Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Calcaterra ItalianNickname from calcare meaning "to tread", "to stamp" + terra meaning "land", "earth", "ground", probably denoting a short person, someone who walked close to the ground, or an energetic walker.
Calder ScottishHabitational name from any of the places called Calder in Midlothian and Caithness, or Cawdor in Nairnshire.
Caldera SpanishDerived from Spanish
caldera meaning "basin, crater, hollow", ultimately from Latin
caldarium or
caldaria both meaning "hot bath, cooking pot". The word also denotes a depression in volcanoes, and it is commonly used as an element for surnames denoting streams or mountains.
Calderone ItalianFrom the Latin word
Caldaria "cauldron". Given to someone who worked as a tinker or tinsmith. Italian cognitive of
Calderón.
Cale WelshPossibly derived from the River Cale. A famous barer of this name is Welsh musician John Cale (1942- ).
Calero SpanishMetonymic occupational name for a burner or seller of lime, from
calero ‘lime’.
Calice ItalianPossibly directly from the Italian word
calice "chalice, goblet", which derives from Latin
calix.
Caliesch RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Aliesch.
Caliezi RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Gliezi.
California Spanish (Latin American)It is thought that it might've been derived from Latin
calida fornax meaning "hot furnace", or from Native American,
kali forno meaning "high hill, native land". It is also thought to have derived from the given name
Khalif or
Khalifa.
Caligiuri ItalianComes from the Greek words "kalos" meaning "beautiful" and "gheros" meaning "elderly," and was often given to children in the hopes that they would retain their beauty in their old age.
Calimlim Pangasinan, TagalogFrom Pangasinan and Tagalog
kalimlim denoting a person who lived in a shaded area, from the word
limlim meaning "shade, impending darkness".
Callard CornishMight be from Calartha in Morvah / from
cala-arth, the hard or difficult height.
Callender EnglishOccupational name for a person who finished freshly woven cloth by passing it between heavy rollers to compress the weave. From Old Franch
calandrier,
calandreur.
Calliari Italian (Latinized, Archaic)This is an Italian surname, in the north of Italy. Calliari is the result of the deformation of the graphically
Calligari, where you can clearly see excision of the letter or character D, which is located in the middle of the surname... [
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Calligan Irish (Rare)Before Irish names were translated into English, Calligan had a Gaelic form of O Ceallachain, possibly from "ceallach", which means "strife".... [
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Calloway EnglishDerived from the place name Caillouet-Orgeville, from Norman
caillou "pebble". Alternately, a variant of
Galloway.
Calma Filipino, PampanganFrom Pampangan
kalma meaning "fate, fortune", ultimately from Sanskrit कर्मन्
(karman).
Calne WelshCalne is derived from the Welsh word "karn," which means "a pile of stones," such as was often used to mark a burial site. The forebears that initially bore the name Calne likely lived by a notable heap of stones.
Calonder RomanshEither derived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Leonhard or from the name of the mountain
Calanda.
Calungsod CebuanoFrom Cebuano
kalungsod meaning "townsperson, townmate", derived from the word
lungsod meaning "town". A notable bearer was Filipino saint
Pedro Calungsod (1654-1672).
Caluori RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and a contraction of the given names
Gallus and
Uori.
Caluzi RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Luzi.
Calzadilla Spanishhabitational name from any of the places called (La) Calzadilla, named with a diminutive of calzada 'paved road'
Cámara SpanishOccupational name for a courtier or servant who could access the private quarters of a king or noble, from Spanish
cámara meaning "room, chamber".
Camargo SpanishHabitational name for someone from a place in Andalusia called Camargo.
Camartin RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Martin.
Camathias RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Mathias.
Cambria ItalianDenoted to someone from Cambria, Sicily, possibly of Arabic origin.
Camden EnglishFrom a place name perhaps derived from Old English
camp meaning "enclosure" and
denu meaning "valley".
Camen RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Men.
Camenisch RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and
Menisch, itself derived from the given name
Dumeni.
Camerano ItalianFrom the name of the town of
Camerano near the city of Ancona in Marche, Italy.
Camichel RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Michael.
Caminada RomanshDerived from Late Latin
caminata, denoting a room provided with a fireplace.
Camino SpanishDerived from the Spanish word for "path", or "walkway". This could have been used to denote a person who lived near a path, or one who built paths for a living.
Camiu RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and a short form of the given name
Barclamiu.
Camm EnglishEnglish (of Norman origin): habitational name for someone from Caen in Normandy, France.English: habitational name from Cam in Gloucestershire, named for the Cam river, a Celtic river name meaning ‘crooked’, ‘winding’.Scottish and Welsh: possibly a nickname from Gaelic and Welsh cam ‘bent’, ‘crooked’, ‘cross-eyed’.Americanized spelling of German Kamm.
Cammarata ItalianHabitational name from any of various places in Sicily named Cammarata, all derived from Greek καμάρα
(kamara) meaning "vault".
Camoranesi ItalianOriginally indicated a person from
Camerano, a small town near the city of Ancona in central Italy. A famous bearer of this name is the Argentine-born Italian former soccer player Mauro Camoranesi (1976-).
Camoys EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for someone with a snub nose (from Old French
camus "snub nose").
Campagna ItalianName for someone originally from any of various locations named Campagna, all derived from Latin
Campania, itself from
campus meaning "field".
Camper EnglishRespelling of German
Kamper or
Kämpfer (see
Kampfer). The surname Camper is recorded in England, in the London and Essex area, in the 19th century; its origin is uncertain, but it may have been taken there from continental Europe.
Campion Norman, FrenchEnglish (of Norman origin) and French: status name for a professional champion (see
Champion,
Kemp), from the Norman French form
campion.
Campumanes AsturianThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Ḷḷena.
Campus SpanishDerived from the Latin word
campus, meaning "field". It denoted someone who either lived in a field or worked in one.
Camrose English (Rare), Welsh (Rare)From the village of
Camrose in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The surname itself is derived from Welsh
cam meaning "crooked, bent", and
rhos meaning "moor, heath."
Camus BasqueFrom the name of a location in Bermeo, Vizcaya (or Biscay), a Basque region in Spain.
Can TurkishMeans "soul, life, being" in Turkish, ultimately of Persian origin.
Can Mayanfrom the word
kaan meaning "snake"
Canabrava BrazilianCana is the short form of 'cana de açucar' that means "sugar cane", and Brava is the feminine form of 'bravo' that means "angry". There is a municipality in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, called Canabrava do Norte, and according to oral tradition, the origin of the name is due to the disease and subsequent death of some animals after eating a plantation of sugar cane.
Canada French, EnglishIt derives from the Middle English "cane", a development of the Old French "cane", meaning cane, reed.
Canak TurkishFrom the Turkish town of Çanakkale. Canak is the Anglicised form, which may or may not retain its Turkish pronunciation.
Canales SpanishSpanish: habitational name from any of several places called Canales, from canales, plural of canal ‘canal’, ‘water channel’, from Latin canalis.
Canavan Irish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ceanndubháin "descendant of
Ceanndubhán", a byname meaning "little black-headed one", from
ceann "head" combined with
dubh "black" and the diminutive suffix
-án.
Canché MayanFrom Yucatec Maya
ka'anche' referring to the button mangrove (Conocarpus erectus), a type of shrub. Alternately it may be derived from
che' meaning "wood, stick, board", referring to a raised seedbed or floorboards used to beat and cut cobs.
Cancino SpanishA name for a person who first held the position of Chancellor.
Cancio SpanishA name for a person who first held the position of Chancellor.
Cancro ItalianDerived from Italian
cancro "cancer". Probably an occupational name for a person who catches, cooks, sells crabs.
Candela Spanish, Italian, Sicilian, CatalanEither an occupational name for a chandler (a candle maker or candle seller) or a nickname for a tall thin person, derived from
candela meaning "candle" (from Latin
candela).
Candemir TurkishMeans "iron soul" from Turkish
can meaning "soul, spirit" and
demir meaning "iron".
Candlin EnglishDerived from the medieval English, male first name Gandelyn, of unknown meaning.
Candreia RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Andreia.
Candy EnglishUnexplained.There was a family of this name in Roussillon, France, descended from a partisan of James II named Kennedy, who was exiled in France in the 17th century. The family died out in France in 1868, but may have had an American branch.
Candy Englishperhaps from Middle English
candi "crystallized cane sugar" (via French from Persian
qand "sugar") and used as a metonymic occupational name for a sugar merchant... [
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Cane EnglishFrom the English word meaning "cane, reed", a nickname for someone tall and thin, or perhaps an occupational name for someone who gathered reeds.
Canela SpanishDerived from the word 'canela' meaning cinnamon in Spanish. It Could also be a variant of the Catalan surname
Candela.
Canella ItalianItalian regional surname denoting someone who lived by a canal. From the Italian
canale 'canal', from the Latin
canalis meaning "canal; conduit; groove; funnel; or ditch". Alternatively, it may come the genus name of wild cinnamon, a diminutive of the Latin
canna "reed, cane".
Canelo SpanishFrom spanish
canela meaning "cinnamon". Perhaps a nickname for someone with red hair.
Cangussu BrazilianThe surname Cangussu has its origins in the Tupi-Guarani language and is a variation of
Akangu’su, which means "jaguar".
Canizales Spanish (Latin American)This surname came from around the beginnings of 1800 in south regions of Colombia where sugar cane was cultivated. It's a variation of
Cañizales, that literally means "sugar cane fields".
Cannarsa ItalianPossibly means "dry throat", a joking nickname for someone who drinks too much.
Cannavaro ItalianProbably from a nickname used to refer to rope makers or hemp growers. This surname is most famously borne by brothers Fabio (1973–) and Paolo Cannavaro (1981–), former football players.
Cannella ItalianDerived from the word "Cinnamon" in Italian meaning someone who was a baker and or made cinnamon.
Canner Jewish (Anglicized, Modern, Rare)Anglicized (American) version of one of many Eastern European Ashkenazi surnames including Cahana, Cahane, Kahana, Kahane, etc. Cahana et al is a version of the common surname Cohen.
Cannock EnglishFrom from the town of
Cannock in Staffordshire, England. The surname itself might be derived from Old English
cnocc, meaning "hillock."
Canomanuel SpanishThe first part of this surname is possibly derived from Spanish
cano "hoary, white-haired, grey-haired". The second part is derived from the given name
Manuel... [
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Cañosa FilipinoIt is derived from the word 'Caña' meaning 'reed'. Born as a surname in before World War I, it is a newly formed family name built by Angelo Cañosa and his 2 siblings, formerly his birth surname is Caña when he and his siblings migrated to Agusan when they are wanted by the Spanish Authorities as they were berdugos(Killing Spanish allies)in their native place, Minglanilla and by rowing boats, they landed in Mindanao and he, Angelo Caña and his two siblings changed their family name into Cañosa... [
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Canova RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and
nova, the feminine form of the adjective
nov "new".
Canoy FilipinoPossibly derived from Hokkien 橄欖孫
(ka-núi-sun) meaning "great-grandchild".
Cant EnglishMeans "singer in a chantry chapel", or from a medieval nickname for someone who was continually singing (in either case from Old Northern French
cant "song").
Cantagallo ItalianFrom the name of a town, or possibly a nickname meaning "singing rooster".
Cantalupi ItalianDenoting a person from Cantalupo, the name of several towns and counties near wooded areas where wolves could be heard. From Italian
canta "singing" and
lupo "wolf". ... [
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Cantellow EnglishMeans "person from Canteleu, Canteloup, etc.", the name of various places in northern France ("song of the wolf").
Canteloup FrenchName of several places in France. The surname means "Song of the Wolf" from canta and loup as in "place where the wolves howl".
Canterbury EnglishHabitational name from Canterbury in Kent, named in Old English as
Cantwaraburg "fortified town (
burgh) of the people (
wara) of Kent".
Cantieni RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Antieni.
Cantone ItalianHabitational name for someone from any of various locations named Cantone, derived from Italian
cantone meaning "canton, corner".
Cantore ItalianFrom
cantore "cantor, singer", itself from Latin
canto "sing; enchant, call forth by charms".