Browse Surnames

Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".

Heydari Persian
From the given name Heydar.

Pfeiffer German
Occupational name meaning "pipe player" in German, from Middle High German pfifen "to whistle".

Kinsley English
From the name of a town in West Yorkshire, meaning "clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with cyne meaning "royal".

Tadić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Tadija".

Gibb English
Derived from the given name Gib.

Nicodemo Italian
Derived from the given name Nicodemo.

Duerr German
Variant of Dürr.

Van Dael Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Tailor English
Variant of Taylor.

Cash English
Variant of Case.

Cermak Czech (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Čermák.

Mac an tSaoir Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of McIntyre.

Gelens Dutch
Variant of Geelen.

Hegedűs Hungarian
Means "fiddler" in Hungarian, from hegedű "violin".

Ramires Portuguese
Means "son of Ramiro" in Portuguese.

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

Uzun Turkish
Means "long, tall" in Turkish.

Tímár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "tanner" in Hungarian.

Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.

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

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.

Barišić Croatian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Bartol.

Halász Hungarian
Means "fisherman" in Hungarian.

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

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.

Iordache Romanian
Romanian form of Georgakis.

Avellino Italian
From the name of a town in Campania, Italy, called Abellinum in Latin, of unknown meaning.

Ajam Arabic
From Arabic عَجَم (ʿajam) meaning "foreigner, non-Arab".

Francisco Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Francisco.

Giles English
From the given name Giles.

Richards English
Derived from the given name Richard.

Filipe Portuguese
From the given name Filipe.

Guidi Italian
From the given name Guido.

Donoghue Irish
From Irish Ó Donnchadha meaning "descendant of Donnchadh".

Kamiya Japanese
From Japanese 神 (kami) meaning "god" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Toole Irish
Variant of O'Toole.

Doyle Irish
From the Irish Ó Dubhghaill, which means "descendant of Dubhghall". A famous bearer was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.

Sieger German
From the given name Sieghard.

Sartini Italian
Diminutive form of Sarto.

Colón Spanish
Spanish form of Colombo.

Archambault French
From the archaic French given name Archambault, which is related to Archibald.

Ó Leannáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Lennon.

Fitzgerald Irish
Means "son of Gerald" in Anglo-Norman French. It was brought to Ireland with William the Conqueror. A famous bearer was Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), an American jazz singer.

Lévêque French
Variant of Lévesque.

Langley 1 English
From any of the various places with this name, all derived from Old English lang "long" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Mejía Spanish
Possibly from a nickname derived from Spanish Mesías meaning "Messiah", from Latin Messias, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyaḥ) meaning "anointed".

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

Blau German
Means "blue" in German, most likely used to refer to a person who wore blue clothes.

Waters 2 English
Derived from the given name Walter.

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

Carr 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Carra.

MacBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.

Scully Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Scolaidhe.

König German
German cognate of King.

Addicks Dutch
Means "son of Addik", a diminutive of Adde.

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".

Fischer German
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in German.

Grünewald German
Means "green forest" from German grün "green" and Wald "forest".

Bonnay French
Variant of Bonnet.

Bowie Scottish
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Buidheach, derived from buidhe meaning "yellow". A famous bearer was the American pioneer James Bowie (1796-1836), for whom the bowie knife is named. The British musician David Bowie (1947-2016), born David Robert Jones, took his stage name from the American pioneer (and the knife).

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

Palencia Spanish
Habitational name from the city or region of Palencia in northern Spain.

Salvatici Italian
Italian form of Savage.

Krakowski mu Polish, Jewish
Habitational name for a person from the city of Kraków in southern Poland.

Keighley English
Derived from an English place name meaning "clearing belonging to Cyhha". The Old English given name Cyhha is of unknown meaning.

Klerk Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Gump German (Rare), Popular Culture
Possibly from a nickname derived from Middle High German gumpen meaning "to hop, to jump". This surname was used by author Winston Groom for the hero of his novel Forrest Gump (1986), better known from the 1994 movie adaptation.

Echeverría Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, which itself is derived from Basque etxe "house" and berri "new".

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.

Moore 1 English
Originally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English mor meaning "open land, bog".

Eklund Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Wójcik Polish
From the Polish word wójt meaning "chief, mayor" (related to German Vogt).

Van Der Heijden Dutch
Means "from the heathland" in Dutch.

Lowe 2 English
Variant of Law.

De la Cruz Spanish
Spanish cognate of Delacroix.

Kay 1 English
Derived from the given name Kay 2.

Pelletier French
Derived from Old French pelletier "fur trader".

Albrechtsson Swedish
Means "son of Albrecht".

Nyström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Großer German
Variant of Groß.

Andreassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Andreas".

Ueno Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Hölzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Dempsey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Díomasaigh meaning "descendant of Díomasach", a given name meaning "proud".

Nurmi Finnish
Means "meadow, field" in Finnish. It was the surname of the athlete Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973).

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

Abbink Dutch
From various Dutch places meaning "(farm) belonging to Abbe".

Griffin 2 English
Nickname from the mythological beast with body of a lion with head and wings of an eagle. It is ultimately from Greek γρύψ (gryps).

Stigsson Swedish
Means "son of Stig".

Janvier French
Either from the given name Janvier or the French word janvier meaning "January", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.

Trump German
Derived from Middle High German trumbe meaning "drum". This surname is borne by the American president Donald Trump (1946-).

McAdams Scottish, Irish
Means "son of Adam" in Gaelic.

Sierżant Polish
Polish cognate of Sergeant.

Ó Cathasaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Casey.

Dunai Hungarian
From Duna, the Hungarian name for river Danube.

Jacobse Dutch
Variant of Jacobs.

Grahame Scottish
Variant of Graham.

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

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

Rogers English
Derived from the given name Roger.

Gabrielli Italian
From the given name Gabriele 1.

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

Muller German
Variant of Müller.

Gilmour Scottish, Irish
Variant of Gilmore.

Sacco Italian
Occupational name for a maker of sacks, from Italian sacco, Latin saccus.

Róg Polish
Means "animal horn" in Polish.

Cavanaugh Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Van Cann Dutch
Variant of Van Kan.

Braxton English
From an English place name place name meaning "Bracca's town" in Old English.

Ó Scolaidhe Irish
Means "descendant of the scholar" from Irish scholaidhe.

Blumenthal German, Jewish
Derived from German Blumen "flowers" and Thal "valley".

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

Van Hassel Dutch
Means "from Hassel", a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It may be derived from Old Dutch hasal meaning "hazel tree".

Fermi Italian
Originally indicated a person from the town of Fermo in the Marche region of Italy, originally called Firmum in Latin meaning "strong, steady, firm".

Lebrun French
From a nickname meaning "the brown" in French, from brun "brown".

Maier 2 Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.

Beckham English
From an English place name meaning "Becca's homestead" in Old English (with Becca being a masculine byname meaning "pickaxe"). A famous bearer is retired English soccer player David Beckham (1975-).

Laird Scottish
Means "landowner" in Scots, derived from northern Middle English laverd "lord", from Old English hlafweard.

Naaji Arabic
From the given name Naaji.

Yamazaki Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Carmona Spanish
From the name of the city of Carmona in Andalusia, Spain. It is possibly derived from Phoenician 𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤌𐤍 (Qart Ḥamun) meaning "city of Hammon" (the name of a Carthaginian god, see Ba'al Hammon).

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".

Kane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Gaillard French
Means "lively, strong" in French.

Scola Italian
From Italian scuola meaning "school".

Walkenhorst German
Possibly derived from a German place name Falkenhorst, from Falken meaning "falcons" and Horst meaning "thicket".

Pavoni Italian
Variant of Pavone.

Brice English
From the given name Brice.

Martin English, French, German, Swedish
Derived from the given name Martin. This is the most common surname in France.

Lindsey English, Scottish
Variant of Lindsay.

Albu Romanian
From Romanian alb meaning "white".

Nacar Turkish
Turkish form of Najjar.

Hadaway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Hakim Arabic
Derived from the given name Hakim.

Midgley English
From the English village of Midgley in West Yorkshire, meaning "midge (insect) wood" in Old English.

Gustavsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustav".

Holmström Swedish
From Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Parks English
Patronymic form of Park 3.

Poingdestre Jèrriais
Jèrriais form of Poindexter.

Aerssens Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Joiner English
Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).

Keil German
Means "wedge shaped" in German. It was used to denote a person who owned a wedge-shaped piece of land.

Averesch Dutch
From a place name, possibly from a dialectal variation of Dutch over meaning "over" combined with esch meaning "ash tree".

Arkes Dutch
Means "son of Arke 2".

Käufer German
Variant of Kaufer.

Neumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German niuwe and man meaning "new man, newcomer".

Costantini Italian
From the given name Costantino.

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

Babatunde Yoruba
From the given name Babatunde.

Melnyk Ukrainian
Means "miller" in Ukrainian. This is the most common Ukrainian surname.

Jugovac Croatian
From Croatian jug meaning "south".

Zeegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Bellomi Italian
Variant of Bellomo.

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

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

Dior French
Possibly from French doré meaning "golden". A famous bearer was the French fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).

Kavanaugh Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Mac an Fleisdeir Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Lister.

Grbić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Means "hunchback", derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene grba "hump".

Barsotti Italian
Probably from the medieval Latin word baro meaning "man, freeman" (of Frankish origin).

Carideo Italian
Originally denoted someone from San Pietro di Caridà, a town in Calabria. The town's name may be derived from Greek χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness".

Fleury French
From the name of various towns in northern France, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Florus.

Abbà Italian
Variant of Abate.

Stankiewicz Polish
From a diminutive of Stanisław.

Gladwyn English
Variant of Gladwin.

Ó hÓgáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Hogan.

Lombardi Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, which was named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who invaded in the 6th century. Their name is derived from the Old German roots lang "long" and bart "beard".

Kozłow Polish
Variant of Kozłowski.

Begbie Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse given name Baggi and býr "farm, settlement".

Benes Hungarian
Hungarian form of Beneš.

Aloi Italian
From a dialectal form of the name Aloisio.

Rusu Romanian
From Romanian rus meaning "Russian".

Kohler German
From Middle High German koler meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal seller".

Pedersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Peder".

Rowland English
Derived from the given name Roland.

Pace Italian
Derived from the Italian given name Pace meaning "peace".

Swift English
Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.

Annema Frisian
Means "son of Anne 2".

Tani Japanese
From Japanese 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Ivanković Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Ivan.

Wendell German
Variant of Wendel (typically American).

Tosi Italian
Means "clean-shaven", usually denoting a younger man, from Latin tonsus "shaved".

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

Braden Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Bradáin meaning "descendant of Bradán".

Marx German
From the given name Markus. A famous bearer was Karl Marx (1818-1883), a German philosopher known for his work in socioeconomic theory.

Hunt English
Variant of Hunter.

Van der Vennen Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Van der Veen.

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".

Paterson English, Scottish
Means "son of Patrick".

Heinonen Finnish
From the given name Heino.

Košar Croatian
From Croatian koš meaning "basket", originally indicating a person who made or sold baskets.

Pék Hungarian
Means "baker" in Hungarian.

Mottershead English
From the name of a lost place in Cheshire, derived from the Old English byname Motere meaning "speaker" and heafod meaning "headland".

Callan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cathaláin meaning "descendant of Cathalán".

Volk German
Derived from given names beginning with the Old High German element folk meaning "people".

Jurado Spanish
Occupational name for a judge or another official who had to take an oath, derived from Latin iuro "to take an oath".

Holmes English, Scottish
Variant of Holme. A famous fictional bearer was Sherlock Holmes, a detective in Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.

Elwyn English
Derived from the given names Ælfwine, Æðelwine or Ealdwine.

Keefe Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Caoimh meaning "descendant of Caomh".

Álvarez Spanish
Means "son of Álvaro".

Ó Síoda Irish
Means "descendant of Síoda", a byname meaning "silk" in Irish.

Rakes English
Variant of Rake.

Van Aller Dutch
Means "from the Aller", a river in Germany, of uncertain meaning.

Gilroy Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Ruaidh or Mac Giolla Rí.

Voltolini Italian
From the name of the alpine valley of Valtellina in Lombardy, northern Italy.

Moroz Ukrainian
Means "frost" in Ukrainian.

Montagna Italian
Means "mountain" in Italian, from Latin montanus, indicating a person who lived on or near a mountain.

Devine 2 English
Variant of Devin 2.

Alberda Dutch
Derived from the given name Albert.

Fujimoto Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Jackson English
Means "son of Jack". Famous bearers of this name include the American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and the singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).

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

Roche French
French cognate of Roach.

Jokela Finnish
Derived from Finnish joki "river".

Keys 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.

Ó Nualláin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Nolan.

Bosko Polish
Derived from Polish bosy meaning "barefoot".

Kravchuk Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian кравець (kravets) meaning "tailor".

Collado Spanish
Means "hill" in Spanish.

Head English
From Middle English hed meaning "head", from Old English heafod. It may have referred to a person who had a peculiar head, who lived near the head of a river or valley, or who served as the village headman.

Messner German
Occupational name for a sexton or churchwarden, from Old High German mesinari.

Maurer German
Occupational name meaning "wall builder" in German.

Wade 2 English
From the Old English given name Wada, a derivative of the word wadan "to go".

Stone English
Name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English stan.

Akerman English
Variant of Ackerman.

Miyashita Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

De Kock Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.

Houston Scottish
From a place name meaning "Hugh's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow.

Ventimiglia Italian
From the name of the historical Italian city Ventimiglia, now near the French border, ultimately from Latin Albintimilium.

Mandelbaum Jewish
Means "almond tree" in German.

Arap Turkish
Means "Arab" in Turkish.

Tuft English
Denoted one who lived near a clump of trees or bushes, from Middle English tufte "tuft, clump", from Old French.

Nervi Italian
From the name of the town of Nervi in Liguria, northwestern Italy.

Knowles English
From Middle English knoll, Old English cnoll meaning "small hill, knoll". A famous bearer is American singer Beyoncé Knowles (1981-).

Ruskin 2 English
From a diminutive of the feminine given name Rose.

Ó Móráin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Moran.

Kimberly English
Variant of Kimberley.

Pletcher German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Pletscher.

Scholz German
Variant of Schulz.

Cao Chinese
From Chinese 曹 (cáo) referring to the ancient state of Cao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.

Howe English
Name for one who lived on a hill, from Middle English how "hill" (of Norse origin).

Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.

Benito Spanish
From the given name Benito.

Vang 2 Yiddish
Variant of Wang 4.

Lazăr Romanian
From the given name Lazăr.

Guan Chinese
From Chinese 关 (guān) meaning "frontier pass".

Schultes German
Variant of Schulz.

Botha Afrikaans
South African variant of Both.

Ilie Romanian
From the given name Ilie.

Nguyễn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Ruan, from Sino-Vietnamese 阮 (nguyễn). This is the most common Vietnamese surname, accounting for over a third of the population.

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

Snelling English
Variant of Snell.

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

Van Baarle Dutch
Means "from Baarle", a town in both the Netherlands and Belgium.

Kirby English
From numerous towns in northern England named Kirby or Kirkby, derived from Old Norse kirkja "church" and býr "farm, settlement".

Hudnall English
From various English place names, derived from the Old English given name Huda combined with halh "nook, recess".

Olguín Spanish
Variant of Holguín.

Behringer German
From the given name Berengar.

Dumont French
Means "from the mountain", from French mont "mountain".

Dias Portuguese
Means "son of Diogo" in Portuguese.

Ahonen Finnish
From Finnish aho meaning "meadow, glade".

Campos Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese and Spanish variant of Campo.

Stavrou Greek
From the given name Stavros.

Henriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Henrik".

Chaikin Yiddish
From a diminutive of the given name Chaya.

Kikkert Dutch
Derived from Dutch kikker meaning "frog".

Abelen Dutch
Patronymic surname derived from Abel or a diminutive of Albert.

Mac Ghabhann Irish
Means "son of the smith" in Irish.

Jackman English
Means "servant of Jack".

Wallach Yiddish
From Middle High German walch meaning "foreigner (from a Romance country)".

Seegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Gavrilyuk Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Гаврилюк (see Havrylyuk).

Bellandi Italian
Means "son of Bellando", from a medieval given name derived from Latin bellandus meaning "which is to be fought".

Ilbert English
Derived from a Norman form of the Old German given name Hildiberht.

Van der Berg Dutch
Variant of Van den Berg.

D'Cruze Indian (Christian)
Variant of Cruz more common among Christians from India.

Janković Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Janko".

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

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

Abbandonato Italian
Means "forsaken, abandoned" in Italian.

Santiago Spanish, Portuguese
From various Spanish and Portuguese places called Santiago.

Cremaschi Italian
From the name of the city of Crema in Lombardy, northern Italy.

Rapallino Italian
From the name of the town of Rapallo near Genoa.

McCleary Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cléirich.

McAfee Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of MacDhubhshìth.

Kunz German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.

Toma Romanian
From the given name Toma 2.

Otis English
Means "son of Ode".

Ó Carra Irish
Means "descendant of Carra", Carra being a nickname meaning "spear".

Lin Chinese
From Chinese 林 (lín) meaning "forest".

Nyquist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

Monk English
Nickname or occupational name for a person who worked for monks. This word is derived from Latin monachus, from Greek μοναχός (monachos) meaning "alone".

Hier Welsh
Means "tall, long" from Welsh hir.

Sano Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

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

School Dutch
From Dutch school, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school", indicating a person who worked at or lived near a school.

Avcı Turkish
Means "hunter" in Turkish.

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

Pawlitzki German
German surname derived from a Slavic form of the given name Paul.