Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Pasteur FrenchFrench for "shepherd" or "preacher, pastor". Famous bearer Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), French chemist who created the first rabies vaccine, gave his name to the process of 'pasteurization'.
Pastrana SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Pate EnglishDerives from the given name
Pat(t), a short form of the personal name
Patrick from the Latin Patricius meaning "son of a noble father".
Pateman EnglishThe name Pateman is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It is a name for someone who worked as a boatman. The surname Pateman is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word bat, which means a boat.
Pater Dutch, German, English, PolishFrom Latin
pater "father", used as a religious title for a priest in Roman Catholicism. Possibly used semi-literally for a man who worked in the church, or figuratively for a solemn or pompous man.
Patera CzechNickname for the illegitimate son of a priest.
Paterno ItalianItalian surname of unknown origin, most likely comes from Paternò in Sicily. Notable individuals include Joe Paterno (1926 - 2012), head coach at Pennsylvania State University until 2011.
Pathan Indian (Muslim), Bengali, Urdu, PashtoDerived from Hindustani पठान
(paṭhān) meaning "a Pashtun (person)", referring to the Pashtun ethnic group inhabiting present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is sometimes used by Pashtuns who ancestrally migrated to India.
Pathan Indian (Muslim)It is used as a last name for Indian Muslims and usually means Hindustani (A Man/Woman that cares about their Country/town) also is a brave person
Pathé FrenchMeaning, "Dweller near an important path or footway."
Patiño Spanish, GalicianFrom a diminutive of Spanish or Galician
pato meaning "duck", used as a nickname for a person who waddled.
Patrushev RussianPatronymic derived from a Russian diminutive of
Patricius. This is borne by Russian political and security figure Nikolai Patrushev (1951-), former director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
Päts EstonianPäts is an Estonian surname meaning "pone" or "loaf".
Patta ItalianPossibly from
patta "draw, settlement", perhaps a nickname given to a negotiator. The same term can also mean "heat, warmth of the hearth".
Pattinson English, ScottishDerived from the name of an ancestor. 'The son of Patrick' (which see), from the nick. Pate and diminutive Patt-in; compare Colin, Robin.
Paudel NepaliFrom Nepali पौडी
(paudi) possibly referring to the town of Pauri in Uttarakhand, India, combined with आलय
(alaya) meaning "house, dwelling".
Paukovits HungarianHungarian or Austrian in origin. From the heilienkruz Austria/Hungary area
Pauw Dutch, FlemishMeans "peacock" in Dutch. Could be a habitational name from a sign depicting a peacock, or a nickname for a proud or flamboyant person. In some cases, it can be a shortened form of the patronymic
Pauwels "son of
Paul".
Pávek m CzechDiminutive of
páv "peacock", hence a nickname for a pretentious or ostentatious person.
Pavelka CzechDerived from the given name Pavel. A famosu bearer is Jake Pavelka.
Pavese ItalianMeans "one from Pavia". Pavia is an Italian town located in Lombardy, northern Italy. It can also derive from
pavese, a kind of big, Medieval shield.... [
more]
Pavey EnglishEither (i) from the medieval female personal name
Pavia, perhaps from Old French
pavie "peach"; or (ii) "person from Pavia", Italy.
Paxson EnglishThis surname means "son of Pack." Pack may be a survival of the Old English personal name
Pacca or it may have been a Middle English personal name derived from
Paschalis (meaning "relating to Easter"), the Latin form of Pascal.
Payán SpanishPossibly derived from Mozarabic
päiên meaning "cave ravine", ultimately from Latin
pedem meaning "foot".
Paytas Hungarian, English (American)From the Hungarian nickname
pajtás meaning "comrade, pal". Possibly originates from the Ottoman Turkish word پایداش (paydaş) meaning "partner, sharer". A notable bearer of the surname is the American YouTuber Trisha Paytas.
Paznyak BelarusianMeans "late one", from Belarusian пазней (pazniej), meaning "late".
Pchyolkin RussianDerived from Russian пчёлка
(pchyolka), a diminutive of пчела
(pchela) meaning "bee". The founder of the surname may have been a beekeeper.
Peabody EnglishProbably from a nickname for a showy dresser, from Middle English
pe "peacock" (see
Peacock) and
body "body, person". Alternatively it may be from the name of a Celtic tribe meaning "mountain men" from Brythonic
pea "large hill, mountain" combined with
Boadie, the tribe's earlier name, which meant "great man" (or simply "man") among the Briton and Cambri peoples... [
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Peach English (Rare)Derived from the name of the fruit, which itself derived its name from Late Latin persica, which came from older Latin malum persicum meaning "Persian fruit."
Peachy English (Anglicized)Means “lived near a peach tree, sold peaches, or was associated with the fruit in some other way”. Originally arrived with the in England after the Norman conquest of 1066.
Pearcy English (American)Variant of Percy, which is a name derived from Perci, a parish and canton near St. Lo, in Normandy
Pearks EnglishSir Stuart Edmond Pearks (1875–1931) served as the Chief Commissioner of the North-West Frontier Province of British India from 1930 until 1931. Sourced from Wikipedia.... [
more]
Pearl EnglishMetonymic occupational name for a trader in pearls, which in the Middle Ages were fashionable among the rich for the ornamentation of clothes, from Middle English, Old French
perle (Late Latin
perla).
Pearsall Englisha British surname of French origin derived from the pre-9th-century word "pourcel", which described a breeder of animals or a farmer
Pease EnglishEnglish: from Middle English pese ‘pea’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of peas, or a nickname for a small and insignificant person. The word was originally a collective singular (Old English peose, pise, from Latin pisa) from which the modern English vocabulary word pea is derived by folk etymology, the singular having been taken as a plural.
Pećanac SerbianHabitational name for someone from the village of Peći, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pecchia ItalianNickname, probably for an industrious person, from
pecchia "bee".
Pechman German"Pechman" means "man with bad luck" in many European languages (Polish, German, and Dutch predominantly), though in German, it originally referred to one who prepared, sold, or used pitch.
Pechtold German, Dutch, JewishFrom the Old German given name
Pechtholt, which is composed of the elements
pecht "rotation" and
holdt "hero". As a Dutch-language surname, it is derived from the Middle Dutch given name
Pechte combined with Old High German
walt "power, authority"... [
more]
Pecic AlbanianDerived from the name of the small town Peja (Pec) in western Kosovo. Most likely given to the inhabitants of the town and their descedents.
Pedraza SpanishRefers to the blow received from a stone thrown intentionally to wound someone.
Pedreira Portuguese, GalicianMeans "quarry, rocky place" in Portuguese and Galician, originally a habitational name from any of various places called Pedreira or A Pedreira.
Pedriks EstonianPedriks is an Estonian surname, a derivation of the names Frederick and Friedrich.
Pedrola AragoneseIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Pedrosa Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, GalicianHabitational name from any of numerous places named Pedrosa, from pedroso, pedrosa meaning "stoney", an adjectival derivative of pedra meaning "stone".
Peebles Scottish, Spanish (?)Habitational name from places so named in Scotland. The place names are cognate with Welsh
pebyll "tent, pavilion".
Peele EnglishThis surname was given topographically to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. A famous bearer of this surname is actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director Jordan Peele.
Peep EstonianPeep is an Estonian surname (and masculine given name). Taken from the given name "Peep".
Peerna EstonianPeerna is an Estonian surname, possibly derived from the city of Pärnu in Pärnu County.
Peet EstonianPeet is an Estonian surname meaning "beetroot".
Peet DutchMeans "godparent, godchild" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch
pete meaning "godfather, godmother, godchild".
Peetersoo EstonianPeetersoo is an Estonian surname meaning "Peeter's swamp". However, it most likely derived from an Estonianization of the surname "Peterson" or "Peeterson".
Peetre EstonianPeetre is an Estonian surname; a variant of the masculine given name "Peeter".
Peevey Norman, EnglishMeans "a place with a fine view". Composed of the Old French roots
beu, which means "fair" and "lovely", and
voir, which means "to see".
Pehlivan TurkishMeans "wrestler, strongman" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian پهلوان
(pahlavân).
Peik GermanFrom Middle Low German
pek ‘sharp, pointed tool or weapon’.
Peinado SpanishDerived from
peinado meaning "combed" (past participle of
peinar meaning "to comb"), hence a nickname for a well-groomed person or for someone with naturally smooth rather than curly hair.
Peiper German (Austrian)Occupational name for a piper, from Middle High German
piper. In some cases it may be derived from Sorbian
pipar "pepper", thus being an occupational name for a spicer or a nickname for one with a fiery temper.
Peirce EnglishFrom the given name
Piers. A notable bearer was the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), who is considered to be one of the founders of pragmatism, along with William James and John Dewey.
Peit EstonianPeit is an Estonian surname meaning "concealed" and "hidden".
Peixoto PortugueseOccupational name for a fisherman or fish seller or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a fish, derived from Portuguese
peixe meaning "fish".
Pejović Serbian (Russified, Modern)Pejović is a Serbian surname. Mainly used in serbia. But also used in Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia
Pelagatti ItalianProbably derives from an old expression meaning "cheat, scoundrel", literally a combination of
pela "to skin" and
gatti "cats".
Peled JewishDerived from Hebrew פלדה
(plada) meaning "steel".
Pelekanos GreekMeans woodpecker" from Greek pelekanos "green woodpecker" (cognate with pelekan "pelican"; both come from pelekys "axe" the pelican because its beak is shaped like an axe the woodpecker because it uses its beak like an axe).
Pelevin RussianDerived from dialectal Russian пелева
(peleva) meaning "chaff, shuck". A notable bearer is Victor Pelevin, the Russian fiction writer.
Pelham EnglishFrom the name of a place in Hertfordshire, which meant "
Peotla's homestead" in Old English.
Pelisaar EstonianPelisaar is an Estonian surname meaning "capstan/windlass island".
Pelissier FrenchFrom Old French "Pelicier", (Meaning "Furrier", from an agent derivative of pelice, meaning "Fur cloak", from Late Latin "pellicia", from "pellis", meaning "skin fur". An occupational name of someone likely in the fur and hide trade.
Pelka JewishHabitational name for someone from Pelki in Poland.
Pelle GermanFrom Middle Low German
pelle "precious purple silk cloth", presumably an occupational name for a maker or seller of such cloth or for a maker of official and church vestments.
Pellicano Italian, Siciliannickname from dialect
pelecanò pelicanò "woodpecker" from modern Greek
pelekanos "green woodpecker" (cognate with
pelekan "pelican"; both come from
pelekys "axe" the pelican because its beak is shaped like an axe the woodpecker because it uses its beak like an axe).
Peloso ItalianNickname for a man with long or unkempt hair and beard, from
peloso "hairy", "shaggy".
Pelsmaker DutchOccupational name for a pelt maker, from Dutch
pels "pelt, fur" and
maker "maker"
Pelter EnglishDerived from Middle English
pellet "skin (of an animal, sheep)", an occupational name for someone who tanned or sold hides and pelts for a living. Compare French
Pelletier.
Pelton EnglishHabitational name from Pelton, a place in County Durham, named from an unattested Old English personal name Peola + tun 'farmstead', 'settlement'.