Browse Surnames

Messina Italian
From the name of the Sicilian city of Messina, founded by Greek colonists. The city was named after the Greek city Μεσσήνη (Messene).

Arnold English, German
Derived from the given name Arnold.

Anselmi Italian
Means "son of Anselmo".

Keen English
From Old English cene meaning "bold, brave".

Anastasiou Greek
Means "son of Anastasios".

Payne English
From a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin paganus meaning "heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.

Ó Riagáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Reagan.

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

Markova f Bulgarian, Russian
Feminine form of Markov.

Pulkrábek m Czech
Derived from the Czech medieval title purkrabí, itself from German Burggraf, meaning "burgrave".

Aliberti Italian
Means "son of Alberto".

Both Dutch
From the Low German given name Bode.

Lindquist Swedish
Variant of Lindqvist.

Desroches French
Means "from the rocks", from French roche "rock".

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

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

Heimisson Icelandic
Means "son of Heimir".

Gotti German
Variant of Gott.

Cárdenas Spanish
From the name of towns in the Spanish provinces of Almería and La Rioja. They are derived from Spanish cárdeno "blue, purple".

Ballard English
Variant of Ball using a pejorative suffix.

Wehnert German
Variant of Wagner.

Laterza Italian
From the name of the town of Laterza near Taranto in Apulia. It is typical of southern Italy.

Botha Afrikaans
South African variant of Both.

Bissette English
Variant of Bisset.

Prince English, French
From a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner, ultimately derived from Latin princeps.

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

Abbandonato Italian
Means "forsaken, abandoned" in Italian.

McGough Irish
Variant of Gough 2.

Thornton English
From any of the various places in England by this name, meaning "thorn town" in Old English.

Haanraats Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Jordà Catalan
Derived from the given name Jordà.

Colter English
Variant of Colt using an agent suffix.

Driessen Dutch
Means "son of Dries".

Isaacson English
Means "son of Isaac".

Hou Chinese
From Chinese 侯 (hóu) meaning "lord, nobleman".

Arnolfi Italian
Means "son of Arnolfo".

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

König German
German cognate of King.

Abdulrashid Arabic
Derived from the given name Abd ar-Rashid.

Abbatantuono Italian
Variant of Abatantuono.

Abdul Arabic, Pashto
From the given name Abdul.

Kozel um Belarusian, Czech
Belarusian and Czech cognate of Kozioł.

Smolová f Czech
Feminine form of Smola.

Sano Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

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

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

Miyata Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Ó Corraidhín Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Curran.

Sergeyeva f Russian
Feminine form of Sergeyev.

Miyake Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 宅 (yake) meaning "house, home".

Roy 1 French, English
Variant of Rey 1.

Sergeant English, French
Occupational name derived from Old French sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin servio "to serve".

Ogawa Japanese
From Japanese 小 (o) meaning "small" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Croce Italian
Italian form of Cross.

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.

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

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

Ó Ceithearnaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kearney.

Hasanov m Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Həsənov.

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

Kató Hungarian
Derived from a diminutive of the Hungarian feminine given name Katalin.

Kopitar Slovene
From Slovene kopito meaning "hoof", an occupational name for a shoer.

Valerio Italian
From the given name Valerio.

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

Hoch German
Means "tall" in German.

Wu 1 Chinese
From Chinese 吴 (wú) referring to the ancient state of Wu, which was located in present-day Jiangsu province.

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

Ząbek Polish
From Polish zab "tooth" and a diminutive suffix.

Steube German
Variant of Steuben.

Adel Arabic
From the given name Adil.

Stafford English
From the name of the English city of Stafford, Staffordshire, derived from Old English stæð meaning "wharf, landing place" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Jovanovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Jovan".

Salinas Spanish
Occupational name for a salt worker or someone who lived bear a salt works, from Spanish salina "salt works, salt mine", ultimately from Latin sal "salt".

Kauffmann German, Jewish
Variant of Kaufmann.

Symons English
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Van Herten Dutch
Means "from Herten", a small town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The town's name comes from Dutch herten, the plural of hert meaning "deer".

Glover English
Occupational name for a person who made or sold gloves, from Middle English glovere.

Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.

Preston English
Originally derived from various place names meaning "priest town" in Old English.

Mingo Spanish
From the given name Domingo.

Gaspari Italian
From the given name Gaspare.

Giannopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Giannis" in Greek.

Bunschoten Dutch
Originally indicated a person from the Dutch town of Bunschoten, which might mean "raised, enclosed land".

Voclain French
From the Old French given name Vauquelin.

Ruud Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse ruð meaning "cleared land".

Wootton English
Derived from Old English wudu "wood" and tun "enclosure, town".

Pavia Italian
From the name of the city of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy. It is of unknown meaning.

Haig English, Scottish
From Old English haga or Old Norse hagi meaning "enclosure, pasture".

D'Ambrosio Italian
From the given name Ambrogio.

Pavlović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Pavle".

Readdie English
Variant of Ready 1.

Holmgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Krämer German
Means "shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German kram meaning "tent, trading post".

Sieger German
From the given name Sieghard.

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

Schreier German, Jewish
Occupational name for a town crier, from Old High German scrian meaning "to shout, to yell".

Von Ingersleben German
Means "from Ingersleben", a town in Germany, which means "Inge's village".

Valeriev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Valeri".

Cingolani Italian
From Cingoli, a town in the Marche region of Italy. It is derived from Latin cingo "surround, ring".

Dawson English
Means "son of Daw".

Ibrahim Arabic, Urdu, Hausa
From the given name Ibrahim.

Major 1 English
From the Norman French given name Mauger, derived from the Germanic name Malger.

Lewin English
Derived from the given name Leofwine.

Bower English
From Old English bur meaning "dwelling, room".

Presley English
Variant of Priestley. This name was borne by musician Elvis Presley (1935-1977).

Westcott English
From any of the several English towns by this name, derived from Old English meaning "west cottage".

Chmelová f Czech
Feminine form of Chmela.

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

Berntsson Swedish
Means "son of Bernt".

Cruz Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Cross.

Briley English
Possibly a variant of Brierley.

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

Pokorná f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Pokorný.

Montero Spanish
Means "hunter" in Spanish, an agent derivative of monte meaning "mountain, wilderness".

Hlaváč m Czech
From a nickname for a person with an oddly-shaped head, derived from Czech hlava "head".

Van der Vennen Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Van der Veen.

Yosipova f Tatar
Feminine form of Yosipov.

Gardener English
Occupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).

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

Abney English
From the name of a town in Derbyshire, derived from Old English meaning "Abba's island".

Pappas m Greek
Means "priest" in Greek.

Hummel 1 German, Dutch
Derived from the given name Humbert.

Uzun Turkish
Means "long, tall" in Turkish.

Naoumova f Russian, Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Наумова (see Naumova).

Simmons English
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Van Dael Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Perreault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Demirci Turkish
Means "blacksmith" in Turkish.

Abramsen Norwegian
Means "son of Abraham".

Westley English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English west "west" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Bristol English
From the name of a city in England meaning "the site of the bridge".

Capella Catalan
Catalan form of Kappel.

Skeates English
From the Old Norse nickname or byname skjótr meaning "swift".

Guidi Italian
From the given name Guido.

Spears English
Patronymic form of Spear.

Rigby English
Originally derived from the name of a town in Lancashire, itself from Old Norse hryggr "ridge" and býr "farm, settlement".

Olson Swedish (Anglicized), Norwegian (Anglicized), Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Olsson or Olsen.

Petersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Peter".

Krakowska f Polish
Feminine form of Krakowski.

Simon English, French, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Vermeulen Flemish
Means "from the mill" in Dutch.

Stojanović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Stojan".

Staneva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Stanev.

Vaccaro Italian
Occupational name meaning "cowherd" in Italian.

Ó Deoradháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Doran.

Meeuwsen Dutch
Derived from the Dutch given name Meeuw, which comes from Bartholomeus (see Bartholomew).

Archambault French
From the archaic French given name Archambault, which is related to Archibald.

Gabler German
Occupational name for someone who made or sold forks, from Old High German gabala "fork".

Jó Hungarian
Means "good" in Hungarian.

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

Jonasen Danish
Means "son of Jonas 2".

Dukes English
Patronymic form of Duke.

McIntosh Scottish
From Scottish Gaelic Mac an Tòisich meaning "son of the chief".

Floyd Welsh
Variant of Lloyd.

Santos Portuguese, Spanish
From Portuguese and Spanish santo meaning "saint", ultimately from Latin sanctus. This was a nickname for a pious person.

Bassani Italian
Derived from the place name Bassano, belonging multiple villages in Italy.

Mägi Estonian
Means "hill, mountain" in Estonian.

Kneib German
Variant of Knef.

Daly Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh meaning "descendant of Dálach".

Sauvageau French
French diminutive form of Savage.

Pavoni Italian
Variant of Pavone.

Geiger German
Means "fiddle player" in German, derived from Old High German giga "fiddle".

Lindon English
Variant of Lyndon.

Shinohara Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Travers English, French
From an English and French place name that described a person who lived near a bridge or ford, or occasionally as an occupational name for the collector of tolls at such a location. The place name is derived from Old French traverser (from Latin transversus), which means "to cross".

Fan Chinese
From Chinese 范 (fàn) meaning "bee".

Etxeberria Basque
Original Basque form of Echeverría.

Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).

Jabłoński m Polish
Originally denoted someone who lived by an apple tree, from Polish jabłoń meaning "apple tree".

Horváthová f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Horváth.

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

Andrés Spanish
Derived from the given name Andrés.

Barrera Spanish
Spanish cognate of Barr.

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

Van Dalen Dutch
Means "from the valley", from Old Dutch dal meaning "valley".

Oorschot Dutch
Variant of Van Oirschot.

Lombardi Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, which was named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who invaded in the 6th century. Their name is derived from the Old German roots lang "long" and bart "beard".

Róbertsson Icelandic
Means "son of Robert".

Mattsson Swedish
Means "son of Matts".

Ó Fionnagáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Finnegan.

Ó Maolmhuaidh Irish
Means "descendant of Maolmhuadh", Maolmhuadh being a given name meaning "proud chief", derived from Gaelic maol meaning "chief" and muadh meaning "proud, noble".

McCracken Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Reachtain, Ulster Irish variant of Mac Neachtain.

Hakim Arabic
Derived from the given name Hakim.

Addison English
Means "son of Addy 2".

Ponomarenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian пономар (ponomar) meaning "sexton, bell-ringer".

Ingram English
Derived from the given name Ingram.

Klerk Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

McManus Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac Maghnuis meaning "son of Mághnus".

Lyle English
Derived from Norman French l'isle meaning "island".

Schorel Dutch
Variant of Schoorl.

Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.

Valentini Italian
Means "son of Valentino".

Morce English
Variant of Morriss.

Höfler German
Variant of Hofer.

Randal English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Apostolov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Apostol".

Palacio Spanish
Spanish cognate of Palazzo.

Sánchez Spanish
Means "son of Sancho".

Brzezicka f Polish
Feminine form of Brzezicki.

Rattray Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".

Serra Italian, Portuguese, Catalan
Italian, Portuguese and Catalan cognate of Sierra.

Bagni Italian
From Italian bagno "bath", derived from Latin balneum, referring to a person who worked as a bath house attendant.

Stepanova f Russian
Feminine form of Stepanov.

Schultz German
Variant of Schulz.

Africano Italian
From the given name Africano, the Italian form of Africanus.

Adenauer German
Denoted a person from the town of Adenau in Germany. The name of the town is of uncertain etymology.

Michaelis German
Derived from the given name Michael.

Antunes Portuguese
Means "son of António".

Tkachuk Ukrainian
From Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".

Balboni Italian
Derived from the given name Balbino.

Jakobsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Jakob".

Sessions English
From the name of the city of Soissons in northern France, itself derived from the name of the Celtic tribe of the Suessiones.

Marín Spanish
Derived from the given name Marino.

Heimans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Vinogradov m Russian
Means "vineyard" in Russian (ultimately from German), referring to a person who worked at a vineyard or lived near one.

Judson English
Means "son of Judd".

Smirnov m Russian
Derived from Russian смирный (smirny) meaning "quiet, peaceful, timid". This is one of the most common surnames in Russia.

Hoedemaeker Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

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.

Tomàs Catalan
Derived from the given name Tomàs.

Siegert German
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

Auteberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Ekmekçi Turkish
Means "baker" in Turkish.

Flipse Dutch
Variant of Flipsen.

Ratti Italian
From Italian ratto meaning "rat", originally denoting a sly individual.

Dirix Flemish, Dutch
Means "son of Dirk".

Demetriou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Δημητρίου (see Dimitriou).

Ozoliņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Ozoliņš.

Sun Chinese
From Chinese 孙 (sūn) meaning "grandchild, descendant". A famous bearer of the surname was Sun Tzu, the 6th-century BC author of The Art of War.

Sutton English
From various English place names meaning "south town".

Avcı Turkish
Means "hunter" in Turkish.

Rush English
Indicated a person who lived near rushes, the grasslike plant that grows in a marsh, from Old English rysc.

Brunetti Italian
Diminutive of Bruno.

Həsənov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Həsən".

Vidmar Slovene
From various places in Slovenia named Videm, meaning "church property" in Slovene.

Geels Dutch
Variant of Geelen.

Doležal m Czech
Nickname for a lazy person, derived from the past participle of the Czech verb doležat "to lie down".

Gehring German
Derived from a short form of Old German names starting with the element ger "spear".

Mihov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Miho", the given name Miho being a diminutive of Mihail.

Dane 2 English
Originally denoted a Dane, that is a person from Denmark.

Anthonsen Danish, Norwegian
Variant of Antonsen.

Czajka Polish
Means "lapwing (bird)" in Polish.

Lindholm Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island".

Sheinfeld Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and feld "field".

Lau Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Liu.

Kratochvilová f Czech
Feminine form of Kratochvil.

Kolar Croatian, Slovene
Croatian and Slovene cognate of Kolář.

Zariņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Zariņš.

Rantala Finnish
From Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach" with the suffix -la indicating a place.

Jaskulski m Polish
Variant of Jaskólski.

Roig Catalan
Means "red" in Catalan, from Latin rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.

Mulryan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Maoil Riain.

Matveyeva f Russian
Feminine form of Matveyev.

Curie French
Occupational name for a farm hand, from Old French éscuerie "stable". Famous bearers were the married scientists Marie (1867-1934) and Pierre Curie (1859-1906), who studied radioactivity.

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

Susskind Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

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

Bramson Jewish
Means "son of Bram".

Katona Hungarian
Means "soldier" in Hungarian.

Hermans Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Herman".

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

Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.

Neumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German niuwe and man meaning "new man, newcomer".

Faraldo Italian
From a given name, ultimately the Germanic name Faroald.

Ongaro Italian
Variant of Ungaro.

Cannon English
From the ecclesiastical usage of canon, referring to a church official or servant who worked in a clergy house.

Jeffers English
Patronymic from the given name Jeffrey. A famous bearer was poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962).

Hewitt English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Hugh.

Yordanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Yordanov.

Bellandi Italian
Means "son of Bellando", from a medieval given name derived from Latin bellandus meaning "which is to be fought".

Bennet English
Derived from the medieval English given name Bennett.

Pierre French
From the given name Pierre.

Arenas Spanish
From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish arena meaning "sand".

Großel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Koster Dutch
Means "churchwarden, sexton" in Dutch, an occupational name for a caretaker of a church.

Sigourney English
From the name of the commune of Sigournais in western France, called Segurniacum in medieval Latin, itself of unknown meaning.

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

Bolton English
From any of the many places in England called Bolton, derived from Old English bold "house" and tun "enclosure".

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

Stone English
Name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English stan.

Waldfogel Jewish
Variant of Waldvogel.

Haynes English
Patronymic derived from the Norman name Hagano.

Ready 2 Scottish
Originally denoted a person from Reedie farm in Angus, Scotland.

Králová f Czech
Feminine form of Král.

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

Kovács Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kovač.

Kerper German
Variant of Gerber.

Putin m Russian
From Russian путь (put) meaning "road, path". This surname is borne by the Russian president Vladimir Putin (1952-).

Zahradníková f Czech
Feminine form of Zahradník.

Jiang 2 Chinese
From Chinese 姜 (jiāng) meaning "ginger".

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

Katsarou f Greek
Feminine form of Katsaros.

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

Reuter 2 German
From Middle High German riutœre meaning "highwayman, thief".

Ecclestone English
Variant of Eccleston.

Janzen Dutch
Means "son of Jan 1".

Klement m Czech
Derived from the given name Klement.

Aliev m Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, Chechen
Alternate transcription of Tajik/Kyrgyz/Chechen Алиев, Kazakh Әлиев or Avar ГӀалиев (see Aliyev).

Ilie Romanian
From the given name Ilie.

Tollemache English
Means "knapsack" in Old French.