Surnames Starting with P

Pabst German
From German Papst, a cognate of Pope.

Pace Italian
Derived from the Italian given name Pace meaning "peace".

Pacheco Spanish, Portuguese
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Francisco.

Pachi f Greek
Feminine form of Pachis.

Pachis m Greek
Means "fat, thick" in Greek.

Paddon English
Variant of Patton.

Paden English
Variant of Patton.

Padilla Spanish
From various Spanish place names, derived from Spanish padilla, Latin patella meaning "shallow dish", used to indicate a depression in the landscape.

Padmore English
Originally indicated a person from Padmore in England, derived from Old English padde "toad" and mor "moor, marsh".

Padovan Italian
Regional variant of Padovano.

Padovano Italian
Originally denoted one who came from the city of Padua in Italy, from Italian Padova, itself from Latin Patavium, of unknown meaning.

Pagani Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.

Pagano Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.

Page English, French
Occupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".

Paget English, French
Diminutive of Page.

Pahlke German
Low German cognate of Peel.

Paige English
Variant of Page.

Pain English
Variant of Payne.

Paisley Scottish
From the name of a town near Glasgow, which may ultimately be derived from Latin basilica "church".

Pajari Finnish
Means "boyar", the Finnish form of the Russian noble title боярин (boyarin).

Pakulska f Polish
Feminine form of Pakulski.

Pakulski m Polish
Originally denoted a person from Pakuly, Poland.

Pál Hungarian
Derived from the given name Pál.

Palazzo Italian
From various Italian places, named from Italian palazzo, Latin palatium meaning "palace, noble mansion".

Palencia Spanish
Habitational name from the city or region of Palencia in northern Spain.

Palladino Italian
From Italian paladino meaning "knight, defender", from Late Latin palatinus meaning "palace officer".

Pallesen Danish
Means "son of Palle".

Palmeiro Portuguese
Portuguese form of Palmer.

Palmer English
Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.

Palmisano Italian
Locative name from the town of Palmi in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

Palomer Provençal
Means "pigeon keeper" from Latin palumbes "pigeon".

Palomo Spanish
Means "pigeon, dove", from Latin palumbes.

Palumbo Italian
From Italian palombo meaning "pigeon" (also "dogfish"). This form is typical of southern Italy.

Pan 1 Provençal
Means "baker", from Latin panis meaning "bread".

Pan 2 Chinese
From Chinese 潘 (pān) meaning "water in which rice has been rinsed", and also referring to a river that flows into the Han River.

Pander Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Panders Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Pandev m Macedonian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Pande", Pande being a diminutive of Petar.

Pandeva f Macedonian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Pandev.

Panossian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Փանոսյան (see Panosyan).

Panosyan Armenian
Means "son of Panos".

Pantoja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Pantoja, in Toledo, Spain.

Panza Italian, Literature
From a variant of the Italian word pancia meaning "stomach, paunch", originally a nickname for a chubby person. The Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it is the surname of Don Quixote's squire Sancho Panza. Not a common Spanish surname, Cervantes may have based it directly on the Spanish word panza (a cognate of the Italian word).

Panzavecchia Maltese
From a nickname meaning "old stomach" in Italian.

Pap Hungarian
Variant of Papp 1.

Papadaki f Greek
Feminine form of Papadakis.

Papadakis m Greek
From a diminutive of Greek πάπας (papas) meaning "priest".

Papadimitriou Greek
Means "son of Dimitrios the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Dimitrios.

Papadopoulos m Greek
Means "son of the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the patronymic suffix πουλος (poulos).

Papadopoulou f Greek
Feminine form of Papadopoulos.

Papageorgiou Greek
Means "son of Georgios the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Georgios.

Papaioannou Greek
Means "son of Ioannis the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Ioannis.

Papanikolaou Greek
Means "son of Nikolaos the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Nikolaos.

Pape French
French cognate of Pope.

Papke Low German
Low German diminutive form of papa (see Pope).

Papoutsi f Greek
Feminine form of Papoutsis.

Papoutsis m Greek
Means "shoemaker" in Greek, from παπούτσι (papoutsi) meaning "shoe" (ultimately of Persian origin).

Papp 1 Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" in Hungarian.

Papp 2 German
Nickname perhaps related to Late Latin pappare meaning "to eat".

Pappa f Greek
Feminine form of Pappas.

Pappas m Greek
Means "priest" in Greek.

Paquet 1 French
Occupational name for a firewood gatherer, from Old French pacquet "bundle".

Paquet 2 French
From a diminutive of the given name Pascal.

Pardo Spanish
Means "brown" in Spanish, originally a nickname for someone with brown hair.

Paredes Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who lived near a wall, from Portuguese parede and Spanish pared meaning "wall", both derived from Latin paries.

Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pārēre meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin parere meaning "to produce, to give birth").

Paris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

Parish 1 English
Originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, which got its name from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii.

Parish 2 English
Derived from the medieval given name Paris, an Old French diminutive form of Patrick.

Parisi Italian
Italian form of Parish 1.

Park 1 Korean
From Sino-Korean 樸 or 朴 (bak) meaning "plain, unadorned, simple". This is the third most common surname in South Korea.

Park 2 English
From Middle English park, from Latin parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.

Park 3 English
From the medieval name Perkin, a diminutive of Peter.

Parker English
Means "keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.

Parkins English
Means "son of Parkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Parkinson English
Means "son of Parkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Parks English
Patronymic form of Park 3.

Parma Italian
From the city of Parma in northern Italy, the name of which is probably of Etruscan origin.

Pärn Estonian
Means "linden tree" in Estonian.

Parodi Italian
From the name of a village near Genoa in northern Italy.

Parra Spanish
Means "vine, trellis" in Spanish.

Parri Italian
From the given name Gaspare.

Parrino Sicilian
From a Sicilian variant of Italian padrino meaning "godfather".

Parris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

Parrish English
Variant of Parish 1.

Parry Welsh
Derived from ap Harry meaning "son of Harry".

Parsamyan Armenian
Means "son of Parsam", possibly from an Assyrian name Barsauma meaning "fasting".

Parsons English
Originally denoted a son of a parson, a derivative of Latin persona "person".

Partanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish parta meaning "beard".

Pascal French
Derived from the given name Pascal.

Pascual Spanish
From the given name Pascual.

Passerini Italian
From Italian passero meaning "sparrow".

Pasternack Polish (Anglicized), Yiddish
Americanized form of Pasternak.

Pasternak Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Yiddish
Means "parsnip" in various Slavic languages, ultimately from Latin pastinaca. A famous bearer was Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), author of Doctor Zhivago.

Pastor Spanish
Means "shepherd" in Spanish.

Pastore Italian
Means "shepherd" in Italian.

Paszek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of Paweł.

Pásztor Hungarian
Means "shepherd" in Hungarian.

Pataki Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian patak meaning "creek, brook" (a word of Slavic origin). It was given to people who lived near a creek.

Patel Gujarati
Means "landowner" in Gujarati.

Patenaude French (Quebec)
French form of Paternoster.

Paternoster English, Italian
Occupational name for a maker of rosaries, also called paternosters. They are derived from the Latin phrase pater noster "our Father", the opening words of the Lord's Prayer.

Paterson English, Scottish
Means "son of Patrick".

Patil Marathi
Means "village chief" in Marathi.

Patrick English
From the given name Patrick.

Patrickson English
Means "son of Patrick".

Patriksson Swedish
Means "son of Patrik".

Patterson English, Scottish
Means "son of Patrick".

Patton English, Scottish
Diminutive of the medieval name Pate, a short form of Patrick.

Paul English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Paulauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Paulauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Paulauskas m Lithuanian
From the given name Paulius.

Paulauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Paulauskas. This form is used by married women.

Paulis Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Paulissen Dutch
Means "son of Paul".

Paulsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Paul".

Paulson English
Means "son of Paul".

Pauwels Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Paul".

Pavesi Italian
Variant of Pavia.

Pavía Spanish
Spanish form of Pavia.

Pavia Italian
From the name of the city of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy. It is of unknown meaning.

Pavić Croatian
Means "son of Pavle".

Pavičić Croatian
Means "son of Pavao".

Pavlenko Ukrainian
From the given name Pavlo.

Pavletić Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Pavle.

Pavlík m Slovak, Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Pavol or Pavel.

Pavlíková f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Pavlík.

Pavlov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Pavel". A famous bearer of this surname was the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Pavlova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Pavlov.

Pavlović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Pavle".

Pavlovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Pavlovski.

Pavlovskaya f Russian
Feminine form of Pavlovsky.

Pavlovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Pavle".

Pavlovsky m Russian
Means "son of Pavel".

Pavone Italian
Means "peacock" in Italian. It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.

Pavoni Italian
Variant of Pavone.

Pawlak Polish
Means "son of Paweł".

Pawlitzki German
German surname derived from a Slavic form of the given name Paul.

Pawłowska f Polish
Feminine form of Pawłowski.

Pawłowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from a town named Pawłowo, derived from the given name Paweł.

Paxton English
From an English place name meaning "Pœcc's town". Pœcc is an Old English name of unknown meaning.

Payne English
From a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin paganus meaning "heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.

Payton English
From the name of the town of Peyton in Sussex. It means "Pæga's town".

Paz Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.

Peacock English
From Middle English pecok meaning "peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.

Peak English
Originally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.

Pearce English
From the given name Piers.

Pearson English
Variant of Pierson.

Pecháček m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Petr.

Pecháčková f Czech
Feminine form of Pecháček.

Peck 1 English
Variant of Peak.

Peck 2 English
Occupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English pekke.

Pecora Italian
Means "sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.

Pedersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Peder".

Pedrotti Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Pietro.

Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).

Peerenboom Dutch
From Dutch meaning "pear tree", referring to someone who lived or worked at a pear orchard.

Peeters Dutch, Flemish
Dutch and Flemish variant of Peters.

Pei Chinese
From Chinese 裴 (péi), possibly referring to an ancient city.

Pék Hungarian
Means "baker" in Hungarian.

Pekkanen Finnish
Derived from the given name Pekka.

Peláez Spanish
Means "son of Pelayo".

Pellé French
From French pelé meaning "bald".

Pellegrini Italian
Variant of Pellegrino.

Pellegrino Italian
Means "pilgrim, traveller" in Italian, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

Pelletier French
Derived from Old French pelletier "fur trader".

Pelley French
Anglicized form of Pellé.

Peltonen Finnish
From Finnish pelto meaning "field".

Pemberton English
From the name of a town near Manchester, derived from Celtic penn meaning "hill" combined with Old English bere meaning "barley" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Peña Spanish
Originally denoted a person who lived near a jutting rock, from Spanish peña meaning "rock, cliff".

Pender 1 English
From Middle English pind "to pen up". This was an occupational name for someone who penned animals.

Pender 2 Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Penders Dutch
From Middle Dutch paender meaning "brewer", derived from panne meaning "pan, pot", ultimately from Latin patina.

Peng Chinese
From Chinese 彭 (péng) referring to the ancient state of Peng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Jiangsu province.

Penn 1 English
Derived from various place names that were named using the Brythonic word penn meaning "hilltop, head".

Penn 2 English
Occupational name for a person who kept penned animals, from Old English penn.

Penner English
Variant of Penn 2.

Penners Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Penny English
Nickname meaning "penny, coin" from Old English penning.

Pensak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Pentti Finnish
Derived from the given name Pentti.

Penzak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Penzig Yiddish
Denoted a person who came from Penzig, the German name for Pieńsk, a town in southwest Poland. It is derived from Polish pień meaning "stump, tree trunk".

Penzik Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Pereira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".

Pereiro Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Pereyra Portuguese, Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Pérez Spanish
Means "son of Pedro".

Perez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Pérez.

Perić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Pero".

Périgord French
From the name of a region in southern France, possibly of Gaulish origin.

Perkins English
Means "son of Perkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Perko Slovene, Croatian
Derived from an archaic diminutive of Peter.

Perković Croatian
Patronymic derived from an archaic diminutive of Petar.

Perrault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perreault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perrin French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perrot French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perry 1 English
From Old English pirige meaning "pear tree", a derivative of peru meaning "pear", itself from Latin pirum. A famous bearer was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.

Perry 2 Welsh
From Welsh ap Herry meaning "son of Herry".

Persson Swedish
Means "son of Per".

Perugia Italian
From the name of the city of Perugia in Umbria, Italy. It was known as Perusia in the classical period, and it is of Etruscan origin.

Pesaresi Italian
Variant of Pesaro.

Pesaro Italian
From the name of the city of Pesaro, in the Marche region (Latin Pisaurum).

Pesce Italian
Means "fish" in Italian, referring either to a fisherman or to a person who resembled a fish in some way.

Pešek m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Petr.

Pešková f Czech
Feminine form of Pešek.

Pesti Hungarian
Originally it indicated someone from Pest, one of the towns that were joined to make Budapest.

Pesty Hungarian
Variant of Pesti.

Péter Hungarian
Derived from the given name Péter.

Peter English, German, Dutch
Derived from the given name Peter.

Peters English, German, Dutch
Means "son of Peter".

Petersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Peter".

Peterson English
Means "son of Peter".

Petersson Swedish
Means "son of Peter".

Pethes Hungarian
Derived from Pete, a diminutive of Péter.

Petit French, Catalan, English
Means "small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.

Pető Hungarian
Derived from an old diminutive of Péter.

Petőcs Hungarian
Derived from Pető, an old Hungarian diminutive of Péter.

Petőfi Hungarian
Means "son of Pető", an old diminutive of Péter.

Petraitienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petraitis. This form is used by married women.

Petraitis m Lithuanian
From the given name Petras.

Petraitytė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petraitis. This form is used by unmarried women.

Petran Romanian
From the Romanian given name Petre.

Petrauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petrauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Petrauskas m Lithuanian
Means "son of Petras".

Petrauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petrauskas. This form is used by married women.

Petrenko Ukrainian
From the given name Petro.

Petrescu Romanian
Means "son of Petre" in Romanian.

Petri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

Petrić Croatian
Means "son of Petar".

Petrosyan Armenian
Means "son of Petros" in Armenian.

Petrov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Peter" in Russian and Bulgarian.

Petrova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Petrov.

Petrović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Petar".

Petrovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Petrovski.

Petrovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Petar".

Pettersen Norwegian
Means "son of Petter".

Pettersson Swedish
Means "son of Petter".

Pettigrew English
Derived from Norman French petit "small" and cru "growth".

Peura Finnish
Means "deer" in Finnish.

Peusen Dutch
Derived from the given name Pascal.

Peynirci Turkish
From Turkish peynir meaning "cheese".

Peyton English
Variant of Payton.

Pfaff German
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" from Old High German pfaffo, from Latin papa.

Pfeiffer German
Occupational name meaning "pipe player" in German, from Middle High German pfifen "to whistle".

Pfenning German
From Old High German pfenning meaning "penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.

Phạm Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese 范 (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.

Phan Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Pan 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 潘 (phan).

Phelps English
Means "son of Philip".

Pherigo French
Anglicized form of Périgord.

Philippe French
From the given name Philippe.

Philips English, Dutch
Means "son of Philip". Famous bearers of this surname were Frederick Philips (1830-1900) and his son Gerard (1858-1942), the Dutch founders of the company Philips.

Phillips English
Means "son of Philip".

Piątek Polish
Means "Friday" in Polish, derived from the word piąty meaning "fifth".

Piazza Italian
Means "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin platea.

Picard French
Originally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French pic meaning "pike, spike".

Picasso Italian
From Italian pica meaning "magpie". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. The Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.

Piccirillo Italian
From Neapolitan piccerillo meaning "small, young".

Piccoli Italian
Nickname for a short person, from Italian piccolo "small".

Pichler Upper German
From Bavarian Bühel meaning "hill".

Pickering English
From the name of a town in Yorkshire, derived from Old English Piceringas, the name of a tribe.

Pickle English
Derived from Middle English pighel meaning "small field".

Pierce English
From the given name Piers.

Pierno Italian
From the name of the small town of Pierno in southern Italy near Potenza.

Pierre French
From the given name Pierre.

Pierson English
Means "son of Piers".

Pietri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

Pietrzak Polish
Means "son of Piotr".

Pilgrim English, German
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

Pilkvist Swedish
From Swedish pil (Old Norse píli) meaning "willow" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Pineda Spanish, Catalan
Means "pine forest" in Spanish and Catalan.

Pinheiro Portuguese
Means "pine tree" in Portuguese.

Pinho Portuguese
Habitational name meaning "pine" in Portuguese.

Pini Italian
Name for a person who lived near a pine tree, from Italian pino, Latin pinus.

Pintér Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Pinto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
Means "mottled" in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, derived from Late Latin pinctus, Latin pictus "painted".

Piontek Polish
Variant of Piątek.

Piotrowska f Polish
Feminine form of Piotrowski.

Piotrowski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from towns named Piotrów, Piotrowo or Piotrowice, all derived from the given name Piotr.

Piovene Italian
From the name of the town of Piovene Rocchette in Veneto, Italy.

Piper English
Originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).

Piraino Italian
From the name of the town of Piraino on Sicily.

Pires Portuguese
Means "son of Pedro".

Pisani Italian
From Italian pisano, the name for an inhabitant of the city of Pisa, Italy. The city's name is of unknown meaning.

Pitt English
Originally given to a person who lived near a pit or a hole, derived from Old English pytt "pit".

Pittaluga Italian
Originally a nickname for somebody who steals grapes from vineyards. In the Genoese dialect pittà means "to pick" and uga means "grapes" (uva in Italian).

Pittman English
Variant of Pitt.

Pitts English
Indicated a person who lived by a pit or hollow, from Old English pytt. It could also indicate a person from Pitt (Hants) or Pett (East Sussex) in England.

Plamondon French
Derived from French plat "flat" and mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.

Planche French
French form of Plank.

Planck German
German variant of Plank.

Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.

Planque French
French form of Plank.

Plaskett English
Originally denoted a dweller by a swampy meadow, from Old French plascq meaning "wet meadow".

Platt English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.

Plaza Spanish
Spanish cognate of Piazza.

Plešec Slovene
Variant of Pleško.

Pleško Slovene
Nickname for a bald person, from Slovene pleša meaning "bald patch".

Pletcher German
Anglicized form of Pletscher.