Browse Surnames

Aakster Dutch
Derived from Old Dutch ekster "magpie".

Abbott English
English cognate of Abate.

Abt German
German cognate of Abate.

Adler German, Jewish
Means "eagle" in German.

Admiraal Dutch
Means "admiral" in Dutch.

Alderliesten Dutch
From Dutch allerliefste meaning "most dearest". This name could have referred to the nature of the person or perhaps a phrase the person commonly used.

Amsel 2 German
Means "blackbird" in German.

Armstrong English
Means "strong arm" from Middle English. Tradition holds that the family is descended from Siward, an 11th-century Earl of Northumbria. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), a jazz musician, and Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), an astronaut who was the first person to walk on the moon.

Averill English
From Middle English aueril, Old French avrill meaning "April", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.

Ayers 1 English
From Middle English eir meaning "heir".

Baart Dutch
Means "beard" in Dutch, originally describing a person who wore a beard.

Bähr German
From Middle High German bër "bear" or ber "boar". This was originally a nickname for a strong or brave person.

Bain English
Variant of Baines 2.

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.

Ballard English
Variant of Ball using a pejorative suffix.

Baron English, French
From the title of nobility, derived from Latin baro (genitive baronis) meaning "man, freeman", possibly from Frankish barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or acted like a baron.

Barret English
Variant of Barrett.

Barrett English
Probably derived from the Middle English word barat meaning "trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.

Barron English
Variant of Baron.

Bass English
English cognate of Basso.

Battle English
From a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.

Beake English
Variant of Beck 3.

Beck 3 English
From a nickname for a person with a big nose, from Middle English bec meaning "beak".

Becket English
Variant of Beckett.

Beckett English
Originally a diminutive of Beck 1 or Beck 3.

Belcher English
From a Middle English version of Old French bel chiere meaning "beautiful face". It later came to refer to a person who had a cheerful and pleasant temperament.

Bellamy French, English
From Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".

Best 1 English
Derived from Middle English beste meaning "beast", an occupational name for a keeper of animals or a nickname for someone who acted like a beast. A famous bearer of this surname was soccer legend George Best (1946-2005).

Bieber German, Jewish
From Middle High German biber meaning "beaver", possibly a nickname for a hard worker.

Bisset English
From Old French bis meaning "drab, dingy", a nickname for someone who looked drab.

Bissette English
Variant of Bisset.

Black English
Means either "black" (from Old English blæc) or "pale" (from Old English blac). It could refer to a person with a pale or a dark complexion, or a person who worked with black dye.

Blackman English
From a nickname, a variant of Black.

Blake English
Variant of Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).

Blau German
Means "blue" in German, most likely used to refer to a person who wore blue clothes.

Blom Swedish
Means "bloom, flower" in Swedish.

Blue English
From a nickname for a person with blue eyes or blue clothing.

Blum German, Jewish
Means "flower" in German and Yiddish.

Blumenthal German, Jewish
Derived from German Blumen "flowers" and Thal "valley".

Blythe English
From Old English meaning "happy, joyous, blithe".

Bone 1 English
Derived from Old French bon meaning "good".

Bone 2 English
Variant of Baines 2.

Bonham English
English form of Bonhomme.

Bonner English
From Middle English boneire "kind, courteous", derived from Norman French bon aire "good bloodline".

Bonney English
From northern Middle English boni meaning "pretty, attractive".

Boon 1 English
Variant of Bone 1.

Boone English
Variant of Boon 1 or Boon 2.

Borst Dutch
From a nickname derived from Dutch borst "chest".

Braun German
Means "brown" in German.

Braune German
Variant of Braun.

Breitbarth German
From Old High German breit "broad" and bart "beard", originally a nickname for someone with a full beard.

Brett English
Originally a name given to someone who was a Breton or a person from Brittany.

Brittain English
Variant of Britton.

Britton English
Originally given to a person who was a Briton (a Celt of England) or a Breton (an inhabitant of Brittany).

Brock English
Derived from Old English brocc meaning "badger", ultimately of Celtic origin.

Bronson English
Patronymic form of Brown.

Brotz German
Variant of Protz.

Brown English
Originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin. A notable bearer is Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.

Browne English
Variant of Brown.

Bruhn German
Variant of Braun.

Bruin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Brown.

Brun French, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means "brown" in French, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. It was originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin.

Brune German
Variant of Braun.

Bul Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bull.

Bull English
From a nickname for a person who acted like a bull.

Bullard English
Possibly a nickname derived from Middle English bole "fraud, deceit".

Bullock English
From a nickname meaning "young bull".

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

Burnett English
Means "brown" in Middle English, from Old French brunet, a diminutive of brun.

Burrell English
English form of Bureau.

Butts English
From a nickname meaning "thick, stumpy", from Middle English butt.

Chance English
From a nickname for a lucky person or a gambler.

Cline German (Anglicized), Jewish
Anglicized spelling of Klein.

Cloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Cock English
Derived from the medieval nickname cok meaning "rooster, cock". The nickname was commonly added to given names to create diminutives such as Hancock or Alcock.

Cocks English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Courtenay 2 English
From the Old French nickname court nes meaning "short nose".

Courtney English
Variant of Courtenay 1 or Courtenay 2.

Cox English
Patronymic form of Cock.

Coy English
Means "quiet, shy, coy" from Middle English coi.

Crisp English
English cognate of Crespo.

Curtis English
Nickname for a courteous person, derived from Old French curteis meaning "refined, courtly".

Darling English
From a nickname or byname derived from Middle English dereling, Old English deorling, meaning "darling, beloved one".

Daube German
Variant of Taube.

De Bruijn Dutch
Dutch cognate of Brown.

De Bruin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Brown.

De Groot Dutch
From Dutch groot meaning "big, great".

De Haan Dutch
Means "rooster" in Dutch.

De Haas Dutch
Dutch cognate of Hase.

De Jong Dutch
Means "young" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch jonc. This is the most common surname in the Netherlands.

De Jonge Dutch
Variant of De Jong.

De Kloet Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

De Koning Dutch
Dutch cognate of King.

De Lang Dutch
Dutch cognate of Long.

De Lange Dutch
Dutch cognate of Long.

Denzel German
Variant of Tanzer.

Devin 2 French, English
Nickname for a person who acted divinely or prophetically, from Old French devin meaning "divine" or "seer, fortune teller", ultimately from Latin divinus.

Devine 2 English
Variant of Devin 2.

De Vos Dutch
Variant of Vos.

Devos Flemish
Flemish variant of Vos.

De Vroom Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Vroom.

De Vroome Dutch
Variant of Vroom.

De Wit Dutch
Variant of De Witte.

De With Dutch
Variant of De Witte.

De Witt Dutch
Variant of De Witte.

De Witte Dutch
Means "the white" in Dutch, a nickname for a person with white or fair hair.

Drake English
Derived from the Old Norse byname Draki or the Old English byname Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent".

Duerr German
Variant of Dürr.

Duke English
From the noble title, which was originally from Latin dux "leader". It was a nickname for a person who behaved like a duke, or who worked in a duke's household.

Dukes English
Patronymic form of Duke.

Dunkel German
Means "dark" in German.

Dunn English, Scottish, Irish
Derived from Old English dunn "dark" or Gaelic donn "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion.

Dunst German
Derived from Middle High German dunst "haze".

Durand French, English
From Old French durant meaning "enduring", ultimately from Latin durans. This was a nickname for a stubborn person.

Durant English, French
Variation of Durand.

Dürr German
Means "thin" in German.

Earl English
From the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English eorl meaning "nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.

Earls English
Patronymic form of Earl.

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.

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.

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

Fairchild English
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.

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".

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

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".

Fertig German
Means "ready, prepared" in German.

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).

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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).

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

Goode English
Variant of Good.

Goodman English
Variant of Good.

Grahn Swedish
From Swedish gran meaning "spruce".

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).

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

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

Greene English
Variant of Green.

Grey English
Variant of Gray.

Griffin 2 English
Nickname from the mythological beast with body of a lion with head and wings of an eagle. It is ultimately from Greek γρύψ (gryps).

Grimm German
From a nickname for a stern person, derived from Old High German grim "stern, severe, angry". Famous bearers include Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), known for compiling German folktales.

Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.

Groos German
Variant of Groß.

Groot Dutch
Variant of De Groot.

Gross German
Variant of Groß.

Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".

Große German
Variant of Groß.

Grosse German
Variant of Groß.

Größel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großer German
Variant of Groß.

Grosser German
Variant of Groß.

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).

Gump German (Rare), Popular Culture
Possibly from a nickname derived from Middle High German gumpen meaning "to hop, to jump". This surname was used by author Winston Groom for the hero of his novel Forrest Gump (1986), better known from the 1994 movie adaptation.

Gutermuth German
Derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and muot meaning "mind, spirit". It was a nickname for an optimistic person.

Gwerder German (Swiss)
From Swiss German gwerig meaning "agile, alert".

Haan Dutch
Variant of De Haan.

Haas Dutch, German
Variant of Hase.

Haase German
Variant of Hase.

Habich German
German cognate of Hawk.

Habicht German
German cognate of Hawk.

Haggard English
From a nickname meaning "wild, untamed, worn", from Old French, ultimately from a Germanic root.

Hahn German
From a nickname for a proud or pugnacious person, from Old High German hano meaning "rooster, cock".

Hail English
From a nickname derived from Middle English hail meaning "healthy" (of Old Norse origin).

Hardy English, French
From Old French and Middle English hardi meaning "bold, daring, hardy", from the Germanic root *harduz.

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.

Hase German
From Middle High German and Middle Low German hase meaning "hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.

Haupt German
German cognate of Head.

Hawk English
Originally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English hafoc "hawk".

Hawking English
From a diminutive of Hawk. A famous bearer was the British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018).

Hawkins English
From a diminutive of Hawk.

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.

Heeren Dutch
From Dutch heer "lord, master", a nickname for a person who acted like a lord or who worked for a lord.

Hersch German, Jewish
Variant of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Herschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.

Hertz German
Derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.

Herzog German
From a German title meaning "duke", a nickname for a person who either acted like a duke or worked in a duke's household.

Hext English
From a nickname meaning "tallest" in Middle English. It is most common in the southwest of England in the county of Devon.

Hirsch 1 German
Means "deer, hart" in German. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a deer in some way, or who raised or hunted deer.

Hirschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Hjort Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish cognate of Hart.

Hoch German
Means "tall" in German.

Hood English
Metonymic occupational name for a maker of hoods or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood, from Old English hod.

Hopper English
Occupational name for an acrobat or a nickname for someone who was nervous or restless. A famous bearer was the American actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010).

Hummel 2 German, Dutch
Nickname for a busy person, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch hommel, Middle High German hummel, all meaning "bee".

Jung 1 German
Means "young" in German, from Middle High German junc.

Junge German
Variant of Jung 1.

Kahler German
From a nickname derived from German kahl meaning "bald".

Kaiser German
From Middle High German keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name Caesar.

Keen English
From Old English cene meaning "bold, brave".

Kemp English
Derived from Middle English kempe meaning "champion, warrior".

Kempf German
German cognate of Kemp.

Kidd English
From a nickname meaning "young goat, kid" in Middle English, of Old Norse origin.

Kikkert Dutch
Derived from Dutch kikker meaning "frog".

King English
From Old English cyning "king", originally a nickname for someone who either acted in a kingly manner or who worked for or was otherwise associated with a king. A famous bearer was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

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.

Kloeten Dutch
Variant of Kloet.

Klossner German
Derived from German Klausner, Middle High German klosenære meaning "hermit".

Kneller German
Originally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".

Koenig German
German cognate of King.

Koenigsmann German
Variant of Königsmann.

Köhl German
Variant of Kohl.

Kohl German
Derived from Middle High German kol "cabbage".

König German
German cognate of King.

Königsmann German
Means "king's man", or someone who played a king in a play.

Koning Dutch
Dutch cognate of King.

Kraus German
From Middle High German krus meaning "curly", originally a nickname for a person with curly hair.

Krause German
Variant of Kraus.

Krauss German
Variant of Kraus.

Krauß German
Variant of Kraus.

Krebs German
Means "crab" in German, perhaps a nickname for a person with a crab-like walk.

Kron German, Swedish
From German Krone and Swedish krona meaning "crown" (from Latin corona), perhaps a nickname for one who worked in a royal household.

Kroon Dutch, Estonian
Means "crown" in Dutch and Estonian (from Latin corona).

Krückel German
Nickname for a crippled person or someone who walked with a cane, from Middle High German krücke meaning "cane".

Kruse German
Variant of Kraus.

Kurz German
Means "short" in German, ultimately from Latin curtus.

Kurzmann German
Means "short man" in German.

Lager Swedish
Means "laurel" in Swedish.

Lamb English
From the name of the animal, perhaps a nickname for a shy person.

Lång Swedish
Swedish cognate of Long.

Lang German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Lange German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Langer German, Jewish
German cognate of Long.

Lenz German
From a nickname meaning "springtime" in German.

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

Little English
Meaning simply "little", it was originally a nickname given to a short person.

Ljung Swedish
Means "heather" in Swedish.

Lloyd Welsh, English
Originally a nickname from the Welsh word llwyd meaning "grey".

Loewe German
Variant of Löwe.

Long English
Originally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.

Longstaff English
Occupational name for an official who was equipped with a ceremonial staff, or a nickname for a tall person.

Lovel English
Variant of Lowell.

Lovelace English
From a nickname for a lothario, derived from Middle English lufeles, Old English lufuleas meaning "loveless".

Lovell English
Variant of Lowell.

Löwe German, Jewish
Means "lion" in German.

Lowell English
From a nickname derived from a Norman French lou meaning "wolf" and a diminutive suffix.

Lykke Danish
Means "happiness" in Danish.

Lyon 2 English, French
From a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English lion meaning "lion".

Mallory English
From Old French maleüré meaning "unfortunate", a term introduced to England by the Normans.

Mann German, English
From a nickname meaning "man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.

Manning 1 English
Patronymic form of Mann.

Mårdh Swedish
From Swedish mård meaning "pine marten".

Maus German
From a nickname meaning "mouse", from Old High German mus.

Mitchell 2 English
Originally a nickname for a large person, from Old English micel "big".

Monday 2 English
Denoted a person for whom this was a significant day, often the day they would pay their feudal fees.

Mondy English
Variant of Monday 1 or Monday 2.

Monk English
Nickname or occupational name for a person who worked for monks. This word is derived from Latin monachus, from Greek μοναχός (monachos) meaning "alone".

Moore 3 English
Nickname for a person of dark complexion, from Old French more, Latin maurus, meaning "Moorish".

Munson English
Patronymic formed from the Norman French nickname moun meaning "monk".

Mutton English
Referred to a shepherd or else someone who in some way resembled a sheep, derived from Norman French mouton "sheep".

Muyskens Dutch
Means "little mouse" in Dutch.

Neuman German, Jewish
Variant of Neumann.

Neumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German niuwe and man meaning "new man, newcomer".

Newman English
English cognate of Neumann.

Noble English, Scottish
From a nickname meaning "noble, high-born, illustrious", derived via Middle English and Old French from Latin nobilis. In some cases the nickname may have been given ironically to people of the opposite character.

Noel French, English
Either from the given name Noël, or else derived directly from Old French noel "Christmas" and given to a person who had a particular connection with the holiday.

Nowell English
Variant of Noel.

Ohme German
From Middle High German oem meaning "maternal uncle".

Oomen Dutch
Patronymic derived from Middle Dutch oom meaning "(maternal) uncle".

Outlaw English
Means simply "outlaw" from Middle English outlawe.

Pabst German
From German Papst, a cognate of Pope.

Pahlke German
Low German cognate of Peel.

Pain English
Variant of Payne.

Papp 2 German
Nickname perhaps related to Latin pappo meaning "to eat".

Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pareo meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin pario meaning "to produce, to give birth").

Payne English
From a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin paganus meaning "heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.

Peacock English
From Middle English pecok meaning "peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.

Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).

Penny English
Nickname meaning "penny, coin" from Old English penning.

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".