Browse Surnames

Ebner 2 German
Means "judge, arbiter" from Middle High German ebenære.

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".

Ecclestone English
Variant of Eccleston.

Eckstein German
From Old High German ekka meaning "edge, corner" and stein meaning "stone".

Edgar English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Edison English
Means "son of Eda 2" or "son of Adam". The surname was borne by American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).

Edvardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Edvard".

Edwards English
Means "son of Edward".

Edwardson English
Means "son of Edward".

Eerkens Dutch
Variant of Erkens.

Egger German
South German occupational name meaning "plowman" or "farmer", derived from German eggen "to harrow, to plow".

Eichel German
Means "acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.

Eide Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse eið meaning "isthmus".

Eikenboom Dutch
Means "oak tree", from Dutch eik "oak" and boom "tree".

Eilerts German
Derived from the given name Eilert.

Einarsson Swedish
Means "son of Einar".

Ek Swedish
Means "oak" in Swedish.

Eklund Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Ekström Swedish
From Swedish ek (Old Norse eik) meaning "oak" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Eld Swedish
From Old Norse eldr, modern Swedish eld, meaning "fire".

Elder English
Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.

Eldred English
From the given name Ealdræd.

Eldridge English
Derived from the given name Aldric.

Eliassen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Elias".

Eliasson Swedish
Means "son of Elias".

Eliot English
Variant of Elliott.

Eliott English
Variant of Elliott.

Ellery English
From the medieval masculine name Hilary.

Ellington English
From the name of multiple towns in England. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements ælf meaning "elf" or eald meaning "old") combined with tun meaning "enclosure, town".

Elliot English
Variant of Elliott.

Elliott English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Elias.

Ellis English, Welsh
Derived from the given name Elijah, or sometimes Elisedd.

Ellison English
Patronymic form of the English name Ellis, from the medieval given name Elis, a vernacular form of Elijah.

Ellisson English
Variant of Ellison.

Elliston English
Variant of Ellison.

Ellsworth English
Habitational name for a person from the town of Elsworth in Cambridgeshire. The town's name is derived from the masculine given name Ella (a short form of Old English names beginning with the elements ælf meaning "elf" or eald meaning "old") combined with worþ meaning "enclosure".

Elmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Elmersson Swedish
Means "son of Elmar".

Elton English
From an English place name meaning "Ella's town".

Elvis English
Variant of Elwes.

Elwes English
Derived from the given name Eloise.

Elwin English
Variant of Elwyn.

Elwyn English
Derived from the given names Ælfwine, Æðelwine or Ealdwine.

Ely English
From the name of a town in eastern England meaning "eel district".

Elzinga Dutch
Probably from a place name that was a derivative of Dutch els meaning "alder tree".

Emerson English
Means "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.

Emmet English
Variant of Emmett. This name was borne by the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet (1778-1803).

Emmett English
Derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Emma.

Emmitt English
Variant of Emmett.

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

Engberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and berg meaning "mountain".

Engel German
Derived from German given names beginning with Engel, such as Engelbert.

English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.

Engman Swedish
From Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person who lived in a meadow.

Engström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish äng (Old Norse eng) meaning "meadow" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Enns German
Derived from a short form of the German given name Anselm.

Erckens Dutch
Variant of Erkens.

Erickson English
Means "son of Eric".

Ericson English, Swedish
Means "son of Eric".

Ericsson Swedish
Means "son of Eric".

Eriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Erik".

Eriksson Swedish
Means "son of Erik".

Erkens Dutch
Derived from the given name Erk, a variant of Erik.

Ernst German, Dutch, Danish
From the given name Ernst.

Espensen Norwegian
Means "son of Espen".

Espenson Norwegian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Espensen.

Esser German
Means "cartwright", related to Old High German ahsa "axle".

Essert German
Variant of Esser.

Eustis English
Derived from the given name Eustace.

Evans Welsh, English
Means "son of Evan".

Evanson English
Means "son of Evan".

Evelyn English
Derived from the given name Aveline.

Evensen Norwegian
Means "son of Even".

Evered English
From the given name Everard.

Everest English
Originally denoted a person from Évreux in Normandy, itself named after the Gaulish tribe of the Eburovices. Mount Everest in the Himalayas was named for the British surveyor George Everest (1790-1866).

Everett English
From the given name Everard.

Everhart German
Variant of Eberhardt.

Everill English
Derived from the feminine given name Eoforhild.

Everly English
From place names meaning derived from Old English eofor "boar" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Evers Dutch
Means "son of Evert".

Ewart 1 English
From a Norman form of Edward.

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

Fabel German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Fabian.

Fabian German, English, Polish
Derived from the given name Fabian.

Faerber German
Variant of Färber.

Fairbairn Scottish, English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English and Scots.

Fairburn English
From a place name meaning "fern stream", from Old English fearn "fern" and burna "stream".

Fairchild English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.

Fairclough English
From a place name meaning "fair ravine, fair cliff" in Old English.

Falconer English, Scottish
Variant of Faulkner.

Falk Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, German
From Old Norse falki or Old High German falco meaning "falcon".

Falkenrath German
Derived from Middle High German falke "falcon" and rat "counsel, advice".

Falkner English, German
English variant and German cognate of Faulkner.

Färber German
Occupational name meaning "dyer", derived from German Farbe "colour".

Farley English
From various English place names meaning "fern clearing" in Old English.

Farmer English
Occupational name for a tax collector, from Middle English ferme "rent, revenue, provision", from medieval Latin firma, ultimately from Old English feorm. This word did not acquire its modern meaning until the 17th century.

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".

Farran English
Derived from Old French ferrant meaning "iron grey".

Fashingbauer German
From Fasching, a German carnival (Fastnacht meaning "eve of the beginning of the fast", or the time before Lent) celebrated in Austria and Bavaria, and bauer meaning "farmer".

Faulkner English, Scottish
Occupational name meaning "keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots faulcon, from Late Latin falco, of Germanic origin.

Faust German
Derived from the given name Faust, a form of Faustus.

Fay 1 French, English
Referred to a person who came from various places named Fay or Faye in northern France, derived from Old French fau "beech tree", from Latin fagus.

Fay 2 English
From a nickname for a person who was thought to have magical qualities, from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted".

Fear English
Derived from Middle English feare meaning "friend, comrade".

Feigenbaum German, Jewish
Means "fig tree" in German.

Feld German, Jewish
Means "field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.

Feldt German, Danish, Swedish
North German, Danish and Swedish variant of Feld.

Fenn English
From a name for someone who dwelt near a marsh, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp, bog".

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".

Ferber German
Variant of Färber.

Fertig German
Means "ready, prepared" in German.

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Fiedler German
Means "fiddler" in German.

Field English
Variant of Fields.

Fields English
Name for a person who lived on or near a field or pasture, from Old English feld.

Finch English, Literature
From the name of the bird, from Old English finc. It was used by Harper Lee for the surname of lawyer Atticus Finch and his children in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).

Firmin English, French
From the given name Firmin.

Fischer German
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in German.

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Fishman English
Occupational name for a fisherman.

Fisker Danish
Means "fisherman" in Danish.

Fitzroy English
Means "son of the king" in Anglo-Norman French, from French roi meaning "king". This name has been bestowed upon illegitimate children of kings.

Flater German
Means "reed bed" in German.

Fleischer German
Occupational name meaning "butcher" in German.

Fleming English
Given to a person who was a Fleming, that is a person who was from Flanders in the Netherlands.

Fletcher English
Occupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French fleche meaning "arrow".

Flipse Dutch
Variant of Flipsen.

Flipsen Dutch
Means "son of Flip".

Flower English
From Middle English flour meaning "flower, blossom", derived from Old French flur, Latin flos. This was a nickname given to a sweet person. In other cases it could be a metonymic occupational name for a maker of flour (a word derived from the same source).

Flowers English
Variant of Flower.

Foerstner German
Variant of Förstner.

Ford English
Name given to someone who lived by a ford, possibly the official who maintained it. A famous bearer was the American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947).

Forest English, French
Originally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French forest, from Latin forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".

Forester English
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see Forest).

Forney German
Name for someone who lived near ferns, from Old High German farn "fern".

Forrest English
Variant of Forest.

Forsberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish fors meaning "waterfall" and berg meaning "mountain".

Forst German
Derived from Old High German forst "forest". Probably unrelated to the Old French word forest, which was derived from Latin, Old High German forst was derived from foraha meaning "fir tree".

Förstner German
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest (see Forst).

Fortuin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Fortune.

Fortune English
From Middle English, ultimately from Latin fortuna meaning "fortune, luck, chance". This was possibly a nickname for a gambler.

Fortuyn Dutch
Dutch cognate of Fortune.

Foss English
Variant of Fosse.

Fosse English, French
Derived from Old French fosse "ditch".

Foster 1 English
Variant of Forester.

Foster 2 English
Occupational name for a scissor maker, derived from Old French forcetier.

Foster 3 English
Occupational name for a maker of saddle trees, derived from Old French fustier.

Foster 4 English
Nickname given to a person who was a foster child or foster parent.

Fowler English
Occupational name for a fowler or bird catcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".

Fox English
From the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.

Francis English
Derived from the given name Francis.

Frank 1 English
Derived from the given name Frank.

Frank 2 English
From Old English franc meaning "free".

Frank 3 German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Name for a person from Franconia in Germany, so called because it was settled by the Frankish people. A notable bearer was the German-Jewish diarist Anne Frank (1929-1945), a victim of the Holocaust.

Franke German, Dutch
Variant of Frank 3.

Frankenstein German, Literature
From any of the various minor places by this name in Germany, meaning "stone of the Franks" in German. It was used by the author Mary Shelley in her novel Frankenstein (1818) for the character of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a monster and brings it to life. The monster, nameless in the novel, is sometimes informally or erroneously called Frankenstein in modern speech.

Franklin English
Derived from Middle English frankelin meaning "freeman". It denoted a landowner of free but not noble birth, from Old French franc meaning "free". Famous bearers include American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and American singer Aretha Franklin (1942-2018).

Franklyn English
Variant of Franklin.

Fransson Swedish
Means "son of Frans".

Franz German
Derived from the given name Franz.

Frederiksen Danish
Means "son of Frederik".

Fredriksen Norwegian
Means "son of Fredrik".

Fredriksson Swedish
Means "son of Fredrik".

Freeman English
Referred to a person who was born free, or in other words was not a serf.

Frei German
Means "free" in German, probably referring to someone outside the feudal system.

French English
Originally denoted a French person, from Middle English Frensch, Old English Frencisc.

Freud German, Jewish
Means "joy" in German, a nickname for a cheerful person. A famous bearer was the psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).

Freudenberger German, Jewish
Ornamental name from old German freud meaning "joy" and berg meaning "mountain".

Freund German
From Middle High German vriunt, modern German Freund meaning "friend".

Fried German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.

Friedrich German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.

Fries German
Denoted someone from Frisia, an area along the coastal region of the North Sea stretching from Netherlands to Germany.

Friis Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian (mostly Danish) form of Fries.

Frisk Swedish
From Swedish frisk "healthy", which was derived from the Middle Low German word vrisch "fresh, young, frisky".

Fromm German
From a nickname derived from Middle High German vrume meaning "noble, honourable".

Frost English, German
From Old English and Old High German meaning "frost", a nickname for a person who had a cold personality or a white beard.

Fry English
From Old English frig (a variant of freo) meaning "free".

Frye English
Variant of Fry.

Fuchs German
From Old High German fuhs meaning "fox". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.

Fuhrmann German
Derived from Middle High German vuorman meaning "cartwright".

Fuller English
Occupational name for a fuller, a person who thickened and cleaned coarse cloth by pounding it. It is derived via Middle English from Latin fullo.

Fulton English
From the name of the English town of Foulden, Norfolk, meaning "bird hill" in Old English.

Fürst German
From a nickname meaning "(sovereign) prince" in German. The word fürst itself is derived from Old High German furisto "first".

Fux German
Variant of Fuchs.

Gabler German
Occupational name for someone who made or sold forks, from Old High German gabala "fork".

Gabriels English
Derived from the given name Gabriel.

Gabrielson English
Means "son of Gabriel".

Gadsby English
Habitational name from the village of Gaddesby in Leicestershire, so named from Old Norse gaddr "spur, spike (of land)" and býr "farm, settlement".

Gaertner German
German form of Gardener.

Gage French, English
Occupational name derived either from Old French jauge "measure" (a name for an assayer) or gage "pledge, payment" (a name for a moneylender). Both words were ultimately of Frankish origin.

Gale English
Derived from Middle English gaile meaning "jovial".

Garb German
Variant of Garber.

Garber German
Variant of Gerber.

Garbutt English
From the given name Gerbold.

Gardener English
Occupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).

Gardiner English
Variant of Gardener.

Gardner English
Variant of Gardener.

Garey English
Variant of Geary.

Garfield English
Means "triangle field" in Old English. A famous bearer was American president James A. Garfield (1831-1881).

Garland English
Means "triangle land" from Old English gara and land. It originally belonged to a person who owned a triangle-shaped piece of land.

Garner 1 English
From Old French gernier meaning "granary", a derivative of Latin granum meaning "grain". This name could refer to a person who worked at a granary or lived near one.

Garner 2 English
Variant of Gardener.

Garnet English
Variant of Garnett 1 or Garnett 2.

Garnett 1 English
Occupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French carne "hinge".

Garnett 2 English
From a diminutive of the given name Guarin.

Garnier 2 English
Variant of Garner 1.

Garrard English
From the given name Gerard.

Garret English
Variant of Garrett.

Garrett English
Derived from the given name Gerard or Gerald.

Garrison English
Means "son of Gerard" or "son of Gerald".

Garrod English
Derived from the given name Gerald.

Garry English
Variant of Geary.

Gärtner German
German form of Gardener.

Garver German
Variant of Gerber.

Gary English
Variant of Geary.

Gass German
Name for someone who lived on a street in a city, from German gasse.

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

Gatsby English (Rare), Literature
Rare variant of Gadsby. This name was used by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald for the central character in his novel The Great Gatsby (1925). In the book, James Gatz renames himself as Jay Gatsby at age 17 because he believes it sounds more sophisticated.

Geary English
Derived from a Norman given name that was a short form of Germanic names starting with the element ger "spear".

Geelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Geel, itself from Gillis or Gilbert.

Geels Dutch
Variant of Geelen.

Geerts Dutch
Means "son of Geert".

Gehrig German
Variant of Gehring.

Gehring German
Derived from a short form of Old German names starting with the element ger "spear".

Geier German
Means "vulture" in German, a nickname for a greedy person.

Geiger German
Means "fiddle player" in German, derived from Old High German giga "fiddle".

Geisler German
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Geißler German
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Geissler 1 German
Derived from the given name Giselher.

Geissler 2 German
Occupational name for a goat herder, from southern German Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix ler signifying an occupation.

Geiszler German (Anglicized)
Variant of Geissler 1 or Geissler 2.

Gelens Dutch
Variant of Geelen.

Gensch German
From the given name Gensch, a Sorbian form of John.

George English
Derived from the given name George.

Georgeson English
Means "son of George".

Gerber German
Means "tanner, leather dresser" in German, derived from Old High German garawen meaning "to prepare".

Gerhard German
Derived from the given name Gerhard.

Gerhardsson Swedish
Means "son of Gerhard".

Gerhardt German
Derived from the given name Gerhard.

Gerig German
Variant of Gehring.

Gerst German
Occupational name for a barley farmer, derived from Old High German gersta "barley".

Gerstle German
Variant of Gerst.

Gerver German
Variant of Gerber.

Gibb English
Derived from the given name Gib.

Gibbs English, Scottish
Means "son of Gib".

Gibson English, Scottish
Means "son of Gib".

Giehl German
German form of Giles.

Giese German, Danish
Derived from a short form of the given name Giselbert or other Old German names beginning with the element gisal meaning "pledge, hostage".

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.

Gilbert English, French
Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Giles English
From the given name Giles.

Gill English
Originally indicated someone who lived near a ravine, from Middle English gil (of Old Norse origin).

Gilliam English
Variant of William. A famous bearer of the name is cartoonist and filmmaker Terry Gilliam (1940-).

Gladwin English
Derived from the Old English given name Glædwine.

Gladwyn English
Variant of Gladwin.

Glas German, Dutch
German and Dutch cognate of Glass.

Glass English, German
From Old English glæs or Old High German glas meaning "glass". This was an occupational name for a glass blower or glazier.

Glazier English
Means "glass worker, glazier", from Old English glæs meaning "glass".

Glenn Scottish, English
From place names derived from Gaelic gleann "valley". A famous bearer was the American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).

Glöckner German
Derived from Middle High German glocke "bell". It may have referred to a person who worked at or lived close to a bell tower.

Glover English
Occupational name for a person who made or sold gloves, from Middle English glovere.

Göbel German
Derived from the given name Göbel, a diminutive of the Old German name Godabert.

Goddard English
Derived from the Germanic given name Godehard.

Godfrey English
From the Norman given name Godfrey.

Goebel German
Variant of Göbel.

Goffe English
Derived from Breton or Cornish goff meaning "smith", referring to a metalworker.

Gold English, German, Jewish
From Old English and Old High German gold meaning "gold", an occupational name for someone who worked with gold or a nickname for someone with yellow hair. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Goldschmidt German
Occupational name meaning "goldsmith" in German.

Good English
From a nickname meaning "good", referring to a kindly person.

Goode English
Variant of Good.

Goodman English
Variant of Good.

Goodwin English
Derived from the given name Godwine.

Goossens Flemish
From the Germanic given name Gozzo.

Göransson Swedish
Means "son of Göran".

Gorbold English
From the given name Gerbold.

Gore English
From the Old English word gara meaning "triangular plot of land".

Gorman 1 German
From the Old German given name Germund.

Gott German
Derived from the Old German given name Goda 1.

Gotti German
Variant of Gott.

Gottlieb German
Derived from the given name Gottlieb.

Gottschalk German
Derived from the given name Gottschalk.

Graf German
From the German noble title Graf meaning "count", ultimately from Greek γραφεύς (grapheus) meaning "scribe".

Graham Scottish, English
Derived from the English place name Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by William de Graham.

Grahn Swedish
From Swedish gran meaning "spruce".

Graner German
Originally denoted a person from Gran, the German name for Esztergom, a city in northern Hungary.

Granger English, French
Means "farm bailiff" from Old French grangier, ultimately from Latin granum meaning "grain". It is borne in the Harry Potter novels by Harry's friend Hermione Granger.

Grant English, Scottish
Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Granville English
Derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

Graves English
Occupational name for a steward, derived from Middle English greyve, related to the German title Graf.

Gray English
From a nickname for a person who had grey hair or grey clothes.

Grayson English
Means "son of the steward", derived from Middle English greyve "steward".

Green English
Descriptive name for someone who often wore the colour green or someone who lived near the village green.

Greenberg German (Anglicized), Jewish
Anglicized form of Grünberg.

Greene English
Variant of Green.

Greenwood English
Topographic name for someone who lived in or near a lush forest, from Old English grene "green" and wudu "wood".

Gregersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Gregers".

Gregory English
From the given name Gregory.

Grenville English
Variant of Granville.

Grey English
Variant of Gray.