CowburnEnglish The place-name, in turn, comes from the Old English cocc, meaning "rooster," and burna, meaning "a stream." As such, the surname is classed as a local, or habitational name, derived from a place where the original bearer lived or held land.
CraineManx Shortened Anglicization of Manx Mac Ciaráin "son of Ciarán" or Mac Giolla Ciaráin "son of the devotee of Ciarán".
CranAnglo-Saxon This picturesque name is of Anglo Saxon origin and is a nickname surname given to a tall thin man, or someone with long legs, or some other fancied resemblance to the bird. The derivation is from the old English "cran(uc)", "cron(uc)", "cren(uc)", which means a crane and until the introduction of a separate word in the 14th Century also a heron... [more]
CrofterEnglish A surname of Scottish origin used in the Highlands and Islands and means “an owner or a tenant of a small farm”. The Old English word croft seems to correspond with the Dutch kroft meaning “a field on the downs”.
CromwellEnglish Habitational name from places in Nottinghamshire and West Yorkshire named Cromwell, from Old English crumb "bent, crooked" and well(a) "spring, stream".
CroyIrish (Anglicized) A shortened form of the surname McRoy, from Irish Gaelic Mac Rúaidh "son of Ruadh", literally "the red one".
CulkinIrish Reduced anglicization of Irish Gaelic Mac Uilcín meaning "descendant of Uilcín", a diminutive of Ulick, itself an Irish diminutive of William... [more]
CullyEnglish From an Irish surname which was derived from Ó Colla meaning "descendant of Colla". The Old Irish name Colla was a variant of Conla (perhaps the same Connla).
CulverEnglish Means "person who keeps or looks after doves", or from a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a dove (e.g. in mild disposition) (in either case from Middle English culver "dove")... [more]
CumberbatchEnglish Name for someone from Comberbach in North Cheshire. May come from etymological elements meaning "stream in a valley."
CummerEnglish The surname Cummer has origins in both English and Scottish cultures. In English, it's thought to be a topographic name for someone who lived by a bend in a river, derived from the Middle English word "cummer," meaning "bend" or "meander." In Scottish, it could also be a variant of the surname Comer, derived from the Gaelic word "comar," meaning "confluence" or "meeting of waters."
CunniffIrish From Irish Gaelic Mac Conduibh "son of Condubh", a personal name meaning literally "black dog".
CurcurutoItalian From an Italian nickname derived from curcurutu meaning "speedy, fleet of foot".
CurpheyManx Shortened Anglicization of Manx Mac Murchadha "son of Murchad".
DadeIrish Anglicized form of MacDaibheid, meaning "son of David".
DagohoyFilipino, Cebuano From a shortened form of the Cebuano phrase dagon sa huyuhoy meaning "talisman of the breeze", which was the nom de guerre of Filipino rebel Francisco "Dagohoy" Sendrijas (1724-1800).
DagotFrench Derived from the Old French word "fagot", meaning "bundle of firewood". This was likely given as an occupational surname to a gatherer or seller of firewood.
DahlströmSwedish Derived from Swedish dal "valley" and ström "stream".
DaileyIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh meaning "descendant of DÁLACH".
DailyIrish Anglicized form of Ó Dálaigh, meaning "descendent of DÁLACH". The name has strong roots in the county Cork.
DakeEnglish The origins of the name Dake are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the personal name David. Daw was a common diminutive of David in the Middle Ages. The surname is a compound of daw and kin, and literally means "the kin of David."
DalglishScottish Derived from Gaelic dail meaning "field" and glaise meaning "brook".
DalhousieScottish Meant "person from Dalhousie", near Edinburgh (perhaps "field of slander").
DallimoreEnglish An English surname probably derived from the French de la mare, meaning "of the sea", though some contend that "mare" springs from the English word moor. This surname probably arose after the Norman conquest of Britain.
DalmasFrench Surname Dalmas was first found in Limousin. Literally means "of the sea."
DalrympleScottish Habitational name from Dalrymple, a village and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland, said to be named from Gaelic dail chruim puill meaning "field of the crooked stream" or "dale of the crooked pool".
Da LuzPortuguese From a religious epithet meaning ‘of the light’, specifically the Marian name "Nuestra Señora da Luz" (which means "Our Lady of the Light").
DarmsRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and the surname Arms.
Da RosaPortuguese Literally means "of the rose" in Portuguese. It is generally a component of personal names; among women, it is a Marian name; among men, it is of uncertain application.
DarraghIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Dhubhdarach, a personal name meaning "black one of the oak tree".
DecazesFrench The surname Decazes was first found in Gascony (French: Gascogne), an area of southwest France bordering Spain, that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution, where the family held a family seat in ancient times.... [more]
De ClareEnglish, Anglo-Norman From the town of Clare in Suffolk, which was the centre-point of lands given to Richard fitz Gilbert after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066... [more]
De ClermontFrench Means "of the bright hill" from the French de meaning "of" and clair, cler 'bright', 'clear' + mont 'hill'
DedualRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and the surname Dual.
DefeoItalian This surname is well known in popular culture as the surname of Ronald Defeo who murdered his family in the 1970s while they lived in Amittyville, NY. The surname may mean “Of Ugly”.
DefilaRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and the given name Fila.
De La CalzadaSpanish (Rare) Means "of the causeway" in Spanish. This surname was likely given in honor of Dominic de la Calzada, a saint from Burgos.
DelafoyFrench From Old French de la foy meaning "of the faith". This is probably a name given to a cleric or a very pious person among the French Catholics.
DelevingneFrench, English Means "of the vine" in French. It is the surname of Poppy Delevingne and Cara Delevingne, both English actresses and models; it is also the surname of French-born photojournalist Lionel Delevingne
Della FrancescaItalian Means "son of Francesca". A famous bearer was Piero della Francesca (1415-1492), an Italian fresco painter.
Dell'elceItalian From Italian elce "holm oak", literally "of the holm oak".
Dell'oroItalian Means "of the gold" in Italian. Might indicate someone with blond hair, someone who worked as a goldsmith, or might be descended from the Latin name Aurius.
Del RosarioSpanish Del Rosario, in Spanish and Italian languages, and do Rosário in Portuguese language (English: of the rosary) is a surname that has as its etymology, the Latin preposition, "de" meaning "of the" and the Latin noun "rosarium", meaning "rosegarden" or "garland of roses" but in this case, takes the meaning of "rosary", the Roman Catholic devotion to the Virgin Mary... [more]
DemersFrench From French meaning "of the seas". A famous bearer of this surname was Modeste Demers, a bishop in 18th century Vancouver.
De MetzMedieval Jewish, Medieval French A medieval Ashkenazic French habitational name originally meaning "of Metz", from the city of Metz (now known as Mettis) in Lorraine, which was originally known as Mediomatrica, after the Gaulish tribe of the Mediomatrici... [more]
DemidovRussian Means "son of Demid". This was the name of a Russian industrialist family prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries. A bearer of the feminine form Demidova was Anna Stepanovna Demidova (1878-1918), a lady-in-waiting in the service of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna who acquired posthumous fame for being executed alongside her employer in 1918.
DennehyIrish Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Duineachdha meaning "descendant of Duineachaidh", a given name meaning "humane". A famous bearer was American actor Brian Dennehy (1938-2020).
DenothRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and the given name Not.
DepardieuFrench Means "of by God", derived from French pardieu meaning "by God", originally a nickname for someone who blasphemously uttered the name of God. It could also indicate a person who came from various places in France called Part-Dieu or Pardieu, for example the Lyon-Part-Dieu Business District in the city of Lyon... [more]
De RomaMedieval Spanish (Rare) A Spanish locational surname meaning “Of Rome”, perhaps for a Spaniard who lived in Rome or an Italian expat who immigrated to Spain
DerungsRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and Latin runcare "to weed out, to thin out, to root up", referring to someone who lived near a clearing.
DesaillyFrench Originally denoted a person who came from any of the various places in northern or eastern France called Sailly, which is possibly derived from Old French saillir, salir meaning "to spring", ultimately from Latin saliō... [more]
De SalvoItalian Meaning of "De" is "From", or "Of", so probably "From Salvo".
DesangesFrench (Rare) Means "from the angels", possibly connected to the French title of the Virgin Mary Notre Dame des Anges, meaning "Our Lady of the Angels". Bearers of this surname include Louis William Desanges (1822-1905), an English artist of French descent, and French historian Jehan Desanges (1929-).
DeschanelFrench Derived from French eschamel meaning "stepladder" or des chanels meaning "from the channels, from the little jugs". An occupational nickname for a trader, it supposedly originated in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France... [more]
DesmoulinsFrench A French surname meaning “of the windmills.” A famous bearer of this surname is Camille Desmoulins, a journalist and politician during the French Revolution who was guillotined.
DesnoyersFrench (Quebec) Means "of the walnut trees", from French word "noyer", meaning walnut. "Des noyers" literally translates to "the walnuts".
DesogusItalian Denotes someone from the town of Sogus, which may have taken its name from Sa bia de is Ogus, "the road of the eyes".
De SouzaPortuguese Means "of Sousa" in Portuguese, referring to the River Sousa flowing through northern Portugal. The word Sousa itself is derived from the Latin saxa, saxum meaning "stone, rock". The surname is more commonly used in Brazil and Portuguese-speaking African countries today.
DesrouleauxFrench, Haitian Creole Means "of the scrolls" in French. It is a occupational name for a scribe, a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing... [more]
DesruisseauxFrench, French (Quebec) Topographic name for someone who lived in an area characterized by streams, from the fused preposition and plural definite article des meaning "from the" and ruisseaux (plural of ruisseau) meaning "stream".
DevonEnglish Regional name for someone from the county of Devon. In origin, this is from an ancient British tribal name, Latin Dumnonii, perhaps meaning "worshipers of the god Dumnonos".
DevonJamaican Patois (Modern, Rare) The name Devon is of English and Irish origin and means "Warrior of God". This name is also very common in the British West Indies, especially Jamaica.
DewanIndian, Pakistani Status name for a treasurer or court official, from Arabic diwan "royal court", "tribunal of justice", or "treasury". Under the Mughal administration in India the dewan was usually the highest official in a state.
DiamondIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Diamáin "descendant of Diamán", earlier Díomá or Déamán, a diminutive of Díoma, itself a pet form of Diarmaid.
DiasamidzeGeorgian Means "son of Diasami", from a Georgian given name of unknown meaning, perhaps meaning "master" or derived from Abkhaz дәаӡа (dwaʒa) meaning "uncultivated land, virgin soil" (thus used to refer to someone who plowed land)... [more]
Di MatteoItalian The surname Di Matteo comes from the personal names Matteo, of Jewish origin and popularized by the evangelist "Mattia" which have the meaning of "Gift of God".
DineenIrish (Anglicized) Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Duinnín which meant "descendant of Duinnín". The byname Duinnín was derived from a diminutive of Gaelic donn meaning "brown" (i.e. "brown-haired man") or "chieftain".
DionFrench Meaning uncertain. It may be a habitational name from any of various locations called Dion or Dionne, derived from the Gaulish element divon- meaning "(sacred) spring" or Celtic dēwos meaning "god, deity"... [more]
Di PietrantonioItalian The surname Di Pietrantonio literally means "son of Pietro" and indicates in a reinforcing way the descent from the progenitor named Pietro.
DiskinIrish (Anglicized) Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Díscín "descendant of Díscín", which may be derived from díosc "barren". The place name Ballyeeskeen, now Ballydiscin, in County Sligo, is derived from the surname.
DorsainvilHaitian Creole Ornamental name derived from French d'or meaning "of gold" combined with saint "holy" and vil "settlement" (the Haitian Creole spelling of French ville).
DøskelandNorwegian A surname originating from south-western Norway. The Døskeland farm in Sande, Gaular is the most notable place name. An older pronunciation, Dysjeland, has also been suggested by the Norwegian archaeologist Oluf Rygh... [more]
Dos SantosPortuguese, Galician Means "of the saints" in Portuguese and Galician, originally given to a person born or baptized on All Saints' Day.
DouangmalaLao From Lao ດວງ (douang) meaning "circle" and ມາລາ (mala) meaning "bunch of flowers, garland".
DoukakisGreek Means "son of the duke", from Greek Δούκας (doúkas) combined with the patronymic suffix ακης (akis).
DōuneJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 堂 (dō) meaning "temple, shrine, hall" and 畝 (une) meaning "raised ridge of earth in a field; furrow", referring to possibly a place with a hall and a field.
DowdIrish From Irish Ó Dubhda meaning "descendant of Dubhda", where Dubhda is a byname derived from Irish dubh "black, black-haired".
DōyuJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 堂 (dō) meaning "temple, shrine, hall" and 湯 (yu) meaning "hot water, bath; hot spring".
DraculaRomanian The Wallachian name for dragon was "Drac" or "Dracul". Vlad II of Wallachia joined a semi-secret order known as The Order of the Dragon and took the name Vlad Dracul. The word "Drac" can also mean "devil" or "evil spirit"... [more]
DromgooleIrish An Anglicized from the Irish Gaelic place name Droim Gabhail in County Louth, Ireland meaning "ridge of the forking stream." Dromgoolestown in County Louth is believed to be named after this surname... [more]
DruryEnglish, French, Irish Originally a Norman French nickname, derived from druerie "love, friendship" (itself a derivative of dru "lover, favourite, friend" - originally an adjective, apparently from a Gaulish word meaning "strong, vigourous, lively", but influenced by the sense of the Old High German element trut, drut "dear, beloved").... [more]
DualRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and Romansh ual "brook, creek".
DubecFrench Geographical du bec "from the stream". Bec (from Germanic baki) is a regional term in Normandy for a stream.
DuckEnglish, Irish English from Middle English doke "duck", hence a nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a duck, or an occupational name for someone who kept or hunted ducks. Alternatively, a variant form of Duke... [more]