Ancient Origin Surnames

Panagiotopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Panagiotis".

Panagiotopoulou f Greek
Feminine form of Panagiotopoulos.

Pander Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Panders Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Pandev m Macedonian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Pande", Pande being a diminutive of Petar.

Pandeva f Macedonian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Pandev.

Panossian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Փանոսյան (see Panosyan).

Panosyan Armenian
Means "son of Panos".

Panza Italian, Literature
From a variant of the Italian word pancia meaning "stomach, paunch", originally a nickname for a chubby person. The Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it is the surname of Don Quixote's squire Sancho Panza. Not a common Spanish surname, Cervantes may have based it directly on the Spanish word panza (a cognate of the Italian word).

Pap Hungarian
Variant of Papp 1.

Papadaki f Greek
Feminine form of Papadakis.

Papadakis m Greek
From a diminutive of Greek πάπας (papas) meaning "priest".

Papadimitriou Greek
Means "son of Dimitrios the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Dimitrios.

Papadopoulos m Greek
Means "son of the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the patronymic suffix πουλος (poulos).

Papadopoulou f Greek
Feminine form of Papadopoulos.

Papageorgiou Greek
Means "son of Georgios the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Georgios.

Papaioannou Greek
Means "son of Ioannis the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Ioannis.

Papakonstantinou Greek
Means "son of Konstantinos the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Konstantinos.

Papanikolaou Greek
Means "son of Nikolaos the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Nikolaos.

Papathanasiou Greek
Means "son of Athanasios the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Athanasios.

Pape French
French cognate of Pope.

Papke Low German
Low German diminutive form of papa (see Pope).

Papp 1 Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" in Hungarian.

Pappa f Greek
Feminine form of Pappas.

Pappas m Greek
Means "priest" in Greek.

Paquet 2 French
From a diminutive of the given name Pascal.

Paredes Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who lived near a wall, from Portuguese parede and Spanish pared meaning "wall", both derived from Latin paries.

Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pārēre meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin parere meaning "to produce, to give birth").

Parish 2 English
Derived from the medieval given name Paris, an Old French diminutive form of Patrick.

Park 3 English
From the medieval name Perkin, a diminutive of Peter.

Parkins English
Means "son of Parkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Parkinson English
Means "son of Parkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Parks English
Patronymic form of Park 3.

Parry Welsh
Derived from ap Harry meaning "son of Harry".

Pascal French
Derived from the given name Pascal.

Pascual Spanish
From the given name Pascual.

Pasternack Polish (Anglicized), Yiddish
Americanized form of Pasternak.

Pasternak Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Yiddish
Means "parsnip" in various Slavic languages, ultimately from Latin pastinaca. A famous bearer was Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), author of Doctor Zhivago.

Pastor Spanish
Means "shepherd" in Spanish.

Pastore Italian
Means "shepherd" in Italian.

Paszek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of Paweł.

Pásztor Hungarian
Means "shepherd" in Hungarian.

Pataki Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian patak meaning "creek, brook" (a word of Slavic origin). It was given to people who lived near a creek.

Patenaude French (Quebec)
French form of Paternoster.

Paternoster English, Italian
Occupational name for a maker of rosaries, also called paternosters. They are derived from the Latin phrase pater noster "our Father", the opening words of the Lord's Prayer.

Paterson English, Scottish
Means "son of Patrick".

Patrick English
From the given name Patrick.

Patrickson English
Means "son of Patrick".

Patriksson Swedish
Means "son of Patrik".

Patterson English, Scottish
Means "son of Patrick".

Patton English, Scottish
Diminutive of the medieval name Pate, a short form of Patrick.

Paul English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Paulauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Paulauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Paulauskas m Lithuanian
From the given name Paulius.

Paulauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Paulauskas. This form is used by married women.

Paulis Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Paulissen Dutch
Means "son of Paul".

Paulsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Paul".

Paulson English
Means "son of Paul".

Pauwels Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Paul".

Pavesi Italian
Variant of Pavia.

Pavía Spanish
Spanish form of Pavia.

Pavia Italian
From the name of the city of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy. It is of unknown meaning.

Pavić Croatian
Means "son of Pavle".

Pavičić Croatian
Means "son of Pavao".

Pavlenko Ukrainian
From the given name Pavlo.

Pavletić Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Pavle.

Pavlík m Slovak, Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Pavol or Pavel.

Pavlíková f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Pavlík.

Pavlov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Pavel". A famous bearer of this surname was the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Pavlova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Pavlov.

Pavlović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Pavle".

Pavlovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Pavlovski.

Pavlovskaya f Russian
Feminine form of Pavlovsky.

Pavlovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Pavle".

Pavlovsky m Russian
Means "son of Pavel".

Pavlyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Pavlo.

Pavone Italian
Means "peacock" in Italian. It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.

Pavoni Italian
Variant of Pavone.

Pawlak Polish
Means "son of Paweł".

Pawlitzki German
German surname derived from a Slavic form of the given name Paul.

Payne English
From a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin paganus meaning "heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.

Payton English
From the name of the town of Peyton in Sussex. It means "Pæga's town".

Paz Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.

Peak English
Originally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.

Pearce English
From the given name Piers.

Pearson English
Variant of Pierson.

Pecháček m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Petr.

Pecháčková f Czech
Feminine form of Pecháček.

Peck 1 English
Variant of Peak.

Pedersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Peder".

Pedrotti Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Pietro.

Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).

Peeters Dutch, Flemish
Dutch and Flemish variant of Peters.

Pekkanen Finnish
Derived from the given name Pekka.

Peláez Spanish
Means "son of Pelayo".

Pellegrini Italian
Variant of Pellegrino.

Pellegrino Italian
Means "pilgrim, traveller" in Italian, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

Pender 2 Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Penders Dutch
From Middle Dutch paender meaning "brewer", derived from panne meaning "pan, pot", ultimately from Latin patina.

Penn 2 English
Occupational name for a person who kept penned animals, from Old English penn.

Penner English
Variant of Penn 2.

Penners Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Penny English
Nickname meaning "penny, coin" from Old English penning.

Pentti Finnish
Derived from the given name Pentti.

Pereira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".

Pereiro Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Pereyra Portuguese, Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Pérez Spanish
Means "son of Pedro".

Perez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Pérez.

Perić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Pero".

Perkins English
Means "son of Perkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Perko Slovene, Croatian
Derived from an archaic diminutive of Peter.

Perković Croatian
Patronymic derived from an archaic diminutive of Petar.

Perrault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perreault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perrier French
Occupational name for a person who worked with stone, derived from French pierre meaning "stone", from Latin petra, Greek πέτρα (petra).

Perrin French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perrot French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perry 1 English
From Old English pirige meaning "pear tree", a derivative of peru meaning "pear", itself from Latin pirum. A famous bearer was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.

Perry 2 Welsh
From Welsh ap Herry meaning "son of Herry".

Persson Swedish
Means "son of Per".

Pesaresi Italian
Variant of Pesaro.

Pesaro Italian
From the name of the city of Pesaro, in the Marche region (Latin Pisaurum).

Pešek m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Petr.

Pešková f Czech
Feminine form of Pešek.

Péter Hungarian
Derived from the given name Péter.

Peter English, German, Dutch
Derived from the given name Peter.

Peters English, German, Dutch
Means "son of Peter".

Petersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Peter".

Peterson English
Means "son of Peter".

Petersson Swedish
Means "son of Peter".

Pethes Hungarian
Derived from Pete, a diminutive of Péter.

Petit French, Catalan, English
Means "small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.

Petković Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Petko".

Pető Hungarian
Derived from an old diminutive of Péter.

Petőcs Hungarian
Derived from Pető, an old Hungarian diminutive of Péter.

Petőfi Hungarian
Means "son of Pető", an old diminutive of Péter.

Petraitienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petraitis. This form is used by married women.

Petraitis m Lithuanian
From the given name Petras.

Petraitytė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petraitis. This form is used by unmarried women.

Petran Romanian
From the Romanian given name Petre.

Petrauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petrauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Petrauskas m Lithuanian
Means "son of Petras".

Petrauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petrauskas. This form is used by married women.

Petrenko Ukrainian
From the given name Petro.

Petrescu Romanian
Means "son of Petre" in Romanian.

Petri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

Petrić Croatian
Means "son of Petar".

Petrosyan Armenian
Means "son of Petros" in Armenian.

Petrov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Peter" in Russian and Bulgarian.

Petrova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Petrov.

Petrović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Petar".

Petrovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Petrovski.

Petrovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Petar".

Pettersen Norwegian
Means "son of Petter".

Pettersson Swedish
Means "son of Petter".

Peusen Dutch
Derived from the given name Pascal.

Peyton English
Variant of Payton.

Pfaff German
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" from Old High German pfaffo, from Latin papa.

Pfeiffer German
Occupational name meaning "pipe player" in German, from Middle High German pfifen "to whistle".

Pfenning German
From Old High German pfenning meaning "penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.

Phelps English
Means "son of Philip".

Philippe French
From the given name Philippe.

Philips English, Dutch
Means "son of Philip". Famous bearers of this surname were Frederick Philips (1830-1900) and his son Gerard (1858-1942), the Dutch founders of the company Philips.

Phillips English
Means "son of Philip".

Piazza Italian
Means "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin platea.

Pierce English
From the given name Piers.

Pierre French
From the given name Pierre.

Pierson English
Means "son of Piers".

Pietri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

Pietrzak Polish
Means "son of Piotr".

Pilgrim English, German
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

Pilkvist Swedish
From Swedish pil (Old Norse píli) meaning "willow" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Pineda Spanish, Catalan
Means "pine forest" in Spanish and Catalan.

Pinheiro Portuguese
Means "pine tree" in Portuguese.

Pinho Portuguese
Habitational name meaning "pine" in Portuguese.

Pini Italian
Name for a person who lived near a pine tree, from Italian pino, Latin pinus.

Pinto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
Means "mottled" in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, derived from Late Latin pinctus, Latin pictus "painted".

Piper English
Originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).

Pires Portuguese
Means "son of Pedro".

Pitt English
Originally given to a person who lived near a pit or a hole, derived from Old English pytt "pit".

Pittman English
Variant of Pitt.

Planche French
French form of Plank.

Planck German
German variant of Plank.

Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.

Planque French
French form of Plank.

Platt English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.

Plaza Spanish
Spanish cognate of Piazza.

Plešec Slovene
Variant of Pleško.

Pleško Slovene
Nickname for a bald person, from Slovene pleša meaning "bald patch".

Poggi Italian
Variant of Poggio.

Poggio Italian
Means "hillock, small hill" in Italian, a derivative of Latin podium meaning "balcony, platform".

Pohl 1 Low German
Low German cognate of Poole.

Pohl 2 German
From the given name Paul.

Poirier French
Means "pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.

Poirot French, Literature
From a diminutive of French poire "pear", originally referring to a pear merchant or someone who lived near a pear tree. Starting in 1920 this name was used by the mystery writer Agatha Christie for her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Christie based the name on that of Jules Poiret, a contemporary fictional detective.

Pokorná f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Pokorný.

Pokorni Hungarian
Hungarian form of Pokorný.

Pokorny Polish
Polish form of Pokorný.

Pokorný m Czech, Slovak
Means "humble" in Czech and Slovak.

Poletti Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Paolo. This name is typical of northern and central Italy.

Pons French, Catalan
From the given name Pons.

Poole English
From Old English pol meaning "pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.

Pop Romanian
Variant of Popa.

Popa Romanian
From Romanian popă "priest", from Old Church Slavic popŭ. This is the most common surname in Romania.

Pope English
From a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin papa, ultimately from Greek πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".

Popescu Romanian
Patronymic derived from Romanian popă "priest". This is the second most common surname in Romania.

Popov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of the priest", derived from Russian and Bulgarian поп (pop).

Popova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Popov.

Popović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the priest", derived from Serbo-Croatian pop meaning "priest".

Popovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Popovski.

Popovski m Macedonian
Means "son of the priest" in Macedonian.

Porcher English, French
Means "swineherd" from Old French and Middle English porchier, from Latin porcus "pig".

Porra Catalan
Variant of Porras.

Porras Spanish, Catalan
From a nickname meaning "club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin porrum meaning "leek".

Portelli Italian
Diminutive form of Porto.

Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Portner Low German
Low German cognate of Porter.

Porto Italian
Designated a person who lived near a harbour, from Italian porto, Latin portus.

Portoghese Italian
Means "Portuguese" in Italian.

Post Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person who lived near a post, ultimately from Latin postis.

Potočnik Slovene
From Slovene potok meaning "stream, brook".

Poulsen Danish
Means "son of Poul".

Powell Welsh, English
Derived from Welsh ap Hywel meaning "son of Hywel".

Power 2 English
From 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.

Powers English
Variant of Power 1 or Power 2.

Prebensen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Preben".

Prescott English
From the name of various English places meaning "priest's cottage" in Old English.

Presley English
Variant of Priestley. This name was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).

Pressley English
Variant of Priestley.

Preston English
Originally derived from various place names meaning "priest town" in Old English.

Price Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Rhys, which means "son of Rhys".

Prichard Welsh
Variant of Pritchard.

Priestley English
From a place name meaning "priest clearing", from Old English preost and leah.

Prinsen Dutch
Means "son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.

Prinz German, Jewish
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.

Pritchard Welsh
From Welsh ap Richard meaning "son of Richard".

Probert Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Robert, which means "son of Robert".

Prosdocimi Italian
From the given name Prosdocimo, Italian form of Prosdocimus.

Provenza Italian
From the name of the Provence region of southern France (in Italian Provenza). It is derived from Latin provincia "province", a territorial division.

Provenzano Italian
Variant of Provenza typical of southern Italy, namely Sicily and Calabria.

Pryce Welsh
Variant of Price.

Puerta Spanish
Means "door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.

Pugh Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Hugh meaning "son of Hugh".

Puig Catalan
Catalan cognate of Poggio.

Purcell English
From Old French pourcel "piglet", from Latin porcellus, a derivative of porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.

Quick English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".

Quickley 1 English
Variant of Quick.

Quincey English
Variant of Quincy.

Quincy English
Originally from various place names in Normandy that were derived from the given name Quintus.

Quinlan Irish
From Irish Ó Caoindealbháin, which means "descendant of Caoindealbhán", a given name meaning "handsome form" (using a diminutive suffix).

Quinn Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuinn meaning "descendant of Conn".

Quiñones Spanish
From various Spanish place names derived from quiñón meaning "shared piece of land", derived from Latin quinque "five".

Quintana Spanish, Catalan
Originally indicated someone who lived on a piece of land where the rent was a fifth of its produce, from Spanish and Catalan quintana "fifth", from Latin quintus.

Radcliff English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.

Radclyffe English
Variant of Radcliff.

Rademacher Low German
Low German cognate of Rademaker.

Rademaker Dutch
From the occupation of rademaker meaning "maker of wheels", from Dutch rad meaning "wheel".

Rademakers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Radev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Rade", a diminutive of Radoslav or Radomir.

Radeva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Radev.

Radić Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic derived from the given name Rade.

Radkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Radko".

Radkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Radkov.

Radu Romanian
From the given name Radu.

Ragnvaldsson Swedish
Means "son of Ragnvald".

Rahimi Persian
From the given name Rahim.

Raimondi Italian
Derived from the given name Raimondo.

Raine 1 English
From a nickname derived from Old French reine meaning "queen".

Raine 2 English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".

Rake English
Originally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English hrace meaning "throat, gorge".

Rakes English
Variant of Rake.

Ramaker Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ramakers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Rameckers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ramires Portuguese
Means "son of Ramiro" in Portuguese.

Ramírez Spanish
Means "son of Ramiro" in Spanish.

Rana Italian, Spanish
Means "frog" in Italian and Spanish.

Randal English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randall English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randell English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randolph English
Derived from the given name Randolf.

Raneri Italian
Derived from the Italian given name Raniero.

Rao 1 Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit राज (rāja) meaning "king".

Rao 2 Italian
Derived from the given name Raul.

Rapp 2 German
From Middle High German raben meaning "raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.

Rasch German
German form of Rask.

Rask Danish, Swedish
Means "energetic, quick, healthy" in Danish and Swedish.

Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.

Raskop German
Variant of Raskopf.

Raskopf German
Possibly from German rasch "quick" and Kopf "head".

Rasmussen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Rasmus".

Ravn Danish
Means "raven" in Danish, from Old Norse hrafn.

Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.

Rayne English, French
Variant of Raine 1 or Raine 2.

Ré Italian
Italian form of Rey 1.

Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.

Read 2 English
From Old English ryd, an unattested form of rod meaning "cleared land". It is also derived from various English place names with various meanings, including "roe headland", "reeds" and "brushwood".

Readdie English
Variant of Ready 1.