Davis English, ScottishMeans
"son of David". This was the surname of the revolutionary jazz trumpet player Miles Davis (1926-1991).
Delacroix FrenchMeans
"of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads. A notable bearer was the French painter Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863).
Dempsey IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Díomasaigh meaning
"descendant of Díomasach", a given name meaning "proud".
Deng ChineseFrom Chinese
邓 (dèng) referring to the ancient state of Deng, which existed during the Shang and Zhou dynasties in what is now either Henan or Hubei province. A famous bearer was the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997).
Devlin IrishAnglicized form of the Irish
Ó Doibhilin meaning
"descendant of Doibhilin", a given name that may be derived from the Gaelic term
dobhail meaning "unlucky".
Dickinson EnglishMeans
"son of Dicun",
Dicun being a medieval diminutive of
Dick 1. American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was a famous bearer.
Doherty IrishFrom the Irish
Ó Dochartaigh meaning
"descendant of Dochartach". The byname
Dochartach means "obstructive".
Donaldson EnglishMeans
"son of Donald". A notable bearer is the online personality Jimmy Donaldson (1998-), who goes by the alias MrBeast.
Donnelly IrishFrom Irish
Ó Donnghaile meaning
"descendant of Donnghal". The given name
Donnghal means "brown valour", from
donn "brown" and
gal "valour". This surname is associated with the descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages.
Doran IrishFrom Irish
Ó Deoradháin meaning
"descendant of Deoradhán", where
Deoradhán is a given name meaning "exile, wanderer".
Doyle IrishFrom the Irish
Ó Dubhghaill, which means
"descendant of Dubhghall". A famous bearer was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.
Driscoll IrishFrom Irish
Ó hEidirsceóil meaning
"descendant of the messenger".
Duffy 1 IrishDerived from Irish
Ó Dubhthaigh meaning
"descendant of Dubthach". Their original homeland was Monaghan where the surname is still the most common; they are also from Donegal and Roscommon.
Durnin IrishFrom Irish
Ó Doirnáin meaning
"descendant of Doirnín", a given name meaning "little fist".
Edison EnglishMeans
"son of Eda 2" or
"son of Adam". The surname was borne by American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).
Emerson EnglishMeans
"son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.
Fallon IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Fallamháin meaning
"descendant of Fallamhán", a given name meaning "leader".
Faulkner English, ScottishOccupational name meaning
"keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots
faulcon, from Late Latin
falco, of Germanic origin.
Finnegan IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Fionnagáin meaning
"descendant of Fionnagán". The given name
Fionnagán is a diminutive of
Fionn.
Fitzgerald IrishMeans
"son of Gerald" in Anglo-Norman French. It was brought to Ireland with William the Conqueror. A famous bearer was Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), an American jazz singer.
Fitzroy EnglishMeans
"son of the king" in Anglo-Norman French, from French
roi meaning "king". This name has been bestowed upon illegitimate children of kings.
Flanagan IrishFrom Irish
Ó Flannagáin meaning
"descendant of Flannagán".
Flannagán is a given name meaning "blood red". From County Roscommon in Ireland, it has many other spellings.
Flannery IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Flannghaile meaning
"descendant of Flannghal", a given name meaning "red valour".
Fletcher EnglishOccupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French
fleche meaning "arrow".
Flynn IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Floinn meaning
"descendant of Flann".
Foley IrishFrom Irish
Ó Foghladha meaning
"descendant of Foghlaidh". The byname
Foghlaidh meant "pirate, marauder, plunderer".
Foster 3 EnglishOccupational name for a maker of saddle trees, derived from Old French
fustier.
Frankenstein German, LiteratureFrom any of the various minor places by this name in Germany, meaning
"stone of the Franks" in German. It was used by the author Mary Shelley in her novel
Frankenstein (1818) for the character of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monster and brings it to life. The monster, nameless in the novel, is sometimes informally or erroneously called Frankenstein in modern speech.
Gilmore Scottish, IrishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
MacGilleMhoire or Irish Gaelic
Mac Giolla Mhuire meaning
"son of the servant of Moire".
Gore EnglishFrom the Old English word
gara meaning
"triangular plot of land".
Gorman 2 IrishFrom the Irish
Ó Gormáin meaning
"descendant of Gormán". The given name
Gormán means "little blue one".
Grady IrishFrom Irish
Ó Gráda or
Ó Grádaigh meaning
"descendant of Gráda". The byname
Gráda means "noble, illustrious".
Grayson EnglishMeans
"son of the steward", derived from Middle English
greyve "steward".
Grover EnglishFrom Old English
graf meaning
"grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908).
Gujić BosnianMeans
"son of a snake" from the Bosnian word
guja meaning "snake".
Gustafsson SwedishMeans
"son of Gustaf". The actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was originally named Greta Gustafsson.
Halloran IrishFrom Irish
Ó hAllmhuráin meaning
"descendant of Allmhurán". The given name
Allmhurán means "stranger from across the sea".
Han Chinese, KoreanFrom Chinese
韩 (hán) referring to the ancient state of Han, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Shanxi and Henan provinces.
Hansen Norwegian, DanishMeans
"son of Hans". This is the most common surname in Norway, and the third most common in Denmark.
Harlow EnglishHabitational name derived from a number of locations named Harlow, from Old English
hær "rock, heap of stones" or
here "army", combined with
hlaw "hill".
Harrelson EnglishMeans
"son of Harold". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Woody Harrelson (1961-).
He ChineseFrom Chinese
何 (hé), representing a southern pronunciation of the name of the ancient state of Han (see
Han). After Han was destroyed by the state of Qin, those who resettled further south changed their name to this character in order to match the local pronunciation.
Heffernan IrishFrom Irish
Ó hIfearnáin meaning
"descendant of Ifearnán". The byname
Ifearnán means "little demon".
Henryson EnglishMeans
"son of Henry". A bearer of this surname was the poet Robert Henryson (1425-1500).
Hickey IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó hÍcidhe meaning
"descendant of the healer".
Higgins IrishFrom Irish
Ó hUiginn meaning
"descendant of Uiginn".
Uiginn is a byname meaning "Viking".
Hines IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó hEidhin meaning
"descendant of Eidhin", a given name or byname of unknown origin.
Hofmeister GermanMeans
"master of the household", from Old High German
hof "yard, court, house" and
meistar "master" (from Latin
magister).
Hogan IrishFrom Irish
Ó hÓgáin meaning
"descendant of Ógán". The given name
Ógán is a diminutive of
óg meaning "young".
Huber GermanOccupational name for a farmer, derived from Old High German
huoba "plot of land, farm".
Huff EnglishMeans
"spur of a hill", from Old English
hoh.
Hyde EnglishFrom Middle English
hide, a unit of land, approximately the size necessary to support a household.
Ibsen DanishMeans
"son of Ib". A famous bearer was the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906).
Jackson EnglishMeans
"son of Jack". Famous bearers of this name include the American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and the singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).