Browse Surnames

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.

Travere French
French variant of Travers.

Milford English
Originally derived from various place names all meaning "ford by a mill" in Old English.

Shine 1 English
Means "beautiful, attractive" from Old English sciene.

Polzin German
From the name of a town in Pomerania, Poland (formerly part of Germany). In Polish it is called Połczyn.

Lyon 3 French, English
From the given name Leon.

Hail English
From a nickname derived from Middle English hail meaning "healthy" (of Old Norse origin).

Carpenter English
From the occupation, derived from Middle English carpentier (ultimately from Latin carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").

Jackman English
Means "servant of Jack".

Daviau French
From a diminutive form of David.

D'Angelo Italian
Means "son of Angelo".

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

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

Rimmer English
Occupational name meaning "poet", from Middle English rime meaning "rhyme".

Tomov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Toma 2".

Gunther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

Aho Finnish
Means "meadow, glade" in Finnish.

McCrum Scottish
Anglicized form of MacChruim.

Stern 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.

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

Briggs English
Variant of Bridges.

Breitbarth German
From Old High German breit "broad" and bart "beard", originally a nickname for someone with a full beard.

Wehnert German
Variant of Wagner.

Filipović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Filip".

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

Slootmaekers Dutch, Flemish
Occupational name for a locksmith, from Dutch slot "lock" and maker "maker".

Bradshaw English
From any of the places by this name in England, derived from Old English brad "broad" and sceaga "thicket".

Slovák m Slovak, Czech
Originally described one who was from Slovakia.

Calligaris Italian
From Late Latin caligarius meaning "shoemaker".

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

Persson Swedish
Means "son of Per".

Villar Spanish
Spanish cognate of Vilar.

Radcliff English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.

Yokota Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Abatescianni Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Gianni.

Milovanović Serbian
Means "son of Milovan".

Skała Polish
Polish cognate of Skála.

Sneijder Dutch
Variant of Snijder.

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".

Fylan Irish
Variant of Whelan.

Vodenicharova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Vodenicharov.

Eriksson Swedish
Means "son of Erik".

Dong Chinese
From Chinese 董 (dǒng) meaning "direct, supervise".

Kristensen Danish
Means "son of Kristen 1".

Hlaváčková f Czech
Feminine form of Hlaváček.

Kozioł Polish
Means "male goat" in Polish, probably used to denote a goatherd.

Landau German, Jewish
Derived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".

Romano 2 Italian
Denoted a person from the city of Rome, either a resident or someone who visited as a pilgrim. In Calabria it was also used to designate a person from New Rome, a name for Constantinople.

Löfgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish löv (Old Norse lauf) meaning "leaf" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Yordanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Yordan".

Macháň m Czech
Derived from the given name Mach, a Czech diminutive of Matěj and other given names beginning with Ma.

Gärtner German
German form of Gardener.

Accorsi Italian
From the given name Bonaccorso.

Bogdanović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Bogdan".

Wróblewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wróblewski.

Reese 1 Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.

Woodward English
Occupational name for a forester, meaning "ward of the wood" in Old English.

Vasile Romanian
Derived from the given name Vasile.

Pesaresi Italian
Variant of Pesaro.

Flanagan Irish
From Irish Ó Flannagáin meaning "descendant of Flannagán". Flannagán is a given name meaning "blood red". From County Roscommon in Ireland, it has many other spellings.

Tesla Serbian
Occupational name for a carpenter, derived from Serbian tesla meaning "adze". This name was notably borne by the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).

Morton English
Derived from a place name meaning "moor town" in Old English.

Van Aalst Dutch
Variant of Van Alst.

Podsedníková f Czech
Feminine form of Podsedník.

Boothman English
Variant of Booth.

Grasso Italian
Means "fat" in Italian, originally a nickname for a stout person. It is derived from Latin crassus.

Mendoza Spanish, Basque
From a Basque place name derived from mendi "mountain" and hotz "cold".

Durdyýewa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Durdyýew.

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).

Humphrey English
Derived from the given name Humphrey.

Pelletier French
Derived from Old French pelletier "fur trader".

Vasiliauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Vasiliauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Terzi 2 Turkish
Means "tailor" in Turkish, ultimately of Persian origin.

Haugen Norwegian
Means "hill" in Norwegian, referring to a person who lived on a hilltop.

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

Stefanova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Stefanov.

Ayala Spanish
From the name of the town of Ayala (called Aiara in Basque) in Álava, Spain. It might be derived from Basque aiher "slope" or alha "pasture".

Burns 2 Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Ó Séaghdha Irish
Means "descendant of Séaghdha".

Medvedev m Russian
Derived from Russian медведь (medved) meaning "bear".

De Vito Italian
Means "son of Vito 1".

Schuler German
Means "scholar, student" in German, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school".

Harlan English
Variant of Harland.

Bäcker German
Variant of Becker, mostly found in northern Germany.

Alles Dutch
Means "son of Alle".

Atwater English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".

MacQueen Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Shuibhne.

Frei German
Means "free" in German, probably referring to someone outside the feudal system.

Alesio Italian
From the given name Alessio.

Styles English
Locational name for one who lived near a steep hill, from Old English stigel "stile, set of steps".

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

Maroz Belarusian
Belarusian form of Moroz.

Nazarian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Նազարյան (see Nazaryan).

Aldershof Dutch
Means "Aldert's courtyard" from the given name Aldert combined with Dutch hof "yard, court".

Holmström Swedish
From Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Krstevski m Macedonian
Means "son of Krste".

Kaufmann German, Jewish
Means "trader, merchant" in German.

Platt English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.

Boone English
Variant of Boon 1 or Boon 2.

Arendonk Dutch
Denoted a person from Arendonk, a town between in northern Belgium. It is derived from arend "eagle" and donk "hill".

Jaworska f Polish
Feminine form of Jaworski.

Soukupová f Czech
Feminine form of Soukup.

Dunbar Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and barr meaning "summit", so called from its situation on a rock that projects into the sea.

Airaldi Italian
Means "son of Aroldo".

Thomas English, Welsh, French, German
Derived from the given name Thomas.

Buffone Italian
Means "jester, joker" in Italian.

Brice English
From the given name Brice.

Beumer Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Sparks English
From an Old Norse nickname or byname derived from sparkr meaning "sprightly".

Huang Chinese
From Chinese 黄 (huáng) meaning "yellow".

Nikolovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Nikolovski.

MacWilliam Scottish
Means "son of William" in Gaelic.

Rodgers English
Derived from the given name Rodger.

Gros French
Means "thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.

Mårdh Swedish
From Swedish mård meaning "pine marten".

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

Barišić Croatian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Bartol.

Armistead English
Means "hermitage", indicating a person who lived near one, from Middle English ermite "hermit" and stede "place".

Gustafsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustaf". The actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was originally named Greta Gustafsson.

Tosetti Italian
Diminutive form of Tosi.

Šulcová f Czech
Feminine form of Šulc.

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

Todorova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Todorov.

Aaron Jewish, English
From the given name Aaron.

Terzi 1 Italian
From the given name Terzo, or a name for a third child.

Snelling English
Variant of Snell.

Fisker Danish
Means "fisherman" in Danish.

Ihejirika Igbo
Means "the one that I have is greater" in Igbo.

McKay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacAoidh.

Blumenthal German, Jewish
Derived from German Blumen "flowers" and Thal "valley".

Arendse Afrikaans
Variant of Arends.

O'Shea Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Séaghdha.

Fabien French
Derived from the given name Fabien.

Ó Cearmada Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Carmody.

Ljungstrand Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and strand (Old Norse strǫnd) meaning "beach".

Mihaylov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Mihail".

Vlasáková f Czech
Feminine form of Vlasák.

Brannon Irish
Variant of Brennan.

Scarpa Italian
Means "shoemaker" from Italian scarpa meaning "shoe".

Draganov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Dragan".

Masterson English
Patronymic derived from Middle English maister meaning "master", via Old French from Latin magister.

Crawford English
From a place name derived from Old English crawe "crow" and ford "river crossing". A notable bearer was the American actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur.

Heijman Dutch
Patronymic from a diminutive of the given name Hendrik.

Flipsen Dutch
Means "son of Flip".

Alagona Italian
From the name of the Spanish region of Aragon, which was a medieval kingdom. The region was named for a river, which was itself derived from an Indo-European root meaning "water".

Fertig German
Means "ready, prepared" in German.

Dierickx Flemish
Means "son of Dirk".

Ševčíková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Ševčík.

Jeong Korean
Korean form of Zheng, from Sino-Korean 鄭 (jeong).

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Giménez Spanish
Variant of Jiménez.

Sneijers Dutch
Variant of Snijder.

Randrup Danish
From the name of homesteads in Denmark (in Viborg or Rebild municipalities).

Rollins English
From a diminutive of the given name Roland.

Serpico Italian
From a nickname derived from Italian serpe "serpent, reptile".

Bolton English
From any of the many places in England called Bolton, derived from Old English bold "house" and tun "enclosure".

Wells English
Derived from Middle English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".

Vanags m Latvian
Means "hawk" in Latvian.

Episcopo Italian
Means "bishop" in Italian, ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos).

Küchler German
Occupational surname for a baker who made small cakes or cookies, derived from Middle High German kuoche "cake, pastry".

Leggièri Italian
Means "light, thin" in Sicilian.

Michelakaki f Greek
Feminine form of Michelakakis.

Mizuno Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Wash English
Derived from the Norman name Wazo.

Van Buggenum Dutch
Means "from Buggenum", a small town in the middle of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Clarke English
Variant of Clark.

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.

Vang 1 Norwegian, Danish
Variant of Wang 3.

Raines English
Originally denoted a person from Rayne, Essex, England (possibly from an Old English word meaning "shelter") or from Rennes, Brittany, France (from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones).

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

Dries Dutch
From the given name Dries.

Stjepanić Croatian
Means "son of Stjepan".

Cross English
Locative name meaning "cross", ultimately from Latin crux. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.

Kolbe German
From Middle High German kolbe meaning "club".

Deniel French
Variant of Daniel.

Halász Hungarian
Means "fisherman" in Hungarian.

Papathanasiou Greek
Means "son of Athanasios the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Athanasios.

Bakker Dutch
Dutch cognate of Baker, from Middle Dutch backere.

Benbow English
From a nickname "bend the bow" given to an archer.

Tyree Scottish
Variant of McIntyre.

Vega Spanish
From Spanish vega meaning "meadow, plain", of Basque origin.

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

Raskopf German
Possibly from German rasch "quick" and Kopf "head".

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

Simón Spanish
From the given name Simón.

Zvirbule f Latvian
Feminine form of Zvirbulis.

Román Spanish
From the given name Román.

Wu 3 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Hu.

Sandford English
Indicated a person from Sandford, England, which means simply "sand ford".

Patil Marathi
Means "village chief" in Marathi.

MacDaniel Scottish
Variant of MacDonald.

Pawlitzki German
German surname derived from a Slavic form of the given name Paul.

Cavalcante Italian
Derived from Italian cavalcare "to ride".

Saitō Japanese
From Japanese 斎 (sai) meaning "purification, worship" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Dunajski m Polish
Derived from Dunaj, the Polish name for the river Danube.

Carlevaro Italian
Northern Italian variant of Carnevale.

Michelakou f Greek
Feminine form of Michelakos.

Reynell English
Variant of Reynolds.

Krastev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Krastyo".

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

Menéndez Spanish
Means "son of Menendo" in Spanish, the given name Menendo being a medieval Spanish form of Hermenegildo.

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Ślązak Polish
Polish cognate of Slezák.

Wasilewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wasilewski.

Grigorova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Grigorov.

Brambilla Italian
Derived from the Italian town of Brembilla in Lombardy, itself named after the Brembo river.

Kozlov m Russian
Derived from Russian козёл (kozyol) meaning "male goat", probably used to denote a goatherd.

Manfredonia Italian
Originally indicated a person from Manfredonia, Italy. The city was named for the 13th-century King Manfred of Sicily.

Sastre Spanish
Spanish cognate of Sarto.

Dvořák m Czech
Occupational name derived from Czech dvůr "manor", indicating a person who worked at such a place. This name was borne by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904).

Berggren Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Dermott Irish
Variant of McDermott.

Schroeder German
Variant of Schröder 1 and Schröder 2.

Todd English
Means "fox", derived from Middle English todde.

Furnadjiev m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Фурнаджиев (see Furnadzhiev).

Vollan Norwegian
Variant of Voll 1.

Rosário Portuguese
Means "rosary" in Portuguese. This name was often given to people born on the day of the festival of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Fitzwilliam Irish
Means "son of William" in Anglo-Norman French.

Kalniņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Kalniņš.

Buchvarova f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Бъчварова (see Bachvarova).

Van Middlesworth Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Van Middelburg.

Adema Frisian
Means "son of Ade 2".

Andriessen Dutch
Means "son of Andries".

Findlay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh.

Bai Chinese
From Chinese 白 (bái) meaning "white".

Lagunova f Russian
Feminine form of Lagunov.

Akhmadov m Chechen
Means "son of Akhmad".

Furnadzhiev m Bulgarian
Occupational name for a baker, derived from Bulgarian фурна (furna) meaning "oven" (of Latin origin).

Petrosyan Armenian
Means "son of Petros" in Armenian.

Popescu Romanian
Patronymic derived from Romanian popă "priest". This is the second most common surname in Romania.

Nevin 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Naoimhín.

Navrátil m Czech
Means "returned" in Czech, from the verb navrátit "to return", perhaps used to denote a person who came home following a long absence.

Taverna Italian
From the place name Taverna, common in different parts of Italy. It means "inn, tavern" in Italian.

Reuter 1 German
Fom Middle High German riute meaning "cleared land".

Davidová f Czech
Czech feminine form of David.

Dinapoli Italian
Variant of Di Napoli.

Yordanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Yordanov.

Hajós Hungarian
Means "boatman, sailor" in Hungarian.

Van Aarle Dutch
Variant of Aarle.

Paisley Scottish
From the name of a town near Glasgow, which may ultimately be derived from Latin basilica "church".

Ziętek Polish
Possibly from a diminutive of Polish zięć meaning "son-in-law".

Abramsson Swedish
Means "son of Abraham".

Mandelbaum Jewish
Means "almond tree" in German.

Beckert German
Variant of Becker.

Browne English
Variant of Brown.

Sessa Italian
Originally indicated a person from from Sessa or Sessa Cilento, Italy (from Latin Suessa, of uncertain meaning).

Grbić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Means "hunchback", derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene grba "hump".

Mägi Estonian
Means "hill, mountain" in Estonian.

Samara 1 Arabic
Meaning unknown.

Keith Scottish
From a place name that is probably derived from the Brythonic element cet meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.

Haig English, Scottish
From Old English haga or Old Norse hagi meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Jansingh Dutch
Variant of Jansen.

Traylor English
Meaning unknown.

Crisp English
English cognate of Crespo.

Konstantinou Greek
Means "son of Konstantinos".

McGough Irish
Variant of Gough 2.

Hasenkamp German
From a northern German place name meaning "rabbit field", from Old Saxon haso "hare" and kamp "field" (from Latin campus).

Van Bokhoven Dutch
Means "from Bokhoven", a small town in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It means "goat yards" in Dutch.

Whittaker English
Variant of Whitaker.

Babayev m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Baba".

Vávra m Czech, Slovak
Derived from the given name Vávra, a diminutive of Vavřinec.

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

McLaughlin Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacLachlainn meaning "son of Lachlann".

Bradley English
From a common English place name, derived from brad "broad" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Meir Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.

Holland 1 English
From various English places of this name, derived from Old English hoh "point of land, heel" and land "land".

Slavkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Slavkov.

Norberg Swedish
Variant of Nordberg.

Simonsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Simon 1".

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

Baumgartner German
Occupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German Baumgarten "orchard" (derived from Baum "tree" and Garten "garden").

Aerts Dutch, Flemish
From a diminutive of the given name Arnout.

Paulissen Dutch
Means "son of Paul".

Pereira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".

Gagliardi Italian
From Italian gagliardo meaning "strong, vigorous".

Devine 1 Irish
Variant of Devin 1.

Mazur Polish
Indicated a person from either Mazovia (Polish Mazowsze) or Masuria (Polish Mazury), regions in Poland.

Bullens Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Schermer Dutch, Low German
Dutch and Low German form of Schirmer.

Janda mu Czech, Polish
Derived from the given name Jan 1.

Hutson English
Variant of Hudson.

Phillips English
Means "son of Philip".

Bayer German
Originally denoted a person from Bavaria, from its German name Bayern.

McNeill Scottish, Irish
Variant of McNeil.

Mac Giolla Ruaidh Irish
Means "son of the red-haired servant" in Irish.

Kock Low German, Dutch
Low German and Dutch cognate of Cook.

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

Tyrrell English
Variant of Terrell.

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

Guillaume French
From the given name Guillaume.

Valerieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Valeriev.

Wróbel Polish
Means "sparrow" in Polish.

Skeates English
From the Old Norse nickname or byname skjótr meaning "swift".

Zimmermann German, Jewish
From the German word for "carpenter", derived from Middle High German zimber "timber, wood" and mann "man".

Bokori Hungarian
Variant of Bokor.

Belanger English
From the given name Berengar.

Rask Danish, Swedish
Means "energetic, quick, healthy" in Danish and Swedish.

Nikolaou Greek
Means "son of Nikolaos".

Vacíková f Czech
Feminine form of Vacík.

Street English
Habitational name for a person who lived in a place called Street, for example in Somerset. It is derived from Old English stræt meaning "Roman road", from Latin strata.