Surnames Matching Pattern *r

Aakster Dutch
Derived from Old Dutch ekster "magpie".

Acker German, English
Denoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning "field".

Adair English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Adenauer German
Denoted a person from the town of Adenau in Germany. The name of the town is of uncertain etymology.

Adler German, Jewish
Means "eagle" in German.

Aguilar Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish águila meaning "eagle", ultimately from Latin aquila.

Akker Dutch
Dutch form of Acker.

Alexander English
Derived from the given name Alexander.

Alger English
From the given name Algar.

Alscher German
Means "son of Adalheidis".

Amador Spanish
Derived from the given name Amador.

Anker Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Metonymic surname for a sailor, meaning "anchor" in Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.

Arbeider Dutch
From Dutch arbeider meaning "worker".

Archer English
Occupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin arcus "bow" (via Old French).

Armbrüster German
Variant of Armbruster.

Armbruster German
Means "crossbow maker" from German armbrust "crossbow". The word armbrust was originally from Latin arcuballista meaning "bow ballista", but was modified under the influence of German arm "arm" and brust "breast".

Arthur English, French
From the given name Arthur.

Astor Occitan
Derived from Occitan astur meaning "hawk". The wealthy and influential Astor family, prominent in British and American society, originated in the Italian Alps.

Attar Persian
From Persian عطر (ʿaṭr) meaning "fragrance, perfume", ultimately from Arabic. It probably denoted a seller of perfume.

Attwater English
Variant of Atwater.

Atwater English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".

Auer German
From German Aue, Old High German ouwa, meaning "meadow by a river, wetland".

Aylmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Baar Dutch
Variant of Baars.

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

Bäcker German
Variant of Becker, mostly found in northern Germany.

Bader German
Derived from Old High German bad "bath", most likely referring to a bath attendant.

Bager Danish
Danish cognate of Baker.

Bähr German
From Middle High German bër "bear" or ber "boar". This was originally a nickname for a strong or brave person.

Baier German
Variant of Bayer.

Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.

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

Balfour Scottish
From various place names that were derived from Gaelic baile "village" and pòr "pasture, crop, cropland".

Banister English
Variant of Bannister.

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

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

Barber English, Scottish
Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living, ultimately from Latin barba "beard".

Barbier French
French cognate of Barber.

Barker English
From Middle English bark meaning "to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.

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

Bauer German
From Old High German bur meaning "peasant, farmer".

Baumer German
Variant of Baum.

Baumgärtner German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Baumgartner German
Occupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German Baumgarten "orchard" (derived from Baum "tree" and Garten "garden").

Baumhauer German
Occupational name meaning "woodcutter", derived from German Baum "tree" and hauen "to chop".

Baxter English
Variant (in origin a feminine form) of Baker.

Bayer German
Originally denoted a person from Bavaria, from its German name Bayern.

Baylor German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Beiler.

Beckenbauer German
Means "farmer living by a stream" in German.

Becker German
Derived from Middle High German becker meaning "baker".

Behringer German
From the given name Berengar.

Beiler German
Derived from Middle High German beile meaning "measuring stick".

Bélanger French
From the given name Bérenger.

Belanger English
From the given name Berengar.

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.

Bengtsdotter Swedish
Means "daughter of Bengt".

Benscoter Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Bunschoten.

Béranger French
From the given name Bérenger.

Berger 1 French
Occupational name meaning "shepherd", from Old French bergier.

Berger 2 German, Dutch
Variant of Berg.

Béringer French
From the given name Bérenger.

Beringer German, English
From the given name Berengar.

Beumer Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Beyer German
Variant of Bayer.

Bieber German, Jewish
From Middle High German biber meaning "beaver", possibly a nickname for a hard worker.

Blair Scottish
From any one of several places of this name in Scotland, which derive from Gaelic blàr meaning "plain, field, battlefield".

Blecher German
Occupational name for someone who worked with tin or sheet metal, from German blech "tin".

Bleier German
Occupational name for a worker of lead, derived from German blei "lead".

Böcker German
Variant of Böttcher.

Bodnár Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Boehler German
Variant of Böhler.

Boer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bauer.

Bognár Hungarian
Hungarian form of Wagner.

Böhler German
Derived from the name of several German towns called Boll or Böhl, meaning "hill".

Böhmer German, Jewish
Variant of Böhm.

Bokor Hungarian
Topographic name derived from Hungarian bokor "bush". This is also the name of a village in Hungary.

Bolívar Spanish
From Bolibar, the name of a small Basque village, derived from Basque bolu "mill" and ibar "meadow". This name was borne by the revolutionary Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).

Bondar Ukrainian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Ukrainian.

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

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

Booker English
Occupational name meaning "book maker", derived from Old English boc "book".

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

Boucher French
Means "butcher" in French.

Bouvier French
Means "cowherd" in French, from Latin boviarus, a derivative of bos "cow".

Bouwmeester Dutch
Means "architect, builder" in Dutch.

Bover Catalan
Catalan cognate of Bove.

Bower English
From Old English bur meaning "dwelling, room".

Boyer Occitan
Occitan cognate of Bouvier.

Brasher English
Means "brass worker", derived from Old English bræs "brass".

Brauer Low German
Derived from Middle Low German bruwer meaning "brewer".

Breiner German, Swedish
Occupational name derived from Middle High German brie "porridge".

Breisacher German
Originally denoted one who came from the town of Breisach, in Germany. The town's name is possibly from a Celtic word meaning "breakwater".

Brewer English
Occupational name for a maker of ale or beer.

Brewster English
Variant of Brewer, originally a feminine form of the occupational term.

Brodeur French
Means "embroiderer" in French.

Brouwer Dutch
Occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch brouwer.

Buhr Low German
Low German form of Bauer.

Bumgarner German
Variant of Baumgartner.

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

Burgstaller German
From German Burg "fortress, castle" and Stelle "place, position". This was a name given to a person dwelling at or near such a site.

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).

Cadwallader Welsh
From the given name Cadwalader.

Carpenter English
From the occupation, derived from Middle English carpentier (ultimately from Latin carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").

Carpentier French
French form of Carpenter.

Carr 1 Scottish, English
Variant of Kerr.

Carr 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Carra.

Carter English
Occupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).

Carver English
Occupational surname for a carver, from Middle English kerve "cut".

Causer English
Occupational name for one who made leggings, derived from Old French chausse "leggings".

Chancellor English
Occupational name for an administrator, a chancellor, from Norman French chancelier.

Chandler English
Occupational name meaning "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin candela via Old French.

Charpentier French
French cognate of Carpenter, derived from Old French charpentier.

Chester English
From the name of a city in England, derived from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".

Chevalier French
From a nickname derived from French chevalier meaning "knight", from Late Latin caballarius "horseman", Latin caballus "horse".

Christopher English
Derived from the given name Christopher.

Clacher Scottish
From Scottish Gaelic clachair meaning "stonemason".

Cloutier French
Derived from French clou meaning "nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.

Colter English
Variant of Colt using an agent suffix.

Conner English
From Middle English connere meaning "inspector", an occupational name for an inspector of weights and measures.

Connor Irish
Variant of O'Connor.

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

Cropper English
Occupational name derived from Middle English croppe "crop", referring to a fruit picker or a crop reaper.

Császár Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kaiser.

Cuéllar Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Cuéllar in the Segovia province of Spain. It may be derived from Latin collis meaning "hill".

Cuijper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Cuyler Dutch
Variant of Kuijlaars or Koole.

Cuyper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

De Boer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bauer.

De Jonker Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

Dekker Dutch
Means "roofer, thatcher" in Dutch.

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

De Snaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Dexter English
Occupational name meaning "dyer" in Old English (originally this was a feminine word, but it was later applied to men as well).

Dieter German
Derived from the given name Dieter.

Dior French
Possibly from French doré meaning "golden". A famous bearer was the French fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).

Dittmar German
Derived from the given name Dietmar.

Doctor English
Originally denoted someone who was a doctor, ultimately from Latin doctor meaning "teacher".

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

Dragomir Romanian
From the given name Dragomir.

Draper English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of woollen cloth, from Anglo-Norman French draper (Old French drapier, an agent derivative of drap "cloth").

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.

Dresdner German
Originally indicated a person who came from the city of Dresden in German.

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.

Duerr German
Variant of Dürr.

Dufour French
Occupational name for a baker, from French four "oven".

Dunbar Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and barr meaning "summit", so called from its situation on a rock that projects into the sea.

Dürr German
Means "thin" in German.

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

Ebner 1 German
Originally indicated a dweller on a flat piece of land, derived from Middle High German ebene "plateau".

Ebner 2 German
Means "judge, arbiter" from Middle High German ebenære.

Edgar English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Egger German
South German occupational name meaning "plowman" or "farmer", derived from German eggen "to harrow, to plow".

Elder English
Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.

Elmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Escobar Spanish
Derived from Spanish escoba meaning "broom plant", from Latin scopa. It originally indicated a person who lived near a prominent patch of broom.

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

Faerber German
Variant of Färber.

Falconer English, Scottish
Variant of Faulkner.

Falkner English, German
English variant and German cognate of Faulkner.

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

Farmer English
Occupational name for a tax collector, from Middle English ferme "rent, revenue, provision", from medieval Latin firma, ultimately from Old English feorm. This word did not acquire its modern meaning until the 17th century.

Fashingbauer German
From Fasching, a German carnival (Fastnacht meaning "eve of the beginning of the fast", or the time before Lent) celebrated in Austria and Bavaria, and bauer meaning "farmer".

Faucher French
Occupational name meaning "mower" in French, ultimately from Latin falx meaning "sickle, scythe".

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

Favager French
Possibly indicated a person from the town of Faverges in eastern France, derived from Old French faverge meaning "forge".

Fear English
Derived from Middle English feare meaning "friend, comrade".

Fehér Hungarian
Means "white" in Hungarian, originally referring to a person with white hair or complexion.

Fenstermacher German
Means "window maker" in German.

Ferber German
Variant of Färber.

Ferrer Catalan
Catalan cognate of Ferrari.

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.

Fischer German
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in German.

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Fisker Danish
Means "fisherman" in Danish.

Flater German
Means "reed bed" in German.

Fleischer German
Occupational name meaning "butcher" in German.

Fletcher English
Occupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French fleche meaning "arrow".

Flower English
From Middle English flour meaning "flower, blossom", derived from Old French flur, Latin flos. This was a nickname given to a sweet person. In other cases it could be a metonymic occupational name for a maker of flour (a word derived from the same source).

Fodor Hungarian
From Hungarian fodor meaning "curly, wavy", referring to a person with curly or wavy hair.

Foerstner German
Variant of Förstner.

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.

Förstner German
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest (see Forst).

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.

Foster 2 English
Occupational name for a scissor maker, derived from Old French forcetier.

Foster 3 English
Occupational name for a maker of saddle trees, derived from Old French fustier.

Foster 4 English
Nickname given to a person who was a foster child or foster parent.

Fournier French
Occupational name for a baker, from French fourneau meaning "oven".

Fowler English
Occupational name for a fowler or birdcatcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".

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

Frazier Scottish
Variant of Fraser.

Freudenberger German, Jewish
Ornamental name from old German freud meaning "joy" and berg meaning "mountain".

Fuller English
Occupational name for a fuller, a person who thickened and cleaned coarse cloth by pounding it. It is derived via Middle English from Latin fullo.

Funar Romanian
Means "rope maker" in Romanian.

Gabler German
Occupational name for someone who made or sold forks, from Old High German gabala "fork".

Gábor Hungarian
From the given name Gábor.

Gabor Hungarian
Variant of Gábor.

Gaertner German
German form of Gardener.

Gagnier French
Variant of Gagneux.

Gallagher Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Gallchobhair meaning "descendant of Gallchobhar".

Garber German
Variant of Gerber.

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 1 English
From Old French gernier meaning "granary", a derivative of Latin granum meaning "grain". This name could refer to a person who worked at a granary or lived near one.

Garner 2 English
Variant of Gardener.

Garnier 1 French
From the given name Garnier.

Garnier 2 English
Variant of Garner 1.

Gärtner German
German form of Gardener.

Garver German
Variant of Gerber.

Gáspár Hungarian
Derived from the given name Gáspár.

Gaspar Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Gaspar.

Gašper Slovene
Derived from the given name Gašper.

Gauthier French
Derived from the given name Gauthier.

Gautier French
From the given name Gautier.

Geier German
Means "vulture" in German, a nickname for a greedy person.

Geiger German
Means "fiddle player" in German, derived from Old High German giga "fiddle".

Geisler German
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Geißler German
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Geissler 1 German
Derived from the given name Giselher.

Geissler 2 German
Occupational name for a goat herder, from southern German Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix ler signifying an occupation.

Geiszler German (Anglicized)
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Gerber German
Means "tanner, leather dresser" in German, derived from Old High German garawen meaning "to prepare".

Gerver German
Variant of Gerber.

Gilmour Scottish, Irish
Variant of Gilmore.

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

Glöckner German
Derived from Middle High German glocke "bell". It may have referred to a person who worked at or lived close to a bell tower.

Glover English
Occupational name for a person who made or sold gloves, from Middle English glovere.

Graner German
Originally denoted a person from Gran, the German name for Esztergom, a city in northern Hungary.

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.

Greer Scottish
Derived from the given name Gregor.

Grier Scottish
Derived from the given name Gregor.

Großer German
Variant of Groß.

Grosser German
Variant of Groß.

Grover English
From Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908).

Gruber Upper German
From German Grube meaning "pit", indicating a person who lived or worked in a pit or depression. This is the most common surname in Austria.

Günther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

Gunther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

Gwerder German (Swiss)
From Swiss German gwerig meaning "agile, alert".

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.

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

Harper English
Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.

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

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

Havener German
Variant of Hafner.

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

Heppenheimer German
From the name of the city of Heppenheim in Hesse, Germany.

Hiedler German
From southern German Hiedl meaning "underground stream".

Hier Welsh
Means "tall, long" from Welsh hir.

Hightower English
Possibly a variant of Hayter.

Hitler German
Variant of Hiedler. This was spelling used by Alois Hitler, the father of German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), when he adopted his stepfather Johann Georg Hiedler's surname.

Hoedemaeker Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Hoedemaker Dutch
Occupational name for a hat maker, from Dutch hoed "hat" and maker "maker".

Hoefler German
Variant of Hofer.

Hofer German
Occupational name for a farmer, from German Hof "farm", from Old High German hof "yard, court".

Höfler German
Variant of Hofer.

Hofmeister German
Means "master of the household", from Old High German hof "yard, court, house" and meistar "master" (from Latin magister).

Hölzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Holzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Hooker English
Originally applied to one who lived near a river bend or corner of some natural feature, from Old English hoc "angle, hook".

Hooper English
Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.

Hoover German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Huber.

Hopper English
Occupational name for an acrobat or a nickname for someone who was nervous or restless. A famous bearer was the American actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010).

Houtkooper Dutch
Means "buyer of wood" in Dutch.

Hribar Slovene
From Slovene hrib meaning "hill".

Hüber German
Variant of Huber.

Huber German
Occupational name for a farmer, derived from Old High German huoba "plot of land, farm".

Hunter English, Scottish
Occupational name that referred to someone who hunted for a living, from Old English hunta.

Hutmacher German
German cognate of Hoedemaker.

Iyer Tamil
Referred to a person belonging to the Iyer subcaste of the larger Brahmin caste. The Iyer subcaste is traditionally devoted to the God Vishnu.

Jaeger German
Variant of Jäger.

Jäger German
Means "hunter" in German, from Old High German jagon meaning "to hunt".

Jager German
Variant of Jäger.

Jagger English
From an English word meaning "carter, peddler". A famous bearer is the British musician Mick Jagger (1943-), the lead singer of the Rolling Stones.

Janvier French
Either from the given name Janvier or the French word janvier meaning "January", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.

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

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.

Jonkheer Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

Joyner English
Variant of Joiner.

Kádár Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Kader Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic قادر (see Qadir).

Kahler German
From a nickname derived from German kahl meaning "bald".

Kaiser German
From Middle High German keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name Caesar.

Kalmár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "merchant, shopkeeper" in Hungarian, of German origin.

Kašpar m Czech
Derived from the given name Kašpar.

Kaspar German
Derived from the given name Kaspar.

Kästner German
Means "cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German kaste "box".

Käufer German
Variant of Kaufer.

Kaufer German
Means "trader" in German.

Kaur Indian (Sikh)
Means "princess", ultimately from Sanskrit कुमारी (kumārī) meaning "girl". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh female followers the surname Kaur and all males Singh. In many instances, it is also used as a middle name with the family name serving as the surname.

Keir Scottish
Variant of Kerr.

Keller German
Means "cellar" in German, an occupational name for one in charge of the food and drink.