ImperialeItalian Derived from Latin imperialis meaning "imperial", either denoting someone of aristocratic lineage or a nickname for a haughty person.
ImperioliItalian Variant spelling of Imperiale. A famous bearer is American actor Michael Imperioli (1966-).
IñárrituBasque Means "between the valleys" or "in the valley", derived from Basque iñar meaning "valley" and ritu meaning "between". The Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu (1963-) is a famous bearer of this name.
İnegöllüTurkish Originally denoted someone from the İnegöl District in the Bursa province of Turkey.
IngogliaItalian Means "belonging to the family of Goglia" in Italian, derived from the prefix in- meaning "belonging to the family of" combined with the name Goglia... [more]
IniestaSpanish Habitational name from places called Iniesta in the province of Cuenca, in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. The Spanish former soccer player Andrés Iniesta (1984-) is a well-known bearer of this surname.
İnönüTurkish From the name of a town and district in northwestern Turkey. This was the surname of the Turkish army commander, president and prime minister İsmet İnönü (1884-1973). The surname was bestowed upon him by the country's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in honour of his services during the First and Second Battles of İnönü near the town in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922 (part of the Turkish War of Independence).
İstanbulluTurkish Originally indicated an inhabitant of the city of Istanbul in Turkey, literally meaning "Istanbulite, person from Istanbul" in Turkish.
JanneyEnglish Derived from a diminutive of the Medieval English given name Jan 3. A famous bearer is American actress Allison Janney (1959-).
JardinFrench, English Derived from Old French jardin meaning "enclosure, garden", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a garden or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked as a gardener.
JongbloedDutch Nickname for a young person, derived from Middle Dutch jonc meaning "young" and bloet meaning "blood". A famous bearer of this surname was the Dutch soccer goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed (1940-2023).
JukesEnglish Either a variant of Duke, or patronymic from a short form of the Medieval Breton given name Iudicael (see Jewell).
KalhorhUrdu, Sindhi Originally a nickname for a person who belonged to the Kalhora clan in Sindh, Pakistan. The clan's name is derived from Sindhi ڪلهوڙو (kalhoro), ultimately from ڪَلھو (kalho) meaning "alone".
KashgariUyghur, Arabic Originally denoted someone who came from the city of Kashgar, located in the Xinjiang region of western China. The city's name is of Persian origin probably meaning "rock mountain".
KasongoCentral African A Congolese surname derived from the town with the same name, located in the Maniema Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
KatsavHebrew Occupational name for a butcher, derived from Hebrew קַצָּב (qatzav) meaning "butcher, purveyor of meat". A famous bearer is former Israeli president Moshe Katsav (1945-), born Musa Qassab.
KatzirHebrew Occupational name derived from Hebrew קָצִיר (qatsiyr) meaning ""harvesting, reaping", ultimately from קָצַר (qatsar). A famous bearer was the Israeli president and scientist Ephraim Katzir (1916-2009), born Efraim Katchalski.
KempesGerman, Dutch German and Dutch variant of Kemp or Kamp. It could also be a habitational name for a person from any of the various places named Kempen on the border between Germany and the Netherlands (for example the town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the Dutch border), a status name for a peasant farmer or serf, or an occupational name for an official calibrator who marked the correct weight and measures for verification, derived from Middle Low German kempen... [more]
KerouacFrench (Quebec) Variant form of Kirouac. This name was borne by the American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), who was a pioneer of the Beat Generation, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.
KerslakeEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream where cress grew, derived from Old English cærse meaning "watercress" and lacu meaning "stream".
KevilleEnglish Denoted someone from Keevil (recorded in the Domesday book as Chivele), a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, probably derived from Old English c¯f meaning "hollow" and leah meaning "woodland clearing".
KhameneiPersian Originally 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.
KhaskheliUrdu, Sindhi Referred 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"... [more]
KhomeiniPersian Originally 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... [more]
KieslerGerman Topographic 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".
KimmelGerman, Jewish Derived from Middle High German kumin and German kümmel meaning "caraway" (related to Latin cuminum, a word of Oriental origin, like the plant itself), hence a metonymic occupational name for a spicer, literally a supplier of caraway seeds... [more]
KinderknechtGerman Occupational name for a servant in charge of the children at a manor, derived from kinder (plural of kind) meaning "child" and knecht meaning "servant".
KingsburyEnglish Habitational surname derived from several places in England with the same name, for example in northwest London (formerly Middlesex), Somerset, and Warwickshire. These are mostly named in Old English as cyninges burh meaning "the king’s stronghold", but the last mentioned is cynesburh meaning "stronghold of Cyne" (cyne is a short form of any of various compound names with cyne- meaning "royal" as the first element).
KingsmoreEnglish Derived from several places named Kingsmoor or King’s Moor, in Somerset, Sussex, and Essex, England.
KirouacFrench (Quebec) From an unidentified place name in Brittany, France, derived from Breton kaer, caer, ker meaning "fortified settlement" and an unknown given name.
KitchenerEnglish Variant spelling of Kitchen. A notable bearer was the Anglo-Irish senior British Army officer and colonial administrator Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850-1916).
KitumainiCentral African, Swahili Means "little hope" in Swahili, a diminutive of tumaini meaning simply "hope". It is mostly found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
KlappGerman Nickname for a gossip or a slanderer, derived from Middle High German klapf, klaff meaning "prattle, malicious gossip".
KlingemannGerman Occupational surname for a knife maker, literally meaning "knife maker, weapons smith". It is derived from German klinge meaning "blade".
KlobučarSlovene, Croatian, Serbian Occupational name derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene klobučar meaning "hatter" (a derivative of klobuk meaning "hat"), originally indicating a person who made, sold or repaired hats.
KloosterboerDutch Occupational name derived from Dutch klooster meaning "monastery, convent, cloister" and boer meaning "peasant, farmer".
KloseGerman, Silesian From a Silesian short form of the given name Nikolaus. A notable bearer is the German former soccer player Miroslav Klose (1978-).
KluivertDutch, Dutch (Surinamese) Nickname perhaps related to Dutch kluiven meaning "to gnaw, to bite, to nibble". A notable bearer is Dutch former soccer player Patrick Kluivert (1976-).
KocabıyıkTurkish From Turkish koca "large" and bıyık "moustache".
KordestaniKurdish Originally indicated a person from the Kurdistan province (also known as the Kordestan province) in Iran.
KorutürkTurkish Means "protector of the Turks", derived from the Turkish verb korumak "to protect". This name was acquired by Turkish president Fahri Korutürk (1903-1987). It was given to him by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey (the verb korumak refers to Atatürk's expectation of Korutürk to preserve his legacy).
KrumbachGerman, German (Austrian) From the name of various places in Austria and Germany, for example the town of Krumbach in the state of Bavaria.
KrumreihnGerman Possibly derived from Middle High German krum(b) meaning "crooked" and rein meaning "border of a field, margin", and hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a field with a crooked edge, or perhaps a nickname for a farmer who plowed a crooked furrow... [more]
KubíčekmCzech Czech double diminutive of the given name Kuba (itself a diminutive of Jakub).
KubitschekGerman Germanized form of Kubíček. This name was borne by Juscelino Kubitschek (1902-1976), the Brazilian president who founded the city of Brasília in 1960, replacing Rio de Janeiro as the capital city of Brazil... [more]
KuijtDutch Occupational name for a brewer of beer, derived from Dutch kuit, koyt literally meaning "beer". A famous bearer of this name is retired Dutch soccer player Dirk Kuijt (1980-), also known as Dirk Kuyt.
KurylenkoUkrainian Possibly from Ukrainian курити (kuryty), meaning "to smoke". A famous bearer is Ukrainian-French actress and model Olga Kurylenko (1979-).
LaBrieFrench Referred to a person who came from various places named Brie in France, for example Brie-sous-Matha, a commune in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France.
LaemmleGerman, Jewish Variant spelling of Lämmle. A famous bearer was the German-American film producer Carl Laemmle (1867-1939).
LaffeyIrish Reduced anglicisation of Gaelic Ó Laithimh, itself derived from the earlier form Ó Flaithimh, ultimately from flaitheamh meaning "ruler". It could also be a variant of Leahy.
LafrenièreFrench Topographic name derived from French frenière meaning "place of ash trees". It is often Americanised as Freeman.
LahoudArabic (Mashriqi) Means either "one who stands alone" or "one and only" in Aramaic, given in reference to Jesus Christ. This is the surname of a Lebanese Christian family prominent in Maronite politics. One of the family members, Émile Lahoud (1936-), became the eleventh President of Lebanon.
LämmleGerman, Jewish Derived from German lamm meaning "lamb", a nickname for a meek and inoffensive person or a shepherd.
LampardEnglish Derived from the given name Lambert. A famous bearer of this surname is the retired English soccer player Frank Lampard (1978-).
LanierFrench, English Occupational name designating one who worked in the wool trade (see Lane 2), derived from Old French lanier (ultimately from laine) meaning "wool", or for a keeper of donkeys, from Old French asnier literally "donkey keeper, donkey driver"... [more]
LardinoisFrench Originally denoted a person from the Ardennes, a forest-covered region situated in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. A notable bearer of this name was the Dutch politician and diplomat Pierre Lardinois (1924-1987).
LaudrupDanish Possibly from the name of homesteads in Denmark, most likely derived from Old Norse laut meaning "barn", combined with the Danish suffix -drup (itself from Old Norse thorp) meaning "outlying farmstead, village, settlement"... [more]
LeatherEnglish, Scottish A metonymic occupational name for a leatherworker or seller of leather goods, and derived from Middle English and Old English lether meaning "leather".
LeBoeufFrench Nickname for a powerfully built man, derived from French boeuf meaning "bull", with the definite article le. In some cases it may have been originally a metonymic occupational name for a herdsman.
LemassFrench, Irish Meaning uncertain. It may be derived from Old French maistre meaning "master", ultimately from Latin magister (see Masterson). Another theory holds that it comes from Irish Gaelic Laighmheasa, a given name meaning "dispatch"... [more]
LieberknechtGerman A compound name where lieber is derived from the given name Liebert and kneckt is an occupational surname for a journeyman, derived from the Middle Low German knecht meaning "knight’s assistant, servant".
LiebermannGerman, Jewish Derived from German lieb or Yiddish lib meaning "dear, beloved". Many Liebermann families originally spelled the name in Hebrew or Cyrillic characters, so variations in the spelling occurred during transliteration to the Latin alphabet.
LieblingGerman, Yiddish, Jewish Derived from German lieb meaning "dear, beloved" or German liebling meaning "darling".
LieshoutDutch Originally indicated a person from the village of Lieshout in the province of North-Brabant, Netherlands. It is possibly derived from either Dutch lies meaning "great manna grass" (a grasslike plant that grows near riverbanks and ponds) or Middle Dutch lese meaning "track, furrow", combined with hout meaning "forest".
LimbachGerman Derived from any of numerous places in Germany named with Germanic lindo meaning "lime tree" and bach meaning "stream". Several of these places are in areas such as the Palatinate, which contributed heavily to early German immigration to the United States.
LindenbergGerman, Jewish, Dutch As a German and Jewish name, it is derived from any of numerous places called Lindenberg in Germany, composed of Middle High German linde meaning "lime tree" and berg meaning "mountain, hill"... [more]
LindenmeyerGerman Habitational name for the tenant of a farm identified by a lime tree, derived from Middle High German linde meaning "lime tree" and meier meaning "tenant farmer".
LinekerEnglish From a place name composed of Old English lin meaning "flax" and æcer meaning "field". A famous bearer is retired English soccer player Gary Lineker (1960-).
LiottaItalian Variant form of Leotta. A famous bearer was American actor Ray Liotta (1954-2022).
LitmanenFinnish Derived from Finnish litma meaning "water slime". This name is borne by retired Finnish soccer star Jari Litmanen (1971-).
LjungbergSwedish Combination of Swedish ljung "heather" and berg "mountain".
LlapashticaKosovar, Albanian, Serbian Derived from the name of Kosovan villages named Llapashticë e Poshtme or Llapashticë e Epërme. It could also denote a person from Serbian villages called Donja Lapaštica or Gornja Lapaštica.
LochheadScottish Topographic name for someone who lived at the head of a loch, derived from Scottish Gaelic ceann meaning "head (land)" and loch meaning "loch".
LöfflerGerman Derived from German löffel, it denotes a person who produces or trades spoons.
LombardFrench, English, South African French and English cognate of Lombardi, or derived from the given name Lambert. A famous bearer of this name was the American actress Carole Lombard (1908-1942), born Jane Alice Peters.
LouisvilleEnglish From the name of the largest city of Louisville in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The city was named for the 18th-century King Louis XVI of France, whose soldiers were then aiding Americans in the Revolutionary War.
LovitzJewish From the Polish name of Łowicz, a town in central Poland. Its name is derived from Polish lowisko meaning "fishing, hunting". A well-known bearer is American comedian and actor Jon Lovitz (1957-).
LubarskyUkrainian, Lithuanian, Jewish Habitational name for someone from Liubar, an urban-type settlement in the Zhytomyr Oblast of Ukraine, or Lubarka, an unknown place in Lithuania.
LuccheseItalian Denoted someone from Lucca, a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy.
LuquetteFrench (Quebec) Canadian spelling of French Luquet, derived from a pet form of the given name Luc. It is also a variant of French Loquet, a metonymic occupational name for a locksmith.
MacDowellScottish, Irish Variant of McDowell. A famous bearer is American actress Andie MacDowell (1958-). Another was the American composer and pianist Edward MacDowell (1860-1908).
MacFadyenScottish, Irish Variant of Mcfadden. Famous bearers include English actor Matthew Macfadyen (1974-) and Scottish actor Angus Macfadyen (1963-).
MacriItalian Italian variant of Magro. It could also be a southern Italian nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall, derived from Greek μακρύς (makrýs) literally meaning "long, tall" (see Makris)... [more]
Mac UighilínIrish, Scottish Means "son of Hugelin". the surname was allegedly adopted by the de Mandevilles, a Cambro-Norman family that had conquered an area of north Antrim, a county in Northern Ireland... [more]
MagnumEnglish Possibly derived from the given name Magnus. It is borne by the fictional character Thomas Magnum, the protagonist on the American television series Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988).
MaidmentEnglish Occupational name for a servant of maidens (such as nuns), from Middle English maiden (ultimately from Old English mægden) meaning "young girl, virgin, maiden" and man ending with an excrescent -t.
MalenkovRussian Patronymic derived from Russian маленький (malen'kiy) meaning "little, small". The Soviet leader Georgy Malenkov (1902-1988) was a notable bearer of this name.
MalmstenSwedish Ornamental name derived from Swedish malm meaning "ore" and sten (Old Norse steinn) meaning "stone".
MalthouseEnglish Occupational name for a maker of malt or a malt merchant. It could also be a topographic name for a person who lived at a malt house.
ManeraItalian Either a habitational name from any of two places called Manera in the Italian provinces of Cuneo and Como, a nickname and perhaps a metonymic occupational name (from the dialect word manèra meaning "executioner's axe, cleaver" or from Italian manero "well-behaved, skilled"), or derived from the given name Mainiero (ultimately from Frankish Maginhari, composed of the Ancient Germanic elements magin "strength, might" and hari, heri "army").
ManhattanEnglish From the name of the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City, in the U.S. state of New York. Derived from the Munsee Lenape language term manaháhtaan (where manah- means "gather", -aht- means "bow" and -aan is an abstract element used to form verb stems), meaning "the place where we get bows" or "place for gathering the (wood to make) bows"... [more]
MannerheimFinland Swedish (Rare) Swedification of the German surname Marhein. A famous bearer was Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867-1951), a Finnish military leader, statesman and the 6th President of Finland... [more]
MarklandEnglish From Old English mearc meaning "boundary" and lanu meaning "lane", it is a habitational name from a place in the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. It can also be a topographic name for someone who lived by a stretch of border or boundary land, or a status name for someone who held land with an annual value of one mark.
MarlboroughEnglish From the name of the market town and civil parish of Marlborough in Wiltshire, England, derived from the Old English given name Mǣrla and beorg meaning "hill, mound".
MarslandEnglish Probably derived from some place named as being a boggy place, from Old English mersc meaning "marsh" and land meaning "land". Alternatively, it may be a variant of Markland.
MarwoodEnglish From the name of two places named Marwood in England, or a nickname for a person who "casts an evil eye", derived from Norman French malreward meaning "evil eye, glance".
MascheranoItalian Occupational name for maker of masks, derived from Italian mascherare meaning "to mask". The Argentine former soccer player Javier Mascherano (1984-) is a famous bearer of this name.
MasopustmCzech From a Czech nickname meaning "carnival", originally given to a festive person. A famous bearer was the Czech soccer player Josef Masopust (1931-2015).
MastenbroekDutch Originally indicated a person from the polder area of Mastenbroek in the Dutch province of Overijssel, as well as a small village built around a church in the middle of that polder area. The place names derive from Middle Dutch mast meaning "pole, mast" or "pig feed, fodder" combined with broek meaning "marsh, wetland".
MastrantonioItalian From the Italian title mastro meaning "master craftsman", combined with the given name Antonio. A famous bearer is American actress and singer Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (1958-).
MatthauGerman Derived from the given name Matthias. This name was borne by the American actor Walter Matthau (1920-2000).
M'balaCentral African Derived from the given name Mbala. This surname is borne by French comedian, actor and political activist Dieudonné M'bala M'bala (1966-).
McVeighScottish, Irish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Bheatha or Mac an Bheatha, themselves derived from Gaelic Mac Beatha meaning "son of life" (see MacBeth).
MeesterDutch, Flemish, German Occupational name for a teacher, lecturer or a master craftsman, or a nickname for someone who had a bossy demeanor, derived from Dutch meester meaning "master". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actress, singer and model Leighton Meester (1986-).
MehrabaniPersian Originally denoted someone who came from the city of Mehraban, located in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.
MertesackerGerman Means "Merten's field" in German, derived from the given name Merten and Middle High German acker meaning "field". A famous bearer is the retired German soccer player Per Mertesacker (1984-).
MessingGerman, Jewish Derived from Middle High German messinc meaning "brass", referring to a person who makes or repairs brass objects. A famous bearer is American actress Debra Messing (1968-).
MeutstegeDutch Possibly from Dutch meute meaning "pack, crowd" and steeg meaning "alleyway, lane, narrow path". Dutch former soccer player Wim Meutstege (1952-) bears this name.
MidlerEnglish Nickname for a person who causes trouble or meddles in the affairs of others, derived from Middle English medeler meaning "meddler, troublemaker, one who interferes". This name is borne by the American singer, actress and comedienne Bette Midler (1945-).
MilkovićSerbian, Croatian Patronymic derived from the given name Milko, itself a diminutive of Slavic names containing the element milu meaning "gracious, dear".
ModrićCroatian Derived from Croatian mȍdar meaning "blue", most likely used to refer to a person who wore blue clothes. It can also be a habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Modrić, Modrič, Modrići, Modrića, Modruš or Modřice in Croatia... [more]
MondriaanDutch Meaning uncertain. It is a variant of the surname Mondriaal, which could possibly be a Dutch cognate of Monreal, meaning "royal mountain". This was the real surname of the Dutch-American painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944).
MondrianDutch Variant of Mondriaan. A notable bearer was the Dutch-American abstract painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan Jr. (He changed his name in 1912, dropping the extra a from his surname).
MonteithScottish From the name of the district of Menteith in south Perthshire, Scotland, derived from Gaelic monadh meaning "hill pasture" combined with the Scottish river name Teith. A famous bearer was the Canadian actor and musician Cory Monteith (1982-2013), who played Finn Hudson on the American television series Glee (2009-2015).
MontpelierEnglish, French English and French variant of Montpellier. This is the name of several places in the United States, for example the capital city of the state of Vermont, which was named after the French city of Montpellier.
MontpellierFrench Means "woad mountain", derived from French mont (itself from Latin mōns) meaning "mountain" and pastel (Latin pastellus, pestellus) meaning "woad, dye", referring to someone who lived near a mountain that was covered with woad (a plant that produces a blue dye)... [more]
MoreyIrish, English Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Mórdha, and in English (of Norman origin), derived from the Old French given name Mory, a short form of Amaury (see Emery).
MosaddeghPersian Nickname derived from Persian مصدق (mosaddeğ) meaning "approved, reliable, certified, attested, verified", ultimately from Arabic مُصَدِّق (muṣaddiq). It was borne by the politician, author and lawyer Mohammad Mosaddegh (1882-1967), who was Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 until his democratic government was overthrown in a coup d'état in 1953.
MoultonEnglish Derived from various places with the same name, for example in the counties of Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Suffolk and North Yorkshire in England. It is either derived from the Old English given name Mūla, the Old Norse name Múli or Old English mūl meaning "mule" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
MountstuartEnglish Possibly derived from the mountain in the Cascade Range, in the state of Washington, United States.
MuirheadScottish Derived from many places in southern Scotland with the same name, from northern Middle English muir meaning "moor" and heid meaning "head, end".
MüllerleileGerman Derived from Middle High German mülnære, müller meaning "miller" (see Müller), and the German given names Lawlin, Lauwelin and Lawelin, medieval diminutives of Nikolaus.
MultatuliDutch From the Latin phrase multa tulī meaning "I have suffered much" or "I have borne much". This was the pen name of the Dutch writer Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820-1887), who wrote Max Havelaar, which denounced the abuses of colonialism in the Dutch East Indies, now called Indonesia... [more]