AasmäeEstonian Possibly derived from Estonian aas "meadow, lea" and mäe "mountain, hill".
AbeggGerman, German (Swiss) Topographic name for someone who lived near the corner of a mountain, from German ab meaning "off" and Egg, dialect form of Eck(e) meaning "promontory", "corner".
AglerEnglish From one or more Middle English personal names variously written Alger, Algar, Alcher, Aucher, etc. These represent a falling together of at least three different Continental Germanic and Old English names: Adalgar "noble spear" (Old English Æ{dh}elgār), Albgar "elf spear" (Old English Ælfgār), and Aldgar "old spear" (Old English (E)aldgār)... [more]
AhlbornSwedish (Rare) Combination of Swedish al "alder" and -born, a Swedish surname suffix derived from German geboren "born".
AhlbornGerman From the old personal name Albern, from Germanic adal meaning "noble" and boran meaning "born".
AinaraJapanese From Japanese 相 (ai) meaning "mutual, reciprocal, with one another", 奈 (na) meaning "apple tree" and 良 (ra) meaning "good".
AjemianArmenian Patronymic from Turkish acem meaning ‘Persian’, ‘foreigner’, from Arabic a’jam meaning ‘one who speaks Arabic incorrectly’.
AkashitaJapanese From Japanese 赤 (aka) or 丹 (aka) both meaning "red" combined with 下 (shita) meaning "below, down, descend, give, low, inferior". Other kanji combinations are possible.
AlbanyScottish, English (American) From the title of the Dukes of Albany (House of Stuart), hence a name borne by their retainers. It is an infrequent surname in England and Scotland. The city of Albany, NY (formerly the Dutch settlement of Beverwijck or Fort Orange) was named for James Stuart, Duke of York and Albany; he was the brother of King Charles II and later king in his own right as James II... [more]
AllendorfGerman Habitational name from any of ten or more places called Allendorf.
AltmeyerGerman Status name for an older steward, headman, or tenant farmer, as distinguished from a younger one, from Middle High German alt ‘old’ + meier ‘steward’, ‘headman’, ‘tenant farmer’
AltringerGerman Habitational name for someone from a place called Altringen or Aldingen, of which there are two in Württemberg.
AlwardtGerman From the personal name Adelward, composed of the Germanic elements adal ‘noble’ + ward ‘keeper’, ‘protector’.
AmreinGerman (Swiss) Derived from the prepostion am "at" and German Rain "edge of plowed land".
AmspacherGerman Habitational name for someone from a place called Amsbach
AmstutzGerman (Swiss), German (Austrian) Topographic name for someone living near or at the foot of a steep mountainside, German am Stutz ‘at the escarpment’.
AneyEnglish English surname of uncertain origin, though it has been suggested that this is an anglicized form of French Ané. Ané itself is said to be taken from a personal name, possibly a gallicized form of Asnar or Aznar, which may be derived from Latin asinarius meaning "keeper of asses, ass-driver", from asinus "ass".
AnnEnglish Habitational name from Abbots Ann in Hampshire, named for the stream that runs through it, which is most probably named with an ancient Welsh word meaning ‘water’.
ApplewhiteEnglish Habitational name from a place named Applethwaite, from Old Norse apaldr ‘apple tree’ and þveit ‘meadow’. There are two or three such places in Cumbria; Applethwaite is also recorded as a surname from the 13th century in Suffolk, England, pointing to a possible lost place name there... [more]
AràbiaItalian, Spanish Ethnic name for someone from Arabia or some other Arabic-speaking country or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries.
ArgentoItalian Means "silver" in Italian, originally used as an occupational name for a silversmith or a nickname for a person with gray hair.
ArizaCatalan Castilianized form of Basque Aritza, a topographic name from Basque (h)aritz ‘oak’ + the article suffix -a.
ArizaSpanish Spanish: habitational name from a place so named in Zaragoza province in Aragón.
ArjonaSpanish Habitational name from Arjona in Jaén province.
ArlottaSicilian From the French personal name Arlot, recorded in the Latinized form Arolottus from the 13th century.
ArmenterosSpanish Habitational name from either of two places called Armenteros, in the provinces of Ávila and Salamanca, from the plural of armenatero meaning ‘cowherd’, from Latin armenta ‘herd(s)’.
AsaJapanese Variously written, sometimes with characters used phonetically. It can mean ‘morning’, but the most likely meaning is ‘hemp’, making it a topographic or occupational name. Both forms are found mostly in Amami, one of the Ryūkyū Islands.
AscencioSpanish, Italian From the personal name (Latin Ascensius), favored by the early Christians, by whom it was bestowed with reference to the ascension of Christ (Late Latin ascensio).
AtsudaJapanese From Japanese 渥 (atsu) meaning "moist" combined with 田 (da) meaning "paddy, field".
AuclairFrench Patronymic from the personal name Clair or the nickname Leclair (‘the cheerful one’): (fils) à Leclair ‘(son) of Leclair’. It has also absorbed cases of Auclerc (from LeClerc).
AxellSwedish Possibly a habitational name with the combination of ax, a Swedish word for the fruiting body of a grain plant, and the common surname suffix -ell.
AzaharaJapanese From Japanese 字 (aza) meaning "a section of a village" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".
BaackGerman, North Frisian Either from a reduced form of the Germanic personal name Baldeke (a short form of any of the compound names with the first element bald "bold, brave ", for example Baldewin), or from Middle Low German baec, bake "pork, bacon", hence a metonymic occupational name for a butcher or pig farmer.
BadilloSpanish Topographic name from a diminutive of vado ‘ford’ (Latin vadum) or a habitational name from either of two places named with this word: Valillo de la Guarena in Zamora province or Vadillo de al Sierra in Ávila.
BaeKorean Korean form of Pei, from Sino-Korean 裴 (bae).
BagdonasLithuanian Patronymic from the personal name Bagdon, Lithuanian form of Polish Bogdan.
BaldyEnglish Possibly derived from an Old English feminine given name, *Bealdgýð, composed of the elements beald "bold" and guð "battle", first recorded c.1170 as Baldith, and in other cases from the Old Norse byname or given name Baldi.
BaleEnglish Variant of Bail. This is the surname of Welsh footballer Gareth Bale.
BalenEnglish English surname, perhaps of Cornish British origin, from belen, meaning "mill."
BalianArmenian Patronymic of uncertain origin, perhaps from Turkish bal ‘lord’, ‘master’, a word of Arabic origin.
BallonSpanish Theoretically it could be a variant of vallón, from valle ‘valley’, but neither form is attested as a vocabulary word or as a place name element. Alternatively, it could be a Castilian spelling of Catalan Batlló, Balló, nicknames from diminutives of batlle ‘dancing’.English: variant spelling of Balon.
BalmaItalian Perhaps a topographic name from the dialect word balma meaning ‘grotto’, ‘cave’, ‘jutting rock’.
BanezSpanish Spanish (Báñez): shortened form of Ibáñez
BarcelóCatalan Apparently from a personal name Barcelonus (feminine Barcelona), originally denoting someone from the city of Barcelona.
BarcelonaCatalan, Spanish Habitational name from Barcelona, the principal city of Catalonia. The place name is of uncertain, certainly pre-Roman, origin. The settlement was established by the Carthaginians, and according to tradition it was named for the Carthaginian ruling house of Barca; the Latin form was Barcino or Barcilo.
BarkusEnglish Probably a reduced form of Barkhouse, a topographic name for someone who lived by a tannery, Middle English barkhous, or an occupational name for someone who worked in one.
BarreauFrench Possibly a variant of Barreur, an agent derivative of barrer ‘to bar’, ‘to close or block off’, hence possibly an occupational name for a jailer or doorkeeper.
BartekPolish, Czech, Slovak, German Polish, Czech, Slovak, and eastern German: from a pet form of a vernacular form of the personal name Bartolomaeus (Czech Bartoloměj, Polish Bartłomiej, German Bartolomäus)
BawaPunjabi Sikh name based on the name of a Jat clan. It is also a title given to the male descendants of the first three Sikh gurus.
BazziArabic Perhaps derived from an Arabic word meaning "foster brother(s)".
BeaberEnglish (American) Americanized spelling of German Bieber or Biber, from Middle High German biber ‘beaver’, hence a nickname for someone thought to resemble the animal in some way, a topographic name for someone who lived in a place frequented by beavers or by a field named with this word, or a habitational name from any of various place names in Hesse containing this element.
BeardEnglish (American) Nickname for a bearded man (Middle English, Old English beard). To be clean-shaven was the norm in non-Jewish communities in northwestern Europe from the 12th to the 16th century, the crucial period for surname formation... [more]
BeasSpanish (Mexican) Spanish (common in Mexico): habitational name from any of the places in Andalusia named Beas.
BeerEnglish Habitational name from any of the forty or so places in southwestern England called Beer(e) or Bear(e). Most of these derive their names from the West Saxon dative case, beara, of Old English bearu "grove, wood"... [more]
BělínCzech Either a nickname from Czech bílý ‘white’ or a derivative of the female personal name Běla (which also means ‘white’), denoting the son or husband of a woman so named.
BenantiItalian From a derivative of Bene, a short form of the various omen names formed with this element (from Latin bene ‘well’), such as Benedetto, Benvenuto, etc.
BernGerman, Scandinavian, German (Swiss) German and Scandinavian: from the personal name Berno, a pet form of Bernhard. In South German it comes from the habitational name from Bern, Switzerland, notably in the south; in other parts from the personal name Berno.
BiChinese Probably from the name of a people living to the west of China in ancient times, who integrated with the Han Chinese during the Han dynasty (206 bc–220 ad). The character also means ‘finish’, ‘conclude’.
BiedrońPolish Nickname, either from dialect biedron ‘spotted bullock’, or for someone with conspicuous or deformed hips, from a derivative of dialect biedro ‘hip’.
BitsuieNavajo From bitsóí meaning "his grandchild", a commonly adopted surname when the BIA required Native Americans to take surnames for the purpose of official records.
BlachPolish Alternatively perhaps a metonymic occupational name from Old Polish blach ‘skeet iron’, ‘metal fittings’.
BlacherFrench Mainly used in Southern France. Topographic name for someone who lived by an oak grove, originating in the southeastern French dialect word blache ‘oak plantation’ (said to be of Gaulish origin), originally a plantation of young trees of any kind.
BłażejewskiPolish Name for someone from a place called Błażejewo, Błażejewice, Błażejewko or Błażej, all derived from the given name Błażej.
BleeckerDutch Old form of Dutch bleker "bleacher", an occupational name for a bleacher of textiles, a launderer, or the owner of a public bleaching ground.
BleekerDutch Occupational name for a bleacher of textiles, from Middle Dutch ble(e)kere.
BlinovRussian Russian surname, derived from the word "блин" (pancake).
BloodEnglish Evidently from Old English blod ‘blood’, but with what significance is not clear. In Middle English the word was in use as a metonymic occupational term for a physician, i.e. one who lets blood, and also as an affectionate term of address for a blood relative.
BloodWelsh Anglicized form of Welsh ap Llwyd ‘son of Llwyd’.
BobolaPolish From a derivative of bób meaning 'bean'.
BogusławskiPolish Habitational name for someone from a place called Boguslaw or Boguslawice, both derived from the given name Bogusław.
BonušCzech From a pet form of the personal name Bonifác, Czech form of Bonifacio.
BootEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of boots, ultimately from Old French bote "boot, high-sided leather shoe".
BosoItalian From the medieval personal name Boso, from a Germanic personal name derived from a pejorative nickname meaning ‘leader’, ‘nobleman’, or ‘arrogant person’. Compare Dutch Boos.
BoydstonScottish Habitational name from a place called Boydston near Glasgow. This surname is no longer found in the British Isles.
BratténSwedish (Rare) Composed of the personal name Bratt and the common surname suffix -én (ultimately from Latin -enius "descendant of").
BrattenScottish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac an Bhreatnaich ‘son of the Briton’, originally denoting a Strathclyde Welsh-speaking Briton. It was applied in Ireland also to people from Brittany.
BrevikNorwegian Habitational name from any of several farms named Brevik, from Norwegian bred "broad" and vik "bay".
BrodénSwedish Likely composed of Swedish bro "bridge" and the common surname suffix -én (ultimately derived from Latin -enius).
BrophyIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bróithe ‘descendant of Bróth’, a personal name or byname of unknown origin. Also Anglicized as Broy.
BrunetteFrench (Quebec) Variant of Brunet, reflecting the French Canadian pattern of pronouncing the final -t, which is not pronounced in metropolitan French.
BrzozaPolish Topographic name from brzoza meaning ‘birch tree’.
BudaHungarian (Rare) Habitational name from the name of the old capital of Hungary.
BudouJapanese From Japanese 武 (bu) meaning "military, martial" combined with 堂 (dou) meaning "temple, shrine" or from 武道 (budou) meaning "Japanese martial arts".
BujnowskiPolish Habitational name for someone from a place called Bujnowo or Bujnow, named with bujny ‘luxuriant’, ‘bushy’, ‘fertile’.
ButtaItalian Italian: from a short form of a compound name formed with butta- ‘throw’, as for example Buttacavoli.Italian: from an old German feminine personal name Butta.Italian: variant of Botta.
ButterfieldEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a pasture for cattle or at a dairy farm, or a habitational name from a place named Butterfield (for example in West Yorkshire), from Old English butere ‘butter’ + feld ‘open country’.
CabañaSpanish, Portuguese Habitational name from a place named with Spanish cabaña ‘hut’, ‘cabin’ (Late Latin capanna, a word of Celtic or Germanic origin).
CabañasSpanish, Portuguese Habitational name from a place named with Spanish cabaña or Portuguese cabanha ‘hut’, ‘cabin’.
CabanissFrench Variant spelling of Cabanis, a habitational name from any of various places in Gard named Cabanis, from Late Latin capannis ‘at the huts’, ablative plural of capanna 'hut'... [more]
CakeEnglish From the Middle English cake denoting a flat loaf made from fine flour (Old Norse kaka), hence a metonymic occupational name for a baker who specialized in fancy breads. It was first attested as a surname in the 13th century (Norfolk, Northamptonshire).
CandyEnglish Unexplained.There was a family of this name in Roussillon, France, descended from a partisan of James II named Kennedy, who was exiled in France in the 17th century. The family died out in France in 1868, but may have had an American branch.
CarboneroSpanish Famous bearers are Carlos Carbonero, a Colombian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sampdoria on loan from Fénix and Sara Carbonero, a Spanish sports journalist.
CarlyonCornish Cornish: habitational name from any of three places in Cornwall called Carlyon, in St. Minver and Kea parishes. The first element is Celtic ker ‘fort’; the second could represent the plural of Cornish legh ‘slab’.
CasillasSpanish From any of various places called Casillas or Las Casillas, from the plural of casilla, a diminutive of Casa. ... [more]
CavaItalian, Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese From cava ‘cave’, ‘cellar’ (from Latin cavea), hence a metonymic occupational name for someone employed in the wine cellars of a great house, a topographic name for someone who lived in or near a cave, or a habitational name from any of numerous places named with this word.
CejaSpanish From a common field name or a habitational name from any of various minor places called Ceja Yecla in Aragon.
ChernoffRussian, Jewish Alternative spelling of Chernov, a patronymic from the byname Chernyj meaning ‘black’, denoting a black-haired or dark-skinned person.
ChewEnglish Habitational name from a place in Somerset named Chew Magna, which is named for the river on which it stands, a Celtic name, perhaps cognate with Welsh cyw ‘young animal or bird’, ‘chicken’.
ChicaSpanish Apparently from chica, feminine form of chico ‘small’, ‘young’ (see Chico), but a variant of the habitational name Checa, from a place so named in Jaén province is also a possibility.
CornwellEnglish Habitational name from Cornwell in Oxfordshire, named from Old English corn, a metathesized form of cron, cran ‘crane’ + well(a) ‘spring’, ‘stream’.variant of Cornwall.
CovaCatalan, Galician Topographic name from Catalan and Galician cova ‘cave’, or a habitational name from a place named with this word, in the provinces of Lugo, Ourense, Pontevedra, Catalonia and Valencia.
CrenshawEnglish The derivation of this surname is from the Old English pre 7th Century "Crawa", a crow, with "sceaga" a grove, thus "Crowswood". The earliest recording of this placename is in the Lancashire Inquests of 1324 and appears as "Croweshagh".
CreusCatalan Means "crosses" in Catalan, the plural of creu. Also compare Spanish Cruces. A famous bearer of this surname is the Spanish footballer Xavi Hernández Creus (1980-).
CubaPortuguese, Asturian-Leonese, Galician, Spanish habitational name from any of the places in Portugal (in the provinces of Alentejo and Beira Baixa) or Spain (in Aragon, Asturies, and Galicia) named Cuba, from cuba ‘barrel’ (from Latin cupa)... [more]
CullimoreEnglish (Rare) Apparently a habitational name from an unidentified place. There is a place called Colleymore Farm in Oxfordshire, but it is not clear whether this is the source of the surname, with its many variant spellings
CyganPolish Ethnic name or nickname from a word meaning ‘gypsy’, ‘Romany’.Altered spelling of eastern German Zigan, from Hungarian cigány ‘gypsy’.
CypressEnglish Translation of German Zypress, a topographic name for someone living near a cypress tree or a habitational name for someone living at a house distinguished by the sign of a cypress, Middle High German zipres(se) (from Italian cipressa, Latin cupressus), or possibly of any of various Greek family names derived from kyparissos ‘cypress’, as for example Kyparissis, Kyparissos, Kyparissiadis, etc.
CyprianEnglish Possibly an altered spelling of French Cyprien, from a medieval personal name, from Latin Cyprianus (originally an ethnic name for an inhabitant of Cyprus), or a shortened form of Greek Kyprianos, Kyprianis, Kyprianidis, ethnic names for an inhabitant of Cyprus (Greek Kypros), or patronymics from the personal name Kyprianos (of the same derivation)... [more]
DameronFrench Nickname for a foppish or effeminate young man, Old French dameron, a derivative of Latin dominus "lord", "master" plus two diminutive endings suggestive of weakness or childishness.
DaneseItalian Ethnic name for a Dane, or from the personal name Danese, which was introduced to and popularized in medieval Italy through French Carolingian literature, notably the epics Chanson de Roland and Ogier de Denemarche.
DanforthEnglish Probably a habitational name, perhaps from Darnford in Suffolk, Great Durnford in Wiltshire, or Dernford Farm in Sawston, Cambridgeshire, all named from Old English dierne ‘hidden’ + ford ‘ford’.
DaniGujarati, Sanskrit Indian (Gujarat): Hindu Vania name, from the Sanskrit epithet dani ‘liberal in giving’.
DänzerGerman Occupational name for a professional acrobat or entertainer; variant of Tanzer.
ĐàoVietnamese Vietnamese form of Tao, from Sino-Vietnamese 陶 (đào).
DaysWelsh Patronymic from the personal name Dai, a pet form of Dafydd, with the redundant addition of the English patronymic suffix -s.
DeadyIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Déadaigh ‘descendant of Déadach’, a personal name apparently meaning ‘toothy’.
DenverEnglish English surname, composed of the Old English elements Dene "Dane" and fær "passage, crossing," hence "Dane crossing."
DerianArmenian Patronymic from classical Armenian tēr meaning ‘lord’.
DickensheetsEnglish (American) Americanized spelling of German Dickenscheid, a habitational name from a place named Dickenschied in the Hunsrück region. The place name is from Middle High German dicke ‘thicket’, ‘woods’ + -scheid (often schied) ‘border area’ (i.e. ridge, watershed), ‘settler’s piece of cleared (wood)land’.
DiệpVietnamese Vietnamese form of Ye, from Sino-Vietnamese 葉 (diệp).
DinnEnglish From a short form of the personal name Dinis, a variant of Dennis.
DonabedianArmenian Patronymic from classical Armenian tōnapet meaning ‘head of a festival’.
DoschGerman Topographic name for someone living near bushes or brush, from Middle High German doste, toste ‘leafy branch’, or a habitational name from a house with a sign depicting a bush. Also an altered spelling of Dasch.
DragNorwegian (Rare) Habitational name from any of several farms named Drag. The place name is related to Old Norse draga "to pull" (compare modern Norwegian dra with the same meaning) and originally denoted a place where boats were pulled along a river or across an isthmus.
DriverEnglish Occupational name for a driver of horses or oxen attached to a cart or plow, or of loose cattle, from a Middle English agent derivative of Old English drīfan ‘to drive’.
DummittEnglish Habitational name from Dumart-en-Ponthieu in Somme, France.
DuxburyEnglish Habitational name from a place in Lancashire, recorded in the early 13th century as D(e)ukesbiri, from the genitive case of the Old English personal name Deowuc or Duc(c) (both of uncertain origin) + Old English burh ‘fort’ (see Burke).
DwigginsIrish Anglicized form (with English genitive -s) of Gaelic Ó Dubhagáin (see Dugan) or, more likely, of Ó Duibhginn (see Deegan).Possibly a variant (by misdivision) of English Wiggins.
EgglestonEnglish Habitational name from a place in County Durham so called, or from Egglestone in North Yorkshire, both named in Old English as Egleston, probably from the Old English personal name Ecgel (unattested) + tūn ‘settlement’, ‘farmstead’.
EgnerGerman From a Germanic personal name formed with the element agi ‘point (of a sword)’.
EgnerNorwegian (Rare) From the name of a farm in Norway, of unknown origin. A known bearer was Norwegian playwright Thorbjørn Egner (1912-1990).
EkernNorwegian (Rare) From Old Norse ekra "meadow, field". This was the name of a farmstead in Norway.
ElanderSwedish Combination of an unexplained first element and the common Swedish surname suffix -ander (originally from Greek aner, andros "man").
ElardoItalian Possibly from a variant of the given name Ilardo, which may be a form of the Germanic name Adalhard (see also Ilardi).
ElenbaasDutch Reinterpretation of Elenbos or Elebaers (see Elbert), or from another Germanic personal name composed of the elements aljaz "other" or agil "point or edge (of a sword)" combined with berht "bright"... [more]
EzkerraBasque Derived from Basque ezker "left-handed, left".
FàbregasCatalan Deriving from any of the places in Barcelona province named Fàbregues, from the plural of Fàbrega. Famous bearer of this surname is Spanish/Catalan footballer Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas Soler.
FieldhouseEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a house in open pasture land. Reaney draws attention to the form de Felhouse (Staffordshire 1332), and suggests that this may have become Fellows.
FinstadNorwegian Means "Finn's farmstead", from the given name Finn 2 and Old Norse staðr "farmstead, dwelling". This was the name of several farms in Norway.
FlowerWelsh Anglicized form of the Welsh personal name Llywarch, of unexplained origin.
FlowerEnglish Occupational name for an arrowsmith, from an agent derivative of Middle English flō ‘arrow’ (Old English flā).
ForrenNorwegian (Rare) Derived form the name of a farmstead in Norway named with a word meaning "hollow, gorge".
GalkinRussian Derived from Russian галка (galka) meaning "jackdaw".
GałkowskiPolish Habitational name for someone from a place called Gałkowo or Gałków, both derived from Polish gałka meaning "knob, handle, lump".
GarateBasque Habitational name from a town called Garate in Basque Country, or a topographic name, possibly from a derivative of Basque gara "height, peak" (garhaite in some dialects).
GauGerman Habitational name from any of various places named with Middle High German gau, göu ‘area of fertile agricultural land’.
GermanEnglish, Norman, German, Jewish, Greek From Old French germain meaning "German". This sometimes denoted an actual immigrant from Germany, but was also used to refer to a person who had trade or other connections with German-speaking lands... [more]
GodaHungarian From the old Hungarian secular personal name Goda, probably from a short form of Godimir, Godislav, or some other Slavic name.
GödelGerman From an Old German personal name, Godilo, Godila.German (Gödel): from a pet form of a compound personal name beginning with the element god ‘good’ or god, got ‘god’.Variant of Godl or Gödl, South German variants of Gote, from Middle High German got(t)e, gö(t)te ‘godfather’.
GouldingEnglish From the late Old English personal name Golding, which was derived from Golda (or the feminine form Golde) and the patronymic suffix -ing.... [more]
GourkuñvBreton Breton 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.
GowanIrish Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Gobhann ‘descendant of the smith’.
GrabarekPolish Occupational name from a diminutive of Polish grabarz meaning "gravedigger".
GrabeGerman Topographic 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.
HahmGerman Metonymic occupational name for a sealer of weights and measures, from Middle High German hāme ‘(standard) measure’.
HairfieldEnglish Probably a variant of Harefield, a habitational name from a place so named, for example the one Greater London or Harefield in Selling, Kent, which are both apparently named from Old English here ‘army’ + feld ‘open country’.
HalamaPolish, Czech Unflattering nickname meaning ‘big, lumbering fellow’, ‘lout’.
HallmarkEnglish From Middle English halfmark ‘half a mark’, probably a nickname or status name for someone who paid this sum in rent.
HamillScottish Habitational name from Haineville or Henneville in Manche, France, named from the Germanic personal name Hagano + Old French ville "settlement".
HamillEnglish Nickname for a scarred or maimed person, from Middle English, Old English hamel "mutilated", "crooked".
HamillIrish According to MacLysaght, a shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÁdhmaill "descendant of Ádhmall", which he derives from ádhmall "active".
HanafinIrish Shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hAinbhthín (modernized as Ó hAinifín) ‘descendant of Ainbhthín’, a personal name derived from ainbhíoth ‘non-peace’, ‘storm’.
HannamEnglish Habitational name from a place called Hanham in Gloucestershire, which was originally Old English Hānum, dative plural of hān ‘rock’, hence ‘(place) at the rocks’. The ending -ham is by analogy with other place names with this very common unstressed ending.
HarlinEnglish English surname transferred to forename use, from the Norman French personal name Herluin, meaning "noble friend" or "noble warrior."
HatsuJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 初 (hatsu) meaning "first, start, beginning, initial, new". Notable bearers of this surname is Akiko Hatsu (Japanese manga artist) and a bearer of the first name form is Hatsu Hioki (Japanese wrestler).
HazardEnglish, French Nickname for an inveterate gambler, a crafty person, or a brave or foolhardy man prepared to run risks, from Middle English hasard via Old French hasart "dice game, game of chance", later used metaphorically of other uncertain enterprises... [more]
HegemanDutch Toponymic name derived from Middle Dutch hage "hedge, bush".