ArlenAmerican Of uncertain origin. Possibly a form of the German name Erlen or a Gaelic name meaning "pledge" or "oath".
ArlingtonEnglish Location name that refers to a settlement associated with a personal name reduced to Arl- plus the Anglo-Saxon patronymic element -ing- then the element -ton denoting a "settlement"... [more]
AsburyEnglish English location name with the elements as- meaning "east" or "ash tree" and -bury meaning "fortified settlement."
BaddeleyEnglish From place names in both Suffolk and Staffordshire derived from an Old English personal name, 'Badda,' possibly meaning "battle" and lee or leah for a "woodland clearing," therefore meaning someone from "Badda's woodland clearing."
BedfordEnglish From the English county Bedfordshire and its principal city or from a small community in Lancashire with the same name. The name comes from the Old English personal name Beda, a form of the name Bede and the location element -ford meaning "a crossing at a waterway." Therefore the name indicates a water crossing once associated with a bearer of the medieval name.
BenedictEnglish Of Latin origin. Due to an early association as a saint's name and a papal name, often said to mean "blessed." Originally the Latin elements are 'bene-' meaning "good" or as an adverb "well" plus '-dict,' meaning "spoken." Thus, the literal meaning is "well spoken." ... [more]
BookeAmerican American variant of the German name Buche meaning "beech" in reference to the beech tree. Notable bearer is the actor Sorrell Booke (1930-1994).
BootsEnglish, Dutch, German A variant of Boot meaning "shoemaker" in English or "boatman" in Dutch or German.
BucheGerman Meaning "beech" and denoting someone who lived near beech trees.
BurlEnglish Old English occupational name originally meaning "cup bearer" or "butler" for one who dispensed wine and had charge of the cellar. Eventually the name came to mean the chief servant of a royal or noble household and was replaced by the French language inspired named 'Butler,' akin to the world "bottler".
BurleyEnglish English habitation name from the elements burh meaning "stronghold or fortified settlement" and leah meaning "field or clearing".
BurneyEnglish, Irish Form of the French place name of 'Bernay' or adapted from the personal name Bjorn, ultimately meaning "bear".
ByronEnglish An English place name, earlier Byram, from byre, meaning "farm" and the suffix -ham meaning "homestead". Famously borne by the aristocratic poet, Lord Byron.
CabellCatalan, English, German As a Catalan name, a nickname for "bald" from the Spanish word cabello. The English name, found primarily in Norfolk and Devon, is occupational for a "maker or seller of nautical rope" that comes from a Norman French word... [more]
CarnellEnglish A crossbowman or archer who protected castles and fortresses.
CarvilleFrench, Irish As a French location name it comes from a settlement in Normandy. As an Irish name it derives from a word for "warrior".
CaveNorman, French, English A name of various possible origins. As a Norman French name Cave can mean "bald" from cauf or it can mean "worker in a wine cellar" or "one who dwelt in or near a cave". As an English name Cave refers to a Yorkshire river whose fast current inspired the name meaning "swift".
ChaucerEnglish Meaning a "worker who makes leggings or breeches". Notable bearer is author Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), most well known for his classic 'The Canterbury Tales'.
ChaunceyAmerican Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Norman French habitation names Chancé or an American adaptation of a German place name of Schanze located on the Upper Rhine. Could also be a short form of Chancellor.
ChryslerGerman, Jewish From a German name referring to spinning or related to a Yiddish word, krayzl meaning "spinning top." The name can refer to a potter who spun a wheel to make utensils or to a person with curly hair or someone known for being continually active... [more]
CleaveEnglish From an English topographical name meaning "cliff".
ClellandScots, Irish Scottish and Irish topographical name meaning "clay land".
ColleyEnglish With variant Coley, can mean "dark" or "blackbird" or it can be a nickname for Nicholas. Colley was used as a surname for generations of students from the same family taught by a teacher over many years in James Hilton's sentimental novel "Goodbye, Mr... [more]
CollisEnglish A variant of Collins, itself a patronymic of given names Collin or Colin, both ultimately nicknames for Nicholas.
ColonelAmerican From a French word for a military rank of an officer who led a column of regimental soldiers. Could be a nickname for someone with a military bearing or demeanor.
CooterEnglish A Sussex, England surname of uncertain meaning. Could be a local pronunciation of Cotter, meaning "cottage dweller" for a serf in the feudal system allowed to live in a cottage in exchange for labor on the cottage owner's estate.
CurrierEnglish Occupational surname meaning "a worker who prepared leather".
DardenEnglish A habitation name in Northumberland of uncertain origin.
DefordFrench Variant of Dufort meaning "son of the strong" from French de-, "of" and fort, "strong". Notable namesake is author Frank Deford.
DewolfDutch A nickname for one identified with the animal or from a place noted for a sign showing a picture of a wolf. Signs with easily understood pictographs communicated the names of locations in preliterate Europe.
DoakScots A Scots Gaelic name said to be either an Anglicized version of Dabhóc that is a pet form of the given name David or a pet form of the given name Caradoc.
DoeEnglish An English nickname for a gentle person from the word for a female deer. Originally a female first name transferred to use as a surname. Well known in American law as a hypothetical surname for a person unnamed in legal proceedings, as in Jane Doe or John Doe.
DozierFrench Meaning "lives near willow trees" or possibly someone who made goods, such as baskets, from willow wood.
EisenhauerGerman Occupational name meaning "iron cutter" where Eisen- means "iron" and -hauer means "hewer". The verb 'hew' being less well used in English than in earlier times, but still understood to mean cut, such as in hewing tree limbs... [more]
EldonEnglish Habitation name from the Old English personal name Ella- and -don from dun meaning "hill."
ElichGerman, American Surname meaning "noble" from edelik or edelich. Notable bearer is professional ice hockey player Matt Elich.
EwellEnglish Habitation name from the town of Ewell in Surrey or from Temple Ewell or Ewell Manor, both in Kent or Ewell Minnis near Dover. Originally from Old English Aewill meaning "river source" or "spring".
EzellAmerican Of uncertain origin. The name is found primarily in the southeastern United States, possibly as a variation of Israel or a form of Ezekiel.
FeltonEnglish A habitation name composed of the elements feld-, meaning "field or pasture" and -tun, meaning "settlement."
FirmanEnglish, French From a medieval personal name meaning "firm, resolute, strong man." Borne by early saints and bishops. First name variants Firman and Firmin... [more]
GerryEnglish Diminutive of names containing ger, meaning "spear".
GorhamEnglish A name originating from Kent, England believed to come from the elements gara and ham meaning "from a triangular shaped homestead." Compare Gore.
HarwoodEnglish, Scots Habitation name found especially along the border areas of England and Scotland, from the Old English elements har meaning "gray" or hara referring to the animals called "hares" plus wudu for "wood"... [more]
HenceGerman, English, Welsh An American spelling variant of Hentz derived from a German nickname for Hans or Heinrich or from an English habitation name found in Staffordshire or Shropshire and meaning "road or path" in Welsh.
HoaglandAmerican American form of Scandinavian topographical surnames, such as Swedish Högland or Norwegian Haugland, both essentially meaning "high land".
HollingEnglish Location name for someone who lived near holly trees.
HootDutch, German The Dutch form is a habitation name for someone who lived in the hout or "woods" while the German form hoth is from an occupational name for a maker of hats.
HoytEnglish Generally a topographical name for someone who lived on a hill or other high ground. As such Hoyt is related to words such as heights or high. Hoyt is also possibly a nickname for a tall, thin person where the original meaning is said to be "long stick".
IshamEnglish The name of a village in Northamptonshire, England from the Celtic name of a local river Ise and the Anglo-Saxon term for a small settlement or homestead -ham.
KirkmanEnglish A name originally found in both Scotland and England. From Kirk- meaning "church" and -man for someone who lived near or worked at a church.
KixEnglish (Rare) Location name from one of two rivers in West Yorkshire called Kex.
LascellesFrench French location name from Lacelle in Orne, northern France and referring to "small rooms or cells inhabited by monks".
LeamonEnglish From an Old English word leof related to love and in this case meaning "beloved" plus the word man.
LooneyIrish From the Irish name O'Luanaigh, "descendant of Luanach," a personal name meaning warrior.
MacgintyIrish Patronymic surname from the original Irish Gaelic form 'mac an tsaoi' meaning "son of the scholar". Notable namesake is Irish rugby player AlanLeon "AJ" MacGinty.
ManfordEnglish Place name for "Munda's ford" from an Old English personal name Munda, the same element in the second syllable of Edmund and ford meaning a waterway crossing.
OkeyEnglish Location name meaning "lives near oak trees".
OlinEnglish, Dutch English or Dutch name meaning either "from a low lying area" or from the word Hollander meaning "one from the Netherlands" a country well known for a low lying landscape.
OrbisonEnglish From a village in Lincolnshire, England originally called Orby and later Orreby that is derived from a Scandinavian personal name Orri- and the Scandinavian place element -by which means "a farmstead or small settlement."
OrleyDutch, Flemish, English A surname of uncertain origin found among the Dutch, Flemish and English. In England the name is primarily found in Yorkshire and Devon. Orley may be an adapted form of a French name D'Orley or a nickname for Orlando... [more]
ParleyEnglish A place name meaning "pear field" from Old English 'per' with 'lee' or 'lea' meaning a field or clearing, perhaps where land was cleared to cultivate pear trees. Therefore this name denotes someone who lived near or worked at such a location or came from a habitation associated with the name... [more]
ParmleyEnglish Variant of Parley. This form is found more in northern England, specifically Cumberland and Durham, but is of like derivation.
PinchotAmerican Of unknown origin. Historically, borne most famously by Gifford Pinchot (1865 - 1946) first Chief of the United States Forest Service.
PressEnglish, Jewish A nickname for a pious individual from the Middle English form of "priest" or possibly someone employed by a priest. In the Jewish sense, one whose occupation was to iron clothes.
RaleighEnglish English habitation name in Devon meaning "red woodland clearing".
RayfordAmerican From a Germanic personal name with the elements ric- meaning "powerful" and -frid meaning "peace".
ReddenEnglish Location name meaning "clearing or cleared woodland." Communities called Redden include one in Roxburghshire, Scotland and another in Somerset, England. A notable bearer is actor Billy Redden who played the dueling banjoist Lonnie in the 1972 film 'Deliverance.'
ScaggsEnglish Variant of Skaggs both of English origin and unknown meaning. Famous bearer is singer Boz Scaggs (1944-) of the SteveMiller Band and the band Toto.
SelmerGerman Teutonic name meaning "hall master" for a steward or keeper of a large home or settlement.
SkaggsEnglish English name of unknown meaning occurring mainly in Hertfordshire. A noted bearer is American country music artist Ricky Skaggs (1954-).
SlimEnglish A characteristic name for someone noted for being thin.
SmileyScots, English From elements small and lea meaning "a small clearing" or as a nickname may refer to a person of happy disposition known for smiling.
ThainScots, English Occupational surname meaning a nobleman who served as an attendant to royals or who was awarded land by a king.
ThaneScots, English Occupational surname meaning a nobleman who served as an attendant to royals or who was awarded land by a king. Variant of Thain.
TwainAmerican Most famously borne in the pen name of American author and one time Mississippi riverboat pilot Mark Twain (1835-1910), whose real name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens... [more]
VandykeDutch Topographic name for someone living near a dyke or levee. Dykes are common structures for keeping lands dry in the low lying Netherlands. ... [more]
VassarFrench, English Name indicating the status of "a vassal or serf" in feudal society.
VerneFrench, English As a French surname refers to someone who lived where alder trees grew. While the English version can mean someone who lived where ferns grew, Verne can also mean a seller of ferns which in medieval times were used in bedding, as floor coverings and as animal feed.
WadsworthEnglish Location name from Yorkshire meaning "Wæddi's enclosure or settlement" with Wæddi being an old English personal name of unknown meaning plus the location element -worth. Notable bearer is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) for whom the middle name was his mother's maiden name.
WilburnEnglish A habitation name of uncertain origin found in the East Midlands. Speculation includes the possibility of the meaning "well" and "burn, borne" therefore meaning one who lived near a well or spring by a waterway crossing.
WinfordEnglish English location name meaning "from a white ford or water crossing" or "from a meadow ford".
WolkGerman, American Surname derived from a northern German short form of the given name Walter.
WoodnutEnglish From a rare Anglo-Saxon personal name meaning "bold as Wade" and meant to honor the legendary Germanic sea-giant named Wade.
WoodsonEnglish From a location in Yorkshire, England earlier spelled Woodsome and meaning "from the houses in the wood" or possibly a patronymic meaning "descendant of a wood cutter or forester."