Aalto FinnishFrom Finnish
aalto meaning
"wave". A famous bearer was Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976).
Alfaro SpanishOriginally denoted someone who was from the city of Alfaro in La Rioja, Spain. It is possibly derived from Arabic meaning "the watchtower".
Bauer GermanFrom Old High German
bur meaning
"peasant, farmer".
Beckham EnglishFrom an English place name meaning "Becca's homestead" in Old English (with
Becca being a masculine byname meaning "pickaxe"). A famous bearer is retired English soccer player David Beckham (1975-).
Blake EnglishVariant of
Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).
Bonheur FrenchFrom Old French
bonne heure meaning
"good time" or
"lucky".
Buonarroti ItalianFrom the medieval Italian given name
Buonarroto meaning "good increase". This was the surname of the Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo (1475-1564).
Burton EnglishFrom a common English place name, derived from Old English meaning "fortified town".
Cameron ScottishMeans
"crooked nose" from Gaelic
cam "crooked" and
sròn "nose".
Cohen JewishMeans
"priest" from Hebrew
כֹּהֵן (kohen). It originally denoted one of the priestly tribe of Levi.
Constable EnglishFrom Old French
conestable, ultimately from Latin
comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".
Dahl Norwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom Old Norse
dalr meaning
"valley". A famous of this surname was author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) who is mostly remembered for children's stories such as
Matilda and
Henry Sugar.
Dalí SpanishFrom a given name, itself a diminutive of names beginning with the Old German element
adal meaning "noble". This was the surname of the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).
Da Vinci Italian (Rare)Means
"from Vinci", a town near Florence. A famous bearer was the Italian artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).
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).
Dior FrenchPossibly from French
doré meaning
"golden". A famous bearer was the French fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).
Douglas ScottishFrom the name of a town in Lanarkshire, itself named after a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water, derived from Gaelic
dubh "dark" and
glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to
glas "grey, green"). This was a Scottish Lowland clan, the leaders of which were powerful earls in the medieval period.
Eaton EnglishFrom any of the various English towns with this name, derived from Old English
ea "river" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Foster 2 EnglishOccupational name for a scissor maker, derived from Old French
forcetier.
Foster 3 EnglishOccupational name for a maker of saddle trees, derived from Old French
fustier.
Foster 4 EnglishNickname given to a person who was a foster child or foster parent.
Freud German, JewishMeans
"joy" in German, a nickname for a cheerful person. A famous bearer was the psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).
Groß GermanFrom Old High German
groz meaning
"tall, big".
Grünewald GermanMeans
"green forest" from German
grün "green" and
Wald "forest".
Hamilton English, ScottishFrom an English place name, derived from Old English
hamel "crooked, mutilated" and
dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).
Hilton EnglishFrom various English place names derived from Old English
hyll "hill" and
tun "enclosure, town". Famous bearers of this name include the Hilton family of hotel heirs.
Hopper EnglishOccupational name for an acrobat or a nickname for someone who was nervous or restless. A famous bearer was the American actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010).
Iwata JapaneseFrom Japanese
岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Keller GermanMeans
"cellar" in German, an occupational name for one in charge of the food and drink.
Kelly 1 IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Ceallaigh meaning
"descendant of Ceallach". Famous bearers include actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).
Kelly 2 ScottishFrom a Scottish place name derived from
coille meaning
"grove".
Kirby EnglishFrom numerous towns in northern England named Kirby or Kirkby, derived from Old Norse
kirkja "church" and
býr "farm, settlement".
Kirchner GermanDerived from Middle High German
kirchenaere meaning
"sexton".
Kitagawa JapaneseFrom Japanese
北 (kita) meaning "north" and
川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream". A famous bearer was the artist and printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806).
Klein German, Dutch, JewishMeans
"small, little" from German
klein or Yiddish
kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).
Lawrence EnglishDerived from the given name
Laurence 1. Famous bearers include revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) and author D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930).
Lebrun FrenchFrom a nickname meaning
"the brown" in French, from
brun "brown".
Long EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.
Luna SpanishFrom various places in Spain meaning "moon".
MacDonald ScottishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
MacDhòmhnaill meaning
"son of Donald". It originates from the Highland clan Donald.
Miyamoto JapaneseFrom Japanese
宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and
本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin". A notable bearer is video game pioneer Shigeru Miyamoto (1952-).
Monet FrenchDerived from either of the given names
Hamon or
Edmond. A famous bearer was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).
Moore 1 EnglishOriginally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English
mor meaning
"open land, bog".
Moore 3 EnglishNickname for a person of dark complexion, from Old French
more, Latin
maurus, meaning
"Moorish".
Moser GermanName for someone who lived near a peat bog, from Middle High German
mos.
Nagy um Hungarian, SlovakFrom a nickname meaning
"big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname. In Slovakia this spelling is only used for men, with
Nagyová being the feminine form.
Newton EnglishFrom the name of one of many English towns meaning "new town". A famous bearer was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).
Ono JapaneseFrom Japanese
小 (o) meaning "small" and
野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Orozco SpanishFrom the name of a valley in the Basque region of Spain.
Pei ChineseFrom Chinese
裴 (péi), possibly referring to an ancient city.
Picasso ItalianFrom 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.
Pollock ScottishFrom the name of a place in Renfrewshire, Scotland, derived from a diminutive of Gaelic
poll meaning
"pool, pond, bog". A famous bearer was the American artist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956).
Pratt EnglishFrom Old English
prætt meaning
"trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.
Richter GermanMeans
"judge" in German, from Middle High German
rihtære.
Rivera SpanishFrom Spanish
ribera meaning
"bank, shore", from Latin
riparius.
Romano 2 ItalianDenoted a person from the city of
Rome, either a resident or someone who visited as a pilgrim. In Calabria it was also used to designate a person from New Rome, a name for Constantinople.
Roncalli ItalianFrom the names of places like Ronco or Ronchi, quite common in northern Italy, derived from
ronco meaning "cleared land, terraced land". It was the surname of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (1881-1963), the pope John XXIII.
Ross English, ScottishFrom various place names (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), which are derived from Scottish Gaelic
ros meaning "promontory, headland".
Rousseau FrenchDiminutive of
Roux. A famous bearer was the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) whose ideas influenced the French Revolution.
Schulz GermanOccupational name derived from Middle High German
schultheiße meaning
"mayor, judge".
Sherman 1 EnglishMeans
"shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.
Steen Low GermanLow German variant of
Stein. A famous bearer was the 17th-century Dutch painter Jan Steen.
Sullivan IrishAnglicized form of the Irish name
Ó Súileabháin meaning
"descendant of Súileabhán". The name
Súileabhán means "dark eye".
Suzuki JapaneseFrom Japanese
鈴 (suzu) meaning "bell" and
木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood". This is the second most common surname in Japan. A notable bearer was the artist Suzuki Harunobu (1725-1770).
Tang 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
唐 (táng) referring to the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907.
Turner EnglishOccupational 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.
Uccello ItalianMeans
"bird" in Italian, either a nickname for a person who resembled a bird or an occupational name for a birdcatcher.
Van der Zee DutchMeans
"from the sea" in Dutch. The original bearer may have been someone who lived on the coast.
Van Gogh DutchMeans
"from Goch", a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. It may be derived from a Low German word meaning "meadow, floodplain". This name was borne by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).
Van Rijn DutchMeans
"from the Rhine". A famous bearer was the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669).
Velázquez SpanishDerived from the given name
Velasco. A famous bearer was the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660).
Vestergaard DanishFrom a place name, derived from Danish
vest "west" and
gård "farm, yard".
Vieira PortugueseDenoted a person who came from a Portuguese town by this name, derived from
vieria meaning
"scallop". The scallop was a symbol of Saint James, and was traditionally worn by pilgrims to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
Wagner GermanFrom Middle High German
wagener meaning
"wagon maker, cartwright". This name was borne by the German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883).
Walker EnglishOccupational name for a person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. It is derived from Middle English
walkere, Old English
wealcan meaning "to move".
Wang 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
王 (wáng) meaning
"king, monarch". This is the most common surname in China (and the world).
Wang 2 German, DutchFrom Middle High German and Middle Dutch
wange meaning
"cheek", possibly a nickname for someone with round or rosy cheeks.
Wang 4 YiddishName for a Jew from Hungary, ultimately from Russian
Венгрия (Vengriya) meaning
"Hungary".
Ward 1 EnglishDerived from Old English
weard meaning
"guard, guardian".
Ward 2 IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Mac an Bhaird, which means
"son of the bard".
Wright 1 EnglishFrom Old English
wyrhta meaning
"wright, maker", an occupational name for someone who was a craftsman. Famous bearers were Orville and Wilbur Wright, the inventors of the first successful airplane.
Zhu ChineseFrom Chinese
朱 (zhū) meaning
"vermilion red, cinnabar" and also referring to the ancient state of Zhu, which existed in what is now Shandong province. This was the surname of the emperors of the Ming dynasty.