Browse Surnames

De Kloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Delaney 1 English
Derived from Norman French de l'aunaie meaning "from the alder grove".

Denman English
From Middle English dene "valley" combined with man.

Denzil English
From the place name Denzell, a manor in Cornwall, which is of unknown meaning.

Derby English
Variant of Darby.

De Veen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

De Ven Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Devereux English
Indicated a person from Evreux in France, itself named after the Gaulish tribe of the Eburovices, which was probably derived from a Celtic word meaning "yew".

De Vries Dutch
Means "the Frisian" in Dutch, referring to a person from Friesland.

Dickman English
From Old English dic "ditch" combined with man "person, man". It was originally a name for a ditch digger or someone who lived near a ditch.

Diefenbach German
From a German place name meaning "deep creek".

Disney English
Means "from Isigny", referring to the town of Isigny in Normandy. This surname was borne by the American animator and filmmaker Walt Disney (1901-1966).

Dorsey English
Means "from Orsay", referring to the town of Orsay near Paris, its name deriving from the Latin personal name Orcius.

Downer English
Name for someone who lived on or near a down, which is an English word meaning "hill".

Dresdner German
Originally indicated a person who came from the city of Dresden in German.

Dudley English
From a place name meaning "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. The surname was borne by a British noble family.

Dwerryhouse English
Indicated a person who worked or lived at a dyehouse, which is a place where dyeing was done.

Easton English
From the name of various places meaning "east town" in Old English.

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

Ebner 1 German
Originally indicated a dweller on a flat piece of land, derived from Middle High German ebene "plateau".

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".

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".

Ek Swedish
Means "oak" in Swedish.

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".

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".

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

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".

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

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.

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).

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

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

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

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

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

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".

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.

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".

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

Field English
Variant of Fields.

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

Flater German
Means "reed bed" in German.

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)".

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

Forrest English
Variant of Forest.

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).

Foss English
Variant of Fosse.

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

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.

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.

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

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".

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.

Garnier 2 English
Variant of Garner 1.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Granville English
Derived from a Norman place name Grainville.

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.

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

Grenville English
Variant of Granville.

Grover English
From Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908).

Groves English
From Old English graf meaning "grove". This originally indicated a person who lived near a grove (a group of trees).

Gruber Upper German
From German Grube meaning "pit", indicating a person who lived or worked in a pit or depression. This is the most common surname in Austria.

Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Grünewald German
Means "green forest" from German grün "green" and Wald "forest".

Gutenberg German, Jewish
Variant of Guttenberg. A notable bearer was the inventor of the printing press Johannes Gutenberg (1398-1468), whose family hailed from an estate by this name.

Guttenberg German, Jewish
From the name of various places, derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Haanraads Dutch
Originally indicated a person from Haanrade, a small village in the south of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Haanraadts Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Haanraats Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Hadaway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Haden English
From a place name derived from Old English hæþ "heath" and dun "hill".

Haenraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Hagen Norwegian, Dutch
From Old Norse hagi or Old Dutch hago meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Haig English, Scottish
From Old English haga or Old Norse hagi meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Haight English
Topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, derived from Old English heahþu "height, summit".

Hailey English
Variant of Haley.

Hale English
Derived from Old English halh meaning "nook, recess, hollow".

Haley English
From the name of an English town meaning "hay clearing", from Old English heg "hay" and leah "woodland, clearing".

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).

Halle German
German variant of Hall.

Hambleton English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Hamilton English, Scottish
From an English place name, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).

Hamm English
Means "river meadow" in Old English.

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".

Hanley English
From various English place names meaning "high meadow" in Old English.

Hanraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Harden English
From a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.

Hardwick English
From Old English heord "herd" and wic "village, town".

Harford English
Habitational name from places called Harford in Gloucestershire and Devon, meaning "hart ford" or "army ford".

Hargrave English
Derived from Old English har meaning "grey" and graf "grove".

Harlan English
Variant of Harland.

Harland English
From various place names meaning "hare land" in Old English.

Harley English
Derived from a place name meaning "hare clearing", from Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Harlow English
Habitational name derived from a number of locations named Harlow, from Old English hær "rock, heap of stones" or here "army", combined with hlaw "hill".

Harrington English
From the name of towns in England, meaning either "Hæfer's town" or "stony town" in Old English.

Hart English
Means "male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.

Hartell English
From various place names derived from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and hyll "hill".

Hartley English
Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Hartley, from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Hasenkamp German
From a northern German place name meaning "rabbit field", from Old Saxon haso "hare" and kamp "field" (from Latin campus).

Hathaway English
Habitational name for someone who lived near a path across a heath, from Old English hæþ "heath" and weg "way".

Hatheway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Hathway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Haugen Norwegian
Means "hill" in Norwegian, referring to a person who lived on a hilltop.

Haupt German
German cognate of Head.

Häusler German
Name for someone who lived in a house with no land, derived rom Old High German word hus meaning "house".

Hawthorn English
Variant of Hawthorne.

Hawthorne English
Denoted a person who lived near a hawthorn bush, a word derived from Old English hagaþorn, from haga meaning "enclosure, yard" and þorn meaning "thorn bush". A famous bearer was the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of The Scarlet Letter.

Hayden 1 English
From place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill".

Hayes 1 English
From various English place names that were derived from Old English hæg meaning "enclosure, fence". A famous bearer was American President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893).

Hayley English
Variant of Haley.

Hayter English
Name for a person who lived on a hill, from Middle English heyt meaning "height".

Haywood English
From various place names meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.

Head English
From Middle English hed meaning "head", from Old English heafod. It may have referred to a person who had a peculiar head, who lived near the head of a river or valley, or who served as the village headman.

Headley English
From place names meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.

Heath English
Originally belonged to a person who was a dweller on the heath or open land.

Hedley English
Variant of Headley.

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).

Heppenheimer German
From the name of the city of Heppenheim in Hesse, Germany.

Hershey English
Originally denoted a person from Hercé in Normandy.

Hiedler German
From southern German Hiedl meaning "underground stream".

Hightower English
Possibly a variant of Hayter.

Hill English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a hill, derived from Old English hyll.

Hillam English
From English places by this name, derived from Old English hyll meaning "hill".

Hilton English
From various English place names derived from Old English hyll "hill" and tun "enclosure, town". Famous bearers of this name include the Hilton family of hotel heirs.

Hitler German
Variant of Hiedler. This was spelling used by Alois Hitler, the father of German dictator Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), when he adopted his stepfather Johann Georg Hiedler's surname.

Hochberg German, Jewish
From place names meaning "high hill" in German.

Hoek Dutch
From Dutch hoek meaning "corner".

Hofwegen Dutch
Variant of Van Hofwegen.

Holden English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and denu "valley".

Holland 1 English
From various English places of this name, derived from Old English hoh "point of land, heel" and land "land".

Holland 2 Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person from the Dutch province of Holland 1.

Hollands English
Variant of Holland 1.

Hollins English
Referred to someone living by a group of holly trees, from Old English holegn.

Holloway English
From the name of various English places, derived from Old English hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and weg "path, way".

Holm Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Swedish, Danish and Norwegian holme, holm meaning "islet" (Old Norse holmr).

Holme English, Scottish
Referred either to someone living by a small island (northern Middle English holm, from Old Norse holmr) or near a holly tree (Middle English holm, from Old English holegn).

Holmes English, Scottish
Variant of Holme. A famous fictional bearer was Sherlock Holmes, a detective in Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887.

Holmwood English
Variant of Homewood.

Holst Danish, Low German, Dutch
Originally referred to a person from the region of Holstein between Germany and Denmark. A famous bearer of this name was the English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934).

Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".

Holtman Dutch
Dutch cognate of Holzmann.

Holtz German
German cognate of Holt.

Hölzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Holzer German
German cognate of Holt.

Holzmann German
Derived from Old High German holz "wood" and man "man", a name for someone who lived close to a wood or worked with wood.

Homewood English
From various place names derived from Old English ham meaning "home" and wudu meaning "wood".

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".

Honeysett English
Possibly a variant of Honeycutt.

Hooker English
Originally applied to one who lived near a river bend or corner of some natural feature, from Old English hoc "angle, hook".

Hope English
Derived from Middle English hop meaning "small valley".

Horn English, German, Norwegian, Danish
From the Old English, Old High German and Old Norse word horn meaning "horn". This was an occupational name for one who carved objects out of horn or who played a horn, or a person who lived near a horn-shaped geographical feature, such as a mountain or a bend in a river.

Horne English
Variant of Horn.

Horsfall English
From a minor place in Yorkshire derived from Old English hors "horse" and fall "clearing".

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

Houk Dutch (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Hoek.

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

Houtman Dutch
Dutch cognate of Holzmann.

Howe English
Name for one who lived on a hill, from Middle English how "hill" (of Norse origin).

Howland English
Variant of Holland 1.

Howse English
Variant of Howe.

Huddleston English
From the name of a town in the Yorkshire region of England, which means "Hudel's town" in Old English.

Hudnall English
From various English place names, derived from the Old English given name Huda combined with halh "nook, recess".

Huff English
Means "spur of a hill", from Old English hoh.

Hull English
Variant of Hill.

Hult Swedish
Swedish form of Holt.

Hume Scottish, English
Variant of Holme. A famous bearer was the philosopher David Hume (1711-1776).

Hunnicutt English
Variant of Honeycutt.

Hunnisett English
Possibly a variant of Honeycutt.

Hurst English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a thicket of trees, from Old English hyrst "thicket".

Huxley English
From the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).

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

Hyde English
From Middle English hide, a unit of land, approximately the size necessary to support a household.

Hyland 1 English
Topographic name meaning "high land", from Old English heah and land.

Ingersleben German
From the name of the town of Ingersleben, Germany, which meant "Inge's village".

Ingham English
From the name of an English town, of Old English origin meaning "Inga's homestead".

Irvin Scottish, English
Variant of Irvine 1 or Irwin.

Irving Scottish, English
Variant of Irvine 1 or Irwin.

Jeanes 2 English
Originally denoted a person who came from Genoa, Italy.

Jöllenbeck German
From the name of a village in western Germany, itself derived from the name of the Jölle, a small river, combined with Low German beck "stream".

Kappel German, Dutch
Name for a person who lived near or worked at a chapel, ultimately from Late Latin cappella, a diminutive of cappa "cape", arising from the holy relic of the torn cape of Saint Martin, which was kept in small churches.

Kaube German
From the name of the town of Kaub in Germany.

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

Keaton English
From any of three English place names: Ketton in Rutland, Ketton in Durham or Keaton in Devon. The first is probably derived from an old river name or tribal name combined with Old English ea "river", with the spelling later influenced by tun "enclosure, yard, town". The second is from the Old English given name Catta or the Old Norse given name Káti combined with Old English tun. The third is possibly from Cornish kee "hedge, bank" combined with Old English tun.

Keighley English
Derived from an English place name meaning "clearing belonging to Cyhha". The Old English given name Cyhha is of unknown meaning.

Keil German
Means "wedge shaped" in German. It was used to denote a person who owned a wedge-shaped piece of land.

Kelsey English
From an English place name meaning "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce" in combination with eg "island".

Kendal English
Variant of Kendall.

Kendall English
Derived from the town of Kendal in England, so-called from the river Kent, on which it is situated, and Old English dæl meaning "valley, dale".

Kerr Scottish, English
From Scots and northern Middle English kerr meaning "thicket, marsh", ultimately from Old Norse kjarr.

Kersey English
From an English place name meaning derived from Old English cærse "watercress" and ieg "island".

Key 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.

Keyes 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.

Keys 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.

Kiefer 1 German
Means "pine tree" in German.

Killam English
Denoted one who hailed from the English town of Kilham, meaning "kiln homestead".

Kimberley English
From various English places called Kimberley. They mean either "Cyneburga's field", "Cynebald's field" or "Cynemær's field".

Kimberly English
Variant of Kimberley.

Kingsley English
From a place name meaning "king's clearing" in Old English.

Kingston English
From a place name meaning "king's town" in Old English.

Kinsley English
From the name of a town in West Yorkshire, meaning "clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with cyne meaning "royal".

Kipling English
From the name of a town in Yorkshire, of Old English origin meaning "Cyppel's people", from a given name Cyppel of unknown meaning. A famous bearer of this name was the author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936).

Kirby English
From numerous towns in northern England named Kirby or Kirkby, derived from Old Norse kirkja "church" and býr "farm, settlement".

Kirch German
German cognate of Church.

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.

Kjær Danish
Topographic name for someone living near a wetland, from Danish kær "marsh", from Old Norse kjarr "thicket".

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.

Kloeten Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Knaggs English
From Middle English knagg meaning "small mound, projection". It is found most commonly in the north of England, in particular Yorkshire.

Knowles English
From Middle English knoll, Old English cnoll meaning "small hill, knoll". A famous bearer is American singer Beyoncé Knowles (1981-).

Koppel Estonian, Danish
From Low German koppel meaning "paddock, pasture" (a word borrowed into Estonian).

Krusen Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cruyssen.

Kuijlaars Dutch
Derived from Middle Dutch cule "hole, pit".

Kyler Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Cuyler.

Kynaston English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "Cynefrith's town" in Old English.

Lacey English
Derived from Lassy, the name of a town in Normandy. The name of the town was Gaulish in origin, perhaps deriving from a personal name that was Latinized as Lascius.

Lacy English
Variant of Lacey.

Lamar French, English
Originally from a place name in Normandy, derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool".

Landau German, Jewish
Derived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".

Landon English
Variant of Langdon.

Landvik Norwegian
From the name of a Norwegian town meaning "land inlet".

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.

Langbroek Dutch
From the name of a small town in the province of Utrecht, Holland, derived from lang meaning "wide" and broek meaning "marsh, wetland".

Langdon English
Derived from the name of various places, of Old English origin meaning "long hill" (effectively "ridge").

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".

Langston English
From any of the various locations in England with this name, derived from Old English lang "long" and stan "stone".

Law English
Derived from Old English hlaw "hill".

Layton English
Derived from the name of English towns, meaning "town with a leek garden" in Old English.

Leavitt English
From the name of various places called Livet in Normandy, France. They are possibly of Gaulish origin.

Ledford English
From the name of English places called Lydford, derived from hlud meaning "loud, noisy" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Lee 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".

Leeuwenhoek Dutch
Means "lion's corner" in Dutch. The first bearer of this name lived on the corner (Dutch hoek) of the Lion's Gate (Dutch Leeuwenpoort) in the city of Delft.

Lehr German
From Old High German loh meaning "meadow, clearing".

Leigh English
Variant of Lee 1.

Leighton English
Variant of Layton.

Leitner German
Referred to one who lived on a hillside, from Middle High German lite "slope".

Leitzke German
Either from Leitzkau, the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt, or from a diminutive of the given name Leutz, a variant of Lutz.

Leon English
Variant of Lyon 1, Lyon 2 or Lyon 3.

Levitt English
Variant of Leavitt.

Leyton English
Variant of Layton.

Lie Norwegian
From Norwegian li, Old Norse hlíð meaning "hillside, slope".

Lien Norwegian
Variant of Lie.

Lincoln English
Originally indicated that the bearer was from the English city of Lincoln, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". A famous bearer was Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.

Lind Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Derived from Old Norse lind meaning "linden tree".

Linden German, Dutch
Indicated a person who lived near a linden tree, derived from Old High German linta or Old Dutch linda.

Lindner German
Variant of Linden.

Lindon English
Variant of Lyndon.

Lindsay English, Scottish
From the region of Lindsey in Lincolnshire, which means "Lincoln island" in Old English.

Lindsey English, Scottish
Variant of Lindsay.

Linton English
Originally from place names meaning either "flax town" or "linden tree town" in Old English.

Linville English
From an unknown place name.

Linwood English
Originally from place names meaning "linden tree forest" in Old English.

Lockwood English
From an English place name meaning "enclosed wood".

Loman Dutch
From various place names in the Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch loh meaning "meadow, clearing".

London English
From the name of the capital city of the United Kingdom, the meaning of which is uncertain.

Losnedahl Norwegian
From Norwegian dahl meaning "valley" and Losna, a place in Norway.

Low English
Variant of Law.

Lowe 2 English
Variant of Law.

Lum English
From the name of towns in England called Lumb, probably from Old English lum "pool".

Lund Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Indicated a person who lived near a grove of trees, from Old Norse lundr meaning "grove". There are towns in Sweden named Lund.

Lunde Norwegian
Variant of Lund.

Lyle English
Derived from Norman French l'isle meaning "island".

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

Lynn English
From the name of a town in Norfolk (King's Lynn), derived from Welsh llyn meaning "lake".

Lynton English
Variant of Linton.

Lynwood English
Variant of Linwood.

Lyon 1 English, French
Originally denoted a person from the city of Lyon in central France, originally Latin Lugdunum, of Gaulish origin meaning "hill fort of Lugus". It could also denote a person from the small town of Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy.

Lyons English
Variant of Lyon 1.

Macey English
Variant of Massey.

Macy English
Variant of Massey.

Mandel German, Yiddish
Means "almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Mark 2 English
Originally indicated a person who lived near the boundary of a territory, from Old English mearc meaning "border, boundary".

Marks English, German
Variant of Mark 1, Mark 2 or Marx.

Marley English
Originally denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in Britain called Marley, ultimately meaning either "pleasant wood", "boundary wood" or "marten wood" in Old English. One of the main characters in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843) bears this surname. It was also borne by the Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (1945-1981).