Surnames with Relationship "from word"

This is a list of surnames in which the relationship is from word.
usage
form
Lowe 2 English
Variant of Law.
Lowell English
From a nickname derived from a Norman French lou meaning "wolf" and a diminutive suffix.
Lu 1 Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "musical note" and also referring to the former state of Lu, which was situated in what is now Henan province.
Lu 2 Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "rice bowl, black", also referring to an ancient minor territory in what is now Shandong province.
Luna Spanish
From various places in Spain meaning "moon".
Lund Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Indicated a person who lived near a grove of trees, from Old Norse lundr meaning "grove". There are towns in Sweden named Lund.
Lunde Norwegian
Variant of Lund.
Lundin Swedish
Variant of Lund.
Lungu Romanian
Romanian cognate of Long.
Luo Chinese
From Chinese (luó) referring to the minor state of Luo, which existed from the 11th to 7th centuries BC in what is now Hubei province.
Lupei Romanian
Variant of Lupu.
Lupo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wolf".
Lupu Romanian
From Romanian lup meaning "wolf".
Lyon 2 English, French
From a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English lion meaning "lion".
Lysenko Ukrainian
From a nickname, either from Ukrainian лис (lys) meaning "fox" or лисий (lysy) meaning "bald".
Ma Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "horse".
Mac Cléirich Irish
Means "son of the clerk" in Irish.
Machado Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who made or used hatchets, derived from Spanish and Portuguese machado "hatchet", both from Latin marculus "little hammer".
Maçon French
French cognate of Mason.
Mägi Estonian
Means "hill, mountain" in Estonian.
Magro Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "thin, lean", ultimately from Latin macer.
Magyar Hungarian
Means "Hungarian" in Hungarian.
Mai Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Mei, from Sino-Vietnamese (mai).
Majewski Polish
Derived from Polish maj meaning "May". It may have been given in reference to the month the bearer was baptized.
Mäkelä Finnish
Means "the place of the hill" in Finnish.
Maki 1 Japanese
From Japanese (maki) meaning "shepherd, tend cattle".
Mäkinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish mäki meaning "hill".
Malinowski Polish
From Polish malina meaning "raspberry", originally indicating a person who lived near a raspberry patch.
Mały Polish
Polish cognate of Malý.
Malý Czech
Means "small" in Czech.
Mancini Italian
Diminutive of Manco.
Manco Italian
Means "left-handed" in Italian, derived from Latin mancus meaning "maimed".
Mancuso Sicilian
Sicilian variant of Manco.
Mandel German, Yiddish
Means "almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Mann German, English
From a nickname meaning "man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.
Marchand English, French
Occupational name meaning "merchant", ultimately from Latin mercari "to trade".
Marchesi Italian
From the Italian title marchese meaning "marquis". It was probably a nickname for a person who behaved like a marquis or worked in the household of a marquis.
Marshall English
Derived from Middle English mareschal "marshal", from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German marah "horse" and scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.
Marszałek Polish
Polish cognate of Marshall.
Martel 2 French, English
Nickname for a smith, derived from Old French martel "hammer", ultimately from Late Latin martellus.
Martelli Italian
Italian form of Martel 2.
Mas 1 Catalan
Means "farmhouse" in Catalan.
Máselník Czech
Referred to one who churned or sold butter or buttermilk, derived from Czech máslo "butter".
Maślanka Polish
Polish cognate of Máselník.
Mason English
Occupational name for a stoneworker or layer of bricks, from Old French masson, of Frankish origin (akin to Old English macian "to make").
Mata Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
From Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan mata meaning "trees, shrubs", possibly from Late Latin matta meaning "reed mat".
Maurer German
Occupational name meaning "wall builder" in German.
Maus German
From a nickname meaning "mouse", from Old High German mus.
Mayer 3 English
Occupational name for a mayor, from Middle English mair, derived via Old French from Latin maior.
Mayer 4 English
Variant of Myer.
Medina Spanish
Means "(Arab) city" in Spanish, derived from Arabic مدينة (madinah).
Medved Slovene, Croatian, Russian, Ukrainian
Means "bear" in several Slavic languages.
Medveď Slovak
Slovak cognate of Medved.
Mei Chinese
From Chinese (méi) meaning "plum, apricot".
Meijer Dutch
Dutch form of Meyer 1.
Meir Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.
Mejía Spanish
Possibly from a nickname derived from Spanish Mesías meaning "Messiah", from Latin Messias, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach) meaning "anointed".
Melo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Merlo.
Mercer English
Occupational name for a trader in textiles, from Old French mercier, derived from Latin merx meaning "merchandise".
Mercier French
French form of Mercer.
Merino Spanish
From the title for a judge in medieval Spain, derived from Latin maior.
Merle French
French form of Merlo.
Merlo Italian, Spanish
Means "blackbird", ultimately from Latin merula. The blackbird is a symbol of a naive person.
Messer German
Occupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German messer "knife".
Messerli German (Swiss)
Swiss diminutive form of Messer.
Metz 1 German
Occupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German metze "knife".
Meyer 1 German
From Middle High German meier meaning "bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings Meier and Meyer are more common in northern Germany while Maier and Mayer are more common in southern Germany.
Meyer 2 Jewish
From Hebrew מֵאִיר (meir) meaning "enlightened".
Meyer 4 English
Variant of Myer.
Mills English
Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.
Milne Scottish
From Scots and Middle English milne (a variant of mille) meaning "mill".
Minami Japanese
From Japanese (minami) meaning "south".
Mishra Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Means "mixed, mingled, honourable" in Sanskrit.
Mlakar Slovene, Croatian
Referred to someone who lived near a pool, derived from South Slavic mlaka meaning "pool, puddle".
Mlynář Czech
Means "miller" in Czech.
Moe Norwegian
Means "sandy ground" in Norwegian.
Moen Norwegian
Means "the sandy ground" in Norwegian.
Molina Spanish
Means "mill" in Spanish.
Molnár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "miller" in Hungarian.
Monk English
Nickname or occupational name for a person who worked for monks. This word is derived from Latin monachus, from Greek μοναχός (monachos) meaning "alone".
Montagna Italian
Means "mountain" in Italian, from Latin montanus, indicating a person who lived on or near a mountain.
Montagne French
French cognate of Montagna.
Montaña Spanish
Spanish cognate of Montagna.
Montanari Italian
Means "from the mountain" in Italian.
Monte Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Italian variant of Monti, as well as a Portuguese and Spanish cognate.
Montes Spanish
From Spanish monte "mountain, hill", derived from Latin mons.
Monti Italian
Means "mountain, hill" in Italian, from Latin mons.
Moon 1 Korean
Korean form of Wen, from Sino-Korean (mun).
Moore 1 English
Originally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English mor meaning "open land, bog".
Moore 3 English
Nickname for a person of dark complexion, from Old French more, Latin maurus, meaning "Moorish".
Moors English
Variant of Moore 1.
Mora Spanish
Derived from Spanish mora meaning "mulberry", of Latin origin.
Morales Spanish
Derived from Spanish moral meaning "mulberry tree", of Latin origin.
Moreira Portuguese
Derived from Portuguese amoreira meaning "mulberry tree".
Moreno Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish and Portuguese.
Mori Japanese
From Japanese (mori) meaning "forest".
Morin English
Variant of Moore 2 and Moore 3.
Moschella Italian
From a diminutive of Italian mosca meaning "housefly", perhaps originally a nickname for an annoying person.
Moto Japanese
From Japanese (moto) meaning "base, root, origin". More commonly it is the final character in Japanese surnames.
Moulin French
Means "mill" in French.
Muir Scottish
Scots form of Moore 1. This name was borne by the Scottish-American naturalist John Muir (1838-1914).
Mullins 1 English
Derived from Norman French molin "mill".
Munteanu Romanian
From Romanian muntean meaning "mountaineer, from the mountains", ultimately from Latin mons.
Muraro Italian
Occupational name for a wall builder, from Italian murare meaning "to wall up".
Musiał Polish
Polish cognate of Musil.
Musil 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).
Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.
Myer English
From Old French mire meaning "doctor", derived from Latin medicus.
Nacar Turkish
Turkish form of Najjar.
Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.
Naess Norwegian
Variant of Ness.
Nagel German, Dutch
Means "nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.
Najjar Arabic
Means "carpenter" in Arabic.
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.
Nedvěd Czech
Czech cognate of Medved, derived from the dialectal nedvěd.
Negrescu Romanian
Patronymic derived from Romanian negru "black".
Negri Italian
Nickname derived from Italian negro "black", used to refer to someone with dark hair or dark skin.
Negrini Italian
Variant of Negri.
Němec Czech
Means "German" in Czech.
Němeček Czech
Diminutive form of Němec.
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.
Ngô Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 1, from Sino-Vietnamese (ngô).
Nguyễn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Ruan, from Sino-Vietnamese (nguyễn). This is the most common Vietnamese surname, accounting for over a third of the population.
Nieddu Italian
From Sardinian nieddu meaning "black", derived from Latin niger.
Niemec Polish
Means "German" in Polish.
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.
Nigro Italian
Variant of Negri.
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.
Nordin Swedish
Derived from Swedish nord meaning "north" (Old Norse norðr).
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.
North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.
Nosek Czech, Polish
Means "small nose" in Czech and Polish.
Notaro Italian
Occupational name for a clerk, derived from Latin notarius.
Nováček Czech
Diminutive of Novak.
Novák Czech, Slovak, Hungarian
Czech, Slovak and Hungarian form of Novak.
Novak Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Slavic novy "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village.
Novik Belarusian
From Belarusian новы (novy) meaning "new".
Novikov Russian
Derived from Russian новый (novy) meaning "new".
Novotný Czech
Czech variant of Novak.
Nowak Polish
Polish cognate of Novak. This is the most common surname in Poland.
Noyer French
French form of Nogueira.
Ó Braoin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Breen.
Ó Braonáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Brennan.
Ochoa Spanish
Spanish form of Otxoa.
Ó Cléirigh Irish
Means "descendant of the clerk" in Irish.
Oh Korean
Korean form of Wu 1, from Sino-Korean (o).
Ohme German
From Middle High German oem meaning "maternal uncle".
Oláh Hungarian
Means "Romanian" in Hungarian, from old Slavic volhu "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).
Olasz Hungarian
Means "Italian" in Hungarian, from old Slavic volhu "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).
Oliveira Portuguese
Means "olive tree" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin oliva. It indicated a person who lived near or worked with olive trees.
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.
Oriol Catalan
From Catalan or meaning "gold", originally a nickname for a person with blond hair.
Orsini Italian
From a nickname meaning "little bear" in Italian, from Latin ursus "bear".
Øster Danish
From Danish øst meaning "east", originally denoting a dweller on the eastern side of a place.
Otxoa Basque
From Basque otso meaning "wolf".
Ozoliņš Latvian
From Latvian ozols meaning "oak tree".
Ozols Latvian
Means "oak tree" in Latvian.
Pabst German
From German Papst, a cognate of Pope.
Pagani Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.
Pagano Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.
Page English, French
Occupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".
Pahlke German
Low German cognate of Peel.
Paige English
Variant of Page.
Pain English
Variant of Payne.
Palmeiro Portuguese
Portuguese form of Palmer.
Palmer English
Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
Palomo Spanish
Means "pigeon, dove", from Latin palumbes.
Palumbo Italian
From Italian palombo meaning "pigeon" (also "dogfish"). This form is typical of southern Italy.
Pan 2 Chinese
From Chinese (pān) meaning "water in which rice has been rinsed", and also referring to a river that flows into the Han River.
Panza Italian, Literature
From a variant of the Italian word pancia meaning "stomach, paunch", originally a nickname for a chubby person. The Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it is the surname of Don Quixote's squire Sancho Panza. Not a common Spanish surname, Cervantes may have based it directly on the Spanish word panza (a cognate of the Italian word).
Pape French
French cognate of Pope.
Papke Low German
Low German diminutive form of papa (see Pope).
Papp 1 Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" in Hungarian.
Paredes Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who lived near a wall, from Portuguese parede and Spanish pared meaning "wall", both derived from Latin paries.
Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pārēre meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin parere meaning "to produce, to give birth").
Park 1 Korean
From Sino-Korean 樸 or 朴 (bak) meaning "plain, unadorned, simple".
Park 2 English
From Middle English park, from Latin parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.
Pasternak Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Yiddish
Means "parsnip" in various Slavic languages, ultimately from Latin pastinaca. A famous bearer was Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), author of Doctor Zhivago.
Pastor Spanish
Means "shepherd" in Spanish.
Pastore Italian
Means "shepherd" in Italian.
Pásztor Hungarian
Means "shepherd" in Hungarian.
Pataki Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian patak meaning "creek, brook" (a word of Slavic origin). It was given to people who lived near a creek.
Paternoster English, Italian
Occupational name for a maker of rosaries, also called paternosters. They are derived from the Latin phrase pater noster "our Father", the opening words of the Lord's Prayer.
Pavone Italian
Means "peacock" in Italian. It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
Pavoni Italian
Variant of Pavone.
Payne English
From a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin paganus meaning "heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.
Paz Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.
Peacock English
From Middle English pecok meaning "peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
Peak English
Originally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.
Peck 1 English
Variant of Peak.
Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).
Pei Chinese
From Chinese (péi), possibly referring to an ancient city.
Pellegrino Italian
Means "pilgrim, traveller" in Italian, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.
Peng Chinese
From Chinese (péng) referring to the ancient state of Peng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Jiangsu province.
Penn 2 English
Occupational name for a person who kept penned animals, from Old English penn.
Penny English
Nickname meaning "penny, coin" from Old English penning.
Pereira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".
Perry 1 English
From Old English pirige meaning "pear tree", a derivative of peru meaning "pear", itself from Latin pirum. A famous bearer was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.
Petit French, Catalan, English
Means "small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.
Pfaff German
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" from Old High German pfaffo, from Latin papa.
Pfenning German
From Old High German pfenning meaning "penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.
Phạm Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.
Phan Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Pan 2, from Sino-Vietnamese (phan).
Piazza Italian
Means "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin platea.
Pilgrim English
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.
Pinheiro Portuguese
Means "pine tree" in Portuguese.
Pinho Portuguese
Habitational name meaning "pine" in Portuguese.
Pini Italian
Name for a person who lived near a pine tree, from Italian pino, Latin pinus.
Pinto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
Means "mottled" in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, derived from Late Latin pinctus, Latin pictus "painted".
Planche French
French form of Plank.
Planck German
German variant of Plank.
Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.
Planque French
French form of Plank.
Platt English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.
Plaza Spanish
Spanish cognate of Piazza.
Pleško Slovene
Nickname for a bald person, from Slovene pleša meaning "bald patch".
Poggi Italian
Variant of Poggio.
Poggio Italian
Means "hillock, small hill" in Italian, a derivative of Latin podium meaning "balcony, platform".
Pohl 1 Low German
Low German cognate of Poole.
Poirier French
Means "pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.
Poirot French, Literature
From a diminutive of French poire "pear", originally referring to a pear merchant or someone who lived near a pear tree. Starting in 1920 this name was used by the mystery writer Agatha Christie for her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Christie based the name on that of Jules Poiret, a contemporary fictional detective.
Pokorni Hungarian
Hungarian variant of Pokorny.
Pokorny Polish
Polish form of Pokorný.
Pokorný Czech, Slovak
Means "humble" in Czech and Slovak.
Polák Czech
Means "Pole, person from Poland" in Czech.
Poole English
From Old English pol meaning "pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.
Pop Romanian
Variant of Popa.
Popa Romanian
From Romanian popă "priest", from Slavic pop. This is the most common surname in Romania.
Pope English
From a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin papa, ultimately from Greek πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".
Porra Catalan
Variant of Porras.
Porras Spanish, Catalan
From a nickname meaning "club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin porrum meaning "leek".
Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.
Portner Low German
Low German cognate of Porter.
Post Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person who lived near a post, ultimately from Latin postis.
Potočnik Slovene
From Slovene potok meaning "stream, brook".
Power 2 English
From Middle English povre meaning "poor", via Old French from Latin pauper. It could have been a nickname for someone who had no money or a miser.
Prinz German, Jewish
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.
Protz German
From a nickname meaning "showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".
Puerta Spanish
Means "door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.
Puig Catalan
Catalan cognate of Poggio.
Purcell English
From Old French pourcel "piglet", from Latin porcellus, a derivative of porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.
Quick English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".
Quiñones Spanish
From various Spanish place names derived from quiñón meaning "shared piece of land", derived from Latin quinque "five".
Quintana Spanish, Catalan
Originally indicated someone who lived on a piece of land where the rent was a fifth of its produce, from Spanish and Catalan quintana "fifth", from Latin quintus.
Rake English
Originally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English hrace meaning "throat, gorge".
Rakes English
Variant of Rake.
Rana Italian, Spanish
Means "frog" in Italian and Spanish.
Ranta Finnish
Originally indicated a person who lived near the shore, from Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".
Rantanen Finnish
From Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".
Rao 1 Indian, Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit राज (raja) meaning "king".
Rapp 2 German
From Middle High German raben meaning "raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.
Rasch German
German form of Rask.
Rask Danish, Swedish
Means "energetic, quick, healthy" in Danish and Swedish.
Ravn Danish
Means "raven" in Danish, from Old Norse hrafn.
Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.
Italian
Italian form of Rey 1.
Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.
Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".
Redondo Spanish
Means "round" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a plump person, ultimately from Latin rotundus.
Reed English
Variant of Read 1.
Reese 2 Low German
Low German cognate of Riese.