Old Germanic Origin Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the origin is Old Germanic.

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Øster Danish
From Danish øst meaning "east", originally denoting a dweller on the eastern side of a place.

Østergaard Danish
Variant of Østergård.

Østergård Danish
From Danish øst meaning "east" and gård meaning "enclosure, farm".

Ó Suaird Irish
Means "descendant of Suart" in Irish. Suart is derived from the Old Norse name Sigurd.

Otis English
Means "son of Ode".

Ott English, German
From the given name Otto.

Otten Dutch
Means "son of Otto".

Otto German
From the given name Otto.

Ottosen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Otto".

Ottosson Swedish
Means "son of Otto".

Outterridge English
Derived from the Old English given name Uhtric.

Ovesen Norwegian
Means "son of Ove".

Pacheco Spanish, Portuguese
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Francisco.

Parry Welsh
Derived from ap Harry meaning "son of Harry".

Payton English
From the name of the town of Peyton in Sussex. It means "Pæga's town".

Peak English
Originally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.

Peck 1 English
Variant of Peak.

Penn 2 English
Occupational name for a person who kept penned animals, from Old English penn.

Penner English
Variant of Penn 2.

Penny English
Nickname meaning "penny, coin" from Old English penning.

Perry 2 Welsh
From Welsh ap Herry meaning "son of Herry".

Peyton English
Variant of Payton.

Pfeiffer German
Occupational name meaning "pipe player" in German, from Middle High German pfifen "to whistle".

Pfenning German
From Old High German pfenning meaning "penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.

Pilkvist Swedish
From Swedish pil (Old Norse píli) meaning "willow" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Piper English
Originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).

Pohl 1 Low German
Low German cognate of Poole.

Poole English
From Old English pol meaning "pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.

Prescott English
From the name of various English places meaning "priest's cottage" in Old English.

Presley English
Variant of Priestley. This name was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).

Pressley English
Variant of Priestley.

Preston English
Originally derived from various place names meaning "priest town" in Old English.

Prichard Welsh
Variant of Pritchard.

Priestley English
From a place name meaning "priest clearing", from Old English preost and leah.

Pritchard Welsh
From Welsh ap Richard meaning "son of Richard".

Probert Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Robert, which means "son of Robert".

Pugh Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Hugh meaning "son of Hugh".

Quick English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".

Quickley 1 English
Variant of Quick.

Radcliff English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.

Radclyffe English
Variant of Radcliff.

Rademacher Low German
Low German cognate of Rademaker.

Rademaker Dutch
From the occupation of rademaker meaning "maker of wheels", from Dutch rad meaning "wheel".

Rademakers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ragnvaldsson Swedish
Means "son of Ragnvald".

Raimondi Italian
Derived from the given name Raimondo.

Raine 2 English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".

Rake English
Originally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English hrace meaning "throat, gorge".

Rakes English
Variant of Rake.

Ramaker Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ramakers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Rameckers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Ramires Portuguese
Means "son of Ramiro" in Portuguese.

Ramírez Spanish
Means "son of Ramiro" in Spanish.

Randal English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randall English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Randell English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Raneri Italian
Derived from the Italian given name Raniero.

Rao 2 Italian
Derived from the given name Raul.

Rapp 2 German
From Middle High German raben meaning "raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.

Rasch German
German form of Rask.

Rask Danish, Swedish
Means "energetic, quick, healthy" in Danish and Swedish.

Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.

Raskop German
Variant of Raskopf.

Raskopf German
Possibly from German rasch "quick" and Kopf "head".

Ravn Danish
Means "raven" in Danish, from Old Norse hrafn.

Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.

Rayne English, French
Variant of Raine 1 or Raine 2.

Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.

Readdie English
Variant of Ready 1.

Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".

Reed English
Variant of Read 1.

Reese 2 Low German
Low German cognate of Riese.

Reeve English
Occupational name derived from Middle English reeve, Old English (ge)refa meaning "sheriff, prefect, local official".

Reeves English
Variant of Reeve.

Regenbogen German, Jewish
From a German nickname meaning "rainbow", probably a habitational name for someone who lived in a house with the sign of a rainbow. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Reich German, Jewish
Nickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German rihhi "rich, powerful".

Reid Scottish, English
Scots variant of Read 1.

Reier German
Variant of Reiher.

Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.

Reijnders Dutch, Frisian
Variant of Reinders.

Reinders Dutch, Frisian
From the given name Reindert.

Reis German, Jewish
From Middle High German ris meaning "twig, branch, bush", denoting a person who lived in an overgrown area. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Reiter German
Variant of Reuter 1.

Renard French
From the given name Renard.

Renaud French
From the given name Renaud.

Renault French
Derived from the given name Renaud.

Rennell English
Variant of Reynolds.

Rennold English
Variant of Reynolds.

Rennoll English
Variant of Reynolds.

Reuter 1 German
Fom Middle High German riute meaning "cleared land".

Revie English
Variant of Reeve.

Rey 2 English
Means "female roe deer" from Old English ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.

Reyer German
Variant of Reiher.

Reynders Dutch, Frisian
Variant of Reinders.

Reynell English
Variant of Reynolds.

Reynolds English
Derived from the given name Reynold.

Rhodes English
Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.

Richard English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Richard.

Richards English
Derived from the given name Richard.

Richardson English
Means "son of Richard".

Rickard English
From the given name Richard.

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

Rider English
Variant of Ryder.

Rieck Low German
Low German form of Reich.

Riese German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German, from Old High German risi.

Righi Italian
From the given name Arrigo.

Rijnders Dutch, Frisian
Variant of Reinders.

Riker German
Possibly a variant of Reich.

Riley 1 English
From the name of the town of Ryley in Lancashire, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Rinaldi Italian
Derived from the given name Rinaldo.

Ripley English
From the name of various English towns, from Old English rippel "grove, thicket" and leah "woodland, clearing". A notable fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley from the movie Alien (1979) and its sequels.

Ritchie Scottish
From a Scottish diminutive of the given name Richard.

Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.

Robbins English
Derived from the given name Robin.

Robert French, English
From the given name Robert.

Roberts English
Means "son of Robert".

Robertsen Danish
Means "son of Robert".

Robertson English
Means "son of Robert".

Róbertsson Icelandic
Means "son of Robert".

Robertsson Swedish
Means "son of Robert".

Robin French
From the given name Robin.

Robinson English
Means "son of Robin".

Robson English
Means "son of Rob".

Rocchi Italian
Derived from the given name Rocco.

Rocco Italian
Derived from the given name Rocco.

Roderick English
Derived from the given name Roderick.

Rodgers English
Derived from the given name Rodger.

Rodrigo Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Rodrigo.

Rodrigues Portuguese
Means "son of Rodrigo" in Portuguese.

Rodríguez Spanish
Means "son of Rodrigo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Rodriguez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Rodríguez.

Rodriquez Spanish
Variant of Rodríguez.

Roger French
From the given name Roger.

Rogers English
Derived from the given name Roger.

Rogerson English
Means "son of Roger".

Roijackers Dutch
Variant of Rooijakkers.

Roijakkers Dutch
Variant of Rooijakkers.

Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.

Rolland French
From the given name Roland.

Rollins English
From a diminutive of the given name Roland.

Rolvsson Norwegian
Means "son of Rolf".

Romilly English, French
Originally denoted a person who came from any of the various places in northern France called Romilly or from Romiley in England.

Rompa Dutch
Variant of Van Rompa.

Rooijakkers Dutch
Means "red field", from Dutch rood "red" and akker "field".

Roosevelt Dutch
Means "rose field" from Dutch roos "rose" and veld "field". This was the surname of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

Rose 2 English
Derived from the feminine given name Rose.

Rosenberg German, Swedish, Jewish
Means "rose mountain" in German and Swedish. As a Swedish and Jewish name it is ornamental.

Rosenberger German, Jewish
Variant of Rosenberg.

Rosenfeld German, Jewish
Means "field of roses" in German. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Rot German, Jewish
Variant of Roth.

Roth German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.

Rothenberg German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Jewish name it may be ornamental.

Rothschild Jewish
From Middle High German rot "red" and schilt "shield", or Yiddish רויט (roit) and שילד (shild). The famous Rothschild family of bankers took their name from a house with a red shield on it.

Rowe 2 English
From the medieval name Row, which is either a variant of Roul or short form of Roland.

Rowland English
Derived from the given name Roland.

Royce English
Originally derived from the medieval given name Royse, a variant of Rose.

Royceston English
Variant of Royston.

Roydon English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill", from Old English ryge "rye" and dun "hill".

Royle English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill" from Old English ryge "rye" and hyll "hill".

Royston English
Originally taken from an Old English place name meaning "Royse's town". The given name Royse was a medieval variant of Rose.

Rózsa Hungarian
From the feminine given name Rózsa.

Ruf German
From the given name Rolf.

Ruff German, English
From the given name Rolf.

Ruggeri Italian
Derived from the given name Ruggero.

Ruggiero Italian
From the given name Ruggiero.

Ruggles English
From a medieval diminutive of the given name Roger.

Ruiz Spanish
Means "son of Ruy" in Spanish.

Rundström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish rund (from Latin rotundus) meaning "round" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Ruskin 2 English
From a diminutive of the feminine given name Rose.

Rusnak Polish
Means "Russian" in Polish.

Rusu Romanian
From Romanian rus meaning "Russian".

Rutgers Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger.

Rutherford Scottish
From the name of places in southern Scotland and northern England, derived from Old English hriðer meaning "cattle, ox" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Rutherfurd Scottish
Variant of Rutherford.

Rutten Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger.

Ruzsa Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Rózsa.

Ruzzier Italian
From a dialectal variant of Ruggiero. It is typical of northeastern Italy, the area around Trieste.

Ryder English
Occupational name for a mounted warrior, from Old English ridere meaning "rider".

Rye English
Topographic name. It could be a misdivision of the Middle English phrases atter ye meaning "at the island" or atter eye meaning "at the river". In some cases it merely indicated a person who lived where rye was grown or worked with rye (from Old English ryge).

Ryer German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Reiher.

Ryland English
From various English place names, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and land "land".

Ryley English
Variant of Riley 1.

Sachs German
Originally indicated a person from Saxony (German Sachsen). The region was named for the Germanic tribe of the Saxons, ultimately derived from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife".

Sala Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian
Occupational name for a worker at a manor house, from the Romance word sala meaning "hall, large room", of Germanic origin.

Sandberg Swedish, Norwegian, Jewish
From Swedish and Norwegian sand (Old Norse sandr) meaning "sand" and berg meaning "mountain" (or in the case of the Jewish surname, from the Yiddish or German cognates).

Sandford English
Indicated a person from Sandford, England, which means simply "sand ford".

Sands English
From Old English, indicated the original nearer lived on sandy ground.

Sandström Swedish
From Swedish sand (Old Norse sandr) meaning "sand" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Sanford English
Variant of Sandford.

Sangster English, Scottish
Occupational name or nickname for a singer, from Old English singan "to sing, to chant".

Sawyer English
Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Scheer German, Dutch
Variant of Scherer.

Scheinberg Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "beautiful mountain" from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and berg "mountain".

Schenck German
Variant of Schenk.

Schenk German, Dutch
From Middle High German, Middle Dutch schenke meaning "wine server" (from Old High German scenken "to pour out").

Scherer German
Occupational name for a cutter of cloth or a sheep-shearer, from Old High German skeran "to cut".

Schermer Dutch, Low German
Dutch and Low German form of Schirmer.

Schirmer German
Means "fencer, fencing master", from Old High German skirmen meaning "to defend".

Schlösser German
Variant of Schlosser.

Schlosser German
Occupational name for a locksmith, derived from Old High German sloz meaning "lock".

Schmid German
Variant of Schmidt.

Schmidt German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker", a cognate of Smith.

Schmitt German
Variant of Schmidt.

Schmitz German
Variant of Schmidt, originating in the Rhine area in western Germany.

Schneider German, Jewish
From German schneider or Yiddish shnayder, making it a cognate of Snyder.

Schneiders Dutch
Variant of Snyder.

Schneijder Dutch
Variant of Snyder.

Schnell German
German cognate of Snell.

Schnoor German
Variant of Schnur.

Schnur German, Jewish
From Old High German snuor meaning "rope, cord", an occupational name for a maker of rope.

Schofield English
From various northern English place names, which were derived from Old Norse skáli "hut" and Old English feld "field".

Scholz German
Variant of Schulz.

Schouten Dutch
Occupational name derived from Middle Dutch schout meaning "sheriff, bailiff".

Schräder Low German (Rare)
Variant of Schröder 1.

Schrader Low German
Variant of Schröder 1.

Schreier German, Jewish
Occupational name for a town crier, from Old High German scrian meaning "to shout, to yell".

Schrijnemakers Dutch
Occupational name for a cabinet maker, from Dutch schrijn "box, container" and maker "maker".

Schröder 1 Low German
Occupational name for a tailor, from Middle Low German schroden meaning "to cut".

Schroeder German
Variant of Schröder 1 and Schröder 2.

Schubert German
Variant of Schuchardt. This name was borne by the Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828).

Schuchard German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Schuchardt German
From Middle High German schuochwürte meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".

Schuchert German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Schuhart German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Schuhmacher German
From the Middle High German occupational name schuochmacher meaning "shoemaker".

Schult Low German
Low German variant of Schulz.

Schulte Low German
Low German variant of Schulz.

Schultes German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultheis German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultheiss German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultheiß German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultz German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultze German
Variant of Schulz.

Schulz German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German schultheiße meaning "mayor, judge".

Schulze German
Variant of Schulz.

Schumacher German
Variant of Schuhmacher.

Schuster German
Means "shoemaker, cobbler", from Middle High German schuoch "shoe" and suter, from Latin sutor "sewer, cobbler".

Schwartz German, Jewish
Variant of Schwarz.

Schwarz German, Jewish
Means "black" in German, from Old High German swarz. It originally described a person with black hair or a dark complexion.

Schwarzenberg German
Means "black mountain" in German.

Schwarzenegger German
From a place name, derived from Old High German swarz meaning "black" and ekka meaning "edge, corner". A famous bearer of this name is actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947-).

Schwenke 2 German
From a given name, a Low German diminutive of Swanhild.

Scotti Italian
From the medieval given name Francescotto, a diminutive of Francesco.

Seeger German
From the given name Sieghard.

Seegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Segers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Seghers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Seidel German
From a diminutive of the given name Siegfried.

Selby English
From the name of a village that meant "willow farm" in Old English.

Seward 1 English
Derived from the given name Sigeweard.

Seward 2 English
Means "swineherd" from Old English su "sow, female pig" and hierde "herdsman, guardian".

Seward 3 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Suaird.

Shain Jewish
Means "beautiful, handsome" in Yiddish, from German schön.

Sharman English
Variant of Sherman 1.

Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".

Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.

Shearer English
English cognate of Scherer.

Sheinfeld Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and feld "field".

Shelby English
Variant of Selby.

Shepard English
Variant of Shepherd.

Shepherd English
Occupational name meaning "shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English sceaphyrde.

Sheppard English
Variant of Shepherd.

Sherburn English
Denoted a person hailing from any of the various places called Sherborne or Sherburn in England, derived from Old English scir "bright" and burna "spring, fountain, stream".

Sherburne English
Variant of Sherburn.

Sherman 1 English
Means "shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.

Shine 1 English
Means "beautiful, attractive" from Old English sciene.

Shirley English
From an English place name, derived from Old English scir "bright" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Siebert German
Derived from the given name Siegbert.

Siegel 2 German
Derived from the diminutive of Old German given names beginning with the element sigu meaning "victory".

Sieger German
From the given name Sieghard.

Siegert German
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

Siekert German (Rare)
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

Sigurdsson Icelandic, Swedish
Means "son of Sigurður".

Sigurðsson Icelandic
Means "son of Sigurður".

Silver English
From a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English seolfor "silver".

Silverstein Jewish
Variant of Zilberstein.

Siskin Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Siskind Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Sitz 1 German
Derived from a given name beginning with the Old High German element sigu meaning "victory".

Sjöberg Swedish
From Swedish sjö (Old Norse sær) meaning "lake, sea" and berg meaning "mountain".

Sjögren Swedish
From Swedish sjö (Old Norse sær) meaning "lake, sea" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Skov Danish
Topographic name meaning "forest, wood" in Danish, from Old Norse skógr.

Skovgaard Danish
From a place name, derived from Danish skov "forest, wood" and gård "farm, yard".

Skywalker Popular Culture
From the English words sky and walker, created by George Lucas as the surname for several characters in his Star Wars movie series, notably the hero Luke Skywalker from the original trilogy (beginning 1977). Early drafts of the script had the name as Starkiller.

Slootmaekers Dutch, Flemish
Occupational name for a locksmith, from Dutch slot "lock" and maker "maker".

Ślusarczyk Polish
Diminutive form of Ślusarski.

Ślusarska f Polish
Feminine form of Ślusarski.

Ślusarski m Polish
Occupational name for a locksmith, from Polish ślusarz, of Germanic origin.

Slusser German
Variant of Schlosser.

Small English
From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.

Smalls English
Variant of Small.

Smeets Dutch
Variant of Smit.

Smets Dutch
Variant of Smit.

Smit Dutch
From Middle Dutch smit "metalworker, blacksmith", a cognate of Smith.

Smith English
Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).

Smits Dutch
Variant of Smit.

Smythe English
Variant of Smith.

Snaaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Snaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.