Browse Surnames

Somogyi Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from Somogy, a region within Hungary. It may be derived from Hungarian som meaning "cornel tree".

Evangelista Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "evangelist" in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

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

Ahmadov m Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Əhmədov.

Yoshioka Japanese
From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Saari Finnish
From Finnish saari meaning "island".

Gaillard French
Means "lively, strong" in French.

Strange English
Derived from Middle English strange meaning "foreign", ultimately from Latin extraneus.

Krūmiņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian krūms meaning "bush, shrub".

Darbinyan Armenian
From Armenian դարբին (darbin) meaning "blacksmith".

Kovachev m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian ковач (kovach) meaning "blacksmith".

O'Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.

Smits Dutch
Variant of Smit.

Escudero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Lécuyer.

Strnadová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Strnad.

Berry English
Derived from a place name, which was derived from Old English burh "fortification".

Jansson Swedish
Means "son of Jan 1".

Brooke English
Variant of Brook.

Sienkiewicz Polish
Patronymic from the given name Sienko, an old diminutive of Szymon. This was the surname of the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916).

Piraino Italian
From the name of the town of Piraino on Sicily.

Lorenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Sinagra 2 Italian
Derived from the given name Senagora, an Italian form of Xenagoras.

Ó Scolaidhe Irish
Means "descendant of the scholar" from Irish scholaidhe.

Kimura Japanese
From Japanese 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Kollár m Slovak
Slovak form of Kolář.

Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.

Collado Spanish
Means "hill" in Spanish.

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

Wiśniewski m Polish
From the name of various Polish towns called Wiśniewo, derived from Polish wiśnia meaning "sour cherry".

Sass Hungarian
Variant of Sas.

Ó Cuinn Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quinn.

Rot German, Jewish
Variant of Roth.

Lager Swedish
Means "laurel" in Swedish.

Blažeková f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Blažek.

Zabala Basque
Originally denoted someone who lived in a place of this name in Biscay. It is derived from Basque zabal meaning "large, wide".

Bergfalk Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and falk (Old Norse falki) meaning "falcon".

Stefanova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Stefanov.

Smeets Dutch
Variant of Smit.

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".

Aldebrandi Italian
Means "son of Aldebrando", an Italian form of Aldebrand.

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

Ádám Hungarian
Hungarian form of Adam.

Gottlieb German
Derived from the given name Gottlieb.

Anthonyson English (Rare)
Means "son of Anthony".

Faucheux French
Variant of Faucher.

Burešová f Czech
Feminine form of Bureš.

Hendriks Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Harland English
From various place names meaning "hare land" in Old English.

Proudfoot English
Nickname for a person with a proud step.

Zingel Jewish
From Middle High German zingel "defensive wall". This name was originally applied to a person who lived near the outermost wall of a castle.

Teufel German
From a nickname meaning "devil" in German, given to a mischievous person or one who was devil-like.

Velitchkov m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Величков (see Velichkov).

Bozhidarova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Bozhidarov.

Tennison English
Means "son of Denis".

Albricci Italian
Variant of Alberici.

Spannagel German
Occupational name for a nailsmith, from Middle High German span nagel "connecting bolt".

Baumgarten German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Yegorova f Russian
Feminine form of Yegorov.

Shevchuk Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian швець (shvets) meaning "shoemaker".

Ruskin 1 Scottish
From Gaelic rusgaire meaning "tanner".

Valentine English
From the given name Valentine 1.

De Vito Italian
Means "son of Vito 1".

Clarkson English
Patronymic form of Clark.

Brooks English
Variant of Brook.

Ó Rinn Irish
Means "descendant of Rinn". The given name Rinn means "star" in Irish.

Heiman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Pugh Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Hugh meaning "son of Hugh".

Kang Korean
Korean form of Jiang 2, from Sino-Korean 姜 (gang).

Kříž m Czech
Means "cross" in Czech, ultimately from Latin crux.

Napoleoni Italian
From the medieval given name Napoleone.

Schirmer German
Means "fencer, fencing master", from Old High German skirmen meaning "to defend".

Čížik m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Čížek.

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

Deniel French
Variant of Daniel.

Kloeten Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Cəfərov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Cəfər".

I'Anson English
Variant of Janson.

Filippova f Russian
Feminine form of Filippov.

Novik Belarusian
From Belarusian новы (novy) meaning "new".

Kaspar German
Derived from the given name Kaspar.

Kratochvil m Czech
Derived from Czech kratochvíle meaning "pastime".

Grigorov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Grigor".

Abels Dutch
Means "son of Abel".

Haralampiev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Haralampi".

Boothman English
Variant of Booth.

Spence English
Variant of Spencer.

Jennings English
From the given name Jenyn, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.

Siena Italian
Indicated a person from Siena in Italy, which was named after the Gaulish tribe of the Senones.

Lane 2 French
Derived from a French word meaning "wool", designating one who worked in the wool trade.

McFarland Irish, Scottish
Variant of McFarlane.

Nevin 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Cnáimhín or Ó Cnáimhín.

Soler Occitan, Catalan
Denoted a person from any of the numerous places in the area whose names derive from Occitan or Catalan soler meaning "ground, floor".

Nazario Italian
From the given name Nazario.

Slusser German
Variant of Schlosser.

Horák m Czech
Derived from Czech hora "mountain".

Isaev m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Исаев (see Isayev).

Volkov m Russian
Derived from Russian волк (volk) meaning "wolf".

Maas Dutch, Low German
From the given name Maas.

Elmersson Swedish
Means "son of Elmar".

Zajac m Slovak
Means "hare" in Slovak.

Nicosia Italian
From the name of the town of Nicosia on Sicily.

Antova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Antov.

McDermott Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac Diarmada meaning "son of Diarmaid". The McDermotts were nobility in the Kingdom of Connaught, a province in Ireland.

Nguyễn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Ruan, from Sino-Vietnamese 阮 (nguyễn). This is the most common Vietnamese surname, accounting for over a third of the population.

Yu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 余 (yú) meaning "surplus".

Uchiyama Japanese
From Japanese 内 (uchi) meaning "inside" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

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

Ó Murchadha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Murphy.

Warshawsky Jewish
Variant of Warszawski.

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

Warren 2 English
Originally denoted a person from the town of La Varenne in Normandy, which may derive from a Gaulish word meaning "sandy soil".

Sartore Italian
Variant of Sarto.

Van Aarle Dutch
Variant of Aarle.

Brand 2 German, Dutch
From Old High German brant or Old Dutch brand meaning "fire", originally a name for a person who lived near an area that had been cleared by fire.

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.

Dannel English
Variant of Daniel.

Han Chinese, Korean
From Chinese 韩 (hán) referring to the ancient state of Han, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Shanxi and Henan provinces.

Radcliff English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.

Hase German
From Middle High German and Middle Low German hase meaning "hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.

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

Həsənova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Həsənov.

Windsor English
From the name of a few English towns, one notably the site of Windsor Castle. Their names mean "riverbank with a windlass" in Old English, a windlass being a lifting apparatus. In 1917 the British royal family adopted this name (after Windsor Castle), replacing their previous name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Gale English
Derived from Middle English gaile meaning "jovial".

Capello 2 Italian
Nickname for a thin person, from Italian capello meaning "a hair", ultimately derived from Latin capillus.

Jaskólski m Polish
Originally indicated a person from various Polish towns named Jaskółki, derived from Polish jaskółka "swallow (bird)".

Vodenicharov m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian воденичар (vodenichar) meaning "miller".

Hedlund Swedish
From Swedish hed (Old Norse heiðr) meaning "heath, moor" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Yaneva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Yanev.

Christensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Christen 1".

Akiyama Japanese
From Japanese 秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

MacQueen Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Shuibhne.

Bullock English
From a nickname meaning "young bull".

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

O'Shea Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Séaghdha.

Escárcega Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Eskarzaga, which itself is derived from Basque hazkar "maple".

Papadaki f Greek
Feminine form of Papadakis.

Hermann German
From the given name Hermann.

Zoltánfi Hungarian
Means "son of Zoltán".

Newton English
From the name of one of many English towns meaning "new town". A famous bearer was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).

Padovan Italian
Regional variant of Padovano.

Fowler English
Occupational name for a fowler or birdcatcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".

Barbu Romanian
From Romanian barbă meaning "beard".

Obradović Serbian
Means "son of Obrad".

Duchamps French
Variant of Deschamps.

Olivier French
Derived from the given name Olivier.

Moreno Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Ilbert English
Derived from a Norman form of the Old German given name Hildiberht.

Kulmala Finnish
From Finnish kulma meaning "corner" with the suffix -la indicating a place.

Martz German
Derived from an old diminutive of Martin.

Niemi Finnish
Means "peninsula, cape" in Finnish.

Kovac Slovak (Anglicized), Croatian (Anglicized), Serbian (Anglicized), Czech (Anglicized)
Simplified spelling of Kováč or Kovač.

Annevelink Dutch
From Dutch aan 't veldink meaning "next to the little field".

Leonardi Italian
From the given name Leonardo.

Wendell German
Variant of Wendel (typically American).

Quattrocchi Italian
From Italian quattro meaning "four" and occhi meaning "eyes", a nickname for a person who wore glasses. It is usually found in Sicily.

Milovanović Serbian
Means "son of Milovan".

Vasilescu Romanian
Means "son of Vasile".

Brankovič Slovene
Slovene form of Branković.

Baldovini Italian
Derived from the given name Baldovino.

Abbott English
English cognate of Abate.

Arbore Italian
From Latin arbor meaning "tree".

Lachapelle French
Means "the chapel" in French, most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.

Bell 2 English
Derived from the given name Bel, a medieval short form of Isabel.

Brassington English
From a place name, which is derived from Old English meaning "settlement by a steep path".

Paz Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.

Abbas Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Abbas.

Černíková f Czech
Feminine form of Černík.

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

Abarca Spanish
From the name of a type of leather-soled shoe or sandal made on the Balearic Islands. It originally indicated a person who made or sold this item.

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.

Kruger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Wolf German, English
From Middle High German or Middle English wolf meaning "wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.

Guerriero Italian
Italian form of Guerrero.

Edison English
Means "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam". The surname was borne by American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).

Snell English
From Old English snel meaning "fast, quick, nimble".

Ostrowska f Polish
Feminine form of Ostrowski.

Parri Italian
From the given name Gaspare.

Furnadjieva f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Фурнаджиева (see Furnadzhieva).

Kazlauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Kazlauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Vaneva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Vanev.

Arvidsson Swedish
Means "son of Arvid".

MacConnell Scottish, Irish
Variant of McConnell.

Stern 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.

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

Nardo Italian
Variant of Nardi.

Dubois French
Means "from the forest", from French bois "forest".

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

Wilkinson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Lorentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Sipos Hungarian
Occupational name for a fife player or piper, from Hungarian síp "whistle, pipe".

Shine 1 English
Means "beautiful, attractive" from Old English sciene.

Petrovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Petrovski.

Van Houte Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Ó hEidirsceóil Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Driscoll.

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

Madden Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Madaidhín.

Romero Spanish
Derived from Spanish romero meaning "pilgrim to Rome".

Isakova f Russian
Feminine form of Isakov.

Vuković Serbian, Croatian
Derived from the given name Vuk.

Kaloyanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Kaloyan".

Bálint Hungarian
Derived from the given name Bálint.

Alekseev m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Алексеев (see Alekseyev).

Necchi Italian
Possibly from Italian neccio, a type of flat bread.

Romanyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Roman.

Pugliese Italian
From an adjectival derivative of Puglia, from Latin Apulia, a region of southeast Italy containing the boot heel and some of the coastline of the Adriatic Sea. It is a regional name for someone from that region.

Lam Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Lin.

Katsarou f Greek
Feminine form of Katsaros.

Stawski m Polish
Derived from Polish staw meaning "pond".

Jóhannsson Icelandic
Means "son of Jóhann".

Vlasáková f Czech
Feminine form of Vlasák.

Jassim Arabic
From the given name Jasim.

Sharrow English
Originally a name for someone from Sharrow, England, derived from Old English scearu "boundary" and hoh "point of land, heel".

Iñíguez Spanish
Variant of Íñiguez.

Antić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Anto" or "son of Ante 1".

Hendrix Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik. A famous bearer was the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).

Woods English, Scottish
Variant of Wood.

Gevorgian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Գեւորգյան (see Gevorgyan).

Endicott English
Topographic name derived from Old English meaning "from the end cottage".

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.

Sargsyan Armenian
Means "son of Sargis" in Armenian.

Abbing Dutch
Variant of Abbink.

Silvestri Italian
Derived from the given name Silvester.

Ó Maoil Eoin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Malone.

Pichler Upper German
From Bavarian Bühel meaning "hill".

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

Schovajsová f Czech
Feminine form of Schovajsa.

Salamon Hungarian, Polish
Derived from the given name Salamon or Salomon.

Starr English
From Middle English sterre meaning "star". This was usually a nickname, but it could also occasionally be a sign name from the name of an inn called the Star.

Bowie Scottish
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Buidheach, derived from buidhe meaning "yellow". A famous bearer was the American pioneer James Bowie (1796-1836), for whom the bowie knife is named. The British musician David Bowie (1947-2016), born David Robert Jones, took his stage name from the American pioneer (and the knife).

Evanson English
Means "son of Evan".

Mendel 2 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.

Nunes Portuguese
Means "son of Nuno".

Verhoeven Dutch
Means "from the farm" in Dutch, derived from hoeve "farm", and so indicated a person who lived on a farm.

Oberto Italian
Derived from the given name Uberto.

Dragova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Dragov.

Proulx French
Derived from Old French preu meaning "valiant, brave".

Řeha m Czech
Derived from the given name Řehoř.

Pražaková f Czech
Feminine form of Pražak.

Čížková f Czech
Feminine form of Čížek.

Wild English, German
Means "wild, untamed, uncontrolled", derived from Old English wilde. This was either a nickname for a person who behaved in a wild manner or a topographic name for someone who lived on overgrown land.

Valentin French, German
From the given name Valentin.

Akmatova f Kyrgyz
Feminine form of Akmatov.

Leitner German
Referred to one who lived on a hillside, from Middle High German lite "slope".

Mirzəyeva f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Mirzəyev.

Majewska f Polish
Feminine form of Majewski.

Slováčková f Czech
Feminine form of Slováček.

Poppins Literature
Used by P. L. Travers for the magical nanny in her Mary Poppins series of books, first published in 1934. It is not known how Travers devised the name. She may have had the English words pop or poppet (meaning "young woman") in mind.

Zimmerman German
Variant of Zimmermann.

Bartosz Polish
Derived from the given name Bartosz.

Ó Ceallaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kelly 1.

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

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

Pond English
Originally referred to one who lived near a pond.

Mariani Italian
From the given name Mariano.

Gomółka Polish
Derived from Polish gomółka, a type of round cheese, ultimately from an old Polish word meaning "round".

Marino Italian, Spanish
Derived from the given name Marino.

Best 1 English
Derived from Middle English beste meaning "beast", an occupational name for a keeper of animals or a nickname for someone who acted like a beast. A famous bearer of this surname was soccer legend George Best (1946-2005).

Andrzejewski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from towns called Andrzejewo or similar, derived from the given name Andrzej.

Ruotsalainen Finnish
Means "Swede" in Finnish.

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

Van Achthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

Ljunggren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Saidov m Uzbek, Tajik
Means "son of Said".

Aartsma Frisian
Means "son of Arend", the suffix -ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.

Martinková f Czech
Feminine form of Martinek.

Lémieux French
Derived from the place name Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.

Díaz Spanish
Means "son of Diego" in Spanish.

Sýkorová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Sýkora.

Voss German
From Middle Low German vos meaning "fox". It was originally a nickname for a clever person or a person with red hair.

Lebeau French
Nickname for a handsome person, from French le "the" and beau "beautiful, handsome".

Jaskulska f Polish
Feminine form of Jaskulski.

Haight English
Topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, derived from Old English heahþu "height, summit".

Fini Italian
Derived from given names ending in fino, such as Serafino.

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

Ayers 1 English
From Middle English eir meaning "heir".

Ó Mathghamhna Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Mahoney.

Yamagishi Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 岸 (kishi) meaning "beach, shore, bank".

Petraitienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Petraitis. This form is used by married women.

Rhodes English
Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.

Kayode Yoruba
From the given name Kayode.

Ó Nualláin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Nolan.

Filipová f Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak feminine form of Filip.

Ottosson Swedish
Means "son of Otto".

Gerver German
Variant of Gerber.

Alink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Ale 2" in Dutch.

Savić Serbian
Means "son of Sava".

Aliberti Italian
Means "son of Alberto".

Eglītis m Latvian
Derived from Latvian egle meaning "spruce tree".

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

Maguire Irish
Variant of McGuire.

Zhou Chinese
From Chinese 周 (zhōu) referring to the Zhou dynasty, which held power from 1046 to 771 BC, continuing for a few more centuries as figureheads.

Devereux English
Indicated a person from Evreux in France, itself named after the Gaulish tribe of the Eburovices, which was probably derived from a Celtic word meaning "yew".

Amsel 2 German
Means "blackbird" in German.

Winograd Jewish
Jewish form of Vinogradov.

Sedlák m Czech, Slovak
Means "farmer" in Czech and Slovak. A sedlák had more land than a Zahradník or a Chalupník, but less land than a Dvořák.

Vančura m Czech
Derived from the given name Václav.

Scholz German
Variant of Schulz.

McCormick Irish, Scottish
From Gaelic Mac Cormaic meaning "son of Cormac".

Filipov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Filip".

Carrara Italian
From the name of a city in Tuscany famous for its marble quarries. It is probably derived from Late Latin quadreria meaning "quarry".