MycroftEnglish From Old English ġemȳþ "mouth (of a river)" + croft meaning "enclosed field", originally denoting somebody who lives at the mouth of a river.... [more]
NagavekarIndian Of Indian origin, specifically from the Konkan region of Maharashtra. The name is derived from the words "nagav" which means cobra and "kar" meaning owner, thus Nagavekar means "owner of cobras" in English... [more]
NairIndian, Malayalam From Nair, the name of a group of Hindu castes concentrated in the Indian state of Kerala. The origin of the word itself is somewhat disputed. Some believe it is derived from nayaka, an honorific meaning "leader of the people", while another theory suggests that is is derived from the Sanskrit नाग (nāgá) "snake, serpent" (a reference to the practice of snake worship)... [more]
NairnScottish Means "person from Nairn", Highland region ("(place at the mouth of the river) Nairn", a Celtic river-name perhaps meaning "penetrating one").
NajaryanArmenian Means "son of the carpenter" from dialectal Armenian նաջար (naǰar) meaning "carpenter" (of Arabic origin).
NalbandyanArmenian Means "son of the farrier" from dialectal Armenian նալբանդ (nalband) meaning "farrier" (of Persian origin).
NamatameJapanese From Japanese 生 (nama) meaning "raw, fresh, natural", 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 目 (me) meaning "look, appearance".
NatsumiJapanese (Rare) This is occasionally,but rarely used as a last name. Natsu means "Summer",and Mi in this surname means "Look". So the literal meaning of this could be "Look at Summer",or "The Look of Summer"... [more]
NavarreteSpanish From the town of Navarrete in La Rioja, Spain, meaning "the pass of the Navarrans" or "dun mountain pass". It became particularly popular in the province of Jaen through the Castillian conquest of Baeza.
NectariaRomanian Feminine version of Nectarie, Greek saint-St.Nectarie from Egina. In Romanian this means "the juice of flowers". Nectaire is probably of the same derivation as the English word "nectar". This is the etymology of nectar (from http://www.etymonline.com/) from negtar > nogalon... [more]
NedelcuRomanian (Modern) Entered Romania around the 16th century via Bulgaria as a popular female given name - Neda/Nedelea etc., attested under the form of Nedelco/Nedelcu in the historical region of Basarabia around 1560, became a surname in the following century... [more]
NeeIrish, Scottish reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Niadh ("descendant of Nia") or Ó Niadh ("son of Nia"). Compare McNee.
NejiJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 子師, combining 子 (shi, su, tsu, ko, -ko, ne) meaning "child, sign of the rat (1st sign of Chinese zodiac)" with 師 (shi, su, nara.u, moromoro) meaning "army, exemplar, expert, master, model, teacher, war."
NestlerGerman Derived from the middle high German word nesteler meaning "maker of string or thread".
NestorIrish Derived from the surname Mac Girr an Adhastair (sometimes shortened to Mac an Aghastair), meaning "Short man of the halter." The Mac Girr an Adhastair were associated with the local lords, the Ó Lochlainn family.
NiazaiPashto Most likely from Persian نیاز (niyaz) meaning "need, necessity, desire, wish" (see Niaz or Niyaz) combined with Pashto زوی (zoy) meaning "son (of)"... [more]
NodaJapanese Combination of the kanji 野 (no, "area, field, hidden part of a structure; wild, rustic") and 田 (ta, "rice paddy, field"). A famous bearer of this surname is Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (野田 佳彦; b. 1957).
NoonEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname for someone of a sunny disposition (noon being the sunniest part of the day); or (ii) from Irish Gaelic Ó Nuadháin "descendant of Nuadhán", a personal name based on Nuadha, the name of various Celtic gods (cf... [more]
NoonanIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Nuanáin (from Irish Gaelic Ó hIonmhaineáin) meaning "descendant of Ionmhaineán", a diminutive of the given name Ionmhain "beloved, dear". ... [more]
NooneIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Nuadháin "descendant of Nuadhán" (see Nuadha).
NoorzaiPashto Means "son of light", from Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light, illumination" combined with Pashto زوی (zoy) meaning "son (of)".
NormanSwedish Combination of Swedish norr "north", or in some cases nor "narrow strait of water", and man "man".
NorrellEnglish, German (?) A locational surname from the Germanic (Old English/Old Norse) term for the north. It either refers to someone who lived in a location called Northwell, lived north of a well, spring or stream (Old English weall)... [more]
NorthwayEnglish Habitational name from one or more of the minor places called with Middle English bi northe weie "(place) to the north of the way or road" from the elements norþ "north" and weg "way" including Northway in Monkleigh Widecombe in the Moor and Parkham Norway in Whitestone Narraway in Drewsteignton (all Devon) and Northway in Halse (Somerset)... [more]
NottinghamEnglish (British) A habitational name from the city of Nottingham in the East Midlands. Comes from the Old English name, meaning "homestead (ham) of Snot’s people". The initial S- was lost in the 12th century, due to the influence of Anglo-Norman French.... [more]
NurchisItalian Denoting someone from Nure or Nurra in Sardinia, which were possibly derived from the pre-Roman root words nur meaning "fire" or "stones, heap" and the suffix -ke meaning "earth" or "dwelling".
NussrallahArabic Nasrallah (Arabic: نصرالله) is a male Arabic given name, meaning "Victory of God", and is used by Muslims and Christians alike. It may also be transliterated as Nasralla, Nasrollah, Nasrullah and Al-Nasrallah... [more]
O'duffyIrish The name O'Duffy originates from the gaelic surname "O Dubhthaigh". Dubh meaning "Black" in Gaeilge. They claim descent from the ancient Heremon kings of Ireland. They descend from "Cahir Mor", the King of Leinster in the second century... [more]
Ó DuibhidhirIrish Means "descendant of Duibhuidhir". Duibhuidhir is a personal name composed of the elements dubh "dark, black" and odhar "sallow, tawny".
Ó DuibhneIrish Means "descendent of Duibhne", a given name possibly meaning "ill-tempered, surly".
O'farrellIrish From Irish Ó Fearghail meaning "descendant of Fearghal. This name is borne by several families in Ireland, in counties Longford, Tyrone, and Wicklow.
ŌgaJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 淡河, 王賀 or 相賀 with 淡 (tan, awa.i) meaning "faint, fleeting, pale, thin," 河 (ka, kawa) meaning "river," 王 (ou, -nou) meaning "king, magnate, rule," 相 (shou, sou, ai-, ou) meaning "aspect, councillor, each other, inter-, minister of state, mutual, phase, physiognomy, together" and 賀 (ga) meaning "congratulations, joy."... [more]
O'GalvinIrish Anglicized form of Ó Gealbháin, which means "descendant of the bright, fair one", derived from the Gaelic elements geal "bright" and ban "fair, white". A known bearer of the original form of the surname is Ciarán Ó Gealbháin, former signer of the Irish traditional music band Danú.
OgataJapanese From Japanese 尾 (o) meaning "tail, foot, end" and 形 (kata) meaning "shape, form".
Ó GibealláinIrish An Irish-Gaelic surname derived from a given name meaning "descendant of Gibealláin".
OglethorpeEnglish From Oglethorpe Hall in Bramham (WR Yorks) which is recorded as Ocelestorp in 1086 and Okelesthorp in 124 The place-name derives from the Old Scandinavian personal name Oddkell and Old Scandinavian or Old English þorp "secondary settlement outlying farmstead" meaning "Oddkell's village" the surname derived from oddr "point of a weapon" and ketill "cauldron".
O'gradyIrish Anglicized form of Ó Gradaigh, meaning "descendant of Gradaigh." Gradaigh is a personal name derived from the Irish Gaelic word grada, "the illustrious one."
Ó hAngluinnIrish A patronymic surname meaning "son of Anglninn." This name is, in turn, thought to be derived from Irish Gaelic word anglonn, which means "hero" or "champion."
Ó HannáinIrish Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Hannant family in Ireland was Ó hAnnáin, which means "descendant of hAnnáin".... [more]
OmtzigtDutch Derived from Dutch omzicht meaning "cautious, careful, circumspection", ultimately from the verb omzien meaning "to look around". It may have originated in a Dutch village with several farms named Omzicht, or as a nickname for a cautious person... [more]
OnslowEnglish Locational name from a place called Onslow described in Victorian times as being "a place within the liberty of Shrewsbury, in Salop', the original and still confusingly used, name for the county of Shropshire.
OrleansFrench From Orléans, a city in France sieged by the English in 1429. Orléans is derived from Aurelianum, meaning "of Aurelius" in Latin.
OroscoSpanish, Basque Variant of Orozco. Means "place of the holly trees" from oros meaning "holly tree" and the suffix -ko signifying a place. Also believed to have been derived from Latin orosius meaning "the son of bringer of wisdom".
O'RourkeIrish Means "descendant of Ruairc", a pre-9th-century Norse personal name. A famous bearer was child actress Heather O'Rourke (1975-1988).
OrrisEnglish (Canadian) This unusual and interesting name is of Italian, Latin origin, and derives from one of the earliest Roman names, "Horatius". The name is thought to mean something connected with "hora", the Latin for "hour", but the original meaning has been lost... [more]
OrtolanoItalian, Spanish occupational name for a cultivator or seller of fruit and vegetables ortolano "gardener" from a derivative of orto "vegetable garden" (from Latin hortus "garden"). The term was also used in the medieval period to denote both a cleric with a fervant devotion to pastoral work and a rough or uncouth person and in some instances may have been applied as a nickname in either sense... [more]
OsaragiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 大仏 (daibutsu) meaning "great statue of Buddha" with an assigned reading of おさらぎ (osaragi), from さらぎ (saragi), sound-changed from さらき (saraki), from 更木 (saraki) meaning "new wood; unused wood", referring to a statue of Buddha that was created using fresh wood.
OsaragiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 大仏 (daibutsu) meaning "great statue of Buddha" with an assigned reading of おさらぎ (saragi), sound-changed from Old Japanese おぽさらぎ (oposaragi), from オポ (opo) meaning "great; large" and サラギ (saragi) meaning "newcomer", referring to the large number of visitors to a great statue of Buddha.
Ó SeanachainIrish Means "grandson of Seanachan". Alternatively, may be derived from Gaelic seanachaidh, meaning "skilled storyteller".
O'SheeranIrish (Rare) Anglicized form of either Ó Sírín or Ó Síoráin meaning "descendant of Sírín" and "descendant of Síoráin" respectively. Sírín and Síoráin are variants of the same name, both are derived from a diminutive of síor meaning "long-lasting".
OsunaSpanish Habitational name from a place in the province of Seville, named from Arabic Oxuna, perhaps named from Late Latin Ursina (villa) "estate of Ursus" a byname meaning "bear".
O'TolanIrish The meaning of the name is unclear, but it seems to derive from the pre 13th century Gaelic O'Tuathalain suggesting that it was probably religious and may translate as "The male descendant of the follower of the lord".
O’tooleIrish O'Toole, along with Toole, comes from the Irish O Tuathail. This derives from the personal name Tuathal, meaning "ruler of the people", used by many Irish kings and heroes and accordingly incorporated into a surname in a number of distinct areas, among them south Ulster, Mayo and Kildare.
O'TuathalainIrish May translate as "The male descendant of the follower of the lord".
O'TwolanIrish The meaning of the name is unclear, but it seems to derive from the pre 13th century Gaelic O' Tuathalain suggesting that it was probably religious and may translate as "The male descendant of the follower of the lord".
OuahmedBerber, Northern African Kabyle name meaning "son of Ahmed", from the Berber prefix ou- meaning "son (of)" combined with the Arabic name Ahmed (chiefly Algerian).
OuyahiaBerber, Northern African Means "son of Yahia", from the Berber prefix ou- meaning "son (of)" combined with the Arabic given name Yahia (chiefly Algerian).
OuyangChinese From Chinese 歐 (ōu) referring to Mount Sheng in present-day Huzhou, China, combined with 陽 (yáng) meaning "southern face (of a mountain)". The name supposedly originated with a prince of the Yue state that settled in the area surrounding the mountain... [more]
ÖvallSwedish (Rare) Combination of Swedish ö "island" and vall "wall, pasture, field of grass".
OwariJapanese From Japanese 終 (owa) meaning “last, to finish” and 里 (ri) meaning “village, the home of one’s parents, hometown”. The latter character is also an archaic Japanese unit of area.
OxendineEnglish From an English place name meaning "valley of the oxen", which was derived from Old English oxa "ox" (genitive plural oxena) and denu "valley".
OyaskiEnglish (American) A surname created by Michael Oyaski (formally Michael O'Yaski). The surname is currently known to only be used by one particular branch of the O'Yaski family tree. The surname means "Dragon Rider of the West" according to members of the Oyaski family.
PahlevanyanArmenian Means "son of the wrestler" or "son of the champion", ultimately from Persian پهلوان (pahlevân) meaning "strong man, champion, wrestler".
PaikashviliGeorgian Likely means "child of Paik", derived from the archaic masculine given name Paik (ultimately of Arabic origin) combined with Georgian შვილი (shvili) meaning "child".
PaikidzeGeorgian Likely means "son of Paik", derived from the archaic masculine given name Paik (ultimately of Arabic origin) combined with Georgian ძე (dze) meaning "son".
PalametsEstonian Palamets is an Estonian surname meaning "piece (of) forest". It is derived from the compound words "pala", meaning "piece" and "mets", meaning "forest".
PalićSerbian, Croatian Derived from paliti, meaning "to fire" or "to set on fire".
PalinEnglish (i) "person from Palling", Norfolk ("settlement of Pælli's people") or "person from Poling", Sussex ("settlement of Pāl's people"); (ii) from the Welsh name ap Heilyn "son of Heilyn", a personal name perhaps meaning "one who serves at table"
PalliserEnglish Means "maker of palings and fences" (from a derivative of Old French palis "palisade"). In fiction, the Palliser novels are a series of six political novels by Anthony Trollope, beginning with 'Can You Forgive Her?' (1864) and ending with 'The Duke's Children' (1880), in which the Palliser family plays a central role.
PalolaFinnish Probably from Palo, the name of many Finnish villages or palo meaning "fire" and the suffix -la signifying a place.
PangilinanFilipino, Tagalog Means "place of abstinence" from Tagalog pangilin meaning "abstinence, to abstain" and the suffix -an meaning "place of, time of". It was used to denote abstinence from certain foods for religious purposes.
PanichiItalian Probably from panico, a type of millet grown in Italy. Alternately, it could be from the Latin name Panicus "of Pan, panic".
PannebakkerDutch A Dutch name that literally means “producer of tiles.” the earliest trace of the name in the Netherlands is in the year 1568, associated with Herr Jan de Pannebakker and his wife Nancy who were accused of heresy and killed by the Spaniards at Utrecht.... [more]