Surnames with Relationship "from word"

This is a list of surnames in which the relationship is from word.
usage
form
Clay English
Means simply "clay", originally referring to a person who lived near or worked with of clay.
Cleary Irish
From Irish cléireach meaning "clerk" (see Clark).
Clery Irish
Variant of Cleary.
Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.
Cock English
Derived from the medieval nickname cok meaning "rooster, cock". The nickname was commonly added to given names to create diminutives such as Hancock or Alcock.
Coelho Portuguese
From the Portuguese word for "rabbit", either a nickname or an occupational name referring to a hunter or seller of rabbits.
Coello Galician
Galician cognate of Coelho.
Coiro Italian
From Italian cuoio meaning "leather", ultimately from Latin corium. This was an occupational surname for a leather worker or tanner.
Coke English
Variant of Cook.
Cokes English
Variant of Cook.
Colombera Italian
From a derivative of Italian colomba "dove" indicating a house where doves were held.
Colombo Italian
Either from Italian colomba "dove" indicating a dove keeper, or from the given name Colombo, which is derived from the same word. This was the Italian surname of the 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus.
Colón Spanish
Spanish form of Colombo.
Colt English
Occupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English colt.
Combs English
Variant of Coombs.
Cook English
Derived from Old English coc meaning "cook", ultimately from Latin coquus. It was an occupational name for a cook, a man who sold cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house.
Cooke English
Variant of Cook.
Coombs English
From Old English cumb meaning "valley", the name of several places in England.
Correa Spanish
Spanish form of Correia.
Correia Portuguese
Means "leather strap, belt" in Portuguese, denoting a person who worked with leather products.
Cortés Spanish
Means "polite, courteous" in Spanish.
Corti Italian
From Italian corte meaning "court, yard".
Ćosić Croatian, Serbian
From Croatian and Serbian ćosav "beardless", ultimately from Persian کوسه (koseh) meaning "shark".
Costa Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".
Coste French
French form of Costa.
Côté French
French form of Costa.
Coupe English
From Middle English coupe meaning "barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.
Courtois French
French form of Curtis.
Crespi Italian
Variant of Crespo.
Crespo Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Referred to a person with curly hair, from Latin crispus meaning "curly".
Crisp English
English cognate of Crespo.
Crnčević Serbian, Croatian
Derived from Serbian and Croatian црн (crn) meaning "black".
Croce Italian
Italian form of Cross.
Crocetti Italian
Italian diminutive form of Croce.
Cross English
Locative name meaning "cross", ultimately from Latin crux. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.
Crouch English
Variant of Cross.
Cruz Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Cross.
Császár Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kaiser.
Cuesta Spanish
Spanish form of Costa.
Cuevas Spanish
Derived from Spanish cueva meaning "cave".
Cuocco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.
Cuoco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.
Curtis English
Nickname for a courteous person, derived from Old French curteis meaning "refined, courtly".
Cuyler Dutch
Variant of Kuijlaars or Koole.
Czajka Polish
Means "lapwing (bird)" in Polish.
Dahl Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley". A famous of this surname was author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) who is mostly remembered for children's stories such as Matilda and Henry Sugar.
Dale English
From Old English dæl meaning "valley", originally indicating a person who lived there.
Dam Dutch, Danish
Means "dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".
Dane 2 English
Originally denoted a Dane, that is a person from Denmark.
Darbinyan Armenian
From Armenian դարբին (darbin) meaning "blacksmith".
Das Bengali, Indian, Assamese, Odia, Hindi, Marathi
Means "servant, devotee" in Sanskrit.
Daube German
Variant of Taube.
D'Cruz Indian (Christian)
Variant of Cruz more common among Christians from India.
D'Cruze Indian (Christian)
Variant of Cruz more common among Christians from India.
Deacon English
Means "deacon", ultimately from Greek διάκονος (diakonos) meaning "servant".
Deák Hungarian
Possibly a Hungarian form of Deacon.
De Boer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bauer.
De Bruijn Dutch
Dutch cognate of Brown.
De Bruin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Brown.
De Campo Italian
Locative surname derived from place names called Campo (meaning "field").
De Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.
De Cock Flemish
Flemish cognate of Cook.
Deforest French
Means "from the forest" in French.
De Graaf Dutch
Dutch cognate of Graf.
De Groot Dutch
From Dutch groot meaning "big, great".
De Haan Dutch
Means "rooster" in Dutch.
De Haas Dutch
Dutch cognate of Hase.
De Jong Dutch
Means "young" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch jonc. This is the most common surname in the Netherlands.
Dekker Dutch
Means "roofer, thatcher" in Dutch.
De Klerk Dutch
From Dutch klerk meaning "clerk", making this a cognate of Clark.
De Kloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.
De Kock Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.
De Koning Dutch
Dutch cognate of King.
Delacroix French
Means "of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.
De la Cruz Spanish
Spanish cognate of Delacroix.
De la Fuente Spanish
Means "of the fountain" in Spanish.
Delaney 1 English
Derived from Norman French de l'aunaie meaning "from the alder grove".
De Lang Dutch
Dutch cognate of Long.
De Lange Dutch
Dutch cognate of Long.
Del Bosque Spanish
Means "of the forest" in Spanish.
Delgado Spanish, Portuguese
Means "thin" in Spanish and Portuguese, ultimately from Latin delicatus meaning "delicate, tender, charming".
Del Olmo Spanish
Variant of Olmo.
Del Río Spanish
Means "of the river" in Spanish.
Demir Turkish
Means "iron" in Turkish, originally referring to an ironworker.
Deng Chinese
From Chinese (dèng) referring to the ancient state of Deng, which existed during the Shang and Zhou dynasties in what is now either Henan or Hubei province.
De Palma Italian
Means "from the palm tree" in Italian.
De Rege Italian (Rare)
Italian variant of Rey 1.
Deschamps French
Means "from the fields", from French champ "field".
Descoteaux French
Means "from the hillside", from French coteau "hillside".
Desjardins French
Means "from the gardens", from French jardin "garden".
De Smet Flemish
Flemish variant of Smit.
Desroches French
Means "from the rocks", from French roche "rock".
Desrosiers French
Means "from the rose bushes", from French rosier "rose bush". It probably referred to a person who lived close to, or cared for a rose garden.
Devi Indian, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Assamese, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Odia
From Sanskrit देवी (devi) meaning "goddess". It is used as a surname by Indian women who did not originally have a family name. This is the most common surname in several Indian states.
Devin 2 French, English
Nickname for a person who acted divinely or prophetically, from Old French devin meaning "divine" or "seer, fortune teller", ultimately from Latin divinus.
De Vos Dutch
Variant of Vos.
Devos Flemish
Flemish variant of Vos.
De Vries Dutch
Means "the Frisian" in Dutch, referring to a person from Friesland.
De Vroome Dutch
Variant of Vroom.
De Wit Dutch
Variant of De Witte.
De Witte Dutch
Means "the white" in Dutch, a nickname for a person with white hair.
Ding Chinese
From Chinese (dīng) meaning "man, person".
Dior French
Possibly from French doré meaning "golden". A famous bearer was the French fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).
Di Pasqua Italian
Means "of Easter" in Italian.
Đỗ Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Du, from Sino-Vietnamese (đỗ).
Dong Chinese
From Chinese (dǒng) meaning "direct, supervise".
Donne Scottish, Irish
From Gaelic donn meaning "brown", a nickname for a person with brown hair.
Doubek Czech
Means "small oak" in Czech, derived from dub "oak".
Downer English
Name for someone who lived on or near a down, which is an English word meaning "hill".
Drake English
Derived from the Old Norse byname Draki or the Old English byname Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent".
Du Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "stop, prevent" or "birchleaf pear tree".
Dubois French
Means "from the forest", from French bois "forest".
Duchamp French
Variant of Deschamps. A famous bearer was the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).
Duerr German
Variant of Dürr.
Dufort French
Means "from the fort", from French fort "stronghold".
Dufour French
Occupational name for a baker, from French four "oven".
Duke English
From the noble title, which was originally from Latin dux "leader". It was a nickname for a person who behaved like a duke, or who worked in a duke's household.
Dumas French
Means "from the farm", from Occitan mas "farmhouse", from Latin mansus "dwelling". A famous bearer was the French author Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870).
Dumont French
Means "from the mountain", from French mont "mountain".
Dunn English, Scottish, Irish
Derived from Old English dunn "dark" or Gaelic donn "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion.
Dupont French
Means "from the bridge", from French pont "bridge".
Dupuis French
Means "from the well", from Old French puts, Latin puteus "well".
Dupuy French
Means "from the hill", from Occitan puy "hill", from Latin podium "platform".
Durán Spanish
Spanish cognate of Durand.
Durand French, English
From Old French durant meaning "enduring", ultimately from Latin durans. This was a nickname for a stubborn person.
Durant English, French
Variation of Durand.
Durante Italian
Italian cognate of Durand.
Dürr German
Means "thin" in German.
Duval French
Means "from the valley" in French.
Dykstra Frisian
From Frisian dyk meaning "dike, ditch". The name was given to a person living near a dyke or embankment.
Earl English
From the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English eorl meaning "nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.
Eichel German
Means "acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.
Ek Swedish
Means "oak" in Swedish.
Eld Swedish
From Old Norse eldr, modern Swedish eld, meaning "fire".
English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.
Ennis Irish
Variant of Innes 1.
Episcopo Italian
Means "bishop" in Italian, ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos).
Espina Spanish
Means "thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.
Espino Spanish
Variant of Espina.
Espinosa Spanish
From Spanish espinoso meaning "thorny", ultimately from Latin spinosus, a derivative of spina meaning "thorn, spine".
Esposito Italian
Means "exposed" in Italian and denoted a child who was rescued after being abandoned by its parents.
Estrada Spanish
Spanish form of Street.
Evangelista Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "evangelist" in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
Expósito Spanish
Spanish cognate of Esposito.
Fabbri Italian
From Italian fabbro meaning "blacksmith", ultimately from Latin faber.
Fabbro Italian
Variant of Fabbri.
Fabre Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.
Fabron French
Diminutive form of Fabre.
Falco Italian
Derived from Italian falco "falcon". The name was used to denote a falconer or a person who resembled a falcon in some way.
Falk Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German
From Old Norse falki or Old High German falco meaning "falcon".
Falkner English, German
English variant and German cognate of Faulkner.
Fan Chinese
From Chinese (fàn) meaning "bee".
Farina Italian
Occupational name for a miller, derived from Italian farina "flour".
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.
Faure Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.
Favero Italian
Variant of Fabbri.
Favre French
Southern French variant of Fèvre.
Favreau French
Diminutive of Favre.
Fay French, English
Referred to a person who came from various places named Fay or Faye in northern France, derived from Old French fau "beech tree", from Latin fagus.
Feld German, Jewish
Means "field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.
Feldt German, Danish, Swedish
North German, Danish and Swedish variant of Feld.
Feng 1 Chinese
From Chinese (féng), which referred to an ancient city in Henan province.
Feng 2 Chinese
From Chinese (fèng) meaning "phoenix, fire bird, fenghuang".
Fenn English
From a name for someone who dwelt near a marsh, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp, bog".
Ferrara Italian
Italian form of Ferreira.
Ferrari Italian
Occupational name for a metalworker or smith, derived from Latin ferrarius, a derivative of ferrum meaning "iron".
Ferreira Portuguese, Galician
Denoted a person from a town named because it was near an iron mine, from Latin ferrum meaning "iron".
Ferreiro Galician
Galician cognate of Ferrari.
Ferrer Catalan
Catalan cognate of Ferrari.
Ferrero Italian
Regional variant of Ferrari. It is typical of the area around Turin.
Ferri Italian
Variant of Ferro.
Ferro Italian, Spanish
Means "iron", ultimately from Latin ferrum. This was an occupational name for one who worked with iron.
Fèvre French
Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.
Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.
Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.
Field English
Variant of Fields.
Fields English
Name for a person who lived on or near a field or pasture, from Old English feld.
Fleming English
Given to a person who was a Fleming, that is a person who was from Flanders in the Netherlands.
Floros Greek
From Greek φλώρος (floros) meaning "greenfinch", derived from classical Greek χλωρός (chloros) meaning "green".
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).
Floyd Welsh
Variant of Lloyd.
Fontaine French
Derived from Old French fontane meaning "well, fountain", a derivative of Latin fons.
Fontana Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Fontaine.
Ford English
Name given to someone who lived by a ford, possibly the official who maintained it. A famous bearer was the American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947).
Forest English, French
Originally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French forest, from Latin forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".
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.
Forney German
Name for someone who lived near ferns, from Old High German farn "fern".
Forst German
Derived from Old High German forst "forest". Probably unrelated to the Old French word forest, which was derived from Latin, Old High German forst was derived from foraha meaning "fir tree".
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.
Fortuin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Fortune.
Fortune English
From Middle English, ultimately from Latin fortuna meaning "fortune, luck, chance". This was possibly a nickname for a gambler.
Fortuyn Dutch
Dutch cognate of Fortune.
Foss English
Variant of Fosse.
Fosse English, French
Derived from Old French fosse "ditch".
Fournier French
Occupational name for a baker, from French fourneau meaning "oven".
Fox English
From the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.
Frank 2 English
From Old English franc meaning "free".
Franklin English
Derived from Middle English frankelin meaning "freeman". It denoted a landowner of free but not noble birth, from Old French franc meaning "free".
Frei German
Means "free" in German, probably referring to someone outside the feudal system.
French English
Originally denoted a French person, from Middle English Frensch, Old English Frencisc.
Freud German, Jewish
Means "joy" in German, a nickname for a cheerful person. A famous bearer was the psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).
Fries German
Denoted someone from Frisia, an area along the coastal region of the North Sea stretching from Netherlands to Germany.
Friis Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian (mostly Danish) form of Fries.
Fromm German
From a nickname derived from Middle High German vrume meaning "noble, honourable".
Frost English, German
From Old English and Old High German meaning "frost", a nickname for a person who had a cold personality or a white beard.
Fry English
From Old English frig (a variant of freo) meaning "free".
Frye English
Variant of Fry.
Fuchs German
From Old High German fuhs meaning "fox". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
Fuentes Spanish
Means "spring, well" in Spanish, derived from Latin fons.
Fux German
Variant of Fuchs.
Gage French, English
Occupational name derived either from Old French jauge "measure" (a name for an assayer) or gage "pledge, payment" (a name for a moneylender). Both words were ultimately of Frankish origin.
Gagne French
Variant of Gagneux. This surname is especially common in Quebec.
Gagneux French
Derived from Old French gagnier meaning "to farm, to cultivate".
Galli Italian
Variant of Gallo, common in northern Italy.
Gallo Italian, Spanish
Means "rooster", ultimately from Latin gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.
Gao Chinese
From Chinese (gāo) meaning "tall, high".
Garb German
Variant of Garber.
Garber German
Variant of Gerber.
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.
Garnett 1 English
Occupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French carne "hinge".
Garver German
Variant of Gerber.
Gatti Italian
Means "cat" in Italian, originally a nickname for an agile person.
Gerber German
Means "tanner, leather dresser" in German, derived from Old High German garawen meaning "to prepare".
Gerst German
Occupational name for a barley farmer, derived from Old High German gersta "barley".
Gerstle German
Variant of Gerst.
Gerver German
Variant of Gerber.
Giffard French, English
Possibly from Old French gifart meaning "chubby" or possibly from the Germanic name Gebhard. Walter Giffard was one of the Norman companions of William the Conqueror.
Glas German, Dutch
German and Dutch cognate of Glass.
Glass English, German
From Old English glæs or Old High German glas meaning "glass". This was an occupational name for a glass blower or glazier.
Glen Scottish
Variant of Glenn.
Glenn Scottish, English
From place names derived from Gaelic gleann "valley". A famous bearer was the American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).
Glynn Welsh, Cornish
Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, from Welsh glyn and Cornish glin, or a habitational name from a place named with this word.
Gold English, German, Jewish
From Old English and Old High German gold meaning "gold", an occupational name for someone who worked with gold or a nickname for someone with yellow hair. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Golob Slovene
Means "pigeon" in Slovene.
Golub Croatian
Means "pigeon" in Croatian.
Good English
From a nickname meaning "good", referring to a kindly person.
Goode English
Variant of Good.
Górski Polish
From the Polish word góra meaning "mountain".
Graf German
From the German noble title Graf meaning "count", ultimately from Greek γραφεύς (grapheus) meaning "scribe".
Grant English, Scottish
Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great".
Grassi Italian
Variant of Grasso.
Grasso Italian
Means "fat" in Italian, originally a nickname for a stout person. It is derived from Latin crassus.
Graves English
Occupational name for a steward, derived from Middle English greyve, related to the German title Graf.
Gray English
From a nickname for a person who had grey hair or grey clothes.
Grbić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Means "hunchback", derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene grba "hump".
Green English
Descriptive name for someone who often wore the colour green or someone who lived near the village green.
Greene English
Variant of Green.
Grey English
Variant of Gray.
Grieve Scottish
Occupational name meaning "steward, farm manager" in Middle English, related to the German title Graf.
Griffin 2 English
Nickname from the mythological beast with body of a lion with head and wings of an eagle. It is ultimately from Greek γρύψ (gryps).
Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.
Groos German
Variant of Groß.
Groot Dutch
Variant of De Groot.
Gros French
Means "thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.
Gross German
Variant of Groß.
Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".
Große German
Variant of Groß.
Grosse German
Variant of Groß.
Größel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.
Großel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.
Großer German
Variant of Groß.
Grosser German
Variant of Groß.
Grossi Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.
Grosso Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.
Groves English
From Old English graf meaning "grove". This originally indicated a person who lived near a grove (a group of trees).
Guan Chinese
From Chinese (guān) meaning "frontier pass".