Browse Surnames

Otxoa Basque
From Basque otso meaning "wolf".

Hyland 1 English
Topographic name meaning "high land", from Old English heah and land.

Ellsworth English
Habitational name for a person from the town of Elsworth in Cambridgeshire. 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 worþ meaning "enclosure".

Braddock English
From various locations derived from Old English meaning "broad oak".

Krawczyk Polish
From a diminutive of krawiec meaning "tailor".

Mac Domhnaill Irish
Irish form of MacDonald.

Kafková f Czech
Feminine form of Kafka.

Pastor Spanish
Means "shepherd" in Spanish.

Trujillo Spanish
Originally denoted a person from Trujillo, Spain, originally called Turgalium in Latin.

Sokolova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Sokolov.

Alderisi Italian
Means "son of Alderissius", a Latinized form of a Germanic name of unknown meaning.

Charmchi Persian
Means "leather worker" in Persian, from چرم (charm) meaning "leather" combined with چی (chī), denoting an occupation.

Orellana Spanish
Originally indicated a person from one of the two towns named Orellana in Badajoz, Spain. Their names are probably derived from Latin Aureliana meaning "of Aurelius".

Remington English
From the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, derived from the name of the stream Riming combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, town".

Zahradníková f Czech
Feminine form of Zahradník.

Lennox Scottish
From the name of a district in Scotland, called Leamhnachd in Gaelic, possibly meaning "place of elms".

Rocco Italian
Derived from the given name Rocco.

Vlček m Czech, Slovak
Diminutive form of Czech and Slovak vlk meaning "wolf".

Pietri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

Manning 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Mainnín meaning "descendant of Mainchín".

Umarov m Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz
Means "son of Umar".

Watt English
Derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter. A noteworthy bearer was the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819).

Marušić Croatian
Matronymic name meaning "son of Marija".

Jensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jens". This is the most common surname in Denmark.

Michelakos m Greek
Means "son of Michail".

Honda Japanese
From Japanese 本 (hon) meaning "root, origin, source" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Ionesco Romanian
Variant of Ionescu. French-Romanian playwright Eugène Ionesco (1909-1994), born Ionescu, is a famous bearer of this surname.

Colbert English, French
Derived from the given name Colobert.

Lange German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Shwetz Ukrainian (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Shvets.

Peyton English
Variant of Payton.

MacWilliam Scottish
Means "son of William" in Gaelic.

Teixeira Portuguese
From Portuguese teixo meaning "yew tree".

Smit Dutch
From Middle Dutch smit "metalworker, blacksmith", a cognate of Smith.

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

Ó Dubhshláine Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Delaney 2.

Asenov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Asen".

Piovene Italian
From the name of the town of Piovene Rocchette in Veneto, Italy.

Iwata Japanese
From Japanese 岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Batts English
Means "son of Bate".

Riker German
Possibly a variant of Reich.

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

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

Claasen Dutch
Means "son of Klaas".

Magomedov m Avar, Dargin, Chechen
Means "son of Magomed".

Okamura Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Joó Hungarian
Variant of Jó.

Schorel Dutch
Variant of Schoorl.

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

Stolarz Polish
Occupational name from Polish stolarz meaning "joiner, maker of furniture".

Zelenko Ukrainian
Ukrainian cognate of Zieliński.

Hudson English
Means "son of Hudde".

Ștefan Romanian
From the given name Ștefan.

Peña Spanish
Originally denoted a person who lived near a jutting rock, from Spanish peña meaning "rock, cliff".

Wattana Thai
From Thai วัฒน (wathan) meaning "culture".

Michalski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from a village named Michale or Michały, both derived from the given name Michał.

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

Ozola f Latvian
Feminine form of Ozols.

Fujisawa Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

McQueen Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Shuibhne.

Lamarre French
Variant of Lamar.

Gibson English, Scottish
Means "son of Gib".

Gore English
From the Old English word gara meaning "triangular plot of land".

Acquafredda Italian
Denoted a person who came from one of the various places in Italy with this name, derived from Italian meaning "cold water".

Wendel German
Derived from the given name Wendel.

Hanssen Norwegian
Means "son of Hans".

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

Manning 1 English
Patronymic form of Mann.

Vlčková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Vlček.

García Spanish
From a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This is the most common surname in Spain.

Espensen Norwegian
Means "son of Espen".

Abel 2 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Albert.

Tóth um Hungarian, Slovak
Derived from Hungarian tót, which means "Slovak" or "Slovene".

Farkas Hungarian
Means "wolf" in Hungarian.

Fabel German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Fabian.

Monaghan Irish
Variant of Monahan.

Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.

Argyris m Greek
Means "silver" in Greek.

Albani Italian
Derived from the given name Albano.

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

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

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

Lenox Scottish
Variant of Lennox.

Garner 2 English
Variant of Gardener.

Baldinotti Italian
Derived from the given name Baldinotto, from the Latin name Baldinoctus, a diminutive of Baldo.

Pastore Italian
Means "shepherd" in Italian.

Takahashi Japanese
From Japanese 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high" and 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge".

Stankevičienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Stankevičius. This form is used by married women.

Raskop German
Variant of Raskopf.

Robert French, English
From the given name Robert.

Liang Chinese
From Chinese 梁 (liáng) referring to the ancient state of Liang, which existed from the 8th to 7th centuries BC in what is now Shaanxi province.

Arena Italian
Italian cognate of Arenas.

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

Fairburn English
From a place name meaning "fern stream", from Old English fearn "fern" and burna "stream".

Mercier French
French form of Mercer.

Seymour 2 English
From an English place name, derived from Old English sæ "sea" and mere "lake".

Martino Italian
From the given name Martino.

Levchenko Ukrainian
Derived from the given name Lev 1.

Elmersson Swedish
Means "son of Elmar".

MacEalair Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McKellar.

Losnedahl Norwegian
From Norwegian dahl meaning "valley" and Losna, a place in Norway.

Ó Treasaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Tracey 2.

Kennard English
Derived from the given names Cyneweard or Cyneheard.

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

Lucas English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch
Derived from the given name Lucas. A famous bearer of this surname is George Lucas (1944-), the creator of the Star Wars movies.

Reece Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.

Ziemniak Polish
Means "potato" in Polish.

Kráľová f Slovak
Feminine form of Kráľ.

Zeni Italian
Means "son of Zeno".

Georgiadi f Greek
Feminine form of Georgiadis.

Rodney English
From a place name meaning "Hroda's island" in Old English (where Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame").

Bartram English
From the given name Bertram.

Isakov m Russian
Means "son of Isaak".

Pereiro Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Matheson Scottish
Means "son of Matthew".

Machová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Mach.

Viktorov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Viktor".

Okeke Igbo
From the given name Okeke.

Mondadori Italian
From Italian mondatore meaning "weeder". This was an occupational name for someone who kept fields clear of weeds.

Aho Finnish
Means "meadow, glade" in Finnish.

Trapani Italian
From the name of the Sicilian city of Trapani, derived from Greek δρεπάνη (drepane) meaning "sickle".

Ó Raghailligh Irish
Means "descendant of Raghailligh", an Irish given name of unknown meaning.

Tjäder Swedish
Means "wood grouse" in Swedish.

Banes Welsh
Variant of Baines 1.

Messner German
Occupational name for a sexton or churchwarden, from Old High German mesinari.

Jeż Polish
Means "hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.

Grigore Romanian
From the given name Grigore.

Twist English, Literature
Probably from the name of towns in England and Wales called Twist or Twiss. This surname was used by Charles Dickens for the hero of his novel Oliver Twist (1838), about an orphan surviving the streets of London. Dickens probably had the vocabulary word twist in mind when naming the character.

Kovaleva f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Ковалёва (see Kovalyova).

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

Kərimova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Kərimov.

Gotti German
Variant of Gott.

Ljungborg Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and borg meaning "castle".

Al-Ghazzawi Arabic
Originally indicated a person who came from Gaza in Palestine.

Ola Basque
From Basque ola meaning "hut, small house, forge".

Landolfi Italian
From the given name Landolfo, Italian form of the Lombardic name Landulf.

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

Soldati Italian
From Italian soldato meaning "soldier", ultimately from Latin solidus, a type of Roman coin.

Lombardo Italian
Variant of Lombardi.

Lozano Spanish
Means "healthy, exuberant, lively" in Spanish, originally used as a nickname for an elegant or haughty person.

Borghi Italian
Derived from Italian borgo meaning "village".

Herriot English
From an Old French diminutive of the given name Herry.

Piątek Polish
Means "Friday" in Polish, derived from the word piąty meaning "fifth".

Hillam English
From English places by this name, derived from Old English hyll meaning "hill".

MacIntyre Scottish
Variant of McIntyre.

Hobson English
Means "son of Hob".

Košar Croatian
From Croatian koš meaning "basket", originally indicating a person who made or sold baskets.

Meir Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.

Madison English
Means "son of Maud". A famous bearer of this surname was the fourth American president James Madison (1751-1836).

Barsotti Italian
Probably from the medieval Latin word baro meaning "man, freeman" (of Frankish origin).

Mikhailova f Russian
Feminine form of Mikhailov.

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

Himura Japanese
From Japanese 緋 (hi) meaning "scarlet, dark red" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nielson English
Variant of Nelson 1.

Riordan Irish
From Irish Ó Ríoghbhárdáin meaning "descendant of Rígbarddán".

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

Andonov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Andon".

Nussbaum German, Jewish
Means "nut tree", derived from the German Nuss "nut" and Baum "tree".

O'Hanigan Irish
Variant of O'Hannigain.

Sherburn English
Denoted a person hailing from any of the various places called Sherborne or Sherburn in England, derived from Old English scir "bright" and burna "spring, fountain, stream".

Alessandri Italian
Means "son of Alessandro".

Zellweger German (Swiss)
Originally denoted a person from the Appenzell region of Switzerland. The place name is derived from Latin abbatis cella meaning "estate of the abbot". A famous bearer is actress Renée Zellweger (1969-).

Mandel German, Yiddish
Means "almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Barrera Spanish
Spanish cognate of Barr.

Harden English
From a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.

Petri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

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

Schweitzer German
Indicated a person from Switzerland (see Schweiz).

Attar Persian
From Persian عطر (ʿaṭr) meaning "fragrance, perfume", ultimately from Arabic. It probably denoted a seller of perfume.

Vlasáková f Czech
Feminine form of Vlasák.

Kazama Japanese
From Japanese 風 (kaza) meaning "wind, style" and 間 (ma) meaning "among, between".

Hofmeister German
Means "master of the household", from Old High German hof "yard, court, house" and meistar "master" (from Latin magister).

Petrescu Romanian
Means "son of Petre" in Romanian.

Hiedler German
From southern German Hiedl meaning "underground stream".

Kuiper Dutch
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Dutch.

Whitney English
Originally from the name of an English town, meaning "white island" in Old English.

Faron French
From the given name Faron.

Mac Síthigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McSheehy.

Knutsen Norwegian
Means "son of Knut".

Jones English, Welsh
Derived from the given name Jon, a medieval variant of John.

Dávid um Hungarian, Slovak
From the given name Dávid.

Hawthorne English
Denoted a person who lived near a hawthorn bush, a word derived from Old English hagaþorn, from haga meaning "enclosure, yard" and þorn meaning "thorn bush". A famous bearer was the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of The Scarlet Letter.

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

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

Palacios Spanish
Spanish cognate of Palazzo.

Son Korean
Korean form of Sun, from Sino-Korean 孫 (son).

Baron English, French
From the title of nobility, derived from Latin baro (genitive baronis) meaning "man, freeman", possibly from Frankish barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or acted like a baron.

Kuzmenko Ukrainian
Derived from the given name Kuzma.

Head English
From Middle English hed meaning "head", from Old English heafod. It may have referred to a person who had a peculiar head, who lived near the head of a river or valley, or who served as the village headman.

Horáková f Czech
Feminine form of Horák.

Jankovics Hungarian
Means "son of Jankó", a diminutive of János.

Ziegler German
Means "bricklayer" or "brickmaker" in German, from Middle High German ziegel "brick, tile".

Bellerose French
Means "beautiful rose" in French.

Pecháčková f Czech
Feminine form of Pecháček.

Kóbor Hungarian
From Hungarian kóbor meaning "wanderer, ranger".

Wasilewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wasilewski.

Athanasiou Greek
Means "son of Athanasios".

Amsel 2 German
Means "blackbird" in German.

Ó Caoimh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Keefe.

Schröder 2 German
Variant of Schröter.

Cantù Italian
From Cantù, an Italian town located in Lombardy, itself of uncertain origin.

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

Goffe English
Derived from Breton or Cornish goff meaning "smith", referring to a metalworker.

Chowdhury Bengali
Bengali form of Chaudhary.

Knox Scottish
From the name of various places in Scotland and northern England, derived from Scottish Gaelic cnoc "round hill".

Freeman English
Referred to a person who was born free, or in other words was not a serf.

Aston 1 English
From a place name meaning "east town" in Old English.

Cameron Scottish
Means "crooked nose" from Gaelic cam "crooked" and sròn "nose".

Van Andel Dutch
Means "from Andel", a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "upper forest" in Old Dutch.

Adamsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Adam".

Hansson Swedish
Means "son of Hans".

Hawthorn English
Variant of Hawthorne.

Rybářová f Czech
Feminine form of Rybář.

Mejía Spanish
Possibly from a nickname derived from Spanish Mesías meaning "Messiah", from Latin Messias, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyaḥ) meaning "anointed".

Svensen Norwegian
Means "son of Sven".

Sneijder Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Mac an Baird Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Mac an Bhaird (see Ward 2).

Georgiadis m Greek
Means "son of Georgios" in Greek.

Zunino Italian
Derived from the given name Giovanni.

Antonopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Antonios".

Blažková f Czech
Czech feminine form of Blažek.

Fortunato Italian
From the given name Fortunato.

Petőfi Hungarian
Means "son of Pető", an old diminutive of Péter.

Kramářová f Czech
Feminine form of Kramář.

Aartsen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Buchvarov m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Бъчваров (see Bachvarov).

Steuben German
Name for a dweller by a stump of a large tree, from Middle Low German stubbe "stub".

Bain English
Variant of Baines 2.

Jabłońska f Polish
Feminine form of Jabłoński.

Fontana Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish cognate of Fontaine.

Bagnoli Italian
Diminutive form of Bagni.

Griffin 2 English
Nickname from the mythological beast with body of a lion with head and wings of an eagle. It is ultimately from Greek γρύψ (gryps).

Ó Dubháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Duane.

Ruzsa Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Rózsa.

Tómasson Icelandic
Means "son of Tómas".

Crowley 1 Irish
From the Irish name Ó Cruadhlaoich meaning "descendant of Cruadhlaoch", a given name meaning "hardy hero".

Borisova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Borisov.

Ó Murchadha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Murphy.

Kay 2 English
Derived from Old French kay meaning "wharf, quay", indicating one who lived near or worked on a wharf.

Sutherland Scottish
Regional name for a person who came from the former county by this name in Scotland. It is derived from Old Norse suðr "south" and land "land", because it was south of the Norse colony of Orkney.

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

MacTàmhais Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McTavish.

Krantz German, Jewish
Variant of Kranz.

Altena Dutch
From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "close, near" in Dutch.

Yount German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jundt.

Raimondi Italian
Derived from the given name Raimondo.

Rijnders Dutch, Frisian
Variant of Reinders.

Napoliello Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Žukauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Żukowski.

Blanchet French
From a diminutive of the name Blanc.

Nikolajsen Danish
Means "son of Nikolaj".

Čtvrtník m Czech
Derived from Czech čtvrtlán meaning "one quarter of a lán", where a lán is a medieval Czech measure of land (approximately 18 hectares). The name denoted someone who owned this much land.

Qodirov m Uzbek, Tajik
Means "son of Qodir".

Ojeda Spanish
From the name of the Ojeda river in Soria, Spain, possibly derived from Latin folia "leaves".

Vincent 1 English, French
From the given name Vincent.

Dalca Romanian
Meaning uncertain.

Medveď m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Medved.

Crawley English
From various place names derived from Old English crawe "crow" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Conroy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Conaire, which means "descendant of Conaire". Conaire is a nickname meaning "hound keeper".

Nieri Italian
Either a variant of Neri, or from the Italian name Raniero.

Tsukuda Japanese
From Japanese 佃 (tsukuda) meaning "cultivated rice field".

Deacon English
Means "deacon", ultimately from Greek διάκονος (diakonos) meaning "servant".

Pettigrew English
Derived from Norman French petit "small" and cru "growth".

Fitzroy English
Means "son of the king" in Anglo-Norman French, from French roi meaning "king". This name has been bestowed upon illegitimate children of kings.

Ayodele Yoruba
From the given name Ayodele.

Rameckers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Arkes Dutch
Means "son of Arke 2".

Suleimenov m Kazakh
Means "son of Suleimen".

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

Agani Italian
Means "son of Agano", a given name of unknown meaning.

Keil German
Means "wedge shaped" in German. It was used to denote a person who owned a wedge-shaped piece of land.

Yankova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Yankov.

Piazza Italian
Means "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin platea.

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

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-).

Dean 2 English
Occupational surname meaning "dean", referring to a person who either was a dean or worked for one. It is from Middle English deen (ultimately from Latin decanus meaning "chief of ten").

Dufour French
Occupational name for a baker, from French four "oven".

Dabney English
Variant of Daubney.

Ó Caoimháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cavan.

Myers English
Patronymic form of Myer or Mayer 3.

Roggeveen Dutch
Means "rye field" in Dutch. A famous bearer was Jacob Roggeveen (1659-1729), the first European explorer to Easter Island.

Ó hAllmhuráin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Halloran.

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

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

Buday Hungarian
Variant of Budai.

Aalmers Dutch (Rare)
Means "son of Aalmar", a Dutch form of Adelmar.

Valentová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Valenta or Valent.

Orenstein Jewish
Means "horn stone" in German.

Hyland 2 Irish
Variant of Whelan.

Wu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 武 (wǔ) meaning "military, martial".

Broadbent English
From a place name derived from Old English brad "broad" and beonet "bent grass".

Beránek m Czech
Means "little ram, male lamb" in Czech.

Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.

Dragomirova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Dragomirov.

Shibuya Japanese
From Japanese 渋 (shibu) meaning "astringent, rough" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Vũ Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 武 (vũ).

Ó Caoindealbháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quinlan.

Leonardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Lennart".

MacEachern Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Eachairn.

Conway Welsh, English
From the name of the River Conwy in Wales, or the town situated at the mouth of the river. It is possibly derived from Welsh cyn "foremost" and the common river name suffix wy.