Browse Surnames

Ó Taidhg Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Teague 1.

Yoxall English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Yoxall in Staffordshire, itself derived from Old English geoc "oxen yoke" and halh "nook, recess".

Bull English
From a nickname for a person who acted like a bull.

Pleško Slovene
Nickname for a bald person, from Slovene pleša meaning "bald patch".

Alfero Italian
From the given name Adalfarus.

Stefanidou f Greek
Feminine form of Stefanidis.

Wexler Jewish
Variant of Wechsler.

Bloxham English
From a place name meaning "Blocca's homestead". The Old English byname Blocca is of uncertain origin.

Maroz Belarusian
Belarusian form of Moroz.

Horváthová f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Horváth.

Barnett English
Derived from Old English bærnet meaning "place cleared by burning".

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

Megalou f Greek
Feminine form of Megalos.

Presley English
Variant of Priestley. This name was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).

Krakowska f Polish
Feminine form of Krakowski.

Rennold English
Variant of Reynolds.

Zakharov m Russian
Means "son of Zakhar".

Romijn Dutch
Derived from the given name Romein.

Caballero Spanish
From a nickname derived from Spanish caballero meaning "knight", a cognate of Chevalier.

Pearce English
From the given name Piers.

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

Milton English
Derived from an English place name meaning "mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote "Paradise Lost".

Forney German
Name for someone who lived near ferns, from Old High German farn "fern".

Morison English
Variant of Morrison.

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

Roxas Filipino
Filipino form of the Spanish Rojas.

Janssen Dutch
Means "son of Jan 1".

Məmmədov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Məmməd".

Abadzhiev m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian абаджия (abadzhiya) meaning "weaver, tailor" (of Turkish origin, ultimately from Arabic عباءة (ʿabāʾa) meaning "cloak").

Harley English
Derived from a place name meaning "hare clearing", from Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Akkermans Dutch
Dutch form of Ackermann.

De Vroom Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Vroom.

Giannaki f Greek
Feminine form of Giannakis.

Vencel Hungarian
Derived from the given name Vencel.

MacCionaodha Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McKenna.

Blanco Spanish
Means "white" in Spanish. The name most likely referred to a person who was pale or had blond hair.

Nielson English
Variant of Nelson 1.

Reiter German
Variant of Reuter 1.

Knutson Swedish
Variant of Knutsson.

Irvin Scottish, English
Variant of Irvine 1 or Irwin.

Holme English, Scottish
Referred either to someone living by a small island (northern Middle English holm, from Old Norse holmr) or near a holly tree (Middle English holm, from Old English holegn).

Bronson English
Patronymic form of Brown.

Steinsson Icelandic
Means "son of Steinn".

Peak English
Originally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.

Cruyssen Dutch
From the name of a place in the Netherlands, derived from kruis "cross".

Aubert French
From the given name Aubert.

Górski m Polish
From the Polish word góra meaning "mountain".

Szőke Hungarian
Means "blond, fair haired" in Hungarian.

Orsós Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian orsó meaning "spindle", an occupational name for a seller or maker of spindles.

Scott English, Scottish
Originally given to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic.

Engman Swedish
From Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person who lived in a meadow.

Bogdanović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Bogdan".

Pavia Italian
From the name of the city of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy. It is of unknown meaning.

Claes Flemish
From the given name Klaus.

Apostolova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Apostolov.

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

Altimari Italian
Derived from the given name Altimaro, an alteration of Adelmar.

Valentinov m Bulgarian, Russian
Means "son of Valentin".

Quirk Irish
Variant of Quirke.

Stuart Scottish
Variant of Stewart.

Lind Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Derived from Old Norse lind meaning "linden tree".

Damiani Italian
Derived from the given name Damiano.

Graves English
Occupational name for a steward, derived from Middle English greyve, related to the German title Graf.

Lucassen Dutch
Means "son of Lucas".

Jankauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Janowski.

Hämäläinen Finnish
Derived from the region in southern Finland known as Häme, also called Tavastia.

Arlotti Italian
Means "son of Arlotto".

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

Cullen 1 English
From the name of the German city of Cologne, which was derived from Latin colonia "colony".

Milano Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from Milan.

Seppä Finnish
Means "smith" in Finnish.

Róg Polish
Means "animal horn" in Polish.

Kuroki Japanese
From Japanese 黒 (kuro) meaning "black" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".

MacNeachdainn Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Mac Neachtain.

Mishra Hindi, Marathi
Means "mixed, mingled, honourable" in Sanskrit.

Jiménez Spanish
Means "son of Jimeno".

Brasher English
Means "brass worker", derived from Old English bræs "brass".

Chilikova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Chilikov.

Assenberg Dutch
From Dutch es meaning "ash tree" (plural essen) and berg meaning "mountain".

Newport English
Given to one who came from the town of Newport (which means simply "new port"), which was the name of several English towns.

Lovrić Croatian
Means "son of Lovro".

Matějková f Czech
Feminine form of Matějka.

O'Connor Irish
From Irish Ó Conchobhair meaning "descendant of Conchobar".

Cermak Czech (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Čermák.

Fear English
Derived from Middle English feare meaning "friend, comrade".

Kinsey English
Derived from the given name Cynesige.

Kusumoto Japanese
From Japanese 楠 (kusu) meaning "camphor tree" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Dragomirov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Dragomir".

Brzezicki m Polish
Derived from Polish brzezina meaning "birch grove".

Dedrick English
Derived from the given name Dederick, an older form of Derek.

Halmi Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian halom meaning "mound, small hill". Originally the name was given to someone who lived near or on a hill.

Segal 2 French
Occupational name for a grower or seller of rye, from Old French, from Latin secale "rye".

Sangster English, Scottish
Occupational name or nickname for a singer, from Old English singan "to sing, to chant".

Ongaro Italian
Variant of Ungaro.

Dobrev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Dobri".

Rothbauer German
From Old High German riuten "to clear land" and bur "peasant, farmer".

Petrauskas m Lithuanian
Means "son of Petras".

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

Vilaró Catalan
Catalan variant of Vilar.

Skálová f Czech
Feminine form of Skála.

Lynwood English
Variant of Linwood.

Coiro Italian
From Italian cuoio meaning "leather", ultimately from Latin corium. This was an occupational surname for a leather worker or tanner.

Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.

Salah Arabic
Derived from the given name Salah 1.

Mac Néill Irish
Irish form of McNeil.

Radev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Rade", a diminutive of Radoslav or Radomir.

Sancho Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Sancho.

Vlašič Slovene
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".

Costanzo Italian
From the given name Costanzo.

Montgomery English, Scottish
From a place name in Calvados, France meaning "Gumarich's mountain". A notable bearer was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.

McLeod Scottish
From Gaelic MacLeòid meaning "son of Leod", a given name derived from Old Norse ljótr "ugly".

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

Atkins English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Hampson English
Means "son of Hamo".

De La Fontaine French
French cognate of De la Fuente.

Matevosyan Armenian
Means "son of Matevos".

Petőcs Hungarian
Derived from Pető, an old Hungarian diminutive of Péter.

Baart Dutch
Means "beard" in Dutch, originally describing a person who wore a beard.

Hamm English
Means "river meadow" in Old English.

Groos German
Variant of Groß.

Angenent Dutch
Referred to person who lived at the end of the road or the village, derived from Dutch an gen ent meaning "at the end".

Mizutani Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Plamondon French
Derived from French plat "flat" and mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.

Krupa Polish
Means "groats, grain" in Polish.

Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Goldhirsch Jewish
Means "golden stag" in Yiddish.

Amadori Italian
Means "son of Amatore".

Gabriels English
Derived from the given name Gabriel.

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

Semenyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Semen.

Harper English
Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.

Baasch Low German
From Middle Low German bas meaning "boss".

Abdul Arabic, Pashto
From the given name Abdul.

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

Tót Hungarian
Variant of Tóth.

Gabrielson English
Means "son of Gabriel".

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

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

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.

Graner German
Originally denoted a person from Gran, the German name for Esztergom, a city in northern Hungary.

Erdős Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "forester", derived from Hungarian erdő "forest".

Morriss English
Derived from the given name Morris.

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

Kinnunen Finnish
Possibly derived from the Finnish dialectal word kinni meaning "animal skin, fur", borrowed from Swedish skinn.

Madigan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Madaidhín.

Goldschmidt German
Occupational name meaning "goldsmith" in German.

Walentowicz Polish
Means "son of Walenty".

Scherer German
Occupational name for a cutter of cloth or a sheep-shearer, from Old High German skeran "to cut".

Marinović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Marin".

Brand 1 German, Dutch, English
Derived from the Old German given name Brando or its Old Norse cognate Brandr.

Akhmadova f Chechen
Feminine form of Akhmadov.

Chayka Ukrainian
Means "seagull" in Ukrainian.

Sadowski m Polish
Denoted someone who lived in Sadowo, Sadowice or other places beginning with Polish sad meaning "garden, orchard".

Dykstra Frisian
From Frisian dyk meaning "dike, ditch". The name was given to a person living near a dyke or embankment.

Kráľová f Slovak
Feminine form of Kráľ.

Ferraro Italian
Variant of Ferrari.

Arnolfi Italian
Means "son of Arnolfo".

Tomczak Polish
From a diminutive of the given name Tomasz.

Caito Italian
Occupational name from Sicilian càjitu meaning "official, leader", ultimately from Arabic قاضي (qāḍī) meaning "judge".

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

Cabrera Spanish
From various place names derived from Late Latin capraria meaning "place of goats", from Latin capra meaning "goat".

Wedekind German
From the given name Widukind.

Samuelsson Swedish
Means "son of Samuel".

Hult Swedish
Swedish form of Holt.

Espensen Norwegian
Means "son of Espen".

Gjorgieva f Macedonian
Feminine form of Gjorgiev.

Fairchild English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.

Ježková f Czech
Czech feminine form of Ježek.

Yancy Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jansen.

Van Aalst Dutch
Variant of Van Alst.

Vrabec um Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak
Means "sparrow" in several languages, from Old Slavic vorbĭ.

Becke German
Variant of Beck 1 or Beck 2.

Profeta Italian
From Italian profeta meaning "prophet". It probably came from a nickname indicating a person who wanted to predict the future. It is typical of southern Italy.

Foster 4 English
Nickname given to a person who was a foster child or foster parent.

Ibragimov m Chechen, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijani (Russified), Uzbek (Russified)
Means "son of Ibragim".

Egawa Japanese
From Japanese 江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Spillum Norwegian
Originally denoted a person from Spillum, Norway.

Wasilewski m Polish
Means "son of Wasyl".

Loris German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Fromm German
From a nickname derived from Middle High German vrume meaning "noble, honourable".

Marsden English
From a place name derived from Old English mearc "boundary" and denu "valley".

Soból Polish
Polish cognate of Sobol.

Chan Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Chen.

Kinsley English
From the name of a town in West Yorkshire, meaning "clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with cyne meaning "royal".

Meeuwsen Dutch
Derived from the Dutch given name Meeuw, which comes from Bartholomeus (see Bartholomew).

Arterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Clausen Danish
Means "son of Claus".

Moon 3 Irish
Variant of Mohan.

Bachmann German
Denoted a person who lived near a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and man "man".

Munro Scottish
Designated a person who had originally lived near the mouth of the Roe River in Derry, Ireland. It is derived from Gaelic bun meaning "root, base" combined with the river's name.

Verity English
From a nickname meaning "truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.

Pavletić Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Pavle.

Jefferson English
Means "son of Jeffrey". A famous bearer was American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). Since his surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, it is now more common among the African-American population.

Ledford English
From the name of English places called Lydford, derived from hlud meaning "loud, noisy" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Faerber German
Variant of Färber.

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

Kirk English
From northern Middle English kirk meaning "church", from Old Norse kirkja (cognate of Church). A famous fictional bearer is the starship captain James Kirk from the Star Trek television series (1966-1969), and subsequent films.

Ritter German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight", a cognate of Ryder.

Nicholson English
Means "son of Nicholas". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Jack Nicholson (1937-).

Guidi Italian
From the given name Guido.

De Clercq Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

İbrahimov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of İbrahim".

Pemberton English
From the name of a town near Manchester, derived from Celtic penn meaning "hill" combined with Old English bere meaning "barley" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Beitel German
Variant of Beutel.

Butkus m Lithuanian
Possibly from a given name that was derived from Lithuanian būti meaning "to be, to exist".

Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.

Joiner English
Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).

Coemans Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Alemagna Italian
From Alemannia, the Latin name for Germany.

Ó Téacháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Teahan.

Kristensen Danish
Means "son of Kristen 1".

Romeijnders Dutch
From Dutch Romein meaning "Roman, person from Rome".

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.

Nishimura Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

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

Meinhardt German
Derived from the given name Meinhard.

Garçon French
Means "boy" in French, referring to a servant.

Mihaljević Croatian
Means "son of Mihael".

Guadarrama Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Guadarrama near Madrid.

Dyer English
Occupational name meaning "cloth dyer", from Old English deah "dye".

Baghdassarian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Բաղդասարյան (see Baghdasaryan).

Peck 1 English
Variant of Peak.

Aguado Spanish
Derived from Spanish agua "water", indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.

Mitrović Serbian
Means "son of Mitar".

Sloane Irish
Variant of Sloan.

Ungaro Italian
Means "Hungarian" in Italian.

Cardona Catalan
From the name of a town in Catalonia, of uncertain meaning.

Valenti Italian
Patronymic from the given name Valente, an Italian form of Valens. A famous bearer of the surname was Jack Valenti (1921-2007), advisor to American president Lyndon Johnson.

Niemi Finnish
Means "peninsula, cape" in Finnish.

Harrelson English
Means "son of Harold". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Woody Harrelson (1961-).

Perreault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Malá f Czech
Feminine form of Malý.

Hu Chinese
From Chinese 胡 (hú) meaning "beard, whiskers, recklessly, wildly, barbarian".

Tkachuk Ukrainian
From Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".

Tesař m Czech
Means "carpenter" in Czech, ultimately from the Old Slavic word tesla meaning "adze".

Sturm German
Means "storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.

Christodoulou Greek
Means "son of Christodoulos".

Copperfield Literature
Created from the English words copper and field by the author Charles Dickens, who used it for the title character in his novel David Copperfield (1850).

Arap Turkish
Means "Arab" in Turkish.

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

McSheehy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mac Síthigh, meaning "son of Sítheach".

Segers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Ibáñez Spanish
Means "son of Ibán".

Novosad m Czech
From place names meaning "new orchard" in Czech.

Dunkel German
Means "dark" in German.

Martini Italian
Derived from the given name Martino.

Beckert German
Variant of Becker.

Sedláčková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Sedláček.

Abram English
Derived from the given name Abraham.

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

Bogdán Hungarian
From the given name Bogdan.

Spence English
Variant of Spencer.

Ó Gráda Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Grady.

Mun Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 문 (see Moon 1).

Afolabi Yoruba
From the given name Afolabi.

Iglesias Spanish
From Spanish iglesia meaning "church", from Latin ecclesia (of Greek origin).

Ahearn Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hEachthighearna.

Takenaka Japanese
Means "dweller amongst bamboo", from Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Romanova f Russian
Feminine form of Romanov.

Cojocaru Romanian
From Romanian cojoc meaning "sheepskin coat". This was an occupational name for a maker of these coats.

McCune Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Eoghain.

Papadakis m Greek
From a diminutive of Greek πάπας (papas) meaning "priest".

Bergqvist Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Kontos m Greek
Means "short" in Greek.

Northrop English
Originally denoted one who came from a town of this name England, meaning "north farm".

Rojo Spanish
Means "red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.

Tangeman German
Originally indicated a person from a place named Tange in northern Germany.

Chilikov m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian челик (chelik) meaning "steel" (of Turkish origin).

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

Constantino Portuguese
From the given name Constantino.

Nicolai Italian
Means "son of Nicola 1".

Lenz German
From a nickname meaning "springtime" in German.

Hajós Hungarian
Means "boatman, sailor" in Hungarian.

Arbeid Dutch
From Dutch arbeid meaning "work".

Carey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ciardha meaning "descendant of Ciardha".

Krūmiņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Krūmiņš.

Božić Croatian
Means "Christmas" in Croatian, a diminutive of bog meaning "god".

Tavares Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Tavares, likely of pre-Roman origin.

Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.

Callaghan Irish
Variant of Callahan.

Skalická f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Skalický.

Abatantuono Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Antonio.

Avellino Italian
From the name of a town in Campania, Italy, called Abellinum in Latin, of unknown meaning.

Strong English
Nickname derived from Middle English strong or strang meaning "strong".

MacFarland Irish, Scottish
Variant of McFarlane.

Orman Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruaidh.

Ignatyev m Russian
Means "son of Ignatiy".

Alescio Italian
From the given name Alessio.

Marchegiano Italian
From the name of the Marche region in Italy, derived from Late Latin marca meaning "borderland". It was the real surname of the American boxer Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), who was born Rocco Marchegiano.

Heath English
Originally belonged to a person who was a dweller on the heath or open land.

Sundberg Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "strait" and berg meaning "mountain".

Patil Marathi
Means "village chief" in Marathi.

Piccirillo Italian
From Neapolitan piccerillo meaning "small, young".

Zeman m Czech, Slovak
Means "landowner", ultimately from Old Slavic zemľa meaning "land".

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

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

Takeuchi Japanese
From Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Uehara Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Toyoda Japanese
From Japanese 豊 (toyo) meaning "bountiful, luxuriant" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy". A famous bearer was Kiichiro Toyoda (1894-1952), founder of Toyota Motor Corporation.

Zupančič Slovene
Patronymic form of Zupan.