Browse Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the gender is unisex; and the order is random.
usage
gender
Apperlo Dutch
Variant of Appelo.
Bureau French
From Old French burel, a diminutive of bure, a type of woollen cloth. It may have originated as a nickname for a person who dressed in the material or as an occupational name for someone who worked with it.
Wilkerson English
Means "son of Wilkin".
Montero Spanish
Means "hunter" in Spanish, an agent derivative of monte meaning "mountain, wilderness".
Santiago Spanish, Portuguese
From various Spanish and Portuguese places called Santiago.
Suero Spanish
Derived from the given name Suero.
Godfrey English
From the Norman given name Godfrey.
Vasileiou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βασιλείου (see Vasiliou).
Borde French
From Old French bord meaning "board, plank", derived from Frankish *bord. This name belonged to a person who lived in a house made of planks.
Grgić Croatian
Means "son of Grgur".
Mag Uidhir Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McGuire.
Nuremberg German
Derived from the name of a city in Bavaria, Germany.
Söderström Swedish
From Swedish söder (Old Norse suðr) meaning "south" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Voltolini Italian
From the name of the alpine valley of Valtellina in Lombardy, northern Italy.
Piątek Polish
Means "Friday" in Polish, derived from the word piąty meaning "fifth".
Starrett Scottish
Originally indicated a person from Stairaird, an estate in Scotland.
Hamilton English, Scottish
From an English place name, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).
Moya Spanish
From any of various towns named Moya in Spain, of uncertain meaning.
Penzak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.
McFee Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of MacDhubhshìth.
Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.
Mac Amhalghaidh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McCauley.
Kneller German
Originally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".
Forney German
Name for someone who lived near ferns, from Old High German farn "fern".
Rademacher Low German
Low German cognate of Rademaker.
Musiał Polish
Polish cognate of Musil.
Inaba Japanese
From Japanese (ina) meaning "rice plant" and (ha) meaning "leaf".
Maas Dutch, Low German
From the given name Maas.
Schneider German, Jewish
Means "tailor" in German, a derivative of schneiden "to cut".
Romijnsen Dutch
Means "son of Romein" in Dutch.
Humbert French
From the given name Humbert.
Almássy Hungarian
Means "from the apple orchard", derived from Hungarian alma meaning "apple".
Ó Seachnasaigh Irish
Means "descendant of Seachnasach". The given name Seachnasach possibly means "elusive" in Irish.
Cole English
From a medieval short form of Nicholas or from the byname Cola.
Jinks English
Means "son of Jenk", a short form of Jenkin, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.
Mac Giolla Ruaidh Irish
Means "son of the red-haired servant" in Irish.
Shearer English
English cognate of Scherer.
Broż Polish
Derived from Broż, a diminutive of Ambroży.
Gómez Spanish
Spanish form of Gomes.
Kravets Ukrainian
Means "tailor" in Ukrainian.
Newport English
Given to one who came from the town of Newport (which means simply "new port"), which was the name of several English towns.
Zuiderduin Dutch
Means "southern dune" in Dutch.
Paz Spanish, Portuguese
Means "peace" in Spanish and Portuguese, originally a nickname for a calm person.
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").
Khachaturyan Armenian
Means "son of Khachatur" in Armenian. A famous bearer was the Armenian composer Aram Khachaturyan or Khachaturian (1903-1978).
Keil German
Means "wedge shaped" in German. It was used to denote a person who owned a wedge-shaped piece of land.
Gomes Portuguese
From the medieval given name Gomes.
Prinz German, Jewish
German form of Prince. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Gebara Basque
Habitational name for someone who lived in Gebara, a village in the province of Álava in Spain.
Janssens Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Jan 1".
Hsu 1 Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese (see Xu 1).
Marín Spanish
Derived from the given name Marino.
Offermans Dutch
From Dutch offer meaning "offering, donation", referring to a person who collected money in a church.
Skeates English
From the Old Norse nickname or byname skjótr meaning "swift".
Slater English
Occupational name indicating that an early member worked covering roofs with slate, from Old French esclat "shard", of Germanic origin.
Towner English
Variant of Toller.
Oja Estonian
Means "brook, creek" in Estonian.
Statham English
From the name of a village in the English county of Cheshire, derived from Old English stæð meaning "wharf, landing place" and ham "home, settlement".
Ryan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Riain, or else a simplified form of Mulryan.
Antema Frisian
Means "son of Ante 2".
Martz German
Derived from an old diminutive of Martin.
Maessen Dutch
Means "son of Maas".
Simón Spanish
From the given name Simón.
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".
Madsen Danish
Means "son of Mads".
Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.
Giese German, Danish
Derived from a short form of the given name Giselbert or other Old German names beginning with the element gisal meaning "pledge, hostage".
Nelli Italian
Derived from the given name Nello.
Grbić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Means "hunchback", derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene grba "hump".
Ewart 1 English
From a Norman form of Edward.
Hummel 2 German, Dutch
Nickname for a busy person, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch hommel, Middle High German hummel, all meaning "bee".
Isaksen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Isak".
Cunningham 2 Irish
From Irish Ó Cuinneagáin meaning "descendant of Cuinneagán", a diminutive of Conn.
Bulgari Italian
Originally denoted a person who came from Bulgaria, which is named after the Turkic tribe of the Bulgars, itself possibly from a Turkic root meaning "mixed".
Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Li 2, from Sino-Vietnamese (). This is the third most common surname in Vietnam.
Dries Dutch
From the given name Dries.
Pallesen Danish
Means "son of Palle".
Miles English
From the given name Miles.
Dressler German
Means "turner" from Middle High German dreseler, an agent derivative of drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.
Dustin English
From the Old Norse given name Þórsteinn.
Van der Linden Dutch
Means "from the linden trees", from Dutch linde meaning "linden tree".
Acker German, English
Denoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning "field".
Roydon English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill", from Old English ryge "rye" and dun "hill".
Gibb English
Derived from the given name Gib.
Mac Thaidhg Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McCaig.
Ma Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "horse".
Irwin English
Derived from the Old English given name Eoforwine.
Cook English
Derived from Old English coc meaning "cook", ultimately from Latin coquus. It was an occupational name for a cook, a man who sold cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house.
Baarda Frisian
From the name of the town of Baard in the Netherlands, possibly derived from a given name that was a variant of Bert.
Schwarzenberg German
Means "black mountain" in German.
Long English
Originally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.
Swift English
Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.
Bodnár Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.
Brooke English
Variant of Brook.
Van Ophoven Dutch
Means "from Ophoven", the name of towns in the Netherlands. Their names mean "upper gardens, upper courtyards" in Dutch.
Kaufer German
Means "trader" in German.
Bălan Romanian
Means "blond" in Romanian.
Ó Tíghearnaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Tierney.
Lawrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.
Post Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person who lived near a post, ultimately from Latin postis.
Sitko Polish
Means "fine sieve" in Polish, a diminutive of the Polish word sito "sieve".
Rollins English
From a diminutive of the given name Roland.
Dibra Albanian
From the Albanian name for the city of Debar in Macedonia, originally given to someone who came from there.
Hochberg German, Jewish
From place names meaning "high hill" in German.
Van Heel Dutch
Means "from Heel", a small town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.
Kristensen Danish
Means "son of Kristen 1".
Amos Jewish
From the given name Amos.
Mateo Spanish
Derived from the given name Mateo.
Nardo Italian
Variant of Nardi.
Michaelson English
Means "son of Michael".
Vossen Dutch
From the given name Vos, which comes from the Frisian name Fos, which is from Old German given names beginning with the element folk meaning "people".
Martinez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Martínez.
Ferrero Italian
Regional variant of Ferrari. It is typical of the area around Turin.
Tso Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Cao.
Göransson Swedish
Means "son of Göran".
Novik Belarusian
From Belarusian новы (novy) meaning "new", originally a name for a newcomer to a village.
Bos Dutch
Variant of Bosch 1.
Tarpinian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Դարբինյան (see Darbinyan).
Sanna Italian
From Italian sanna or zanna meaning "tusk, fang", a nickname for a person with a protruding tooth. It is especially common on Sardinia.
Maxwell Scottish
From a place name meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.
Croce Italian
Italian form of Cross.
Pacheco Spanish, Portuguese
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Francisco.
Nishikawa Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
Ruud Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse ruð meaning "cleared land".
Alan English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.
Shin Korean
Korean form of Shen, from Sino-Korean (sin).
Honda Japanese
From Japanese (hon) meaning "root, origin, source" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Durant English, French
Variation of Durand.
Miura Japanese
From Japanese (mi) meaning "three" and (ura) meaning "bay, inlet".
Marlow English
Originally a name for a person from Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England. The place name means "remnants of a lake" from Old English mere "lake" and lafe "remnants, remains". A notable bearer was the English playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).
Van Gogh Dutch
Means "from Goch", a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. It may be derived from a Low German word meaning "meadow, floodplain". This name was borne by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Vescovi Italian
Derived from Italian vescovo meaning "bishop".
Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.
Ó Cinnéidigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kennedy.
Martinson English
Means "son of Martin".
Mohamed Arabic
Derived from the given name Muhammad.
Phạm Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.
Denzil English
From the place name Denzell, a manor in Cornwall, which is of unknown meaning.
Gabrielli Italian
From the given name Gabriele 1.
Csintalan Hungarian
Means "mischievous, naughty" in Hungarian.
Obando Spanish
Habitational name for someone who came from Obando in Extremadura, Spain.
Minett English
From the medieval given name Minna.
Way English
From Old English weg meaning "way, road, path".
Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.
De Vitis Italian
Means "son of Vito 1", using a Latinized form of the given name.
Soriano Italian
From place names such as Soriano Calabro and Soriano nel Cimino. It is typical of southern Italy.
Turati Italian
From the name of the town of Turate near Como in Lombardy.
Sarto Italian
Occupational name meaning "tailor" in Italian, from Latin sartor, from sarcio meaning "to mend".
Di Napoli Italian
Means "from Naples" in Italian.
Downer English
Name for someone who lived on or near a down, which is an English word meaning "hill".
Griffith Welsh, English
Derived from the Welsh given name Gruffudd.
Pohl 2 German
From the given name Paul.
Antunović Croatian
Means "son of Antun".
Knochenmus German
From German Knochen "bone" and Mus "sauce". It probably referred to someone who worked in the butcher trade.
De Vroome Dutch
Variant of Vroom.
Atwater English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".
Kuang Chinese
From Chinese (kuàng), which refers to the clan of the same name.
Georgeson English
Means "son of George".
May English
Derived from the given name Matthew.
Ríos Spanish
Spanish cognate of Rios.
Michiels Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Michiel".
Chung Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Jeong).
Jenkins English
From the given name Jenkin, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.
Xie Chinese
From Chinese (xiè) referring to the minor state of Xie, which existed in what is now Hubei province.
Breckenridge Scottish, English
Originally indicated someone from Brackenrig in Lanarkshire, derived from northern Middle English braken meaning "bracken" (via Old Norse brækni) and rigg meaning "ridge" (via Old Norse hryggr).
Al-Ghazzawi Arabic
Originally indicated a person who came from Gaza in Palestine.
Kitagawa Japanese
From Japanese (kita) meaning "north" and (kawa) meaning "river, stream". A famous bearer was the artist and printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806).
Terry English
Derived from the medieval name Thierry, a Norman French form of Theodoric.
Filep Hungarian
From the given name Fülöp.
Hasenkamp German
From a northern German place name meaning "rabbit field", from Old Saxon haso "hare" and kamp "field" (from Latin campus).
Bernat Catalan
Derived from the given name Bernat.
Zimmermann German, Jewish
From the German word for "carpenter", derived from Middle High German zimber "timber, wood" and mann "man".
Aiken English
From the medieval given name Atkin, a diminutive of Adam.
Stilo Italian
Derived from the name of the town of Stilo in southern Italy. It is possibly derived from Greek στῦλος (stylos) meaning "column, pillar".
Haines English
Variant of Haynes.
Yamashita Japanese
From Japanese (yama) meaning "mountain" and (shita) meaning "under, below".
Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".
Vigo Italian, Spanish
Variant of Vico.
Gallardo Spanish
Means "gallant, elegant" in Spanish.
Choi Korean
From Sino-Korean (choe) meaning "high, lofty, towering".
Lindbeck Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and bäck (Old Norse bekkr) meaning "stream".
Blanco Spanish
Means "white" in Spanish. The name most likely referred to a person who was pale or had blond hair.
Hartley English
Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Hartley, from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".
Ljunggren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".
Heimisson Icelandic
Means "son of Heimir".
Lauwens Dutch
From the given name Laurens.
Hodges English
Patronymic of Hodge, a medieval diminutive of Roger.
Bisset English
From Old French bis meaning "drab, dingy", a nickname for someone who looked drab.
Sherazi Urdu
Urdu form of Shirazi.
Alves Portuguese
Means "son of Álvaro".
Reynaud French
From the given name Reynaud.
Otxoa Basque
From Basque otso meaning "wolf".
Lacy English
Variant of Lacey.
Jo Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Cho).
Headley English
From place names meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.
McCulloch Scottish
Scottish form of McCullough.
Eld Swedish
From Old Norse eldr, modern Swedish eld, meaning "fire".
Lyon 3 French, English
From the given name Leon.
Stefansen Danish
Means "son of Stefan".
Potter English
Occupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Krawiec Polish
Means "tailor" in Polish.
Loyola Spanish, Basque
From the name of a place name near the town of Azpeitia in the Basque Country of Spain, derived from Basque loi meaning "mud". This was the birthplace of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of Jesuits.
Evans Welsh, English
Means "son of Evan".
Alvey English
Derived from the given name Ælfwig.
Klaasen Dutch
Means "son of Klaas".
Jež um Slovene, Czech
Cognate of Jeż.
Van Leeuwen Dutch
Means "from Leeuwen", the name of towns in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Limburd. The place names may be from the Old Dutch word leo meaning "hill, burial mound".
El-Hashem Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الهاشم (see Al-Hashim).
MacDougall Scottish
Means "son of Dougal" in Gaelic.
Cheng 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zheng.
Larsson Swedish
Means "son of Lars".
Luzzatto Italian
From an Italian form of Lusatia, a region of eastern Germany.
Guillory French
Derived from the Old German given name Williric.
Roxas Filipino
Filipino form of the Spanish Rojas.
Martínez Spanish
Means "son of Martín" in Spanish.
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.
Jacquet French
From a diminutive of the given name Jacques.
Haumann German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop" and man "man", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.
Wojewoda Polish
From the Polish title wojewoda meaning "governor, voivode" (originally meaning "warlord").
Kurata Japanese
From Japanese (kura) or (kura) both meaning "granary, storehouse" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Ramires Portuguese
Means "son of Ramiro" in Portuguese.
Leonard English
Derived from the given name Leonard.
McKendrick Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacEanruig meaning "son of Eanraig".
Mihailović Serbian
Means "son of Mihailo".
Turk Slovene, Croatian
Means "Turkish" in Slovene and Croatian.
Simoneit German
From the given name Simon 1.
Skinner English
Occupational name for a person who skinned animals, from Old Norse skinn.
Hayden 1 English
From place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill".
Saad Arabic, Malay
From the given name Sa'd.
Akkerman Dutch
Dutch form of Ackermann.
Bennett English
Derived from the medieval English given name Bennett.
Khatib Arabic
Means "speaker, orator" in Arabic, referring person who delivers sermons.
Büki Hungarian
Derived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).
Villaverde Spanish
Originally denoted a person from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and verde "green".
Antonio Spanish
From the given name Antonio.
Witherspoon English
Originally given to a person who dwelt near a sheep enclosure, from Middle English wether "sheep" and spong "strip of land".
Rao 1 Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit राज (rāja) meaning "king".
Abano Italian
Originally denoted a person from the town of Abano, Latin Aponus, which was derived from the old Celtic root ab meaning "water".
Dierickx Flemish
Means "son of Dirk".
Ashley English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and leah "woodland, clearing".
Short English
From a nickname for a short person, from Middle English schort.
Bogdán Hungarian
From the given name Bogdan.
Voll 1 Norwegian
Originally indicated a person who lived in a meadow, from Old Norse vǫllr "meadow, field".
Aquino Italian, Spanish
From the name of an Italian town near Rome, derived from Latin aqua meaning "water", the home town of the 13th-century saint Thomas Aquinas. In Italy the surname is derived directly from the town's name. As a Spanish-language surname, it was sometimes bestowed by missionaries in honour of the saint as they evangelized in Spanish colonies.
Uchimura Japanese
From Japanese (uchi) meaning "inside" and (mura) meaning "town, village".
Oquendo Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Okondo in Álava, northern Spain, possibly derived from Basque ukondo "elbow".
Garver German
Variant of Gerber.
Otto German
From the given name Otto.
Grillo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "cricket", perhaps given originally to a cheerful person (the cricket is associated with cheerfulness).
Elzinga Dutch
Probably from a place name that was a derivative of Dutch els meaning "alder tree".
Tian Chinese
From Chinese (tián) meaning "field".
Muhammad Arabic, Urdu, Bengali
Derived from the given name Muhammad.
Abélard History
Adopted by the 12th-century French philosopher Pierre le Pallet, thereafter known as Pierre Abélard (or Peter Abelard in English). It is not certain how he contrived it. Possibly he was inspired by the given name Abel.
Barron English
Variant of Baron.
Bunker English
Derived from Old French bon cuer meaning "good heart".
MacEachern Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Eachairn.
Rapp 2 German
From Middle High German raben meaning "raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.
Sander German, Danish
Derived from the given name Alexander.
Van Rompuy Flemish
Variant of Van Rompaey. A famous bearer is the Flemish politician Herman Van Rompuy (1947-), a Prime Minister of Belgium.
Tivoli Italian
Derived from the resort town of Tivoli, near Rome, originally called Tibur in Latin, of uncertain origin.
Neal English
Derived from the given name Neil.
Martin English, French, German, Swedish
Derived from the given name Martin. This is the most common surname in France.
Navarro Spanish
Denoted a person who came from Navarre in northern Spain (Spanish Navarra). The name of the region is of Basque origin, possibly from nabar meaning "brown".
Mac Dhuibhshíthe Irish
Means "son of Duibhshíth" in Irish. The given name Duibhshíth means "black peace".
Muratović Bosnian
Means "son of Murat".
Woolf English
Variant of Wolf.
Glenn Scottish, English
From place names derived from Gaelic gleann "valley". A famous bearer was the American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).
Wheelock English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Wheelock, England. It was named for the nearby River Wheelock, which is derived from Welsh chwylog meaning "winding".
Quijano Spanish
From the name of a village in northern Spain.