ClaxtonEnglish From the names of any of several settlements in England, derived from either the personal name Clacc (from Old Norse Klakkr "bump, hillock") or the Old English word clacc "hill, peak" combined with tun "town, settlement".
ClaymanEnglish, Jewish (Ashkenazi) Anglicized form of Ashkenazic Jewish Kleimann or Kleiman, from German 'Klei' meaning "clay" and "mann" meaning "man".
ClaypoolEnglish Derived from Claypole, a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, named from Old English cl?g meaning "clay" and pol meaning "pool".
ClefItalian At the end of the 10th century, Gregorian musical scribes increased the precision of early notation by introducing a horizontal line to indicate a base pitch. The pitch of this line was indicated by a letter at its start... [more]
ClemenceauFrench Derived from the French given name Clément. A notable bearer was the French prime minister Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929), who successfully lead France through the end of World War I.
ClercFrench Occupational or status name for a member of a minor religious order or for a scholar Old French clerc from Late Latin clericus from Greek klerikos a derivative of kleros "inheritance legacy" with reference to the priestly tribe of Levites (see Levy ) "whose inheritance was the Lord"... [more]
ClericoItalian Occupational or status name for a member of a minor religious order or for a scholar from Late Latin clericus (see Clerc ). Italian cognitive of Clark.
ClerihewScottish A Scottish surname of unknown origin and meaning. A clerihew is a humorous or satirical verse consisting of two rhyming couplets in lines of irregular metre about someone who is named in the poem. It was invented by the British author Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875-1956; Clerihew was his mother's maiden name)... [more]
ClevelandEnglish English regional name from the district around Middlesbrough named Cleveland ‘the land of the cliffs’, from the genitive plural (clifa) of Old English clif ‘bank’, ‘slope’ + land ‘land’... [more]
ClevelandNorwegian (Anglicized) Americanized spelling of Norwegian Kleiveland or Kleveland, habitational names from any of five farmsteads in Agder and Vestlandet named with Old Norse kleif "rocky ascent" or klefi "closet" (an allusion to a hollow land formation) and land "land".
CliffEnglish habitational name from any of numerous places called Cliff(e), Cle(e)ve, or Clive, from Old English clif "slope, bank, cliff", or a topographic name from the same word... [more]
CliftEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a crevice in rock, derived from Middle English clift meaning "cleft". The American actor Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) was a famous bearer of this name.
ClingerEnglish (American) Americanized spelling of German Klinger.Possibly a variant of Clinker. an English occupational name for a maker or fixer of bolts and rivets.
ClooneyEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) From Gaelic Ó Cluanaigh meaning "descendant of Cluanach". Cluanach was a given name derived from Irish clauna "deceitful, flattering, rogue".
ClopathRomansh Derived from a diminutive form of the given name Clo.
CloptonEnglish Habitational name from any of various places, for example in Essex, Suffolk, and Warwickshire, named Clopton from Old English clopp(a) meaning "rock", "hill" + tūn meaning "settlement".
CloreEnglish (American) Americanized spelling of German Klor (from a short form of the medieval personal name Hilarius (see Hillary) or Klar).
ClossGerman Variant of Kloss and, in North America, also an altered form of this. It is also found in Lorraine, France.
ClossonScottish this name is of the noble family in Orkney islands known as the closson whom came to Orkney with the viking raiders in the early 900's and they founded the noble house of closson there of
ClottsEnglish Found in the United States, most likely either an English spelling of Klutz, meaning "awkward, clumsy," or as a plural form of the English surname Clot, meaning "cloth ."
CloudFrench From the Germanic personal name Hlodald, composed of the elements hlod "famous, clear" and wald "rule", which was borne by a saint and bishop of the 6th century.
CloughEnglish (British) The distinguished surname Clough is of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin. It is derived from the Old English "cloh," meaning "ravine" or "steep-sided valley," and was first used to refer to a "dweller in the hollow."
ClutterbuckEnglish English surname of unknown origin, possibly a corrupted form of a Dutch surname derived from Dutch klateren "to clatter" and beek "brook", or from klateren and bok "buck, billy goat", or from an older form of kladboek meaning "account book, minute book".
ClydeScottish A river in the south-west of Scotland, running through Inverclyde, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, and the city of Glasgow. The second longest in Scotland; and the eighth longest in the United Kingdom... [more]
ClydesdaleEnglish, Scottish From the name of a location in Lanarkshire, Scotland, meaning "Clyde’s valley", derived from the name of the river Clyde.
CoachIrish Origin uncertain. Most probably a reduced form of Irish McCoach, which is of uncertain derivation, perhaps a variant of McCaig.
CoachFrench Possibly an altered spelling of French Coache, from the Norman and Picard term for a damson, probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of plums.
CoadyIrish Coady or Cody originated in the Southern Counties of Ireland. The Norman family Odo le Ercedekne acquired land in Kilkenny, Ireland in early 1300's. In medieval records it was spelled Lerceddkne and then Archdeken and then Archdeacon... [more]
CoakleyIrish From Irish Gaelic Mac Caochlaoich "son of Caochlaoch", a personal name meaning literally "blind warrior".
CoardEnglish, Northern Irish Derived from Old French corde "string", a metonymic occupational name for a maker of cord or string, or a nickname for an habitual wearer of decorative ties and ribbons.
CoatesEnglish Name for a cottager or a person who lived in a humble dwelling, derived from Old English cote meaning "cottage, hut". It could also be used as a habitational name for someone from any of numerous locations with this name.
CoatneyEnglish The initial bearer of this surname lived in a little cottage.
CobainScottish This unusual surname is of Old Norse origin and is found particularly in Scotland. It derives from an Old Norse personal name Kobbi, itself from an element meaning large, and the Gaelic bain, denoting a fair person, with the diminutive ('little' or 'son of') form Cobbie.
Çoban-zadeCrimean Tatar Means "son of a sheperd" from Crimean Tatar сопан (çopan) meaning "sheperd" and Persian زاده (zade) meaning "born, offsping, child".
CocciaItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Sicilian cocciu "grain, berry", denoting a kind of gruel; an occupational name for a farmer from Greek κόκκος (kokkos) "grain, seed"; or from Italian coccia "head, shell", referring to someone with a large head, or who was stubborn.
CoccimiglioItalian From Sicilian cuccumeli, the name of several fruit-bearing deciduous trees or of the hackberry plant, itself borrowed from an Ancient Greek word; possibly κοκκύμηλον (kokkymelon) "plum", literally "cuckoo apple", or from κόκκος (kókkos) "grain, seed, kernel" and μῆλον (mêlon) "apple, any fruit from a tree".
CockeEnglish nickname from Middle English cok ‘cock’, ‘male bird or fowl’ (Old English cocc), given for a variety of possible reasons. Applied to a young lad who strutted proudly like a cock, it soon became a generic term for a youth and was attached with hypocoristic force to the short forms of many medieval personal names (e.g. Alcock, Hancock, Hiscock, Mycock)... [more]
CockerEnglish, German (Anglicized) Originally a nickname for a bellicose person, from Middle English cock "to fight". Also an anglicized form of Köcher.
CocoItalian, Sicilian occupational name for a cook a seller of cooked meats or a keeper of an eating house from southern Italian coco "cook" (from Latin cocuscoquus)... [more]
CocuzzaItalian, Sicilian Means "gourd, pumpkin", possibly a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of gourds, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a large head or rotund figure.
CodaItalian Means "tail" in Italian, from Latin cauda, probably referring to the bearer living on a long, narrow piece of land.
CodinoItalian Means "pigtail, plait" in Italian, literally "tail's end". Ultimately from Latin cauda "tail (of an animal)". Perhaps given to someone who often wore their hair in such a style, possibly given to orphans or foundlings.
CodispotiItalian A Calabrian surname from Greek οικοδεσπότης (oikodespótis) "host, master of the house".
CoetseeAfrikaans Coetsee is a rare Afrikaans given name derived from a historically significant South African surname. Coetsee/Coetzee is a Dutch-influenced adaptation of the French Huguenot surname, Couché, which means "to lay down" or "to place." The name has occupational origins, referencing upholsterers, bedmakers, or those who crafted bedding, as well as scribes and record keepers... [more]
CoetseeAfrikaans The surname Coetsee is of French Huguenot origin, derived from the Old French surname Couché or Cossé, meaning “laid down” or “placed in a reclining position.” It originally referred to craftsmen involved in bed-making and upholstery, as well as scribes who recorded information by “laying down” words on paper... [more]
CoggillEnglish Recorded in several forms as shown below, this is a surname of two possible nationalities and origins. Firstly it may be of Scottish locational origins, from the lands of Cogle in the parish of Watten, in Caithness, or secondly English and also locational from a place called Cogges Hill in the county of Oxfordshire... [more]
CoisItalian Possibly from the name of a lost town, Coni. Alternately, may be from dialectical words meaning "to cook" or "finch", referring to an occupation or nickname.
CoishEnglish Variant of Cosh, derived from Middle English cosche "small cottage, hut, hovel".
CoitMedieval Welsh, French, English The surname Coit was first found in Carnarvonshire, a former country in Northwest Wales, anciently part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and currently is divided between the unitary authorities of Gwynedd and Conwy, where they held a family seat... [more]
CojuangcoChinese (Filipino) From the name of family patriarch Kho Giok Hoan (許玉寰), a 19th-century Chinese-Filipino businessman originally from Fujian. He was also known by his Hokkien nickname Khó͘ Hoân-ko (許寰哥) meaning "brother Kho Hoan", comprised of 許 (Khó͘), the Hokkien romanization of his surname, 寰 (Hoân), the second syllable of his given name, and 哥 (ko), a male honorific meaning "brother"... [more]
CokayneEnglish Medieval English nickname which meant "idle dreamer" from Cockaigne, the name of an imaginary land of luxury and idleness in medieval myth. The place may derive its name from Old French (pays de) cocaigne "(land of) plenty", ultimately from the Low German word kokenje, a diminutive of koke "cake" (since the houses in Cockaigne are made of cake).
ColdenEnglish, Scottish English: habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire named Colden, from Old English cald ‘cold’ col ‘charcoal’ + denu ‘valley’.... [more]
ColgateEnglish Habitational name for a person from any of the places named Colgate or similar in England, from Old English col "coal, charcoal" and gæt "gate", indicating a gate leading into a woodland where charcoal was burned... [more]
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]
CollinSwedish Either a combination of an unknown first name element (possibly derived from a place name) and the common surname suffix -in, or a variant of German Colin.
ColoItalian From the personal name Colo, a short form of Nicolo (see Nicholas). (Colò) nickname from medieval Greek kolos ‘lame’, classical Greek kylos.
ColombFrench from Old French colomb "pigeon" (from Latin columbus) applied as a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of pigeons or doves... [more]
ColoneItalian From an augmentative form meaning “big Nicolas” of the personal name Cola.
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.
CombeFrench Either a topographic name for someone living in or near a ravine from combe "narrow valley ravine" (from Latin cumba a word of Gaulish origin); or a habitational name from Combe the name of several places in the southern part of France of the same etymology.
CombeferreLiterature (?) Combeferre is the surname of one of the strong, persuasive members of the ABC in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables. Meaning is unknown.
ComberbachEnglish Habitational name for a person from the village of Comberbach in Cheshire, from the Old English byname or given name Cumbra "Cumbrian" and bæc "stream, brook".
CombèsFrench Either a topographic name from combe "narrow valley ravine" (see Combe ) or a habitational name from any of various places in southern France for example in Hérault named Combes.
ComerEnglish Occupational name for a maker or seller of combs, or to someone who used them to prepare wool or flax for spinning, derived from Middle English combere, an agent derivative of Old English camb meaning "comb"... [more]
ComishManx Manx: from Gaelic Mac Thómais ‘son of Thomas’. The main seat of the family in the Isle of Man was Ballacomish ‘Comish's (or Thomas's) farm’ (Arbory, IoM).
ComitoItalian From the medieval Latin comitus, meaning "count", or the medieval Greek form of this word, komitos, used as a nickname for someone who put on airs and graces or worked for a count.
CommonsBreton It's generally believed this name comes from a Breton personal name, derived from element "cam," meaning "bent," or "crooked;" or from the herb "cummin" (cumin). Or from the place name Comines, in Flanders, Northern France.... [more]
ČomorBosnian (Rare), Bosnian Čomor is a rare surname in the world and has (mostly) Herzegovenian origins. You can find most Čomors in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only 400 people bare the surname. Čomor has two meanings; First meaning is 'buttercup' and the second one is 'a disease that comes from eating fatty (oily) foods, fever with a constant feeling of nausea and disgust'
ComptonEnglish Habitational name from any of the numerous places throughout England (but especially in the south) named Compton, from Old English cumb meaning "short, straight valley" + tūn meaning "enclosure", "settlement".
ComteFrench Nickname for someone who worked for a count or for someone acting haughty from Old French contecunte "count"... [more]
CondeSpanish 1 Spanish and Portuguese: “nickname from the title of rank conde ‘count’, a derivative of Latin comes, comitis ‘companion’.”... [more]
CondéFrench habitational name from any of several places in Normandy and Picardy called Condé a French form of the Gaulish condate "junction of rivers".
ConeyEnglish Means "seller of rabbits", or from a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a rabbit (in either case from Middle English cony "rabbit").
ConfaloneItalian from gonfalone "standard banner" from Old French gonfalon (of ancient Germanic origin) a metonymic occupational name for a standard bearer either in a military context or as the officer of a guild responsible for carrying the banner in religious processions... [more]
CongdonIrish, English A variant of Irish "Condon". In English usage: a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place; probably Devon or Cornwall, where the modern surname is most frequent.
ConiglioItalian, Sicilian From coniglio "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus ) applied as a nickname for a timid person or a metonymic occupational name for a dealer in rabbits... [more]
ConinxBelgian, Dutch Variant form of Koning, from a genitive form of Middle Dutch coninc "king, leader, important person".
ConklinEnglish Origin unidentified. Possibly of Dutch origin, deriving from konkelen "to plot, intrigue, deceive" or from a given name containing the element kuoni meaning "brave, bold"... [more]
ConlonIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Conalláin or Ó Caoindealbháin.
ConnallyIrish John Connally was an American politician who served as the 39th governor of Texas from 1963 to 1969 and as the 61st United States secretary of the treasury from 1971 to 1972. His surname may have derived from the name Conall "rule of a wolf", from Old Irish cú "hound, dog, wolf" (genitive con) and fal "rule."
ConningtonEnglish This name means "The king's manor, the royal estate," from the Old Scandinavian word "konunger" + the Old English word "tun." It was listed twice in the Domesday Book of 1086, once as Coninctune and secondly as Cunitone.
ConquestEnglish Probably from a nickname for a domineering person, from Old French conqueste. A famous bearer of the name was British historian, poet, and novelist Robert Conquest (1917-2015).
ConsidineIrish Anglicisation of Irish Mac Consaidín meaning "son of Consaidín". The given name Consaidín is the Irish form of Constantine... [more]
ConsiglioItalian Means "advice, counsel" or "council, assembly" in Italian, a nickname for a wise, thoughtful, or perhaps fearful individual, or an occupational name for a member of a council.
ConsiglioItalian Derived from the medieval given name Consilius, or from a short form of the auspicious name Buonconsiglio "good advice", associated with the Marian title Madonna del Buon Consiglio "Our Lady of Good Counsel".
ContestabileItalian Means "debatable, questionable" in Italian, perhaps a nickname for an argumentative person, or for someone of dubious respectability.
ContractorIndian (Parsi) Parsi occupational surname for a contractor, or someone who works on the basis of a contract. As the British rule of India demanded for all Parsees to adopt a surname, many adopted English vocabulary based on their occupation (i.e. Engineer or Merchant).
ConverseEnglish Originally a nickname for a Jew converted to Christianity or an occupational name for someone converted to the religious way of life, a lay member of a convent, from Middle English and Old French convers "convert".
ConzettRomansh Derived from Conz, a variant of the given name Kunz, in combination with the diminutive suffix -ett.
CooganIrish Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "MacCogadhain"; composed of the Gaelic prefix "mac," which means "son of," and the Gaelic personal name "Cuchogaidh", which means "Hound of War". The name is also found in Ireland as Cogan, Coggan, Coggen, Cogin, Coggon, Coogan and Goggin(s).
CookinhamJewish (Americanized) This has the form of an English habitational name; however, there is no record of any such place name in the British Isles, and the surname does not appear in present-day records. It is probably an Americanized form of Jewish Guggenheim .
CooleyIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Chúille ‘son of the servant of (Saint) Mochúille’, a rare Clare name.
CoolidgeEnglish Probably an occupational name for a college servant or someone with some other association with a university college, for example a tenant farmer who farmed one of the many farms in England known as College Farm, most of which are or were owned by university colleges.
CootEnglish “an early member was a person who seemed to exhibit some of the characteristics of birds.”
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.
CopasEnglish Possibly a topographic name derived from Middle English coppis "coppice, thicket, grove of brushwood; cut-over forest".
CopeEnglish From Middle English cope "cape, cloak", an occupational name for a maker of cloaks, or a nickname for someone known for wearing one.
CopernicusHistory Nicolaus Copernicus is a mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe... [more]
CoppEnglish Derived from Old English copp "top, summit; crown (of the head)", a topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, or perhaps a nickname for someone with an oddly-shaped head.
CoppenhaverGerman Americanized spelling, probably originally spelled Kopenhaver or Koppenhaver. Means "owner of a hill".
CopperbottomPopular Culture The surname of the main character Rodney Copperbottom from the animated film Robots (2005).
CoraggioItalian From Italian meaning "courage, bravery". Historically, the surname could have been given to someone who was known for their bravery or courage in the face of conflict, danger, or adversity, or to someone associated with the military or warfare.
CorbieFrench From the name of a town in northern France, possibly derived from a given name originating with the Latin word corvus meaning "raven, crow". Alternatively, it could be a variant form of Corbeau.
CordascoItalian Possibly derived from a dialectical form of Italian cordesco "late-born lamb", or in Old Italian "of or pertaining to cows or sheep".
CordayFrench Either from the French word corde meaning "cord/rope/string", or from the Latin word cor meaning "heart." This was the surname of Charlotte Corday, the assassin who killed Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat during the French revolution.
CordeiroPortuguese, Galician Means "young lamb" in Portuguese and Galician (Latin cordarius, a derivative of cordus "young", "new"). Occupational name for a shepard
CordellEnglish Means "maker of cord" or "seller of cord" in Middle English.
CordenEnglish Derives from Old French Cordon meaning "a seller of ribbon" or from Cordoan, a locational job description for a worker in fine kid leather. Originally associated with the city of Cordova in Spain... [more]
CorderFrench (Anglicized, Archaic), English (American) Linked to both English, French and Spanish origin. Cordier, Cordero, Corder- one who makes cord. Can refer to both the act of making cords (rope), cores of fire wood, or actual location names.... [more]
CorderoSpanish Means "lamb" in Spanish, either used as an occupational name for a shepherd or a religious name referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
CordierFrench Given to someone who worked or made with cord and or strings from old French corde "string". French cognate of Corder.
CórdobaSpanish Indicates someone who was originally from the city of Córdoba (Cordova) in Andalusia, Spain. The name itself is derived from Phonecian Qʾrtuba meaning "Juba’s city", itself from Phonecian qʾrt meaning "city" and juba referring to King Juba I of Numidia.
CorioItalian Possibly a variant of Coiro, from Latin corium "leather". Alternatively, could derive from the Latin given name Corius, or from the toponym Cori, a town in Lazio, Italy.
CorkEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a supplier of red or purple dye or for a dyer of cloth, Middle English cork (of Celtic origin; compare Corkery).
CorkeryIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Corcra "descendant of Corcra", a personal name derived from corcair "purple" (ultimately cognate with Latin purpur).
CorkillManx, Irish The name is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Thorcaill ("son of Thorkell") which is derived from the Old Norse personal name meaning "Thor's kettle".
CorkishManx From a reduced form of Gaelic "Mac Mharcuis" meaning "Son of Marcas".
CorletoItalian Habitational name derived from the town Corleto Perticara, the first element derived from Latin coryletum "hazel tree grove, copse of hazel trees".
CormierFrench French topographic name for someone who lived near a sorb or service tree, Old French cormier (from corme, the name of the fruit for which the tree was cultivated, apparently of Gaulish origin).