Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Chalmers ScottishVariant of
Chambers. The -l- was originally an orthographic device to indicate the length of the vowel after assimilation of -mb- to -m(m)-.
Chaluj BelarusianDerived from Belarusian халуй
(chaluj), a derogatory word meaning "lackey, groveller".
Chamanara PersianOccupational name for a gardener, derived from Persian چمن
(chaman) meaning "lawn, meadow" and آرا
(ara) meaning "arrange, decorate".
Chamapiwa ShonaChamapiwa means "that which you have been given".
It is a call to appreciate that which you have from God Champagne Frenchregional name for someone from Champagne, named in Latin as Campania (from campus 'plain', 'flat land'). This is also the name of various villages in France, and in some cases the family name may derive from one of these.
Champion English, Frenchfrom Middle English Old French
campion champiun champion "athlete" such as a wrestler or boxer; also "warrior hired to do battle in single combat on behalf of others" (from Late Latin
campio genitive
campionis a derivative of campus "plain field of battle")... [
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Champlain FrenchName given to those who live in or around fields. Known barrer of the name is Samuel de Champlain who founded Quebec, Canada and after whom the lake is named.
Champlin Belgian, EnglishMeans Champion, was a family name in Belgium, a status and influence that was envied by the princes of the region.... [
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Chandia PunjabiSurname rarely used in Pakistani Punjab. The origin of Chandia is Pali. Chandia is a variation of the name Chanda (English and Indian).
Chandrasekhar IndianA Hindu name meaning literally "holder of the moon" (an epithet of the god Shiva). A notable bearer of this surname was the Indian-born US physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995); the Chandrasekhar limit, i.e. the upper limit for the mass of a white dwarf star beyond which the star collapses to a neutron star or a black hole, is named after him.
Chanthalangsy LaoFrom Lao ຈັນທະ
(chantha) meaning "moon" and ລັງສີ
(langsi) meaning "ray, beam".
Chanthapanya LaoFrom Lao ຈັນທະ
(chantha) meaning "moon" and ປັນຍາ
(panya) meaning "wisdom, intelligence, reason".
Chanthaphone LaoFrom Lao ຈັນທະ
(chantha) meaning "moon" and ພອນ
(phone) meaning "blessing".
Chanthavong LaoFrom Lao ຈັນທະ
(chantha) meaning "moon" and ວົງ
(vong) meaning "lineage, family".
Chanthavongsa LaoFrom Lao ຈັນທະ
(chantha) meaning "moon" and ວົງສາ
(vongsa) meaning "family".
Chantry EnglishMeans "singer in a chantry chapel" or "one who lives by a chantry chapel". A
chantry was a type of chapel, one endowed for the singing of Masses for the soul of the founder (from Old French
chanterie, from
chanter "to sing").
Chapdelaine FrenchCompound name derived from Old French
chape meaning "hooded cloak, cape, hat" and
de laine meaning "of wool", probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for a maker of such apparel, or as a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive cloak or hat.
Chapel FrenchOccupational name for a maker of cloaks or a nickname for a person who wore a distinctive cloak, from a diminutive of Old French
chape meaning "cape, cloak".
Chapelle FrenchTopographic name for someone who lived near a chapel from French
chapelle "chapel" or from several places in France and Belgium called (La) Chapelle and variant of
Lachapelle,
Capelle, and
Chappelle.
Chapin French, SpanishFrom a reduced form of French
eschapin or Spanish
chapín, a term for a light (woman's) shoe; perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore this type of footwear or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker.
Chappell EnglishName for someone who lived near a chapel, derived from Old French
chapele meaning "chapel".
Chapuis FrenchOccupational name from Old French
chapuis "carpenter joiner" a derivative of
chapuiser "to cut" (from Late Latin
cappulare). Variant of
Chappuis.
Chariot FrenchMeans "cart" in French. Perhaps an occupational name for a cartwright or a carter.
Charisse FrenchOf unknown meaning. It was used as a given name in honour of American actress and dancer Cyd Charisse (1921-2008).
Charlesworth EnglishDerived from a village and civil parish with the same name near Glossop, Derbyshire, England.
Charlier French, WalloonOccupational name for a cartwright wheelwright from Old French
charrelier a derivative of
charrel "cart" a diminutive of
char "cart carriage".
Charlton Englishhabitational name from any of the numerous places called Charlton, from Old English Ceorlatun meaning ‘settlement of the peasants’. With old English elements tun ‘settlement, yard, town’ and ceorl denoted originally a free peasant of the lowest rank, later (but probably already before the Norman conquest) a tenant in pure villeinage, a serf or bondsman... [
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Charnock English (Rare)The locational surname originates from two places, Charnock Richard and Heath Charnock, which are both located in Lancashire, England.... [
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Charodeev RussianPatronymic surname derived from Russian чародей
(charodey) meaning "wizard, sorcerer, magician, enchanter".
Charoenphon ThaiFrom Thai เจริญ
(charoen) meaning "prosper, flourish, grow" and พล
(phon) meaning "force, strength, power".
Charoensuk ThaiFrom Thai เจริญ
(charoen) meaning "prosper, flourish, increase" and สุข
(suk) meaning "joy, delight".
Charrette FrenchDerived from Old French
char(r)ete "small cart", itself a diminutive of
char "cart carriage".
Chase FrenchTopographic name for someone who lived in or by a house, probably the occupier of the most distinguished house in the village, from a southern derivative of Latin
casa "hut, cottage, cabin".
Chastang FrenchDerived from Olde French
castanh meaning "chestnut". Possibly a location or occupation name.
Châtelain Frenchfrom
châtelain "lord (of the manor)" Old French
chastelain (from Latin
castellanus a derivative of
castellum "castle") applied either as a status name for the governor or constable of a castle or as an ironic nickname.
Chattopadhyay BengaliFrom
Chatta, the name of a village, and Sanskrit उपाध्याय
(upadhyaya) meaning "teacher, instructor".
Chatzigeorgiou GreekMeans "son of
Georgios the pilgrim" from Greek χατζη
(chatzi) meaning "pilgrim", ultimately from Arabic حاجي
(haji), combined with the given name
Georgios.
Chau KhmerMeans "chief, head, boss" in Khmer.
Chaucer EnglishMeaning a "worker who makes leggings or breeches". Notable bearer is author
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), most well known for his classic 'The Canterbury Tales'.
Chaumont FrenchHabitational name from any of numerous places called Chaumont "bald mountain" from the elements
chals caux "bald" and
mont "mountain" (ultimately from Latin
calvus mons) for example in Cher Orne Jura Haute-Savoie.
Chauncey AmericanOf uncertain origin. Possibly from Norman French habitation names Chancé or an American adaptation of a German place name of Schanze located on the Upper Rhine. Could also be a short form of
Chancellor.
Chauray FrenchHabitational name from Chauray a place in Deux-Sèvres, France.
Chawla Indian, Hindi, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)Derived from the name of a clan in the Arora community, which is apparently named with Sanskrit तांडुल (
cawal) meaning "rice". Originating from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, the name is also derived from
Aror (now
Rohri) a city in the Sukkur District, Sindh, Pakistan, and the community comprises both Hindus and Sikhs.
Che ChineseFrom Chinese 车
(chē) meaning "(wheeled) vehicle".
Cheema PunjabiMeaning unknown. This is the name of a Punjabi-speaking subclan of the Jat people found in India and Pakistan, with most members being either Muslim or Sikh.
Cheever EnglishMeans "goatherd", or from a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a goat (e.g. in capriciousness) (in either case from Anglo-Norman
chivere "goat"). It was borne by American author John Cheever (1912-1982).
Chegwin CornishMeans "person who lives in or by a white house" (from Cornish
chy "house" +
gwyn "white").
Chekov RussianThis is the surname of the fictional Star Trek Character, Pavel Andreievich Chekov.
Chell FrenchProbably a respelling of the French habitational name
Challe, from any of the various places so named from Late Latin cala ‘rock shelter’.
Chen ThaiPossibly a Name that Thai People with Chinese Descendants have. It has a Meaning of "Deserve".
Chenai ShonaChenai means "Be clean, be hygienic or come out clean"
Chene FrenchMeans "oak" in French. Perhaps it's named for someone who lived by an oak tree.
Cheng ChineseFrom Chinese 程
(chéng) referring to an area named Cheng that existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Henan province. The name was adopted by the descendants of an official who was granted control of this area.
Cheng HmongFrom the clan name
Tsheej associated with the Chinese character 陳
(chén) (see
Chen).
Chénier FrenchFrench surname which indicated one who lived in an oak wood or near a conspicuous oak tree, derived from Old French
chesne "oak" (Late Latin
caxinus). In some cases it may be from a Louisiana dialectical term referring to "an area of shrub oak growing in sandy soil" (i.e., "beach ridge, usually composed of sand-sized material resting on clay or mud... [
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Chenier French (Cajun)A sandy or shelly beach. Derived from the French word for wood, “chêne,” meaning oak.
Cheon KoreanFrom Sino-Korean 天
(cheon) meaning "sky, heavens" or 千
(cheon) meaning "thousand, many".
Cherkaoui Arabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic شَرْقِيّ
(šarqiyy) meaning "eastern", denoting someone who comes from the east (chiefly Moroccan).
Cherkassky Russian, JewishName for someone from the city of Cherkasy (or Cherkassy) in Ukraine, which is of uncertain meaning.
Cherneski UkrainianThis surname means 'black', from the Slavic root word cherno or charno.
Chernin CzechA habitational name for someone from Cernice or some other place named with this word.
Chernoff Russian, JewishAlternative spelling of
Chernov, a patronymic from the byname
Chernyj meaning ‘black’, denoting a black-haired or dark-skinned person.
Chernooky RussianDerived from Russian черноокий
(chernooky) meaning "black-eyed, having dark brown eyes". This surname has Polish, Ukrainian or Belarusian noble origin.
Cherro Medieval Spanish (Latinized)Meaning villager or farmer of Salamanca, especially of the region which includes Alba, Vitigudino, Ciudad Rodrigo And Ledesma. Concerning the villager from Salamanca called Charro and its equivalent demonym or gentilic is salmantino, salmanticense, salamanqués, salamanquino.
Cherry EnglishFrom Middle English
chirie,
cherye "cherry", hence a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of cherries, or possibly a nickname for someone with rosy cheeks.... [
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Cherryman EnglishIt is topographical or perhaps occupational and describes a person who lived or worked at a cherry orchard, or who lived by a house known by the sign of the cherry. In the days before house numbering, it was the tradition in almost all western countries to give the house a sign... [
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Chery FrenchThe name Chery is derived from the Anglo Norman French word, cherise, which means cherry, and was probably used to indicate a landmark, such as a cherry tree, which distinguished the location bearing the name.
Chesbrough Englishhabitational name from Cheeseburn in Northumberland early recorded as Cheseburgh possibly from Old English
cis "gravel" and
burh "stronghold". Variant of
Chesebro and
Chesbro.
Chessa ItalianProbably from Sardinian
chersa "lentisk", a kind of tree.
Chestnut EnglishFrom Old French
castan "chestnut tree" (Latin
castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair (see
Chastain).
Chestnutt English"Chestnut." A notable bearer is Charles Waddel Chestnut, a novelist.
Chetcuti MalteseDerived from Arabic كتكوت
(katkūt) meaning "(newborn) chick, young chicken".
Chettiar Indian, Tamil, MalayalamRefers to a member of any of the various South Indian castes of traders, businessmen, and merchants. The name itself may be from the Tamil honorific எட்டி
(eṭṭi) or from a Sanskrit word meaning "wealth".
Chevapravatdumrong ThaiPossibly from Thai ชีวประวัติ
(chiwaprawat) meaning "biography" combined with ดำรง
(damrong) meaning "uphold, sustain". A notable bearer is Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (1977-), an American screenwriter of Thai descent known for her work in the animated television series
Family Guy.
Chevrier FrenchOccupational name for a goatherd from an agent derivative of
chèvre "goat" (from Latin
capra "nanny goat").
Chew EnglishHabitational name from a place in Somerset named Chew Magna, which is named for the river on which it stands, a Celtic name, perhaps cognate with Welsh cyw ‘young animal or bird’, ‘chicken’.
Cheyne EnglishLocational or topographical surname derived from Old French
chesne, chesnai "oak tree, oak grove", ultimately derived from medieval Latin
casnetum.
Chhay KhmerKhmer romanization of the Chinese surname
Cai, which derives from the name of the ancient Cai state.
Chhetri Nepali, Indian, BengaliDerived from Sanskrit क्षत्रिय
(kṣatríya), the name of the Hindu social class consisting of warriors and rulers.