Alternate transcription of Bengali চৌধুরী (see Chowdhury).

Del Olmo Spanish
Variant of Olmo.

Elliott English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Elias.

Zangari Italian
Southern Italian name, derived from Greek τσαγκάρης (tsankaris) meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".

Susskind Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Kravitz Jewish
Occupational name derived from Polish krawiec meaning "tailor".

Jakobsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Jakob".

Walter English, German
Derived from the given name Walter.

Ghasabyan Armenian
From Armenian ղասաբ (ghasab) meaning "butcher", of Arabic origin.

Alexandersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Alexander".

Milburn English
Derived from various place names meaning "mill stream" in Old English.

Radclyffe English
Variant of Radcliff.

Boveri Italian
Variant of Bove.

Mag Raith Irish, Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of McRae.

Schultheiß German
Variant of Schulz.

Ding Chinese
From Chinese 丁 (dīng) meaning "man, person".

Van Oirschot Dutch
Means "from Oirschot", a town in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is possibly from Dutch oeros meaning "aurochs" and schoot meaning "projection (of land)".

Daelmans Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Aue German
From German meaning "meadow by a river, wetland". There are many places with this name in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Schröder 2 German
Variant of Schröter.

Siegel 3 Jewish
Variant of Segal 1.

Matthiasen Danish
Means "son of Matthias".

Melvin Scottish
Variant of Melville.

Westcott English
From any of the several English towns by this name, derived from Old English meaning "west cottage".

Cowden English
From various English place names, which meaning either "coal valley", "coal hill" or "cow pasture" in Old English.

Ojeda Spanish
From the name of the Ojeda river in Soria, Spain, possibly derived from Latin folia "leaves".

Xie Chinese
From Chinese 谢 (xiè) referring to the minor state of Xie, which existed in what is now Hubei province.

Léon French
Variant of Lyon 1, Lyon 2 or Lyon 3.

Takács Hungarian
Means "weaver" in Hungarian.

Wirner German
From the given name Werner.

Genovese Italian
Denoted a person from the Italian city of Genoa (Genova in Italian).

Daniau French
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Fernández Spanish
Means "son of Fernando". This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Ahlberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish al (Old Norse ǫlr) meaning "alder" and berg meaning "mountain".

Alessi Italian
From the given name Alessio.

Walker English
Occupational name for a person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. It is derived from Middle English walkere, Old English wealcan meaning "to move".

Pavlyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Pavlo.

Cleary Irish
From Irish cléireach meaning "clerk" (see Clark).

Sokoll Jewish
Variant of Sokol.

Ó Caoindealbháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quinlan.

Lamont Scottish
From the medieval Gaelic given name Lagmann, derived from Old Norse lǫgmaðr meaning "law man".

Urquhart Scottish
Derived from Brythonic ar "by" and cardden "thicket". This is the name of several places, the most famous being north of Loch Ness.

Tsiklauri Georgian
Meaning unknown.

Baines 1 Welsh
From Welsh ab Einws meaning "son of Einws", a diminutive of Einion.

Schoorl Dutch
Originally indicated a person from the town of Schoorl in the province of Noord-Holland in the Netherlands. It means "forest by the shore" in Dutch.

Palacios Spanish
Spanish cognate of Palazzo.

Thornton English
From any of the various places in England by this name, meaning "thorn town" in Old English.

Székely Hungarian
Denoted a person of Székely ancestry. The Székelys are a population of Hungarians who live in central Romania.

Matsumura Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Felipe Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
From the given name Felipe.

Stendahl Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish sten (Old Norse steinn) meaning "stone" and dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "valley".

Vipond English
From Vieux-Pont, the name of various places in Normandy, derived from French vieux "old" and pont "bridge".

Ó Luain Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Lane 3.

Cohen Jewish
Means "priest" from Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohen). It originally denoted one of the priestly tribe of Levi.

Sadık Turkish
From the given name Sadık.

Keir Scottish
Variant of Kerr.

Ridge English
Denoted a person who lived near a ridge, from Old English hrycg.

Duncan Scottish
From the given name Duncan.

Bai Chinese
From Chinese 白 (bái) meaning "white".

Arriola Spanish, Basque
From Basque place names, themselves derived from Basque arri "stone" and -ola "place of, house".

Ó Ruaidh Irish
Means "descendant of Ruadh" in Irish.

Petrosyan Armenian
Means "son of Petros" in Armenian.

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

Nicolas French
Derived from the given name Nicolas.

Grassi Italian
Variant of Grasso.

Dorsey English
Means "from Orsay", referring to the town of Orsay near Paris, its name deriving from the Latin personal name Orcius.

Duffy 2 Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Dhuibhshíthe.

Zuñiga Basque
From the name of a Spanish town, formerly named Estuniga in Basque, possibly derived from Basque istuin "channel, strait".

Graf German
From the German noble title Graf meaning "count", ultimately from Greek γραφεύς (grapheus) meaning "scribe".

Heijmans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

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").

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

Fay 2 English
From a nickname for a person who was thought to have magical qualities, from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted".

Mould English
From the given name Mauld, a medieval form of Matilda.

Sheedy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Síoda.

Weston English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English west "west" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Leary Irish
Variant of O'Leary.

Teixeira Portuguese
From Portuguese teixo meaning "yew tree".

Kaiser German
From Middle High German keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name Caesar.

Wehner German
Variant of Wagner.

Seabrook English
Denoted a person from a town by this name in Buckinghamshire, England. It is derived from that of a river combined with Old English broc "stream".

Everill English
Derived from the feminine given name Eoforhild.

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

Yong English
Variant of Young.

Pryce Welsh
Variant of Price.

Chance English
From a nickname for a lucky person or a gambler.

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

Moore 2 English
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Parri Italian
From the given name Gaspare.

Meaney Irish
Variant of O'Mooney.

Ellisson English
Variant of Ellison.

Alberto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
From the given name Alberto.

Fields English
Name for a person who lived on or near a field or pasture, from Old English feld.

Garb German
Variant of Garber.

Balogh Hungarian
Means "left handed" in Hungarian.

Schultz German
Variant of Schulz.

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

Leung Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Liang.

Hepburn English, Scottish
From northern English place names meaning "high burial mound" in Old English. It was borne by Mary Queen of Scot's infamous third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwall. Other famous bearers include the actresses Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).

Côté French
French form of Costa.

Angus Irish, Scottish
From the given name Aonghus.

Beverley English
From the name of an English city, derived from Old English beofor "beaver" and (possibly) licc "stream".

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

Charron French
Means "cart" in Old French, used to denote a carter or a cartwright.

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

Davidović Serbian
Means "son of David".

Klerken Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

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

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.

Casey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cathasaigh meaning "descendant of Cathassach".

Salamon Hungarian, Polish
Derived from the given name Salamon or Salomon.

Marquering Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Marquardt.

McManus Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac Maghnuis meaning "son of Mághnus".

Albrici Italian
Variant of Alberici.

Gadhavi Gujarati
Meaning unknown, related to the Charan caste of Gujarat.

Pohl 2 German
From the given name Paul.

Dijkstra Frisian
Variant of Dykstra.

Cremonesi Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Cremona in Lombardy.

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

Gaál Hungarian
Variant of Gál.

Piper English
Originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).

Alesi Italian
From the given name Alessio.

Honeycutt English
Derived from the name of the English town of Hunnacott, derived from Old English hunig "honey" or the given name Huna combined with cot "cottage".

O'Toole Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Tuathail meaning "descendant of Túathal".

Khan Urdu, Pashto, Bengali
From a title meaning "king, ruler", probably of Mongolian origin but used in many languages.

Engström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Hertz German
Derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.

Pratt English
From Old English prætt meaning "trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.

Attwood English
Variant of Atwood.

Lien Norwegian
Variant of Lie.

Van der Stoep Dutch
Means "from the paved entrance", from Dutch stoep meaning "paved porch at the entrance to a house".

Buchholz German
From Middle High German buoche "beech" and holz "wood".

Overton English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in England called Overton, meaning "upper settlement" or "riverbank settlement" in Old English.

Heidrich German
From the Old German given name Heidrich.

Dragić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Patronymic from any of the Slavic given names starting with Drag (see Drago).

Raine 2 English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".

Waltz German
From a diminutive of the given name Walther.

Marković Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Marko".

Tamm Estonian
Means "oak" in Estonian. This is among the most common surnames in Estonia.

Murdock Irish
Derived from the given name Murchadh.

Vasilescu Romanian
Means "son of Vasile".

Borchard German
Derived from the given name Burkhard.

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

Alexander English
Derived from the given name Alexander.

Airò Italian
From the given name Aroldo.

Sneijders Dutch
Variant of Snijder.

Garner 1 English
From Old French gernier meaning "granary", a derivative of Latin granum meaning "grain". This name could refer to a person who worked at a granary or lived near one.

Aggio Italian
Possibly from the name Aggius, probably related to the Germanic name Agi.

Szarka Hungarian
From Hungarian szarka meaning "magpie", often used as a euphemistic term for a thief.

Kis Hungarian
Variant of Kiss.

Molnár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "miller" in Hungarian.

Quickley 1 English
Variant of Quick.

Perrin French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Holgersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Holger".

Dickerson English
Means "son of Dick 1".

Burrell English
English form of Bureau.

Knutsen Norwegian
Means "son of Knut".

Niemczyk Polish
From Polish Niemiec meaning "German" and the patronymic suffix -czyk.

Ibbott English
Matronymic surname derived from the medieval name Ibota, a diminutive of Isabel.

Douglass Scottish
Variant of Douglas.

Sulzbach German
Toponymic name from German places named Sulzbach meaning "salty stream", derived from Old High German sulza "salty water" and bah "stream".

Bachman German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Bachmann.

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

Lester Scottish
Variant of Lister.

Allard French, English
Derived from the given name Adalhard (or the Old English cognate Æðelræd).

Molina Spanish
Means "mill" in Spanish.

Jacobson English
Means "son of Jacob".

Ó hEidhin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Hines.

Pasternack Polish (Anglicized), Yiddish
Americanized form of Pasternak.

Crespi Italian
Variant of Crespo.

Ong Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Wang 1.

Saunders English, Scottish
Variant of Sanders.

Leonardson English
Means "son of Leonard".

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).

Lorenzo Spanish
From the given name Lorenzo.

Puskás Hungarian
Occupational name for a gunsmith or cannon maker, from Hungarian puska meaning "gun" (from German, itself from Latin buxis "box").

Größel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Ó Deoradháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Doran.

Bachmeier German
Originally referred to a farmer whose farm was beside a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and meier "steward, tenant farmer".

Venczel Hungarian
Derived from the given name Vencel.

Marchegiano Italian
From the name of the Marche region in Italy, derived from Late Latin marca meaning "borderland". It was the real surname of the American boxer Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), who was born Rocco Marchegiano.

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).

Mortimer English
From the name of a town in Normandy meaning "dead water, still water" in Old French.

Anastasiou Greek
Means "son of Anastasios".

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

Einarsson Swedish
Means "son of Einar".

Arroyo Spanish
Means "stream, brook" in Spanish.

Romijnders Dutch
Variant of Romeijnders.

Schultheis German
Variant of Schulz.

Antonisen Danish
Means "son of Anton".

Nibhanupudi Telugu
From the name of a village in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Rodríguez Spanish
Means "son of Rodrigo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Easton English
From the name of various places meaning "east town" in Old English.

Uehara Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Ó Néill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Neal.

Preston English
Originally derived from various place names meaning "priest town" in Old English.

Tordai Hungarian
From Torda, the Hungarian name of the city of Turda in Romania (formerly within the Kingdom of Hungary).

Hendry Scottish, English
Derived from the given name Henry.

Michalak Polish
Means "son of Michał".

Dick English
From the given name Dick 1.

Haan Dutch
Variant of De Haan.

Catalán Spanish
Originally indicated a person who came from Catalonia, a region of eastern Spain.

Nuremberg German
Derived from the name of a city in Bavaria, Germany.

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

Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.

Sachs German
Originally indicated a person from Saxony (German Sachsen). The region was named for the Germanic tribe of the Saxons, ultimately derived from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife".

Crawley English
From various place names derived from Old English crawe "crow" and leah "woodland, clearing".

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

Marjanović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Marjan 2".

Niemec Polish
Means "German" in Polish.

Giorgadze Georgian
Means "son of Giorgi".

Löfgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish löv (Old Norse lauf) meaning "leaf" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Vescovi Italian
Derived from Italian vescovo meaning "bishop".

Cuyper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Valentin French, German
From the given name Valentin.

Weeber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.

Haley English
From the name of an English town meaning "hay clearing", from Old English heg "hay" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Van der Venne Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Puig Catalan
Catalan cognate of Poggio.

Lovász Hungarian
Means "groom, stableman, ostler" in Hungarian.

Ferguson Irish, Scottish
Means "son of Fergus".

Okorie Igbo
From the given name Okorie.

Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.

Vida Hungarian
From the given name Vid.

McLachlan Scottish
Variant of McLaughlin.

Abelli Italian
From the given name Abele.

Hüber German
Variant of Huber.

Bell 2 English
Derived from the given name Bel, a medieval short form of Isabel.

Siekert German (Rare)
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

O'Brian Irish
Variant of O'Brien.

Kendrick 1 English
From the Old English given names Cyneric or Cenric.

Scriven English
Occupational name meaning "writer, clerk, scribe" in Old French, derived from Latin scriba.

Hurst English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a thicket of trees, from Old English hyrst "thicket".

Kask Estonian
Means "birch" in Estonian.

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.

Novak Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Slavic novŭ "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village.

Cornell English
Derived from the given name Cornelius.

Arkwright English
Occupational name meaning "chest maker", from Middle English arc meaning "chest, coffer" and wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".

Penny English
Nickname meaning "penny, coin" from Old English penning.

Holzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Szarvas Hungarian
Means "deer" in Hungarian.

Sanford English
Variant of Sandford.

Jefferson English
Means "son of Jeffrey". A famous bearer was American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). Since his surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, it is now more common among the African-American population.

Huffmann German
Variant of Hoffmann.

Fujioka Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

McGinnis Irish
Variant of McGuinness.

Devos Flemish
Flemish variant of Vos.

Dávid um Hungarian, Slovak
From the given name Dávid.

Maier 2 Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.

Brauer Low German
Derived from Middle Low German bruwer meaning "brewer".

Wragge English
Derived from the Old Danish given name Wraghi, a variant of Vragi.

Dexter English
Occupational name meaning "dyer" in Old English (originally this was a feminine word, but it was later applied to men as well).

Anema Frisian
Means "son of Ane 2".

Gouveia Portuguese
From the name of the city of Gouveia in Portugal, of unknown meaning.

Hilmarsson Icelandic
Means "son of Hilmar".

Norberg Swedish
Variant of Nordberg.

Silvestri Italian
Derived from the given name Silvester.

Howell Welsh
From the Welsh given name Hywel.

Cheng 1 Chinese
From Chinese 程 (chéng) meaning "rule, order, regulations", also referring to the territory of Cheng (in present-day Henan province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.

Barrett English
Probably derived from the Middle English word barat meaning "trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.

Buonarroti Italian
From the medieval Italian given name Buonarroto meaning "good increase". This was the surname of the Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo (1475-1564).

Matei Romanian
Derived from the given name Matei.

Nagarkar Marathi
Derived from the name of the town of Nagar in Maharashtra, India.

Garrett English
Derived from the given name Gerard or Gerald.

Tachibana Japanese
From Japanese 橘 (tachibana) meaning "orange, tangerine".

Marchenko Ukrainian
Derived from the given name Marko.

Ormonde Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Dunst German
Derived from Middle High German dunst "haze".

Loris German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Fèvre French
Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.

De Campo Italian
Locative surname derived from place names called Campo (meaning "field").

Dierickx Flemish
Means "son of Dirk".

Savolainen Finnish
Originally indicated a person from Savonia, a historical province in eastern Finland.

Wright 1 English
From Old English wyrhta meaning "wright, maker", an occupational name for someone who was a craftsman. Famous bearers were Orville and Wilbur Wright, the inventors of the first successful airplane.

Boyle Irish
From Irish Ó Baoighill meaning "descendant of Baoigheall". The meaning of the given name Baoigheall is uncertain, but it is thought to be connected to Irish geall meaning "pledge".

Graeme Scottish
Variant of Graham.

Yoon Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 윤 (see Yun).

Pender 2 Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Addario Italian
Derived from the given name Addarius, of unknown meaning.

Valero Spanish
From the given name Valero.

Escobar Spanish
Derived from Spanish escoba meaning "broom plant", from Latin scopa. It originally indicated a person who lived near a prominent patch of broom.

Hakobyan Armenian
Means "son of Hakob" in Armenian.

Rowe 1 English
Means "row" in Middle English, indicating a dweller by a row of hedges or houses.

Schuchert German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Tomàs Catalan
Derived from the given name Tomàs.

Arreola Spanish
Variant of Arriola, found predominantly in Mexico.

Andela Dutch
From the given name Andreas.