Browse Submitted Surnames

Abercrombie Scottish
Derived from a surname. It is the name of a parish in Fife, Scotland, on the northern shore of the Frith of Forth, whence the possessor took his surname; from Aber, marshy ground, a place where two or more streams meet; and cruime or crombie, a bend or crook... [more]

Abkhazi Georgian
Means "Abkhaz person" in Georgian, referring to a member of the Abkhaz ethnic group inhabiting the Black Sea coast. This was the name of a Georgian family of princely status descended from the Shervashidze ruling family of Abkhazia.

Adrienne Medieval English
The surname dervies from the Latin male given name "(H)adrianus", originally an ethnic name for someone from the seaport of Adria - which gave its name to the Adriatic Sea - who settled in Rome and became known as "the man from Adria" (in Latin, "Adrianus")... [more]

Amami Japanese
amami is a surname which can mean heavenly beauty, heavenly truth, or heavenly ocean. the first meaning is made up of the kanji 天 (ama) meaning heaven and 美 (mi) meaning beauty. the second meaning consists of 天 (ama) and 実 (mi) meaning truth... [more]

Azov Russian, Ukrainian
From the Sea of Azov. Probably denoted to somebody who lived on the Azov coast... [more]

Blomstrand Swedish
From Swedish blomma (Old Norse blóm) meaning "flower" and strand (Old Norse strǫnd) meaning "beach, sea shore".

Bythesea English (British)
Habitational name for someone who lived near the sea, this name is nearly extinct in England today.

Dallimore English
An English surname probably derived from the French de la mare, meaning "of the sea", though some contend that "mare" springs from the English word moor. This surname probably arose after the Norman conquest of Britain.

Dalmas French
Surname Dalmas was first found in Limousin. Literally means "of the sea."

Del Mar Spanish
Means "of the sea" in Spanish.

Deniz Turkish
Means "sea" in Turkish.

Elamkunnapuzha Malayalam (Rare)
Elamkunnapuzha is a village in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala.... [more]

Fuyuumi Japanese
Fuyu means "winter" and umi means "sea".

Galea Biblical Latin
Galea in Latin is HELMET. The Galea was a Roman helmet in excess of 1000 BC. Another basis for the name was for a type of boat with oars and sails. The first Greek boats called galea, appeared around the second half of the 2nd millennium BC... [more]

Gillicuddy Irish
Angliczed from the Irish surname Mac Giolla Chudha means 'descendant of sea warrior'.

Gorringe English
Derived from the name of the village of Goring-by-the-Sea in Sussex

Hai Chinese
Means "ocean" in Chinese.

Havelock English
From the Middle English male personal name Havelok, from Old Norse Hafleikr, literally "sea sport". It was borne by the British general Sir Henry Havelock (1795-1857).

Hiromi Japanese (Rare)
From the stem of adjective 広い/廣い (hiroi), meaning "spacious, vast, wide," combined with either 海 (mi), shortened from umi meaning "sea, ocean," or 見 (mi) meaning "looking, viewing."... [more]

Hurley English, Irish
Meaning is "from a corner clearing" in Old English. Also an anglicized form of an Irish name meaning "sea tide" or "sea valor".

Idreius Celtic
“Like the ocean; Unpredictable.”... [more]

Itxasmendi Basque (Rare)
From the name of a neighborhood in Zarautz, Gipuzkoa, probably derived from Basque itxaso "sea" and mendi "mountain". Alternatively, the first element could be isats "gorse, broom (plant)".

Kaiba Japanese
From Japanese 海 (kai) meaning "sea, ocean" and 葉 (ha) meaning "leaf".

Kaifu Japanese
Combination of the kanji 海 (kai, "sea, ocean") and 部 (bu, "division, section"). A famous bearer of this surname is Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu (海部 俊樹; b. 1931).

Kaito Japanese
From 海 (kai, umi) meaning "sea, ocean" and 藤 (to, fuji) meaning "wisteria".

Karadeniz Turkish
Means "black sea" in Turkish.

Leibniz German
The German surname Leibnitz emerged in the lands that form the modern state of Lower Saxony, which is presently bordered by the North Sea, the Hartz mountains and the Elbe and Ems rivers. Lower Saxony was previously a medieval dukedom... [more]

Malefeyt Dutch (Archaic)
Archaic Dutch surname that is now no longer in use (not in this exact spelling, that is): the spelling reflects the surname's origin from older times (as -eyt is an exclusively archaic spelling that has not survived into modern times like its counterparts -eit and -ijt did)... [more]

Mar Swiss
The surname Mar has roots from Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain. MAR: topographic name for someone living by the sea, from mar ‘sea’ (Latin mare). German: nickname from Middle High German mar(w) ‘tender’, ‘delicate’.

Marcet Catalan
Marcet is a name that roughly translates to "Seven Seas" or "The Sea and the Sky" in the Catalan language. The name is unusual in the United States but very common in areas of Spain such as Barcelona, and in neighboring France.

Marengo Italian
Habitational name from Marengo in Alessandria Province or Marengo-Talloria in Cuneo. From Maréngo, Marénco, meaning Of The Sea, Maritime (Medieval Latin Marincus from Mare ‘Sea’), which were often used as personal names or nicknames in the Middle Ages.

Marinaro Italian
Occupational name for a sailor from marinaro (from Late Latin marinus derived from mare "sea").

Marzon Spanish
Is a portmanteau of the words mar, meaning sea, and corazon, meaning heart.

Maudling English
From the medieval female personal name Maudeleyn, the English form of Greek Magdalene, the sobriquet in the New Testament of the woman Mary who was cured of evil spirits by Jesus... [more]

Mccurdy Irish (Anglicized), Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Mhuircheartaigh, a patronymic from Muircheartach, a personal name composed of the elements muir "sea" and ceartach "ruler", hence "skilled seaman"... [more]

Mcmurtry Northern Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Muircheartaigh "son of Muircheartach", a personal name meaning "navigator", from muir "sea" and ceartach "ruler".

Meer Dutch, Low German
Means "lake, pool, marsh", from Old Germanic *mari "lake; sea, ocean". Compare Van der Meer.

Meremäe Estonian
Meremäe is an Estonian surname meaning "sea hill".

Meri Estonian, Finnish
Means "sea" in both Estonian and Finnish.

Merikanto Finnish
From Finnish meri "sea" and Kanto, an estate in Finland.... [more]

Meriloo Estonian
Meriloo is an Estonia surname derived from "meri" (sea) and "loo", one of several named locations in Estonia.

Merimaa Estonian
Merimaa is an Estonian surname meaning "sea land".

Merisaar Estonian
Merisaar is an Estonian surname meaning "sea island".

Merisalu Estonian
Merisalu is an Estonian surname meaning "sea grove".

Meritee Estonian
Meritee is an Estonian surname meaning "sea road/causeway".

Merrigan Irish
Irish: Anglicized Form Of Gaelic Ó Muireagáin ‘Descendant Of Muireagán’-'The son of the descendant of Mary'/or/ A Personal Name Derived From Muir ‘Sea’.

Midtsjø Norwegian
Derived from Norwegian midte meaning "middle, center" and sjø meaning "sea, lake".

Morrissey Irish
Morrissey is an Irish name meaning "choice of the sea".

Morskoy Russian
From the Russian word море (more), meaning "sea".

Muravyov-Amursky Russian (Rare)
Combination of surname Muravyov and Amursky. The famous bearer of this surname is Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky, who played a major role in the expansion of the Russian Empire into the Amur River basin and to the shores of the Sea of Japan.

Murchie English (American, Anglicized), English (British, Anglicized)
"Murchie" comes from the personal name "Murdo". The Scottish Gaelic form of the surname was "Mac Mhurchaidh", meaning son of "Murdo". The name "Murdo" is equivalent to "Murdock", and means sea warrior.

Murchison English (American)
May be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "Mac Mhurchaidh" meaning "Son of Sea Warrior"

Murland Irish
Murland is an Irish surname, which according to MacLysaght's The Surnames of Ireland is MacMurghalain in Gaelic, ultimately deriving from words meaning "sea" and "valor".

Nailsea English
From a town called Nailsea in North Somerset, England. Derived from Old English elements nægel meaning "nail," and sæ meaning "sea."

Narumi Japanese
From Japanese 鳴 (naru) meaning "cry" and 海 (mi) meaning "sea, ocean".

Navarre French
The name means "By the sea". Originally a country of its own, located between Spain and France, Navarre became a part of France in 1284 when the Queen of Navarre married King Philip IV of France. After much war, becoming independent once again, and falling into Spanish rule, the Kingdom of Navarre is now split between Spain and France.

Oki Japanese
From Japanese 沖 (oki) meaning "open sea".

Okiayu Japanese
Oki means "open sea" and ayu means "trout".

Okie Japanese
Oki means "open sea" and e means "inlet, river".

Okimatsu Japanese
Matsu means "pine, fir tree" and oki means "open sea".

Okimoto Japanese
From Japanese 沖 (oki) meaning "open sea" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Okino Japanese
O could mean "big, great" and ki can mean "tree, wood", or it could be spelled as oki meaning "open sea", and no means "field, plain".

Okino Japanese
From Japanese 沖 (oki) meaning "open sea" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Okise Japanese
Oki means "open sea" and se means "river".

Okita Japanese
From Japanese 沖 (oki) meaning "open sea" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Okitani Japanese
Oki could mean "open sea", or it could be spelled as o meaning "big, great", and tani meaning "valley".

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]

Passmore English
Either (i) from a medieval nickname for someone who crossed marshy moorland (e.g. who lived on the opposite side of a moor, or who knew the safe paths across it); or (ii) perhaps from an alteration of Passemer, literally "cross-sea", an Anglo-Norman nickname for a seafarer... [more]

Po Italian
Derived from Po the longest river in Italy (651,8 km). It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps across the regions: Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto... [more]

Questel French, Medieval French (?)
The surname Questel was first found in Normandy. Currently, Questel is the most commonly occurring last name in Saint-Barthélemy, a French island in the Caribbean Sea.... [more]

Ripple English
From the word ripple. Could mean that they live near a river, lake, brook, stream, or ocean.

Rosemary English
From the plant, meaning "dew of the sea".

Rosmarin German
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary and Latin dictonaries the name Rosmarin derives from the Latin words 'ros' ('dew' or 'tear') and 'marin' ('sea')... [more]

Sainsbury English
habitational name from Saintbury (Gloucestershire) from the Old English personal name Sæwine (genitive Sæwines from Old English sæ "sea" and wine ‘friend’) plus burg "fortified place".

Saraumi Japanese (Rare)
From 皿 (sara) meaning "dish, plate" and 海 (umi) meaning "sea, ocean".

Sea English
Variant of See.

Seaborn English
From an Old English personal name derived from the elements sǣ "sea, lake" and beorn "warrior".

Seabridge English
It means "sea bridge".

Seabright English
Derives from the Old English name Sæbeorht from sæ meaning "sea" and beorht meaning "bright". Related to Seabert.

Seaforth English
The name of a projection of the sea on the east coast of Lewis, on the Long Island, Scotland. Means "the forth of the sea".

Seager English, German (Modern)
English: from the Middle English personal name Segar, Old English S?gar, composed of the elements s? ‘sea’ + gar ‘spear’.... [more]

Seaward English
Means “dweller by the sea”.

See English, German
Topographic name for someone who lived by the sea-shore or beside a lake, from Middle English see meaning "sea", "lake" (Old English sǣ), Middle High German sē. Alternatively, the English name may denote someone who lived by a watercourse, from an Old English sēoh meaning "watercourse", "drain".

Seehuus Norwegian
Norwegian for "house by the sea."

Self English
East Anglian surname, from the medieval English masculine name Saulf which was derived from the Old English elements sǣ "sea" and wulf "wolf".

Seton Scottish
It has been claimed in the past that the name Seton is Norman in origin, however evidence points to it being Flemish. Various suggestions have been put forward regarding the derivation of the name but nothing proved conclusively; it probably means "town by the sea" and possibly derives from the "sea town" of Staithes in modern day North Yorkshire... [more]

Sewall English
Derived from the Middle English given names Sewal(d) or Sawal(d), variants of Old English Sæweald from sæ "sea" and weald "power, authority, rule".

Shinkai Japanese
From Japanese 新 (shin) meaning "new" and 海 (kai) meaning "sea, ocean".

Shore English
From the Old English word scora meaning "the land along the edge of an ocean, sea, lake, or river; a coast."

Sjöblom Swedish
Combination of Swediah sjö "lake, sea" and blom "bloom".

Sjödin Swedish
Combination of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and the common surname suffix -in.

Sjölander Swedish
Combination of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and the common surname suffix -ander (a combination of land and the habitational suffix -er). The second element is sometimes said to be derived from Greek aner "man".

Sjöman Swedish
Means "seaman, sailor" in Swedish, although this name is more likely to be an ornamental name composed of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and man "man". A notable bearer is film director Vilgot Sjöman (1924-2006).

Sjöö Swedish
Derived from Swedish sjö "lake, sea".

Sjöqvist Swedish
Combination of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and qvist, an archaic spelling of kvist, "twig".

Sjöstrand Swedish
Combination of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and strand "beach, shore".

Sjöström Swedish
Ornamental name composed of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and ström "stream, small river".

Søgård Danish
Means "sea farm" indicating a farmstead near the sea or open water.

Strandberg Swedish
Combination of Swedish strand "beach, sea shore" and berg "mountain".

Sulu Tagalog
From the sea in the Philippines. Notable bearer is the fictional character Hikaru Sulu from Star Trek. The name is not commonly given to real people.

Surridge English
From the medieval personal name Seric, a descendant of both Old English Sǣrīc, literally "sea power", and Sigerīc, literally "victory power".

Tokairin Japanese
From 東 (to, higashi) meaning "east" combined with 海 (kai, umi, mi) meaning "sea, ocean", and 林 (rin) meaning "grove".

Toriumi Japanese
From Japanese 鳥 (tori) meaning "bird" and 海 (umi) meaning "sea, ocean".

Tourville French
The name Tourville is a very old, and in one case, very famous name. One of the Marshall's of France was named Anne Hilarion de Cotentin de Tourville. This reads: Anne Hilarion of/from Cotentin, Comte (Count) of Tourville... [more]

Uchiumi Japanese
Uchi means "inside" and umi means "sea, ocean".

Unabara Japanese
From Japanese 海 (una) meaning "sea" and 原 (bara) meaning "meadow".

Unami Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 海南 (unami), a contraction of 海南 (unanami), from 海 (una-) meaning "of the sea; of the ocean" and 南 (nami) meaning "south".

Unno Japanese
From Japanese 海 (un) meaning "sea, ocean" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Uppadathil Malayalam
From Old Malayalam uppadam (sea), lit. "from over the Arabian sea," referring to the descendants of a group of Arab traders who settled in Kerala. Predominantly Muslim, although sizeable sections have branched away and practice Hinduism... [more]

Väikmeri Estonian
Väikmeri is an Estonian surname meaning "small sea".

Van Der Merwe Dutch, South African
Means "from the Merwe", Merwe being an older form of Merwede, the name of a river in the Netherlands. It derives from meri "lake, sea" and widu "wood"... [more]

Viirmaa Estonian
Viirmaa is an Estonian surname derived from "viir" meaning both "sea swallow" and "varved" (annual layer of sediment or sedimentary rock) and "maa" ("land").

Woodnut English
From a rare Anglo-Saxon personal name meaning "bold as Wade" and meant to honor the legendary Germanic sea-giant named Wade.