Surnames Starting with A

usage
Alexander English
Derived from the given name Alexander.
Alexandre French, Portuguese
From the given name Alexandre.
Alexiou Greek
Means "son of Alexios".
Alfaro Spanish
Originally denoted someone who was from the city of Alfaro in La Rioja, Spain. It is possibly derived from Arabic meaning "the watchtower".
Alfarsi Arabic
Means "the Persian" in Arabic, derived from Arabic فارس (Fāris) meaning "Persia".
Alferink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Alfhard" in Dutch.
Alfero Italian
From the given name Adalfarus.
Alfons Dutch
From the given name Alfons.
Alfonso Spanish
From the given name Alfonso.
Alfredson English
Means "son of Alfred".
Alfredsson Swedish
Means "son of Alfred".
Alfson Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Alfsson.
Alfsson Swedish
Means "son of Alf 1".
Alger English
From the given name Algar.
Al-Ghazzawi Arabic
Originally indicated a person who came from Gaza in Palestine.
Al-Hashim Arabic
From the given name Hashim.
Ali Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Ali 1.
Aliberti Italian
Means "son of Alberto".
Aliev m Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, Chechen
Alternate transcription of Tajik/Kyrgyz/Chechen Алиев, Kazakh Әлиев or Avar ГӀалиев (see Aliyev).
Alieva f Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, Chechen
Alternate transcription of Tajik/Kyrgyz/Chechen Алиева, Kazakh Әлиева or Avar ГӀалиева (see Aliyeva).
Alinari Italian
Means "son of Alinario", which is from the Germanic name Ellanher.
Alinejad Persian
Means "descendant of Ali 1" in Persian.
Aling Dutch
Variant of Alink.
Alink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Ale 2" in Dutch.
Aliprandi Italian
Means "son of Alibrand".
Əliyev m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Əli".
Aliyev m Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, Chechen, Azerbaijani
Means "son of Ali 1". This is also an alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Əliyev.
Əliyeva f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Əliyev.
Aliyeva f Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, Chechen, Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Aliyev. This is also an alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Əliyeva.
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).
Allaway Scottish
From a Scottish place name, itself derived from alla "wild" and mhagh "field".
Allegri Italian
From an Italian nickname derived from allegro meaning "quick, lively".
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.
Almássy Hungarian
Means "from the apple orchard", derived from Hungarian alma meaning "apple".
Almeida Portuguese
Designated a person who had originally lived in the town of Almeida in Portugal. The place name is from Arabic ال مائدة (al māʾida) meaning "the plateau, the table".
Almstedt Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish alm (Old Norse almr) meaning "elm" and stad (Old Norse staðr) meaning "town, city".
Al-Mufti Arabic
Refers to a mufti, a Muslim legal advisor consulted in applying a religious law.
Alò Italian
Variant of Aloi.
Aloi Italian
From a dialectal form of the name Aloisio.
Aloia Italian
Variant of Aloi.
Aloisi Italian
From the given name Aloisio.
Alonso Spanish
From the given name Alonso.
Al Saud Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic آل سعود (see Al Su'ud).
Alscher German
Means "son of Adalheidis".
Alserda Frisian
Designated a person who was from a farm called Alserd, of uncertain meaning.
Al Su'ud Arabic
From Arabic آل (ʾāl) meaning "family" combined with the given name Su'ud. Normally transcribed Al Saud, this is the family name of the ruling dynasty of Saudia Arabia.
Altamura Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Altamura, which means "high walls" in Italian.
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.
Altimari Italian
Derived from the given name Altimaro, an alteration of Adelmar.
Alting Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Alte 2" in Dutch.
Altink Dutch
Variant of Alting.
Altoviti Italian (Rare)
Derived from the Lombard given name Altwidus.
Alunni Italian
From Italian alunno meaning "student".
Alvarado Spanish
From a Spanish place name, possibly derived from Spanish alba "white".
Álvarez Spanish
Means "son of Álvaro".
Alvarez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Álvarez.
Alvarsson Swedish
Means "son of Alvar".
Alves Portuguese
Means "son of Álvaro".
Alvey English
Derived from the given name Ælfwig.
Alvin English
Variant of Elwyn.
Amadei Italian
Means "son of Amadeo".
Amador Spanish
Derived from the given name Amador.
Amadori Italian
Means "son of Amatore".
Amalberti Italian
Means "son of Amalberto", from the Germanic name Amalbert.
Amano Japanese
From Japanese (ama) meaning "heaven" and (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Amantea Italian
From the name of a town in Calabria, Italy. It is possibly derived from Arabic (dating from the Arab raids of the 9th century) meaning "the fortress".
Amato Italian
From the given name Amato.
Amatore Italian
From the given name Amatore.
Ambrogi Italian
Means "son of Ambrogio".
Ambrosi Italian
Means "son of Ambrogio".
Amerighi Italian
Means "son of Amerigo".
Amiri Persian
From the given name Amir 1.
Amjad Arabic
Derived from the given name Amjad.
Amoretto Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Amore.
Amos Jewish
From the given name Amos.
Amsel 1 Jewish
Derived from the given name Anshel.
Amsel 2 German
Means "blackbird" in German.
Amsing Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Amse" in Dutch.
Amundsen Norwegian
Means "son of Amund". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928).
Anand Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi
Means "happiness, bliss" in Sanskrit.
Ananias Dutch
From the Latin given name Ananias.
Anastasiou Greek
Means "son of Anastasios".
Anaya Spanish
From the names of a few Spanish towns, possibly of Arabic origin meaning "stagnant water" or "path".
Andela Dutch
From the given name Andreas.
Andersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Anders". A noteworthy bearer was the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875).
Anderson English
Means "son of Andrew".
Andersson Swedish
Means "son of Anders". This is the most common surname in Sweden.
Andonov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Andon".
Andonova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Andonov.
Andrade Portuguese, Galician
Possibly from the given name André.
André French
Derived from the given name André.
Andreas German
Derived from the given name Andreas.
Andreasen Danish
Means "son of Andreas".
Andreasson Swedish
Means "son of Andreas".
Andreev m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Андреев (see Andreyev).
Andreeva f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Андреева (see Andreyeva).
Andrés Spanish
Derived from the given name Andrés.
Andres German
Derived from the given name Andreas.
Andreu Catalan
From the given name Andreu.
Andrews English
Means "son of Andrew".
Andreyev m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Andrey".
Andreyeva f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Andreyev.
Andries Dutch
Derived from the given name Andries.
Andriessen Dutch
Means "son of Andries".
Andringa Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Andries" in Dutch.
Andrysiak Polish
Means "son of Andrzej".
Andrzejewska f Polish
Feminine form of Andrzejewski.
Andrzejewski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from towns called Andrzejewo or similar, derived from the given name Andrzej.
Anema Frisian
Means "son of Ane 2".
Angelov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Angel".
Angelova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Angelov.
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".
Anghelescu Romanian
Means "son of Anghel".
Angioli Italian
Means "son of Angiolo".
Angus Irish, Scottish
From the given name Aonghus.
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".
Ansaldi Italian
Means "son of Ansaldo".
Ansel English
Derived from the given name Anselm.
Anselmetti Italian
Means "son of Anselmetto", a diminutive of Anselmo.
Anselmi Italian
Means "son of Anselmo".
Anselmo Portuguese, Italian
From the given name Anselmo.
Anson English
Means "son of Agnes".
Antal Hungarian
From the given name Antal.
Antema Frisian
Means "son of Ante 2".
Anthony English
From the given name Anthony.
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.
Antonelli Italian
Means "son of Antonello".
Antonescu Romanian
Means "son of Anton".
Antoni f Greek
Feminine form of Antonis.
Antonini Italian
Means "son of Antonino".
Antonino Italian
From the given name Antonino.
Antonio Spanish
From the given name Antonio.
Antoniou Greek
Means "son of Antonios".
Antonis mu Greek, Dutch
Derived from the given name Antonis or Antonius.
Antonise Dutch
Derived from the given name Antonius.
Antonisen Danish
Means "son of Anton".
Antonov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Anton".
Antonova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Antonov.
Antonsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Anton".
Antov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Anton".
Antova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Antov.
Antuma Frisian
Variant of Antema.
Antunes Portuguese
Means "son of António".
Antúnez Spanish
Means "son of Antonio".
Antunović Croatian
Means "son of Antun".
Aoki Japanese
From Japanese (ao) meaning "green, blue" and (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Aoyama Japanese
From Japanese (ao) meaning "green, blue" and (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".
Apeldoorn Dutch
From the name of a city in the Netherlands, meaning "apple tree" in Dutch.
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.
Aquila Italian
From a nickname meaning "eagle" in Italian.
Aquino Italian, Spanish
From the name of an Italian town near Rome, derived from Latin aqua meaning "water", the home town of the 13th-century saint Thomas Aquinas. In Italy the surname is derived directly from the town's name. As a Spanish-language surname, it was sometimes bestowed by missionaries in honour of the saint as they evangelized in Spanish colonies.
Arany Hungarian
Means "golden" in Hungarian. A famous bearer of the name was Hungarian poet János Arany (1817-1882).
Arap Turkish
Means "Arab" in Turkish.
Araújo Portuguese
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many areas that bear this name in Portugal, which is of unknown meaning.
Araujo Spanish
Spanish form of Araújo.
Araullo Filipino
Form of Araújo especially common in the Philippines.
Araya Spanish
Denoted a person from Araia in the Basque Country, Spain. It is of uncertain meaning.
Arbeid Dutch
From Dutch arbeid meaning "work".
Arbeider Dutch
From Dutch arbeider meaning "worker".
Arbeit German
From German arbeit meaning "work".
Arbore Italian
From Latin arbor meaning "tree".
Arce Spanish
Means "maple tree" in Spanish.
Archambault French
From the archaic French given name Archambault, which is related to Archibald.
Archer English
Occupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin arcus "bow" (via Old French).
Ardelean Romanian
From the Romanian region of Ardeal, also called Transylvania. It is possibly derived from Hungarian erdő meaning "forest".
Ardiccioni Italian
Means "son of Ardiccione", a derivative of Ardito.
Ardizzone Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Ardito.
Ardovini Italian
Means "son of Arduino".
Arechavaleta Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Aretxabaleta in Spain. It means "oak trees" in Basque.
Arena Italian
Italian cognate of Arenas.
Arenas Spanish
From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish arena meaning "sand".
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".
Arendsen Dutch
Variant of Arends.
Arents Dutch
Variant of Arends.
Arentz Dutch
Variant of Arends.
Argall Cornish
From a place name meaning "shelter, quiet place" in Cornish.
Argyri f Greek
Feminine form of Argyris.
Argyris m Greek
Means "silver" in Greek.
Arias Spanish
Possibly derived from a medieval given name of Germanic origin.
Ariesen Dutch
Means "son of Aris 2".
Arima Japanese
From Japanese (ari) meaning "have, possess" and (ma) meaning "horse".
Arissen Dutch
Variant of Ariesen.
Aritza Spanish, Basque
From Basque aritz meaning "oak tree". This was a nickname of Iñigo, the first king of Pamplona, Spain (9th century).
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".
Arlotti Italian
Means "son of Arlotto".
Armando Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Armando.
Armani Italian
Means "son of Ermanno".
Armati Italian
From Italian armato meaning "armed, armoured, equipped".
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.
Arnaud French
From the given name Arnaud.
Arnesen Norwegian
Means "son of Arne 1".
Arnold English, German
Derived from the given name Arnold.
Arnolfi Italian
Means "son of Arnolfo".
Arnoni Italian
Means "son of Arnone" from the medieval name Arnone, of uncertain origin.
Arntz Dutch
Means "son of Arend".
Arntzen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".
Arntzenius Dutch
Latinized form of Arntzen.
Arreola Spanish
Variant of Arriola, found predominantly in Mexico.
Arrighetti Italian
Means "son of Arrighetto", a diminutive of the given name Arrigo.
Arrighi Italian
Means "son of Arrigo".
Arrigucci Italian
Means "son of Arriguccio", a diminutive of the given name Arrigo.
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").
Arriola Spanish, Basque
From Basque place names, themselves derived from Basque arri "stone" and -ola "place of, house".
Arroyo Spanish
Means "stream, brook" in Spanish.
Arthur English, French
From the given name Arthur.
Arthurson English
Means "son of Arthur".
Arthursson Swedish
Means "son of Arthur".
Arts 1 Dutch
Means "son of Aart".
Arts 2 Dutch
Dutch cognate of Arzt.
Artz Dutch
Means "son of Aart".
Årud Norwegian
From Norwegian å meaning "river, stream" and the archaic word rud meaning "cleared land".
Arvidsson Swedish
Means "son of Arvid".
Arzt Dutch
Means "doctor, physician" in German, ultimately from Latin archiater.
Asano Japanese
From Japanese (asa) meaning "shallow" and (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Asanuma Japanese
From Japanese (asa) meaning "shallow" and (numa) meaning "swamp, marsh".
Asenov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Asen".
Asenova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Asenov.
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.
Asís Spanish
Originally denoted a person from the Italian city of Assisi (called Asís in Spanish).
Asjes Dutch
Variant of Askes.
Askes Dutch
Means "son of Aske", a diminutive of Asse.
Aslan Turkish
From the given name Aslan.
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.
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.
Astrauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Astrauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.
Astrauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Ostrowski.
Astrauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Astrauskas. This form is used by married women.
Åström Swedish
From Swedish å meaning "river, stream" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream, current, flow".
Asturias Spanish
From the name of a region in Spain, formerly a medieval kingdom. It is possibly derived from Basque asta "rock" and ur "water".
Ataýew m Turkmen
Means "son of Ata 1".
Ataýewa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Ataýew.
Atchison Scottish
Scots form of Atkinson.
Ateljević Serbian
Probably from Hatelji, the name of a town in Serbia, which is of unknown meaning.
Athanasiou Greek
Means "son of Athanasios".
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".
Attar Persian
From Persian عطر (ʿaṭr) meaning "fragrance, perfume", ultimately from Arabic. It probably denoted a seller of perfume.
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".
Atwater English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".
Atwood English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the wood".