Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Costello IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Oisdealbhaigh meaning "son of Oisdealbhach". The given name
Oisdealbhach is derived from Irish
os meaning "deer, fawn" and
dealbhach meaning "resembling, shapely".
Coster EnglishMetonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of costards (Anglo-Norman French, from coste 'rib'), a variety of large apples, so called for their prominent ribs.
Cotija Spanish (Mexican)Derived from a small town in Michoacán named "Cotija de la Paz". It is also known to be a type of cheese.
Coto Spanish, GalicianHabitational name from any of the many places named "Coto" especially in Galicia and Asturias. From
coto meaning "ground".
Cott EnglishFrom the Old English personal name
Cotta. Possibly an altered spelling of French
Cotte, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of chain mail, from Old French cot(t)e ‘coat of mail’, ‘surcoat’... [
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Cotter EnglishDerived from the Old English elements
cot "cottage, hut" and the suffix
-er. In the feudal system a cotter held a cottage by service (rather than by rent). Reaney gives the surname deriving from the Old French
cotier "cottager" (see: villein)... [
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Cotter IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Mac Oitir meaning "son of
Oitir", a given name borrowed from Old Norse
Óttarr, composed of the elements
ótti "fear, dread" and
herr "army, warrior".
Cotto ItalianFrom Italian meaning "baked, cooked". Perhaps an occupational name for someone who worked as a cook or baker.
Cotton English, FrenchEnglish: habitational name from any of numerous places named from Old English
cotum (dative plural of
cot) ‘at the cottages or huts’ (or sometimes possibly from a Middle English plural,
coten)... [
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Cottrell English, FrenchFirst found in Derbyshire where the family "Cottrell" held a family seat and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege lord for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings, 1066CE... [
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Coucy FrenchDerived from the name of a town in Northern France called Coucy-le-Château.
Couderc OccitanFrom Occitan
codèrc meaning "pasture, meadow, enclosure".
Coulibaly Western African, MandingFrancization of Bambara
kulu bari meaning "without a canoe", referring to someone who crossed a river or another body of water without the use of a canoe.
Coullson Scottish Gaelic (Anglicized, Rare), EnglishAll origins of the name are patronymic. Meanings include an Anglicized version of the Gaelic
Mac Cumhaill, meaning "son of Cumhall", which means "champion" and "stranger" and an Anglicized patronymic of the Gaelic
MacDhubhghaill, meaning "son of Dubhgall." The personal name comes from the Gaelic words
dubh, meaning "black" and
gall, meaning "stranger."... [
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Coulon FrenchFrom Old French
colomb "pigeon" (from Latin
columba) used as a metonymic occupational name for a breeder.
Council English, German1 English: nickname for a wise or thoughtful man, from Anglo-Norman French counseil ‘consultation’, ‘deliberation’, also ‘counsel’, ‘advice’ (Latin consilium, from consulere ‘to consult’)... [
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Countryman EnglishTranslation of German Landmann, Landsmann or Dutch Landman, Landsman, which means ‘countryman’ or ‘fellow countryman’.
Courcelles FrenchThe name of several places in France, Belgium and Canada. In Middle French the word courcelle was used to describe a "small court" or a "small garden". The word is derived from the medieval Gallo-Romance and Gallo-Italian word
corticella, which was formed from the Latin word
cohors, meaning "court" or "enclosure", and the diminutive
–icella.... [
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Courfeyrac LiteratureCourfeyrac is the surname that Victor Hugo used for Marius' closest friend in the friend of the ABC. Meaning is unknown.
Couric FrenchOriginally a nickname given to a short person, derived from Middle Breton
corr,
korr meaning "dwarf, midget". A well-known bearer of this surname is the American journalist, television host and author Katie Couric (1957-).
Court English, French, IrishA topographic name from Middle English, Old French
court(e) and
curt, meaning ‘court’. This word was used primarily with reference to the residence of the lord of a manor, and the surname is usually an occupational name for someone employed at a manorial court.... [
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Courville FrenchDerived from either of two communes in the departments of Marne and Eure-et-Loir in France. It is named with Latin
curba villa, denoting a settlement in the curve of a road.
Cousin English, FrenchNickname derived from Middle English
cousin and Old French
cosin,
cusin meaning "cousin".
Cousland ScottishOf local origin from Cousland in the parish of Cranston, Midlothian.
Couter EnglishThe couter (also spelled "cowter") is the defense for the elbow in a piece of plate armour. Initially just a curved piece of metal, as plate armor progressed the couter became an articulated joint.... [
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Couturier Frenchoccupational name for a tailor Old French cousturier from an agent derivative of cousture "seam". status name from Old French couturier "farmer husbandman" an agent derivative of couture "small plot kitchen garden".
Cova Catalan, GalicianTopographic name from Catalan and Galician cova ‘cave’, or a habitational name from a place named with this word, in the provinces of Lugo, Ourense, Pontevedra, Catalonia and Valencia.
Covelo GalicianHabitational name from places called Covelo. From Galician
cova meaning "cave".
Coventry Englishhabitational name from the city of Coventry in the West Midlands, which is probably named with the genitive case of an Old English personal name Cofa (compare
Coveney) + Old English treow 'tree'.
Covert English, FrenchThe surname is probably topographical, for someone who either lived by a sheltered bay, or more likely an area sheltered by trees. The formation is similar to couvert, meaning a wood or covert, and originally from the Latin "cooperio", to cover... [
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Cowburn EnglishThe place-name, in turn, comes from the Old English
cocc, meaning "rooster," and
burna, meaning "a stream." As such, the surname is classed as a local, or habitational name, derived from a place where the original bearer lived or held land.
Cowdell English (British)Cowdell is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Coldwell' (v. Caldwell), a township in the union of Bellingham, Northumberland Also of Colwell, a township in the union of Hexham, same county.
Cowie Scottishhabitational name from any of several places, especially one near Stirling, named Cowie, probably from Gaelic colldha, an adjective from coll ‘hazel’
Cowlishaw EnglishDerived from either of two minor places named
Cowlishaw, in Derbyshire and Lancashire, England.
Coyac NahuatlMeaning uncertain, possibly derived from Nahuatl
coyahuac "broad, wide" or
coyoctic "a hole, something with a hole in it".
Crabb English, ScottishFrom Old English
crabba "crab (crustacean)", a nickname for someone with a peculiar gait. Could also be from the sense of "crabapple (tree)", from Middle English
crabbe "crabapple, wild apple", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a crabapple tree, or a nickname for a cantankerous person, with reference to the sourness of the fruit.
Crabtree EnglishThe ancestors of the Crabtree surname lived in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when they lived in the county of Yorkshire. Their name, however, indicates that the original bearer lived near a prominent
crabtree. Craighead ScottishHabitational name for someone who lived in places of this name in Scotland.
Craigie ScottishHabitational name from any of several places in Scotland called
Craigie, or simply a topographic name derived from Scottish Gaelic
creag.
Craigmile ScottishDerived from
Craigmyle, a place in the village of Kincardine O'Neil, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It could also be an occupational name for a baker who made cracknel biscuits.
Craine ManxShortened Anglicization of Manx
Mac Ciaráin "son of
Ciarán" or
Mac Giolla Ciaráin "son of the devotee of Ciarán".
Cram EnglishFrom the the Scottish place name
Crambeth (now Crombie), a village and ancient parish in Torryburn, Fife.
Crane EnglishFrom Middle English
crane "crane (bird)", a nickname for a tall, thin man with long legs. The term included the heron until the introduction of a separate word for the latter in the 14th century... [
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Cranford EnglishHabitational name from any of several places derived from Old English
cran "crane (bird)" and
ford "ford".
Cranley IrishThe surname Cranley was first found in Ulster (Irish: Ulaidh), where they held a family seat but were also to be found in County Offaly and Galway. The sept is styled the Princes of Crich Cualgne and are descended from Cu-Ulladh, a Prince in 576.
Cranston ScottishCombination of the Old English byname
Cran "crane" and Old English
tun "settlement".
Crascì SicilianFrom Sicilian
craxi, an obsolete word meaning "wine", ultimately from Ancient Greek
κρᾶσις (
krasis) "mixture, blending".
Crashman AmericanSurnames of fictional characters Carl and Chloe Crashman from Carl².
Cratchit LiteratureBob Cratchit is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" novella. Bob Cratchit works for Ebenezer Scrooge as an underpaid clerk.
Craven Irish, EnglishIrish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Crabháin (County Galway) or Mac Crabháin (Louth, Monaghan) ‘descendant (or ‘son’) of Crabhán’... [
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Cravotta SicilianFrom a Sicilian immigrant to America, Cravotta was changed to Cravatta upon arrival at Ellis Island. The name means "bowtie."
Craw English, Scottish, Northern IrishOne who had characteristics of a crow; sometimes used as an element of a place name e.g. Crawford, and Crawfordjohn in Lanarkshire, Crawshawbooth in Lancashire, and Crawley in Sussex
Creamer EnglishDerived from Middle English and Old French
creme "cream". This was an occupational name for a seller of dairy products.
Creighton EnglishFrom Irish 'crioch' meaning "border", and Old English 'tun' meaning "town".
Crellin ManxManx: shortened form of Gaelic Mac Nialláin ‘son of Niallán’ a diminutive of the personal name
Niall. This name has been explained as a metathesized form of Crennall
Crenshaw EnglishThe derivation of this surname is from the Old English pre 7th Century "Crawa", a crow, with "sceaga" a grove, thus "Crowswood". The earliest recording of this placename is in the Lancashire Inquests of 1324 and appears as "Croweshagh".
Crepeau FrenchFrom the Latin word,
crispus, meaning "curly hair".
Cress German, Jewish, BelarusianA variant of the German surname Kress. From the Middle High German "kresse" meaning "gudgeon" (a type of fish) or the Old High German "krassig", meaning "greedy". Can also be from an altered form of the names Erasmus or Christian, or the Latin spelling of the Cyrillic "КРЕСС".
Cresta Italian, RomanshDerived from Italian and Romansh
cresta "crest" (ultimately from Latin
crista). This name was perhaps applied as a topographic name for someone who lived by the crest of a mountain or as a nickname with reference to the comb of a rooster.
Crete FrenchFrench (adjectival form
Crété ‘crested’): nickname for an arrogant individual, from Old French
creste ‘crest (of a hill)’ (Late Latin
crista), used with reference to the comb of a rooster... [
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Creus CatalanMeans "crosses" in Catalan, the plural of
creu. Also compare Spanish
Cruces. A famous bearer of this surname is the Spanish footballer Xavi Hernández Creus (1980-).
Crevier FrenchEither a derivative of Old French
creve meaning “crevice” or “fissure” hence a topographic name for someone who lived on arid land or an occupational name for a seller of crawfish from an agent derivative of Old French
crevis meaning “crawfish.”
Cribbs English (Rare)Unknown origin. Likely either from the Old English given name Crispin, which derives from a Latin nickname meaning "curly-haired", or from the place Cribbis near Lauder, England.
Cripps EnglishOccupational name of a pouch maker. Derived from the Middle English plural "crippes" meaning pouch. Metathesized version of
Crisp.
Crisafulli ItalianDerived from a Greek name, perhaps from
χρυσός (
khrysos) "gold" and
φύλλον (
phyllon) "leaf, foliage".
Crist EnglishFrom Old English
Crīst meaning "Christ, the Messiah" (see
Christos 1). May have been a nickname for someone who played the part of Christ in a pageant, or a short form of a given name containing it as an element, such as
Christian or
Christopher.
Crite Low German, Upper German (Americanized)Probably an Americanized form of South German
Kreit or
Kreith which are topographic names derived from Middle High German
geriute meaning “land cleared for farming” or of North German
Kreite which is a nickname for a quarrelsome person derived from Middle Low German
kreit meaning “strife.”
Crivelli ItalianFrom the Italian
crivello, which is derived from the Latin
cribrum, meaning "sieve," (a mesh food strainer); likely an occupational name for a maker or user of sieves.
Crnković CroatianDerived from
crn "black". The name refers to a person who was dark-skinned, or a person from the region Crna Gora "Black Mountain" (modern-day Montenegro).
Croaker EnglishMeant "person from Crèvecoeur", the name of various places in northern France ("heartbreak", an allusion to the poverty of the local soil).
Crobu ItalianFrom Sardinian
crobu "crow", or a place of the same name.
Crock EnglishMeans "stone or earthenware jar, pot, vessel", possibly an occupational name for a potter. Compare
Crocker.
Crocker EnglishOccupational name for a potter, from Middle English
crockere "potter". Compare
Crock.
Crockett English, ScottishNickname for someone who affected a particular hairstyle, from Middle English
croket ''large curl'' (Old Norman French
croquet, a diminutive of
croque "curl", "hook").
Crofter EnglishA surname of Scottish origin used in the Highlands and Islands and means “an owner or a tenant of a small farm”. The
Old English word croft seems to correspond with the
Dutch kroft meaning “a field on the downs”.
Crofton EnglishDerived from a place name meaning "town with a small enclosed field" in Old English.
Croitoru RomanianCroitoru is a Romanian-language surnames derived from the occupation of
croitor, meaning "tailor".