Surnames Categorized "structures"

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Abascal Spanish
Means "priest's street" from Basque abas "priest" and kale "street".

Abbey English
Indicated a person who lived near an abbey or worked in an abbey, from Middle English abbeye.

Achthoven Dutch
Denoted a person from various towns in the Netherlands called Achthoven, which is derived from Dutch acht "eight" and hoven "farmsteads".

Aguilera Spanish
From a place name that was derived from Spanish aguilera meaning "eagle's nest". A famous bearer is American singer Christina Aguilera (1980-).

Ainsley Scottish
From a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English anne "alone, solitary" or ansetl "hermitage" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Alfaro Spanish
Originally denoted someone who was from the city of Alfaro in La Rioja, Spain. It is possibly derived from Arabic meaning "the watchtower".

Altamura Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Altamura, which means "high walls" in Italian.

Althaus German
Name for a person dwelled in or by an old house, from German alt "old" and haus "house".

Amantea Italian
From the name of a town in Calabria, Italy. It is possibly derived from Arabic (dating from the Arab raids of the 9th century) meaning "the fortress".

Apted English
Probably from an unidentified place name meaning "up tower" in Old English.

Arena Italian
Italian cognate of Arenas.

Armistead English
Means "hermitage", indicating a person who lived near one, from Middle English ermite "hermit" and stede "place".

Arriola Spanish, Basque
From Basque place names, themselves derived from Basque arri "stone" and -ola "place of, house".

Atteberry English
Means "dweller at the fortified town" from Middle English at and burh "fortified place".

Ayers 2 English
Derived from the given name Ealhhere.

Ayton English
From the name of towns in Berwickshire and North Yorkshire. They are derived from Old English ea "river" or ieg "island" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Backus English
Means "bakery", an occupational name for a baker, from Old English bæchus literally "bake house".

Baggio Italian
Originally denoted a person from the Italian town of Baggio (now part of Milan). It is probably derived from Latin Badalocum meaning "watch place".

Bakhuizen Dutch
Means "bakery" from Dutch bak "bake" and huis "house", an occupational name for a baker.

Barnes English
Denoted a person who worked or lived in a barn. The word barn is derived from Old English bere "barley" and ærn "dwelling".

Beaufort French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and fort "strong place, fortress".

Beethoven Dutch (Archaic)
From a place name derived from Dutch beet "beet, beetroot" and hoven "farms". This name was borne by the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), whose family was of Flemish origin. The surname is now mostly extinct.

Bengoetxea Basque
Means "the house furthest down" from Basque bengo "furthest down" and etxe "house".

Berry English
Derived from a place name, which was derived from Old English burh "fortification".

Bloodworth English
Originally indicated someone from the town of Blidworth in Nottinghamshire, which was derived from the Old English byname Blīþa (meaning "happy, blithe") combined with worð "enclosure".

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

Booth English
Topographic name derived from Middle English both meaning "hut, stall".

Borde French
From Old French bord meaning "board, plank", derived from Frankish *bord. This name belonged to a person who lived in a house made of planks.

Borg Swedish
From Swedish borg meaning "fortification, castle".

Borja Spanish
Originally indicated a person from the Spanish town of Borja in Aragon, derived from Arabic برْج (burj) meaning "tower".

Bower English
From Old English bur meaning "dwelling, room".

Bridges English
Originally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English brigge, Old English brycg.

Brigham English
Originally referred to one who came from a town called Brigham, meaning "homestead by the bridge" in Old English. This is the name of towns in Cumberland and Yorkshire.

Brivio Italian
From the name of the town of Brivio in Lombardy. Supposed it derives from a Celtic word meaning "bridge".

Buchanan Scottish
From the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.

Budny Polish
Possibly from Polish buda meaning "hut, cabin".

Bunker English
Derived from Old French bon cuer meaning "good heart".

Burgstaller German
From German Burg "fortress, castle" and Stelle "place, position". This was a name given to a person dwelling at or near such a site.

Burke English, Irish
Derived from Middle English burgh meaning "fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.

Burrows English
Topographic name derived from Old English beorg meaning "hill, mountain" or burg meaning "fort". Alternatively, it could come from a compound of bur "room, cottage, dwelling" and hus "house".

Carlisle English
From the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.

Casal Spanish
From the Spanish word casal meaning "farmhouse, country house", ultimately from Late Late casalis, from Latin casa.

Casas Spanish
From Spanish casa meaning "house", of Latin origin.

Castle English
From Middle English castel meaning "castle", from Late Latin castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.

Chalupa m Czech
Means "cottage" in Czech.

Chalupník m Czech
Derived from Czech chalupa meaning "cottage". The name referred to a peasant farmer who owned a very small piece of land.

Chambers English
From Old French chambre meaning "chamber, room", an occupational name for a person who worked in the inner rooms of a mansion.

Church English
From the English word, derived from Old English cirice, ultimately from Greek κυριακόν (kyriakon) meaning "(house) of the lord". It probably referred to a person who lived close to a church.

Churchill English
From an English place name meaning "church hill". A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II.

Close English
From Middle English clos meaning "enclosure", a topographic name for someone who lived near a courtyard or farmyard.

Crewe English
Originally denoted someone from Crewe in Cheshire, which is from Welsh criu "weir, dam, fish trap".

Crosby English
From the name of various towns in England, derived from Old Norse kross "cross" (a borrowing from Latin crux) and býr "farm, settlement".

Curie French
Occupational name for a farm hand, from Old French éscuerie "stable". Famous bearers were the married scientists Marie (1867-1934) and Pierre Curie (1859-1906), who studied radioactivity.

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".

Dekker Dutch
Means "roofer, thatcher" in Dutch.

Dufort French
Means "from the fort", from French fort "stronghold".

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.

Dupont French
Means "from the bridge", from French pont "bridge".

Eaton English
From any of the various English towns with this name, derived from Old English ea "river" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Eccleston English
Denoted a person from any of the various places named Eccleston in England, derived from Latin ecclesia "church" (via Briton) and Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Echeverría Spanish
Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, which itself is derived from Basque etxe "house" and berri "new".

Elizondo Spanish
Originally referred to a person who lived close to a church, from Basque eleiza "church" and ondo "near".

Endicott English
Topographic name derived from Old English meaning "from the end cottage".

Ewart 2 English
From the name of an English town, derived from Old English ea "river" and worþ "enclosure".

Farnham English
Indicated a person from any of the various towns named Farnham in England, notably in Surrey. Their names are from Old English fearn "fern" and ham "home, settlement" or ham "water meadow, enclosure".

Fenstermacher German
Means "window maker" in German.

Fenwick English
From an English place name, derived from Old English fenn "fen, swamp, bog" and wic "village, town".

Fortier French
Derived from Old French fort "stronghold", indicating a person who lived near or worked at such a place.

Gates English
Originally denoted a person who lived near the town gates.

Gordon Scottish
From the name of a place in Berwickshire, Scotland, derived from Brythonic words meaning "spacious fort".

Hall English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

Hampton English
From the name of multiple towns in England, derived from Old English ham "home" or ham "water meadow, enclosure" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Honeycutt English
Derived from the name of the English town of Hunnacott, derived from Old English hunig "honey" or the given name Huna combined with cot "cottage".

House English
Referred to a person who lived or worked in a house, as opposed to a smaller hut.

Huxtable English
Derived from the name of an English place meaning "hook post", from Old English hoc "hook" and stapol "post".

Iglesias Spanish
From Spanish iglesia meaning "church", from Latin ecclesia (of Greek origin).

Kay 2 English
Derived from Old French kay meaning "wharf, quay", indicating one who lived near or worked on a wharf.

Killough Irish
Indicated a person who was from Killough (County Down, Northern Ireland) or Killough (Wicklow, Ireland). The place name Killough means "church on the lake", derived from the Irish cill "church" and loch "lake".

Kirk English
From northern Middle English kirk meaning "church", from Old Norse kirkja (cognate of Church). A famous fictional bearer is the starship captain James Kirk from the Star Trek television series (1966-1969), and subsequent films.

Kitchen English
Occupational name for a person who worked in a kitchen (of a monastery for example), derived from Old English cycene, ultimately from Latin coquina.

Krüger 1 German
In northern Germany an occupational name for a tavern keeper, derived from Middle Low German kroch meaning "tavern".

Lane 1 English
Originally designated one who lived by a lane, a narrow way between fences or hedges, later used of any narrow pathway, including one between houses in a town.

Laporte French
Means "the door, the gateway" in French, from Latin porta. This was a name for someone who lived near the town gates or who operated them.

Lara Spanish
From the name of a village in Burgos, Spain. It might be derived from Latin lar "household god, house, home".

Linna Finnish
Means "castle" in Finnish. A famous namesake is Väinö Linna (1920-1992), Finnish author of The Unknown Soldier.

Mas 1 Catalan
Means "farmhouse" in Catalan.

Maurer German
Occupational name meaning "wall builder" in German.

Melsbach German
From the name of a German town, possibly meaning "mill stream".

Mercado Spanish
Means "market" in Spanish, originally given to a person who lived near a market or worked in one.

Middleton English
Originally denoted a person who lived in one of the numerous English towns by this name, derived from Old English middel "middle" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Milburn English
Derived from various place names meaning "mill stream" in Old English.

Millhouse English
Name for someone whose house was in a mill or who worked in a mill.

Mills English
Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.

Millward English
Means "guardian of the mill" in Old English.

Moulin French
Means "mill" in French.

Muraro Italian
Occupational name for a wall builder, from Italian murare meaning "to wall up".

Newport English
Given to one who came from the town of Newport (which means simply "new port"), which was the name of several English towns.

Nickleby Literature
Created by Charles Dickens for the title character in his novel Nicholas Nickleby (1839). He probably based it on Nicol, a medieval vernacular form of Nicholas, with the common English place name suffix -by, which is derived from Old Norse býr meaning "farm, settlement".

Nygård Norwegian
From Norwegian ny (Old Norse nýr) meaning "new" and gård (Old Norse garðr) meaning "farm, estate".

Ola Basque
From Basque ola meaning "hut, small house, forge".

Palazzo Italian
Means "palace" in Italian, from Latin palatium. It was originally used by someone who lived near a palace or mansion, or who worked there.

Piazza Italian
Means "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin platea.

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.

Plaza Spanish
Spanish cognate of Piazza.

Poggio Italian
Means "hillock, small hill" in Italian, a derivative of Latin podium meaning "balcony, platform".

Pontecorvo Italian, Jewish
From the name of a town in central Italy, home to an old Jewish community. The town's name is derived from Italian ponte "bridge" and curvo "curved".

Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Post Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person who lived near a post, ultimately from Latin postis.

Puerta Spanish
Means "door, gate", a topographic name for a person who lived near the gates of the town.

Rademaker Dutch
From the occupation of rademaker meaning "maker of wheels", from Dutch rad meaning "wheel".

Rattray Scottish
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".

Salazar Basque, Spanish
From Spanish sala meaning "hall" and Basque zahar meaning "old". It can also refer to the town of Salazar in Burgos, Spain, which is of the same origin.

Sappington English
Possibly from the city of Sapperton, England, derived from Old English sapere meaning "soap maker" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Saqqaf Arabic
From Arabic سقف (saqaf) meaning "roof".

Schindler German
Occupational name for a roof tiler, from Middle High German schindel "shingle". A famous bearer was Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), who saved over a thousand Polish Jews during World War II.

School Dutch
From Dutch school, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school", indicating a person who worked at or lived near a school.

Scola Italian
From Italian scuola meaning "school".

Solheim Norwegian
From the name various of various villages in Norway, derived from Old Norse sól meaning "sun" and heimr meaning "home".

Solo Basque
Means "rural estate" in Basque.

Southgate English
Name for a person who lived near the southern gate of a town or in a town named Southgate, from Old English suþ and gæt.

Stablum Italian
Northern Italian name derived from Latin stabulum meaning "stable".

Statham English
From the name of a village in the English county of Cheshire, derived from Old English stæð meaning "wharf, landing place" and ham "home, settlement".

Stenger German
Occupational name for a post maker, from Old High German stanga "pole".

Stetson English
Possibly from the name of the village of Stidston in Devon, meaning "Stithweard's town".

Stewart Scottish
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.

Stoke English
From the name of numerous places in England, derived from Old English stoc meaning "place, dwelling".

Street English
Habitational name for a person who lived in a place called Street, for example in Somerset. It is derived from Old English stræt meaning "Roman road", from Latin strata.

Strohkirch German
Means "straw church" in German.

Stuber German
Occupational name for the owner of an inn, derived from Old High German stuba "room".

Styles English
Locational name for one who lived near a steep hill, from Old English stigol "stile, set of steps".

Tapia Spanish
Means "mud wall" in Spanish.

Taverna Italian
From the place name Taverna, common in different parts of Italy. It means "inn, tavern" in Italian.

Terrazas Spanish
Originally a name for a person from Terrazas in the Spanish city of Burgos, a place name meaning "terraces".

Tritten German
Originally denoted someone who lived by a set of steps, from Middle High German trit "step".

Trumbauer German
Possibly from Middle High German trame "rafter, frame" and bauer "peasant, neighbour".

Van Aalsburg Dutch
Means "from Aalsburg", which is possibly Adelsburg, composed of adal "noble" and burg "fortress".

Van Bokhoven Dutch
Means "from Bokhoven", a small town in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It means "goat yards" in Dutch.

Van Buren Dutch
Means "from Buren", a small town on the island of Ameland in the north of the Netherlands, as well as a small city in the Dutch province Gelderland. The place names derive from Old Dutch bur meaning "house, dwelling". In the 16th century the countess Anna van Buren married William of Orange, the founder of the Dutch royal family. A famous bearer of this surname was Martin van Buren (1782-1862), the eighth President of the United States.

Van Dam Dutch
Means "from the dam" in Dutch.

Van Damme Flemish
Means "from Damme", the name of a town in Belgium, derived from Dutch dam meaning "dam". A famous bearer is the Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960-), who was born with the surname Van Varenberg.

Van den Brink Dutch
Means "from the village center" in Dutch.

Van der Stoep Dutch
Means "from the paved entrance", from Dutch stoep meaning "paved porch at the entrance to a house".

Van der Wal Dutch
Means "from the wall" in Dutch.

Vico Italian, Spanish
Means "town, village", derived from Latin vicus.

Vidmar Slovene
From various places in Slovenia named Videm, meaning "church property" in Slovene.

Villalba Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various Spanish places by this name. It is derived from Spanish villa "town" and alba "white".

Villalobos Spanish
Habitational name for a person from the town of Villalobos, Spain, which is derived from Spanish villa "town" and lobo "wolf".

Vipond English
From Vieux-Pont, the name of various places in Normandy, derived from French vieux "old" and pont "bridge".

Wall English
Originally denoted a person who lived near a prominent wall, from Old English weall.

Waller 2 English
Derived from Old English weall meaning "wall", denoting a builder of walls or someone who lived near a prominent wall.

Wardrobe English
From Old French warder "to guard" and robe "garment", an occupational name for a servant responsible for the clothing in a household.

Ware 1 English
From Old English wer meaning "dam, weir", indicating someone who lived near such a structure.

Warren 1 English
Denoted a person who lived near a warren, from Norman French warrene meaning "animal enclosure" (of Germanic origin).

Weeks English
Derived from Old English wic meaning "village, town".

Zaal Dutch
Means "hall" in Dutch.

Zingel Jewish
From Middle High German zingel "defensive wall". This name was originally applied to a person who lived near the outermost wall of a castle.

Zubizarreta Basque
Means "old bridge", from Basque zubia "bridge" and zahar "old". A famous bearer is the Spanish soccer player Andoni Zubizarreta (1961-).