Medieval Origin Surnames

Accorsi Italian
From the given name Bonaccorso.

Accorso Italian
From the given name Bonaccorso.

Accursio Italian
From the given name Bonaccorso.

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

Arlotti Italian
Means "son of Arlotto".

Aslan Turkish
From the given name Aslan.

Ataýew m Turkmen
Means "son of Ata 1".

Ataýewa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Ataýew.

Baanders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Banner.

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

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

Banderas Spanish
Spanish cognate of Banner.

Banister English
Variant of Bannister.

Banner English
Occupational name for a flag carrier, derived from Old French baniere meaning "banner", ultimately of Germanic origin.

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

Bannister English
From Norman French banastre meaning "basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.

Barr English
Indicated a person who lived near a barrier, from Old French barre.

Barre French
French cognate of Barr.

Barret English
Variant of Barrett.

Barrett English
Probably derived from the Middle English word barat meaning "trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.

Bašić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the chief", derived from Serbo-Croatian baša meaning "chief, boss" (of Turkish origin).

Beake English
Variant of Beck 3.

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 3 English
From a nickname for a person with a big nose, from Middle English bec meaning "beak".

Becket English
Variant of Beckett.

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

Begam Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
Alternate transcription of Urdu بیگم, Bengali বেগম or Gurmukhi ਬੇਗਮ (see Begum).

Begum Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
From a title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in India and other parts of southern Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the Turkic title beg meaning "chieftain" (modern Turkish bey).

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.

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

Bellerose French
Means "beautiful rose" in French.

Belmont French, English
French and English form of Belmonte.

Belrose French
Variant of Bellerose.

Benizzi Italian
From the medieval given name Bonizzone.

Bisset English
From Old French bis meaning "drab, dingy", a nickname for someone who looked drab.

Bissette English
Variant of Bisset.

Böcker German
Variant of Böttcher.

Bonaccorsi Italian
From the medieval given name Bonaccorso.

Bonaccorso Italian
From the medieval given name Bonaccorso.

Bone 1 English
Derived from Old French bon meaning "good".

Bonfils French
Derived from Old French bon fils meaning "good son".

Bonham English
English form of Bonhomme.

Bonheur French
From Old French bonne heure meaning "good time" or "lucky".

Bonhomme French
Derived from Old French bon homme meaning "good man".

Bonnaire French
French form of Bonner.

Bonner English
From Middle English boneire "kind, courteous", derived from Norman French bon aire "good bloodline".

Boon 1 English
Variant of Bone 1.

Boone English
Variant of Boon 1 or Boon 2.

Booth English
Topographic name derived from Middle English both meaning "hut, stall".

Boothman English
Variant of Booth.

Borgnino Italian
From a nickname derived from the Piedmontese dialect word borgno meaning "one-eyed". This was the real surname of American actor Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012).

Borisov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Boris".

Borisova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Borisov.

Borysov m Ukrainian
Means "son of Borys".

Borysova f Ukrainian
Feminine form of Borysov.

Böttcher German
Occupational name meaning "cooper, barrel maker" in German.

Boucher French
Means "butcher" in French.

Bourreau 1 French
Variant of Bureau.

Braden Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Bradáin meaning "descendant of Bradán".

Brady Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish name Ó Brádaigh meaning "descendant of Brádach". A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Tom Brady (1977-).

Bunker English
Derived from Old French bon cuer meaning "good heart".

Bureau French
From Old French burel, a diminutive of bure, a type of woollen cloth. It may have originated as a nickname for a person who dressed in the material or as an occupational name for someone who worked with it.

Burrell English
English form of Bureau.

Butcher English
Occupational name for a butcher, derived from Old French bouchier.

Butler English, Irish
Occupational name derived from Norman French butiller "wine steward", ultimately from Late Latin butticula "bottle". A famous bearer of this surname is the fictional character Rhett Butler, created by Margaret Mitchell for her novel Gone with the Wind (1936).

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

Carran Irish
Variant of Curran.

Cartwright English
Occupational name indicating one who made carts.

Cary Irish
Variant of Carey.

Cassidy Irish
From Irish Ó Caiside meaning "descendant of Caiside". Caiside is a given name meaning "curly haired".

Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

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

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

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

Cuijper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

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

Curran Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Corraidhín meaning "descendant of Corraidhín".

Cuyper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuypers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

De Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Deforest French
Means "from the forest" in French.

de Fresel Medieval Scottish
Older form of Fraser.

De Jonker Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

De Kloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Demir Turkish
Means "iron" in Turkish, originally referring to an ironworker.

Demirci Turkish
Means "blacksmith" in Turkish.

Demirović Bosnian
Means "son of Demir".

Desjardins French
Means "from the gardens", from French jardin "garden".

De Vroom Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Vroom.

De Vroome Dutch
Variant of Vroom.

Dufort French
Means "from the fort", from French fort "stronghold".

Ergeshov m Kyrgyz
Means "son of Ergesh".

Ergeshova f Kyrgyz
Feminine form of Ergeshov.

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

Fleming English
Given to a person who was a Fleming, that is a person who was from Flanders in the Netherlands.

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.

Forrest English
Variant of Forest.

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

Foster 1 English
Variant of Forester.

Frank 1 English
Derived from the given name Frank.

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

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.

Fraser Scottish
Meaning unknown, originally Norman French de Fresel, possibly from a lost place name in France.

Frazier Scottish
Variant of Fraser.

Friseal Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of Fraser.

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

Gagné French (Quebec)
Variant of Gagneux. This surname is especially common in Quebec.

Gagneux French
Derived from Old French gagnier meaning "to farm, to cultivate".

Gagnier French
Variant of Gagneux.

García Spanish
From a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This is the most common surname in Spain.

Garcia Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese form of García. It is also an unaccented form of the Spanish name used commonly in America and the Philippines.

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.

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".

Giffard French, English
Possibly from Old French gifart meaning "chubby" or possibly from the Germanic name Gebhard. Walter Giffard was one of the Norman companions of William the Conqueror.

Gilchrist Scottish
From Gaelic MacGilleChrìosd meaning "son of Gille Críst".

Grant English, Scottish
Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Granville English
Derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

Grenville English
Variant of Granville.

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).

Harvey English
From the Breton given name Haerviu (see Harvey).

Jardine English, Scottish
Means "garden", denoting someone who worked as a gardener.

Joiner English
Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).

Joly French
From Old French joli meaning "happy, jolly, pretty".

Jonckers Dutch
Patronymic form of Jonker.

Jonker Dutch
From the Dutch title jonkheer meaning "young lord". It was originally a medieval noble designation (not an actual title) for a young nobleman.

Jonkers Dutch
Patronymic form of Jonker.

Jonkheer Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

Joossens Flemish
Means "son of Joos".

Joosten Dutch
Derived from the given name Joost.

Joyce English, Irish
From the given name Joyce.

Joyner English
Variant of Joiner.

Karagianni f Greek
Feminine form of Karagiannis.

Karagiannis m Greek
From the Greek prefix καρα (kara) meaning "black, dark" (of Turkish origin) and the given name Giannis.

Kay 2 English
Derived from Old French kay meaning "wharf, quay", indicating one who lived near or worked on a wharf.

Kaya Turkish
Means "rock, cliff" in Turkish.

Key 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.

Keyes 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.

Keys 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.

Kilduff Irish
From the Irish Mac Giolla Dhuibh meaning "son of the black-haired man".

Kilpatrick Irish
From the Irish Mac Giolla Phádraig meaning "son of the servant of Saint Patrick".

Kimball English
Derived from the Welsh given name Cynbel or the Old English given name Cynebald.

Kloet Dutch
Possibly from Middle Dutch cloet meaning "lump, ball". In some cases this was a nickname for an oafish person. In other cases it may have been a name for someone who lived near a sign that had a globe on it.

Kloeten Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Koppel Estonian, Danish
From Low German koppel meaning "paddock, pasture" (a word borrowed into Estonian).

Kraus German
From Middle High German krus meaning "curly", originally a nickname for a person with curly hair.

Krause German
Variant of Kraus.

Krauss German
Variant of Kraus.

Krauß German
Variant of Kraus.

Kröger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Krüger 1 German
In northern Germany an occupational name for a tavern keeper, derived from Middle Low German kroch meaning "tavern".

Kruger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Kruse German
Variant of Kraus.

Kuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Kuiper Dutch
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Dutch.

Kuipers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Kunkel German
Occupational name for a maker of distaffs, from Middle High German kunkel "distaff, spindle", of Latin origin.

Kunkle German
Variant of Kunkel.

Labelle French
Means "fair, beautiful" in French.

Lahti Finnish
Means "bay, cove" in Finnish.

Lahtinen Finnish
From Finnish lahti meaning "bay, cove".

Laine Finnish, Estonian
Means "wave" in Finnish and Estonian.

Lamar French, English
Originally from a place name in Normandy, derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool".

Lamarre French
Variant of Lamar.

Lebeau French
Nickname for a handsome person, from French le "the" and beau "beautiful, handsome".

Legrand French
Means "the tall, the large" in French.

Lesley Scottish
Variant of Leslie.

Leslie Scottish
From a Scottish clan name, earlier Lesselyn, derived from a place name in Aberdeenshire, itself probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly".

Liepa Latvian
Means "linden tree" in Latvian.

Liepiņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Liepiņš.

Liepiņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian liepa meaning "linden tree".

MacBay Scottish
Variant of MacBeth.

MacBeth Scottish
Derived from the Gaelic given name Mac Beatha meaning "son of life", which denoted a man of religious devotion. This was the name of an 11th-century Scottish king, and the name of a play based on his life by William Shakespeare.

MacBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.

MacClellan Irish, Scottish
Variant of McClelland.

MacClelland Irish, Scottish
Variant of McClelland.

MacGillEain Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McLean.

MacGilleChrìosd Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Gilchrist.

MacGilleFhaolain Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McClelland.

Mac Giolla Bhrighde Irish
Means "son of the servant of Brighid" in Irish.

Mac Giolla Dhuibh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kilduff.

Mac Giolla Eoin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McLean.

Mac Giolla Fhaoláin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McClelland.

Mac Giolla Phádraig Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kilpatrick.

MacLean Scottish
Variant of McLean.

Mac Síthigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McSheehy.

Mägi Estonian
Means "hill, mountain" in Estonian.

Maier 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Mäkelä Finnish
Means "the place of the hill" in Finnish.

Mäkinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish mäki meaning "hill".

Mayer 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

McBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.

McClellan Irish, Scottish
Variant of McClelland.

McClelland Irish, Scottish
From Gaelic Mac Giolla Fhaoláin meaning "son of the servant of Faolán".

McLain Scottish
Variant of McLean.

McLean Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacGillEathain or MacGillEain meaning "son of the servant of Eòin".

McSheehy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mac Síthigh, meaning "son of Sítheach".

Meier 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Meijer Dutch
Dutch form of Meyer 1.

Meunier French
Means "miller" in French.

Meyer 1 German
From Middle High German meier meaning "bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings Meier and Meyer are more common in northern Germany while Maier and Mayer are more common in southern Germany.

Meyers German, English
Patronymic form of Meyer 1, Mayer 3 or Myer.

Milburn English
Derived from various place names meaning "mill stream" in Old English.

Milford English
Originally derived from various place names all meaning "ford by a mill" in Old English.

Millard English
Variant of Millward.

Miller English
Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Millhouse English
Name for someone whose house was in a mill or who worked in a mill.

Mills English
Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.

Millward English
Means "guardian of the mill" in Old English.

Milne Scottish
From Scots and Middle English milne (a variant of mille) meaning "mill".

Milovanović Serbian
Means "son of Milovan".

Milton English
Derived from an English place name meaning "mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote "Paradise Lost".

Mohan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Mocháin meaning "descendant of Mochán".

Monday 3 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Eoin. The last part of the surname was mistakenly taken as the Gaelic word for "Monday", Luain.

Moon 3 Irish
Variant of Mohan.

Moulin French
Means "mill" in French.

Mulder Dutch
Dutch equivalent of Miller.

Mullins 1 English
Derived from Norman French molin "mill".

Nascimbene Italian
Variant of Nascimbeni.

Nascimbeni Italian
From the medieval given name Nascimbene, typical of the Venetian region.

Neuville French
From the names of various French towns meaning "new town".

Neville English, Irish
From the names of towns in Normandy, variously Neuville or Néville, meaning "new town" in French.

Newell English
Variant of Neville.

Niemi Finnish
Means "peninsula, cape" in Finnish.

Nieminen Finnish
Derived from Finnish niemi meaning "peninsula, cape".

Nolan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Nualláin meaning "descendant of Nuallán".

Norman English
Referred to a person who was originally from Scandinavia or Normandy. Even before the Norman Conquest, Scandinavians were settling the north and east of England. The Normans who participated in the Conquest were originally from Scandinavia, but had been living in Normandy, France for over a century and spoke French.

Normand French
French form of Norman.

Norris 1 English, Scottish
Means "from the north" from Old French norreis. It either denoted someone who originated in the north or someone who lived in the northern part of a settlement.

Nunes Portuguese
Means "son of Nuno".

Núñez Spanish
Means "son of Nuño".

Ó Brádaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Brady.

Ó Bradáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Braden.

Ó Caiside Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cassidy.

Ó Ciardha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Carey.

Ó Coileáin Irish
Means "descendant of Coileán" in Irish.

Ó Corraidhín Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Curran.

Oliver English, Catalan, German, French
Derived from the given name Oliver.

Oliversen Norwegian
Means "son of Oliver".

Oliverson English
Means "son of Oliver".

Oliversson Swedish
Means "son of Oliver".

Olivier French
Derived from the given name Olivier.

Olson Swedish (Anglicized), Norwegian (Anglicized), Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Olsson or Olsen.

Olsson Swedish
Means "son of Olaf".

Ó Mocháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Mohan.

Ó Nualláin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Nolan.

Orman Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Ormond Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Ormonde Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Ó Ruaidh Irish
Means "descendant of Ruadh" in Irish.

Ó Sluaghadháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Sloan.

Page English, French
Occupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".

Paget English, French
Diminutive of Page.

Paige English
Variant of Page.

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

Park 2 English
From Middle English park, from Latin parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.

Parker English
Means "keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.

Peacock English
From Middle English pecok meaning "peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.

Pocock English
Variant of Peacock.

Pop Romanian
Variant of Popa.

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

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.

Porsche German
Derived from the given name Boris.

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

Ranta Finnish
Originally indicated a person who lived near the shore, from Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".

Rantanen Finnish
From Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".

Rico Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "rich, wealthy" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Rusnak Polish
Means "Russian" in Polish.

Rusu Romanian
From Romanian rus meaning "Russian".

Saar Estonian
From Estonian saar meaning "island".

Saari Finnish
From Finnish saari meaning "island".

Saarinen Finnish
From Finnish saari meaning "island".

Salo Finnish
Means "forest" in Finnish.

Salonen Finnish
From Finnish salo meaning "forest".

Šarić Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian šaren meaning "colourful, patterned".

Schweitzer German
Indicated a person from Switzerland (see Schweiz).

Sheehy Irish
Variant of McSheehy.

Sloan Irish
From Irish Ó Sluaghadháin meaning "descendant of Sluaghadhán".

Sloane Irish
Variant of Sloan.

Spence English
Variant of Spencer.

Spencer English
Occupational name for a person who dispensed provisions to those who worked at a manor, derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry".

Steube German
Variant of Steuben.

Steuben German
Name for a dweller by a stump of a large tree, from Middle Low German stubbe "stub".

Switzer German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Schweitzer.