Browse Surnames

Grey English
Variant of Gray.

Moriyama Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Pichler Upper German
From Bavarian Bühel meaning "hill".

Parish 1 English
Originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, which got its name from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii.

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

Gruber Upper German
From German Grube meaning "pit", indicating a person who lived or worked in a pit or depression. This is the most common surname in Austria.

Gilmour Scottish, Irish
Variant of Gilmore.

Nannini Italian
From Nanni, a diminutive of the given name Giovanni.

Bosch 2 Catalan
Catalan cognate of Bosco.

Chaves Portuguese, Spanish
From the name of a Portuguese city, derived from the Roman name Flavius (being named for the emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius).

Maurin French
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.

Rosario Spanish
Spanish form of Rosário.

Vlasák m Czech
Derived from Czech vlas "hair", probably referring to a barber or a person who bought and sold hair.

Sjögren Swedish
From Swedish sjö (Old Norse sær) meaning "lake, sea" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Gladwyn English
Variant of Gladwin.

Mas 2 Dutch, Low German
Variant of Maas.

Zimmerman German
Variant of Zimmermann.

Ó Foghladha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Foley.

Fenstermacher German
Means "window maker" in German.

Szwedko Polish
Variant of Szweda.

McClain Scottish
Variant of McLain.

Agli Italian
From place names like Agliè, Aglietti, Agliana and Agliate, all originating from the Latin name Allius or Alleius.

Russel English
Variant of Russell.

Begbie Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse given name Baggi and býr "farm, settlement".

Inaba Japanese
From Japanese 稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf".

Ball English
From Middle English bal, Old English beall meaning "ball". This was either a nickname for a rotund or bald person, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a ball-shaped feature.

Kinsey English
Derived from the given name Cynesige.

Nascimbeni Italian
From the medieval given name Nascimbene, typical of the Venetian region.

Schuhmacher German
From the Middle High German occupational name schuochmacher meaning "shoemaker".

Gallego Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain.

Kokkinos m Greek
From a nickname meaning "red" in Greek.

Aloi Italian
From a dialectal form of the name Aloisio.

Petrauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petrauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

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

Popović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of the priest", derived from Serbo-Croatian pop meaning "priest".

Romagnoli Italian
Variant of Romagna.

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

Deadman English
Variant of Debenham.

Francisco Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Francisco.

İsmayılov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of İsmayıl".

Powers English
Variant of Power 1 or Power 2.

Dennel French
Variant of Daniel.

Anderson English
Means "son of Andrew".

Anselmetti Italian
Means "son of Anselmetto", a diminutive of Anselmo.

Pagani Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.

Fries German
Denoted someone from Frisia, an area along the coastal region of the North Sea stretching from Netherlands to Germany.

Xu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 许 (xǔ) referring to the minor state of Xu, which existed to the 4th century BC in what is now Henan province. The character 许 means "allow, permit".

Boels Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Monti Italian
Means "mountain, hill" in Italian, from Latin mons.

MacCoughlan Irish
Means "son of Cochlán". The given name Cochlán is derived from Irish cochal meaning "cape" or "hood".

Vasiliou Greek
Means "son of Vasilios".

Darby English
From the name of the English town Derby, derived from Old Norse djúr "animal" and býr "farm, settlement".

Dvořáková f Czech
Feminine form of Dvořák.

Al-Mufti Arabic
Refers to a mufti, a Muslim legal advisor consulted in applying a religious law.

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

Saad Arabic, Malay
From the given name Sa'd.

Poulin French
Derived from Old French poule meaning "chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.

Şahin Turkish
Means "hawk" in Turkish (of Persian origin), probably used to refer to someone who was a hawk tamer.

Derrick English
Derived from the given name Derrick (see Derek). A famous bearer of this surname is the character Stephan Derrick from the German television series Derrick (1974-1998).

Lis Polish
Means "fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.

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

Schröder 2 German
Variant of Schröter.

Rinne 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Rinn.

Van Beek Dutch
Means "from the creek" in Dutch.

Eliasson Swedish
Means "son of Elias".

Hollins English
Referred to someone living by a group of holly trees, from Old English holegn.

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

Waterman 2 English, Dutch
Occupational name for a boatman or a water carrier. It could also describe a person who lived by water.

McNeal Scottish
Variant of McNeil.

Yonker Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jonker.

Karlsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Karl".

Economou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Οικονόμου (see Oikonomou).

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

Karagianni f Greek
Feminine form of Karagiannis.

Owston English
Denoted a person who came from any one of the places in Britain called Ouston or Owston.

MacNevin Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Naoimhín.

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

George English
Derived from the given name George.

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

Mac Giolla Mhuire Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Gilmore.

Vasilescu Romanian
Means "son of Vasile".

Leppänen Finnish
From Finnish leppä meaning "alder".

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

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

Kaya Turkish
Means "rock, cliff" in Turkish.

Monte Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Italian variant of Monti, as well as a Portuguese and Spanish cognate.

Barišić Croatian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Bartol.

Kovalenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian коваль (koval) meaning "blacksmith".

Gärtner German
German form of Gardener.

Němcová f Czech
Feminine form of Němec.

Gujić Bosnian
Means "son of a snake" from the Bosnian word guja meaning "snake".

Tuff English
Variant of Tuft.

Ó Rodagh Irish
Means "descendant of Rodach" in Irish. The given name Rodach is derived from from Irish rod meaning "spirited, furious".

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

Qurbanova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Qurbanov.

Boyer Occitan
Occitan cognate of Bouvier.

Haak Dutch
Occupational name meaning "peddler" in Dutch.

Costa Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".

Pavić Croatian
Means "son of Pavle".

Samara 1 Arabic
Meaning unknown.

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

Roscoe English
From the name of a town in Lancashire, derived from Old Norse rá "roebuck" and skógr "wood, forest".

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Hsu 2 Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 许 (see Xu 2).

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".

Amundsen Norwegian
Means "son of Amund". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928).

Inoue Japanese
Means "above the well", from Japanese 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit", an unwritten possessive marker の (no), and 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper".

Jenssen Norwegian
Means "son of Jens".

MacCàba Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McCabe.

Kayode Yoruba
From the given name Kayode.

Achterkamp Dutch
From the name of various places in the Netherlands, derived from Low German achter "behind" and kamp "field".

Lagomarsino Italian
Derived from the name of the village of Lagomarsino near Genoa.

Tate English
Derived from the Old English given name Tata.

Horn English, German, Norwegian, Danish
From the Old English, Old High German and Old Norse word horn meaning "horn". This was an occupational name for one who carved objects out of horn or who played a horn, or a person who lived near a horn-shaped geographical feature, such as a mountain or a bend in a river.

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

Okazaki Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Boon 1 English
Variant of Bone 1.

Chance English
From a nickname for a lucky person or a gambler.

Averesch Dutch
From a place name, possibly from a dialectal variation of Dutch over meaning "over" combined with esch meaning "ash tree".

Althaus German
Name for a person dwelled in or by an old house, from German alt "old" and haus "house".

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

Slováková f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Slovák.

Dubanowski m Polish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Dubinowo (now Dubino in Belarus).

Dirkse Dutch
Means "son of Dirk".

Peeters Dutch, Flemish
Dutch and Flemish variant of Peters.

Davis English, Scottish
Means "son of David". This was the surname of the revolutionary jazz trumpet player Miles Davis (1926-1991).

Rogers English
Derived from the given name Roger.

Perry 2 Welsh
From Welsh ap Herry meaning "son of Herry".

Lester Scottish
Variant of Lister.

Solak Turkish
From the nickname solak meaning "left-handed".

Kavaliauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Kowalski.

Höfler German
Variant of Hofer.

Geisler German
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Nespola Italian
Variant of Nespoli.

Kafka m Czech
Derived from Czech kavka meaning "jackdaw". A notable bearer was the author Franz Kafka (1883-1924).

Bloodworth English
Originally indicated someone from the town of Blidworth in Nottinghamshire, which was derived from the Old English byname Blīþa (meaning "happy, blithe") combined with worð "enclosure".

Díez Spanish
Means "son of Diego" in Spanish.

Kjær Danish
Topographic name for someone living near a wetland, from Danish kær "marsh", from Old Norse kjarr "thicket".

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

Böhmer German, Jewish
Variant of Böhm.

Bramson Jewish
Means "son of Bram".

Ó Cuana Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cooney.

Kohut Ukrainian, Polish
Means "rooster" in Ukrainian and Polish, a nickname for a proud person.

Nagi Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ناجي (see Naaji).

Palacio Spanish
Spanish cognate of Palazzo.

De Jonge Dutch
Variant of De Jong.

Geissler 1 German
Derived from the given name Giselher.

Parodi Italian
From the name of a village near Genoa in northern Italy.

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

Heikkilä Finnish
From the given name Heikki with the suffix -lä indicating a place.

Goddard English
Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

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

Arts 1 Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Allegro Italian
Variant of Allegri.

Bateson English
Means "son of Bate".

Kendrick 1 English
From the Old English given names Cyneric or Cenric.

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

Yong English
Variant of Young.

Arnoni Italian
Means "son of Arnone" from the medieval name Arnone, of uncertain origin.

Mancuso Sicilian
Sicilian variant of Manco.

Beran m Czech
Derived from Czech beran meaning "ram, male sheep".

Sander German, Danish
Derived from the given name Alexander.

Núñez Spanish
Means "son of Nuño".

Leroux French
Means "the red", from Old French ros "red". This was a nickname for a person with red hair.

Smolarek Polish
Variant of Smolak.

Beitel German
Variant of Beutel.

Mathewson English
Means "son of Matthew".

Tichá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Tichý.

Sandberg Swedish, Norwegian, Jewish
From Swedish and Norwegian sand (Old Norse sandr) meaning "sand" and berg meaning "mountain" (or in the case of the Jewish surname, from the Yiddish or German cognates).

Vestri Italian
From the given name Silvestro.

Simons English, German, Dutch
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Banister English
Variant of Bannister.

Barton English
From a place name meaning "barley town" in Old English.

Albertson English
Means "son of Albert".

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

Van Willigen Dutch
Means "from the willows", from Old Dutch wilga "willow".

Zajíc m Czech
Means "hare" in Czech.

Ibarra Basque, Spanish
From Basque place names derived from ibar meaning "meadow".

Key 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.

Doran Irish
From Irish Ó Deoradháin meaning "descendant of Deoradhán", where Deoradhán is a given name meaning "exile, wanderer".

Leighton English
Variant of Layton.

Grieve Scottish
Occupational name meaning "steward, farm manager" in Middle English, related to the German title Graf.

Van Breda Dutch
Means "from Breda", a city in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Dutch breed meaning "wide" and Aa, the name of a river.

Van Houte Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Budai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the Hungarian city of Buda (one of the two cities that were joined to make Budapest in 1873).

Nozawa Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

Szűcs Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "furrier" in Hungarian.

Koval Ukrainian
Means "blacksmith" in Ukrainian.

Ó Corraidhín Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Curran.

Salonen Finnish
From Finnish salo meaning "forest".

Jacobsen Danish
Means "son of Jacob".

Kavaliauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Kavaliauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Victor French, English
Derived from the male given name Victor.

Križman Slovene
From Slovene križ meaning "cross".

Abramsson Swedish
Means "son of Abraham".

Ó Sluaghadháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Sloan.

Ó hÍcidhe Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Hickey.

Loritz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Kneib German
Variant of Knef.

Fransson Swedish
Means "son of Frans".

De Fiore Italian
Means "son of Fiore".

Sowards English, Irish
Possibly a variant of Seward 1 or Seward 3.

Lennartsson Swedish
Means "son of Lennart".

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

Kunz German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.

Nakajima Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Ozoliņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian ozols meaning "oak tree".

Mac Thaidhg Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McCaig.

Chamberlain English
Occupational name for one who looked after the inner rooms of a mansion, from Norman French chambrelain.

Raine 2 English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".

Láska m Czech, Slovak
Means "love" in Czech and Slovak.

Casado Spanish
From a nickname meaning "married" in Spanish.

McBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.

Nemes Hungarian
Means "noble, gentle" in Hungarian.

Lambert French
Derived from the given name Lambert.

Porsche German
Possibly derived from German Bursche meaning "boy, servant" or from the given name Boris.

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

Paquet 1 French
Occupational name for a firewood gatherer, from Old French pacquet "bundle".

Brownlow English
From Old English brun meaning "brown" and hlaw meaning "mound, small hill". The name was probably given to a family living on a small hill covered with bracken.

Alexandersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Alexander".

Carlsson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Alberts English, Dutch
Means "son of Albert".

Albertsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Albert".

Stirling Scottish
Variant of Sterling.

Buckholtz German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Buchholz.

Bandini Italian
From the Latin name Bandinus, a derivative of Bandus, which is of unknown meaning.

Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.

Matsumura Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Jonkheer Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

Pocock English
Variant of Peacock.

Mirzəyev m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Mirzə".

Mulryan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Maoil Riain.

Savidge English
Variant of Savage.

Schlender German
From Middle High German slinderen "to dawdle" or Middle Low German slinden "to swallow, to eat".

Ahmadi Persian
From the given name Ahmad.

Voltolini Italian
From the name of the alpine valley of Valtellina in Lombardy, northern Italy.

Monet French
Derived from either of the given names Hamon or Edmond. A famous bearer was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

Hinrichs Low German
Derived from the given name Hinrich.

Zilberstein Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "silver stone", from Yiddish זילבער (zilber) and שטיין (tein), both of Old High German origin.

Lombardo Italian
Variant of Lombardi.

Hüseynova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Hüseynov.

Norwood English
Originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.

Alinari Italian
Means "son of Alinario", which is from the Germanic name Ellanher.

Alexander English
Derived from the given name Alexander.

Baggi Italian
Variant of Baggio.

Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.

Steensen Danish
Means "son of Steen".

Genadiev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Genadi".

Vik Norwegian
Means "cove, inlet" in Norwegian.

Mizushima Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Alberto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
From the given name Alberto.

Olasz Hungarian
Means "Italian" in Hungarian, from Old Slavic volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).

Ó Domhnaill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Donnell.

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.

Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.

Kovács Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kovač.

Philips English, Dutch
Means "son of Philip". Famous bearers of this surname were Frederick Philips (1830-1900) and his son Gerard (1858-1942), the Dutch founders of the company Philips.

Abrams Jewish, English
Means "son of Abraham".

Lin Chinese
From Chinese 林 (lín) meaning "forest".

Ybarra Spanish, Basque
Variant of Ibarra.

Waldfogel Jewish
Variant of Waldvogel.

Oja Estonian
Means "brook, creek" in Estonian.

Bouwmeester Dutch
Means "architect, builder" in Dutch.

Fujita Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Pospíšil m Czech
Nickname for a person in a hurry, from Czech pospíšit "hurry".

Tuominen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tuomi meaning "bird cherry".

Hunnicutt English
Variant of Honeycutt.

Mårdh Swedish
From Swedish mård meaning "pine marten".

Carideo Italian
Originally denoted someone from San Pietro di Caridà, a town in Calabria. The town's name may be derived from Greek χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness".

Randall English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Mac Giolla Dhuibh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kilduff.

Marchand English, French
Occupational name meaning "merchant", ultimately from Latin mercari "to trade".

Van Middelburg Dutch (Rare)
Means "from Middelburg", the name of a city in Zeeland in the Netherlands, itself meaning "middle fortress" in Dutch.

Kalniņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Kalniņš.

Pauwels Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Paul".

Anton Romanian
From the given name Anton.

Achterberg Dutch, German
From the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, for example the village of achterberg in Utrecht. The place names are derived from Low German achter "behind" and berg "mountain, hill".

Danchev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Dancho".

Martins English, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Martin.

Marszałek Polish
Polish cognate of Marshall.

Houtkooper Dutch
Means "buyer of wood" in Dutch.

Walters English
Derived from the given name Walter.

Chavdarov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Chavdar".

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

Karu Estonian
Means "bear" in Estonian.

Pusztai Hungarian
From Hungarian puszta meaning "plain, steppe". The name was given to someone living on a plain.

Sanders English
Patronymic of the given name Sander, a medieval form of Alexander.

Holst Danish, Low German, Dutch
Originally referred to a person from the region of Holstein between Germany and Denmark. A famous bearer of this name was the English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934).

Baines 2 English
From a nickname derived from Old English ban "bones", probably for a thin person.

Plešec Slovene
Variant of Pleško.

Lundgren Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Gonzalo Spanish
From the given name Gonzalo.

Cooke English
Variant of Cook.

Anselmi Italian
Means "son of Anselmo".

Derby English
Variant of Darby.

Wolańska f Polish
Feminine form of Wolański.

Langbroek Dutch
From the name of a small town in the province of Utrecht, Holland, derived from lang meaning "wide" and broek meaning "marsh, wetland".

Grosso Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Maurice French
From the given name Maurice.