Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Kewish Scottish, ManxThe surname Kewish was first found in on the Isle of Uist, in the Hebrides in Scotland, which is named for the Irish King, Colla Uais who was deposed in Ireland by Muedach Tireach and was banished with 300 of their principal chiefs to the Hebrides in 327 A.D. They became known as the kingdom of Ailech and gave birth to the kindred of St... [
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Keymolen FlemishDerived from the place name
Keimolen, itself probably derived from Middle Dutch
key "cobblestone, boulder" and
molen "mill".
Keyworth EnglishHabitational name from
Keyworth in Nottinghamshire. The place name derives from an uncertain initial element (perhaps Old English
ca "jackdaw") and Old English
worþ "enclosure".
Khajimba AbkhazOf unknown meaning. A notable bearer is
Raul Khajimba (1958-), the current President of Abkhazia.
Khalaji PersianFrom the name of the Khalaj people who primarily reside in Iran. The name itself is said to be derived from Turkic
kal aç meaning "stay hungry".
Khaleghi PersianDerived from Persian خالق
(khaleq) meaning "creator (an epithet for God)".
Khalife Lebanese (Gallicized)French version of the Arabic name Khalifa which means “successor of Mohammed” used by Lebanese Christians ever since the French occupation of Lebanon.
Khalimbekov KazakhThis surname is derived from the Kazakh given name Khalimbek, which combines the elements Khalim ("generous") and Bek ("ruler" or "leader"). Therefore, Халимбеков (Khalimbekov) would roughly mean "descendant of Khalimbek" or "belonging to the family of Khalimbek".
Khalsa Indian (Sikh), PunjabiDerived from Arabic خلص
(khalasa) meaning "pure, clear". This is also the term used to refer to initiated Sikhs.
Kham Thai, LaoFrom Thai คำ (
kham) meaning "gold" or "word, speech" or Lao ຄຳ (
kham) meaning "gold".
Khamdi ThaiFrom Thai คำ
(kham) meaning "gold" or "word, speech" and ดี
(di) meaning "good, fine, excellent".
Khamenei PersianOriginally denoted someone who came from the village of
Khamaneh, located in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran. A famous bearer is Ali Khamenei (1939-), a former president and the current Supreme Leader of Iran.
Khamkaeo ThaiFrom Thai คำ
(kham) meaning "gold" or "word, speech" and แก้ว
(kaeo) meaning "crystal, glass, diamond".
Khammanivong LaoFrom Lao ຄຳ
(kham) meaning "gold", ມະນີ
(mani) meaning "gem, jewel" and ວົງ
(wong) meaning "lineage, family".
Khamvongsa LaoFrom Lao ຄຳ
(kham) meaning "gold" and ວົງສາ
(vongsa) meaning "family line".
Khamwaen ThaiFrom Thai คำ
(kham) meaning "gold" and แหวน
(waen) meaning "ring".
Khandakar BengaliMeans "teacher, scholar" (literally "one who reads"), derived from Persian خواندن
(khandan) meaning "to read, to study" and the occupational suffix گار
(kar).
Khang HmongFrom the clan name
Kha,
Khab or
Khaab all associated with the Chinese character 康
(kāng) (see
Kang).
Khansari PersianActual meaning is unknown; originated in the Iranian tribe the Kurds.
Khanthawong ThaiFrom Thai คันธ
(khantha) meaning "smell, scent, fragrance" and วงศ์
(wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty".
Khanum Bengali, UrduFrom an aristocratic title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in the Middle East and South Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the title
khan meaning "king, ruler", which is probably of Mongolian origin.
Kharazia AbkhazThere are several theories on the origin of the name. It could be derived from Arabic حَارِس
(ḥāris) meaning "guard, guardian, defender", from a contraction of a Hebrew term, or from the Abkhaz word ҳара
(ḥārā́) meaning "we, ours" combined with the Abkhaz suffix
-ya or
-ia denoting descent.
Khashba AbkhazEither derived from Abkhaz ахацə
(āxācə) meaning "stone" or алашара
(ālāšārā) "light".
Khaskheli Urdu, SindhiReferred to a person belonging to the
Khaskheli tribe in the Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. It is perhaps derived from the Urdu words خاص (
khas) meaning "proper" and خالی (
khali) meaning "performer"... [
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Khat KhmerFrom Chinese 凯 meaning "triumphant","victorious"
Khatri Indian, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, Punjabi, NepaliName for a member of the Kshatriya caste, derived from Sanskrit क्षत्रिय
(kshatriya) referring to the Hindu caste consisting of kings, warriors and soldiers, ultimately from क्षत्र
(kshatra) meaning "power, might, dominion".
Khavari PersianMeans "eastern" from Persian خاور
(khāvar) meaning "east".
Khawaja UrduFrom an honorific title for a Muslim teacher or saint, derived from Persian خواجه
(khajeh) meaning "lord, master, owner".
Khayasi Japanese (Russified)Alternate transcription of
Hayashi more commonly used by ethnic Japanese living in parts of the former Soviet Union and Sakhalin Japanese residing on Sakhalin Island in Russia.
Khieu KhmerMeans "to be blue (in colour)" in Khmer.
Khil RussianRussian spelling of
Hill. A notable bearer was Russian baritone singer Eduard Khil (1934-2012).
Khim KhmerMeans "zither, harp" in Khmer, referring to a type of traditional stringed instrument.
Khirin RussianPossibly derived from dialectal Russian хиря
(khirya) meaning "illness".
Khitrov m RussianDerived from Russian word хитрость (khitrost') meaning cunning.
Khmyz RussianDerived from dialectal Russian хмыз
(khmyz) meaning "bush, thicket".
Khnanisho AssyrianMeans "mercy of
Jesus" from Syriac ܚܢܢܐ
(ḥənānā) meaning "mercy, grace, favour" and ܝܫܘܥ
(Išōʿ) meaning "Jesus".
Khokhlov RussianDerived from Russian хохол
(khokhol) meaning "topknot".
Khokhol is also a derogatory word often used to describe Ukrainians.
Khomeini PersianOriginally indicated a person who came from the city of
Khomeyn in the Markazi province of Iran. A notable bearer of this surname was the Islamic revolutionary, politician and religious leader Ruhollah Khomeini (1900 or 1902-1989), who founded the Islamic Republic of Iran following the Iranian Revolution in 1979... [
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Khoo Chinese (Hokkien)Hokkien spellig of the surname Qiu. This Means a person who lived near a mound, dune or hill. This spelling is found amongst Hokkien and Hakka families in Southeast Asia
Khorsandi PersianDerived from Persian خرسند
(khorsand) meaning "happy, content, satisfied".
Khoury ArabicMeans "priest" in Arabic, ultimately from Latin
curia meaning "court". It is mostly used by Arabic-speaking Christians.
Khrueachan ThaiFrom Thai เครือ
(khruea) meaning "family" and จันทร์
(chan) meaning "moon".
Khrueathong ThaiFrom Thai เครือ
(khruea) meaning "family" and ทอง
(thong) meaning "gold".
Khrushchev RussianDerived from Russian хрущ
(khrushch) meaning "cockchafer" or "May beetle".
Khrustalyov m RussianDerived from Russian
хрусталь (khrustal'), meaning "crystal". Georgiy Khrustalyov-Nosar was a Russian revolutionary.
Khrzhanovskiy Russian, JewishRussian form of
Chrzanowski. Khrzhanovskiy was the last name of Andrey and Ilya Khrzhanovskiy, both Soviet film directors. Ilya has made most of his career in the Russian Federation.
Khumpiraphan ThaiFrom Thai คัมภีร (
khampira) meaning "deep; profound" and พันธุ์ (
phan) meaning "breed; species; lineage".
Khuren-ool Tuvan (Rare)Means "brown boy" in Tuvan, from Tuvan хүрең
(khüreñ) meaning "brown" combined with оол
(ool) "son, boy".
Kibar TurkishMeans "kind, polite, noble" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic كبار
(kibar).
Kibus EstonianKibus is an Estonian surname meaning "piggin" (a small wooden pail with one stave extended upward as a handle).
Kicklighter AmericanAmericanized spelling of German Kückleiter, literally ‘chicken ladder’, probably a nickname for a chicken farmer.
Kida JapaneseFrom Japanese 木
(ki) meaning "tree, wood" and 田
(ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Kidamura JapaneseThis surname could be made up of 木 (Ki) meaning "Tree, Wood", 貴 (Ki) meaning "Valuabele", or 喜 (Ki) meaning "Rejoice", with 田 (Da) meaning "Rice Paddy, Field", and 村 (Mura) means "Hamlet, Village"... [
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Kidate Japanese (Rare)From Japanese 木 (
ki) meaning "tree" and 建 (
date), the joining continuative form of 建てる (
tateru) meaning "to build; to construct".
Kidder EnglishEnglish: possibly an occupational name from early modern English kidd(i)er ‘badger’, a licensed middleman who bought provisions from farmers and took them to market for resale at a profit, or alternatively a variant of
Kidman... [
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Kidman EnglishEnglish: occupational name, probably for a goatherd (from Middle English kid(e) ‘young goat’ + man ‘man’), but possibly also for a cutter of wood used for fuel. (from Middle English kidde ‘faggot’ (an archaic English unit for a bundle of sticks)).
Kido JapaneseFrom Japanese 木
(ki) meaning "tree, wood" and 戸
(to) meaning "door".
Kido JapaneseFrom Japanese 城
(ki) meaning "castle" and 戸
(to) meaning "door".
Kidwell Welsh, EnglishThe origins of this surname are uncertain, but it may be derived from Middle English
kidel "fish weir", denoting a person who lived by a fish weir or made his living from it, or from an English place called
Kiddal, probably meaning "Cydda's corner of land" from the Old English given name
Cydda and
halh "nook or corner of land".
Kiebler GermanComes from the Middle High German word "kübel" meaning a "vat," or "barrel." As such it was an occupational name for a cooper, or barrel maker.
Kiehl Medieval Low GermanFrom Middle Low German
kil ‘wedge’, applied as a metonymic occupational name or as a pejorative nickname for a ruffian. Possibly a habitational name from Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein, from Dutch and Frisian
kil ‘stagnant water’ (see
Kiel)... [
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Kiel GermanGerman surname of several possible origins and meanings.... [
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Kiel DutchFrom Middle Dutch
kidel,
kedel "smock", hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who make such garments or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore one. Also a Dutch habitational name from a place so named in Antwerp or from the German city Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein.
Kiel PolishFrom Polish
kieł "tooth, fang", hence a nickname for someone with bad or protruding teeth.
Kierkegaard DanishMeans "farm near the church" from elements
kirke meaning "church" and
gaard meaning "farm." A famous bearer is Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.
Kies GermanEither from Middle High German
kis "gravel, shingle", denoting someone who lives in a gravelly place, or
kiesen "to choose". Johann Kies (1713–1781) was a German astronomer and mathematician.
Kiesler GermanTopographic name for someone who lived on a patch of gravelly land, derived from Middle High German
kisel or Old High German
kisil meaning "pebble, gravel".
Kiff Englishthe origin of the name KIFF could have come from a variation of KITH as in "kith and kin". The O.E.D. definition of the word KITH is that of a native land, familiar place or home so "kith and kin" meant your home and your relations... [
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Kiff GermanTopographic name from a Westphalian dialect
Kiff "outhouse, tied cottage, shack".
Kihu EstonianKihu is an Estonian surname meaning "impulse" and "urge".
Kiiker EstonianKiiker is an Estonian surname meaning "spyglass" and "telescope"; may also relate to "kiik", meaning "swing".
Kiil EstonianKiil is an Estonian surname meaning "keel", "wedge (tool)", and "frog".
Kiin EstonianKiin is an Estonian surname meaning both "gadfly" and "cleaver".
Kiire Japanese (Rare)From Japanese 喜入 (
Kiire) meaning "Kiire", a former village in the former district of Kiire in the former Japanese province of Satsuma in parts of present-day Kagoshima, Japan, or it being a variant spelling of 給黎 (
Kiire) meaning "Kiire", the name of the district which the village was located in.
Kiirend EstonianKiirend is an Estonian surname derived from "kiirendi" meaning "accelerator/accelerant" and "catalyst".
Kiiroja EstonianKiiroja is an Estonian surname meaning "fast (flowing) creek".
Kiisk EstonianKiisk is an Estonian name meaning "ruffe" (a freshwater fish: Gymnocephalus cernua).
Kiivit EstonianKiivit is an Estonian surname meaning "peewit/lapwing" (bird species: "Vanellus vanellus").