Browse Surnames

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

Opeyemi Yoruba
From the given name Opeyemi.

Vestergaard Danish
From a place name, derived from Danish vest "west" and gård "farm, yard".

Wu 3 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Hu.

Wardrobe English
From Old French warder "to guard" and robe "garment", an occupational name for a servant responsible for the clothing in a household.

Mateu Catalan
Derived from the given name Mateu.

Niemec Polish
Means "German" in Polish.

Palazzo Italian
Means "palace" in Italian, from Latin palatium. It was originally used by someone who lived near a palace or mansion, or who worked there.

Śniegowski m Polish
Derived from Polish śnieg meaning "snow".

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

Brzezicka f Polish
Feminine form of Brzezicki.

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

Prifti Albanian
From Albanian prift meaning "priest".

Sneijer Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Snijder.

Middleton English
Originally denoted a person who lived in one of the numerous English towns by this name, derived from Old English middel "middle" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Urbańska f Polish
Feminine form of Urbański.

Álvarez Spanish
Means "son of Álvaro".

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.

Leifsson Icelandic, Swedish
Means "son of Leif".

Barr English
Indicated a person who lived near a barrier, from Old French barre.

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

Vernon English
Locational name in the Eure region of Normandy, from the Gaulish element vern "alder (tree)" with the genitive case maker onis.

Malý m Czech
Means "small" in Czech.

Quinn Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuinn meaning "descendant of Conn".

Quiroga Galician
Originally denoted a person from the town of Quiroga in Galicia, Spain.

Cisternino Italian
From the name of the town of Cisternino, near the city of Bari in southern Italy.

De Witte Dutch
Means "the white" in Dutch, a nickname for a person with white or fair hair.

Lecomte French
Means "the count" in French, a nickname for someone in the service of a count or for someone who behaved like one.

Żuraw Polish
Means "crane" in Polish, a nickname for a tall person.

Attaway English
Means "at the way", originally denoting someone who lived close to a road.

Arntz Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Haak Dutch
Occupational name meaning "peddler" in Dutch.

Berntsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Bernt".

Pound English
Occupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English pund "animal enclosure".

Langenberg German, Dutch
From various place names meaning "long mountain" in German and Dutch.

Anson English
Means "son of Agnes".

Blackbourne English
Variant of Blackburn.

Tanaka Japanese
Means "dweller in the rice fields", from Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Toller English
Occupational name meaning "tax gatherer", derived from Old English toln "toll, fee, tax".

Borislavov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Borislav".

Di Antonio Italian
Variant of D'Antonio.

De Kock Dutch
Dutch cognate of Cook.

Baarsma Frisian
Indicated a person coming from the small town of Beers in Frisia.

Magyar Hungarian
Means "Hungarian" in Hungarian.

Agnelli Italian
From Italian agnello meaning "lamb" (ultimately from Latin agnus), denoting a pious or timid person.

Couture French
Means "tailor" in Old French.

Oberst German
From Old High German obar meaning "above, upper", indicating a person from the uppermost end of a village or the top of a house.

Horváth um Hungarian, Slovak
Hungarian and Slovak form of Horvat. This is the second most common surname in Hungary and the most common surname in Slovakia (where is is typically borne by those of Hungarian ancestry).

Kane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Danielsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Daniel".

Johns English
Derived from the given name John.

Beckett English
Originally a diminutive of Beck 1 or Beck 3.

Briedis m Latvian
Means "deer" in Latvian.

Yamauchi Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Nervetti Italian
Possibly a nickname for an innkeeper, from archaic Milanese nervètt, a local meal prepared from a calf.

Horáček m Czech
Diminutive derived from Czech hora "mountain".

George English
Derived from the given name George.

Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Stabile Italian
From the medieval Italian given name Stabile meaning "stable, firm".

Béringer French
From the given name Bérenger.

Csorba Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "chipped, jagged" in Hungarian.

Paterson English, Scottish
Means "son of Patrick".

Krastiņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian krasts meaning "shore, coast".

Cobb English
From a medieval English byname meaning "lump".

Grey English
Variant of Gray.

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

Biancardi Italian
Italian form of Blanchard.

Stueck German, Jewish
Variant of Stück.

Ferguson Irish, Scottish
Means "son of Fergus".

Pander Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Cavan Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Caoimháin meaning "descendant of Caomhán".

Cocks English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Mooney Irish
Variant of O'Mooney.

Akhmetov m Kazakh
Means "son of Akhmet".

Peters English, German, Dutch
Means "son of Peter".

Ardelean Romanian
From the Romanian region of Ardeal, also called Transylvania. It is possibly derived from Hungarian erdő meaning "forest".

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

Spiker Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Spijker 1 or Spijker 2.

Mihaylov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Mihail".

Porra Catalan
Variant of Porras.

Conti Italian
From the Italian noble title conte meaning "count", derived from Latin comes (genitive comitis) meaning "companion, attendant". It denoted a person who worked for a count or behaved like one.

Gunther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

Lazarova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Lazarov.

Tobin English
From a diminutive of the given name Tobias.

Braxton English
From an English place name place name meaning "Bracca's town" in Old English.

Ó Fearghail Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Farrell.

Colter English
Variant of Colt using an agent suffix.

Vinković Croatian
Means "son of Vinko".

Becke German
Variant of Beck 1 or Beck 2.

Szulc Polish
Polish form of Schulz.

Grayson English
Means "son of the steward", derived from Middle English greyve "steward".

Arts 1 Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Böhmer German, Jewish
Variant of Böhm.

Brunet French
From a diminutive of French brun meaning "brown".

Hintzen German
Means "son of Hintz", a diminutive of Heinrich.

Pawlak Polish
Means "son of Paweł".

Royce English
Originally derived from the medieval given name Royse, a variant of Rose.

Iordache Romanian
Romanian form of Georgakis.

Nieddu Italian
From Sardinian nieddu meaning "black", derived from Latin niger.

Černíková f Czech
Feminine form of Černík.

Smolak Polish
Occupational name for a distiller of pitch, derived from the Old Slavic word smola meaning "pitch, resin".

Jenson Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jensen.

Kijek Polish
Means "small stick", from Polish kij "stick".

Abbatelli Italian
Variant of Abbadelli.

Fontana Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Fontaine.

Stephanidis m Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Στεφανίδης (see Stefanidis).

Omarova f Kazakh
Feminine form of Omarov.

Rose 2 English
Derived from the feminine given name Rose.

Ostrowska f Polish
Feminine form of Ostrowski.

Kārkliņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian kārkls meaning "osier, willow".

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

Hüber German
Variant of Huber.

Mendelsohn Jewish
Means "son of Mendel".

Isaacson English
Means "son of Isaac".

Krstevski m Macedonian
Means "son of Krste".

Nissen Danish
Means "son of Nis".

Beattie Scottish
From the medieval name Battie, a diminutive of Bartholomew.

Moon 3 Irish
Variant of Mohan.

Ignatyeva f Russian
Feminine form of Ignatyev.

Morán Spanish
Spanish form of Morandi.

Marmo Italian
Means "marble" in Italian, possibly indicating a person who lived near a quarry or one who worked with marble.

Mulloy Irish
Variant of Molloy.

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

Aslan Turkish
From the given name Aslan.

Mac an tSaoir Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of McIntyre.

Součková f Czech
Feminine form of Souček.

Alferink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Alfhard" in Dutch.

Storstrand Norwegian
Originally denoted someone from Storstrand farm in Norway, derived from stor meaning "big" and strand meaning "beach".

Hagihara Japanese
From Japanese 萩 (hagi) meaning "bush clover" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Wolters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Wendell German
Variant of Wendel (typically American).

Stasyuk Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Стасюк (see Stasiuk).

Koolen Dutch
Derived from the given name Nicolaas.

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.

Beumer Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Tamás Hungarian
Derived from the given name Tamás.

Brody Scottish
Variant of Brodie.

Pokorný m Czech, Slovak
Means "humble" in Czech and Slovak.

Potočnik Slovene
From Slovene potok meaning "stream, brook".

Tveit Norwegian
Habitational name derived from Old Norse þveit meaning "clearing".

Morrish English
Variant of Morriss.

Korrapati Telugu
From an area called Korra or Korrapalem combined with Telugu పతి (pati) meaning "belongs to".

Slavík m Czech
Means "nightingale" in Czech.

Amiri Persian
From the given name Amir 1.

Hertz German
Derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.

Amsel 2 German
Means "blackbird" in German.

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

Ibáñez Spanish
Means "son of Ibán".

Kuipers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Wang 4 Yiddish
Name for a Jew from Hungary, ultimately from Russian Венгрия (Vengriya) meaning "Hungary".

Mayer 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Shakespeare English
From a nickname for a warlike person, from Old English scacan "to shake" and spere "spear". A famous bearer was the English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

Bootsma Frisian
Occupational name meaning "boatman", derived from Dutch boot "boat".

Van Laren Dutch
Variant of Van Laar.

Hopson English
Variant of Hobson.

Fleischer German
Occupational name meaning "butcher" in German.

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).

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

Heinrichs German
Derived from the given name Heinrich.

Nervi Italian
From the name of the town of Nervi in Liguria, northwestern Italy.

Duke English
From the noble title, which was originally from Latin dux "leader". It was a nickname for a person who behaved like a duke, or who worked in a duke's household.

Burnett English
Means "brown" in Middle English, from Old French brunet, a diminutive of brun.

Angelov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Angel".

Antonsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Anton".

Casey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cathasaigh meaning "descendant of Cathassach".

Homewood English
From various place names derived from Old English ham meaning "home" and wudu meaning "wood".

Atterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Morand French
French form of Morandi.

Vilhjálmsson Icelandic
Means "son of Vilhjálmur".

Peltonen Finnish
From Finnish pelto meaning "field".

Akai Japanese
From Japanese 赤 (aka) meaning "red" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Aiza Spanish, Basque
From Basque aitz meaning "rock, stone".

Dahlberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "dale, valley" and berg meaning "mountain".

Kelly 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ceallaigh meaning "descendant of Ceallach". Famous bearers include actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).

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

Teodoro Portuguese
Derived from the given name Teodoro.

Rollins English
From a diminutive of the given name Roland.

Mohammad Persian, Urdu, Bengali
Derived from the given name Mohammad.

Abbate Italian
Variant of Abate.

Sneijder Dutch
Variant of Snijder.

Tucker English
Occupational name for a fuller of cloth, derived from Old English tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.

Van Aalsburg Dutch
Means "from Aalsburg", which is possibly Adelsburg, composed of adal "noble" and burg "fortress".

Orlova f Russian
Feminine form of Orlov.

Isaksen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Isak".

Zhao Chinese
From Chinese 赵 (zhào), which refers to an ancient city-state in what is now Shanxi province. According to legend, King Mu rewarded his chariot driver Zaofu with the city, at which time Zaofu adopted this surname. The later historic state of Zhao, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, was named after this city.... [more]

Rus Romanian
From Romanian rus meaning "Russian".

Mustonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish musta meaning "black".

Sansone Italian
Derived from the given name Sansone.

Sørensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Søren".

Castelo Portuguese
Portuguese cognate of Castle.

Russo Italian
Variant of Rossi.

Haase German
Variant of Hase.

Falco Italian
Derived from Italian falco "falcon". The name was used to denote a falconer or a person who resembled a falcon in some way.

Kazem Arabic, Persian
From the given name Kazim.

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

Vitale Italian
From the given name Vitale.

Matoušková f Czech
Feminine form of Matoušek.

Lagorio Italian
From a nickname derived from Ligurian lagö, referring to a type of lizard, the European green lizard. This little reptile is respected because it supposedly protects against vipers.

Ellington English
From the name of multiple towns in England. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements ælf meaning "elf" or eald meaning "old") combined with tun meaning "enclosure, town".

Lykke Danish
Means "happiness" in Danish.

Walentowicz Polish
Means "son of Walenty".

Earl English
From the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English eorl meaning "nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.

Louis French
From the given name Louis.

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

Bruin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Brown.

Bologna Italian
From the name of the city of Bologna in northern Italy. It may derive from a Celtic word meaning "settlement".

Penzik Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Petraitis m Lithuanian
From the given name Petras.

Aguilar Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish águila meaning "eagle", ultimately from Latin aquila.

París Spanish
Spanish form of Paris.

Königsmann German
Means "king's man", or someone who played a king in a play.

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

Senior English
Originally a name for the elder of two brothers.

Kramer Low German, Jewish
Low German and Jewish form of Krämer.

Häusler German
Name for someone who lived in a house with no land, derived rom Old High German word hus meaning "house".

Piper English
Originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute).

Büki Hungarian
Derived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).

Greenspan Jewish
Anglicized form of German Grünspan meaning "verdigris". Verdigris is the green-blue substance that forms on copper.

Haenraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

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

Adamsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Adam".

Franco Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Cognate of Frank 1. This name was borne by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (1892-1975).

Báthory Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from Bátor, a village in Hungary, which might be of Turkic origin meaning "hero". This was the surname of a Hungarian noble family who historically controlled the town. One of the family members, Stephen Báthory, became the king of Poland in the 16th century.

Gatsby English (Rare), Literature
Rare variant of Gadsby. This name was used by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald for the central character in his novel The Great Gatsby (1925). In the book, James Gatz renames himself as Jay Gatsby at age 17 because he believes it sounds more sophisticated.

Abreu Portuguese, Galician
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a given name that was of Germanic origin.

Lau Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Liu.

Borghi Italian
Derived from Italian borgo meaning "village".

Gilbert English, French
Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Bosch 1 Dutch, Low German
Derived from Middle Dutch bosch meaning "wood, forest".

Hobbs English
Derived from the medieval given name Hob.

Christophers English
Derived from the given name Christopher.

Knutson Swedish
Variant of Knutsson.

James English
Derived from the given name James.

Harmon English
From the given name Herman.

Coughlan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Cochláin.

Speight English
English form of Specht, probably a loanword from German or Dutch.

Maksimova f Russian
Feminine form of Maksimov.

Baggio Italian
Originally denoted a person from the Italian town of Baggio (now part of Milan). It is probably derived from Latin Badalocum meaning "watch place".

Kwiatkowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations named Kwiatków, Kwiatkowo or Kwiatkowice, named from a diminutive of Polish kwiat meaning "flower".

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

Samuelsson Swedish
Means "son of Samuel".

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

Kavalchuk Belarusian
Belarusian cognate of Kovalchuk.

Pickering English
From the name of a town in Yorkshire, derived from Old English Piceringas, the name of a tribe.

Bolívar Spanish
From Bolibar, the name of a small Basque village, derived from Basque bolu "mill" and ibar "meadow". This name was borne by the revolutionary Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).

Oelberg German
Means "oil hill" from Middle High German öl "oil" and berg "mountain, hill".

Değirmenci Turkish
From a Turkish word meaning "miller".

Sándor Hungarian
Derived from the given name Sándor.

Georgieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Georgiev.

Janssens Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Jan 1".

Chong Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zhang.

Knowles English
From Middle English knoll, Old English cnoll meaning "small hill, knoll". A famous bearer is American singer Beyoncé Knowles (1981-).

Granville English
Derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

Brice English
From the given name Brice.

Forst German
Derived from Old High German forst "forest". Probably unrelated to the Old French word forest, which was derived from Latin, Old High German forst was derived from foraha meaning "fir tree".

Ó Cuirc Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quirke.

Truman English
Means "trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).

Von Essen German
Means "from Essen", a city in Germany, possibly a derivative of Old High German asc meaning "ash tree".

Wägner German
Variant of Wagner.

Cipriani Italian
From the given name Cipriano.

Dohman German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Thomas.

Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Serizawa Japanese
From Japanese 芹 (seri) meaning "celery" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

Cox English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Laursen Danish
Means "son of Laur", a short form of Laurits.

Bartošová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Bartoš.

Jankauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Jankauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Belcher English
From a Middle English version of Old French bel chiere meaning "beautiful face". It later came to refer to a person who had a cheerful and pleasant temperament.

Snider English, Dutch (Anglicized), German (Anglicized)
Variant of Snyder.

Barron English
Variant of Baron.

Toset Catalan
Catalan form of Tosi.

Gladwyn English
Variant of Gladwin.

Nicolson English
Variant of Nicholson.

Mac Aodhagáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Keegan.

Macías Spanish
Derived from the given name Mateo.

Hirsch 2 Jewish
Derived from the given name Hirsh.

Roberson English
Means "son of Robert".

Sláviková f Slovak
Feminine form of Slávik.

Zakharova f Russian
Feminine form of Zakharov.

MacNeil Scottish
Variant of McNeil.

Castell Catalan
Catalan cognate of Castle.

Zeelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Ceel.

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-).

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

Tanner English
Occupational name for a person who tanned animal hides, from Old English tannian "to tan", itself from Late Latin and possibly ultimately of Celtic origin.

Coughlin Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Cochláin.

Vitali Italian
From the given name Vitale.

Adamić Croatian
Means "son of Adam".

Mac Cormaic Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McCormick.

Solheim Norwegian
From the name various of various villages in Norway, derived from Old Norse sól meaning "sun" and heimr meaning "home".

Öwezowa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Öwezow.

Rigó Hungarian
Means "thrush" in Hungarian.

Vaňková f Czech
Feminine form of Vaněk.

Toole Irish
Variant of O'Toole.

Michelakos m Greek
Means "son of Michail".

Rennoll English
Variant of Reynolds.

Asano Japanese
From Japanese 浅 (asa) meaning "shallow" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

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

Tarantino Italian
Locational name that originally designated a person who came from Taranto, a city in southeastern Italy, which was originally called Τάρας (Taras) by Greek colonists. A famous bearer of this name is the American director Quentin Tarantino (1963-).

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