Surnames of Length 3

This is a list of surnames in which the length is 3.
usage
length
Abe 1 Japanese
From Japanese (a) meaning "peace" and (be) meaning "multiple times".
Abe 2 Japanese
From Japanese (a) meaning "peace" and (be) meaning "part, section".
Abt German
German cognate of Abate.
Ali Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Ali 1.
Alò Italian
Variant of Aloi.
Ash English
From Old English æsc meaning "ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.
Aue German
From German meaning "meadow by a river, wetland". There are many places with this name in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Bai Chinese
From Chinese (bái) meaning "white".
Bak Danish
Means "slope, hillside" in Danish, from Old Norse bakki "bank".
Bos Dutch
Variant of Bosch 1.
Bùi Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Pei, from Sino-Vietnamese (bùi).
Bul Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bull.
Cai Chinese
From Chinese (cài) referring to the ancient state of Cai that existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Cao Chinese
From Chinese (cáo) referring to the ancient state of Cao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
Cho Korean
Korean form of Zhao, from Sino-Korean (jo).
Chu Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese (see Zhu).
Cox English
Patronymic form of Cock.
Coy English
Means "quiet, shy, coy" from Middle English coi.
Dam Dutch, Danish
Means "dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".
Das Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Hindi, Marathi
Means "servant, devotee" in Sanskrit.
Day English
From a diminutive form of David.
Eld Swedish
From Old Norse eldr, modern Swedish eld, meaning "fire".
Ely English
From the name of a town in eastern England meaning "eel district".
Fan Chinese
From Chinese (fàn) meaning "bee".
Fay 1 French, English
Referred to a person who came from various places named Fay or Faye in northern France, derived from Old French fau "beech tree", from Latin fagus.
Fay 2 English
From a nickname for a person who was thought to have magical qualities, from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted".
Fox English
From the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.
Fry English
From Old English frig (a variant of freo) meaning "free".
Fux German
Variant of Fuchs.
Gál Hungarian
Derived from the given name Gál.
Gao Chinese
From Chinese (gāo) meaning "tall, high".
Gil Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Gil 1.
Gim Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Kim).
Guo Chinese
From Chinese (guō) meaning "outer city".
Han Chinese, Korean
From Chinese (hán) referring to the ancient state of Han, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Shanxi and Henan provinces.
Hou Chinese
From Chinese (hóu) meaning "lord, nobleman".
Hsu 1 Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese (see Xu 1).
Hsu 2 Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese (see Xu 2).
Ion Romanian
From the given name Ion 1.
Ito Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 伊藤 (see Itō).
Itō Japanese
From Japanese (i) meaning "this" and () meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
Jež um Slovene, Czech
Cognate of Jeż.
Jeż Polish
Means "hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.
Jin Chinese
From Chinese (jīn) meaning "gold".
Joó Hungarian
Variant of .
Kay 1 English
Derived from the given name Kay 2.
Kay 2 English
Derived from Old French kay meaning "wharf, quay", indicating one who lived near or worked on a wharf.
Keo Khmer
Means "glass" in Khmer.
Key 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.
Key 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.
Kim Korean
Korean form of Jin, from Sino-Korean (gim) meaning "gold". This is the most common surname in South Korea.
Kis Hungarian
Variant of Kiss.
Koç Turkish
Means "ram" in Turkish.
Kok Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.
Kos Slovene
Means "blackbird" in Slovene.
Lam Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Lin.
Lau Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Liu.
Law English
Derived from Old English hlaw "hill".
Lee 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".
Lee 2 Korean, Chinese
Korean form of Li 1, from Sino-Korean (i). This is the second most common surname in South Korea. It is also a variant Chinese romanization of Li 1.
Lie Norwegian
From Norwegian li, Old Norse hlíð meaning "hillside, slope".
Lim Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Lin.
Lin Chinese
From Chinese (lín) meaning "forest".
Lis Polish
Means "fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.
Liu Chinese
From Chinese (liú) meaning "kill, destroy". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Han dynasty.
Low English
Variant of Law.
Lum English
From the name of towns in England called Lumb, probably from Old English lum "pool".
Luo Chinese
From Chinese (luó) referring to the minor state of Luo, which existed from the 11th to 7th centuries BC in what is now Hubei province.
Mah Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese (see Ma).
Mai Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Mei, from Sino-Vietnamese (mai).
Man Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wen.
Mas 1 Catalan
Means "farmhouse" in Catalan.
May English
Derived from the given name Matthew.
Mei Chinese
From Chinese (méi) meaning "plum, apricot".
Moe Norwegian
Means "sandy ground" in Norwegian.
Mun Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Moon 1).
Ngo Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Ngô.
Ngô Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 1, from Sino-Vietnamese (ngô).
Nye English
Originally indicated a person who lived near a river, from Middle English atten eye meaning "at the river".
Ola Basque
From Basque ola meaning "hut, small house, forge".
Ong Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Wang 1.
Ono Japanese
From Japanese (o) meaning "small" and (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Orr Scottish
From a nickname derived from Gaelic odhar meaning "dun-coloured, greyish brown, tan".
Ott English, German
From the given name Otto.
Pál Hungarian
Derived from the given name Pál.
Pan 1 Provençal
Means "baker", from Latin panis meaning "bread".
Pan 2 Chinese
From Chinese (pān) meaning "water in which rice has been rinsed", and also referring to a river that flows into the Han River.
Pap Hungarian
Variant of Papp 1.
Paz Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.
Pei Chinese
From Chinese (péi), possibly referring to an ancient city.
Pék Hungarian
Means "baker" in Hungarian.
Pop Romanian
Variant of Popa.
Rae Scottish
Variant of McRae.
Rao 1 Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit राज (rāja) meaning "king".
Rao 2 Italian
Derived from the given name Raul.
Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.
Ren Chinese
From Chinese (rén), of uncertain meaning.
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.
Róg Polish
Means "animal horn" in Polish.
Rot German, Jewish
Variant of Roth.
Roy 2 Scottish
From Gaelic ruadh meaning "red-haired".
Ruf German
From the given name Rolf.
Rye English
Topographic name. It could be a misdivision of the Middle English phrases atter ye meaning "at the island" or atter eye meaning "at the river". In some cases it merely indicated a person who lived where rye was grown or worked with rye (from Old English ryge).
Sas Hungarian
Means "eagle" in Hungarian.
Son Korean
Korean form of Sun, from Sino-Korean (son).
Sun Chinese
From Chinese (sūn) meaning "grandchild, descendant". A famous bearer of the surname was Sun Tzu, the 6th-century BC author of The Art of War.
Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.
Tar Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian tar meaning "bald".
Tod English
Variant of Todd.
Tos Spanish
Spanish form of Tosi.
Tót Hungarian
Variant of Tóth.
Tse Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xie.
Tso Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Cao.
Văn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wen, from Sino-Vietnamese (văn).
Vik Norwegian
Means "cove, inlet" in Norwegian.
Vos Dutch
Dutch cognate of Voss.
Way English
From Old English weg meaning "way, road, path".
Wei Chinese
From Chinese (wèi) referring to the ancient state of Wei, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong provinces.
Wen Chinese
From Chinese (wén) meaning "literature, culture, writing".
Xie Chinese
From Chinese (xiè) referring to the minor state of Xie, which existed in what is now Hubei province.
Xun Chinese
From Chinese (xún) meaning "plant, ancient state".
Yap English
From a nickname for a clever or cunning person, from Middle English yap meaning "devious, deceitful, shrewd".
Yun Korean
From Sino-Korean (yun) meaning "govern, oversee".
Zhu Chinese
From Chinese (zhū) meaning "vermilion red, cinnabar" and also referring to the ancient state of Zhu, which existed in what is now Shandong province. This was the surname of the emperors of the Ming dynasty.