skylerrae's Personal Name List

From the name of a Spanish town, formerly named Estuniga in Basque, possibly derived from Basque istuin "channel, strait".

From Chinese 周 (zhōu) referring to the Zhou dynasty, which held power from 1046 to 771 BC, continuing for a few more centuries as figureheads.

From Chinese 赵 (zhào), which refers to an ancient city-state in what is now Shanxi province. According to legend, King Mu rewarded his chariot driver Zaofu with the city, at which time Zaofu adopted this surname. The later historic state of Zhao, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, was named after this city.

This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Song dynasty.

From Chinese 张 (zhāng) meaning "stretch, extend". It may have denoted a bowmaker whose job it was to stretch bow wood.

From the name of the English city of York, which was originally called Eburacon (Latinized as Eboracum), meaning "yew" in Brythonic. In the Anglo-Saxon period it was corrupted to Eoforwic, based on Old English eofor "boar" and wic "village". This was rendered as Jórvík by the Vikings and eventually reduced to York.

Variant of Ibarra.

From Old English geat meaning "gate", a name for a gatekeeper or someone who lived near a gate.

From Chinese 许 (xǔ) referring to the minor state of Xu, which existed to the 4th century BC in what is now Henan province. The character 许 means "allow, permit".

From Chinese 吴 (wú) referring to the ancient state of Wu, which was located in present-day Jiangsu province.

Variant of Wood.

Variant of Wolf.

Variant of Wolf.

Means "son of Will". A famous bearer was the American president Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924).

Derived from the given name William. A famous bearer of this surname is actor Bruce Willis (1955-).

Means "son of William".

Variant of Wild.

From a place name composed of Old English hwit "white" and æcer "field".

Occupational name for a maker of wagon wheels, derived from Middle English whele "wheel".

From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English west "west" and leah "woodland, clearing".

From Chinese 文 (wén) meaning "literature, culture, writing".

Derived from Middle English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".

Patronymic derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter.

Patronymic derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter.

From 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.

Denoted a person who lived near a warren, from Norman French warrene meaning "animal enclosure" (of Germanic origin).

Variant of Werner.

Derived from Old English weard meaning "guard, guardian".

From the name of any of several villages in England, derived from Old English wealh "foreigner, Celt", weald "forest", weall "wall", or wille "well, spring, water hole" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

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

Occupational name for a person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. It is derived from Middle English walkere, Old English wealcan meaning "to move".

Derived from the Old English place name wæd meaning "a ford".

From the given name Vos, which comes from the Frisian name Fos, which is from Old German given names beginning with the element folk meaning "people".

Meaning uncertain, possibly from a Basque place name.

Habitational name for a person from the town of Villalobos, Spain, which is derived from Spanish villa "town" and lobo "wolf".

Means "town" in Italian and Spanish, from Latin. It was originally given to a person who came from a town, as opposed to the countryside.

Catalan variant of Vilar.

From the given name Vidal.

From a nickname meaning "cheerful" in Czech and Slovak.

From the given name Bonaventura.

Derived from the given name Velasco.

Means "son of Vasco".

Means "slope, flooded field, pastureland" or "hut", from the Spanish and Portuguese dialectal word varga.

From Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp", indicating a person who lived near such a place.

Dutch form of Horn.

Means "from the sea" in Dutch. The original bearer may have been someone who lived on the coast.

Means "from the mountain", derived from Dutch berg meaning "mountain".

Means "from Buren", a small town on the island of Ameland in the north of the Netherlands, as well as a small city in the Dutch province Gelderland. The place names derive from Old Dutch bur meaning "house, dwelling". In the 16th century the countess Anna van Buren married William of Orange, the founder of the Dutch royal family. A famous bearer of this surname was Martin van Buren (1782-1862), the eighth President of the United States.

From the name of the Spanish city of Valencia.

Means "son of Baldo".

Means "dweller at the edge of the woods", from Old English under and wudu.

Occupational name for a fuller of cloth, derived from Old English tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.

Originally denoted a person from Trujillo, Spain, originally called Turgalium in Latin.

Denoted one who lived near the River Trent in England.

Name for a person who lived in or near a tower, ultimately from Latin turris.

From Tindale, the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from the name of the river Tyne combined with Old English dæl "dale, valley".

From any of the various places in England by this name, meaning "thorn town" in Old English.

Derived from the given name Thomas.

Americanized form of Tailler.

Referred to a person who thatched roofs by attaching straw to them, derived from Old English þæc meaning "thatch, roof". A famous bearer was the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).

Derived from the Old English given name Tata.

Means "mud wall" in Spanish.

Occupational name for a person who tanned animal hides, from Old English tannian "to tan", itself from Late Latin and possibly ultimately of Celtic origin.

Occupational name for a summoner, an official who was responsible for ensuring the appearance of witnesses in court, from Middle English sumner, ultimately from Latin submonere "to advise".

Means "son of Suero".

Means "stream" in Norwegian and Danish.

Name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English stan.

Variant of Stephens.

Occupational name for a person who dispensed provisions to those who worked at a manor, derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry".

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

From the name of the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire, derived from the Anglo-Saxon tribe of the Spaldingas.

Means "grove of trees, small forest" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin saltus.

Means "son of Søren".

It indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Zalla.

Means "tailor", derived from Middle English snithen "to cut", an occupational name for a person who stitched coats and clothing.

Occupational name indicating that an early member worked covering roofs with slate, from Old French esclat "shard", of Germanic origin.

Derived from a Norman French town called "Saint Clair".

Derived from the given name Simon 1.

From Spanish or Portuguese silva meaning "forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.

From the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.

Originally given to a person who lived near a prominent thicket, from Old English sceaga meaning "thicket, copse".

Variant of Sierra.

Italian, Portuguese and Catalan cognate of Sierra.

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

Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

Variant of Sanders.

From any of the numerous places named after Saint Anna. A famous bearer is the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-).

Derived from the name of a town in Spain, ultimately from Latin saltus "forest, glade" and novalis "unploughed land".

Patronymic of the given name Sander, a medieval form of Alexander.

Means "son of Sancho".

Either a variant of Salas or Sala, or else a nickname from Arabic, Turkish, or Persian salli meaning "broad, wide, large, tall".

Occupational name for a salt worker or someone who lived bear a salt works, from Spanish salina "salt works, salt mine", ultimately from Latin sal "salt".

Derived from Latin salix meaning "willow tree". The name was originally given to one who lived near a willow tree.

From Spanish sala meaning "hall" and Basque zahar meaning "old". It can also refer to the town of Salazar in Burgos, Spain, which is of the same origin.

Means "son of Ruy" in Spanish.

Derived from the given name Roland.

Means "row" in Middle English, indicating a dweller by a row of hedges or houses.

From the name of a town in Lancashire, derived from Old Norse rá "roebuck" and skógr "wood, forest".

Means "rose bushes" in Spanish.

Derived from Spanish romero meaning "pilgrim to Rome".

From a diminutive of the given name Roland.

Variant of Rojo.

Means "son of Rodrigo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Originally indicated a person who lived near an oak tree or forest, from Spanish roble "oak", from Latin robur.

Means "son of Robert".

Denoted a person who lived near a river, from Middle English, from Old French riviere meaning "river", from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".

From Spanish ribera meaning "bank, shore", from Latin riparius.

Spanish form of Riva.

Spanish cognate of Rios.

Means "hillside" in Finnish.

From the name of the town of Ryley in Lancashire, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Means "reed field", from Dutch riet "reed" and veld "field". It is found mostly in the western part of the Netherlands (the Holland area).

Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places of this name in England. The places are derived from Old English geryd "channel" or hreod "reed" combined with leah "woodland, clearing".

Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.

Means "butcher" in Czech.

Derived from the given name Reynold.

Spanish variant of Rey 1.

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

From Chinese 任 (rén), of uncertain meaning.

From 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".

Variant of Reeve.

Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.

Means "son of Ramiro" in Spanish.

Originally indicated someone who lived on a piece of land where the rent was a fifth of its produce, from Spanish and Catalan quintana "fifth", from Latin quintus.

Derived from the given name Qadir.

Originally belonged to one who was a prior (a religious official), or one who worked for a prior.

From the name of various English places meaning "priest's cottage" in Old English.

Occupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.

Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Means "pine forest" in Spanish and Catalan.

From the given name Piers.

Means "son of Peter".

From Old English pirige meaning "pear tree", a derivative of peru meaning "pear", itself from Latin pirum. A famous bearer was Matthew Perry (1794-1858), the American naval officer who opened Japan to the West.

Originally denoted a person who lived near a jutting rock, from Spanish peña meaning "rock, cliff".

Means "son of Patrick".

From the given name Patrick.

Means "son of Patrick".

Means "keeper of the park" in Middle English. It is an occupational name for a person who was a gamekeeper at a medieval park.

Denoted a person who lived near a wall, from Portuguese parede and Spanish pared meaning "wall", both derived from Latin paries.

Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.

From various Spanish place names, derived from Spanish padilla, Latin patella meaning "shallow dish", used to indicate a depression in the landscape.

Means "hill, knoll, height" in Spanish.

Means "son of Orti", a byname deriving either from Latin fortis meaning "brave, strong" or fortunius meaning "fortunate".

From a Spanish place name (belonging to various villages) derived from ortiga "nettle".

Originally indicated a person from one of the two towns named Orellana in Badajoz, Spain. Their names are probably derived from Latin Aureliana meaning "of Aurelius".

Americanized form of Olsson or Olsen.

Catalan: variant spelling of the topographic name Oliveres, from the plural of olivera ‘olive tree’, or a habitational name from Las Oliveras in Murcia province.

Derived from the given name Oliver.

Means "son of Ole".

From the name of the Ojeda river in Soria, Spain, possibly derived from Latin folia "leaves".

From a place name derived from Old English ac "oak" and denu "valley".

Spanish form of Otxoa.

From a place name meaning "oak clearing" in Old English. It was borne by American sharpshooter Annie Oakley (1860-1926).

Means "son of Nuño".

From Belarusian новы (novy) meaning "new".

Derived from Slavic novŭ "new", originally a name for someone who was new to a village.

From the name of various towns in England meaning "north town" in Old English.

Spanish and Catalan form of Nogueira.

From the given name Nieves.

Variant of Nelson 1.

Means "son of Niels 1".

Means "son of Neil". This name was borne by the British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805).

Americanized form of the Scandinavian names Nilsson, Nilsen, or Nielsen.

Denoted a person who came from Navarre in northern Spain (Spanish Navarra). The name of the region is of Basque origin, possibly from nabar meaning "brown".

Patronymic form of Myer or Mayer 3.

Patronymic derived from the medieval Spanish given name Muño, from Latin Munnius, possibly of Germanic origin.

Derived from Norman French molin "mill".

From the given name Moses.

Derived from the given name Maurice.

Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Derived from Spanish mora meaning "mulberry", of Latin origin.

Originally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English mor meaning "open land, bog".

From the name of a village in the province of Álava in Spain. It is possibly of Basque origin, or possibly from Latin mons "mountain, hill".

From a place name in Calvados, France meaning "Gumarich's mountain". A notable bearer was Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976), a British army commander during World War II.

Means "hunter" in Spanish, an agent derivative of monte meaning "mountain, wilderness".

Danish form of Müller.

Means "mill" in Spanish.

Derived from the given name Michael.

Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

From the given name Miles.

Occupational name for a trader in textiles, from Old French mercier, derived from Latin merx meaning "merchandise".

Means "son of Menendo" in Spanish, the given name Menendo being a medieval Spanish form of Hermenegildo.

From a Basque place name derived from mendi "mountain" and hotz "cold".

Variant of Menéndez.

Dutch form of Meyer 1.

Means "(Arab) city" in Spanish, derived from Arabic مدينة (madīna).

Derived from the Old German given name Meginhard.

Derived from the given name Matthew.

From Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan mata meaning "trees, shrubs", possibly from Late Latin matta meaning "reed mat".

Derived from Massy, the name of several towns in France. The name of the town is perhaps derived from a personal name that was Latinized as Maccius.

Means "son of Martín" in Spanish.

Derived from the given name Martin. This is the most common surname in France.

Derived from Middle English mareschal "marshal", from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German marah "horse" and scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.

From a place name derived from Old English mearc "boundary" and denu "valley".

Means "son of Marcos".

Originally a name for a person from Marlow in Buckinghamshire, England. The place name means "remnants of a lake" from Old English mere "lake" and lafe "remnants, remains". A notable bearer was the English playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).

From a nickname meaning "badly given, ill-favoured" in Spanish.

Derived from Finnish mäki meaning "hill".

Means "son of Mads".

patronymic surname meaning "son of Madrileño"; given to a person that came from Madrid, Spain.

Derived from the given name Mateo.

From the given name Maas.

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

Means "happiness" in Danish.

From the name of a place name near the town of Azpeitia in the Basque Country of Spain, derived from Basque loi meaning "mud". This was the birthplace of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the founder of Jesuits.

From a location in Navarre, Spain, probably means "the mud", derived from Basque lohi "mud, mire".

From a diminutive of the given name Laurence 1.

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

From Spanish losa meaning "tile, slab".

Means "son of Lope" in Spanish.

Cantonese romanization of Luo.

Variant of Lindsay.

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.

From Chinese 李 (lǐ) meaning "plum, plum tree". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Tang dynasty.

Cantonese romanization of Liang.

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

Korean form of Li 1, from Sino-Korean 李 (i). This is the second most common surname in South Korea. It is also a variant Chinese romanization of Li 1.

Either a variant of Leclerc or from French clair meaning "bright".

Means "the white" in French, from blanc "white". The name referred to a person who was pale or whose hair was blond.

Means "son of Laurence 1".

Derived from the given name Laurence 1. Famous bearers include revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) and author D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930).

Americanized form of Larsson or Larsen.

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

German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

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.

Anglicized form of Cuyler.

Cantonese romanization of Guan.

Variant of Koopman.

Cantonese and Min Nan romanization of Gao.

Means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).

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).

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

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

Derived from the given name Karim.

Alternate transcription of Arabic قادر (see Qadir).

Variant of Suárez.

Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).

From Chinese 金 (jīn) meaning "gold".

Means "son of Jimeno".

Means "garden", denoting someone who worked as a gardener.

Derived from the given name James.

Means "son of Jacob".

Derived from the given name Jacob.

Means "son of Jack". Famous bearers of this name include the American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and the singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).

This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous neighborhoods: the one in the municipality of Gasteiz or the one in the municipality of Urkabustaiz.

This indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.

Variant of Irvine 1 or Irwin.

From Spanish iglesia meaning "church", from Latin ecclesia (of Greek origin).

From Basque place names derived from ibar meaning "meadow".

Means "son of Huchin", a medieval diminutive of Hugh.

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

Derived from the given name Humphrey.

Patronymic of the given name Hugh.

Means "garden, orchard" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin hortus.

Means "son of Hudde".

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

Means "garden" (Latin hortus), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosed garden or an occupational name for one who was a gardener.

Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.

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

Means "nobleman" in Spanish. The Spanish word is a contraction of the phrase hijo de algo meaning "son of something". This surname was typically in origin a nickname or an occupational name for one who worked in a noble's household.

Derived from a diminutive of the given name Hugh.

Spanish form of Ferreira.

Means "son of Hernando" in Spanish.

Derived from the given name Henry.

Derived from the given name Hendrik. A famous bearer was the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).

Variant of Headley.

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).

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.

From a diminutive of Hawk.

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".

From the Breton given name Haerviu (see Harvey).

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".

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.

Means "son of Harry".

Means "son of Harry".

Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.

From the given name Herman.

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".

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

Derived from the given name Heard. A famous bearer was American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).

Means "son of Hann".

From Chinese 韩 (hán) referring to the ancient state of Han, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Shanxi and Henan provinces.

From the Norman given name Hamo or the Old Norse given name Hámundr.

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).

Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

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

Variant of Hathaway.

Variant of Hase.

Means "son of Gutierre".

Means "son of Gunnar".

Means "warrior" in Spanish, an occupational name for a soldier. It is derived from Late Latin werra "war", of Germanic origin.

From a nickname meaning "war", given to a belligerent person or one engaged in warfare.

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

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

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

Variant of Green.

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

Occupational name for a steward, derived from Middle English greyve, related to the German title Graf.

Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Means "son of Gonzalo" in Spanish. This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

Variant of González.

Spanish form of Gomes.

Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, from Welsh glyn and Cornish glin, or a habitational name from a place named with this word.

Occupational name for a person who made or sold gloves, from Middle English glovere.

Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Derived from the given name Gauthier.

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.

Originally denoted a person who lived near the town gates.

Derived from Spanish garza meaning "heron".

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.

Occupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).

From a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This is the most common surname in Spain.

Occupational 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.

Habitational name from the village of Gaddesby in Leicestershire, so named from Old Norse gaddr "spur, spike (of land)" and býr "farm, settlement".

Occupational name for a fuller, a person who thickened and cleaned coarse cloth by pounding it. It is derived via Middle English from Latin fullo.

Means "spring, well" in Spanish, derived from Latin fons.

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

Occupational name for a fowler or birdcatcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".

Variant of Forester.

Italian and Spanish cognate of Fontaine.

Means "son of Floro" in Spanish.

Occupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French fleche meaning "arrow".

From places named for Galician figueira meaning "fig tree".

Means "son of Fernando". This is among the most common surnames in Spain.

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.

Occupational name meaning "keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots faulcon, from Late Latin falco, of Germanic origin.

From Old Norse falki or Old High German falco meaning "falcon".

Variant of Faulkner.

Means "son of Evert".

From the given name Everard.

Means "son of Evan".

From Spanish espinoso meaning "thorny", ultimately from Latin spinosus, a derivative of spina meaning "thorn, spine". This was the real surname of the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), who was of Portuguese Jewish origin.

Means "thorn" in Spanish, a name for someone who lived near a thorn bush.

Derived from the Basque place name Espartza, a town in the province of Navarre.

Means "son of Erik".

Means "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.

Patronymic form of the English name Ellis, from the medieval given name Elis, a vernacular form of Elijah.

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".

Derived from the given name Aldric.

Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.

Means "son of Edward".

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

Occupational name meaning "cloth dyer", from Old English deah "dye".

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

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.

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".

Means "son of Dobbe", a medieval diminutive of Robert.

Means "son of Dobri".

Means "son of Dick 1".

Means "son of Diego" in Spanish.

Means "of the river" in Spanish.

Means "thin" in Spanish and Portuguese, ultimately from Latin delicatus meaning "delicate, tender, charming".

Means "of the fountain" in Spanish.

Spanish cognate of Delacroix.

Derived from Middle English dene meaning "valley".

Variant of Deighton.

From a diminutive form of David.

Means "son of Daw".

Means "son of David". This was the surname of the revolutionary jazz trumpet player Miles Davis (1926-1991).

Variant of Dean 1 or Dean 2.

Derived from a place name meaning "valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was the English chemist and physicist John Dalton (1766-1844).

From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley". A famous of this surname was author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) who is mostly remembered for children's stories such as Matilda and Henry Sugar.

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

Derived from Spanish cueva meaning "cave".

Spanish and Portuguese cognate of Cross.

From a place name derived from Old English crawe "crow" and ford "river crossing". A notable bearer was the American actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur.

Means "riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".

Variant of Cortés.

Means "polite, courteous" in Spanish.

Means "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.

Variant of Cook.

From the name of a town in Burgos, Spain, derived from Late Latin contraria meaning "area opposite".

Means "son of Colin 2".

From a medieval short form of Nicholas or from the byname Cola.

Means "cleric" or "scribe", from Old English clerec meaning "priest", ultimately from Latin clericus. A famous bearer was William Clark (1770-1838), an explorer of the west of North America.

Variant of Chaves. A famous bearer was the labour leader César Chávez (1927-1993).

Occupational name for a hunter, from Middle English chase "hunt".

From a nickname for a lucky person or a gambler.

Cantonese romanization of Chen.

From the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.

Possibly from Old Spanish servanto meaning "servant" or ciervo meaning "stag". A famous bearer was the Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).

Spanish cognate of Castle.

Catalan variant of Castell or from Italian castello meaning "castle".

Variant of Castilla.

Occupational surname for a carver, from Middle English kerve "cut".

Occupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).

Topographic name derived from Spanish carrasca meaning "holm oak" (species Quercus ilex).

From the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.

From the name of a town in Catalonia, of uncertain meaning.

From the ecclesiastical usage of canon, referring to a church official or servant who worked in a clergy house.

Portuguese and Spanish variant of Campo.

From various English place names derived from Old English ceald "cold" and wille "spring, stream, well".

From various place names derived from Late Latin capraria meaning "place of goats", from Latin capra meaning "goat".

From a nickname derived from Spanish caballero meaning "knight", a cognate of Chevalier.

From the name of Spanish towns, diminutive forms of Busto.

From a common English place name, derived from Old English meaning "fortified town".

Derived from Middle English burgh meaning "fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.

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.

Possibly from English places named Brindley, derived from Old English berned "burned" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Originally referred to one who came from a town called Brigham, meaning "homestead by the bridge" in Old English. This is the name of towns in Cumberland and Yorkshire.

Originally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English brigge, Old English brycg.

Occupational name for a maker of ale or beer.

Originally indicated someone from Brackenrig in Lanarkshire, derived from northern Middle English braken meaning "bracken" (via Old Norse brækni) and rigg meaning "ridge" (via Old Norse hryggr).

Derived from Old English burna "stream, spring".

Derived from Middle Dutch bosch meaning "wood, forest".

Catalan cognate of Bosco.

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

Dutch cognate of Bauer.

Means "white" in Spanish. The name most likely referred to a person who was pale or had blond hair.

Derived from the given name Blanchard.

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

From the name of a city in Lancashire, meaning "black stream" in Old English.

From the given name Berengar.

From Old High German, Old Dutch and Old Norse berg meaning "mountain".

Derived from Czech beran meaning "ram, male sheep".

Means "son of Benedict".

From the English town name Benington, which can mean either "settlement belonging to Beonna's people" or "settlement by the River Beane".

Derived from the medieval English given name Bennett.

Means "son of Benito".

From various place names in Italy and Spain meaning "beautiful mountain".

French and English form of Belmonte.

Means "beautiful" in Spanish and Italian, originally a nickname for an attractive person.

From Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".

Originally a diminutive of Beck 1 or Beck 3.

From Middle English bekke (from Old Norse), Low German beke or Old Norse bekkr all meaning "stream".

From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and mont "mountain".

From the name of a place in Lancashire, from Old English beos "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Derived from the given name Bautista.

Means "son of Bate".

From a place name meaning "barley town" in Old English.

From the Portuguese and Spanish word barro meaning "clay, mud". This could either be an occupational name for a person who worked with clay or mud such as a builder or artisan, or a topographic name for someone living near clay or mud.

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

Means "barrier, wall" in Spanish and Catalan, a topographic name for someone who lived near a gate or fence, or a habitational name from a location named with the element. Alternatively, it can also derive from Spanish barrero "clay pit", from barro "mud, clay".

Derived from Old English bærnet meaning "place cleared by burning".

Denoted a person who worked or lived in a barn. The word barn is derived from Old English bere "barley" and ærn "dwelling".

From Middle English bark meaning "to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.

Habitational name from any of several places in Spain, of uncertain etymology. Coincides with Spanish barajas meaning "playing cards" or "quarrels".

Originally indicated someone who lived near a hillside or a bank of land.

Spanish cognate of Banner.

From any of the various places of this name, derived from Old English bean meaning "bean" and croft meaning "small enclosed field".

From Middle English baili meaning "bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin baiulus "porter".

From Chinese 白 (bái) meaning "white".

From Middle English eir meaning "heir".

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

From Middle English meaning "dweller at the wood".

From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".

From an English place name meaning "ash enclosure" in Old English.

From the name of a town in Cambridgeshire, originally meaning "Earna's settlement" in Old English (Earna being a person's nickname meaning "eagle").

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.

Castilianized form of Basque Aritza, a topographic name from Basque (h)aritz ‘oak’ + the article suffix -a.

From Basque aritz meaning "oak tree". This was a nickname of Iñigo, the first king of Pamplona, Spain (9th century).

Means "son of Aris 2".

From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish arena meaning "sand".

From the name of a town in Nevarre, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from either of the Latin personal names Valerius or Aurelius, indicating land owned by someone of the name, or from Basque aritz "oak (tree)" (see haritz).

Occupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin arcus "bow" (via Old French).

From the name of an Italian town near Rome, derived from Latin aqua meaning "water", the home town of the 13th-century saint Thomas Aquinas. In Italy the surname is derived directly from the town's name. As a Spanish-language surname, it was sometimes bestowed by missionaries in honour of the saint as they evangelized in Spanish colonies.

Means "son of Andrew".

Means "son of Andrew".

Means "son of Anders". A noteworthy bearer was the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875).

From the name of a mountain and an ancient city in the province of Burgos, Spain, possibly derived from Basque amai "end, ending" and the article suffix -a. Compare the given name Amaia.

Means "son of Álvaro".

From a Spanish place name, possibly derived from Spanish alba "white".

From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "close, near" in Dutch.

Derived from the given name Adalhard (or the Old English cognate Æðelræd).

From the given name Ali 1.

Derived from the Old English given name Ealdwine.

From the name of a Basque town, derived from aldats meaning "slope".

Topographic name from alameda meaning ‘poplar grove’, a collective form of álamo meaning ‘poplar’, or a habitational name from any of the many places named with this word.

From Basque aitz meaning "rock, stone".

From a place name that was derived from Spanish águila meaning "eagle", ultimately from Latin aquila.

Derived from Spanish agua "water", indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.

Variant of Atkins.

Derived from the given name Edgar.

Spanish form of Da Costa (from a misdivision of the surname).

From the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, for example the village of achterberg in Utrecht. The place names are derived from Low German achter "behind" and berg "mountain, hill".

Derived from Spanish acebedo meaning "holly grove", itself from acebo meaning "holly tree".

As a Spanish surname, it was from Spanish ábrego, which originally meant "African", from Latin africus. The vocabulary word in modern Spanish has lost this general sense and now means "south wind" (literally, "African (wind)").

From the Latin given name Abellio, which may have been derived from the name of a Pyrenean god.

Patronymic surname derived from Abel or a diminutive of Albert.

English cognate of Abate.

Possibly from Basque abaro meaning "refuge".

Originally denoted a person who came from an uncertain place called Aaldenberg, meaning "old mountain".