Abarca SpanishFrom the name of a type of leather-soled shoe or sandal made on the Balearic Islands. It originally indicated a person who made or sold this item.
Abascal SpanishMeans
"priest's street" from Basque
abas "priest" and
kale "street".
Åberg SwedishFrom Swedish
å meaning "river, stream" and
berg meaning "mountain".
Achterberg Dutch, GermanFrom the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, for example the village of
achterberg in Utrecht. The place names are derived from Low German
achter "behind" and
berg "mountain, hill".
Ackermann GermanDenoted a person who lived near a field, from Middle High German
acker "field" and
man "man".
Aguado SpanishDerived from Spanish
agua "water", indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.
Aguilar SpanishFrom a place name that was derived from Spanish
águila meaning
"eagle", ultimately from Latin
aquila.
Aguilera SpanishFrom a place name that was derived from Spanish
aguilera meaning
"eagle's nest". A famous bearer is American singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).
Aguirre SpanishFrom Basque
ageri meaning
"open, cleared, prominent", originally given to a peron who lived in an open area.
Ahlberg SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
al (Old Norse
ǫlr) meaning "alder" and
berg meaning "mountain".
Aikawa JapaneseFrom Japanese
相 (ai) meaning "mutually, together",
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" or
哀 (ai) meaning "grief, sorrow" combined with
川 (kawa) or
河 (kawa) both meaning "river, stream".
Ainsworth EnglishHabitational name for a person from the village of Ainsworth near Manchester, itself from the Old English given name
Ægen and
worþ meaning "enclosure".
Amundsen NorwegianMeans
"son of Amund". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928).
Aoki JapaneseFrom Japanese
青 (ao) meaning "green, blue" and
木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Aquino Italian, SpanishFrom the name of an Italian town near Rome, derived from Latin
aqua meaning "water", the home town of the 13th-century saint Thomas Aquinas. In Italy the surname is derived directly from the town's name. As a Spanish-language surname, it was sometimes bestowed by missionaries in honour of the saint as they evangelized in Spanish colonies.
Araújo PortugueseDenoted a person hailing from one of the many areas that bear this name in Portugal, which is of unknown meaning.
Archer EnglishOccupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin
arcus "bow" (via Old French).
Arenas SpanishFrom various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish
arena meaning
"sand".
Arias SpanishPossibly derived from a medieval given name of Germanic origin.
Armstrong EnglishMeans
"strong arm" from Middle English. Tradition holds that the family is descended from Siward, an 11th-century Earl of Northumbria. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), a jazz musician, and Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), an astronaut who was the first person to walk on the moon.
Ashworth EnglishFrom an English place name meaning "ash enclosure" in Old English.
Ávila SpanishFrom the name of the city of Ávila in Spain. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly of Punic or Celtic origin.
Baart DutchMeans
"beard" in Dutch, originally describing a person who wore a beard.
Bach 1 GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a stream, from Middle High German
bach meaning
"stream". This name was borne by members of the Bach musical family, notably the composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
Bachmann GermanDenoted a person who lived near a stream, from Middle High German
bach "stream" and
man "man".
Bagley EnglishFrom various English place names, derived from the Old English given name
Bacga combined with
leah "woodland, clearing".
Bailey EnglishFrom Middle English
baili meaning
"bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin
baiulus "porter".
Baker EnglishOccupational name meaning
"baker", derived from Middle English
bakere.
Ball EnglishFrom Middle English
bal, Old English
beall meaning
"ball". This was either a nickname for a rotund or bald person, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a ball-shaped feature.
Barber English, ScottishIndicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living, ultimately from Latin
barba "beard".
Barker EnglishFrom Middle English
bark meaning
"to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.
Barnes EnglishDenoted a person who worked or lived in a barn. The word
barn is derived from Old English
bere "barley" and
ærn "dwelling".
Barnett EnglishDerived from Old English
bærnet meaning "place cleared by burning".
Baron English, FrenchFrom the title of nobility, derived from Latin
baro (genitive
baronis) meaning "man, freeman", possibly from Frankish
barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or acted like a baron.
Barr EnglishIndicated a person who lived near a barrier, from Old French
barre.
Barrett EnglishProbably derived from the Middle English word
barat meaning
"trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.
Barros Portuguese, SpanishFrom the Portuguese and Spanish word
barro meaning
"clay, mud". This could either be an occupational name for a person who worked with clay or mud such as a builder or artisan, or a topographic name for someone living near clay or mud.
Bašić Croatian, SerbianMeans
"son of the chief", derived from Serbo-Croatian
baša meaning "chief, boss" (of Turkish origin).
Bauer GermanFrom Old High German
bur meaning
"peasant, farmer".
Baumgartner GermanOccupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German
Baumgarten "orchard" (derived from
Baum "tree" and
Garten "garden").
Beck 3 EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with a big nose, from Middle English
bec meaning
"beak".
Beck 4 EnglishFrom Old English
becca meaning
"pickaxe", an occupational surname.
Becker GermanDerived from Middle High German
becker meaning
"baker".
Belcher EnglishFrom a Middle English version of Old French
bel chiere meaning
"beautiful face". It later came to refer to a person who had a cheerful and pleasant temperament.
Bell 1 EnglishFrom Middle English
belle meaning
"bell". It originated as a nickname for a person who lived near the town bell, or who had a job as a bell-ringer.
Berger 1 FrenchOccupational name meaning
"shepherd", from Old French
bergier.
Bergman SwedishFrom Swedish
berg meaning "mountain" and
man (Old Norse
maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person living on a mountain.
Berry EnglishDerived from a place name, which was derived from Old English
burh "fortification".
Biondi ItalianMeans
"fair-haired, blond" in Italian. This name was borne by the American swimmer Matt Biondi (1965-).
Bird EnglishOccupational name for a person who raised or hunted birds.
Bishop EnglishMeans simply
"bishop", ultimately from Greek
ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer". It probably originally referred to a person who served a bishop.
Black EnglishMeans either
"black" (from Old English
blæc) or
"pale" (from Old English
blac). It could refer to a person with a pale or a dark complexion, or a person who worked with black dye.
Blair ScottishFrom any one of several places of this name in Scotland, which derive from Gaelic
blàr meaning "plain, field, battlefield".
Blake EnglishVariant of
Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).
Böhm GermanOriginally indicated a person from the region of
Bohemia (
Böhmen in German).
Bolton EnglishFrom any of the many places in England called Bolton, derived from Old English
bold "house" and
tun "enclosure".
Bond EnglishOccupational name for a peasant farmer, from Middle English
bonde. A famous bearer is the fictional spy James Bond, created by Ian Flemming in 1953.
Booker EnglishOccupational name meaning
"book maker", derived from Old English
boc "book".
Booth EnglishTopographic name derived from Middle English
both meaning
"hut, stall".
Bootsma FrisianOccupational name meaning
"boatman", derived from Dutch
boot "boat".
Borg SwedishFrom Swedish
borg meaning
"fortification, castle".
Borja SpanishOriginally indicated a person from the Spanish town of Borja in Aragon, derived from Arabic
برْج (burj) meaning "tower".
Boros HungarianDerived from Hungarian
bor "wine". Originally it could have indicated someone who made or sold wine.
Bowie ScottishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Buidheach, derived from
buidhe meaning
"yellow". A famous bearer was the American pioneer James Bowie (1796-1836), for whom the bowie knife is named. The British musician David Bowie (1947-2016), born David Robert Jones, took his stage name from the American pioneer (and the knife).
Bowman EnglishOccupational name for an archer, derived from Middle English
bowe, Old English
boga meaning "bow".
Boyd ScottishFrom the name of the Scottish island of Bute (
Bód in Gaelic), which is of unknown meaning.
Boyle IrishFrom Irish
Ó Baoighill meaning
"descendant of Baoigheall". The meaning of the given name
Baoigheall is uncertain, but it is thought to be connected to Irish
geall meaning "pledge".
Bradshaw EnglishFrom any of the places by this name in England, derived from Old English
brad "broad" and
sceaga "thicket".
Brand 2 German, DutchFrom Old High German
brant or Old Dutch
brand meaning
"fire", originally a name for a person who lived near an area that had been cleared by fire.
Brasher EnglishMeans
"brass worker", derived from Old English
bræs "brass".
Braxton EnglishFrom an English place name place name meaning "Bracca's town" in Old English.
Bray EnglishFrom a place name derived from Cornish
bre "hill".
Breen IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Braoin meaning
"descendant of Braon", a byname meaning "rain, moisture, drop".
Bridges EnglishOriginally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English
brigge, Old English
brycg.
Brodie ScottishOriginally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It is probably from Gaelic
broth meaning "ditch, mire".
Brogan IrishOccupational name derived from Irish
bróg meaning
"shoe".
Brouwer DutchOccupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch
brouwer.
Brown EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin. A notable bearer is Charlie Brown from the
Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.
Bruce ScottishPossibly from the name of the town of Brix in Normandy, which is of unknown meaning. It was brought to Scotland in the 12th century by the Anglo-Norman baron Robert de Brus. It was later borne by his descendant Robert the Bruce, a hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland.
Brunet FrenchFrom a diminutive of French
brun meaning
"brown".
Bruno Italian, PortugueseMeans
"brown" in Italian and Portuguese, a nickname for a person with brown hair or brown clothes. A famous bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).
Buchanan ScottishFrom the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.
Burgess EnglishFrom Middle English and Old French
burgeis meaning
"city-dweller", ultimately from Frankish
burg "fortress".
Burke English, IrishDerived from Middle English
burgh meaning
"fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.
Burns 1 English, ScottishDerived from Old English
burna "stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).
Burton EnglishFrom a common English place name, derived from Old English meaning "fortified town".
Busch GermanMeans
"bush" in German, a name for someone who lived close to a thicket.
Bush EnglishOriginally a name for a person who lived near a prominent bush or thicket.
Butkus m LithuanianPossibly from a given name that was derived from Lithuanian
būti meaning "to be, to exist".
Butler English, IrishOccupational name derived from Norman French
butiller "wine steward", ultimately from Late Latin
butticula "bottle". A famous bearer of this surname is the fictional character Rhett Butler, created by Margaret Mitchell for her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936).
Butts EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"thick, stumpy", from Middle English
butt.
Cabello SpanishMeans
"hair" in Spanish, used as a nickname for a person with a large amount of hair.
Cabrera SpanishFrom various place names derived from Late Latin
capraria meaning
"place of goats", from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
Cai ChineseFrom Chinese
蔡 (cài) referring to the ancient state of Cai that existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Calabrese ItalianOriginally given to a person who came from the region of Calabria in southern Italy.
Calderón SpanishOccupational name for a person who made, repaired or sold cauldrons or kettles, from Spanish
calderón "cauldron", from Late Latin
caldaria.
Caldwell EnglishFrom various English place names derived from Old English
ceald "cold" and
wille "spring, stream, well".
Cameron ScottishMeans
"crooked nose" from Gaelic
cam "crooked" and
sròn "nose".
Campbell ScottishFrom a Gaelic nickname
cam beul meaning
"wry or crooked mouth". The surname was later represented in Latin documents as
de bello campo meaning "of the fair field".
Cao ChineseFrom Chinese
曹 (cáo) referring to the ancient state of Cao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
Cárdenas SpanishFrom the name of towns in the Spanish provinces of Almería and La Rioja. They are derived from Spanish
cárdeno "blue, purple".
Carmona SpanishFrom the name of the city of Carmona in Andalusia, Spain. It is possibly derived from Phoenician
𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤌𐤍 (Qart Ḥamun) meaning "city of Hammon" (the name of a Carthaginian god, see
Ba'al Hammon).
Carpenter EnglishFrom the occupation, derived from Middle English
carpentier (ultimately from Latin
carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").
Carrasco SpanishTopographic name derived from Spanish
carrasca meaning
"holm oak" (species Quercus ilex).
Carroll IrishFrom the given name
Cearbhall. A famous bearer was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the author of
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Carson ScottishMeaning uncertain, possibly from the town of Courson in Normandy.
Carter EnglishOccupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French
caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).
Carvalho PortugueseMeans
"oak" in Portuguese, perhaps originally referring to a person who lived near such a tree.
Carver EnglishOccupational surname for a carver, from Middle English
kerve "cut".
Casas SpanishFrom Spanish
casa meaning
"house", of Latin origin.
Castañeda SpanishHabitational name from any of various places called Castañeda, from a Spanish word meaning
"chesnut grove", itself derived from
castaña meaning "chesnut".
Castle EnglishFrom Middle English
castel meaning
"castle", from Late Latin
castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.
Castro Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"castle" in Spanish and Portuguese, referring to one who lived near a castle. A famous bearer was Fidel Castro (1926-2016), revolutionary and president of Cuba.
Cecil WelshFrom the Welsh given name
Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name
Sextilius, a derivative of
Sextus.
Chamberlain EnglishOccupational name for one who looked after the inner rooms of a mansion, from Norman French
chambrelain.
Chambers EnglishFrom Old French
chambre meaning
"chamber, room", an occupational name for a person who worked in the inner rooms of a mansion.
Chandler EnglishOccupational name meaning
"candle seller" or
"candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin
candela via Old French.
Chapman EnglishOccupational name derived from Old English
ceapmann meaning
"merchant, trader".
Chase EnglishOccupational name for a hunter, from Middle English
chase "hunt".
Chávez SpanishVariant of
Chaves. A famous bearer was the labour leader César Chávez (1927-1993).
Chen ChineseFrom Chinese
陈 (chén) meaning
"exhibit, display, old, ancient" and also referring to the former state of Chen, which existed in what is now Henan province from the 11th to 5th centuries BC.
Cheng 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
程 (chéng) meaning
"rule, order, regulations", also referring to the territory of Cheng (in present-day Henan province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.