LasterEnglish Occupational name for a shoemaker, or for someone who made lasts, a wooden tool in the shape of a foot used for stretching and shaping leather when making boots.
LauwerFlemish Occupational name for a tanner, from Dutch looien "to tan (leather)".
Le BrasBreton Altered form of Breton Ar Brazh meaning "the great, the imposing" or "the big, the fat", ultimately from Proto-Celtic *brassos "great, violent".
LeggioItalian From Sicilian leggiu "light, not heavy; superficial", a nickname for someone considered unreliable or irresponsible. Variant of Leggièri.
LeverEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a place thickly grown with rushes, from Old English lǣfer "rush, reed". Compare Laver. Great and Little Lever in Greater Manchester (formerly in Lancashire) are named with this word, and in some cases the surname may also be derived from these places.
LichtGerman, Dutch, Yiddish Means "light" or "candle". Could be an occupational name for a chandler, a topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing (see Lichte), or a nickname for someone who had light hair, or who was agile and slender.
LichteGerman Habitational name for someone who lived in a clearing (see Lucht) or topographic name from a town in Germany, situated by the Lichte river. Alternatively, a variant of Licht.
LicursiItalian Of Albanian origin, either an occupational name for a tanner from lëkurë "skin, leather", or a habitational name.
LiddellEnglish From the Liddel river, which takes its name from Okd English hl̄de “loud” + dæl “valley”.
LiemanDutch From a Germanic personal name composed of liut "people", or possibly liob "dear, beloved", combined with man "person, man" (see Liutman, Liefman).
LiistroItalian From Sicilian lijistru "privet", a kind of shrub or small tree.
LinnGerman Toponymic surname derived from Germanic lin "swamp, bog, marsh".
LinnGerman Derived from the given name Linto, a short form of names containing the element lind "soft, flexible".
LinnGerman (Silesian), Jewish (Ashkenazi) Derived from the Slavic word lin "tench (fish)", a nickname for a fisherman, or for a person who somehow resembled a tench.
Lo GuastaItalian Variant of Guasti, literally "the broken". Probably used as a nickname for someone with a twisted or deformed limb, used in at least one case for a foundling.
LoiaItalian Most likely a variant of Aloia. May alternately be related to Italian loggia "atrium, open-roofed gallery", Greek λεώς (leos) "the people", or Tuscan loia "dirt, filth on clothes or skin", perhaps a nickname for someone with a profession that often made them dirty, such as mining.
LokerseDutch Possibly a patronymic form of a given name such as Lokke, or a habitational name from a place using the Middle Dutch element loken "to close, shut, fence" (compare Lock).
LouwersDutch Either a patronymic from a short form of Laurentius, or an occupational name for a tanner from Dutch looien "to tan (leather)".
LøvlandNorwegian Habitational name derived from Norwegian løv "leaf" (Old Norse lauf) and land "land", probably referring to areas where deciduous trees grew.
LunaticiItalian A nickname for a quirky or temperamental person, ultimately from Latin lunaticus "of the moon, moonstruck".
LussoItalian From the given name Lucius, or possibly the toponym Santu Lussurgiu.
LuterEnglish From Middle English leuter "lute player", or else from Old French lutre "otter", either a nickname or a metonymic name for someone who hunted otters.
LymanGerman Americanized form of German Leimann, Americanized form of Leinemann, habitational name for someone from Leine in Pomerania, or for someone who lived by either of two rivers called Leine, near Hannover and in Saxony.
MacalusoItalian Possibly from Arabic مخلوص (maklus) "freed, liberated", indicating a freedman or slave who had been liberated, which may be related to Sicilian macaluscio, "cleaned and prepared cotton".
MacisItalian From Sardinian maccia "shrub, thick bush, brush", or possibly denoting someone from the village Simax.
MadauItalian From Sardinian madau "fold, enclosure for sheep".
MadedduItalian Possibly a variant of Madau "sheepfold". Alternately, may derive from a Sardinian variant of Amato "beloved", or from the Latin cognomen Metellus "hired servant".
MaiaBasque From the name of a village in Navarre, Spain, called Amaiur in Basque, derived from amai "end, boundary, limit" (compare the given name Amaia).
MakinEnglish Nickname derived from Middle English maide "girl, young woman" and the diminutive suffix -kin.
MalandraItalian Possibly related to Italian malandrino "dishonest, mischievous; rascal".
MalatestaItalian Means "bad head" in Italian, a nickname for a stubborn or perhaps malicious person. It could have also indicated the bearer had a misshapen head. ... [more]
MalfattoItalian Means "badly made, shoddy; deformed" in Italian, possibly originating with the nickname Malefactus "ugly, injured". Cognate to French Malfait.
MambelliItalian Possibly from Italian mano "hand" and bello "beautiful".
ManacordaItalian Possibly means "bad heart", from Latin malus "bad" and cordis "heart".
ManaiItalian From Sardinian mannai "grandfather, grandmother".
MangialaglioItalian Means "eats garlic" in Italian, from mangia "to eat" and aglio "garlic". Possibly a nickname for someone known for heavily seasoning their food, or for having bad breath.
MangiaracinaItalian The Sicilian name for salpa, a kind of fish, from mangia "to eat" and racina "grapes".
MangiarottiItalian From an Italian nickname, possibly meaning "rat eater".
ManocchioItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Italian mano "hand" and occhio "eye", an elaboration of the surname Mano, or an altered form of malocchio meaning "evil eye".
MarkellEnglish Habitational name from various locations in England containing the Old English element mearc (from Old Germanic markō) meaning "border, boundary".
McStockerIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Irish Mac An Stocaire meaning "son of the trumpeter", from stocaire "trumpeter".
MeehanIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maotháin meaning "descendant of Maothán", a diminutive of Irish maoth "soft, tender, moist; tearful, sentimental"... [more]
MennenDutch Derived from a given name such as Manno, or any name containing the element megin "power, strength".
MensinkDutch Patronymic or habitational name meaning "of Menso", a diminutive of personal name derived from the element megin (see Mense, Menno).
MercanteItalian An occupational name meaning "merchant, trader" in Italian, from Latin mercans "trading".
MesinaItalian From Sardinian mesina "keg, small barrel", probably given as a nickname to someone with a round or fat build.
MezzadonnaItalian Means "half a woman" in Italian, from mezza "half" and donna "lady, woman".
MezzasalmaItalian From Italian mezza "half" and salma, an archaic term for a small unit of land, indicating that the bearer was not very wealthy. Salma also coincides with an Italian word meaning "corpse".
MilingianaItalian Probably from milinciana "eggplant, aubergine", likely given to foundlings.
MoesDutch Derived from Middle Dutch moes "stew, mush, vegetables, food", either on its own as a nickname for a cook or vegetable farmer, or as a shortened form of a longer name, such as the toponym Moespot "vegetable pot".
MoffaItalian From Italian muffa "mould, mildew, moss".
MolenaVenetian From Venetian mołéna "crumb", perhaps a nickname based on the bearer's size.
MollicaItalian Means "crumb, breadcrumb; soft inner part of bread" in Italian, a nickname for a physically small or unintelligent person, or perhaps someone considered kind and soft-hearted.
MoncadaSpanish A habitational surname, from Catalan Montcada, ultimately from monte "mountain" and an older variant of Catalonia.
MonteleoneItalian From various place names, meaning "mountain lion", or "mountain of the lion".
MorabitoItalian Ultimately from Arabic مُرَابِط (murabit) "holy man, one who preaches in the street; soldier stationed in an outpost", from which comes Sicilian murabitu "moderate, sober" and murabbiu "teetotal".
MortlockEnglish Habitational name denoting someone from Mortlake, Surrey, or from Mortlach, Banff. Mortlake could mean either "Morta’s meadow", from the byname Morta and Old English lag "wet pasture, marshy field", or "salmon stream", from mort "young salmon" and lacu "stream, pool"... [more]
MöwerGerman (Rare) Possibly derived from Middle High German moven "to torment, trouble, burden".
MowerEnglish Occupational name for someone who cut hay or grass.
NordioItalian Probably derived from a given name containing the element nord "north", of Frankish or Germanic origin.
NotteItalian From Italian notte "night", perhaps a shortened form of Mezzanotte "midnight" or Bonanotte "good night".
NurchisItalian Denoting someone from Nure or Nurra in Sardinia, which were possibly derived from the pre-Roman root words nur meaning "fire" or "stones, heap" and the suffix -ke meaning "earth" or "dwelling".
OcchiItalian From Italian occhio "eye", a nickname for someone with good eyesight, or with distinctive eyes.
OcchibelliItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and bello "beautiful, good", as a nickname for someone with keen eyesight or attractive eyes. May also originate from a place of the same name.
OcchibiancoItalian Means "white eye" in Italian, most often given to foundlings.
OcchiboveItalian Probably means "ox eyes, cow eyes", from Italian occhio "eye" and bove "ox", perhaps a nickname for someone with large, dark eyes.
OcchiochiusoItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and chiuso "closed, shut", perhaps a nickname for someone who was blind, or known for being lazy.
Ó DonndubhartaighIrish (Archaic) Means "descendant of Donndubhartach", a personal name composed of donn "brown" and dub "black" combined with artach "nobleman".
Ó DuibhneIrish Means "descendent of Duibhne", a given name possibly meaning "ill-tempered, surly".
OgnissantiItalian Means "all saints" in Italian, either from the devotional name given to children born on All Saints’ Day, or from any of several locations named as such.
OlagaraiBasque Derived from Basque ola "factory, forge, ironworks; hut, cabin" and garai "high, tall, prominent".
Ó LaighinIrish Means "of Leinster" or "descendant of the one from Leinster", denoting someone who came from the Irish province Leinster (Laighin in Irish)... [more]
OosterhoutDutch From the name of various places in the Netherlands, derived from ooster "eastern" and hout "wood, forest".
OrfanelliItalian Means "little orphans" in Italian, ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀρφᾰνός "without parents; bereft". Given to children raised in an orphanage.
OudshoornDutch From the name of a former village in South Holland, Netherlands, derived from Out, a Middle Dutch diminutive of the given name Otgar, and hoorn "horn; corner, protruding bend (of a river)"... [more]
PancioneItalian Means "fat person, paunch, big belly" in Italian.
PancorboSpanish From the name of a town in Burgos, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Suggestions as to its origin include Spanish puente curvo "curved bridge", or a legend about crows delivering bread to the town when it was besieged by Saracens, leading to it being called Pan-Cuervo "Bread-Crow".
PandimiglioItalian Probably means "millet bread" in Italian, from pane "bread" and miglio "millet".
PanichiItalian Probably from panico, a type of millet grown in Italy. Alternately, it could be from the Latin name Panicus "of Pan, panic".
PanzeriItalian Either a nickname from Italian pancia "belly, paunch", referring to someone with a prominent belly (see Panza), or an occupational name for someone who manufactured girdles and armour, from panciere "corset, girdle; paunce (armour covering the belly)", ultimately from the same root.
PanzicaItalian From Sicilian panzicu "pot-bellied, paunch".
PattaItalian Possibly from patta "draw, settlement", perhaps a nickname given to a negotiator. The same term can also mean "heat, warmth of the hearth".
PazziItalian From Italian pazzo "crazy, insane, mad".
PeetDutch Means "godparent, godchild" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch pete meaning "godfather, godmother, godchild".
PelagattiItalian Probably derives from an old expression meaning "cheat, scoundrel", literally a combination of pela "to skin" and gatti "cats".
PijlDutch Means "arrow, projectile" in Dutch, an occupational name for an archer or fletcher.
PiliItalian Sardinian form of Italian pelo "hair, hairy".
PinDutch From Middle Dutch pinne meaning "peg, pin", probably an occupational name for a craftsman who used them in his work.
PipoloItalian Possibly derived from a Latin word meaning "nothing, insignificant; a thing without value", perhaps a nickname for an unimportant or disliked person. Alternatively, it could be from a pet form of the given name Pippo, a diminutive of Filippo.
PoddaItalian From Sardinian podda "flour", or pudda "chicken".
PolmanDutch Variant of Pol using the element man "person, man" as a suffix.
PomanteItalian An occupational name for someone who farms or sells fruit, from Italian pomo "apple", descended from Latin pomum "fruit, fruit tree".
PorcelliItalian From Italian porcello, meaning "piglet". Used to denote someone who worked as a swineherd, or perhaps a nickname for someone who resembled a piglet in some way.
PotDutch From Middle Dutch pot "pot, jar", an occupational name for a potter, or perhaps a toponymic surname referring to a low-lying piece of land.
PoverelliItalian Means "poor (person)" in Italian, given to foundlings and orphans.
ProiettiItalian From Latin proiecto "abandoned, thrown away", given to foundlings and children abandoned at orphanages. The name may have been taken from la ruota dei proietti, or "foundling wheel", that some orphanages and religious institutes in Italy installed for infants to be anonymously abandoned in.
PronkDutch Means "flamboyance" in Dutch, derived from pronken "to show off, to display" or "to sulk, be sullen, be displeased".
PulsoniItalian Probably from Latin pulso "to beat, to strike".
QuailEnglish, Manx A variant of Quayle, derived from various patronymics meaning "son of Paul". Alternately, an English nickname derived from the bird, perhaps given to a person who was timid, or known for being promiscuous.
QuantEnglish Nickname for a clever person from Middle English cwointe/queynte meaning "intelligent, skilled" or "cunning, deceptive", as well as "wonderful, strange, unknown". Ultimately derived from Latin cognitus "known, recognised".
RoestDutch Habitational name derived from Old Dutch roest "reed bed, rush forest". Alternatively, from Dutch roest "rust", a nickname for a red-haired person.
RootDutch From Dutch root, a derivative of roten "to ret", a topographic name for someone who lived by a retting place, a place where flax is soaked in tubs of water until the stems rot to release the linen fibers.
RootEnglish From Middle English and Old French rote, an early medieval stringed instrument similar to a guitar that was played by turning wheels like a hurdy-gurdy.
RosDutch Could be an occupational name for a horse breeder or trader derived from Middle Dutch ros "horse, steed" (see hros), or a nickname for someone with red hair or ruddy skin derived from Dutch ros "reddish; red-haired, ginger".
SaittaSicilian, Italian Means "arrow" or "lightning bolt" in Sicilian, from Latin sagitta via sajitta. Probably a nickname for a quick or fast-footed person, though it may have also been a metonymic occupational name for a fletcher.
SarracinoItalian From Neapolitan sarracino, meaning "Saracen", a term used to refer to a variety of ethnic and religious groups, including a nomadic people from Sinai, Muslims, and pirates from the Mediterranean.
ScafataItalian Possibly denoting someone from the Italian town Scafati, from Latin scapha "skiff, light boat". Alternately, may be from Italian scafare "to husk peas", either literally referring to someone's occupation, or from the figurative meaning of "to make more confident; alert, shrewd".
ScanagattaItalian Probably means "cat killer", from Italian scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and gatto "cat", with the figurative meaning of "cheat, scoundrel". (Compare Pelagatti)... [more]
ScanarottiItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly a nickname given to a boastful person.
ScanavaccaItalian Possibly an occupational name for a butcher, from scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and vacca "cow".
ScanavinoItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly related to scanalare "to cut a groove, to plough" and vino "wine".
ScannabissiItalian Possibly from scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and biscio "snake". Alternately, the first element may be from an archaic form of zanna, "tooth (of an animal)".
ScannapiecoItalian Occupational name for a butcher, from scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and piecuro "sheep, lamb".
ScannellaItalian Possibly from Italian scannellare "to channel, to cut a groove", itself from Latin scamnum "ridge (of earth formed by plowing)".
ScarselliItalian From scarsella "purse", a type of bag hung around the neck to keep money in. Possibly indicated a wealthy person.
ScatenaItalian From scatenare "to provoke, stir up, unleash", probably a nickname for a troublemaker.
SchaapDutch Means "sheep" in Dutch, an occupational name for a shepherd. Alternatively, it could be a nickname for someone who looked or behaved like a sheep in some way, or who lived by a sign depicting a sheep.
SchankweilerGerman From the name of a German municipality, derived from Schank "bar, pub, tavern" and Weiler "hamlet".