Browse Surnames

Waldo English
From the Anglo-Scandinavian given name Waltheof.

Samara 2 f Greek
Feminine form of Samaras.

Nakai Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

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

Häusler German
Name for someone who lived in a house with no land, derived rom Old High German word hus meaning "house".

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

Gunnarsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Gunnar".

Zaal Dutch
Means "hall" in Dutch.

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

Lestrange French
From Old French estrange, a cognate of Strange.

Sokołowska f Polish
Feminine form of Sokołowski.

Cavalcante Italian
Derived from Italian cavalcare "to ride".

Sakurada Japanese
From Japanese 桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Vinci 2 Italian
Originally indicated a person from Vinci near Florence, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci.

Hoekstra Frisian
From Frisian hoek meaning "corner".

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

Delaney 1 English
Derived from Norman French de l'aunaie meaning "from the alder grove".

Falkner English, German
English variant and German cognate of Faulkner.

Stefanidou f Greek
Feminine form of Stefanidis.

Jeffery English
Derived from the given name Jeffrey.

De Luca Italian
Means "son of Luca 1".

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

Matsuoka Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Bosco Italian
Means "forest" in Italian.

Mac Cormaic Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McCormick.

Abatescianni Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Gianni.

Abeln German
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Albert.

Elena Italian
Derived from the given name Elena.

Renault French
Derived from the given name Renaud.

Noschese Italian
From the name of the town of Nusco in Campania, southern Italy.

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

O'Hannigan Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Kariuki Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Kariuki.

Öwezowa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Öwezow.

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

Good English
From a nickname meaning "good", referring to a kindly person.

Olszewski m Polish
Originally denoted someone who lived near an alder tree, from Polish olsza meaning "alder tree".

Gunvaldsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gunvald".

Lyne Scottish
Habitational name for someone who lived in places of this name in Scotland.

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

Troelsen Danish
Means "son of Troels".

Nikitina f Russian
Feminine form of Nikitin.

Szőke Hungarian
Means "blond, fair haired" in Hungarian.

Tomova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Tomov.

Eliott English
Variant of Elliott.

Hunnicutt English
Variant of Honeycutt.

Austin English
Derived from the given name Austin.

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

Atkins English
Means "son of Atkin", a medieval diminutive of Adam.

Anghelescu Romanian
Means "son of Anghel".

Klementová f Czech
Feminine form of Klement.

De Jong Dutch
Means "young" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch jonc. This is the most common surname in the Netherlands.

Barna Hungarian
Means "brown" in Hungarian.

De León Spanish
Referred to someone from the Leon region of Spain.

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.

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

Akerman English
Variant of Ackerman.

Okeke Igbo
From the given name Okeke.

Chmela m Czech
Derived from Czech chmel "hops", referring to a person who grew hops, a plant used in brewing beer.

Willoughby English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English welig "willow" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".

Əhmədov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Əhməd".

Herzog German
From a German title meaning "duke", a nickname for a person who either acted like a duke or worked in a duke's household.

Begum Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, Punjabi
From a title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in India and other parts of southern Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the Turkic title beg meaning "chieftain" (modern Turkish bey).

Picasso Italian
From Italian pica meaning "magpie". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. The Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.

Van Heel Dutch
Means "from Heel", a small town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

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

Chadwick English
From the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.

Vandroogenbroeck Flemish
Means "from the dry marsh" in Dutch. The city of Brussels was built on dry marshes.

Kelemen Hungarian
Derived from the given name Kelemen.

O'Boyle Irish
Variant of Boyle.

Haumann German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop" and man "man", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Broz Croatian
Derived from Broz, a diminutive of Ambrozije. This was the birth surname of the Yugoslavian dictator Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980).

Yasuda Japanese
From Japanese 安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet" or 保 (yasu) meaning "protect, maintain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

D'Aramitz French
Originally denoted one who came from Aramits, the name of a town in the French Pyrenees that is possibly derived from Basque haran meaning "valley".

Greenberg German (Anglicized), Jewish
Anglicized form of Grünberg.

Gough 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mag Eochadha meaning "son of Eochaidh".

Di Antonio Italian
Variant of D'Antonio.

Jespersen Danish
Means "son of Jesper".

Laaksonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish laakso meaning "valley".

Laurens Dutch
From the given name Laurens.

Lupu Romanian
From Romanian lup meaning "wolf".

Andresen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Andreas".

Skála m Czech
Means "rock" in Czech, indicating that the original bearer lived near a prominent rock.

Duke English
From the noble title, which was originally from Latin dux "leader". It was a nickname for a person who behaved like a duke, or who worked in a duke's household.

Aita Italian
Originally denoted a person from Aieta, Italy, a place name derived from Greek ἀετός (aetos) meaning "eagle".

Kersey English
From an English place name meaning derived from Old English cærse "watercress" and ieg "island".

Park 3 English
From the medieval name Perkin, a diminutive of Peter.

Abatantuono Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest" combined with the given name Antonio.

Keefe Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Caoimh meaning "descendant of Caomh".

Van Cann Dutch
Variant of Van Kan.

Leccese Italian
Variant of Lecce.

Nguyen Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Nguyễn.

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

McKowen Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Eoghain.

Stankić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Stanko".

Zajacová f Slovak
Feminine form of Zajac.

Ó Maonaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Mooney.

Aguilar Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish águila meaning "eagle", ultimately from Latin aquila.

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

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

Van Beek Dutch
Means "from the creek" in Dutch.

Barış Turkish
From the given name Barış.

Behrend German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Brune German
Variant of Braun.

Strömberg Swedish
From Swedish ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream" and berg meaning "mountain".

Größel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Yap English
From a nickname for a clever or cunning person, from Middle English yap meaning "devious, deceitful, shrewd".

Sokoloff Russian (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Sokolov.

MacChruim Scottish Gaelic
Means "son of Crum", where Crum is a Gaelic byname meaning "bent".

Holub mu Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian
Means "dove, pigeon" in Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian.

Tyree Scottish
Variant of McIntyre.

Chaput French
From a diminutive of the Old French word chape meaning "cloak, hood". The name referred to a person who made, sold or often wore cloaks.

Lenox Scottish
Variant of Lennox.

Donoghue Irish
From Irish Ó Donnchadha meaning "descendant of Donnchadh".

Knopp German
Variant of Knopf.

Milić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Mile".

Brantley German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Brändle.

Flores Spanish
Means "son of Floro" in Spanish.

Schermer Dutch, Low German
Dutch and Low German form of Schirmer.

Szarvas Hungarian
Means "deer" in Hungarian.

Appleton English
From the name of several English towns, meaning "orchard" in Old English (a compound of æppel "apple" and tun "enclosure, yard").

Courtenay 1 English
From the name of towns in France that were originally derivatives of the Gallo-Roman personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short".

Alberici Italian
Means "son of Alberico".

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

Nordin Swedish
Derived from Swedish nord meaning "north" (Old Norse norðr).

Guan Chinese
From Chinese 关 (guān) meaning "frontier pass".

Bátori Hungarian
Variant of Báthory.

Hampton English
From the name of multiple towns in England, derived from Old English ham "home" or ham "water meadow, enclosure" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Pavlovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Pavle".

Foth Low German
From a nickname meaning "foot" in Low German.

Šimonienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Šimonis. This form is used by married women.

Louis French
From the given name Louis.

Borysov m Ukrainian
Means "son of Borys".

Stojanov m Macedonian
Means "son of Stojan".

Van Ogtrop Dutch
Variant of Ogtrop.

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

Serpico Italian
From a nickname derived from Italian serpe "serpent, reptile".

Holst Danish, Low German, Dutch
Originally referred to a person from the region of Holstein between Germany and Denmark. A famous bearer of this name was the English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934).

Severins Dutch
Derived from the Latin given name Severinus.

Vukoja Croatian
Derived from the given name Vuk.

Dunn English, Scottish, Irish
Derived from Old English dunn "dark" or Gaelic donn "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion.

Ikonomou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Οικονόμου (see Oikonomou).

Pololáníková f Czech
Feminine form of Pololáník.

Armbrüster German
Variant of Armbruster.

Achterkamp Dutch
From the name of various places in the Netherlands, derived from Low German achter "behind" and kamp "field".

Jewell English
Derived from the Breton given name Judicaël.

Renaud French
From the given name Renaud.

Péter Hungarian
Derived from the given name Péter.

Beumers Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Alamanni Italian
From Alemannia, the Latin name for Germany.

Vidović Croatian
Means "son of Vid".

Biermann German
Derived from German bier "beer" and mann "man". The name may have referred to a brewer or a tavern owner.

Huddleson English
Means "son of Hudel", a diminutive of Hudde.

Rossini Italian
Diminutive form of Rossi. A famous bearer was the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868).

Haynes English
Patronymic derived from the Norman name Hagano.

Knochenmus German
From German Knochen "bone" and Mus "sauce". It probably referred to someone who worked in the butcher trade.

Klerks Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Mac Dhuibhshíthe Irish
Means "son of Duibhshíth" in Irish. The given name Duibhshíth means "black peace".

Dexter English
Occupational name meaning "dyer" in Old English (originally this was a feminine word, but it was later applied to men as well).

Nikolovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Nikolovski.

Pololáník m Czech
Derived from Czech polo "one half" and lán, a medieval Czech measure of land (approximately 18 hectares). The name denoted someone who owned this much land.

Innes 2 Scottish
From the given name Aonghus.

Seppänen Finnish
Variant of Seppä.

Mammadov m Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Məmmədov.

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

Comstock English
Possibly from the name of the River Culm in Devon, England. This name is seen in the Domesday book as Culmstoke or Colmstoke.

Teke 1 Turkish
Originally denoted someone from Teke, Turkey.

Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.

Rosenberg German, Swedish, Jewish
Means "rose mountain" in German and Swedish. As a Swedish and Jewish name it is ornamental.

Habicht German
German cognate of Hawk.

Egger German
South German occupational name meaning "plowman" or "farmer", derived from German eggen "to harrow, to plow".

Bourreau 1 French
Variant of Bureau.

Mostafa Arabic
From the given name Mustafa.

Key 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.

Weimann German
From German Wein meaning "wine", an occupational name for a wine seller or producer.

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

Majewska f Polish
Feminine form of Majewski.

Berkowicz Jewish
Variant of Berkovich.

Taniguchi Japanese
From Japanese 谷 (tani) meaning "valley" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".

Shehu Albanian
From the Arabic title شيخ (shaykh) meaning "elder, chief, sheikh".

Hoedemaekers Dutch
Variant of Hoedemaker.

Van Wegberg Dutch
Means "from Wegberg", a small town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, close to the Dutch border. It is derived from old German weg "way, path, road" and berg "mountain".

Merino Spanish
From the title for a judge in medieval Spain, derived from Latin maior.

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

Zhuk Belarusian
Means "beetle" in Belarusian.

Holtman Dutch
Dutch cognate of Holzmann.

Axelsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Axel".

Tähtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".

Garçon French
Means "boy" in French, referring to a servant.

Guerrero Spanish
Means "warrior" in Spanish, an occupational name for a soldier. It is derived from Late Latin werra "war", of Germanic origin.

Ślusarska f Polish
Feminine form of Ślusarski.

Oberst German
From Old High German obar meaning "above, upper", indicating a person from the uppermost end of a village or the top of a house.

Bartram English
From the given name Bertram.

Henriques Portuguese
Means "son of Henrique".

Zavala Spanish
Variant of Zabala.

Franić Croatian
Variant of Franjić.

Treloar English
Originally denoted a person from a place of this name in Cornwall, England.

Paulauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Paulauskas. This form is used by married women.

De La Fontaine French
French cognate of De la Fuente.

Blakeslee English
Variant of Blakesley.

Machová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Mach.

Nikolayeva f Russian
Feminine form of Nikolayev.

Abioye Yoruba
From the given name Abioye.

Laganà Italian
Occupational name for a greengrocer, meaning "vegetables" in southern Italian dialects, ultimately from Greek λάχανον (lachanon).

Palumbo Italian
From Italian palombo meaning "pigeon" (also "dogfish"). This form is typical of southern Italy.

Adomaitienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Adomaitis. This form is used by married women.

Rutherford Scottish
From the name of places in southern Scotland and northern England, derived from Old English hriðer meaning "cattle, ox" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Carr 1 Scottish, English
Variant of Kerr.

Gump German (Rare), Popular Culture
Possibly from a nickname derived from Middle High German gumpen meaning "to hop, to jump". This surname was used by author Winston Groom for the hero of his novel Forrest Gump (1986), better known from the 1994 movie adaptation.

Danniel English
Variant of Daniel.

Hampson English
Means "son of Hamo".

Adler German, Jewish
Means "eagle" in German.

Bul Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bull.

Keith Scottish
From a place name that is probably derived from the Brythonic element cet meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.

Da Gama Portuguese
Variant of Gama. This name was borne by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (c. 1460-1524).

Ivanov m Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Macedonian
Means "son of Ivan". It is among the most common surnames in Bulgaria and Russia.

Jackman English
Means "servant of Jack".

Denis French
From the given name Denis.

Mueller German
Variant of Müller.

Vitale Italian
From the given name Vitale.

Tolkien German
Possibly from a Low German byname Tolk meaning "interpreter" (of Slavic origin). A famous bearer was the English author J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973). According to him, the surname was derived from German tollkühn meaning "foolhardy".

Šťastná f Czech
Feminine form of Šťastný.

Vávra m Czech, Slovak
Derived from the given name Vávra, a diminutive of Vavřinec.

Berntsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Bernt".

Choi Korean
From Sino-Korean 崔 (choe) meaning "high, lofty, towering".

Basile Italian, French
From the given name Basilio or Basile.

Bove Italian
Derived from an Italian nickname meaning "bull, ox".

Cook English
Derived from Old English coc meaning "cook", ultimately from Latin coquus. It was an occupational name for a cook, a man who sold cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house.

Śląska f Polish
Feminine form of Śląski.

Ljungstrand Swedish
From Swedish ljung (Old Norse lyng) meaning "heather" and strand (Old Norse strǫnd) meaning "beach".

Thälmann German
From the given name Thilo. It was borne by the German communist party leader Ernst Thälmann (1886-1944).

Sarkozi Hungarian (Anglicized)
Variant of Sárközi.

Dunajski m Polish
Derived from Dunaj, the Polish name for the river Danube.

Boothman English
Variant of Booth.

Escarrà Spanish
Possibly from Catalan esquerrá meaning "left-handed".

Sepp Estonian
Means "smith" in Estonian.

Bain English
Variant of Baines 2.

Vasilyeva f Russian
Feminine form of Vasilyev.

Ridley English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places of this name in England. The places are derived from Old English hreod "reed" or ryddan "to strip, to clear" combined with leah "woodland, clearing".

Spellmeyer German
Possibly from German spielen meaning "to play, to jest" combined with meyer meaning "village headman". Perhaps it referred to someone who was played or acted as the village headman.

Zelenko Ukrainian
Ukrainian cognate of Zieliński.

Easom English
Variant of Eads.

Grant English, Scottish
Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Aarle Dutch
Denoted a person who hailed from a place of this name in the Netherlands, or from Arlon in Belgium (which is Aarlen in Dutch).

Saqqaf Arabic
From Arabic سقف (saqaf) meaning "roof".

Segal 2 French
Occupational name for a grower or seller of rye, from Old French, from Latin secale "rye".

Bryan English
From the given name Brian.

Lomidze Georgian
Means "son of the lion", from Georgian ლომი (lomi) meaning "lion".

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

Vik Norwegian
Means "cove, inlet" in Norwegian.

Humphrey English
Derived from the given name Humphrey.

Olivier French
Derived from the given name Olivier.

Wernher German
From the given name Werner.

Ó Manacháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Monahan.

Gulbrandsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gulbrand" in Norwegian.

Schuhart German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Isayev m Russian
Means "son of Isay".

Ilić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Ilija".

Jean French
From the given name Jean 1.

Gutierrez Spanish
Variant of Gutiérrez.

Krause German
Variant of Kraus.

Hsu 1 Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 徐 (see Xu 1).

Osborne English
Derived from the given name Osborn.

Chauvin French
From a diminutive of French chauve "bald".

Mac Óda Irish
Means "son of Odo" in Irish.

Ó Maoilsheachlainn Irish
Means "descendant of Maolsheachlann" in Irish.

Grabowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Grabów, Grabowa or Grabowo, all derived from Polish grab meaning "hornbeam tree".

Jewel English
Variant of Jewell.

Cory English
Variant of Corey.

Aliyev m Tajik, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, Chechen, Azerbaijani
Means "son of Ali 1". This is also an alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Əliyev.

Blažeková f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Blažek.

Turati Italian
From the name of the town of Turate near Como in Lombardy.

Vankov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Vanko", a diminutive of Ivan.

Szilágyi Hungarian
Denoted one from the region of Szilágy in Hungary, derived from Hungarian szil meaning "elm" and ágy meaning "bed".

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Klerkx Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

Pitkänen Finnish
From Finnish pitkä meaning "tall".

Coghlan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Cochláin.

Vankova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Vankov.

Porra Catalan
Variant of Porras.

Ramires Portuguese
Means "son of Ramiro" in Portuguese.

Ó Conaire Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Conroy.

Weiß German
Variant of Weiss.

Albero Italian
From Italian albero meaning "tree", ultimately from Latin arbor, referring to someone who lived in the woods or worked as a woodcutter.

Rooijakkers Dutch
Means "red field", from Dutch rood "red" and akker "field".

Nikolaeva f Russian, Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Russian Николаева (see Nikolayeva), as well as the usual Bulgarian form.

Kovačič Slovene
Slovene form of Kovačić.

Kane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Valjean Literature
Created by Victor Hugo for Jean Valjean, the hero of his novel Les Misérables (1862). The novel explains that his father, also named Jean, received the nickname Valjean or Vlajean from a contraction of French voilá Jean meaning "here's Jean".

Abbink Dutch
From various Dutch places meaning "(farm) belonging to Abbe".

Ottosson Swedish
Means "son of Otto".

Phillips English
Means "son of Philip".

Lambert French
Derived from the given name Lambert.