Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Gola ItalianTopographic name from
gola "mountain hollow, cavity".
Golab PolishNickname for a mild-mannered or peace-loving man, from Polish
golab "dove".
Golan JewishIsraeli ornamental name from the Golan Heights in Israel.
Gołańcz PolishIt denotes that a family originated in the eponymous Greater Polish town.
Golden EnglishFrom the English word
golden which is the yellow color.
Goldenberg JewishOrnamental name from a compound of German
golden literally meaning "golden" and
berg meaning "mountain, hill".
Goldfeder JewishOrnamental name composed of Old High German
gold literally meaning "gold" and
feder meaning "feather pen".
Goldfinger JewishOrnamental name composed of Old High German
gold literally "gold" and
finger "finger". It may perhaps also be a nickname for someone who wore a prominent gold ring on their finger.
Goldmann German, Jewishoccupational name for someone who worked with gold denoting anything from a gold-miner to a maker of gold jewelry or a gilder (someone skilled in decorating surfaces with a very thin layer of gold leaf)... [
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Goldring ScottishScottish: habitational name from Goldring in the bailiary of Kylestewart.
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.
Goldstern Yiddish (Germanized, Rare)It is a Jewish surname that means (Gold Star), which in Hebrew is כוכב המלך דוד the star of King David. This surname has its origins in Hungary, Austria and Germany, this surname was bought by the Jews who worked as sellers of gold, diamonds, emeralds and jewels... [
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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.
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.
Gong ChineseFrom Chinese 龚
(gōng) referring to the ancient state of Gong (written as 共), which existed during the Shang dynasty possibly in what is now Henan province. This name was adopted in place of 共 by future descendants to flee persecution.
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.
Gonnynge English (Rare)A variant of the given name Gunwyn, which is derived from the Old English word
gundwein, meaning "battle friend".
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"
Goodliffe EnglishDerived from the Middle English feminine given name
Godlieve, composed of the Germanic elements
god meaning "good" or
gud meaning "god", and
liub meaning "dear, beloved".
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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Goodluck EnglishEarly Anglo Saxon name from 6-7th century. Derived from Guolac,meaning battle play.
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’.
Goodwill EnglishNickname for a friendly or amiable person; from Middle English
god(e),
gud(e) goud(e), meaning "good" and
wil(le), meaning "will, volition".
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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Goodyear EnglishProbably a nickname from Middle English expression
gode ‘good’ (Old English gōd) +
year,
yere ‘year’ commonly used as an intensifier in questions e.g. ‘What the good year?’... [
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Goos German, Flemish, DutchEither a metonymic occupational name for a breeder or keeper of geese, from Middle Low German
gōs and Middle Dutch
goes "goose", or a short form of an Old German personal name containing
Gote "Goth" or
got "god", particularly
Goswin or
Gozewijn (a compound name with the second element
wini "friend").
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 in 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.
Gou ChineseFrom Chinese 苟
(gǒu) meaning "careless, casual, indifferent".
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".
Goupil Frenchnickname for someone with red hair or for a cunning person from Old French
goupil "fox" Late Latin
vulpiculus a diminutive of classical Latin
vulpes a distant cognate of
Wolf . This was replaced as a vocabulary word during the Middle Ages by
Renard originally a personal name.
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
Gousset FrenchIt is derived from the Old French word
gousset, which means "purse" or "wallet". It is likely that this surname was originally given to someone who was a purse maker or a merchant who dealt in small items.
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 meaning "smith".
Gowan IrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Gobhann ‘descendant of the smith’.
Goya Japanese (Rare)This is variously written, but is usually written with the characters meaning "Barbarian Room" or "Give Room".
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".
Graanoogst Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)Occupational name for a person who harvested grain, derived from Middle Dutch
grâen literally meaning "grain, cereal" and
ôgest meaning "harvest". A famous bearer is the Surinamese soldier and politician Ivan Graanoogst (19??-), who was an acting president of Suriname in December 1990.
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.
Grabinsky UkrainianRussian and Ukrainian cognate of
Grabiński. A known bearer is the Ukrainian chess master Vladimir Grabinsky (1974-).
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).
Graceffa ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from a southern Italian place name in the comune of Aragona in the province of Agrigento, Sicily, Italy.