Surnames via Nicknames

usage
source
Leggièri Italian
Means "light, thin" in Sicilian.
Legrand French
Means "the tall, the large" in French.
Lehtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish lehti meaning "leaf".
Lemoine French
Means "the monk" in French. This was typically a nickname or an occupational name for a person who worked in a monastery.
Lenz German
From a nickname meaning "springtime" in German.
Leroux French
Means "the red", from Old French ros "red". This was a nickname for a person with red hair.
Leroy French
Variant of Rey 1, using the definite article.
Lesauvage French
French form of Savage.
Lestrange French
From Old French estrange, a cognate of Strange.
Li 1 Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "plum, plum tree". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Tang dynasty.
Li 2 Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "black".
Lis Polish
Means "fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.
Little English
Meaning simply "little", it was originally a nickname given to a short person.
Liu Chinese
From Chinese (liú) meaning "kill, destroy". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Han dynasty.
Ljung Swedish
Means "heather" in Swedish.
Lloyd Welsh
Originally a nickname from the Welsh word llwyd meaning "grey".
Lobo Spanish, Portuguese
Originally a nickname meaning "wolf" in Spanish and Portuguese.
Loewe German
Variant of Löwe.
Lomidze Georgian
Means "son of the lion", from Georgian ლომი (lomi) meaning "lion".
Long English
Originally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.
Longo Italian
Italian cognate of Long.
Longstaff English
Occupational name for an official who was equipped with a ceremonial staff, or a nickname for a tall person.
Lovel English
Variant of Lowell.
Lovell English
Variant of Lowell.
Löwe German, Jewish
Means "lion" in German.
Lowe 1 Jewish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Löwe.
Lowell English
From a nickname derived from a Norman French lou meaning "wolf" and a diminutive suffix.
Lozano Spanish
Means "healthy, exuberant, lively" in Spanish, originally used as a nickname for an elegant or haughty person.
Lungu Romanian
Romanian cognate of Long.
Lupei Romanian
Variant of Lupu.
Lupo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wolf".
Lupu Romanian
From Romanian lup meaning "wolf".
Lykke Danish
Means "happiness" in Danish.
Lyon 2 English, French
From a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English lion meaning "lion".
Lysenko Ukrainian
From a nickname, either from Ukrainian лис (lys) meaning "fox" or лисий (lysy) meaning "bald".
Ma Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "horse".
Macar Turkish
Means "Hungarian" in Turkish.
Mac Giolla Dhuibh Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Kilduff.
Maestri Italian
Means "master" in Italian.
Magro Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "thin, lean", ultimately from Latin macer.
Mah Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese (see Ma).
Majewski Polish
Derived from Polish maj meaning "May". It may have been given in reference to the month the bearer was baptized.
Maki 2 Japanese
From Japanese (ma) meaning "real, genuine" and (ki) meaning "tree".
Maldonado Spanish
From a nickname meaning "badly given, ill-favoured" in Spanish.
Mallory English
From Old French maloret meaning "unfortunate, unlucky", a term introduced to England by the Normans.
Mały Polish
Polish cognate of Malý.
Malý Czech
Means "small" in Czech.
Man Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wen.
Mancini Italian
Diminutive of Manco.
Manco Italian
Means "left-handed" in Italian, derived from Latin mancus meaning "maimed".
Mancuso Sicilian
Sicilian variant of Manco.
Mann German, English
From a nickname meaning "man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.
Marchesi Italian
From the Italian title marchese meaning "marquis". It was probably a nickname for a person who behaved like a marquis or worked in the household of a marquis.
Mårdh Swedish
From Swedish mård meaning "pine marten".
Maus German
From a nickname meaning "mouse", from Old High German mus.
Mazza Italian
From a nickname (perhaps occupational) meaning "maul, mallet" in Italian.
McGill Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Ghoill meaning "son of the foreigner", derived from gall "foreigner".
Medved Slovene, Croatian, Russian, Ukrainian
Means "bear" in several Slavic languages.
Medveď Slovak
Slovak cognate of Medved.
Megalos Greek
From Greek μεγάλος (megalos) meaning "big, great".
Meir Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.
Mejía Spanish
Possibly from a nickname derived from Spanish Mesías meaning "Messiah", from Latin Messias, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach) meaning "anointed".
Melo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Merlo.
Merle French
French form of Merlo.
Merlo Italian, Spanish
Means "blackbird", ultimately from Latin merula. The blackbird is a symbol of a naive person.
Meyer 2 Jewish
From Hebrew מֵאִיר (meir) meaning "enlightened".
Miazga Polish
Derived from Polish miazga "pulp, crush".
Mishra Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Means "mixed, mingled, honourable" in Sanskrit.
Misra Indian, Hindi
Alternate transcription of Hindi मिश्र (see Mishra).
Mitchell 2 English
Originally a nickname for a large person, from Old English micel "big".
Mittelman Jewish
Nickname for a man of moderate means, from Yiddish, ultimately from Old High German mittil "means, resources".
Mochizuki Japanese
Means "full moon" in Japanese, a compound of (mochi) meaning "wish, desire" and (tsuki) meaning "moon".
Monday 2 English
Denoted a person for whom this was a significant day, often the day they would pay their feudal fees.
Monk English
Nickname or occupational name for a person who worked for monks. This word is derived from Latin monachus, from Greek μοναχός (monachos) meaning "alone".
Moon 1 Korean
Korean form of Wen, from Sino-Korean (mun).
Moore 3 English
Nickname for a person of dark complexion, from Old French more, Latin maurus, meaning "Moorish".
Moreno Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish and Portuguese.
Morin English
Variant of Moore 2 and Moore 3.
Morozov Russian
Derived from Russian мороз (moroz) meaning "frost".
Moschella Italian
From a diminutive of Italian mosca meaning "housefly", perhaps originally a nickname for an annoying person.
Mun Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Moon 1).
Munson English
Patronymic formed from the Norman French nickname moun meaning "monk".
Musiał Polish
Polish cognate of Musil.
Musil Czech
Possibly from a nickname meaning "the one who had to", from the past participle of the Czech verb muset meaning "must" (of Germanic origin).
Mustonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish musta meaning "black".
Mutton English
Referred to a shepherd or else someone who in some way resembled a sheep, derived from Norman French mouton "sheep".
Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.
Myška Czech
From nickname derived from Czech myš meaning "mouse".
Nagy Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname.
Nasato Italian
Nickname for someone with a prominent nose, from Italian naso "nose".
Navrátil Czech
Means "returned" in Czech, from the verb navrátit "to return", perhaps used to denote a person who came home following a long absence.
Nedbálek Czech
From Czech nedbalý meaning "careless".
Nedvěd Czech
Czech cognate of Medved, derived from the dialectal nedvěd.
Negrescu Romanian
Patronymic derived from Romanian negru "black".
Negri Italian
Nickname derived from Italian negro "black", used to refer to someone with dark hair or dark skin.
Negrini Italian
Variant of Negri.
Nemes Hungarian
Means "noble, gentle" in Hungarian.
Neri Italian
From Italian nero "black", indicating a person with a dark complexion or dark hair.
Neroni Italian
Variant of Neri.
Neumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German niuwe and man meaning "new man, newcomer".
Newman English
English cognate of Neumann.
Ng 2 Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Huang.
Nguyễn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Ruan, from Sino-Vietnamese (nguyễn). This is the most common Vietnamese surname, accounting for over a third of the population.
Nguyen Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Nguyễn.
Nieddu Italian
From Sardinian nieddu meaning "black", derived from Latin niger.
Niemczyk Polish
From Polish Niemiec meaning "German" and the patronymic suffix -czyk.
Niemec Polish
Means "German" in Polish.
Nieri Italian
Either a variant of Neri, or from the Italian name Raniero.
Nieto Spanish
From a nickname meaning "grandson" in Spanish.
Nigro Italian
Variant of Negri.
Noel French, English
Either from the given name Noël, or else derived directly from Old French noel "Christmas" and given to a person who had a particular connection with the holiday.
Nosek Czech, Polish
Means "small nose" in Czech and Polish.
Nováček Czech
Diminutive of Novak.
Novák Czech, Slovak, Hungarian
Czech, Slovak and Hungarian form of Novak.
Novak Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Derived from Slavic novy "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village.
Novik Belarusian
From Belarusian новы (novy) meaning "new".
Novikov Russian
Derived from Russian новый (novy) meaning "new".
Novosad Czech
From place names meaning "new orchard" in Czech.
Novotný Czech
Czech variant of Novak.
Nowak Polish
Polish cognate of Novak. This is the most common surname in Poland.
Nowell English
Variant of Noel.
Ó Buachalla Irish
Irish Gaelic form of Buckley 2.
Ochoa Spanish
Spanish form of Otxoa.
Ohme German
From Middle High German oem meaning "maternal uncle".
Oláh Hungarian
Means "Romanian" in Hungarian, from old Slavic volhu "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).
Olasz Hungarian
Means "Italian" in Hungarian, from old Slavic volhu "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).
Ong Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Wang 1.
Oomen Dutch
Patronymic derived from Middle Dutch oom meaning "(maternal) uncle".
Oriol Catalan
From Catalan or meaning "gold", originally a nickname for a person with blond hair.
Orlov Russian
Patronymic derived from the Russian nickname Орёл (Oryol) meaning "eagle".
Orsini Italian
From a nickname meaning "little bear" in Italian, from Latin ursus "bear".
Otxoa Basque
From Basque otso meaning "wolf".
Outlaw English
Means simply "outlaw" from Middle English outlawe.
Pabst German
From German Papst, a cognate of Pope.
Pachis Greek
Means "fat, thick" in Greek.
Pagani Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.
Pagano Italian
Italian cognate of Payne.
Pahlke German
Low German cognate of Peel.
Pain English
Variant of Payne.
Palomo Spanish
Means "pigeon, dove", from Latin palumbes.
Palumbo Italian
From Italian palombo meaning "pigeon" (also "dogfish"). This form is typical of southern Italy.
Pan 1 Provençal
Means "baker", from Latin panis meaning "bread".
Panzavecchia Maltese
From a nickname meaning "old stomach" in Italian.
Pape French
French cognate of Pope.
Papke Low German
Low German diminutive form of papa (see Pope).
Papp 1 Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" in Hungarian.
Papp 2 German
Nickname perhaps related to Late Latin pappare meaning "to eat".
Pardo Spanish
Means "brown" in Spanish, originally a nickname for someone with brown hair.
Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pārēre meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin parere meaning "to produce, to give birth").
Park 1 Korean
From Sino-Korean 樸 or 朴 (bak) meaning "plain, unadorned, simple".
Parrino Sicilian
From a Sicilian variant of Italian padrino meaning "godfather".
Partanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish parta meaning "beard".
Passerini Italian
From Italian passero meaning "sparrow".
Pavone Italian
Means "peacock" in Italian. It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
Pavoni Italian
Variant of Pavone.
Payne English
From a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin paganus meaning "heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.
Paz Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.
Peacock English
From Middle English pecok meaning "peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).
Pellé French
From French pelé meaning "bald".
Pellegrino Italian
Means "pilgrim, traveller" in Italian, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.
Pelley French
Anglicized form of Pellé.
Penny English
Nickname meaning "penny, coin" from Old English penning.
Pesce Italian
Means "fish" in Italian, referring either to a fisherman or to a person who resembled a fish in some way.
Petit French, Catalan, English
Means "small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.
Pettigrew English
Derived from Norman French petit "small" and cru "growth".
Peura Finnish
Means "deer" in Finnish.
Pfaff German
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" from Old High German pfaffo, from Latin papa.
Pfenning German
From Old High German pfenning meaning "penny, coin". It was used in reference to feudal tax obligations.
Phạm Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.
Piątek Polish
Means "Friday" in Polish, derived from the word piąty meaning "fifth".
Picasso Italian
From Italian pica meaning "magpie". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or prone to stealing, although it may have described someone's unusual colouring. The Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a famous bearer of this name.
Piccirillo Italian
From Neapolitan piccerillo meaning "small, young".
Piccoli Italian
Nickname for a short person, from Italian piccolo "small".
Pilgrim English
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.
Pinto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
Means "mottled" in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, derived from Late Latin pinctus, Latin pictus "painted".
Pittaluga Italian
Originally a nickname for somebody who steals grapes from vineyards. In the Genoese dialect pittà means "to pick" and uga means "grapes" (uva in Italian).
Planche French
French form of Plank.
Planck German
German variant of Plank.
Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.
Planque French
French form of Plank.
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.
Pleško Slovene
Nickname for a bald person, from Slovene pleša meaning "bald patch".
Poindexter English
From the Jèrriais surname Poingdestre meaning "right fist".
Poingdestre Jèrriais
Jèrriais form of Poindexter.
Pokorni Hungarian
Hungarian variant of Pokorny.
Pokorny Polish
Polish form of Pokorný.
Pokorný Czech, Slovak
Means "humble" in Czech and Slovak.
Polley English
From Old French poli meaning "polite, courteous".
Pope English
From a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin papa, ultimately from Greek πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".
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.
Porra Catalan
Variant of Porras.
Porras Spanish, Catalan
From a nickname meaning "club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin porrum meaning "leek".
Pospíšil Czech
Nickname for a person in a hurry, from Czech pospíšit "hurry".
Power 2 English
From Middle English povre meaning "poor", via Old French from Latin pauper. It could have been a nickname for someone who had no money or a miser.
Pratt English
From Old English prætt meaning "trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.
Prieto Spanish
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish, referring to a person with dark hair or skin.
Prinsen Dutch
Means "son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.
Prinz German, Jewish
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.
Profeta Italian
From Italian profeta meaning "prophet". It probably came from a nickname indicating a person who wanted to predict the future. It is typical of southern Italy.
Protz German
From a nickname meaning "showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".
Proudfoot English
Nickname for a person with a proud step.
Proulx French
Derived from Old French preu meaning "valiant, brave".
Puga Galician
Means "thorn, prickle" in Galician.
Purcell English
From Old French pourcel "piglet", from Latin porcellus, a derivative of porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.
Quaranta Italian
Means "forty" in Italian.
Quattrocchi Italian
From Italian quattro meaning "four" and occhi meaning "eyes", a nickname for a person who wore glasses. It is usually found in Sicily.
Queen English
From a given name that was derived from Old English cwen meaning "queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.
Quick English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".
Quijada Spanish
Means "jaw" in Spanish, a nickname for someone with a large jaw.
Rácz Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian rác meaning "Rascian", a former name for Serbians who lived in the Habsburg Empire.
Ragno Italian
From a nickname meaning "spider" in Italian.
Rana Italian, Spanish
Means "frog" in Italian and Spanish.
Rao 1 Indian, Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit राज (raja) meaning "king".
Rapp 1 Swedish
From Swedish rapp meaning "quick, prompt", one of the names adopted by soldiers in the 17th century.
Rapp 2 German
From Middle High German raben meaning "raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.
Rasch German
German form of Rask.
Rask Danish, Swedish
Means "energetic, quick, healthy" in Danish and Swedish.
Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.
Raskop German
Variant of Raskopf.
Raskopf German
Possibly from German rasch "quick" and Kopf "head".
Ratti Italian
From Italian ratto meaning "rat", originally denoting a sly individual.
Ravn Danish
Means "raven" in Danish, from Old Norse hrafn.
Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.
Italian
Italian form of Rey 1.
Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.
Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".
Rebane Estonian
Means "fox" in Estonian.
Redondo Spanish
Means "round" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a plump person, ultimately from Latin rotundus.
Reed English
Variant of Read 1.
Reese 2 Low German
Low German cognate of Riese.
Regenbogen German, Jewish
From a German nickname meaning "rainbow".
Reich German, Jewish
Nickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German rihhi "rich, powerful".
Reid Scottish
Scots variant of Read 1.
Reier German
Variant of Reiher.
Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.
Rendón Spanish
Possibly derived from a variant of Spanish de rondón meaning "unexpectedly, rashly".
Reuter 2 German
From Middle High German riutœre meaning "highwayman, thief".
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.
Rey 2 English
Means "female roe deer" from Old English ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.
Reyer German
Variant of Reiher.
Reyes Spanish
Spanish variant of Rey 1.
Rhee Korean
North Korean form of Lee 2.
Ricchetti Italian
Diminutive form of Ricci.
Ricci Italian
From Italian riccio meaning "curly", a nickname for someone with curly hair. It is ultimately from Latin ericius meaning "hedgehog".
Rico Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "rich, wealthy" in Spanish and Portuguese.
Rieck Low German
Low German form of Reich.
Riese German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German, from Old High German risi.
Rigó Hungarian
Means "thrush" in Hungarian.
Riker German
Possibly a variant of Reich.
Rizzi Italian
Variant of Ricci.
Rizzo Italian
Variant of Ricci.
Robustelli Italian
From a nickname for a strong person, from Italian robusto "strong", from Latin robustus "firm, solid, oaken".
Róg Polish
Means "animal horn" in Polish.
Roig Catalan
Means "red" in Catalan, from Latin rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.
Rojas Spanish
Variant of Rojo.
Rojo Spanish
Means "red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.
Rosa Italian, Catalan
Italian and Catalan form of Rose 1.
Rosário Portuguese
Means "rosary" in Portuguese. This name was often given to people born on the day of the festival of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Rosario Spanish
Spanish form of Rosário.
Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).
Rossi Italian
Derived from a nickname for a red-haired person, from Italian rosso, Latin russus meaning "red". This is the most common surname in Italy.
Rossini Italian
Diminutive form of Rossi. A famous bearer was the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868).
Rot German, Jewish
Variant of Roth.
Roth German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
Rotolo Italian
From the Italian word for a measure of weight, from southern Italian dialects, derived from Greek via Arabic.
Rounds English
Patronymic derived from Middle English rond meaning "round, plump", ultimately from Latin rotundus.
Rousseau French
Diminutive of Roux. A famous bearer was the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) whose ideas influenced the French Revolution.
Roussel French
French form of Russell.
Roux French
Derived from Old French ros meaning "red", from Latin russus, a nickname for a red-haired person.
Roxas Filipino
Filipino form of the Spanish Rojas.
Roy 2 Scottish
From Gaelic ruadh meaning "red-haired".
Ruan Chinese
From Chinese (ruǎn), which refers to a type of musical instrument, similar to a lute.
Rubio Spanish
Nickname for a person with red hair, from Latin rubeus "red".
Ruotsalainen Finnish
Means "Swede" in Finnish.
Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.
Russo Italian
Variant of Rossi.
Rustici Italian
From Italian rustico meaning "rustic, rural".
Rusu Romanian
From Romanian rus meaning "Russian".