Falco ItalianDerived from Italian
falco "falcon". The name was used to denote a falconer or a person who resembled a falcon in some way.
Falkenrath GermanDerived from Middle High German
falke "falcon" and
rat "counsel, advice".
Färber GermanOccupational name meaning
"dyer", derived from German
Farbe "colour".
Farina ItalianOccupational name for a miller, derived from Italian
farina "flour".
Farro ItalianDerived from the name of a place on Sicily, Italy, derived from Latin
far meaning "wheat, spelt".
Fashingbauer GermanFrom
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".
Fattore ItalianMeans
"land agent, bailiff, steward, farmer" in Italian.
Faucher FrenchOccupational name meaning
"mower" in French, ultimately from Latin
falx meaning "sickle, scythe".
Fava ItalianFrom Italian
fava referring to a type of broad bean.
Favager FrenchPossibly indicated a person from the town of Faverges in eastern France, derived from Old French
faverge meaning "forge".
Fay 1 French, EnglishReferred 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.
Feld German, JewishMeans
"field" in German. The name was originally given to someone who lived on land cleared of forest.
Fermi ItalianOriginally indicated a person from the town of Fermo in the Marche region of Italy, originally called
Firmum in Latin meaning "strong, steady, firm".
Ferrari ItalianOccupational name for a metalworker or smith, derived from Latin
ferrarius, a derivative of
ferrum meaning "iron".
Ferro Italian, SpanishMeans
"iron", ultimately from Latin
ferrum. This was an occupational name for one who worked with iron.
Fèvre FrenchOccupational name meaning
"blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin
faber.
Fiscella ItalianDerived from Italian
fiscella, which was a basket used to conserve cheese. The name was probably used to denote a person who made cheese.
Fleury FrenchFrom the name of various towns in northern France, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name
Florus.
Fonda ItalianOf Italian origin, possibly from a place derived from
fondo meaning
"deep". The family of Henry Fonda (1905-1982) came from the Netherlands, but they were of Genoese origin.
Fontaine FrenchDerived from Old French
fontane meaning
"well, fountain", a derivative of Latin
fons.
Forest English, FrenchOriginally 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 GermanName for someone who lived near ferns, from Old High German
farn "fern".
Forst GermanDerived 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".
Fortier FrenchDerived from Old French
fort "stronghold", indicating a person who lived near or worked at such a place.
Fournier FrenchOccupational name for a baker, from French
fourneau meaning
"oven".
Frank 3 German, Dutch, Danish, NorwegianName 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.
Frankenstein German, LiteratureFrom 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.
Franzese ItalianFrom a nickname that indicated a person who came from France. It is typical of the area around Naples.
Frei GermanMeans
"free" in German, probably referring to someone outside the feudal system.
Freud German, JewishMeans
"joy" in German, a nickname for a cheerful person. A famous bearer was the psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939).
Freund GermanFrom Middle High German
vriunt, modern German
Freund meaning
"friend".
Fries GermanDenoted someone from Frisia, an area along the coastal region of the North Sea stretching from Netherlands to Germany.
Fromm GermanFrom a nickname derived from Middle High German
vrume meaning
"noble, honourable".
Frost English, GermanFrom Old English and Old High German meaning
"frost", a nickname for a person who had a cold personality or a white beard.
Fuchs GermanFrom Old High German
fuhs meaning
"fox". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.
Fuhrmann GermanDerived from Middle High German
vuorman meaning
"cartwright".
Furlan Italian, SloveneFrom the name of the Italian region of
Friuli, in the northeast of Italy, which is derived from the name of the Roman town of Forum Iulii meaning "forum of Julius".
Fürst GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"(sovereign) prince" in German. The word
fürst itself is derived from Old High German
furisto "first".
Fusco ItalianFrom Italian
fosco meaning
"dark", from Latin
fuscus. This was a nickname for a person with dark features.
Gabler GermanOccupational name for someone who made or sold forks, from Old High German
gabala "fork".
Gage French, EnglishOccupational 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.
Gagneux FrenchDerived from Old French
gagnier meaning
"to farm, to cultivate".
Gagnon FrenchDerived from old French
gagnon "guard dog". The name most likely originated as a nickname for an aggressive or cruel person.
Galilei Italian (Rare)From the given name
Galileo. A notable bearer was the Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). Both his given name and surname were from an earlier 15th-century ancestor (a doctor).
Gallo Italian, SpanishMeans
"rooster", ultimately from Latin
gallus. This was a nickname for a proud person.
Ganza ItalianProbably from the feminine medieval given name Allegranza or Alleganza, a derivative of
Allegra. It comes from northern Lombardy.
Garbo ItalianFrom a nickname meaning
"politeness" in Italian. A famous bearer of this name was the Swedish actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990), born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson.
Garfagnini ItalianOriginally denoted one from the region of Garfagnana in Tuscany, Italy, near the historical city of Lucca.
Garofalo ItalianFrom a nickname, from a southern variant of the Italian word
garofano meaning
"carnation".
Gass GermanName for someone who lived on a street in a city, from German
gasse.
Gatti ItalianMeans
"cat" in Italian, originally a nickname for an agile person.
Gehring GermanDerived from a short form of Old German names starting with the element
ger "spear".
Geier GermanMeans
"vulture" in German, a nickname for a greedy person.
Geiger GermanMeans
"fiddle player" in German, derived from Old High German
giga "fiddle".
Geissler GermanOccupational name for a goat herder, from southern German
Geiss meaning "goat" and the suffix
ler signifying an occupation.
Gerber GermanMeans
"tanner, leather dresser" in German, derived from Old High German
garawen meaning "to prepare".
Gerst GermanOccupational name for a barley farmer, derived from Old High German
gersta "barley".
Giese German, DanishDerived from a short form of the given name
Giselbert or other Old German names beginning with the element
gisal meaning "pledge, hostage".
Giffard French, EnglishPossibly 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.
Giunta ItalianFrom the old Italian given name
Bonagiunta or
Bonaggiunta (derived from
bono "good" and
aggiunto "assistant").
Glass English, GermanFrom Old English
glæs or Old High German
glas meaning
"glass". This was an occupational name for a glass blower or glazier.
Glöckner GermanDerived from Middle High German
glocke "bell". It may have referred to a person who worked at or lived close to a bell tower.
Gold English, German, JewishFrom 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.
Graner GermanOriginally denoted a person from Gran, the German name for Esztergom, a city in northern Hungary.
Granger English, FrenchMeans
"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.
Grasso ItalianMeans
"fat" in Italian, originally a nickname for a stout person. It is derived from Latin
crassus.
Grillo ItalianFrom an Italian nickname meaning
"cricket", perhaps given originally to a cheerful person (the cricket is associated with cheerfulness).
Grimaldi ItalianFrom the given name
Grimaldo. It is the surname of the royal family of Monaco, which came from Genoa.
Grimm GermanFrom 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.
Gronchi ItalianFrom the Tuscan word
gronchio meaning
"numb, bent". This is an Italian regional surname typical of Tuscany. A famous bearer was the Italian president Giovanni Gronchi (1887-1978).
Gros FrenchMeans
"thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin
grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.
Groß GermanFrom Old High German
groz meaning
"tall, big".
Gruber Upper GermanFrom 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, JewishFrom German
grün meaning "green" and
Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.
Grünewald GermanMeans
"green forest" from German
grün "green" and
Wald "forest".
Gump German (Rare), Popular CulturePossibly 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 GermanDerived from Middle High German
guot meaning "good" and
muot meaning "mind, spirit". It was a nickname for an optimistic person.
Guttuso ItalianFrom a Sicilian nickname meaning
"sad". It was name of the famous Italian painter Renato Guttuso (born 1912).
Haber German, JewishOccupational name for one who grew or sold oats, derived from Old High German
habaro "oat". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
Haberkorn GermanOccupational name for a dealer in oats, derived from Old High German
habaro "oat" and
korn "kernel, grain".
Hafner GermanOccupational name for a potter, derived from Old High German
hafan "pot, vessel".
Hahn GermanFrom a nickname for a proud or pugnacious person, from Old High German
hano meaning
"rooster, cock".
Hardy English, FrenchFrom Old French and Middle English
hardi meaning
"bold, daring, hardy", from the Germanic root *
harduz.
Hase GermanFrom Middle High German and Middle Low German
hase meaning
"hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.
Hasenkamp GermanFrom a northern German place name meaning
"rabbit field", from Old Saxon
haso "hare" and
kamp "field" (from Latin
campus).
Hauer GermanDerived from Middle High German
houwen "to chop", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.
Haumann GermanDerived from Middle High German
houwen "to chop" and
man "man", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.
Häusler GermanName for someone who lived in a house with no land, derived rom Old High German word
hus meaning
"house".
Herschel German, JewishDiminutive 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 GermanDerived from Middle High German
herze meaning
"heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.
Herzog GermanFrom a German title meaning
"duke", a nickname for a person who either acted like a duke or worked in a duke's household.
Hiedler GermanFrom southern German
Hiedl meaning
"underground stream".
Hirsch 1 GermanMeans
"deer, hart" in German. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a deer in some way, or who raised or hunted deer.
Hitler GermanVariant 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.
Hofer GermanOccupational name for a farmer, from German
Hof "farm", from Old High German
hof "yard, court".
Hofmeister GermanMeans
"master of the household", from Old High German
hof "yard, court, house" and
meistar "master" (from Latin
magister).
Holzknecht GermanOccupational name for a forester's helper, from Old High German
holz "wood" and
kneht "servant, apprentice".
Holzmann GermanDerived from Old High German
holz "wood" and
man "man", a name for someone who lived close to a wood or worked with wood.
Horn English, German, Norwegian, DanishFrom 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.
Huber GermanOccupational name for a farmer, derived from Old High German
huoba "plot of land, farm".
Hummel 2 German, DutchNickname for a busy person, from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch
hommel, Middle High German
hummel, all meaning
"bee".
Ingersleben GermanFrom the name of the town of Ingersleben, Germany, which meant "Inge's village".
Jäger GermanMeans
"hunter" in German, from Old High German
jagon meaning "to hunt".
Janvier FrenchEither from the given name
Janvier or the French word
janvier meaning
"January", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.
Jöllenbeck GermanFrom 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".
Joly FrenchFrom Old French
joli meaning
"happy, jolly, pretty".
Jung 1 GermanMeans
"young" in German, from Middle High German
junc.
Kahler GermanFrom a nickname derived from German
kahl meaning
"bald".