Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Ruhe GermanVariant of
Ruge. (
Rühe) is also a nickname from
Rüde ‘hound.’ Habitational name from places named Rühen, Rüden, Rhüden in northern Germany.
Ruhr GermanName given to a person who lived near the Ruhr River in Germany.
Ruibal GalicianIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the council of Moraña.
Ruisard French (Rare, ?)Originated as a result of trade between France and the Persian Empires before the Iranian Revolution, probably during the Safavid Dynasty. The surname has its roots in the Persian
Riahi surname and the Arabic word رِيح (rīḥ) meaning "wind" and the Persian word “sered” before it was altered to fit French spelling rules.... [
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Ruiter DutchDerived from the Dutch noun
ruiter meaning "rider, horseman, knight".
Rukki EstonianRukki is an Estonian surname derived from "rukis", meaning "rye"
Rule Scottish, EnglishScottish name from the lands of Rule in the parish of Hobkirk, Roxburghshire. The derivation is from the River Rule which flows through the area, and is so called from the ancient Welsh word "rhull" meaning "hasty or rushing".... [
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Rull EstonianRull is an Estonian surname meaning "spool" and "roll".
Rumbelow EnglishMeans "person from Rumbelow", the name of various locations in England ("three mounds").
Rumble EnglishDescended from the personal name Rumbald/Rombold, which is composed of the Germanic elements
hrom "fame, glory" and
bald "bold, brave".
Rumfelt German, DutchAltered spelling of German
Romfeld, derived from Middle Low German
rüm- meaning "to clear (land)" and
feld meaning "open country, field", hence a topographic name or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a person engaged in clearing woodland, or in some cases a habitational name for someone from
Romfelt in the Ardennes... [
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Rumford EnglishFrom the parish of Romford in Essex, England. The name means "the wide ford" from Old English
rúm "wide".
Rummel GermanDerived from a short form of names containing the element
hruom "fame, glory". Alternatively, could be a nickname for a noisemaker, from Middle High German
rummeln "to make noise, to move impetuously"... [
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Rummenigge GermanMeaning uncertain. It could possibly be an occupational name for a viticulturist who grew grapes to make wine, a seller or producer of Romanian wine, or a nickname for a person who preferred to drink Romanian wine... [
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Rummo EstonianRummo is an Estonian surname, derived from "rumm" ("rum").
Rump EstonianRump is an Estonian surname meaning "dugout" and "punt".
Rumple GermanIt is derived from Rumbald, an Old German personal name.
Rumpole EnglishA different form of
Rumbold (from the Norman personal name
Rumbald, of Germanic origin and probably meaning literally "fame-bold"). A fictional bearer of the surname is Horace Rumpole, the eccentric QC created by John Mortimer (originally for a 1975 television play).
Rumschlag GermanThis name is possibly a derivative of the
German word for "envelope" which is spelled 'Umschlag'.
Rumsfeld GermanVariant spelling of
Rumfelt. A notable bearer was the American politician, businessman and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (1932-2021).
Runcie English, ScottishDerived from Latin runcinus, and related to the Old French "roncin", for a horse of little value. Middle English, Rouncy, as in Chaucer's Cantebury Tales.... [
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Rundell EnglishNickname derived from a diminutive of Middle English and Old French
rond,
rund meaning "fat, round" (see
Rounds), or derived from
Rundale, a local place in the village and civil parish of Shoreham in Kent, England, named with Old English
rum(ig) meaning "roomy, spacious" and
dæl meaning "valley".
Rundgren SwedishSwedish surname with somewhat unclear etymology. The first element is possibly taken from a place named with either of the elements
rund and/or
run.
Rund coincides with the Swedish word for "round", but it is not clear if the element used in this name is derived from that word... [
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Rundqvist SwedishCombination of Swedish
rund "round" and
qvist, an archaic spelling of
kvist, "twig".
Runds Germanic (Rare)The Runds surname most likely originated near the Rhine river. It comes from the Proto-Celtic word, rūnā, meaning mystery/mystic. The coat of arms dates back to the middle ages and consists of a black shield with three gold crescent moons... [
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Rüngas EstonianRüngas is an Estonian surname meaning "rock" and "cliff".
Runge GermanFrom the old word "runga", meaning stick or whip
Rünk EstonianRünk is an Estonian surname meaning "crag" and "rock".
Rünne EstonianRünne is an Estonian surname meaning both "attack" and "to make inroads into something".
Runner English (American)Probably an altered spelling of German Ronner, annoccupational name for a runner or messenger, a lightly armed mounted soldier. Compare Renner. UK The surname Runner was first found in Lancashire. One of the first records of the family was found in the year 1246 when Alan de Runacres held estates in that shire... [
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Ruotina ItalianMeans "wheel" in Italian. This meant that a bearer of this surname was a wheel maker.
Rusakova RussianJulia Rusakova-Harper was a Russian astronaut for NASA and former wife to Jack Harper in the movie Oblivion (2013). She was played by Olga Kurylenko alongside Jack Harper’s character played by Tom Cruise... [
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Rusalkin m RussianDerived from русалка (rusalka), a creature in Slavic folklore.
Rusby Scottish, EnglishAlternative spelling of Busby, a parish in Renfrewshire. A name well represented in the Penistone, and Cawthorne districts of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Rusch Low GermanDerived from Middle Low German
rusch "quick, rash, hasty; unkempt", this was a nickname for a quick or unkempt, unrefined person.
Rusch GermanDerived from Middle High German and Middle Low German
rusch "rush reeds".
Rush IrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Ruis "descendant of
Ros", a personal name perhaps derived from
ros "wood". In Connacht it has also been used as a translation of
Ó Luachra (see
Loughrey).
Rushdie Kashmiri (Rare)Derived from Arabic رَشَدَ
(rašada) meaning "to go the right way, to follow the right course" or "to be well guided" (related to the given names
Rashad and
Rashid)... [
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Rushen EnglishOriginally denoted a person who lived near a marsh, noted for its rushes (see
Rush). A famous bearer of this surname is the American singer Patrice Rushen (b. 1954).
Rusher German (Americanized)Americanized version of the German surname Rüscher or Roshcer. Either a topographic name for someone who lived among rushes or an occupational name for someone who created things out of rushes.
Russkikh RussianMeans "Russian" in Russian, probably used as a nickname for a person who lived in a village where the majority of residents were non-Russian.
Rüster GermanMeans "elm (tree)" in German. Could alternatively derive from
rüsten to "to equip, to arm", an occupational name for someone who provided weapons to an army.
Ruth English, German (Swiss)English: from Middle English reuthe ‘pity’ (a derivative of rewen to pity, Old English hreowan) nickname for a charitable person or for a pitiable one. Not related to the given name in this case.... [
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Ruthven English, ScottishFrom the name of a barony in Perthshire, Scotland, which comes from Scottish Gaelic
Ruadhainn "Dun uplands".
Rutte DutchDerived from the given name
Rutger. This surname is borne by the former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte (1967-).
Rutter EnglishEither (i) "player of the rote (a medieval stringed instrument played by plucking)"; or (ii) from a medieval nickname for a dishonest or untrustworthy person (from Old French
routier "robber, mugger")... [
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Rutz Low GermanDerived from Middle Low German
rūtze or
ruce "cobbler".
Ruuge EstonianRuuge is an Estonian surname meaning "pale brown" or "dark blonde" or "sorrel" colored.
Ruus EstonianRuus is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "kruus" meaning "mug", "shingle" and "ballast". Possibly derived from "rüüs" meaning "frilled".
Rüüt EstonianRüüt is an Estonian surname meaning "golden plover" (Pluvialis apricaria).
Ruutikainen FinnishA rare Finnish surname combining the word for gunpowder, "ruuti", and the common surname ending -nen. The 2017 Finnish population register indicates there are 106 Ruutikainens alive in Finland, and some sites estimate there are another ten abroad... [
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Ruutopõld EstonianRuutopõld is an Estonian surname derived from "ruut (square)" and "põld" ("field").
Ruyintan IranianRuyintan means "Invulnerable". It is a Persian-origin surname, which is written as رویین تن in Persian. It consists of ruyin, meaning "strong", and tan meaning "body, person" ultimately defining immortality... [
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Ružek CzechIt means "rose". Derived from name Ružena.
Ruzicki PolishRuzicki was first found in Polesie, inhabited by Ruthenians, called Polesians, of Ukrainian descent. One of the principal names of the area was the royal Clan of Poraj, of which the family name Ruzycki is a branch.
Ryall EnglishFrom any of several places in England named from Old English
ryge "rye" +
hyll "hill".
Rybacki PolishHabitational name for someone from any of various places called Rybaki, derived from Polish
ryba meaning "fish".
Rybak Polish, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, JewishMeans "fisherman" in some Slavic languages. Derived from the word
ryba "fish". A famous bearer is Byelarusian-Norwegian artist Alexander Rybak (b. 1986) who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009.
Rybakov RussianMeans "son of the fisher" from Russian рыбак
(rybak) meaning "fisherman".
Rybalka UkrainianUkrainian surname meaning "fisherman". Derived from
ryba "fish".
Rybinski PolishHabitational name for someone from any of several places called
'Rybno'.
Rycroft EnglishDerived from Rycroft, in the parish of Birstall, Yorkshire
Rydberg SwedishCombination of Swedish
ryd "woodland clearing" and
berg "mountain". Notable bearers are author and poet Viktor Rydberg (1828-1895) and physicist Johannes Rydberg (1854-1919).
Rydell SwedishCombination of Swedish
ryd "woodland clearing" and the common surname suffix
-ell.
Rydén SwedishCombination of Swedish
ryd "woodland clearing" and the common surname suffix
-én.
Rydinger Swedish (Rare)Either a combination of Swedish
ryd "woodland clearing" and the common surname suffix
-ing "belonging to, coming from" (compare
Norling), a variant of
Ryding, or a Swedish form of German
Rüdinger.
Ryen NorwegianHabitational name from any of more than ten farmsteads, originally named with Old Norse rugr ‘rye’ + vin ‘meadow’.
Ryne German (Swiss)Respelling of Swiss German
Rhyn, a topographic name for someone living on the Rhine river, Middle High German
Rin.
Ryslink Czech (Rare)Czech spelling or interpretation of an Irish (I think) name. First introduced in 1620 at the beginning of the 30 Years War at White Mountain near Prague, CZ when an Irish (I think) soldier fathered a Czech son... [
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Ryuen Japanese (Rare)龍 (Ryuu) means "Dragon" and 円 (En) means "Circle, Round".
En also can also mean "Garden" in this surname. ... [
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Ryūfuku Japanese (Rare)From Japanese 竜福 (
Ryūfuku), a clipping of 竜福寺 (
Ryūfukuji), a former temple that was located possibly somewhere in the prefecture of Tochigi in Japan. It is also a clipping of 龍福寺 (
Ryūfukuji), former temple in the division of Shiji in the area of Shiraki in the ward of Asakita in the city of Hiroshima in the prefecture of Hiroshima in Japan.... [
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Ryūjin JapaneseIt means "Dragon God" or "Dragon King". Using the kanjis 龍 (ryuu, ryou, tatsu) meaning "dragon", and 神 (kami, jin or shin) meaning "god". It can be read as Tatsugami as well.
Ryumine Japanese竜/龍 (Ryu) means "Dragon, Imperial" and 嶺,峰,峯 (Mine) means "Peak, Summit, Mountaintop".
Ryusaki JapaneseRyu means "dragon" or "imperial" and Saki means "peninsula".
Ryūzaki JapaneseFrom Japanese 竜, 龍
(ryū) meaning "dragon" and 崎
(saki) meaning "cape, peninsula". One bearer of this surname was actor Katsu Ryūzaki (竜崎 勝, 1940–1984), born Fumiaki Takashima (高島 史旭).
Rzasa PolishTopographic name for someone who lived near a pond where duckweed grew, from Polish rzasa ‘duckweed’.
Rzepka Polishfrom rzepka, diminutive of rzepa ‘turnip’, either a nickname or a metonymic occupational name for a peasant who grew root vegetables.
Rzewuski PolishIt indicates familial origin within the Podlachian village of Rzewuszki.
Rzhevsky RussianDerived from Russian
Ржев "Rzhev", a historical town between Moscow and Minsk, itself of unknown origin. This was the surname of a Russian noble family as well as Poruchik Dmitry Rzhevsky, a fictional character in the 1962 Soviet musical
Hussar Ballad, often used in Russian jokes.
Rzonca PolishNickname from Polish dialect rzonca, standard Polish rzodca ‘land steward’.
Rzucidlo PolishNickname for an eager or ebullient person from a derivative of rzucic ‘to throw’, ‘to throw oneself at someone’.
Rzymski PolishDerived from a place named
ryzm "Rome". Denoting for someone from Rome.
Sa KoreanThere are three Chinese characters associated with this surname. Two of these are extremely rare and are not treated here. The remaining Sa surname is also quite unusual. There are two distinct clans, one of Kyŏngsang South Province’s Kŏch’ang County and the other originating with a refugee from Ming China who came to Korea near the end of the Koryŏ period (ad 918–1392).
Sá Portuguese, GalicianVariant spelling of
Saa, a habitational name from any of the numerous places named Saa, mainly in northern Portugal and Galicia.
Saa Portuguese, GalicianHabitational name from any of the numerous places named Saa, mainly in northern Portugal and Galicia.
Saadat PersianMeans "happiness" in Persian, ultimately from Arabic سعادة
(sa'adah).
Saakashvili GeorgianDerived from the Georgian name *
saaḳi, a given name equivalent of
Isaac. A famous bearer of this name is the third president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili (1967-).
Saaremaa EstonianToponymic surname from an island in the West Estonian archipelago, derived from
saar "island" and
maa "land, earth".
Saaremäe EstonianSaaremäe is an Estonian surname meaning "island hill/mountain".