Browse Surnames

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

Hakim Arabic
Derived from the given name Hakim.

Snaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Van Alst Dutch
Means "from Aalst", the name of towns in Belgium and the Netherlands, which is possibly from Germanic *alhs meaning "temple, shelter".

Iliescu Romanian
Means "son of Ilie".

Fonda Italian
Of Italian origin, possibly from a place derived from fondo meaning "deep". The family of Henry Fonda (1905-1982) came from the Netherlands, but they were of Genoese origin.

Buckley 1 English
From an English place name derived from bucc "buck, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Becskei Hungarian
Indicated a person from Becske, a town in Hungary, which might be derived from the given name Benedek.

Carey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ciardha meaning "descendant of Ciardha".

Rutten Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger.

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

Hudnall English
From various English place names, derived from the Old English given name Huda combined with halh "nook, recess".

Kuijpers Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Zupančič Slovene
Patronymic form of Zupan.

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

Seki Japanese
From Japanese 関 (seki) meaning "frontier pass".

Sorenson Danish (Anglicized), Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Sørensen or Sörensson.

Zentai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the city of Senta in Serbia (formerly a part of Hungary and called Zenta).

Bosch 2 Catalan
Catalan cognate of Bosco.

Klimková f Czech
Czech feminine form of Klimek.

Walsh English, Irish
From Old English wælisc meaning "foreigner, stranger, Celt".

Thayer French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Tailler.

Deadman English
Variant of Debenham.

Hashimoto Japanese
From Japanese 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Harmaajärvi Finnish
Means "grey lake" in Finnish.

Laine Finnish, Estonian
Means "wave" in Finnish and Estonian.

Northrop English
Originally denoted one who came from a town of this name England, meaning "north farm".

Munroe Scottish
Anglicized (typically Canadian and American) form of Munro.

Boone English
Variant of Boon 1 or Boon 2.

Ragno Italian
From a nickname meaning "spider" in Italian.

MacConnell Scottish, Irish
Variant of McConnell.

Łaska Polish
Means "grace, mercy" in Polish.

Sugita Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Strobel German
Diminutive form of Straub.

Cary Irish
Variant of Carey.

Nakano Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Bukowska f Polish
Feminine form of Bukowski.

Astrauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Astrauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Slezáková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Slezák.

Van Arendonk Dutch
Variant of Arendonk.

Moses Jewish, English
Derived from the given name Moses.

Czinege Hungarian
Variant of Cinege.

Reijnders Dutch, Frisian
Variant of Reinders.

Ateljević Serbian
Probably from Hatelji, the name of a town in Serbia, which is of unknown meaning.

Pratt English
From Old English prætt meaning "trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.

Sawyer English
Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Mac Ruaidhrí Irish
Irish form of McCrory.

Matveev m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Матвеев (see Matveyev).

Traverso Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Nakamura Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Ayodele Yoruba
From the given name Ayodele.

Lawrence English
Derived from the given name Laurence 1. Famous bearers include revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) and author D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930).

Bélanger French
From the given name Bérenger.

Wildgrube German
From the name of a German town, derived from German wild "wild, untamed" and Grube "hollow, pit".

Milton English
Derived from an English place name meaning "mill town" in Old English. A famous bearer was John Milton (1608-1674), the poet who wrote "Paradise Lost".

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

Nisi Italian
Means "son of Niso", an Italian form of the mythological name Nisus.

Akselsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Aksel".

Foerstner German
Variant of Förstner.

Vašková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Vašek or Vaško.

Bartos Hungarian
From a given name that was a diminutive of Bertalan.

MacCrum Scottish
Anglicized form of MacChruim.

Leonardi Italian
From the given name Leonardo.

Omarova f Kazakh
Feminine form of Omarov.

Yamada Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

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

Hoshino Japanese
From Japanese 星 (hoshi) meaning "star" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Balboni Italian
Derived from the given name Balbino.

Schwenke 1 German
Derived from Middle High German swenken meaning "to swing".

Hamilton English, Scottish
From an English place name, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).

Gorman 2 Irish
From the Irish Ó Gormáin meaning "descendant of Gormán". The given name Gormán means "little blue one".

Öwezow m Turkmen
Means "son of Öwez".

Schultheiß German
Variant of Schulz.

Biagi Italian
Means "son of Biagio".

Schroeder German
Variant of Schröder 1 and Schröder 2.

Bruno Italian, Portuguese
Means "brown" in Italian and Portuguese, a nickname for a person with brown hair or brown clothes. A famous bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).

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

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

Vázquez Spanish
Variant of Vásquez.

Zajacová f Slovak
Feminine form of Zajac.

Rutkowska f Polish
Feminine form of Rutkowski.

Dohman German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Thomas.

Olguín Spanish
Variant of Holguín.

Koizumi Japanese
From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" and 泉 (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain". A notable bearer of this name is Junichiro Koizumi (1942-), who was Prime Minister of Japan.

Stefansson Swedish
Means "son of Stefan".

Keo Khmer
Means "glass" in Khmer.

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

Angus Irish, Scottish
From the given name Aonghus.

Abatangelo Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Angelo.

Chaudhuri Bengali
Alternate transcription of Bengali চৌধুরী (see Chowdhury).

Slade English
Derived from Old English slæd meaning "valley".

Ivanković Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Ivan.

Ó Braonáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Brennan.

McLeod Scottish
From Gaelic MacLeòid meaning "son of Leod", a given name derived from Old Norse ljótr "ugly".

Zhuk Belarusian
Means "beetle" in Belarusian.

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

Bryson English
Means "son of Brice".

Gardner English
Variant of Gardener.

Grier Scottish
Derived from the given name Gregor.

Ibáñez Spanish
Means "son of Ibán".

Toselli Italian
Diminutive form of Tosi.

Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.

Román Spanish
From the given name Román.

Czajkowska f Polish
Feminine form of Czajkowski.

Kawa Polish
Derived from Polish kawka "jackdaw".

Bean English
English cognate of Bohn.

Navrátilová f Czech
Feminine form of Navrátil.

Overton English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in England called Overton, meaning "upper settlement" or "riverbank settlement" in Old English.

Armistead English
Means "hermitage", indicating a person who lived near one, from Middle English ermite "hermit" and stede "place".

Bakó Hungarian
Means "axeman" in Hungarian.

Brook English
Denoted a person who lived near a brook, a word derived from Old English broc.

Tsvetanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Tsvetan".

Delgado Spanish, Portuguese
Means "thin" in Spanish and Portuguese, ultimately from Latin delicatus meaning "delicate, tender, charming".

Rybár m Slovak
Means "fisher" in Slovak, from ryba meaning "fish".

Kazlauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Kozłowski. This is the most common surname in Lithuania.

Zangari Italian
Southern Italian name, derived from Greek τσαγκάρης (tsankaris) meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".

Gomes Portuguese
From the medieval given name Gomes.

Umar Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Umar.

Shelton English
From the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.

Troelsen Danish
Means "son of Troels".

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

Eilerts German
Derived from the given name Eilert.

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

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".

Millhouse English
Name for someone whose house was in a mill or who worked in a mill.

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

Ataýew m Turkmen
Means "son of Ata 1".

Jespersen Danish
Means "son of Jesper".

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

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

Devine 2 English
Variant of Devin 2.

Marconi Italian
Derived from the given name Marco.

Papp 1 Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" in Hungarian.

Siliņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Siliņš.

Vlad Romanian
From the given name Vlad.

Rapallino Italian
From the name of the town of Rapallo near Genoa.

Ağayev m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Ağa".

Tomčić Serbian, Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Toma 2.

Liao Chinese
From Chinese 廖 (liào) referring to the ancient state of Liao, which was located in present-day Henan province.

Jarvis English
Derived from the given name Gervais.

Airò Italian
From the given name Aroldo.

Puig Catalan
Catalan cognate of Poggio.

Fedorova f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Фёдорова (see Fyodorova).

Ishida Japanese
From Japanese 石 (ishi) meaning "stone" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Poulsen Danish
Means "son of Poul".

Selvaggio Italian
Italian form of Savage.

Saitō Japanese
From Japanese 斎 (sai) meaning "purification, worship" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Waldvogel German, Jewish
From a nickname for a carefree person, derived from German Wald meaning "forest" and Vogel meaning "bird". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Nazaretyan Armenian
Means "son of Nazaret".

Carter English
Occupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).

Johnston Scottish
From the name of a Scottish town, which meant "John's town".

Abasolo Basque
Means "priest's meadow" from Basque abas "priest" and solo "meadow".

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Stoke English
From the name of numerous places in England, derived from Old English stoc meaning "place, dwelling".

Burakgazi Turkish
Possibly from the given name Burak and Arabic غازي (ghāzī) meaning "warrior".

Carmona Spanish
From the name of the city of Carmona in Andalusia, Spain. It is possibly derived from Phoenician 𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤌𐤍 (Qart Ḥamun) meaning "city of Hammon" (the name of a Carthaginian god, see Ba'al Hammon).

Benton English
Denoted someone who came from Benton, England, which is derived from Old English beonet "bent grass" and tun "enclosure".

Kotnik Slovene
From Slovene kot meaning "corner". The name referred to someone who was from a remote area.

Adema Frisian
Means "son of Ade 2".

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

De Palma Italian
Means "from the palm tree" in Italian.

Cuyper Dutch
Variant of Kuiper.

Görög Hungarian
Means "Greek" in Hungarian.

Novosadová f Czech
Feminine form of Novosad.

Daniel um English, French, German, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Marini Italian
Derived from the given name Marino.

Kadlecová f Czech
Feminine form of Kadlec.

Houston Scottish
From a place name meaning "Hugh's town". The original Houston is in Scotland near Glasgow.

May English
Derived from the given name Matthew.

Fausti Italian
From the given name Fausto.

Macauley Irish, Scottish
Variant of McCauley.

Kane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Valentin French, German
From the given name Valentin.

Marín Spanish
Derived from the given name Marino.

Pander Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Lombardo Italian
Variant of Lombardi.

Rayne English, French
Variant of Raine 1 or Raine 2.

Finch English, Literature
From the name of the bird, from Old English finc. It was used by Harper Lee for the surname of lawyer Atticus Finch and his children in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).

Gorbold English
From the given name Gerbold.

MacDaniel Scottish
Variant of MacDonald.

Deniaud French
Variant of Daniel.

Maier 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Landi Italian
Derived from the given name Lando.

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.

Nazarenko Ukrainian
From the given name Nazar.

Benetton Italian
Northern Italian variant of Benedetti.

Nikolaou Greek
Means "son of Nikolaos".

Goldschmidt German
Occupational name meaning "goldsmith" in German.

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

Aldana Basque
From the name of a Basque town, derived from aldats meaning "slope".

O'Donnell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Domhnaill meaning "descendant of Domhnall".

Munteanu Romanian
From Romanian muntean meaning "mountaineer, from the mountains", ultimately from Latin mons.

Blevins Welsh
Derived from the Welsh given name Bleddyn.

Salzwedel German
Originally denoted a person from Salzwedel, Germany, which is of Old Saxon origin meaning "salt ford".

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

Kurucz Hungarian
Derived from the Hungarian word kuruc, referring to rebels who fought against the Habsburgs in the late 17th to early 18th century.

Hamasaki Japanese
From Japanese 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Nylund Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Aerts Dutch, Flemish
From a diminutive of the given name Arnout.

Björk Swedish
From Swedish björk meaning "birch tree", Old Norse bjǫrk.

Lister Scottish
Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac an Fleisdeir meaning "son of the arrow maker".

Trevis English
English variant of Travers.

Saller 1 German
Originally denoted a person from the town of Sallern in Bavaria, possibly from a Celtic element meaning "stream".

Vadas Hungarian
From Hungarian vad meaning "wild", either a nickname or an occupational name for a hunter of wild game.

Kravets Ukrainian
Means "tailor" in Ukrainian.

Callaghan Irish
Variant of Callahan.

Ślusarczyk Polish
Diminutive form of Ślusarski.

Krstić Serbian
Means "son of Krsto".

Karimova f Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tatar, Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Karimov. It is also an alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Kərimova.

Van Althuis Dutch
Dutch cognate of Althaus.

Kavaliova f Belarusian
Alternate transcription of Belarusian Кавалёва (see Kavalyova).

MacIver Scottish
Variant of McIver.

Bass English
English cognate of Basso.

Calvo Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Means "bald" in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, from Latin calvus.

Pilkvist Swedish
From Swedish pil (Old Norse píli) meaning "willow" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Van Oorschot Dutch
Variant of Van Oirschot.

Hedley English
Variant of Headley.

Van Oirschot Dutch
Means "from Oirschot", a town in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is possibly from Dutch oeros meaning "aurochs" and schoot meaning "projection (of land)".

Ricchetti Italian
Diminutive form of Ricci.

Sokolova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Sokolov.

Jafarov m Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Cəfərov.

Perrault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Whitaker English
From a place name composed of Old English hwit "white" and æcer "field".

Blackman English
From a nickname, a variant of Black.

Gáspár Hungarian
Derived from the given name Gáspár.

Quixano Spanish (Archaic)
Old spelling of Quijano.

Amsel 1 Jewish
Derived from the given name Anshel.

Sundberg Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "strait" and berg meaning "mountain".

Prohászka Hungarian
Hungarian form of Procházka.

Henryson English
Means "son of Henry". A bearer of this surname was the poet Robert Henryson (1425-1500).

Beake English
Variant of Beck 3.

Levi Jewish
From the given name Levi.

Traver French
French variant of Travers.

Holloway English
From the name of various English places, derived from Old English hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and weg "path, way".

Cervantes Spanish
Possibly from Old Spanish servanto meaning "servant" or ciervo meaning "stag". A famous bearer was the Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).

Mihailović Serbian
Means "son of Mihailo".

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

Hernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Hernández.

Merkel German
From a diminutive of the given name Markus. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).

Valero Spanish
From the given name Valero.

Plamondon French
Derived from French plat "flat" and mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.

Irving Scottish, English
Variant of Irvine 1 or Irwin.

De Klerk Dutch
From Dutch klerk meaning "clerk", making this a cognate of Clark.

Minkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Minkov.

Michelakos m Greek
Means "son of Michail".

Abano Italian
Originally denoted a person from the town of Abano, Latin Aponus, which was derived from the old Celtic root ab meaning "water".

Kemény Hungarian
Means "firm, hard, tough" in Hungarian.

Chilikov m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian челик (chelik) meaning "steel" (of Turkish origin).

Garfield English
Means "triangle field" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president James A. Garfield (1831-1881).

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

Tähtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".

Herman English, Dutch
From the given name Herman.

Kraemer German
Variant of Krämer.

Tang 1 Chinese
From Chinese 唐 (táng) referring to the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907.

Sterling Scottish
Derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning.

Esteves Portuguese
Means "son of Estevão".

Văduva Romanian
From Romanian văduvă meaning "widow".

Vaško m Slovak
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Václav.

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

Blackburn English
From the name of a city in Lancashire, meaning "black stream" in Old English.

Ferraro Italian
Variant of Ferrari.

Lovelace English
From a nickname for a lothario, derived from Middle English lufeles, Old English lufuleas meaning "loveless".

Regan Irish
Variant of Reagan.

Acciaioli Italian
Variant of Acciai.

Maessen Dutch
Means "son of Maas".

Fertig German
Means "ready, prepared" in German.

Merrill 2 English
From the name of various places in England, derived from Old English myrige "pleasant" and hyll "hill".

Wójcik Polish
From the Polish word wójt meaning "chief, mayor" (related to German Vogt).

Cousineau French
Derived from Old French cosin meaning "cousin".

Bourne English
Derived from Old English burna "stream, spring".

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

Mancini Italian
Diminutive of Manco.

Kyles Scottish
Variant of Kyle.

Roosa Dutch
From Dutch roos meaning "rose".

Cavallo Italian
Means "horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.

Pokorná f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Pokorný.

Stainthorpe English
Originally indicated a person from Staindrop, County Durham, England, derived from Old English stæner meaning "stony ground" and hop meaning "valley".

Josephs English
Derived from the given name Joseph.

Holden English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and denu "valley".

Ashworth English
From an English place name meaning "ash enclosure" in Old English.

Suárez Spanish
Means "son of Suero".

Protz German
From a nickname meaning "showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".

Esparza Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Espartza, a town in the province of Navarre.

Kecskeméti Hungarian
Originally indicated a person who came from the Hungarian city of Kecskemét, derived from kecske meaning "goat".

Chávez Spanish
Variant of Chaves. A famous bearer was the labour leader César Chávez (1927-1993).

Buckley 2 Irish
From Irish Ó Buachalla meaning "descendant of Buachaill", a nickname meaning "cowherd, servant".

Bartha Hungarian
Variant of Barta.

Tenley English
Possibly from the name of an English town derived from Old English tind "point" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Hegedűs Hungarian
Means "fiddler" in Hungarian, from hegedű "violin".

Scully Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Scolaidhe.

Bourreau 2 French
Occupational name for an executioner or torturer, derived from bourrer "to hit, to stuff with cloth" (derived from French boure "stuffing").

Friis Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian (mostly Danish) form of Fries.

Andreasson Swedish
Means "son of Andreas".

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".

Roncalli Italian
From the names of places like Ronco or Ronchi, quite common in northern Italy, derived from ronco meaning "cleared land, terraced land". It was the surname of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (1881-1963), the pope John XXIII.

Straub German
From Old High German strub meaning "rough, unkempt".

Samara 2 f Greek
Feminine form of Samaras.

Derichs German
Means "son of Dirk".

Olsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Ole".

Stevenson English
Variant of Stephenson.