Ancient Origin Surnames

Erkens Dutch
Derived from the given name Erk, a variant of Erik.

Ermacora Italian
From the given name Ermacora.

Ernst German, Dutch, Danish
From the given name Ernst.

Espensen Norwegian
Means "son of Espen".

Espenson Norwegian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Espensen.

Espina Spanish
Means "thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.

Espino Spanish
Variant of Espina.

Espinosa Spanish
From Spanish espinoso meaning "thorny", ultimately from Latin spinosus, a derivative of spina meaning "thorn, spine". This was the real surname of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), who was of Portuguese Jewish origin.

Espinoza Spanish
Variant of Espinosa.

Esposito Italian
Means "exposed" in Italian and denoted a child who was rescued after being abandoned by its parents.

Esser German
Means "cartwright", related to Old High German ahsa "axle".

Essert German
Variant of Esser.

Esteban Spanish
From the given name Esteban.

Esteves Portuguese
Means "son of Estevão".

Estévez Spanish
Means "son of Esteban".

Estrada Spanish
Spanish form of Street.

Étienne French
From the given name Étienne.

Eustis English
Derived from the given name Eustace.

Evangelista Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "evangelist" in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Evans Welsh, English
Means "son of Evan".

Evanson English
Means "son of Evan".

Evelyn English
Derived from the given name Aveline.

Evensen Norwegian
Means "son of Even".

Evered English
From the given name Everard.

Everett English
From the given name Everard.

Everhart German
Variant of Eberhardt.

Everill English
Derived from the feminine given name Eoforhild.

Everly English
From place names meaning derived from Old English eofor "boar" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Evers Dutch
Means "son of Evert".

Évrard French
From the given name Évrard.

Ewart 1 English
From a Norman form of Edward.

Ewart 2 English
From the name of an English town, derived from Old English ea "river" and worþ "enclosure".

Expósito Spanish
Spanish cognate of Esposito.

Ezra Jewish
From the given name Ezra.

Fabbri Italian
From Italian fabbro meaning "blacksmith", ultimately from Latin faber.

Fabbro Italian
Variant of Fabbri.

Fabel German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Fabian.

Fábián Hungarian
Derived from the given name Fábián.

Fabian German, English, Polish
Derived from the given name Fabian.

Fabien French
Derived from the given name Fabien.

Fabre Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Fabron French
Diminutive form of Fabre.

Faerber German
Variant of Färber.

Fairbairn Scottish, English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English and Scots.

Fairburn English
From a place name meaning "fern stream", from Old English fearn "fern" and burna "stream".

Fairchild English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.

Fairclough English
From a place name meaning "fair ravine, fair cliff" in Old English.

Falco Italian
Derived from Italian falco "falcon". The name was used to denote a falconer or a person who resembled a falcon in some way.

Falconer English, Scottish
Variant of Faulkner.

Falk Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German
From Old Norse falki or Old High German falco meaning "falcon".

Falkenrath German
Derived from Middle High German falke "falcon" and rat "counsel, advice".

Falkner English, German
English variant and German cognate of Faulkner.

Falstaff Literature
The name of a buffoonish character, John Falstaff, appearing in four of William Shakespeare's plays. He is the central character in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602). Shakespeare probably adapted it from the surname of John Fastolf, a 15th-century knight. The medieval surname Fastolf, no longer in use, was derived from the Norse given name Fastúlfr.

Fannon Irish
From the Irish Ó Fionnáin meaning "descendant of Fionn".

Faraldo Italian
From a given name, ultimately the Germanic name Faroald.

Färber German
Occupational name meaning "dyer", derived from German Farbe "colour".

Farina Italian
Occupational name for a miller, derived from Italian farina "flour".

Farnham English
Indicated a person from any of the various towns named Farnham in England, notably in Surrey. Their names are from Old English fearn "fern" and ham "home, settlement" or ham "water meadow, enclosure".

Faron French
From the given name Faron.

Farrell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fearghail meaning "descendant of Fearghal".

Faucher French
Occupational name meaning "mower" in French, ultimately from Latin falx meaning "sickle, scythe".

Faucheux French
Variant of Faucher.

Faulkner English, Scottish
Occupational name meaning "keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots faulcon, from Late Latin falco, of Germanic origin.

Faure Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Faust German
Derived from the given name Faust, a form of Faustus.

Fausti Italian
From the given name Fausto.

Favero Italian
Variant of Fabbri.

Favre French
Southern French variant of Fèvre.

Favreau French
Diminutive of Favre.

Fay 1 French, English
Referred to a person who came from various places named Fay or Faye in northern France, derived from Old French fau "beech tree", from Latin fagus.

Fay 2 English
From a nickname for a person who was thought to have magical qualities, from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted".

Fedorov m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Фёдоров (see Fyodorov).

Fedorova f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Фёдорова (see Fyodorova).

Feigenbaum German, Jewish
Means "fig tree" in German.

Feld German, Jewish
Means "field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.

Feldt German, Danish, Swedish
North German, Danish and Swedish variant of Feld.

Feliciano Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Feliciano.

Felipe Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
From the given name Felipe.

Félix French, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Felix.

Fenn English
From a name for someone who dwelt near a marsh, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp, bog".

Fenwick English
From an English place name, derived from Old English fenn "fen, swamp, bog" and wic "village, town".

Ferber German
Variant of Färber.

Ferguson Irish, Scottish
Means "son of Fergus".

Fernandes Portuguese
Means "son of Fernando".

Fernández Spanish
Means "son of Fernando". This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Fernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Fernández.

Ferrara Italian
Italian form of Ferreira.

Ferrari Italian
Occupational name for a metalworker or smith, derived from Latin ferrarius, a derivative of ferrum meaning "iron".

Ferraro Italian
Variant of Ferrari.

Ferreira Portuguese, Galician
Denoted a person from a town named because it was near an iron mine, from Latin ferrum meaning "iron".

Ferreiro Galician
Galician cognate of Ferrari.

Ferrer Catalan
Catalan cognate of Ferrari.

Ferrero Italian
Regional variant of Ferrari. It is typical of the area around Turin.

Ferreyra Portuguese, Galician
Variant of Ferreira.

Ferri Italian
Variant of Ferro.

Ferro Italian, Spanish
Means "iron", ultimately from Latin ferrum. This was an occupational name for one who worked with iron.

Fèvre French
Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.

Field English
Variant of Fields.

Fields English
Name for a person who lived on or near a field or pasture, from Old English feld.

Fierro Spanish, Italian
Variant of Ferro.

Filep Hungarian
From the given name Fülöp.

Filip um Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak
Derived from the given name Filip.

Filipek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Filip.

Filipov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Filip".

Filipova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Filipov.

Filipová f Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak feminine form of Filip.

Filipović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Filip".

Filipowska f Polish
Feminine form of Filipowski.

Filipowski m Polish
Either a patronymic from the given name Filip, or a habitational name denoting a person from the Polish town of Filipów (also derived from the given name).

Filippi Italian
Derived from the given name Filippo.

Filippov m Russian
Means "son of Filip".

Filippova f Russian
Feminine form of Filippov.

Findlay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Fini Italian
Derived from given names ending in fino, such as Serafino.

Finlay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Finley Scottish
Anglicized (typically American) form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Finn Irish
Derived from the given name Fionn.

Finnegan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fionnagáin meaning "descendant of Fionnagán". The given name Fionnagán is a diminutive of Fionn.

Finnin Irish
Diminutive form of Finn.

Fiore Italian
Derived from the given name Fiore.

Firmin English, French
From the given name Firmin.

Fischer German
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in German.

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Fishman English
Occupational name for a fisherman.

Fisker Danish
Means "fisherman" in Danish.

Fitzgerald Irish
Means "son of Gerald" in Anglo-Norman French. It was brought to Ireland with William the Conqueror. A famous bearer was Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996), an American jazz singer.

Fitzpatrick Irish
Means "son of Patrick" in Anglo-Norman, usually adopted as an Anglicization of Mac Giolla Phádraig.

Fitzroy English
Means "son of the king" in Anglo-Norman French, from French roi meaning "king". This name has been bestowed upon illegitimate children of kings.

Fitzsimmons Irish
Means "son of Simon 1" in Anglo-Norman French.

Fitzwilliam Irish
Means "son of William" in Anglo-Norman French.

Flanagan Irish
From Irish Ó Flannagáin meaning "descendant of Flannagán". Flannagán is a given name meaning "blood red". From County Roscommon in Ireland, it has many other spellings.

Flanagon Irish
Variant of Flanagan.

Fleury French
From the name of various towns in northern France, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Florus.

Flintstone Popular Culture
From the English words flint and stone, created by Hanna-Barbera Productions for the caveman family (Fred, Wilma and Pebbles) in their animated television show The Flintstones, which ran from 1960 to 1966.

Flipse Dutch
Variant of Flipsen.

Flipsen Dutch
Means "son of Flip".

Florea Romanian
From the given name Florea.

Flores Spanish
Means "son of Floro" in Spanish.

Floros m Greek
From Greek φλώρος (floros) meaning "greenfinch", derived from classical Greek χλωρός (chloros) meaning "green".

Florou f Greek
Feminine form of Floros.

Flower English
From Middle English flour meaning "flower, blossom", derived from Old French flur, Latin flos. This was a nickname given to a sweet person. In other cases it could be a metonymic occupational name for a maker of flour (a word derived from the same source).

Flowers English
Variant of Flower.

Flynn Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Floinn meaning "descendant of Flann".

Foerstner German
Variant of Förstner.

Fonseca Spanish, Portuguese
Originally belonged to a person who lived near a dry spring, from Latin fons "well, spring" and siccus "dry".

Fontaine French
Derived from Old French fontane meaning "well, fountain", a derivative of Latin fons.

Fontana Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Fontaine.

Ford English
Name given to someone who lived by a ford, possibly the official who maintained it. A famous bearer was the American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947).

Forest English, French
Originally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French forest, from Latin forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".

Forester English
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see Forest).

Forestier French
French cognate of Forester.

Forney German
Name for someone who lived near ferns, from Old High German farn "fern".

Forrest English
Variant of Forest.

Forsberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish fors meaning "waterfall" and berg meaning "mountain".

Forst German
Derived from Old High German forst "forest". Probably unrelated to the Old French word forest, which was derived from Latin, Old High German forst was derived from foraha meaning "fir tree".

Förstner German
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest (see Forst).

Fortier French
Derived from Old French fort "stronghold", indicating a person who lived near or worked at such a place.

Fortuin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Fortune.

Fortunato Italian
From the given name Fortunato.

Fortune English
From Middle English, ultimately from Latin fortuna meaning "fortune, luck, chance". This was possibly a nickname for a gambler.

Fortuyn Dutch
Dutch cognate of Fortune.

Foss English
Variant of Fosse.

Fosse English, French
Derived from Old French fosse "ditch".

Foster 1 English
Variant of Forester.

Fournier French
Occupational name for a baker, from French fourneau meaning "oven".

Fox English
From the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.

Francis English
Derived from the given name Francis.

Francisco Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Francisco.

Franco Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Cognate of Frank 1. This name was borne by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (1892-1975).

François French
Derived from the given name François.

Franić Croatian
Variant of Franjić.

Franjić Croatian
Means "son of Franjo".

Frank 1 English
Derived from the given name Frank.

Frank 2 English
From Old English franc meaning "free".

Frank 3 German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Name for a person from Franconia in Germany, so called because it was settled by the Frankish people. A notable bearer was the German-Jewish diarist Anne Frank (1929-1945), a victim of the Holocaust.

Franke German, Dutch
Variant of Frank 3.

Frankenstein German, Literature
From any of the various minor places by this name in Germany, meaning "stone of the Franks" in German. It was used by the author Mary Shelley in her novel Frankenstein (1818) for the character of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monster and brings it to life. The monster, nameless in the novel, is sometimes informally or erroneously called Frankenstein in modern speech.

Franklin English
Derived from Middle English frankelin meaning "freeman". It denoted a landowner of free but not noble birth, from Old French franc meaning "free". Famous bearers include American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and American singer Aretha Franklin (1942-2018).

Franklyn English
Variant of Franklin.

Fransson Swedish
Means "son of Frans".

Franz German
Derived from the given name Franz.

Franzese Italian
From a nickname that indicated a person who came from France. It is typical of the area around Naples.

Frederiksen Danish
Means "son of Frederik".

Fredriksen Norwegian
Means "son of Fredrik".

Fredriksson Swedish
Means "son of Fredrik".

Freeman English
Referred to a person who was born free, or in other words was not a serf.

Frei German
Means "free" in German, probably referring to someone outside the feudal system.

French English
Originally denoted a French person, from Middle English Frensch, Old English Frencisc.

Freud German, Jewish
Means "joy" in German, a nickname for a cheerful person. A famous bearer was the psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).

Freudenberger German, Jewish
Ornamental name from old German freud meaning "joy" and berg meaning "mountain".

Fried German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.

Friedrich German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.

Friel Irish
From the Irish Ó Frighil meaning "descendant of Fearghal".

Fries German
Denoted someone from Frisia, an area along the coastal region of the North Sea stretching from Netherlands to Germany.

Friis Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian (mostly Danish) form of Fries.

Fromm German
From a nickname derived from Middle High German vrume meaning "noble, honourable".

Frost English, German
From Old English and Old High German meaning "frost", a nickname for a person who had a cold personality or a white beard.

Fry English
From Old English frig (a variant of freo) meaning "free".

Frye English
Variant of Fry.

Fuchs German
From Old High German fuhs meaning "fox". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.

Fuentes Spanish
Means "spring, well" in Spanish, derived from Latin fons.

Fuhrmann German
Derived from Middle High German vuorman meaning "cartwright".

Fülöp Hungarian
Derived from the given name Fülöp.

Fulton English
From the name of the English town of Foulden, Norfolk, meaning "bird hill" in Old English.

Furlan Italian, Slovene
From the name of the Italian region of Friuli, in the northeast of Italy, which is derived from the name of the Roman town of Forum Iulii meaning "forum of Julius".

Furnadjiev m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Фурнаджиев (see Furnadzhiev).

Furnadjieva f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Фурнаджиева (see Furnadzhieva).

Furnadzhiev m Bulgarian
Occupational name for a baker, derived from Bulgarian фурна (furna) meaning "oven" (of Latin origin).

Furnadzhieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Furnadzhiev.

Fux German
Variant of Fuchs.

Fylan Irish
Variant of Whelan.

Fyodorov m Russian
Means "son of Fyodor".

Fyodorova f Russian
Feminine form of Fyodorov.

Gaál Hungarian
Variant of Gál.

Gábor Hungarian
From the given name Gábor.

Gabor Hungarian
Variant of Gábor.

Gabrielli Italian
From the given name Gabriele 1.

Gabriels English
Derived from the given name Gabriel.

Gabrielson English
Means "son of Gabriel".

Gadsby English
Habitational name from the village of Gaddesby in Leicestershire, so named from Old Norse gaddr "spur, spike (of land)" and býr "farm, settlement".

Gaertner German
German form of Gardener.

Gage French, English
Occupational name derived either from Old French jauge "measure" (a name for an assayer) or gage "pledge, payment" (a name for a moneylender). Both words were ultimately of Frankish origin.

Gál Hungarian
Derived from the given name Gál.

Galilei Italian (Rare)
From the given name Galileo. A notable bearer was the Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). Both his given name and surname were from an earlier 15th-century ancestor (a doctor).

Gallagher Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Gallchobhair meaning "descendant of Gallchobhar".

Gallego Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain.

Gallegos Spanish
Variant of Gallego.

Galli Italian
Variant of Gallo, common in northern Italy.

Gallo Italian, Spanish
Means "rooster", ultimately from Latin gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.

Gama Portuguese
Probably from a place name derived from Portuguese gama meaning "fallow deer doe", from Latin gammus.

Garb German
Variant of Garber.

Garber German
Variant of Gerber.

Garbutt English
From the given name Gerbold.

Gardener English
Occupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).

Gardiner English
Variant of Gardener.

Gardinier French
French form of Gardener.

Gardner English
Variant of Gardener.

Garey English
Variant of Geary.

Garner 1 English
From Old French gernier meaning "granary", a derivative of Latin granum meaning "grain". This name could refer to a person who worked at a granary or lived near one.

Garner 2 English
Variant of Gardener.

Garnet English
Variant of Garnett 1 or Garnett 2.

Garnett 1 English
Occupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French carne "hinge".

Garnett 2 English
From a diminutive of the given name Guarin.

Garnier 1 French
From the given name Garnier.

Garnier 2 English
Variant of Garner 1.

Garrard English
From the given name Gerard.

Garret English
Variant of Garrett.

Garrett English
Derived from the given name Gerald or Gerard.

Garrod English
Derived from the given name Gerald.

Garry English
Variant of Geary.

Gärtner German
German form of Gardener.

Garver German
Variant of Gerber.

Gary English
Variant of Geary.

Gatsby English (Rare), Literature
Rare variant of Gadsby. This name was used by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald for the central character in his novel The Great Gatsby (1925). In the book, James Gatz renames himself as Jay Gatsby at age 17 because he believes it sounds more sophisticated.

Gatti Italian
Means "cat" in Italian, originally a nickname for an agile person.

Gauthier French
Derived from the given name Gauthier.

Gautier French
From the given name Gautier.

Gavrilović Serbian
Means "son of Gavrilo".

Gavrilyuk Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Гаврилюк (see Havrylyuk).

Geary English
Derived from a Norman given name that was a short form of Germanic names starting with the element ger "spear".

Geelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Geel, itself from Gillis or Gilbert.

Geels Dutch
Variant of Geelen.

Geerts Dutch
Means "son of Geert".

Gehrig German
Variant of Gehring.

Gehring German
Derived from a short form of Old German names starting with the element ger "spear".

Geisler German
Variant of Geissler.

Geißler German
Variant of Geissler.

Geissler German
Occupational name for a goat herder, from southern German Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix ler signifying an occupation.

Geiszler German
Variant of Geissler.

Genadiev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Genadi".

Genadieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Genadiev.

Genkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Genko".

Genkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Genkov.

Genov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Geno".

Genova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Genov.

Genovese Italian
Denoted a person from the Italian city of Genoa (Genova in Italian).

Gensch German
From the given name Gensch, a Sorbian form of John.

George English
Derived from the given name George.

Georges French
From the given name Georges.

Georgeson English
Means "son of George".

Georgiadi f Greek
Feminine form of Georgiadis.

Georgiadis m Greek
Means "son of Georgios" in Greek.

Georgiadou f Greek
Feminine form of Georgiadis.

Georgiev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Georgi".

Georgieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Georgiev.

Georgiou Greek
Means "son of Georgios".

Gérard French
From the given name Gérard.

Gerber German
Means "tanner, leather dresser" in German, derived from Old High German garawen meaning "to prepare".

Gerhard German
Derived from the given name Gerhard.

Gerhardsson Swedish
Means "son of Gerhard".

Gerhardt German
Derived from the given name Gerhard.

Gerig German
Variant of Gehring.

Germain French
From the French given name Germain.

Germano Italian
From the given name Germano.

Géroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Gerst German
Occupational name for a barley farmer, derived from Old High German gersta "barley".

Gerstle German
Variant of Gerst.

Gerver German
Variant of Gerber.