Old Germanic Origin Surnames

Kistner German
Variant of Kistler.

Kjær Danish
Topographic name for someone living near a wetland, from Danish kær "marsh", from Old Norse kjarr "thicket".

Kjeldsen Danish
Means "son of Kjeld".

Kjellsson Swedish
Means "son of Kjell".

Klein German, Dutch, Jewish
Means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).

Knef German
Occupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German knif meaning "shoemaker's knife".

Kneib German
Variant of Knef.

Knepp German
Variant of Knopf.

Knežević Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of Serbo-Croatian knez meaning "prince" (ultimately of Germanic origin).

Knight English
From Old English cniht meaning "knight", a tenant serving as a mounted soldier.

Knopf German
Means "button" in German, originally belonging to a button maker or button seller.

Knopp German
Variant of Knopf.

Knudsen Danish
Means "son of Knud".

Knutsen Norwegian
Means "son of Knut".

Knutson Swedish
Variant of Knutsson.

Knutsson Swedish
Means "son of Knut".

Koch German
German cognate of Cook.

Kock Low German, Dutch
Low German and Dutch cognate of Cook.

Koeman Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Koemans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Koenig German
German cognate of King.

Koenigsmann German
Variant of Königsmann.

Köhl German
Variant of Kohl.

Kohl German
Derived from Middle High German kol "cabbage".

Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.

Kohler German
From Middle High German koler meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal seller".

Kok Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.

König German
German cognate of King.

Königsmann German
Means "king's man", or someone who played a king in a play.

Koning Dutch
Dutch cognate of King.

Koopman Dutch
Occupational name meaning "merchant" in Dutch.

Koumans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Kraemer German
Variant of Krämer.

Král m Czech
Czech form of Król.

Kráľ m Slovak
Slovak form of Król.

Kralj Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Slovene, Croatian and Serbian form of Król.

Krall Czech (Anglicized), Slovak (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Král or Kráľ.

Kráľová f Slovak
Feminine form of Kráľ.

Králová f Czech
Feminine form of Král.

Kramář m Czech
Czech form of Krämer.

Kramářová f Czech
Feminine form of Kramář.

Krämer German
Means "shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German kram meaning "tent, trading post".

Kramer Low German, Jewish
Low German and Jewish form of Krämer.

Krantz German, Jewish
Variant of Kranz.

Kranz German, Jewish
Derived from Old High German kranz meaning "wreath", an occupational name for a maker of wreaths or an ornamental Jewish name.

Kröger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Król Polish
Means "king" in Polish. The name referred to one who acted like a king or was connected in some way with a king's household.

Kron German, Swedish
From German Krone and Swedish krona meaning "crown" (from Latin corona), perhaps a nickname for one who worked in a royal household.

Kroon Dutch, Estonian
Means "crown" in Dutch and Estonian (from Latin corona).

Krüger 2 German
In southern Germany an occupational name for a potter, derived from Middle High German kruoc meaning "jug, pot".

Kruger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Kuhn German
Derived from a diminutive of the German given name Konrad.

Kuijlaars Dutch
Derived from Middle Dutch cule "hole, pit".

Kukk Estonian
Means "rooster" in Estonian, ultimately of Germanic origin.

Kundert German
Derived from the given name Konrad.

Kuntz German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.

Kunz German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.

Kunze German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.

Kurzmann German
Means "short man" in German.

Kyler Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cuyler.

Kynaston English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "Cynefrith's town" in Old English.

Laguardia Italian
Occupational name meaning "sentry, sentinel" in Italian, also a locative name referring to a person who lived near a watchtower. Fiorello Laguardia (1882-1947) was the first mayor of New York of Italian origin.

Lambert French
Derived from the given name Lambert.

Lamberti Italian
Derived from the given name Lamberto.

Landi Italian
Derived from the given name Lando.

Lando Italian
Derived from the given name Lando.

Landolfi Italian
From the given name Landolfo, Italian form of the Lombardic name Landulf.

Landon English
Variant of Langdon.

Lång Swedish
Swedish cognate of Long.

Lang German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Langbroek Dutch
From the name of a small town in the province of Utrecht, Holland, derived from lang meaning "wide" and broek meaning "marsh, wetland".

Langdon English
Derived from the name of various places, of Old English origin meaning "long hill" (effectively "ridge").

Lange German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Langenberg German, Dutch
From various place names meaning "long mountain" in German and Dutch.

Langer German, Jewish
German cognate of Long.

Langford English
From any of various places in England with this name, derived from Old English lang "long" and ford "ford, river crossing".

Langlais French
Means "the Englishman" in French.

Langley 1 English
From any of the various places with this name, all derived from Old English lang "long" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Langley 2 French (Anglicized)
Americanized spelling of Langlais.

Langlois French
Variant of Langlais.

Langston English
From any of the various locations in England with this name, derived from Old English lang "long" and stan "stone".

Law English
Derived from Old English hlaw "hill".

Layton English
Derived from the name of English towns, meaning "town with a leek garden" in Old English.

Leblanc French
Means "the white", from French blanc "white". The name referred to a person who was pale or whose hair was blond.

Lebrun French
From a nickname meaning "the brown", from French brun "brown".

Lee 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".

Leeuwenhoek Dutch
Means "lion's corner" in Dutch. The first bearer of this name lived on the corner (Dutch hoek) of the Lion's Gate (Dutch Leeuwenpoort) in the city of Delft.

Leifsson Icelandic, Swedish
Means "son of Leif".

Leigh English
Variant of Lee 1.

Leighton English
Variant of Layton.

Leitz German
Derived from the archaic given name Leutz, a variant of Lutz.

Leitzke German
Either from Leitzkau, the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt, or from a diminutive of the given name Leutz, a variant of Lutz.

Lemmi Italian
From a short form of the given name Guglielmo. It is typical of Tuscany.

Lennartsson Swedish
Means "son of Lennart".

Leonard English
Derived from the given name Leonard.

Leonardi Italian
From the given name Leonardo.

Leonardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Lennart".

Leonardson English
Means "son of Leonard".

Leonardsson Swedish
Variant of Lennartsson.

Lewin English
Derived from the given name Leofwine.

Lewis 1 English
Derived from the given name Lewis. The author C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a bearer of this surname.

Leyton English
Variant of Layton.

Lichtenberg Jewish
Means "light hill" in German.

Lie Norwegian
From Norwegian li, Old Norse hlíð meaning "hillside, slope".

Lien Norwegian
Variant of Lie.

Lind Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Derived from Old Norse lind meaning "linden tree".

Lindbeck Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and bäck (Old Norse bekkr) meaning "stream".

Lindberg Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and berg meaning "mountain".

Linden German, Dutch
Indicated a person who lived near a linden tree, derived from Old High German linta or Old Dutch linda.

Lindgren Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch". A famous bearer of this name was Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002).

Lindholm Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island".

Lindner German
Variant of Linden.

Lindon English
Variant of Lyndon.

Lindquist Swedish
Variant of Lindqvist.

Lindqvist Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Lindström Swedish
Derived from Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Linton English
Originally from place names meaning either "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English.

Linwood English
Originally from place names meaning "linden tree forest" in Old English.

Ljung Swedish
Means "heather" in Swedish.

Ljungborg Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and borg meaning "castle".

Ljunggren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Ljungman Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Ljungstrand Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and strand (Old Norse strǫnd) meaning "beach".

Loewe German
Variant of Löwe.

Löfgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish löv (Old Norse lauf) meaning "leaf" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Long English
Originally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.

Louis French
From the given name Louis.

Low English
Variant of Law.

Löwe German, Jewish
Means "lion" in German.

Lowe 1 Jewish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Löwe.

Lowe 2 English
Variant of Law.

Ludvigsen Danish
Means "son of Ludvig".

Ludwig German
From the given name Ludwig.

Lund Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Indicated a person who lived near a grove of trees, from Old Norse lundr meaning "grove". There are towns in Sweden named Lund.

Lundberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and berg meaning "mountain".

Lunde Norwegian
Variant of Lund.

Lundgren Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Lundin Swedish
Variant of Lund.

Lundquist Swedish
Variant of Lundqvist.

Lundqvist Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Lundström Swedish
From Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Luther German
From the old given name Leuthar. It was notably borne by the religious reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546).

Lyndon English
Originally from a place name meaning "linden tree hill" in Old English.

Lynton English
Variant of Linton.

Lynwood English
Variant of Linwood.

MacEanruig Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McKendrick.

Mac Íomhair Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McIver.

MacIomhair Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McIver.

MacIver Scottish
Variant of McIver.

Mac Óda Irish
Means "son of Odo" in Irish.

Maçon French
French cognate of Mason.

Mac Uileagóid Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McElligott.

MacWilliam Scottish
Means "son of William" in Gaelic.

Maddison English
Variant of Madison.

Madison English
Means "son of Maud". A famous bearer of this surname was the fourth American president James Madison (1751-1836).

Major English
From the Norman French given name Mauger, derived from the Germanic name Malger.

Mandel German, Yiddish
Means "almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Mandelbaum Jewish
Means "almond tree" in German.

Manfredi Italian
Derived from the given name Manfredo.

Manfredonia Italian
Originally indicated a person from Manfredonia, Italy. The city was named for the 13th-century King Manfred of Sicily.

Mangold German
From the given name Managold.

Mann German, English
From a nickname meaning "man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.

Manz German
From a diminutive of the given name Managold.

Marchegiano Italian
From the name of the Marche region in Italy, derived from Late Latin marca meaning "borderland". It was the real surname of the American boxer Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), who was born Rocco Marchegiano.

Marchesi Italian
From the Italian title marchese meaning "marquis". It was probably a nickname for a person who behaved like a marquis or worked in the household of a marquis.

Mari Italian
Aphetic form of Altimari.

Markwardt German
Variant of Marquardt.

Marquardt German
From Old High German marka "border, boundary" and wart "protector". This was an occupational name for a border guard.

Marquering Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Marquardt.

Marvin English
Derived from the Welsh given name Merfyn or the Old English name Mærwine.

Mason English
Occupational name for a stoneworker or layer of bricks, from Old French masson, of Frankish origin (akin to Old English macian "to make").

Masson 1 French, Scottish
Variant of Mason.

Maurer German
Occupational name meaning "wall builder" in German.

Maus German
From a nickname meaning "mouse", from Old High German mus.

Maxwell Scottish
From a place name meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.

Maynard English
Derived from the Old German given name Meginhard.

McElligott Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Mac Uileagóid meaning "son of Uileagóid", a diminutive of Uilleag.

McIver Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacIomhair meaning "son of Íomhar".

McKeever Irish
Variant of McIver.

McKendrick Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacEanruig meaning "son of Eanraig".

McReynolds Scottish, Irish
Means "son of Reynold" in Gaelic.

McWilliam Scottish
Means "son of William" in Gaelic.

Mein German
Derived from the given name Meino.

Meindl German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino.

Meinhardt German
Derived from the given name Meinhard.

Meléndez Spanish
Variant of Menéndez.

Melsbach German
From the name of a German town, possibly meaning "mill stream".

Mendel 1 Jewish
Derived from the given name Mendel.

Mendel 2 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.

Mendelsohn Jewish
Means "son of Mendel".

Mendelssohn Jewish
Means "son of Mendel".

Mendes Portuguese
Portuguese form of Menéndez.

Méndez Spanish
Variant of Menéndez.

Menéndez Spanish
Means "son of Menendo" in Spanish, the given name Menendo being a medieval Spanish form of Hermenegildo.

Merrill 2 English
From the name of various places in England, derived from Old English myrige "pleasant" and hyll "hill".

Messer German
Occupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German messer "knife".

Messerli German (Swiss)
Swiss diminutive form of Messer.

Messmann German
Variant of Messer.

Metz 1 German
Occupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German metze "knife".

Middleton English
Originally denoted a person who lived in one of the numerous English towns by this name, derived from Old English middel "middle" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

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.

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

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

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".

Minett English
From the medieval given name Minna.

Mlynář m Czech
Means "miller" in Czech.

Mlynárik m Slovak
Slovak form of Mlynář.

Mlynáriková f Slovak
Feminine form of Mlynárik.

Mlynářová f Czech
Feminine form of Mlynář.

Moe Norwegian
Means "sandy ground" in Norwegian.

Moen Norwegian
Means "the sandy ground" in Norwegian.

Möller Low German, Swedish
Low German and Swedish form of Müller.

Molnár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "miller" in Hungarian.

Monday 1 English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Mundi.

Monday 2 English
Denoted a person for whom this was a significant day, often the day they would pay their feudal fees.

Mondo Italian
From a given name, a short form of names such as Raimondo or Edmondo.

Mondy English
Variant of Monday 1 or Monday 2.

Monet French
Derived from either of the given names Hamon or Edmond. A famous bearer was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

Monette French
Variant of Monet.

Montgomery English, Scottish
From a place name in Calvados, France meaning "Gumarich's mountain". A notable bearer was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.

Moore 1 English
Originally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English mor meaning "open land, bog".

Moores English
Variant of Moore 1.

Moors English
Variant of Moore 1.

Morgenstern German, Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "morning star" in German.

Mould English
From the given name Mauld, a medieval form of Matilda.

Mounce German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of German Manz.

Mueller German
Variant of Müller.

Muhlfeld German
Means "mill field" in German.

Muir Scottish
Scots form of Moore 1. This name was borne by the Scottish-American naturalist John Muir (1838-1914).

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Muller German
Variant of Müller.

Murgatroyd English
From a place name meaning "Margaret's clearing".

Musiał Polish
Polish cognate of Musil.

Musil m Czech
Possibly from a nickname meaning "the one who had to", from the past participle of the Czech verb muset meaning "must" (of Germanic origin).

Musilová f Czech
Feminine form of Musil.

Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.

Mynatt English
Variant of Minett.

Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Naess Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Nagel German, Dutch
Means "nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.

Naldi Italian
From given names like Arnaldo and Rinaldo.

Nardi Italian
From the given name Nardo, which was originally a short form of names like Bernardo or Leonardo.

Nardo Italian
Variant of Nardi.

Nardovino Italian (Rare)
Either from Nardo, a short form of names like Bernardo or Leonardo, or from Ardovino, a variant of Arduino.

Nash English
Derived from the Middle English phrase atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).

Nass Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Nelli Italian
Derived from the given name Nello.

Ness English, Scottish, Norwegian
From English ness and Norwegian nes meaning "headland, promontory", of Old Norse origin, originally referring to a person who lived there.

Neuman German, Jewish
Variant of Neumann.

Neumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German niuwe and man meaning "new man, newcomer".

Newman English
English cognate of Neumann.

Newport English
Given to one who came from the town of Newport (which means simply "new port"), which was the name of several English towns.

Newton English
From the name of one of many English towns meaning "new town". A famous bearer was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).

Nickleby Literature
Created by Charles Dickens for the title character in his novel Nicholas Nickleby (1839). He probably based it on Nicol, a medieval vernacular form of Nicholas, with the common English place name suffix -by, which is derived from Old Norse býr meaning "farm, settlement".

Nieri Italian
Either a variant of Neri, or from the Italian name Raniero.

Norberg Swedish
Variant of Nordberg.

Nordberg Swedish, Norwegian
From Swedish and Norwegian nord (Old Norse norðr) meaning "north" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it is ornamental.

Nordin Swedish
Derived from Swedish nord meaning "north" (Old Norse norðr).

Nordström Swedish
From Swedish nord (Old Norse norðr) meaning "north" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

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.

North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.

Northrop English
Originally denoted one who came from a town of this name England, meaning "north farm".

Norton English
From the name of various towns in England meaning "north town" in Old English.

Norwood English
Originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.

Nussbaum German, Jewish
Means "nut tree", derived from the German Nuss "nut" and Baum "tree".

Nussenbaum Jewish
Variant of Nussbaum.

Nyberg Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and berg meaning "mountain".

Nygård Norwegian
From Norwegian ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and gård (Old Norse garðr) meaning "farm, estate".

Nykvist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

Nylund Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Nyman Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Nyquist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

Nyqvist Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Nyström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Oakley English
From a place name meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. It was borne by American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).

Öberg Swedish
From Swedish ö (Old Norse ey) meaning "island" and berg meaning "mountain".

Oberti Italian
Derived from the given name Uberto.

Oberto Italian
Derived from the given name Uberto.

Ogden English
From a place name derived from Old English ac "oak" and denu "valley".

Ohme German
From Middle High German oem meaning "maternal uncle".

Oláh Hungarian
Means "Romanian, Wallachian" in Hungarian, from Old Slavic volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).

Olasz Hungarian
Means "Italian" in Hungarian, from Old Slavic volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).

Olesen Danish
Means "son of Ole".

Olofsdotter Swedish
Means "daughter of Olof".

Olofsson Swedish
Means "son of Olof".

Olsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Ole".

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

Olsson Swedish
Means "son of Olaf".

Ölvirsson Icelandic
Means "son of Ölvir".

Öman Swedish
From Swedish ö (Old Norse ey) meaning "island" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Orenstein Jewish
Means "horn stone" in German.

Orlando Italian
Derived from the given name Orlando.

Osborne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

Osbourne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

Östberg Swedish
From Swedish öst (Old Norse austr) meaning "east" and berg meaning "mountain".

Østberg Norwegian
Norwegian form of Östberg.