Surnames on the United States Popularity List

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

Murgia Sardinian
Means "brine" in Sardinian, perhaps a nickname for someone who pickled foods.

Murphy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Murchadha meaning "descendant of Murchadh". This is the most common Irish surname.

Murray 1 Scottish
Derived from the region in Scotland called Moray (Gaelic Moireabh), possibly of Pictish origin, meaning "seashore, coast". A notable bearer of this surname was General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the first British Governor-General of Canada.

Murray 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Muireadhaigh meaning "descendant of Muireadhach".

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).

Mustonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish musta meaning "black".

Mutō Japanese
From Japanese 武 (mu) meaning "military, martial" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Mutton English
Referred to a shepherd or else someone who in some way resembled a sheep, derived from Norman French mouton "sheep".

Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.

Mwangi Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Mwangi.

Myer English
From Old French mire meaning "doctor", derived from Latin medicus.

Myers English
Patronymic form of Myer or Mayer 3.

Myles English
From the given name Miles.

Mylonas m Greek
Means "miller" in Greek, from μύλος (mylos) meaning "mill".

Mynatt English
Variant of Minett.

Myška m Czech
From a nickname derived from Czech myš meaning "mouse".

Nacar Turkish
Turkish form of Najjar.

Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Naess Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Nagarkar Marathi
Derived from the name of the town of Nagar in Maharashtra, India.

Nagasawa Japanese
From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

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

Nagi Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ناجي (see Naaji).

Nagy u & m Hungarian, Slovak
From a nickname meaning "big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname.

Najjar Arabic
Means "carpenter" in Arabic.

Najm Arabic
From the given name Najm.

Nakabayashi Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest".

Nakagawa Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Nakahara Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Nakai Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Nakajima Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Nakamura Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nakano Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Nakashima Japanese
Variant of Nakajima.

Namgung Korean
From Sino-Korean 南 (nam) meaning "south" combined with 宮 (gung) meaning "palace, house". This is the most common Korean compound surname.

Nana Italian
From a diminutive of Giovanni.

Nani Italian
Variant of Nana.

Nanni Italian
Variant of Nana.

Nannini Italian
From Nanni, a diminutive of the given name Giovanni.

Napoleoni Italian
From the medieval given name Napoleone.

Napoli Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Napoliello Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Narang Hindi
From the name of a Pakistani town that was in undivided India.

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

Nardo Italian
Variant of Nardi.

Narváez Spanish
From the name of a town in central Spain.

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.

Natale Italian
From the given name Natale.

Nathans Jewish
Derived from the given name Nathan.

Nathanson Jewish
Means "son of Nathan".

Naumov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Naum".

Navarro Spanish
Denoted a person who came from Navarre in northern Spain (Spanish Navarra). The name of the region is of Basque origin, possibly from nabar meaning "brown".

Nave Italian
From various Italian places called Nave.

Navickas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Nowicki.

Navrátil m Czech
Means "returned" in Czech, from the verb navrátit "to return", perhaps used to denote a person who came home following a long absence.

Nazarian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Նազարյան (see Nazaryan).

Nazario Italian
From the given name Nazario.

Nazaryan Armenian
Means "son of Nazar".

Neal English
Derived from the given name Neil.

Nedbálek m Czech
From Czech nedbalý meaning "careless".

Nedvěd m Czech
Czech cognate of Medved, derived from the dialectal nedvěd.

Neely Scottish
Variant of McNeilly.

Negri Italian
Nickname derived from Italian negro "black", used to refer to someone with dark hair or dark skin.

Negrini Italian
Variant of Negri.

Neil Scottish, English, Irish
Derived from the given name Neil.

Nelli Italian
Derived from the given name Nello.

Nelson 1 English
Means "son of Neil". This name was borne by the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805).

Nelson 2 Swedish (Anglicized), Norwegian (Anglicized), Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of the Scandinavian names Nilsson, Nilsen, or Nielsen.

Němec m Czech
Means "German" in Czech.

Němeček m Czech
Diminutive form of Němec.

Nemes Hungarian
Means "noble, gentle" in Hungarian.

Német Hungarian
Variant of Németh.

Németh Hungarian
Means "German" in Hungarian.

Neri Italian
From Italian nero "black", indicating a person with a dark complexion or dark hair.

Neroni Italian
Variant of Neri.

Nespoli Italian
From the name of towns such as Nespoli and Nespoledo, derived from Italian nespola meaning "medlar (tree)".

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".

Neuville French
From the names of various French towns meaning "new town".

Neville English, Irish
From the names of towns in Normandy, variously Neuville or Néville, meaning "new town" in French.

Nevin 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Naoimhín.

Nevin 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cnáimhín or Ó Cnáimhín.

Newell English
Variant of Neville.

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).

Ng 1 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wu 1.

Ng 2 Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Huang.

Ngo Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Ngô.

Ngô Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 1, from Sino-Vietnamese 吳 (ngô).

Nguyễn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Ruan, from Sino-Vietnamese 阮 (nguyễn). This is the most common Vietnamese surname, accounting for over a third of the population.

Nguyen Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Nguyễn.

Nicastro Italian
From the name of the town of Nicastro in Calabria, southern Italy.

Nicholls English
Derived from the given name Nichol.

Nichols English
Derived from the given name Nichol.

Nicholson English
Means "son of Nicholas". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Jack Nicholson (1937-).

Nicodemo Italian
Derived from the given name Nicodemo.

Nicolai Italian
Means "son of Nicola 1".

Nicolaou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Νικολάου (see Nikolaou).

Nicolas French
Derived from the given name Nicolas.

Nicolescu Romanian
Means "son of Nicolae".

Nicolosi Italian
From the name of the town Nicolosi on Sicily, itself named for Saint Nicholas.

Nicolson English
Variant of Nicholson.

Nicosia Italian
From the name of the town Nicosia on Sicily.

Nicotera Italian
From the name of the town of Nicotera in Calabria.

Nielsen Danish
Means "son of Niels 1".

Nielson English
Variant of Nelson 1.

Niemczyk Polish
From Polish Niemiec meaning "German" and the patronymic suffix -czyk.

Niemi Finnish
Means "peninsula, cape" in Finnish.

Nieminen Finnish
Derived from Finnish niemi meaning "peninsula, cape".

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

Nieto Spanish
From a nickname meaning "grandson" in Spanish.

Nieves Spanish
From the given name Nieves.

Nigro Italian
Variant of Negri.

Nikitin m Russian
From the given name Nikita 1.

Nikitina f Russian
Feminine form of Nikitin.

Nikolaev m Russian, Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Russian Николаев (see Nikolayev), as well as the usual Bulgarian form.

Nikolaou Greek
Means "son of Nikolaos".

Nikolayev m Russian
Means "son of Nikolay".

Nikolić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Nikola 1".

Nikolov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Nikola 1".

Nikolova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Nikolov.

Nikolovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Nikola 1".

Nikula Finnish
From the given name Niku, a Finnish form of Nicholas.

Niles English
Means "son of Neil".

Nilsen Norwegian
Means "son of Nils".

Nilsson Swedish
Means "son of Nils".

Nishikawa Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Nishimura Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nishitani Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Nishiyama Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Nisi Italian
Means "son of Niso", an Italian form of the mythological name Nisus.

Nissen Danish
Means "son of Nis".

Niven Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Naoimhín.

Nixon English
Means "son of Nick". A famous bearer was the American president Richard Nixon (1913-1994).

Noel French, English
Either from the given name Noël, or else derived directly from Old French noel "Christmas" and given to a person who had a particular connection with the holiday.

Noguchi Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Nogueira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician nogueira meaning "walnut tree", from the Late Latin nucarius, ultimately from Latin nux meaning "nut".

Noguera Spanish, Catalan
Spanish and Catalan form of Nogueira.

Nolan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Nualláin meaning "descendant of Nuallán".

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".

Norling Swedish
Originally denoted a person who came from the north.

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.

Norris 2 English
Means "wet nurse, foster mother" from Old French norrice, from Latin nutricius.

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.

Noschese Italian
From the name of the town of Nusco in Campania, southern Italy.

Nosek m & u Czech, Polish
Means "small nose" in Czech and Polish.

Notaro Italian
Occupational name for a clerk, derived from Latin notarius.

Nováček m Czech
Diminutive of Novak.

Novák m & u Czech, Slovak, Hungarian
Czech, Slovak and Hungarian form of Novak.

Novak Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Slavic novŭ "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village.

Novik Belarusian
From Belarusian новы (novy) meaning "new".

Novikov m Russian
Derived from Russian новый (novy) meaning "new".

Novikova f Russian
Feminine form of Novikov.

Novosad m Czech
From place names meaning "new orchard" in Czech.

Novotný m Czech
Czech variant of Novak.

Nowak Polish
Polish cognate of Novak. This is the most common surname in Poland.

Nowakowski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from various towns called Nowakowo or similar, derived from Polish nowy meaning "new".

Nowell English
Variant of Noel.

Nowicki m Polish
Habitational name for a person from any of the towns in Poland called Nowice. The name is derived from Polish nowy meaning "new".

Noyer French
French form of Nogueira.

Nozawa Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

Nunes Portuguese
Means "son of Nuno".

Núñez Spanish
Means "son of Nuño".

Nurmi Finnish
Means "meadow, field" in Finnish. It was the surname of the athlete Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973).

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

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

Nye English
Originally indicated a person who lived near a river, from Middle English atten eye meaning "at the river".

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

Nyitrai Hungarian
Indicated someone from Nitra, a city and historic principality of Slovakia (formerly in Hungary). Its name is derived from that of a local river, which is of unknown meaning.

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.

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).

Obama Luo
From a rare Luo given name meaning "crooked, bent". It was possibly originally given to a baby who had an arm or leg that looked slightly bent immediately after birth or who was born in the breech position.

Obando Spanish
Habitational name for someone who came from Obando in Extremadura, Spain.

O'Beirne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

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

Oberst German
From Old High German obar meaning "above, upper", indicating a person from the uppermost end of a village or the top of a house.

Oberti Italian
Derived from the given name Uberto.

Oberto Italian
Derived from the given name Uberto.

O'Boyle Irish
Variant of Boyle.

O'Brian Irish
Variant of O'Brien.

O'Brien Irish
From the Irish Ó Briain meaning "descendant of Brian".

O'Byrne Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Broin meaning "descendant of Bran 1".

O'Callaghan Irish
Variant of Callahan.

Ochoa Spanish
Spanish form of Otxoa.

O'Connell Irish
Variant of Connell.

O'Connor Irish
From Irish Ó Conchobhair meaning "descendant of Conchobar".

Odell English
Originally denoted a person who was from Odell in Bedfordshire, derived from Old English wad "woad" (a plant that produces a blue dye) and hyll "hill".

O'Donnell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Domhnaill meaning "descendant of Domhnall".

Oelberg German
Means "oil hill" from Middle High German öl "oil" and berg "mountain, hill".

Ogawa Japanese
From Japanese 小 (o) meaning "small" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

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

O'Gorman Irish
Variant of Gorman 2.

Oh Korean
Korean form of Wu 1, from Sino-Korean 吳 (o).

O'Hara Irish
From the Irish Ó hEaghra, which means "descendant of Eaghra", Eaghra being a given name of uncertain origin. Supposedly, the founder of the clan was Eaghra, a 10th-century lord of Luighne. A famous fictional bearer of this surname is Scarlett O'Hara, a character in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind (1936).

O'Hearn Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hEachthighearna.

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

Ojeda Spanish
From the name of the Ojeda river in Soria, Spain, possibly derived from Latin folia "leaves".

Okabe Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".

Okafor Igbo
From the given name Okafor.

Okamoto Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Okamura Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

O'Kane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Okazaki Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

O'Keefe Irish
Variant of Keefe.

Okeke Igbo
From the given name Okeke.

Okonkwo Igbo
From the given name Okonkwo.

Okorie Igbo
From the given name Okorie.

Okumura Japanese
From Japanese 奥 (oku) meaning "inside" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Ola Basque
From Basque ola meaning "hut, small house, forge".

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

Olander Swedish
Denoted someone from the islands of Öland (eastern Sweden) or Åland (western Finland).

Olayinka Yoruba
From the given name Olayinka.

O'Leary Irish
From Irish Ó Laoghaire meaning "descendant of Laoghaire".

Olesen Danish
Means "son of Ole".

Olguín Spanish
Variant of Holguín.

Oliveira Portuguese
Means "olive tree" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin oliva. It indicated a person who lived near or worked with olive trees.

Oliver English, Catalan, German, French
Derived from the given name Oliver.

Oliverson English
Means "son of Oliver".

Olivier French
Derived from the given name Olivier.

Oliynyk Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian олія (oliya) meaning "oil, fat".

Olmo Spanish
Means "elm tree" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin ulmus. The name originally indicated a person who lived near such a tree.

Olmos Spanish
Variant of Olmo.

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".

Olszewski m Polish
Originally denoted someone who lived near an alder tree, from Polish olsza meaning "alder tree".

O'Malley Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Máille.

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

Omar Arabic
From the given name Umar.

Omdahl Norwegian
Denoted a person hailing from any one of a number of farms in Norway called either Åmdal or Omdal meaning "elm valley".

Ó Meara Irish
Variant of Ó Meadhra.

O'Neal Irish
From Irish Ó Néill meaning "descendant of Neil".

O'Neill Irish
Variant of O'Neal.

Ó Néill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Neal.

Ong Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Wang 1.

Ongaro Italian
Variant of Ungaro.

Ono Japanese
From Japanese 小 (o) meaning "small" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Oomen Dutch
Patronymic derived from Middle Dutch oom meaning "(maternal) uncle".

Oppenheimer German
Originally indicated a person from Oppenheim, Germany, perhaps meaning "marshy home".

Oquendo Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Okondo in Álava, northern Spain, possibly derived from Basque ukondo "elbow".

Orbán Hungarian
Derived from the given name Orbán.

O'Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.

Orellana Spanish
Originally indicated a person from one of the two towns named Orellana in Badajoz, Spain. Their names are probably derived from Latin Aureliana meaning "of Aurelius".

Orenstein Jewish
Means "horn stone" in German.

Oriol Catalan
From Catalan or meaning "gold", originally a nickname for a person with blond hair.

Orlando Italian
Derived from the given name Orlando.

Orlov m Russian
Derived from Russian орёл (oryol) meaning "eagle".

Orlova f Russian
Feminine form of Orlov.

Orman Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Ormond Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Ormonde Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Orosz Hungarian
Means "Russian" in Hungarian.

Orsini Italian
From a nickname meaning "little bear" in Italian, from Latin ursus "bear".

Ortega Spanish
From a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) derived from ortiga "nettle".

Ortiz Spanish
Means "son of Orti", a byname deriving either from Latin fortis meaning "brave, strong" or fortunius meaning "fortunate".

Osborne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

Osbourne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

O'Shaughnessy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Seachnasaigh.

O'Shea Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Séaghdha.

Ōshiro Japanese
From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle". It is especially common on Okinawa.

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

Østberg Norwegian
Norwegian form of Östberg.

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".

Ostrowski m Polish
From Polish ostrów meaning "river island".

O'Sullivan Irish
Variant of Sullivan.

Otero Spanish
Means "hill, knoll, height" in Spanish.

Otieno Luo
Derived from the given name Otieno.

Otis English
Means "son of Ode".

O'Toole Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Tuathail meaning "descendant of Túathal".

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".

Oursler German
Originally a name designating a person from Ursel (now Oberursel) in Hesse, Germany.

Outlaw English
Means simply "outlaw" from Middle English outlawe.

Overton English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in England called Overton, meaning "upper settlement" or "riverbank settlement" in Old English.

Ovesen Norwegian
Means "son of Ove".

Owen Welsh, English
From the Welsh given name Owain.

Owens Welsh
From the Welsh given name Owain.

Owston English
Denoted a person who came from any one of the places in Britain called Ouston or Owston.

Ozoliņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian ozols meaning "oak tree".