Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Pingol PampanganFrom Pampangan
pi'ngul meaning "ear lobe (particularly the part pierced for earrings)".
Pininfarina ItalianA combination of "pinin", Piedmontese for youngest/smallest brother, and
Farina, the Italian variant of
Miller. This is the name of the Italian coachbuilder, founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina, later Battista Pininfarina.
Pink English, GermanNickname, possibly for a small person, from Middle English pink
penkg ‘minnow’ (Old English pinc).English (southeastern): variant of
Pinch .Variant spelling of German
Pinck, an indirect occupational name for a blacksmith, an onomatopoeic word imitating the sound of hammering which was perceived as pink(e)pank... [
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Pink EstonianPink is an Estonian surname meaning "bench" and "garden seat".
Pinkham Englishhabitational name from a lost or unidentified place in or bordering on Devon
Pinn English, GermanDerived from Middle English
pin and Middle Low German
pinne, both meaning "peg" or "pin". This was an occupational name from a maker of these things. The German name can in some cases be an occupational name for a shoemaker.
Pinn English (British)A topographic or habitational name from a place named with Middle English
pinne, meaning "hill" (Old English
penn).
Pino Spanish, Galician, ItalianSpanish and Galician habitational name from any of the places in Galicia (Spain) named Pino from
pino "pine" or a topographic name for someone who lived by a remarkable pine tree. Italian habitational name from Pino d'Asti in Asti province Pino Torinese in Torino or Pino Solitario in Taranto all named with
pino "pine’... [
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Pinochet Basque, French, SpanishDerived from Basque
pinoche meaning "pine cone". Alternately, it could be derived from the name of the hamlet of
Pinouchet, located in the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France... [
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Pinsker German, PrussianHabitational name from any of several places named near Posen (Polish Poznan) and in West Prussia.
Pinson FrenchFrom Old French
pinson "finch" a nickname applied to someone who whistles or sings like a finch or to a bright and cheerful person.
Pionke German, PolishGermanized form of Slavic Pinoek, which is a nickname from pionek ‘puppet’.
Piórkowski PolishHabitational name from places called Piórkowo in Toruń voivodeship or Piórków in Tarnobrzeg voivodeship.
Piovasco Italian, LiteratureMeans "shower, brief fall of rain" in Italian, from Italian
piovere or
piova, both meaning "rain" with an added suffix. Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò is the protagonist in the Italian novel
The Baron in the Trees by
Italo Calvino, who inherited this surname from his father,
Arminio Piovasco.
Pipolo ItalianPossibly derived from a Latin word meaning "nothing, insignificant; a thing without value", perhaps a nickname for an unimportant or disliked person. Alternatively, it could be from a pet form of the given name
Pippo, a diminutive of
Filippo.
Piqué CatalanA famous bearer of this surname is Spanish/Catalan footballer Gerard Piqué.
Piquet FrenchOccupational name for someone who dealt with picks from a diminutive of
pic ''pick, pickax''.
Pirhadi PersianEither from Persian پیر
(pir) meaning "old" combined with
Hadi or from the name of the Persian village of Pirhadi.
Piri PersianDerived from Persian پیر
(pir) meaning "old, aged".
Pironkov BulgarianA professional Bulgarian tennis player, Tsvetana Pironkova, bears this surname.
Pirovano ItalianProbably from a place in Lombardy, itself possibly deriving from Ancient Greek
πυρο- (
pyro-) "fire" and
-γενής (
-genes) "born of".
Pirrup Popular CultureVariant of the surname
Pirrip. It is the last name of the British character, Pip, on the animated TV series South Park
Pirzadeh PersianMeans "born of the pir", from the Persian title پیر
(pir) denoting a Sufi spiritual guide (literally meaning "elder, old"). This name was traditionally used by owners or custodians of Sufi mausoleums and shrines.
Pisa ItalianHabitational name from the city of Pisa in Tuscany. The city was probably founded by Greek colonists, but before coming under Roman control it was in the hands of the Etruscans, who probably gave it its name... [
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Pischedda SardinianThought to derive from the Sardinian word
pischedda, which translates to "little fish", possibly indicating a connection to fishing or aquatic occupations that were prevalent in coastal communities.
Pişkin TurkishMeans "brazen, bold-faced" or "mature, hardened" in Turkish.
Pisoni Italianpatronymic "from Pisone", from a derivative of
Piso, from Latin pisum "pea"
Pistario English (American, Rare)Uncertain etymology, possibly an altered spelling of an Italian or Spanish surname derived from Latin
pisto "to pound, to beat", perhaps as an occupational name for a baker.
Pisula Polish, LithuanianInformal nickname for a scribe or clerk, from a derivative of Polish pisać ‘to write’.
Pita SpanishSpanish and Portuguese: from Spanish, Portuguese pita ‘chicken’ or in some cases possibly from the plant pita ‘pita’, ‘American aloe’, presumably a topographic name.
Pitcher English, GermanFrom an agent derivative of Middle English
pich ‘pitch’, hence an occupational name for a caulker, one who sealed the seams of ships or barrels with pitch. English variant of
Pickard... [
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Pitka EstonianPitka is an Estonian surname meanin "tall" or "long".
Pitsenbarger GermanProbably an altered spelling of
Bezzenberger, which is derived from
Boizenburg, a municipality in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Pittendrigh ScottishFrom various place names possibly derived from
pett "holding farm" and
drech "face, countenance (of a hill)".
Pittler FrenchA surname which originally belonged to a person who lived by a pit or hollow. Meaning "King of the Pit" or "King of the Hollow".
Piu Chinese1 Chinese 牛: this name probably arose during the Zhou dynasty ( 1122–221 bc ) in the area of Gansu province; the details are unclear. It was borne by a person named Niu Wen, who was a descendant of the eldest brother of the last king of the Shang dynasty, Zhou Xin ( 1154–1123 bc ).... [
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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’.
Place EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived in or near the main market square.
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 French, French (Archaic), HistoryFrom Old French
plante genest, from Latin
planta genesta "sprig of broom", which was originally a sobriquet from the dynasty's founder, Geoffrey V (1113-1151), who wore a yellow broom blossom in his hat, that Richard of York (1411-1460) adopted as a surname... [
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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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Plas DutchMeans "pool, pond, puddle" in Dutch.
Plass GermanFrom Middle Low German
plas meaning "place, open square, street". Can also derive from a medieval form of the given name
Blasius.
Plasschaert FlemishProbably derived from Middle Dutch
plasch "puddle, pool of water" and the suffix
-aert.
Plata SpanishMeans "silver" in Spanish. Plata could be a habitational 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.
Plettinck FlemishPatronymic form of names beginning with the Germanic element
blad meaning "blade" or "leaf".
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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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, GermanFrom Old Germanic
*plūmā "plum", used as a topographic name for someone who lived by a plum tree, a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or sold plums, or perhaps a nickname referring to a plum-coloured birthmark.
Plum EnglishFrom Old French
plomb "lead (metal)", a metonymic occupational name for a plumber, or someone who dealt in lead.
Pluma SpanishFrom Spanish meaning "plume, feather". Occupational name for a scribe.
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.
Pobedonostsev m RussianDerived from Russian
победоносный (
pobedonósnyj) meaning "victorious, triumphant". Konstantin Pobedonostsev (1827-1907) was a Russian jurist and statesman who served as an adviser to three Russian emperors.
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".