BuchananScottish From the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.
BushEnglish Originally a name for a person who lived near a prominent bush or thicket.
CarterEnglish Occupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).
ClevelandEnglish Derived from a place name meaning "cliff land" in Old English.
ClintonEnglish Derived from the English place name Glinton, of uncertain meaning, or Glympton, meaning "settlement on the River Glyme". This surname is borne by former American president Bill Clinton (1946-).
FordEnglish Name given to someone who lived by a ford, possibly the official who maintained it. A famous bearer was the American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947).
GarfieldEnglish Means "triangle field" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president James A. Garfield (1831-1881).
GrantEnglish, Scottish Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).
HardingEnglish Derived from the given name Heard. A famous bearer was American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).
Hayes 1English From various English place names that were derived from Old English hæg meaning "enclosure, fence". A famous bearer was American President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893).
JacksonEnglish Means "son of Jack". Famous bearers of this name include the American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and the singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
JeffersonEnglish Means "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.
JohnsonEnglish Means "son of John". Famous bearers include American presidents Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).
KennedyIrish From the Irish name Ó Cinnéidigh meaning "descendant of Cennétig". This surname was borne by assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963).
LincolnEnglish Originally indicated that the bearer was from the English city of Lincoln, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". A famous bearer was Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.
MadisonEnglish Means "son of Maud". A famous bearer of this surname was the fourth American president James Madison (1751-1836).
McKinleyScottish Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh. This name was borne by the American president William McKinley (1843-1901), who was assassinated.
MonroeScottish Anglicized (typically American) form of Munro. It was borne by the American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).
NixonEnglish Means "son of Nick". A famous bearer was the American president Richard Nixon (1913-1994).
ObamaLuo From a rare Luo given name meaning "crooked, bent". It was possibly originally given to a baby who had an arm or leg that looked slightly bent immediately after birth or who was born in the breech position.
ReaganIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Riagáin meaning "descendant of Riagán". A famous bearer was the American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
RooseveltDutch Means "rose field" from Dutch roos "rose" and veld "field". This was the surname of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).
TaylorEnglish Derived from Old French tailleur meaning "tailor", ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut".
TrumanEnglish Means "trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).
TrumpGerman Derived from Middle High German trumbe meaning "drum". This surname is borne by the American president Donald Trump (1946-).
TylerEnglish Occupational name for a tiler of roofs, derived from Old English tigele "tile". A famous bearer of this name was American president John Tyler (1790-1862).
Van BurenDutch Means "from Buren", a small town on the island of Ameland in the north of the Netherlands, as well as a small city in the Dutch province Gelderland. The place names derive from Old Dutch bur meaning "house, dwelling". In the 16th century the countess Anna van Buren married William of Orange, the founder of the Dutch royal family. A famous bearer of this surname was Martin van Buren (1782-1862), the eighth President of the United States.
WashingtonEnglish From a place name meaning "settlement belonging to Wassa's people", from the given name Wassa and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". A famous bearer was George Washington (1732-1799), the first president of the United States. This surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, resulting in a high proportion of African-American bearers.
WilsonEnglish Means "son of Will". A famous bearer was the American president Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924).