Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Pelzer GermanOccupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative Middle High German
bellez "fur".
Pember EnglishFrom
Paegna, a given name meaning "pagan",
ber meaning "barley", or it's a variant of
Pamber.
Pemberley EnglishFrom the given name
Paegna,
ber meaning "barley" and
leah meaning "clearing".
Pemberly EnglishFrom the given name
Paegna,
ber meaning "barley" and
leah meaning "clearing".
Pembroke WelshHabitual surname for someone from Pembroke, a town in Wales.
Peñafiel SpanishIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Penaluna CornishA surname with somewhat uncertain origins, though many agree it is locational. Potentially from pen-lyn, the head of a pond or pool.
Peñalver SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Peñaranda SpanishHabitational name from places in Burgos and Salamanca named Peñaranda.
Penda WolofPenda stems from the Swahili “kupenda” = to love/like/be pleasant. Notable bearer was Fara Penda, a Waalo noble of the Wolof people in West Africa. Waalo was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in in what is now Senegal and Mauritania.
Pendarvis English (American)The American English spelling of the Cornish surname Pendarves. Ultimately, the surname is traced back to Pendarves Island, Cornwall.
Pendlebury EnglishLikely originated from the area Pendlebury, in the Borough of Swindon and Pendlebury in Greater Manchester. Formed from the Celtic
pen meaning "hill" and
burh meaning "settlement".... [
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Pendragon EnglishFrom 'Pen Dragon' meaning head dragon or dragons head. This was the name of the king Uther Pendragon who was King Arthurs father
Pengelly CornishHabitational name for someone from any of various locations in Cornwall named Pengelly, from Cornish
penn meaning "head, top, end" and
gelli or
gilly meaning "copse, grove".
Penhaligon CornishOriginally meant "person from Penhaligon", Cornwall ("willow-tree hill"). It is borne by Susan Penhaligon (1950-), a British actress.
Penketh English (British)The surname Penketh was first found in Lancashire at Penketh, a township, in the chapelry of Great Sankey, parish of Prescot, union of Warrington, hundred of West Derby.
Penley Englishhabitational name from
Penleigh in Dilton Wiltshire. The place name probably derives from Old English
penn "fold enclosure" or perhaps Celtic
penn "head" and Old English
leah "wood woodland clearing"... [
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Penman ScottishOccupational name for someone who was a scribe, but could also be a habitational name derived from any place named with the British elements
penn "hill" and
maen "stone".
Penna ItalianPossibly from Italian
penna "feather, pen", a nickname for a scribe.
Penning English, Dutch, Low GermanFrom early Middle English
penning, Low German
penning, and Middle Dutch
penninc, all meaning "penny". It was used as a topographic surname from the name of a field, or a nickname referring to tax dues of one penny.
Pennington EnglishHabitational surname denoting someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Pennington, derived from Old English
penning meaning "penny" (used as a byname or from a tribute due on the land) and
tun meaning "town".
Penno EstonianPenno is an Estonian surname derived from "penny"; from the German "pfennig".
Pennybacker Low GermanPennybacker is an anglicized German surname for someone who worked making roof tiles or as a tiler.
Pennycuik ScottishOriginally meant "person from Penycuik", near Edinburgh (probably "hill frequented by cuckoos").
Pennywell EnglishEnglish habitational name from Pennywell in Tyne and Wear or from a similarly named lost place elsewhere.
Pennyworth EnglishFrom Old English
pening, penig meaning "penny (the coin)" and
worþ meaning "enclosure". A notable fictional bearer is Alfred Pennyworth, a DC Comics character notable for being the butler of the superhero Batman.
Penrose Cornish, WelshOriginally meant "person from Penrose", Cornwall, Herefordshire and Wales ("highest part of the heath or moorland"). It is borne by the British mathematician Sir Roger Penrose (1931-).... [
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Penry Welsh, Cornish, EnglishDerived from Welsh
ap Henry meaning "son of
Henry". It is also a variant of
Pendray, which is derived from a place name in Cornwall meaning "top of the village" in Middle Cornish... [
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Pensa ItalianPossibly from Italian
pensa "think", indicating the bearer was known for being thoughtful or intelligent.
Pense FrenchPense is, quite literally, a French word meaning "to think" or "thought", but is also a surname. Sometimes confused with the surname Pence, which is German.
Pent EstonianPent is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "pentsik" meaning "funny" and "eccentric".
People EnglishPossibly a variant of
Pepall, a patronymic form of the given name
Pepin. Alternatively, may be a habitational name.
Peoples IrishAn attempted English translation of
Ó Duibhne, based on the Irish word
daoine meaning "people".
Pépin FrenchFrom the Old French name
Pepis, itself a form of the given name
Pépin. Alternatively, it may be derived from French
pépin meaning "(fruit) seed", thus making it an occupational name for a gardener or someone who grew fruit-bearing trees.
Peppe ItalianFrom a short form of the personal name
Giuseppe.
Pepys EnglishFrom the medieval personal name
Pepis, a form of Old French
Pepin, brought into England by the Normans. It may have been based on an earlier nickname meaning "awesome"... [
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Perales SpanishHabitational name for someone from any of various locations named Perales, from Spanish
perales meaning "pear trees" (the plural of
peral meaning "pear tree").
Peralta Catalan, Spanish, AragoneseHabitational name from any of the places in Aragon, Catalonia, and Navarre called Peralta, from Latin
petra alta "high rock". This name is also established in Italy.
Perceval English, NormanDerived from either the Old French given name
Perceval, or from one of two places called
Perceval in the department of Calvados in Normandy, France... [
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Perche FrenchDerived from a former province of the south of Normandy, and extending into Orleanois.
Percher EnglishIn textile mills, woven fabric coming off the mill / loom would pass over a frame, or rod, called a 'perch'. It was the job of the 'Percher' to examine the cloth for defects, and repair them when they were found... [
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Percy EnglishEither a nickname from Old French
percehaie "pierce hedge" (Old French
percer "to pierce, penetrate" and
haie "hedge, fence"), perhaps with the sense of someone breaking into an enclosure... [
more]
Perdikis GreekA surname derived from the Greek word "πέρδικα", meaning partridge or grouse. It appeared first time in the Byzantine Empire during the 11th century.
Perdue English, Irish, FrenchEnglish and Irish from Old French
par Dieu ‘by God’, which was adopted in Middle English in a variety of more or less heavily altered forms. The surname represents a nickname from a favorite oath... [
more]
Perea BasqueIt indicates familial origin within the municipality of Aiara.
Peredo Galician, PortugueseFor Galicians, it indicates familial origin near the eponymous hill in the municipality of Castroverde and for Portuguese people, it indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros.
Peregrine English, Popular CultureDerived from the given name
Peregrine. A fictional bearer is Alma LeFay Peregrine, a character from the novel "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" (2011) by Ransom Riggs.
Pereire Breton (Latinized, Archaic)This surname is the Gallic (Gaulish) origin and it means wild pear tree. There are also similar spellig in the Iberian Peninsula such as Pereiro, Pereyro, Pereiros, Perero and Pereros. These surnames (last names) correspond to families of the Celtiberian culture.
Pereiru Medieval Portuguese (Latinized, Rare, Archaic)This is a Military Order (Knights Templar or the Order of Solomon's Temple) and it was founded by the Henrique de Borgonha, conde de Portucale (Henry, Count of Portugal) in the year 1090. It was then confirmed by Pope Alexandre III in the year 1177... [
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Perello Catalan (Balearic), CatalanPerello is a Catalan surname linked to regions like Catalonia and the Balearic Islands in Spain, often associated with "pear tree" or specific locations named Perello.
Perese GasconMeaning the pear tree. It have a second meaning that is Son of Peter and it's a surname of the Christian inspiration. In Catalonia there is a derivative that is Parés (Variations: Pares, Parès, Parè and Pare).
Perham EnglishA variation of the English name
Parham, based on the village of Parham (one in county Suffolk, another in county Sussex). From the Old English
peru, meaning "pear" (the fruit), and
ham, meaning "homestead".
Periz GasconPeriz is a Gascon surname. It's a native of the region of Gascony (Guyenne). Its signification is Descendant of Peter (Also is The family of Peter). In the French languaje is Pierre. It's a surname of the Christian inspiration and alludes to St... [
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Perlman GermanOccupational name for a person who makes or sells pearls.
Perlmutter JewishJewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name from German Perlmutter ‘mother-of-pearl'.
Perlstein JewishOrnamental name composed of German
Perle ‘pearl’ +
Stein ‘stone’.
Permana HebrewPermana is another form of Hebrew, namely Paramana (פרמנה) which means eternal.
Perminov RussianIndicated a person from the Russian city of Perm, of Uralic origin meaning "faraway land".
Perna ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from the dialectic word
perna "leg", denoting someone with a deformed or missing leg, or a variant of
Perla.
Pernier ItalianA famous bearer is the Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier (1874 - 1937), who discovered the mysterious Phaistos disc on the Greek island of Crete.
Perovski RussianI looked for the meaning of this name, but my searches almost always came up with "Perovskite, the mineral that named after the mineralogist" (there's also "Perovskia, the mint-plant named after a Russian General")... [
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Perpich English (American)Americanized spelling of Croatian and Serbian
Prpić.
Prporuše was a term denoting young girls who, in the dry season, would visit houses in the village and pray for rain.
Perron SpanishSpanish (Perrón) : probably from an augmentative of perro 'dog'.
Persakis GreekPossibly related to περσικός (
persikos), itself from the Ancient Greek Περσίς (
Persís) meaning “Persia (today Iran)”.
Persia Italian, SpanishEthnic name or regional name for someone from Persia (modern-day Iran) or some other country with Persian-speaking peoples or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries (see the given name
Persis)... [
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Pervak Ukrainian, RussianDerived either from Russian первый
(pervy) meaning "first" or directly from colloquial Ukrainian первак
(pervak) meaning "firstborn".
Pesado SpanishFrom Spanish meaning "heavy, weighty". It was likely given to individuals who were physically large or strong or as a reference to a heavy burden or responsibility.
Pesälä FinnishFrom Finnish
pesä meaning “nest” and the suffix
-lä signifying a place.
Peshlakai NavajoDerived from the Navajo words
béésh "metal" and
łigaii "white" meaning “silver”.
Peska CzechFrom a pet form of the personal name Pešek
Pessegueiro PortugueseMeans "peach tree" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin
persicum. It indicated a person who lived near or worked with peach trees.
Pestana PortugueseNickname for a person with prominent eyelashes, from Portuguese
pestana "eyelash".
Petaccia Medieval ItalianIt is one of the thirteen patrician families of Trieste bearing the comital title, and extinct in 1817.
Petitjean FrenchNickname for a small or little man, or ironically a large or tall man, derived from Old French
petit meaning "small, little" combined with the given name
Jean 1... [
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Petito Italian, Judeo-ItalianNickname for a small person, derived from a dialectal word ultimately from French
petit meaning "small, little".
Petraliphas GreekThe surname is composed of the name Petros and the city Alifa in Campania, Italy. The surname was held by a Byzantine-Italian family in Epirus.
Petras VariousPossibly from the name
Petros. Famous bearer of this surname is the German singer Kim Petras (born 1992)