Browse Submitted Surnames

Abakelia Georgian
Georgian surname used by sculptor Tamar Abakelia and physician Ioseb Abakelia.

Akisato Japanese
秋 (Aki) means "autumn" and 里 (sato) means "village, ri: unit of measurement, league, parent's home". ... [more]

Akui Japanese
A means "nook", ku means "long time ago, lasting" and i means "well, pit, mineshaft".... [more]

Alabanza Spanish
Means "praise" in Spanish, possibly denoted for a worshipper. from Spanish alabar "to praise" and a suffix. Travis Alabanza (1995-) is a British performance artist, writer, and theatremaker.

Allooloo Inuit
Surname borne by inuk writer and artist Siku Allooloo and by politician Titus Allooloo.

Altdorfer German
Denoted a person who lived in the capital of Uri canton in Switzerland or the municipality in Landshut, Bavaria, both derived from German alt "old" and Dorf "village" or Yiddish דאָרף (dorf) "village, countryside"... [more]

Amaury French
From the given name Amaury... [more]

Amor Spanish, Portuguese
Means "love" in Spanish and Portuguese, likely denoting an illegitimate child or a philanderer. It could also be from the given name Amor. Qween Amor (1988-) is a performance artist who predominantly utilizes public space for her performances.

Anguissola Italian
Sofonisba Aguissola was a celebrated artist of the Italian Renaissance.

Aozaki Japanese (Rare)
Ao means "blue,somewhat green" & zaki means "blossom". So, Nobutaka "Blue Blossom",is an artist who was born in Japan,but now lives in New York as an artist who has been featured in magazines.

Araldi Italian
Means “heralds” in Italian. Famous bearers include Italian painters Alessandro Araldi (c. 1460 – c. 1529) and Paolo Araldi (18th century – after 1820).

Artist English

Athens English (British)
British Artist and Violinist Faithe-Lynne Athens' last name

Auric French
Meaning unknown. Georges Auric (15 February 1899 – 23 July 1983) was a French composer, considered one of Les Six, a group of artists informally associated with Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie.

Banksy English, Popular Culture
This is pseudonyms Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. Banksy's real name might be Robin Gunningham. How Banksy got his pseudonym is unknown... [more]

Baudry French
Derived from the medieval French given name Baudry, which was a variant form of Baudric, a given name that itself was a variant form of Baldéric (see Baldric)... [more]

Bernini Italian
Bernini was the surname of famous sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680).

Bigot French
Either from Old French bigot possibly meaning "beggar" or from the Norman interjection bî got ("by God"), used as a pejorative nickname for the Normans... [more]

Bojaxhiu Albanian
Derived from Albanian bojaxhi meaning "painter". This was the surname of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, better known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997), who was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojiaxhiu.

Bolle Italian
Means "bubbles" in Italian, derived from the singular bolla.... [more]

Bonnemaison French
Literally means "good house", derived from French bonne "good" and French maison "house". As such, this surname is most likely a locational surname, in that it originally either referred to someone who lived in a good house (probably more like a mansion) or to someone who was born in (or lived in) the place Bonnemaison, which is nowadays located in the Calvados department of France... [more]

Boyacı Turkish
Means "painter" in Turkish.

Boyajyan Armenian
Means "son of the painter" from Armenian պոյաճի (poyači) meaning "dyer, painter".

Brandeis Jewish
Derived from Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav (known as Brandeis-Altbunzlau or Brandeis an der Elbe in German), a town located in the Prague-East District, in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic... [more]

Braque French
Surname of cubist artist Georges Braque.

Breyette English (American)
Of uncertain origin and meaning. First found in the United States around 1880. Self-taught artist Michael Breyette is a bearer of this surname

Buonamico Italian (Anglicized)
Di Martino Buffalmacco was a widely renouned painter in Italy cities in Florence, Bologna, Pisa although his work was not known to survived the Great Fire of Italy back in the late 1300 hundreds he was widlely known for asummed work as The Three Dead- Three Living, The Triump of Death, The Last Judgement, The Hell and the Thebasis.... [more]

Caird Scottish
Derived from Scottish Gaelic ceard meaning "craftsman, artist mechanic, travelling tinker".

Chiasson French, English
French surname originally denoting someone from the the municipality of Chiasso in Ticino, Switzerland, located along the Swiss/Italian border.... [more]

Chibana Japanese
千 (Chi) means "one thousand" and 花 (bana) is a variation of hana, meaning "blossom, flower".... [more]

Chirico Italian
Surname of Italian surrealist artist, Giorgio de Chirico

Codreanu Romanian, Moldovan
A common surname in Romania and Moldova.... [more]

Dahan Jewish (Sephardic)
Occupational name for a painter or a seller of oils from Arabic دُهْن (duhn) meaning "grease, fat, oil".

Della Francesca Italian
Means "son of Francesca". A famous bearer was Piero della Francesca (1415-1492), an Italian fresco painter.

Desanges French (Rare)
Means "from the angels", possibly connected to the French title of the Virgin Mary Notre Dame des Anges, meaning "Our Lady of the Angels". Bearers of this surname include Louis William Desanges (1822-1905), an English artist of French descent, and French historian Jehan Desanges (1929-).

Descatoire French
Alexandre Descatoire was a French sculptor (1874-1949)... [more]

Dobell English (Australian)
Sir William. 1899–1970, Australian portrait and landscape painter. Awarded the Archibald prize (1943) for his famous painting of Joshua Smith which resulted in a heated clash between the conservatives and the moderns and led to a lawsuit.

Dürer German, History
In the case of the German painter Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), this was a variant of the German surname Türer, a German translation of Hungarian Ajtósi, meaning "doormaker", to adapt to the local Nuremberg dialect... [more]

Escher German
Derived from German Esche meaning "ash (tree)", a habitational name for someone who lived near an ash tree, or came from a place named after it. This name was borne by the Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher, known for making works inspired by mathematics.

Esplin Scottish
Scottish variant of Asplin. This was borne by the English stained glass artist and muralist Mabel Esplin (1874-1921).

Gainsborough English
From the city of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, England. A famous bearer of this surname includes English painter Thomas Gainsborough.

Gemito Italian
From a misspelling of genito "to be born", given to sculptor Vincenzo Gemito upon being abandoned at an orphanage as an infant.

Greenblatt Jewish
Ashkenazi Jewish Surname incorporating Yiddish/German elements meaning “Greenleaf.” Writer and storyboard artist C. H. Greenblatt (born 1972) most known for SpongeBob SquarePants is a famous bearer of this name.

Grimshaw English
A habitational surname originating from the hamlet of Grimshaw in Lancashire, derived from Old English elements grīma "mask" and sċeaga "copse". Famous bearers of this surname include , English Victorian-era artist John Atkinson Grimshaw and Irish writer Beatrice Grimshaw, as well as the Grimshaw family in Coronation Street.

Harmenszoon Dutch
Means "son of Harmen" in Dutch, the Dutch form of Herman. This was the other surname for the Dutch painter Rembrandt (1606-1669), the other being Van Rijn.

Hatsu Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 初 (hatsu) meaning "first, start, beginning, initial, new". Notable bearers of this surname is Akiko Hatsu (Japanese manga artist) and a bearer of the first name form is Hatsu Hioki (Japanese wrestler).

Hussie English, Irish
Variant of Hussey. A notable bearer is American webcomic author/artist Andrew Hussie (1979-).

Isayama Japanese
A Japanese surname meaning "admonish mountain". A bearer of this surname is Hajime Isayama. He is a Japanese manga artist. (1986-)

Job English, French, German, Hungarian
English, French, German, and Hungarian from the personal name Iyov or Job, borne by a Biblical character, the central figure in the Book of Job, who was tormented by God and yet refused to forswear Him... [more]

Kaburagi Japanese
A notable bearer is Saiko Kaburagi, an artist.

Klimt German (Austrian)
Derived from the given name Kliment.... [more]

Kormos Hungarian
Means "sooty" in Hungarian. Most likely a nickname for someone with dark hair or a shabby appearance, but may also be an occupational name for a house painter who used soot as a raw material. ... [more]

Lear English
Means (i) "person from Leire", Leicestershire ("place on the river Leire", a river-name that may also be the ancestor of Leicestershire); or (ii) "person from Lear", any of several variously spelled places in northern France with a name based on Germanic lār "clearing"... [more]

Leto Italian
From the personal name Leto. From Latin Laetus meaning "happy, joyful"... [more]

Magondacan Filipino, Maranao
From Maranao magondakan meaning "artistic, graceful".

Mahler German
Variant of Maler, a German occupational surname meaning "painter", particularly a stained glass painter.... [more]

Maimeri Italian
Surname of italian painter and entrepreneur Giovanni (Gianni) Maimeri.

Maller German
An occupational name given to a painter of stained glass.

McClaine English
Variant of McClain. This name is borne by the American comic book artist Les McClaine (1977-)

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

Mitsutani Japanese
From 満 (mitsu, mitsuru, michiru) meaning "full; satisfy" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".... [more]

Modigliani Italian
Used by Sepharditic Jews, this surname comes from the Italian town of Modigliana, in Romagna. Famous bearers of this surname include painter Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920) and Nobel Prize in Economics recipient Franco Modigliani (1918–2003).

Mondriaan Dutch
Meaning uncertain. It is a variant of the surname Mondriaal, which could possibly be a Dutch cognate of Monreal, meaning "royal mountain". This was the real surname of the Dutch-American painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944).

Mondrian Dutch
Variant of Mondriaan. A notable bearer was the Dutch-American abstract painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan Jr. (He changed his name in 1912, dropping the extra a from his surname).

Moth English
From a nickname derived from Middle English mothe meaning "moth". Known bearers include New Zealand photojournalist Margaret Moth (1951-2010), British artist Charlotte Moth (1978-), and British Roman Catholic bishop Richard Moth (1958-).

Motherwell Scottish
Means "person from Motherwell", North Lanarkshire ("Our Lady's well"). American artist Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) was a known bearer.

Munch Danish, French, Norwegian (Rare)
Either a variant of Münch or Munk, both meaning "monk". A notable bearer was Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863-1944), whose best known work is 'The Scream'.

Nakache Judeo-Spanish
From Arabic نقاش (naqqash) meaning "engraver, inscriber, sculptor".

O'Keeffe Irish
Variant of O'Keefe. A notable bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).

Opie English, Cornish
From the medieval personal name Oppy or Obby, a diminutive of such names as Osbert, Osborn, and Osbald... [more]

Orelias Nigerian (Latinized, Modern, Rare), Italian (Tuscan), Venetian
Means "golden", when coupled with a first name becomes "the golden". Varied from Orelia, "golden".... [more]

Orpin English
Means "herbalist" (from Middle English orpin "yellow stonecrop", a plant prescribed by medieval herbalists for healing wounds). A variant spelling was borne by British painter Sir William Orpen (1878-1931).

Painter English, Medieval French, German
English: from Middle English, Old French peinto(u)r, oblique case of peintre ‘painter’, hence an occupational name for a painter (normally of colored glass). In the Middle Ages the walls of both great and minor churches were covered with painted decorations, and Reaney and Wilson note that in 1308 Hugh le Peyntour and Peter the Pavier were employed ‘making and painting the pavement’ at St... [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]

Paynter English
Variant of Painter.

Pingitore Italian, Sicilian
occupational name from pittore "painter".

Pintor Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Galician, Sardinian
occupational name for a painter from pintor "painter".

Polidori Italian
Means "son of Polidoro". Famous bearers include John William Polidori (1795-1821), a physician to Lord Byron and author of 'The Vampyre' (1819), and his sister Frances Polidori (1800-1886), the mother of painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, poet Christina Rossetti, critic William Michael Rossetti, and author Maria Francesca Rossetti.

Poortvliet Dutch
From the name of the village and former municipality called Poortvliet in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch port meaning "port, harbour, storage yard, city" and vliet meaning "brook, stream, river, creek, inlet"... [more]

Rassam Arabic
Means "artist, painter" in Arabic.

Rochussen Dutch
Means "son of Rochus". Famous bearers of this name are the Dutch prime minister Jan Jacob Rochussen (1797-1871) and the 19th-century painter Charles Rochussen (1814-1894).

Rybak Polish, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Jewish
Means "fisherman" in some Slavic languages. Derived from the word ryba "fish". A famous bearer is Byelarusian-Norwegian artist Alexander Rybak (b. 1986) who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009.

Sakurakōji Japanese
From Japanese 桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom", 小 (kō) meaning "small" and 路 (ji) meaning "road, path, journey" or 寺 (ji) meaning "Buddhist temple". A famous bearer is Kanoko Sakurakōji (surname written 桜小路), a Japanese manga artist.

Scarduzio Italian
From the Italian verb scardare, meaning to husk a hazelnut or chestnut. Possibly a metaphor for a sculptor who 'husked' a sculpture from stone.

Schild German, Dutch
Occupational name for a maker or painter of shields, from Middle High German, Middle Dutch schilt "shield".

Schilder Dutch
Means "painter" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch schildere "shield painter" (from schilt "shield"), originally denoting someone who painted coats of arms on shields. An occupational name for someone who painted houses, shields, or anything else.

Skaggs English
English name of unknown meaning occurring mainly in Hertfordshire. A noted bearer is American country music artist Ricky Skaggs (1954-).

Strider English
Likely an anglicized variation of the Dutch term "Strijder" or German term "Streiter," this surname represents an occupational designation for a soldier or a descriptive term for someone with a combative demeanor.... [more]

Sugieda Japanese
杉 (Sugi) means "cedar" and 枝 (eda) means "branch, bought, twig".... [more]

Tamamura Japanese
Tama means "Jewel" and Mura means "village."... [more]

Tempesta Italian
Originally a nickname for a person with a blustery temperament, from Italian tempesta meaning "storm, tempest" (compare Tempest).... [more]

Tischbein German, Literature
Means "table leg" in German, from German tisch "table" and bein "leg". This was the surname of a German family of master artists from Hesse which spanned three generations. This is also the surname of the main character of the 1929 novel Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner, Emil Tischbein.

Tisdale English
Variant spelling of Teasdale. Famous bearers or this name include the actress and singer Ashley Tisdale (1985-), basketball player and bass guitarist Wayman Tisdale (1964-2009) and the engraver, miniature painter and cartoonist Elkanah Tisdale (1768-1835), all Americans.

Toriyama Japanese
From Japanese 鳥 (tori) meaning "bird" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill". A notable bearer of this surname is Akira Toriyama (1955–), a manga artist best known for creating the Dragon Ball manga series.

Trebbi Italian
Cesare Mauro Trebbi was an Italian painter and lithographer (1847–1931).... [more]

Tsukahara Japanese
Tsuka means "mound" and hara means "plain, field".... [more]

Tsukioka Japanese
From Japanese 月 (tsuki) meaning "moon" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge". A notable bearer of this surname was Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡 芳年, 1839–1892), a Japanese artist who is widely recognized as the last great master of the ukiyo-e genre of woodblock printing and painting.

Van Ruisdael Dutch
Means "from Ruisdael", the name of a lost castle, also called Ruisschendaal, near the village of Blaricum in North Holland, the Netherlands. It means "noisy valley" in Dutch. This name was borne by members of the Van Ruisdael family of artists during the Dutch Golden Age, notably the landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael (c... [more]

Watari Japanese (Rare)
Watari means "ferry, import, deliver". Watari is also a first name and a place name.... [more]

Yewdale English
Derived from Yewdale, which is the name of a village near the town of Skelmersdale in Lancashire. Its name means "valley of yew trees", as it is derived from Middle English ew meaning "yew tree" combined with Middle English dale meaning "dale, valley".... [more]

Zdunich Polish
Polish name of unknown meaning or origin. A notable bearer of this name is American actor/singer/artist/songwriter Terrance Zdunich.

Zelmerlöw Swedish (Rare)
Rare Swedish surname composed of the name of the family's ancestor Selma Löf. One bearer is Swedish artist Måns Zelmerlöw (b.1986) who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016.

Zographos Greek
Means painter in Greek.

Zolomon Popular Culture
A corruption of Zalman, after Hunter Zalman Van Sciver, son of comic book artist Ethan Van Sciver. ... [more]

Zorn German
From Middle High German zorn "wrath, anger". A notable bearer was Swedish painter Anders Zorn (1860-1920) whose father was German.