BarclayEnglish, Scottish From the English place name Berkeley, derived from Old English beorc "birch" and leah "woodland, clearing". The surname was imported to Scotland in the 12th century.
BaumannGerman, Jewish From Middle High German bumann meaning "farmer, builder".
DwightEnglish From the medieval feminine name Diot, a diminutive of Dionysia, the feminine form of Dionysius.
EmersonEnglish Means "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.
KingEnglish From Old English cyning"king", originally a nickname for someone who either acted in a kingly manner or who worked for or was otherwise associated with a king. A famous bearer was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).
Lee 1English Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".
Lewis 1English Derived from the given name Lewis. The author C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a bearer of this surname.
MillerEnglish Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".
MillsEnglish Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.
MonkEnglish Nickname or occupational name for a person who worked for monks. This word is derived from Latin monachus, from Greek μοναχός (monachos) meaning "alone".
PayneEnglish From 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.
RhodesEnglish Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.
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).
SpoonerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".
SteinGerman, Jewish From 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.
StewartScottish Occupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard". The Stewart family (sometimes spelled Stuart) held the Scottish crown for several centuries. One of the most famous members of the Stewart family was Mary, Queen of Scots.
TaylorEnglish Derived from Old French tailleur meaning "tailor", ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut".
UnderwoodEnglish Means "dweller at the edge of the woods", from Old English under and wudu.
Waller 1English Derived from Old French gallier meaning "person with a pleasant temper".
WhiteEnglish Originally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English hwit"white".
WoodEnglish, Scottish Originally denoted one who lived in or worked in a forest, derived from Old English wudu"wood".
Wright 1English From 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.
YoungEnglish Derived from Old English geong meaning "young". This was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.