AGNELLI ItalianFrom Italian
agnello meaning
"lamb" (ultimately from Latin
agnus), denoting a pious or timid person.
AGNUSDEI ItalianFrom Latin
Agnus Dei meaning
"lamb of God". This was a nickname for someone who was particularly religious or someone who wore this symbol.
BAGLEY EnglishFrom various English place names, all derived from Old English
bagga "bag, badger" combined with
leah "woodland, clearing".
BÄHR GermanFrom Middle High German
bër "bear" or
ber "boar". This was originally a nickname for a strong or brave person.
BARLOW EnglishDerived from a number of English place names that variously mean "barley hill", "barn hill", "boar clearing" or "barley clearing".
BERAN CzechDerived from Czech
beran meaning
"ram".
BEST (1) EnglishDerived from Middle English
beste meaning
"beast", an occupational name for a keeper of animals or a nickname for someone who acted like a beast. A famous bearer of this surname was soccer legend George Best (1946-2005).
BIEBER German, JewishFrom Middle High German
biber meaning
"beaver", possibly a nickname for a hard worker.
BIRD EnglishOccupational name for a person who raised or hunted birds.
BLAKESLEY EnglishFrom the name of a town in Northamptonshire, itself meaning "Blæcwulf's meadow" in Old English.
Blæcwulf is a byname meaning "black wolf".
BOVE ItalianDerived from an Italian nickname meaning
"bull, ox".
BROCK EnglishDerived from Old English
brocc meaning
"badger", ultimately of Celtic origin.
BUCKLEY (2) IrishFrom Irish
Ó Buachalla meaning
"descendant of Buachaill", a nickname meaning "cowherd, servant".
BULL EnglishFrom a nickname for a person who acted like a bull.
BUSTO Spanish, ItalianFrom the name of towns in Spain and Italy, derived from Late Latin
bustum meaning "ox pasture".
CABRAL PortugueseFrom places named from Late Latin
capralis meaning
"place of goats", derived from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
CABRERA SpanishFrom various place names derived from Late Latin
capraria meaning
"place of goats", from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
CAVALLO ItalianMeans
"horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.
CHEVALIER FrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
chevalier meaning
"knight", itself from
cheval meaning "horse", ultimately from Latin
caballus.
CHEVROLET FrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning
"goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
COELHO PortugueseFrom the Portuguese word for
"rabbit", either a nickname or an occupational name referring to a hunter or seller of rabbits.
COJOCARU RomanianFrom Romanian
cojoc meaning
"sheepskin coat". This was an occupational name for a maker of these coats.
COLT EnglishOccupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English
colt.
COWDEN EnglishFrom various English place names, which meaning either "coal valley", "coal hill" or "cow pasture" in Old English.
DARBY EnglishFrom the name of the town
Derby meaning "deer farm" in Old Norse.
DEERING EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Deora meaning "dear, beloved".
DI CAPRIO ItalianFrom the name of the island of Capri near Naples, itself possibly derived from Latin
capra meaning "goat" or Greek
κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar".
FOX EnglishFrom the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.
FUCHS GermanFrom Old High German
fuhs meaning
"fox". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
GAGNON FrenchDerived from old French
gagnon "guard dog". The name most likely originated as a nickname for an aggressive or cruel person.
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.
GATTI ItalianMeans
"cat" in Italian, originally a nickname for an agile person.
GEISSLER GermanOccupational name for a goat herder, from southern German
Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix
ler signifying an occupation.
GUJIĆ BosnianMeans
"son of a snake" from the Bosnian word
guja meaning "snake".
HARDEN EnglishFrom a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.
HARFORD EnglishHabitational name from places called Harford in Gloucestershire and Devon, meaning "hart ford" or "army ford".
HARLAND EnglishFrom various place names meaning
"hare land" in Old English.
HARLEY EnglishDerived from a place name meaning "hare clearing", from Old English
hara "hare" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
HART EnglishMeans
"male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.
HASE GermanFrom Middle High German and Middle Low German
hase meaning
"hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.
HASENKAMP GermanFrom a northern German place name meaning
"rabbit field", from Old Saxon
haso "hare" and
kamp "field" (from Latin
campus).
HAWK EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English
heafoc "hawk".
HERSCHEL German, JewishDiminutive form of
HIRSCH (1) or
HIRSCH (2). A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.
HIRSCH (1) GermanMeans
"deer, hart" in German. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a deer in some way, or who raised or hunted deer.
HOGGARD EnglishOccupational name meaning
"pig herder", from Old English
hogg "hog" and
hierde "herdsman, guardian".
HORSFALL EnglishFrom a minor place in Yorkshire derived from Old English
hors "horse" and
fall "clearing".
HOWARD (2) EnglishOccupational name meaning
"ewe herder", from Old English
eowu "ewe" and
hierde "herdsman, guardian".
JELEN CzechFrom a nickname meaning "stag" in Czech.
JEŻ PolishMeans
"hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.
KALB GermanOccupational name meaning
"calf (animal)" in German.
KATIRCI TurkishDerived from Turkish
katır meaning
"mule", a name for a person who made transports by mule.
KAZLOW BelarusianPatronymic from Belarusian
казёл (kaziol) meaning
"male goat", probably used to denote a goatherd.
KECSKEMÉTI HungarianOriginally indicated a person who came from the Hungarian city of Kecskemét, derived from
kecske meaning "goat".
KELLOGG EnglishOccupational name for a pig butcher, from Middle English
killen "to kill" and
hog "pig, swine, hog".
KIDD EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"young goat, kid" in Middle English, of Old Norse origin.
KOZIOŁ PolishMeans
"male goat" in Polish, probably used to denote a goatherd.
KOZLOV RussianPatronymic from Russian
козёл (kozyol) meaning
"male goat", probably used to denote a goatherd.
KOZŁOWSKI PolishOriginally a name for a person from Kozłów, Kozłowo, or other places with a name derived from Polish
kozioł meaning "male goat".
KREBS GermanMeans
"crab" in German, perhaps a nickname for a person with a crab-like walk.
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.
LEEUWENHOEK DutchMeans
"lion's corner" in Dutch. The first bearer of this name lived on the corner (Dutch
hoek) of the Lion's Gate (Dutch
Leeuwenpoort) in the city of Delft.
LIS PolishMeans
"fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.
LOWELL EnglishFrom a nickname derived from a Norman French
lou meaning
"wolf" and a diminutive suffix.
MACCARRICK IrishMeans
"son of Cúcharraige" in Irish. The given name
Cúcharraige is composed of
cú "hound" and
carraig "rock".
MARKEY IrishFrom the Irish
Ó Marcaigh meaning
"descendant of Marcach", a given name meaning "horse rider".
MARSHALL EnglishDerived from Middle English
mareschal "marshal", ultimately from Germanic
marah "horse" and
scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.
MAUS GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"mouse", from Old High German
mus.
MCNAMARA IrishFrom Irish
Mac Conmara meaning
"son of Conmara". The given name
Conmara is composed of
cú "hound" and
muir "sea".
MUTTON EnglishReferred to a shepherd or else someone who in some way resembled a sheep, derived from Norman French
mouton "sheep".
MYŠKA CzechFrom nickname derived from Czech
myš meaning
"mouse".
Ó HEACHTHIGHEARNA IrishMeans
"descendant of Eichthighearn", where the personal name
Eichthighearn means "horse lord" in Gaelic.
Ó MADAIDHÍN IrishMeans
"descendant of Madaihín", a given name derived from Irish
madadh meaning "dog, mastiff".
ORSINI ItalianFrom a nickname meaning
"little bear" in Italian, from Latin
ursus "bear".
PADMORE EnglishOriginally indicated a person from Padmore in England, derived from Old English
padde "toad" and
mor "moor, marsh".
PEACOCK EnglishFrom Middle English
pecok meaning
"peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
PECORA ItalianMeans
"sheep" in Italian, an occupational name for a shepherd.
PORCHER English, FrenchMeans
"swineherd" from Old French and Middle English
porchier, from Latin
porcus "pig".
POUND EnglishOccupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English
pund "animal enclosure".
PROTZ GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".
PURCELL EnglishFrom Old French
pourcel "piglet", from Latin
porcellus, a derivative of
porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.
RATTI ItalianFrom Italian
ratto meaning
"rat", originally denoting a sly individual.
READ (2) EnglishFrom Old English
ryd, an unattested form of
rod meaning
"cleared land". It is also derived from various English place names with various meanings, including "roe headland", "reeds" and "brushwood".
REY (2) EnglishMeans
"female roe deer" from Old English
ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.
RICCI ItalianFrom Italian
riccio meaning
"curly", a nickname for someone with curly hair. It is ultimately from Latin
ericius meaning "hedgehog".
ROSCOE EnglishFrom the name of a town in Lancashire, derived from Old Norse
rá "roebuck" and
skógr "wood, forest".
RUTHERFORD ScottishFrom the name of places in southern Scotland and northern England, derived from Old English
hryðer meaning "cattle, ox" and
ford meaning "ford, river crossing".
SERPICO ItalianFrom a nickname derived from Italian
serpe "serpent, reptile".
SEWARD (2) EnglishMeans
"swineherd" from Old English
su "sow, female pig" and
hierde "herdsman, guardian".
SHAW (2) ScottishFrom a given name or byname that was derived from Gaelic
sithech meaning
"wolf".
SHEPHERD EnglishOccupational name meaning
"shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English
sceaphyrde.
SOBOL Russian, Ukrainian, JewishOccupational name for a fur trader, from the Slavic word
soboli meaning
"sable, marten". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
SOKOL Czech, JewishFrom Czech
sokol meaning
"falcon", a nickname or an occupational name for a falconer. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
STEED EnglishOccupational name for one who tended horses, derived from Middle English
steed, in turn derived from Old English
steda meaning "stallion".
STODDARD EnglishOccupational name for a horse keeper, from Old English
stod "stallion, stud" and
hierde "herder".
STRICKLAND EnglishFrom the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from Old English
stirc "calf, young bullock" and
land "cultivated land".
SWINDLEHURST EnglishFrom the place name
Swinglehurst in the Forest of Bowland in central Lancashire, derived from Old English
swin "swine, pig",
hyll "hill" and
hyrst "wood, grove".
TEKE (2) TurkishOccupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish
teke "goat".
TODD EnglishMeans
"fox", derived from Middle English
todde.
TUPPER EnglishOccupational name for a herdsman, derived from Middle English
toupe "ram".
VACCA ItalianMeans
"cow" in Italian, originally denoting a person who worked with cattle.
VILLALOBOS SpanishDenoted a person from the town of Villalobos, Spain, which is derived from Spanish
villa "town" and
lobo "wolf".
VOGEL German, DutchFrom Old High German and Old Dutch
fogal meaning
"bird". It was originally an occupational name for a bird catcher, or a nickname for a person who liked to sing.
VOSS GermanFrom Middle Low German
vos meaning
"fox". It was originally a nickname for a clever person or a person with red hair.
WALDVOGEL JewishOrnamental name derived from German
Wald meaning "forest" and
Vogel meaning "bird".
WOLF German, EnglishFrom Middle High German or Middle English
wolf meaning
"wolf", or else from a Germanic given name beginning with this element.