Surnames Categorized "place names"

AYERS (3) English
Indicated a person from the town of Ayr in Scotland. The town was named for the river that flows through it, itself derived from an Indo-European root meaning "water".

BOLTON English
From any of the many places in England called Bolton, derived from Old English bold "house" and tun "enclosure".

BOON (2) English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Bohon, in Manche in France. The town's name is of unknown origin.

BUCKLEY (1) English
From an English place name derived from bucc "buck, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

BURNHAM English
From the name of various towns in England, typically derived from Old English burna "stream, spring" and ham "home, settlement".

DUNBAR Scottish
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.

HOGARTH English
Variant of HOGGARD.

HOLMWOOD English
Variant of HOMEWOOD.

HORTON English
From the names of various places in England, which are derived from Old English horh "dirt, mud" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

KEITH Scottish
From a place name that is probably derived from the Brythonic element cet meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.

LANGDON English
Derived from various places names, of Old English origin meaning "long hill" (effectively "ridge").

LANGLEY (1) English
From any of the various places with this name, all derived from Old English lang "long" and leah "woodland, clearing".

LATERZA Italian
From the name of the town of Laterza near Taranto in Apulia. It is typical of southern Italy.

LYNDON English
Originally from a place name meaning "linden tree hill" in Old English.

MEDINA Spanish
Means "(Arab) city" in Spanish, derived from Arabic مدينة (madinah).

MILANO Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from MILAN.

MONROE Scottish
Designated a person who had originally lived near the mouth of the Roe River in Derry, Ireland.

MURRAY (1) Scottish
Derived from the region in Scotland called Moray meaning "seaboard settlement". A notable bearer of this surname was General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the first British Governor-General of Canada.

NORTHROP English
Originally denoted one who came from a town of this name England, meaning "north farm".

ORTEGA Spanish
From a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) derived from ortiga "nettle".

PEAK English
Originally 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.

PRESCOTT English
From the name of various English places meaning "priest's cottage" in Old English.

RHODES English
Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.

SANDOVAL Spanish
Derived from the name of a town in Spain, ultimately from Latin saltus "forest, glade" and novalis "unploughed land".

SUTTON English
From various English place names meaning "south town".

TRENT English
Denoted one who lived near the River Trent in England.

ZELLWEGER German (Swiss)
Originally denoted a person from the Appenzell region of Switzerland. The place name is derived from Latin abbatis cella meaning "estate of the abbot". A famous bearer is actress Renée Zellweger (1969-).