This is a list of submitted surnames in which the description contains the keywords bringer or of or light.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
NejiJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 子師, combining 子 (shi, su, tsu, ko, -ko, ne) meaning "child, sign of the rat (1st sign of Chinese zodiac)" with 師 (shi, su, nara.u, moromoro) meaning "army, exemplar, expert, master, model, teacher, war."
NelmsEnglish (American) Topographic name for someone who lived near or amid a grove of elm trees, from misdivision of Middle English atten elmes ‘at the elms’
NepalNepali Name for someone from the village of Nepa in western-central Nepal.
NerenbergJewish Variant of the Ashkenazic Jewish surname Nierenberg, which is derived from Nirnberg, the Yiddish form of Nuremberg (German Nürnberg), hence becoming an Ashkenazic Jewish habitational surname for someone living in that city.
NermanSwedish Possibly a combination of Swedish nedre "lower, southern" and man "man".
NesbittScottish, Irish, English Derives from the hamlets of East Nisbet and West Nisbet, Berwickshire. Some bearers of Nisbet/Nesbitt (and variant) names may originate from the village of Nisbet in Roxburghshire.
NesheiwatArabic From the name of clan founder Abu Nushaywah, derived from a diminutive of Arabic نشوة (nashwah) meaning "happiness, elation".
NeskyPolish Many Polish immigrants' names were shortened to Nesky, such as Nosrazesky, Wolinsky-a wide variety of names that had the letter N somewhere within and ended in sky or ski became "Nesky." There are also non-Polish Neskys in the U.S.
NestorIrish Derived from the surname Mac Girr an Adhastair (sometimes shortened to Mac an Aghastair), meaning "Short man of the halter." The Mac Girr an Adhastair were associated with the local lords, the Ó Lochlainn family.
NetRomanian Romanian variant of the Latin name Netus, meaning superior, greater.
NethertonEnglish The Netherton surname is derived from the Old English "neothera," meaning "lower," and "tun," meaning "enclosure," or "settlement." It is a habitational name derived from any of several places so named, such as one in Northumberland, and one in Worcestershire.
NetjesDutch Possibly a matronymic from of a diminutive form of Annetje. Coincides with the Dutch word for "tidy, neat" or "decent, proper."
NeubertGerman Derived from the German word “neu,” meaning “new,” and the word “Bert,” which is a shortened form of the Germanic given name “Berthold,” meaning “bright ruler.” So, it means “new bright ruler”.
NeuburgGerman From the name of various places in Germany and Austria.
NeufeldGerman, English Neufeld is a surname of German origin, meaning "new field". It is not seldom in Germany and it is common among German speaking Mennonites from Russia.
NeuhausGerman, Jewish Topographical name for someone who lived in a new house, Middle High German niuwe hus, modern German neu Haus, or a habitational name for someone from any of several places named Neuhaus ('new house') in various parts of Germany and Austria, also in Bohemia.
NeutsFlemish Flemish Dutch, meaning "New Son" lore tells of a son of a foreign given this name after being born in Flanders with no known father
NeuwirthGerman German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for a new innkeeper, from Middle High German niuwe ‘new’ + wirt and German neu + Wirt ‘master of a house’, ‘innkeeper’.
NeveFrench Derived from the place name En Nève, derived from a misdivision of Old French en nève "in water".
NevelsDutch Possibly a variant of Nevens. Coincides with Dutch nevel "fog".
NeverGerman Habitational surname denoting someone from the town of Nevern (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Germany.
NevesPortuguese Means "snows" in Portuguese, derived from either the Marian title Maria das Neves "Mary of the Snows", or from any of several locations named for the title.
NeveuFrench Relationship name from Old French neveu "nephew" also "grandson" used to distinguish the two bearers of the same personal name.
NevilisVenetian (Archaic) An extinct surname. Likely derives from Italian "neve", meaning "snow". This surname was possibly given as a nickname to someone with light hair or fair skin. It could also be a cognate of the French surname Neuville.
NevolinRussian In the old days "Nilly", called the lack of freedom, obedience to the will of another. Such negative names were given then, that they defended the man and drove him from unhappiness.
NewbornEnglish Habitational name from Newbourn in Suffolk or Newburn in Tyne and Wear (formerly part of Northumberland), both named with Old English niwe "new" and burna "stream", perhaps denoting a stream that had changed its course.
NewbyEnglish From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English niwe "new" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".
NewhamEnglish Habitational name from any of the various places, for example in Northumbria and North Yorkshire, so named from Old English neowe "new" and ham "homestead".
NewhouseEnglish Either a habitational name for someone who lived at a "new house" (from Middle English niwe "new" and hus "new house") or a habitational name from any of various minor places so called especially perhaps Newhouses in Horton Yorkshire near the border with Lancashire... [more]
NeyGerman, English A dialectal form of the common German word neu "new".... [more]
NezNavajo Nez = Tall. One of the most prevalent family names on the Navajo reservation.
NgaEthiopian, Japanese Ethiopian: from the personal name Nega, which is interpreted as "it became morning" in the Amharic language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.... [more]
NgụyVietnamese Vietnamese form of Wei, from Sino-Vietnamese 魏 (ngụy).
NhâmVietnamese Vietnamese form of Ren, from Sino-Vietnamese 任 (nhâm).
NhanVietnamese Vietnamese form of Yan, from Sino-Vietnamese 顏 (nhan).
NhekKhmer Means "close, together, often, frequently" in Khmer. It may also be from a short form of Chinese 涅槃 (nièpán) meaning "nirvana".
NhữVietnamese Vietnamese form of Ru, from Sino-Vietnamese 汝 (nhữ).
NiChinese From Chinese 倪 (ní) referring to the ancient territory of Ni, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the Shandong province.
NiangWestern African, Wolof Refers to a member of the Deme, a Wolof clan whose symbol is the donkey.
NiazaiPashto Most likely from Persian نیاز (niyaz) meaning "need, necessity, desire, wish" (see Niaz or Niyaz) combined with Pashto زوی (zoy) meaning "son (of)"... [more]
NibbeGerman Nickname meaning ‘beak’, or from a short form of a Germanic personal name Nippo, composed of Old High German nit ‘hostility’, ‘eagerness’ + boto ‘messenger’.
NibeJapanese Variant transcription or reading of Japanese Kanji 新部 (see Niibe).
NicoliniItalian patronymic from Nicolino, a pet form of Nicola
NieChinese From Chinese 聂 (niè) referring to either of two ancient fiefs named Nie. One existed in the state of Wei (Wey) in what is now Henan province, while the other was part of the state of Qi in what is now Shandong province.
NiederhäuserGerman, Swiss Habitational name from any of numerous places named Niederhaus or Niederhausen, denoting the lower of two dwellings or settlements or one in a low-lying position.
NiedermeierGerman, 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.
NiedfeldtGerman 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".
NiehChinese Alternate transcription of Chinese 聂 (see Nie).
NiemanDutch Means "new man", a cognate of German Neumann. Can also derive from Middle Dutch nieman "no one, nobody", a byname for an unknown or otherwise nameless person... [more]
NiesGerman German: from a reduced form of the personal name Dionys (see Dennis), which was stressed on the last syllable; this was a popular personal name as a result of the influence of the French Saint Denis... [more]
NietlingGerman The last name Nietling has its origins in Germany, specifically within the regions of Bavaria and the Rhineland. It is believed to derive from a combination of the Germanic elements "nied," meaning "low" or "beneath," and "ling," which can denote a diminutive or a person associated with a particular place or characteristic... [more]
NietzscheGerman, German (Silesian) Derived from a Silesian diminutive of the given name Nikolaus. A notable bearer was Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), a German philosopher.
NieuwenhuisDutch Means "new house" in Dutch. Indicated that the bearer lived in a new house or lived in a village of the same name
NightshadeLiterature Meaning unknown. Possibly derived from the English word night or just a combination of night and shade. A notable fictional bearer is Enid Nightshade from Jill Murphy's books, The Worst Witch, as well as the television adaptations.
NigulEstonian Nigul is an Estonian surname (and masculine given name); from the given name "Nigul/Nigulas", a variant of "Nicholas".
NihonJapanese (Rare) Means "Japan" in Japanese, though originally from 日本 (nihon), a clipping of 日本晴れ (nihombare) meaning "no clouds in the sky". It is a reference to an event in the Edo Period, of a weather forecaster who was asked for the weather and answered 日本晴れ... [more]
Nihon'yanagiJapanese Means "2 salix trees", from Japanese 二本 (nihon) meaning "2 (cylindrical objects)" and 柳 (yanagi) meaning "salix". This is the name of a few places in Japan (in the city of Goshogawara and the city of Gonohe).
NiinEstonian Niin is an Estonian surname meaning "bast" and "phloem" (the fibrous material from the phloem of a plant, used as fiber in matting, cord, etc.)
NiinistöFinnish Combination of Finnish niini "bast fibre" and the suffix -stö.
NijibayashiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 虹 (Niji) meaning "Rainbow" and 林 (Bayashi) meaning "Forest". A notable bearer of this surname was academic author Kei Nijibayashi.
NijinoJapanese Made up of the kanji 虹, meaning "rainbow", and 乃 ,meaning "of"。... [more]
NikaidoJapanese (Rare, ?) From japanese kanji 二 (ni) meaning "two", 階 (kai) meaning "floor, storey" combined with 堂 (dō) meaning "temple". The last name is a name of a clan of Japanese samurai that ruled the Iwase District of Mutsu Province during the Sengoku period during the Kamakura era... [more]
NimitzGerman 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.
NinbergJewish 1 Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Feinberg .... [more]
NineEnglish (American) Americanized spelling of German Nein or Neun, from Middle High German niun meaning "nine".
NingChinese From Chinese 宁 (níng) meaning "peaceful, tranquil", also referring to the ancient county of Ningyi, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
NinkaAlbanian (Modern) First recognized in the early 1800s as a surname in and around Albania and the Balkans, and due to migration it has spread to a few different places across the world. Very little is known about this surname as there are very few records of it.
NireharaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 楡原 (Nirehara), an variant reading of 楡原 (Nirebara) meaning "Nirebara", a former large village in the district of Koshi in the former Japanese province of Echigo in parts of present-day Niigata, Japan or an area in the same place, in the city of Nagaoka in the prefecture of Niigata in Japan.
NishantIndian Derived from the Sanskrit name for dawn or the end of night. In Sanskrit Nisha (निशा) means 'Night' and Ant (अन्त) means 'End', which can be alliterated as the end of night or the first ray of the morning sun.
NiuChinese 1 Chinese 牛: this name probably arose during the Zhou dynasty ( 1122–221 bc ) in the area of Gansu province; the details are unclear. It was borne by a person named Niu Wen, who was a descendant of the eldest brother of the last king of the Shang dynasty, Zhou Xin ( 1154–1123 bc ).... [more]
NoarEnglish This surname is thought to be derived from nore which could mean "shore, cliff." This could denote that someone might have lived in a shore or cliff. It may also be used as a surname for someone who lived in the now 'diminished' village of Nore in Surrey.
NoceItalian Means "nut" or "walnut" in Italian. Could be a topographic name for someone who lived where nut trees grew, an occupational name for a grower or seller of walnuts, or perhaps a nickname based on the bearer’s strength of character, or a physical characteristic such as brown hair or skin.
NocedaSpanish Spanish surname derived from the word "nocedal" meaning "field of walnut trees" it denoted a person who lived or came from such place.
NōdaJapanese Variant of Osame but adding Japanese 田 (da), the joining form of 田 (ta) meaning "rice paddy, cultivated field", possibly referring to a place with rice paddies or cultivated fields.
NodaJapanese Combination of the kanji 野 (no, "area, field, hidden part of a structure; wild, rustic") and 田 (ta, "rice paddy, field"). A famous bearer of this surname is Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (野田 佳彦; b. 1957).
NodaJapanese Variant reading or transcription of Japanese Kanji 納田 (see Nōda).
NoeMedieval English, Korean A patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah from the Hebrew word "noach" meaning long-lived. Possible origins could be ... [more]
NolfFlemish, German Derived from a short form of the personal names Arnolf or Nodolf (a variant of Odolf), or possibly another name ending in wolf "wolf".
NollGerman From a short form of any of various medieval personal names derived from Germanic personal names ending in -n + wald 'rule', for example Arnold and Reinwald.
NolteGerman 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]
NõmmeEstonian Nõmme is an Estonian surname, derived from "nõmm", meaning "heath". It is also the name of several locations of towns and villages in Estonia.
NongChinese, Vietnamese From Chinese 农 (nóng) meaning "farming, agriculture, cultivation", also referring to the ancient official position Nong Zheng (農正) meaning "agriculture officer". It is also used as a simplified variant of Vietnamese Nông, which is of the same origin.
NongrumKhasi, Indian "Nongrum" is the name given for the "Title/Surname" of a persons. It is famous only in Khasi Hills, Meghalaya,shillong, the land of the "Khasis".
NonnenmacherGerman Occupational name for a gelder of hogs, from Middle High German nunne, nonne meaning "nun", and by transfer "castrated hog" + an agent derivative of machen meaning "to make".
NoonEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname for someone of a sunny disposition (noon being the sunniest part of the day); or (ii) from Irish Gaelic Ó Nuadháin "descendant of Nuadhán", a personal name based on Nuadha, the name of various Celtic gods (cf... [more]
NoonanIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Nuanáin (from Irish Gaelic Ó hIonmhaineáin) meaning "descendant of Ionmhaineán", a diminutive of the given name Ionmhain "beloved, dear". ... [more]
NooneIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Nuadháin "descendant of Nuadhán" (see Nuadha).
NoppeFlemish Possibly related to Middle Dutch noppe "tuft of wool, tassel", a metonymic name for someone who worked with cloth, or a nickname for someone with a slight stature. Alternatively, from a childish form of the given name Norbert.
NordbyNorwegian, Danish The first half of the word nord is derived from the Old Norse word norþr which means "north", while the second half of the word by is derived from the Norwegian word byr or bo meaning "farmstead" or "settlement"... [more]
NordénSwedish Combination of Swedish nord "north" and the common surname suffix -én.
NordenskiöldSwedish, Finland Swedish (Archaic) Combination of Swedish nord "north" and sköld "shield". Norden is also the Swedish name for the Nordic countries, but it is not the element used in this surname. Nordenskiöld is a Swedish and Fennoswedish noble family, the first known members are brothers Anders Johan Nordenskiöld (1696-1763) and Carl Fredric Nordenskiöld the elder (1702-1779)... [more]
NordgrenSwedish Combination of Swedish nord "north" and gren "branch".
NordlanderSwedish Combination of Swedish nord "north" and the common surname suffix -lander (a combination of land "land" and the habitational suffix -er).
NordlundSwedish Combination of Swedish nord "north" and lund "grove".
NoronhaPortuguese Derived from Noreña, the name of a village in Asturias, northern Spain.
NorrbySwedish The first half of the word Norr is derived from the Old Norse word norþr which means "north", while the second half of the word by is derived from the Old Swedish word byr meaning "farmstead" or "settlement"... [more]
NørregaardDanish An alternate spelling of Nørgaard. Literally meaning north farm in Danish.
NorrellEnglish, German (?) A locational surname from the Germanic (Old English/Old Norse) term for the north. It either refers to someone who lived in a location called Northwell, lived north of a well, spring or stream (Old English weall)... [more]