BrownEnglish Originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin. A notable bearer is Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.
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".
CarsonScottish Meaning uncertain, possibly from the town of Courson in Normandy.
ChandlerEnglish Occupational name meaning "candle seller" or "candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin candela via Old French.
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-).
ColbyEnglish From various English place names, which were derived from the Old Norse nickname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "town".
Collins 1Irish Anglicized form of Ó Coileáin. A famous bearer was Michael Collins, an Irish nationalist leader who was assassinated in 1922.
EmersonEnglish Means "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.
FinchEnglish, Literature From 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).
GageFrench, English Occupational name derived either from Old French jauge"measure" (a name for an assayer) or gage"pledge, payment" (a name for a moneylender). Both words were ultimately of Frankish origin.
GordonScottish From the name of a place in Berwickshire, Scotland, derived from Brythonic words meaning "spacious fort".
GrayEnglish From a nickname for a person who had grey hair or grey clothes.
JeffersEnglish Patronymic from the given name Jeffrey. A famous bearer was poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962).
JohnsonEnglish Means "son of John". Famous bearers include American presidents Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).
Kelly 1Irish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Ceallaigh meaning "descendant of Ceallach". Famous bearers include actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).
KernerGerman Derived from Old High German kerno"seed", an occupational name for one who sold or planted seeds.
LangfordEnglish From any of various places in England with this name, derived from Old English lang "long" and ford "ford, river crossing".
MarshEnglish Originally denoted one who lived near a marsh or bog, derived from Old English mersc"marsh".
MarshallEnglish Derived 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.
McMillanScottish Anglicized form of Gaelic MacMhaoilein meaning "son of Maolan", itself meaning "devotee, servant, tonsured one".
MillerEnglish Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".
Moore 1English Originally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English mor meaning "open land, bog".
RiversEnglish Denoted a person who lived near a river, from Middle English, from Old French riviere meaning "river", from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".
SpaldingEnglish From the name of the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire, derived from the Anglo-Saxon tribe of the Spaldingas.
StanleyEnglish From various place names meaning "stone clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer was the British-American explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904).
TaylorEnglish Derived from Old French tailleur meaning "tailor", ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut".