Browse Surnames

Beverley English
From the name of an English city, derived from Old English beofor "beaver" and (possibly) licc "stream".

Cermak Czech (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Čermák.

Boon 1 English
Variant of Bone 1.

Alberink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Albert" in Dutch.

Koeman Dutch
Variant of Koopman.

Mingo Spanish
From the given name Domingo.

Bissette English
Variant of Bisset.

Nikolovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Nikolovski.

Ó Nualláin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Nolan.

Adel Arabic
From the given name Adil.

Rutkowska f Polish
Feminine form of Rutkowski.

Knudsen Danish
Means "son of Knud".

Ion Romanian
From the given name Ion 1.

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

Wiegand German
From the given name Wiegand.

Cuéllar Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Cuéllar in the Segovia province of Spain. It may be derived from Latin collis meaning "hill".

Ó Donnchadha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Donoghue.

Lagounov m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Лагунов (see Lagunov).

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

Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Monday 2 English
Denoted a person for whom this was a significant day, often the day they would pay their feudal fees.

Torosyan Armenian
Means "son of Toros" in Armenian.

Sørensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Søren".

Ó Brádaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Brady.

Brewster English
Variant of Brewer, originally a feminine form of the occupational term.

Giannino Italian
Derived from the given name Giannino.

Santiago Spanish, Portuguese
From various Spanish and Portuguese places called Santiago.

Waters 2 English
Derived from the given name Walter.

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

Kwiatkowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations named Kwiatków, Kwiatkowo or Kwiatkowice, named from a diminutive of Polish kwiat meaning "flower".

Marinović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Marin".

Mac an tSagairt Irish, Scottish Gaelic
Gaelic form of Taggart.

Fields English
Name for a person who lived on or near a field or pasture, from Old English feld.

Escamilla Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Escamilla in Gualadajara, Spain.

Šarić Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian šaren meaning "colourful, patterned".

Fontaine French
Derived from Old French fontane meaning "well, fountain", a derivative of Latin fons.

Franco Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Cognate of Frank 1. This name was borne by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco (1892-1975).

Davidsen Danish
Means "son of David".

Samuels English
Derived from the given name Samuel.

Deforest French
Means "from the forest" in French.

Rundström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish rund (from Latin rotundus) meaning "round" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Ferrero Italian
Regional variant of Ferrari. It is typical of the area around Turin.

Di Napoli Italian
Means "from Naples" in Italian.

Koenig German
German cognate of King.

Marsden English
From a place name derived from Old English mearc "boundary" and denu "valley".

Werner German
From the given name Werner.

Ó Cruadhlaoich Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Crowley 1.

Hermann German
From the given name Hermann.

Trần Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Chen, from Sino-Vietnamese 陳 (trần). This is the second most common surname in Vietnam.

Vlachou f Greek
Feminine form of Vlachos.

Underhill English
Means "dweller at the foot of a hill", from Old English under and hyll.

Trucco Italian
Denoted a person coming from a place of this name in northern Italy.

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

Rózsa Hungarian
From the feminine given name Rózsa.

Jenson Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jensen.

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Červený m Czech
Means "red" in Czech.

Rameckers Dutch
Variant of Rademaker.

Sternberg Jewish
Ornamental name derived from old German stern "star" and berg "mountain".

Bengochea Basque
Variant of Bengoetxea.

Hadžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hadž meaning "hajj, pilgrimage", ultimately derived from Arabic حَجّ (ḥajj). It originally denoted a person who had completed the hajj.

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

Hruška m Czech, Slovak
Means "pear" in Czech and Slovak, most likely used to denote a person who grew or sold pears.

Cunha Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Cunha, possibly from Portuguese cunha meaning "wedge".

Yang Chinese
From Chinese 杨 (yáng) meaning "willow, poplar, aspen".

Coolen Dutch
From the given name Nicolaas.

Fabron French
Diminutive form of Fabre.

Brand 2 German, Dutch
From Old High German brant or Old Dutch brand meaning "fire", originally a name for a person who lived near an area that had been cleared by fire.

Irvin Scottish, English
Variant of Irvine 1 or Irwin.

Baumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German bumann meaning "farmer, builder".

Cardona Catalan
From the name of a town in Catalonia, of uncertain meaning.

Lin Chinese
From Chinese 林 (lín) meaning "forest".

Mendel 2 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.

Rebane Estonian
Means "fox" in Estonian.

Lewandowska f Polish
Feminine form of Lewandowski.

Grahn Swedish
From Swedish gran meaning "spruce".

Diego Spanish
From the given name Diego.

Babineaux French
Variant of Babin.

Watson English, Scottish
Patronymic derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter.

Bláhová f Czech
Feminine form of Bláha.

Frank 3 German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Name for a person from Franconia in Germany, so called because it was settled by the Frankish people. A notable bearer was the German-Jewish diarist Anne Frank (1929-1945), a victim of the Holocaust.

Cvetkova f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Цветкова (see Tsvetkova).

Santo Italian
Italian form of Santos.

Espinosa Spanish
From Spanish espinoso meaning "thorny", ultimately from Latin spinosus, a derivative of spina meaning "thorn, spine". This was the real surname of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), who was of Portuguese Jewish origin.

Ćosić Croatian, Serbian
From Croatian and Serbian ćosav "beardless", ultimately from Persian کوسه (kūseh) meaning "shark".

Laukkanen Finnish
From a nickname for a person who took big steps, from Finnish laukka meaning "canter, gallop".

Van der Berg Dutch
Variant of Van den Berg.

Rácz Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian rác meaning "Rascian", a former name for Serbians who lived in the Habsburg Empire.

Petri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

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

Ménard French
From the Germanic given name Meginhard.

Cisternino Italian
From the name of the town of Cisternino, near the city of Bari in southern Italy.

Mammadova f Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Məmmədova.

Yanev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Yane", a diminutive of Yoan 2.

Meggyesfalvi Hungarian
Derived from a Hungarian village named Meggyesfalva meaning "cherry village", from meggy "cherry" and falu "village".

Arbeid Dutch
From Dutch arbeid meaning "work".

Biskup Polish
Polish cognate of Bishop.

Nespoli Italian
From the name of towns such as Nespoli and Nespoledo, derived from Italian nespola meaning "medlar (tree)".

Ingesson Swedish
Means "son of Inge".

Čierny m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Černý.

Dragomir Romanian
From the given name Dragomir.

Hoover German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Huber.

Chai Chinese
From Chinese 柴 (chái) meaning "firewood".

Pražak m Czech
Means "from Prague" in Czech.

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

Van Can Dutch
Variant of Van Kan.

Schultz German
Variant of Schulz.

Penners Dutch
Variant of Penders.

Molnár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "miller" in Hungarian.

Vidović Croatian
Means "son of Vid".

Delacroix French
Means "of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads. A notable bearer was the French painter Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863).

MacGregor Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacGriogair meaning "son of Gregor". It originates from the Highland clan Gregor. A famous bearer was the Scottish folk hero Rob Roy MacGregor (1671-1734).

Brownlow English
From Old English brun meaning "brown" and hlaw meaning "mound, small hill". The name was probably given to a family living on a small hill covered with bracken.

Nykvist Swedish
Variant of Nyqvist.

Blythe English
From Old English meaning "happy, joyous, blithe".

Derrick English
Derived from the given name Derrick (see Derek). A famous bearer of this surname is the character Stephan Derrick from the German television series Derrick (1974-1998).

Schubert German
Variant of Schuchardt. This name was borne by the Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828).

Norris 1 English, Scottish
Means "from the north" from Old French norreis. It either denoted someone who originated in the north or someone who lived in the northern part of a settlement.

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

Zhukov m Russian
Derived from Russian жук (zhuk) meaning "beetle".

Connell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Conaill meaning "descendant of Conall".

Benešová f Czech
Feminine form of Beneš.

Normand French
French form of Norman.

Nevin 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Naoimhín.

Benedetti Italian
From the given name Benedetto.

Shirazi Persian
Originally denoted someone who came from the city of Shiraz, located in southern Iran. The city's name is possibly of Elamite origin.

Fortier French
Derived from Old French fort "stronghold", indicating a person who lived near or worked at such a place.

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

Jennings English
From the given name Jenyn, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.

Van den Broek Dutch
Means "from the marsh" in Dutch.

Ola Basque
From Basque ola meaning "hut, small house, forge".

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

I Korean
Variant of Lee 2.

Seymour 2 English
From an English place name, derived from Old English sæ "sea" and mere "lake".

Sloan Irish
From Irish Ó Sluaghadháin meaning "descendant of Sluaghadhán".

Žukauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Žukauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Lesley Scottish
Variant of Leslie.

Hanraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Boško m Slovak
Derived from Slovak bosý meaning "barefoot".

Henson English
Means "son of Henne", a medieval diminutive of Henry.

Macaulay Scottish, Irish
Variant of McCauley.

Amsel 1 Jewish
Derived from the given name Anshel.

Vik Norwegian
Means "cove, inlet" in Norwegian.

Lucas English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch
Derived from the given name Lucas. A famous bearer of this surname is George Lucas (1944-), the creator of the Star Wars movies.

Havrylyuk Ukrainian
From a diminutive of the given name Havryil.

Sjöberg Swedish
From Swedish sjö (Old Norse sær) meaning "lake, sea" and berg meaning "mountain".

Pocock English
Variant of Peacock.

Svenson Swedish
Variant of Svensson.

Wang 3 German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Old High German wang or Old Norse vangr meaning "grassy slope, meadow".

Aalfs Dutch
Means "son of Aalf", a short form of Adolf.

Antema Frisian
Means "son of Ante 2".

Savchuk Ukrainian
From the given name Sava.

Hendry Scottish, English
Derived from the given name Henry.

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.

Althaus German
Name for a person dwelled in or by an old house, from German alt "old" and haus "house".

Poppins Literature
Used by P. L. Travers for the magical nanny in her Mary Poppins series of books, first published in 1934. It is not known how Travers devised the name. She may have had the English words pop or poppet (meaning "young woman") in mind.

Agostini Italian
Means "son of Agostino".

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

Laurenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Kolářová f Czech
Feminine form of Kolář.

Coke English
Variant of Cook.

Boer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bauer.

Kalmár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "merchant, shopkeeper" in Hungarian, of German origin.

Braune German
Variant of Braun.

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

William English
Derived from the given name William.

Jankauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Jankauskas. This form is used by married women.

Toselli Italian
Diminutive form of Tosi.

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

Satou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see Satō).

Szewc Polish
Means "shoemaker" in Polish.

Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.

Inaba Japanese
From Japanese 稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf".

Zabala Basque
Originally denoted someone who lived in a place of this name in Biscay. It is derived from Basque zabal meaning "large, wide".

Hernando Spanish
From the given name Hernando.

Zajacová f Slovak
Feminine form of Zajac.

Dragova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Dragov.

Everest English
Originally denoted a person from Évreux in Normandy, itself named after the Gaulish tribe of the Eburovices. Mount Everest in the Himalayas was named for the British surveyor George Everest (1790-1866).

Grossi Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Rhydderch Welsh
From the given name Rhydderch.

Bonaventura Italian
From the given name Bonaventura.

Nordskov Danish
Means "north woods" in Danish.

Żuraw Polish
Means "crane" in Polish, a nickname for a tall person.

Hashemi Persian
From the given name Hashem.

Righi Italian
From the given name Arrigo.

Holgersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Holger".

Perrin French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Antonopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Antonios".

Aaltink Dutch
Variant of Alting.

Ó Ciardha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Carey.

Adrichem Dutch
From the name of an estate and castle (demolished in 1812) that was formerly in North Holland, the Netherlands. It means "Adrik's home".

Abrami Italian
Derived from the given name Abramo.

Adami Italian
Means "son of Adamo".

Andela Dutch
From the given name Andreas.

Golub Croatian
Means "pigeon" in Croatian.

Arreola Spanish
Variant of Arriola, found predominantly in Mexico.

Mac Cléirich Irish
Means "son of the clerk" in Irish.

Sharrow English
Originally a name for someone from Sharrow, England, derived from Old English scearu "boundary" and hoh "point of land, heel".

Aarens Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Elliston English
Variant of Ellison.

Nicosia Italian
From the name of the town of Nicosia on Sicily.

Darcy English
From Norman French d'Arcy, originally denoting someone who came from the town of Arcy in La Manche, France. A notable fictional bearer is Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813).

Zhao Chinese
From Chinese 赵 (zhào), which refers to an ancient city-state in what is now Shanxi province. According to legend, King Mu rewarded his chariot driver Zaofu with the city, at which time Zaofu adopted this surname. The later historic state of Zhao, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, was named after this city.... [more]

Nelson 2 Swedish (Anglicized), Norwegian (Anglicized), Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of the Scandinavian names Nilsson, Nilsen, or Nielsen.

Grover English
From Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908).

Lémieux French
Derived from the place name Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.

Erős Hungarian
Means "strong" in Hungarian.

Hoek Dutch
From Dutch hoek meaning "corner".

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

MacGilleMhoire Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Gilmore.

Dam Dutch, Danish
Means "dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".

Pereiro Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Íñiguez Spanish
Means "son of Íñigo" in Spanish.

Montague English
From a Norman place name meaning "sharp mountain" in Old French.

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

Mori Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest".

Hirsch 2 Jewish
Derived from the given name Hirsh.

Dallas 2 Scottish
From the name of a place in Moray, Scotland possibly meaning "meadow dwelling" in Gaelic.

Fox English
From the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.

Carlyle English
Variant of Carlisle.

Rigó Hungarian
Means "thrush" in Hungarian.

Bouvier French
Means "cowherd" in French, from Latin boviarus, a derivative of bos "cow".

Brankovič Slovene
Slovene form of Branković.

Tomczak Polish
From a diminutive of the given name Tomasz.

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

Ackerman English
Means "ploughman", derived from Middle English aker "field" and man.

Lippi Italian
From the given name Filippo. It is common in the area of Florence.

Connery Irish
Variant of Conroy.

Tsvetkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Tsvetko".

Juárez Spanish
Variant of Suárez.

Dean 1 English
Derived from Middle English dene meaning "valley".

Danailov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Danail".

Farrell Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fearghail meaning "descendant of Fearghal".

Raptis m Greek
Means "tailor" in Greek.

Jensson Icelandic
Means "son of Jens".

Otxoa Basque
From Basque otso meaning "wolf".

Mullins 2 Irish
Variant of Mullen.

Beattie Scottish
From the medieval name Battie, a diminutive of Bartholomew.

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).

Bloxam English
Variant of Bloxham.

Andrysiak Polish
Means "son of Andrzej".

Oorschot Dutch
Variant of Van Oirschot.

Spijker 1 Dutch
Denoted a dweller by or worker at a granary, from Dutch spijker "granary".

Lundgren Swedish
Derived from Swedish lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Prinsen Dutch
Means "son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.

Britton English
Originally given to a person who was a Briton (a Celt of England) or a Breton (an inhabitant of Brittany).

Lawson English
Means "son of Laurence 1".

Řezníčková f Czech
Feminine form of Řezníček.

Hodžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hodža meaning "master, teacher, imam", a word of Persian origin.

Minkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Minko", a Bulgarian diminutive of Mihail.

Csonka Hungarian
Means "maimed, mutilated" in Hungarian.

Hodgson English
Means "son of Hodge", a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Holgersson Swedish
Means "son of Holger".

İsmayılov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of İsmayıl".

Tremble French
Variant of Tremblay.

Novosadová f Czech
Feminine form of Novosad.

Minami Japanese
From Japanese 南 (minami) meaning "south".

Di Mercurio Italian
Means "son of Mercurio".

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.

Tyson 2 English
Variant of Dyson.

Vlasák m Czech
Derived from Czech vlas "hair", probably referring to a barber or a person who bought and sold hair.

Bone 1 English
Derived from Old French bon meaning "good".

Pickle English
Derived from Middle English pighel meaning "small field".

Černá f Czech
Feminine form of Černý.

Stueck German, Jewish
Variant of Stück.

Scholten Dutch
Variant of Schouten.

Kaya Turkish
Means "rock, cliff" in Turkish.

Hardwick English
From Old English heord "herd" and wic "village, town".

Mulloy Irish
Variant of Molloy.

Penzik Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Bodilsen Danish
Means "son of Bodil".

Kendrick 2 Welsh
Derived from the given name Cynwrig.

Kästner German
Means "cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German kaste "box".

McGough Irish
Variant of Gough 2.

McWilliam Scottish
Means "son of William" in Gaelic.

Janssen Dutch
Means "son of Jan 1".

Dresdner German
Originally indicated a person who came from the city of Dresden in German.

Grosse German
Variant of Groß.

Büki Hungarian
Derived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).

Stroman German
Means "straw man" in German, an occupational name for a seller of straw.

Van Agthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

Jó Hungarian
Means "good" in Hungarian.

Baines 2 English
From a nickname derived from Old English ban "bones", probably for a thin person.

Favre French
Southern French variant of Fèvre.

Rybář m Czech
Czech form of Rybár.

Bonham English
English form of Bonhomme.

Maes Flemish
Flemish form of Maas.

Fedorenko Ukrainian
Derived from the given name Fedir.

Morozova f Russian
Feminine form of Morozov.

Wrońska f Polish
Feminine form of Wroński.

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

Kozlová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Kozel.

Teodoro Portuguese
Derived from the given name Teodoro.

Fyodorova f Russian
Feminine form of Fyodorov.

Sato Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see Satō).

Bakker Dutch
Dutch cognate of Baker, from Middle Dutch backere.

Mejía Spanish
Possibly from a nickname derived from Spanish Mesías meaning "Messiah", from Latin Messias, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyaḥ) meaning "anointed".

Gatsby English (Rare), Literature
Rare variant of Gadsby. This name was used by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald for the central character in his novel The Great Gatsby (1925). In the book, James Gatz renames himself as Jay Gatsby at age 17 because he believes it sounds more sophisticated.

Piazza Italian
Means "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin platea.

Salcedo Spanish
Derived from Latin salix meaning "willow tree". The name was originally given to one who lived near a willow tree.