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.
Aguilera SpanishFrom a place name that was derived from Spanish
aguilera meaning
"eagle's nest". A famous bearer is American singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).
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 m CzechDerived from Czech
beran meaning
"ram, male sheep".
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".
Botterill EnglishProbably indicated someone from the town of Les Bottereaux in Normandy, itself derived from Old French
bot "toad".
Bouvier FrenchMeans
"cowherd" in French, from Latin
boviarus, a derivative of
bos "cow".
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.
Cervantes SpanishPossibly from Old Spanish
servanto meaning
"servant" or
ciervo meaning
"stag". A famous bearer was the Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).
Chevalier FrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
chevalier meaning
"knight", from Late Latin
caballarius "horseman", Latin
caballus "horse".
Chevrolet FrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning
"goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
Cock EnglishDerived from the medieval nickname
cok meaning
"rooster, cock". The nickname was commonly added to given names to create diminutives such as
Hancock or
Alcock.
Cockburn Scottish, EnglishOriginally indicated someone who came from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. The place name is derived from Old English
cocc "rooster" and
burna "stream".
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.
Conroy IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Conaire, which means
"descendant of Conaire".
Conaire is a nickname meaning "hound keeper".
Corvi ItalianNickname derived from Italian
corvo meaning
"crow".
Ćosić Croatian, SerbianFrom Croatian and Serbian
ćosav "beardless", ultimately from Persian
کوسه (kūseh) meaning "shark".
Cowden EnglishFrom various English place names, which meaning either "coal valley", "coal hill" or "cow pasture" in Old English.
Crawford EnglishFrom a place name derived from Old English
crawe "crow" and
ford "river crossing". A notable bearer was the American actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur.
Darby EnglishFrom the name of the English town
Derby, derived from Old Norse
djúr "animal" and
býr "farm, settlement".
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".
Dumbledore LiteratureFrom the dialectal English word
dumbledore meaning
"bumblebee". It was used by J. K. Rowling for the headmaster of Hogwarts in her
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.
Falco ItalianDerived from Italian
falco "falcon". The name was used to denote a falconer or a person who resembled a falcon in some way.
Falstaff LiteratureThe name of a buffoonish character, John Falstaff, appearing in four of William Shakespeare's plays. He is the central character in
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1602). Shakespeare probably adapted it from the surname of John Fastolf, a 15th-century knight. The medieval surname Fastolf, no longer in use, was derived from the Norse given name
Fastúlfr.
Finch English, LiteratureFrom the name of the bird, from Old English
finc. It was used by Harper Lee for the surname of lawyer Atticus Finch and his children in her novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).
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.
Gama PortugueseProbably from a place name derived from Portuguese
gama meaning
"fallow deer doe", from Latin
gammus.
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.
Geier GermanMeans
"vulture" in German, a nickname for a greedy person.
Geissler 2 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" or
hær "rock, heap of stones" 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.
Hartley EnglishHabitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Hartley, from Old English
heorot "hart, male deer" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
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
hafoc "hawk".
Hawking EnglishFrom a diminutive of
Hawk. A famous bearer was the British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018).
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".
Hummel 2 German, DutchNickname for a busy person, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch
hommel, Middle High German
hummel, all meaning
"bee".
Jeż PolishMeans
"hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.
Jughashvili Georgian (Rare)Meaning uncertain. One theory suggests Ossetian roots with the meaning
"son of the herder", derived from Ossetian
дзуг (dzug) meaning "herd, flock, troop". Alternately, it could be derived from the name of the village of
ჯუღაანი (Jughaani) in eastern Georgia. The most notable bearer was Joseph Stalin (1878-1953), born Ioseb Jughashvili, a leader of the Soviet Union.
Kalb GermanOccupational name meaning
"calf (animal)" in German.
Kalbfleisch GermanOccupational name for a butcher who dealt in veal, from German
kalb meaning "calf" and
fleisch meaning "meat".
Katırcı TurkishDerived from Turkish
katır meaning
"mule", a name for a person who made transports by mule.
Kazlow m BelarusianDerived 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 m RussianDerived from Russian
козёл (kozyol) meaning
"male goat", probably used to denote a goatherd.
Kozłowski m 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.
Lamb EnglishFrom the name of the animal, perhaps a nickname for a shy person.
Leach EnglishOriginally indicated a person who was a physician, from the medieval practice of using leeches to bleed people of ills.
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.
Lyall ScottishFrom the Old Norse given name
Liulfr, which was derived in part from
úlfr "wolf".
Lyon 2 English, FrenchFrom a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English
lion meaning
"lion".
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", from Latin
mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German
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.
McCullough IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Mac Cú Uladh meaning
"son of Cú Uladh". The byname
Cú Uladh means "hound of Ulster". This surname has also been associated with Old Irish
cullach "boar".
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 m CzechFrom a nickname derived from Czech
myš meaning
"mouse".
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".
Pavone ItalianMeans
"peacock" in Italian. It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.
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.
Picasso ItalianFrom 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.
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.
Rapp 2 GermanFrom Middle High German
raben meaning
"raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.
Ratti ItalianFrom Italian
ratto meaning
"rat", originally denoting a sly individual.
Ravn DanishMeans
"raven" in Danish, from Old Norse
hrafn.
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".
Roach EnglishFrom Middle English and Old French
roche meaning
"rock", from Late Latin
rocca, a word that may be of Celtic origin. It indicated a person who lived near a prominent rock, or who came from a town by this name (such as Les Roches in Normandy).
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
hriðer meaning "cattle, ox" and
ford meaning "ford, river crossing".
Şahin TurkishMeans
"hawk" in Turkish (of Persian origin), probably used to refer to someone who was a hawk tamer.
Schwangau GermanFrom the name of a town in southern Germany, possibly related to German
Schwan meaning "swan".
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
sitheach meaning
"wolf" (Old Irish
sídach).
Shepherd EnglishOccupational name meaning
"shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English
sceaphyrde.
Sokol mu Slovak, Czech, JewishFrom Czech and Slovak
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".
Swallow EnglishFrom the name of the bird, from Old English
swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.
Swift EnglishNickname for a quick person, from Old English
swift.
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".
Szarka HungarianFrom Hungarian
szarka meaning
"magpie", often used as a euphemistic term for a thief.
Teke 2 TurkishOccupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish
teke "goat".
Tiraboschi ItalianPossibly of Lombardic origin meaning
"shepherd" (from Old German
tior "animal" and
bursa "boy"). This surname is typical of Lombardy.
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.
Van Bokhoven DutchMeans
"from Bokhoven", a small town in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It means "goat yards" in Dutch.
Van Herten DutchMeans
"from Herten", a small town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The town's name comes from Dutch
herten, the plural of
hert meaning "deer".
Vieira PortugueseDenoted a person who came from a Portuguese town by this name, derived from
vieria meaning
"scallop". The scallop was a symbol of Saint James, and was traditionally worn by pilgrims to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
Villalobos SpanishHabitational name for 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 German, JewishFrom a nickname for a carefree person, derived from German
Wald meaning "forest" and
Vogel meaning "bird". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Warren 1 EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a warren, from Norman French
warrene meaning
"animal enclosure" (of Germanic origin).
Weasley LiteratureUsed by J. K. Rowling for the character of Ron Weasley (and other members of his family) in her
Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. Rowling presumably derived it from the English word
weasel, perhaps in combination with the common place name/surname suffix
-ley, which is derived from Old English
leah meaning "woodland, clearing".
Wieczorek PolishFrom a nickname meaning
"bat" in Polish, ultimately from
wieczór meaning "evening".
Wilbur EnglishFrom the nickname
Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.
Witherspoon EnglishOriginally given to a person who dwelt near a sheep enclosure, from Middle English
wether "sheep" and
spong "strip of land".
Wolf German, EnglishFrom Middle High German or Middle English
wolf meaning
"wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.
Żbikowski m PolishFrom Polish towns named
Żbikowice or
Żbików, which are derived from
żbik meaning "wildcat".