Browse Surnames

Kistler German
Occupational name meaning "chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German kiste.

Kistner German
Variant of Kistler.

Kitchen English
Occupational name for a person who worked in a kitchen (of a monastery for example), derived from Old English cycene, ultimately from Latin coquina.

Kitchens English
Variant of Kitchen.

Klaasen Dutch
Means "son of Klaas".

Klassen German
Means "son of Klaus".

Klein German, Dutch, Jewish
Means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).

Klerk Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Klerken Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Klerks Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Klerkse Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Klerkx Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Klerx Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

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.

Kloeten Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Klossner German
Derived from German Klausner, Middle High German klosenære meaning "hermit".

Knaggs English
From Middle English knagg meaning "small mound, projection". It is found most commonly in the north of England, in particular Yorkshire.

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

Kneib German
Variant of Knef.

Kneller German
Originally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".

Knepp German
Variant of Knopf.

Knight English
From Old English cniht meaning "knight", a tenant serving as a mounted soldier.

Knochenmus German
From German Knochen "bone" and Mus "sauce". It probably referred to someone who worked in the butcher trade.

Knopf German
Means "button" in German, originally belonging to a button maker or button seller.

Knopp German
Variant of Knopf.

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

Koch German
German cognate of Cook.

Kock Low German, Dutch
Low German and Dutch cognate of Cook.

Koeman Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Koemans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Koenig German
German cognate of King.

Koenigsmann German
Variant of Königsmann.

Köhl German
Variant of Kohl.

Kohl German
Derived from Middle High German kol "cabbage".

Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.

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

Kok Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.

Kolbe German
From Middle High German kolbe meaning "club".

Kolen Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.

Kolijn Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.

Kollen Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.

König German
German cognate of King.

Königsmann German
Means "king's man", or someone who played a king in a play.

Koning Dutch
Dutch cognate of King.

Kool Dutch
Derived from a short form of the given name Nicolaas.

Koole Dutch
Derived from a short form of the given name Nicolaas.

Koolen Dutch
Derived from the given name Nicolaas.

Kools Dutch
Derived from the given name Nicolaas.

Koopman Dutch
Occupational name meaning "merchant" in Dutch.

Kopp German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Jakob.

Koster Dutch
Means "churchwarden, sexton" in Dutch, an occupational name for a caretaker of a church.

Koumans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Kraemer German
Variant of Krämer.

Krämer German
Means "shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German kram meaning "tent, trading post".

Kramer Low German, Jewish
Low German and Jewish form of Krämer.

Krantz German, Jewish
Variant of Kranz.

Kranz German, Jewish
Derived from Old High German kranz meaning "wreath", an occupational name for a maker of wreaths or an ornamental Jewish name.

Kraus German
From Middle High German krus meaning "curly", originally a nickname for a person with curly hair.

Krause German
Variant of Kraus.

Krauss German
Variant of Kraus.

Krauß German
Variant of Kraus.

Krebs German
Means "crab" in German, perhaps a nickname for a person with a crab-like walk.

Kröger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Kron German, Swedish
From German Krone and Swedish krona meaning "crown" (from Latin corona), perhaps a nickname for one who worked in a royal household.

Kroon Dutch, Estonian
Means "crown" in Dutch and Estonian (from Latin corona).

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

Krüger 1 German
In northern Germany an occupational name for a tavern keeper, derived from Middle Low German kroch meaning "tavern".

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

Kruger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Kruse German
Variant of Kraus.

Krusen Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cruyssen.

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

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

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

Kuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Kuiper Dutch
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Dutch.

Kuipers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Kundert German
Derived from the given name Konrad.

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

Kunkle German
Variant of Kunkel.

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

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

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

Kurz German
Means "short" in German, ultimately from Latin curtus.

Kurzmann German
Means "short man" in German.

Kyler Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cuyler.

Kynaston English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "Cynefrith's town" in Old English.

Lacey English
Derived from Lassy, the name of a town in Normandy. The name of the town was Gaulish in origin, perhaps deriving from a personal name that was Latinized as Lascius.

Lacy English
Variant of Lacey.

Lafrentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lafrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

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

Lamb English
From the name of the animal, perhaps a nickname for a shy person.

Landau German, Jewish
Derived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".

Landon English
Variant of Langdon.

Lane 1 English
Originally designated one who lived by a lane, a narrow way between fences or hedges, later used of any narrow pathway, including one between houses in a town.

Lang German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Langbroek Dutch
From the name of a small town in the province of Utrecht, Holland, derived from lang meaning "wide" and broek meaning "marsh, wetland".

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

Lange German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Langenberg German, Dutch
From various place names meaning "long mountain" in German and Dutch.

Langer German, Jewish
German cognate of Long.

Langford English
From any of various places in England with this name, derived from Old English lang "long" and ford "ford, river crossing".

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

Langston English
From any of the various locations in England with this name, derived from Old English lang "long" and stan "stone".

Laninga Frisian
From Frisian lân meaning "land".

Laurens Dutch
From the given name Laurens.

Laurenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lauwens Dutch
From the given name Laurens.

Lauwers Dutch
From the given name Laurens.

Law English
Derived from Old English hlaw "hill".

Lawrence English
Derived from the given name Laurence 1. Famous bearers include revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) and author D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930).

Lawrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lawson English
Means "son of Laurence 1".

Layton English
Derived from the name of English towns, meaning "town with a leek garden" in Old English.

Leach English
Originally indicated a person who was a physician, from the medieval practice of using leeches to bleed people of ills.

Leavitt English
From the name of various places called Livet in Normandy, France. They are possibly of Gaulish origin.

Ledford English
From the name of English places called Lydford, derived from hlud meaning "loud, noisy" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Lee 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".

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.

Lehmann German
From Middle High German lehenman meaning "vassal, liege man".

Lehr German
From Old High German loh meaning "meadow, clearing".

Leigh English
Variant of Lee 1.

Leighton English
Variant of Layton.

Leitner German
Referred to one who lived on a hillside, from Middle High German lite "slope".

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

Leitzke German
Either from Leitzkau, the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt, or from a diminutive of the given name Leutz, a variant of Lutz.

Lenz German
From a nickname meaning "springtime" in German.

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

Leonard English
Derived from the given name Leonard.

Leonardson English
Means "son of Leonard".

Leverenz German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Lewerenz.

Levitt English
Variant of Leavitt.

Lewerentz German
Variant of Lewerenz.

Lewerenz German
From a northern German form of the given name Lorenz.

Lewin English
Derived from the given name Leofwine.

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

Leyton English
Variant of Layton.

Lincoln English
Originally indicated that the bearer was from the English city of Lincoln, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". A famous bearer was Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.

Linden German, Dutch
Indicated a person who lived near a linden tree, derived from Old High German linta or Old Dutch linda.

Lindner German
Variant of Linden.

Lindon English
Variant of Lyndon.

Lindsay English, Scottish
From the region of Lindsey in Lincolnshire, which means "Lincoln island" in Old English.

Lindsey English, Scottish
Variant of Lindsay.

Linton English
Originally from place names meaning either "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English.

Linville English
From an unknown place name.

Linwood English
Originally from place names meaning "linden tree forest" in Old English.

Little English
Meaning simply "little", it was originally a nickname given to a short person.

Lloyd Welsh, English
Originally a nickname from the Welsh word llwyd meaning "grey".

Lockwood English
From an English place name meaning "enclosed wood".

Loewe German
Variant of Löwe.

Lohrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Loman Dutch
From various place names in the Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch loh meaning "meadow, clearing".

London English
From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain.

Long English
Originally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.

Longstaff English
Occupational name for an official who was equipped with a ceremonial staff, or a nickname for a tall person.

Lorentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lorenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lorenzen Danish, Low German
Means "son of Lorens".

Loris German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Loritz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

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

Lovel English
Variant of Lowell.

Lovelace English
From a nickname for a lothario, derived from Middle English lufeles, Old English lufuleas meaning "loveless".

Lovell English
Variant of Lowell.

Low English
Variant of Law.

Löwe German, Jewish
Means "lion" in German.

Lowe 2 English
Variant of Law.

Lowell English
From a nickname derived from a Norman French lou meaning "wolf" and a diminutive suffix.

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

Lucas English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch
Derived from the given name Lucas. A famous bearer of this surname is George Lucas (1944-), the creator of the Star Wars movies.

Lucassen Dutch
Means "son of Lucas".

Ludwig German
From the given name Ludwig.

Lukeson English (Rare)
Means "son of Luke".

Lum English
From the name of towns in England called Lumb, probably from Old English lum "pool".

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

Lyle English
Derived from Norman French l'isle meaning "island".

Lyndon English
Originally from a place name meaning "linden tree hill" in Old English.

Lynn English
From the name of a town in Norfolk (King's Lynn), derived from Welsh llyn meaning "lake".

Lynton English
Variant of Linton.

Lynwood English
Variant of Linwood.

Lyon 1 English, French
Originally denoted a person from the city of Lyon in central France, originally Latin Lugdunum, of Gaulish origin meaning "hill fort of Lugus". It could also denote a person from the small town of Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy.

Lyon 2 English, French
From a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English lion meaning "lion".

Lyon 3 French, English
From the given name Leon.

Lyons English
Variant of Lyon 1.

Maas Dutch, Low German
From the given name Maas.

Macey English
Variant of Massey.

Mack 2 Scottish, English
From the given name Mack 2.

Macy English
Variant of Massey.

Maddison English
Variant of Madison.

Madison English
Means "son of Maud". A famous bearer of this surname was the fourth American president James Madison (1751-1836).

Maes Flemish
Flemish form of Maas.

Maessen Dutch
Means "son of Maas".

Maier 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Major English
From the Norman French given name Mauger, derived from the Germanic name Malger.

Mallory English
From Old French maleüré meaning "unfortunate", a term introduced to England by the Normans.

Mandel German, Yiddish
Means "almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Mangold German
From the given name Managold.

Mann German, English
From a nickname meaning "man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.

Manning 1 English
Patronymic form of Mann.

Manz German
From a diminutive of the given name Managold.

Marchand English, French
Occupational name meaning "merchant", ultimately from Latin mercari "to trade".

Mark English
Derived from the given name Mark.

Markwardt German
Variant of Marquardt.

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).

Marlow English
Originally a name for a person from Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England. The place name means "remnants of a lake" from Old English mere "lake" and lafe "remnants, remains". A notable bearer was the English playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).

Marlowe English
Variant of Marlow.

Marquardt German
From Old High German marka "border, boundary" and wart "protector". This was an occupational name for a border guard.

Marquering Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Marquardt.

Marsden English
From a place name derived from Old English mearc "boundary" and denu "valley".

Marsh English
Originally denoted one who lived near a marsh or bog, derived from Old English mersc "marsh".

Marshall English
Derived from Middle English mareschal "marshal", from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German marah "horse" and scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.

Marston English
From a place name derived from Old English mersc "marsh" and tun "enclosure".

Martel 1 English, French
Derived from the given name Martel, a medieval diminutive of Martin.

Martel 2 French, English
Nickname for a smith, derived from Old French martel "hammer", ultimately from Late Latin martellus.

Martell English
Variant of Martel 1 or Martel 2.

Martens Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Marten".

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

Martins English, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Martin.

Martinson English
Means "son of Martin".

Martz German
Derived from an old diminutive of Martin.

Marvin English
Derived from the Welsh given name Merfyn or the Old English name Mærwine.

Mas 2 Dutch, Low German
Variant of Maas.

Mason English
Occupational name for a stoneworker or layer of bricks, from Old French masson, of Frankish origin (akin to Old English macian "to make").

Massey English
Derived from Massy, the name of several towns in France. The name of the town is perhaps derived from a personal name that was Latinized as Maccius.

Masters English
Variant of Masterson.

Masterson English
Patronymic derived from Middle English maister meaning "master", via Old French from Latin magister.

Mathers English
Occupational name meaning "mower, cutter of hay" in Old English.

Mathews English
Derived from the given name Matthew.

Mathewson English
Means "son of Matthew".

Matthews English
Derived from the given name Matthew.

Matthewson English
Means "son of Matthew".

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

Maus German
From a nickname meaning "mouse", from Old High German mus.

May English
Derived from the given name Matthew.

Mayer 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Mayer 3 English
Occupational name for a mayor, from Middle English mair, derived via Old French from Latin maior.

Mayer 4 English
Variant of Myer.

Mayes English
Patronymic form of May.

Maynard English
Derived from the Old German given name Meginhard.

Meadows English
Referred to one who lived in a meadow, from Old English mædwe.

Meeuwes Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Meeuwessen Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Meeuwis Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Meeuwissen Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Meeuwsen Dutch
Derived from the Dutch given name Meeuw, which comes from Bartholomeus (see Bartholomew).

Meier 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Meijer Dutch
Dutch form of Meyer 1.

Mein German
Derived from the given name Meino.

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

Meinhardt German
Derived from the given name Meinhard.

Meisner German
Variant of Meissner.

Meissner German
Originally denoted a person from the German town of Meissen, which is probably of Slavic origin.

Melsbach German
From the name of a German town, possibly meaning "mill stream".

Mendel 2 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.

Mercer English
Occupational name for a trader in textiles, from Old French mercier, derived from Latin merx meaning "merchandise".

Merchant English
Variant of Marchand.

Merckx Dutch, Flemish
From the given name Mark.

Merkel German
From a diminutive of the given name Markus. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).

Merrill 1 English
Derived from the given name Muriel.

Merrill 2 English
From the name of various places in England, derived from Old English myrige "pleasant" and hyll "hill".

Merritt English
From an English place name meaning "boundary gate".

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

Merx Dutch, Flemish
From the given name Mark.

Messer German
Occupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German messer "knife".

Messerli German (Swiss)
Swiss diminutive form of Messer.

Messmann German
Variant of Messer.

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

Metz 1 German
Occupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German metze "knife".

Metz 2 German
Derived from Mätz, a diminutive of the given name Matthias.

Metzger German
Means "butcher" in German.

Meyer 1 German
From Middle High German meier meaning "bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings Meier and Meyer are more common in northern Germany while Maier and Mayer are more common in southern Germany.

Meyer 3 English
Variant of Mayer 3.

Meyer 4 English
Variant of Myer.

Meyers German, English
Patronymic form of Meyer 1, Mayer 3 or Myer.

Michael English, German
From the given name Michael.

Michaelis German
Derived from the given name Michael.

Michaels English
Derived from the given name Michael.

Michaelson English
Means "son of Michael".

Michel French, German, Dutch, Basque
Derived from the given name Michel, Michiel or Mitxel.

Michiels Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Michiel".

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".

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

Milburn English
Derived from various place names meaning "mill stream" in Old English.

Miles English
From the given name Miles.

Milford English
Originally derived from various place names all meaning "ford by a mill" in Old English.

Millard English
Variant of Millward.

Miller English
Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Millhouse English
Name for someone whose house was in a mill or who worked in a mill.

Mills English
Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.

Millward English
Means "guardian of the mill" in Old English.

Milton English
Derived from an English place name meaning "mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote "Paradise Lost".

Minett English
From the medieval given name Minna.

Mitchell 1 English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Michael.

Mitchell 2 English
Originally a nickname for a large person, from Old English micel "big".

Mohren German
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Möller Low German, Swedish
Low German and Swedish form of Müller.

Monday 1 English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Mundi.

Monday 2 English
Denoted a person for whom this was a significant day, often the day they would pay their feudal fees.

Mondy English
Variant of Monday 1 or Monday 2.