Ancient Origin Surnames

Glass English, German
From Old English glæs or Old High German glas meaning "glass". This was an occupational name for a glass blower or glazier.

Glazier English
Means "glass worker, glazier", from Old English glæs meaning "glass".

Glen Scottish
Variant of Glenn.

Glenn Scottish, English
From place names derived from Gaelic gleann "valley". A famous bearer was the American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).

Glynn Welsh, Cornish
Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, from Welsh glyn and Cornish glin, or a habitational name from a place named with this word.

Gniewek Polish
Derived from Gniewek, a diminutive of Zbigniew, Jarogniew, or other names containing gniew "anger".

Göbel German
Derived from the given name Göbel, a diminutive of the Old German name Godabert.

Godard French
Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

Goddard English
Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

Godfrey English
From the Norman given name Godfrey.

Goebel German
Variant of Göbel.

Gold English, German, Jewish
From Old English and Old High German gold meaning "gold", an occupational name for someone who worked with gold or a nickname for someone with yellow hair. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Goldhirsch Jewish
Means "golden stag" in Yiddish.

Goldschmidt German
Occupational name meaning "goldsmith" in German.

Golob Slovene
Means "pigeon" in Slovene.

Golub Croatian
Means "pigeon" in Croatian.

Gomes Portuguese
From the medieval given name Gomes.

Gómez Spanish
Spanish form of Gomes.

Gomez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Gómez.

Gonçalves Portuguese
Means "son of Gonçalo" in Portuguese.

Gonzales Spanish
Variant of González.

González Spanish
Means "son of Gonzalo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Gonzalez Spanish
Unaccented variant of González.

Gonzalo Spanish
From the given name Gonzalo.

Good English
From a nickname meaning "good", referring to a kindly person.

Goode English
Variant of Good.

Goodman English
Variant of Good.

Goodwin English
Derived from the given name Godwine.

Goossens Flemish
From the Germanic given name Gozzo.

Goranov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Goran".

Goranova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Goranov.

Göransson Swedish
Means "son of Göran".

Gorbold English
From the given name Gerbold.

Gorecka f Polish
Feminine form of Gorecki.

Gorecki m Polish
Originally indicated a person from Górka, the name of various towns in Poland, ultimately from Polish góra "mountain".

Goretti Italian
Derived from the given name Gregorio.

Gori Italian
Derived from the given name Gregorio.

Górka Polish
Variant of Gorecki.

Gorman 1 German
From the Old German given name Germund.

Görög Hungarian
Means "Greek" in Hungarian.

Górska f Polish
Feminine form of Górski.

Górski m Polish
From the Polish word góra meaning "mountain".

Gosse French
Derived from the Norman given name Gosse.

Gosselin French
Derived from a diminutive of the French given name Gosse.

Gott German
Derived from the Old German given name Goda 1.

Gotti German
Variant of Gott.

Gottlieb German
Derived from the given name Gottlieb.

Gottschalk German
Derived from the given name Gottschalk.

Gough 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mag Eochadha meaning "son of Eochaidh".

Graeme Scottish
Variant of Graham.

Graf German
From the German noble title Graf meaning "count", ultimately from Greek γραφεύς (grapheus) meaning "scribe".

Graham Scottish, English
Derived from the English place name Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by William de Graham.

Grahame Scottish
Variant of Graham.

Granger English, French
Means "farm bailiff" from Old French grangier, ultimately from Latin granum meaning "grain". It is borne in the Harry Potter novels by Harry's friend Hermione Granger.

Granville English
Derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

Grassi Italian
Variant of Grasso.

Grasso Italian
Means "fat" in Italian, originally a nickname for a stout person. It is derived from Latin crassus.

Graves English
Occupational name for a steward, derived from Middle English greyve, related to the German title Graf.

Gray English
From a nickname for a person who had grey hair or grey clothes.

Grayson English
Means "son of the steward", derived from Middle English greyve "steward".

Grbić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Means "hunchback", derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene grba "hump".

Grec Catalan
Catalan cognate of Greco.

Greco Italian
Means "from Greece" in Italian.

Green English
Descriptive name for someone who often wore the colour green or someone who lived near the village green.

Greenberg German, Jewish
Anglicized form of Grünberg.

Greene English
Variant of Green.

Greenwood English
Topographic name for someone who lived in or near a lush forest, from Old English grene "green" and wudu "wood".

Greer Scottish
Derived from the given name Gregor.

Gregersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Gregers".

Gregory English
From the given name Gregory.

Grenville English
Variant of Granville.

Grey English
Variant of Gray.

Grgić Croatian
Means "son of Grgur".

Grier Scottish
Derived from the given name Gregor.

Grieve Scottish
Occupational name meaning "steward, farm manager" in Middle English, related to the German title Graf.

Griffin 1 Welsh
Derived from the given name Gruffudd.

Griffin 2 English
Nickname from the mythological beast with body of a lion with head and wings of an eagle. It is ultimately from Greek γρύψ (gryps).

Griffith Welsh, English
Derived from the Welsh given name Gruffudd.

Griffiths Welsh, English
Means "son of Gruffudd".

Grigorescu Romanian
Means "son of Grigore" in Romanian.

Grigorov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Grigor".

Grigorova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Grigorov.

Grigoryan Armenian
Means "son of Grigor" in Armenian.

Grimaldi Italian
From the given name Grimaldo. It is the surname of the royal family of Monaco, which came from Genoa.

Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.

Groos German
Variant of Groß.

Groot Dutch
Variant of De Groot.

Gros French
Means "thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.

Gross German
Variant of Groß.

Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".

Große German
Variant of Groß.

Grosse German
Variant of Groß.

Größel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großer German
Variant of Groß.

Grosser German
Variant of Groß.

Grossi Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Grosso Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Grósz Hungarian
Hungarian form of Groß.

Groves English
From Old English graf meaning "grove". This originally indicated a person who lived near a grove (a group of trees).

Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Grünewald German
Means "green forest" from German grün "green" and Wald "forest".

Grześkiewicz Polish
Derived from the given name Grzegorz.

Guarneri Italian
From the given name Guanero, an Italian cognate of Werner.

Guérin French
From the Old German given name Warin.

Guerra Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "war", given to a belligerent person or one engaged in warfare.

Guerrero Spanish
Means "warrior" in Spanish, an occupational name for a soldier. It is derived from Late Latin werra "war", of Germanic origin.

Guerriero Italian
Italian form of Guerrero.

Guidi Italian
From the given name Guido.

Guillaume French
From the given name Guillaume.

Guillory French
Derived from the Old German given name Williric.

Guillot French
From a diminutive of the given name Guillaume.

Guinness Irish
Variant of McGuinness. The name is well known because of the Guinness brand of ale, established in 1759 by Arthur Guinness.

Gulbrandsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gulbrand" in Norwegian.

Guldbrandsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Gulbrand" in Norwegian and Danish.

Gully English
Nickname for a big person, from Middle English golias meaning "giant" (ultimately from Goliath, the Philistine warrior who was slain by David in the Old Testament).

Gundersen Norwegian
Means "son of Gunder".

Gunnarsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Gunnar".

Gunnarsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Gunnar".

Günther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

Gunther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

Gunvaldsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gunvald".

Gupta Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu
Means "protected" in Sanskrit.

Gustafsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustaf". The actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was originally named Greta Gustafsson.

Gustavsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustav".

Gutermuth German
Derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and muot meaning "mind, spirit". It was a nickname for an optimistic person.

Gutiérrez Spanish
Means "son of Gutierre".

Gutierrez Spanish
Variant of Gutiérrez.

Haakonsson Norwegian
Means "son of Håkon".

Haan Dutch
Variant of De Haan.

Haas Dutch, German
Variant of Hase.

Haase German
Variant of Hase.

Haber German, Jewish
Occupational name for one who grew or sold oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Haberkorn German
Occupational name for a dealer in oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat" and korn "kernel, grain".

Habich German
German cognate of Hawk.

Habicht German
German cognate of Hawk.

Hadaway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Haden English
From a place name derived from Old English hæþ "heath" and dun "hill".

Hafner German
Occupational name for a potter, derived from Old High German hafan "pot, vessel".

Hagen Norwegian, Dutch
From Old Norse hagi or Old Dutch hago meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Hagopian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Հակոբյան (see Hakobyan).

Haig English, Scottish
From Old English haga or Old Norse hagi meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Hailey English
Variant of Haley.

Haines English
Variant of Haynes.

Håkansson Swedish
Means "son of Håkan".

Hakobyan Armenian
Means "son of Hakob" in Armenian.

Hale English
Derived from Old English halh meaning "nook, recess, hollow".

Haley English
From the name of an English town meaning "hay clearing", from Old English heg "hay" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Hall English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

Halle German
German variant of Hall.

Hallman Swedish
From Swedish hall (Old Norse hallr) meaning "rock, boulder, slab" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Halvorsen Norwegian
Means "son of Halvor".

Hambleton English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Hamilton English, Scottish
From an English place name, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).

Hamm English
Means "river meadow" in Old English.

Hammond English
From the Norman given name Hamo or the Old Norse given name Hámundr.

Hampson English
Means "son of Hamo".

Hampton English
From the name of multiple towns in England, derived from Old English ham "home" or ham "water meadow, enclosure" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Hancock English
From a diminutive of the medieval name Hann.

Hanley English
From various English place names meaning "high meadow" in Old English.

Hansen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Hans". This is the most common surname in Norway, and the third most common in Denmark.

Hanson English
Means "son of Hann".

Hanssen Norwegian
Means "son of Hans".

Hansson Swedish
Means "son of Hans".

Haralampiev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Haralampi".

Haralampieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Haralampiev.

Haraldsen Norwegian
Means "son of Harald".

Haraldsson Swedish
Means "son of Harald".

Harden English
From a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.

Hardie Scottish
Scots variant of Hardy.

Harding English
Derived from the given name Heard. A famous bearer was American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).

Hardwick English
From Old English heord "herd" and wic "village, town".

Hardy English, French
From Old French and Middle English hardi meaning "bold, daring, hardy", from the Germanic root *harduz.

Harel Jewish
Ornamental name adopted from a biblical place name meaning "altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew.

Harford English
Habitational name from places called Harford in Gloucestershire and Devon, meaning "hart ford" or "army ford".

Hargrave English
Derived from Old English har meaning "grey" and graf "grove".

Harlan English
Variant of Harland.

Harland English
From various place names meaning "hare land" in Old English.

Harley English
Derived from a place name meaning "hare clearing", from Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Harlow English
Habitational name derived from a number of locations named Harlow, from Old English hær "rock, heap of stones" or here "army", combined with hlaw "hill".

Harman English
From the given name Herman.

Harmon English
From the given name Herman.

Haroldson Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Haraldsson.

Harrell English
From the given name Harold.

Harrelson English
Means "son of Harold". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Woody Harrelson (1961-).

Harris English
Means "son of Harry".

Harrison English
Means "son of Harry".

Hart English
Means "male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.

Hartell English
From various place names derived from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and hyll "hill".

Hartley English
Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Hartley, from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Hartman Dutch, German
Dutch and Americanized form of Hartmann.

Hartmann German
From the German given name Hartmann.

Hase German
From Middle High German and Middle Low German hase meaning "hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.

Hašek m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Havel.

Hasenkamp German
From a northern German place name meaning "rabbit field", from Old Saxon haso "hare" and kamp "field" (from Latin campus).

Hashemi Persian
From the given name Hashem.

Hašková f Czech
Feminine form of Hašek.

Hass German
From the given name Hasso.

Hassan Arabic, Persian, Urdu
From the given name Hassan.

Hathaway English
Habitational name for someone who lived near a path across a heath, from Old English hæþ "heath" and weg "way".

Hatheway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Hathway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Hauer German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Haumann German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop" and man "man", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Haupt German
German cognate of Head.

Häusler German
Name for someone who lived in a house with no land, derived rom Old High German word hus meaning "house".

Havel m Czech
Derived from the given name Havel.

Havelka m Czech
Means "son of Havel" in Czech.

Havelková f Czech
Feminine form of Havelka.

Havener German
Variant of Hafner.

Havlíček m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Havel.

Havlíčková f Czech
Feminine form of Havlíček.

Havlová f Czech
Feminine form of Havel.

Havrylyuk Ukrainian
From a diminutive of the given name Havryil.

Haward English
Variant of Howard 1 or Hayward.

Hawk English
Originally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English hafoc "hawk".

Hawking English
From a diminutive of Hawk. A famous bearer was the British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018).

Hawkins English
From a diminutive of Hawk.

Hayden 1 English
From place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill".

Hayes 1 English
From various English place names that were derived from Old English hæg meaning "enclosure, fence". A famous bearer was American President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893).

Hayes 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hAodha meaning "descendant of Aodh".

Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.

Hayley English
Variant of Haley.

Haynes English
Patronymic derived from the Norman name Hagano.

Hayter English
Name for a person who lived on a hill, from Middle English heyt meaning "height".

Hayward English
Occupational name for a person who protected an enclosed forest, from Old English hæg "enclosure, fence" and weard "guard".

Haywood English
From various place names meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.

Head English
From Middle English hed meaning "head", from Old English heafod. It may have referred to a person who had a peculiar head, who lived near the head of a river or valley, or who served as the village headman.

Headley English
From place names meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.

Hearn Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hEachthighearna.

Heath English
Originally belonged to a person who was a dweller on the heath or open land.

Hébert French
Derived from the given name Herbert.

Hedley English
Variant of Headley.

Hedlund Swedish
From Swedish hed (Old Norse heiðr) meaning "heath, moor" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Heeren Dutch
From Dutch heer "lord, master", a nickname for a person who acted like a lord or who worked for a lord.

Heidrich German
From the Old German given name Heidrich.

Heijman Dutch
Patronymic from a diminutive of the given name Hendrik.

Heijmans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Heikki Finnish
From the given name Heikki.

Heikkilä Finnish
From the given name Heikki with the suffix -lä indicating a place.

Heikkinen Finnish
From the given name Heikki.

Heiman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Heimans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Heimisson Icelandic
Means "son of Heimir".

Heinonen Finnish
From the given name Heino.

Heinrich German
Derived from the given name Heinrich.

Heinrichs German
Derived from the given name Heinrich.

Heintze German
Derived from a diminutive of Heinrich.

Heinz German
Derived from a diminutive of Heinrich.

Hellström Swedish
From Swedish häll (Old Norse hallr), a type of flat rock, combined with ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Henderson Scottish, English
Means "son of Hendry".

Hendrickx Flemish
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Hendriks Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Hendrikx Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Hendrix Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik. A famous bearer was the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).

Hendry Scottish, English
Derived from the given name Henry.

Hennessy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hAonghuis meaning "descendant of Aonghus".

Hennig German
From a diminutive of the given name Heinrich.

Henningsen Danish
Means "son of Henning".

Henriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Henrik".

Henriksson Swedish
Means "son of Henrik".

Henriques Portuguese
Means "son of Henrique".

Henry English
Derived from the given name Henry.

Henryson English
Means "son of Henry". A bearer of this surname was the poet Robert Henryson (1425-1500).

Henson English
Means "son of Henne", a medieval diminutive of Henry.

Hepburn English, Scottish
From northern English place names meaning "high burial mound" in Old English. It was borne by Mary Queen of Scot's infamous third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwall. Other famous bearers include the actresses Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).

Herbert English, German, French
Derived from the male given name Herbert.

Herberts English, Dutch
Variant of Herbert.

Herbertson English
Means "son of Herbert".

Herbertsson Swedish
Swedish form of Herbertson.

Herceg Croatian
Croatian form of Herzog.

Herczeg Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herczog Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herman English, Dutch
From the given name Herman.

Hermann German
From the given name Hermann.

Hermans Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Herman".

Hermansen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Herman".

Hermanson English
Means "son of Herman".

Hermansson Swedish
Means "son of Herman".

Hernández Spanish
Means "son of Hernando" in Spanish.

Hernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Hernández.

Hernando Spanish
From the given name Hernando.

Herrema Frisian
Frisian variant of Heeren.

Herrera Spanish
Spanish form of Ferreira.

Herrero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Ferrari.

Herriot English
From an Old French diminutive of the given name Herry.

Herrmann German
From the given name Hermann.

Hersch German, Jewish
Variant of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Herschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.

Herzog German
From a German title meaning "duke", a nickname for a person who either acted like a duke or worked in a duke's household.

Hewitt English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Hugh.

Heydari Persian
From the given name Heydar.

Heyman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Heymans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Hibbert English
Derived from the given name Hilbert.

Hicks English
Derived from the medieval given name Hicke, a diminutive of Richard.

Hierro Spanish
Spanish form of Ferro.

Hightower English
Possibly a variant of Hayter.

Hildebrand German
From the given name Hildebrand.

Hill English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a hill, derived from Old English hyll.