Browse Submitted Surnames

Munn Scottish, English
Variant form of McMunn. In English, it is a nickname or an occupational name for a person who worked for monks, derived from Anglo-Norman French moun meaning "monk" (see Monk).

Musaeva Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Chechen, Avar, Dargin, Lezgin, Kumyk
Feminine transcription of Kyrgyz/Chechen/Avar/Dargin/Lezgin/Kumyk Мусаева and Kazakh Мұсаева (see Musaev).

Musayev Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Chechen, Avar, Dargin, Lezgin, Kumyk, Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Kyrgyz/Chechen/Avar/Dargin/Lezgin/Kumyk Мусаев and Kazakh Мұсаев (see Musaev).

Musayeva Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Chechen, Avar, Dargin, Lezgin, Kumyk
Feminine transcription of Kyrgyz/Chechen/Avar/Dargin/Lezgin/Kumyk Мусаева and Kazakh Мұсаева (see Musayev).

Mussard French
French cognate of Mussett.

Mussert Dutch
Dutch cognate of Mussett. This name was borne by the infamous Nazi politician Anton Mussert (1894-1946), the leader of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB) during World War II.

Mussett English
Nickname for a foolish or dreamy person, derived from Middle English musard meaning "absent-minded, stupid", ultimately from Old French musart, musarde meaning "confused".

Muzaffari Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic المظفري (see al-Muzaffari).

Mykhailenko Ukrainian
Alternate transcription of Ukrainian Михайленко (see Mykhaylenko).

Mykhaylychenko Ukrainian
Means "son of Mykhaylo".

Myradov Turkmen
Alternate transcription of Turkmen Мырадов (see Myradow).

Myradova Turkmen
Alternate transcription of Turkmen Мырадова (see Myradowa).

Myradow Turkmen
Means "son of Myrat".

Myradowa Turkmen
Feminine transcription of Turkmen Мырадов (see Myradow).

Nadezhkina Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Надежкин (see Nadezhkin).

Nadyozhkina Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Надёжкин (see Nadyozhkin).

Namkoong Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 남궁 (see Namgung).

Namlıtürk Turkish
Means "famous Turk", derived from Turkish namlı meaning "famous, renowned".

Nannenga Frisian, Dutch, German
Variant of Nanninga.

Nanninga Frisian, Dutch, German
Derived from the given name Nanne, a short form of Germanic names containing the element nand meaning "daring, brave, courage"... [more]

Naqqache Arabic (Mashriqi)
Occupational name meaning "engraver, carver" in Arabic. It is usually found in Lebanon. A famous bearer was the Lebanese president and prime minister Alfred Naqqache (1888-1978), also called Alfred Naccache.

Nassar Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic ناصر, نصير (see Nasser).

Nassau German, Dutch, Jewish
From the name of the town of Nassau in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (formerly the seat of an independent duchy in the 19th century), derived from Old High German naz meaning "damp, wet" and ouwa meaning "water meadow"... [more]

Navon Hebrew
Means "wise, intelligent" in Hebrew. A notable bearer of this surname was Israeli president Yitzhak Navon (1921-2015).

Nawaz Urdu
From the given name Nawaz.

Nazarbayeva Kazakh
Feminine form of Nazarbayev.

Nederhorst Dutch
From the name of the village of Nederhorst den Berg in North Holland, the Netherlands. It means "lower height, lower hill" in Dutch, derived from neder "lower" and horst "overgrown elevated place"... [more]

Neeskens Dutch
Nickname for a nosy person, from Dutch nees meaning "nose, snout". It could also be derived from a Dutch diminutive of the feminine given name Agnes... [more]

Negahban Persian
Means "watchman, guard, sentry, sentinel" in Persian.

Nehru Indian, Hindi
From Sanskrit नहर (nahar, nehar) meaning "canal". This name was borne by Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), the first Prime Minister of India. His earliest recorded ancestor Raj Kaul adopted the name when, upon moving from Kashmir to Delhi, he was granted a jagir (feudal land grant) with a house situated on the banks of a canal... [more]

Neidhardt German
From the Germanic given name Nithart, which is derived from Germanic nit meaning "ambition, hatred" and hard meaning "hardy, brave, strong".

Neidhart German, German (Swiss)
German and Swiss German variant of Neidhardt.

Neuhauser German, German (Austrian)
Means "new house" in German.

Neuteboom Dutch
Variant of Noteboom.

Niedermeier German, German (Austrian)
Occupational name for a farmer who had a farm lower than the neighboring one(s). This surname and its variant spellings are common to Austria and the state of Bavaria in Germany.

Niedfeldt German
Topographic name for a person who lived by a lower area of open land, derived from Middle Low German nider meaning "lower" and feld meaning "open country".

Nietzsche German, German (Silesian)
Derived from a Silesian diminutive of the given name Nikolaus. A notable bearer was Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), a German philosopher.

Nigmatullina Tatar, Bashkir
Feminine form of Nigmatullin.

Nikolopoulos Greek
Means "son of Nikolaos".

Nikolopoulou Greek
Feminine transcription of Greek Νικολόπουλος (see Nikolopoulos).

Nimitz German
Derived from Russian немчин (nemchin) meaning "German", of Slavic origin. This surname was borne by Chester W. Nimitz (1885-1966), a fleet admiral of the United States Navy during World War II.

Niyazova Uzbek, Tajik, Turkmen, Kazakh, Kyrgyz
Feminine transcription of Uzbek/Tajik Ниёзова and Kazakh/Kyrgyz Ниязова (see Niyazov).

Niyazymbetova Kazakh
Feminine form of Niyazymbetov.

Nolte German
From a short form of various medieval given names derived from Germanic given names ending with -n and wald meaning "rule", for example Arnold and Reinwald... [more]

Noonkester German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Nungesser.

Nooteboom Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Noteboom.

Nootenboom Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Noteboom.

Nordquist Swedish
Variant spelling of Nordqvist.

Nordqvist Swedish
Derived from Swedish nord "north" and qvist "twig, branch".

Noteboom Dutch, Flemish
Dutch cognate of Nussbaum.

Notenboom Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Noteboom.

Nottage English
Nickname referring to the nuthatch bird, derived from Middle English notehache meaning "nuthatch".

Novakovich Croatian, Serbian
Anglicised form of Novaković.

Novitskaya Belarusian, Russian, Ukrainian
Feminine transcription of Belarusian Навіцкі, Russian Новицкий and Ukrainian Новицький (see Novitsky).

Novoseltsev Russian

Novoseltseva Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Новосельцев (see Novoseltsev).

Nshimirimana Central African
Means "I thank God" in Burundian.

Nugent English, Irish, French
An English, Irish (of Norman origin) and French habitational surname derived from any of several places in northern France (such as Nogent-sur-Oise), From Latin novientum and apparently an altered form of a Gaulish name meaning "new settlement".

Nunemaker German (Anglicized)
Anglicised spelling of Nonnenmacher.

Nungesser German
Apparently a variant spelling of German Nonnengasse, derived from a street name meaning "nuns, lane". It could also be a variant of Gnugesser, a nickname for a big eater, derived from g(e)nug meaning "enough" and esser meaning "eater" (which derived from essen meaning "to eat")... [more]

Nureyev Russian, Tatar, Bashkir
Alternate transcription of Russian Нуреев and Tatar/Bashkir Нуриев (see Nuriev).

Nureyeva Russian, Tatar, Bashkir
Feminine variant of Nureyev.

Nuriev Tatar, Bashkir
Means "son of Nur".

O'Banion Irish
Variant of O'Bannon.

O'Bannon Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Banáin meaning "descendant of Banán", a given name representing a diminutive of ban meaning "white".

Oehme German
Variant form of Ohme.

Oelkers German, Dutch
Derived from a pet form of Ulrich.

Oesterreich German (Austrian)
Variant transcription of Österreich.

Oestreicher German (Austrian)
Variant spelling of Österreicher.

Offenbach German, Jewish
From the name of the city of Offenbach am Main in Hesse, Germany. A famous bearer was the German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880).

Ogg Scottish
Anglicized form of a nickname from the Gaelic adjective óg meaning "young", used to distinguish the junior of two bearers of the same personal name.

Ogorodnikov Russian
From Russian огородник (ogorodnik) meaning "truck farmer, market gardener".

Ogorodnikova Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Огоро́дников (see Ogorodnikov).

Oktyabrskaya Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Октябрьский (see Oktyabrsky).

Oktyabrsky Russian
Meaning "October" in Russian, it often refers to the October Revolution of November 1917, a coup led by Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) and the Bolshevik Party.

Oldenhave Dutch
From the name of a small village in the province of Drenthe, Holland, composed of Dutch oud and hoeve, meaning "old farm".

Oldroyd English
Derived from Old English euld meaning "old" and royd meaning "clearing".

Olmert Jewish
Possibly from a Germanic given name of uncertain meaning. It could be derived from the Old High German elements ol meaning "ancestor" and mert, a diminutive of merida meaning "fame" or "bright"... [more]

Olyphant English, Scottish
Variant of Oliphant. A famous bearer is American actor Timothy Olyphant (1968-).

O'Meara Irish
Variant of O'mara.

Omtzigt Dutch
Derived from Dutch omzicht meaning "cautious, careful, circumspection", ultimately from the verb omzien meaning "to look around". It may have originated in a Dutch village with several farms named Omzicht, or as a nickname for a cautious person... [more]

Onufriyenko Ukrainian
From the given name Onufriy.

Oosterwegel Dutch
From Dutch ooster meaning "eastern, east" and weg meaning "way, path, road". Dutch track and field athlete Emma Oosterwegel (1998-) bears this name.

Oshana Assyrian
Derived from the given name Oshana, meaning "Palm Sunday, palm tree" in Assyrian.

Ostapenko Ukrainian
From the given name Ostap.

Österreich German (Austrian)
The German name for Austria, meaning "eastern kingdom".

Oudehand Dutch
Variant of Ouwehand.

Oudeland Dutch
Habitational name from places called Oudeland in the Netherlands, or perhaps the village of Oudelande in the Dutch province of Zeeland. Their names mean "old land" in Dutch.

Ouderland Dutch
Variant of Oudeland.

Outland Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Oudeland.

Ouwehand Dutch
Means "old hand" in Dutch, originally a nickname for a fisherman, associated with the phrase "old hands at sea". Another theory holds that it comes from a misdivision of the surname Oudeland... [more]

Ouweland Dutch
Variant of Oudeland.

Ovechkin Russian
Patronymic derived from Russian овечка (ovechka) meaning "lamb". A famous bearer is the Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin (1985-).

Ovechkina Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Овечкин (see Ovechkin).

Overath German
From the name of the town of Overath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A famous bearer is the German former soccer player Wolfgang Overath (1943-).

Overmars Dutch
Means "over the marsh", derived from Middle Dutch over meaning "over, above" and marsch meaning "marsh". A famous bearer of this name is the former Dutch soccer player Marc Overmars (1973-).

Özpirinçci Turkish
Possibly means "pure brass", derived from Turkish öz "pure, core, essence" and pirinç "brass, bronze", or possibly an occupation name from öz "kernel" and pirinç "rice"... [more]

Özyakup Turkish
From Turkish öz meaning "pure, core, essence" combined with the given name Yakup. This name is borne by the Turkish-Dutch soccer player Oğuzhan Özyakup (1992-).

Pacino Italian
Diminutive form of Pace. The American actor Al Pacino (1940-) is a well-known bearer of this surname.

Paddock English
Derived from Middle English parrock meaning "paddock, small enclosure", hence a topographic name for a dweller by a paddock or an enclosed meadow. It could also be a nickname for a person who resembled a toad or frog in some way (derived from Middle English paddock meaning "toad, frog"), or denote a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name, for example the town and civil parish of Paddock Wood in Kent.

Pagourtzis Greek
Derived from Greek Παγούρι (Pagouri) meaning "flask, canteen", a vessel containing (usually) water.

Pahlavi Persian
Means "hero, champion, athletic, strong man", a variant of Pahlavan. It could also refer to a person who came from Parthia, a historical region situated in present-day Iran and Turkmenistan, derived from Persian پهلو (pahlaw) meaning "Parthian, person from Parthia"... [more]

Paltrow Polish (Anglicized), Jewish
Anglicized form of Paltrowicz. A famous bearer is American actress Gwyneth Paltrow (1972-).

Paltrowicz Polish, Jewish
Derived from Palter, a variant of the Yiddish given name Paltiel.

Pardieu French
Variant of Depardieu.

Pariseau French
Derived from a pet form of Paris.

Paskhaeva Chechen
Feminine transcription of Chechen Пасхаев (see Paskhaev).

Pauw Dutch, Flemish
Means "peacock" in Dutch. Could be a habitational name from a sign depicting a peacock, or a nickname for a proud or flamboyant person. In some cases, it can be a shortened form of the patronymic Pauwels "son of Paul".

Pechtold German, Dutch, Jewish
From the Old German given name Pechtholt, which is composed of the elements pecht "rotation" and holdt "hero". As a Dutch-language surname, it is derived from the Middle Dutch given name Pechte combined with Old High German walt "power, authority"... [more]

Peet English
Derived from a pet form of the given name Peter.

Peete English
Variant spelling of Peet.

Peijnenburg Dutch
Variant of Pijnenburg.

Peinado Spanish
Derived from peinado meaning "combed" (past participle of peinar meaning "to comb"), hence a nickname for a well-groomed person or for someone with naturally smooth rather than curly hair.

Peirce English
From the given name Piers. A notable bearer was the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), who is considered to be one of the founders of pragmatism, along with William James and John Dewey.

Penry Welsh, Cornish, English
Derived from Welsh ap Henry meaning "son of Henry". It is also a variant of Pendray, which is derived from a place name in Cornwall meaning "top of the village" in Middle Cornish... [more]

Perceval English, Norman
Derived from either the Old French given name Perceval, or from one of two places called Perceval in the department of Calvados in Normandy, France... [more]

Percival English, Norman
Variant of Perceval, derived from the given name Percival.

Perske Belarusian, Lithuanian, Jewish
Variant form of Persky. This was the real surname of American actress Lauren Bacall (1924-2014), who was born Betty Joan Perske.

Persky Belarusian, Lithuanian, Jewish
Derived from the village of Pershai in the Valozhyn District of Belarus, or the place named Perki in Lithuania.

Petitjean French
Nickname for a small or little man, or ironically a large or tall man, derived from Old French petit meaning "small, little" combined with the given name Jean 1... [more]

Pettifer English
Nickname for a good infantryman, an old soldier who had lost a foot, or a person who was never tired of walking, derived from Old French pedefer, pied de fer meaning "iron foot".

Pettinati Italian
Diminutive form of Pettinato.

Pettinato Italian
Italian cognate of Peinado.

Pettyfer English
Variant spelling of Pettifer. The British actor and model Alex Pettyfer (1990-) is a famous bearer of this surname.

Pettyjohn French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Petitjean.

Pfefferle German
South German diminutive of Pfeffer, and a nickname for a person who sells spices.

Pflueger German (Anglicized)
Anglicised form of Pflüger.

Pflüger German
Occupational name for a Ploughman, literally meaning "Ploughman/Plowman" in German.

Piggott English, Irish, Norman
From the Old French and Old English given names Picot and Pigot, or derived from Old English pic meaning "point, hill", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a hill with a sharp point (see Pike).

Pijnenburg Dutch
From the name of an estate or hamlet called Pijnenburg in the town of Soest in Utrecht, Holland, composed of Middle Dutch pijn meaning "pine tree" and burg meaning "fortress, manor, mansion".

Pikrammenos Greek
From Greek πικρός (pikrós) meaning "bitter, acrid, embittered". A famous bearer is the Greek judge and politician Panagiotis Pikrammenos (1945-), who was Deputy Prime Minister of Greece... [more]

Pikrammenou Greek
Feminine form of Pikrammenos.

Pillsbury English
Derived from a place in Derbyshire, England, so named from the genitive of the Old English given name Pil and burh meaning "fortified place".

Pinochet Basque, French, Spanish
Derived from Basque pinoche meaning "pine cone". Alternately, it could be derived from the name of the hamlet of Pinouchet, located in the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France... [more]

Pitsenbarger German
Probably an altered spelling of Bezzenberger, which is derived from Boizenburg, a municipality in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Pittsenbarger German
Variant spelling of Pitsenbarger.

Plantagenet Medieval English, Medieval French
Borne by the House of Plantagenet, a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. It also originated as a nickname for Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou (1113-1151), father of King Henry II of England (1133-1189), who ascended the English throne in 1154... [more]

Platini Italian
Occupational name for a person who coats objects with platinum, derived from Italian platinare literally meaning "to platinize, to coat with platinum". A notable bearer is the former French soccer star Michel Platini (1955-).

Plemmons English, Irish, German
Altered spelling of Fleming.

Plemons English, Irish, German
Variant form of Plemmons. A famous bearer is American actor Jesse Plemons (1988-).

Poitier French
Evidently an altered spelling of Pothier. A famous bearer of this surname was the Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier (1927-2022).

Politzer Hungarian, German, Jewish
Habitational name derived from any one of several places called Police (known as Pölitz in German) in the Czech Republic. Hugh David Politzer (1949-) is an American theoretical physicist who, along with David Gross and Frank Wilczek, discovered asymptotic freedom.

Poortvliet Dutch
From the name of the village and former municipality called Poortvliet in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch port meaning "port, harbour, storage yard, city" and vliet meaning "brook, stream, river, creek, inlet"... [more]

Popoff Russian, Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian Попов (see Popov).

Portman German (Americanized), Dutch
Americanized form of German Portmann, as well as a Dutch variant of Poortman (and in some cases an Americanized form)... [more]

Portmann German
Occupational name for a gatekeeper, derived from Middle Low German port(e) meaning "gate" and man, or a topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town.

Powles Welsh, English
Patronymic form of Powell or the given name Paul.

Powroźnik Polish
Variant of Powroznik.

Powroznik Polish
Derived from Powroźnik, a village in Nowy Sącz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland.

Prakapienka Belarusian
Belarusian form of Prokopenko.

Preobrazhenskaya Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Преображенский (see Preobrazhensky).

Providence English
From the name of the capital city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, derived from Middle English providence meaning "divine guidance, care", ultimately from Latin providentia.

Prowse English
Nickname for a person who was proud, haughty, brave or valiant, derived from Old French prous, prou, preux, proz and prouz meaning "proud, brave, valiant". A famous bearer was David Prowse (1935-2020), an English bodybuilder, weightlifter and character actor who portrayed the villain Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies.

Pugacheva Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Пугачёв (see Pugachev).

Puigdemont Catalan
Means "top of the hill" or "peak of the mountain". It is derived from Catalan puig meaning "hill, peak" combined with either damunt meaning "on top, above", or munt (a diminutive of muntanya) meaning "mountain", using the preposition d'... [more]

Pujol Catalan, French
Catalan and French variant of Puig. Spanish tennis player Marcel Granollers (1986-) bears this name.

Pulitzer Hungarian, German, Jewish
Variant form of Politzer. A famous bearer was the Hungarian-American businessman, newspaper publisher and politician Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911). His family came from Hungary, but they were of Czech origin.

Pulkkinen Finnish
Derived from Germanic volk meaning "people".

Puyol Catalan
Catalan variant of Pujol. It is borne by the retired Spanish soccer player Carles Puyol (1978-).

Rachamiym Hebrew
From the given name Rachamim.

Racioppi Italian, Sicilian
Derived from Sicilian racioppu meaning "cluster of grapes", hence presumably a metonymic occupational name for someone who sold or produced grapes.

Rafaeli Hebrew
From the given name Rafael.

Ramaphosa Southern African, Venda
Means "the one who is born in the evening" in Venda. This name is borne by the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa (1952-).

Rampling English
Originally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, derived from Latin ramus meaning "branch" (see Ramos). Famous bearers include English actress Charlotte Rampling (1946-) and her father, athlete and British Army officer Godfrey Rampling (1909-2009).

Ramsbottom English
Habitational name from a market town called Ramsbottom in Greater Manchester, England (historically in Lancashire), derived from Old English hramsa meaning "wild garlic" or ramm "ram", and bothm meaning "bottom, bottom valley".

Rapino Italian
From the name of two municipalities in Abruzzo, Italy. It could also be a nickname for a barber, derived from Italian rapare meaning "to crop, to shave, to scalp".

Rapinoe Italian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Rapino. American former soccer player Megan Rapinoe (1985-) bears this name.

Ravenscar English (British)
From a coastal village with the same name, located in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England.

Reaser German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Rieser. A famous bearer is American actress Elizabeth Reaser (1975-).

Redford English
Variant of Radford. A famous bearer is American actor Robert Redford (1936-).

Redgrave English
From the name of a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England, derived from Old English hrēod meaning "reed" or rēad "red", and græf meaning "pit, ditch" or grāf "grove"... [more]

Redmayne English, Irish
Derived from Redmain, a small hamlet in Cumbria, England. It is named with Old English rēad meaning "red" and Welsh main meaning "rock, stone". The name could also be derived from the given name Réamonn, which is an Irish form of Raymond... [more]

Refaeli Hebrew
Variant of Rafaeli. The Israeli model and actress Bar Refaeli (1985-) is a famous bearer of this name.

Reichenberg German, Jewish
Habitational name from various places named Reichenberg in several different areas of Germany. As an ornamental name, it is composed of German reich(en) meaning "rich" and berg meaning "mountain, hill".

Reille French, Occitan
Topographic name derived from Old Occitan relha meaning "plowshare", or a habitational name from any of several places named Reille or La Reille in southern France. A notable bearer was Honoré Charles Reille (1775-1860), a Marshal of France during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.

Reisenauer German
Probably denoted a person from a minor place called Reisenau, or a topographic name for someone living by an overgrown water meadow, derived from Middle High German ris meaning "undergrowth" and owe meaning "water meadow".

Reixach Catalan
Habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Reixac in Catalonia, Spain, for example the town of Montcada i Reixac in the province of Barcelona.

Reiziger Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)
Derived from Middle Dutch reisiger meaning "traveller, voyager", ultimately from Middle High German meaning "soldier on horseback". It is notably borne by the Dutch former soccer player Michael Reiziger (1973-).

Reller German (Swiss)
Occupational name for a miller, derived from the Swiss German dialect term relle meaning "grist mill".

Relyea German, French (Anglicized)
Altered spelling of southern German and French Rellier, or probably a regional variant of Swiss German Reller, especially in the western provinces of Austria... [more]

Rensenbrink Dutch
Possibly derived from the given name Rens (a short form of Laurens, Emerens, Reinaart, Reinier and other names) combined with Dutch brink meaning "village green, edge, slope"... [more]

Reschke German
Derived from the Middle High German word "rasch" meaning "quick," or "hot-headed". As such, it may have originated as a nickname for a quick or rash person.

Reubens Jewish, English
Derived from the given name Reuben. This surname was borne by American comedian and actor Paul Reubens (1952-2023; birth name Paul Rubenfeld), who created and played the comic fictional character Pee-wee Herman.

Rexach Catalan
Variant of Reixach.

Ribéry French
Indicated a person from La Ribeyre, a town in the Auvergne region of France, which translates to "the riverbank". The former French soccer player Franck Ribéry (1983-) is a famous bearer of this name.

Riesenberg German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a big mountain, derived from Middle High German rise meaning "giant" and berg meaning "mountain".

Riesenburg German
Variant spelling of Riesenberg.

Riihimäki Finnish
Derived from Riihimäki, a town and municipality in southern Finland, meaning "drying barn hill" in Finnish.

Rijkaard Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)
Dutch variant of Richard. A famous bearer of this surname is the retired Dutch soccer player Frank Rijkaard (1962-).

Rijsbergen Dutch
Variant of Van Rijsbergen. It is borne by the retired Dutch soccer player Wim Rijsbergen (1952-).

Rimes English
Originally denoted one who came from the city of Reims in the Grand Est region of France, or a topographic name for someone who lived in a thickly wooded area, derived from Old French ramel (a diminutive of raim) meaning "branch", ultimately from Latin ramus... [more]

Rintoul Scottish
Derived from a farm with the same name, near the town of Milnathort in Kinross-shire, Scotland.

Riseborough English
Denoted a person hailing from any of the various places called Risborough, Riseborough or Risbury in England, derived from Old English hrīs meaning "brushwood" and beorg meaning "hill, mound", or from hrīs and burh meaning "fortification"... [more]

Rispoli Italian
A patronymic from a derivative of the given name Rispo, which is probably of Germanic origin. Alternatively, it could be a variant of Ruspoli, which is of unknown origin.

Ritterman German
From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight" and man literally meaning "man".

Rivlin Belarusian, Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Rivka. A famous bearer is Reuven Rivlin (1939-), the tenth President of Israel.

Robards English
Altered form of Roberts. A famous bearer was American actor Jason Robards (1922-2000), as well as his father Jason Robards Sr. (1892-1963) and son Sam Robards (1961-), also noted actors.

Rochussen Dutch
Means "son of Rochus". Famous bearers of this name are the Dutch prime minister Jan Jacob Rochussen (1797-1871) and the 19th-century painter Charles Rochussen (1814-1894).

Rocquemore French
Variant of Roquemore.

Roose English, Dutch, German
Variant spelling of Rose 1, Rose 2, Roos or Ross.

Roppolo Italian
Perhaps a derivative of Roppo, a given name of Germanic origin.

Rosensweig German, Jewish
Variant form of Rosenzweig.

Rosenzweig German, Jewish
A German and Jewish surname, meaning "rose twig" or "branch".

Rothfuss German
Variant spelling of Rothfus. A notable bearer is Patrick Rothfuss (1973-), an American author of epic fantasy.

Roundtree English
Variant spelling of Rowntree.

Routh English
From the village and civil parish of Routh in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England (recorded in the Domesday book as Rutha). The place name may derive from Old Norse hrúedhr meaning "rough shaly ground"... [more]

Rouvoet Dutch
From a nickname that meant "rough foot", derived from Middle Dutch ru meaning "rough, wild" and voet meaning "foot". This name is borne by the retired Dutch politician André Rouvoet (1962-).

Roxburgh Scottish
From Roxburgh, a village near the market town of Kelso in the Scottish Borders area in Scotland, derived from the Old English byname Hroc meaning "rook" and burh meaning "fortified place"... [more]

Rózsavölgyi Hungarian, Jewish
Either a Magyarized form of Rosenthal, or a habitational name denoting a person from the village of Ružindol in the Trnava region of Slovakia (formerly a part of Hungary and called Rózsavölgy).

Ruffalo Italian
Variant spelling of Ruffolo. A famous bearer is American actor Mark Ruffalo (1967-).

Ruffolo Italian
Derived from the given name Ruffo, an Italian form of Rufus.

Rumfelt German, Dutch
Altered spelling of German Romfeld, derived from Middle Low German rüm- meaning "to clear (land)" and feld meaning "open country, field", hence a topographic name or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a person engaged in clearing woodland, or in some cases a habitational name for someone from Romfelt in the Ardennes... [more]

Rumfield German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Rumfelt.

Rummenigge German
Meaning uncertain. It could possibly be an occupational name for a viticulturist who grew grapes to make wine, a seller or producer of Romanian wine, or a nickname for a person who preferred to drink Romanian wine... [more]

Rumsfeld German
Variant spelling of Rumfelt. A notable bearer was the American politician, businessman and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (1932-2021).

Rundell English
Nickname derived from a diminutive of Middle English and Old French rond, rund meaning "fat, round" (see Rounds), or derived from Rundale, a local place in the village and civil parish of Shoreham in Kent, England, named with Old English rum(ig) meaning "roomy, spacious" and dæl meaning "valley".

Runnels English
Variant of Rundell.

Rutte Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger. This surname is borne by the former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte (1967-).

Sackhoff German
Occupational name for a farmer who cultivated land to grow plants, particularly crops, derived from Middle High German sack meaning "sack, end of a valley, area of cultivation" and hof meaning "farmstead, manor, farm"... [more]

Saeidzadeh Persian
From the given name Saeid combined with the Persian suffix -زاده (-zâde) meaning "offspring".

Saint-Germain French, Haitian Creole
Variant spelling of St Germain.

Saker English
Occupational name for a maker of sacks or bags, derived from an agent derivative of Old English sacc meaning "sack, bag".

Salussolia Italian, Piedmontese
Originally denoted a person from Salussola, a comune (municipality) in the province of Biella in Piedmont, Italy.

Samueli Italian (Rare)

Santayana Spanish, Spanish (Philippines)
Spanish variant of Santana. This name was borne by the Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952).

Sauerbier German
From German sauer meaning "sour" and bier meaning "beer". It originally referred to a brewer of sour beer.

Savignac French
Habitational name for someone from various communes by this name in France.

Savile English
Variant of Saville.

Scaglione Italian
Derived from scaglione meaning "stallion’s canine tooth" (an augmentative form of scaglie meaning "canine tooth", from Old French escaillon meaning "horse’s tooth"), presumably a nickname for someone with exceptionally large teeth.

Schaal German, Dutch, French, Jewish
Either a nickname for a braggart or a market crier, (derived from Middle High German schal meaning "noise, bragging"), an occupational name for someone who made dishes for scales and vessels for drinking, (from Middle Low German and Dutch schale "dish"), a habitational name from Schaala in Thuringia or the Schaalsee lake near Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, or a topographic name for someone living on marshy land, (from Dutch schald "shallow")... [more]

Schalkwijk Dutch
Variant of Van Schalkwijk.

Schalkwyk Afrikaans
Afrikaans variant of Van Schalkwijk.

Schermerhorn Dutch
From Schermerhorn, the name of a village in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands, derived from Dutch schermer meaning "fencer" and hoorn meaning "horn". It was borne by the Dutch politician Willem "Wim" Schermerhorn (1894-1977), a Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

Schilling German, Dutch, Jewish
Means "shilling (coin)", possibly a nickname for a serf who had paid his rent or fee to his lord for his freedom. It could also be a habitational name derived from Schillingen, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany... [more]

Schirokauer German, Yiddish
Derived from the town of Sieraków in the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland.

Schlautman German
Variant of Schlautmann.

Schlautmann German

Schmeichel German
Nickname for a flatterer, derived from Middle High German smeichen literally meaning "to flatter". Famous bearers of this surname include Peter Schmeichel (1963-) and his son Kasper Schmeichel (1986-), both of whom are Danish soccer goalkeepers.

Schmidlapp German
Derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker" and lap(pe) meaning "cloth, patch, rag".

Schmidlkofer German, German (Austrian)
Occupational name for a farmer who was also a blacksmith, derived from a diminutive of Middle High German smit meaning "smith" and the suffix -kofer (a variant of -hofer).

Schmidtke German
Diminutive form of Schmidt.

Schmied German
Variant of Schmidt.

Schmiedt German
Variant spelling of Schmidt.

Schnapp German
Derived from Middle High German snappen meaning "to chatter", or Middle Low German snappen meaning "to grab". This was originally a nickname for a chatterer or a greedy person.

Schoendienst German
Occupational name meaning "beautiful service", from Middle High German schoen "beautiful" and dienst "service, duty". A famous bearer was the American baseball player Albert "Red" Schoendienst (1923-2018).

Schöndienst German
Variant of Schoendienst.

Schonewille Dutch
Perhaps a nickname for an attractive person, derived from Middle Dutch schône meaning "beautiful, clean, pure" and wille meaning "to want, to desire".

Schopenhauer German
Derived from German schöpfen meaning "to scoop, ladle" and hauen meaning "to chop", referring to a maker of wooden and metal scoops and buckets. This name was borne by the German pessimist philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), the author of the 1818 book The World as Will and Representation among other works.

Schottenstein German, Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "bulkhead stone" in German.

Schreuder Dutch
Dutch cognate of Schröder 1 and Schröder 2.

Schreuders Dutch
Variant of Schreuder.

Schrijvers Dutch
Dutch cognate of Scriven. A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer goalkeeper Piet Schrijvers (1946-2022).

Schue German, Jewish
Variant of Schuh.

Schuh German, Jewish
Occupational name for a maker or repairer of shoes, derived from Middle High German schuoch meaning "shoe". In some cases, it may have denoted a person to a house distinguished by the sign of a shoe.

Schumer Jewish, German (Rare)
Possibly taken from Middle Low German schumer meaning "good for nothing, vagabond". Notable bearers are American comedian Amy Schumer (b. 1981) and American politician Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer (b... [more]

Schurr German
From a nickname meaning "quarrel" in German, given to a hot-tempered person.

Schürrle German
Variant of Schurr. A famous bearer is the retired German soccer player André Schürrle (1990-).

Schwank German
Either a nickname for a thin person, (derived from Middle High German swanc meaning "little, slender, thin"), a pretty person (from Middle Low German swank "fine, dainty") or a fun, loving person (from Middle High German swanc and Middle Low German swank "funny idea, joke, jest, foolery").

Schwanke German
From a short form of the German given name Swaneke, a pet form of Swane, ultimately derived from a Germanic compound name formed with swan meaning "swan" as the first element (see Schwenke 2).

Schweinsteiger German
Occupational name for a pig farmer, an overseer of pigs or a nickname for someone who rode a pig, derived from Middle High German swīn meaning "hog, swine" and stīger meaning "foreman, mine inspector"... [more]

Schwenk German
Variant spelling of Schwanke, or apparently a nickname referring to a person's gait, derived from Middle High German swenken meaning "to swing back and forth, to sling" (see Schwenke 1).

Scorsese Italian
From a nickname that indicated a person who came from Scotland, derived from Italian scozzese literally meaning "Scotsman, Scottish". This spelling arose from a transcription error of the surname Scozzese... [more]

Secker English
Variant of Saker.

Seidenberg German, Jewish
Derived from several places with the same name. As an ornamental name, it is derived from German seide meaning "silk" and berg meaning "mountain".

Serdà Catalan (Valencian)
Variant of Cerdà, or from the name of the village of Cerdà (also called La Serda) in the province of Valencia in Spain.

Seydoux French, French (Swiss), Occitan
Derived from the Germanic names Sedulius, Sedulfus or Segedolfus. Another theory suggests Occitan roots; it might be an occupational name for someone who worked with silk, derived from Occitan sedós meaning "silky, soft"... [more]

Seyfried German
Derived from the given name Siegfried. The American actress Amanda Seyfried (1985-) is a well-known bearer of this name.

Shahrokhi Iranian
From the given name Shahrokh.

Shamir Hebrew
Derived from Hebrew שָׁמִיר (shamiyr) meaning "thorn, briar, thistle" or "flint, diamond, emery, adamant". It was borne by the Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir (1915-2012), whose birth name was either Yitzhak Yezernitsky or Icchak Jaziernicki.

Shamoun Arabic, Assyrian, Jewish
Derived from the given name شامون (Shamʿūn), itself an Arabic form of Simon 1, used mainly among Christians and Jews... [more]

Sharafkandi Kurdish
Denoted a person from Sharafkand, a village in the Central District of Bukan County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran.

Sharett Hebrew
Means "minister, servant", from Hebrew שָׁרַת (sharath) literally meaning "to minister, to serve". This surname was adopted by Moshe Sharett (1894-1965), born Moshe Chertok, who was the first foreign minister and later the second Prime Minister of Israel.

Shazar Hebrew
Referred to someone living near acacia trees that tend to be twisted, derived from Hebrew שָׁזַר (shazar) literally meaning "to twist, to be twisted, to intertwine". A famous bearer was the Israeli president, author and poet Zalman Shazar (1889-1974), who was born Shneur Zalman Rubashov.

Shcheglov Russian
From Russian щегол (shchegol) meaning "goldfinch".

Shcheglova Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Щеглов (see Shcheglov).

Shchepkin Russian
From Russian щепка (shchepka) meaning "sliver, splinter, chip".

Shchepkina Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Щепкин (see Shchepkin).

Shchyotkin Russian
From the Russian word щетка meaning "brush".

Shchyotkina Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Щёткин (see Shchyotkin).

Sheriff English, Scottish
Occupational name for a sheriff, derived from Middle English schiref, shreeve, shryve literally meaning "sheriff", or from Old English scir meaning "shire, administrative district" and (ge)refa meaning "reeve"... [more]

Shevardnadze Georgian
Means "son of the falcon", from Georgian შავარდენი (shavardeni) meaning "falcon, hawk". A famous bearer was Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze (1928-2014).

Shnayder Jewish (Russified)
Russified form of Schneider.

Shovkhalova Chechen
Feminine transcription of Chechen Шовхалов (see Shovkhalov).

Shreve English
Altered English variant of Sheriff. In some cases, this surname may have arisen from a nickname.

Shreves English
Variant form of Shreve.

Shrewsbury English
From Shrewsbury, a market town and the county town of Shropshire, England, derived from Old English scrobb meaning "scrub, brushwood" and burg meaning "fortified place".

Shroff Indian, Hindi, Gujarati, Arabic, Urdu, Indian (Parsi)
Originally an occupational name for a cashier, money changer or banker, derived from Gujarati સરાફ (saraf) meaning "bullion merchant", itself ultimately derived from Arabic صراف (sarraf) meaning "teller".

Shtayyeh Arabic
Meaning unknown.

Shue German (Anglicized), Jewish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Schuh or Schue. A famous bearer of this name is the American actress Elisabeth Shue (1963-).

Shue Chinese (Hokkien)
Hokkien romanization of Xu 1, Xu 2 or Xue.

Shvedov Russian
From Russian швед (shved) meaning "Swede, Swedish person".

Shvedova Russian
Feminine transcription of Russian Шведов (see Shvedov).

Simonnet French
From the given name Simon 1.

Siracusa Italian, Sicilian
From the name of the city of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy (siracusa in Italian and sarausa in Sicilian).

Skoglund Swedish, Norwegian
Combination of Swedish and Norwegian skog "forest" and lund "grove".

Skorupa Polish, Jewish
Derived from Polish skorupa meaning "shell", hence a nickname for a secretive individual.

Smulders Dutch
Occupational name derived from Dutch des mulders meaning "son of the miller". A famous bearer is Canadian-American actress Cobie Smulders (1982-).

Snellius Dutch (Latinized)
Latinized form of Snel. A notable bearer was the Dutch astronomer and mathematician Willebrord Snellius (1580-1626; real name Willebrord Snel van Royen), commonly called Snell, for whom the formula Snell's law is named.

Snipe English
Derived from a given name; from Old English snip or Old Norse snípr. It is habitational surname from a place so called in the historic county of Northumberland, North East England.

Snipes English
Variant spelling of or a patronymic from Snipe. A famous bearer is American actor Wesley Snipes (1962-).