Ancient Origin Surnames

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

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Caomhánach Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kavanagh.

Capela Portuguese
Portuguese form of Kappel.

Capella Catalan
Catalan form of Kappel.

Capello 1 Italian
From Late Latin cappa meaning "cloak, cape, hood". This was a name for one who made or wore cloaks.

Capilla Spanish
Spanish form of Kappel.

Capitani Italian
Occupational name meaning "captain" in Italian, ultimately from Latin caput "head".

Carbone Italian
From a nickname for a person with dark features, from Italian carbone meaning "coal".

Carboni Italian
Variant of Carbone.

Cardoso Portuguese, Spanish
From a place name meaning "thorny" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin carduus.

Cardozo Spanish
Variant of Cardoso.

Carey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ciardha meaning "descendant of Ciardha".

Carl English, German
From the given name Carl.

Carlisle English
From the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.

Carlsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Carl".

Carlson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Carlsson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Carlyle English
Variant of Carlisle.

Carman 1 English
Occupational name for a carter, from Middle English carre "cart" (of Latin origin) and man "man".

Caro Spanish, Italian
From Spanish and Italian caro meaning "beloved".

Caron French
Variant of Charron.

Carpenter English
From the occupation, derived from Middle English carpentier (ultimately from Latin carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").

Carpentier French
French form of Carpenter.

Carr 1 Scottish, English
Variant of Kerr.

Carroll Irish
From 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.

Cartwright English
Occupational name indicating one who made carts.

Cary Irish
Variant of Carey.

Casal Spanish
From the Spanish word casal meaning "farmhouse, country house", ultimately from Late Late casalis, from Latin casa.

Casale Italian
Italian cognate of Casal.

Casales Spanish
Variant of Casal.

Casas Spanish
From Spanish casa meaning "house", of Latin origin.

Case English
From Norman French casse meaning "box, case", ultimately from Latin capsa. This was an occupational name for a box maker.

Casey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cathasaigh meaning "descendant of Cathassach".

Cash English
Variant of Case.

Cason English
From the English place name Cawston, derived from the Old Norse given name Kálfr combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Castell Catalan
Catalan cognate of Castle.

Castellano Spanish
Variant of Castilla.

Castelo Portuguese
Portuguese cognate of Castle.

Castilla Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Castile, a region (and medieval kingdom) in Spain. The name of the region is derived from Late Latin castellum meaning "castle".

Castillo Spanish
Spanish cognate of Castle.

Castle English
From Middle English castel meaning "castle", from Late Latin castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.

Castro Spanish, Portuguese
Means "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.

Cattaneo Italian
Variant of Capitani used in Lombardy.

Caulfield English
From a place name meaning "cold field", from Old English ceald "cold" and feld "pasture, field".

Cavallo Italian
Means "horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.

Cavan Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Caoimháin meaning "descendant of Caomhán".

Cavanagh Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Cavanah Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Cavanaugh Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Cavey Irish
Possibly an Anglicized form of Mac Daibhéid.

Cecil Welsh
From the Welsh given name Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name Sextilius, a derivative of Sextus.

Ceelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Ceel.

Černá f Czech
Feminine form of Černý.

Černík m Czech
Variant of Černý.

Černíková f Czech
Feminine form of Černík.

Černý m Czech
Means "black" in Czech.

Červená f Czech
Feminine form of Červený.

Červenka m Czech
Variant of Červený.

Červenková f Czech
Feminine form of Červenka.

Červený m Czech
Means "red" in Czech.

Chadwick English
From the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.

Chaikin Yiddish
From a diminutive of the given name Chaya.

Chalupa m Czech
Means "cottage" in Czech.

Chalupník m Czech
Derived from Czech chalupa meaning "cottage". The name referred to a peasant farmer who owned a very small piece of land.

Chalupníková f Czech
Feminine form of Chalupník.

Chalupová f Czech
Feminine form of Chalupa.

Chaplin English, French
Occupational name for a chaplain, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French chapelain. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977).

Chapman English
Occupational name derived from Old English ceapmann meaning "merchant, trader".

Chaput French
From a diminutive of the Old French word chape meaning "cloak, hood". The name referred to a person who made, sold or often wore cloaks.

Charbonneau French
Derived from a diminutive form of French charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.

Charles French
From the given name Charles.

Charmchi Persian
Means "leather worker" in Persian, from چرم (charm) meaning "leather" combined with چی (chī), denoting an occupation.

Charpentier French
French cognate of Carpenter, derived from Old French charpentier.

Charron French
Means "cart" in Old French, used to denote a carter or a cartwright.

Chaudhari Marathi, Gujarati
Alternate transcription of Marathi चौधरी or Gujarati ચૌધરી (see Chaudhary).

Chaudhary Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Nepali
From a title meaning "holder of four", from Sanskrit चतुर् (catur) meaning "four" and धुरीय (dhurīya) meaning "bearing a burden".

Chaudhri Hindi
Alternate transcription of Hindi चौधरी (see Chaudhary).

Chaudhuri Bengali
Alternate transcription of Bengali চৌধুরী (see Chowdhury).

Chauvin French
From a diminutive of French chauve "bald".

Chaves Portuguese, Spanish
From the name of a Portuguese city, derived from the Roman name Flavius (being named for the emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius).

Chávez Spanish
Variant of Chaves. A famous bearer was the labour leader César Chávez (1927-1993).

Chayka Ukrainian
Means "seagull" in Ukrainian.

Chaykovskaya f Russian
Feminine form of Chaykovsky.

Chaykovsky m Russian
Russian form of Chayka. A famous bearer was the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Chaykovsky (1840-1893), with the surname commonly Romanized as Tchaikovsky.

Cheshire English
Originally indicated a person from the county of Cheshire in England. Cheshire is named for its city Chester.

Chester English
From the name of a city in England, derived from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".

Chevalier French
From a nickname derived from French chevalier meaning "knight", from Late Latin caballarius "horseman", Latin caballus "horse".

Chevrolet French
From a diminutive of chèvre meaning "goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.

Chey Khmer
Means "victory" in Khmer, from Sanskrit जय (jaya).

Chmela m Czech
Derived from Czech chmel "hops", referring to a person who grew hops, a plant used in brewing beer.

Chmelová f Czech
Feminine form of Chmela.

Chmiel Polish
Polish cognate of Chmela, from Polish chmiel.

Choudhary Hindi, Marathi
Alternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi चौधरी (see Chaudhary).

Choudhury Bengali
Alternate transcription of Bengali চৌধুরী (see Chowdhury).

Chowdhury Bengali
Bengali form of Chaudhary.

Christodoulou Greek
Means "son of Christodoulos".

Christoffersen Danish
Means "son of Christoffer".

Christopher English
Derived from the given name Christopher.

Christophers English
Derived from the given name Christopher.

Christopherson English
Means "son of Christopher".

Church English
From the English word, derived from Old English cirice, ultimately from Greek κυριακόν (kyriakon) meaning "(house) of the lord". It probably referred to a person who lived close to a church.

Churchill English
From an English place name meaning "church hill". A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II.

Čierna f Slovak
Feminine form of Čierny.

Čiernik m Slovak
Variant of Čierny.

Čierniková f Slovak
Feminine form of Čiernik.

Čierny m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Černý.

Cipriani Italian
From the given name Cipriano.

Čížek m Czech
Means "siskin" in Czech, referring to a type of bird in the finch family.

Čížik m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Čížek.

Čížiková f Slovak
Feminine form of Čížik.

Čížková f Czech
Feminine form of Čížek.

Claasen Dutch
Means "son of Klaas".

Claes Flemish
From the given name Klaus.

Claesson Swedish
Means "son of Claes".

Clark English
Means "cleric" or "scribe", from Old English clerec meaning "priest", ultimately from Latin clericus. A famous bearer was William Clark (1770-1838), an explorer of the west of North America.

Clarke English
Variant of Clark.

Clarkson English
Patronymic form of Clark.

Clausen Danish
Means "son of Claus".

Clay English
Means simply "clay", originally referring to a person who lived near or worked with of clay.

Clayton English
From the name of various places meaning "clay settlement" in Old English.

Cleary Irish
From Irish cléireach meaning "clerk" (see Clark).

Clemens English
Derived from the given name Clement. This was the surname of the author Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), also known as Mark Twain.

Clemensen Danish
Means "son of Clemens".

Clément French
Derived from the given name Clément.

Clement English
Derived from the given name Clement.

Clemente Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Clemente.

Clery Irish
Variant of Cleary.

Cleveland English
Derived from a place name meaning "cliff land" in Old English.

Clifford English
Derived from various place names that meant "ford by a cliff" in Old English.

Clifton English
Derived from various place names meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English.

Cline German, Jewish
Anglicized spelling of Klein.

Clinton English
Derived from the English place name Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". This surname is borne by former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).

Coburn Scottish, English
Variant of Cockburn.

Cock English
Derived from the medieval nickname cok meaning "rooster, cock". The nickname was commonly added to given names to create diminutives such as Hancock or Alcock.

Cockburn Scottish, English
Originally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English cocc "rooster" and burna "stream".

Cocks English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Cody Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuidighthigh or Mac Óda. A famous bearer was the American frontiersman and showman Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917).

Coelho Portuguese
From the Portuguese word for "rabbit", either a nickname or an occupational name referring to a hunter or seller of rabbits.

Coello Galician
Galician cognate of Coelho.

Coeman Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Coemans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Coenen Dutch
Derived from the given name Coenraad.

Coiro Italian
From Italian cuoio meaning "leather", ultimately from Latin corium. This was an occupational surname for a leather worker or tanner.

Coke English
Variant of Cook.

Cokes English
Variant of Cook.

Cola Italian
From the given name Nicola 1.

Colbert English, French
Derived from the given name Colobert.

Colby English
From various English place names, which were derived from the Old Norse byname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "farm, settlement".

Cole English
From a medieval short form of Nicholas or from the byname Cola.

Coleman Irish, English
From the given name Colmán.

Colijn Dutch
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolaas.

Colin French
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolas.

Collins 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Coileáin. A famous bearer was Michael Collins, an Irish nationalist leader who was assassinated in 1922.

Collins 2 English
Means "son of Colin 2".

Colombera Italian
From a derivative of Italian colomba "dove" indicating a house where doves were held.

Colombo Italian
Either from Italian colomba "dove" indicating a dove keeper, or from the given name Colombo, which is derived from the same word. This was the Italian surname of the 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus.

Colón Spanish
Spanish form of Colombo.

Colson English
Means "son of Col".

Colt English
Occupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English colt.

Colter English
Variant of Colt using an agent suffix.

Colton English
From a place name meaning "Cola's town".

Columbo Italian
Variant of Colombo.

Combs English
Variant of Coombs.

Como 1 Italian
From the given name Giacomo.

Connell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Conaill meaning "descendant of Conall".

Connor Irish
Variant of O'Connor.

Constantin Romanian, French
From the given name Constantin.

Constantinescu Romanian
Means "son of Constantin".

Constantino Portuguese
From the given name Constantino.

Conti Italian
From the Italian noble title conte meaning "count", derived from Latin comes (genitive comitis) meaning "companion, attendant". It denoted a person who worked for a count or behaved like one.

Cook English
Derived from Old English coc meaning "cook", ultimately from Latin coquus. It was an occupational name for a cook, a man who sold cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house.

Cooke English
Variant of Cook.

Cookson English
Patronymic form of Cook.

Coolen Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.

Coombs English
From Old English cumb meaning "valley", the name of several places in England.

Cooper English
Means "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.

Copperfield Literature
Created from the English words copper and field by the author Charles Dickens, who used it for the title character in his novel David Copperfield (1850).

Corey English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Kóri, of unknown meaning.

Cornell English
Derived from the given name Cornelius.

Corrà Italian
From a short form of the given name Corrado.

Correa Spanish
Spanish form of Correia.

Correia Portuguese
Means "leather strap, belt" in Portuguese, denoting a person who worked with leather products.

Cortés Spanish
Means "polite, courteous" in Spanish.

Cortez Spanish
Variant of Cortés.

Corti Italian
From Italian corte meaning "court, yard".

Cory English
Variant of Corey.

Ćosić Croatian, Serbian
From Croatian and Serbian ćosav "beardless", ultimately from Persian کوسه (kūseh) meaning "shark".

Costa Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".

Costantini Italian
From the given name Costantino.

Costanzo Italian
From the given name Costanzo.

Coste French
French form of Costa.

Côté French
French form of Costa.

Coumans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Coupe English
From Middle English coupe meaning "barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.

Courtois French
French form of Curtis.

Cox English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Crawford English
From a place name derived from Old English crawe "crow" and ford "river crossing". A notable bearer was the American actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur.

Crawley English
From various place names derived from Old English crawe "crow" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Crespi Italian
Variant of Crespo.

Crespo Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Referred to a person with curly hair, from Latin crispus meaning "curly".

Crisp English
English cognate of Crespo.

Crnčević Serbian, Croatian
Derived from Serbian and Croatian црн (crn) meaning "black".

Croce Italian
Italian form of Cross.

Crocetti Italian
Italian diminutive form of Croce.

Crosby English
From the name of various towns in England, derived from Old Norse kross "cross" (a borrowing from Latin crux) and býr "farm, settlement".

Cross English
Locative name meaning "cross", ultimately from Latin crux. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.

Crouch English
Variant of Cross.

Crowley 2 English
Variant of Crawley.

Cruz Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Cross.

Császár Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kaiser.

Cuesta Spanish
Spanish form of Costa.

Cuevas Spanish
Derived from Spanish cueva meaning "cave".

Cuijper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cullen 1 English
From the name of the German city of Cologne, which was derived from Latin colonia "colony".

Cullen 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Coileáin or Ó Cuilinn.

Cummings English
Variant of Cummins.

Cummins English, Scottish, Irish
From the Old Breton given name Cunmin, a cognate of Cuimín, introduced to Britain at the time of the Norman Conquest.

Cunningham 2 Irish
From Irish Ó Cuinneagáin meaning "descendant of Cuinneagán", a diminutive of Conn.

Cuocco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.

Cuoco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.

Curtis English
Nickname for a courteous person, derived from Old French curteis meaning "refined, courtly".

Cuyler Dutch
Variant of Kuijlaars or Koole.

Cuyper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuypers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cvetkov m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Цветков (see Tsvetkov).

Cvetkova f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Цветкова (see Tsvetkova).

Czajka Polish
Means "lapwing (bird)" in Polish.

Czajkowska f Polish
Feminine form of Czajkowski.

Czajkowski m Polish
Originally indicated a person from any of the Polish towns named Czajków, all derived from Polish czajka meaning "lapwing (bird)".

Daalman Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Daalmans Dutch
Originally indicated a person who lived in a valley, from Dutch dal meaning "dale, valley" and man meaning "man".

Dabney English
Variant of Daubney.

Dąbrowska f Polish
Feminine form of Dąbrowski.

Dąbrowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations named Dąbrowa or Dobrów, derived from Polish dąb meaning "oak".

Da Costa Portuguese
Variant of Costa.

Daelman Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Daelmans Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Da Gama Portuguese
Variant of Gama. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524).

D'Agostino Italian
From the given name Agostino.

Dahl Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
From 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.

Dahlberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and berg meaning "mountain".

Dahlman Swedish
From Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Dahlmans Dutch
Variant of Daalmans.

Dale English
From Old English dæl meaning "valley", originally indicating a person who lived there.

Daley Irish
Variant of Daly.

Dalgaard Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley" and garðr meaning "yard, farmstead".

Dallas 1 English
From Old English dæl meaning "valley" and hus meaning "house".

Dalton English
Derived from a place name meaning "valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was the English chemist and physicist John Dalton (1766-1844).

Daly Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh meaning "descendant of Dálach".

Dam Dutch, Danish
Means "dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".

D'Ambrosio Italian
From the given name Ambrogio.

Damiani Italian
Derived from the given name Damiano.

D'Amore Italian
From the given name Amore.

Damyanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Damyan".

Damyanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Damyanov.

Danailov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Danail".

Danailova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Danailov.

Danchev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Dancho".

Dancheva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Danchev.

Dane 1 English
Variant of Dean 1 or Dean 2.