Browse Surnames

Christodoulou Greek
Means "son of Christodoulos".

Maes Flemish
Flemish form of Maas.

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".

Jahoda m Czech
Czech cognate of Jagoda.

Pender 1 English
From Middle English pind "to pen up". This was an occupational name for someone who penned animals.

Rosa Italian, Catalan
Italian and Catalan form of Rose 1.

Zeng Chinese
From Chinese 曾 (zēng) referring to the former state of Zeng, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hubei province.

Calderón Spanish
Occupational name for a person who made, repaired or sold cauldrons or kettles, from Spanish calderón "cauldron", from Late Latin caldaria.

MacConnell Scottish, Irish
Variant of McConnell.

Baardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Bård".

Berge Norwegian, German, Swedish
Variant of Berg.

Liepiņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian liepa meaning "linden tree".

Berardi Italian
From the given name Berardo.

Bártová f Czech
Feminine form of Bárta.

Vaughn Welsh
Variant of Vaughan.

Hopson English
Variant of Hobson.

Kozlová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Kozel.

McIver Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacIomhair meaning "son of Íomhar".

Ó Deasmhumhnaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Desmond.

McRae Scottish
From Gaelic Mag Raith meaning "son of Rath", a given name meaning "prosperity" or "grace".

Admiraal Dutch
Means "admiral" in Dutch.

Ognianov m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Огнянов (see Ognyanov).

Maddison English
Variant of Madison.

Mercier French
French form of Mercer.

Aakster Dutch
Derived from Old Dutch ekster "magpie".

O'Sullivan Irish
Variant of Sullivan.

Hristova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Hristov.

Goode English
Variant of Good.

Di Caprio Italian
From the name of the island of Capri near Naples, itself possibly derived from Latin capra meaning "goat" or Greek κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar".

McKenna Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Cionaodha meaning "son of Cionaodh".

Guerriero Italian
Italian form of Guerrero.

Ganza Italian
Probably from the feminine medieval given name Allegranza or Alleganza, a derivative of Allegra. It comes from northern Lombardy.

Van Dale Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Köhl German
Variant of Kohl.

Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.

Jacques French
From the French given name Jacques.

Pinheiro Portuguese
Means "pine tree" in Portuguese.

Borgnino Italian
From a nickname derived from the Piedmontese dialect word borgno meaning "one-eyed". This was the real surname of American actor Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012).

Odell English
Originally denoted a person who was from Odell in Bedfordshire, derived from Old English wad "woad" (a plant that produces a blue dye) and hyll "hill".

Etxeberria Basque
Original Basque form of Echeverría.

Hunnicutt English
Variant of Honeycutt.

Rundström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish rund (from Latin rotundus) meaning "round" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Xanthopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Xanthos".

Goossens Flemish
From the Germanic given name Gozzo.

Al Saud Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic آل سعود (see Al Su'ud).

Gwózdek Polish
Derived from either archaic Polish gwozd meaning "forest" or gwóźdź meaning "nail".

Wildgrube German
From the name of a German town, derived from German wild "wild, untamed" and Grube "hollow, pit".

Lorenzen Danish, Low German
Means "son of Lorens".

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.

Flipse Dutch
Variant of Flipsen.

Ozolinsh Latvian (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Ozoliņš.

Radić Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic derived from the given name Rade.

Suen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Sun.

Lupu Romanian
From Romanian lup meaning "wolf".

Robinson English
Means "son of Robin".

Warshawsky Jewish
Variant of Warszawski.

Curry Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Comhraidhe or Ó Corra.

Blackwood English, Scottish
From an English place name meaning "black wood".

Wolfe English
Variant of Wolf.

Hirata Japanese
From Japanese 平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Dyson English
Means "son of Dye".

Noguera Spanish, Catalan
Spanish and Catalan form of Nogueira.

Sörös Hungarian
From Hungarian sör meaning "beer". Originally the name was given to beer brewers.

Wójcik Polish
From the Polish word wójt meaning "chief, mayor" (related to German Vogt).

Ó Ceallacháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Callahan.

Stanton English
From one of the many places named Stanton or Staunton in England, derived from Old English stan meaning "stone" and tun meaning "enclosure, town".

Ebner 1 German
Originally indicated a dweller on a flat piece of land, derived from Middle High German ebene "plateau".

Miyake Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 宅 (yake) meaning "house, home".

Mencher Polish
Possibly an occupational name derived from Polish maczarz meaning "miller".

Meyrick Welsh
Variant of Merrick.

Zuiderduin Dutch
Means "southern dune" in Dutch.

Évrard French
From the given name Évrard.

Anthonsen Danish, Norwegian
Variant of Antonsen.

Sitz 1 German
Derived from a given name beginning with the Old High German element sigu meaning "victory".

Michelaki f Greek
Feminine form of Michelakis.

Gehrig German
Variant of Gehring.

Sokol mu Slovak, Czech, Jewish
From Czech and Slovak sokol meaning "falcon", a nickname or an occupational name for a falconer. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Kerimow m Turkmen
Means "son of Kerim".

Lundström Swedish
From Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

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

Pisani Italian
From Italian pisano, the name for an inhabitant of the city of Pisa, Italy. The city's name is of unknown meaning.

Sarka Hungarian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Szarka.

Lawrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Mei Chinese
From Chinese 梅 (méi) meaning "plum, apricot".

Agosti Italian
Means "son of Agosto", a variant of Augusto.

Abe 1 Japanese
From Japanese 安 (a) meaning "peace" and 倍 (be) meaning "multiple times".

Balode f Latvian
Feminine form of Balodis.

Saller 1 German
Originally denoted a person from the town of Sallern in Bavaria, possibly from a Celtic element meaning "stream".

Gerst German
Occupational name for a barley farmer, derived from Old High German gersta "barley".

Goldschmidt German
Occupational name meaning "goldsmith" in German.

Ljung Swedish
Means "heather" in Swedish.

Göransson Swedish
Means "son of Göran".

Yang Chinese
From Chinese 杨 (yáng) meaning "willow, poplar, aspen".

Valentini Italian
Means "son of Valentino".

Woods English, Scottish
Variant of Wood.

Acker German, English
Denoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning "field".

Medveď m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Medved.

Hansson Swedish
Means "son of Hans".

MacAoidh Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Mac Aodha.

Penners Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Chavdarov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Chavdar".

Burns 2 Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Georgiadis m Greek
Means "son of Georgios" in Greek.

Rudenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian рудий (rudy) meaning "red".

Keen English
From Old English cene meaning "bold, brave".

Uchimura Japanese
From Japanese 内 (uchi) meaning "inside" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Tsvetanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Tsvetan".

Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".

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

Valerio Italian
From the given name Valerio.

Essert German
Variant of Esser.

Damyanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Damyan".

McMahon Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac Mathghamhna meaning "son of Mathgamain".

Elliott English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Elias.

Montague English
From a Norman place name meaning "sharp mountain" in Old French.

Krusen Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cruyssen.

Mihajlović Serbian
Means "son of Mihajlo".

Braam Dutch
Derived from the given name Bram.

Michelakakis m Greek
Means "son of Michail".

Zyma Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Zima.

Tesaříková f Czech
Feminine form of Tesařík.

Ahmadi Persian
From the given name Ahmad.

Astor Occitan
Derived from Occitan astur meaning "hawk". The wealthy and influential Astor family, prominent in British and American society, originated in the Italian Alps.

Kováčová f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Kováč.

Bruhn German
Variant of Braun.

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

Bláhová f Czech
Feminine form of Bláha.

Dickenson English
Variant of Dickinson.

Zajícová f Czech
Feminine form of Zajíc.

Bukoski Polish (Anglicized)
Variant of Bukowski.

Albricci Italian
Variant of Alberici.

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

Leary Irish
Variant of O'Leary.

Delacroix French
Means "of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads. A notable bearer was the French painter Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863).

Haden English
From a place name derived from Old English hæþ "heath" and dun "hill".

Herschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.

Rautio Finnish
Means "smith" in Finnish.

Eldridge English
Derived from the given name Aldric.

Braband German
Derived from the name of the region of Brabant in the Netherlands and Belgium. It possibly means "ploughed region" or "marshy region" in Old High German.

Blaise French
Derived from the given name Blaise.

Capela Portuguese
Portuguese form of Kappel.

Driessen Dutch
Means "son of Dries".

Fairbairn Scottish, English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English and Scots.

Faron French
From the given name Faron.

Holtz German
German cognate of Holt.

Abe 2 Japanese
From Japanese 安 (a) meaning "peace" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".

Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.

Carmody Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cearmada meaning "descendant of Cearmaid", a Gaelic given name.

Von Grimmelshausen German
Means "from Grimmelshausen", a town in Germany. It is itself derived from Grimmel, of uncertain meaning, and hausen meaning "houses". A famous bearer was the German author Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen (1621-1676).

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

Adolfsson Swedish
Means "son of Adolf".

Čiernik m Slovak
Variant of Čierny.

Chiu Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zhao.

Achilles German
Derived from the given name Achilles.

Ackerman English
Means "ploughman", derived from Middle English aker "field" and man.

Sodiqova f Uzbek
Feminine form of Sodiqov.

Hanssen Norwegian
Means "son of Hans".

Díaz Spanish
Means "son of Diego" in Spanish.

Haraldsson Swedish
Means "son of Harald".

Shiratori Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 鳥 (tori) meaning "bird".

Ó hIfearnáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Heffernan.

Sheedy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Síoda.

Woodrow English
From a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English.

Ververs Dutch
Occupational name derived from Dutch verver meaning "dyer, painter".

Moses Jewish, English
Derived from the given name Moses.

Brändle German
Derived from a diminutive of the Old German given name Brando.

Löwe German, Jewish
Means "lion" in German.

Sargsyan Armenian
Means "son of Sargis" in Armenian.

Como 2 Italian
From the name of the city of Como in Lombardy, the rival city of Milan during the Middle Ages. Its name may come from a Celtic root meaning "valley".

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

Käufer German
Variant of Kaufer.

Ivanov m Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Macedonian
Means "son of Ivan". It is among the most common surnames in Bulgaria and Russia.

Bălan Romanian
Means "blond" in Romanian.

Villalba Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various Spanish places by this name. It is derived from Spanish villa "town" and alba "white".

Stanković Serbian
Means "son of Stanko".

Allegro Italian
Variant of Allegri.

Amador Spanish
Derived from the given name Amador.

Brouwer Dutch
Occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch brouwer.

Adimari Italian
Means "son of Ademaro".

Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".

Rider English
Variant of Ryder.

Martínez Spanish
Means "son of Martín" in Spanish.

Low English
Variant of Law.

Gough 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mag Eochadha meaning "son of Eochaidh".

Boros Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian bor "wine". Originally it could have indicated someone who made or sold wine.

Ristić Serbian
Means "son of Risto".

Shinozaki Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Hendry Scottish, English
Derived from the given name Henry.

Murtas Sardinian
From Sardinian murta meaning "myrtle".

Wilkerson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Faucheux French
Variant of Faucher.

Lundquist Swedish
Variant of Lundqvist.

Pontecorvo Italian, Jewish
From the name of a town in central Italy, home to an old Jewish community. The town's name is derived from Italian ponte "bridge" and curvo "curved".

Novik Belarusian
From Belarusian новы (novy) meaning "new".

Gates English
Originally denoted a person who lived near the town gates.

Croce Italian
Italian form of Cross.

Bátori Hungarian
Variant of Báthory.

Zahradníková f Czech
Feminine form of Zahradník.

Andreeva f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Андреева (see Andreyeva).

Viteri Spanish, Basque
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a Basque place name.

Andonov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Andon".

Azarola Basque
Possibly from Basque azeri meaning "fox".

Steinmann German
Means "stone man" in German, used as a habitational name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or an occupational name for a stone worker.

Manning 1 English
Patronymic form of Mann.

Holm Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Swedish, Danish and Norwegian holme, holm meaning "islet" (Old Norse holmr).

Burnham English
From the name of various towns in England, typically derived from Old English burna "stream, spring" and ham "home, settlement".

Sigourney English
From the name of the commune of Sigournais in western France, called Segurniacum in medieval Latin, itself of unknown meaning.

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

Aquila Italian
From a nickname meaning "eagle" in Italian.

Albrektson Swedish
Variant of Albrechtsson.

Little English
Meaning simply "little", it was originally a nickname given to a short person.

Matoušek m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Matouš.

Jankowski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from a town named Jankowo or Janków, all derived from the given name Janek.

Quijada Spanish
Means "jaw" in Spanish, a nickname for someone with a large jaw.

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

Boon 2 English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Bohon, in Manche in France. The town's name is of unknown origin.

Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.

Romijnders Dutch
Variant of Romeijnders.

Deschamps French
Means "from the fields", from French champ "field".

Řezníčková f Czech
Feminine form of Řezníček.

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.

Donaghue Irish
Variant of Donoghue.

Färber German
Occupational name meaning "dyer", derived from German Farbe "colour".

Germain French
From the French given name Germain.

Nicolescu Romanian
Means "son of Nicolae".

Dias Portuguese
Means "son of Diogo" in Portuguese.

Steen Low German
Low German variant of Stein. A famous bearer was the 17th-century Dutch painter Jan Steen.

Kərimov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Kərim".

Bernardi Italian
From the given name Bernardo.

Benedetti Italian
From the given name Benedetto.

Macková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Macek or Macko.

Siegert German
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

Khan Urdu, Pashto, Bengali
From a title meaning "king, ruler", probably of Mongolian origin but used in many languages.

Valeriev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Valeri".

Nakamura Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

MacGilleMhoire Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Gilmore.

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

Wrona Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".

McIntyre Scottish
From Scottish Gaelic Mac an tSaoir meaning "son of the carpenter".

Dobreva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Dobrev.

Łaska Polish
Means "grace, mercy" in Polish.

Veenstra Dutch
Derived from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat".

Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.

Baardwijk Dutch
From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly from Baard, a variant of Bert, and wijk meaning "neighbourhood, district".

Moloney Irish
From Irish Ó Maol Dhomhnaigh meaning "descendant of a church servant".

Carpentier French
French form of Carpenter.

Doyle Irish
From the Irish Ó Dubhghaill, which means "descendant of Dubhghall". A famous bearer was Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), the author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories.

Belrose French
Variant of Bellerose.

Kanzaki Japanese
From Japanese 神 (kan) meaning "god" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Samuelsson Swedish
Means "son of Samuel".

Wirnhier German
From the given name Werner.

Nass Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Travert French
French variant of Travers.

Trumbauer German
Possibly from Middle High German trame "rafter, frame" and bauer "peasant, neighbour".

Guliyev m Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Quliyev.

Ruan Chinese
From Chinese 阮 (ruǎn), which refers to a type of musical instrument, similar to a lute.

Pentti Finnish
Derived from the given name Pentti.

Powell Welsh, English
Derived from Welsh ap Hywel meaning "son of Hywel".

Wróblewski m Polish
Originally indicated a person from Polish towns named Wróblewo or similar, derived from Polish wróbel meaning "sparrow".

Glöckner German
Derived from Middle High German glocke "bell". It may have referred to a person who worked at or lived close to a bell tower.

Webb English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".

Aliev m Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, Chechen
Alternate transcription of Tajik/Kyrgyz/Chechen Алиев, Kazakh Әлиев or Avar ГӀалиев (see Aliyev).

Montero Spanish
Means "hunter" in Spanish, an agent derivative of monte meaning "mountain, wilderness".

Heiman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Lazăr Romanian
From the given name Lazăr.

Simmons English
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Jönsson Swedish
Means "son of Jöns".

Expósito Spanish
Spanish cognate of Esposito.

Abels Dutch
Means "son of Abel".

Muratović Bosnian
Means "son of Murat".

Jaworska f Polish
Feminine form of Jaworski.

Ibbott English
Matronymic surname derived from the medieval name Ibota, a diminutive of Isabel.

Nejem Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic نجم (see Najm).

Roach English
From Middle English and Old French roche meaning "rock", from Late Latin rocca, a word that may be of Celtic origin. It indicated a person who lived near a prominent rock, or who came from a town by this name (such as Les Roches in Normandy).

Olszewska f Polish
Feminine form of Olszewski.

Morse English
Variant of Morriss.

Križman Slovene
From Slovene križ meaning "cross".

Finnin Irish
Diminutive form of Finn.

El-Amin Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic الأمين (see Al-Amin).

De Angelis Italian
Means "son of Angelo".

Thatcher English
Referred to a person who thatched roofs by attaching straw to them, derived from Old English þæc meaning "thatch, roof". A famous bearer was the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).

Zahradník m Czech
Derived from Czech zahrada meaning "garden". It referred to someone who owned less land than a Sedlák or a Dvořák, but more land than a Chalupník.

Ion Romanian
From the given name Ion 1.

Holmwood English
Variant of Homewood.

Lauwens Dutch
From the given name Laurens.

Mulder Dutch
Dutch equivalent of Miller.

Summers 2 English
Variant of Sommer 1.

Ćosić Croatian, Serbian
From Croatian and Serbian ćosav "beardless", ultimately from Persian کوسه (kūseh) meaning "shark".

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

Abarca Spanish
From the name of a type of leather-soled shoe or sandal made on the Balearic Islands. It originally indicated a person who made or sold this item.

Daniel um English, French, German, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Lowe 2 English
Variant of Law.

Szwedko Polish
Variant of Szweda.

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

Boucher French
Means "butcher" in French.

Krstevski m Macedonian
Means "son of Krste".

Floros m Greek
From Greek φλώρος (floros) meaning "greenfinch", derived from classical Greek χλωρός (chloros) meaning "green".

Stalin History
Surname adopted by the Russian leader Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) during his revolutionary years. He was an ethnic Georgian, born as Ioseb Jughashvili. He derived it from Russian сталь (stal) meaning "steel".

Von Ingersleben German
Means "from Ingersleben", a town in Germany, which means "Inge's village".

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