Ackerman EnglishMeans
"ploughman", derived from Middle English
aker "field" and
man.
Bannister EnglishFrom Norman French
banastre meaning
"basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.
Carpenter EnglishFrom the occupation, derived from Middle English
carpentier (ultimately from Latin
carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").
Chamberlain EnglishOccupational name for one who looked after the inner rooms of a mansion, from Norman French
chambrelain.
Chancellor EnglishOccupational name for an administrator, a chancellor, from Norman French
chancelier.
Constable EnglishFrom Old French
conestable, ultimately from Latin
comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".
Delaney 1 EnglishDerived from Norman French
de l'aunaie meaning
"from the alder grove".
Devereux EnglishIndicated 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".
Dickinson EnglishMeans
"son of Dicun",
Dicun being a medieval diminutive of
Dick 1. American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was a famous bearer.
Donaldson EnglishMeans
"son of Donald". A notable bearer is the online personality Jimmy Donaldson (1998-), who goes by the alias MrBeast.
Edison EnglishMeans
"son of Eda 2" or
"son of Adam". The surname was borne by American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931).
Ellington EnglishFrom 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".
Ellison EnglishPatronymic form of the English name
Ellis, from the medieval given name
Elis, a vernacular form of
Elijah.
Emerson EnglishMeans
"son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.
Forester EnglishDenoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see
Forest).
Gardener EnglishOccupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French
jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).
Hamilton English, ScottishFrom 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).
Hathaway EnglishHabitational name for someone who lived near a path across a heath, from Old English
hæþ "heath" and
weg "way".
Holloway EnglishFrom the name of various English places, derived from Old English
hol "hollow, sunken, deep" and
weg "path, way".
Jefferson EnglishMeans
"son of Jeffrey". A famous bearer was American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). Since his surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, it is now more common among the African-American population.
Madison EnglishMeans
"son of Maud". A famous bearer of this surname was the fourth American president James Madison (1751-1836).
Mallory EnglishFrom Old French
maleüré meaning
"unfortunate", a term introduced to England by the Normans.
Masterson EnglishPatronymic derived from Middle English
maister meaning
"master", via Old French from Latin
magister.
Montague EnglishFrom a Norman place name meaning "sharp mountain" in Old French.
Mortimer EnglishFrom the name of a town in Normandy meaning
"dead water, still water" in Old French.
Overton EnglishDenoted a person who hailed from one of the various places in England called Overton, meaning "upper settlement" or "riverbank settlement" in Old English.
Remington EnglishFrom the name of the town of Rimington in Lancashire, derived from the name of the stream
Riming combined with Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, town".
Sigourney EnglishFrom the name of the commune of Sigournais in western France, called
Segurniacum in medieval Latin, itself of unknown meaning.
Verity EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.
Washington EnglishFrom a place name meaning "settlement belonging to Wassa's people", from the given name
Wassa and Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". A famous bearer was George Washington (1732-1799), the first president of the United States. This surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, resulting in a high proportion of African-American bearers.
Waterman 2 English, DutchOccupational name for a boatman or a water carrier. It could also describe a person who lived by water.
Winchester EnglishFrom an English place name, derived from
Venta, of Celtic origin, and Latin
castrum meaning "camp, fortress".