Browse Surnames

McCrae Scottish
Variant of McRae.

Bulgarelli Italian
Diminutive of Bulgari.

Askes Dutch
Means "son of Aske", a diminutive of Asse.

Mooney Irish
Variant of O'Mooney.

Mahmoudi Persian
From the given name Mahmoud.

Cruyssen Dutch
From the name of a place in the Netherlands, derived from kruis "cross".

Chow Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 周 (see Zhou).

Mag Aonghuis Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McGuinness.

Wilkie English
Double diminutive of the given name William.

Nemes Hungarian
Means "noble, gentle" in Hungarian.

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

Kozioł Polish
Means "male goat" in Polish, probably used to denote a goatherd.

Giles English
From the given name Giles.

Shinoda Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yeung Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Yang.

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

Adamíková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Adamík.

Navrátilová f Czech
Feminine form of Navrátil.

Baars Dutch
Indicated a person coming from the town of Beers in the Netherlands.

Kovács Hungarian
Hungarian form of Kovač.

Priddy Welsh
From Welsh prydudd meaning "bard".

Andres German
Derived from the given name Andreas.

Houtman Dutch
Dutch cognate of Holzmann.

McNab Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Aba meaning "son of the abbot".

Erickson English
Means "son of Eric".

Winter English, German, Dutch, Swedish
From Old English winter or Old High German wintar meaning "winter". This was a nickname for a person with a cold personality.

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.

Newport English
Given to one who came from the town of Newport (which means simply "new port"), which was the name of several English towns.

Hawkins English
From a diminutive of Hawk.

Sarkissian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Սարգսյան (see Sargsyan).

Piovene Italian
From the name of the town of Piovene Rocchette in Veneto, Italy.

Heath English
Originally belonged to a person who was a dweller on the heath or open land.

Van der Berg Dutch
Variant of Van den Berg.

Shelby English
Variant of Selby.

Cash English
Variant of Case.

Smythe English
Variant of Smith.

Baird Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac an Baird.

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

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".

Ó Fearghail Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Farrell.

Ware 2 English
From the Middle English nickname ware meaning "wary, astute, prudent".

Smagulov m Kazakh
Means "son of Smagul".

Roy 2 Scottish
From Gaelic ruadh meaning "red-haired".

Morley English
From the name of various English towns, from Old English mor "moor, bog" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Timberlake English
From an English place name, derived from Old English timber "timber, wood" and lacu "lake, pool, stream".

Krstevska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Krstevski.

Willemse Dutch
Derived from the given name Willem.

Mallon Irish
Variant of Malone.

Lång Swedish
Swedish cognate of Long.

Cavanah Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Baník m Slovak
Means "miner" in Slovak.

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".

Svensen Norwegian
Means "son of Sven".

Van Houtum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Stack English
From a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English stack "haystack", of Old Norse origin.

Ortega Spanish
From a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) derived from ortiga "nettle".

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

Flanagan Irish
From Irish Ó Flannagáin meaning "descendant of Flannagán". Flannagán is a given name meaning "blood red". From County Roscommon in Ireland, it has many other spellings.

Kendrick 3 Scottish
Variant of McKendrick.

Antema Frisian
Means "son of Ante 2".

Cojocaru Romanian
From Romanian cojoc meaning "sheepskin coat". This was an occupational name for a maker of these coats.

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

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

Dawson English
Means "son of Daw".

Payton English
From the name of the town of Peyton in Sussex. It means "Pæga's town".

Veselá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Veselý.

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

Ó Braonáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Brennan.

Bokori Hungarian
Variant of Bokor.

Beumers Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Ó Fionnáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Fannon.

Verity English
From a nickname meaning "truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.

Vossen Dutch
From the given name Vos, which comes from the Frisian name Fos, which is from Old German given names beginning with the element folk meaning "people".

Wauters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Lenin History
Surname adopted by the Russian revolutionary and founder of the former Soviet state Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), whose birth surname was Ulyanov. He probably adapted it from the name of the River Lena in Siberia.

Monroe Scottish
Anglicized (typically American) form of Munro. It was borne by the American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).

McEwan Scottish
Anglicized form of MacEòghainn.

Dreyer German
Variant of Dreher.

Yordanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Yordanov.

Tremble French
Variant of Tremblay.

MacCoinnich Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of MacKenzie.

Ávila Spanish
From the name of the city of Ávila in Spain. It is of uncertain meaning, possibly of Punic or Celtic origin.

Slováková f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Slovák.

Kazlova f Belarusian
Feminine form of Kazlow.

Stasyuk Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Стасюк (see Stasiuk).

Krupin m Russian
Derived from Russian крупа (krupa) meaning "grain".

Holubová f Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak feminine form of Holub.

Brune German
Variant of Braun.

Honkanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish honka meaning "pine".

Mitchell 2 English
Originally a nickname for a large person, from Old English micel "big".

Butkuvienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Butkus. This form (or Butkienė) is used by married women.

McBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.

Kontou f Greek
Feminine form of Kontos.

Radkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Radkov.

Ludwig German
From the given name Ludwig.

Poletti Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Paolo. This name is typical of northern and central Italy.

Maçon French
French cognate of Mason.

Sarkozy Hungarian (Anglicized)
Variant of Sárközy.

Ismoilov m Uzbek, Tajik
Means "son of Ismoil".

Kröger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Walkenhorst German
Possibly derived from a German place name Falkenhorst, from Falken meaning "falcons" and Horst meaning "thicket".

Grahame Scottish
Variant of Graham.

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

Belanger English
From the given name Berengar.

MacGriogair Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of MacGregor.

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.

Macey English
Variant of Massey.

Ellisson English
Variant of Ellison.

Ong Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Wang 1.

Price Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Rhys, which means "son of Rhys".

Zeman m Czech, Slovak
Means "landowner", ultimately from Old Slavic zemľa meaning "land".

Nikolić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Nikola 1".

Arthur English, French
From the given name Arthur.

Michelaki f Greek
Feminine form of Michelakis.

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

Kulkarni Marathi
Means "village clerk, revenue collector" in Marathi.

Pető Hungarian
Derived from an old diminutive of Péter.

Wörnhör German
From the given name Werner.

Tian Chinese
From Chinese 田 (tián) meaning "field".

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

Schöttmer German
Originally indicated a person from Schötmar, Germany (now part of the city of Bad Salzuflen in North Rhine-Westphalia).

Siskin Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

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

Branco Portuguese
Means "white" in Portuguese, referring to someone with light skin or hair.

Miles English
From the given name Miles.

Rey 2 English
Means "female roe deer" from Old English ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.

Duda um Polish, Czech
Means "bagpiper" in Polish and Czech.

Abdullaev m Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Kazakh
Alternate transcription of Cyrillic Абдуллаев (see Abdullayev).

Ó Néill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Neal.

Burroughs English
Variant of Burrows.

Lynch Irish
From Irish Ó Loingsigh meaning "descendant of Loingseach", a given name meaning "mariner".

Yamauchi Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Fialová f Czech
Feminine form of Fiala.

Ramsey English, Scottish
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.

Fülöp Hungarian
Derived from the given name Fülöp.

Charbonneau French
Derived from a diminutive form of French charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.

Saab Arabic
Means "hard, difficult" in Arabic.

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

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

Pemberton English
From the name of a town near Manchester, derived from Celtic penn meaning "hill" combined with Old English bere meaning "barley" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Gilbert English, French
Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Aguilera Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish aguilera meaning "eagle's nest". A famous bearer is American singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).

Nykvist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

Dąbrowska f Polish
Feminine form of Dąbrowski.

Borisov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Boris".

Bösch 2 Low German
Variant of Bosch 1.

Ó hÓgáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Hogan.

De Laurentis Italian
Means "son of Lorenzo", a Latinized form of the given name.

Schuhmacher German
From the Middle High German occupational name schuochmacher meaning "shoemaker".

Acqua Italian
Means "water" in Italian, indicating one who dwelt by or transported water.

Muratović Bosnian
Means "son of Murat".

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

Claasen Dutch
Means "son of Klaas".

Paternoster English, Italian
Occupational name for a maker of rosaries, also called paternosters. They are derived from the Latin phrase pater noster "our Father", the opening words of the Lord's Prayer.

Salihović Bosnian
Means "son of Salih".

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

Ruzsa Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Rózsa.

Berkovich Jewish
Means "son of Berko" in Yiddish, Berko being a derivative of Ber.

Da Costa Portuguese
Variant of Costa.

Tichá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Tichý.

Draganov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Dragan".

Ciobanu Romanian
From Romanian cioban meaning "shepherd".

Schnell German
German cognate of Snell.

Patrick English
From the given name Patrick.

Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.

Kitagawa Japanese
From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream". A famous bearer was the artist and printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806).

Kladivová f Czech
Feminine form of Kladivo.

Magro Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "thin, lean", ultimately from Latin macer.

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".

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

Babayev m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Baba".

Lagunov m Russian
Derived from Russian лагун (lagun) meaning "water barrel". It was used to denote the descendants of a person who made water barrels.

Witkowski m Polish
From the name of various Polish places called Witkowo, Witków or Witkowice, all derived from the given name Witek.

Harrelson English
Means "son of Harold". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Woody Harrelson (1961-).

Lane 1 English
Originally designated one who lived by a lane, a narrow way between fences or hedges, later used of any narrow pathway, including one between houses in a town.

Georgiadi f Greek
Feminine form of Georgiadis.

Abe 2 Japanese
From Japanese 安 (a) meaning "peace" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".

Kneib German
Variant of Knef.

Watkins English
Derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, which was a diminutive of the name Walter.

Hudák m Slovak
From Slovak chudák meaning "pauper, poor person".

Ó hAllmhuráin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Halloran.

Grillo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "cricket", perhaps given originally to a cheerful person (the cricket is associated with cheerfulness).

Agricola Italian
From Latin agricola meaning "farmer".

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

O Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 오 (see Oh).

Partanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish parta meaning "beard".

Bell 1 English
From Middle English belle meaning "bell". It originated as a nickname for a person who lived near the town bell, or who had a job as a bell-ringer.

Key 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Aodha.

Ingham English
From the name of an English town, of Old English origin meaning "Inga's homestead".

Ó Dubhshláine Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Delaney 2.

Mercer English
Occupational name for a trader in textiles, from Old French mercier, derived from Latin merx meaning "merchandise".

Guttenberg German, Jewish
From the name of various places, derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Traverso Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Brandon English
From the name of various places in England meaning "hill covered with broom" in Old English.

Eriksson Swedish
Means "son of Erik".

Anthonsen Danish, Norwegian
Variant of Antonsen.

Jaworska f Polish
Feminine form of Jaworski.

Janowska f Polish
Feminine form of Janowski.

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

Capella Catalan
Catalan form of Kappel.

Ó Coigligh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Quigley.

MacPhàrlain Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of McFarlane.

Petrova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Petrov.

Mirzoev m Tajik
Means "son of Mirzo".

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

Blakely English
Variant of Blakeley.

Tse Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xie.

Budny Polish
Possibly from Polish buda meaning "hut, cabin".

Aarts Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Spiker Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Spijker 1 or Spijker 2.

Alessandri Italian
Means "son of Alessandro".

Sullivan Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish name Ó Súileabháin meaning "descendant of Súileabhán". The name Súileabhán means "dark eye".

Sharipov m Uzbek, Tajik
Means "son of Sharif".

Shakespeare English
From a nickname for a warlike person, from Old English scacan "to shake" and spere "spear". A famous bearer was the English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

Correa Spanish
Spanish form of Correia.

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

Mahoney Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Mathghamhna meaning "descendant of Mathgamain".

Alderliesten Dutch
From Dutch allerliefste meaning "most dearest". This name could have referred to the nature of the person or perhaps a phrase the person commonly used.

Towner English
Variant of Toller.

Kerper German
Variant of Gerber.

Sárközi Hungarian
Originally indicated someone from Sárköz, a region in Hungary, derived from sár "mud" and köz "margin, lane".

Simeonova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Simeonov.

Krupa Polish
Means "groats, grain" in Polish.

Kocsis Hungarian
Means "coachman" in Hungarian.

Waterman 1 English
Means "servant of Walter".

Zunino Italian
Derived from the given name Giovanni.

Bodnár Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Kazlow m Belarusian
Derived from Belarusian казёл (kaziol) meaning "male goat", probably used to denote a goatherd.

Gordon Scottish
From the name of a place in Berwickshire, Scotland, derived from Brythonic words meaning "spacious fort".

Strøm Norwegian, Danish
Means "stream" in Norwegian and Danish.

McCune Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Eoghain.

Baumgarten German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Osmonova f Kyrgyz
Feminine form of Osmonov.

Cristea Romanian
From the given name Cristian.

Hines Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hEidhin meaning "descendant of Eidhin", a given name or byname of unknown origin.

Mac an Aba Irish, Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of McNab.

Messmann German
Variant of Messer.

Roussel French
French form of Russell.

Salo Finnish
Means "forest" in Finnish.

Bumgarner German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Kumar Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Odia, Malayalam, Tamil
Means "boy, prince" in Sanskrit.

Tuff English
Variant of Tuft.

Parra Spanish
Means "vine, trellis" in Spanish.

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

Antall Hungarian (Rare)
Variant of Antal.

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

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

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

Wolters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Irvine 2 English
Variant of Irwin.

McDevitt Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac Daibhéid meaning "son of Dáibhí".

Blažeková f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Blažek.

Bradford English
Derived from the name of the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire, which meant "broad ford" in Old English. This is also the name of other smaller towns in England.

Yaffe Hebrew
Means "beautiful, pleasant" in Hebrew.

Malinowska f Polish
Feminine form of Malinowski.

Matheson Scottish
Means "son of Matthew".

Ter Avest Dutch
Means "at the edge, eave" indicating a person who lived at the edge of a forest or under a covered shelter.

Ozoliņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Ozoliņš.

Aartsen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Poulin French
Derived from Old French poule meaning "chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.

Harding English
Derived from the given name Heard. A famous bearer was American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).

Freund German
From Middle High German vriunt, modern German Freund meaning "friend".

Matić Croatian
Means "son of Matija".

Clacher Scottish
From Scottish Gaelic clachair meaning "stonemason".

Lorentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Dinu Romanian
From the given name Dinu.

Comtois French
Indicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".

Orenstein Jewish
Means "horn stone" in German.

Aafjes Dutch
Means "son of Aafje".

Björkman Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

MacBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.

Parisi Italian
Italian form of Parish 1.

Reed English
Variant of Read 1.

Kristoffersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Kristoffer".

Alamilla Spanish
From Spanish alamillo meaning "poplar, aspen".

Vinter Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian variant of Winter.

Cloutier French
Derived from French clou meaning "nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.

Acciaio Italian
Variant of Acciai.

Modugno Italian
From the town of Modugno, in Apulia in southern Italy. It is the surname of the Italian actor and singer Domenico Modugno (1928-1994).

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

Koch German
German cognate of Cook.

Weiner German
Variant of Wagner.

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

Gladwyn English
Variant of Gladwin.

Lukić Serbian
Means "son of Luka".

Niemelä Finnish
From Finnish niemi meaning "peninsula, cape" with the suffix -la indicating a place.

Kalbfleisch German
Occupational name for a butcher who dealt in veal, from German kalb meaning "calf" and fleisch meaning "meat".

Bazzoli Italian
From Italian bazza meaning "protruding chin".

Mac Thaidhg Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McCaig.

Schenck German
Variant of Schenk.

Cuocco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.

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

Hüseynov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Hüseyn".

Konstantinidi f Greek
Feminine form of Konstantinidis.

Lindqvist Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

García Spanish
From a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This is the most common surname in Spain.

Wrońska f Polish
Feminine form of Wroński.

Agócs Hungarian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Ágoston.

Hampson English
Means "son of Hamo".

Mark 2 English
Originally indicated a person who lived near the boundary of a territory, from Old English mearc meaning "border, boundary".