Old Germanic Origin Surnames

Dobson English
Means "son of Dobbe", a medieval diminutive of Robert.

Dodge English
From Dogge, a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Downer English
Name for someone who lived on or near a down, which is an English word meaning "hill".

Drechsler German
Variant of Dressler.

Dreher German
Means "turner" from Middle High German drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.

Dreier German
Variant of Dreher.

Dreschner German
Derived from Middle High German dreschen "to thresh". A thresher was a person who separated the grains from a cereal plant by beating it.

Dressler German
Means "turner" from Middle High German dreseler, an agent derivative of drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.

Dreyer German
Variant of Dreher.

Duarte Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Duarte.

Dubois French
Means "from the forest", from French bois "forest".

Dudley English
From a place name meaning "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.

Duerr German
Variant of Dürr.

Dunn English, Scottish, Irish
Derived from Old English dunn "dark" or Gaelic donn "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion.

Dürr German
Means "thin" in German.

Dustin English
From the Old Norse given name Þórsteinn.

Dwerryhouse English
Indicated a person who worked or lived at a dyehouse, which is a place where dyeing was done.

Dyer English
Occupational name meaning "cloth dyer", from Old English deah "dye".

Dykstra Frisian
From Frisian dyk meaning "dike, ditch". The name was given to a person living near a dyke or embankment.

Eads English
Means "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam".

Eady English
From a diminutive of the given name Eda 2 or Adam.

Earl English
From the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English eorl meaning "nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.

Earls English
Patronymic form of Earl.

Easom English
Variant of Eads.

Eason English
Variant of Eads.

Easton English
From the name of various places meaning "east town" in Old English.

Eaton English
From any of the various English towns with this name, derived from Old English ea "river" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Eberhardt German
Derived from the given name Eberhard.

Eccleston English
Denoted a person from any of the various places named Eccleston in England, derived from Latin ecclesia "church" (via Briton) and Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Ecclestone English
Variant of Eccleston.

Eckstein German
From Old High German ekka meaning "edge, corner" and stein meaning "stone".

Edgar English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Edison English
Means "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam". The surname was borne by American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).

Edvardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Edvard".

Edwards English
Means "son of Edward".

Edwardson English
Means "son of Edward".

Eerkens Dutch
Variant of Erkens.

Eichel German
Means "acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.

Eikenboom Dutch
Means "oak tree", from Dutch eik "oak" and boom "tree".

Eilerts German
Derived from the given name Eilert.

Einarsson Swedish
Means "son of Einar".

Einstein Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German ein "one" and stein "stone". A famous bearer was the German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955).

Ek Swedish
Means "oak" in Swedish.

Eklund Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Ekström Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Eld Swedish
From Old Norse eldr, modern Swedish eld, meaning "fire".

Eldred English
From the given name Ealdræd.

Eldridge English
Derived from the given name Aldric.

Elmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Elmersson Swedish
Means "son of Elmar".

Elvis English
Variant of Elwes.

Elwes English
Derived from the given name Eloise.

Elwin English
Variant of Elwyn.

Elwyn English
Derived from the given names Ælfwine, Æðelwine or Ealdwine.

Emerson English
Means "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.

Emmet English
Variant of Emmett. This name was borne by the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet (1778-1803).

Emmett English
Derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Emma.

Emmitt English
Variant of Emmett.

Engberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and berg meaning "mountain".

Engel German
Derived from German given names beginning with Engel, such as Engelbert.

English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.

Engman Swedish
From Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person who lived in a meadow.

Engström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Enns German
Derived from a short form of the German given name Anselm.

Enríquez Spanish
Means "son of Enrique".

Erckens Dutch
Variant of Erkens.

Erickson English
Means "son of Eric".

Ericson English, Swedish
Means "son of Eric".

Ericsson Swedish
Means "son of Eric".

Eriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Erik".

Eriksson Swedish
Means "son of Erik".

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

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

Espensen Norwegian
Means "son of Espen".

Espenson Norwegian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Espensen.

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

Essert German
Variant of Esser.

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".

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Foerstner German
Variant of Förstner.

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).

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

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).

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.

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.

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

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

Fux German
Variant of Fuchs.

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.

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 2 English
Variant of Gardener.

Garnet English
Variant of Garnett 1 or Garnett 2.

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

Garnier 1 French
From the given name Garnier.

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.

Gauthier French
Derived from the given name Gauthier.

Gautier French
From the given name Gautier.

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.

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.

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.

Gibb English
Derived from the given name Gib.

Gibbs English, Scottish
Means "son of Gib".

Gibson English, Scottish
Means "son of Gib".

Giese German, Danish
Derived from a short form of the given name Giselbert or other Old German names beginning with the element gisal meaning "pledge, hostage".

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.

Gilbert English, French
Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Gilliam English
Variant of William. A famous bearer of the name is cartoonist and filmmaker Terry Gilliam (1940-).

Gimondi Italian
Probably derived from the Old German given name Gismund.

Girard French
From the given name Gérard.

Giraud French
From the given name Gérald.

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Gismondi Italian
From the Old German given name Gismund.

Gladwin English
Derived from the Old English given name Glædwine.

Gladwyn English
Variant of Gladwin.

Glas German, Dutch
German and Dutch cognate of Glass.

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".

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.

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.

Gorbold English
From the given name Gerbold.

Gorman 1 German
From the Old German given name Germund.

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.

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.

Granville English
Derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

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".

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".

Grenville English
Variant of Granville.

Grey English
Variant of Gray.

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

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".

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

Guérin French
From the Old German given name Warin.

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.

Gulbrandsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gulbrand" in Norwegian.

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

Gundersen Norwegian
Means "son of Gunder".