Surnames on the United States Popularity List

Archambault French
From the archaic French given name Archambault, which is related to Archibald.

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

Ardelean Romanian
From the Romanian region of Ardeal, also called Transylvania. It is possibly derived from Hungarian erdő meaning "forest".

Ardizzone Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Ardito.

Arena Italian
Italian cognate of Arenas.

Arenas Spanish
From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish arena meaning "sand".

Arends Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arendse Afrikaans
Variant of Arends.

Arendsen Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Arents Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Arentz Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Argall Cornish
From a place name meaning "shelter, quiet place" in Cornish.

Argyris m Greek
Means "silver" in Greek.

Arias Spanish
Possibly derived from a medieval given name of Germanic origin.

Arima Japanese
From Japanese 有 (ari) meaning "have, possess" and 馬 (ma) meaning "horse".

Arkema Frisian
Means "son of Arke 2".

Arkwright English
Occupational name meaning "chest maker", from Middle English arc meaning "chest, coffer" and wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".

Armando Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Armando.

Armani Italian
Means "son of Ermanno".

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".

Armistead English
Means "hermitage", indicating a person who lived near one, from Middle English ermite "hermit" and stede "place".

Armstrong English
Means "strong arm" from Middle English. Tradition holds that the family is descended from Siward, an 11th-century Earl of Northumbria. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), a jazz musician, and Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), an astronaut who was the first person to walk on the moon.

Arnaud French
From the given name Arnaud.

Arnesen Norwegian
Means "son of Arne 1".

Arnold English, German
Derived from the given name Arnold.

Arntz Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arntzen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arreola Spanish
Variant of Arriola, found predominantly in Mexico.

Arrighi Italian
Means "son of Arrigo".

Arrington English
From the name of a town in Cambridgeshire, originally meaning "Earna's settlement" in Old English (Earna being a person's nickname meaning "eagle").

Arriola Spanish, Basque
From Basque place names, themselves derived from Basque arri "stone" and -ola "place of, house".

Arroyo Spanish
Means "stream, brook" in Spanish.

Arterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Arterbury English
Variant of Atteberry.

Arthur English, French
From the given name Arthur.

Arts 1 Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Arts 2 Dutch
Dutch cognate of Arzt.

Artz Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Arzt Dutch
Means "doctor, physician" in German, ultimately from Latin archiater.

Asano Japanese
From Japanese 浅 (asa) meaning "shallow" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Asanuma Japanese
From Japanese 浅 (asa) meaning "shallow" and 沼 (numa) meaning "swamp, marsh".

Ash English
From Old English æsc meaning "ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.

Ashley English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Ashton English
Denoted a person from one of the towns in England that bear this name, itself derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Ashworth English
From an English place name meaning "ash enclosure" in Old English.

Asís Spanish
Originally denoted a person from the Italian city of Assisi (called Asís in Spanish).

Aslan Turkish
From the given name Aslan.

Assink Dutch
From a place name meaning "(farm) belonging to Asse".

Aston 1 English
From a place name meaning "east town" in Old English.

Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.

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.

Astrauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Ostrowski.

Åström Swedish
From Swedish å meaning "river, stream" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream, current, flow".

Asturias Spanish
From the name of a region in Spain, formerly a medieval kingdom. It is possibly derived from Basque asta "rock" and ur "water".

Atanasov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Atanas".

Atanasova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Atanasov.

Atchison Scottish
Scots form of Atkinson.

Athanasiou Greek
Means "son of Athanasios".

Atkins English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Atkinson English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Atsma Frisian
Means "son of Atse".

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

Attaway English
Means "at the way", originally denoting someone who lived close to a road.

Atteberry English
Means "dweller at the fortified town" from Middle English at and burh "fortified place".

Atterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Attwood English
Variant of Atwood.

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

Atwood English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the wood".

Aubert French
From the given name Aubert.

Audley English
From a place name meaning "Ealdgyð's clearing" in Old English.

Aue German
From German meaning "meadow by a river, wetland". There are many places with this name in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

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

Augustin French, German
From the given name Augustin.

Augustine English
From the given name Augustine 1.

Aukema Frisian
Means "son of Auke".

Aukes Dutch
Dutch form of Aukema.

Aust German
Derived from Aust, an archaic diminutive of August.

Austin English
Derived from the given name Austin.

Avagyan Armenian
Means "son of Avag".

Avakian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Ավագյան (see Avagyan).

Avcı Turkish
Means "hunter" in Turkish.

Avellino Italian
From the name of a town in Campania, Italy, called Abellinum in Latin, of unknown meaning.

Averill English
From Middle English aueril, Old French avrill meaning "April", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.

Avery English
Derived from a Norman French form of the given names Alberich or Alfred.

Ávila Spanish
From the name of the city of Ávila in Spain. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly of Punic or Celtic origin.

Avraham Jewish
From the given name Abraham.

Axelsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Axel".

Axelsson Swedish
Means "son of Axel".

Ayala Spanish
From the name of the town of Ayala (called Aiara in Basque) in Álava, Spain. It might be derived from Basque aiher "slope" or alha "pasture".

Ayers 1 English
From Middle English eir meaning "heir".

Ayers 2 English
Derived from the given name Ealhhere.

Ayers 3 English
Indicated a person from the town of Ayr in Scotland. The town was named for the river that flows through it, itself derived from an Indo-European root meaning "water".

Aylmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Ayodele Yoruba
From the given name Ayodele.

Ayton English
From the name of towns in Berwickshire and North Yorkshire. They are derived from Old English ea "river" or ieg "island" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Azzarà Italian
Sicilian name, derived from Greek dialects of southern Italy. It is from Greek ψαράς (psaras) meaning "fisherman".

Baak Dutch
From a Frisian given name, a short form of Germanic names starting with the element batu "fight, struggle".

Baar Dutch
Variant of Baars.

Baarda Frisian
From the name of the town of Baard in the Netherlands, possibly derived from a given name that was a variant of Bert.

Baars Dutch
Indicated a person coming from the town of Beers in the Netherlands.

Baas Dutch
Means "boss, overseer" in Dutch.

Baasch Low German
From Middle Low German bas meaning "boss".

Babatunde Yoruba
From the given name Babatunde.

Babayev m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Baba".

Babayeva f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Babayev.

Babcock English
Derived from the medieval name Bab, possibly a diminutive of Bartholomew or Barbara.

Babić Serbian, Croatian
Matronymic surname derived from Serbo-Croatian baba "grandmother, old woman".

Babič Slovene
Slovene form of Babić.

Babin French
From the given name Babin, a medieval diminutive of Babylas.

Babineaux French
Variant of Babin.

Bach 1 German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream, from Middle High German bach meaning "stream". This name was borne by members of the Bach musical family, notably the composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).

Bach 2 Danish
Variant of Bak.

Bachman German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Bachmann.

Bachmann German
Denoted a person who lived near a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and man "man".

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.

Backus English
Means "bakery", an occupational name for a baker, from Old English bæchus literally "bake house".

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

Bager Danish
Danish cognate of Baker.

Baggio Italian
Originally denoted a person from the Italian town of Baggio (now part of Milan). It is probably derived from Latin Badalocum meaning "watch place".

Baghdasaryan Armenian
Means "son of Baghdasar".

Baghdassarian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Բաղդասարյան (see Baghdasaryan).

Bagheri Persian
From the given name Bagher.

Bagley English
From various English place names, derived from the Old English given name Bacga combined with leah "woodland, clearing".

Baglio Italian
Italian cognate of Bailey.

Bagni Italian
From Italian bagno "bath", derived from Latin balneum, referring to a person who worked as a bath house attendant.

Bagnoli Italian
Diminutive form of Bagni.

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

Bai Chinese
From Chinese 白 (bái) meaning "white".

Baier German
Variant of Bayer.

Bailey English
From Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin baiulus "porter".

Bain English
Variant of Baines 2.

Baines 1 Welsh
From Welsh ab Einws meaning "son of Einws", a diminutive of Einion.

Baines 2 English
From a nickname derived from Old English ban "bones", probably for a thin person.

Baird Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac an Baird.

Bak Danish
Means "slope, hillside" in Danish, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Bakalov m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian бакалин (bakalin) meaning "grocer" (of Arabic origin).

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

Bakke Norwegian
Means "slope, hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Bakken Norwegian
Means "the slope, the hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

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

Bakó Hungarian
Means "axeman" in Hungarian.

Bălan Romanian
Means "blond" in Romanian.

Baláž m Slovak
Slovak form of Balázs.

Balázs Hungarian
Derived from the given name Balázs.

Balboni Italian
Derived from the given name Balbino.

Balčiūnas m Lithuanian
From a given name that was derived from Lithuanian baltas meaning "white".

Baldi Italian
Derived from the given name Baldo.

Baldini Italian
Derived from the given name Baldino, a diminutive of Baldo.

Baldwin English
Derived from the given name Baldwin.

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

Balık Turkish
From a Turkish word meaning "fish".

Bálint Hungarian
Derived from the given name Bálint.

Ball English
From Middle English bal, Old English beall meaning "ball". This was either a nickname for a rotund or bald person, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a ball-shaped feature.

Ballard English
Variant of Ball using a pejorative suffix.

Ballerini Italian
From Italian ballerino meaning "dancer", an occupational name or nickname for someone who liked to dance.

Balodis m Latvian
Means "pigeon" in Latvian.

Balog Hungarian
Variant of Balogh.

Balogh Hungarian
Means "left handed" in Hungarian.

Bambach German
Variant of Baumbach.

Bancroft English
From any of the various places of this name, derived from Old English bean meaning "bean" and croft meaning "small enclosed field".

Banderas Spanish
Spanish cognate of Banner.

Bandini Italian
From the Latin name Bandinus, a derivative of Bandus, which is of unknown meaning.

Bandoni Italian
From Italian bandone meaning "sheet of iron".

Bandyopadhyay Bengali
From the name of the village of Bandoghat combined with upadhaya "instructor, priest".

Banerjee Bengali
Variant of Bandyopadhyay.

Banes Welsh
Variant of Baines 1.

Baník m Slovak
Means "miner" in Slovak.

Banister English
Variant of Bannister.

Banks English
Originally indicated someone who lived near a hillside or a bank of land.

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

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

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

Baran um Polish, Slovak, Ukrainian
Means "ram, male sheep" in Polish, Slovak and Ukrainian.

Baranová f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Baran.

Bárány Hungarian
Means "lamb" in Hungarian.

Baráth Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian barát meaning "friend".

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

Barbier French
French cognate of Barber.

Barbieri Italian
Italian cognate of Barber.

Barbu Romanian
From Romanian barbă meaning "beard".

Barclay English, Scottish
From the English place name Berkeley, derived from Old English beorc "birch" and leah "woodland, clearing". The surname was imported to Scotland in the 12th century.

Bardsley English
From the name a village near Manchester, from the Old English given name Beornræd and leah "woodland, clearing".

Barends Dutch
Means "son of Barend".

Barış Turkish
From the given name Barış.

Barišić Croatian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Bartol.

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

Barlow English
Derived from a number of English place names that variously mean "barley hill", "barn hill", "boar clearing" or "barley clearing".

Barna Hungarian
Means "brown" in Hungarian.

Barnes English
Denoted a person who worked or lived in a barn. The word barn is derived from Old English bere "barley" and ærn "dwelling".

Barnet English
Variant of Barnett.

Barnett English
Derived from Old English bærnet meaning "place cleared by burning".

Baron English, French
From the title of nobility, derived from Latin baro (genitive baronis) meaning "man, freeman", possibly from Frankish barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or acted like a baron.

Barone Italian
Italian cognate of Baron.

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

Barre French
French cognate of Barr.

Barrera Spanish
Spanish cognate of Barr.

Barret English
Variant of Barrett.

Barrett English
Probably derived from the Middle English word barat meaning "trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.

Barros Portuguese, Spanish
From the Portuguese and Spanish word barro meaning "clay, mud". This could either be an occupational name for a person who worked with clay or mud such as a builder or artisan, or a topographic name for someone living near clay or mud.

Barsamian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Պարսամյան (see Parsamyan).

Barsotti Italian
Probably from the medieval Latin word baro meaning "man, freeman" (of Frankish origin).

Bárta m Czech
From a given name that was a diminutive of Bartoloměj.

Barta Hungarian
From the given name Barta.

Bartha Hungarian
Variant of Barta.

Bartlett English
From a diminutive form of Bartholomew.

Bartolomei Italian
Derived from the given name Bartolomeo.

Bartolomeo Italian
Derived from the given name Bartolomeo.

Barton English
From a place name meaning "barley town" in Old English.

Bartos Hungarian
From a given name that was a diminutive of Bertalan.

Bartoš m Czech, Slovak
Derived from Bartoš, a diminutive of Bartoloměj or Bartolomej.

Bartosz Polish
Derived from the given name Bartosz.

Bartram English
From the given name Bertram.

Bašić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the chief", derived from Serbo-Croatian baša meaning "chief, boss" (of Turkish origin).

Basile Italian, French
From the given name Basilio or Basile.

Bass English
English cognate of Basso.

Bassani Italian
Derived from the place name Bassano, belonging multiple villages in Italy.

Bassi Italian
Variant of Basso, common in northern Italy.

Basso Italian
Originally a nickname for a short person, from Latin bassus "thick, low".

Basurto Spanish
From the Basque place name Basurtu, a village (now part of Bilbao) in Biscay. It means "middle of the forest".

Bates English
Means "son of Bate".

Bateson English
Means "son of Bate".

Báthory Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from Bátor, a village in Hungary, which might be of Turkic origin meaning "hero". This was the surname of a Hungarian noble family who historically controlled the town. One of the family members, Stephen Báthory, became the king of Poland in the 16th century.

Battaglia Italian
From a nickname meaning "battle" in Italian.

Battle English
From a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.

Batts English
Means "son of Bate".

Baudin French
From the given name Baud, French form of Baldo.

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

Bauers German
Variant of Bauer.

Baum German, Jewish
Means "tree" in German. A famous bearer was the American author L. Frank Baum (1856-1919).

Baumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German bumann meaning "farmer, builder".

Baumbach German
From a place name meaning "tree stream" in German.

Baumer German
Variant of Baum.

Baumgarten German
Variant of Baumgartner.

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".

Bautista Spanish
Derived from the given name Bautista.

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.

Bazzoli Italian
From Italian bazza meaning "protruding chin".

Bean English
English cognate of Bohn.

Beasley English
From the name of a place in Lancashire, from Old English beos "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Beattie Scottish
From the medieval name Battie, a diminutive of Bartholomew.

Beatty Scottish
Variant of Beattie.

Beauchêne French
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and chêne "oak".

Beaufort French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and fort "strong place, fortress".

Beaulieu French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and lieu "place".

Beaumont French, English
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and mont "mountain".

Beck 1 English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
From Middle English bekke (from Old Norse), Low German beke or Old Norse bekkr all meaning "stream".

Beck 2 German
Variant of Becker, from southern German beck.

Beck 3 English
From a nickname for a person with a big nose, from Middle English bec meaning "beak".

Beck 4 English
From Old English becca meaning "pickaxe", an occupational surname.

Becke German
Variant of Beck 1 or Beck 2.

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

Beckert German
Variant of Becker.

Becket English
Variant of Beckett.

Beckett English
Originally a diminutive of Beck 1 or Beck 3.

Beckham English
From an English place name meaning "Becca's homestead" in Old English (with Becca being a masculine byname meaning "pickaxe"). A famous bearer is retired English soccer player David Beckham (1975-).

Bedrosian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Պետրոսյան (see Petrosyan).

Beech 1 English
English cognate of Bach 1.

Beech 2 English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a beech tree, from Old English bece.

Begam Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
Alternate transcription of Urdu بیگم, Bengali বেগম or Gurmukhi ਬੇਗਮ (see Begum).

Begbie Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse given name Baggi and býr "farm, settlement".

Begum Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
From a title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in India and other parts of southern Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the Turkic title beg meaning "chieftain" (modern Turkish bey).

Behrend German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Behrends German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Behringer German
From the given name Berengar.

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

Beirne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Beitel German
Variant of Beutel.

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.

Bell 1 English
From Middle English belle meaning "bell". It originated as a nickname for a person who lived near the town bell, or who had a job as a bell-ringer.

Bell 2 English
Derived from the given name Bel, a medieval short form of Isabel.

Bellamy French, English
From Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".

Bellandi Italian
Means "son of Bellando", from a medieval given name derived from Latin bellandus meaning "which is to be fought".

Bellerose French
Means "beautiful rose" in French.

Bellini Italian
From Italian bello meaning "beautiful".

Bello Spanish, Italian
Means "beautiful" in Spanish and Italian, originally a nickname for an attractive person.

Bellomo Italian
From a nickname derived from Italian bello "beautiful, fair" and uomo "man".

Belloni Italian
Augmented form of Bello.

Belmont French, English
French and English form of Belmonte.

Belmonte Spanish, Italian
From various place names in Italy and Spain meaning "beautiful mountain".

Belo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bello.

Belrose French
Variant of Bellerose.

Beltz German
Occupational name for a tanner of hides, derived from Middle High German belz meaning "fur".

Benbow English
From a nickname "bend the bow" given to an archer.

Bendtsen Danish
Means "son of Bendt".

Benedetti Italian
From the given name Benedetto.

Benenati Italian
Means "son of Benenato", a given name derived from Latin bene "good, well" and natus "good".

Benes Hungarian
Hungarian form of Beneš.

Beneš m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Benedikt.

Bengochea Basque
Variant of Bengoetxea.

Bengoechea Basque
Variant of Bengoetxea.

Bengtsson Swedish
Means "son of Bengt".

Benini Italian
Means "son of Benino" from a diminutive of Bene or Beno, short forms of Benedetto.