Browse Surnames

Wheeler English
Occupational name for a maker of wagon wheels, derived from Middle English whele "wheel".

Kim Korean
Korean form of Jin, from Sino-Korean 金 (gim) meaning "gold". This is the most common surname in South Korea.

Wilkinson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Haanraads Dutch
Originally indicated a person from Haanrade, a small village in the south of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Traylor English
Meaning unknown.

Foster 2 English
Occupational name for a scissor maker, derived from Old French forcetier.

Antonis mu Greek, Dutch
Derived from the given name Antonis or Antonius.

Adema Frisian
Means "son of Ade 2".

Crewe English
Originally denoted someone from Crewe in Cheshire, which is from Welsh criu "weir, dam, fish trap".

Fazekas Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "potter" in Hungarian.

Jeppesen Danish
Means "son of Jeppe".

Abasolo Basque
Means "priest's meadow" from Basque abas "priest" and solo "meadow".

Wexler Jewish
Variant of Wechsler.

Benini Italian
Means "son of Benino" from a diminutive of Bene or Beno, short forms of Benedetto.

Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.

Ronchi Italian
From Italian places named Ronchi, derived from ronco meaning "cleared land, terraced land". It is most common in northern and central Italy.

Iordanou Greek
From the name of the Jordan river, which is from Hebrew יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend" or "flow down".

Ely English
From the name of a town in eastern England meaning "eel district".

Van Arendonk Dutch
Variant of Arendonk.

Sciacca Italian
Originally denoted someone from Sciacca, Sicily, Italy, which is of uncertain origin.

Antonino Italian
From the given name Antonino.

Bell 1 English
From Middle English belle meaning "bell". It originated as a nickname for a person who lived near the town bell, or who had a job as a bell-ringer.

Brewer English
Occupational name for a maker of ale or beer.

Carboni Italian
Variant of Carbone.

Catalano Italian
Italian form of Catalán.

Dustin English
From the Old Norse given name Þórsteinn.

Smets Dutch
Variant of Smit.

Dalgaard Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley" and garðr meaning "yard, farmstead".

Groos German
Variant of Groß.

Gutermuth German
Derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and muot meaning "mind, spirit". It was a nickname for an optimistic person.

Quinn Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuinn meaning "descendant of Conn".

Skjeggestad Norwegian
From a place name, derived from Norwegian skjegg "beard" and stad "town, place".

Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Borst Dutch
From a nickname derived from Dutch borst "chest".

Roig Catalan
Means "red" in Catalan, from Latin rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.

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

Hancock English
From a diminutive of the medieval name Hann.

Barton English
From a place name meaning "barley town" in Old English.

Nana Italian
From a diminutive of Giovanni.

Chadwick English
From the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.

Dohman German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Thomas.

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

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

Mooren Dutch
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Cookson English
Patronymic form of Cook.

Jacobs English, Dutch
Derived from the given name Jacob.

Hutson English
Variant of Hudson.

Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.

Arthurson English
Means "son of Arthur".

Low English
Variant of Law.

Novik Belarusian
From Belarusian новы (novy) meaning "new", originally a name for a newcomer to a village.

Calabrese Italian
Originally given to a person who came from the region of Calabria in southern Italy.

Royceston English
Variant of Royston.

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

McIntosh Scottish
From Scottish Gaelic Mac an Tòisich meaning "son of the chief".

Younge English
Variant of Young.

McIver Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacIomhair meaning "son of Íomhar".

McNiel Scottish
Variant of McNeil.

McArthur Scottish
Means "son of Arthur" in Gaelic.

Fitzpatrick Irish
Means "son of Patrick" in Anglo-Norman, usually adopted as an Anglicization of Mac Giolla Phádraig.

Starek Polish
From a nickname derived from Polish stary meaning "old".

Fabbri Italian
From Italian fabbro meaning "blacksmith", ultimately from Latin faber.

Pál Hungarian
Derived from the given name Pál.

Gerhardsson Swedish
Means "son of Gerhard".

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.

Donne Scottish, Irish
From Gaelic donn meaning "brown", a nickname for a person with brown hair.

Schuchardt German
From Middle High German schuochwürte meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".

Bartha Hungarian
Variant of Barta.

MacClellan Irish, Scottish
Variant of McClelland.

Tkachuk Ukrainian
From Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".

Campana Italian, Spanish
Occupational name from Late Latin campana meaning "bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.

Adamsson Swedish
Means "son of Adam".

Schrijnemakers Dutch
Occupational name for a cabinet maker, from Dutch schrijn "box, container" and maker "maker".

Sipos Hungarian
Occupational name for a fife player or piper, from Hungarian síp "whistle, pipe".

Adolfs Dutch
Means "son of Adolf".

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

Murray 1 Scottish
Derived from the region in Scotland called Moray (Gaelic Moireabh), possibly of Pictish origin, meaning "seashore, coast". A notable bearer of this surname was General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the first British Governor-General of Canada.

Santo Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian form of Santos, as well as a Spanish and Portuguese variant.

Lennon Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish name Ó Leannáin, which means "descendant of Leannán". The byname Leannán means "lover". The name was borne by the musician John Lennon (1940-1980).

Ahmadi Persian
From the given name Ahmad.

Prichard Welsh
Variant of Pritchard.

MacMathan Irish
Variant of McMahon.

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

Salah Arabic
Derived from the given name Salah 1.

Faust German
Derived from the given name Faust, a form of Faustus.

Constantinescu Romanian
Means "son of Constantin".

Panders Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Treacy Irish
Variant of Tracey 2.

Häusler German
Name for someone who lived in a house with no land, derived rom Old High German word hus meaning "house".

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

Rosenberger German, Jewish
Variant of Rosenberg.

Kröger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Davies English, Scottish
Variant of Davis.

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

Van Peij Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Van Pey.

Sheppard English
Variant of Shepherd.

Driessen Dutch
Means "son of Dries".

Alexandrescu Romanian
Means "son of Alexandru".

Leighton English
Variant of Layton.

Avery English
Derived from a Norman French form of the given names Alberich or Alfred.

Grigoryan Armenian
Means "son of Grigor" in Armenian.

Sydney English
Variant of Sidney.

Hendrikx Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Seidel German
From a diminutive of the given name Siegfried.

Hollands English
Variant of Holland 1.

Wiater Polish
Derived from Polish wiatr "wind", a nickname for a quick person.

Takenaka Japanese
Means "dweller amongst bamboo", from Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Leitz German
Derived from the archaic given name Leutz, a variant of Lutz.

Asís Spanish
Originally denoted a person from the Italian city of Assisi (called Asís in Spanish).

Macar Turkish
Means "Hungarian" in Turkish.

Ferreira Portuguese, Galician
Denoted a person from a town named because it was near an iron mine, from Latin ferrum meaning "iron".

Scrooge Literature
Created by Charles Dickens for the central character in his short novel A Christmas Carol (1843). He probably based it on the rare English word scrouge meaning "to squeeze". In the book Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old man who is visited by three spirits who show him visions of his past, present and future. Since the book's publication, scrooge has been used as a word to mean "miser, misanthrope".

Scherer German
Occupational name for a cutter of cloth or a sheep-shearer, from Old High German skeran "to cut".

Geelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Geel, itself from Gillis or Gilbert.

Moździerz Polish
Means "mortar" in Polish. It probably referred to someone who worked with or sold mortar.

Hawk English
Originally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English hafoc "hawk".

Coupe English
From Middle English coupe meaning "barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.

Schultheis German
Variant of Schulz.

Lachapelle French
Means "the chapel" in French, most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.

Tomczak Polish
From a diminutive of the given name Tomasz.

Görög Hungarian
Means "Greek" in Hungarian.

De Graaf Dutch
Dutch cognate of Graf.

Antal Hungarian
From the given name Antal.

Lester Scottish
Variant of Lister.

Russel English
Variant of Russell.

Krückel German
Nickname for a crippled person or someone who walked with a cane, from Middle High German krücke meaning "cane".

Bartalotti Italian
Means "son of Bartalotto", a diminutive of Bartolo.

Balázs Hungarian
Derived from the given name Balázs.

Jurić Croatian
Means "son of Jure".

Scholten Dutch
Variant of Schouten.

Rice Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.

Ioannou Greek
Means "son of Ioannis".

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

Knopp German
Variant of Knopf.

Clark English
Means "cleric" or "scribe", from Old English clerec meaning "priest", ultimately from Latin clericus. A famous bearer was William Clark (1770-1838), an explorer of the west of North America.

Pietri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

Deighton English
From English towns by this name, from Old English dic "ditch" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Masin Italian
Venetian variant of Masi.

Pantoja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Pantoja, in Toledo, Spain.

Stroman German
Means "straw man" in German, an occupational name for a seller of straw.

Nurminen Finnish
Derived from Finnish nurmi meaning "grass, lawn".

Walters English
Derived from the given name Walter.

Waters 2 English
Derived from the given name Walter.

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

Lång Swedish
Swedish cognate of Long.

Caruso Italian
Means "close-cropped hair" in Italian, also having the secondary sense "boy, young man".

Abatescianni Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Gianni.

Larsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Lars".

Paulsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Paul".

Thatcher English
Referred to a person who thatched roofs by attaching straw to them, derived from Old English þæc meaning "thatch, roof". A famous bearer was the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).

Nicotera Italian
From the name of the town of Nicotera in Calabria.

Lambert French
Derived from the given name Lambert.

Lavoie French
Means "the road, the lane" in French, a name for someone who lived close to a road.

Zhao Chinese
From Chinese 赵 (zhào), which refers to an ancient city-state in what is now Shanxi province. According to legend, King Mu rewarded his chariot driver Zaofu with the city, at which time Zaofu adopted this surname. The later historic state of Zhao, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, was named after this city.... [more]

Spada Italian
Occupational name for an armourer or swordsman, from Italian spada "sword", Latin spatha.

Hribar Slovene
From Slovene hrib meaning "hill".

Saller 1 German
Originally denoted a person from the town of Sallern in Bavaria, possibly from a Celtic element meaning "stream".

Aartsma Frisian
Means "son of Arend", the suffix -ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.

De la Cruz Spanish
Spanish cognate of Delacroix.

Pabst German
From German Papst, a cognate of Pope.

Lavigne French
Means "the vineyard" in French, referring to a person who lived close to a vineyard, or was from the town of Lavigny.

Travis English
English variant of Travers.

Valerio Italian
From the given name Valerio.

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

Loritz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Schroeder German
Variant of Schröder 1 and Schröder 2.

Alink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Ale 2" in Dutch.

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.

Frost English, German
From Old English and Old High German meaning "frost", a nickname for a person who had a cold personality or a white beard.

Snaaijer Dutch
Variant of Snijder.

Kirk English
From northern Middle English kirk meaning "church", from Old Norse kirkja (cognate of Church). A famous fictional bearer is the starship captain James Kirk from the Star Trek television series (1966-1969), and subsequent films.

Ó Maolmhuaidh Irish
Means "descendant of Maolmhuadh", Maolmhuadh being a given name meaning "proud chief", derived from Gaelic maol meaning "chief" and muadh meaning "proud, noble".

Hasenkamp German
From a northern German place name meaning "rabbit field", from Old Saxon haso "hare" and kamp "field" (from Latin campus).

Günther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

Rakes English
Variant of Rake.

Baines 2 English
From a nickname derived from Old English ban "bones", probably for a thin person.

Carpenter English
From the occupation, derived from Middle English carpentier (ultimately from Latin carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").

Polley English
From Old French poli meaning "polite, courteous".

Thibault French
Derived from the given name Thibault.

Szekeres Hungarian
Occupational name for a carter, derived from Hungarian szekér meaning "cart, wagon".

Kijek Polish
Means "small stick", from Polish kij "stick".

Poirier French
Means "pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.

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

Kumagai Japanese
From Japanese 熊 (kuma) meaning "bear" and 谷 (gai) meaning "valley".

Spijker 2 Dutch
Occupational name for a nailsmith, from Dutch spijker "nail".

Garret English
Variant of Garrett.

Naggia Italian
Variant of Naggi.

Leclair French
Either a variant of Leclerc or from French clair meaning "bright".

Assenberg Dutch
From Dutch es meaning "ash tree" (plural essen) and berg meaning "mountain".

Espina Spanish
Means "thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.

Breckinridge Scottish, English
Variant of Breckenridge.

Edwardson English
Means "son of Edward".

Stenger German
Occupational name for a post maker, from Old High German stanga "pole".

Hodžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hodža meaning "master, teacher, imam", a word of Persian origin.

Bauer German
From Old High German bur meaning "peasant, farmer".

MacGuire Irish
Variant of McGuire.

Villalba Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various Spanish places by this name. It is derived from Spanish villa "town" and alba "white".

Mollown Irish
Variant of Malone.

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".

González Spanish
Means "son of Gonzalo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Mattsson Swedish
Means "son of Matts".

Dupont French
Means "from the bridge", from French pont "bridge".

Sanz Spanish
From the given name Sancho.

Weiner German
Variant of Wagner.

Berge Norwegian, German, Swedish
Variant of Berg.

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

Romano 2 Italian
Denoted a person from the city of Rome, either a resident or someone who visited as a pilgrim. In Calabria it was also used to designate a person from New Rome, a name for Constantinople.

Bourke English
Variant of Burke.

Walczak Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Walenty.

Shea Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Séaghdha.

Feld German, Jewish
Means "field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.

Oursler German
Originally a name designating a person from Ursel (now Oberursel) in Hesse, Germany.

Houk Dutch (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Hoek.

Lamar French, English
Originally from a place name in Normandy, derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool".

Fowler English
Occupational name for a fowler or bird catcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".

Sander German, Danish
Derived from the given name Alexander.

Abbes Dutch
Means "son of Abbe".

Yamaguchi Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance". Olympic figure-skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi (1971-) bears this name.

Hoover German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Huber.

Schrader Low German
Variant of Schröder 1.

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

Heijman Dutch
Patronymic from a diminutive of the given name Hendrik.

Ackermann German
Denoted a person who lived near a field, from Middle High German acker "field" and man "man".

Porcher French
Means "swineherd" from Old French porchier, from Latin porcus "pig".

Jamshidi Persian
From the given name Jamshid.

Ó Conghalaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Connolly.

Hobbes English
Derived from the medieval given name Hob. A famous bearer of this name was British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), the author of Leviathan.

Sams English
Derived from the given name Samuel.

Nygård Norwegian
From Norwegian ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and gård (Old Norse garðr) meaning "farm, estate".

Ó Floinn Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Flynn.

Snelling English
Variant of Snell.

Apperlo Dutch
Variant of Appelo.

Brant German, English
Variant of Brand 1 and Brand 2.

Ingram English
Derived from the given name Ingram.

Sepúlveda Spanish
Derived from the name of the Sepúlveda Valley in the mountains of Segovia, and was originally used to denote people from that region. It is possibly derived from Spanish sepultar "to bury".

Jurković Croatian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Jure.

Aaltonen Finnish
From Finnish aalto meaning "wave".

Kinsey English
Derived from the given name Cynesige.

Horváth um Hungarian, Slovak
Hungarian and Slovak form of Horvat. This is the second most common surname in Hungary and the most common surname in Slovakia (where is is typically borne by those of Hungarian ancestry).

Moretti Italian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Mauro.

Hibbert English
Derived from the given name Hilbert.

de Fresel Medieval Scottish
Older form of Fraser.

Lázaro Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Lázaro.

Parkinson English
Means "son of Parkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Heymans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Rosales Spanish
Means "rose bushes" in Spanish.

Gallo Italian, Spanish
Means "rooster", ultimately from Latin gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.

Ismail Arabic
From the given name Ismail.

Brantley German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Brändle.

Mały Polish
Polish cognate of Malý.

Arissen Dutch
Variant of Ariesen.

Gary English
Variant of Geary.

Rustici Italian
From Italian rustico meaning "rustic, rural".

McSheehy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mac Síthigh, meaning "son of Sítheach".

Graner German
Originally denoted a person from Gran, the German name for Esztergom, a city in northern Hungary.

MacAoidh Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Mac Aodha.

Magnusson Swedish
Means "son of Magnus".

May English
Derived from the given name Matthew.

Knef German
Occupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German knif meaning "shoemaker's knife".

Aldenkamp Dutch
Possibly from an unknown place name meaning "old field" in Dutch.

McFarlane Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic MacPhàrlain or Irish Gaelic Mac Pharlain meaning "son of Parthalán".

Ionescu Romanian
Means "son of Ion 1" in Romanian.

Spiker Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Spijker 1 or Spijker 2.

Sarto Italian
Occupational name meaning "tailor" in Italian, from Latin sartor, from sarcio meaning "to mend".

Lister Scottish
Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac an Fleisdeir meaning "son of the arrow maker".

Simonsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Simon 1".

Cole English
From a medieval short form of Nicholas or from the byname Cola.

Anastasiou Greek
Means "son of Anastasios".

Sauvageon French
French diminutive form of Savage.

Foster 1 English
Variant of Forester.

Ellsworth English
Habitational name for a person from the town of Elsworth in Cambridgeshire. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements ælf meaning "elf" or eald meaning "old") combined with worþ meaning "enclosure".

Van Rossem Dutch
Variant of Van Rossum.

Gilmore Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic MacGilleMhoire or Irish Gaelic Mac Giolla Mhuire meaning "son of the servant of Moire".

De La Fontaine French
French cognate of De la Fuente.

Porsche German
Possibly derived from German Bursche meaning "boy, servant" or from the given name Boris.

Lowry English, Scottish
From a diminutive of the given name Laurence 1.

Hassan Arabic, Persian, Urdu
From the given name Hassan.

Lejeune French
Means "the young" in French, from jeune "young".

Su Chinese
From Chinese 苏 (sū) meaning "perilla", also referring to an ancient minor state called Su.

Heikki Finnish
From the given name Heikki.

Van der Aart Dutch
Means "from the earth", derived from Dutch aarde "earth". It perhaps referred to either an earth bank or to a farmer.

Amiri Persian
From the given name Amir 1.

Bull English
From a nickname for a person who acted like a bull.

Nathans Jewish
Derived from the given name Nathan.

Rousseau French
Diminutive of Roux. A famous bearer was the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) whose ideas influenced the French Revolution.

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

Winter English, German, Dutch, Swedish
From Old English winter or Old High German wintar meaning "winter". This was a nickname for a person with a cold personality.

Bakema Frisian
Means "son of Bake", a short form of names starting with the Old German element batu "fight, struggle".

Prifti Albanian
From Albanian prift meaning "priest".

Hannigen Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

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

Steele English
Occupational name for a steelworker, from Old English stele meaning "steel".

Haberkorn German
Occupational name for a dealer in oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat" and korn "kernel, grain".

Olson Swedish (Anglicized), Norwegian (Anglicized), Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Olsson or Olsen.

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

Eberhardt German
Derived from the given name Eberhard.

Sastre Spanish
Spanish cognate of Sarto.

Strong English
Nickname derived from Middle English strong or strang meaning "strong".

Estrada Spanish
Spanish form of Street.

Attwater English
Variant of Atwater.