Surnames of Length 5

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

Aalto Finnish
From Finnish aalto meaning "wave". A famous bearer was Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976).

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".

Abano Italian
Originally denoted a person from the town of Abano, Latin Aponus, which was derived from the old Celtic root ab meaning "water".

Abate Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest", derived via Latin and Greek from an Aramaic word meaning "father". This was used either as a nickname or an occupational name for a worker in a priest's house.

Abbas Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Abbas.

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.

Abdel Arabic
From the given name Abdul.

Abdul Arabic, Pashto
From the given name Abdul.

Abeln German
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Albert.

Abels Dutch
Means "son of Abel".

Åberg Swedish
From Swedish å meaning "river, stream" and berg meaning "mountain".

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

Abram English
Derived from the given name Abraham.

Abreu Portuguese, Galician
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a given name that was of Germanic origin.

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

Acone Italian
Possibly from the name of a harbour in Bithynia (in modern Turkey).

Acqua Italian
Means "water" in Italian, indicating one who dwelt by or transported water.

Adair English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Adami Italian
Means "son of Adamo".

Adamo Italian
Italian form of Adam.

Adams English, Jewish
Derived from the given name Adam.

Adema Frisian
Means "son of Ade 2".

Adler German, Jewish
Means "eagle" in German.

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

Agani Italian
Means "son of Agano", a given name of unknown meaning.

Agema Frisian
Means "son of Age 1".

Aggio Italian
Possibly from the name Aggius, probably related to the Germanic name Agi.

Agócs Hungarian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Ágoston.

Ahmad Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Indian (Muslim)
Derived from the given name Ahmad.

Ahmed Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Indian (Muslim)
Derived from the given name Ahmad.

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

Akers English
Variant of Acker.

Akker Dutch
Dutch form of Acker.

Aksoy Turkish
From Turkish ak "white" and soy "lineage, ancestry".

Alden English
Derived from the Old English given name Ealdwine.

Alesi Italian
From the given name Alessio.

Alger English
From the given name Algar.

Aliev m Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, Chechen
Alternate transcription of Tajik/Kyrgyz/Chechen Алиев, Kazakh Әлиев or Avar ГӀалиев (see Aliyev).

Aling Dutch
Variant of Alink.

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

Allan English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Allen English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Alan.

Alles Dutch
Means "son of Alle".

Aloia Italian
Variant of Aloi.

Alves Portuguese
Means "son of Álvaro".

Alvey English
Derived from the given name Ælfwig.

Alvin English
Variant of Elwyn.

Amano Japanese
From Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Amato Italian
From the given name Amato.

Amiri Persian
From the given name Amir 1.

Amjad Arabic
Derived from the given name Amjad.

Amsel 1 Jewish
Derived from the given name Anshel.

Amsel 2 German
Means "blackbird" in German.

Anand Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi
Means "happiness, bliss" in Sanskrit.

Anaya Spanish
From the names of a few Spanish towns, possibly of Arabic origin meaning "stagnant water" or "path".

André French
Derived from the given name André.

Anema Frisian
Means "son of Ane 2".

Angus Irish, Scottish
From the given name Aonghus.

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

Ansel English
Derived from the given name Anselm.

Anson English
Means "son of Agnes".

Antal Hungarian
From the given name Antal.

Antić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Anto" or "son of Ante 1".

Antón Spanish
From the given name Antón.

Anton Romanian
From the given name Anton.

Antov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Anton".

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

Arany Hungarian
Means "golden" in Hungarian. A famous bearer of the name was Hungarian poet János Arany (1817-1882).

Araya Spanish
Denoted a person from Araia in the Basque Country, Spain. It is of uncertain meaning.

Arena Italian
Italian cognate of Arenas.

Arias Spanish
Possibly derived from a medieval given name of Germanic origin.

Arima Japanese
From Japanese 有 (ari) meaning "have, possess" and 馬 (ma) meaning "horse".

Arkes Dutch
Means "son of Arke 2".

Arntz Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Asano Japanese
From Japanese 浅 (asa) meaning "shallow" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Asjes Dutch
Variant of Askes.

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

Aslan Turkish
From the given name Aslan.

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

Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.

Astor Occitan
Derived from Occitan astur meaning "hawk". The wealthy and influential Astor family, prominent in British and American society, originated in the Italian Alps.

Atsma Frisian
Means "son of Atse".

Attar Persian
From Persian عطر (ʿaṭr) meaning "fragrance, perfume", ultimately from Arabic. It probably denoted a seller of perfume.

Aukes Dutch
Dutch form of Aukema.

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

Ávila Spanish
From the name of the city of Ávila in Spain. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly of Punic or Celtic origin.

Ayala Spanish
From the name of the town of Ayala (called Aiara in Basque) in Álava, Spain. It might be derived from Basque aiher "slope" or alha "pasture".

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".

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".

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

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

Babić Serbian, Croatian
Matronymic surname derived from Serbo-Croatian baba "grandmother, old woman".

Babič Slovene
Slovene form of Babić.

Babin French
From the given name Babin, a medieval diminutive of Babylas.

Badem Turkish
Derived from a Turkish word meaning "almond".

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

Bager Danish
Danish cognate of Baker.

Baggi Italian
Variant of Baggio.

Bagni Italian
From Italian bagno "bath", derived from Latin balneum, referring to a person who worked as a bath house attendant.

Baier German
Variant of Bayer.

Baird Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac an Baird.

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

Bakke Norwegian
Means "slope, hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Bălan Romanian
Means "blond" in Romanian.

Baláž m Slovak
Slovak form of Balázs.

Baldi Italian
Derived from the given name Baldo.

Balık Turkish
From a Turkish word meaning "fish".

Balog Hungarian
Variant of Balogh.

Banes Welsh
Variant of Baines 1.

Baník m Slovak
Means "miner" in Slovak.

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

Baran um Polish, Slovak, Ukrainian
Means "ram, male sheep" in Polish, Slovak and Ukrainian.

Barbu Romanian
From Romanian barbă meaning "beard".

Barış Turkish
From the given name Barış.

Barna Hungarian
Means "brown" in Hungarian.

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.

Barre French
French cognate of Barr.

Bárta m Czech
From a given name that was a diminutive of Bartoloměj.

Barta Hungarian
From the given name Barta.

Bašić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the chief", derived from Serbo-Croatian baša meaning "chief, boss" (of Turkish origin).

Bassi Italian
Variant of Basso, common in northern Italy.

Basso Italian
Originally a nickname for a short person, from Latin bassus "thick, low".

Bates English
Means "son of Bate".

Batts English
Means "son of Bate".

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

Bayer German
Originally denoted a person from Bavaria, from its German name Bayern.

Beake English
Variant of Beck 3.

Becke German
Variant of Beck 1 or Beck 2.

Beech 1 English
English cognate of Bach 1.

Beech 2 English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a beech tree, from Old English bece.

Begam Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
Alternate transcription of Urdu بیگم, Bengali বেগম or Gurmukhi ਬੇਗਮ (see Begum).

Begum Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
From a title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in India and other parts of southern Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the Turkic title beg meaning "chieftain" (modern Turkish bey).

Bello Spanish, Italian
Means "beautiful" in Spanish and Italian, originally a nickname for an attractive person.

Beltz German
Occupational name for a tanner of hides, derived from Middle High German belz meaning "fur".

Benes Hungarian
Hungarian form of Beneš.

Beneš m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Benedikt.

Beran m Czech
Derived from Czech beran meaning "ram, male sheep".

Berge Norwegian, German, Swedish
Variant of Berg.

Berne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Berry English
Derived from a place name, which was derived from Old English burh "fortification".

Berti Italian
Derived from the given name Berto.

Bevan Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Evan meaning "son of Evan".

Beyer German
Variant of Bayer.

Biagi Italian
Means "son of Biagio".

Björk Swedish
From Swedish björk meaning "birch tree", Old Norse bjǫrk.

Black English
Means either "black" (from Old English blæc) or "pale" (from Old English blac). It could refer to a person with a pale or a dark complexion, or a person who worked with black dye.

Bláha m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Blažej.

Blain Scottish
From the given name Bláán.

Blair Scottish
From any one of several places of this name in Scotland, which derive from Gaelic blàr meaning "plain, field, battlefield".

Blake English
Variant of Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).

Blanc French
Means "white" in French. The name referred to a person who was pale, or whose hair was blond.

Bobal m Czech
Derived from Czech bob meaning "bean".

Boels Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Böhme German
Variant of Böhm.

Bokor Hungarian
Topographic name derived from Hungarian bokor "bush". This is also the name of a village in Hungary.

Boone English
Variant of Boon 1 or Boon 2.

Booth English
Topographic name derived from Middle English both meaning "hut, stall".

Borde French
From Old French bord meaning "board, plank", derived from Frankish *bord. This name belonged to a person who lived in a house made of planks.

Borja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the Spanish town of Borja in Aragon, derived from Arabic برْج (burj) meaning "tower".

Boros Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian bor "wine". Originally it could have indicated someone who made or sold wine.

Borst Dutch
From a nickname derived from Dutch borst "chest".

Bösch 1 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Sebastian.

Bösch 2 Low German
Variant of Bosch 1.

Bosch 1 Dutch, Low German
Derived from Middle Dutch bosch meaning "wood, forest".

Bosch 2 Catalan
Catalan cognate of Bosco.

Bosco Italian
Means "forest" in Italian.

Boško m Slovak
Derived from Slovak bosý meaning "barefoot".

Bosko Polish
Derived from Polish bosy meaning "barefoot".

Botha Afrikaans
South African variant of Both.

Bothe Dutch
Variant of Both.

Bover Catalan
Catalan cognate of Bove.

Bowen Welsh
From Welsh ap Owain meaning "son of Owain".

Bower English
From Old English bur meaning "dwelling, room".

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).

Boyce English
From Old French bois meaning "wood", originally given to someone who lived by or in a wood.

Boyer Occitan
Occitan cognate of Bouvier.

Boyko Ukrainian
Originally indicated a member of the Boykos, an ethnic group of western Ukraine.

Boyle Irish
From Irish Ó Baoighill meaning "descendant of Baoigheall". The meaning of the given name Baoigheall is uncertain, but it is thought to be connected to Irish geall meaning "pledge".

Božić Croatian
Means "Christmas" in Croatian, a diminutive of bog meaning "god".

Braam Dutch
Derived from the given name Bram.

Brady Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish name Ó Brádaigh meaning "descendant of Brádach". A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Tom Brady (1977-).

Brams Danish
Derived from the given name Bram.

Brand 1 German, Dutch, English
Derived from the Old German given name Brando or its Old Norse cognate Brandr.

Brand 2 German, Dutch
From Old High German brant or Old Dutch brand meaning "fire", originally a name for a person who lived near an area that had been cleared by fire.

Brant German, English
Variant of Brand 1 and Brand 2.

Braun German
Means "brown" in German.

Bravo Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "angry, bold, brave" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Breda Italian
From the name of a town near Venice, possibly derived from a Lombardic word meaning "field".

Breen Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Braoin meaning "descendant of Braon", a byname meaning "rain, moisture, drop".

Brent English
Originally derived from the name of a hill (or the village nearby) in Somerset, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".

Brett English
Originally a name given to someone who was a Breton or a person from Brittany.

Bretz German
Indicated a person from the town of Breetz in Brandenburg, Germany. The meaning of the town's name is unknown.

Brice English
From the given name Brice.

Brkić Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Serbo-Croatian brk meaning "moustache, whisker".

Brock English
Derived from Old English brocc meaning "badger", ultimately of Celtic origin.

Brody Scottish
Variant of Brodie.

Brook English
Denoted a person who lived near a brook, a word derived from Old English broc.

Brose German
Derived from the given name Ambrose.

Brotz German
Variant of Protz.

Brown English
Originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin. A notable bearer is Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.

Bruce Scottish
Possibly from the name of the town of Brix in Normandy, which is of unknown meaning. It was brought to Scotland in the 12th century by the Anglo-Norman baron Robert de Brus. It was later borne by his descendant Robert the Bruce, a hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland.

Bruhn German
Variant of Braun.

Bruin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Brown.

Brune German
Variant of Braun.

Bruno Italian, Portuguese
Means "brown" in Italian and Portuguese, a nickname for a person with brown hair or brown clothes. A famous bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).

Bryan English
From the given name Brian.

Bryce English
From the given name Brice.

Budai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the Hungarian city of Buda (one of the two cities that were joined to make Budapest in 1873).

Buday Hungarian
Variant of Budai.

Budny Polish
Possibly from Polish buda meaning "hut, cabin".

Bueno Spanish
From a nickname meaning "good" in Spanish.

Bulle Dutch
From the given name Boele.

Buono Italian
From a nickname meaning "good" in Italian.

Bureš m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the old Czech given name Burjan, a derivative of Jan 1.

Burke English, Irish
Derived from Middle English burgh meaning "fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.

Burns 1 English, Scottish
Derived from Old English burna "stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).

Burns 2 Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Busch German
Means "bush" in German, a name for someone who lived close to a thicket.

Busto Spanish, Italian
From the name of towns in Spain and Italy, derived from Late Latin bustum meaning "ox pasture".

Butts English
From a nickname meaning "thick, stumpy", from Middle English butt.

Byrne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Caden Irish
From Irish Mac Cadáin meaning "descendant of Cadán", a given name of unknown meaning.

Caito Italian
Occupational name from Sicilian càjitu meaning "official, leader", ultimately from Arabic قاضي (qāḍī) meaning "judge".

Calvo Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Means "bald" in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, from Latin calvus.

Campo Spanish, Italian
Means "field" in Spanish and Italian.

Camus French
Means "flat-nosed" in French. A notable bearer was the French philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960).

Cantú Spanish (Mexican)
Variant of Cantù, common in Mexico.

Cantù Italian
From Cantù, an Italian town located in Lombardy, itself of uncertain origin.

Carey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ciardha meaning "descendant of Ciardha".

Caron French
Variant of Charron.

Carré French
Means "square" in French, derived from Latin quadratus. It was used as a nickname for a squat person.

Casal Spanish
From the Spanish word casal meaning "farmhouse, country house", ultimately from Late Late casalis, from Latin casa.

Casas Spanish
From Spanish casa meaning "house", of Latin origin.

Casey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cathasaigh meaning "descendant of Cathassach".

Cason English
From the English place name Cawston, derived from the Old Norse given name Kálfr combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Cavan Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Caoimháin meaning "descendant of Caomhán".

Cavey Irish
Possibly an Anglicized form of Mac Daibhéid.

Cecil Welsh
From the Welsh given name Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name Sextilius, a derivative of Sextus.

Çelik Turkish
Occupational name for a metalworker, meaning "steel" in Turkish.

Černá f Czech
Feminine form of Černý.

Černý m Czech
Means "black" in Czech.

Chang Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 张 (see Zhang).

Chase English
Occupational name for a hunter, from Middle English chase "hunt".

Cheng 1 Chinese
From Chinese 程 (chéng) meaning "rule, order, regulations", also referring to the territory of Cheng (in present-day Henan province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.

Cheng 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zheng.

Chiba Japanese
From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf".

Chong Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zhang.

Chung Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 정 (see Jeong).

Čížek m Czech
Means "siskin" in Czech, referring to a type of bird in the finch family.

Čížik m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Čížek.

Claes Flemish
From the given name Klaus.

Clark English
Means "cleric" or "scribe", from Old English clerec meaning "priest", ultimately from Latin clericus. A famous bearer was William Clark (1770-1838), an explorer of the west of North America.

Clery Irish
Variant of Cleary.

Cline German (Anglicized), Jewish
Anglicized spelling of Klein.

Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Close English
From Middle English clos meaning "enclosure", a topographic name for someone who lived near a courtyard or farmyard.

Cocks English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Cohen Jewish
Means "priest" from Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohen). It originally denoted one of the priestly tribe of Levi.

Coiro Italian
From Italian cuoio meaning "leather", ultimately from Latin corium. This was an occupational surname for a leather worker or tanner.

Cokes English
Variant of Cook.

Colby English
From various English place names, which were derived from the Old Norse byname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "farm, settlement".

Colin French
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolas.

Colón Spanish
Spanish form of Colombo.

Combs English
Variant of Coombs.

Conti Italian
From the Italian noble title conte meaning "count", derived from Latin comes (genitive comitis) meaning "companion, attendant". It denoted a person who worked for a count or behaved like one.

Cooke English
Variant of Cook.

Corey English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Kóri, of unknown meaning.

Corna Italian
Derived from the names of places in northern Italy, especially Lombardy, from a word that means "crag, cliff" in the Lombard dialect.

Corrà Italian
From a short form of the given name Corrado.

Corti Italian
From Italian corte meaning "court, yard".

Corvi Italian
Nickname derived from Italian corvo meaning "crow".

Ćosić Croatian, Serbian
From Croatian and Serbian ćosav "beardless", ultimately from Persian کوسه (kūseh) meaning "shark".

Costa Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".

Coste French
French form of Costa.

Couch Cornish
From Cornish cough "red", indicating the original bearer had red hair.

Coupe English
From Middle English coupe meaning "barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.

Craig Scottish
Derived from Gaelic creag meaning "crag, rocks, outcrop", originally belonging to a person who lived near a crag.

Crewe English
Originally denoted someone from Crewe in Cheshire, which is from Welsh criu "weir, dam, fish trap".

Crisp English
English cognate of Crespo.

Croce Italian
Italian form of Cross.

Croft English
From Old English croft meaning "enclosed field".

Cross English
Locative name meaning "cross", ultimately from Latin crux. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.

Cunha Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Cunha, possibly from Portuguese cunha meaning "wedge".

Cuoco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.

Curie French
Occupational name for a farm hand, from Old French éscuerie "stable". Famous bearers were the married scientists Marie (1867-1934) and Pierre Curie (1859-1906), who studied radioactivity.

Curry Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Comhraidhe or Ó Corra.

Dalca Romanian
Meaning uncertain.

Daley Irish
Variant of Daly.

Darby English
From the name of the English town Derby, derived from Old Norse djúr "animal" and býr "farm, settlement".

Darcy English
From Norman French d'Arcy, originally denoting someone who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. A notable fictional bearer is Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

Darzi Persian
Means "tailor" in Persian.

Daube German
Variant of Taube.

Dávid um Hungarian, Slovak
From the given name Dávid.