BurkeEnglish, Irish Derived from Middle English burgh meaning "fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.
Burns 1English, Scottish Derived from Old English burna"stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).
CameronScottish Means "crooked nose" from Gaelic cam "crooked" and sròn "nose".
CampbellScottish From a Gaelic nickname cam beul meaning "wry or crooked mouth". The surname was later represented in Latin documents as de bello campo meaning "of the fair field".
CareyIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ciardha meaning "descendant of Ciardha".
ChambersEnglish From Old French chambre meaning "chamber, room", an occupational name for a person who worked in the inner rooms of a mansion.
CookEnglish Derived from Old English coc meaning "cook", ultimately from Latin coquus. It was an occupational name for a cook, a man who sold cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house.
CooperEnglish Means "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.
Duffy 1Irish Derived from Irish Ó Dubhthaigh meaning "descendant of Dubthach". Their original homeland was Monaghan where the surname is still the most common; they are also from Donegal and Roscommon.
DunbarScottish From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and barr meaning "summit", so called from its situation on a rock that projects into the sea.
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 are the American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and the singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
MasonEnglish Occupational name for a stoneworker or layer of bricks, from Old French masson, of Frankish origin (akin to Old English macian "to make").
McKinleyScottish Anglicized form of MacFhionnlaigh. This name was borne by the American president William McKinley (1843-1901), who was assassinated.
NashEnglish Derived from the Middle English phrase atten ash"at the ash tree". A famous bearer was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).
PalmerEnglish Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
PopeEnglish 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".
RoachEnglish From 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).
SantanaSpanish, Portuguese From any of the numerous places named after Saint Anna. A famous bearer is the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-).
SauterGerman Occupational name for a cobbler, from Latin sutor"sewer, cobbler".
SmithEnglish Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).
StarrEnglish From Middle English sterre meaning "star". This was usually a nickname, but it could also occasionally be a sign name from the name of an inn called the Star.
TaylorEnglish Derived from Old French tailleur meaning "tailor", ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut".
ThorntonEnglish From any of the various places in England by this name, meaning "thorn town" in Old English.
TuckerEnglish Occupational name for a fuller of cloth, derived from Old English tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.
Ward 1English Derived from Old English weard meaning "guard, guardian".
WattsEnglish Patronymic derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter.
WebbEnglish Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".
WeissGerman, Yiddish From Middle High German wiz or Yiddish װייַס (vais) meaning "white". This was originally a nickname for a person with white hair or skin.
WestEnglish, German Denoted a person who lived to the west of something, or who came from the west.
WhiteEnglish Originally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English hwit"white".