Browse Surnames

Ó Caoimh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Keefe.

Bakhuizen Dutch
Means "bakery" from Dutch bak "bake" and huis "house", an occupational name for a baker.

Zimová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Zima.

Kennard English
Derived from the given names Cyneweard or Cyneheard.

Lowell English
From a nickname derived from a Norman French lou meaning "wolf" and a diminutive suffix.

Buchholz German
From Middle High German buoche "beech" and holz "wood".

Easton English
From the name of various places meaning "east town" in Old English.

Frazier Scottish
Variant of Fraser.

Pletscher German
Possibly from the name of a field where cattle fodder was grown, from German Bletsch.

Snelling English
Variant of Snell.

Buchanan Scottish
From the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.

Axelsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Axel".

MacCoughlan Irish
Means "son of Cochlán". The given name Cochlán is derived from Irish cochal meaning "cape" or "hood".

Cao Chinese
From Chinese 曹 (cáo) referring to the ancient state of Cao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.

Woodcock English
Nickname referring to the woodcock bird.

Mondy English
Variant of Monday 1 or Monday 2.

Darzi Persian
Means "tailor" in Persian.

Alberghi Italian
Variant of Alberici.

Aalto Finnish
From Finnish aalto meaning "wave". A famous bearer was Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976).

Hood English
Metonymic occupational name for a maker of hoods or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood, from Old English hod.

Shea Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Séaghdha.

Alexandrescu Romanian
Means "son of Alexandru".

McCune Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Eoghain.

Abbatantuono Italian
Variant of Abatantuono.

Argyris m Greek
Means "silver" in Greek.

Ognianov m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Огнянов (see Ognyanov).

Pichler Upper German
From Bavarian Bühel meaning "hill".

Nissen Danish
Means "son of Nis".

Popławska f Polish
Feminine form of Popławski.

Houtman Dutch
Dutch cognate of Holzmann.

Victor French, English
Derived from the male given name Victor.

Baxter English
Variant (in origin a feminine form) of Baker.

Debenham English
Originally denoted a person from the town of Debenham in Suffolk, derived from the name of the River Deben (meaning "deep" in Old English) combined with ham meaning "home, settlement".

Kools Dutch
Derived from the given name Nicolaas.

Piccirillo Italian
From Neapolitan piccerillo meaning "small, young".

Teahan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Téacháin meaning "descendant of Téachán". The given name Téachán possibly means "fugitive".

Ismailov m Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Chechen, Avar
Means "son of Ismail".

Haberkorn German
Occupational name for a dealer in oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat" and korn "kernel, grain".

Gagné French (Quebec)
Variant of Gagneux. This surname is especially common in Quebec.

Struna Slovene
From Slovene struna meaning "string, cord", possibly denoting a maker of rope.

Utkin m Russian
Derived from Russian утка (utka) meaning "duck".

Monahan Irish
From Irish Ó Manacháin meaning "descendant of Manacháin". The given name Manacháin meant "little monk", from manach "monk" and a diminutive suffix.

Turnbull English, Scottish
Nickname for someone thought to be strong enough to turn around a bull.

Ingesson Swedish
Means "son of Inge".

Panzavecchia Maltese
From a nickname meaning "old stomach" in Italian.

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

Farro Italian
Derived from the name of a place on Sicily, Italy, derived from Latin far meaning "wheat, spelt".

Sorrentino Italian
Derived from the town of Sorrento near Naples, called Surrentum in Latin, of unknown meaning.

De Snaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Magnusson Swedish
Means "son of Magnus".

Klymenko Ukrainian
From the given name Klym.

Hernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Hernández.

Pešek m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Petr.

McNamara Irish
From Irish Mac Conmara meaning "son of Conmara". The given name Conmara is composed of cú "hound" and muir "sea".

Kranz German, Jewish
Derived from Old High German kranz meaning "wreath", an occupational name for a maker of wreaths or an ornamental Jewish name.

Christians English
Derived from the given name Christian.

Plešec Slovene
Variant of Pleško.

Ó Cuana Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Cooney.

Gutermuth German
Derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and muot meaning "mind, spirit". It was a nickname for an optimistic person.

Wróblewski m Polish
Originally indicated a person from Polish towns named Wróblewo or similar, derived from Polish wróbel meaning "sparrow".

Uehara Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Grbić Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Means "hunchback", derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene grba "hump".

Ó hIfearnáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Heffernan.

Burnett English
Means "brown" in Middle English, from Old French brunet, a diminutive of brun.

Ahmadova f Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Əhmədova.

Colbert English, French
Derived from the given name Colobert.

Hsieh Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 谢 (see Xie).

Omar Arabic
From the given name Umar.

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

Aoyama Japanese
From Japanese 青 (ao) meaning "green, blue" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Álvarez Spanish
Means "son of Álvaro".

Elmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Hoedemaker Dutch
Occupational name for a hat maker, from Dutch hoed "hat" and maker "maker".

Teague 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Taidhg meaning "descendant of Tadhg".

Ueno Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Sauber German
Means "clean, tidy" in German.

Ferri Italian
Variant of Ferro.

Bondarenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian бондар (bondar) meaning "cooper, barrel maker".

Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.

Osborne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

Yo'ldosheva f Uzbek
Feminine form of Yo'ldoshev.

Isaacson English
Means "son of Isaac".

Achthoven Dutch
Denoted a person from various towns in the Netherlands called Achthoven, which is derived from Dutch acht "eight" and hoven "farmsteads".

Joyce English, Irish
From the given name Joyce.

Van As Dutch
Means "from Asch", a town in the Netherlands, meaning "ash tree".

Lowe 1 Jewish
Americanized form of Löwe.

Tritten German
Originally denoted someone who lived by a set of steps, from Middle High German trit "step".

Platt English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.

Ó Flannghaile Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Flannery.

Brantley German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Brändle.

Hammond English
From the Norman given name Hamo or the Old Norse given name Hámundr.

Szczepański m Polish
Derived from the given name Szczepan.

Stewart Scottish
Occupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard". The Stewart family (sometimes spelled Stuart) held the Scottish crown for several centuries. One of the most famous members of the Stewart family was Mary, Queen of Scots.

Blažková f Czech
Czech feminine form of Blažek.

Valerieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Valeriev.

Stoyanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Stoyanov.

Smythe English
Variant of Smith.

Attwater English
Variant of Atwater.

Vasylenko Ukrainian
From the given name Vasyl.

Baarda Frisian
From the name of the town of Baard in the Netherlands, possibly derived from a given name that was a variant of Bert.

Bootsma Frisian
Occupational name meaning "boatman", derived from Dutch boot "boat".

Fabbro Italian
Variant of Fabbri.

Kimball English
Derived from the Welsh given name Cynbel or the Old English given name Cynebald.

Favager French
Possibly indicated a person from the town of Faverges in eastern France, derived from Old French faverge meaning "forge".

Altoviti Italian (Rare)
Derived from the Lombard given name Altwidus.

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

Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".

Panossian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Փանոսյան (see Panosyan).

Alexander English
Derived from the given name Alexander.

Erős Hungarian
Means "strong" in Hungarian.

Sikora Polish
Means "tit (bird)" in Polish.

Hedley English
Variant of Headley.

Mahmoudi Persian
From the given name Mahmoud.

Escobar Spanish
Derived from Spanish escoba meaning "broom plant", from Latin scopa. It originally indicated a person who lived near a prominent patch of broom.

Lauwers Dutch
From the given name Laurens.

Giménez Spanish
Variant of Jiménez.

Teel English
From Middle English tele meaning "teal, duck".

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

Yates English
From Old English geat meaning "gate", a name for a gatekeeper or someone who lived near a gate.

Sjögren Swedish
From Swedish sjö (Old Norse sær) meaning "lake, sea" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Lončar Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Means "potter", from Serbo-Croatian lonac, Slovene lonec meaning "pot".

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

Malloye Irish
Variant of Molloy.

Zahariev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Zahari".

Zhang Chinese
From Chinese 张 (zhāng) meaning "stretch, extend". It may have denoted a bowmaker whose job it was to stretch bow wood.

Schenk German, Dutch
From Middle High German, Middle Dutch schenke meaning "wine server" (from Old High German scenken "to pour out").

Ahmadi Persian
From the given name Ahmad.

Adriaansen Dutch
Means "son of Adriaan".

Stefanidis m Greek
Means "son of Stefanos" in Greek.

Wortham English
Derived from the name of a town in Suffolk, England meaning "enclosed homestead".

Everett English
From the given name Everard.

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

Carnevale Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "carnival", perhaps given to a festive person.

Parri Italian
From the given name Gaspare.

Campo Spanish, Italian
Means "field" in Spanish and Italian.

Pineda Spanish, Catalan
Means "pine forest" in Spanish and Catalan.

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

Shepard English
Variant of Shepherd.

Aust German
Derived from Aust, an archaic diminutive of August.

Sims English
Variant of Simms.

Haenraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Medvedev m Russian
Derived from Russian медведь (medved) meaning "bear".

Dirkx Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Dirk".

Constable English
From Old French conestable, ultimately from Latin comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".

Alberici Italian
Means "son of Alberico".

Kuhn German
Derived from a diminutive of the German given name Konrad.

Rothbauer German
From Old High German riuten "to clear land" and bur "peasant, farmer".

MacGuinness Irish
Variant of McGuinness.

Randal English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Kowalski m Polish
From Polish kowal meaning "blacksmith". This is the second most common surname in Poland.

Čížek m Czech
Means "siskin" in Czech, referring to a type of bird in the finch family.

Perić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Pero".

Aikawa Japanese
From Japanese 相 (ai) meaning "mutually, together", 愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" or 哀 (ai) meaning "grief, sorrow" combined with 川 (kawa) or 河 (kawa) both meaning "river, stream".

Kravets Ukrainian
Means "tailor" in Ukrainian.

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.

Perrier French
Occupational name for a person who worked with stone, derived from French pierre meaning "stone", from Latin petra, Greek πέτρα (petra).

De Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Marcos Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Marcos. A famous bearer was Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos (1917-1989).

Von Brandt German
Means "from the area cleared by fire", from Middle High German brant.

San Nicolás Spanish
Indicated the original bearer was from a place named after Saint Nicholas.

Beiler German
Derived from Middle High German beile meaning "measuring stick".

Olszewska f Polish
Feminine form of Olszewski.

Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".

Hristov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Hristo".

Ağayeva f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Ağayev.

Makri f Greek
Feminine form of Makris.

Kędzierski m Polish
From a nickname meaning "curly", describing a person with curly hair.

Petrova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Petrov.

Jehlička m Czech
From Czech jehla meaning "needle", most likely borne by tailors in reference to their occupation.

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

Kovačič Slovene
Slovene form of Kovačić.

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

Kneller German
Originally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".

Jacobse Dutch
Variant of Jacobs.

Morales Spanish
Derived from Spanish moral meaning "mulberry tree", of Latin origin.

Hrabětová f Czech
Feminine form of Hrabě.

McKay Scottish
Anglicized form of MacAoidh.

Tamás Hungarian
Derived from the given name Tamás.

Jerome English
Derived from the given name Jerome. A famous bearer of this surname was the American-born Jennie Jerome (1854-1921), Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill.

Dempsey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Díomasaigh meaning "descendant of Díomasach", a given name meaning "proud".

Gabriels English
Derived from the given name Gabriel.

Jensson Icelandic
Means "son of Jens".

Hayasaka Japanese
From Japanese 早 (haya) meaning "already, now" and 坂 or 阪 (saka) meaning "slope".

Murray 1 Scottish
Derived from the region in Scotland called Moray (Gaelic Moireabh), possibly of Pictish origin, meaning "seashore, coast". A notable bearer of this surname was General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the first British Governor-General of Canada.

Van Rompa Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Perreault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Kruse German
Variant of Kraus.

Hobson English
Means "son of Hob".

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).

Hilmarsson Icelandic
Means "son of Hilmar".

Dimov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Dimo".

Ogden English
From a place name derived from Old English ac "oak" and denu "valley".

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

Morison English
Variant of Morrison.

Colijn Dutch
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolaas.

Segura Spanish, Catalan
From places with names derived from Spanish or Catalan segura meaning "safe, secure".

Kelley Irish
Variant of Kelly 1.

Thorley English
From any of the various places in England called Thornley or Thorley, meaning "thorn clearing" in Old English.

Visser Dutch
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in Dutch.

Marie French
From the given name Marie.

Nakagawa Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Waller 1 English
Derived from Old French gallier meaning "person with a pleasant temper".

Lebedev m Russian
From Russian лебедь (lebed) meaning "swan".

Amatore Italian
From the given name Amatore.

Hájková f Czech
Feminine form of Hájek.

Cropper English
Occupational name derived from Middle English croppe "crop", referring to a fruit picker or a crop reaper.

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

Čechová f Czech
Feminine form of Čech.

Hudáková f Slovak
Feminine form of Hudák.

Iglesias Spanish
From Spanish iglesia meaning "church", from Latin ecclesia (of Greek origin).

Pan 2 Chinese
From Chinese 潘 (pān) meaning "water in which rice has been rinsed", and also referring to a river that flows into the Han River.

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

Paulauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Paulauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Ōshiro Japanese
From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle". It is especially common on Okinawa.

Balboni Italian
Derived from the given name Balbino.

Caito Italian
Occupational name from Sicilian càjitu meaning "official, leader", ultimately from Arabic قاضي (qāḍī) meaning "judge".

Meinhardt German
Derived from the given name Meinhard.

Dahl Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley". A famous of this surname was author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) who is mostly remembered for children's stories such as Matilda and Henry Sugar.

Tumicelli Italian
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Bartolomeo.

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

Orsini Italian
From a nickname meaning "little bear" in Italian, from Latin ursus "bear".

Pettersen Norwegian
Means "son of Petter".

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

Dušek m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of Dušan.

MacKenzie Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacCoinnich meaning "son of Coinneach". It originates from the Kintail area of Scotland on the northwest coast.

Couture French
Means "tailor" in Old French.

Ó hÍcidhe Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Hickey.

Molnár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "miller" in Hungarian.

Nicolescu Romanian
Means "son of Nicolae".

Randall English
Derived from the given name Randel.

Bothe Dutch
Variant of Both.

Belrose French
Variant of Bellerose.

Ó Cléirigh Irish
Means "descendant of the clerk" in Irish.

Boels Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Barsamian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Պարսամյան (see Parsamyan).

Ekström Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Jelenová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Jelen.

Ó Maoláin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Mullen.

Abbey English
Indicated a person who lived near an abbey or worked in an abbey, from Middle English abbeye.

Pavlova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Pavlov.

Tamaro Italian
Possibly from the Old German given name Thietmar. It is typical of the area around Trieste in northern Italy.

Napoliello Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

MacGowan Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Ghabhann.

Baar Dutch
Variant of Baars.

Baggio Italian
Originally denoted a person from the Italian town of Baggio (now part of Milan). It is probably derived from Latin Badalocum meaning "watch place".

Chen Chinese
From Chinese 陈 (chén) meaning "exhibit, display, old, ancient" and also referring to the former state of Chen, which existed in what is now Henan province from the 11th to 5th centuries BC.

Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.

I'Anson English
Variant of Janson.

Morris English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh
Derived from the given name Maurice.

Bird English
Occupational name for a person who raised or hunted birds.

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

Bueno Spanish
From a nickname meaning "good" in Spanish.

Matveyeva f Russian
Feminine form of Matveyev.

Bolkvadze Georgian
From Georgian ბოლქვი (bolkvi) meaning "tuber, bulb".

Ranta Finnish
Originally indicated a person who lived near the shore, from Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".

Spurling English
From Middle English sparewe "sparrow" and the diminutive suffix -ling.

Wróblewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wróblewski.

Tómasson Icelandic
Means "son of Tómas".

McKinley Scottish
Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh. This name was borne by the American president William McKinley (1843-1901), who was assassinated.

Abels Dutch
Means "son of Abel".

Mahmud Arabic, Bengali
From the given name Mahmud.

Papaioannou Greek
Means "son of Ioannis the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Ioannis.

Ash English
From Old English æsc meaning "ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.

Davies English, Scottish
Variant of Davis.

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

Holgersson Swedish
Means "son of Holger".

Selvaggio Italian
Italian form of Savage.

Ó Corraidhín Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Curran.

Procházková f Czech
Feminine form of Procházka.

Albinson English
Means "son of Albin".

Borgnino Italian
From a nickname derived from the Piedmontese dialect word borgno meaning "one-eyed". This was the real surname of American actor Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012).

Cortés Spanish
Means "polite, courteous" in Spanish.

Meunier French
Means "miller" in French.

Lando Italian
Derived from the given name Lando.

Ó Fionnáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Fannon.

Bíró Hungarian
Derived from bíró meaning "judge" in Hungarian.

Tschida German
Possibly derived from a Slavic given name of unknown meaning.

Knutson Swedish
Variant of Knutsson.

Bull English
From a nickname for a person who acted like a bull.

McFarlane Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic MacPhàrlain or Irish Gaelic Mac Pharlain meaning "son of Parthalán".

Caruso Italian
Means "close-cropped hair" in Italian, also having the secondary sense "boy, young man".

Żukowski Polish
From various Polish towns named Żukowo or Żuków, which are derived from żuk meaning "beetle".

Černá f Czech
Feminine form of Černý.

Beckert German
Variant of Becker.

Denman English
From Middle English dene "valley" combined with man.

Urbańska f Polish
Feminine form of Urbański.

Isaksen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Isak".

Hollands English
Variant of Holland 1.

Carrasco Spanish
Topographic name derived from Spanish carrasca meaning "holm oak" (species Quercus ilex).

Kalniņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Kalniņš.

Norris 2 English
Means "wet nurse, foster mother" from Old French norrice, from Latin nutricius.

Probert Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Robert, which means "son of Robert".

Teunissen Dutch
Means "son of Teunis".

Heppenheimer German
From the name of the city of Heppenheim in Hesse, Germany.

Coeman Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Phan Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Pan 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 潘 (phan).

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".

Szűcs Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "furrier" in Hungarian.

Brkić Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Serbo-Croatian brk meaning "moustache, whisker".

Ó Braoin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Breen.