Earl EnglishFrom the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English
eorl meaning
"nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.
Easton EnglishFrom the name of various places meaning "east town" in Old English.
Eaton EnglishFrom any of the various English towns with this name, derived from Old English
ea "river" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Ebner 1 GermanOriginally indicated a dweller on a flat piece of land, derived from Middle High German
ebene "plateau".
Ebner 2 GermanMeans
"judge, arbiter" from Middle High German
ebenære.
Eccleston EnglishDenoted a person from any of the various places named Eccleston in England, derived from Latin
ecclesia "church" (via Briton) and Old English
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Echeverría SpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Etxeberria, which itself is derived from Basque
etxe "house" and
berri "new".
Edison EnglishMeans
"son of Eda 2" or
"son of Adam". The surname was borne by American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).
Egawa JapaneseFrom Japanese
江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet" and
川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
Egger GermanSouth German occupational name meaning
"plowman" or
"farmer", derived from German
eggen "to harrow, to plow".
Eichel GermanMeans
"acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.
Eikenboom DutchMeans
"oak tree", from Dutch
eik "oak" and
boom "tree".
Einstein JewishOrnamental name derived from German
ein "one" and
stein "stone". A famous bearer was the German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955).
Eld SwedishFrom Old Norse
eldr, modern Swedish
eld, meaning
"fire".
Elder EnglishDerived from Old English
ealdra meaning
"older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.
Elizondo SpanishOriginally referred to a person who lived close to a church, from Basque
eleiza "church" and
ondo "near".
Ellington EnglishFrom the name of multiple towns in England. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name
Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements
ælf meaning "elf" or
eald meaning "old") combined with
tun meaning "enclosure, town".
Ellison EnglishPatronymic form of the English name
Ellis, from the medieval given name
Elis, a vernacular form of
Elijah.
Ellsworth EnglishHabitational name for a person from the town of Elsworth in Cambridgeshire. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name
Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements
ælf meaning "elf" or
eald meaning "old") combined with
worþ meaning "enclosure".
Elton EnglishFrom an English place name meaning
"Ella's town".
Ely EnglishFrom the name of a town in eastern England meaning "eel district".
Elzinga DutchProbably from a place name that was a derivative of Dutch
els meaning "alder tree".
Emerson EnglishMeans
"son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.
Emmet EnglishVariant of
Emmett. This name was borne by the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet (1778-1803).
Endicott EnglishTopographic name derived from Old English meaning
"from the end cottage".
Engberg SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
äng (Old Norse
eng) meaning "meadow" and
berg meaning "mountain".
English EnglishDenoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.
Engman SwedishFrom Swedish
äng (Old Norse
eng) meaning "meadow" and
man (Old Norse
maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person who lived in a meadow.
Engström SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
äng (Old Norse
eng) meaning "meadow" and
ström (Old Norse
straumr) meaning "stream".
Erdős HungarianOccupational name meaning
"forester", derived from Hungarian
erdő "forest".
Escamilla SpanishDerived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.
Escárcega SpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Eskarzaga, which itself is derived from Basque
hazkar "maple".
Escobar SpanishDerived from Spanish
escoba meaning
"broom plant", from Latin
scopa. It originally indicated a person who lived near a prominent patch of broom.
Esparza SpanishDerived from the Basque place name
Espartza, a town in the province of Navarre.
Espina SpanishMeans
"thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.
Espinosa SpanishFrom Spanish
espinoso meaning
"thorny", ultimately from Latin
spinosus, a derivative of
spina meaning "thorn, spine". This was the real surname of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), who was of Portuguese Jewish origin.
Esposito ItalianMeans
"exposed" in Italian and denoted a child who was rescued after being abandoned by its parents.
Esser GermanMeans
"cartwright", related to Old High German
ahsa "axle".
Everest EnglishOriginally denoted a person from Évreux in Normandy, itself named after the Gaulish tribe of the Eburovices. Mount Everest in the Himalayas was named for the British surveyor George Everest (1790-1866).
Ewart 2 EnglishFrom the name of an English town, derived from Old English
ea "river" and
worþ "enclosure".