Browse Surnames

Hart English
Means "male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.

Haines English
Variant of Haynes.

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

Kurz German
Means "short" in German, ultimately from Latin curtus.

Van Donk Dutch
Means "from the hill", derived from Dutch donk meaning "(sandy) hill".

Abelli Italian
From the given name Abele.

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

Elliston English
Variant of Ellison.

Baylor German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Beiler.

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

Patil Marathi
Means "village chief" in Marathi.

Mladenovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Mladen".

Meeuwis Dutch
Variant of Meeuwsen.

Ó Dubhshláine Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Delaney 2.

Guerra Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "war", given to a belligerent person or one engaged in warfare.

Belanger English
From the given name Berengar.

Viktorov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Viktor".

Beumer Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Adamsson Swedish
Means "son of Adam".

Gynt Literature
Meaning unknown. This name was used by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen for the central character in his play Peer Gynt (1867). Ibsen based the story on an earlier Norwegian folktale Per Gynt.

Drummond Scottish
From various Scottish place names that are derived from Gaelic drumainn, a derivative of druim meaning "ridge".

Jedlička m Czech
Derived from Czech jedle meaning "fir tree", given to a person who lived near a prominent one.

Stendahl Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish sten (Old Norse steinn) meaning "stone" and dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "valley".

Willard English
From the given name Wilheard or Willihard.

De Vos Dutch
Variant of Vos.

Ruggiero Italian
From the given name Ruggiero.

Kwiatkowska f Polish
Feminine form of Kwiatkowski.

Salvaggi Italian
Italian form of Savage.

Herczog Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Abélard History
Adopted by the 12th-century French philosopher Pierre le Pallet, thereafter known as Pierre Abélard (or Peter Abelard in English). It is not certain how he contrived it. Possibly he was inspired by the given name Abel.

Ó Mainnín Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Manning 2.

Van Adrichem Dutch
Variant of Adrichem.

Armani Italian
Means "son of Ermanno".

Miyajima Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Gilchrist Scottish
From Gaelic MacGilleChrìosd meaning "son of Gille Críst".

Contreras Spanish
From the name of a town in Burgos, Spain, derived from Late Latin contraria meaning "area opposite".

Puskás Hungarian
Occupational name for a gunsmith or cannon maker, from Hungarian puska meaning "gun" (from German, itself from Latin buxis "box").

Colin French
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolas.

Roosevelt Dutch
Means "rose field" from Dutch roos "rose" and veld "field". This was the surname of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

Simms English
Derived from the medieval given name Sim, a short form of Simon 1.

De Graaf Dutch
Dutch cognate of Graf.

Sheridan Irish
From the Irish name Ó Sirideáin meaning "descendant of Sirideán". The given name Sirideán possibly means "searcher".

Brent English
Originally derived from the name of a hill (or the village nearby) in Somerset, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".

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).

Vilaró Catalan
Catalan variant of Vilar.

Callan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cathaláin meaning "descendant of Cathalán".

Mohan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Mocháin meaning "descendant of Mochán".

Wrona Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".

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

Rowland English
Derived from the given name Roland.

Mac Óda Irish
Means "son of Odo" in Irish.

Maki 1 Japanese
From Japanese 牧 (maki) meaning "shepherd, tend cattle".

İbrahimova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of İbrahimov.

Hampson English
Means "son of Hamo".

Tang 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Deng.

Kimura Japanese
From Japanese 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Stokes English
Variant of Stoke.

Sancho Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Sancho.

Sharipova f Uzbek, Tajik
Feminine form of Sharipov.

Lam Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Lin.

Évrard French
From the given name Évrard.

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

Guillot French
From a diminutive of the given name Guillaume.

Duff Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Dhuibh or Ó Duibh.

Kaspersen Danish
Means "son of Kasper".

D'Amore Italian
From the given name Amore.

Adler German, Jewish
Means "eagle" in German.

Hudáková f Slovak
Feminine form of Hudák.

Landon English
Variant of Langdon.

Dunkel German
Means "dark" in German.

Šimunović Croatian
Means "son of Šimun".

Swindlehurst English
From the place name Swinglehurst in the Forest of Bowland in central Lancashire, derived from Old English swin "swine, pig", hyll "hill" and hyrst "wood, grove".

Bukowski m Polish
Originally denoted someone who came from a place called Bukowo or Bukowiec, which derive from Polish buk meaning "beech".

Gaspari Italian
From the given name Gaspare.

Dijkstra Frisian
Variant of Dykstra.

De Vito Italian
Means "son of Vito 1".

Wojewoda Polish
From the Polish title wojewoda meaning "governor, voivode" (originally meaning "warlord").

Jacobs English, Dutch
Derived from the given name Jacob.

El-Mofty Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic المفتي (see Al-Mufti).

Abdullaeva f Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Kazakh
Alternate transcription of Cyrillic Абдуллаева (see Abdullayeva).

Wojewódzka f Polish
Feminine form of Wojewódzki.

Martínez Spanish
Means "son of Martín" in Spanish.

Scriven English
Occupational name meaning "writer, clerk, scribe" in Old French, derived from Latin scriba.

Fekete Hungarian
Means "black" in Hungarian, originally a nickname for a person with dark hair or a dark complexion.

Nelli Italian
Derived from the given name Nello.

Quickley 1 English
Variant of Quick.

Stępień Polish
Possibly an occupational name for a herbalist, from Polish stępa "mortar".

Evans Welsh, English
Means "son of Evan".

Madden Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Madaidhín.

Ramos Spanish, Portuguese
Originally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin ramus meaning "branch".

Finnin Irish
Diminutive form of Finn.

Sörensson Swedish
Swedish form of Sørensen.

De Lange Dutch
Dutch cognate of Long.

Ciobanu Romanian
From Romanian cioban meaning "shepherd".

Urbonaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Urbonas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Mustafa Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Mustafa.

Khalil Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Khalil.

Sánchez Spanish
Means "son of Sancho".

Sacco Italian
Occupational name for a maker of sacks, from Italian sacco, Latin saccus.

Lovelace English
From a nickname for a lothario, derived from Middle English lufeles, Old English lufuleas meaning "loveless".

Aguirre Spanish
From Basque ageri meaning "open, cleared, prominent", originally given to a peron who lived in an open area.

Achterkamp Dutch
From the name of various places in the Netherlands, derived from Low German achter "behind" and kamp "field".

Blažević Croatian
Means "son of Blaž".

Courtenay 1 English
From the name of towns in France that were originally derivatives of the Gallo-Roman personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short".

Zieliński m Polish
From Polish zieleń meaning "green". It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing.

Horton English
From the names of various places in England, which are derived from Old English horh "dirt, mud" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Sneiders Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Snijder.

MacDermott Irish
Variant of McDermott.

Wojda Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

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".

Marlow English
Originally a name for a person from Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England. The place name means "remnants of a lake" from Old English mere "lake" and lafe "remnants, remains". A notable bearer was the English playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).

Alinari Italian
Means "son of Alinario", which is from the Germanic name Ellanher.

Merkel German
From a diminutive of the given name Markus. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).

Wilms Dutch
Derived from the given name Willem.

Nasato Italian
Nickname for someone with a prominent nose, from Italian naso "nose".

Rocco Italian
Derived from the given name Rocco.

Mirzoev m Tajik
Means "son of Mirzo".

Summerfield English
Originally indicated the bearer was from a town of this name, derived from Old English sumor "summer" and feld "field".

Schlimme German
From German schlimm "bad, crooked, awry".

Adriaans Dutch
Means "son of Adriaan".

Rais Italian
Occupational name for the fisherman in charge of the boat, from Italian rais "captain", of Arabic origin. It is typical of Sicily and Sardinia.

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

Stephanidi f Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Στεφανίδη (see Stefanidi).

Tatham English
From the name of the town of Tatham in Lancashire, itself from the Old English given name Tata combined with ham meaning "home, settlement".

Cockburn Scottish, English
Originally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English cocc "rooster" and burna "stream".

Vodenicharov m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian воденичар (vodenichar) meaning "miller".

Savić Serbian
Means "son of Sava".

Nikolova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Nikolov.

Killough Irish
Indicated a person who was from Killough (County Down, Northern Ireland) or Killough (Wicklow, Ireland). The place name Killough means "church on the lake", derived from the Irish cill "church" and loch "lake".

Blaine Scottish
From the given name Bláán.

George English
Derived from the given name George.

O'Doyle Irish
Variant of Doyle.

Alexandre French, Portuguese
From the given name Alexandre.

Frederiksen Danish
Means "son of Frederik".

Stankevičiūtė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Stankevičius. This form is used by unmarried women.

Zientek Polish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Ziętek.

Wada Japanese
From Japanese 和 (wa) meaning "harmony, peace" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Wyrzykowska f Polish
Feminine form of Wyrzykowski.

Dávidová f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Dávid.

Kozlová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Kozel.

Hofmann German
Variant of Hoffmann.

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

Sherman 1 English
Means "shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.

Klíma m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of Klement.

Dwight English
From the medieval feminine name Diot, a diminutive of Dionysia, the feminine form of Dionysius.

Carman 1 English
Occupational name for a carter, from Middle English carre "cart" (of Latin origin) and man "man".

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

Wojewódzki m Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

Mihov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Miho", the given name Miho being a diminutive of Mihail.

Chevalier French
From a nickname derived from French chevalier meaning "knight", from Late Latin caballarius "horseman", Latin caballus "horse".

Mac Ruaidhrí Irish
Irish form of McCrory.

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

Sörensen Swedish
Swedish form of Sørensen.

Róbertsson Icelandic
Means "son of Robert".

Borja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the Spanish town of Borja in Aragon, derived from Arabic برْج (burj) meaning "tower".

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

Davin Irish
Variant of Devin 1.

Bates English
Means "son of Bate".

Comtois French
Indicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".

Mould English
From the given name Mauld, a medieval form of Matilda.

Saller 2 German
Denoted a person who lived by a prominent sallow tree, from Middle High German salhe "sallow tree".

Hughes 1 English
Patronymic of the given name Hugh.

Shriver German
German cognate of Scriven.

Monday 1 English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Mundi.

Sanada Japanese
From Japanese 真 (sana) meaning "real, genuine" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Borgogni Italian
From the name of the French region of Burgundy (called Bourgogne in French), which is named after the Germanic tribe the Burgundians, meaning "people from the high land".

Schultze German
Variant of Schulz.

Selvaggio Italian
Italian form of Savage.

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

Greenwood English
Topographic name for someone who lived in or near a lush forest, from Old English grene "green" and wudu "wood".

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".

Berntsson Swedish
Means "son of Bernt".

Jakobsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Jakob".

Morand French
French form of Morandi.

Dragić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Patronymic from any of the Slavic given names starting with Drag (see Drago).

Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.

Merricks Welsh
Variant of Merrick.

Pesce Italian
Means "fish" in Italian, referring either to a fisherman or to a person who resembled a fish in some way.

Urbina Basque
Derived from Basque ur "water" and bi "two", indicating a place where two waterways met.

Villar Spanish
Spanish cognate of Vilar.

Anselmo Portuguese, Italian
From the given name Anselmo.

Sosa Spanish
Spanish form of Sousa.

Zaytseva f Russian
Feminine form of Zaytsev.

Vieira Portuguese
Denoted a person who came from a Portuguese town by this name, derived from vieria meaning "scallop". The scallop was a symbol of Saint James, and was traditionally worn by pilgrims to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.

Ó Raghailligh Irish
Means "descendant of Raghailligh", an Irish given name of unknown meaning.

Lannon Irish
Variant of Lennon.

Mladenovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Mladenovski.

Jabłoński m Polish
Originally denoted someone who lived by an apple tree, from Polish jabłoń meaning "apple tree".

Columbo Italian
Variant of Colombo.

Althaus German
Name for a person dwelled in or by an old house, from German alt "old" and haus "house".

Nielson English
Variant of Nelson 1.

Ingersleben German
From the name of the town of Ingersleben, Germany, which meant "Inge's village".

Capela Portuguese
Portuguese form of Kappel.

Strudwick English
From an English place name derived from Old English strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood" and wic meaning "village, town".

Mac Cába Irish
Irish form of McCabe.

Mirzəyev m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Mirzə".

Pinheiro Portuguese
Means "pine tree" in Portuguese.

Appleton English
From the name of several English towns, meaning "orchard" in Old English (a compound of æppel "apple" and tun "enclosure, yard").

Papadaki f Greek
Feminine form of Papadakis.

Singh Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)
From Sanskrit सिंह (siṃha) meaning "lion". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh male followers the surname Singh and all females Kaur. It is among the most common surnames in India.

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

Vollan Norwegian
Variant of Voll 1.

Koumans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Guliyeva f Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Quliyeva.

Sugimoto Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

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

Rompa Dutch
Variant of Van Rompa.

Krawczyk Polish
From a diminutive of krawiec meaning "tailor".

Zimová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Zima.

Adenauer German
Denoted a person from the town of Adenau in Germany. The name of the town is of uncertain etymology.

Owen Welsh, English
From the Welsh given name Owain.

Phạm Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese 范 (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.

Vespa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wasp".

Dubicka f Polish
Feminine form of Dubicki.

Agua Spanish
Means "water" in Spanish, indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.

Havlíčková f Czech
Feminine form of Havlíček.

Kadyrow m Turkmen
Means "son of Kadyr".

Faucheux French
Variant of Faucher.

Dolan Irish
From the Irish Ó Dubhshláin meaning "descendant of Dubhshláine".

St John English
From a place named for Saint John.

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

Herczeg Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Benešová f Czech
Feminine form of Beneš.

Němec m Czech
Means "German" in Czech.

Zeelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Ceel.

MacThaoig Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McCaig.

Green English
Descriptive name for someone who often wore the colour green or someone who lived near the village green.

Stefansson Swedish
Means "son of Stefan".

Fournier French
Occupational name for a baker, from French fourneau meaning "oven".

Oliverson English
Means "son of Oliver".

Montanari Italian
Means "from the mountain" in Italian.

Mooshian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Մուշյան (see Mushyan).

Washington English
From a place name meaning "settlement belonging to Wassa's people", from the given name Wassa and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". A famous bearer was George Washington (1732-1799), the first president of the United States. This surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, resulting in a high proportion of African-American bearers.

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

Nacar Turkish
Turkish form of Najjar.

Yanev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Yane", a diminutive of Yoan 2.

Öwezowa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Öwezow.

Baldovini Italian
Derived from the given name Baldovino.

Jiménez Spanish
Means "son of Jimeno".

Lafrentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Germain French
From the French given name Germain.

Kerr Scottish, English
From Scots and northern Middle English kerr meaning "thicket, marsh", ultimately from Old Norse kjarr.

Bleier German
Occupational name for a worker of lead, derived from German blei "lead".

Alvey English
Derived from the given name Ælfwig.

Maier 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Skjeggestad Norwegian
From a place name, derived from Norwegian skjegg "beard" and stad "town, place".

Ó Doirnáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Durnin.

Hadzhiev m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian хаджия (hadzhiya) meaning "pilgrim", ultimately from Arabic حَجّ (ḥajj).

Procházka m Czech
Means "walk, wander, stroll" in Czech. This was an occupational name for a travelling tradesman.

Antov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Anton".

McCracken Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Reachtain, Ulster Irish variant of Mac Neachtain.

Spini Italian
Denoted a person who lived near thorn bushes, from Italian spina "thorn, spine", from Latin.

Furnadjieva f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Фурнаджиева (see Furnadzhieva).

Antema Frisian
Means "son of Ante 2".

Escamilla Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.

Gimondi Italian
Probably derived from the Old German given name Gismund.

Marco Spanish, Italian
From the given name Marco.

Vasilieva f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Васильева (see Vasilyeva).

Collins 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Coileáin. A famous bearer was Michael Collins, an Irish nationalist leader who was assassinated in 1922.

Gérard French
From the given name Gérard.

Seelenfreund Jewish
From German Seele meaning "soul" and Freund meaning "friend".

Groves English
From Old English graf meaning "grove". This originally indicated a person who lived near a grove (a group of trees).

Cecil Welsh
From the Welsh given name Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name Sextilius, a derivative of Sextus.

Cruickshank Scottish
From a nickname meaning "bent leg" in Scots.

Eliassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Elias".

Gniewek Polish
Derived from Gniewek, a diminutive of Zbigniew, Jarogniew, or other names containing gniew "anger".

Dumont French
Means "from the mountain", from French mont "mountain".

Karlsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Karl".

Ryder English
Occupational name for a mounted warrior, from Old English ridere meaning "rider".

Roussel French
French form of Russell.

Arnold English, German
Derived from the given name Arnold.

Wolfe English
Variant of Wolf.

Nicchi Italian
From the Italian word nicchio meaning "shell", possibly a nickname for people related to the sea.

Royceston English
Variant of Royston.

Gábor Hungarian
From the given name Gábor.

Aguilera Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish aguilera meaning "eagle's nest". A famous bearer is American singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).

Mateeva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Mateev.

Uccello Italian
Means "bird" in Italian, either a nickname for a person who resembled a bird or an occupational name for a birdcatcher.

Bonaccorso Italian
From the medieval given name Bonaccorso.

Blomqvist Swedish
From Swedish blomma (Old Norse blóm) meaning "flower" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Lin Chinese
From Chinese 林 (lín) meaning "forest".

Martí Catalan
Derived from the given name Martí.

McNeil Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacNèill meaning "son of Niall".

Theunissen Dutch
Means "son of Theunis".

Chevallier French
Variant of Chevalier.

Pachi f Greek
Feminine form of Pachis.

Derricks English
Derived from the given name Derrick.

Ikin English
Derived from a diminutive of the medieval given name Ida.

Stueck German, Jewish
Variant of Stück.

Mihaylov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Mihail".

Samaras m Greek
Means "saddle maker" in Greek, from σαμάρι (samari) meaning "saddle".

Ghorbani Persian
From the given name Ghorban.

Carlevaro Italian
Northern Italian variant of Carnevale.

Deering English
From the Old English given name Deora meaning "dear, beloved".

Parkinson English
Means "son of Parkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Nigel English
Derived from the given name Neil.

Pocock English
Variant of Peacock.

Tracey 1 English
From the village of Tracy-sur-mer on the Normandy coast in France. It was brought to England with William the Conqueror.

Rybár m Slovak
Means "fisher" in Slovak, from ryba meaning "fish".

Da Vinci Italian (Rare)
Means "from Vinci", a town near Florence. A famous bearer was the Italian artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).