Browse Surnames

Abbott English
English cognate of Abate.

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".

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.

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).

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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".

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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).

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).

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

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.

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.

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

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).

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

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

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

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).

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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".

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.

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

Pain English
Variant of Payne.

Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pārēre meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin parere 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".

Pilgrim English, German
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.

Platt English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.

Pocock English
Variant of Peacock.

Poindexter English
From the Jèrriais surname Poingdestre meaning "right fist".

Polley English
From Old French poli meaning "polite, courteous".

Pope English
From a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin papa, ultimately from Greek πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".

Power 2 English
From Middle English povre meaning "poor", via Old French from Latin pauper. It could have been a nickname for someone who had no money or a miser.

Powers English
Variant of Power 1 or Power 2.

Pratt English
From Old English prætt meaning "trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.

Proudfoot English
Nickname for a person with a proud step.

Purcell English
From Old French pourcel "piglet", from Latin porcellus, a derivative of porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.

Queen English
From a given name that was derived from Old English cwen meaning "queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.

Quick English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".

Quickley 1 English
Variant of Quick.

Raine 1 English
From a nickname derived from Old French reine meaning "queen".

Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.

Rayne English, French
Variant of Raine 1 or Raine 2.

Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.

Readdie English
Variant of Ready 1.

Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".

Reed English
Variant of Read 1.

Reid Scottish, English
Scots variant of Read 1.

Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.

Rey 2 English
Means "female roe deer" from Old English ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.

Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).

Rounds English
Patronymic derived from Middle English rond meaning "round, plump", ultimately from Latin rotundus.

Roy 1 French, English
Variant of Rey 1.

Russel English
Variant of Russell.

Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.

Salvage English
Variant of Savage.

Sangster English, Scottish
Occupational name or nickname for a singer, from Old English singan "to sing, to chant".

Savage English
English nickname meaning "wild, uncouth", derived from Old French salvage or sauvage meaning "untamed", ultimately from Latin silvaticus meaning "wild, from the woods".

Savege English (Rare)
Variant of Savage.

Savidge English
Variant of Savage.

Scott English, Scottish
Originally given to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic.

Senior English
Originally a name for the elder of two brothers.

Shakespeare English
From a nickname for a warlike person, from Old English scacan "to shake" and spere "spear". A famous bearer was the English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".

Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.

Shine 1 English
Means "beautiful, attractive" from Old English sciene.

Short English
From a nickname for a short person, from Middle English schort.

Silver English
From a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English seolfor "silver".

Skeates English
From the Old Norse nickname or byname skjótr meaning "swift".

Small English
From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.

Smalls English
Variant of Small.

Snell English
From Old English snel meaning "fast, quick, nimble".

Snelling English
Variant of Snell.

Sommer 1 German, English
Means "summer", from Old High German sumar or Old English sumor. This was a nickname for a cheerful person, someone who lived in a sunny spot, or a farmer who had to pay taxes in the summer.

Sparks English
From an Old Norse nickname or byname derived from sparkr meaning "sprightly".

Spear English
From Old English spere "spear", an occupational name for a hunter or a maker of spears, or a nickname for a thin person.

Speight English
English form of Specht, probably a loanword from German or Dutch.

Spurling English
From Middle English sparewe "sparrow" and the diminutive suffix -ling.

Stack English
From a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English stack "haystack", of Old Norse origin.

Stacks English
Variant of Stack.

Stark English, German
From a nickname meaning "strong, rigid", from Old English stearc or Old High German stark.

Starr English
From Middle English sterre meaning "star". This was usually a nickname, but it could also occasionally be a sign name from the name of an inn called the Star.

Stern 1 English
From Old English styrne meaning "stern, severe". This was used as a nickname for someone who was stern, harsh, or severe in manner or character.

Strange English
Derived from Middle English strange meaning "foreign", ultimately from Latin extraneus.

Strong English
Nickname derived from Middle English strong or strang meaning "strong".

Summers 2 English
Variant of Sommer 1.

Swallow English
From the name of the bird, from Old English swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.

Sweet English
From a nickname meaning "sweet, pleasant", from Old English swete.

Swift English
Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.

Teel English
From Middle English tele meaning "teal, duck".

Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.

Thrussell English
From Old English þrostle meaning "song thrush", referring to a cheerful person.

Tirrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tod English
Variant of Todd.

Todd English
Means "fox", derived from Middle English todde.

Triggs English
From a byname derived from Old Norse tryggr meaning "true, loyal".

Trueman English
Variant of Truman.

Truman English
Means "trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).

Turnbull English, Scottish
Nickname for someone thought to be strong enough to turn around a bull.

Tyrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tyrrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tyson 1 English
Derived from a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from Old French tison meaning "firebrand".

Verity English
From a nickname meaning "truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.

Virgo English
Possibly from Latin virgo "virgin, maiden". It may have been a nickname for an actor who played the Virgin Mary in mystery plays, or for a shy man or a lecher.

Wallace Scottish, English, Irish
Means "foreigner, stranger, Celt" from Norman French waleis (of Germanic origin). It was often used to denote native Welsh and Bretons. A famous bearer was the 13th-century Scottish hero William Wallace.

Waller 1 English
Derived from Old French gallier meaning "person with a pleasant temper".

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

Walsh English, Irish
From Old English wælisc meaning "foreigner, stranger, Celt".

Ware 2 English
From the Middle English nickname ware meaning "wary, astute, prudent".

Welch English
Variant of Walsh.

White English
Originally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English hwit "white".

Whitehead English
Nickname for someone with white or light-coloured hair, from Old English hwit "white" and heafod "head".

Wilbur English
From the nickname Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.

Wild English, German
Means "wild, untamed, uncontrolled", derived from Old English wilde. This was either a nickname for a person who behaved in a wild manner or a topographic name for someone who lived on overgrown land.

Wilder English, German
Variant of Wild.

Winter English, German, Swedish
From Old English winter or Old High German wintar meaning "winter". This was a nickname for a person with a cold personality.

Wolf German, English
From Middle High German or Middle English wolf meaning "wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.

Wolfe English
Variant of Wolf.

Woodcock English
Nickname referring to the woodcock bird.

Woolf English
Variant of Wolf.

Yap English
From a nickname for a clever or cunning person, from Middle English yap meaning "devious, deceitful, shrewd".

Yong English
Variant of Young.

Young English
Derived from Old English geong meaning "young". This was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.

Younge English
Variant of Young.