Surnames Starting with G

Gaál Hungarian
Variant of Gál.

Gabler German
Occupational name for someone who made or sold forks, from Old High German gabala "fork".

Gábor Hungarian
From the given name Gábor.

Gabor Hungarian
Variant of Gábor.

Gabrielli Italian
From the given name Gabriele 1.

Gabriels English
Derived from the given name Gabriel.

Gabrielson English
Means "son of Gabriel".

Gadhavi Gujarati
Meaning unknown, related to the Charan caste of Gujarat.

Gadsby English
Habitational name from the village of Gaddesby in Leicestershire, so named from Old Norse gaddr "spur, spike (of land)" and býr "farm, settlement".

Gaertner German
German form of Gardener.

Gage French, English
Occupational name derived either from Old French jauge "measure" (a name for an assayer) or gage "pledge, payment" (a name for a moneylender). Both words were ultimately of Frankish origin.

Gagliardi Italian
From Italian gagliardo meaning "strong, vigorous".

Gagné French (Quebec)
Variant of Gagneux. This surname is especially common in Quebec.

Gagneux French
Derived from Old French gagnier meaning "to farm, to cultivate".

Gagnier French
Variant of Gagneux.

Gagnon French
Variant of Gagneux.

Gaillard French
Means "lively, strong" in French.

Gajos Polish
Derived from Polish gaj meaning "grove, thicket".

Gál Hungarian
Derived from the given name Gál.

Galani f Greek
Feminine form of Galanis.

Galanis m Greek
From Greek γαλανός (galanos) meaning "light blue".

Gale English
Derived from Middle English gaile meaning "jovial".

Galilei Italian (Rare)
From the given name Galileo. A notable bearer was the Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). Both his given name and surname were from an earlier 15th-century ancestor (a doctor).

Gallagher Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Gallchobhair meaning "descendant of Gallchobhar".

Gallardo Spanish
Means "gallant, elegant" in Spanish.

Gallego Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain.

Gallegos Spanish
Variant of Gallego.

Galli Italian
Variant of Gallo, common in northern Italy.

Gallo Italian, Spanish
Means "rooster", ultimately from Latin gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.

Gama Portuguese
Probably from a place name derived from Portuguese gama meaning "fallow deer doe", from Latin gammus.

Gandhi Gujarati, Hindi
From Sanskrit गान्धिक (gāndhika) meaning "perfumier, perfume seller", derived from गनध (gandha) meaning "scent, perfume". Notable bearers include Indian civil rights leader Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948), also known as Mahatma Gandhi, and Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi (1917-1984).

Gang Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 강 (see Kang).

Ganza Italian
Probably from the feminine medieval given name Allegranza or Alleganza, a derivative of Allegra. It comes from northern Lombardy.

Gao Chinese
From Chinese 高 (gāo) meaning "tall, high".

Garb German
Variant of Garber.

Garber German
Variant of Gerber.

Garbo Italian
From a nickname meaning "politeness" in Italian. A famous bearer of this name was the Swedish actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990), born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson.

Garbutt English
From the given name Gerbold.

García Spanish
From a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This is the most common surname in Spain.

Garcia Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese form of García. It is also an unaccented form of the Spanish name used commonly in America and the Philippines.

Garçon French
Means "boy" in French, referring to a servant.

Gardener English
Occupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).

Gardiner English
Variant of Gardener.

Gardinier French
French form of Gardener.

Gardner English
Variant of Gardener.

Gárdonyi Hungarian
Originally denoted a person from Gárdony, a town near Budapest in Hungary.

Garey English
Variant of Geary.

Garfagnini Italian
Originally denoted one from the region of Garfagnana in Tuscany, Italy, near the historical city of Lucca.

Garfield English
Means "triangle field" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president James A. Garfield (1831-1881).

Garland English
Means "triangle land" from Old English gara and land. It originally belonged to a person who owned a triangle-shaped piece of land.

Garner 1 English
From Old French gernier meaning "granary", a derivative of Latin granum meaning "grain". This name could refer to a person who worked at a granary or lived near one.

Garner 2 English
Variant of Gardener.

Garnet English
Variant of Garnett 1 or Garnett 2.

Garnett 1 English
Occupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French carne "hinge".

Garnett 2 English
From a diminutive of the given name Guarin.

Garnier 1 French
From the given name Garnier.

Garnier 2 English
Variant of Garner 1.

Garofalo Italian
From a nickname, from a southern variant of the Italian word garofano meaning "carnation".

Garrard English
From the given name Gerard.

Garrastazu Basque
From the Basque word arratz "bush" combined with the suffix sta denoting a place.

Garret English
Variant of Garrett.

Garrett English
Derived from the given name Gerald or Gerard.

Garrido Spanish
Means "elegant, ostentatious" in Spanish.

Garrod English
Derived from the given name Gerald.

Garry English
Variant of Geary.

Gärtner German
German form of Gardener.

Garver German
Variant of Gerber.

Gary English
Variant of Geary.

Garza Spanish
Derived from Spanish garza meaning "heron".

Gáspár Hungarian
Derived from the given name Gáspár.

Gaspar Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Gaspar.

Gaspard French
From the given name Gaspard.

Gaspari Italian
From the given name Gaspare.

Gašper Slovene
Derived from the given name Gašper.

Gass German
Name for someone who lived on a street in a city, from German gasse.

Gates English
Originally denoted a person who lived near the town gates.

Gatsby English (Rare), Literature
Rare variant of Gadsby. This name was used by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald for the central character in his novel The Great Gatsby (1925). In the book, James Gatz renames himself as Jay Gatsby at age 17 because he believes it sounds more sophisticated.

Gatti Italian
Means "cat" in Italian, originally a nickname for an agile person.

Gauthier French
Derived from the given name Gauthier.

Gautier French
From the given name Gautier.

Gavrilović Serbian
Means "son of Gavrilo".

Gavrilyuk Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Гаврилюк (see Havrylyuk).

Geary English
Derived from a Norman given name that was a short form of Germanic names starting with the element ger "spear".

Gebara Basque
Habitational name for someone who lived in Gebara, a village in the province of Álava in Spain.

Geelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Geel, itself from Gillis or Gilbert.

Geels Dutch
Variant of Geelen.

Geerts Dutch
Means "son of Geert".

Gehrig German
Variant of Gehring.

Gehring German
Derived from a short form of Old German names starting with the element ger "spear".

Geier German
Means "vulture" in German, a nickname for a greedy person.

Geiger German
Means "fiddle player" in German, derived from Old High German giga "fiddle".

Geisler German
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Geißler German
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Geissler 1 German
Derived from the given name Giselher.

Geissler 2 German
Occupational name for a goat herder, from southern German Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix ler signifying an occupation.

Geiszler German (Anglicized)
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Gelashvili Georgian
Means "son of Gela".

Gelens Dutch
Variant of Geelen.

Genadiev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Genadi".

Genadieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Genadiev.

Genkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Genko".

Genkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Genkov.

Genov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Geno".

Genova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Genov.

Genovese Italian
Denoted a person from the Italian city of Genoa (Genova in Italian).

Gensch German
From the given name Gensch, a Sorbian form of John.

Gentile Italian
From a nickname meaning "gentle, kind" in Italian.

George English
Derived from the given name George.

Georges French
From the given name Georges.

Georgeson English
Means "son of George".

Georgiadi f Greek
Feminine form of Georgiadis.

Georgiadis m Greek
Means "son of Georgios" in Greek.

Georgiadou f Greek
Feminine form of Georgiadis.

Georgiev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Georgi".

Georgieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Georgiev.

Georgiou Greek
Means "son of Georgios".

Gérard French
From the given name Gérard.

Gerber German
Means "tanner, leather dresser" in German, derived from Old High German garawen meaning "to prepare".

Gereben Hungarian
Means "hackle, hatchel" in Hungarian (a hackle is a tool used to comb out fibers).

Gerhard German
Derived from the given name Gerhard.

Gerhardsson Swedish
Means "son of Gerhard".

Gerhardt German
Derived from the given name Gerhard.

Gerig German
Variant of Gehring.

Germain French
From the French given name Germain.

Germano Italian
From the given name Germano.

Géroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Gerst German
Occupational name for a barley farmer, derived from Old High German gersta "barley".

Gerstle German
Variant of Gerst.

Gerver German
Variant of Gerber.

Gevorgian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Գեւորգյան (see Gevorgyan).

Gevorgyan Armenian
Means "son of Gevorg".

Ghasabyan Armenian
From Armenian ղասաբ (ghasab) meaning "butcher", of Arabic origin.

Ghasemi Persian
From the given name Ghasem.

Gheorghe Romanian
Derived from the given name Gheorghe.

Gholami Persian
From the given name Gholam.

Ghorbani Persian
From the given name Ghorban.

Giannino Italian
Derived from the given name Giannino.

Giannopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Giannis" in Greek.

Giannopoulou f Greek
Feminine form of Giannopoulos.

Gibb English
Derived from the given name Gib.

Gibbs English, Scottish
Means "son of Gib".

Gibson English, Scottish
Means "son of Gib".

Giehl German
German form of Giles.

Giese German, Danish
Derived from a short form of the given name Giselbert or other Old German names beginning with the element gisal meaning "pledge, hostage".

Giffard French, English
Possibly from Old French gifart meaning "chubby" or possibly from the Germanic name Gebhard. Walter Giffard was one of the Norman companions of William the Conqueror.

Gil Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Gil 1.

Gilbert English, French
Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Gilchrist Scottish
From Gaelic MacGilleChrìosd meaning "son of Gille Críst".

Giles English
From the given name Giles.

Gill English
Originally indicated someone who lived near a ravine, from Middle English gil (of Old Norse origin).

Gilliam English
Variant of William. A famous bearer of the name is cartoonist and filmmaker Terry Gilliam (1940-).

Gilmore Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic MacGilleMhoire or Irish Gaelic Mac Giolla Mhuire meaning "son of the servant of Moire".

Gilmour Scottish, Irish
Variant of Gilmore.

Gilroy Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Ruaidh or Mac Giolla Rí.

Gim Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 김 (see Kim).

Giménez Spanish
Variant of Jiménez.

Gimondi Italian
Probably derived from the Old German given name Gismund.

Giordano Italian
Derived from the given name Giordano.

Giorgadze Georgian
Means "son of Giorgi".

Girard French
From the given name Gérard.

Giraud French
From the given name Gérald.

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Gismondi Italian
From the Old German given name Gismund.

Giugovaz Italian
Italian form of the Croatian surname Jugovac.

Giuliani Italian
From the given name Giuliano.

Giunta Italian
From the old Italian given name Bonagiunta or Bonaggiunta (derived from bono "good" and aggiunto "assistant").

Gjorgiev m Macedonian
Means "son of Gjorgji".

Gjorgieva f Macedonian
Feminine form of Gjorgiev.

Gladwin English
Derived from the Old English given name Glædwine.

Gladwyn English
Variant of Gladwin.

Glas German, Dutch
German and Dutch cognate of Glass.

Glass English, German
From Old English glæs or Old High German glas meaning "glass". This was an occupational name for a glass blower or glazier.

Glazier English
Means "glass worker, glazier", from Old English glæs meaning "glass".

Glen Scottish
Variant of Glenn.

Glenn Scottish, English
From place names derived from Gaelic gleann "valley". A famous bearer was the American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).

Glöckner German
Derived from Middle High German glocke "bell". It may have referred to a person who worked at or lived close to a bell tower.

Glover English
Occupational name for a person who made or sold gloves, from Middle English glovere.

Glynn Welsh, Cornish
Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, from Welsh glyn and Cornish glin, or a habitational name from a place named with this word.

Gniewek Polish
Derived from Gniewek, a diminutive of Zbigniew, Jarogniew, or other names containing gniew "anger".

Göbel German
Derived from the given name Göbel, a diminutive of the Old German name Godabert.

Godard French
Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

Goddard English
Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

Godfrey English
From the Norman given name Godfrey.

Goebel German
Variant of Göbel.

Goffe English
Derived from Breton or Cornish goff meaning "smith", referring to a metalworker.

Gold English, German, Jewish
From Old English and Old High German gold meaning "gold", an occupational name for someone who worked with gold or a nickname for someone with yellow hair. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Goldhirsch Jewish
Means "golden stag" in Yiddish.

Goldschmidt German
Occupational name meaning "goldsmith" in German.

Golob Slovene
Means "pigeon" in Slovene.

Golub Croatian
Means "pigeon" in Croatian.

Gomes Portuguese
From the medieval given name Gomes.

Gómez Spanish
Spanish form of Gomes.

Gomez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Gómez.

Gomółka Polish
Derived from Polish gomółka, a type of round cheese, ultimately from an old Polish word meaning "round".

Gomułka Polish
Variant of Gomółka.

Gonçalves Portuguese
Means "son of Gonçalo" in Portuguese.

Gonzales Spanish
Variant of González.

González Spanish
Means "son of Gonzalo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Gonzalez Spanish
Unaccented variant of González.

Gonzalo Spanish
From the given name Gonzalo.

Good English
From a nickname meaning "good", referring to a kindly person.

Goode English
Variant of Good.

Goodman English
Variant of Good.

Goodwin English
Derived from the given name Godwine.

Goossens Flemish
From the Germanic given name Gozzo.

Goranov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Goran".

Goranova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Goranov.

Göransson Swedish
Means "son of Göran".

Gorbold English
From the given name Gerbold.

Gordon Scottish
From the name of a place in Berwickshire, Scotland, derived from Brythonic words meaning "spacious fort".

Gore English
From the Old English word gara meaning "triangular plot of land".

Gorecka f Polish
Feminine form of Gorecki.

Gorecki m Polish
Originally indicated a person from Górka, the name of various towns in Poland, ultimately from Polish góra "mountain".

Goretti Italian
Derived from the given name Gregorio.

Gori Italian
Derived from the given name Gregorio.

Górka Polish
Variant of Gorecki.

Gorman 1 German
From the Old German given name Germund.

Gorman 2 Irish
From the Irish Ó Gormáin meaning "descendant of Gormán". The given name Gormán means "little blue one".

Görög Hungarian
Means "Greek" in Hungarian.

Górska f Polish
Feminine form of Górski.

Górski m Polish
From the Polish word góra meaning "mountain".

Gosse French
Derived from the Norman given name Gosse.

Gosselin French
Derived from a diminutive of the French given name Gosse.

Gott German
Derived from the Old German given name Goda 1.

Gotti German
Variant of Gott.

Gottlieb German
Derived from the given name Gottlieb.

Gottschalk German
Derived from the given name Gottschalk.

Gough 1 Welsh
Nickname for a red-haired person, from Welsh coch "red".

Gough 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mag Eochadha meaning "son of Eochaidh".

Gouveia Portuguese
From the name of the city of Gouveia in Portugal, of unknown meaning.

Grabowska f Polish
Feminine form of Grabowski.

Grabowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Grabów, Grabowa or Grabowo, all derived from Polish grab meaning "hornbeam tree".

Grady Irish
From Irish Ó Gráda or Ó Grádaigh meaning "descendant of Gráda". The byname Gráda means "noble, illustrious".

Graeme Scottish
Variant of Graham.

Graf German
From the German noble title Graf meaning "count", ultimately from Greek γραφεύς (grapheus) meaning "scribe".

Graham Scottish, English
Derived from the English place name Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by William de Graham.

Grahame Scottish
Variant of Graham.

Grahn Swedish
From Swedish gran meaning "spruce".

Graner German
Originally denoted a person from Gran, the German name for Esztergom, a city in northern Hungary.

Granger English, French
Means "farm bailiff" from Old French grangier, ultimately from Latin granum meaning "grain". It is borne in the Harry Potter novels by Harry's friend Hermione Granger.

Grant English, Scottish
Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Granville English
Derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

Grassi Italian
Variant of Grasso.

Grasso Italian
Means "fat" in Italian, originally a nickname for a stout person. It is derived from Latin crassus.

Graves English
Occupational name for a steward, derived from Middle English greyve, related to the German title Graf.

Gray English
From a nickname for a person who had grey hair or grey clothes.

Grayson English
Means "son of the steward", derived from Middle English greyve "steward".

Grbić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Means "hunchback", derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene grba "hump".

Grec Catalan
Catalan cognate of Greco.

Greco Italian
Means "from Greece" in Italian.

Green English
Descriptive name for someone who often wore the colour green or someone who lived near the village green.

Greenberg German (Anglicized), Jewish
Anglicized form of Grünberg.

Greene English
Variant of Green.

Greenspan Jewish
Anglicized form of German Grünspan meaning "verdigris". Verdigris is the green-blue substance that forms on copper.

Greenwood English
Topographic name for someone who lived in or near a lush forest, from Old English grene "green" and wudu "wood".

Greer Scottish
Derived from the given name Gregor.

Gregersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Gregers".

Gregory English
From the given name Gregory.

Grenville English
Variant of Granville.

Grey English
Variant of Gray.

Grgić Croatian
Means "son of Grgur".

Grier Scottish
Derived from the given name Gregor.

Grieve Scottish
Occupational name meaning "steward, farm manager" in Middle English, related to the German title Graf.

Griffin 1 Welsh
Derived from the given name Gruffudd.

Griffin 2 English
Nickname from the mythological beast with body of a lion with head and wings of an eagle. It is ultimately from Greek γρύψ (gryps).

Griffith Welsh, English
Derived from the Welsh given name Gruffudd.

Griffiths Welsh, English
Means "son of Gruffudd".

Grigore Romanian
From the given name Grigore.

Grigorescu Romanian
Means "son of Grigore" in Romanian.

Grigorov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Grigor".

Grigorova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Grigorov.

Grigoryan Armenian
Means "son of Grigor" in Armenian.

Grillo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "cricket", perhaps given originally to a cheerful person (the cricket is associated with cheerfulness).

Grimaldi Italian
From the given name Grimaldo. It is the surname of the royal family of Monaco, which came from Genoa.

Grimm German
From a nickname for a stern person, derived from Old High German grim "stern, severe, angry". Famous bearers include Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), known for compiling German folktales.

Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.

Gronchi Italian
From the Tuscan word gronchio meaning "numb, bent". This is an Italian regional surname typical of Tuscany. A famous bearer was the Italian president Giovanni Gronchi (1887-1978).

Groos German
Variant of Groß.

Groot Dutch
Variant of De Groot.

Gros French
Means "thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.

Gross German
Variant of Groß.

Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".

Große German
Variant of Groß.

Grosse German
Variant of Groß.

Größel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großer German
Variant of Groß.

Grosser German
Variant of Groß.

Grossi Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Grosso Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Grósz Hungarian
Hungarian form of Groß.

Grover English
From Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908).

Groves English
From Old English graf meaning "grove". This originally indicated a person who lived near a grove (a group of trees).

Gruber Upper German
From German Grube meaning "pit", indicating a person who lived or worked in a pit or depression. This is the most common surname in Austria.

Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Grünewald German
Means "green forest" from German grün "green" and Wald "forest".

Grünspan Jewish
Original form of Greenspan.

Grześkiewicz Polish
Derived from the given name Grzegorz.

Guadarrama Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Guadarrama near Madrid.

Guan Chinese
From Chinese 关 (guān) meaning "frontier pass".