Browse Surnames

Pettigrew English
Derived from Norman French petit "small" and cru "growth".

Tripp English
From Middle English trippen meaning "to dance", an occupational name for a dancer.

Hüseynova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Hüseynov.

Aloi Italian
From a dialectal form of the name Aloisio.

Wallach Yiddish
From Middle High German walch meaning "foreigner (from a Romance country)".

Forestier French
French cognate of Forester.

Mateev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Matey".

Hakobyan Armenian
Means "son of Hakob" in Armenian.

Ó Caoindealbháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quinlan.

Inada Japanese
From Japanese 稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Buhr Low German
Low German form of Bauer.

Seki Japanese
From Japanese 関 (seki) meaning "frontier pass".

Wrońska f Polish
Feminine form of Wroński.

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

Serra Italian, Portuguese, Catalan
Italian, Portuguese and Catalan cognate of Sierra.

Rietveld Dutch
Means "reed field", from Dutch riet "reed" and veld "field". It is found mostly in the western part of the Netherlands (the Holland area).

Zabala Basque
Originally denoted someone who lived in a place of this name in Biscay. It is derived from Basque zabal meaning "large, wide".

Kaloyanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Kaloyanov.

Rybářová f Czech
Feminine form of Rybář.

Mandelbaum Jewish
Means "almond tree" in German.

Genkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Genko".

Tschida German
Possibly derived from a Slavic given name of unknown meaning.

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

Balboni Italian
Derived from the given name Balbino.

O'Beirne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Stamp English
Originally denoted a person from Étampes near Paris. It was called Stampae in Latin, but the ultimate origin is uncertain.

Beutel German
From Middle High German biutel meaning "bag", originally belonging to a person who made or sold bags.

Provenza Italian
From the name of the Provence region of southern France (in Italian Provenza). It is derived from Latin provincia "province", a territorial division.

Rana Italian, Spanish
Means "frog" in Italian and Spanish.

Clinton English
Derived from the English place name Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". This surname is borne by former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).

Woźniak Polish
From Polish woźny meaning "caretaker, clerk".

Kermode Manx
Anglicized form of Mac Diarmada (see McDermott).

Hayasaka Japanese
From Japanese 早 (haya) meaning "already, now" and 坂 or 阪 (saka) meaning "slope".

Bustillo Spanish
From the name of Spanish towns, diminutive forms of Busto.

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

Östberg Swedish
From Swedish öst (Old Norse austr) meaning "east" and berg meaning "mountain".

Bengtsdotter Swedish
Means "daughter of Bengt".

Bauer German
From Old High German bur meaning "peasant, farmer".

Jäger German
Means "hunter" in German, from Old High German jagon meaning "to hunt".

Espinoza Spanish
Variant of Espinosa.

Moldovan Romanian
Originally indicated a person from the historic principality of Moldavia (see Moldova).

Saari Finnish
From Finnish saari meaning "island".

Yordanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Yordan".

Peck 2 English
Occupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English pekke.

MacGilleMhoire Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Gilmore.

Kitagawa Japanese
From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream". A famous bearer was the artist and printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806).

Bell 2 English
Derived from the given name Bel, a medieval short form of Isabel.

Simon English, French, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Hobson English
Means "son of Hob".

Belo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bello.

Franklyn English
Variant of Franklin.

Heintze German
Derived from a diminutive of Heinrich.

Marconi Italian
Derived from the given name Marco.

Ó Treasaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Tracey 2.

Merricks Welsh
Variant of Merrick.

Román Spanish
From the given name Román.

Samara 2 f Greek
Feminine form of Samaras.

Lukić Serbian
Means "son of Luka".

Almássy Hungarian
Means "from the apple orchard", derived from Hungarian alma meaning "apple".

Valjean Literature
Created by Victor Hugo for Jean Valjean, the hero of his novel Les Misérables (1862). The novel explains that his father, also named Jean, received the nickname Valjean or Vlajean from a contraction of French voilá Jean meaning "here's Jean".

Portner Low German
Low German cognate of Porter.

Skywalker Popular Culture
From the English words sky and walker, created by George Lucas as the surname for several characters in his Star Wars movie series, notably the hero Luke Skywalker from the original trilogy (beginning 1977). Early drafts of the script had the name as Starkiller.

Paulis Dutch
From the given name Paul.

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

Sheedy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Síoda.

Wehnert German
Variant of Wagner.

Fabbri Italian
From Italian fabbro meaning "blacksmith", ultimately from Latin faber.

Oliversen Norwegian
Means "son of Oliver".

Jespersen Danish
Means "son of Jesper".

Favreau French
Diminutive of Favre.

Van Aggelen Dutch
Denoted someone from Aggelen, which could refer to Achel in the Belgian province of Limburg or Egchel in the Dutch province of Limburg.

Lama Italian
Derived from the name place Lama, common in Italy.

Yu 1 Chinese
From Chinese 于 (yú) meaning "in, on, at". According to legend, King Wu of Zhou bestowed the realm of Yu to his second son, who subsequently adopted this as his surname.

Wickham English
From any of various towns by this name in England, notably in Hampshire. They are derived from Old English wic "village, town" (of Latin origin) and ham "home, settlement".

Sorrentino Italian
Derived from the town of Sorrento near Naples, called Surrentum in Latin, of unknown meaning.

Bannister English
From Norman French banastre meaning "basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.

Steensen Danish
Means "son of Steen".

Arrighetti Italian
Means "son of Arrighetto", a diminutive of the given name Arrigo.

Valentin French, German
From the given name Valentin.

Vang 1 Norwegian, Danish
Variant of Wang 3.

Hribar Slovene
From Slovene hrib meaning "hill".

Maiella Italian
From the name of the Maiella massif in Abruzzo, Italy.

Bellamy French, English
From Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".

Abasolo Basque
Means "priest's meadow" from Basque abas "priest" and solo "meadow".

London English
From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain.

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

Sancho Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Sancho.

Brankovich Serbian
Alternate transcription of Serbian Бранковић (see Branković).

Sedláková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Sedlák.

Delaney 1 English
Derived from Norman French de l'aunaie meaning "from the alder grove".

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

Jacobs English, Dutch
Derived from the given name Jacob.

Ravn Danish
Means "raven" in Danish, from Old Norse hrafn.

Lázaro Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Lázaro.

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.

Steele English
Occupational name for a steelworker, from Old English stele meaning "steel".

Benizzi Italian
From the medieval given name Bonizzone.

Hooper English
Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.

Sikora Polish
Means "tit (bird)" in Polish.

Altink Dutch
Variant of Alting.

Pesty Hungarian
Variant of Pesti.

Cola Italian
From the given name Nicola 1.

Strömberg Swedish
From Swedish ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream" and berg meaning "mountain".

Haenraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Avraham Jewish
From the given name Abraham.

Hummel 1 German, Dutch
Derived from the given name Humbert.

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

Heijmans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

McDermott Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac Diarmada meaning "son of Diarmaid". The McDermotts were nobility in the Kingdom of Connaught, a province in Ireland.

Rowan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruadháin.

Sulaymanov m Kyrgyz
Means "son of Sulayman".

Avery English
Derived from a Norman French form of the given names Alberich or Alfred.

Massey English
Derived from Massy, the name of several towns in France. The name of the town is perhaps derived from a personal name that was Latinized as Maccius.

Jehlička m Czech
From Czech jehla meaning "needle", most likely borne by tailors in reference to their occupation.

Öwezowa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Öwezow.

Adomaitis m Lithuanian
From the given name Adomas.

Vogels Dutch
Variant of Vogel.

Paulauskas m Lithuanian
From the given name Paulius.

Ryba um Polish, Czech
Means "fish" in Polish and Czech, an occupational name for a fisher.

Hlaváčková f Czech
Feminine form of Hlaváček.

Accardi Italian
Variant of Acardi.

Podsedník m Czech
Means "one who sits behind" in Czech, an equivalent to Zahradník mainly used in the region of Moravia.

Funar Romanian
Means "rope maker" in Romanian.

Fowler English
Occupational name for a fowler or birdcatcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".

Karagiannis m Greek
From the Greek prefix καρα (kara) meaning "black, dark" (of Turkish origin) and the given name Giannis.

Opeyemi Yoruba
From the given name Opeyemi.

Cabral Portuguese
From places named from Late Latin capralis meaning "place of goats", derived from Latin capra meaning "goat".

Salo Finnish
Means "forest" in Finnish.

Toivonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish toivo meaning "hope".

Mancini Italian
Diminutive of Manco.

Alves Portuguese
Means "son of Álvaro".

Myer English
From Old French mire meaning "doctor", derived from Latin medicus.

Meadows English
Referred to one who lived in a meadow, from Old English mædwe.

MacGrory Irish, Scottish
Variant of McCrory.

Alberda Dutch
Derived from the given name Albert.

Sas Hungarian
Means "eagle" in Hungarian.

Tsang Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zeng.

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

Guérin French
From the Old German given name Warin.

Sergeyev m Russian
Means "son of Sergey".

Janáček m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Jan 1.

Dunajska f Polish
Feminine form of Dunajski.

Lloyd Welsh, English
Originally a nickname from the Welsh word llwyd meaning "grey".

Altena Dutch
From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "close, near" in Dutch.

Armbrüster German
Variant of Armbruster.

Aleshire German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Alscher.

Olayinka Yoruba
From the given name Olayinka.

Makris m Greek
Means "long, tall" in Greek.

Carran Irish
Variant of Curran.

Andreyeva f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Andreyev.

Skálová f Czech
Feminine form of Skála.

Darcy English
From Norman French d'Arcy, originally denoting someone who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. A notable fictional bearer is Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

Norling Swedish
Originally denoted a person who came from the north.

Morce English
Variant of Morriss.

Marion French
Derived from the given name Marion 1.

Hawk English
Originally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English hafoc "hawk".

Giffard French, English
Possibly from Old French gifart meaning "chubby" or possibly from the Germanic name Gebhard. Walter Giffard was one of the Norman companions of William the Conqueror.

Friedrich German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.

Warszawski mu Polish, Jewish
Place name for someone from the Polish city of Warsaw, itself derived from the given name Warsz, a short form of Warcisław.

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

Akbari Persian
From the given name Akbar.

Micheli Italian
From the given name Michele 1.

Petraitienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petraitis. This form is used by married women.

Slavíková f Czech
Feminine form of Slavík.

Hodson English
Means "son of Hodge", a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Zilberschlag Jewish
Occupational name for a silversmith from Yiddish zilber "silver" and schlag "strike".

Abatangelo Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Angelo.

Hirschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Faragó Hungarian
An occupational name meaning "woodcutter", from Hungarian farag meaning "carve, cut".

Machová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Mach.

Mussolini Italian
From Italian mussolina meaning "muslin", a type of cloth, itself derived from the city of Mosul in Iraq. This name was borne by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945).

Botwright English
Variant of Boatwright.

Colby English
From various English place names, which were derived from the Old Norse byname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "farm, settlement".

Qurbonova f Uzbek, Tajik
Feminine form of Qurbonov.

Tsui Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xu 1.

Wilk Polish
Means "wolf" in Polish.

Valerieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Valeriev.

Kašparová f Czech
Feminine form of Kašpar.

Rhee Korean
North Korean form of Lee 2.

Uzun Turkish
Means "long, tall" in Turkish.

Wirnhier German
From the given name Werner.

Makarov m Russian
Means "son of Makar".

Siliņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian sils meaning "pine forest".

Bjarnesen Danish
Means "son of Bjarne".

Abramsson Swedish
Means "son of Abraham".

Drake English
Derived from the Old Norse byname Draki or the Old English byname Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent".

Ingesson Swedish
Means "son of Inge".

Boško m Slovak
Derived from Slovak bosý meaning "barefoot".

Poulsen Danish
Means "son of Poul".

Nogueira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician nogueira meaning "walnut tree", from the Late Latin nucarius, ultimately from Latin nux meaning "nut".

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

Brauer Low German
Derived from Middle Low German bruwer meaning "brewer".

Vasiliauskas m Lithuanian
Means "son of Vasilijus".

Jans Dutch, German
Means "son of Jan 1".

Maessen Dutch
Means "son of Maas".

Skalický m Czech, Slovak
Indicated the original bearer came from a place named Skalice, Skalica or Skalička in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, derived from the Slavic root skala meaning "rock".

Da Gama Portuguese
Variant of Gama. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524).

Goldhirsch Jewish
Means "golden stag" in Yiddish.

Hirsch 2 Jewish
Derived from the given name Hirsh.

Honeycutt English
Derived from the name of the English town of Hunnacott, derived from Old English hunig "honey" or the given name Huna combined with cot "cottage".

Floyd Welsh
Variant of Lloyd.

Mas 1 Catalan
Means "farmhouse" in Catalan.

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

Quigg Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuaig meaning "descendant of Cuaig", a given name of unknown meaning.

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

Lennox Scottish
From the name of a district in Scotland, called Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly meaning "place of elms".

Ekmekçi Turkish
Means "baker" in Turkish.

Everett English
From the given name Everard.

Siegel 1 German
Occupational name for a maker of seals or signet rings, ultimately from Latin sigillum "seal".

Josephs English
Derived from the given name Joseph.

Šulcová f Czech
Feminine form of Šulc.

Chancellor English
Occupational name for an administrator, a chancellor, from Norman French chancelier.

Schmitt German
Variant of Schmidt.

Perkins English
Means "son of Perkin", a medieval diminutive of Peter.

Dexter English
Occupational name meaning "dyer" in Old English (originally this was a feminine word, but it was later applied to men as well).

Carrara Italian
From the name of a city in Tuscany famous for its marble quarries. It is probably derived from Late Latin quadreria meaning "quarry".

Pavoni Italian
Variant of Pavone.

Coeman Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Lauritsen Danish
Means "son of Laurits".

Robustelli Italian
From a nickname for a strong person, from Italian robusto "strong", from Latin robustus "firm, solid, oaken".

Hawthorne English
Denoted a person who lived near a hawthorn bush, a word derived from Old English hagaþorn, from haga meaning "enclosure, yard" and þorn meaning "thorn bush". A famous bearer was the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of The Scarlet Letter.

Osmonova f Kyrgyz
Feminine form of Osmonov.

Roxas Filipino
Filipino form of the Spanish Rojas.

Haywood English
From various place names meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.

Chevrolet French
From a diminutive of chèvre meaning "goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.

Blažević Croatian
Means "son of Blaž".

Évrard French
From the given name Évrard.

Nagy um Hungarian, Slovak
From a nickname meaning "big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname. In Slovakia this spelling is only used for men, with Nagyová being the feminine form.

Zajíc m Czech
Means "hare" in Czech.

Howard 2 English
Occupational name meaning "ewe herder", from Old English eowu "ewe" and hierde "herdsman, guardian".

Sýkorová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Sýkora.

Ferraro Italian
Variant of Ferrari.

Clifford English
Derived from various place names that meant "ford by a cliff" in Old English.

Hyland 2 Irish
Variant of Whelan.

Novikov m Russian
Derived from Russian новый (novy) meaning "new".

Steed English
Occupational name for one who tended horses, derived from Middle English steed, in turn derived from Old English steda meaning "stallion".

Ó Murchadha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Murphy.

Vervloet Flemish
Means "from the stream" in Dutch.

Merlo Italian, Spanish
Means "blackbird", ultimately from Latin merula. The blackbird is a symbol of a naive person.

Aitken Scottish, English
Derived from the medieval given name Atkin, a diminutive of Adam.

Périgord French
From the name of a region in southern France, possibly of Gaulish origin.

Schultheis German
Variant of Schulz.

Naaji Arabic
From the given name Naaji.

Schmeling German
From Middle Low German smal meaning "small, slender".

Berg German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Old High German, Old Dutch and Old Norse berg meaning "mountain".

Wyman English
From the Old English given name Wigmund.

Stepanov m Russian
Means "son of Stepan".

Pérez Spanish
Means "son of Pedro".

Hatheway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Hamaguchi Japanese
From Japanese 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Fiore Italian
Derived from the given name Fiore.

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

Kaufman German, Jewish
Variant of Kaufmann.

Rivero Spanish
Variant of Rivera.

Martín Spanish
Derived from the given name Martín.

Garrido Spanish
Means "elegant, ostentatious" in Spanish.

Patenaude French (Quebec)
French form of Paternoster.

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

Ebner 2 German
Means "judge, arbiter" from Middle High German ebenære.

Vives Catalan
Variant of Vivas.

Olofsson Swedish
Means "son of Olof".

Konstantinov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Konstantin".

Veselá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Veselý.

Zajac m Slovak
Means "hare" in Slovak.

Adkins English
Variant of Atkins.

Schuhart German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Baron English, French
From the title of nobility, derived from Latin baro (genitive baronis) meaning "man, freeman", possibly from Frankish barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or acted like a baron.

Kroon Dutch, Estonian
Means "crown" in Dutch and Estonian (from Latin corona).

Brisbois French
Referred to a person who cleared land, from Old French briser "to cut" and bois "forest".

Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).

Beranová f Czech
Feminine form of Beran.

Çaryýew m Turkmen
Means "son of Çary".

Valentine English
From the given name Valentine 1.

Anker Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Metonymic surname for a sailor, meaning "anchor" in Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.

Schröter German
Means "beer-porter, wine-porter" in German, an occupational name for a carrier of wine or beer barrels.

Hoàng Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Huang, from Sino-Vietnamese 黃 (hoàng).

Tehrani Persian
Indicated a person from the Iranian city of Tehran, of unknown meaning.

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

Agócs Hungarian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Ágoston.

Medeiros Portuguese
From various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese medeiro meaning "haystack", ultimately from Latin meta meaning "cone, pyramid".

Jérôme French
Derived from the given name Jérôme.

Coburn Scottish, English
Variant of Cockburn.

Figueroa Spanish
From places named for Galician figueira meaning "fig tree".

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

Giannopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Giannis" in Greek.

Yamada Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Vartanian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Վարդանյան (see Vardanyan).

Spitz German
Means "sharp" in German, indicating the original bearer lived near a pointed hill.

Riordan Irish
From Irish Ó Ríoghbhárdáin meaning "descendant of Rígbarddán".

Tipton English
Originally given to one who came from the town of Tipton, derived from the Old English given name Tippa combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Nyberg Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and berg meaning "mountain".

Pecháčková f Czech
Feminine form of Pecháček.

Quijano Spanish
From the name of a village in northern Spain.

Anthonyson English (Rare)
Means "son of Anthony".

Alink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Ale 2" in Dutch.

Popławska f Polish
Feminine form of Popławski.

Breda Italian
From the name of a town near Venice, possibly derived from a Lombardic word meaning "field".

Bárta m Czech
From a given name that was a diminutive of Bartoloměj.

Disney English
Means "from Isigny", referring to the town of Isigny in Normandy. This surname was borne by the American animator and filmmaker Walt Disney (1901-1966).

Ioannidi f Greek
Feminine form of Ioannidis.