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]

Agius Maltese
Derived from Arabic عَجُوز (ʿajūz) meaning "old (person), elderly".

Agler English
From one or more Middle English personal names variously written Alger, Algar, Alcher, Aucher, etc. These represent a falling together of at least three different Continental Germanic and Old English names: Adalgar "noble spear" (Old English Æ{dh}elgār), Albgar "elf spear" (Old English Ælfgār), and Aldgar "old spear" (Old English (E)aldgār)... [more]

Aldane Anglo-Saxon
Derived from "dweller at the old enclosure".

Altbauer German (Austrian)
“Old farmer” from the root Bauer meaning “farmer” in German

Alterman Yiddish
It literally means "old man".

Alterstein German
Means "old stone" in German.

Althoff German
A surname predominantly found in Westphalia and the Rhineland region of Germany which is derived from German alt "old" and Hof (Hoff in the local dialects) "farmstead; farm; manor".

Ashmore English
English locational name, from either "Aisemare", (from Old English pre 7th Century "aesc" meaning ash plus "mere" a lake; hence "lake where ash-trees grow), or from any of several minor places composed of the Old English elements "aesc" ash plus "mor" a marsh or fen.

Barbon French (Quebec)
Derived from the nickname barbon meaning "old codger" as well as referring to a "confirmed bachelor".

Becci Italian
Possibly derived from a dialectic form of vecchio "old", or from Celtic becci "beaks", perhaps indicating someone with a large nose.

Beckson English (British)
The name comes from having lived in an enclosed place, means dweller at the old enclosure or dwelling. The surname Aldeman was first found in Essex, Suffolk and Yorkshire at Aldham. In all cases, the place name meant "the old homestead," or "homestead of a man called Ealda," from the Old English personal name + "ham."

Beddoes Welsh
“This name derives from Old Welsh name and patronymic surname “Morgetuid / Margetiud”, composed of two elements: “mere” (great, splendid) plus “iudd” (lord). As a personal name the origins are lost in the mists of time but it is certainly pre Roman, however the modern use of the name is commonly taken from Merdydd ap Bleddyn, prince of Powys who died in 1132... [more]

Ben Zaken Hebrew
Means "son of the old man" or "son of the elder" in Hebrew.

Brenton English
habitational name primarily from Brenton near Exminster possibly named in Old English as Bryningtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Bryni" (a personal name from Old English bryne "fire flame") or "Bryni's town".

Buckingham English
Habitational name from the former county seat of the county of Buckinghamshire, Old English Buccingahamm "water meadow (Old English hamm) of the people of (-inga-) Bucc(a)".

Crowther English
Originally meant "person who plays the crowd (an ancient Celtic stringed instrument)". It was borne by British entertainer Leslie Crowther (1933-1996).

Daan Filipino, Cebuano
Means "old" in Cebuano.

Dziadzienka Belarusian
Derived from Belarusian дзед (dzied) meaning "grandfather, old man".

Eit Estonian
Eit is an Estonian surname meaning "old woman", "crone" and "hag".

Ennemuist Estonian
Ennemuist is an Estonian surname derived from "ennemuiste" meaning "days of yore", and "ennemuistne" meaning "ancient".

Eski Turkish
Means "old (as in an object)" in Turkish.

Frankenberg German, Jewish
habitational name from a place in northern Hesse named as "fort (Old High German burg) of the Franks". From German franken and berg "mountain hill mountain"... [more]

Furuhara Japanese
Furu means "old" and hara means "field, plain".

Furuhashi Japanese
From Japanese 古 (furu) meaning "old" and 橋 (Hashi) meaning "bridge".

Furuhashi Japanese
From Japanese 古 (furu) meaning "old" and 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge".

Furukane Japanese
Furu means "old" and kane means "gold, money, metal".

Furumiya Japanese
Furu means "old" and miya means "shrine, temple".

Furunaka Japanese
Furu means "old" and naka means "middle".

Furuno Japanese
Furu means "old" and no means "plain, field".

Furusawa Japanese
From Japanese 古 (furu) meaning "old" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

Furuse Japanese
From the Japanese 古 (furu) "old" and 瀬 (se) "riffle."

Furushima Japanese
Furu means "old" and shima means "island".

Furuta Japanese
From Japanese 古 (furu) meaning "old" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Furutachi Japanese
From Japanese 古 (furu) meaning "old" and 舘 (tachi) meaning "large building, mansion, palace".

Furutani Japanese
Furu means "old" and tani means "valley".

Furuya Japanese
From Japanese 古 (furu) meaning "old" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley" or 屋 (ya) meaning "roof, house".

Furuyama Japanese
From Japanese 古 (furu) meaning "old" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Furuyashiki Japanese
Meaning "Old Grand House", with the Kanji Characters 古屋敷.

Gamble English
from the Old Norse byname Gamall meaning "old", which was occasionally used in North England during the Middle Ages as a personal name. ... [more]

Gamelin French
From pet form of any of the compound personal names formed with gamal, related to Old Norse gamall, Old German gamel "old", "aged". ... [more]

Gammelgaard Danish
Derived from Danish gammel meaning "old" and gård meaning "enclosure, farm".

Gu Chinese
From Chinese 古 (gǔ) possibly derived from Kucheng (古成 or 苦城), the name of an ancient fief that may have existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province... [more]

Kazue Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 主計 (kazue) meaning "(Ancient Japan) tax officer".... [more]

Kedem Hebrew
Either means "east" or "ancient" in Hebrew.

Knapp English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a hillock, Middle English "nappe, Old English cnæpp, or habitational name from any of the several minor places named with the word, in particular Knapp in Hampshire and Knepp in Sussex.

Kodajima Japanese
From Japanese 古 (Ko) meaning "Old" and 田 (Ta, Da) meaning "Rice Field" and 島 (Shima) meaning "Island"

Koga Japanese
From Japanese 古 (ko) meaning "old, past" and 賀 (ka) meaning "congratulate, greet, celebrate".

Kogane Japanese (Rare)
This surname is used as 黄金, 小金, 古金, 子金, 故金 or 小賀根 with 黄 (ou, kou, ki, ko-) meaning "yellow", 小 (shou, o-, ko-, sa-, chii.sai) meaning "little, small", 古 (ko, furu-, furu.i, -fu.rusu) meaning "old", 子 (shi, su, tsu, ko, -ko, -ne) meaning "child, sign of the rat (1st sign of Chinese zodiac", 故 (ko, furu.i, moto, yue) meaning "cause, circumstances, consequently, especially, happenstance, intentionally, reason, the late, therefore", 賀 (ga) meaning "congratulations, joy", 根 (kon, ne, -ne) meaning "head (pimple), radical, root" and 金 (kin, kon, gon, kana-, kane, -gane) meaning "gold."... [more]

Koki Japanese
This surname combines 古 (ko, furu-, furu.i, -fu.rusu) meaning "old" or 小 (shou, o-, ko-, sa-, chii.sai) meaning "little, small" with 木 (boku, moku, ki, ko-) meaning "tree, wood."

Kolymagin Russian
Derived from Russian колымага (kolymaga) meaning "jalopy (old, dilapidated car)".

Komada Japanese
Ko could mean "small, little" or "old", ma could mean "real, genuine" and da comes from ta meaning "rice paddy, field".

Komaeda Japanese (Rare)
From 小 (ko) meaning "small, little" or 古 (ko) meaning "old" combined with Maeda.... [more]

Komagata Japanese
Ko could mean "little, small" or "old". Ma could mean "genuine, real" or "horse". Gata could come from kata meaning "shape, form".

Lavecchia Italian
Means "Old Lady"

Litchfield English
locational origin either from Lichfield, south east of Stafford in Staffordshire, or from Litchfield in Hampshire... [more]

Ludd Anglo-Saxon, Old Irish
The name--the surname of the legendary inspiration for the Luddites--was taken on by someone who worked as a person who worked as a servant or a page. This surname was originally derived from the Old English word Ladde, an English occupational name for a servant.... [more]

MacShanley Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Seanlaoich. Seanlaoich comes from Gaelic "the old hero."

Muinasmaa Estonian
Muinasmaa is an Estonian surname meaning "ancient land".

Okota Japanese (Rare)
This name is used to combine 興 (kou, kyou, oko.ru, oko.su) meaning "interest, pleasure," or 小 (shou, o-, ko-, sa-, chii.sai) meaning "little, small" with 古 (ko, furu.i, furu-, -furu.su) meaning "old" and 田 (den, ta) meaning "rice field, rice paddy."

Oldenhave Dutch
From the name of a small village in the province of Drenthe, Holland, composed of Dutch oud and hoeve, meaning "old farm".

Oldham English
Habitational name from Oldham in Lancashire. The placename derives from Old English ald "old" and Old Norse holmr "island water meadow" or eald "old" and ham "farmstead" meaning either "old lands" or "old farm".

Oldroyd English
Derived from Old English euld meaning "old" and royd meaning "clearing".

Orris English (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]

Ortuzar Basque
It means "old agricultural garden".

Oudenhoven Dutch
Derived from Dutch oude "old" and hoeve "farm; farmstead; manor". As a surname it is derived from one of the many places of this name, for example in Menen, Passendale, Steenvoorde, Steenwerk, Broekburg or Godewaardsvelde.

Palaiologos Greek
From the Greek words palaios logos, lit. "old word", most likely signifying an "antique collector".The surname of the last ruling Byzantine family.

Pirhadi Persian
Either from Persian پیر (pir) meaning "old" combined with Hadi or from the name of the Persian village of Pirhadi.

Piri Persian
Derived from Persian پیر (pir) meaning "old, aged".

Postgate English
From Postgate in Danby (NR Yorks) which is recorded as Postgate in the 12th century. The place-name derives from Old English post "post pillar" and Old Scandinavian gata ‘way path road" or Old English gæt "gate".

Preve Italian
From Greek "πρεσβύτερος" (presbyteros), via Latin "presbyter" with the meaning of "The Old One".... [more]

Saavedra Spanish
Derived from the place-name Saavedra and therefore signifies "descendant or son of one from Saavedra". The place-name Saavedra is located in the north western province of Lugo in Galicia, Spain and is believed to be derived from the elements "Saa" meaning "Hall" and "Vedra" (feminine) meaning "Old".

Sako Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 古 (ko) meaning "old".

Secchi Italian
Probably related to Italian secco "thin, dry". May alternately derive from secare "to cut", Sardinian seghi "sixteen", segete "harvest, harvest fodder", or a shortened form of seneche "old, aged".

Sénécal French
status name for a seneschal an official in a large household who was responsible for overseeing day-to-day domestic arrangements from Old French seneschal (of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements sini "old" and scalc "servant")... [more]

Snelson English
Means "son of Snell", Snell being a nickname for a brisk or active person, from Middle English snell "quick, lively" (cf... [more]

Starčević Croatian
Means "son of an old man" from star "old".

Starikov Russian
From a nickname for a person who was long-lived or wise, derived from Russian старик (starik) meaning "old man".

Tecuanhuehue Aztec, Nahuatl
From Nahuatl meaning "old tiger".

Vanaaseme Estonian
Vanaaseme is an Estonian surname meaning "old place".

Vanajuur Estonian
Vanajuur is an Estonian surname meaning "old roots/origins".

Vanatoa Estonian
Vanatoa is an Estonian surname meaning "old room".

Vanaveski Estonian
Vanaveski is an Estonian surname meaning "old mill".

Vannas Estonian
Vannas is an Estonian surname derived from "vana", meaning "old".

Vecchi Italian
Italian: patronymic or plural form of Vecchio, meaning "old".

Vecchio Italian
Means "old, aged" in Italian, originally used as a nickname for an older or oldest son or for someone who was prematurely grey or wrinkled.

Vetrano Italian
The name originates from Italy, mainly Sicily. It means "old man veteran", other times it means "faithful, loyal".

Viejo Spanish
From Spanish meaning "old".

Wakuri Japanese (Rare)
This surname is used as 和久利, 和久理, 和久里 or 和栗 with 和 (o, ka, wa, nago.mu, nago.yaka, yawa.ragu, yawa.rageru) meaning "harmony, Japan, Japanese style, peace, soften", 久 (kyuu, ku, hisa.shii) meaning "long time, old story", 利 (ri, ki.ku) meaning "advantage, benefit, profit", 理 (ri, kotowari) meaning "arrangement, justice, logic, reason, truth", 里 (ri, sato) meaning "league, parent's home, ri (unit of distance - equal to 3.927 km), village" and 栗 (ritsu, ri, kuri, ononoku) meaning "chestnut."... [more]

Willingham English
Habitational name from a place named Willingham, notably one in Cambridgeshire and one in Suffolk. The first is recorded in Domesday Book as Wivelingham "homestead (Old English hām) of the people of a man called Wifel".

Worthington English
Habitational name from places in Lancashire and Leicestershire named Worthington; both may have originally been named in Old English as Wurðingtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Wurð", but it is also possible that the first element was Old English worðign, a derivative of worð ‘enclosure’.

Wurðingtun English
Habitational name from places in Lancashire and Leicestershire named Worthington; both may have originally been named in Old English as Wurðingtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Wurð", but it is also possible that the first element was Old English worðign, a derivative of worð ‘enclosure’.

Zaken Hebrew
Means "old man" in Hebrew.