This is a list of submitted surnames in which the description contains the keywords ruler or of or water.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
KushigeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 櫛笥 (Kushige) meaning "Kushige", a former alley in the area of Kushige in the ward of Kamigyō in the city of Kyōto in the prefecture of Kyōto in Japan.... [more]
KushigeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 櫛下 (Kushige), from 櫛下門 (Kushigemon), the name of one of the groups 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, as well as surrounding areas.
KushnerJewish This surname is a German Jewish given name. A notable bearer is Jared Kushner the son in law of President Donald J. Trump who became president in the year 2016.
KushwahaIndian Kushwaha (sometimes, Kushvaha) is a community of the Indo-Gangetic plain which has traditionally been involved in agriculture. The term has been used to represent at least four subcastes, being those of the Kachhis, Kachwahas, Koeris and Muraos... [more]
KusnoChinese (Indonesian) Indonesianized form of Chinese surnames such as Gu (古) or Xu 2 (許). Surnames like these were instituted during the New Order era (1966–1998) in Indonesia due to social and political pressure toward Chinese Indonesians.
KutschGerman Topographic name of Slavic origin, from Sorbian kut ‘corner’, ‘nook’. Variant of Kutsche, metonymic occupational name for a coachman or coachbuilder, from the Hungarian loanword kocsi (see Kocsis).
KutscherGerman, Jewish occupational name for a coachman or coach builder from a derivative of the 16th-century Hungarian loanword kocsi "coach" German kutsche. The German -u- vowel comes from Slavic (Polish kucer).
KuttelwascherGerman Surname given to those who had the occupation of cleaning tripe. Combines the words kuttel meaning "tripe" and washer meaning "washer". Bearers of the surname typically live in Austria.
KutzPolish Germanized form of Polish Kuc "pony", "short person".
KutzerGerman Occupational name for a coachman or coach builder from old high German kutsche from Hungarian kocsi "coach". Variant of Kutscher.
KutzlerGerman This is the surname of my great-grandfather, of German ancestry.
KuusinenFinnish A surname originating from Eastern Finland, comprised of the elements “kuusi” meaning “six” or “moon”, and the suffix “-nen” which is typical of Eastern Finnish surnames. A notable bearer of this name is the Finnish-Soviet politician and writer Otto V. Kuusinen, one of the original founders of the Finnish Communist Party.
KuwataniJapanese From Japanese 桑 (kuwa) meaning "mulberry" combined with 谷 (tani) meaning "valley". A notable bearer of this surname is Natsuko Kuwatani (桑谷 夏子), a Japanese voice-actress who is best known for voicing Ryōko Asakura from the Haruhi Suzumiya series and Alph from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.
KuyengChinese (Russified) Russified form of Kuang used by ethnic Chinese living in parts of the former Soviet Union (based on the Cantonese romanization of the name).
KuzmaUkrainian, Belarusian From the personal name Kuzma, Greek Kosmas, a derivative of kosmos ‘universe’, ‘(ordered) arrangement’. St. Cosmas, martyred with his brother Damian in Cilicia in the early 4th century ad, came to be widely revered in the Eastern Church.
KvashukUkrainian From квас (kvas), a type of drink popular in Slavic countries.
KvedaravičiusmLithuanian Means "son of Kvedaras". Mantas Kvedaravičius was a Lithuanian journalist who was killed by the Russian forces in Mariupol.
KvitsiniaAbkhaz Mingrelian form of the Abkhaz surname Kutsnia; the Abkhaz name was replaced by the Mingrelian spelling during the era of Joseph Stalin. It is most likely derived from Abkhaz икуцны иааз (ikutsny iaaz) meaning "one who migrates", though the word квици (kvitsi) has no real meaning in Abkhaz... [more]
KvonChinese (Russified) Russified form of Kuang used by ethnic Chinese living in parts of the former Soviet Union (based on the Cantonese romanization of the name).
LaVietnamese Vietnamese form of Luo, from Sino-Vietnamese 羅 (la).
LãVietnamese Vietnamese form of Lu 1, from Sino-Vietnamese 呂 (lã).
LaanDutch Means "lane, avenue" in Dutch (see Van Der Laan). Alternatively, could be a matronymic from the given name Lane, a Middle Dutch diminutive of Juliana and other names with similar elements.
LaarEstonian Laar is an Estonian name meaning "gyle" (wort in the process of fermentation added to a stout, beer, or ale).
LaayouniArabic (Maghrebi) From Laayoune, the name of a city in the Western Sahara (chiefly Moroccan).
LabakhuaAbkhaz Abkhaz name derived from Arabic لَاحَظَ (lāḥaẓa) meaning "to notice, to look" combined with بَهِيجَة (bahīja) meaning "delightful, joyous" (see Bahija)... [more]
LabossiereFrench Norman habitational name from a common village name La Boissière, meaning 'wooded area', from bois 'wood'. possibly a metronymic, from a feminine derivative of Bossier 'cooper', denoting the 'wife of the cooper'.
LaceManx Shortened form of Manx Mac Guilley Chass (Gaelic Mac Giolla Chais) meaning "son of the curly-haired youth", derived from macc "son", gilla "boy, youth; attendant, servant" and cas "curly, twisted".
LacerdaPortuguese, Spanish Nickname for someone with remarkably thick or long hair, or with an unusually hairy back or chest. From Spanish and Portuguese lacerda ‘the lock (of hair)’.
LachowskiPolish Place name for someone from the Polish village of Lachow.
LachtrupGerman Probably from a place name using the suffix -trup, related to dorf meaning "village". The first element could be lach "laugh, smile", or a corruption of loch "hole, pit".
LacombeFrench French (western and southwestern): topographic name for someone living in or near a ravine, from la combe ‘the ravine’ (a word of Gaulish origin, related to English Combe).... [more]
LadulåsOld Swedish Most likely from Swedish ladulås "barnlock", but it could also be derived from the Slavic name Ladislaus. Magnus Ladulås, sometimes known as Magnus Birgersson or Magnus III in English, was the king of Sweden between 1275 and 1290.
LaemmleGerman, Jewish Variant spelling of Lämmle. A famous bearer was the German-American film producer Carl Laemmle (1867-1939).
LæstadiusSwedish From the name of the village Lästa in Ångermanland, Sweden, whose name possibly means "Leiðulfr's home". Lars Levi Læstadius (1800-1861) was a Swedish priest who founded a Lutheran revival movement known as Laestadianism.
LafayetteFrench The name of Marquis de Lafayette; a famous French man during the revolutionary war.
LaffeyIrish Reduced anglicisation of Gaelic Ó Laithimh, itself derived from the earlier form Ó Flaithimh, ultimately from flaitheamh meaning "ruler". It could also be a variant of Leahy.
LafitteFrench French: topographic name for someone who lived near a boundary mark, Old French fitte (Late Latin fixta petra ‘fixed stone’, from the past participle of figere ‘to fix or fasten’), or habitational name from any of several places in western France named with this word
LaflashFrench (Quebec, Anglicized) Anglicization of the name "Richer dit Laflèche." Richer comes from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements ric ‘power(ful)’ + hari, heri ‘army.' Laflèche is a reference to La Flèche, a town in historical Anjou, France... [more]
LaflècheFrench (Quebec) A French-Canadian secondary surname from "Richer dit Laflèche," used independently since 1746. Laflèche is derived from the French town of La Flèche, in the former province of Anjou.
LafleurFrench, French (Caribbean) from la fleur "the flower" used as a soldier's name and also as a servant's name; it was one of the most common nicknames (noms de guerre) among French soldiers.
LafontFrench topographic name for someone living near a spring or well a variant of Font with fused feminine definite article la.
LafranchiAlpine Possibly, the Frank. Thought by some to indicate a group of merchants in Middle Ages responsible for the transalpine trade to the French.
LafrenièreFrench Topographic name derived from French frenière meaning "place of ash trees". It is often Americanised as Freeman.
LafrikiAfrican The surname Lafriki most likely means “The African,” derived from the Arabic word “Afriki” (أفريقي) meaning “African.” It is most commonly found in Morocco and is believed to have originated as a descriptor for individuals or families identified by their African origin—particularly in historical contexts where such markers distinguished local populations from those influenced by or migrating from other regions.... [more]
LafuenteSpanish Means "the fountain" in Spanish derived from fons "fountain" with fused definite article la. Variant of Fuentes and cognate to Lafontaine.
LagardeFrench Habitational name from Lagarde or La Garde names of several places in various parts of France named in Old French with garde "watch protection" (see Garde).
LaghiItalian Possibly originated to denote someone from the Italian town of Laghi.
LagoItalian, Spanish, Portuguese Topographic name for someone living by a lake from lago "lake" (from Latin lacus) or a habitational name from any of the many places called with this word.
LagójskìBelarusian This indicates familial origin within the city of Lagójsk.
LagoudakisGreek Derived from the Greek word λαγουδάκι (lagoudáki), diminutive of λαγός (lagós) meaning "bunny".
LagrangeFrench Means "the granary" in French, a topographic name for someone who lived by a granary or a habitational name for someone who lived in Lagrange or similar in France, all derived from Old French grange "granary, barn" (see Grange) combined with the definite article la... [more]
LagunaSpanish Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations in Spain named Laguna meaning "lake, pond" in Spanish.
LahayeFrench, Walloon topographic name with the definite article la from Old French haye "hedge" (see Haye ) or a habitational name from La Haye the name of several places in various parts of France and in Belgium (Wallonia) named with this word... [more]
LahelaHawaiian Hawaiian version of Rachel (name meaning ewe in Hebrew). Named after fictional character from video game 'Choices: Stories You Play', Dr. Bryce Lahela.
LaheyIrish Lahey and Leahy originate from two different Gaelic surnames. Lahey, Lahy, Lahiff, Lahiffe, Laffey, and Lahive all originate from the Gaelic surname O Laithimh, which itself is a variant of O Flaithimh... [more]
LahiffeIrish (Rare) From Irish Ó Laochdha meaning "descendant of the hero" or "descendant of the heroic", ultimately from laoch "warrior, hero".
LahiriBengali Habitational name from either the village of Lohori in present-day Bangladesh or the village of Laheria in India.
LahnerGerman, Hungarian Habitational name for someone from any of various places called Lahn in Hungary and Germany. In southern Germany and Austria, Lahn denotes a place where there had been an avalanche or landslide, from Middle High German laen, lēne meaning "avalanche".
LahoudArabic (Mashriqi) Means either "one who stands alone" or "one and only" in Aramaic, given in reference to Jesus Christ. This is the surname of a Lebanese Christian family prominent in Maronite politics. One of the family members, Émile Lahoud (1936-), became the eleventh President of Lebanon.
LạiVietnamese Vietnamese form of Lai, from Sino-Vietnamese 賴 (lại).
LaiChinese From Chinese 赖 (lài) meaning "rely", also referring to the ancient state of Lai that existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
LaiItalian Possibly denoting someone from Alà dei Sardi, or derived from the given name Nicola 1. Alternately, it may derive from lai, a type of lyrical poem.
LaicoItalian Means that is not part of the Catholic Church.
LaidveeEstonian Laidvee is an Estonian surname meaning "islet water".
LailEnglish (American) Americanized form of German Lehl or Loehl. In either case, the name is a spelling variant of Lehle or Löhle, pet forms of the personal name Leonhardt.
LaînéFrench distinguishing epithet from French l'aîné "the eldest (son)", used to identify the older of two bearers of the same name in a family.
LaineveeEstonian Lainevee is an Estonian surname meaning "wave water".
LaingScottish Scottish form of Lang. A famous bearer was the explorer Alexander Gordon Laing.
LaithenEnglish English habitational name from any of various places so called, for example in Lancashire (near Blackpool) and in North Yorkshire. The former was named in Old English as ‘settlement by the watercourse’, from Old English lad ‘watercourse’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’; the latter as ‘leek enclosure’ or ‘herb garden’, from leac ‘leek’ + tun... [more]
LaityEnglish Nickname for a trustworthy person, from Old French léauté ‘loyalty’ (Latin legalitas, a derivative of legalis ‘legal’, ‘by law’).
LakeEnglish Topographic name for someone who lives by a streamlet or from the name of various places in England, so-called or similar, all derived from Old English lacu "pool, pond, stream". It may also be a topographic name for someone who lives by a lake, derived from Old French lac "lake", although this is unlikely.... [more]
LakerbaiaAbkhaz Mingrelian form of the Abkhaz aristocratic family name Lakrba possibly from Abkhaz а-лакра (a-lakra) meaning "in thickets, to catch in thickets" or "to rank, to include". It was most likely used to refer to a hunter or a member of a large group of peasants.
LakuntzaBasque From the name of a town in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque lako "wine press" and -une "place, location" combined with -tza "large quantity, abundance".
LalatovicSerbian Possibly derived from the slavic word for "tulips", lale or from son of Lala (a nickname for Lazar)
LalicataItalian Variant of the toponymic surname Licata using the definite article la.
LalievOssetian (Russified) Russified form of an Ossetian surname derived from Georgian ლალი (lali) meaning "ruby", ultimately from Sanskrit लाल (lāl).
LallyIrish A shortened form of Mullally, an anglicised form of Ó Maolalaidh. A famous bearer includes James Lally, an Irish landowner and politician from Tuam, County Galway.
LalondeFrench, French (Quebec) Habitational name from any of various places in Normandy called La Londe, from the French definite article la with Old Norse lundr meaning "grove"... [more]
LâmVietnamese Vietnamese form of Lin, from Sino-Vietnamese 林 (lâm).
LamDutch, North Frisian Means "lamb" in Dutch, a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a lamb or a place named for them. In some cases, it may derive from the name of a ship.
LamaTibetan, Nepali A Buddhist name found among people of Tibet and Nepal, from the Tibetan blama, meaning "priest" or "monk".
LamalfaSicilian Variant of Malfa, most probably a habitational name for someone from Malfa on the island of Salina (Messina), although the name has also been linked with Amalfi in Salerno and Melfi in Potenza.
LambergGerman Derived from any of several places so named in Germany.
LambergFinnish, Swedish Perhaps combination of an unexplained first element (maybe taken from a place name) and Swedish berg "mountain". It could also be of German origin (see other submission).
LambillotteFrench (Modern) Currently, a common name in Wallonia, Belgium with some descendants in USA. Believed to be derived from three terms..."lamb" "ill" "otte". The first term has remained unchanged from early Germanic term; the second is latin for "of the" and the third a dimiuative or feminine form suffix... [more]
LambiotteBiblical French A derivative of Lambillotte often occurring among Belgian/Wallowing immigrants entering the USA.
LambrosGreek Alternate transcription of Greek Λαμπρος (see Lampros), derived from Greek λαμπρός (lampros) meaning "bright, shining, brilliant"... [more]
LamshedEnglish Surname common in Australia & the UK. A variation of Lambshead which was originally a mis-spelling of Lambside which was the area from which the family originated in Pommyland. Other variations include Lambshed, Lamshead, Lammyside and Lamesta... [more]
LancashireEnglish Shire of Lancaster; One who came from Lancashire, a county in the North of England.
LancasterEnglish From the name of a city in northwestern England derived from Middle English Loncastre, itself from Lon referring to an ancient Roman fort on the River Lune combined with Old English ceaster meaning "city, town".
LanciaItalian From Latin lancea, meaning "spear", given to those who made, sold or used spears. A famous bearer of this surname is Vincenzo Lancia (1881-1937), who established the Lancia car brand in 1906.
LanckorońskiPolish This denotes familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Lanckorona.
LançonFrench Can be a habitational name from any of several locations in France, a diminutive form of Lance, or possibly derived from Old French lançon "branch", a topographic name for someone living in a forested area or an occupational name for a woodcutter... [more]
LāndaPunjabi Lānda (ਲਾਨਦਾ) is a Punjabi surname that is used amongst families belonging to the Bhat tribe. The bearers of this surname belong to the gotra Lākhanpal, which is of Kshatriya origin.
LandaPolish Nickname for a persistent and irritating person, from a derivative of the dialect verb landzić "to ask insistently, badger someone".
LandauerGerman Possibly a variant of Landau. American professional stock car racing driver and motivational speaker Julia Landauer bears this surname.
LandeFrench, Norwegian, Jewish French: topographic name for someone living on a heath, lande (from Gaulish landa ‘space’, ‘land’), or a habitational name from any of numerous minor places named La Lande from this word.... [more]
LandetxoBasque (Rare, Archaic) From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Mungia, Spain, derived from Basque landa "field, prairie, plain" and etxe "house, home, building".
LandgraabBanat Swabian The surname "Landgrab" (or its variations) is believed to have originated in Swabia, an area in Germany. The HouseOfNames website says the earliest known bearer of the name was Ulrich dictus Landgrave in 1276.
LandgraabBanat Swabian The surname "Landgrab" (or its variations) is believed to have originated in Swabia, an area in Germany. The HouseOfNames website says the earliest known bearer of the name was Ulrich dictus Landgrave in 1276.
LandibarBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the village of Urdazubi, Navarre, derived from Basque landa "field, prairie, plain" and ibar "valley, riverbank".
LandichoFilipino Either from a nickname derived from Spanish le han dicho meaning "he has been told" or a variant of the name Landecho.
LandinSwedish A combination of Swedish land "land" and the common surname suffix -in, derived from Latin -inus, -inius "descendant of"
LandonFrench Either from the given name Landon the French cognate of Lando. Or a habitational name from a place so named (from a diminutive of lande "heath") in Creuse.
LangarikaBasque (Rare) From the name of a hamlet in Álava, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Basque langarri "arable, cultivatable", or from an uncertain given name.
LangerakDutch A habitational name from any of several places called Langerak, derived from lang "long" and rak "straight section of a waterway".
LangevinFrench From French l'Angevin meaning "the Angevin", denoting a person from the French province of Anjou.
LangfieldEnglish Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Langfield, from Old English lang meaning "long" and feld meaning "field".
LanghoferGerman Habitational name for someone from any of several places called Langhof.
LanghornDanish Habitational name from Langenhorn (Danish Langhorn), a settlement in the north of Germany that was at one point under Danish rule.
LanghorneEnglish From Middle English lang "long" and horn "horn". Can be a habitational name from a place named with the elements, with horn used in the sense of a promontory or extending piece of land... [more]
LångstrumpLiterature Last name of Pippi Långstrump, the original Swedish name for Pippi Longstocking, a character invented by Astrid Lindgren. Pippi's name was allegedly made up by Lindgren's daughter Karin. It's a combination of Swedish lång "long" and strumpa "sock".
LangtryEnglish From the Old English ‘lang’, meaning long, and ‘treow’, meaning tree. The name of several settlements across England.
LangwadeEnglish From an English village Langmead, in the county of Devon. It was used to refer to those individuals who lived at the lang-mead, which literally means "the long meadow".
LanierFrench, English Occupational name designating one who worked in the wool trade (see Lane 2), derived from Old French lanier (ultimately from laine) meaning "wool", or for a keeper of donkeys, from Old French asnier literally "donkey keeper, donkey driver"... [more]
LaniganIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Lonagáin 'descendant of Lonagán
LannesFrench From the French word landes meaning “heathlands” or “moorlands.” This was the surname of one of Napoleon’s marshals.
LannisterLiterature Created by author George R. R. Martin for his series A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019). The Lannisters are the wealthiest family in Westeros... [more]
LanphereEnglish From the Languedoc region of southern France, it came from the ancient Greek personal name, Petros and the Biblical name, Peter, meaning "rock."
LansDutch From the given name Lans or Lanzo, a short form of names beginning with the element lant.
LansingEnglish Derived from the name of Lancing, a place in West Sussex, which was composed of the Old English personal name Wlanc and -ingas meaning "family of" or "followers of".
LapidarioSpanish (Philippines) Unaccented form of Spanish lapidário "lapidary". Severino Lapidario (1847-1896) was a corporal in the Spanish Navy Marines who was implicated in the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. He was one of the Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite.
LapotFilipino Linguitistic origins of the surname Lapot, which means "thick" pertaining to a consistency originated from Central Luzon region of the Philippines.
LappGerman From Middle High German lap(pe) ‘cloth’, ‘patch’, ‘rag’; a metonymic occupational name for a mender of clothes or shoes, or a nickname for a simple-minded person.... [more]
LapsleyScottish, English, Medieval English Combination of Old English læppa ”end of a parish” and leah ”woodland clearing”. Another meaning could be possible.
LardinoisFrench Originally denoted a person from the Ardennes, a forest-covered region situated in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. A notable bearer of this name was the Dutch politician and diplomat Pierre Lardinois (1924-1987).
LardizabalBasque, Filipino Habitational name derived from Basque lahardi "brushland, place of brambles" and zabal "wide, broad, ample".
LarivièreFrench (Modern) From the region of Bourgoigne, in France, meaning 'the river'. The name is likely a topographic reference to the physical location, likely a river in this case.
LarkEnglish From the name of the bird, a nickname for a singer or a cheerful person, or perhaps someone who caught and sold larks. Alternatively, could be a shortened form of the personal name Larkin.