Surnames Categorized "sizes"

This is a list of surnames in which the categories include sizes.
usage
Aiello Italian
From various place names in Italy, such as Aiello del Friuli, Aiello del Sabato and others. They are derived from Latin agellus meaning "little field".
Altamura Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Altamura, which means "high walls" in Italian.
Baines 2 English
From a nickname derived from Old English ban "bones", probably for a thin person.
Ball English
From Middle English bal, Old English beall meaning "ball". This was either a nickname for a rotund or bald person, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a ball-shaped feature.
Bass English
English cognate of Basso.
Basso Italian
Originally a nickname for a short person, from Latin bassus "thick, low".
Beck 3 English
From a nickname for a person with a big nose, from Middle English bec meaning "beak".
Beiler German
Derived from Middle High German beile meaning "measuring stick".
Braddock English
From various locations derived from Old English meaning "broad oak".
Bradford English
Derived from the name of the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire, which meant "broad ford" in Old English. This is also the name of other smaller towns in England.
Bradley English
From a common English place name, derived from brad "broad" and leah "woodland, clearing".
Brady Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish name Ó Brádaigh meaning "descendant of Brádach". A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Tom Brady (1977-).
Breitbarth German
From Old High German breit "broad" and bart "beard", originally a nickname for someone with a full beard.
Broadbent English
From a place name derived from Old English brad "broad" and beonet "bent grass".
Butts English
From a nickname meaning "thick, stumpy", from Middle English butt.
Capello 2 Italian
Nickname for a thin person, from Italian capello meaning "a hair", ultimately derived from Latin capillus.
Choe Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Choi).
Choi Korean
From Sino-Korean (choe) meaning "high, lofty, towering".
Cobb English
From a medieval English byname meaning "lump".
Colquhoun Scottish
From a place name meaning "narrow corner" or "narrow wood" in Gaelic.
Courtemanche French
Means "short sleeve" in French.
Courtenay 1 English
From the name of towns in France that were originally derivatives of the Gallo-Roman personal name Curtenus, itself derived from Latin curtus "short".
Courtenay 2 English
From the Old French nickname court nes meaning "short nose".
Debenham English
Originally denoted a person from the town of Debenham in Suffolk, derived from the name of the River Deben (meaning "deep" in Old English) combined with ham meaning "home, settlement".
De Groot Dutch
From Dutch groot meaning "big, great".
Delgado Spanish, Portuguese
Means "thin" in Spanish and Portuguese, ultimately from Latin delicatus meaning "delicate, tender, charming".
Diefenbach German
From a German place name meaning "deep creek".
Dudley English
From a place name meaning "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.
Durnin Irish
From Irish Ó Doirnáin meaning "descendant of Doirnín", a given name meaning "little fist".
Dürr German
Means "thin" in German.
Gao Chinese
From Chinese (gāo) meaning "tall, high".
Giffard French, English
Possibly from Old French gifart meaning "chubby" or possibly from the Germanic name Gebhard. Walter Giffard was one of the Norman companions of William the Conqueror.
Gordon Scottish
From the name of a place in Berwickshire, Scotland, derived from Brythonic words meaning "spacious fort".
Grant English, Scottish
Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great".
Grasso Italian
Means "fat" in Italian, originally a nickname for a stout person. It is derived from Latin crassus.
Gros French
Means "thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.
Gross German
Variant of Groß.
Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".
Gully English
Nickname for a big person, from Middle English golias meaning "giant" (ultimately from Goliath, the Philistine warrior who was slain by David in the Old Testament).
Haight English
Topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, derived from Old English heahþu "height, summit".
Hayter English
Name for a person who lived on a hill, from Middle English heyt meaning "height".
Hepburn English, Scottish
From northern English place names meaning "high burial mound" in Old English. It was borne by Mary Queen of Scot's infamous third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwall. Other famous bearers include the actresses Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Hext English
From a nickname meaning "tallest" in Middle English. It is most common in the southwest of England in the county of Devon.
Hier Welsh
Means "tall, long" from Welsh hir.
Hoch German
Means "tall" in German.
Holmberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and berg meaning "mountain".
Holmström Swedish
From Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Kanemaru Japanese
From Japanese (kane) meaning "gold, metal, money" and (maru) meaning "circle, round, whole".
Keeley Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Caolaidhe meaning "descendant of Caoladhe", a given name derived from caol "slender".
Kerner German
Derived from Old High German kerno "seed", an occupational name for one who sold or planted seeds.
Kijek Polish
Means "small stick", from Polish kij "stick".
Kinnaird Scottish
From the name of a place in Scotland, in Gaelic An Ceann Ard, meaning "high headland". In the 12th century a Norman nobleman received a charter of land here from King William the Lion (King of Scots), and was thereafter known by this name.
Kis Hungarian
Variant of Kiss.
Kiss Hungarian
Nickname meaning "small" in Hungarian.
Klein German, Dutch, Jewish
Means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).
Kloet Dutch
Possibly from Middle Dutch cloet meaning "lump, ball". In some cases this was a nickname for an oafish person. In other cases it may have been a name for someone who lived near a sign that had a globe on it.
Knaggs English
From Middle English knagg meaning "small mound, projection". It is found most commonly in the north of England, in particular Yorkshire.
Kobayashi Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" and (hayashi) meaning "forest".
Koizumi Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" and (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain". A notable bearer of this name is Junichiro Koizumi (1942-), who was Prime Minister of Japan.
Konishi Japanese
From Japanese (ko) meaning "small" and 西 (nishi) meaning "west".
Kontos Greek
Means "short" in Greek.
Kövér Hungarian
Means "fat" in Hungarian.
Küçük Turkish
Means "small" in Turkish.
Kurz German
Means "short" in German, ultimately from Latin curtus.
Kurzmann German
Means "short man" in German.
Kyle Scottish
Derived from Scottish Gaelic caol meaning "narrows, channel, strait", originally given to a person who lived by a strait.
Langbroek Dutch
From the name of a small town in the province of Utrecht, Holland, derived from lang meaning "wide" and broek meaning "meadow".
Langenberg German, Dutch
From various place names meaning "long mountain" in German and Dutch.
Langford English
From any of various places in England with this name, derived from Old English lang "long" and ford "ford, river crossing".
Langley 1 English
From any of the various places with this name, all derived from Old English lang "long" and leah "woodland, clearing".
Leggièri Italian
Means "light, thin" in Sicilian.
Legrand French
Means "the tall, the large" in French.
Lindholm Swedish
From Swedish lind meaning "linden tree" and holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island".
Little English
Meaning simply "little", it was originally a nickname given to a short person.
Lombardi Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, which was named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who invaded in the 6th century. Their name is derived from the Old German roots lang "long" and bart "beard".
Long English
Originally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.
Longo Italian
Italian cognate of Long.
Longstaff English
Occupational name for an official who was equipped with a ceremonial staff, or a nickname for a tall person.
Magro Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "thin, lean", ultimately from Latin macer.
Malý Czech
Means "small" in Czech.
Megalos Greek
From Greek μεγάλος (megalos) meaning "big, great".
Mitchell 2 English
Originally a nickname for a large person, from Old English micel "big".
Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.
Nagy Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname.
Nosek Czech, Polish
Means "small nose" in Czech and Polish.
Ogawa Japanese
From Japanese (o) meaning "small" and (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
Ono Japanese
From Japanese (o) meaning "small" and (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Ōshiro Japanese
From Japanese (ō) meaning "big, great" and (shiro) meaning "castle".
Pachis Greek
Means "fat, thick" in Greek.
Peck 2 English
Occupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English pekke.
Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).
Petit French, Catalan, English
Means "small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.
Pettigrew English
Derived from Norman French petit "small" and cru "growth".
Piccirillo Italian
From Neapolitan piccerillo meaning "small, young".
Piccoli Italian
Nickname for a short person, from Italian piccolo "small".
Pickle English
Derived from Middle English pighel meaning "small field".
Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.
Platt English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.
Quixote Literature
Created by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes for the main character in his novel Don Quixote (1605), about a nobleman who goes mad after reading too many heroic romances and decides to become a wandering knight under the name Don Quixote. His real name in part one of the book is conjectured to be Quixada or Quesada, though in part two (published 10 years after part one) it is revealed as Alonso Quixano. The Spanish suffix -ote means "large".
Redondo Spanish
Means "round" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a plump person, ultimately from Latin rotundus.
Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.
Riese German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German, from Old High German risi.
Rotolo Italian
From the Italian word for a measure of weight, from southern Italian dialects, derived from Greek via Arabic.
Rounds English
Patronymic derived from Middle English rond meaning "round, plump", ultimately from Latin rotundus.
Rundström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish rund (from Latin rotundus) meaning "round" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.
Růžička Czech
Means "little rose" in Czech.
Schmeling German
From Middle Low German smal meaning "small, slender".
Short English
From a nickname for a short person, from Middle English schort.
Siddall English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English sid "wide" and halh "nook, recess".
Sidney English
Originally 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.
Small English
From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.
Sovány Hungarian
Means "thin, lean" in Hungarian.
Spear English
From Old English spere "spear", an occupational name for a hunter or a maker of spears, or a nickname for a thin person.
Stack English
From a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English stack "haystack", of Old Norse origin.
Storstrand Norwegian
Originally denoted someone from Storstrand farm in Norway, derived from stor meaning "big" and strand meaning "beach".
Struna Slovene, Czech
From Slavic struna meaning "string, cord", possibly denoting a maker of rope.
Stumpf German
Nickname for a short person or a topographic name someone who lived near a prominent stump, from Middle High German stumpf.
Suchý Czech
Means "dry" in Czech. This was a nickname for a thin person.
Takahashi Japanese
From Japanese (taka) meaning "tall, high" and (hashi) meaning "bridge".
Trevor Welsh
Originally from the name of various Welsh towns meaning "big village", derived from Middle Welsh tref "village" and maur "large".
Uzun Turkish
Means "long, tall" in Turkish.
Van Breda Dutch
Means "from Breda", a city in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Dutch breed meaning "wide" and Aa, the name of a river.
Vastag Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "stout, thick" in Hungarian.
Vaughan Welsh
From Welsh bychan (mutated to fychan) meaning "little". It was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
Zabala Basque
Originally denoted someone who lived in a place of this name in Biscay. It is derived from Basque zabal meaning "large, wide".
Zavala Spanish
Variant of Zabala.
Żuraw Polish
Means "crane" in Polish, a nickname for a tall person.