Aalto FinnishFrom Finnish
aalto meaning
"wave". A famous bearer was Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976).
Abano ItalianOriginally denoted a person from the town of Abano, Latin
Aponus, which was derived from the old Celtic root
ab meaning "water".
Abarca SpanishFrom the name of a type of leather-soled shoe or sandal made on the Balearic Islands. It originally indicated a person who made or sold this item.
Abascal SpanishMeans
"priest's street" from Basque
abas "priest" and
kale "street".
Abasolo BasqueMeans
"priest's meadow" from Basque
abas "priest" and
solo "meadow".
Abate ItalianFrom Italian
abate meaning
"abbot, priest", derived via Latin and Greek from an Aramaic word meaning "father". This was used either as a nickname or an occupational name for a worker in a priest's house.
Abbey EnglishIndicated a person who lived near an abbey or worked in an abbey, from Middle English
abbeye.
Abe 1 JapaneseFrom Japanese
安 (a) meaning "peace" and
倍 (be) meaning "multiple times".
Abe 2 JapaneseFrom Japanese
安 (a) meaning "peace" and
部 (be) meaning "part, section".
Abélard HistoryAdopted by the 12th-century French philosopher Pierre le Pallet, thereafter known as Pierre Abélard (or Peter Abelard in English). It is not certain how he contrived it. Possibly he was inspired by the given name
Abel.
Abelló CatalanFrom the Latin given name
Abellio, which may have been derived from the name of a Pyrenean god.
Åberg SwedishFrom Swedish
å meaning "river, stream" and
berg meaning "mountain".
Abney EnglishFrom the name of a town in Derbyshire, derived from Old English meaning "Abba's island".
Achterberg Dutch, GermanFrom the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, for example the village of
achterberg in Utrecht. The place names are derived from Low German
achter "behind" and
berg "mountain, hill".
Acker German, EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English
aker or Middle High German
acker meaning "field".
Ackerman EnglishMeans
"ploughman", derived from Middle English
aker "field" and
man.
Ackermann GermanDenoted a person who lived near a field, from Middle High German
acker "field" and
man "man".
Acquafredda ItalianDenoted a person who came from one of the various places in Italy with this name, derived from Italian meaning "cold water".
Addario ItalianDerived from the given name
Addarius, of unknown meaning.
Adesso ItalianPerhaps a nickname for a punctual or fast person, from Italian
adesso meaning
"now, at this moment".
Afolayan YorubaMeans
"walks like a wealthy person, walks with confidence" in Yoruba.
Agli ItalianFrom place names like
Agliè,
Aglietti,
Agliana and
Agliate, all originating from the Latin name
Allius or
Alleius.
Agnelli ItalianFrom Italian
agnello meaning
"lamb" (ultimately from Latin
agnus), denoting a pious or timid person.
Aguado SpanishDerived from Spanish
agua "water", indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.
Aguilar SpanishFrom a place name that was derived from Spanish
águila meaning
"eagle", ultimately from Latin
aquila.
Aguilera SpanishFrom a place name that was derived from Spanish
aguilera meaning
"eagle's nest". A famous bearer is American singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).
Aguirre SpanishFrom Basque
ageri meaning
"open, cleared, prominent", originally given to a peron who lived in an open area.
Ahlberg SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
al (Old Norse
ǫlr) meaning "alder" and
berg meaning "mountain".
Ahlgren SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
al (Old Norse
ǫlr) meaning "alder" and
gren (Old Norse
grein) meaning "branch".
Ahlström SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
al (Old Norse
ǫlr) meaning "alder" and
ström (Old Norse
straumr) meaning "stream".
Aiello ItalianFrom various place names in Italy, such as Aiello del Friuli, Aiello del Sabato and others. They are derived from Latin
agellus meaning "little field".
Aikawa JapaneseFrom Japanese
相 (ai) meaning "mutually, together",
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" or
哀 (ai) meaning "grief, sorrow" combined with
川 (kawa) or
河 (kawa) both meaning "river, stream".
Ainsley ScottishFrom a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English
anne "alone, solitary" or
ansetl "hermitage" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Ainsworth EnglishHabitational name for a person from the village of Ainsworth near Manchester, itself from the Old English given name
Ægen and
worþ meaning "enclosure".
Aita ItalianOriginally denoted a person from Aieta, Italy, a place name derived from Greek
ἀετός (aetos) meaning "eagle".
Akai JapaneseFrom Japanese
赤 (aka) meaning "red" and
井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".
Aksoy TurkishFrom Turkish
ak "white" and
soy "lineage, ancestry".
Albero ItalianFrom Italian
albero meaning
"tree", ultimately from Latin
arbor, referring to someone who lived in the woods or worked as a woodcutter.
Albuquerque PortugueseFrom the name of the Spanish town of Alburquerque, near the Portuguese border in the province of Badajoz. It is probably derived from Latin
alba quercus meaning "white oak".
Aldana BasqueFrom the name of a Basque town, derived from
aldats meaning
"slope".
Alfaro SpanishOriginally denoted someone who was from the city of Alfaro in La Rioja, Spain. It is possibly derived from Arabic meaning "the watchtower".
Allaway ScottishFrom a Scottish place name, itself derived from
alla "wild" and
mhagh "field".
Allegri ItalianFrom an Italian nickname derived from
allegro meaning
"quick, lively".
Allsopp EnglishFrom the name of the village of Alsop en la Dale in Derbyshire, England. It means "Ælli's valley" in Old English.
Alma FrisianMeans
"son of Ale 2", the suffix
-ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.
Almássy HungarianMeans
"from the apple orchard", derived from Hungarian
alma meaning "apple".
Almeida PortugueseDesignated a person who had originally lived in the town of Almeida in Portugal. The place name is from Arabic
ال مائدة (al māʾida) meaning "the plateau, the table".
Almstedt SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
alm (Old Norse
almr) meaning "elm" and
stad (Old Norse
staðr) meaning "town, city".
Altamura ItalianFrom the name of the Italian city of Altamura, which means "high walls" in Italian.
Altena DutchFrom the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "close, near" in Dutch.
Althaus GermanName for a person dwelled in or by an old house, from German
alt "old" and
haus "house".
Alvarado SpanishFrom a Spanish place name, possibly derived from Spanish
alba "white".
Amano JapaneseFrom Japanese
天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and
野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Amantea ItalianFrom the name of a town in Calabria, Italy. It is possibly derived from Arabic (dating from the Arab raids of the 9th century) meaning "the fortress".
Amundsen NorwegianMeans
"son of Amund". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928).
Anaya SpanishFrom the names of a few Spanish towns, possibly of Arabic origin meaning
"stagnant water" or
"path".
Andrzejewski m PolishHabitational name for a person from towns called
Andrzejewo or similar, derived from the given name
Andrzej.
Aoki JapaneseFrom Japanese
青 (ao) meaning "green, blue" and
木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Appleby EnglishFrom the name of various English towns, derived from Old English
æppel "apple" and Old Norse
býr "farm, settlement".
Appleton EnglishFrom the name of several English towns, meaning "orchard" in Old English (a compound of
æppel "apple" and
tun "enclosure, yard").
Apted EnglishProbably from an unidentified place name meaning "up tower" in Old English.
Aquino Italian, SpanishFrom the name of an Italian town near Rome, derived from Latin
aqua meaning "water", the home town of the 13th-century saint Thomas Aquinas. In Italy the surname is derived directly from the town's name. As a Spanish-language surname, it was sometimes bestowed by missionaries in honour of the saint as they evangelized in Spanish colonies.
Araújo PortugueseDenoted a person hailing from one of the many areas that bear this name in Portugal, which is of unknown meaning.
Araya SpanishDenoted a person from Araia in the Basque Country, Spain. It is of uncertain meaning.