Browse Surnames

Hepburn English, Scottish
From northern English place names meaning "high burial mound" in Old English. It was borne by Mary Queen of Scot's infamous third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwall. Other famous bearers include the actresses Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).

Benson English
Means "son of Benedict".

Eriksson Swedish
Means "son of Erik".

Görög Hungarian
Means "Greek" in Hungarian.

Rousseau French
Diminutive of Roux. A famous bearer was the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) whose ideas influenced the French Revolution.

Chai Chinese
From Chinese 柴 (chái) meaning "firewood".

Ognyanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Ognyanov.

Kitchen English
Occupational name for a person who worked in a kitchen (of a monastery for example), derived from Old English cycene, ultimately from Latin coquina.

Groves English
From Old English graf meaning "grove". This originally indicated a person who lived near a grove (a group of trees).

Rustici Italian
From Italian rustico meaning "rustic, rural".

Siddall English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English sid "wide" and halh "nook, recess".

Slezák m Czech, Slovak
Originally a name for a person from Silesia, a historical region that is nowadays split between Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Spanò Sicilian
From Sicilian spanu meaning "sparse, thin hair", ultimately from Greek σπάνιος (spanios) meaning "scarce, rare".

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".

Van Dam Dutch
Means "from the dam" in Dutch.

Kratochvilová f Czech
Feminine form of Kratochvil.

Wilkie English
Double diminutive of the given name William.

Shehu Albanian
From the Arabic title شيخ (shaykh) meaning "elder, chief, sheikh".

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

Stefansson Swedish
Means "son of Stefan".

Ziskind Jewish
Ornamental name, or from a given name, meaning "sweet child", derived from Yiddish זיס (zis) meaning "sweet" and קינד (kind) meaning "child", both words of Old High German origin.

Read 2 English
From Old English ryd, an unattested form of rod meaning "cleared land". It is also derived from various English place names with various meanings, including "roe headland", "reeds" and "brushwood".

Antonis mu Greek, Dutch
Derived from the given name Antonis or Antonius.

Alesci Italian
Means "son of Alessio".

Paul English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Davidović Serbian
Means "son of David".

Bengtsdotter Swedish
Means "daughter of Bengt".

Pini Italian
Name for a person who lived near a pine tree, from Italian pino, Latin pinus.

Lorentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Walczak Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Walenty.

Aho Finnish
Means "meadow, glade" in Finnish.

Bartha Hungarian
Variant of Barta.

Blažek m Czech, Slovak
Derived from a given name that was a diminutive of Blažej.

Silje Norwegian
Derived from the given name Silje.

Marsh English
Originally denoted one who lived near a marsh or bog, derived from Old English mersc "marsh".

Alfredson English
Means "son of Alfred".

Yamazaki Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Grey English
Variant of Gray.

Constantin Romanian, French
From the given name Constantin.

Kita Japanese
From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north".

Antall Hungarian (Rare)
Variant of Antal.

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

Beyer German
Variant of Bayer.

Ivanov m Bulgarian, Russian, Macedonian
Means "son of Ivan". It is among the most common surnames in Bulgaria and Russia.

Butkuvienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Butkus. This form (or Butkienė) is used by married women.

Connell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Conaill meaning "descendant of Conall".

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

Klossner German
Derived from German Klausner, Middle High German klosenære meaning "hermit".

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.

Nieminen Finnish
Derived from Finnish niemi meaning "peninsula, cape".

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Olmo Spanish
Means "elm tree" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin ulmus. The name originally indicated a person who lived near such a tree.

Beaufort French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and fort "strong place, fortress".

Corcoran Irish
From Irish Ó Corcráin meaning "descendant of Corcrán", a given name derived from the Gaelic word corcair "purple".

Spitznogle German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Spitznagel.

Schuchardt German
From Middle High German schuochwürte meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".

Fenstermacher German
Means "window maker" in German.

Ádám Hungarian
Hungarian form of Adam.

McGill Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Ghoill meaning "son of the foreigner", derived from gall "foreigner".

McNeilly Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Fhilidh meaning "son of the poet".

Baanders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Banner.

Barber English, Scottish
Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living, ultimately from Latin barba "beard".

Bárány Hungarian
Means "lamb" in Hungarian.

Perrault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Lewandowska f Polish
Feminine form of Lewandowski.

Cremonesi Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Cremona in Lombardy.

Jonsson Swedish
Means "son of Jon 1".

Appleton English
From the name of several English towns, meaning "orchard" in Old English (a compound of æppel "apple" and tun "enclosure, yard").

Boer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bauer.

Hogan Irish
From Irish Ó hÓgáin meaning "descendant of Ógán". The given name Ógán is a diminutive of óg meaning "young".

Jelínková f Czech
Feminine form of Jelínek.

Morgenstern German, Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "morning star" in German.

Roman Romanian, Polish, Ukrainian
From the given name Roman.

Tyson 1 English
Derived from a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from Old French tison meaning "firebrand".

Smedley English
From an unidentified place name probably meaning "smooth clearing" in Old English.

Årud Norwegian
From Norwegian å meaning "river, stream" and the archaic word rud meaning "cleared land".

Hájek m Czech
Means "thicket" in Czech, a diminutive of háj "woods".

Eady English
From a diminutive of the given name Eda 2 or Adam.

Friseal Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of Fraser.

Katona Hungarian
Means "soldier" in Hungarian.

Mencher Polish
Possibly an occupational name derived from Polish maczarz meaning "miller".

Neville English, Irish
From the names of towns in Normandy, variously Neuville or Néville, meaning "new town" in French.

Vasilev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Vasil".

Dirix Flemish, Dutch
Means "son of Dirk".

Abate Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest", derived via Latin and Greek from an Aramaic word meaning "father". This was used either as a nickname or an occupational name for a worker in a priest's house.

Eliassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Elias".

Pan 1 Provençal
Means "baker", from Latin panis meaning "bread".

Alesi Italian
From the given name Alessio.

Booth English
Topographic name derived from Middle English both meaning "hut, stall".

Lukeson English (Rare)
Means "son of Luke".

Astrauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Ostrowski.

Koskinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish koski meaning "rapids".

Kerper German
Variant of Gerber.

Ó Tuathail Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Toole.

Turunen Finnish
From Finnish turku meaning "marketplace" or the Finnish city of Turku (derived from the same word).

Ybarra Spanish, Basque
Variant of Ibarra.

Scarsi Italian
Nickname for a poor or miserly person, from Italian scarso "scarce, scant".

Hruška m Czech, Slovak
Means "pear" in Czech and Slovak, most likely used to denote a person who grew or sold pears.

Shiratori Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 鳥 (tori) meaning "bird".

Rennoll English
Variant of Reynolds.

Irvine 1 Scottish
Originally derived from the name of a Scottish (North Ayrshire) town, which was named for the River Irvine, derived from Brythonic elements meaning "green water".

Kalniņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Kalniņš.

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

Harding English
Derived from the given name Heard. A famous bearer was American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).

Iversen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Iver".

Mas 1 Catalan
Means "farmhouse" in Catalan.

Swindlehurst English
From the place name Swinglehurst in the Forest of Bowland in central Lancashire, derived from Old English swin "swine, pig", hyll "hill" and hyrst "wood, grove".

Savchuk Ukrainian
From the given name Sava.

Savona Italian
From the name of the city of Savona in northern Italy, called Savo by the Romans, of uncertain meaning.

Donnelly Irish
From Irish Ó Donnghaile meaning "descendant of Donnghal". The given name Donnghal means "brown valour", from donn "brown" and gal "valour". This surname is associated with the descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Outlaw English
Means simply "outlaw" from Middle English outlawe.

Balfour Scottish
From various place names that were derived from Gaelic baile "village" and pòr "pasture, crop, cropland".

Vlašić Croatian
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".

Bisset English
From Old French bis meaning "drab, dingy", a nickname for someone who looked drab.

Moss 2 English
From the given name Moses.

Sörensson Swedish
Swedish form of Sørensen.

Zariņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian zars meaning "branch".

Szántó Hungarian
Occupational name for a ploughman or tiller, derived from Hungarian szánt meaning "to plow".

Johannessen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Johannes".

Hermann German
From the given name Hermann.

Gerhardt German
Derived from the given name Gerhard.

Mac Íomhair Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McIver.

Žitnik Slovene
From the Slavic root žito meaning "rye, grain". This was an occupational name for a dealer in rye or a baker.

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.

Magomedova f Avar, Dargin, Chechen
Feminine form of Magomedov.

Gabor Hungarian
Variant of Gábor.

Elder English
Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.

Knutson Swedish
Variant of Knutsson.

Simeonova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Simeonov.

Schultes German
Variant of Schulz.

Sheridan Irish
From the Irish name Ó Sirideáin meaning "descendant of Sirideán". The given name Sirideán possibly means "searcher".

Arany Hungarian
Means "golden" in Hungarian. A famous bearer of the name was Hungarian poet János Arany (1817-1882).

Ewart 2 English
From the name of an English town, derived from Old English ea "river" and worþ "enclosure".

Chowdhury Bengali
Bengali form of Chaudhary.

Carroll Irish
From the given name Cearbhall. A famous bearer was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

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".

Dunajska f Polish
Feminine form of Dunajski.

Picasso Italian
From Italian pica meaning "magpie". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. The Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.

Maurer German
Occupational name meaning "wall builder" in German.

Melo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Merlo.

Churchill English
From an English place name meaning "church hill". A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II.

Ó Súileabháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Sullivan.

Leonardsson Swedish
Variant of Lennartsson.

Carbone Italian
From a nickname for a person with dark features, from Italian carbone meaning "coal".

Naldi Italian
From given names like Arnaldo and Rinaldo.

Ó Cnáimhín Irish
Means "descendant of Cnámh", Cnámh being a nickname meaning "bone".

Hristova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Hristov.

Červená f Czech
Feminine form of Červený.

MacNèill Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McNeil.

Katou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 加藤 (see Katō).

Laguardia Italian
Occupational name meaning "sentry, sentinel" in Italian, also a locative name referring to a person who lived near a watchtower. Fiorello Laguardia (1882-1947) was the first mayor of New York of Italian origin.

Buono Italian
From a nickname meaning "good" in Italian.

Haralampieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Haralampiev.

Bláhová f Czech
Feminine form of Bláha.

Petrenko Ukrainian
From the given name Petro.

Readdie English
Variant of Ready 1.

Leon English
Variant of Lyon 1, Lyon 2 or Lyon 3.

Huff English
Means "spur of a hill", from Old English hoh.

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

Skinner English
Occupational name for a person who skinned animals, from Old Norse skinn.

Moser German
Name for someone who lived near a peat bog, from Middle High German mos.

Lukić Serbian
Means "son of Luka".

McArthur Scottish
Means "son of Arthur" in Gaelic.

Marini Italian
Derived from the given name Marino.

Ó Rabhartaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Rafferty.

Utkina f Russian
Feminine form of Utkin.

Benenati Italian
Means "son of Benenato", a given name derived from Latin bene "good, well" and natus "good".

Sherman 2 Jewish
Means "tailor" in Yiddish, derived from שער (sher) meaning "scissors".

Valentini Italian
Means "son of Valentino".

Michelakou f Greek
Feminine form of Michelakos.

Romano 1 Italian
Derived from the given name Romano.

Tedesco Italian
From Italian tedesco meaning "German".

Skjeggestad Norwegian
From a place name, derived from Norwegian skjegg "beard" and stad "town, place".

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

Willoughby English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English welig "willow" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".

Amano Japanese
From Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

MacDaniel Scottish
Variant of MacDonald.

Ó Tíghearnaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Tierney.

Darling English
From a nickname or byname derived from Middle English dereling, Old English deorling, meaning "darling, beloved one".

Björkman Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Sadler English
Occupational name for a maker of saddles, from Old English sadol "saddle".

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

Lu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 卢 (lú) meaning "rice bowl, black", also referring to an ancient minor territory in what is now Shandong province.

Renaud French
From the given name Renaud.

Kimberly English
Variant of Kimberley.

Chalupníková f Czech
Feminine form of Chalupník.

Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.

Gutiérrez Spanish
Means "son of Gutierre".

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

Matsubara Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Mullane Irish
Variant of Mullen.

Levchenko Ukrainian
Derived from the given name Lev 1.

Stefánsson Icelandic
Means "son of Stefán".

Gerber German
Means "tanner, leather dresser" in German, derived from Old High German garawen meaning "to prepare".

Heydari Persian
From the given name Heydar.

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

Cassidy Irish
From Irish Ó Caiside meaning "descendant of Caiside". Caiside is a given name meaning "curly haired".

Aiello Italian
From various place names in Italy, such as Aiello del Friuli, Aiello del Sabato and others. They are derived from Latin agellus meaning "little field".

Tennison English
Means "son of Denis".

Konstantinidis m Greek
Means "son of Konstantinos" in Greek.

Patenaude French (Quebec)
French form of Paternoster.

Van Rompa Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Huerta Spanish
Means "garden, orchard" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin hortus.

Peynirci Turkish
From Turkish peynir meaning "cheese".

Procházka m Czech
Means "walk, wander, stroll" in Czech. This was an occupational name for a travelling tradesman.

Romanov m Russian
Means "son of Roman". This was the surname of the last dynasty of Russian tsars.

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

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

Senft 2 German
Nickname for a helpful, kind person, from Old High German semfti meaning "soft, accommodating".

Herrera Spanish
Spanish form of Ferreira.

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

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

Van Ankeren Dutch
Means "from the anchor" in Dutch.

Pander Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Millward English
Means "guardian of the mill" in Old English.

Nicolosi Italian
From the name of the town Nicolosi on Sicily, itself named for Saint Nicholas.

Thorpe English
From Old Norse þorp meaning "village".

Battaglia Italian
From a nickname meaning "battle" in Italian.

Van Rossem Dutch
Variant of Van Rossum.

Cəfərova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Cəfərov.

Curry Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Comhraidhe or Ó Corra.

Morrison English
Means "son of Morris".

Kennedy Irish
From the Irish name Ó Cinnéidigh meaning "descendant of Cennétig". This surname was borne by assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963).

Schroeter German
Variant of Schröter.

Ognianova f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Огнянова (see Ognyanova).

Metz 1 German
Occupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German metze "knife".

Okafor Igbo
From the given name Okafor.

Ó Catháin Irish
Means "descendant of Cathán".

Brodie Scottish
Originally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It is probably from Gaelic broth meaning "ditch, mire".

Quesada Spanish
Habitational name from Quesada, a place in Jaén in southern Spain. The place name is of uncertain derivation; it could be connected to Old Spanish requexada meaning "corner, tight spot".

Fuhrmann German
Derived from Middle High German vuorman meaning "cartwright".

Lysenko Ukrainian
From a nickname, either from Ukrainian лис (lys) meaning "fox" or лисий (lysy) meaning "bald".

Benito Spanish
From the given name Benito.

Albricci Italian
Variant of Alberici.

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

Romijnders Dutch
Variant of Romeijnders.

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

Vukoja Croatian
Derived from the given name Vuk.

Accorso Italian
From the given name Bonaccorso.

Weigand German
From the given name Wiegand.

Frankenstein German, Literature
From any of the various minor places by this name in Germany, meaning "stone of the Franks" in German. It was used by the author Mary Shelley in her novel Frankenstein (1818) for the character of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monster and brings it to life. The monster, nameless in the novel, is sometimes informally or erroneously called Frankenstein in modern speech.

Bodilsen Danish
Means "son of Bodil".

Tremble French
Variant of Tremblay.

Vasić Serbian
Means "son of Vaso 1".

Schwinghammer German
Occupational name for a blacksmith, literally meaning "swing hammer" in German.

Agthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

Heyman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Sheppard English
Variant of Shepherd.

Jankowska f Polish
Feminine form of Jankowski.

Nikula Finnish
From the given name Niku, a Finnish form of Nicholas.

Nordberg Swedish, Norwegian
From Swedish and Norwegian nord (Old Norse norðr) meaning "north" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it is ornamental.

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

Pavlov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Pavel". A famous bearer of this surname was the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Schöttmer German
Originally indicated a person from Schötmar, Germany (now part of the city of Bad Salzuflen in North Rhine-Westphalia).

Chia Chinese (Hokkien)
Hokkien romanization of Xie.

Nowicka f Polish
Feminine form of Nowicki.

Unterbrink Low German
Means "dweller under the slope" from Old Saxon undar "under" and brink "edge, slope".

Derricks English
Derived from the given name Derrick.

Marlowe English
Variant of Marlow.

Kudrna m Czech
Means "curl" in Czech, a nickname for someone with curly hair.

Booker English
Occupational name meaning "book maker", derived from Old English boc "book".

Airaldi Italian
Means "son of Aroldo".

Amjad Arabic
Derived from the given name Amjad.

Süß German
From Old High German suozi meaning "sweet".

Ion Romanian
From the given name Ion 1.

Danielsson Swedish
Means "son of Daniel".

Andrysiak Polish
Means "son of Andrzej".

Botello Galician
Occupational name for a maker of bottles, from Galician bottela meaning "bottle".

Grigorescu Romanian
Means "son of Grigore" in Romanian.

Dirchs Dutch (Rare)
Means "son of Dirk".

Van Tonder Dutch
Means "from Tønder", a town in Denmark near the German border.

Borisova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Borisov.

Vlahos m Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βλάχος (see Vlachos).

Amsing Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Amse" in Dutch.

Hardy English, French
From Old French and Middle English hardi meaning "bold, daring, hardy", from the Germanic root *harduz.

Marinović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Marin".

Britton English
Originally given to a person who was a Briton (a Celt of England) or a Breton (an inhabitant of Brittany).

Ingesson Swedish
Means "son of Inge".

Antonino Italian
From the given name Antonino.

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

Dinapoli Italian
Variant of Di Napoli.

Voigt German
Variant of Vogt.

Lindner German
Variant of Linden.

Villa Italian, Spanish
Means "town" in Italian and Spanish, from Latin. It was originally given to a person who came from a town, as opposed to the countryside.

Van Agthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

McGee Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.

Abbascia Italian
Variant of Abatescianni.

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

Bretz German
Indicated a person from the town of Breetz in Brandenburg, Germany. The meaning of the town's name is unknown.

Kavalyow m Belarusian
Derived from Belarusian каваль (kaval') meaning "blacksmith".

Tighe Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Taidhg.

Parry Welsh
Derived from ap Harry meaning "son of Harry".

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Owen Welsh, English
From the Welsh given name Owain.

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

Török Hungarian
Means "Turkish" in Hungarian.

Anson English
Means "son of Agnes".

Mateus Portuguese
From the given name Mateus.

Pereiro Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Nurmi Finnish
Means "meadow, field" in Finnish. It was the surname of the athlete Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973).