HowarthEnglish "From a hedged estate", from Old English haga ("hedge, haw") and worð ("farm, estate"). Likely originating from the Yorkshire village of the same name. Common in Lancashire and recorded from at least 1518, as Howorthe, with an earlier version of Hauewrth in Gouerton dated 1317 recorded in the Neubotle charters.
HowdyshellAmerican, German Americanized (i.e., Anglicized) form of the Swiss German Haudenschild, which originated as a nickname for a ferocious soldier, literally meaning "hack the shield" from Middle High German houwen "to chop or hack" (imperative houw) combined with den (accusative form of the definite article) and schilt "shield".
HowesEnglish Pronounced to rhyme with hose, a variant of Howe with plural or post-medieval excrescent -s. Hose (Leicestershire), recorded as Howes in 1086, is named with the plural of Old English hōh ‘hill spur’.... [more]
HowieScottish I believe it is from "The Land of How" in Ayrshire
HowlettEnglish The name Howlett was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman personal name Hugh. Howlett was a baptismal name which means the son of Hugh... [more]
HowleyEnglish, Irish English habitational name from Howley in Warrington (Lancashire) or Howley in Morley (Yorkshire). The Lancashire name also appears as Hooley and Wholey while the Yorkshire placename comes from Old English hofe "ground ivy... [more]
HoxieEnglish They were first found in the settlement of Hawkshaw in the county of Lancashire. The surname Hoxie belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
HoyaSpanish is a habitational (local) name, taken on from any of several place names, such as from Hoyos in Cáceres province, or Hoyos in Ávila province. These place names come from the Spanish words "hoyo," meaning "pit," or "hole."
HøyerDanish A surname relatively common in Denmark, derived from the Old Norse word haugr, meaning "mound, cairn, hill". Alternatively, meaning can be traced back to the old Germanic personal name Hucger, a compound consisting of hug- "heart, mind, spirit" and geirr "spear".
HoylandEnglish, Norwegian English (South Yorkshire): habitational name from any of various places in South Yorkshire named with Old English hoh ‘hill spur’ + land ‘(cultivated) land’. ... [more]
HrachGerman (Austrian, Rare), Czech (Rare) Originated in the Czech-speaking region of Bohemia in Austria, pre-1900. From Czech hrách, meaning "pea." Given either to a very short man or to a gardener.
HubbleEnglish From the Norman personal name Hubald, composed of the Germanic elements hug "heart, mind, spirit" and bald "bold, brave".
HubenGerman The roots of the distinguished German surname Huben lie in the kingdom of Bavaria. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "huober," meaning "owner of a patch of farmland." The term "Hube" was used to denote a 40-acre hide of farmland... [more]
HübenthalGerman From either of two place names, derived from the older form Hufinadah meaning "valley where the hooves were".
HübnerGerman status name for a prosperous small farmer from a variant of Huber.
HuckEnglish From the medieval personal name Hucke, which was probably descended from the Old English personal name Ucca or Hucca, perhaps a shortened form of Uhtræd influenced by a medieval form of Hugh... [more]
HuckleberryEnglish From the name of the variety of shrubs (genus Vaccinium) or the berries that grow on them. This is also the anglicized form of the German surname Hackelberg.
HuckoSlovak Hucko is from a diminutive of the occupational name Hudec meaning 'fiddler'.
HugoFrench Victor Hugo was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. He was also the writer of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and 'Les Misérables'.
HuguenotFrench Meaning uncertain. It could be denoted as a French Protestant who held the Reformed tradition of Protestantism, possibly derived from Middle French eiguenot "Swiss confederate", from Swiss republican Besançon Hugues, or a diminutive form of Hugues, from the same person... [more]
HuitemaDutch Possibly a patronymic form of Hoite, a pet form of names containing the element hugu "mind, thought, spirit", using the Frisian suffix -ma "man of".
HuizingaWest Frisian, Dutch Habitational name from Huizinge, a town in Groningen, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Frisian hūs "house" and dinge "newly cultivated lands"... [more]
HulbertEnglish 1 English and German: from a Germanic personal name, Holbert, Hulbert, composed of the elements hold, huld ‘friendly’, ‘gracious’ + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’.... [more]
HumbleEnglish Nickname for a meek or lowly person, from Middle English, Old French (h)umble (Latin humilis "lowly", a derivative of humus "ground").
HumboldtGerman (?) Derived from the Germanic given name Hunibald. Notable bearers of this surname were Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a Prussian naturalist, geographer, explorer and polymath, and his brother Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835), a linguist, philosopher and diplomat.
HungateEnglish Habitational name from any of several places in England called Hungate, derived from Old English hund "hound, dog" and Old Norse gata "street, road".
HungerfordEnglish From the name of a settlement in Berkshire, England, derived from Old English hungor "hunger, famine" and ford "ford, river crossing".
HunleyEnglish (American) English: variant of Hundley, which also has English origins (Worcestershire and Herefordshire): possibly a variant of Huntley or a habitational name from a lost Hundley, and Hanley.... [more]
HunnamEnglish Variant form of Hannam. A famous bearer is the English actor and screenwriter Charlie Hunnam (1980-).
HuntingtonEnglish English: habitational name from any of several places so called, named with the genitive plural huntena of Old English hunta ‘hunter’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’ or dun ‘hill’ (the forms in -ton and -don having become inextricably confused)... [more]
HunyadiHungarian A name of a noble family of Hungary. The Regent John Hunyadi had this last name.
HuoChinese From Chinese 霍 (huò) referring to the ancient state of Huo, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the city of Huozhou in Shanxi province.
HusseyEnglish, Irish As an English surname, it comes from two distinct sources. It is either of Norman origin, derived from Houssaye, the name of an area in Seine-Maritime which ultimately derives from Old French hous "holly"; or it is from a Middle English nickname given to a woman who was the mistress of a household, from an alteration of husewif "housewife"... [more]
HussieEnglish, Irish Variant of Hussey. A notable bearer is American webcomic author/artist Andrew Hussie (1979-).
HustedGerman The name was originally spelled "Hustedt" and means "homestead." The family name originated in northern Germany. One branch of the family migrated to England, and a branch of that family to the United States.
HütterGerman German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a hatter from an agent derivative of Middle High German huot ‘hat’; Yiddish hut, German Hut ‘hat’. German (Hütter): topographic name from Middle High German hütte ‘hut’... [more]
HuttonEnglish, Scottish Scottish and northern English habitational name from any of the numerous places so called from Old English hoh ‘ridge’, ‘spur’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’.
HuxGerman Probably from a topographic name Huck or Hucks, of uncertain origin. It occurs in many place and field names.
HuxfordEnglish Habitational name from a place in Devon called Huxford (preserved in the name of Huxford Farm), from the Old English personal name Hōcc or the Old English word hōc ‘hook or angle of land’ + ford ‘ford’.
HuygensDutch, Belgian Means "son of Hugo". A notable bearer was Dutch mathematician, physicist and astronomer Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695).
IbarguenBasque From the name of a neighborhood in Biscay, Spain, derived from Basque ibar "valley, riverbank" and guren "limit, edge, bank".
IbarrolaBasque From the name of a village in Basque Country, derived from ibar "valley, riverbank" and ola "factory, forge, ironworks", or possibly -ola "location, place of".
IbbotsonEnglish Diminutive form ("son of" or little) of Hibbs, itself a patronymic, from a diminutive of Hibbert, which derives from a Norman personal name, "Hil(de)bert", composed of the Germanic elements "hild", battle, and "berht" famous.
IbukaJapanese From Japanese 井 (i) meaning "well" and 深 (fuka) meaning "depth". A notable bearer of this surname was the Japanese industrialist Masaru Ibuka who is known for have been a co-founder of Japanese electronics conglomerate Sony (1908 – 1997).
IchibangaseJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 一番ヶ瀬 (Ichibangase), a clipping of 一番ヶ瀬上 (Ichibangasekami) or 一番ヶ瀬下 (Ichibangaseshimo), both divisions in the division of Haramaki in the area of Sefuri in the city of Kanzaki in the prefecture of Saga in Japan.... [more]
IchinoeJapanese From 一 (ichi, kazu) meaning "one", 之 (no) meaning "of", and 江 (e) meaning "river, bay, inlet". This is not spelled the same as the town named Ichinohe.
IchinoheJapanese This is the name of a town in Iwate prefecture. It is spelled with 一 (ichi) meaning "one" and 戸 (he) meaning "door". It is not spelled the same as Ichinoe, the name of a district in Edogawa.
IchinomiyaJapanese This surname is used as 一宮, 一の宮, 一ノ宮, 一之宮 or 市之宮 with 一 (ichi, itsu, hito, hito.tsu) meaning "one," 市 (shi, ichi) meaning "city, market, town," 之 (shi, oite, kono, kore, no, yuku) meaning "of, this" or 宮 (kyuu, ku, kuu, guu, miya) meaning "constellations, palace, princess."... [more]
IchinoshimeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 一住連 (Ichinoshime), from 一住連門 (Ichinoshimemon) a name of a group of several households in the Kadowari System that took place in the Edo Period in the former Japanese province of Satsuma in parts of present-day Kagoshima, Japan.
IdänpirttiFinnish Origins remain unknown. Idänpirtti translates as 'The Cabin of The East'
IddendenEnglish (Rare) Iden as a village name is to be found in both the counties of Kent and Sussex, and describes a pasture, or strictly speaking an area within a marsh suitable for pasture. The origination is the pre 6th century phrase ig-denn with ig meaning an island... [more]
IdoJapanese From Japanese 井門 (Ido) meaning "Ido", a former township in the former district of Ukena in the former Japanese province of Iyo in present-day Ehime, Japan.
IencaItalian (Rare) Derived from a regional variant of Italian giovenca "heifer (young cow that has not had a calf)", derived from Latin iuvenca "heifer; young woman". Could be a nickname, an occupational name for a cowherd or milker, or a toponymic surname from any of several locations named with the element ienca or jenca... [more]
IfansWelsh Derived from Welsh ap Ifan meaning "son of Ifan". A famous bearer is Welsh actor and musician Rhys Ifans (1967-), born Rhys Owain Evans.
IferganJudeo-Spanish From the name of the village of Ifergan in Morocco, itself derived from Tamazight afrag meaning "enclosed place, cloister".
IhimaeraMaori This name in English means Ishmael. This name is not only a surname but was used at least in the past as a first name. This name could have another origin. This is the last name of the first Maori author to produce a book made up of stories Witi Ihimaera (1944- ).
IkariJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 五十里 (Ikari) meaning "Ikari", a division in the town of Nyūzen in the district of Shimoniikawa in the prefecture of Toyama in Japan or an area in the city of Takaoka in the prefecture of Toyama in Japan.
IkeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 生 (Ike), a clipping of 生勝 (Ikegachi) meaning "Ikegachi", an area in the village of Uken in the district of Ōshima in the prefecture of Kagoshima in Japan.
IkolaYoruba, Finnish May possibly mean "a lesson to the world" in Yoruba from words ìkọ́ meaning "teaching, lesson, message" combined with lá either from ilá (territory/line) or means "to cut open, to emerge"... [more]
IlardiItalian Possibly from the given name Ilardo, which could be a derivative of the Germanic name Adalhard, or perhaps a southern variant of Gilardi.
IlarratzaBasque From the name of a settlement in Álava, Spain, possibly derived from Basque illar "bean, pea; heather" and the abundance suffix -tza.
İlbeyTurkish Ruler of the Country or Ruler of the City
IlgenGerman Either a patryonimic from the given name Ilg or derived from the name of a district of the Steingaden municipality in the Upper Bavarian district of Weilheim-Schongau.