Poppins LiteratureUsed by P. L. Travers for the magical nanny in her
Mary Poppins series of books, first published in 1934. It is not known how Travers devised the name. She may have had the English words
pop or
poppet (meaning "young woman") in mind.
Porcher English, FrenchMeans
"swineherd" from Old French and Middle English
porchier, from Latin
porcus "pig".
Porras Spanish, CatalanFrom a nickname meaning
"club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin
porrum meaning "leek".
Porter EnglishOccupational name meaning
"doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French
porte "door", from Latin
porta.
Porto ItalianDesignated a person who lived near a harbour, from Italian
porto, Latin
portus.
Pospíšil CzechNickname for a person in a hurry, from Czech
pospíšit "hurry".
Potenza ItalianFrom the name of the southern Italian city of Potenza, called
Potentia in Latin, meaning "power, force".
Potter EnglishOccupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Pottinger EnglishOccupational name, either for an apothecary, from Old French
potecaire, or a seller of stew, from Old French
potagier.
Poulin FrenchDerived from Old French
poule meaning
"chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.
Pound EnglishOccupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English
pund "animal enclosure".
Power 1 English, IrishFrom Old French
Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.
Power 2 EnglishFrom Middle English
povre meaning
"poor", via Old French from Latin
pauper. It could have been a nickname for someone who had no money or a miser.
Pozzi ItalianFrom Italian
pozzo meaning
"well, pit", derived from Latin
puteus.
Pratt EnglishFrom Old English
prætt meaning
"trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.
Prescott EnglishFrom the name of various English places meaning
"priest's cottage" in Old English.
Preston EnglishOriginally derived from various place names meaning
"priest town" in Old English.
Pretorius Southern African, AfrikaansFrom Latin
praetor meaning
"leader". This name was adopted in the 17th century by Wesselius Praetorius as a Latin translation of his previous surname
Schulte. It is now common in South Africa.
Prieto SpanishFrom a nickname meaning
"dark" in Spanish, referring to a person with dark hair or skin.
Prinsen DutchMeans
"son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.
Prinz German, JewishMeans
"prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.
Procházka CzechMeans
"walk, wander, stroll" in Czech. This was an occupational name for a travelling tradesman.
Profeta ItalianFrom Italian
profeta meaning
"prophet". It probably came from a nickname indicating a person who wanted to predict the future. It is typical of southern Italy.
Protz GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".
Proulx FrenchDerived from Old French
preu meaning
"valiant, brave".
Provenza ItalianFrom the name of the Provence region of southern France (in Italian
Provenza). It is derived from Latin
provincia "province", a territorial division.
Prunty IrishFrom Irish
Ó Proinntigh meaning
"descendant of Proinnteach", a given name probably derived from Irish
bronntach meaning "generous".
Pryor EnglishOriginally belonged to one who was a prior (a religious official), or one who worked for a prior.
Puerta SpanishMeans
"door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.
Pugliese ItalianFrom an adjectival derivative of Puglia, from Latin
Apulia, a region of southeast Italy containing the boot heel and some of the coastline of the Adriatic Sea. It is a regional name for someone from that region.
Pulkrábek CzechDerived from the medieval status name
purkrabí meaning
"burgrave". It is derived from German
Burggraf meaning "castle count".
Purcell EnglishFrom Old French
pourcel "piglet", from Latin
porcellus, a derivative of
porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.
Puskás HungarianOccupational name for a gunsmith or cannon maker, from Hungarian
puska meaning
"gun" (from German, itself from Latin
buxis "box").
Pusztai HungarianFrom Hungarian
puszta meaning
"plain, steppe". The name was given to someone living on a plain.
Putin RussianFrom Russian
путь (put) meaning
"road, path". This surname is borne by the Russian president Vladimir Putin (1952-).
Putnam EnglishFrom
Puttenham, the name of towns in Hertfordshire and Surrey in England, which mean "Putta's homestead".