GuinanIrish The surname Guinan comes from the Irish surname O Cuanain (O'Conein and MacConein) and is derived from the Irish Cuinin for "rabbit", son of Dugal. They claim descendancy through the Donnelly line of the native Irish.
GukasyanArmenian Means "son of Gukas", the Armenian equivalent of Luke.
GüldenDutch, German from gulden "golden" derived from vergulden vergolden "to gild" a metonymic occupational name for a craftsman who gilds objects; compare Guldner. From gulden the name of the coin (English guilder) applied as a topographic or habitational name referring to a house name such as In den silvren Gulden ("In the Silver Guilder") or from related verb meaning "to gild" applied as a topographic or habitational name referring to a house name such as De Gulden Hoeve ("The Gilded Farmhouse") or De Gulden Zwaan ("The Gilded Swan").
GulianArmenian From Armenian word gul meaning "rose", as well as "laughter", combined with the common suffix of ian meaning "son of".
GulliverEnglish From a medieval nickname for a greedy person (from Old French goulafre "glutton"). Jonathan Swift used it in his satire 'Gulliver's Travels' (1726), about the shipwrecked ship's surgeon Lemuel Gulliver, whose adventures "offer opportunities for a wide-ranging and often savage lampooning of human stupidity and vice."
GürsoyTurkish From Turkish gür meaning "bushy, strong" or "thunder" and soy meaning "ancestry, descent, family".
GursulturJewish (Latinized), Kurdish, Hebrew This name is a composition of the following words: GUR; Hebrew for "lion cub", SUL; which is an abbreviation of Suleman (Kurdish for king Solomon), TUR; this word is derived from the Arba'ah Turim. The Arbaáh Turim are often called simply the Tur, which is an important Halakhic code.... [more]
GurugeSinhalese Derived from Sinhala ගුරු (guru) meaning "teacher, master" and the locative suffix -ගේ (-ge) meaning "of, home, house".
GurusingaBatak From Sanskrit guru, meaning “Mentor”, and singha, meaning “Lion”.
GuthrieScottish, Irish As a Scottish surname, this is either a habitational name for a person from the village of Guthrie near Forfar, itself from Gaelic gaothair meaning "windy place" (a derivative of gaoth "wind") and the locative suffix -ach, or alternatively it might possibly be an Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mag Uchtre meaning "son of Uchtre", a personal name of uncertain origin, perhaps related to uchtlach "child".... [more]
GyljárlaugssonIcelandic The name Gyljárlaugsson combines two Icelandic words, "gylja" meaning "to roar" and "laug" meaning "hot spring". Therefore, the name Gyljárlaugsson could be interpreted as "son of the roaring hot spring".
HaavistoFinnish Means "place with aspens" or "group of aspens". This name comes from a combination of haapa, "aspen", and the suffix -sto which is used for places and groups of things.
HabsburgGerman 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.
HachiyaJapanese From Japanese 蜂 (hachi) meaning "bee, wasp" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".
HacıyevAzerbaijani Means "son of the pilgrim", from Arabic حَاجِيّ (ḥājiyy) denoting a Muslim who has successfully made the hajj to Mecca.
HaganIrish Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÁgáin "descendant of Ógán", a personal name from a diminutive of óg "young".
HaganIrish Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hAodhagáin "descendant of Aodhagán", a personal name formed from a double diminutive of Aodh meaning "fire".
HäggSwedish From Swedish hägg meaning "prunus padus", but also known as "hackberry, bird cherry". It is a type of small tree native to northern Asia and Europe.
HäggkvistSwedish Combination of Swedish hägg "bird cherry" (a type of tree native to Sweden) and kvist "twig".
HägglundSwedish Combination of Swedish hägg "bird cherry" (a type of tree native to Sweden) and lund "grove".
HäggströmSwedish Combination of Swedish hägg "bird cherry" and ström "stream, small river".
HahnerGerman Occupational name for a poultry farmer, from an agent derivative of Middle High German hane "rooster".
HakuryūJapanese (Rare) This surname combines 白 (haku, byaku, shira-, shiro, shiro.i) meaning "white" with 竜 (ryuu, ryou, rou, ise, tatsu) meaning "dragon, imperial" or 柳 (ryuu, yanagi) meaning "willow."... [more]
HallamEnglish Habitational name from Halam (Nottinghamshire) or from Kirk or West Hallam (Derbyshire) all named with the Old English dative plural halum "(at the) nooks or corners of land" (from Old English halh "nook recess"; see Hale)... [more]
HallinanIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÁilgheanáin "descendant of Áilgheanán", a pet form of a personal name composed of old Celtic elements meaning "mild, noble person".
HamillIrish According to MacLysaght, a shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÁdhmaill "descendant of Ádhmall", which he derives from ádhmall "active".
HanleyIrish Means “descendant of Áinle.” Derived from “O’Hanley,” an anglicized form of “Ó hÁinle,” ultimately from Gaelic “ainle” meaning “beauty, grace.”
HanlonIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hAnluain "descendant of Anluan", a personal name from the intensive prefix an- and luan "light", "radiance" or "warrior". Occasionally it has been used to represent Hallinan.
HanrattyIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hInreachtaigh meaning "descendant of Ionnrachtach", a given name meaning "attacker".
HansIndian Derived from Sanskrit hamsa "swan; goose".
HansdotterfSwedish Means "daughter of Hans". This name is only given to females. A notable bearer is Swedish alpine ski racer Frida Hansdotter (b. 1985).
HärjapeaEstonian Härjapea is an Estonian surname literally meaning "ox head", but derived from a colloquial name for "clover".
HarmsMedieval Low German Of ancient German origin, Harms is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements "heri," meaning "army," and "man," meaning "man." Surname Harms was first found in Prussia, in medieval times as one of the notable families of the region.
HarndenEnglish From an English village Harrowden in Bedfordshire. This place name literally means "hill of the heathen shrines or temples," from the Old English words hearg and dun.
HartnellEnglish From a location in Marwood, Devon, derived from Old English heort "stag" + cnoll "hill".
HartonEnglish This surname is a habitational one, denoting someone who lived in a village in County Durham or in North Yorkshire.... [more]
HartshornEnglish habitational name from Hartshorne (Derbyshire) from Old English heorot "hart stag" (genitive heorotes) and horn "horn" perhaps in reference to the nearby hill (known as Hart Hill) and its supposed resemblance to a hart's horn... [more]
HarvardEnglish From the Old English given name Hereweard, composed of the elements here "army" and weard "guard", which was borne by an 11th-century thane of Lincolnshire, leader of resistance to the advancing Normans... [more]
HarwoodEnglish, Scots Habitation name found especially along the border areas of England and Scotland, from the Old English elements har meaning "gray" or hara referring to the animals called "hares" plus wudu for "wood"... [more]
HathurusingheSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit शत्रु (shatru) meaning "enemy, rival, hostile" and सिंह (sinha) meaning "lion".
HatoyamaJapanese Combination of the kanji 鳩 (hato, "pigeon, dove") and 山 (yama, "mountain"). This surname was borne by Ichirō Hatoyama (1883–1959) and his grandson Yukio (1947–).
HaugEstonian Haug is an Estonian surname meaning "pike (fish)".
HaukebøNorwegian A combination of Norwegian hauk, derived from Old Norse haukr, "hawk" and bø, derived from Old Norse bœr, "farm". The meaning refers to hawks sitting abode; as on the roof of a barn.
HautalaFinnish Finnish. Topographical, (haute) meaning, “graves, tomb” combined with (la) meaning “abode, home, or land of….”
HaylingEnglish Either (i) "person from Hayling", Hampshire ("settlement of Hægel's people"); or (ii) from the Old Welsh personal name Heilyn, literally "cup-bearer" (see also Palin).
HazarTurkish Turkish / Muslim last name meaning "nightingale".
HazardEnglish, French, Dutch Nickname for an inveterate gambler or a brave or foolhardy man prepared to run risks, from Middle English, Old French hasard, Middle Dutch hasaert (derived from Old French) "game of chance", later used metaphorically of other uncertain enterprises... [more]
HeaphyIrish From Irish Gaelic Ó hÉamhthaigh meaning "descendant of Éamhthach", the given name Éamhthach meaning "swift" in Gaelic.
HebiyamaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 蛇 (hebi) meaning "snake; serpent" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain", referring to a mountain with many snakes.
HeenanOld Irish Thought to be a nickname or metonymic, and to owe its derivation from the early Gaelic word ean meaning a "bird". The derivation is from the ancient name O'hEeanchain, which loosely translates as The descendant of the son of the Bird.
HelderDutch, German, Upper German, English 1. Dutch and German: from a Germanic personal name Halidher, composed of the elements haliò “hero” + hari, heri “army”, or from another personal name, Hildher, composed of the elements hild “strife”, “battle” + the same second element... [more]
HelmEnglish, Dutch, German from Old English helm "protection covering" (in later northern English dialects "cattle shelter barn"). The name may be topographic for someone who lived by or worked at a barn or habitational from a place so named such as Helme in Meltham (Yorkshire)... [more]
HemanIndian The name 'Heman' is a Jewish name, meaning 'Faithfull'.... [more]
HengstGerman, Dutch metonymic occupational name for someone who worked with or bred horses or a nickname for a brave strong man from Middle High German and Middle Dutch hengest "stallion" also "gelding" derived from Old Germanic hangist "stallion"... [more]
HennellyIrish From the Irish Ó'hIonnghaile, itself "descendant of (a variation of) Fionnghal" (fionn, "white, fair"; gall, "stranger")... [more]
HennesseeIrish A variant of the traditionally Irish surname Hennessey or Hennessy, an Anglicization of Ó hAonghusa meaning "descendant of Aonghus".
HenvilleWelsh Derived from the name of an ancestor meaning "Son of Anwyl"
HerbarthGerman, Norman References Old Norse Deity "Odin" being one of the "Son's of Odin". Remember that the Geats became the Ostrogoths through the Denmark pass--referenced in Beowulf. Or, it means "Warrior of the Bearded One", perhaps a King... [more]
HerefordEnglish Habitational name from Hereford in Herefordshire, or Harford in Devon and Goucestershire, all named from Old English here "army" + ford "ford".
HerlihyIrish From Irish Gaelic Ó hIarfhlatha "descendant of Iarfhlaith", a personal name meaning literally "lord of the west".
HerndonMedieval English The surname Herndon was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where they held a family seat from ancient times... [more]
HerrmanGerman Herrman is of ancient German origin. It is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements heri meaning "army," and man meaning "man." Herrman was first found in Prussia, where the name emerged in medieval times as one of the notable families of the region.
HeskethEnglish Combination of Old Norse hestr "horse" and skeið "racecourse". This is the name of several paces in England.
HettigeSinhalese From Sinhala හෙට්ටි (hetti) referring to the Chetty caste (primarily composed of merchants and traders) combined with the suffix -ගේ (-ge) meaning "of, home, house".
HewczakPolish Hewczak is primarily a Polish surname of the Ukrainian surname of Hewczuk.... [more]
HietalaFinnish Finnish. (hieta) meaning, “fine-sand” combined with (la) meaning, “abode, house, place, or land of….”
HigashikoJapanese Higashi means "east" and ko means "child, sign of the rat".
HijikataJapanese From 泥 (hiji) meaning "mud, mire," more often written as 土, from tsuchi meaning "earth, soil, dirt, mud," and 方 (kata) meaning "direction, way" or, more rarely, 片 (kata) meaning "one (of a pair); incomplete, fragmentary" (cognate with 方).... [more]
HilgersenGerman Means "son of Hilger”. From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hild 'strife', 'battle' + gar, ger 'spear' and sen 'son'. Most common in Northern Germany.
HimmelreichGerman, Jewish humorous topographic name from a place so named as being at a high altitude from Middle High German himel "heaven" and riche "empire" meaning "kingdom of heaven, heavenly kingdom".
HinckleyEnglish From the name of a place in Leicestershire meaning "Hynca's wood", from the Old English byname Hynca, derivative of hún "bear cub", and leah "woodland, clearing".
HineEnglish occupational name from Middle English Old English hine "servant member of a household" also "farm laborer" (such as a herdsman or shepherd)... [more]
HingstonEnglish The distribution of the Hingston surname appears to be based around the South Hams area of Devon. The English Place Name Society volumes for Devon give the best indication of the source of the name... [more]
HiranwongThai From Thai หิรัญ (hiran) meaning "money, silver, gold" and วงศ์ (wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty"
HirschbergGerman, Jewish Derived from many places named Hirschberg in the states of Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, or the historic city of Jelenia Góra in southwestern Poland. It is composed of Middle High German hirz meaning "deer, stag" and berg meaning "hill, mountain"... [more]
HirschfeldGerman, Jewish, Yiddish Ornamental name composed of German hirsch or Yiddish hirsh meaning "deer" and feld meaning "field". It is also a topographic name for someone who lived in an area of land frequented by deer or where millets grew.
HohnGerman Derived from Middle High German hon "chicken". As a surname, it was given to someone who either bred or traded in chickens.... [more]
HõimEstonian Hõim is an Estonian surname meaning "tribe".
HõimreEstonian Hõimre is an Estonian surname derived from "hõim" meaning "tribe" and "kinfolk".
HokinoueJapanese (Rare) Hoki means "cave, grotto, den", no means "of, therefore", and ue means "upper, top, above". ... [more]
HolyfieldEnglish, Scottish Although the Scottish surname is known to derive from the Medieval Latin word "olifantus," meaning "elephant," its origins as a surname are quite uncertain. ... He was one of the many Anglo-Norman nobles that were invited northward by the early Norman kings of Scotland.
HomolkaCzech From homolka meaning "(cone-shaped lump of) cream cheese". The word homolka itself is derived from homole "cone". This was either a nickname for a mild person or an occupational name for someone who made cheese.
HomuraJapanese This surname is used as 保村, 甫村 or 穂村 with 保 (ho, hou, tamo.tsu) meaning "guarantee, keep, preserve, protect, support, sustain", 甫 (fu, ho, haji.mete, suke) meaning "for the first time, not until", 穂 (sui, ho) meaning "crest (of wave), ear, ear (of grain), head" and 村 (son, mura) meaning "town, village."... [more]
HoneyballEnglish From Honeyball, a medieval personal name of uncertain origin: perhaps an alteration of Annabel, or alternatively from a Germanic compound name meaning literally "bear-cub brave" (i.e. deriving from the elements hun "warrior, bear cub" and bald "bold, brave").
HörmannGerman The distinguished surname Hormann is of very ancient German origin. It is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements "heri," meaning "army," and "man," meaning "man."
HornsbyEnglish A habitational name from Cumbria, derived from the Norse Ormr meaning "serpent" and býr meaning "farm". Similar in form to Hornby, Hornsby is a widespread surname in northern England.
HorntonEnglish (Rare, Archaic) Derived from the surname Horton or perhaps used to describe a horn maker meaning “maker of horns.”
HorsleyEnglish Old English hors ‘horse’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’... [more]
HoseasonEnglish Means "son of Hosea", a personal name that was originally probably Osie, a pet-form of Oswald, but came to be associated with the biblical personal name Hosea.
HoshiroJapanese 保城 or HOSHIRO would translate to "Castle of Protection"
HowieScottish I believe it is from "The Land of How" in Ayrshire
HowleyEnglish, Irish English habitational name from Howley in Warrington (Lancashire) or Howley in Morley (Yorkshire). The Lancashire name also appears as Hooley and Wholey while the Yorkshire placename comes from Old English hofe "ground ivy... [more]
HuarangaIncan Possibly refers to the Inca administrative "unit of a thousand households"
HubenGerman The roots of the distinguished German surname Huben lie in the kingdom of Bavaria. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "huober," meaning "owner of a patch of farmland." The term "Hube" was used to denote a 40-acre hide of farmland... [more]
HumbertGerman, Dutch, French From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hun "Hun, giant" or hun "bear cub" and berht "bright, famous". This was particularly popular in the Netherlands and North Germany during the Middle Ages as a result of the fame of a 7th-century St... [more]
HuntEstonian Hunt is an Estonian surname meaning "wolf".
HusseyEnglish, Irish As an English surname, it comes from two distinct sources. It is either of Norman origin, derived from Houssaye, the name of an area in Seine-Maritime which ultimately derives from Old French hous "holly"; or it is from a Middle English nickname given to a woman who was the mistress of a household, from an alteration of husewif "housewife"... [more]
HutaurukBatak From Batak huta meaning "village, area" and uruk meaning "upper, above" or "bone leaves (a type of plant)".
IbbotsonEnglish Diminutive form ("son of" or little) of Hibbs, itself a patronymic, from a diminutive of Hibbert, which derives from a Norman personal name, "Hil(de)bert", composed of the Germanic elements "hild", battle, and "berht" famous.
IchinomiyaJapanese This surname is used as 一宮, 一の宮, 一ノ宮, 一之宮 or 市之宮 with 一 (ichi, itsu, hito, hito.tsu) meaning "one," 市 (shi, ichi) meaning "city, market, town," 之 (shi, oite, kono, kore, no, yuku) meaning "of, this" or 宮 (kyuu, ku, kuu, guu, miya) meaning "constellations, palace, princess."... [more]
IddendenEnglish (Rare) Iden as a village name is to be found in both the counties of Kent and Sussex, and describes a pasture, or strictly speaking an area within a marsh suitable for pasture. The origination is the pre 6th century phrase ig-denn with ig meaning an island... [more]
IdriyaHebrew A feminine name of Hebrew origin, meaning "female duck."
IdzutsuJapanese From Japanese 井 (i) meaning "well" and 筒 (tsutsu) meaning "tube, hub of a wheel".
IedaJapanese From Japanese 家 (ie) meaning "house, home, family" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
IeiriJapanese (Rare) 家 (Ie) means "building, residency, family, dwelling, home, habitation", and 入 (iri) means "enter, input". ... [more]
IekamiJapanese Ie means "family, household, residence" and kami means "below, under".
IencaItalian (Rare) Allegedly derived from Italian giovenca "heifer". A heifer is a young cow that has not yet had a calf. Mount Jenca and Jenca Valley are located near Gran Sasso d'Italia in the Abruzzo region in Italy.
IfansWelsh Derived from Welsh ap Ifan meaning "son of Ifan". A famous bearer is Welsh actor and musician Rhys Ifans (1967-), born Rhys Owain Evans.
ImariJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 今利, 伊万里 or 伊萬里 with 今 (kon, kin, ima) meaning "now", 利 (ri, ki.ku) meaning "advantage, benefit, profit", 伊 (i, kare) meaning "Italy, that one", 万/萬 (ban, man, yorozu, ma) meaning "ten thousand/10,000" and 里 (ri, sato) meaning "league, parent's home, ri (unit of distance - equal to 3.927 km), village."... [more]
ImbimboNeapolitan From Italian bimbo meaning "a child, a male baby" (which is a variant of bambino "child") combined with in-, a prefix indicating "belonging to the family of".
ImmerGerman, English German: habitational name for someone from a place named Immer near Oldenburg in Lower Saxony. ... [more]
InazumaJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 稲妻 which means "(flash of) lightning" (from 稲 (te, tou, ina-, ine) meaning "rice plant" and 妻 (sai, tsuma) meaning "spouse, wife").... [more]
IngogliaItalian Means "belonging to the family of Goglia" in Italian, derived from the prefix in- meaning "belonging to the family of" combined with the name Goglia... [more]