Surnames from Locations

Matsuda Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Matsumoto Japanese
From one of the many places with this name in Japan, derived from Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Matsumura Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

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

Matsushita Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

Maxwell Scottish
From a place name meaning "Mack's stream", from the name Mack, a short form of the Scandinavian name Magnus, combined with Old English wille "well, stream". A famous bearer was James Maxwell (1831-1879), a Scottish physicist who studied gases and electromagnetism.

Mazur Polish
Indicated a person from either Mazovia (Polish Mazowsze) or Masuria (Polish Mazury), regions in Poland.

Meadows English
Referred to one who lived in a meadow, from Old English mædwe.

Medeiros Portuguese
From various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese medeiro meaning "haystack", ultimately from Latin meta meaning "cone, pyramid".

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

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

Mei Chinese
From Chinese 梅 (méi) meaning "plum, apricot".

Meisner German
Variant of Meissner.

Meissner German
Originally denoted a person from the German town of Meissen, which is probably of Slavic origin.

Melsbach German
From the name of a German town, possibly meaning "mill stream".

Melville Scottish
From the place name Malleville meaning "bad town" in Norman French.

Melvin Scottish
Variant of Melville.

Mendoza Spanish, Basque
From a Basque place name derived from mendi "mountain" and hotz "cold".

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

Merritt English
From an English place name meaning "boundary gate".

Messana Italian
Variant of Messina.

Messina Italian
From the name of the Sicilian city of Messina, founded by Greek colonists. The city was named after the Greek city Μεσσήνη (Messene).

Metharom Thai
Possibly refers to a place or institute of learning or where knowledge is provided.

Mhasalkar Marathi (Rare)
Derived from the name of the town of Mhasla in Maharashtra, India.

Michalska f Polish
Feminine form of Michalski.

Michalski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from a village named Michale or Michały, both derived from the given name Michał.

Middleton English
Originally denoted a person who lived in one of the numerous English towns by this name, derived from Old English middel "middle" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Midgley English
From the English village of Midgley in West Yorkshire, meaning "midge (insect) wood" in Old English.

Milani Italian
Variant of Milano.

Milano Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from Milan.

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

Milford English
Originally derived from various place names all meaning "ford by a mill" in Old English.

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".

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

Miranda Spanish, Portuguese
Habitational name from any of the numerous places in Spain and Portugal bearing this name, possibly derived from Latin mirandus "admirable, wonderful". A notable bearer was the Portuguese-born Brazilian singer and actress Carmen Miranda (1909-1955).

Miura Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet".

Miyagawa Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Miyajima Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Miyake Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 宅 (yake) meaning "house, home".

Miyamoto Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin". A notable bearer is video game pioneer Shigeru Miyamoto (1952-).

Miyashita Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

Miyata Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Miyazaki Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Mizuno Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Mizushima Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Mizutani Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Mlakar Slovene, Croatian
Referred to someone who lived near a pool, derived from South Slavic mlaka meaning "pool, puddle".

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).

Moe Norwegian
Means "sandy ground" in Norwegian.

Moen Norwegian
Means "the sandy ground" in Norwegian.

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

Molina Spanish
Means "mill" in Spanish.

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

Montagna Italian
Means "mountain" in Italian, from Latin montanus, indicating a person who lived on or near a mountain.

Montagne French
French cognate of Montagna.

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

Montaña Spanish
Spanish cognate of Montagna.

Montana Italian
Variant of Montagna.

Montanari Italian
Means "from the mountain" in Italian.

Monte Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Italian variant of Monti, as well as a Portuguese and Spanish cognate.

Montes Spanish
From Spanish monte "mountain, hill", derived from Latin mons.

Montgomery English, Scottish
From a place name in Calvados, France meaning "Gumarich's mountain". A notable bearer was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.

Monti Italian
Means "mountain, hill" in Italian, from Latin mons.

Montoya Spanish
From the name of a village in the province of Álava in Spain. It is possibly of Basque origin, or possibly from Latin mons "mountain, hill".

Moon 2 English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Moyon in Normandy.

Moore 1 English
Originally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English mor meaning "open land, bog".

Moores English
Variant of Moore 1.

Moors English
Variant of Moore 1.

Mooshian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Մուշյան (see Mushyan).

Mora Spanish
Derived from Spanish mora meaning "mulberry", of Latin origin.

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

Moralez Spanish
Variant of Morales.

Moravcová f Czech
Feminine form of Moravec.

Moravec m Czech
Originally indicated a person from Moravia (Czech Morava).

Moray Scottish
Variant of Murray 1.

Moreira Portuguese
Derived from Portuguese amoreira meaning "mulberry tree".

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

Morikawa Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Morimoto Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Morishita Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

Morita Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Moriyama Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Morra Italian
Locative name derived from Italian places such as Morra De Sanctis, Campania, or Morra del Villar, Piedmont.

Mortimer English
From the name of a town in Normandy meaning "dead water, still water" in Old French.

Morton English
Derived from a place name meaning "moor town" in Old English.

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

Moss 1 English
From Middle English mos meaning "bog, moss".

Moto Japanese
From Japanese 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin". More commonly it is the final character in Japanese surnames.

Motta Italian
From various names of places around Italy. It is derived from a Gaulish word meaning "hill".

Mottershead English
From the name of a lost place in Cheshire, derived from the Old English byname Motere meaning "speaker" and heafod meaning "headland".

Moulin French
Means "mill" in French.

Moya Spanish
From any of various towns named Moya in Spain, of uncertain meaning.

Muggia Italian
From the town of Muggia in northeastern Italy near the Slovenian border. It was called Muglae in Latin.

Muhlfeld German
Means "mill field" in German.

Muir Scottish
Scots form of Moore 1. This name was borne by the Scottish-American naturalist John Muir (1838-1914).

Mullins 1 English
Derived from Norman French molin "mill".

Munro Scottish
Designated a person who had originally lived near the mouth of the Roe River in Derry, Ireland. It is derived from Gaelic bun meaning "root, base" combined with the river's name.

Munroe Scottish
Anglicized (typically Canadian and American) form of Munro.

Munteanu Romanian
From Romanian muntean meaning "mountaineer, from the mountains", ultimately from Latin mons.

Murgatroyd English
From a place name meaning "Margaret's clearing".

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

Murtas Sardinian
From Sardinian murta meaning "myrtle".

Mushyan Armenian
Originally denoted someone who came from the Armenian town of Mushi.

Næss Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Naess Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Nagarkar Marathi
Derived from the name of the town of Nagar in Maharashtra, India.

Nagasawa Japanese
From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

Naggi Italian
Originally denoted a person from the town of Naggio in Lombardy, Italy.

Naggia Italian
Variant of Naggi.

Nakabayashi Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest".

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

Nakahara Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

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

Nakajima Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Nakamura Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

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

Nakashima Japanese
Variant of Nakajima.

Namgung Korean
From Sino-Korean 南 (nam) meaning "south" combined with 宮 (gung) meaning "palace, house". This is the most common Korean compound surname.

Napoletani Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Napoli Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Napoliello Italian
Originally indicated a person from Naples in Italy.

Narang Hindi
From the name of a Pakistani town that was in undivided India.

Narváez Spanish
From the name of a town in central Spain.

Nash English
Derived from the Middle English phrase atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).

Nass Norwegian
Variant of Ness.

Navarro Spanish
Denoted a person who came from Navarre in northern Spain (Spanish Navarra). The name of the region is of Basque origin, possibly from nabar meaning "brown".

Nave Italian
From various Italian places called Nave.

Navickaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Navickas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Navickas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Nowicki.

Navickienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Navickas. This form is used by married women.

Němcová f Czech
Feminine form of Němec.

Němec m Czech
Means "German" in Czech.

Němeček m Czech
Diminutive form of Němec.

Němečková f Czech
Feminine form of Němeček.

Német Hungarian
Variant of Németh.

Németh Hungarian
Means "German" in Hungarian.

Nepi Italian
From the town of Nepi in central Italy, which is of uncertain origin.

Nervi Italian
From the name of the town of Nervi in Liguria, northwestern Italy.

Nespola Italian
Variant of Nespoli.

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

Ness English, Scottish, Norwegian
From English ness and Norwegian nes meaning "headland, promontory", of Old Norse origin, originally referring to a person who lived there.

Neuville French
From the names of various French towns meaning "new town".

Neville English, Irish
From the names of towns in Normandy, variously Neuville or Néville, meaning "new town" in French.

Newell English
Variant of Neville.

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.

Newton English
From the name of one of many English towns meaning "new town". A famous bearer was the English physicist Isaac Newton (1643-1727).

Ng 1 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wu 1.

Ngo Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Ngô.

Ngô Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 1, from Sino-Vietnamese 吳 (ngô).

Nibhanupudi Telugu
From the name of a village in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Nicastro Italian
From the name of the town of Nicastro in Calabria, southern Italy.

Nickleby Literature
Created by Charles Dickens for the title character in his novel Nicholas Nickleby (1839). He probably based it on Nicol, a medieval vernacular form of Nicholas, with the common English place name suffix -by, which is derived from Old Norse býr meaning "farm, settlement".

Nicolosi Italian
From the name of the town Nicolosi on Sicily, itself named for Saint Nicholas.

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

Nicotera Italian
From the name of the town of Nicotera in Calabria.

Niemi Finnish
Means "peninsula, cape" in Finnish.

Nieminen Finnish
Derived from Finnish niemi meaning "peninsula, cape".

Nifterick Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Nifterik Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Niftrik Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Nishikawa Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Nishimura Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nishitani Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Nishiyama Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Nizzola Italian
From the name of the Italian town of Nizzola near Modena.

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

Nogueira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician nogueira meaning "walnut tree", from the Late Latin nucarius, ultimately from Latin nux meaning "nut".

Noguera Spanish, Catalan
Spanish and Catalan form of Nogueira.

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

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

Nordskov Danish
Means "north woods" in Danish.

Norling Swedish
Originally denoted a person who came from the north.

Norman English
Referred to a person who was originally from Scandinavia or Normandy. Even before the Norman Conquest, Scandinavians were settling the north and east of England. The Normans who participated in the Conquest were originally from Scandinavia, but had been living in Normandy, France for over a century and spoke French.

Normand French
French form of Norman.

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.

North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.

Northrop English
Originally denoted one who came from a town of this name England, meaning "north farm".

Norton English
From the name of various towns in England meaning "north town" in Old English.

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

Norup Danish
Variant of Nørup.

Norwood English
Originally taken from a place name meaning "north wood" in Old English.

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

Nowakowska f Polish
Feminine form of Nowakowski.

Nowakowski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from various towns called Nowakowo or similar, derived from Polish nowy meaning "new".

Nowicka f Polish
Feminine form of Nowicki.

Nowicki m Polish
Habitational name for a person from any of the towns in Poland called Nowice. The name is derived from Polish nowy meaning "new".

Noyer French
French form of Nogueira.

Nozawa Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

Nuremberg German
Derived from the name of a city in Bavaria, Germany.

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

Nussbaum German, Jewish
Means "nut tree", derived from the German Nuss "nut" and Baum "tree".

Nye English
Originally indicated a person who lived near a river, from Middle English atten eye meaning "at the river".

Nygård Norwegian
From Norwegian ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and gård (Old Norse garðr) meaning "farm, estate".

Nyitrai Hungarian
Indicated someone from Nitra, a city and historic principality of Slovakia (formerly in Hungary). Its name is derived from that of a local river, which is of unknown meaning.

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

Oakley English
From a place name meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. It was borne by American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).

Obando Spanish
Habitational name for someone who came from Obando in Extremadura, Spain.

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.

Ó Deasmhumhnaigh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Desmond.

Odell English
Originally denoted a person who was from Odell in Bedfordshire, derived from Old English wad "woad" (a plant that produces a blue dye) and hyll "hill".

Oelberg German
Means "oil hill" from Middle High German öl "oil" and berg "mountain, hill".

Ogawa Japanese
From Japanese 小 (o) meaning "small" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

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

Ogtrop Dutch
Originally denoted a person who was from the town of Ochtrup in Germany, which is of uncertain origin.

Oh Korean
Korean form of Wu 1, from Sino-Korean 吳 (o).

Ojeda Spanish
From the name of the Ojeda river in Soria, Spain, possibly derived from Latin folia "leaves".

Okabe Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".

Okamoto Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Okamura Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Okazaki Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Okumura Japanese
From Japanese 奥 (oku) meaning "inside" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

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

Olander Swedish
Denoted someone from the islands of Öland (eastern Sweden) or Åland (western Finland).

Oleastro Spanish
Means "wild olive" in Spanish, originally indicating one who lived near such a tree.

Oliveira Portuguese
Means "olive tree" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin oliva. It indicated a person who lived near or worked with olive trees.

Olmo Spanish
Means "elm tree" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin ulmus. The name originally indicated a person who lived near such a tree.

Olmos Spanish
Variant of Olmo.

Olszewska f Polish
Feminine form of Olszewski.

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

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

Ongaro Italian
Variant of Ungaro.

Ono Japanese
From Japanese 小 (o) meaning "small" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Oorschot Dutch
Variant of Van Oirschot.

Oppenheimer German
Originally indicated a person from Oppenheim, Germany, perhaps meaning "marshy home".

Oquendo Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Okondo in Álava, northern Spain, possibly derived from Basque ukondo "elbow".

Orellana Spanish
Originally indicated a person from one of the two towns named Orellana in Badajoz, Spain. Their names are probably derived from Latin Aureliana meaning "of Aurelius".

Orosz Hungarian
Means "Russian" in Hungarian.

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

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

Östberg Swedish
From Swedish öst (Old Norse austr) meaning "east" and berg meaning "mountain".

Østberg Norwegian
Norwegian form of Östberg.

Øster Danish
From Danish øst meaning "east", originally denoting a dweller on the eastern side of a place.

Østergaard Danish
Variant of Østergård.

Østergård Danish
From Danish øst meaning "east" and gård meaning "enclosure, farm".

Ostrowska f Polish
Feminine form of Ostrowski.

Ostrowski m Polish
From Polish ostrów meaning "river island".

Otero Spanish
Means "hill, knoll, height" in Spanish.

Oursler German
Originally a name designating a person from Ursel (now Oberursel) in Hesse, Germany.

Overton English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in England called Overton, meaning "upper settlement" or "riverbank settlement" in Old English.

Owston English
Denoted a person who came from any one of the places in Britain called Ouston or Owston.

Padilla Spanish
From various Spanish place names, derived from Spanish padilla, Latin patella meaning "shallow dish", used to indicate a depression in the landscape.

Padmore English
Originally indicated a person from Padmore in England, derived from Old English padde "toad" and mor "moor, marsh".

Padovan Italian
Regional variant of Padovano.

Padovano Italian
Originally denoted one who came from the city of Padua in Italy, from Italian Padova, itself from Latin Patavium, of unknown meaning.

Paisley Scottish
From the name of a town near Glasgow, which may ultimately be derived from Latin basilica "church".

Pakulska f Polish
Feminine form of Pakulski.

Pakulski m Polish
Originally denoted a person from Pakuly, Poland.

Palazzo Italian
From various Italian places, named from Italian palazzo, Latin palatium meaning "palace, noble mansion".

Palencia Spanish
Habitational name from the city or region of Palencia in northern Spain.

Palmisano Italian
Locative name from the town of Palmi in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

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

Pantoja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the town of Pantoja, in Toledo, Spain.

Panza Italian, Literature
From a variant of the Italian word pancia meaning "stomach, paunch", originally a nickname for a chubby person. The Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it is the surname of Don Quixote's squire Sancho Panza. Not a common Spanish surname, Cervantes may have based it directly on the Spanish word panza (a cognate of the Italian word).

Paredes Portuguese, Spanish
Denoted a person who lived near a wall, from Portuguese parede and Spanish pared meaning "wall", both derived from Latin paries.

Paris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

Parish 1 English
Originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, which got its name from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii.

Parisi Italian
Italian form of Parish 1.

Park 2 English
From Middle English park, from Latin parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.

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

Pärn Estonian
Means "linden tree" in Estonian.

Parodi Italian
From the name of a village near Genoa in northern Italy.

Parra Spanish
Means "vine, trellis" in Spanish.

Parris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

Parrish English
Variant of Parish 1.

Pataki Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian patak meaning "creek, brook" (a word of Slavic origin). It was given to people who lived near a creek.

Pavesi Italian
Variant of Pavia.

Pavía Spanish
Spanish form of Pavia.

Pavia Italian
From the name of the city of Pavia in Lombardy, Italy. It is of unknown meaning.

Pawłowska f Polish
Feminine form of Pawłowski.

Pawłowski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from a town named Pawłowo, derived from the given name Paweł.

Paxton English
From an English place name meaning "Pœcc's town". Pœcc is an Old English name of unknown meaning.

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

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.

Peck 1 English
Variant of Peak.

Peerenboom Dutch
From Dutch meaning "pear tree", referring to someone who lived or worked at a pear orchard.

Pei Chinese
From Chinese 裴 (péi), possibly referring to an ancient city.

Peltonen Finnish
From Finnish pelto meaning "field".

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".

Peña Spanish
Originally denoted a person who lived near a jutting rock, from Spanish peña meaning "rock, cliff".

Peng Chinese
From Chinese 彭 (péng) referring to the ancient state of Peng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Jiangsu province.

Penn 1 English
Derived from various place names that were named using the Brythonic word penn meaning "hilltop, head".

Pensak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Penzak Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Penzig Yiddish
Denoted a person who came from Penzig, the German name for Pieńsk, a town in southwest Poland. It is derived from Polish pień meaning "stump, tree trunk".

Penzik Yiddish
Variant of Penzig.

Pereira Portuguese, Galician
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".

Pereiro Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Pereyra Portuguese, Galician
Variant of Pereira.

Périgord French
From the name of a region in southern France, possibly of Gaulish origin.

Perry 1 English
From Old English pirige meaning "pear tree", a derivative of peru meaning "pear", itself from Latin pirum. A famous bearer was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.

Perugia Italian
From the name of the city of Perugia in Umbria, Italy. It was known as Perusia in the classical period, and it is of Etruscan origin.

Pesaresi Italian
Variant of Pesaro.

Pesaro Italian
From the name of the city of Pesaro, in the Marche region (Latin Pisaurum).

Pesti Hungarian
Originally it indicated someone from Pest, one of the towns that were joined to make Budapest.

Pesty Hungarian
Variant of Pesti.

Peyton English
Variant of Payton.

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

Pherigo French
Anglicized form of Périgord.

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.

Picard French
Originally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French pic meaning "pike, spike".