Browse Surnames

Østergaard Danish
Variant of Østergård.

Lis Polish
Means "fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.

Hanigan Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Pilgrim English, German
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

Renard French
From the given name Renard.

Hallman Swedish
From Swedish hall (Old Norse hallr) meaning "rock, boulder, slab" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Nordskov Danish
Means "north woods" in Danish.

Gale English
Derived from Middle English gaile meaning "jovial".

Tafani Italian
From the nickname tafano meaning "gadfly", indicating an annoying person.

Honeysett English
Possibly a variant of Honeycutt.

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".

Bowen Welsh
From Welsh ap Owain meaning "son of Owain".

Connor Irish
Variant of O'Connor.

Oh Korean
Korean form of Wu 1, from Sino-Korean 吳 (o).

Sarti Italian
Variant of Sarto.

Ziskind Jewish
Ornamental name, or from a given name, meaning "sweet child", derived from Yiddish זיס (zis) meaning "sweet" and קינד (kind) meaning "child", both words of Old High German origin.

Pavlyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Pavlo.

Vaughan Welsh
From Welsh bychan (mutated to fychan) meaning "little". It was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.

Arden English
From English place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high".

Baglio Italian
Italian cognate of Bailey.

Manco Italian
Means "left-handed" in Italian, derived from Latin mancus meaning "maimed".

Alunni Italian
From Italian alunno meaning "student".

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

Meindl German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino.

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

Stępień Polish
Possibly an occupational name for a herbalist, from Polish stępa "mortar".

Schmidt German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker", a cognate of Smith.

Mas 2 Dutch, Low German
Variant of Maas.

Pfaff German
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" from Old High German pfaffo, from Latin papa.

Van der Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Tsunoda Japanese
From Japanese 角 (tsuno) meaning "point, corner" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Kunkel German
Occupational name for a maker of distaffs, from Middle High German kunkel "distaff, spindle", of Latin origin.

Peck 1 English
Variant of Peak.

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

Womack English
Of uncertain origin. One theory suggests that it indicated a dweller by a hollow oak tree, derived from Old English womb "hollow" and ac "oak".

Klasson Swedish
Means "son of Klas".

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

Irvine 2 English
Variant of Irwin.

Van Dael Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Jin Chinese
From Chinese 金 (jīn) meaning "gold".

Adesso Italian
Perhaps a nickname for a punctual or fast person, from Italian adesso meaning "now, at this moment".

Acqua Italian
Means "water" in Italian, indicating one who dwelt by or transported water.

Barta Hungarian
From the given name Barta.

Kawakami Japanese
From Japanese 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and 上 (kami) meaning "above, top, upper".

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

Ríos Spanish
Spanish cognate of Rios.

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.

Lindqvist Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Keane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Rodriquez Spanish
Variant of Rodríguez.

Kistner German
Variant of Kistler.

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

Faucher French
Occupational name meaning "mower" in French, ultimately from Latin falx meaning "sickle, scythe".

Hawthorn English
Variant of Hawthorne.

Kjellsson Swedish
Means "son of Kjell".

Bourdillon French
Diminutive form of Borde.

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).

Medeiros Portuguese
From various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese medeiro meaning "haystack", ultimately from Latin meta meaning "cone, pyramid".

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]

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".

Cary Irish
Variant of Carey.

Odell English
Originally denoted a person who was from Odell in Bedfordshire, derived from Old English wad "woad" (a plant that produces a blue dye) and hyll "hill".

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

Dane 1 English
Variant of Dean 1 or Dean 2.

Van den Akker Dutch
Means "from the field" in Dutch.

Daalman Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Mac an Bhaird Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Ward 2.

Simonsson Swedish
Swedish form of Simonson.

Haraguchi Japanese
From Japanese 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Jordan 1 English, French, German
Derived from the given name Jordan.

Sitz 2 German
Means "house owner", derived from Old High German siz "seat, domicile".

Espenson Norwegian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Espensen.

Nagy um Hungarian, Slovak
From a nickname meaning "big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname. In Slovakia this spelling is only used for men, with Nagyová being the feminine form.

Yoxall English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Yoxall in Staffordshire, itself derived from Old English geoc "oxen yoke" and halh "nook, recess".

Savić Serbian
Means "son of Sava".

Vartanian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Վարդանյան (see Vardanyan).

Gosselin French
Derived from a diminutive of the French given name Gosse.

De Felice Italian
Means "son of Felice".

Markusson Swedish
Means "son of Markus".

Sansone Italian
Derived from the given name Sansone.

Sappington English
Possibly from the city of Sapperton, England, derived from Old English sapere meaning "soap maker" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Maier 2 Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.

Shevchuk Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian швець (shvets) meaning "shoemaker".

Arntzenius Dutch
Latinized form of Arntzen.

Christensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Christen 1".

Tarr Hungarian
Variant of Tar.

Bogdán Hungarian
From the given name Bogdan.

Africano Italian
From the given name Africano, the Italian form of Africanus.

Beech 2 English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a beech tree, from Old English bece.

Ślązak Polish
Polish cognate of Slezák.

Braddock English
From various locations derived from Old English meaning "broad oak".

Sherburne English
Variant of Sherburn.

Kermit Manx
Anglicized form of Mac Diarmada (see McDermott).

Császár Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kaiser.

Van Damme Flemish
Means "from Damme", the name of a town in Belgium, derived from Dutch dam meaning "dam". A famous bearer is the Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960-), who was born with the surname Van Varenberg.

Sas Hungarian
Means "eagle" in Hungarian.

Ó Sirideáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Sheridan.

Petrović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Petar".

Dittmar German
Derived from the given name Dietmar.

Wells English
Derived from Middle English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".

Koemans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Palmeiro Portuguese
Portuguese form of Palmer.

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

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

Ó Briain Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Brien.

Kuijlaars Dutch
Derived from Middle Dutch cule "hole, pit".

Leeuwenhoek Dutch
Means "lion's corner" in Dutch. The first bearer of this name lived on the corner (Dutch hoek) of the Lion's Gate (Dutch Leeuwenpoort) in the city of Delft.

Brodbeck German
Means "bread baker" from Middle High German brot "bread" and becke "baker".

Lam Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Lin.

Cuyper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Buffone Italian
Means "jester, joker" in Italian.

Jelen mu Czech, Slovene
From a nickname meaning "stag" in Czech and Slovene.

De Vitis Italian
Means "son of Vito 1", using a Latinized form of the given name.

Kuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Sauvageot French
French diminutive form of Savage.

McClelland Irish, Scottish
From Gaelic Mac Giolla Fhaoláin meaning "son of the servant of Faolán".

Aukema Frisian
Means "son of Auke".

MacClery Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cléirich.

Veres Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Vörös.

Abt German
German cognate of Abate.

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.

Brambilla Italian
Derived from the Italian town of Brembilla in Lombardy, itself named after the Brembo river.

Van den Heuvel Dutch
Means "from the hill" in Dutch.

Mondo Italian
From a given name, a short form of names such as Raimondo or Edmondo.

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.

Bonfils French
Derived from Old French bon fils meaning "good son".

Payne English
From a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin paganus meaning "heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.

Mac Conmara Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McNamara.

Nervetti Italian
Possibly a nickname for an innkeeper, from archaic Milanese nervètt, a local meal prepared from a calf.

Van Houtum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Yu 1 Chinese
From Chinese 于 (yú) meaning "in, on, at". According to legend, King Wu of Zhou bestowed the realm of Yu to his second son, who subsequently adopted this as his surname.

Blake English
Variant of Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).

Hayden 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hÉideáin or Ó hÉidín.

Adamson English
Means "son of Adam".

Carnevale Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "carnival", perhaps given to a festive person.

Lundqvist Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

François French
Derived from the given name François.

Al-Hashim Arabic
From the given name Hashim.

Capitani Italian
Occupational name meaning "captain" in Italian, ultimately from Latin caput "head".

Kowalczyk Polish
Patronymic derived from Polish kowal "blacksmith".

Mullen Irish
From the Irish Ó Maoláin meaning "descendant of Maolán". The given name Maolán meant "devotee, servant, tonsured one".

Urano Japanese
From Japanese 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Iñíguez Spanish
Variant of Íñiguez.

O'Kane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Borg Swedish
From Swedish borg meaning "fortification, castle".

Bardolph Literature
The name of a drunken thief and frequent companion of John Falstaff in four of William Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare probably adapted it from the aristocratic English surname Bardolf, now rare, which was itself derived from the Germanic given name Bardulf.

Ó Cuana Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cooney.

Gomółka Polish
Derived from Polish gomółka, a type of round cheese, ultimately from an old Polish word meaning "round".

Eldred English
From the given name Ealdræd.

Affini Italian
From Latin affinis meaning "neighbouring, kindred".

Olasz Hungarian
Means "Italian" in Hungarian, from Old Slavic volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).

Devine 1 Irish
Variant of Devin 1.

Yong English
Variant of Young.

Barlow English
Derived from a number of English place names that variously mean "barley hill", "barn hill", "boar clearing" or "barley clearing".

Bretz German
Indicated a person from the town of Breetz in Brandenburg, Germany. The meaning of the town's name is unknown.

Mounce German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of German Manz.

Morgenstern German, Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "morning star" in German.

Monroe Scottish
Anglicized (typically American) form of Munro. It was borne by the American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).

Nizzola Italian
From the name of the Italian town of Nizzola near Modena.

Tamaro Italian
Possibly from the Old German given name Thietmar. It is typical of the area around Trieste in northern Italy.

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".

Bullard English
Possibly a nickname derived from Middle English bole "fraud, deceit".

Chlebek Polish
From Polish chleb "bread", used to denote a baker.

Rodgers English
Derived from the given name Rodger.

Herberts English, Dutch
Variant of Herbert.

Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.

Ljung Swedish
Means "heather" in Swedish.

Averill English
From Middle English aueril, Old French avrill meaning "April", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.

Broż Polish
Derived from Broż, a diminutive of Ambroży.

Bolkvadze Georgian
From Georgian ბოლქვი (bolkvi) meaning "tuber, bulb".

Kariuki Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Kariuki.

Mikołajczak Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Mikołaj.

Leon English
Variant of Lyon 1, Lyon 2 or Lyon 3.

Schumacher German
Variant of Schuhmacher.

Noschese Italian
From the name of the town of Nusco in Campania, southern Italy.

Iturburua Basque
Means "by the fountain" in Basque, from iturri "fountain, spring".

Ware 2 English
From the Middle English nickname ware meaning "wary, astute, prudent".

Berg German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Old High German, Old Dutch and Old Norse berg meaning "mountain".

Noguchi Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Van 't Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Bothe Dutch
Variant of Both.

Schnur German, Jewish
From Old High German snuor meaning "rope, cord", an occupational name for a maker of rope.

Van Buggenum Dutch
Means "from Buggenum", a small town in the middle of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Sexton English
Occupational name for a sexton (Middle English sexteyn), a caretaker for a church or graveyard.

Alfonso Spanish
From the given name Alfonso.

Farley English
From various English place names meaning "fern clearing" in Old English.

Beasley English
From the name of a place in Lancashire, from Old English beos "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing".

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

Adamić Croatian
Means "son of Adam".

Nowell English
Variant of Noel.

Venäläinen Finnish
Means "Russian" in Finnish. This name was originally used by the ethnic Finns who lived on the Russian side of the border.

Gotti German
Variant of Gott.

Abel 2 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Albert.

Chevrolet French
From a diminutive of chèvre meaning "goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.

Nazarenko Ukrainian
From the given name Nazar.

Armistead English
Means "hermitage", indicating a person who lived near one, from Middle English ermite "hermit" and stede "place".

Escamilla Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.

Barker English
Means "tanner", derived from the Middle English word bark meaning "tree bark". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner, who often used tree bark in the tanning process.

Kristiansen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Kristian".

Weekes English
Variant of Weeks.

Belrose French
Variant of Bellerose.

Segers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Poggio Italian
Means "hillock, small hill" in Italian, a derivative of Latin podium meaning "balcony, platform".

Elmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Duchamp French
Variant of Deschamps. A famous bearer was the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).

Petrić Croatian
Means "son of Petar".

Keegan Irish
From Irish Mac Aodhagáin meaning "descendant of Aodhagán". The given name Aodhagán is a double diminutive of Aodh.

Cockburn Scottish, English
Originally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English cocc "rooster" and burna "stream".

Ó Conghalaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Connolly.

Masin Italian
Venetian variant of Masi.

Wilkinson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Kikkert Dutch
Derived from Dutch kikker meaning "frog".

Prohászka Hungarian
Hungarian form of Procházka.

Smolak Polish
Occupational name for a distiller of pitch, derived from the Old Slavic word smola meaning "pitch, resin".

Coy English
Means "quiet, shy, coy" from Middle English coi.

Stacy English
Derived from Stace, a medieval form of Eustace.

Vida Hungarian
From the given name Vid.

Barsamian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Պարսամյան (see Parsamyan).

El-Ghazzawy Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الغزّاوي (see Al-Ghazzawi).

Orosz Hungarian
Means "Russian" in Hungarian.

Beringer German, English
From the given name Berengar.

Lewis 1 English
Derived from the given name Lewis. The author C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a bearer of this surname.

McQueen Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Shuibhne.

Ó Cuaig Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quigg.

McGee Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.

Schwarzenberg German
Means "black mountain" in German.

Martens Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Marten".

Nikolajsen Danish
Means "son of Nikolaj".

Ebner 2 German
Means "judge, arbiter" from Middle High German ebenære.

Maguire Irish
Variant of McGuire.

Ewart 2 English
From the name of an English town, derived from Old English ea "river" and worþ "enclosure".

Habich German
German cognate of Hawk.

Prince English, French
From a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner, ultimately derived from Latin princeps.

Cokes English
Variant of Cook.

Snaaijer Dutch
Variant of Snijder.

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

Edwardson English
Means "son of Edward".

Christianson English
Means "son of Christian".

Meeuwis Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Luther German
From the old given name Leuthar. It was notably borne by the religious reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546).

Luna Spanish
From various places in Spain meaning "moon".

Küchler German
Occupational surname for a baker who made small cakes or cookies, derived from Middle High German kuoche "cake, pastry".

Mancini Italian
Diminutive of Manco.

Bowers English
Variant of Bower.

Campos Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese and Spanish variant of Campo.

Konishi Japanese
From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" and 西 (nishi) meaning "west".

Almássy Hungarian
Means "from the apple orchard", derived from Hungarian alma meaning "apple".

Atsma Frisian
Means "son of Atse".

Forest English, French
Originally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French forest, from Latin forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".

Mosconi Italian
Variant of Moschella.

Ardizzone Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Ardito.

Voigts German
Patronymic variant of Vogt.

Jagoda Polish
Means "berry" in Polish.

Lakatos Hungarian
Means "locksmith" in Hungarian, a word of Romance origin.

Havener German
Variant of Hafner.

Cuypers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Negri Italian
Nickname derived from Italian negro "black", used to refer to someone with dark hair or dark skin.

Alma Frisian
Means "son of Ale 2", the suffix -ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.

Adriatico Italian
Originally denoted a person who lived near the Adriatic sea.

Ayton English
From the name of towns in Berwickshire and North Yorkshire. They are derived from Old English ea "river" or ieg "island" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Pellé French
From French pelé meaning "bald".

Tate English
Derived from the Old English given name Tata.

Rusu Romanian
From Romanian rus meaning "Russian".

Greenspan Jewish
Anglicized form of German Grünspan meaning "verdigris". Verdigris is the green-blue substance that forms on copper.

Enríquez Spanish
Means "son of Enrique".

Revie English
Variant of Reeve.

Hiramatsu Japanese
From Japanese 平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree".

Elena Italian
Derived from the given name Elena.

Klerk Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Both Dutch
From the Low German given name Bode.

Schmitt German
Variant of Schmidt.

Parris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

McLean Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacGillEathain or MacGillEain meaning "son of the servant of Eòin".

Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.

Adkins English
Variant of Atkins.

Schwenke 1 German
Derived from Middle High German swenken meaning "to swing".

Anthonyson English (Rare)
Means "son of Anthony".

Carrillo Spanish
Means "cheek, jaw" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a person with a distinctive cheek or jaw.

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

Sutton English
From various English place names meaning "south town".

Henriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Henrik".

MacGobhainn Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Mac Ghabhann.

Şahin Turkish
Means "hawk" in Turkish (of Persian origin), probably used to refer to someone who was a hawk tamer.

Ó Maoil Riain Irish
Means "descendant of a follower of Rian", derived from Irish maol meaning "follower".

Toloni Italian
Derived from the given name Bartolomeo.

Anand Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi
Means "happiness, bliss" in Sanskrit.

Maiella Italian
From the name of the Maiella massif in Abruzzo, Italy.

Abbate Italian
Variant of Abate.

Arrigucci Italian
Means "son of Arriguccio", a diminutive of the given name Arrigo.

Van Rompu Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

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

Saqqaf Arabic
From Arabic سقف (saqaf) meaning "roof".

Terzić Bosnian
From Bosnian terzija meaning "tailor", ultimately of Persian origin.

Mulrennan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Maol Bhréanáin.

Traves English
English variant of Travers.

McLeod Scottish
From Gaelic MacLeòid meaning "son of Leod", a given name derived from Old Norse ljótr "ugly".

Cheshire English
Originally indicated a person from the county of Cheshire in England. Cheshire is named for its city Chester.

Ó Tuathail Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Toole.

Kloet Dutch
Possibly from Middle Dutch cloet meaning "lump, ball". In some cases this was a nickname for an oafish person. In other cases it may have been a name for someone who lived near a sign that had a globe on it.

Seymour 2 English
From an English place name, derived from Old English sæ "sea" and mere "lake".