Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Pivec CzechNickname for a drinker, from pivo meaning ‘beer’.
Pivonka CzechCzech word for peony. Also given as a nickname meaning one with rosy cheeks
Pizzuto ItalianItalian surname derived from a nickname meaning ‘malicious’.
Plain Frenchfrom Old French
plain an adjective meaning "flat" and a noun meaning "plain" hence a topographic name denoting e.g. a dwelling on a flat terrain.
Plantagenet Medieval English, Medieval FrenchBorne by the House of Plantagenet, a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. It also originated as a nickname for Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou (1113-1151), father of King Henry II of England (1133-1189), who ascended the English throne in 1154... [
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Plantz English (American)Deriving from England. "Men known as a
Planter was an English term for people who were "planted" abroad in order to promote a political, religious cause or for colonization purposes." ... [
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Plata SpanishHabitational name from places in Toledo and Cáceres provinces named Plata, or various places named La Plata.
Platini ItalianOccupational name for a person who coats objects with platinum, derived from Italian
platinare literally meaning "to platinize, to coat with platinum". A notable bearer is the former French soccer star Michel Platini (1955-).
Playfair EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for an enthusiastic competitor in sports and games (from Middle English
pleyfere "companion in play, playmate"), or else a different form of
Playford (from a Suffolk place-name meaning "ford where sports are held")... [
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Pleasance EnglishEither (i) from the medieval female personal name
Plaisance, literally "pleasantness"; or (ii) "person from Piacenza", Italy (from Latin
Placentia, literally "pleasing things").
Pleasant AmericanMeans being a very bright man in the near future. Also can be used as a alias.
Plevneliev BulgarianFrom the Bulgarian name for the Greek village of Petroussa (called Plevnya in Bulgarian), itself derived from Bulgarian плевня
(plevnya) meaning "barn". A notable bearer is Bulgarian president
Rosen Plevneliev (1964-).
Pliev Ingush (Russified), Ossetian (Russified)Russified form of an Ingush and Ossetian name, which is derived from the name of an Ingush teip (clan). The name itself comes from
Plievo, the name of a village in Ingushetia, which means "village of the sons of Pkhile", referring to a given name possibly derived from Ossetian пыл
(pyl) meaning "elephant".
Plimsoll French (Acadian)I don't know the meaning, but it is my maiden name, and I understand it to be French. Samuel Plimsoll is my ancestor. He was born in Bristol, UK. He was an MP who spoke up in parliament and subsequently the Plimsoll or loading line was introduced on ships... [
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Ploom EstonianPloom is an Estonian surname meaning "plum" (Prunus).
Plotnikov RussianMeans "son of the carpenter" from Russian плотник
(plotnik) "carpenter".
Plouffe FrenchAltered form of
Blouf, which is no longer found in France. It's meaning is unknown.
Ploumides GreekDescendant or son of the ornamented, from the Latin word 'pluma', for ornament.
Plum English, German, JewishEnglish and North German: from Middle English plum(b)e, Middle Low German plum(e) ‘plum’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a plum tree, or a metonymic occupational name for a fruit grower... [
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Plumer German, English, DutchNorth German (Plümer) and English: variant of
Plum, the suffix -er denoting habitation or occupation. Altered form of South German
Pflümer, an occupational name for a grower or seller of plums, from an agent derivative of Middle High German pflume ‘plum’... [
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Plumier French, BelgianPossibly an occupational name for a dealer in feathers and quills, from an agent derivative of Old French
plume "feather, plume" (compare English and Dutch
Plumer)... [
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Plumley EnglishMeaning "plum-tree wood or clearing" from the Old English words
plume and
leah.
Plummer English1. Occupational name for a worker in lead, especially a maker of lead pipes and conduits, from Anglo-Norman French plom(m)er, plum(m)er ‘plumber’, from plom(b), plum(b) ‘lead’ (Latin plumbum)... [
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Plumtree EnglishFrom any of the locations called Plumtree for anyone who lived near a plum tree derived from Old English
plume "plum" and
treow "tree".
Plunket EnglishEither an occupational name for someone who sold plunket, a "coarse white woollen cloth", or a location in France with the name Planquette or Planquenet.
Pniewski Polish, JewishHabitational name for someone from Pniewy in the district of Poznań, or from any of the many places in Poland named Pniewo.
Po ItalianDerived from
Po the longest river in Italy (651,8 km). It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps across the regions: Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto... [
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Pobanz GermanNickname for a braggart or bogeyman, of uncertain Slavic origin.
Pobjoy EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a parrot, from Middle English
papejai,
popinjay "parrot". This probably denoted someone who was talkative or who dressed in bright colours, although it may have described a person who excelled at the medieval sport of pole archery, i.e. shooting at a wooden parrot on a pole.
Podbielski PolishHabitational name for someone from a place called Podbielsko in Konin voivodeship.
Podda ItalianFrom Sardinian
podda "flour", or
pudda "chicken".
Podriznik SloveneFrom the article of clothing of the same name worn by priests, possibly denoting a maker of them or perhaps a relative of a clergyman.
Poe EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for a vain or flamboyantly dressed person (from Old Norse
pá "peacock"). American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was a famous bearer.
Poehler GermanGerman (Westphalian): topographic name for someone who lived by a muddy pool, from an agent noun derived from Middle Low
pol ‘(muddy) pool’.
Pogonowski PolishThis indicates familial origin within either of 2 Lesser Polish villages.
Poh GermanFrom a dialect word for standard German Pfau ‘peacok’, a nickname for a vain person or for someone with a strutting gait.
Põhjala EstonianPõhjala is an Estonian surname meaning "the North" and "Northern area" as well as "Norse".
Pohla EstonianPohla is an Estonian surname derived from "pohl" ("lingonberry").
Põim EstonianPõim is an Estonian surname derived from "põimima" ("enlace" or "entwine")' loosely meaning "weaver".
Pointe FrenchDerivation of the name is from the pre 10th century Old French "pointe" meaning a sharp or pointed end, and ultimately from the Latin "puncta", to pierce.
Poisson FrenchPoisson is the French word for fish, and was given to one who was a fishmonger, fisherman, or could be a nickname for one who had the appearance similar to a fish.
Poitier FrenchEvidently an altered spelling of
Pothier. A famous bearer of this surname was the Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier (1927-2022).
Poland English, German, French (Anglicized), Irish (Anglicized)English and German name is derived from the Middle High German
Polan, which means "Poland". The surname originally signified a person with Polish connections.This French surname originated from an occupational name of a poultry breeder, or from a fearful person; it is derived from the Old French
poule, which means "chicken".In other cases, particularly in Ireland, the English Poland is a variant of Polin,which is in turn an Anglicised form of the original Gaelic spelling of
Mac Póilín, which translated from Irish means "son of little Paul"... [
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Polat TurkishMeans "steel" in Persian. Many Turkish Oghuz descendants are using this surname.
Põldmäe EstonianPõldmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "field hill/mountain".
Põldoja EstonianPõldoja is an Estonian surname meaning "field stream/creek".
Polgar HungarianHungarian word for citizen. Taken on by Jewish Hungarians during World War Two to avoid Nazi attention for having 'Jewish' last names.
Polhem Swedish (Rare)Derived from
Polhammar, itself of uncertain origin. A notable bearer was Swedish scientist and inventor Christopher Polhem (1661-1751).
Polidori ItalianMeans "son of
Polidoro". Famous bearers include John William Polidori (1795-1821), a physician to Lord Byron and author of 'The Vampyre' (1819), and his sister Frances Polidori (1800-1886), the mother of painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, poet Christina Rossetti, critic William Michael Rossetti, and author Maria Francesca Rossetti.
Polinski PolishHabitational name from Polinowo in Pila voivodeship or Polinów in Biala Podlaska voivodeship.
Polite EnglishDerived from the English word polite. This name was most likely given to a person who was considered to be polite.
Politis GreekPolitis derives from the Greek word polis, which means 'city'. Therefore Politis means 'citizen'. According to some historians people with this surname have ancestors who came from Constantinople, which was commonly called Polis in the Byzantine era.
Politzer Hungarian, German, JewishHabitational name derived from any one of several places called
Police (known as
Pölitz in German) in the Czech Republic. Hugh David Politzer (1949-) is an American theoretical physicist who, along with David Gross and Frank Wilczek, discovered asymptotic freedom.
Pollari FinnishFinnish surname from farms with said name in central Finland.
Põllu EstonianPõllu is an Estonian surname meaning "arable" or "agrestic"; associated with farming ("farmer" = "põllumees").
Põllumees EstonianPõllumees is an Estonian surname meaning "farmer"; literally "agrestic (põllu) man (mees)".
Polnareff FrenchMost known by famous French singer Michel Polnareff, and fictional Jojo's Bizarre Adventure character Jean-Pierre Polnareff (who is named after the singer).
Polombo ItalianDerived from Palombo literally meaning "Ring Dove" or Palombella meaning "Wood Pigeon" in the dialects of Southern Italy.
Poloskin RussianDerived from полоска
(poloska), a diminutive of полоса
(polosa) meaning "stripe, strip, streak". This may have been a nickname for a tall and thin person.
Polski Polish, JewishNickname for a Polish person, originating in areas of mixed populations.
Poltimore English (Rare)Rare English surname derived from a Devon place name of Celtic origin, allegedly meaning “pool by the large house”.
Polychronakis GreekThe suffix 'akis' indicates that this name comes from the island of Crete. The precise meaning is unknown, though it is theorised that, as 'poly' means "many" or "much" and 'chron' might be supposed to come from the same root as 'Chronos' meaning "time", the name means "much time" or "long time".
Pomante ItalianAn occupational name for someone who farms or sells fruit, from Italian
pomo "apple", descended from Latin
pomum "fruit, fruit tree".
Pomerantz GermanOccupational name for an importer or seller of bitter (Seville) oranges, Middle High German
pomeranz (medieval Latin
pomarancia, composed of the elements
arancia, the name imported with the fruit.
Pomerantz JewishFrom the Yiddish word פּאָמעראַנץ
(pomerants) meaning "orange (fruit)".
Pomeroy EnglishFrom an English surname meaning "dweller by the apple orchard".
Pompei ItalianHabitational name from a place called Pompei in Naples province. Or a patronymic or plural form of
Pompeo.
Ponce Spanish, EnglishThe Ponce name was carried into England after the migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066.'Ponce' is derived from 'Ponsoby',a place in Cumberland, where the family settled. The Ponce motto is 'Pro rege, lege grege' meaning "For the King, law, and people"
Ponce SpanishDerived from Latin
Pontius. Could be originated from an Ancient Roman town named "Italica" near another town named "Santiponce" in Seville, Spain.
Pongsilpipat ThaiFrom Thai พงศ์ (
pong) meaning "family, race", ศิลป์ (
sin) meaning "art", พิพัฒน์ (
phiphat) of unknown meaning.
Poniatowski PolishThis indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish town of Poniatowa.
Ponomarenko UkrainianOccupational name for a church bell-ringer from Ukrainian парамонар
(paramonar) meaning "sexton".