Browse Surnames

Aafjes Dutch
Means "son of Aafje".

Aaij Dutch
Derived from the given name Aaij, a short form of Adriaan and other names.

Aakster Dutch
Derived from Old Dutch ekster "magpie".

Aaldenberg Dutch
Originally denoted a person who came from an uncertain place called Aaldenberg, meaning "old mountain".

Aalders Dutch
Means "son of Aldert".

Aalfs Dutch
Means "son of Aalf", a short form of Adolf.

Aalmers Dutch (Rare)
Means "son of Aalmar", a Dutch form of Adelmar.

Aaltink Dutch
Variant of Alting.

Aarden Dutch
From Dutch aarden meaning "earthen, clay". It denoted a person who worked with clay.

Aarens Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Aarle Dutch
Denoted a person who hailed from a place of this name in the Netherlands, or from Arlon in Belgium (which is Aarlen in Dutch).

Aaron Jewish, English
From the given name Aaron.

Aarse Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Aarts Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Aartsen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

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

Abbes Dutch
Means "son of Abbe".

Abbey English
Indicated a person who lived near an abbey or worked in an abbey, from Middle English abbeye.

Abbing Dutch
Variant of Abbink.

Abbingh Dutch
Variant of Abbink.

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

Abbott English
English cognate of Abate.

Abel 1 English, French, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Abel.

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

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

Abeln German
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Albert.

Abels Dutch
Means "son of Abel".

Aben Dutch
Means "son of Abe 2".

Abney English
From the name of a town in Derbyshire, derived from Old English meaning "Abba's island".

Abraham Jewish, English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch
Derived from the given name Abraham.

Abrahams Jewish, English, Dutch
Means "son of Abraham".

Abrahamson Jewish, English
Means "son of Abraham".

Abram English
Derived from the given name Abraham.

Abrams Jewish, English
Means "son of Abraham".

Abramson English
Means "son of Abraham".

Abspoel Dutch
From Abtspoel, the name of an estate near Oegstgeest in South Holland, meaning "abbot's pool".

Abt German
German cognate of Abate.

Achilles German
Derived from the given name Achilles.

Achterberg Dutch, German
From the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, for example the village of achterberg in Utrecht. The place names are derived from Low German achter "behind" and berg "mountain, hill".

Achterkamp Dutch
From the name of various places in the Netherlands, derived from Low German achter "behind" and kamp "field".

Achterop Dutch
Variant of Ogtrop.

Achthoven Dutch
Denoted a person from various towns in the Netherlands called Achthoven, which is derived from Dutch acht "eight" and hoven "farmsteads".

Acker German, English
Denoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning "field".

Ackerman English
Means "ploughman", derived from Middle English aker "field" and man.

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

Adair English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Adam um English, French, German, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Adam.

Adams English, Jewish
Derived from the given name Adam.

Adamson English
Means "son of Adam".

Adcock English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Adam.

Addens Dutch
Means "son of Adde".

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

Addison English
Means "son of Addy 2".

Adema Frisian
Means "son of Ade 2".

Adenauer German
Denoted a person from the town of Adenau in Germany. The name of the town is of uncertain etymology.

Adkins English
Variant of Atkins.

Adler German, Jewish
Means "eagle" in German.

Admiraal Dutch
Means "admiral" in Dutch.

Adolfs Dutch
Means "son of Adolf".

Adriaans Dutch
Means "son of Adriaan".

Adriaansen Dutch
Means "son of Adriaan".

Adrichem Dutch
From the name of an estate and castle (demolished in 1812) that was formerly in North Holland, the Netherlands. It means "Adrik's home".

Aerssens Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Aerts Dutch, Flemish
From a diminutive of the given name Arnout.

Agema Frisian
Means "son of Age 1".

Agthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

Ahlers Low German
Means "son of Alard".

Aikema Frisian
Means "son of Aike".

Aiken English
From the medieval given name Atkin, a diminutive of Adam.

Ainsworth English
Habitational name for a person from the village of Ainsworth near Manchester, itself from the Old English given name Ægen and worþ meaning "enclosure".

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

Akerman English
Variant of Ackerman.

Akers English
Variant of Acker.

Akker Dutch
Dutch form of Acker.

Akkerman Dutch
Dutch form of Ackermann.

Akkermans Dutch
Dutch form of Ackermann.

Akkersdijk Dutch
Originally denoted a person from the town of Akkersdijk, near Delft in the Netherlands. It means "field by the dyke" in Dutch.

Alan English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Alberda Dutch
Derived from the given name Albert.

Alberdingk Dutch
Variant of Alberink.

Alberink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Albert" in Dutch.

Albers Dutch
Means "son of Albert".

Albert English, French, Catalan, Hungarian, Romanian, German
Derived from the given name Albert.

Alberts English, Dutch
Means "son of Albert".

Albertson English
Means "son of Albert".

Albinson English
Means "son of Albin".

Albrecht German
From the given name Albrecht.

Albring Dutch
Variant of Alberink.

Albronda Dutch
From the name of various streets in the Netherlands.

Alden English
Derived from the Old English given name Ealdwine.

Aldenberg Dutch
Variant of Aaldenberg.

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

Alderliesten Dutch
From Dutch allerliefste meaning "most dearest". This name could have referred to the nature of the person or perhaps a phrase the person commonly used.

Alders Dutch
Means "son of Aldert".

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

Aleshire German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Alscher.

Alexander English
Derived from the given name Alexander.

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

Alfons Dutch
From the given name Alfons.

Alfredson English
Means "son of Alfred".

Alger English
From the given name Algar.

Aling Dutch
Variant of Alink.

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

Alkema Frisian
Means "son of Alke".

Allan English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Allard French, English
Derived from the given name Adalhard (or the Old English cognate Æðelræd).

Allen English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Alles Dutch
Means "son of Alle".

Allison English
Means "son of Alan" or "son of Alexander" (as well as other given names beginning with Al).

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

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

Alscher German
Means "son of Adalheidis".

Alserda Frisian
Designated a person who was from a farm called Alserd, of uncertain meaning.

Altena Dutch
From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "close, near" in Dutch.

Althaus German
Name for a person dwelled in or by an old house, from German alt "old" and haus "house".

Althuis Dutch
Dutch cognate of Althaus.

Alting Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Alte 2" in Dutch.

Altink Dutch
Variant of Alting.

Alvey English
Derived from the given name Ælfwig.

Alvin English
Variant of Elwyn.

Amsel 2 German
Means "blackbird" in German.

Amsing Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Amse" in Dutch.

Ananias Dutch
From the Latin given name Ananias.

Andela Dutch
From the given name Andreas.

Anderson English
Means "son of Andrew".

Andreas German
Derived from the given name Andreas.

Andres German
Derived from the given name Andreas.

Andrews English
Means "son of Andrew".

Andrewson English
Variant of Anderson.

Andries Dutch
Derived from the given name Andries.

Andriessen Dutch
Means "son of Andries".

Andringa Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Andries" in Dutch.

Anema Frisian
Means "son of Ane 2".

Angenent Dutch
Referred to person who lived at the end of the road or the village, derived from Dutch an gen ent meaning "at the end".

Anholts Dutch
Originally denoted a person from Anholt in the Netherlands, which means "hold, rest" in Dutch (a place where people could rest for the night).

Anjema Frisian
Denoted a person from the village of Anjum in the Netherlands. It possibly means "corner" in Dutch.

Anker Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Metonymic surname for a sailor, meaning "anchor" in Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.

Annema Frisian
Means "son of Anne 2".

Annevelink Dutch
From Dutch aan 't veldink meaning "next to the little field".

Ansel English
Derived from the given name Anselm.

Anson English
Means "son of Agnes".

Antema Frisian
Means "son of Ante 2".

Anthony English
From the given name Anthony.

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

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

Antonise Dutch
Derived from the given name Antonius.

Antuma Frisian
Variant of Antema.

Apeldoorn Dutch
From the name of a city in the Netherlands, meaning "apple tree" in Dutch.

Appeldoorn Dutch
Variant of Van Apeldoorn.

Appelhof Dutch
Indicated a person who lived by or at an apple garden, from Dutch appel "apple" and hof "yard, court".

Appelo Dutch
Indicated a person who was from a farm called Aperloo, probably a derivative of appel meaning "apple".

Apperlo Dutch
Variant of Appelo.

Appleby English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English æppel "apple" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".

Appleton English
From the name of several English towns, meaning "orchard" in Old English (a compound of æppel "apple" and tun "enclosure, yard").

Apted English
Probably from an unidentified place name meaning "up tower" in Old English.

Arbeid Dutch
From Dutch arbeid meaning "work".

Arbeider Dutch
From Dutch arbeider meaning "worker".

Arbeit German
From German arbeit meaning "work".

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

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

Arends Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arendse Afrikaans
Variant of Arends.

Arendsen Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Arents Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Arentz Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Ariesen Dutch
Means "son of Aris 2".

Arissen Dutch
Variant of Ariesen.

Arkema Frisian
Means "son of Arke 2".

Arkes Dutch
Means "son of Arke 2".

Arkwright English
Occupational name meaning "chest maker", from Middle English arc meaning "chest, coffer" and wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".

Armbrüster German
Variant of Armbruster.

Armbruster German
Means "crossbow maker" from German armbrust "crossbow". The word armbrust was originally from Latin arcuballista meaning "bow ballista", but was modified under the influence of German arm "arm" and brust "breast".

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

Armstrong English
Means "strong arm" from Middle English. Tradition holds that the family is descended from Siward, an 11th-century Earl of Northumbria. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), a jazz musician, and Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), an astronaut who was the first person to walk on the moon.

Arnold English, German
Derived from the given name Arnold.

Arntz Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arntzen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arntzenius Dutch
Latinized form of Arntzen.

Arrington English
From the name of a town in Cambridgeshire, originally meaning "Earna's settlement" in Old English (Earna being a person's nickname meaning "eagle").

Arterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Arterbury English
Variant of Atteberry.

Arthur English, French
From the given name Arthur.

Arthurson English
Means "son of Arthur".

Arts 1 Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Arts 2 Dutch
Dutch cognate of Arzt.

Artz Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Arzt Dutch
Means "doctor, physician" in German, ultimately from Latin archiater.

Ash English
From Old English æsc meaning "ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.

Ashley English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Ashton English
Denoted a person from one of the towns in England that bear this name, itself derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Ashworth English
From an English place name meaning "ash enclosure" in Old English.

Asjes Dutch
Variant of Askes.

Askes Dutch
Means "son of Aske", a diminutive of Asse.

Asselman Dutch
Denoted a person from Assel, Asselt or Hasselt, the name of communities in the Netherlands and Belgium. They derive from Old Dutch ask "ash tree" and loh "woods on sandy soil", or hasal "hazel tree".

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

Assendorp Dutch
From the name of a place called Assendorp, composed of Dutch essen and dorp, meaning "ash tree village".

Assies Dutch
Means "son of Asse".

Assink Dutch
From a place name meaning "(farm) belonging to Asse".

Aston 1 English
From a place name meaning "east town" in Old English.

Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.

Atkins English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Atkinson English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Atsma Frisian
Means "son of Atse".

Attaway English
Means "at the way", originally denoting someone who lived close to a road.

Atteberry English
Means "dweller at the fortified town" from Middle English at and burh "fortified place".

Atterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Attwater English
Variant of Atwater.

Attwood English
Variant of Atwood.

Atwater English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".

Atwood English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the wood".

Audley English
From a place name meaning "Ealdgyð's clearing" in Old English.

Aue German
From German meaning "meadow by a river, wetland". There are many places with this name in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Auer German
From German Aue, Old High German ouwa, meaning "meadow by a river, wetland".

Augustin French, German
From the given name Augustin.

Augustine English
From the given name Augustine 1.

Aukema Frisian
Means "son of Auke".

Aukes Dutch
Dutch form of Aukema.

Aust German
Derived from Aust, an archaic diminutive of August.

Austin English
Derived from the given name Austin.

Auteberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

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

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

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

Aveskamp Dutch
From a place name meaning "edge of camp" in Dutch.

Ayers 1 English
From Middle English eir meaning "heir".

Ayers 2 English
Derived from the given name Ealhhere.

Ayers 3 English
Indicated a person from the town of Ayr in Scotland. The town was named for the river that flows through it, itself derived from an Indo-European root meaning "water".

Aylmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

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".

Baaiman Dutch
Means "son of Baaij", the given name Baaij being a diminutive of names like Baugulf, Boudewijn or Bernard.

Baak Dutch
From a Frisian given name, a short form of Germanic names starting with the element batu "fight, struggle".

Baanders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Banner.

Baar Dutch
Variant of Baars.

Baarda Frisian
From the name of the town of Baard in the Netherlands, possibly derived from a given name that was a variant of Bert.

Baardwijk Dutch
From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly from Baard, a variant of Bert, and wijk meaning "neighbourhood, district".

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

Baarsma Frisian
Indicated a person coming from the small town of Beers in Frisia.

Baart Dutch
Means "beard" in Dutch, originally describing a person who wore a beard.

Baas Dutch
Means "boss, overseer" in Dutch.

Baasch Low German
From Middle Low German bas meaning "boss".

Babcock English
Derived from the medieval name Bab, possibly a diminutive of Bartholomew or Barbara.

Bach 1 German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream, from Middle High German bach meaning "stream". This name was borne by members of the Bach musical family, notably the composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).

Bachman German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Bachmann.

Bachmann German
Denoted a person who lived near a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and man "man".

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

Bäcker German
Variant of Becker, mostly found in northern Germany.

Backus English
Means "bakery", an occupational name for a baker, from Old English bæchus literally "bake house".

Badcock English
From a diminutive of the medieval given name Bada.

Bader German
Derived from Old High German bad "bath", most likely referring to a bath attendant.

Bagley English
From various English place names, derived from the Old English given name Bacga combined with leah "woodland, clearing".

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

Baier German
Variant of Bayer.

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

Bain English
Variant of Baines 2.

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

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

Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.

Bakhuizen Dutch
Means "bakery" from Dutch bak "bake" and huis "house", an occupational name for a baker.

Bakker Dutch
Dutch cognate of Baker, from Middle Dutch backere.

Baldwin English
Derived from the given name Baldwin.

Ball English
From Middle English bal, Old English beall meaning "ball". This was either a nickname for a rotund or bald person, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a ball-shaped feature.

Ballard English
Variant of Ball using a pejorative suffix.

Bambach German
Variant of Baumbach.

Bancroft English
From any of the various places of this name, derived from Old English bean meaning "bean" and croft meaning "small enclosed field".

Banister English
Variant of Bannister.

Banks English
Originally indicated someone who lived near a hillside or a bank of land.

Banner English
Occupational name for a flag carrier, derived from Old French baniere meaning "banner", ultimately of Germanic origin.

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

Bannister English
From Norman French banastre meaning "basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.

Barber English, Scottish
Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living, ultimately from Latin barba "beard".

Barclay English, Scottish
From the English place name Berkeley, derived from Old English beorc "birch" and leah "woodland, clearing". The surname was imported to Scotland in the 12th century.

Bardsley English
From the name a village near Manchester, from the Old English given name Beornræd and leah "woodland, clearing".

Barends Dutch
Means "son of Barend".

Barker English
From Middle English bark meaning "to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.

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

Barnes English
Denoted a person who worked or lived in a barn. The word barn is derived from Old English bere "barley" and ærn "dwelling".

Barnet English
Variant of Barnett.

Barnett English
Derived from Old English bærnet meaning "place cleared by burning".

Baron English, French
From the title of nobility, derived from Latin baro (genitive baronis) meaning "man, freeman", possibly from Frankish barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or acted like a baron.

Barr English
Indicated a person who lived near a barrier, from Old French barre.

Barret English
Variant of Barrett.

Barrett English
Probably derived from the Middle English word barat meaning "trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.

Bartlett English
From a diminutive form of Bartholomew.

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

Bartram English
From the given name Bertram.

Barwegen Frisian
Derived from the name of a village in Frisia meaning "road to the dike".

Bass English
English cognate of Basso.

Bates English
Means "son of Bate".

Bateson English
Means "son of Bate".

Battle English
From a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.

Batts English
Means "son of Bate".

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

Bauers German
Variant of Bauer.

Baum German, Jewish
Means "tree" in German. A famous bearer was the American author L. Frank Baum (1856-1919).

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

Baumbach German
From a place name meaning "tree stream" in German.

Baumer German
Variant of Baum.

Baumgarten German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Baumgärtner German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Baumgartner German
Occupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German Baumgarten "orchard" (derived from Baum "tree" and Garten "garden").