Noel French, EnglishEither from the given name
Noël, or else derived directly from Old French
noel "Christmas" and given to a person who had a particular connection with the holiday.
Nogueira Portuguese, GalicianFrom Portuguese and Galician
nogueira meaning
"walnut tree", from the Late Latin
nucarius, ultimately from Latin
nux meaning "nut".
O KoreanAlternate transcription of Korean Hangul
오 (see
Oh).
Oakley EnglishFrom a place name meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. It was borne by American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).
Ojeda SpanishFrom the name of the Ojeda river in Soria, Spain, possibly derived from Latin
folia "leaves".
Ortega SpanishFrom a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) derived from
ortiga "nettle".
Ortiz SpanishMeans
"son of Orti", a byname deriving either from Latin
fortis meaning "brave, strong" or
fortunius meaning "fortunate".
Pace ItalianDerived from the Italian given name
Pace meaning
"peace".
Page English, FrenchOccupational name meaning
"servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek
παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".
Paisley ScottishFrom the name of a town near Glasgow, which may ultimately be derived from Latin
basilica "church".
Palmer EnglishMeans
"pilgrim", ultimately from Latin
palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.
Parish 1 EnglishOriginally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, which got its name from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii.
Park 1 KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
樸 or 朴 (bak) meaning
"plain, unadorned, simple". This is the third most common surname in South Korea.
Park 2 EnglishFrom Middle English
park, from Latin
parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.
Paxton EnglishFrom an English place name meaning "Pœcc's town".
Pœcc is an Old English name of unknown meaning.
Payne EnglishFrom a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin
paganus meaning
"heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.
Paz SpanishMeans
"peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.
Peak EnglishOriginally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English
peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.
Pei ChineseFrom Chinese
裴 (péi), possibly referring to an ancient city.
Peña SpanishOriginally denoted a person who lived near a jutting rock, from Spanish
peña meaning
"rock, cliff".
Peng ChineseFrom Chinese
彭 (péng) referring to the ancient state of Peng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Jiangsu province.
Phạm VietnameseVietnamese form of
Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese
范 (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.
Picard FrenchOriginally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French
pic meaning "pike, spike".
Porsche GermanPossibly derived from German
Bursche meaning
"boy, servant" or from the given name
Boris.
Power 1 English, IrishFrom Old French
Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.
Preston EnglishOriginally derived from various place names meaning
"priest town" in Old English.
Putin m RussianFrom Russian
путь (put) meaning
"road, path". This surname is borne by the Russian president Vladimir Putin (1952-).
Putnam EnglishFrom
Puttenham, the name of towns in Hertfordshire and Surrey in England, which mean "Putta's homestead".
Quigley IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Coigligh meaning
"descendant of Coigleach", a given name meaning "untidy".
Quincy EnglishOriginally from various place names in Normandy that were derived from the given name
Quintus.
Quiñones SpanishFrom various Spanish place names derived from
quiñón meaning
"shared piece of land", derived from Latin
quinque "five".
Quiroga GalicianOriginally denoted a person from the town of Quiroga in Galicia, Spain.
Raines EnglishOriginally denoted a person from Rayne, Essex, England (possibly from an Old English word meaning "shelter") or from Rennes, Brittany, France (from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones).
Rake EnglishOriginally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English
hrace meaning
"throat, gorge".
Ramos SpanishOriginally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin
ramus meaning
"branch".
Ramsey English, ScottishMeans
"garlic island", derived from Old English
hramsa "garlic" and
eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.
Read 1 EnglishMeans
"red" from Middle English
read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.
Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, CatalanMeans
"king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin
rex (genitive
regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.
Rhodes EnglishTopographic name derived from Old English
rod meaning
"cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.
Richter GermanMeans
"judge" in German, from Middle High German
rihtære.
Ridge EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a ridge, from Old English
hrycg.
Rigby EnglishOriginally derived from the name of a town in Lancashire, itself from Old Norse
hryggr "ridge" and
býr "farm, settlement".
Ripley EnglishFrom the name of various English towns, from Old English
rippel "grove, thicket" and
leah "woodland, clearing". A notable fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley from the movie
Alien (1979) and its sequels.
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).
Rodney EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"Hroda's island" in Old English (where
Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame").
Rose 1 English, French, German, JewishMeans
"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).
Roth German, JewishFrom Middle High German
rot meaning
"red". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
Rounds EnglishPatronymic derived from Middle English
rond meaning
"round, plump", ultimately from Latin
rotundus.
Roux FrenchDerived from Old French
ros meaning
"red", from Latin
russus, a nickname for a red-haired person.
Rowe 1 EnglishMeans
"row" in Middle English, indicating a dweller by a row of hedges or houses.
Royce EnglishOriginally derived from the medieval given name
Royse, a variant of
Rose.
Rubio SpanishNickname for a person with red hair, from Latin
rubeus "red".
Rush EnglishIndicated a person who lived near rushes, the grasslike plant that grows in a marsh, from Old English
rysc.
Ryba um Polish, CzechMeans
"fish" in Polish and Czech, an occupational name for a fisher.
Ryder EnglishOccupational name for a mounted warrior, from Old English
ridere meaning
"rider".
Şahin TurkishMeans
"hawk" in Turkish (of Persian origin), probably used to refer to someone who was a hawk tamer.
Šarić Croatian, SerbianPatronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian
šaren meaning
"colourful, patterned".
Sauer GermanMeans
"sour" in German, a nickname for an embittered or cantankerous person.
Sauter GermanOccupational name for a cobbler, from Latin
sutor "sewer, cobbler".
Sawyer EnglishOccupational name meaning
"sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English
sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
Saylor EnglishOccupational name meaning
"acrobat, dancer", derived from Old French
sailleor, from Latin
sallitor.
Schmidt GermanOccupational name derived from Middle High German
smit "smith, metalworker", a cognate of
Smith.
Schofield EnglishFrom various northern English place names, which were derived from Old Norse
skáli "hut" and Old English
feld "field".
Schuler GermanMeans
"scholar, student" in German, ultimately from Latin
schola meaning "school".
Schulz GermanOccupational name derived from Middle High German
schultheiße meaning
"mayor, judge".
Scriven EnglishOccupational name meaning
"writer, clerk, scribe" in Old French, derived from Latin
scriba.
Sexton EnglishOccupational name for a sexton (Middle English
sexteyn), a caretaker for a church or graveyard.
Shaw 1 EnglishOriginally given to a person who lived near a prominent thicket, from Old English
sceaga meaning
"thicket, copse".
Shelton EnglishFrom the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.
Shen ChineseFrom Chinese
申 (shēn) referring to the ancient state of Shen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Sheridan IrishFrom the Irish name
Ó Sirideáin meaning
"descendant of Sirideán". The given name
Sirideán possibly means "searcher".
Sherman 1 EnglishMeans
"shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.
Shirley EnglishFrom an English place name, derived from Old English
scir "bright" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Short EnglishFrom a nickname for a short person, from Middle English
schort.
Sidney EnglishOriginally derived from various place names in England meaning "wide island", from Old English
sid "wide" and
eg "island". Another theory holds that it comes from the name of a town in Normandy called "Saint
Denis", though evidence for this is lacking.
Silva Portuguese, SpanishFrom Spanish or Portuguese
silva meaning
"forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.
Silver EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English
seolfor "silver".
Slade EnglishDerived from Old English
slæd meaning
"valley".
Smirnov m RussianDerived from Russian
смирный (smirny) meaning "quiet, peaceful, timid". This is one of the most common surnames in Russia.
Smit DutchFrom Middle Dutch
smit "metalworker, blacksmith", a cognate of
Smith.
Smith EnglishMeans
"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).
Song Chinese, KoreanFrom Chinese
宋 (sòng) referring to the Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1279.
Spanò SicilianFrom Sicilian
spanu meaning
"sparse, thin hair", ultimately from Greek
σπάνιος (spanios) meaning "scarce, rare".
Spear EnglishFrom Old English
spere "spear", an occupational name for a hunter or a maker of spears, or a nickname for a thin person.
Spitz GermanMeans
"sharp" in German, indicating the original bearer lived near a pointed hill.
Stack EnglishFrom a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English
stack "haystack", of Old Norse origin.
Stanford EnglishDerived from various English place names meaning
"stone ford" in Old English.
Stanley EnglishFrom various place names meaning
"stone clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer was the British-American explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904).
Stark English, GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"strong, rigid", from Old English
stearc or Old High German
stark.
Stein German, JewishFrom Old High German
stein meaning
"stone". It might indicate the original bearer lived near a prominent stone or worked as a stonecutter. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Stone EnglishName for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English
stan.
Strand Norwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom Old Norse
strǫnd meaning
"beach, sea shore". It was originally given to someone who lived on or near the sea.
Strong EnglishNickname derived from Middle English
strong or
strang meaning
"strong".
Sturm GermanMeans
"storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.
Sumner EnglishOccupational name for a summoner, an official who was responsible for ensuring the appearance of witnesses in court, from Middle English
sumner, ultimately from Latin
submonere "to advise".
Sun ChineseFrom Chinese
孙 (sūn) meaning
"grandchild, descendant". A famous bearer of the surname was Sun Tzu, the 6th-century BC author of
The Art of War.
Sutherland ScottishRegional name for a person who came from the former county by this name in Scotland. It is derived from Old Norse
suðr "south" and
land "land", because it was south of the Norse colony of Orkney.
Swift EnglishNickname for a quick person, from Old English
swift.
Tang 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
唐 (táng) referring to the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907.
Tasker EnglishFrom Middle English
taske meaning
"task, assignment". A tasker was a person who had a fixed job to do, particularly a person who threshed grain with a flail.
Taylor EnglishDerived from Old French
tailleur meaning
"tailor", ultimately from Latin
taliare "to cut".
Tremblay FrenchFrom French
tremble meaning
"aspen". It is especially widespread in Quebec, being the most common surname there.
Troy EnglishOriginally denoted a person from the city of Troyes in France.
Trump GermanDerived from Middle High German
trumbe meaning
"drum". This surname is borne by the American president Donald Trump (1946-).
Tucker EnglishOccupational 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.
Tyler EnglishOccupational name for a tiler of roofs, derived from Old English
tigele "tile". A famous bearer of this name was American president John Tyler (1790-1862).
Ueda JapaneseFrom Japanese
上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Upton EnglishDenoted a person hailing from one of the many towns in England bearing this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English
upp "up" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Ureña SpanishProbably derived from the name of Urueña, a town in the province of Valladolid, Spain, which is of unknown meaning.
Vance EnglishIndicated a dweller by a fen, from Old English
fenn meaning
"fen, marsh".
Vega SpanishFrom Spanish
vega meaning
"meadow, plain", of Basque origin.
Verona ItalianFrom the name of the city of Verona, one of the most important historical cities of northern Italy. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain.
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.
Vogt GermanOccupational name from Middle High German
voget meaning
"bailiff, administrator, steward", ultimately from Latin
advocatus.
Vrubel m CzechFrom a dialectal variant of Czech
vrabec "sparrow".
Wade 1 EnglishDerived from the Old English place name
wæd meaning
"a ford".
Wagner GermanFrom Middle High German
wagener meaning
"wagon maker, cartwright". This name was borne by the German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883).
Walker EnglishOccupational name for a person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. It is derived from Middle English
walkere, Old English
wealcan meaning "to move".
Walton EnglishFrom the name of any of several villages in England, derived from Old English
wealh "foreigner, Celt",
weald "forest",
weall "wall", or
wille "well, spring, water hole" combined with
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Wang 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
王 (wáng) meaning
"king, monarch". This is the most common surname in China (and the world).
Ward 1 EnglishDerived from Old English
weard meaning
"guard, guardian".
Ware 1 EnglishFrom Old English
wer meaning
"dam, weir", indicating someone who lived near such a structure.
Watkins EnglishDerived from the Middle English given name
Wat or
Watt, which was a diminutive of the name
Walter.
Way EnglishFrom Old English
weg meaning
"way, road, path".
Wei ChineseFrom Chinese
魏 (wèi) referring to the ancient state of Wei, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong provinces.
Wen ChineseFrom Chinese
文 (wén) meaning
"literature, culture, writing".
West English, GermanDenoted a person who lived to the west of something, or who came from the west.
White EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English
hwit "white".
Whitney EnglishOriginally from the name of an English town, meaning "white island" in Old English.
Wickham EnglishFrom any of various towns by this name in England, notably in Hampshire. They are derived from Old English
wic "village, town" (of Latin origin) and
ham "home, settlement".
Wild English, GermanMeans
"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.
Wilson EnglishMeans
"son of Will". A famous bearer was the American president Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924).
Windsor EnglishFrom the name of a few English towns, one notably the site of Windsor Castle. Their names mean
"riverbank with a windlass" in Old English, a windlass being a lifting apparatus. In 1917 the British royal family adopted this name (after Windsor Castle), replacing their previous name
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Winkler GermanDerived from Old High German
winkil meaning
"corner".
Winter English, German, SwedishFrom Old English
winter or Old High German
wintar meaning
"winter". This was a nickname for a person with a cold personality.
Wolf German, EnglishFrom Middle High German or Middle English
wolf meaning
"wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.
Wray EnglishOriginally denoted someone who came from any of the various places of this name in northern England, from Old Norse
vrá meaning
"corner, nook".
Wright 1 EnglishFrom Old English
wyrhta meaning
"wright, maker", an occupational name for someone who was a craftsman. Famous bearers were Orville and Wilbur Wright, the inventors of the first successful airplane.
Wu 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
吴 (wú) referring to the ancient state of Wu, which was located in present-day Jiangsu province.
Xiao ChineseFrom Chinese
蕭 (xiāo) referring to the fiefdom or territory of Xiao (in present-day Anhui province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Xie ChineseFrom Chinese
谢 (xiè) referring to the minor state of Xie, which existed in what is now Hubei province.
Xu 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
徐 (xú) referring to the ancient state of Xu, which existed to the 6th century BC in what is now Jiangsu and Anhui. The character
徐 means "slowly, calmly".
Yates EnglishFrom Old English
geat meaning
"gate", a name for a gatekeeper or someone who lived near a gate.
York EnglishFrom the name of the English city of York, which was originally called
Eburacon (Latinized as
Eboracum), meaning "yew" in Brythonic. In the Anglo-Saxon period it was corrupted to
Eoforwic, based on Old English
eofor "boar" and
wic "village". This was rendered as
Jórvík by the Vikings and eventually reduced to
York.
Young EnglishDerived from Old English
geong meaning
"young". This was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
Yu 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
于 (yú) meaning
"in, on, at". According to legend, King Wu of Zhou bestowed the realm of Yu to his second son, who subsequently adopted this as his surname.
Zeng ChineseFrom Chinese
曾 (zēng) referring to the former state of Zeng, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hubei province.