Browse Surnames

Begum Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
From a title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in India and other parts of southern Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the Turkic title beg meaning "chieftain" (modern Turkish bey).

Couch Cornish
From Cornish cough "red", indicating the original bearer had red hair.

Strange English
Derived from Middle English strange meaning "foreign", ultimately from Latin extraneus.

Willems Dutch
Derived from the given name Willem.

Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.

Manning 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Mainnín meaning "descendant of Mainchín".

Albinsson Swedish
Means "son of Albin".

Monte Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Italian variant of Monti, as well as a Portuguese and Spanish cognate.

Årud Norwegian
From Norwegian å meaning "river, stream" and the archaic word rud meaning "cleared land".

Arendonk Dutch
Denoted a person from Arendonk, a town between in northern Belgium. It is derived from arend "eagle" and donk "hill".

Michael English, German
From the given name Michael.

Richardson English
Means "son of Richard".

Morand French
French form of Morandi.

Strömberg Swedish
From Swedish ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream" and berg meaning "mountain".

Grady Irish
From Irish Ó Gráda or Ó Grádaigh meaning "descendant of Gráda". The byname Gráda means "noble, illustrious".

Sigurdsson Icelandic, Swedish
Means "son of Sigurður".

Ingham English
From the name of an English town, of Old English origin meaning "Inga's homestead".

Fitzsimmons Irish
Means "son of Simon 1" in Anglo-Norman French.

Baumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German bumann meaning "farmer, builder".

Sommer 2 German
From Middle High German sumber or sommer meaning "basket, wickerwork, drum".

Hackett English
From a diminutive of the medieval byname Hake, which was of Old Norse origin and meant "hook".

MacTàmhais Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McTavish.

McCoy Scottish
Anglicized form of MacAoidh.

Bousaid Arabic
Means "father of Said" in Arabic.

Szilágyi Hungarian
Denoted one from the region of Szilágy in Hungary, derived from Hungarian szil meaning "elm" and ágy meaning "bed".

Hunnicutt English
Variant of Honeycutt.

Einarsson Swedish
Means "son of Einar".

Schultze German
Variant of Schulz.

Mårtensson Swedish
Means "son of Mårten".

Boer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bauer.

Meyer 3 English
Variant of Mayer 3.

Van der Berg Dutch
Variant of Van den Berg.

Burnett English
Means "brown" in Middle English, from Old French brunet, a diminutive of brun.

Kaczmarek Polish
Occupational name for a person who worked as an innkeeper, derived from Polish karczma meaning "inn".

Martínez Spanish
Means "son of Martín" in Spanish.

Valenti Italian
Patronymic from the given name Valente, an Italian form of Valens. A famous bearer of the surname was Jack Valenti (1921-2007), advisor to American president Lyndon Johnson.

Sass Hungarian
Variant of Sas.

Carvalho Portuguese
Means "oak" in Portuguese, perhaps originally referring to a person who lived near such a tree.

Meaney Irish
Variant of O'Mooney.

Nosek mu Czech, Polish
Means "small nose" in Czech and Polish.

Bourne English
Derived from Old English burna "stream, spring".

Cuesta Spanish
Spanish form of Costa.

Holub mu Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian
Means "dove, pigeon" in Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian.

Ramos Spanish, Portuguese
Originally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin ramus meaning "branch".

Brose German
Derived from the given name Ambrose.

Hollands English
Variant of Holland 1.

Ballard English
Variant of Ball using a pejorative suffix.

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

Figueroa Spanish
From places named for Galician figueira meaning "fig tree".

Konstantinou Greek
Means "son of Konstantinos".

Suárez Spanish
Means "son of Suero".

Sydney English
Variant of Sidney.

Moores English
Variant of Moore 1.

Beumer Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Oleastro Spanish
Means "wild olive" in Spanish, originally indicating one who lived near such a tree.

Van der Laar Dutch
Variant of Van Laar.

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

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

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

Boehler German
Variant of Böhler.

Scotti Italian
From the medieval given name Francescotto, a diminutive of Francesco.

Delaney 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dubhshláine meaning "descendant of Dubhshláine".

Forrest English
Variant of Forest.

Bautista Spanish
Derived from the given name Bautista.

Liepa Latvian
Means "linden tree" in Latvian.

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

Geissler 1 German
Derived from the given name Giselher.

Archer English
Occupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin arcus "bow" (via Old French).

De Lange Dutch
Dutch cognate of Long.

Van 't Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Martell English
Variant of Martel 1 or Martel 2.

Vila Catalan
Catalan form of Villa.

Thurstan English
Derived from the Old Norse name Þórsteinn.

Gomez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Gómez.

Neil Scottish, English, Irish
Derived from the given name Neil.

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

Stein German, Jewish
From Old High German stein meaning "stone". It might indicate the original bearer lived near a prominent stone or worked as a stonecutter. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Sala Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian
Occupational name for a worker at a manor house, from the Romance word sala meaning "hall, large room", of Germanic origin.

Holzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Love English
From the Old English given name Lufu meaning "love".

Beumers Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Hendriks Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Collins 2 English
Means "son of Colin 2".

Lennox Scottish
From the name of a district in Scotland, called Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly meaning "place of elms".

Ingesson Swedish
Means "son of Inge".

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

Langdon English
Derived from the name of various places, of Old English origin meaning "long hill" (effectively "ridge").

Mac Néill Irish
Irish form of McNeil.

Fuller English
Occupational name for a fuller, a person who thickened and cleaned coarse cloth by pounding it. It is derived via Middle English from Latin fullo.

Freeman English
Referred to a person who was born free, or in other words was not a serf.

Beattie Scottish
From the medieval name Battie, a diminutive of Bartholomew.

Baars Dutch
Indicated a person coming from the town of Beers in the Netherlands.

Brady Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish name Ó Brádaigh meaning "descendant of Brádach". A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Tom Brady (1977-).

Lynton English
Variant of Linton.

Abe 2 Japanese
From Japanese 安 (a) meaning "peace" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".

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

Boothman English
Variant of Booth.

Sandström Swedish
From Swedish sand (Old Norse sandr) meaning "sand" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Cadwallader Welsh
From the given name Cadwalader.

Boatwright English
Occupational name meaning "maker of boats".

Dawson English
Means "son of Daw".

Heath English
Originally belonged to a person who was a dweller on the heath or open land.

Woodhams English
Variant of Woodham.

Gagneux French
Derived from Old French gagnier meaning "to farm, to cultivate".

Ó Donndubháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Donovan.

Kyler Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cuyler.

Shafir Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "sapphire" in Yiddish.

Fuhrmann German
Derived from Middle High German vuorman meaning "cartwright".

Aquila Italian
From a nickname meaning "eagle" in Italian.

Langley 2 French (Anglicized)
Americanized spelling of Langlais.

Post Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person who lived near a post, ultimately from Latin postis.

Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

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".

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

Marin Romanian, French
From the given name Marin.

Ljungman Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Leppänen Finnish
From Finnish leppä meaning "alder".

Humphrey English
Derived from the given name Humphrey.

Aitken Scottish, English
Derived from the medieval given name Atkin, a diminutive of Adam.

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".

Hermans Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Herman".

Stroud English
From Old English strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood".

Mateu Catalan
Derived from the given name Mateu.

Van Agthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

Rico Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "rich, wealthy" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Abbadelli Italian
Means "little abbot" from Italian abate and the diminutive suffix -elli.

MacDaniel Scottish
Variant of MacDonald.

Van Asch Dutch
Variant of Van As.

Meijer Dutch
Dutch form of Meyer 1.

Vinci 1 Italian
From the given name Vincenzo.

Karjalainen Finnish
Derived from Finnish Karjala meaning "Karelia". Karelia is an area on the border between Finland and Russia.

Moss 1 English
From Middle English mos meaning "bog, moss".

De la Fuente Spanish
Means "of the fountain" in Spanish.

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

Jusić Bosnian
Perhaps means "son of Josip".

Garrett English
Derived from the given name Gerard or Gerald.

Büki Hungarian
Derived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).

Alferink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Alfhard" in Dutch.

Oelberg German
Means "oil hill" from Middle High German öl "oil" and berg "mountain, hill".

Aldershof Dutch
Means "Aldert's courtyard" from the given name Aldert combined with Dutch hof "yard, court".

Niemec Polish
Means "German" in Polish.

Salomon French, German, Jewish
Derived from the given name Salomon or Salomo.

Hovhannisyan Armenian
Means "son of Hovhannes" in Armenian.

Andersson Swedish
Means "son of Anders". This is the most common surname in Sweden.

Hodgson English
Means "son of Hodge", a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Skała Polish
Polish cognate of Skála.

Costa Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".

Bumgarner German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Von Essen German
Means "from Essen", a city in Germany, possibly a derivative of Old High German asc meaning "ash tree".

Narang Hindi
From the name of a Pakistani town that was in undivided India.

Valdez Spanish
Means "son of Baldo".

Bähr German
From Middle High German bër "bear" or ber "boar". This was originally a nickname for a strong or brave person.

Friel Irish
From the Irish Ó Frighil meaning "descendant of Fearghal".

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

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

Ó Dubhshláine Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Delaney 2.

Ó Braonáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Brennan.

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

Brannon Irish
Variant of Brennan.

Prinsen Dutch
Means "son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.

Rivière French
French cognate of Rivers.

Blue English
From a nickname for a person with blue eyes or blue clothing.

Xu 1 Chinese
From Chinese 徐 (xú) referring to the ancient state of Xu, which existed to the 6th century BC in what is now Jiangsu and Anhui. The character 徐 means "slowly, calmly".

Raines English
Originally denoted a person from Rayne, Essex, England (possibly from an Old English word meaning "shelter") or from Rennes, Brittany, France (from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones).

Keo Khmer
Means "glass" in Khmer.

Caito Italian
Occupational name from Sicilian càjitu meaning "official, leader", ultimately from Arabic قاضي (qāḍī) meaning "judge".

Piontek Polish
Variant of Piątek.

Gaspar Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Gaspar.

Irvin Scottish, English
Variant of Irvine 1 or Irwin.

Allan English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Rattray Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".

Tiedemann Low German
Derived from the given name Tiedemann.

Quinlan Irish
From Irish Ó Caoindealbháin, which means "descendant of Caoindealbhán", a given name meaning "handsome form" (using a diminutive suffix).

Dinapoli Italian
Variant of Di Napoli.

Janda mu Czech, Polish
Derived from the given name Jan 1.

Schenk German, Dutch
From Middle High German, Middle Dutch schenke meaning "wine server" (from Old High German scenken "to pour out").

Caro Spanish, Italian
From Spanish and Italian caro meaning "beloved".

Évrard French
From the given name Évrard.

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

Szabolcsi Hungarian
From the name of the Szabolcs region in Hungary, derived from the given name Szabolcs.

Pickering English
From the name of a town in Yorkshire, derived from Old English Piceringas, the name of a tribe.

Jamison English
Means "son of James".

Cason English
From the English place name Cawston, derived from the Old Norse given name Kálfr combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Brown English
Originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin. A notable bearer is Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.

Hajós Hungarian
Means "boatman, sailor" in Hungarian.

Duerr German
Variant of Dürr.

Stevens English
Variant of Stephens.

Allsopp English
From the name of the village of Alsop en la Dale in Derbyshire, England. It means "Ælli's valley" in Old English.

Bailey English
From Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin baiulus "porter".

Field English
Variant of Fields.

Bul Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bull.

Cho Korean
Korean form of Zhao, from Sino-Korean 趙 (jo).

Ottosen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Otto".

Herczog Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Zentai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the city of Senta in Serbia (formerly a part of Hungary and called Zenta).

Smedley English
From an unidentified place name probably meaning "smooth clearing" in Old English.

Koenig German
German cognate of King.

Proudfoot English
Nickname for a person with a proud step.

Ardiccioni Italian
Means "son of Ardiccione", a derivative of Ardito.

Goode English
Variant of Good.

Van Alst Dutch
Means "from Aalst", the name of towns in Belgium and the Netherlands, which is possibly from Germanic *alhs meaning "temple, shelter".

Musiał Polish
Polish cognate of Musil.

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

Sienkiewicz Polish
Patronymic from the given name Sienko, an old diminutive of Szymon. This was the surname of the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916).

Siegel 2 German
Derived from the diminutive of Old German given names beginning with the element sigu meaning "victory".

Amos Jewish
From the given name Amos.

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Dedrick English
Derived from the given name Dederick, an older form of Derek.

Grahame Scottish
Variant of Graham.

Ververs Dutch
Occupational name derived from Dutch verver meaning "dyer, painter".

Kazem Arabic, Persian
From the given name Kazim.

Arap Turkish
Means "Arab" in Turkish.

Ó Dochartaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Doherty.

Santana Spanish, Portuguese
From any of the numerous places named after Saint Anna. A famous bearer is the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-).

Cavanagh Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Mas 2 Dutch, Low German
Variant of Maas.

Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.

Romijn Dutch
Derived from the given name Romein.

Reid Scottish, English
Scots variant of Read 1.

Cobb English
From a medieval English byname meaning "lump".

Kovačević Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Variant of Kovačić.

MacConnell Scottish, Irish
Variant of McConnell.

Remington English
From the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, derived from the name of the stream Riming combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, town".

Rijnders Dutch, Frisian
Variant of Reinders.

Wayne English
Occupational name meaning "wagon maker, cartwright", derived from Old English wægn "wagon". A famous bearer was the American actor John Wayne (1907-1979).

Budai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the Hungarian city of Buda (one of the two cities that were joined to make Budapest in 1873).

Van der Venne Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Sapienti Italian
Means "wise, learned" in Italian.

O'Connell Irish
Variant of Connell.

Harden English
From a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.

Borgogni Italian
From the name of the French region of Burgundy (called Bourgogne in French), which is named after the Germanic tribe the Burgundians, meaning "people from the high land".

Abrami Italian
Derived from the given name Abramo.

Palmer English
Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.

Krüger 2 German
In southern Germany an occupational name for a potter, derived from Middle High German kruoc meaning "jug, pot".

Daniell English
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Abramsen Norwegian
Means "son of Abraham".

Lind Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Derived from Old Norse lind meaning "linden tree".

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

Puerta Spanish
Means "door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.

Hanraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Breen Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Braoin meaning "descendant of Braon", a byname meaning "rain, moisture, drop".

Stück German, Jewish
From Old High German stucki meaning "piece, part".

Albers Dutch
Means "son of Albert".

Vance English
Indicated a dweller by a fen, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, marsh".

Barrera Spanish
Spanish cognate of Barr.

Eldridge English
Derived from the given name Aldric.

Accardi Italian
Variant of Acardi.

Garofalo Italian
From a nickname, from a southern variant of the Italian word garofano meaning "carnation".

Gonçalves Portuguese
Means "son of Gonçalo" in Portuguese.

Hintzen German
Means "son of Hintz", a diminutive of Heinrich.

Albrecktsson Swedish
Variant of Albrechtsson.

Morse English
Variant of Morriss.

Agosti Italian
Means "son of Agosto", a variant of Augusto.

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

Tawfeek Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic توفيق (see Tawfiq).

Gismondi Italian
From the Old German given name Gismund.

Aalto Finnish
From Finnish aalto meaning "wave". A famous bearer was Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976).

Pék Hungarian
Means "baker" in Hungarian.

Falstaff Literature
The name of a buffoonish character, John Falstaff, appearing in four of William Shakespeare's plays. He is the central character in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602). Shakespeare probably adapted it from the surname of John Fastolf, a 15th-century knight. The medieval surname Fastolf, no longer in use, was derived from the Norse given name Fastúlfr.

Matsubara Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Yu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 余 (yú) meaning "surplus".

Van der Meer Dutch
Means "from the lake" in Dutch.

Heimans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Morra Italian
Locative name derived from Italian places such as Morra De Sanctis, Campania, or Morra del Villar, Piedmont.

Sörensson Swedish
Swedish form of Sørensen.

Middleton English
Originally denoted a person who lived in one of the numerous English towns by this name, derived from Old English middel "middle" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Sundberg Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "strait" and berg meaning "mountain".

Nakahara Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Christinsen English
Means "son of Christian".

Bernardino Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Bernardino.

Jokinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish joki "river".

De Santis Italian
Italian form of Santos.

Valentin French, German
From the given name Valentin.

Ó Domhnaill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Donnell.

Arnesen Norwegian
Means "son of Arne 1".

Tomić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Toma 2".

Yuan Chinese
From Chinese 源 (yuán), 原 (yuán) or 元 (yuán), which mean "origin, source".

Bagni Italian
From Italian bagno "bath", derived from Latin balneum, referring to a person who worked as a bath house attendant.

Bagheri Persian
From the given name Bagher.

Gosse French
Derived from the Norman given name Gosse.

Luo Chinese
From Chinese 罗 (luó) referring to the minor state of Luo, which existed from the 11th to 7th centuries BC in what is now Hubei province.

Kwok Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Guo.

Arroyo Spanish
Means "stream, brook" in Spanish.

Schmeling German
From Middle Low German smal meaning "small, slender".

Jewell English
Derived from the Breton given name Judicaël.

Radu Romanian
From the given name Radu.

Dziedzic Polish
Derived from Polish dziedzic "landowner".

McCallum Scottish
Variant form of MacCallum.

Abram English
Derived from the given name Abraham.

Ślązak Polish
Polish cognate of Slezák.

Mac Alastair Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McAlister.

Fonseca Spanish, Portuguese
Originally belonged to a person who lived near a dry spring, from Latin fons "well, spring" and siccus "dry".

Bonomo Italian
Italian cognate of Bonhomme.

Patrickson English
Means "son of Patrick".

Wirnhier German
From the given name Werner.

Garrard English
From the given name Gerard.

Egger German
South German occupational name meaning "plowman" or "farmer", derived from German eggen "to harrow, to plow".

Thorne English
Variant of Thorn.

Brankovich Serbian
Alternate transcription of Serbian Бранковић (see Branković).

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