Browse Surnames

Andreyev m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Andrey".

Mac Cionaodha Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McKenna.

Van Ankeren Dutch
Means "from the anchor" in Dutch.

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Pontecorvo Italian, Jewish
From the name of a town in central Italy, home to an old Jewish community. The town's name is derived from Italian ponte "bridge" and curvo "curved".

Trengove English
Originally indicated a person from Trengove in Cornwall, England.

Kalniņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Kalniņš.

Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.

Dyer English
Occupational name meaning "cloth dyer", from Old English deah "dye".

Houtkooper Dutch
Means "buyer of wood" in Dutch.

Dyson English
Means "son of Dye".

Dumont French
Means "from the mountain", from French mont "mountain".

Argyri f Greek
Feminine form of Argyris.

Nicodemo Italian
Derived from the given name Nicodemo.

Sokoll Jewish
Variant of Sokol.

Rocha Portuguese, Galician
Portuguese and Galician cognate of Roach.

Bondesan Italian
Venetian name derived from the name of the town of Bondeno in northern Italy.

O'Byrne Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Broin meaning "descendant of Bran 1".

Ruiz Spanish
Means "son of Ruy" in Spanish.

Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.

Karamazov Literature
Created by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky for his novel The Brothers Karamazov (1879), about three brothers and their murdered father. Dostoyevsky may have based it on Tartar/Turkic кара (kara) meaning "black" and Russian мазать (mazat) meaning "stain". The connection to black is implied in the novel when one of the brothers is accidentally addressed as Mr. Черномазов (Chernomazov), as if based on Russian чёрный meaning "black".

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

Gibb English
Derived from the given name Gib.

Podsedníková f Czech
Feminine form of Podsedník.

Nussenbaum Jewish
Variant of Nussbaum.

Van Veenen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Tyson 2 English
Variant of Dyson.

Anholts Dutch
Originally denoted a person from Anholt in the Netherlands, which means "hold, rest" in Dutch (a place where people could rest for the night).

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

Perko Slovene, Croatian
Derived from an archaic diminutive of Peter.

Duchamps French
Variant of Deschamps.

Ardizzone Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Ardito.

Juan Spanish
From the given name Juan 1.

Monday 1 English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Mundi.

Cantrell English
Originally a name for someone from Cantrell in Devon, from an unknown first element and Old English hyll meaning "hill".

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

Vång Swedish
Swedish variant of Wang 3.

Meyrick Welsh
Variant of Merrick.

Van Daal Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Moffett Scottish
From the town of Moffat in Scotland, meaning "long field" in Gaelic.

Roydon English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill", from Old English ryge "rye" and dun "hill".

Sheedy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Síoda.

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

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).

Rowan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruadháin.

Benscoter Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Bunschoten.

Ó Tíghearnaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Tierney.

Honkanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish honka meaning "pine".

Krause German
Variant of Kraus.

Wolf German, English
From Middle High German or Middle English wolf meaning "wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.

Loritz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Ionesco Romanian
Variant of Ionescu. French-Romanian playwright Eugène Ionesco (1909-1994), born Ionescu, is a famous bearer of this surname.

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

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

Doctor English
Originally denoted someone who was a doctor, ultimately from Latin doctor meaning "teacher".

Kuroda Japanese
From Japanese 黒 (kuro) meaning "black" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Mac Daibhéid Irish
Irish Gaelic form of McDevitt.

Nervetti Italian
Possibly a nickname for an innkeeper, from archaic Milanese nervètt, a local meal prepared from a calf.

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

Walter English, German
Derived from the given name Walter.

Trask English
Originally indicated a person from Thirsk, North Yorkshire, derived from Old Norse þresk meaning "fen, marsh".

Maddison English
Variant of Madison.

Ó Carra Irish
Means "descendant of Carra", Carra being a nickname meaning "spear".

Yamamoto Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Yoxall English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Yoxall in Staffordshire, itself derived from Old English geoc "oxen yoke" and halh "nook, recess".

Seelen Dutch
Variant of Ceelen.

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).

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

Abadzhiev m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian абаджия (abadzhiya) meaning "weaver, tailor" (of Turkish origin, ultimately from Arabic عباءة (ʿabāʾa) meaning "cloak").

Prichard Welsh
Variant of Pritchard.

Berger 2 German, Dutch
Variant of Berg.

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

Clement English
Derived from the given name Clement.

Pawlak Polish
Means "son of Paweł".

Ikeda Japanese
From Japanese 池 (ike) meaning "pool, pond" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Jespersen Danish
Means "son of Jesper".

Nørup Danish
From the name of Danish villages named Nørup or Norup.

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

Heijmans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Ó Máille Irish
Means "descendant of a nobleman" from the Irish Gaelic mál.

Guarneri Italian
From the given name Guanero, an Italian cognate of Werner.

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

Derrickson English
Means "son of Derrick".

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

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

Speziale Italian
Means "grocer" in Italian, derived from Latin speciarius "spice seller".

Čížková f Czech
Feminine form of Čížek.

Veenstra Dutch
Derived from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat".

Arnaud French
From the given name Arnaud.

Ilieva f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Iliev.

Van Achthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

Nixon English
Means "son of Nick". A famous bearer was the American president Richard Nixon (1913-1994).

Bagheri Persian
From the given name Bagher.

Báthory Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from Bátor, a village in Hungary, which might be of Turkic origin meaning "hero". This was the surname of a Hungarian noble family who historically controlled the town. One of the family members, Stephen Báthory, became the king of Poland in the 16th century.

Rodrigues Portuguese
Means "son of Rodrigo" in Portuguese.

Schovajsa m Czech
Means "hide yourself" in Czech, of Moravian origin.

Mittelman Jewish
Nickname for a man of moderate means, from Yiddish, ultimately from Old High German mittil "means, resources".

Lindner German
Variant of Linden.

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

Forsberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish fors meaning "waterfall" and berg meaning "mountain".

Battle English
From a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.

Kjellsson Swedish
Means "son of Kjell".

Brogan Irish
Occupational name derived from Irish bróg meaning "shoe".

Hartell English
From various place names derived from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and hyll "hill".

Madden Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Madaidhín.

Ribeiro Portuguese
Means "little river, stream" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".

Ottosen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Otto".

Floros m Greek
From Greek φλώρος (floros) meaning "greenfinch", derived from classical Greek χλωρός (chloros) meaning "green".

Salomon French, German, Jewish
Derived from the given name Salomon or Salomo.

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

Novikova f Russian
Feminine form of Novikov.

Böhme German
Variant of Böhm.

Philippe French
From the given name Philippe.

Samson English, French
Derived from the given name Samson.

Milburn English
Derived from various place names meaning "mill stream" in Old English.

Paulissen Dutch
Means "son of Paul".

Gomes Portuguese
From the medieval given name Gomes.

Douglas Scottish
From the name of a town in Lanarkshire, itself named after a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water, derived from Gaelic dubh "dark" and glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to glas "grey, green"). This was a Scottish Lowland clan, the leaders of which were powerful earls in the medieval period.

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

Haanraads Dutch
Originally indicated a person from Haanrade, a small village in the south of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

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

Rusnak Polish
Means "Russian" in Polish.

Novotný m Czech
Czech variant of Novak.

Ebner 1 German
Originally indicated a dweller on a flat piece of land, derived from Middle High German ebene "plateau".

Hayashi Japanese
From Japanese 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest".

Curtis English
Nickname for a courteous person, derived from Old French curteis meaning "refined, courtly".

Roijackers Dutch
Variant of Rooijakkers.

Hanley English
From various English place names meaning "high meadow" in Old English.

Deadman English
Variant of Debenham.

Kohoutová f Czech
Feminine form of Kohout.

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

Abelli Italian
From the given name Abele.

Peck 2 English
Occupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English pekke.

Holguín Spanish
Possibly from Spanish holgar "to rest, to enjoy oneself".

Hashemi Persian
From the given name Hashem.

Adel Arabic
From the given name Adil.

Hewitt English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Hugh.

Hibbert English
Derived from the given name Hilbert.

De Koning Dutch
Dutch cognate of King.

Makris m Greek
Means "long, tall" in Greek.

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

Oppenheimer German
Originally indicated a person from Oppenheim, Germany, perhaps meaning "marshy home". A notable bearer was the American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967).

MacQueen Scottish
Anglicized form of Mac Shuibhne.

Simen English (Rare)
From the given name Simon 1.

Boyle Irish
From Irish Ó Baoighill meaning "descendant of Baoigheall". The meaning of the given name Baoigheall is uncertain, but it is thought to be connected to Irish geall meaning "pledge".

Asano Japanese
From Japanese 浅 (asa) meaning "shallow" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Iwamoto Japanese
From Japanese 岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Callaghan Irish
Variant of Callahan.

Hoggard English
Occupational name meaning "pig herder", from Old English hogg "hog" and hierde "herdsman, guardian".

Marušić Croatian
Matronymic name meaning "son of Marija".

Medina Spanish
Means "(Arab) city" in Spanish, derived from Arabic مدينة (madīna).

Sherman 1 English
Means "shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.

Fausti Italian
From the given name Fausto.

Langlois French
Variant of Langlais.

Kwan Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Guan.

Tilki Turkish
From a nickname meaning "fox" in Turkish.

Weaver 2 English
From the name of the River Weaver, derived from Old English wefer meaning "winding stream".

Dreesens Dutch
Variant of Driessen.

Giannopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Giannis" in Greek.

Jahn German
From a Low German short form of Johannes.

Everett English
From the given name Everard.

Bloodworth English
Originally indicated someone from the town of Blidworth in Nottinghamshire, which was derived from the Old English byname Blīþa (meaning "happy, blithe") combined with worð "enclosure".

Keegan Irish
From Irish Mac Aodhagáin meaning "descendant of Aodhagán". The given name Aodhagán is a double diminutive of Aodh.

Nowell English
Variant of Noel.

Avraham Jewish
From the given name Abraham.

Parma Italian
From the city of Parma in northern Italy, the name of which is probably of Etruscan origin.

Palomo Spanish
Means "pigeon, dove", from Latin palumbes.

Hope English
Derived from Middle English hop meaning "small valley".

Ubiña Basque
Possibly a variant of Urbina.

Alagona Italian
From the name of the Spanish region of Aragon, which was a medieval kingdom. The region was named for a river, which was itself derived from an Indo-European root meaning "water".

Van Rijn Dutch
Means "from the Rhine". A famous bearer was the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669).

Martinson English
Means "son of Martin".

Stilo Italian
Derived from the name of the town of Stilo in southern Italy. It is possibly derived from Greek στῦλος (stylos) meaning "column, pillar".

Văn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wen, from Sino-Vietnamese 文 (văn).

Agnelli Italian
From Italian agnello meaning "lamb" (ultimately from Latin agnus), denoting a pious or timid person.

Hlaváčová f Czech
Feminine form of Hlaváč.

Peak English
Originally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.

Pecora Italian
Means "sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.

Wade 1 English
Derived from the Old English place name wæd meaning "a ford".

MacGowan Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Ghabhann.

McBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.

Hale English
Derived from Old English halh meaning "nook, recess, hollow".

Larsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Lars".

Lepik Estonian
Means "alder forest" in Estonian, from lepp "alder tree".

Klerx Dutch
Variant of De Klerk.

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

Jagoda Polish
Means "berry" in Polish.

Musiał Polish
Polish cognate of Musil.

Case English
From Norman French casse meaning "box, case", ultimately from Latin capsa. This was an occupational name for a box maker.

Gaspard French
From the given name Gaspard.

Addario Italian
Derived from the given name Addarius, of unknown meaning.

Ó Riagáin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Reagan.

Renault French
Derived from the given name Renaud.

Michelaki f Greek
Feminine form of Michelakis.

Upton English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many towns in England bearing this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English upp "up" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Wruck German
From Middle Low German wrok meaning "cantankerous".

Konishi Japanese
From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" and 西 (nishi) meaning "west".

Costanzo Italian
From the given name Costanzo.

Huber German
Occupational name for a farmer, derived from Old High German huoba "plot of land, farm".

Peeters Dutch, Flemish
Dutch and Flemish variant of Peters.

Fernandes Portuguese
Means "son of Fernando".

Əliyev m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Əli".

Velichkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Velichko".

Tse Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xie.

Ząbek Polish
From Polish zab "tooth" and a diminutive suffix.

Hermans Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Herman".

Mohan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Mocháin meaning "descendant of Mochán".

Chu Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 朱 (see Zhu).

Crespo Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Referred to a person with curly hair, from Latin crispus meaning "curly".

Mondadori Italian
From Italian mondatore meaning "weeder". This was an occupational name for someone who kept fields clear of weeds.

Berne Irish
Variant of O'Byrne.

Noguchi Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Buckholtz German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Buchholz.

Chester English
From the name of a city in England, derived from Latin castrum "camp, fortress".

Macek m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Matěj.

Shinohara Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

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

Bardakçı Turkish
Means "glassmaker" from Turkish bardak "glass".

Vanev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Vane", a diminutive of Ivan.

Murray 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Muireadhaigh meaning "descendant of Muireadhach".

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

Ravenna Italian
From the name of the city of Ravenna in northern Italy, which is of uncertain origin, possibly Etruscan.

Colton English
From a place name meaning "Cola's town".

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".

Van de Vliert Dutch
Means "from the elderberry" in Dutch.

Brivio Italian
From the name of the town of Brivio in Lombardy. Supposed it derives from a Celtic word meaning "bridge".

Vicario Spanish, Italian
Means "vicar" in Spanish and Italian, an ecclesiastic title used to denote a representative of a bishop. It is derived from Latin vicarius meaning "substitute, deputy".

Longo Italian
Italian cognate of Long.

Göransson Swedish
Means "son of Göran".

Ó Mocháin Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Mohan.

Mathews English
Derived from the given name Matthew.

Chung Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 정 (see Jeong).

Feigenbaum German, Jewish
Means "fig tree" in German.

Ritchie Scottish
From a Scottish diminutive of the given name Richard.

Jaskulski m Polish
Variant of Jaskólski.

Tyree Scottish
Variant of McIntyre.

McAfee Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of MacDhubhshìth.

Bonhomme French
Derived from Old French bon homme meaning "good man".

Geissler 2 German
Occupational name for a goat herder, from southern German Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix ler signifying an occupation.

Nelissen Dutch
Means "son of Cornelis".

Parisi Italian
Italian form of Parish 1.

O'Connell Irish
Variant of Connell.

Davids English
Means "son of David".

Rodrigo Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Rodrigo.

Bouchard French
From the Old German given name Burkhard.

Martinović Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Martin".

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

Francis English
Derived from the given name Francis.

Garnier 2 English
Variant of Garner 1.

Urbańska f Polish
Feminine form of Urbański.

Blaise French
Derived from the given name Blaise.

Revie English
Variant of Reeve.

Wägner German
Variant of Wagner.

Kadyrowa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Kadyrow.

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

Louis French
From the given name Louis.

Pallesen Danish
Means "son of Palle".

Yegorova f Russian
Feminine form of Yegorov.

Kask Estonian
Means "birch" in Estonian.

Van 't Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

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

Walther German
From the given name Walther.

Van Alphen Dutch
Means "from Alphen", a town in the Netherlands. It is derived from the name of the Roman fort Albaniana, itself from Latin albus "white".

Asís Spanish
Originally denoted a person from the Italian city of Assisi (called Asís in Spanish).

Haralampieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Haralampiev.

Wieck German
Means "village, town", derived from Latin vicus.

Laakkonen Finnish
Possibly from a diminutive of the given name Niklas.

Pape French
French cognate of Pope.

Skálová f Czech
Feminine form of Skála.

Nordskov Danish
Means "north woods" in Danish.

Omdahl Norwegian
Denoted a person hailing from any one of a number of farms in Norway called either Åmdal or Omdal meaning "elm valley".

Vančurová f Czech
Feminine form of Vančura.

Steiner German
Variant of Stein.

Snijders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Okeke Igbo
From the given name Okeke.

Bengoetxea Basque
Means "the house furthest down" from Basque bengo "furthest down" and etxe "house".

Ignatyev m Russian
Means "son of Ignatiy".

Giese German, Danish
Derived from a short form of the given name Giselbert or other Old German names beginning with the element gisal meaning "pledge, hostage".

Del Bosque Spanish
Means "of the forest" in Spanish.

Arthurson English
Means "son of Arthur".

Savage English
English nickname meaning "wild, uncouth", derived from Old French salvage or sauvage meaning "untamed", ultimately from Latin silvaticus meaning "wild, from the woods".

Small English
From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.

Sándor Hungarian
Derived from the given name Sándor.

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

Gerstle German
Variant of Gerst.

Korošec Slovene
Originally indicated a person from Koroška (Carinthia), a medieval Slovene state, now divided between Slovenia and Austria.

Csintalan Hungarian
Means "mischievous, naughty" in Hungarian.

Cotterill English
Derived from Middle English cotter meaning "cottager", referring to a small tenant farmer.

Snell English
From Old English snel meaning "fast, quick, nimble".

Fairchild English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.

Górski m Polish
From the Polish word góra meaning "mountain".

Hofmann German
Variant of Hoffmann.

Leggièri Italian
Means "light, thin" in Sicilian.

Pilgrim English, German
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

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

Dong Chinese
From Chinese 董 (dǒng) meaning "direct, supervise".

Bartolomeo Italian
Derived from the given name Bartolomeo.

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

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

Nyberg Swedish
From Swedish ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and berg meaning "mountain".