Browse Surnames

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".

Montague English
From a Norman place name meaning "sharp mountain" in Old French.

Montgomery English, Scottish
From a place name in Calvados, France meaning "Gumarich's mountain". A notable bearer was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.

Moon 2 English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Moyon in Normandy.

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

Moore 2 English
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Moore 3 English
Nickname for a person of dark complexion, from Old French more, Latin maurus, meaning "Moorish".

Mooren Dutch
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Moores English
Variant of Moore 1.

Moors English
Variant of Moore 1.

Morce English
Variant of Morriss.

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

Morison English
Variant of Morrison.

Morley English
From the name of various English towns, from Old English mor "moor, bog" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Morris English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh
Derived from the given name Maurice.

Morrish English
Variant of Morriss.

Morrison English
Means "son of Morris".

Morriss English
Derived from the given name Morris.

Morse English
Variant of Morriss.

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

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

Moser German
Name for someone who lived near a peat bog, from Middle High German mos.

Moses Jewish, English
Derived from the given name Moses.

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

Moss 2 English
From the given name Moses.

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

Mould English
From the given name Mauld, a medieval form of Matilda.

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

Mueller German
Variant of Müller.

Muhlfeld German
Means "mill field" in German.

Mulder Dutch
Dutch equivalent of Miller.

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Muller German
Variant of Müller.

Mullins 1 English
Derived from Norman French molin "mill".

Munson English
Patronymic formed from the Norman French nickname moun meaning "monk".

Murgatroyd English
From a place name meaning "Margaret's clearing".

Mutton English
Referred to a shepherd or else someone who in some way resembled a sheep, derived from Norman French mouton "sheep".

Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.

Myer English
From Old French mire meaning "doctor", derived from Latin medicus.

Myers English
Patronymic form of Myer or Mayer 3.

Myles English
From the given name Miles.

Mynatt English
Variant of Minett.

Nagel German, Dutch
Means "nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.

Nash English
Derived from the Middle English phrase atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).

Neal English
Derived from the given name Neil.

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

Nelissen Dutch
Means "son of Cornelis".

Nelson 1 English
Means "son of Neil". This name was borne by the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805).

Ness English, Scottish, Norwegian
From English ness and Norwegian nes meaning "headland, promontory", of Old Norse origin, originally referring to a person who lived there.

Neuman German, Jewish
Variant of Neumann.

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

Neville English, Irish
From the names of towns in Normandy, variously Neuville or Néville, meaning "new town" in French.

Newell English
Variant of Neville.

Newman English
English cognate of Neumann.

Newport English
Given to one who came from the town of Newport (which means simply "new port"), which was the name of several English towns.

Newton English
From the name of one of many English towns meaning "new town". A famous bearer was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).

Nicholls English
Derived from the given name Nichol.

Nichols English
Derived from the given name Nichol.

Nicholson English
Means "son of Nicholas". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Jack Nicholson (1937-).

Nicolson English
Variant of Nicholson.

Nielson English
Variant of Nelson 1.

Nifterick Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Nifterik Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Niftrik Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Nigel English
Derived from the given name Neil.

Niles English
Means "son of Neil".

Nixon English
Means "son of Nick". A famous bearer was the American president Richard Nixon (1913-1994).

Noble English, Scottish
From a nickname meaning "noble, high-born, illustrious", derived via Middle English and Old French from Latin nobilis. In some cases the nickname may have been given ironically to people of the opposite character.

Noel French, English
Either from the given name Noël, or else derived directly from Old French noel "Christmas" and given to a person who had a particular connection with the holiday.

Norman English
Referred to a person who was originally from Scandinavia or Normandy. Even before the Norman Conquest, Scandinavians were settling the north and east of England. The Normans who participated in the Conquest were originally from Scandinavia, but had been living in Normandy, France for over a century and spoke French.

Norris 1 English, Scottish
Means "from the north" from Old French norreis. It either denoted someone who originated in the north or someone who lived in the northern part of a settlement.

Norris 2 English
Means "wet nurse, foster mother" from Old French norrice, from Latin nutricius.

North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.

Northrop English
Originally denoted one who came from a town of this name England, meaning "north farm".

Norton English
From the name of various towns in England meaning "north town" in Old English.

Norwood English
Originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.

Nowell English
Variant of Noel.

Nuremberg German
Derived from the name of a city in Bavaria, Germany.

Nussbaum German, Jewish
Means "nut tree", derived from the German Nuss "nut" and Baum "tree".

Nye English
Originally indicated a person who lived near a river, from Middle English atten eye meaning "at the river".

Oakley English
From a place name meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. It was borne by American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).

Oberst German
From Old High German obar meaning "above, upper", indicating a person from the uppermost end of a village or the top of a house.

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".

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

Offermans Dutch
From Dutch offer meaning "offering, donation", referring to a person who collected money in a church.

Ogden English
From a place name derived from Old English ac "oak" and denu "valley".

Ogtrop Dutch
Originally denoted a person who was from the town of Ochtrup in Germany, which is of uncertain origin.

Ohme German
From Middle High German oem meaning "maternal uncle".

Oliver English, Catalan, German, French
Derived from the given name Oliver.

Oliverson English
Means "son of Oliver".

Oomen Dutch
Patronymic derived from Middle Dutch oom meaning "(maternal) uncle".

Oorschot Dutch
Variant of Van Oirschot.

Oppenheimer German
Originally indicated a person from Oppenheim, Germany, perhaps meaning "marshy home". A notable bearer was the American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967).

Osborne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

Osbourne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

Otis English
Means "son of Ode".

Ott English, German
From the given name Otto.

Otten Dutch
Means "son of Otto".

Otto German
From the given name Otto.

Oursler German
Originally a name designating a person from Ursel (now Oberursel) in Hesse, Germany.

Outlaw English
Means simply "outlaw" from Middle English outlawe.

Outterridge English
Derived from the Old English given name Uhtric.

Overton English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in England called Overton, meaning "upper settlement" or "riverbank settlement" in Old English.

Owen Welsh, English
From the Welsh given name Owain.

Owston English
Denoted a person who came from any one of the places in Britain called Ouston or Owston.

Pabst German
From German Papst, a cognate of Pope.

Paddon English
Variant of Patton.

Paden English
Variant of Patton.

Padmore English
Originally indicated a person from Padmore in England, derived from Old English padde "toad" and mor "moor, marsh".

Page English, French
Occupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".

Paget English, French
Diminutive of Page.

Pahlke German
Low German cognate of Peel.

Paige English
Variant of Page.

Pain English
Variant of Payne.

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.

Pander Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Panders Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Papke Low German
Low German diminutive form of papa (see Pope).

Papp 2 German
Nickname perhaps related to Late Latin pappare meaning "to eat".

Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pārēre meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin parere meaning "to produce, to give birth").

Paris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

Parish 1 English
Originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, which got its name from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii.

Parish 2 English
Derived from the medieval given name Paris, an Old French diminutive form of Patrick.

Park 2 English
From Middle English park, from Latin parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.

Park 3 English
From the medieval name Perkin, a diminutive of Peter.

Parker English
Means "keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.

Parkins English
Means "son of Parkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Parkinson English
Means "son of Parkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Parks English
Patronymic form of Park 3.

Parris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

Parrish English
Variant of Parish 1.

Parsons English
Originally denoted a son of a parson, a derivative of Latin persona "person".

Pasternack Polish (Anglicized), Yiddish
Americanized form of Pasternak.

Pasternak Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Yiddish
Means "parsnip" in various Slavic languages, ultimately from Latin pastinaca. A famous bearer was Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), author of Doctor Zhivago.

Paternoster English, Italian
Occupational name for a maker of rosaries, also called paternosters. They are derived from the Latin phrase pater noster "our Father", the opening words of the Lord's Prayer.

Paterson English, Scottish
Means "son of Patrick".

Patrick English
From the given name Patrick.

Patrickson English
Means "son of Patrick".

Patterson English, Scottish
Means "son of Patrick".

Patton English, Scottish
Diminutive of the medieval name Pate, a short form of Patrick.

Paul English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Paulis Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Paulissen Dutch
Means "son of Paul".

Paulson English
Means "son of Paul".

Pauwels Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Paul".

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

Paxton English
From an English place name meaning "Pœcc's town". Pœcc is an Old English name of unknown meaning.

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

Payton English
From the name of the town of Peyton in Sussex. It means "Pæga's town".

Peacock English
From Middle English pecok meaning "peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.

Peak English
Originally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.

Pearce English
From the given name Piers.

Pearson English
Variant of Pierson.

Peck 1 English
Variant of Peak.

Peck 2 English
Occupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English pekke.

Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).

Peerenboom Dutch
From Dutch meaning "pear tree", referring to someone who lived or worked at a pear orchard.

Peeters Dutch, Flemish
Dutch and Flemish variant of Peters.

Pemberton English
From the name of a town near Manchester, derived from Celtic penn meaning "hill" combined with Old English bere meaning "barley" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Pender 1 English
From Middle English pind "to pen up". This was an occupational name for someone who penned animals.

Pender 2 Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Penders Dutch
From Middle Dutch paender meaning "brewer", derived from panne meaning "pan, pot", ultimately from Latin patina.

Penn 1 English
Derived from various place names that were named using the Brythonic word penn meaning "hilltop, head".

Penn 2 English
Occupational name for a person who kept penned animals, from Old English penn.

Penner English
Variant of Penn 2.

Penners Dutch
Variant of Penders.

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

Pensak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Penzak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Penzig Yiddish
Denoted a person who came from Penzig, the German name for Pieńsk, a town in southwest Poland. It is derived from Polish pień meaning "stump, tree trunk".

Penzik Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Perkins English
Means "son of Perkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Perry 1 English
From Old English pirige meaning "pear tree", a derivative of peru meaning "pear", itself from Latin pirum. A famous bearer was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.

Peter English, German, Dutch
Derived from the given name Peter.

Peters English, German, Dutch
Means "son of Peter".

Peterson English
Means "son of Peter".

Petit French, Catalan, English
Means "small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.

Pettigrew English
Derived from Norman French petit "small" and cru "growth".

Peusen Dutch
Derived from the given name Pascal.

Peyton English
Variant of Payton.

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

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

Pfenning German
From Old High German pfenning meaning "penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.

Phelps English
Means "son of Philip".

Philips English, Dutch
Means "son of Philip". Famous bearers of this surname were Frederick Philips (1830-1900) and his son Gerard (1858-1942), the Dutch founders of the company Philips.

Phillips English
Means "son of Philip".

Pichler Upper German
From Bavarian Bühel meaning "hill".

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

Pickle English
Derived from Middle English pighel meaning "small field".

Pierce English
From the given name Piers.

Pierson English
Means "son of Piers".

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

Piper English
Originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).

Pitt English
Originally given to a person who lived near a pit or a hole, derived from Old English pytt "pit".

Pittman English
Variant of Pitt.

Pitts English
Indicated a person who lived by a pit or hollow, from Old English pytt. It could also indicate a person from Pitt (Hants) or Pett (East Sussex) in England.

Planck German
German variant of Plank.

Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.

Plaskett English
Originally denoted a dweller by a swampy meadow, from Old French plascq meaning "wet meadow".

Platt English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.

Pletcher German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Pletscher.

Pletscher German
Possibly from the name of a field where cattle fodder was grown, from German Bletsch.

Pocock English
Variant of Peacock.

Pohl 1 Low German
Low German cognate of Poole.

Pohl 2 German
From the given name Paul.

Poindexter English
From the Jèrriais surname Poingdestre meaning "right fist".

Polley English
From Old French poli meaning "polite, courteous".

Polzin German
From the name of a town in Pomerania, Poland (formerly part of Germany). In Polish it is called Połczyn.

Pond English
Originally referred to one who lived near a pond.

Poole English
From Old English pol meaning "pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.

Pope English
From a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin papa, ultimately from Greek πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".

Porcher English, French
Means "swineherd" from Old French and Middle English porchier, from Latin porcus "pig".

Porsche German
Possibly derived from German Bursche meaning "boy, servant" or from the given name Boris.

Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Portner Low German
Low German cognate of Porter.

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

Potter English
Occupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.

Pottinger English
Occupational name, either for an apothecary, from Old French potecaire, or a seller of stew, from Old French potagier.

Pound English
Occupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English pund "animal enclosure".

Powell Welsh, English
Derived from Welsh ap Hywel meaning "son of Hywel".

Power 1 English, Irish
From Old French Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.

Power 2 English
From Middle English povre meaning "poor", via Old French from Latin pauper. It could have been a nickname for someone who had no money or a miser.

Powers English
Variant of Power 1 or Power 2.

Pratt English
From Old English prætt meaning "trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.

Prescott English
From the name of various English places meaning "priest's cottage" in Old English.

Presley English
Variant of Priestley. This name was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).

Pressley English
Variant of Priestley.

Preston English
Originally derived from various place names meaning "priest town" in Old English.

Pretorius Afrikaans
From Latin praetor meaning "leader". This name was adopted in the 17th century by Wesselius Praetorius as a Latin translation of his previous surname Schulte. It is now common in South Africa.

Priestley English
From a place name meaning "priest clearing", from Old English preost and leah.

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

Prinz German, Jewish
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.

Protz German
From a nickname meaning "showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".

Proudfoot English
Nickname for a person with a proud step.

Pryor English
Originally belonged to one who was a prior (a religious official), or one who worked for a prior.

Purcell English
From Old French pourcel "piglet", from Latin porcellus, a derivative of porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.

Putnam English
From Puttenham, the name of towns in Hertfordshire and Surrey in England, which mean "Putta's homestead".

Queen English
From a given name that was derived from Old English cwen meaning "queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.

Quick English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".

Quickley 1 English
Variant of Quick.

Quincey English
Variant of Quincy.

Quincy English
Originally from various place names in Normandy that were derived from the given name Quintus.

Radcliff English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.

Radclyffe English
Variant of Radcliff.

Rademacher Low German
Low German cognate of Rademaker.

Rademaker Dutch
From the occupation of rademaker meaning "maker of wheels", from Dutch rad meaning "wheel".

Rademakers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Raine 1 English
From a nickname derived from Old French reine meaning "queen".

Raine 2 English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".

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).

Rains English
Variant of Raines.

Rake English
Originally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English hrace meaning "throat, gorge".

Rakes English
Variant of Rake.

Ramaker Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ramakers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Rameckers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ramsey English, Scottish
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.

Randal English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randall English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randell English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randolph English
Derived from the given name Randolf.

Rapp 2 German
From Middle High German raben meaning "raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.

Rasch German
German form of Rask.

Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.

Raskop German
Variant of Raskopf.

Raskopf German
Possibly from German rasch "quick" and Kopf "head".

Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.

Rayne English, French
Variant of Raine 1 or Raine 2.

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

Read 2 English
From Old English ryd, an unattested form of rod meaning "cleared land". It is also derived from various English place names with various meanings, including "roe headland", "reeds" and "brushwood".

Readdie English
Variant of Ready 1.

Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".

Reed English
Variant of Read 1.

Reese 2 Low German
Low German cognate of Riese.

Reeve English
Occupational name derived from Middle English reeve, Old English (ge)refa meaning "sheriff, prefect, local official".

Reeves English
Variant of Reeve.

Regenbogen German, Jewish
From a German nickname meaning "rainbow", probably a habitational name for someone who lived in a house with the sign of a rainbow. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Reich German, Jewish
Nickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German rihhi "rich, powerful".

Reid Scottish, English
Scots variant of Read 1.

Reier German
Variant of Reiher.

Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.

Reijnders Dutch, Frisian
Variant of Reinders.

Reinders Dutch, Frisian
From the given name Reindert.

Reis German, Jewish
From Middle High German ris meaning "twig, branch, bush", denoting a person who lived in an overgrown area. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Reiter German
Variant of Reuter 1.

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".

Rennell English
Variant of Reynolds.

Rennold English
Variant of Reynolds.

Rennoll English
Variant of Reynolds.

Rettig German
Derived from Middle High German retich, Middle Low German redik meaning "radish", an occupational name for a grower or seller of radishes.

Reuter 1 German
Fom Middle High German riute meaning "cleared land".

Reuter 2 German
From Middle High German riutœre meaning "highwayman, thief".

Revie English
Variant of Reeve.

Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.

Rey 2 English
Means "female roe deer" from Old English ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.

Reyer German
Variant of Reiher.

Reynders Dutch, Frisian
Variant of Reinders.

Reynell English
Variant of Reynolds.

Reynolds English
Derived from the given name Reynold.

Rhodes English
Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.