Surnames Starting with T

Tachibana Japanese
From Japanese 橘 (tachibana) meaning "orange, tangerine".

Tadić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Tadija".

Tafani Italian
From the nickname tafano meaning "gadfly", indicating an annoying person.

Taft English
Variant of Toft.

Taggart Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac an tSagairt meaning "son of the priest". This name comes from a time when the rules of priestly celibacy were not strictly enforced.

Tahirović Bosnian
Means "son of Tahir".

Tähtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".

Tailler French
Means "tailor" from Old French tailleur.

Tailor English
Variant of Taylor.

Takács Hungarian
Means "weaver" in Hungarian.

Takahashi Japanese
From Japanese 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high" and 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge".

Takala Finnish
Means "(dweller in the) back", probably denoting someone who lived in a remote area, from Finnish taka.

Takeda Japanese
From Japanese 武 (take) meaning "military, martial" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Takenaka Japanese
Means "dweller amongst bamboo", from Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Takeuchi Japanese
From Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Talbot English
Of Norman origin, possibly derived from an unattested Germanic given name composed of the elements dala "to destroy" and bod "message".

Tamaro Italian
Possibly from the Old German given name Thietmar. It is typical of the area around Trieste in northern Italy.

Tamás Hungarian
Derived from the given name Tamás.

Tamboia Italian
Possibly means "drummer", from Italian tamburo meaning "drum".

Tamboli Marathi
From the Sanskrit word ताम्बूल (tāmbūla) meaning "betel leaves". These leaves are used in rituals and worship, and the name was originally given to a person who grew or sold them.

Tamm Estonian
Means "oak" in Estonian. This is among the most common surnames in Estonia.

Tamura Japanese
From Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.

Tanaka Japanese
Means "dweller in the rice fields", from Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Tang 1 Chinese
From Chinese 唐 (táng) referring to the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907.

Tang 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Deng.

Tangeman German
Originally indicated a person from a place named Tange in northern Germany.

Tani Japanese
From Japanese 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Taniguchi Japanese
From Japanese 谷 (tani) meaning "valley" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Tanner English
Occupational name for a person who tanned animal hides, from Old English tannian "to tan", itself from Late Latin and possibly ultimately of Celtic origin.

Tanzer German
Means "dancer" in German, derived from Middle High German tanzen "to dance".

Tanzi Italian
From a short form of the given name Costanzo.

Tapia Spanish
Means "mud wall" in Spanish.

Tar Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian tar meaning "bald".

Tarantino Italian
Locational name that originally designated a person who came from Taranto, a city in southeastern Italy, which was originally called Τάρας (Taras) by Greek colonists. A famous bearer of this name is the American director Quentin Tarantino (1963-).

Tarasenko Ukrainian
From the given name Taras.

Targaryen Literature
Created by author George R. R. Martin for his series A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019). The Targaryens were the rulers of Westeros for almost 300 years until shortly before the beginning of the first novel. The name is presumably from the Valyrian language, though Martin provides no explanation of the meaning.

Tarpinian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Դարբինյան (see Darbinyan).

Tarr Hungarian
Variant of Tar.

Tash English
From Middle English at asche meaning "at the ash tree".

Tasker English
From Middle English taske meaning "task, assignment". A tasker was a person who had a fixed job to do, particularly a person who threshed grain with a flail.

Tasse French
From Old French tasse "purse, bag", an occupational name for a maker or seller of purses.

Tate English
Derived from the Old English given name Tata.

Tatham English
From the name of the town of Tatham in Lancashire, itself from the Old English given name Tata combined with ham meaning "home, settlement".

Tatton English
Originally indicated a person from a town by this name, derived from the Old English given name Tata combined with tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Tatum English
Variant of Tatham.

Taube German
From a nickname meaning "dove" in German.

Tavares Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Tavares, likely of pre-Roman origin.

Taverna Italian
From the place name Taverna, common in different parts of Italy. It means "inn, tavern" in Italian.

Tawfeek Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic توفيق (see Tawfiq).

Tawfiq Arabic
From the given name Tawfiq.

Taylor English
Derived from Old French tailleur meaning "tailor", ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut".

Tchaikovskaya f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковская (see Chaykovskaya).

Tchaikovsky m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковский (see Chaykovsky).

Teagan Irish (Rare)
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Tadhgáin meaning "descendant of Tadhgán".

Teague 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Taidhg meaning "descendant of Tadhg".

Teague 2 Cornish
From Cornish tek meaning "fair, beautiful".

Teahan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Téacháin meaning "descendant of Téachán". The given name Téachán possibly means "fugitive".

Tedesco Italian
From Italian tedesco meaning "German".

Teel English
From Middle English tele meaning "teal, duck".

Tehrani Persian
Indicated a person from the Iranian city of Tehran, of unknown meaning.

Teixeira Portuguese
From Portuguese teixo meaning "yew tree".

Teke 1 Turkish
Originally denoted someone from Teke, Turkey.

Teke 2 Turkish
Occupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish teke "goat".

Temitope Yoruba
From the given name Temitope.

Tenley English
Possibly from the name of an English town derived from Old English tind "point" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Tennfjord Norwegian
Originally denoted a person from Tennfjord, Norway.

Tennison English
Means "son of Denis".

Tennyson English
Means "son of Denis".

Teodoro Portuguese
Derived from the given name Teodoro.

Ter Avest Dutch
Means "at the edge, eave" indicating a person who lived at the edge of a forest or under a covered shelter.

Terranova Italian
Means "new land" in Italian.

Terrazas Spanish
Originally a name for a person from Terrazas in the Spanish city of Burgos, a place name meaning "terraces".

Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.

Terry English
Derived from the medieval name Thierry, a Norman French form of Theodoric.

Terzi 1 Italian
From the given name Terzo, or a name for a third child.

Terzi 2 Turkish
Means "tailor" in Turkish, ultimately of Persian origin.

Terzić Bosnian
From Bosnian terzija meaning "tailor", ultimately of Persian origin.

Tesař m Czech
Means "carpenter" in Czech, ultimately from the Old Slavic word tesla meaning "adze".

Tesařík m Czech
Diminutive of Tesař.

Tesaříková f Czech
Feminine form of Tesařík.

Tesařová f Czech
Feminine form of Tesař.

Tesla Serbian
Occupational name for a carpenter, derived from Serbian tesla meaning "adze". This name was notably borne by the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).

Tessaro Italian
Occupational name meaning "weaver", ultimately from Latin texarius.

Testa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "head".

Teufel German
From a nickname meaning "devil" in German, given to a mischievous person or one who was devil-like.

Teunissen Dutch
Means "son of Teunis".

Thacker English
Northern Middle English variant of Thatcher.

Thälmann German
From the given name Thilo. It was borne by the German communist party leader Ernst Thälmann (1886-1944).

Thatcher English
Referred to a person who thatched roofs by attaching straw to them, derived from Old English þæc meaning "thatch, roof". A famous bearer was the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).

Thayer French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Tailler.

Theodorou Greek
Means "son of Theodoros".

Theunissen Dutch
Means "son of Theunis".

Thibault French
Derived from the given name Thibault.

Thomas English, Welsh, French, German
Derived from the given name Thomas.

Thomassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Thomas".

Thompkins English
From a diminutive of the given name Thomas.

Thompsett English
From a diminutive of the given name Thomas.

Thompson English
Means "son of Thomas".

Thomson English
Variant of Thompson.

Thorburn English, Scottish
Derived from the Old Norse given name Þórbjǫrn.

Þórirsson Icelandic
Means "son of Þórir".

Thorley English
From any of the various places in England called Thornley or Thorley, meaning "thorn clearing" in Old English.

Thorn English, Danish
Originally applied to a person who lived in or near a thorn bush.

Thorne English
Variant of Thorn.

Thornton English
From any of the various places in England by this name, meaning "thorn town" in Old English.

Thorpe English
From Old Norse þorp meaning "village".

Thorsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Thor".

Thrussell English
From Old English þrostle meaning "song thrush", referring to a cheerful person.

Thurstan English
Derived from the Old Norse name Þórsteinn.

Thwaite English
Indicated a dweller in a forest clearing or pasture, from Old Norse þveit "clearing, pasture".

Tian Chinese
From Chinese 田 (tián) meaning "field".

Tichá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Tichý.

Tichý m Czech, Slovak
Means "quiet" in Czech and Slovak.

Tiedeman Low German
Variant of Tiedemann.

Tiedemann Low German
Derived from the given name Tiedemann.

Tierney Irish
From Irish Ó Tíghearnaigh meaning "descendant of Tighearnach".

Tifft English
Variant of Toft.

Tighe Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Taidhg.

Tilki Turkish
From a nickname meaning "fox" in Turkish.

Tillens Flemish
From the old Dutch name Tiel, a medieval diminutive of Dietrich.

Tímár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "tanner" in Hungarian.

Timberlake English
From an English place name, derived from Old English timber "timber, wood" and lacu "lake, pool, stream".

Tindall English
From Tindale, the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from the name of the river Tyne combined with Old English dæl "dale, valley".

Tinker English
Occupational name for a mender of kettles, pots and pans. The name could derive from the tinking sound made by light hammering on metal. It is possible that the word comes from the word tin, the material with which the tinker worked.

Tipton English
Originally given to one who came from the town of Tipton, derived from the Old English given name Tippa combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Tiraboschi Italian
Possibly of Lombardic origin meaning "shepherd" (from Old German tior "animal" and bursa "boy"). This surname is typical of Lombardy.

Tirrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tiryaki Turkish
Possibly from a nickname meaning "addict, opium user" in Turkish.

Tisza Hungarian
From the river name Tisza, Hungary's second largest river.

Tittensor English
Indicated a person from Tittensor, England, which means "Titten's ridge".

Tivoli Italian
Derived from the resort town of Tivoli, near Rome, originally called Tibur in Latin, of uncertain origin.

Tjäder Swedish
Means "wood grouse" in Swedish.

Tkachenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".

Tkachuk Ukrainian
From Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".

Tobias English, German, Jewish
From the given name Tobias.

Tobin English
From a diminutive of the given name Tobias.

Tod English
Variant of Todd.

Todaro Italian
From a regional form of a given name Todaro, a variant of Teodoro. It is quite common in Sicily.

Todd English
Means "fox", derived from Middle English todde.

Todorov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Todor".

Todorova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Todorov.

Todorović Serbian
Means "son of Todor".

Toft English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in Britain of that name, derived from Old Norse topt meaning "homestead".

Toivonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish toivo meaning "hope".

Tolbert English
Possibly from a Germanic given name of unknown meaning. The second element of the name is derived from beraht meaning "bright, famous".

Toledano Spanish
Derived from the name of the city of Toledo in Spain, which was from Latin Toletum, which may have been derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".

Tolkien German
Possibly from a Low German byname Tolk meaning "interpreter" (of Slavic origin). A famous bearer was the English author J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973). According to him, the surname was derived from German tollkühn meaning "foolhardy".

Tollemache English
Means "knapsack" in Old French.

Toller English
Occupational name meaning "tax gatherer", derived from Old English toln "toll, fee, tax".

Toloni Italian
Derived from the given name Bartolomeo.

Tolvaj Hungarian
Means "thief" in Hungarian.

Toma Romanian
From the given name Toma 2.

Tomàs Catalan
Derived from the given name Tomàs.

Tómasson Icelandic
Means "son of Tómas".

Tomasson Swedish
Means "son of Tomas".

Tomaszewska f Polish
Feminine form of Tomaszewski.

Tomaszewski m Polish
From the name of various Polish places called Tomaszew or Tomaszewo, derived from the given name Tomasz.

Tomčić Serbian, Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Toma 2.

Tomczak Polish
From a diminutive of the given name Tomasz.

Tomić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Toma 2".

Tomioka Japanese
From Japanese 富 (tomi) meaning "wealth, abundance" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Tomov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Toma 2".

Tomova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Tomov.

Tong Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Tang 1.

Toole Irish
Variant of O'Toole.

Tordai Hungarian
From Torda, the Hungarian name of the city of Turda in Romania (formerly within the Kingdom of Hungary).

Tornincasa Italian
From a medieval Italian name given to a boy born after the death of a previous one, derived from Italian ritorna in casa "come back home".

Török Hungarian
Means "Turkish" in Hungarian.

Torosian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Թորոսյան (see Torosyan).

Torosyan Armenian
Means "son of Toros" in Armenian.

Torres Spanish, Portuguese
Name for a person who lived in or near a tower, ultimately from Latin turris.

Tos Spanish
Spanish form of Tosi.

Tosell Catalan
Catalan form of Tosi.

Toselli Italian
Diminutive form of Tosi.

Toset Catalan
Catalan form of Tosi.

Tosetti Italian
Diminutive form of Tosi.

Tosi Italian
Means "clean-shaven", usually denoting a younger man, from Latin tonsus "shaved".

Tosto Italian
From a nickname for a tough, stubborn person, from Italian tosto "hard, tough".

Tót Hungarian
Variant of Tóth.

Tóth um Hungarian, Slovak
Derived from Hungarian tót, which means "Slovak" or "Slovene".

Tóthová f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Tóth.

Towner English
Variant of Toller.

Townsend English
Indicated a person who lived at the town's edge, from Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town" and ende "end, limit".

Toyoda Japanese
From Japanese 豊 (toyo) meaning "bountiful, luxuriant" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy". A famous bearer was Kiichiro Toyoda (1894-1952), founder of Toyota Motor Corporation.

Tracey 1 English
From the village of Tracy-sur-mer on the Normandy coast in France. It was brought to England with William the Conqueror.

Tracey 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Treasaigh meaning "descendant of Treasach".

Tracy English, Irish
Variant of Tracey 1 or Tracey 2.

Trajkovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Trajkovski.

Trajkovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Trajko".

Trần Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Chen, from Sino-Vietnamese 陳 (trần). This is the second most common surname in Vietnam.

Tran Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Trần.

Trapani Italian
From the name of the Sicilian city of Trapani, derived from Greek δρεπάνη (drepane) meaning "sickle".

Trask English
Originally indicated a person from Thirsk, North Yorkshire, derived from Old Norse þresk meaning "fen, marsh".

Traver French
French variant of Travers.

Travere French
French variant of Travers.

Travers English, French
From an English and French place name that described a person who lived near a bridge or ford, or occasionally as an occupational name for the collector of tolls at such a location. The place name is derived from Old French traverser (which comes from Late Latin transversare), which means "to cross".

Traversa Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Traverse French
French variant of Travers.

Traversi Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Traversini Italian
Italian variant of Travers.

Traverso Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Travert French
French variant of Travers.

Traves English
English variant of Travers.

Travieso Spanish
Spanish form of Travers.

Travis English
English variant of Travers.

Traviss English
English variant of Travers.

Traylor English
Meaning unknown.

Treacy Irish
Variant of Tracey 2.

Treloar English
Originally denoted a person from a place of this name in Cornwall, England.

Tremblay French
From French tremble meaning "aspen". It is especially widespread in Quebec, being the most common surname there.

Tremble French
Variant of Tremblay.

Trengove English
Originally indicated a person from Trengove in Cornwall, England.

Trent English
Denoted one who lived near the River Trent in England.

Trevis English
English variant of Travers.

Trevor Welsh
Originally from the name of various Welsh towns meaning "big village", derived from Middle Welsh tref "village" and maur "large".

Triantafyllou Greek
From the given name Triantafyllos.

Trifonov m Bulgarian, Russian
Means "son of Trifon".

Trifonova f Bulgarian, Russian
Feminine form of Trifonov.

Triggs English
From a byname derived from Old Norse tryggr meaning "true, loyal".

Tripp English
From Middle English trippen meaning "to dance", an occupational name for a dancer.

Tritten German
Originally denoted someone who lived by a set of steps, from Middle High German trit "step".

Troelsen Danish
Means "son of Troels".

Troy English
Originally denoted a person from the city of Troyes in France.

Trucco Italian
Denoted a person coming from a place of this name in northern Italy.

Trudeau French (Quebec)
From a diminutive of the given name Thouroude, a medieval French form of the Norse name Torvald. This name has been borne by two Canadian prime ministers, Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1919-2000) and his son Justin Trudeau (1971-).

Trudu Sardinian
Means "thrush" in Sardinian (from Latin turdus).

Trueman English
Variant of Truman.

Trujillo Spanish
Originally denoted a person from Trujillo, Spain, originally called Turgalium in Latin.

Truman English
Means "trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).

Trumbauer German
Possibly from Middle High German trame "rafter, frame" and bauer "peasant, neighbour".

Trump German
Derived from Middle High German trumbe meaning "drum". This surname is borne by the American president Donald Trump (1946-).

Tsang Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zeng.

Tschida German
Possibly derived from a Slavic given name of unknown meaning.

Tse Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xie.

Tsiklauri Georgian
Meaning unknown.

Tso Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Cao.

Tsui Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xu 1.

Tsukuda Japanese
From Japanese 佃 (tsukuda) meaning "cultivated rice field".

Tsunoda Japanese
From Japanese 角 (tsuno) meaning "point, corner" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Tsvetanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Tsvetan".

Tsvetanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Tsvetanov.

Tsvetkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Tsvetko".

Tsvetkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Tsvetkov.

Tucker English
Occupational name for a fuller of cloth, derived from Old English tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.

Tudor Romanian
Derived from the given name Tudor 2.

Tuff English
Variant of Tuft.

Tuft English
Denoted one who lived near a clump of trees or bushes, from Middle English tufte "tuft, clump", from Old French.

Tumicelli Italian
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Bartolomeo.

Tunison Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Teunissen.

Tuominen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tuomi meaning "bird cherry".

Tupper English
Occupational name for a herdsman, derived from Middle English toupe "ram".

Turati Italian
From the name of the town of Turate near Como in Lombardy.

Turchi Italian
Means "Turkish" in Italian.

Turk Slovene, Croatian
Means "Turkish" in Slovene and Croatian.

Turnbull English, Scottish
Nickname for someone thought to be strong enough to turn around a bull.

Turner English
Occupational name for one who worked with a lathe, derived from Old English turnian "to turn", of Latin origin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.

Turunen Finnish
From Finnish turku meaning "marketplace" or the Finnish city of Turku (derived from the same word).

Tveit Norwegian
Habitational name derived from Old Norse þveit meaning "clearing".

Twist English, Literature
Probably from the name of towns in England and Wales called Twist or Twiss. This surname was used by Charles Dickens for the hero of his novel Oliver Twist (1838), about an orphan surviving the streets of London. Dickens probably had the vocabulary word twist in mind when naming the character.

Tyler English
Occupational name for a tiler of roofs, derived from Old English tigele "tile". A famous bearer of this name was American president John Tyler (1790-1862).

Tyree Scottish
Variant of McIntyre.

Tyrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tyrrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tyson 1 English
Derived from a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from Old French tison meaning "firebrand".

Tyson 2 English
Variant of Dyson.