Browse Submitted Surnames

Agincourt Medieval English
Surname Agincourt was first found in Lincolnshire where "Walter de Aincourt, who came from Aincourt, a lordship between Mantes and Magny Normandy, where the remains of the ancient family castle still exists... [more]

Akashiro Japanese
赤 (Aka) means "red" and 城 (shiro) means "castle".... [more]

Alcaide Spanish, Portuguese
Ancient occupational or status name from alcaide from Arabic al-qāʾid "the leader, the commander" (see Kaid)... [more]

Alcalá Spanish
Derived from numerous towns with this name (fortified villages during the Moorish occupation of Spain), derived from Arabic القلعة (al-qalʿah) meaning "fortress, fortification, citadel".

Alcázar Spanish
Habitational name from any of various places for example in the provinces of Ciudad Real Cuenca and Granada named with the word alcázar "citadel" or "palace" (from Arabic al "the" and qaṣr "fortress" a borrowing of Latin castrum; see Castro).

Almazán Spanish
Habitational name demoting someone originally from the municipality of Almazán in Castile and León, Spain. The name itself is derived from Arabic المكان المحصن (al-makān al-ḥiṣn) meaning "the fortified place" or "the stronghold".

Amagi Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and 城 (ki) meaning "castle".

Anjo Japanese
An means "peace, relax, cheap" and jo means "castle".

Borg Maltese
Derived from Arabic برج (burj) meaning "castle, citadel".

Borgedalen Norwegian (Rare)
Combination of Norwegian borg "fortification, castle" and dal "valley".

Brandenburg German (East Prussian, Rare)
From a state in eastern Germany, formerly known as Prussia, containing the capital city of Berlin. Ancient. Associated with the Margravate (Dukedom) of Brandenburg, the seat of power in the Holy Roman Empire... [more]

Brough English
Habitational name derived from any place called Brough, named with Old English burh "fortress" (compare English and Irish Burke).

Brougham English
From the parish of Brougham in Westmoreland, derived from Old English burg "stronghold" + ham "piece of land".

Broughton English
Habitational name from any of the many places so called in England. The first name element is derived from Old English broc "brook", burh "fortress", or beorg "castle". The second element is derived from Old English tun "settlement, dwelling".

Burgio Italian
Denoting someone from a town of the same name, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "high, lofty", possibly by way of Arabic بُرْج (burj) "tower", German burg "castle, fortification; settlement", French bourg "burg, market town", or Latin burgus "watchtower, fortified town".

Burgmeier German
Occupational name for the tenant farmer of an estate belonging to a castle or fortified town, from Middle High German burc "(fortified) town, castle" and meier "tenant farmer" (see Meyer 1).

Burkhalter German
Topographic name composed of the Middle High German elements burc "castle" "protection" and halter from halde "slope".

Burkhardt German
Burk is German for "Strong", and hardt is the "heart of a castle".

Burley English
English habitation name from the elements burh meaning "stronghold or fortified settlement" and leah meaning "field or clearing".

Burridge English
Derived from an English place name, derived from Old English burg "fortress, fortification, castle" and Old English hrycg, Old Norse hryggr "ridge" or from the name Burgric.

Buscemi Sicilian
Name for someone originally from the town of Buscemi in Sicily, derived from the Arabic toponym قلعة أبي شامة‎ (qal'at 'abi shama) meaning "castle of the man with the mole‎" or "castle of (the family of) Abi Shama".

Calatayud Spanish
From the city in Spain, in province of Zaragoza within the autonomous community Aragón. The name Calatayud came from the Arabic قلعة أيوب Qal‘at ’Ayyūb, "the qalat (fortress) of Ayyub".

Carmichael Scottish, English
From the name of a village in Scotland meaning "fort of Michael", from Welsh caer meaning "fortress" and the given name Michael.

Cassell English
Either (i) "person from Cassel", northern France, or "person from Kassel", Germany ("fort"); or (ii) a different form of Castle ("person who lives by or lives or works in a castle")... [more]

Castel French
Topographic name from a derivative of Late Latin castellum "castle" (a diminutive of Latin castrum "fort Roman walled city") or a habitational name from any of several places called (Le) Castel... [more]

Castellar Medieval Italian, Medieval Spanish
An Italian surname variant of or relating to Castello , Castelli, or Spanish Castella, among others, the Castellar family name signified that the original bearers "lived at or near a castle"... [more]

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

Castelmur Romansh
Derived from Romansh castel "castle" and mür "wall".

Castelnuovo Italian, Judeo-Italian
From Italian castello "castle" and nuovo "new".

Castelo Branco Portuguese
Means “White Castle” in Portuguese.... [more]

Castiglione Italian
Habitational name for someone from any of various places called Castiglione, derived from Italian castiglione meaning "castle, fortress".

Castillon French
means "castle"

Cattell Anglo-Saxon, French, Old Norse
Originated in Scandinavia as a patronym of the first name Thurkettle, a derivative of the Old Norse name Arnkell, which is composed of arn meaning "eagle" and ketil meaning "a helmet" or "a helmeted warrior" as well as "cauldron", but helmet is the more likely translation... [more]

Caylus French
Of debated origin and meaning; theories include a Southern French corruption of Latin castellum "castle, fort, citadel, fortress, stronghold".

Châtelain French
from châtelain "lord (of the manor)" Old French chastelain (from Latin castellanus a derivative of castellum "castle") applied either as a status name for the governor or constable of a castle or as an ironic nickname.

Chesbrough English
habitational name from Cheeseburn in Northumberland early recorded as Cheseburgh possibly from Old English cis "gravel" and burh "stronghold"... [more]

Del Castillo Spanish
Means "of the Castle" in Spanish, referring to someone who worked in one.

Eneborg Swedish (Rare)
From Swedish en "juniper" and borg "castle".

Fort French, Walloon, English, Catalan
Either a nickname from Old French Middle English Catalan fort "strong brave" (from Latin fortis). Compare Lefort... [more]

Fujishiro Japanese
Fuji means "wisteria" and shiro means "castle".

Gaztelu Basque
From Basque gaztelu "castle", denoting someone from the town of Gaztelu in Basque country, Spain.

Ginsburg German, Jewish
Habitational name for someone who came from Gunzberg in Bavaria, Günsburg in Swabia, or Gintsshprik (Königsburg) in East Prussia. Its origin is from the name of the river Günz, written in early Latin documents as Guntia, which was probably of Celtic origin, and Old High German burg meaning "Fortress, walled town".

Habsburg German
This surname may have been used by someone whose descendants originated from the House of Habsburg, which was one of the most important royal houses in Europe. It is assumed that the surname is derived from High German Habichtsburg meaning "hawk castle," but some historians and linguists believe that it may actually be derived from Middle High German hab/hap meaning "ford", as there is a river with a ford nearby.

Hochstein German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a high rock or a castle of that name from Middle High German hoh "high" and stein "rock stone castle".

Hoshiro Japanese
保城 or HOSHIRO would translate to "Castle of Protection"

Itzstein German
Topographic surname that originated from broad regions around the river Itz in Thuringia, Germany. The word "Stein" (German word for stone) historically was also used to describe castles on a hill or at a river, thus a possible meaning of the name is "castle at the river Itz".

Iwaki Japanese
From Japanese 岩 (iwa) meaning "cliff, rocks" and 城 (ki) meaning "castle, fortress".

Jō Japanese
From Japanese 城 (jō) meaning "castle".

Jōnouchi Japanese
From Japanese 城 (jō) meaning "castle"; 之 (no), a possessive particle; and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Kale Croatian
Possibly derived from Turkish kale, meaning "castle, fortress".

Kale Turkish
Means "castle, fortress" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic قلعة (qal'ah).

Kanagusuku Okinawan
The Okinawan language reading of its kanji, meaning "golden castle".

Kaneki Japanese
This surname is used as 金城, 金木, 金気, 金喜, 兼城, 兼木 or 鹿子木 with 金 (kin, kon, gon, kana-, kane, -gane) meaning "gold," 兼 (ken, ka.neru, -ka.neru) meaning "and, concurrently," 城 (jou, shiro, ki) meaning "castle," 木 (boku, moku, ki, ko-) meaning "tree, wood," 気 (ki, ke, iki) meaning "air, atmosphere, mood, mind, spirit," 喜 (ki, yoroko.basu, yoroko.bu) meaning "rejoice, take pleasure in," 鹿 (roku, ka, shika) meaning "deer" and 子 (shi, su, tsu, ko, -ko, -ne) meaning "child, sign of the rat (1st sign of the Chinese zodiac)."

Kaneshiro Japanese
From Japanese 金 (kane) meaning "gold, metal, money" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle".

Kašćelan Montenegrin
Derived from Italian castello, meaning "castle".

Kassel German
habitational name mainly from a place of this name in northeastern Hesse so named from Frankish castella cassela "fortification" a military term from Late Latin castellum "fortified position fort" or a topographic name from the same word.

Kastelic Slovene
Means "from a castle".

Kestel English
Habitational name from Kestle, a place in Cornwall, so named from Cornish castell "castle, village, rock".

Kido Japanese
From Japanese 城 (ki) meaning "castle" and 戸 (to) meaning "door".

Kilburg German, Luxembourgish
"Kyll castle," from German burg (castle) near the Kyll river in Germany. Also "wedge mountain" in Swedish: kil (wedge) and berg (mountain).

Kingsbury English
Habitational surname derived from several places in England with the same name, for example in northwest London (formerly Middlesex), Somerset, and Warwickshire. These are mostly named in Old English as cyninges burh meaning "the king’s stronghold", but the last mentioned is cynesburh meaning "stronghold of Cyne" (cyne is a short form of any of various compound names with cyne- meaning "royal" as the first element).

Kinjo Japanese
From the Japanese 金 (kin or kane) "gold," "money" and 城 (jo or shiro) "castle."

Kinjō Japanese
From Japanese 金 (kin) meaning "gold, money, metal" and 城 (jō) meaning "castle".

Kumashiro Japanese
Kuma means "bear" and shiro can mean "white" or "castle".

Kuriki Japanese
From Japanese 栗 (kuri) meaning "chestnut" and 城 (ki) meaning "castle".

Lamborghini Italian
Probably from Germanic landa "land" and burg "fortress, castle".

Lester English
Habitational name from Leicester which is recorded as Ligeraceastre in the 10th century. The placename derives from an Old English folk name Legore "the dwellers by the river Legor (a lost river name)" and Old English ceaster "city Roman fortification" (from Latin castrum) "camp fortress".

Linnus Estonian
Linnus is an Estonian surname meaning "castle" or "citadel".

Linnuste Estonian
Linnuste is an Estonian surname relating to "linnus", meaning "castle" or "citadel".

Mecklenburg German, Jewish
Regional name for someone from this province in northern Germany. Derived from Old Saxon mikil "big, great" and burg "castle".

Miyagi Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 城 (gi) meaning "castle".

Miyagishima Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace", 城 (ki) meaning "castle" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Miyashiro Japanese
"Shrine Castle".

Muldoon Irish
From Irish Gaelic Ó Maoldúin "descendant of Maoldún", a personal name meaning literally "chief fortress".

Nakajo Japanese
From 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 城 (jo) meaning "castle".

Newbrough English (British)
Newbrough surname is thought to be a habitational, taken on from a place name such as from Newbrough in Northumberland, which is derived from the Old English words niwe, meaning "new," and burh, meaning "fortification."

Okuro Japanese
O means "big, large" and kuro means "castle".

Pijnenburg Dutch
From the name of an estate or hamlet called Pijnenburg in the town of Soest in Utrecht, the Netherlands, composed of Middle Dutch pijn meaning "pine tree" and burg meaning "fortress, manor, mansion".

Riseborough English
Denoted a person hailing from any of the various places called Risborough, Riseborough or Risbury in England, derived from Old English hrīs meaning "brushwood" and beorg meaning "hill, mound", or from hrīs and burh meaning "fortification"... [more]

Saijō Japanese
From Japanese 西 (sai) meaning "west" and 城 (jō) meaning "castle".

Sawashiro Japanese
From Japanese 沢 (sawa) meaning "marsh" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle".

Scarborough English
Habitational name from Scarborough on the coast of North Yorkshire, so named from the Old Norse byname Skarði + Old Norse borg "fortress", "fortified town".

Stekelenburg Dutch
Derived from Middle Dutch stekel meaning "prickle, stickle, spine, spike" and burg meaning "fortress". A famous bearer is the retired Dutch soccer goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg (1982-).

Suzushiro Japanese
From 鈴 (suzu) meaning "bell, chime" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle".

Takezo Japanese
Take means "bamboo" and zo means "castle".

Tamaki Japanese
From Japanese 玉 (tama) meaning "jewel, ball, sphere" combined with 城 (ki) meaning "castle", 置 (ki) meaning "put, place, set", or 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".

Tamashiro Japanese
Means "jewel castle" or "ball castle" in Japanese. From the Japanese words 玉 (jewel, ball) and 城 (castle). This surname is of Okinawan origin.

Tewksbury English
Derived from Tewkesbury, a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is named with the Old English given name Teodec and burg meaning "fortification".

Thành Vietnamese
From Sino-Vietnamese 成 (thành) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded", 城 (thành) meaning "castle, city" or 誠 (thành) meaning "sincere, honest, true".

Trail Scottish
This surname is most likely a habitational name, taken on from a place name; perhaps from the Gaelic "Traill Creek" which runs into Upper Loch Torridon of Scotland.... [more]

Tsukishiro Japanese
Tsuki means "month, moon" and shiro means "castle".

Ufugusuku Okinawan
The Okinawan language reading of its kanji, meaning "big castle".

Ugushiro Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 天宮城 (Ugushiro) meaning "Ugu Castle", a castle that was possibly somewhere in the present-day city of Fukuyama in the prefecture of Hiroshima in Japan.

Utsugi Japanese
Utsugi can be written in 15 ways, them being: 宇ツ木, 宇次, 宇津城, 宇津木, 宇都城, 宇都木, 卯都木, 卯木, 空木, 槍, 打木, 梼木, 楊盧木, 擣木, 棯. The 宇津木 and 打木 are also place names while 空木 is also a female given name... [more]

Van Der Walle Dutch, Flemish
Means "from the rampart" or "from the defensive wall" in Dutch.

Verdun French, English (British, Rare), Spanish, Catalan
From the various locations in France called Verdun with the Gaulish elements ver vern "alder" and dun "hill fortress" and Verdú in Catalonia, English variant of Verdon

Villard German
Altered form of German Hilgard, from the female personal name Hildegard, composed of the Germanic elements hild "strife, battle" and gard "fortress, stronghold".

Warburton English
From the village and civil parish of Warburton in Greater Manchester (formerly in Cheshire), England, derived from the Old English feminine given name Werburg (itself derived from wǣr meaning "pledge" and burh "fortress") and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Weisenburger German, Jewish
Habitational name for someone from any of numerous places named Weissenburg "white fortress".

Whitby English
English surname which was from either of two place names, that of a port in North Yorkshire (which comes from the Old Norse elements hvítr "white" (or Hvíti, a byname derived from it) combined with býr "farm") or a place in Cheshire (from Old English hwit "white" (i.e., "stone-built") and burh "fortress").

Whybrow English
From the medieval female personal name Wyburgh, literally "war-fortress". (Cf. Germanic cognate Wigburg.)

Windenburg German, Germanic
Means "Windy Castle" in German.

Yamashiro Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mounain, hill" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle".

Yarbrough Anglo-Saxon
The ancient roots of the Yarbrough family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Yarbrough comes from when the family lived in either the parish or the hamlet called Yarborough in the county of Lincolnshire... [more]