Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Colo ItalianFrom the personal name Colo, a short form of Nicolo (see Nicholas). (Colò) nickname from medieval Greek kolos ‘lame’, classical Greek kylos.
Cologne FrenchHabitational name from a place in France called Cologne.
Colomb Frenchfrom Old French
colomb "pigeon" (from Latin
columbus) applied as a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of pigeons or doves... [
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Colombres AsturianThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish in Ribadeva.
Colone ItalianFrom an augmentative form meaning “big Nicolas” of the personal name
Cola.
Colonel AmericanFrom a French word for a military rank of an officer who led a column of regimental soldiers. Could be a nickname for someone with a military bearing or demeanor.
Colonna Italiantopographic name from
colonna "column" (from Latin
columna).
Combe FrenchEither a topographic name for someone living in or near a ravine from
combe "narrow valley ravine" (from Latin
cumba a word of Gaulish origin); or a habitational name from Combe the name of several places in the southern part of France of the same etymology.
Combeferre Literature (?)Combeferre is the surname of one of the strong, persuasive members of the ABC in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables. Meaning is unknown.
Combès FrenchEither a topographic name from
combe "narrow valley ravine" (see
Combe ) or a habitational name from any of various places in southern France for example in Hérault named Combes.
Comer EnglishOccupational name for a maker or seller of combs, or to someone who used them to prepare wool or flax for spinning, derived from Middle English
combere, an agent derivative of Old English
camb meaning "comb"... [
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Comish ManxManx: from Gaelic Mac Thómais ‘son of Thomas’. The main seat of the family in the Isle of Man was Ballacomish ‘Comish's (or Thomas's) farm’ (Arbory, IoM).
Comito ItalianFrom the medieval Latin
comitus, meaning "count", or the medieval Greek form of this word,
komitos, used as a nickname for someone who put on airs and graces or worked for a count.
Comley EnglishEither a nickname from Middle English
cumly, which means “fair,” “beautiful,” and “pleasing,” or a habitational name from Comley in Shropshire named with Old English
cumb meaning “valley” +
lēah meaning “woodland clearing.”
Commander EnglishFrom Middle English
comander "commander, leader, director", derived from Old French
comandeor "military commander". This may have been either an occupational name or a nickname.
Commons BretonIt's generally believed this name comes from a Breton personal name, derived from element "cam," meaning "bent," or "crooked;" or from the herb "cummin" (cumin). Or from the place name Comines, in Flanders, Northern France.... [
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Čomor Bosnian (Rare), BosnianČomor is a rare surname in the world and has (mostly) Herzegovenian origins. You can find most Čomors in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only 400 people bare the surname. Čomor has two meanings; First meaning is 'buttercup' and the second one is 'a disease that comes from eating fatty (oily) foods, fever with a constant feeling of nausea and disgust'
Comperatore Italian (Rare)Derived from the Italian noun
comperatore meaning "buyer, purchaser", which in turn is ultimately derived from the Italian verb
comperare meaning "to buy, to purchase". The former word is archaic, whilst the latter word is still in use but rare... [
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Compton EnglishHabitational name from any of the numerous places throughout England (but especially in the south) named Compton, from Old English cumb meaning "short, straight valley" + tūn meaning "enclosure", "settlement".
Comte FrenchNickname for someone who worked for a count or for someone acting haughty from Old French
conte cunte "count"... [
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Concepción SpanishMeans "conception'' in Spanish, in reference to the Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary.
Conde Spanish1 Spanish and Portuguese: “nickname from the title of rank
conde ‘count’, a derivative of Latin
comes,
comitis ‘companion’.”... [
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Condé Frenchhabitational name from any of several places in Normandy and Picardy called
Condé a French form of the Gaulish
condate "junction of rivers".
Condom FrenchRegional name for someone who lives in a French province named "Condom".
Condrick IrishSurname of an Irish immigrant who had snuck onto a ship and travelled to Australia during the early 1900's.
Condún IrishGaelicized variant of
Canton, brought to Ireland from Pembrokeshire, Wales circa 1200 CE.
Conejo Spanishfrom
conejo "rabbit" (from Latin
cuniculus), presumably applied as a nickname with various possible connotations (big ears, timidity, etc.) or otherwise as a metonymic occupational name for a rabbit catcher or dealer... [
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Coney EnglishMeans "seller of rabbits", or from a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a rabbit (in either case from Middle English
cony "rabbit").
Confalone Italianfrom
gonfalone "standard banner" from Old French
gonfalon (of ancient Germanic origin) a metonymic occupational name for a standard bearer either in a military context or as the officer of a guild responsible for carrying the banner in religious processions... [
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Congdon Irish, EnglishA variant of Irish "
Condon". In English usage: a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place; probably Devon or Cornwall, where the modern surname is most frequent.
Cong Tang Ton Nu VietnameseOften written with the middle two words uncapitalized when with a full name; example: Con tang ton Nu Hue Hue. The first name is Hue Hue, and the surname is Cong tang ton Nu. It is a female royal Vietnamese surname created by the
Nguyen Dynasty.
Coninx Belgian, DutchVariant form of
Koning, from a genitive form of Middle Dutch
coninc "king, leader, important person".
Conklin EnglishOrigin unidentified. Possibly of Dutch origin, deriving from
konkelen "to plot, intrigue, deceive" or from a given name containing the element
kuoni meaning "brave, bold"... [
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Conlon IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Ó Conalláin or Ó Caoindealbháin.
Connington EnglishThis name means "The king's manor, the royal estate," from the Old Scandinavian word "konunger" + the Old English word "tun." It was listed twice in the Domesday Book of 1086, once as Coninctune and secondly as Cunitone.
Conquest EnglishProbably from a medieval nickname, perhaps applied to a domineering person. This surname is borne by the British poet, historian and critic Robert Conquest (1917-).
Conran IrishThe surname Conran is derived from 'O Conarain', and Conran is a more anglicized version.... [
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Considine IrishAnglicisation of Irish
Mac Consaidín meaning "son of Consaidín". The given name
Consaidín is the Irish form of
Constantine... [
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Conte ItalianMeans "count (a title of nobility)" in Italian.
Contestabile ItalianMeans "debatable, questionable" in Italian, perhaps a nickname for an argumentative person, or for someone of dubious respectability.
Contractor Indian (Parsi)Parsi occupational surname for a contractor, or someone who works on the basis of a contract. As the British rule of India demanded for all Parsees to adopt a surname, many adopted English vocabulary based on their occupation (i.e.
Engineer or
Merchant).
Converse EnglishOriginally a nickname for a Jew converted to Christianity or an occupational name for someone converted to the religious way of life, a lay member of a convent, from Middle English and Old French
convers "convert".
Conyngham Scottishalternate spelling or descendant from surname Cunningham. source: Baron or Marquess Conyngham family line.
Conzett RomanshDerived from
Conz, a variant of the given name
Kunz, in combination with the diminutive suffix
-ett.
Coogan IrishAnglicized form of the Gaelic name "MacCogadhain"; composed of the Gaelic prefix "mac," which means "son of," and the Gaelic personal name "Cuchogaidh", which means "Hound of War". The name is also found in Ireland as Cogan, Coggan, Coggen, Cogin, Coggon, Coogan and Goggin(s).
Cookinham Jewish (Americanized)This has the form of an English habitational name; however, there is no record of any such place name in the British Isles, and the surname does not appear in present-day records. It is probably an Americanized form of Jewish Guggenheim .
Cooley IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Chúille ‘son of the servant of (Saint) Mochúille’, a rare Clare name.
Coolidge EnglishProbably an occupational name for a college servant or someone with some other association with a university college, for example a tenant farmer who farmed one of the many farms in England known as College Farm, most of which are or were owned by university colleges.
Coot English“an early member was a person who seemed to exhibit some of the characteristics of birds.”
Cooter EnglishA Sussex, England surname of uncertain meaning. Could be a local pronunciation of
Cotter, meaning "cottage dweller" for a serf in the feudal system allowed to live in a cottage in exchange for labor on the cottage owner's estate.
Copa Italianfrom the Italian word
scopa which means “broom” or “heather”.
Copas EnglishPossibly a topographic name derived from Middle English
coppis "coppice, thicket, grove of brushwood; cut-over forest".
Cope EnglishFrom Middle English
cope "cape, cloak", an occupational name for a maker of cloaks, or a nickname for someone known for wearing one.
Copernicus HistoryNicolaus Copernicus is a mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe... [
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Copp EnglishDerived from Old English
copp "top, summit; crown (of the head)", a topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, or perhaps a nickname for someone with an oddly-shaped head.
Coppenhaver GermanAmericanized spelling, probably originally spelled Kopenhaver or Koppenhaver. Means "owner of a hill".
Coraggio ItalianFrom Italian meaning "courage, bravery". Historically, the surname could have been given to someone who was known for their bravery or courage in the face of conflict, danger, or adversity, or to someone associated with the military or warfare.
Corbeanu RomanianDerived from Romanian
corb, itself originally from the Latin
corvus meaning "raven" (bird).
Corbett English, Scottish, WelshNickname from Norman French
corbet meaning 'little crow, raven'. This surname is thought to have originated in Shropshire. The surname was taken by bearers to Scotland in the 12th Century, and to Northern Ireland in the 17th Century.... [
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Corbie FrenchFrom the name of a town in northern France, possibly derived from a given name originating with the Latin word
corvus meaning "raven, crow". Alternatively, it could be a variant form of
Corbeau.
Corbin English, FrenchDerived from French
corbeau meaning "raven," originally denoting a person who had dark hair.
Corby EnglishFrom the name of a town in Northamptonshire, England, derived from the Old Norse byname
Kóri combined with
býr "farm, settlement".
Corbyn EnglishVariant of
Corbin, notably borne by current Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (1949-).
Corcino SpanishMeans "little deer", a diminutive of Spanish
corzo "roe deer". More commonly used outside of Spain.
Corcovado SpanishMeans "hunchback" in Spanish. It would denote a person with a curved spine.
Cordasco ItalianFrom the given name
Corda or
Cordio (a short form of Accord(i)o, literally "agreement") + the suffix -
asco denoting kinship.
Corday FrenchEither from the French word
corde meaning "cord/rope/string", or from the Latin word
cor meaning "heart." This was the surname of Charlotte Corday, the assassin who killed Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat during the French revolution.
Cordeiro Portuguese, GalicianMeans "young lamb" in Portuguese and Galician (Latin cordarius, a derivative of cordus "young", "new"). Occupational name for a shepard
Cordell EnglishMeans "maker of cord" or "seller of cord" in Middle English.
Corden EnglishDerives from Old French
Cordon meaning "a seller of ribbon" or from
Cordoan, a locational job description for a worker in fine kid leather. Originally associated with the city of Cordova in Spain... [
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Cordero SpanishMeans "lamb" in Spanish, either used as an occupational name for a shepherd or a religious name referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
Cordier FrenchGiven to someone who worked or made with cord and or strings from old French
corde "string".
Cordisco ItalianPossibly from Italian
cordesco "second-born lamb, butchered calf".
Córdoba SpanishIndicates someone who was originally from the city of
Córdoba (Cordova) in Andalusia, Spain. The name itself is derived from Phonecian
Qʾrtuba meaning "Juba’s city", itself from Phonecian
qʾrt meaning "city" and
juba referring to King Juba I of Numidia.
Cordonnier FrenchAn occupational surname for a cordwainer or shoemaker, and derived from Old French
cordouanier, literally meaning "cobbler".
Cordoveiru AsturianThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Pravia.
Cordray EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for a proud man (from Old French
cuer de roi "heart of a king").
Coreano Filipino, Spanish, PortugueseMeans "Korean" in Spanish and Portuguese, possibly an ethnic name or regional name for someone from Korea or who had connections with Korea.
Cork EnglishMetonymic occupational name for a supplier of red or purple dye or for a dyer of cloth, Middle English
cork (of Celtic origin; compare
Corkery).
Corkery Irish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Corcra "descendant of
Corcra", a personal name derived from
corcair "purple" (ultimately cognate with Latin
purpur).
Corkill Manx, IrishThe name is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Thorcaill ("son of
Thorkell") which is derived from the Old Norse personal name meaning "Thor's kettle".
Corliss EnglishDerived from Old English
carleas "free from anxiety; unconcerned", cognate to Old Norse
kærulauss. This was a nickname given to a carefree person.
Cormier FrenchFrench topographic name for someone who lived near a sorb or service tree, Old French
cormier (from
corme, the name of the fruit for which the tree was cultivated, apparently of Gaulish origin).
Cornacchia ItalianMeans "crow, carrion crow, jackdaw" in Italian, a nickname for someone who was talkative, or thought to resemble a crow or jackdaw in some other way.