Browse Surnames

Van der Linden Dutch
Means "from the linden trees", from Dutch linde meaning "linden tree".

Klímová f Czech
Feminine form of Klíma.

Mac Mathghamhna Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McMahon.

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

Rivière French
French cognate of Rivers.

Antonopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Antonios".

Makri f Greek
Feminine form of Makris.

Jonkheer Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

Kneib German
Variant of Knef.

Bruno Italian, Portuguese
Means "brown" in Italian and Portuguese, a nickname for a person with brown hair or brown clothes. A famous bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).

Portelli Italian
Diminutive form of Porto.

Mészáros Hungarian
Means "butcher" in Hungarian.

McDowell Scottish
Variant of MacDougall.

Speziale Italian
Means "grocer" in Italian, derived from Latin speciarius "spice seller".

Reeve English
Occupational name derived from Middle English reeve, Old English (ge)refa meaning "sheriff, prefect, local official".

Lefèvre French
Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.

Acquarone Italian
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a place name or an occupation derived from Italian acqua "water".

Gerver German
Variant of Gerber.

Björkman Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

O'Boyle Irish
Variant of Boyle.

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

Császár Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kaiser.

Reese 1 Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.

Marchand English, French
Occupational name meaning "merchant", ultimately from Latin mercari "to trade".

Garrido Spanish
Means "elegant, ostentatious" in Spanish.

Kumar Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Odia, Malayalam, Tamil
Means "boy, prince" in Sanskrit.

Johnson English
Means "son of John". Famous bearers include American presidents Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).

Bourreau 2 French
Occupational name for an executioner or torturer, derived from bourrer "to hit, to stuff with cloth" (derived from French boure "stuffing").

Haas Dutch, German
Variant of Hase.

Victor French, English
Derived from the male given name Victor.

Aartsma Frisian
Means "son of Arend", the suffix -ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.

Isaev m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Исаев (see Isayev).

Pecháček m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Petr.

Emmet English
Variant of Emmett. This name was borne by the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet (1778-1803).

Magnusson Swedish
Means "son of Magnus".

Guillory French
Derived from the Old German given name Williric.

Cassano Italian
Indicated a person from any of the various towns named Cassano in Italy.

Danailova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Danailov.

Swift English
Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.

Sugimura Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

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

Ó Dubháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Duane.

Messmann German
Variant of Messer.

Yu 4 Chinese
From Chinese 虞 (yú) meaning "concerned, anxious" and also referring to the ancient state of Yu, which was situated in what is now Shanxi province.

Řehová f Czech
Feminine form of Řeha.

Lange German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Vass Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian vas meaning "iron", referring to a worker in iron, a miner of iron ore or a vendor of iron goods. Alternatively, from the same root word, it may have been a nickname referring to one with a distinctively strong constitution.

Westcott English
From any of the several English towns by this name, derived from Old English meaning "west cottage".

Ridge English
Denoted a person who lived near a ridge, from Old English hrycg.

Schmitz German
Variant of Schmidt, originating in the Rhine area in western Germany.

Sultana Bengali, Urdu, Maltese
Bengali, Urdu and Maltese form of Sultan.

Hadjieva f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Хаджиева (see Hadzhieva).

Habich German
German cognate of Hawk.

MacCarthy Irish
Variant of McCarthy.

Ó Dubhshláine Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Delaney 2.

Wray English
Originally denoted someone who came from any of the various places of this name in northern England, from Old Norse vrá meaning "corner, nook".

Dohman German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Thomas.

Winslow English
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "hill belonging to Wine".

McTaggart Scottish
Variant of Taggart.

Genovese Italian
Denoted a person from the Italian city of Genoa (Genova in Italian).

Ware 2 English
From the Middle English nickname ware meaning "wary, astute, prudent".

Samara 2 f Greek
Feminine form of Samaras.

Lavoie French
Means "the road, the lane" in French, a name for someone who lived close to a road.

Tähtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".

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

Petersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Peter".

Boothman English
Variant of Booth.

Mihai Romanian
From the given name Mihai.

Ó Meadhra Irish
Means "descendant of Meadhra". The given name Meadhra is derived from the Gaelic meadhar meaning "merry, happy".

Brotz German
Variant of Protz.

Garrastazu Basque
From the Basque word arratz "bush" combined with the suffix sta denoting a place.

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)".

D'Cruze Indian (Christian)
Variant of Cruz more common among Christians from India.

Chalupa m Czech
Means "cottage" in Czech.

Günther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

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

Braam Dutch
Derived from the given name Bram.

Pecora Italian
Means "sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.

Kyselá f Czech
Feminine form of Kyselý.

Górska f Polish
Feminine form of Górski.

De Vroome Dutch
Variant of Vroom.

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

Ding Chinese
From Chinese 丁 (dīng) meaning "man, person".

Wiater Polish
Derived from Polish wiatr "wind", a nickname for a quick person.

Filipowska f Polish
Feminine form of Filipowski.

Lynwood English
Variant of Linwood.

Nathanson Jewish
Means "son of Nathan".

Ó Conghalaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Connolly.

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.

Niven Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Naoimhín.

Yo'ldoshev m Uzbek
Means "son of Yo'ldosh".

Warrick English
Variant of Warwick.

Stumpf German
Nickname for a short person or a topographic name someone who lived near a prominent stump, from Middle High German stumpf.

Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Gottlieb German
Derived from the given name Gottlieb.

Suess German
Variant of Süß. A famous bearer was the American children's author Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Haupt German
German cognate of Head.

Sharma Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Means "joy, shelter, comfort" in Sanskrit.

Campana Italian, Spanish
Occupational name from Late Latin campana meaning "bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.

Lewin English
Derived from the given name Leofwine.

Sergeyeva f Russian
Feminine form of Sergeyev.

Witkowska f Polish
Feminine form of Witkowski.

Mašek m Czech
Derived from the given name Mašek, which can be a diminutive of either Matěj or Tomáš.

Mägi Estonian
Means "hill, mountain" in Estonian.

Van Kann Dutch
Variant of Van Kan.

Nakashima Japanese
Variant of Nakajima.

Rome French, English
English and French form of Romano 2.

Linton English
Originally from place names meaning either "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English.

Grahn Swedish
From Swedish gran meaning "spruce".

Perić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Pero".

Wieck German
Means "village, town", derived from Latin vicus.

Steube German
Variant of Steuben.

Jaskólski m Polish
Originally indicated a person from various Polish towns named Jaskółki, derived from Polish jaskółka "swallow (bird)".

Schuyler Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Schuler.

Lomidze Georgian
Means "son of the lion", from Georgian ლომი (lomi) meaning "lion".

Agostini Italian
Means "son of Agostino".

Sands English
From Old English, indicated the original nearer lived on sandy ground.

Barbieri Italian
Italian cognate of Barber.

Samara 1 Arabic
Meaning unknown.

Kató Hungarian
Derived from a diminutive of the Hungarian feminine given name Katalin.

Dane 2 English
Originally denoted a Dane, that is a person from Denmark.

Colter English
Variant of Colt using an agent suffix.

Firmin English, French
From the given name Firmin.

Laterza Italian
From the name of the town of Laterza near Taranto in Apulia. It is typical of southern Italy.

Sugiura Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet".

Stepanov m Russian
Means "son of Stepan".

Ristić Serbian
Means "son of Risto".

Poole English
From Old English pol meaning "pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.

Ó Sluaghadháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Sloan.

Layton English
Derived from the name of English towns, meaning "town with a leek garden" in Old English.

Mai Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Mei, from Sino-Vietnamese 梅 (mai).

Chiba Japanese
From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf".

Jinks English
Means "son of Jenk", a short form of Jenkin, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.

Morel French
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

Meeuwessen Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Gorman 1 German
From the Old German given name Germund.

Merchant English
Variant of Marchand.

Cocks English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Vasiliou Greek
Means "son of Vasilios".

Chiu Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zhao.

Airò Italian
From the given name Aroldo.

Ilbert English
Derived from a Norman form of the Old German given name Hildiberht.

Hoedemaker Dutch
Occupational name for a hat maker, from Dutch hoed "hat" and maker "maker".

Sartore Italian
Variant of Sarto.

Broz Croatian
Derived from Broz, a diminutive of Ambrozije. This was the birth surname of the Yugoslavian dictator Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980).

Mac Maghnuis Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McManus.

Keeley Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Caolaidhe meaning "descendant of Caoladhe", a given name derived from caol "slender".

Tarantino Italian
Locational name that originally designated a person who came from Taranto, a city in southeastern Italy, which was originally called Τάρας (Taras) by Greek colonists. A famous bearer of this name is the American director Quentin Tarantino (1963-).

Tanzi Italian
From a short form of the given name Costanzo.

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

Hagihara Japanese
From Japanese 萩 (hagi) meaning "bush clover" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Katona Hungarian
Means "soldier" in Hungarian.

French English
Originally denoted a French person, from Middle English Frensch, Old English Frencisc.

Hadjiev m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Хаджиев (see Hadzhiev).

Mac an Fhilidh Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McNeilly.

Laganà Italian
Occupational name for a greengrocer, meaning "vegetables" in southern Italian dialects, ultimately from Greek λάχανον (lachanon).

McDonald Scottish
Variant of MacDonald.

Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.

Huber German
Occupational name for a farmer, derived from Old High German huoba "plot of land, farm".

Tachibana Japanese
From Japanese 橘 (tachibana) meaning "orange, tangerine".

Karimova f Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tatar, Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Karimov. It is also an alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Kərimova.

Ruggeri Italian
Derived from the given name Ruggero.

Mirzoev m Tajik
Means "son of Mirzo".

Nani Italian
Variant of Nana.

Simen English (Rare)
From the given name Simon 1.

Dąbrowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations named Dąbrowa or Dobrów, derived from Polish dąb meaning "oak".

Matos Portuguese, Spanish
Variant of Mata.

Tatum English
Variant of Tatham.

Ó Cruadhlaoich Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Crowley 1.

Poirier French
Means "pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.

Cleveland English
Derived from a place name meaning "cliff land" in Old English.

Salamon Hungarian, Polish
Derived from the given name Salamon or Salomon.

Miyata Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Lindgren Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch". A famous bearer of this name was Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002).

Coutts Scottish
From the name of the town of Cults in Aberdeenshire, derived from a Gaelic word meaning "woods".

Choe Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 최 (see Choi).

Van Dalen Dutch
Means "from the valley", from Old Dutch dal meaning "valley".

Quijote Literature
Spanish form of Quixote.

Vargas Spanish, Portuguese
Means "slope, flooded field, pastureland" or "hut", from the Spanish and Portuguese dialectal word varga.

Courtenay 2 English
From the Old French nickname court nes meaning "short nose".

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

McCrae Scottish
Variant of McRae.

Antal Hungarian
From the given name Antal.

Kawakami Japanese
From Japanese 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and 上 (kami) meaning "above, top, upper".

Harlan English
Variant of Harland.

Kędzierska f Polish
Feminine form of Kędzierski.

Petri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

Lawson English
Means "son of Laurence 1".

Braden Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Bradáin meaning "descendant of Bradán".

Kundakçı Turkish
From Turkish kundak meaning "stock, wooden part of a rifle".

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

Lefebvre French
Variant of Lefèvre.

Patrick English
From the given name Patrick.

Lazarević Serbian
Means "son of Lazar".

Pietrzak Polish
Means "son of Piotr".

Ghorbani Persian
From the given name Ghorban.

Gallardo Spanish
Means "gallant, elegant" in Spanish.

Yap English
From a nickname for a clever or cunning person, from Middle English yap meaning "devious, deceitful, shrewd".

Sawyer English
Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

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

Jugovac Croatian
From Croatian jug meaning "south".

Philippe French
From the given name Philippe.

Hornick Czech (Anglicized), Slovak (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Horník.

Zini Italian
Derived from names such as Lorenzino, a diminutive of Lorenzo, or Vincenzino, a diminutive of Vincenzo.

Kauffmann German, Jewish
Variant of Kaufmann.

Lavigne French
Means "the vineyard" in French, referring to a person who lived close to a vineyard, or was from the town of Lavigny.

Papadaki f Greek
Feminine form of Papadakis.

Rubio Spanish
Nickname for a person with red hair, from Latin rubeus "red".

Honda Japanese
From Japanese 本 (hon) meaning "root, origin, source" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Herrero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Ferrari.

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

Luna Spanish
From various places in Spain meaning "moon".

Black English
Means either "black" (from Old English blæc) or "pale" (from Old English blac). It could refer to a person with a pale or a dark complexion, or a person who worked with black dye.

Rattray Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".

Mondadori Italian
From Italian mondatore meaning "weeder". This was an occupational name for someone who kept fields clear of weeds.

Abrahamson Jewish, English
Means "son of Abraham".

Márton Hungarian
Derived from the given name Márton.

Slavkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Slavko".

Kozieł Polish
Variant of Kozioł.

Kurata Japanese
From Japanese 倉 (kura) or 蔵 (kura) both meaning "granary, storehouse" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Feld German, Jewish
Means "field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.

Brzezicka f Polish
Feminine form of Brzezicki.

Chapman English
Occupational name derived from Old English ceapmann meaning "merchant, trader".

Engel German
Derived from German given names beginning with Engel, such as Engelbert.

Barbu Romanian
From Romanian barbă meaning "beard".

Cseh Hungarian
Means "Czech" in Hungarian.

Amsing Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Amse" in Dutch.

Lichtenberg Jewish
Means "light hill" in German.

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

Severijns Dutch
Derived from the Latin given name Severinus.

Neumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German niuwe and man meaning "new man, newcomer".

Dreessen Dutch
Variant of Driessen.

Gallo Italian, Spanish
Means "rooster", ultimately from Latin gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.

Arterbury English
Variant of Atteberry.

Trump German
Derived from Middle High German trumbe meaning "drum". This surname is borne by the American president Donald Trump (1946-).

Əliyeva f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Əliyev.

Štěpánek m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Štěpán.

De Ven Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Benito Spanish
From the given name Benito.

Christodoulou Greek
Means "son of Christodoulos".

Ó Dochartaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Doherty.

Vacíková f Czech
Feminine form of Vacík.

Lippi Italian
From the given name Filippo. It is common in the area of Florence.

Kevorkian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Գեւորգյան (see Gevorgyan).

Koszorús Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian koszorú meaning "garland, wreath, girdle", a name for someone who made garlands.

Kučerová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Kučera.

Allsopp English
From the name of the village of Alsop en la Dale in Derbyshire, England. It means "Ælli's valley" in Old English.

Casal Spanish
From the Spanish word casal meaning "farmhouse, country house", ultimately from Late Late casalis, from Latin casa.

Cavanagh Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Megalos m Greek
Means "big, great" in Greek.

Janssens Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Jan 1".

Ermacora Italian
From the given name Ermacora.

Chastain French
From Old French castan "chestnut tree" (Latin castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair.

Zielińska f Polish
Feminine form of Zieliński.

Geelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Geel, itself from Gillis or Gilbert.

Abano Italian
Originally denoted a person from the town of Abano, Latin Aponus, which was derived from the old Celtic root ab meaning "water".

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

Schenk German, Dutch
From Middle High German, Middle Dutch schenke meaning "wine server" (from Old High German scenken "to pour out").

Isaksson Swedish
Means "son of Isak".

Browne English
Variant of Brown.

Roig Catalan
Means "red" in Catalan, from Latin rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.

Meeuwis Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Černá f Czech
Feminine form of Černý.

Royceston English
Variant of Royston.

Björnsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Björn".

Šimonis m Lithuanian
Means "son of Simonas".

Masson 1 French, Scottish
Variant of Mason.

Hartley English
Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Hartley, from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Nosková f Czech
Czech feminine form of Nosek.

Howland English
Variant of Holland 1.

Trengove English
Originally indicated a person from Trengove in Cornwall, England.

Tarasenko Ukrainian
From the given name Taras.

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

Martins English, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Martin.

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

Kristoffersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Kristoffer".

Kohoutová f Czech
Feminine form of Kohout.

Gavrilović Serbian
Means "son of Gavrilo".

Kozel um Belarusian, Czech
Belarusian and Czech cognate of Kozioł.

Procházková f Czech
Feminine form of Procházka.

Pawłowska f Polish
Feminine form of Pawłowski.

Poláková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Polák.

Van der Ven Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Weasley Literature
Used by J. K. Rowling for the character of Ron Weasley (and other members of his family) in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. Rowling presumably derived it from the English word weasel, perhaps in combination with the common place name/surname suffix -ley, which is derived from Old English leah meaning "woodland, clearing".

Frank 3 German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Name for a person from Franconia in Germany, so called because it was settled by the Frankish people. A notable bearer was the German-Jewish diarist Anne Frank (1929-1945), a victim of the Holocaust.

Bristow English
From the name of the city of Bristol, originally Brycgstow in Old English, meaning "the site of the bridge".

Lagorio Italian
From a nickname derived from Ligurian lagö, referring to a type of lizard, the European green lizard. This little reptile is respected because it supposedly protects against vipers.

Huff English
Means "spur of a hill", from Old English hoh.

Winterbottom English
From Old English winter meaning "winter" and botm meaning "ground, soil, bottom". This name probably referred to a winter pasture at the bottom of a lowland valley.

Assendorp Dutch
From the name of a place called Assendorp, composed of Dutch essen and dorp, meaning "ash tree village".

Žukauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Żukowski.

Houston Scottish
From a place name meaning "Hugh's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow.

Calhoun Scottish
Variant of Colquhoun.

Ognyanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Ognyanov.

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

Brett English
Originally a name given to someone who was a Breton or a person from Brittany.

Rickard English
From the given name Richard.

Fischer German
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in German.

Kingston English
From a place name meaning "king's town" in Old English.

Jagoda Polish
Means "berry" in Polish.