This is a list of surnames in which the number of syllables is 3.
Fiscella ItalianDerived from Italian
fiscella, which was a basket used to conserve cheese. The name was probably used to denote a person who made cheese.
Fonseca Spanish, PortugueseOriginally belonged to a person who lived near a dry spring, from Latin
fons "well, spring" and
siccus "dry".
Forester EnglishDenoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see
Forest).
Fukui JapaneseDenoted a person who was from Fukui prefecture in Japan.
Gallego SpanishOriginally indicated a person from Galicia, a region in northwestern Spain.
García SpanishFrom a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word
hartz meaning "bear". This is the most common surname in Spain.
Garcia Portuguese, SpanishPortuguese form of
García. It is also an unaccented form of the Spanish name used commonly in America and the Philippines.
Gardener EnglishOccupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French
jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).
Gárdonyi HungarianOriginally denoted a person from Gárdony, a town near Budapest in Hungary.
Gereben HungarianMeans
"hackle, hatchel" in Hungarian (a hackle is a tool used to comb out fibers).
Gomółka PolishDerived from Polish
gomółka, a type of round cheese, ultimately from an old Polish word meaning "round".
Gorecki m PolishOriginally indicated a person from Górka, the name of various towns in Poland, ultimately from Polish
góra "mountain".
Gouveia PortugueseFrom the name of the city of Gouveia in Portugal, of unknown meaning.
Grabowski m PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various places called
Grabów,
Grabowa or
Grabowo, all derived from Polish
grab meaning "hornbeam tree".
Grimaldi ItalianFrom the given name
Grimaldo. It is the surname of the royal family of Monaco, which came from Genoa.
Guerrero SpanishMeans
"warrior" in Spanish, an occupational name for a soldier. It is derived from Late Latin
werra "war", of Germanic origin.
Guevara SpanishHispanicized form of
Gebara. A notable bearer was Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara (1928-1967).
Gustafsson SwedishMeans
"son of Gustaf". The actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was originally named Greta Gustafsson.
Hamilton English, ScottishFrom an English place name, derived from Old English
hamel "crooked, mutilated" and
dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).
Hathaway EnglishHabitational name for someone who lived near a path across a heath, from Old English
hæþ "heath" and
weg "way".
Hidalgo SpanishMeans
"nobleman" in Spanish. The Spanish word is a contraction of the phrase
hijo de algo meaning "son of something". This surname was typically in origin a nickname or an occupational name for one who worked in a noble's household.
Himura JapaneseFrom Japanese
緋 (hi) meaning "scarlet, dark red" and
村 (mura) meaning "town, village".
Hirano JapaneseFrom Japanese
平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and
野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Hirata JapaneseFrom Japanese
平 (hira) meaning "level, even, peaceful" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Holloway EnglishFrom the name of various English places, derived from Old English
hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and
weg "path, way".
Iglesias SpanishFrom Spanish
iglesia meaning
"church", from Latin
ecclesia (of Greek origin).
Ikeda JapaneseFrom Japanese
池 (ike) meaning "pool, pond" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Imai JapaneseFrom Japanese
今 (ima) meaning "now, present" and
井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".
Inada JapaneseFrom Japanese
稲 (ina) meaning "rice plant" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Inoue JapaneseMeans
"above the well", from Japanese
井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit", an unwritten possessive marker
の (no), and
上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper".
Iwai JapaneseFrom Japanese
岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and
井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".
Iwata JapaneseFrom Japanese
岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Izquierdo SpanishMeans
"left, left-handed" in Spanish, ultimately from Basque
ezker.
Jabłoński m PolishOriginally denoted someone who lived by an apple tree, from Polish
jabłoń meaning
"apple tree".
Jankowski m PolishHabitational name for a person from a town named
Jankowo or
Janków, all derived from the given name
Janek.
Janowski m PolishHabitational name for a person from a town named
Janowo,
Janów or
Janowice, all derived from the given name
Jan 1.
Järvinen FinnishDerived from Finnish
järvi meaning
"lake". It is one of the most common surnames in Finland.
Jaworski m PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various places named
Jawory or
Jaworze, derived from Polish
jawor meaning "maple tree".
Jefferson EnglishMeans
"son of Jeffrey". A famous bearer was American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). Since his surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, it is now more common among the African-American population.
Kaczmarek PolishOccupational name for a person who worked as an innkeeper, derived from Polish
karczma meaning "inn".
Kamiński m PolishFrom Polish
kamień meaning
"stone", a name for a stonecutter or for one who lived at a place with this name.
Kavanagh IrishDerived from the Irish Gaelic name
Caomhánach, which means "a student of saint
Caomhán". It was the name used by a 12th-century king of Leinster, Domhnall Caomhánach, the eldest son of the historic Irish king Diarmait Mac Murchada.
Kennedy IrishFrom the Irish name
Ó Cinnéidigh meaning
"descendant of Cennétig". This surname was borne by assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963).
Kerekes HungarianOccupational name for a maker of wheels, from Hungarian
kerék meaning
"wheel".
Kinnunen FinnishPossibly derived from the Finnish dialectal word
kinni meaning
"animal skin, fur", borrowed from Swedish
skinn.
Korhonen FinnishPossibly from archaic Finnish
korho meaning
"deaf, hard of hearing". This is the most common surname in Finland.
Koszorús HungarianDerived from Hungarian
koszorú meaning
"garland, wreath, girdle", a name for someone who made garlands.
Kowalski m PolishFrom Polish
kowal meaning
"blacksmith". This is the second most common surname in Poland.
Kozłowski m PolishOriginally a name for a person from Kozłów, Kozłowo, or other places with a name derived from Polish
kozioł meaning "male goat".
Kulmala FinnishFrom Finnish
kulma meaning
"corner" with the suffix
-la indicating a place.
Kumięga PolishPossibly from Polish
kum "godfather, friend" or
komięga "raft, barge".
Kurata JapaneseFrom Japanese
倉 (kura) or
蔵 (kura) both meaning "granary, storehouse" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Kwiatkowski m PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various locations named
Kwiatków,
Kwiatkowo or
Kwiatkowice, named from a diminutive of Polish
kwiat meaning "flower".
Labriola ItalianOriginally indicated a person from the town of Abriola in southern Italy.
Lagorio ItalianFrom a nickname derived from Ligurian
lagö, referring to a type of lizard, the European green lizard. This little reptile is respected because it supposedly protects against vipers.
Laguardia ItalianOccupational name meaning
"sentry, sentinel" in Italian, also a locative name referring to a person who lived near a watchtower. Fiorello Laguardia (1882-1947) was the first mayor of New York of Italian origin.
Laterza ItalianFrom the name of the town of Laterza near Taranto in Apulia. It is typical of southern Italy.
Laukkanen FinnishFrom a nickname for a person who took big steps, from Finnish
laukka meaning
"canter, gallop".
Lombardi ItalianOriginally indicated someone who came from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, which was named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who invaded in the 6th century. Their name is derived from the Old German roots
lang "long" and
bart "beard".
Lozano SpanishMeans
"healthy, exuberant, lively" in Spanish, originally used as a nickname for an elegant or haughty person.
Machado Portuguese, SpanishDenoted a person who made or used hatchets, derived from Spanish and Portuguese
machado "hatchet", both from Latin
marculus "little hammer".
MacKenzie ScottishAnglicized form of Gaelic
MacCoinnich meaning
"son of Coinneach". It originates from the Kintail area of Scotland on the northwest coast.
Madison EnglishMeans
"son of Maud". A famous bearer of this surname was the fourth American president James Madison (1751-1836).
Maeda JapaneseFrom Japanese
前 (mae) meaning "front, forward" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Magalhães PortugueseDenoted a person hailing from one of the numerous minor places of this name in Portugal, possibly of Celtic origin. A notable bearer was the Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães (1480-1521), normally called Ferdinand Magellan in English.
Majewski m PolishDerived from Polish
maj meaning
"May". It may have been given in reference to the month the bearer was baptized.
Mallory EnglishFrom Old French
maloret meaning
"unfortunate, unlucky", a term introduced to England by the Normans.
Marchesi ItalianFrom 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.
Masterson EnglishPatronymic derived from Middle English
maister meaning
"master", via Old French from Latin
magister.
Mercado SpanishMeans
"market" in Spanish, originally given to a person who lived near a market or worked in one.
Messina ItalianFrom the name of the Sicilian city of Messina, founded by Greek colonists. The city was named after the Greek city
Μεσσήνη (Messene).