Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Desanges French (Rare)Means "from the angels", possibly connected to the French title of the Virgin Mary
Notre Dame des Anges, meaning "Our Lady of the Angels". Bearers of this surname include Louis William Desanges (1822-1905), an English artist of French descent, and French historian Jehan Desanges (1929-).
De Santa Italian (Tuscan)The surname De Santa was first found in Lucca, a city and comune in Tuscany, capital of the province of Lucca and where Bascilican type churches abound. The history commences in 218 B.C., and passed through many hands in the intervening centuries... [
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Desaulniers French (Quebec)Topographic name denoting a property distinguished by a grove of alder trees, derived from Old French
au(l)ne meaning "alder".
De Saussure French (Swiss)Referred to a person who came from various places named
Saussure,
Saulxures or
Saussay in northern France. Their names are derived from Medieval Latin
salcetum, a derivative of Latin
salix meaning "willow"... [
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Deschain French, LiteratureOf French origin. This is the last name of the character of the Gunslinger Roland in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series.
Deschanel FrenchDerived from French
eschamel meaning "stepladder" or
des chanels meaning "from the channels, from the little jugs". An occupational nickname for a trader, it supposedly originated in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France... [
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Deschene NavajoFrom
deeshchiiʼnii (clan designation, “red-streak people”).
Deschenes French"Chenes" is French for "oak tree". In French, "Des" means more than one. "Des"+ "Chenes"= Deschenes meaning "Many oak trees."
Deshapriya SinhaleseFrom Sanskrit देश
(deśa) meaning "region, place, country" and प्रिय
(priya) meaning "beloved, dear".
Deshmukh Indian, MarathiFrom the historical title देशमुख
(deśmukh) meaning "district head", derived from Sanskrit देश
(deśá) meaning "country, district" combined with मुख
(múkha) meaning "face".
Deshpande Indian, MarathiMeans "district accountant", derived from Sanskrit देश
(deśá) meaning "country, kingdom, province" combined with पण्डित
(paṇḍitá) meaning "learned, wise man".
Deslauriers French (Quebec)A topographic name for someone living among laurels, a combination of the fused preposition and plural definite article des ‘from the’ + the plural of Old French lorier ‘laurel’.
Desmarais FrenchHabitational name for someone from any of various places named with Old French mareis, maresc ‘marsh’, as for example Les Marets, in Seine-et-Marne, Centre, Nord, and Picardy.
Desmoulins FrenchA French surname meaning “of the windmills.” A famous bearer of this surname is Camille Desmoulins, a journalist and politician during the French Revolution who was guillotined.
Desnoyers French (Quebec)Means "of the walnut trees", from French word "noyer", meaning walnut. "Des noyers" literally translates to "the walnuts".
Desogus ItalianDenotes someone from the town of Sogus, which may have taken its name from
Sa bia de is Ogus, "the road of the eyes".
De Souza PortugueseMeans "of Sousa" in Portuguese, referring to the River Sousa flowing through northern Portugal. The word
Sousa itself is derived from the Latin
saxa, saxum meaning "stone, rock". The surname is more commonly used in Brazil and Portuguese-speaking African countries today.
Des Roches FrenchEither a topographic name for someone living among rocks or a habitational name from any of several places named with this word, meaning "from the rocks" in French.
Desrouleaux French, Haitian CreoleMeans "of the scrolls" in French. It is a occupational name for a scribe, a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing... [
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Desruisseaux French, French (Quebec)Topographic name for someone who lived in an area characterized by streams, from the fused preposition and plural definite article
des meaning "from the" and
ruisseaux (plural of
ruisseau) meaning "stream".
Desser JewishHabitational name from the city of Dessau in Germany.
Dessi ItalianDenoting someone from Sini, Sardinia, formerly called Sinu or Sii.
d'Estaing FrenchDerived from
Estaing, a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. A famous bearer was the French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (1926-2020).
Desunia Portuguese, FilipinoFrom the Portuguese word
desunir meaning "disunite, separate". This surname is particularly common in the Philippines.
De Talleyrand FrenchA French noble surname. A cadet branch of the family of sovereign counts of Périgord, they took their name from the estate of Périgord owned by these counts, and date back to Boso I, count of la Marche... [
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De Tiberio ItalianAncient and noble family, originally from Lombardy propagated, over the centuries, in different regions of Italy where its members acquired the nobility and were welcomed in the important offices of the city where they lived... [
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Detweiler German (Swiss)From the name of a village in Switzerland or from one with a similar name (Dettweiler) in France.
De Valera SpanishOriginally indicated a person from one of the two towns named
Valera in the provinces of Cuenca and Badajoz in Spain. This name was borne by American-born Irish president and prime minister Éamon de Valera (1882-1975; birth name George de Valero, also known as Edward de Valera), who was born to an Irish mother and a Cuban-Spanish father.
Devall French, EnglishDevall (also DeVall) is a surname of Norman origin with both English and French ties.Its meaning is derived from French the town of Deville, Ardennes. It was first recorded in England in the Domesday Book.In France, the surname is derived from 'de Val' meaning 'of the valley.'
Devane MarathiSomeone descended from deva(god).Someone who is like a god
Devaney Irish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Duibheannaigh ‘descendant of
Duibheannach’, a personal name of uncertain origin; the first element is dubh ‘black’, the second may be eanach ‘marshy place’... [
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De Vignerot French, French (Belgian)The surname Vignerot was first found in Belgium, where the name became noted for its many branches in the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region... [
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De Vil Popular CultureCruella de Vil is fictional character appearing as the antagonist of the novel 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians' (1956) by Dodie Smith, as well as in the 1961 animated movie '101 Dalmatians' and the 1996 live-action movie with the same name... [
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Deville FrenchFrench surname meaning, 'The Village', from French De- 'the' and Ville- 'Village'.
Devon EnglishRegional name for someone from the county of Devon. In origin, this is from an ancient British tribal name, Latin Dumnonii, perhaps meaning "worshipers of the god Dumnonos".
Devon Jamaican Patois (Modern, Rare)The name Devon is of English and Irish origin and means "Warrior of God". This name is also very common in the British West Indies, especially Jamaica.
Devore FrenchFrench: variant of
De Var, a habitational name for someone from a place named Var, for example in Charente. Respelling of French
Devors, a habitational name, with the preposition
de, for someone from Vors in Aveyron.
Devoy EnglishAnglicized form of Gaelic surname
Ó Dubhuidhe ‘descendant of
Dubhuidhe’, a name probably derived from
dubh "dark, black" and
buidhe "sallow".
De Waal Dutch, WalloonMeans "the Walloon" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch
wale, originally indicating a person who came from Wallonia, a French-speaking region of southern Belgium. It could also possibly be a variant spelling of
Van Der Walle and
De Walle meaning "the wall"', though evidence for this is lacking... [
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De Waard DutchFrom Dutch
waard "innkeeper, host, landlord, protector", derived from Middle Dutch
weert. Alternatively, from Middle Dutch
waert "floodplain, riverine island".
Dewan Indian, PakistaniStatus name for a treasurer or court official, from Arabic
diwan "royal court", "tribunal of justice", or "treasury". Under the Mughal administration in India the dewan was usually the highest official in a state.
Dewan Indian, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, NepaliFrom a title for a high-ranking government official or minister, derived from Persian دیوان
(divan) meaning "royal court, tribunal, ministry, assembly".
Dewasiri SinhaleseFrom Sanskrit देव
(deva) meaning "god" and श्री
(śrī) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty" or "holy, sacred".
De Wilde DutchMeans "the wild", from Middle Dutch
wilt "wild, savage, untamed".
De Winter DutchMeans "the winter" in Dutch, a nickname for a cold or gloomy man, or perhaps for someone born in the winter. It could also be a habitational name referring to a house or tavern named for the season.
De Wolf Dutch, FlemishMeans "the wolf", a nickname given to someone associated with wolves in some way, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a wolf. Could also be a patronymic form of
Wolf.
Dhanapala SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit धन
(dhana) meaning "wealth, riches, prize" and पाल
(pala) meaning "guard, protector".
Dhar Indian, BengaliDerived from Sanskrit उद्धार
(uddhara) meaning "credit, deliverance, redemption".
Dhar Indian, KashmiriMeaning uncertain, possibly from an honourific title given to a village head, a strongman or a warlord.
Dharmadasa SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit धर्म
(dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and दास
(dasa) meaning "servant, slave".
Dharmapala SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit धर्म
(dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and पाल
(pala) meaning "guard, protector".
Dharmapriya SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit धर्म
(dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and प्रिय
(priya) meaning "beloved, dear".
Dharmaratne SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit धर्म
(dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and रत्न
(ratna) meaning "jewel, treasure".
Dharmasena SinhaleseFrom Sanskrit धर्म
(dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and सेना
(senā) meaning "army".
Dharmasiri SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit धर्म
(dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and श्री
(shri) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty".
Dharmawansa SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit धर्म
(dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and वंश
(vansa) meaning "lineage, clan, family".
Dharmawardana SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit धर्म
(dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and वर्धन
(vardhana) meaning "increasing, strengthening, growing".
Dhobi IndianFrom Sanskrit धोबी (
dhōbī) meaning "washerman".
Dhulgale SomaliDhulgale – "Land Holder" (referring to someone who owns or works a large piece of land)
Diab ArabicDerived from Arabic ذئب
(dhiʾb) meaning "wolf".
Diabate Western AfricanFrom the name of the Diabaté clan of the Mandinka and the closely related Soninke peoples, usually interpreted as “the irresistible.”
Diakos GreekMeaning Deacon. Notable bearer of this name is Athanasios Diakos (1786–1821), a Greek military commander during the Greek War of Independence and a national hero.
Dial ScottishVariant of
Dalziel, representing the usual pronunciation of this name in Scotland. Perhaps also an altered form of Irish
Dyal.
Dial Western AfricanFrom the name of the Dial clan of the Fulani people of unexplained etymology. The younger form of the clan name is
Diallo.
Diallo Western African, FulaDerived from the Fula clan name
Jallo of uncertain meaning. Diallo is a common name throughout West Africa.
Diamandis Greek"Diamonds" in Greek. One notable bearer of the surname is Marina Lambrini Diamandis, A Welsh/Greek Songwriter and Singer who preforms under the stage name of "Marina and the Diamonds"
Diamant JewishDerived from Yiddish דימענט
(diment) meaning "diamond".
Diamantis GreekDerived from the Byzantine Greek word διαμάντιν (
diamántin), itself from the Italian
diamante (Late Latin
diamas), ultimately from the Ancient Greek word ἀδάμας (
adámas) meaning "diamond".
Diamond JewishAmericanized form of a Jewish surname, spelled in various ways, derived from modern German
Diamant,
Demant "diamond", or Yiddish
dimet or
diment, from the Middle High German
diemant (via Latin from Greek adamas ‘unconquerable’, genitive adamantos, a reference to the hardness of the stone)... [
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Diamond IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Diamáin "descendant of Diamán", earlier
Díomá or
Déamán, a diminutive of
Díoma, itself a pet form of
Diarmaid.
Diamond EnglishEnglish variant of
Dayman (see
Day). Forms with the excrescent d are not found before the 17th century; they are at least in part the result of folk etymology.
Diao ChineseFrom Chinese 刁
(diāo) referring to the ancient state of Diao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province. It was adopted due to being homophonous with the character 雕, which was the actual name of the state.
Diasamidze GeorgianMeans "son of
Diasami", from a Georgian given name of unknown meaning, perhaps meaning "master" or derived from Abkhaz дәаӡа
(dwaʒa) meaning "uncultivated land, virgin soil" (thus used to refer to someone who plowed land)... [
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Diawara Western AfricanFrom the name of the Diawara clan and ethnic subgroup of the Soninke people which is apparently derived from the name of the town of Dia in Mali or from the name of the medieval Dia Dynasty of Gao, also in Mali.