Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Lever EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived in a place thickly grown with rushes, from Old English
lǣfer "rush, reed". Compare
Laver. Great and Little Lever in Greater Manchester (formerly in Lancashire) are named with this word, and in some cases the surname may also be derived from these places.
Leverett EnglishDiminutive of
Lever, from the Middle English personal name
Lefred, Old English
Leofræd, composed of the elements
leof ‘dear’, ‘beloved’ +
red ‘counsel’.
Leverich EnglishThe surname Leverich was first found in West Yorkshire at Liversedge, a township that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as
Livresec, a manor belonging to Radulf, a vassal of Ilbert de Lacy... [
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Leverton EnglishThis surname combines the Old English personal female name
Leofwaru or the Old English word
læfer meaning "rush, reed" with another Old English word
tún meaning "enclosure, field, farm, dwelling." The etymology with the female name addition fits in with the town of the same name in Berkshire while the etymology with the word addition fits in with the one in Lincolnshire.
Levob FrenchThe family name Levob is believed to be from Lorraine, an ancient province of the East of France. Some of the variations are Lavoye, Lavois, Lavoi, Levoi, Levoie, Levoy, Levois, Levot, Lavot to distinguish but a few.
Lewski PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the places called Leńce in Podlaskie Voivodeship or Leńcze in Silesian Voivodeship.
Lewy PolishMeans "left" in Polish, a nickname for a left-handed person.
Leyn Russian, JewishRussian surname of unclear origin. This may be a matronymic surname derived from the Jewish name
Leah meaning "weary".
Lezaeta BasqueIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Larraun.
Leżałka PolishMeans "a fallen tree" or "a fallen brunch" derived from Old Polish.
Lezama BasqueIt indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the municipality or the council of the municipality of Amurrio.
L'hernault Medieval FrenchOriginating in Northern France, Rouen River Valley, Normandie, L'Hernault is an Old French word for a "heralder", one who would act as an announcer, diplomat or town crier.... [
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Lhomme FrenchFrom the name of the commune of
Lhomme, located in the Sarthe department in northwestern France.
L'Huillier FrenchDenoted a person who produces or sells oil, from French
huile "oil" with fused definite article
l'. Anne Geneviève L'Huillier (1958-) is a French physicist who beat the world record for the shortest laser pulse, of 170 attoseconds.
Lhuillier Cebuano, FilipinoBorrowed from French
L'Huillier used in the Philippines. Jean Henri Diago Lhuillier (1969) is a Filipino businessman, diplomat, and sports patron.
Lhuyd WelshEdward Lhuyd has been called "the first Welsh archaeologist".... [
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Lian ChineseFrom Chinese 连
(lián) meaning "link, join, connect".
Libra ItalianDerived from the latin word
'libra' meaning "balance, weigh". It's probably a nickname for a deliberate or well-balanced person.
Librizzi ItalianHabitational name from
Librizzi in Messina province, Sicily.
Libutti ItalianComposed of the definite article
li and dialect
butti "barrels".
Licata Italian, SicilianFrom the name of a town in Sicily, possibly derived from the Ancient Greek toponym Λευκάδα
(Leukada) (see
Leocadia) or from Arabic الْقَلْعَةَ
(al-qalʕata) "the castle, the fortress".
Licht JewishFrom the German word meaning "light", possibly derived from a given name meaning "light" such as
Uri or
Meir.
Licht German, Dutch, YiddishMeans "light" or "candle". Could be an occupational name for a chandler, a topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing (see
Lichte), or a nickname for someone who had light hair, or who was agile and slender.
Lichtblau YiddishMeans "light blue" in German. Leon Lichtblau was a pro-revolution communist who was imprisoned in Romania in 1921.
Lichte GermanHabitational name for someone who lived in a clearing (see
Lucht) or topographic name from a town in Germany, situated by the Lichte river. Alternatively, a variant of
Licht.
Lichten German, JewishFrom German
licht meaning "light". Nickname for someone with a light complexion.
Lichter German, JewishOccupational name for someone who made candles or possibly for someone who tended a light, from an agent derivative of from Middle High German
lieht, Yiddish
likht "candle, light".
Lickert German (East Prussian)Derived from the German feminine name Luitgard, and thus ultimately from Old High German
liut "people" and
garto "garden; enclosure".
Lickfold EnglishDerives from a hamlet in West Sussex, England. All known holders, worldwide, of this rare surname can be traced back to Lickfolds who lived within 20 miles of Lickfold in the 16th century.
Licona SpanishHabitational name from a place called Likoa in Basque Country.
Licursi ItalianOf Albanian origin, either an occupational name for a tanner from
lëkurë "skin, leather", or a habitational name.
Liddell EnglishFrom the Liddel river, which takes its name from Okd English
hl̄de “loud” +
dæl “valley”.
Liddington English, Scottish (Rare)This surname is derived from a geographical locality. "of Liddington", a parish in Rutland, near Uppingham; a parish in Wiltshire, near Swindon.
Lidén SwedishCombination of the Swedish place name element
lid "slope, hillside" and the common surname siffix
-én.
Lidman SwedishCombination of Swedish place name element
lid "slope, hillside" and
man "man". A notable bearer was Swedish writer Sara Lidman (1923-2004).
Lidström SwedishCombination of the Swedish place name element
lid "slope, hillside" and
ström "stream, flow". A notable bearer is Swedish ice hockey player Nicklas Lidström (b. 1970).
Lieb German, JewishNickname for a pleasant or agreeable person, from Middle High German
liep "dear, beloved"; Yiddish
lib or German
lieb. This word was also used as a personal name, both alone (German) and in compounds (German and Jewish).
Lieb GermanFrom a short form of the various compound Slavic personal names formed with
lubo- "love" as the first element.
Lieberknecht GermanA compound name where
lieber is derived from the given name
Liebert and
kneckt is an occupational surname for a journeyman, derived from the Middle Low German
knecht meaning "knight’s assistant, servant".
Liebermann German, JewishDerived from German
lieb or Yiddish
lib meaning "dear, beloved". Many Liebermann families originally spelled the name in Hebrew or Cyrillic characters, so variations in the spelling occurred during transliteration to the Latin alphabet.
Liebhart GermanFrom a Germanic personal name, composed of the elements
liub "beloved, dear" and
hard "brave, strong".
Liebrecht GermanFrom a Germanic personal name formed with
liut "people, tribe" and
berht "shining, famous".
Liell English (British)Meaning: from the isle, from an island. Early versions of the name can be traced back to the Norman invasion in 1066, and a variation (
de Insula) can be found in the Domesday Book... [
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Liem DutchHabitual surname for Lieme in Eastphalia, which is from
lim meaning "mire".
Lieshout DutchOriginally indicated a person from the village of
Lieshout in the province of North-Brabant, Netherlands. It is possibly derived from either Dutch
lies meaning "great manna grass" (a grasslike plant that grows near riverbanks and ponds) or Middle Dutch
lese meaning "track, furrow", combined with
hout meaning "forest".
Lietzen GermanLietzen is a municipality in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany.... [
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Lif SwedishThis is most likely a name adopted by soldiers in the 17th century. The actual meaning is unclear. It could be taken directly from the Swedish word
liv meaning "life" or from a location named with this element.
Light EnglishNickname for a happy, cheerful person, from Middle English
lyght, Old English
lēoht "light (not dark), bright, cheerful".
Lightfoot EnglishFrom a nickname for a messenger or a swift runner, derived from Middle English
light "having little weight" and
fot "foot".
Lighthall EnglishA habitational name from a place called Lightollars in Lancashire, so named from Old English leoht ‘light-colored’ + alor ‘alder’. The surname, however, is not found in current English sources.
Lightyear Popular CultureFrom the English term
light-year, a unit of length often used when measuring distances in space. Most often used in everyday speech and non-scientific publications. This is the surname of
Buzz Lightyear, a fictional character in the Pixar animated film series 'Toy Story'.
Ligi EstonianLigi is an Estonian surname meaning "near" or "accessible".
Lignoisto EsperantoLignoisto-means woodworker is derived from the Esperanto words meaning wood and to work
Lihtmaa EstonianLihtmaa is an Estonian surname meaning "common/simple land".
Liier EstonianLiier is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "liige", meaning "member" or "participant".
Liiger EstonianLiiger is an Estonian surname derived from "liige" meaning "member" and "participant".
Liik EstonianLiik is an Estonian surname meaning "kind" or "benevolent".
Liim EstonianLiim is an Estonian surname meaning "glue", "adhesive" and "dough".
Liinamäe EstonianLiinamäe is an Estonian surname meaning "straight hill"; derived from "liin" meaning "straight/line" and "mäe" meaning "hill/mountain".
Liistro ItalianFrom Sicilian
lijistru "privet", a kind of shrub or small tree.
Liit EstonianLiit is an Estonian surname meaning "alliance" or "union".
Liivaru EstonianLiivaru is an Estonian surname meaning "sand(y) upland meadow".
Liivik EstonianLiivik is an Estonian surname meaning "sandy outcrop with sparse vegetation".
Lijewski PolishHabitational name for someone from a place called Lijewo in Włocławek voivodeship.
Lilienthal JewishMeans "valley of lilies" in German, being this word derived from
Lilie "lily" and
Thal "valley".
Lilienthal GermanHabitational name from any of the places called
Lilienthal in Schleswig-Holstein Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemburg named with Middle High German
liljen "lilies" (from Latin
lilium) and
tal "valley".
Liljedahl Swedish, NorwegianOrnamental name derived from Swedish
lilje, a genitive form of
lilja "lily" used in compounds, and the archaic word
dahl (Old Norse
dalr) meaning "valley"... [
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Lillard BelgianHabitational name from either of two places called
Li(e)laar, in Gavere and Sint-Maria-Oudenhove, East Flanders.
Lillicrap EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for someone with very fair hair (literally "lily-head").
Lillingstone EnglishIt indicates familial origin within either of 2 villages in Buckinghamshire: Lillingstone Dayrell or Lillingstone Lovell.
Lilly EnglishDerived from
Lilly, a pet name for
Elizabeth. It was also used as a nickname for someone with fair skin or hair, and is derived from Old English
lilie meaning "lily (the flower)"... [
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Lillywhite EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for someone with very fair hair or complexion. It was borne by English cricketers James Lillywhite (1842-1929), first captain of England, and William Lillywhite (1792-1854), pioneer of overarm bowling, uncle of James... [
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Lily EnglishDerived from
Lily, a pet name for
Elizabeth. It was also used as a nickname for someone with fair skin or hair, and is derived from Old English
lilie meaning "lily (the flower)"... [
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Lima PortugueseTopographic name for someone living on the banks of the river of this name (of pre-Roman origin, probably akin to a Celtic element lemos, limos 'elm').
Lima PortugueseTopographic name for someone who lived on the banks of the
Lima River in Portugal, most likely derived from Indo-European
*léymō meaning "lake".
Limanowski PolishThis indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish town of Limanowa.
Limb Medieval EnglishRare name of medieval English origin. A dialectal variant of the locational name 'Lumb', from places so called in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, and derives from the Old English pre-7th Century 'lum(m)'... [
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Limbach GermanDerived from any of numerous places in Germany named with Germanic
lindo meaning "lime tree" and
bach meaning "stream". Several of these places are in areas such as the Palatinate, which contributed heavily to early German immigration to the United States.
Limbo Spanish (Philippines)From Spanish
limbo "limbo, an in-between place", a concept in Roman Catholicism referring to a place between heaven and hell where souls reside.
Limburger GermanDerived from the name of a town named "Limburg", which was located in western Germany.
Limon SpanishAn occupational name for a grower or seller of the fruit.
Limonov m RussianDerived from Russian word "лимон (limon)" meaning "lemon". This is the last name of Eduard Limonov, the leader of the National Bolshevik Party in Russia.
Lindahl SwedishCombination of Swedish
lind "lime tree" and
dal "valley".