Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Greif GermanMeans "Griffin" in German. From the mythological creature.
Greiner Upper German, German (Swiss)Nickname for a quarrelsome or cantankerous person, derived from Middle High German
grīner meaning "squabbler, quarreler" (ultimately an agent derivative of
grīn meaning "loud, cry, screaming, shouting")... [
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Grell GermanNickname for an irritable or irascible person, from Middle High German, Middle Low German
grellen "to be angry".
Grell GermanHabitational name from a place named Grelle.
Grenier FrenchOccupational name for a grain merchant (from Latin granarius), or a topographic name for someone who lived by a granary (from Latin granarium) or a metonymic occupational name for someone who supervised or owned one.
Gresham EnglishFrom a place name meaning "grazing homestead" in Old English.
Gresley EnglishFrom the name of either of two villages in Derbyshire, derived from Old English
greosn "gravel" and
leah "woodland clearing, glade".
Gretzinger GermanHabitational name for someone from any of three places named Grötzingen (Old High German Grezzingun) in Baden-Württemberg.
Gretzky Russian, BelarusianOriginally derived from an old Russian word that meant "Greek", though in modern times, the word means "Greek nut" (walnut). A notable bearer is Wayne Gretzky, a former Canadian ice hockey player.
Gribben IrishThis surname is of Old Gaelic origin, and is a variant of "Cribben", which itself is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "
MacRoibin", meaning "son of (mac) Robin", a patronymic from the Anglo-Norman French given name "Robin"... [
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Griebe GermanOccupational name for a butcher or fat dealer from Middle High German
griebe griube "rendered bacon pieces crackling".
Grieser Upper Germantopographic name for someone living on a sandy site, from Middle High German griez ‘sand’ + -er suffix denoting an inhabitant.
Griffin Irish (Anglicized)Anglicized (part translated) form of Gaelic Ó Gríobhtha "descendant of
Gríobhtha", a personal name from
gríobh "gryphon".
Griffioen DutchDutch cognate of
Griffin 2. Could be a habitational name referring to a sign depicting a griffin, or derived from a coat of arms.
Griffo ItalianFrom
grifo "gryphon" (Latin
gryphus, Greek
gryps, of Assyrian origin), hence a nickname for someone thought to resemble the mythical beast.
Griffon FrenchFrom a diminutive of Old French
griffe "claw", hence a nickname for a grasping or vicious person, or perhaps for someone with a deformed or otherwise remarkable hand.
Grigahcine Berber (Rare, ?)Meaning unknown, perhaps of Kabyle origin. A known bearer is DJ Snake, who was born
William Grigahcine (1986-), an Algerian-French musician.
Grignon FrenchFrom French 'grignard' meaning "angry" and "contemptuous", and Old French (of Germanic origin) 'grignier' "to grit the teeth" or "curl the lips".
Grijalva Spanish, Central AmericanSpanish: habitational name from any of various places called Grijalba in particular the one in Burgos province. The placename is from iglesia 'church' + Old Spanish alva 'white'.
Grill GermanFrom a nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle High German grille "cricket" (Old High German grillo, from Late Latin grillus, Greek gryllos). The insect is widely supposed to be of a cheerful disposition, no doubt because of its habit of infesting hearths and warm places... [
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Grimshaw EnglishA habitational surname originating from the hamlet of Grimshaw in Lancashire, derived from Old English elements grīma "mask" and sċeaga "copse". Famous bearers of this surname include , English Victorian-era artist John Atkinson Grimshaw and Irish writer Beatrice Grimshaw, as well as the Grimshaw family in Coronation Street.
Grindstaff German (Anglicized)Americanized form of German
Frenzhof or
Grenzhof, a place near Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg or
Granzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany.
Grindy German (Modern), FrenchI have seen elsewhere explanations about this name being German or French in origin. Sorry, I do not have the sources to hand
Griner German (Anglicized), JewishAmericanised form of German
Greiner. It could also denote a person who came from various German places called
Grüna or
Grünau. In Jewish, it is a topographic name for someone who lived in a green of leafy area, derived from Yiddish
grin meaning "green" or Middle High German
gruene meaning "greenery".
Griscom Welshfrom phrase gris-y-cwm, welsh for 'steps of the valley'. Root word 'grisiau' meaning steps or stairs. A place name from an extant village in Wales.
Grisel French, French (Swiss)Derived from the Old French adjective
grisel, a variant of
gris meaning "grey". It was a nickname for a person with grey hair a grey complexion or who habitually wore grey.
Grissom EnglishFrom a diminutive of
Grice, which was originally a nickname for a grey-haired man, derived from Middle English
grice,
gris meaning "grey" (itself from Old French
gris, apparently of Germanic origin).
Grixti MalteseGrixti is entirely of Maltese origin and is thought to mean "rough".
Grob GermanA nickname for a strong, heavy man, or for a lout, from Middle High German
g(e)rop "coarse".
Grobglas JewishPerhaps an ornamental name derived from Yiddish גראָב (
grob) meaning "crude, coarse, rough" and גלאז (
glaz) meaning "glass". Israeli actress Yael Grobglas (1984-) bears this surname.
Grodsky Polish, JewishAltered spelling of Polish
Grodzki, a habitational name from Grodziec or Grodzie, places named with gród ‘castle’, ‘fortification’ (cognate with Russian grad)... [
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Grogan IrishDerived from the native Gaelic O'Gruagain Sept that was initially located in County Roscommon but which became widely dispersed. The name is derived from a Gaelic word meaning 'fierceness'.
Groll GermanDerived from
grollen, 'to be angry', often used as a nickname for an angry or sulky individual.
Gronkowski PolishOriginally indicated a person who came from Gronków, a village in southern Poland.
Groński PolishHabitational name for someone from Grońsko in Greater Poland Voivodeship (named with the nickname
Gron,
Grono, from
grono "bunch of grapes") or from Groń, the name of several places in southern, mountainous part of Lesser Poland (named with the regional word
groń "ridge").
Grosch GermanEither a metonymic occupational name for a moneyer or possibly a nickname for an avaricious person from Middle High German Middle Low German
grosche "groschen" a medieval thick silver coin its name ultimately derived from medieval Latin
denarius grossus literally "thick coin".
Grosvenor EnglishEnglish surname of Norman origin meaning ‘the master huntsman’. Derived from Le Grand Veneur, this title was held by Hugh d'Avranches who accompanied William the Conqueror in the Norman invasion of England in 1066.
Grotius Dutch (Latinized)Latinized form of
De Groot. This name was used by the Dutch humanist, theologian and jurist Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), born as either Huig de Groot or Hugo de Groot... [
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Groulx FrenchFrench spelling, often found in Canada, of Groult, Grould, possibly reduced forms of
Gréoul, a personal name of Germanic origin, composed of the elements
gred "hunger" +
wolf,
wulf "wolf".
Grove GermanName from any of several places named Grove or Groven, which derive their name from Middle Low Germany
grove ‘ditch’, ‘channel’. In some cases the name is a Dutch or Low German form of
Grube.
Grove EnglishName for someone who lived by a grove or thicket, Middle English
grove, Old English
graf.
Grube GermanName for someone who lived in a depression or hollow, from Middle High German
gruobe "pit", "hollow". See also
Gruber.
Gruber JewishA nickname from an inflected form of Yiddish dialect
grub meaning ‘rude' or 'impolite’.
Grullon Dominican, Mexican, FrenchPossibly from a derivative of Spanish
grulla "crane (bird)" presumably applied as a nickname for tall thin person; in Mexico however
grulla denotes a crafty person
Grumbach German (Swiss), AlsatianFrom the name of various places in Switzerland and Germany, for example the municipality of
Grumbach in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Grün German, Jewishfrom Middle High German
gruoni "green fresh raw" hence a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in green a topographic name for someone who lived in a green and leafy place or a habitational name for someone from a place called with this word such as
Gruna Grunau in Silesia... [
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Grünbaum German, Jewishfrom Middle High German
gruoni "green" and
boum "tree" probably a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a tree in leaf... [
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Grundin SwedishCombination of Swedish
grund "shallow (water)" and the surname suffix
-in.
Grundy EnglishProbably a Middle English metathesized form of the Old French personal name
Gondri,
Gundric (see
Gundry).
Grünfeld German, JewishHabitational name from any of several places in northern and central Germany named
Grünfeld named with elements meaning "green open country" derived from the elements
gruoni "green" and
feld "field"... [
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Grunwald German, German (Swiss), JewishGerman and Swiss German (Grünwald): habitational name from any of various places named Grün(e)wald, from Middle High German gruene ‘green’ + walt ‘wood’, ‘forest’. ... [
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Grylls English (Rare)There was an old and distinguished family of Grylls of Tavistock (Devon) and Lanreath (Cornwall) in the 17th century; two high sheriffs of the county then bore the name. The manor of Gryils (commonly mispronounced Garles), near the rocks called the Gryils or Garles, from which they probably derive their name, is in the parish of Lesneweth in that county.
Grzegorzewski Polishhabitational name for someone from Grzegorzowice or Grzegorzewice, both named with the personal name
Grzegorz, Latin Gregorius
Grzyb PolishMeaning "mushroom", a nickname for an old man or simpleton, or signifying someone whose profession involved mushrooms.
Grzybek PolishFrom
Grzyb (literally "mushroom") with the suffix
-ek as a patronymic, or from
grzybek meaning "little mushroom".
Gu Korean (Anglicized)A Korean surname, meaning "tool, device, utensil". Derived from the Chinese surname 具, (Jù)
Gu ChineseFrom Chinese 顾
(gù) referring to the ancient state of Gu, which existed during the Xia dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Gu ChineseFrom Chinese 辜
(gū) meaning "crime, wrong, sin".
Gu ChineseFrom Chinese 谷
(gǔ) referring to the ancient fief of Qin Gu, which existed in what is now the province of either Gansu or Shaanxi. Alternately it may come from the name of the fief of Jia Gu, which was part of the state of Qi during the Zhou dynasty.
Gu ChineseFrom Chinese 古
(gǔ) possibly derived from Kucheng (古成 or 苦城), the name of an ancient fief that may have existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province... [
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Guadagnino ItalianIt came from Italian word
guadagno which means "earnings" and has a diminutive suffix
ino which is also an occupation suffix.
Guajardo SpanishSpanish: unexplained. Perhaps a habitational name from a place so named in Estremadura. This name is common in Argentina, Chile, and Mexico. ... [
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Guan ChineseFrom Chinese 管
(guǎn) meaning "administer, manage, control", also referring to the ancient state of Guan that existed in what is now Henan province.
Guanche Spanish (Canarian), Berber, GuancheDerived from the name of the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands before the Spanish conquest. The Guanche people were a Berber-speaking people who arrived in the Canary Islands in the 5th century AD... [
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Guanzon FilipinoFrom Hokkein 关孫 (
guān-sun), derived from 关 (
guān) meaning "frontier pass" and 孫 (sun) meaning "grandchild."
Guàrdia Catalan, Spanish, ItalianCatalan, Spanish, and Italian from Catalan
guàrdia, Spanish and Italian
guardia ‘guard’, ‘watch’, a topographic name for someone who lived by a watch place, an occupational name for a member of the town guard, or a habitational name from any of the numerous places named (La) Guardia.
Guardia Italian, SpanishFrom Spanish and Italian
guardia "guard watch" a topographic name for someone who lived by a watch place by a watchtower or a habitational name from any of numerous places called
La Guardia named with the same word; or a metonymic occupational name for someone who kept watch or for a member of the town guard... [
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Guardiola CatalanHabitational name from any of the numerous places named Guardiola, from guardiola, a diminutive of guàrdia meaning "guard".
Guarracino ItalianNothing is known of this family name other then they grew up in Manhattan, New York, other states and cities too but most can from boats and had to be quertied at Ellis Island, New York
Guasti ItalianMeaning uncertain, may denote someone from the town of Guasto. Alternately, it may be an occupational name from
gastaldo "chamberlain", from Latin
gastaldus "manager, bailiff, steward", or be a nickname from
guasto "broken, crippled".
Güç TurkishMeans "power, strength, force" in Turkish.
Gucciardo ItalianFrom the personal name Gucciardo, a revival of French Guichard, of Germanic origin, probably composed of the elements wig 'battle' or wisa 'experience' + hard 'strong', 'brave', 'hardy'.
Gudgeon Englishfrom Middle English gojon, gogen, Old French gougon ‘gudgeon’ (the fish) (Latin gobio, genitive gobionis), applied as a nickname or perhaps as a metonymic occupational name for a seller of these fish... [
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Guedj Judeo-SpanishPossibly derived from the Kabyle word
agaji related to movement, though it may in fact be a variant of the surname
Guez.
Guengerich German (Americanized)Potentially from German “junge” and “reich,” meaning “rich at a young age.” Anglicized by immigrants as either Guengerich or Gingrich.
Guenther GermanGerman: from a Germanic personal name composed of
gund ‘battle’ +
hari,
heri ‘army’.
Guersney EnglishDenoted someone who lived in
Guernsey, an island in the Channel Islands, derived from Old Norse
Grani and
ey "island"... [
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Guertin FrenchA French surname that evolved from the Old Germanic given name
Warin meaning "to guard" or "protection". This surname was often given as an occupational name for a guard, or someone who served as a protector in their community.
Guest EnglishNickname for a stranger or newcomer to a community, from Middle English g(h)est meaning "guest", "visitor" (from Old Norse gestr, absorbing the cognate Old English giest).
Guet FrenchFrench - From Old French
guet "lookout, watchman".
Guetta Judeo-SpanishMeaning uncertain, possibly from the name of a tribe from northwestern Libya or from the name of the town of Huete in Cuenca province, Spain.