Surnames Categorized "English adjectives"

This is a list of surnames in which the categories include English adjectives.
usage
Bass English
English cognate of Basso.
Bayer German
Originally denoted a person from Bavaria, from its German name Bayern.
Best 1 English
Derived 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).
Black English
Means either "black" (from Old English blæc) or "pale" (from Old English blac). It could refer to a person with a pale or a dark complexion, or a person who worked with black dye.
Blue English
From a nickname for a person with blue eyes or blue clothing.
Brasher English
Means "brass worker", derived from Old English bræs "brass".
Brown English
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.
Brunet French
From a diminutive of French brun meaning "brown".
Clement English
Derived from the given name Clement.
Close English
From Middle English clos meaning "enclosure", a topographic name for someone who lived near a courtyard or farmyard.
Coy English
Means "quiet, shy, coy" from Middle English coi.
Crisp English
English cognate of Crespo.
Durant English, French
Variation of Durand.
Elder English
Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.
English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.
Foster 4 English
Nickname given to a person who was a foster child or foster parent.
Frank 1 English
Derived from the given name Frank.
Frank 2 English
From Old English franc meaning "free".
French English
Originally denoted a French person, from Middle English Frensch, Old English Frencisc.
Fried German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.
Fuller English
Occupational name for a fuller, a person who thickened and cleaned coarse cloth by pounding it. It is derived via Middle English from Latin fullo.
Gentile Italian
From a nickname meaning "gentle, kind" in Italian.
Gold English, German, Jewish
From Old English and Old High German gold meaning "gold", an occupational name for someone who worked with gold or a nickname for someone with yellow hair. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Good English
From a nickname meaning "good", referring to a kindly person.
Gray English
From a nickname for a person who had grey hair or grey clothes.
Green English
Descriptive name for someone who often wore the colour green or someone who lived near the village green.
Grey English
Variant of Gray.
Gross German
Variant of Groß.
Grosser German
Variant of Groß.
Haggard English
From a nickname meaning "wild, untamed, worn", from Old French, ultimately from a Germanic root.
Hale English
Derived from Old English halh meaning "nook, recess, hollow".
Hardy English, French
From Old French and Middle English hardi meaning "bold, daring, hardy", from the Germanic root *harduz.
Keen English
From Old English cene meaning "bold, brave".
Key 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.
Lacy English
Variant of Lacey.
Lee 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".
Little English
Meaning simply "little", it was originally a nickname given to a short person.
Long English
Originally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.
Low English
Variant of Law.
North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.
Pesty Hungarian
Variant of Pesti.
Pinto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
Means "mottled" in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, derived from Late Latin pinctus, Latin pictus "painted".
Power 1 English, Irish
From Old French Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.
Quick English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".
Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".
Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).
Salmon English, French
Derived from the given name Solomon.
Savage English
English nickname meaning "wild, uncouth", derived from Old French salvage or sauvage meaning "untamed", ultimately from Latin silvaticus meaning "wild, from the woods".
Senior English
Originally a name for the elder of two brothers.
Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".
Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.
Short English
From a nickname for a short person, from Middle English schort.
Silver English
From a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English seolfor "silver".
Small English
From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.
Snider English
Variant of Snyder.
Solo Basque
Means "rural estate" in Basque.
Stark English, German
From a nickname meaning "strong, rigid", from Old English stearc or Old High German stark.
Sterling Scottish
Derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning.
Stern 1 English
From Old English styrne meaning "stern, severe". This was used as a nickname for someone who was stern, harsh, or severe in manner or character.
Stone English
Name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English stan.
Strange English
Derived from Middle English strange meaning "foreign", ultimately from Latin extraneus.
Strong English
Nickname derived from Middle English strong or strang meaning "strong".
Sweet English
From a nickname meaning "sweet, pleasant", from Old English swete.
Swift English
Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.
Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.
Tanner English
Occupational name for a person who tanned animal hides, from Old English tannian "to tan", itself from Late Latin and possibly ultimately of Celtic origin.
Traverse French
French variant of Travers.
Ware 2 English
From the Middle English nickname ware meaning "wary, astute, prudent".
West English, German
Denoted a person who lived to the west of something, or who came from the west.
White English
Originally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English hwit "white".
Wild English, German
Means "wild, untamed, uncontrolled", derived from Old English wilde. This was either a nickname for a person who behaved in a wild manner or a topographic name for someone who lived on overgrown land.
Young English
Derived from Old English geong meaning "young". This was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.