Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Goldsmith EnglishOccupational name for a worker in gold, a compound of Old English
gold "gold" and
smið "smith". In North America it is very often an English translation of German or Jewish
Goldschmidt.
Goldthwaite EnglishPossibly derived from Guilthwaite in South Yorkshire, which is named from Old Norse
gil meaning "ravine" and
þveit meaning "clearing". However, the modern surname is associated with Essex, suggesting some other source, now lost.
Goldwater German (Anglicized), Jewish (Anglicized)This name is an Anglicized form of the German or Ashkenazic ornamental surname 'Goldwasser', or 'Goldvasser'. The name derives from the German or Yiddish gold', gold, with 'wasser', water, and is one of the very many such compound ornamental names formed with 'gold', such as 'Goldbaum', golden tree, 'Goldbert', golden hill, 'Goldkind', golden child, 'Goldrosen', golden roses, and 'Goldstern', golden star.
Goldwyn English, JewishDerived from the Old English given name
Goldwine, composed of the elements
gold meaning "gold" and
win meaning "friend".
Golomb JewishOrnamental name from Polish
golab "dove" (from Latin
columba "dove").
Golovin RussianFrom Russian голова
(golova) meaning "head, chief", probably used as a nickname for the head of a household or village.
Golston EnglishThe Gol part has uncertain meaning, but Ton means "Town".
Gołyński PolishThis indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Gołyń.
Gombert French, GermanFrench and German: from
Gundbert, a Germanic personal name composed of the elements gund ‘battle’ + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’... [
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Gonda JapaneseFrom Japanese 権
(gon) meaning "right" and 田
(Tạ) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Gonella ItalianMeans "short skirt," in Italian, as in a piece of armor.
Gongora BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Aranguren in the Navarrese comarca of Iruñerria.
Goñi BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Navarrese municipality.
Gonnaimueang ThaiEnd with the word "ในเมือง"(nai - mueang), which is the name of a sub-district in the northeastern region of Thailand.
Gonze FrenchMy family surname originated in southern French-speaking Belgium. There is a tiny village called Gonzeville in northern France near the Belgian border which you can find on Wikipedia. Many surnames from French speaking Belgium have 5 or 6 letters and end in -ze, such as Gonze and Meeze... [
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Goodall EnglishHabitational name from Gowdall in East Yorkshire, named from Old English
golde "marigold" and Old English
halh "nook, recess".
Goodall EnglishFrom Middle English
gode "good" and
ale "ale, malt liquor", hence a metonymic occupational name for a brewer or an innkeeper.
Goodchild Anglo-SaxonA name used from the middle ages around the Anglo-Saxon period. It is also the surname of basketball player Miela Goodchild (DOB Unknown).
Goodenough EnglishFrom a medieval nickname probably applied either to someone of average abilities or to an easily satisfied person; also, perhaps from a medieval nickname meaning "good servant".
Gooderham DanishIt is derived from a personal name, originally "
Gudormr", which has the rather unusual translation of "battle-snake".
Goodfellow EnglishGenerally explained as a nickname meaning 'good fellow' or 'good companion'.
Goodfriend EnglishNickname for a reliable friend or neighbor, from Middle English
gode meaning "good", and
frend meaning "friend". It is an English translation and cognate of German
Gutfreund, from Middle High German
guot meaning "good" and
vriunt meaning "friend".
Gooding EnglishThe name Gooding comes from the baptismal name for "the son of Godwin"
Goodloe EnglishGoodloe traces back to the English
Gidlow. The first recorded use of the name is from 1291; Robert de Gidlow was a freeholder in Aspull, Lancanshire, United Kingdom and the name occurs frequently down to the 17th century... [
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Goodrich EnglishDerived from the Middle English given name
Goderiche (itself derived from the Anglo-Saxon given name
Godric), composed of Old English
god meaning "good" and
ric meaning "ruler, mighty, god's ruler, power"... [
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Goodson EnglishNickname for a dutiful son, from Middle English
gode ‘good’ +
sone ‘son’.
Goody Medieval EnglishFrom Middle English
god dai ‘good day’, possibly applied as a nickname for someone who frequently used this greeting.... [
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Goos GermanSee: http://www.houseofnames.com/goos-family-crest... [
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Goose English, NormanOccupational name for a goose-herd (a person who tends to geese) or a medieval nickname for a person who resembled a goose in some way. It could also be a English (of Norman French origins) cognate of
Gosse.
Góra PolishA Polish and Jewish name that means; ‘mountain’, ‘hill’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived on a hillside or in a mountainous district, or perhaps a nickname for a large person
Gorbachev RussianFrom Russian горбач
(gorbach) meaning "hunchback, humpback". A notable bearer is Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-), a former Soviet politician.
Goren JewishJewish (Ashkenazic) altered form of
Horn (5), under Russian influence; since Russian has no
h and alters
h in borrowed words to
g. In Israel the name has been reinterpreted by folk etymology as being from Hebrew
goren 'threshing floor', which is in fact etymologically and semantically unrelated.
Gorets RussianDerived from Russian горец
(gorets) meaning "highlander".
Gorga ItalianTopographic name from Sicilian gorga, Catalan gorg(a) ‘place where water collects’, ‘mill pond’, ‘gorge’.
Gorham EnglishA name originating from Kent, England believed to come from the elements
gara and
ham meaning "from a triangular shaped homestead." Compare
Gore.
Görlitz GermanThe name of a small town in Saxony. Derived from old Sorbian word "Zgorelc" meaning "settlement on a burned-out forest."
Gormley Irish (Anglicized)Anglicised form of
Ó Gormghaile meaning "descendant of Gormghal," Gormghal, a personal name, being derived from
gorm meaning "noble, (dark) blue" and
gal meaning "valour, ardour."
Gorringe EnglishDerived from the name of the village of Goring-by-the-Sea in Sussex
Gorriti BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Navarrese locality.
Gorsuch EnglishHabitational name from the hamlet of Gorsuch, Lancashire, earlier Gosefordsich, derived from Old English
gosford meaning "goose ford" and
sic meaning "small stream".
Goscinny PolishDerived from Polish adjective
gościnny from word
gość meaning 'guest'.
Gosden EnglishFrom the name of a lost place in the village and civil parish of Slaugham, West Sussex, England, derived from Old English
gos meaning "goose" and
denn meaning "woodland pasture".
Goshawk EnglishProbably referring to a breeder of Eagle-Owls or an eagle-tamer. Shares its name with the Wizarding World author, Miranda Goshawk.
Goswami Indian, Bengali, Hindi, AssameseDerived from Sanskrit गोस्वामिन्
(gosvamin) meaning "religious mendicant" (literally "owner of cows" or "lord of cows"), from गो
(go) meaning "cow" and स्वामिन्
(svamin) meaning "owner, lord, master".
Gotham EnglishEnglish: habitational name from Gotham in Nottinghamshire, so named from Old English
gat ‘goat’ +
ham ‘homestead’ or
hamm ‘water meadow’.
Gotō JapaneseFrom Japanese 後
(go) meaning "behind, back" and 藤
(tō) meaning "wisteria".
Götz GermanOriginally a hypocorism of
Gottfried, which is derived from an Old High German given name. Variants include the surnames
Getz and
Goetz, as well as the given name
Götz.
Goudier GermanGermanic patronym from "godhari" meaning "army of God".
Goulet French (Quebec), FrenchOf uncertain origin and meaning. Theories include a derivation from Old French
goule "mouth" (combined with a diminutive suffix), in which case this name would have been a nickname for a glutton.
Goulter English (Rare)This very unusual name has long been recorded in England but perhaps surprisingly as a Norman personal name. The first recording in England was as "Galterii" which appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 for London as a French form of the Olde German "Walter" translating as "Mighty Army".
Gourkuñv BretonBreton combination of
gour and
kuñv meaning "a charming, affable, gentle or conciliatory man". The digraph
-ff was introduced by Middle Ages' authors to indicate a nasalized vowel.
Gourmaud FrenchA famous bearer is a journalist well known from the educational TV,
Jamy Gourmaud
Govani IndianThe meaning of the word is made up of two parts i.e. Go and vani ... [
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Gow ScottishOccupational name from Gaelic
gobha "smith".
Gowan IrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Gobhann ‘descendant of the smith’.
Goya Japanese (Rare)This may be wrong---- This is variously written. It is usually written with characters meaning "Barbarian Room" or "Give Room". This is mostly in the Ryukyu Islands. ... [
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Gozar FilipinoA filipino surname from the Spanish word "gozar," meaning "to enjoy."
Gozon FilipinoFrom Min Nan 五孫
(gō͘-sun) or 五孙
(gō͘-sun) meaning "fifth grandchild".
Grabarek PolishOccupational name from a diminutive of Polish
grabarz meaning "gravedigger".
Grąbczewski PolishIt indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Grąbczewo.
Grabe GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a dike or ditch, or habitational name from either of two places in Thuringia named with this word: Grabe and Graba.
Grable GermanMeans "digger of ditches or graves" (from a derivative of Middle High German
graben "ditch"). A famous bearer was US actress, dancer and singer Betty Grable (1916-1973).
Graden ScottishHabitational name from the lands of Graden in Berwickshire.
Gradowski PolishHabitational name for someone from a place called Gradowo in Włocławek voivodeship.
Graf Jewish, YiddishOrnamental name selected, like
Herzog and other words denoting titles, because of their aristocratic connotations.
Graff EnglishMetonymic occupational name for a clerk or scribe, from Anglo-Norman French
grafe "quill, pen" (a derivative of
grafer "to write", Late Latin
grafare, from Greek
graphein).
Grämlich GermanNickname for an irascible person, derived from Middle High German
gramelich and
gremlich meaning "angry".
Granado SpanishNickname from Spanish
granado "mature", "experienced", "distinguished".
Granado SpanishOccupational name for a grower or seller of pomegranates, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a pomegranate tree, from
granado "pomegranate tree" (cf.
GARNETT).
Granados SpanishOccupational name for a grower or seller of pomegranates, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a pomegranate tree, from
granado "pomegranate tree" (cf.
GARNETT).
Granata ItalianGranata is an Italian word for a shade of red (maroon), and the Latin name of the city of Granada.
Granato ItalianOccupational name for a jeweler or lapidary, from
granato "garnet".
Grange English, FrenchEnglish and French topographic name for someone who lived by a granary, from Middle English, Old French
grange (Latin
granica ‘granary’, ‘barn’, from
granum ‘grain’)... [
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Grañón SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Grant English, ScottishFrom a medieval personal name, probably a survival into Middle English of the Old English byname
Granta (see
Grantham).
Grantaire LiteratureThis is the name of a minor character in Victor Hugo's novel 'Les Misérables' (1862), a follower of the revolutionary
Enjolras.
Grantham EnglishHabitational name from Grantham in Lincolnshire, of uncertain origin. The final element is Old English
hām "homestead"; the first may be Old English
grand "gravel" or perhaps a personal name
Granta, which probably originated as a byname meaning "snarler"... [
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Grape Low GermanMetonymic occupational name for a maker of metal or earthenware vessels, from Middle Low German
grope "pot".
Grass English, GermanTopographic name for someone who owned or lived by a meadow, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold hay, from Middle English
gras, Middle High German
gras "grass, pasture, grazing".
Grass ScottishOccupational name, reduced from Gaelic
greusaiche "shoemaker". A certain John Grasse alias
Cordonar (Middle English
cordewaner "shoemaker") is recorded in Scotland in 1539.
Grasso ItalianMeans "fat" in Italian, used as a nickname for a stout person.
Grato EnglishFrom a nickname given to somebody with grass-like hair, making this surname’s meaning “he with grass-like hair.”
Grattà Late Greek (Italianized, Modern, Archaic, Expatriate)Historical origins of Grattà are found in The Southern Region of Italy in The Province of Catanzaro, Calabria; predominately in the Comune of Girafalco and Palermiti. There is also at least one Coat of Arms that place the name being used in the The Commune of Lucca, Region of Tuscany in Central Italy.
Gratz GermanFrom a short form of a Germanic personal name reflected by Old High German gratag 'greedy'
Grau German, JewishNickname for someone with gray hair or a gray beard, from German
grau "gray".
Graue GermanHabitational name from a place so named near Hannover.
Grave EnglishOccupational name from Middle English greyve "steward", from Old Norse greifi or Low German greve
Grave FrenchTopographic name for someone who lived on a patch of gravelly soil, from Old French
grave "gravel" (of Celtic origin).
Grave GermanEither from the northern form of
Graf, but more commonly a topographic name from Middle Low German
grave "ditch", "moat", "channel", or a habitational name from any of several places in northern Germany named with this word.
Grawert Low German, German (East Prussian)As a Low German name, Grawert is derived from Middle High German
grā and Old High German
grāo "gray" (originally "shimmery, gleaming"). As a surname, it was a nickname given to someone with gray hair.... [
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Grayling English (British)Uncommon surname of unclear origin; possible medieval locational name, or a derivative of the French surname Grail or the diminutive Graillon.... [
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Grealish EnglishThe name derives from the Old Norman French word "greslet", meaning pitted or scarred, and is itself derived from the very early Germanic word "gresle", or hailstone.