Ancient Origin Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the origin is Ancient.

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Anker Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Metonymic surname for a sailor, meaning "anchor" in Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.

Annema Frisian
Means "son of Anne 2".

Ansaldi Italian
Means "son of Ansaldo".

Ansel English
Derived from the given name Anselm.

Anselmetti Italian
Means "son of Anselmetto", a diminutive of Anselmo.

Anselmi Italian
Means "son of Anselmo".

Anselmo Portuguese, Italian
From the given name Anselmo.

Anson English
Means "son of Agnes".

Antal Hungarian
From the given name Antal.

Antall Hungarian (Rare)
Variant of Antal.

Antema Frisian
Means "son of Ante 2".

Anthonsen Danish, Norwegian
Variant of Antonsen.

Anthony English
From the given name Anthony.

Anthonyson English (Rare)
Means "son of Anthony".

Antić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Anto" or "son of Ante 1".

Antón Spanish
From the given name Antón.

Anton Romanian
From the given name Anton.

Antonelli Italian
Means "son of Antonello".

Antonescu Romanian
Means "son of Anton".

Antoni f Greek
Feminine form of Antonis.

Antonini Italian
Means "son of Antonino".

Antonino Italian
From the given name Antonino.

Antonio Spanish
From the given name Antonio.

Antoniou Greek
Means "son of Antonios".

Antonis mu Greek, Dutch
Derived from the given name Antonis or Antonius.

Antonise Dutch
Derived from the given name Antonius.

Antonisen Danish
Means "son of Anton".

Antonov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Anton".

Antonova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Antonov.

Antonsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Anton".

Antov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Anton".

Antova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Antov.

Antuma Frisian
Variant of Antema.

Antunes Portuguese
Means "son of António".

Antúnez Spanish
Means "son of Antonio".

Antunović Croatian
Means "son of Antun".

Appelhof Dutch
Indicated a person who lived by or at an apple garden, from Dutch appel "apple" and hof "yard, court".

Appelo Dutch
Indicated a person who was from a farm called Aperloo, probably a derivative of appel meaning "apple".

Apperlo Dutch
Variant of Appelo.

Appleby English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English æppel "apple" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".

Appleton English
From the name of several English towns, meaning "orchard" in Old English (a compound of æppel "apple" and tun "enclosure, yard").

Aquino Italian, Spanish
From 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.

Arbeid Dutch
From Dutch arbeid meaning "work".

Arbeider Dutch
From Dutch arbeider meaning "worker".

Arbeit German
From German arbeit meaning "work".

Arbore Italian
From Latin arbor meaning "tree".

Archambault French
From the archaic French given name Archambault, which is related to Archibald.

Ardovini Italian
Means "son of Arduino".

Arena Italian
Italian cognate of Arenas.

Arenas Spanish
From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish arena meaning "sand".

Arends Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arendse Afrikaans
Variant of Arends.

Arendsen Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Arents Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Arentz Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Argyri f Greek
Feminine form of Argyris.

Argyris m Greek
Means "silver" in Greek.

Ariesen Dutch
Means "son of Aris 2".

Arissen Dutch
Variant of Ariesen.

Arkema Frisian
Means "son of Arke 2".

Arkes Dutch
Means "son of Arke 2".

Arkwright English
Occupational name meaning "chest maker", from Middle English arc meaning "chest, coffer" and wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".

Armando Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Armando.

Armani Italian
Means "son of Ermanno".

Ármannsson Icelandic
Means "son of Ármann".

Arnaud French
From the given name Arnaud.

Arnesen Norwegian
Means "son of Arne 1".

Arnold English, German
Derived from the given name Arnold.

Arnolfi Italian
Means "son of Arnolfo".

Arntz Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arntzen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arntzenius Dutch
Latinized form of Arntzen.

Arrighetti Italian
Means "son of Arrighetto", a diminutive of the given name Arrigo.

Arrighi Italian
Means "son of Arrigo".

Arrigucci Italian
Means "son of Arriguccio", a diminutive of the given name Arrigo.

Arterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Arterbury English
Variant of Atteberry.

Arthur English, French
From the given name Arthur.

Arthurson English
Means "son of Arthur".

Arthursson Swedish
Means "son of Arthur".

Arts 1 Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Arts 2 Dutch
Dutch cognate of Arzt.

Artz Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Årud Norwegian
From Norwegian å meaning "river, stream" and the archaic word rud meaning "cleared land".

Arvidsson Swedish
Means "son of Arvid".

Arzt Dutch
Means "doctor, physician" in German, ultimately from Latin archiater.

Ash English
From Old English æsc meaning "ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.

Ashley English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Ashton English
Denoted a person from one of the towns in England that bear this name, itself derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Ashworth English
From an English place name meaning "ash enclosure" in Old English.

Asís Spanish
Originally denoted a person from the Italian city of Assisi (called Asís in Spanish).

Asjes Dutch
Variant of Askes.

Askes Dutch
Means "son of Aske", a diminutive of Asse.

Assenberg Dutch
From Dutch es meaning "ash tree" (plural essen) and berg meaning "mountain".

Assendorp Dutch
From the name of a place called Assendorp, composed of Dutch essen and dorp, meaning "ash tree village".

Assies Dutch
Means "son of Asse".

Assink Dutch
From a place name meaning "(farm) belonging to Asse".

Aston 1 English
From a place name meaning "east town" in Old English.

Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.

Åström Swedish
From Swedish å meaning "river, stream" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream, current, flow".

Atanasov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Atanas".

Atanasova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Atanasov.

Atchison Scottish
Scots form of Atkinson.

Athanasiou Greek
Means "son of Athanasios".

Atkins English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Atkinson English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Atsma Frisian
Means "son of Atse".

Attar Persian
From Persian عطر (ʿaṭr) meaning "fragrance, perfume", ultimately from Arabic. It probably denoted a seller of perfume.

Atteberry English
Means "dweller at the fortified town" from Middle English at and burh "fortified place".

Atterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Attwater English
Variant of Atwater.

Attwood English
Variant of Atwood.

Atwater English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".

Atwood English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the wood".

Aubert French
From the given name Aubert.

Audley English
From a place name meaning "Ealdgyð's clearing" in Old English.

Aue German
From German meaning "meadow by a river, wetland". There are many places with this name in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Auer German
From German Aue, Old High German ouwa, meaning "meadow by a river, wetland".

Augustin French, German
From the given name Augustin.

Augustine English
From the given name Augustine 1.

Aukema Frisian
Means "son of Auke".

Aukes Dutch
Dutch form of Aukema.

Aust German
Derived from Aust, an archaic diminutive of August.

Austin English
Derived from the given name Austin.

Auteberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Averill English
From Middle English aueril, Old French avrill meaning "April", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.

Avery English
Derived from a Norman French form of the given names Alberich or Alfred.

Avraham Jewish
From the given name Abraham.

Axelsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Axel".

Axelsson Swedish
Means "son of Axel".

Ayers 2 English
Derived from the given name Ealhhere.

Aylmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Ayton English
From the name of towns in Berwickshire and North Yorkshire. They are derived from Old English ea "river" or ieg "island" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Baaiman Dutch
Means "son of Baaij", the given name Baaij being a diminutive of names like Baugulf, Boudewijn or Bernard.

Baarda Frisian
From the name of the town of Baard in the Netherlands, possibly derived from a given name that was a variant of Bert.

Baardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Bård".

Baardwijk Dutch
From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly from Baard, a variant of Bert, and wijk meaning "neighbourhood, district".

Baart Dutch
Means "beard" in Dutch, originally describing a person who wore a beard.

Baas Dutch
Means "boss, overseer" in Dutch.

Baasch Low German
From Middle Low German bas meaning "boss".

Babcock English
Derived from the medieval name Bab, possibly a diminutive of Bartholomew or Barbara.

Babić Serbian, Croatian
Matronymic surname derived from Serbo-Croatian baba "grandmother, old woman".

Babič Slovene
Slovene form of Babić.

Babin French
From the given name Babin, a medieval diminutive of Babylas.

Babineaux French
Variant of Babin.

Bach 1 German
Topographic 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).

Bach 2 Danish
Variant of Bak.

Bachman German
Anglicized form of Bachmann.

Bachmann German
Denoted a person who lived near a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and man "man".

Bachmeier German
Originally referred to a farmer whose farm was beside a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and meier "steward, tenant farmer".

Bäcker German
Variant of Becker, mostly found in northern Germany.

Badcock English
From a diminutive of the medieval given name Bada.

Bager Danish
Danish cognate of Baker.

Baggi Italian
Variant of Baggio.

Baggins Literature
Created by J. R. R. Tolkien for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the hero of The Hobbit (1937), and also for his cousin Frodo Baggins, the hero of The Lord of the Rings (1954). He probably derived it from the English word bag. The Baggins family home was called Bag End, and Tolkien himself had an aunt who owned a farm by this name, so that may have been his inspiration. Tolkien used English-like translations of many hobbit names; according to his notes the real hobbit-language form of the surname was Labingi.

Baggio Italian
Originally denoted a person from the Italian town of Baggio (now part of Milan). It is probably derived from Latin Badalocum meaning "watch place".

Baghdasaryan Armenian
Means "son of Baghdasar".

Baghdassarian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Բաղդասարյան (see Baghdasaryan).

Bagheri Persian
From the given name Bagher.

Baglio Italian
Italian cognate of Bailey.

Bagni Italian
From Italian bagno "bath", derived from Latin balneum, referring to a person who worked as a bath house attendant.

Bagnoli Italian
Diminutive form of Bagni.

Baier German
Variant of Bayer.

Bailey English
From Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin baiulus "porter".

Bain English
Variant of Baines 2.

Baines 1 Welsh
From Welsh ab Einws meaning "son of Einws", a diminutive of Einion.

Baines 2 English
From a nickname derived from Old English ban "bones", probably for a thin person.

Bak Danish
Means "slope, hillside" in Danish, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.

Bakke Norwegian
Means "slope, hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Bakken Norwegian
Means "the slope, the hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Bakker Dutch
Dutch cognate of Baker, from Middle Dutch backere.

Baláž m Slovak
Slovak form of Balázs.

Balážová f Slovak
Feminine form of Baláž.

Balázs Hungarian
Derived from the given name Balázs.

Balboni Italian
Derived from the given name Balbino.

Baldi Italian
Derived from the given name Baldo.

Baldini Italian
Derived from the given name Baldino, a diminutive of Baldo.

Baldinotti Italian
Derived from the given name Baldinotto, from the Latin name Baldinoctus, a diminutive of Baldo.

Baldovini Italian
Derived from the given name Baldovino.

Baldwin English
Derived from the given name Baldwin.

Bálint Hungarian
Derived from the given name Bálint.

Ball English
From 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.

Ballard English
Variant of Ball using a pejorative suffix.

Bambach German
Variant of Baumbach.

Banes Welsh
Variant of Baines 1.

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

Baran um Polish, Slovak, Ukrainian
Means "ram, male sheep" in Polish, Slovak and Ukrainian.

Baranová f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Baran.

Barber English, Scottish
Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living.

Barbier French
French cognate of Barber.

Barbieri Italian
Italian cognate of Barber.

Barclay English, Scottish
From the English place name Berkeley, derived from Old English beorc "birch" and leah "woodland, clearing". The surname was imported to Scotland in the 12th century.

Bardolph Literature
The name of a drunken thief and frequent companion of John Falstaff in four of William Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare probably adapted it from the aristocratic English surname Bardolf, now rare, which was itself derived from the Germanic given name Bardulf.

Bardsley English
From the name a village near Manchester, from the Old English given name Beornræd and leah "woodland, clearing".

Barends Dutch
Means "son of Barend".

Barnet English
Variant of Barnett.

Barnett English
Derived from Old English bærnet meaning "place cleared by burning".

Baron English, French
From 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.

Barone Italian
Italian cognate of Baron.

Barros Portuguese, Spanish
From 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.

Barsotti Italian
Probably from the medieval Latin word baro meaning "man, freeman" (of Frankish origin).

Bárta m Czech
From a given name that was a diminutive of Bartoloměj.

Barta Hungarian
From the given name Barta.

Bartalotti Italian
Means "son of Bartalotto", a diminutive of Bartolo.

Bartha Hungarian
Variant of Barta.

Bartolomei Italian
Derived from the given name Bartolomeo.

Bartolomeo Italian
Derived from the given name Bartolomeo.

Barton English
From a place name meaning "barley town" in Old English.

Bartos Hungarian
From a given name that was a diminutive of Bertalan.

Bartoš m Czech, Slovak
Derived from Bartoš, a diminutive of Bartoloměj or Bartolomej.

Bartošová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Bartoš.

Bartosz Polish
Derived from the given name Bartosz.

Bártová f Czech
Feminine form of Bárta.

Bartram English
From the given name Bertram.

Barzetti Italian
Variant of Barsotti.

Basile Italian, French
From the given name Basilio or Basile.

Bass English
English cognate of Basso.

Bassi Italian
Variant of Basso, common in northern Italy.

Basso Italian
Originally a nickname for a short person, from Latin bassus "thick, low".

Bates English
Means "son of Bate".

Bateson English
Means "son of Bate".

Battaglia Italian
From a nickname meaning "battle" in Italian.

Battle English
From a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.

Batts English
Means "son of Bate".

Baudin French
From the given name Baud, French form of Baldo.

Bauer German
From Old High German bur meaning "peasant, farmer".

Bauers German
Variant of Bauer.

Baum German, Jewish
Means "tree" in German. A famous bearer was the American author L. Frank Baum (1856-1919).

Baumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German bumann meaning "farmer, builder".

Baumbach German
From a place name meaning "tree stream" in German.

Baumer German
Variant of Baum.

Baumgarten German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Baumgärtner German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Baumgartner German
Occupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German Baumgarten "orchard" (derived from Baum "tree" and Garten "garden").

Baumhauer German
Occupational name meaning "woodcutter", derived from German Baum "tree" and hauen "to chop".

Bautista Spanish
Derived from the given name Bautista.

Baxter English
Variant (in origin a feminine form) of Baker.

Bayer German
Originally denoted a person from Bavaria, from its German name Bayern.

Bean English
English cognate of Bohn.

Beasley English
From the name of a place in Lancashire, from Old English beos "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Beattie Scottish
From the medieval name Battie, a diminutive of Bartholomew.

Beatty Scottish
Variant of Beattie.

Beauchêne French
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and chêne "oak".

Beaufort French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and fort "strong place, fortress".

Beaulieu French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and lieu "place".

Beaumont French, English
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and mont "mountain".

Beck 1 English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
From Middle English bekke (from Old Norse), Low German beke or Old Norse bekkr all meaning "stream".

Beck 2 German
Variant of Becker, from southern German beck.

Becke German
Variant of Beck 1 or Beck 2.

Beckenbauer German
Means "farmer living by a stream" in German.

Becker German
Derived from Middle High German becker meaning "baker".

Beckert German
Variant of Becker.

Becket English
Variant of Beckett.

Beckett English
Originally a diminutive of Beck 1 or Beck 3.

Becskei Hungarian
Indicated a person from Becske, a town in Hungary, which might be derived from the given name Benedek.

Bedrosian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Պետրոսյան (see Petrosyan).

Beech 1 English
English cognate of Bach 1.

Beech 2 English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a beech tree, from Old English bece.

Beethoven Dutch (Archaic)
From a place name derived from Dutch beet "beet, beetroot" and hoven "farms". This name was borne by the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), whose family was of Flemish origin. The surname is now mostly extinct.

Begbie Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse given name Baggi and býr "farm, settlement".

Behrend German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Behrends German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Behringer German
From the given name Berengar.

Beirne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Beitel German
Variant of Beutel.

Bélanger French
From the given name Bérenger.

Belanger English
From the given name Berengar.

Belcher English
From 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 2 English
Derived from the given name Bel, a medieval short form of Isabel.

Bellamy French, English
From Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".

Bellerose French
Means "beautiful rose" in French.

Bellini Italian
From Italian bello meaning "beautiful".

Bello Spanish, Italian
Means "beautiful" in Spanish and Italian, originally a nickname for an attractive person.

Bellomi Italian
Variant of Bellomo.

Bellomo Italian
From a nickname derived from Italian bello "beautiful, fair" and uomo "man".

Belloni Italian
Augmented form of Bello.

Belluomo Italian
Variant of Bellomo.

Belmont French, English
French and English form of Belmonte.

Belmonte Spanish, Italian
From various place names in Italy and Spain meaning "beautiful mountain".

Belo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bello.