Browse Submitted Surnames

Ahlbrecht German
Variant of Albrecht.

Akagawa Japanese
From Japanese 赤 (aka) meaning "red" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Akahoshi Japanese
From Japanese 赤 (aka) meaning "red" and 星 (hoshi) meaning "star".

Akamine Japanese
From Japanese 赤 (aka) meaning "red" and 嶺 (mine) meaning "mountain peak, mountain ridge".

Akasaki Japanese
From Japanese 赤 (aka) meaning "red" and 崎 or 﨑 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Akashi Japanese
From Japanese 明 (aka) meaning "bright" and 石 (shi) meaning "stone".

Akechi Japanese
From Japanese 明 (ake) meaning "bright" and 智 (chi) meaning "wisdom, intellect".

Amada Japanese
From Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Amagi Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and 城 (ki) meaning "castle".

Amamiya Japanese
From Japanese 雨 (ama) meaning "rain" and 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace". A notable bearer of this surname is voice actress and singer Sora Amamiya (雨宮 天 Amamiya Sora, 1993–).

Aonuma Japanese
From Japanese 青 (ao) meaning "green, blue" and 沼 (numa) meaning "swamp, marsh".

Aotsuki Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 青 (ao) or 蒼 (ao) both meaning "blue" combined with 月 (tsuki) meaning "moon".

Aozora Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 青 (ao) meaning "blue" and 空 (sora) meaning "sky".

Appelman Dutch
Occupational name from Middle Dutch apelmanger "apple seller".

Aquila Italian
Habitational name from L'Aquila in Abruzzo or from any of various smaller places called Aquila.

Arita Japanese
From Japanese 有 (ari) meaning "have, possess" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Ashwood English
Habitational name from a place in Staffordshire named Ashwood, from Old English æsc "ash" and wudu "wood".

Bake English
Probably an occupational name for a baker.

Bartholomew English
From a medieval personal name, Latin Bart(h)olomaeus, from the Aramaic patronymic bar-Talmay "son of Talmay", meaning "having many furrows", i.e. rich in land. This was an extremely popular personal name in Christian Europe, with innumerable vernacular derivatives... [more]

Beddow Welsh
From the personal name Bedo, a pet form of Meredydd (see Meredith).

Belkin Russian
Patronymic from the nickname Belka meaning "squirrel" (a derivative of bely "white", referring to the animal's white stomach).

Betances Spanish, American (Hispanic)
Unexplained; probably related to Betanzos, the name of a town near A Coruña in Galicia.

Birnbaum German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a pear tree, from Middle High German bir "pear" and boum "tree".

Blade English
Metonymic occupational name for a cutler, from Middle English blade "cutting edge, sword".

Blaustein German, Jewish
Ornamental name from German blau "blue" and Stein "stone", i.e. lapis lazuli.

Breed English
Habitational name from any of various minor places, for example Brede in Sussex, named with Old English brǣdu "breadth, broad place" (a derivative of brād "broad").

Briner German (Swiss)
Habitational name for someone from Brin in Grison canton (Graubünden) or from the Brin valley.

Bringas Basque, Spanish
Etymology unknown.

Buckland English
Habitational name from any of the many places in southern England (including nine in Devon) named Buckland, from Old English bōc "book" and land "land", i.e. land held by right of a written charter, as opposed to folcland, land held by right of custom.

Canavan Irish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Ceanndubháin "descendant of Ceanndubhán", a byname meaning "little black-headed one", from ceann "head" combined with dubh "black" and the diminutive suffix -án.

Casa Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Means "house" in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.

Cathcart Scottish
Habitational name from Cathcart near Glasgow.

Catt English
Nickname from the animal, Middle English catte "cat". The word is found in similar forms in most European languages from very early times (e.g. Gaelic cath, Slavic kotu). Domestic cats were unknown in Europe in classical times, when weasels fulfilled many of their functions, for example in hunting rodents... [more]

Chapin French, Spanish
From a reduced form of French eschapin or Spanish chapín, a term for a light (woman's) shoe; perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore this type of footwear or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker.

Charleson English
Patronymic from the personal name Charles.

Chase French
Topographic name for someone who lived in or by a house, probably the occupier of the most distinguished house in the village, from a southern derivative of Latin casa "hut, cottage, cabin".

Cherry English
From Middle English chirie, cherye "cherry", hence a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of cherries, or possibly a nickname for someone with rosy cheeks.... [more]

Clinkenbeard Low German
Possibly an Americanized form of North German Klingebiel, a variant of Klingbeil.

Collet French, French (Huguenot), French (Swiss), Romansh
Derived from a diminutive of French Colle, itself a diminutive of Nicholas.

Collum Northern Irish
Reduced form of northern Irish Mccollum.

Cord Northern Irish
Reduced form of Mccord.

Cork English
Metonymic occupational name for a supplier of red or purple dye or for a dyer of cloth, Middle English cork (of Celtic origin; compare Corkery).

Corkery Irish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Corcra "descendant of Corcra", a personal name derived from corcair "purple" (ultimately cognate with Latin purpur).

Cotter Irish
Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Oitir "son of Oitir", a personal name borrowed from Old Norse Óttarr, composed of the elements ótti "fear, dread" and herr "army".

Cromwell English
Habitational name from places in Nottinghamshire and West Yorkshire named Cromwell, from Old English crumb "bent, crooked" and well(a) "spring, stream".

Crow English
From Middle English crow, Old English crawa, applied as a nickname for someone with dark hair or a dark complexion or for someone thought to resemble the bird in some other way.

Daimon Japanese
From Japanese 大 (dai) meaning "big, great" and 門 (mon) meaning "gate, door".

Damian French, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Slovak, Polish
From the medieval personal name Damian, Greek Damianos (from damazein "to subdue"). St. Damian was an early Christian saint martyred in Cilicia in ad 303 under the emperor Domitian, together with his brother Cosmas... [more]

Damon English, Scottish
From the personal name Damon, from a classical Greek name, a derivative of damān "to kill". Compare Damian.

Dangerfield English
Habitational name, with fused preposition d(e), for someone from any of the various places in northern France called Angerville, from the Old Norse personal name Ásgeirr and Old French ville "settlement, village"... [more]

Dark English
Nickname for someone with dark hair or a dark complexion, from Middle English darke, Old English deorc "dark". In England, the surname is most frequent in the West Country.

Date Japanese
From Japanese 伊 (da) meaning "this" and 達 (te) meaning "achieve, arrive at, intelligent".

Diskin Irish (Anglicized)
Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Díscín "descendant of Díscín", which may be derived from díosc "barren". The place name Ballyeeskeen, now Ballydiscin, in County Sligo, is derived from the surname.

Distel German, Low German, Dutch
Means "thistle" in German and Dutch, a topographic name for someone who lived by a patch of ground overgrown with thistles, or perhaps a nickname for a "prickly" person.

Distler German
Topographic name for someone who lived in a place where thistles grew, from German Distel "thistle" (see Distel) and -er, suffix denoting an inhabitant.

Dittmann German
Variant of Dittmar. In eastern Germany, this form has been used for Dittmar since the 15th century.

Dobbe English
From the medieval personal name Dobbe, one of several pet forms of Robert in which the initial letter was altered. Compare Hobbs.

Dodgen English
From a pet form of Dogge (see Dodge).

Dodgson English
Patronymic form of Dodge.

Donato Italian
From the medieval personal name Donato (Latin Donatus, past participle of donare, frequentative of dare "to give"). It was the name of a 4th-century Italian bishop martyred in c. 350 under Julian the Apostate, as well as various other early saints, and a 4th-century grammarian and commentator on Virgil, widely respected in the Middle Ages as a figure of great learning.

Douillard French
Nickname for a softie, possibly derived from Old French do(u)ille meaning "soft, tender".

Dragon French, English
Nickname or occupational name for someone who carried a standard in battle or else in a pageant or procession, from Middle English, Old French dragon "snake, monster" (Latin draco, genitive draconis, from Greek drakōn, ultimately from derkesthai "to flash")... [more]

Dray English
From Middle English dregh, probably as a nickname from any of its several senses: "lasting", "patient", "slow", "tedious", "doughty". Alternatively, in some cases, the name may derive from Old English drýge "dry, withered", also applied as a nickname.

Drouillard French
Probably a derogatory nickname, from a derivative of the regional term drouiller "to defecate", which also has various figurative senses.

Drummonds Scottish
Variant of Scottish Drummond.

Edgerly English
Habitational name from any of numerous minor places named Edgerley, Edgerely, or Hedgerley.

Ellens English
Metronymic from Ellen 1.

Fahn Low German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a bog, from a Westphalian field name van "marsh", or a habitational name from a place named with this word.

Fell English, German, Jewish
Metonymic occupational name for a furrier, from Middle English fell, Middle High German vel, or German Fell or Yiddish fel, all of which mean "skin, hide, pelt". Yiddish fel refers to untanned hide, in contrast to pelts "tanned hide" (see Pilcher).

Feller English, German, Jewish
Occupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle English fell, Middle Low German, Middle High German vel, or German Fell or Yiddish fel "hide, pelt". See also Fell.

Feller German
Habitational name for someone from a place called Feld(e) or Feld(a) in Hesse.

Feuer Jewish
Ornamental name from modern German Feuer "fire".

Feuer German
Metonymic occupational name for a stoker in a smithy or public baths, or nickname for someone with red hair or a fiery temper, from Middle High German viur "fire".

Fils French
From fils "son", used to identify the younger of two bearers of the same personal name in a family.

Flam Jewish
Ornamental name from Yiddish flam "flame".

Frasier Scottish, Northern Irish
Variant of Fraser.

Fredericks English
Patronymic from Frederick.

Free English
Nickname or status name from Old English frēo "free(-born)", i.e. not a serf.

Fucci Italian
From the plural of Fuccio, a short form of any of various personal names with a root ending in -f (as for example Rodolfo, Gandolfo) to which has been attached the hypocoristic suffix -uccio, or alternatively from a reduced form of a personal name such as Fantuccio, Feduccio.

Fujinaka Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Fukuhara Japanese
From Japanese 福 (fuku) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing" and 原 (hara) meaning "plain, field".

Fukuoka Japanese
From Japanese 福 (fuku) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Fukuyama Japanese
From Japanese 福 (fuku) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Futterman Jewish
Occupational name for a furrier, from Yiddish futer "fur, fur coat" and Yiddish man "man".

Gallant English
Nickname for a cheerful or high-spirited person, from Old French, Middle English galant "bold, dashing, lively". The meanings "gallant" and "attentive to women" are further developments, which may lie behind some examples of the surname.

Genda Japanese
From Japanese 源 (gen) meaning "source, origin" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Glas Welsh
Nickname meaning "gray, green, silver-haired".

Glass Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of the epithet glas "gray, green, blue" or any of various Gaelic surnames derived from it.

Gow Scottish
Occupational name from Gaelic gobha meaning "smith".

Grape Low German
Metonymic occupational name for a maker of metal or earthenware vessels, from Middle Low German grope "pot".

Grau German, Jewish
Nickname for someone with gray hair or a gray beard, from German grau "gray".

Grell German
Nickname for an irritable or irascible person, from Middle High German, Middle Low German grellen "to be angry".

Grelle German
Variant of Grell.

Griffin Irish (Anglicized)
Anglicized (part translated) form of Gaelic Ó Gríobhtha "descendant of Gríobhtha", a personal name from gríobh "gryphon".

Gutting German
Of uncertain origin. Probably from a Germanic personal name formed with god "good" or god, got "god".

Haberland German
Topographic name from Middle High German haber(e) "oats" and land "land", or a habitational name from any of various places so called.

Habermann German, Jewish
Occupational name for a grower or seller of oats, composed of the elements Haber and the agent suffix -mann.

Hackney English, Scottish
Habitational name from Hackney in Greater London, named from an Old English personal name Haca (genitive Hacan) combined with ēg "island, dry ground in marshland".

Hackney English, Scottish
From Middle English hakenei (Old French haquenée), an ambling horse, especially one considered suitable for women to ride; perhaps therefore a metonymic occupational name for a stablehand... [more]

Hafer German, Jewish
Metonymic occupational name for a grower of or dealer in oats, from German Hafer "oats". Compare Haber. As a Jewish surname, it is in many cases ornamental.

Hamamura Japanese
From Japanese 浜, 濱 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Hammon English
Variant of Hammond.

Hanamura Japanese
From Japanese 花 (hana) meaning "flower" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Hara Japanese
From Japanese 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Hardacre English
Topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of poor, stony land, from Middle English hard "hard, difficult" and aker "cultivated land" (Old English æcer), or a habitational name from Hardacre, a place in Clapham, West Yorkshire, which has this etymology.

Harlacher German
Habitational name for someone from Ober- or Unter-Harlachen, near Überlingen.

Haruno Japanese
Means "spring field", from Japanese 春 (haru) "spring" and 野 (no) "field".

Haruyama Japanese
From Japanese 春 (haru) meaning "spring" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Hayashibara Japanese
From Japanese 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Hayashida Japanese
From Japanese 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Heart English
Variant of Hart.

Heber German
Occupational name for a carrier (someone who loaded or transported goods), from an agent derivative of Middle High German heben "to lift".

Hebert German
Variant of Heber.

Hedge English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a hedge, Middle English hegg(e). In the early Middle Ages, hedges were not merely dividers between fields, but had an important defensive function when planted around a settlement or enclosure.

Hiiragi Japanese
From Japanese 柊 (hiiragi) meaning "holly osmanthus".

Hikawa Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 氷 (hi) meaning "ice" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

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]

Hisamoto Japanese
From Japanese 久 (hisa) meaning "long time ago" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Hiyama Japanese
From Japanese 檜, 桧 (hi) meaning "Japanese cypress" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Hodge English
Nickname from Middle English hodge "hog", which occurs as a dialect variant of hogge, for example in Cheshire place names.

Hollingshead English
Habitational name from a lost place in County Durham called Hollingside or Holmside, from Old English hole(g)n "holly" and sīde "hillside, slope"; there is a Hollingside Lane on the southern outskirts of Durham city... [more]

Honig German, Jewish
Metonymic name for a gatherer or seller of honey, from Middle High German honec, honic "honey", German Honig.

Hoshi Japanese
From Japanese 星 (hoshi) meaning "star".

Hu Chinese
From Chinese 虎 (hǔ) meaning "tiger".

Humphries English, Welsh
Patronymic from Humphrey.

Humphrys English
Variant of Humphries.

Hurst German
Topographic name from Middle High German hurst "woodland, thicket".

Hutchison Scottish
Patronymic from the medieval personal name Hutche, a variant of Hugh.

Ida Japanese
From Japanese 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Iguchi Japanese
From Japanese 井 (i) "well, mine shaft, pit" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Iizuka Japanese
From Japanese 飯 (ii) meaning "cooked grains" and 塚 (tsuka) meaning "mound, hillock".

Inoshishi Japanese (Rare)
This surname is used as 猪 (cho, i, inoshishi) meaning "boar."

Ishimori Japanese
From Japanese 石 (ishi) meaning "stone" and 森 (mori) meaning "forest".

Ishizu Japanese
From Japanese 石 (ishi) meaning "stone" and 津 (zu) meaning "ferry".

Iwayama Japanese
Means "rocky mountain" in Japanese, from 岩 (iwa) "rock" and 山 (yama) "mountain".

Jay English, French
Nickname from Middle English, Old French jay(e), gai "jay (the bird)", probably referring to an idle chatterer or a showy person, although the jay was also noted for its thieving habits.

Jōnouchi Japanese
From Japanese 城 (jō) meaning "castle"; 之 (no), a possessive particle; and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Jules French
From a personal name (Latin Julius). The name was borne in the Middle Ages in honor of various minor Christian saints.

Jules English
Patronymic or metronymic from a short form of Julian.

Jurczak Polish
From a pet form of the personal name Jurek.

Kaki Japanese
From Japanese 柿 (kaki) meaning "persimmon".

Kakihara Japanese
From Japanese 柿 (kaki) meaning "persimmon" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain". A notable bearer of this surname is voice actor Tetsuya Kakihara (柿原 徹也, 1982–).

Kakita Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 柿 (kaki) meaning "persimmon" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Kamikaze Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 神 (kami) meaning "god" and 風 (kaze) meaning "wind".

Kamoshida Japanese
From Japanese 鴨 (kamo) meaning "duck", 志 (shi) meaning "will, purpose" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Kanbara Japanese
From Japanese 神 (kan) meaning "god" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Kaneda Japanese
From Japanese 金 (kane) meaning "metal" and 田 (ta) meaning "field".

Kaneshiro Japanese
From Japanese 金 (kane) meaning "gold, metal, money" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle".

Kaplan German, Czech, Jewish
Means "chaplain, curate" in German and Czech, ultimately from Latin cappellanus. It is also sometimes used as a Jewish name, from a translation of Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohen) meaning "priest" (see Cohen).

Kawada Japanese
From Japanese 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Kawai Japanese
From Japanese 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Kawamoto Japanese
From Japanese 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Kawata Japanese
Variant transcription of Kawada.

Kazami Japanese
From Japanese 風 (kaza) meaning "wind, style" and 見 (mi) meaning "looking, viewing".

Kazetani Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 風 (kaze) meaning "wind, style" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Keeton English
Habitational name from a place called Ketton in Durham or one in Rutland or from Keaton in Ermington, Devon. The first is named from the Old English personal name Catta or the Old Norse personal name Káti and Old English tūn "settlement"; the second is probably from an old river name or tribal name Cētan (possibly a derivative of Celtic cēd "wood") and Old English ēa "river"; and the last possibly from Cornish kee "hedge, bank" and Old English tūn.

Keränen Finnish
Possibly from Keräpää, a nickname for a bald person or someone with a round head and/or with closely cropped hair, combined with the common surname suffix -nen. In eastern Finland the name dates back to the 16th century.

Kestel English
Habitational name from Kestle, a place in Cornwall, so named from Cornish castell "castle, village, rock".

Kida Japanese
From Japanese 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Kirihara Japanese
From Japanese 桐 (kiri) meaning "paulownia" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Kishi Japanese
From Japanese 岸 (kishi) meaning "bank, shore".

Kitajima Japanese
From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Kitano Japanese
From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Kitaoka Japanese
From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Kiya Japanese
Means "tree valley" in Japanese, from 木 (ki) "tree" and 谷 (ya) "valley".

Klingbeil German
From Middle High German klingen "to ring or sound" and bīl "axe", literally "sound the axe", an occupational nickname for a journeyman, carpenter, shipwright (or any occupation involving the use of an axe)... [more]

Knickerbocker Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized spelling of the Dutch occupational name Knickerbacker "marble baker", i.e., a baker of children's clay marbles. This lowly occupation became synonymous with the patrician class in NYC through Washington Irving's attribution of his History of New York (1809) to a fictitious author named Diedrich Knickerbocker... [more]

Kondou Japanese
From Japanese 近 (kon) meaning "near, close" and 藤 (dou) meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Korn German
From Middle High German korn "grain", a metonymic occupational name for a factor or dealer in grain or a nickname for a peasant.

Kumai Japanese
From Japanese 熊 (kuma) meaning "bear" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Kunimoto Japanese
From Japanese 国 (kuni) meaning "country" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Kuramoto Japanese
From Japanese 倉, 蔵 (kura) meaning "warehouse, storehouse" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Kurosaki Japanese
From Japanese 黒 (kuro) meaning "black" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Kurosu Japanese
From Japanese 黒 (kuro) meaning "black" and 須 (su) meaning "mandatory, necessary".

Kusanagi Japanese
From Japanese 草 (kusa) meaning "grass" and 彅 (nagi) meaning "cutter". A notable bearer of this surname is actor Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (草彅 剛, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, 1974–).

Kusuda Japanese
From Japanese 楠 (kusu) meaning "camphor tree" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Lancer Jewish
Ornamental name from German Lanze "lance, spear" combined with the agent suffix -er.

Landry French, English
From the Germanic personal name Landric, a compound of land "land" and ric "powerful, ruler".

Leeming English
Habitational name from either of two places, in West Yorkshire near Keighley and in North Yorkshire near Northallerton. Both are named with a river name, derived from the Old English word lēoma "gleam, sparkle".

Levy Jewish
Variant of Levi.

Lex German, Dutch
From a short form of the personal name Alexius, Alexis.

Lieb German, Jewish
Nickname for a pleasant or agreeable person, from Middle High German liep "dear, beloved"; Yiddish lib or German lieb. This word was also used as a personal name, both alone (German) and in compounds (German and Jewish).

Lieb German
From a short form of the various compound Slavic personal names formed with lubo- "love" as the first element.

Liebrecht German
From a Germanic personal name formed with liut "people, tribe" and berht "shining, famous".

Light English
Nickname for a happy, cheerful person, from Middle English lyght, Old English lēoht "light (not dark), bright, cheerful".

Lillis Irish, English
Metronymic from Lilly.

Lodge English
Local name for someone who lived in a small cottage or temporary dwelling, Middle English logge (Old French loge, of Germanic origin). The term was used in particular of a cabin erected by masons working on the site of a particular construction project, such as a church or cathedral, and so it was probably in many cases equivalent to an occupational name for a mason... [more]

Loewenthal German, Jewish
Variant of Löwenthal.

Lord French
Nickname from Old French l'ord "the dirty one".

Lovato Spanish (Latin American), Italian
Northern Italian from the Late Latin personal name Lupatus, derivative of Latin lupus "wolf". This is one of several medieval personal names which became popular under the influence of Germanic compound personal names formed with wolf-.

Löwenstein German
Habitational name from any of several places called Löwenstein.

Löwenthal German
Habitational name from any of various places called Löwenthal.

Löwenthal Jewish, Swedish
Ornamental name composed of German Löwe "lion" and T(h)al "valley". In some cases the Jewish name would have been an ornamental elaboration associated with the personal name Levi (or other names meaning "lion").

Lucci Italian
Patronymic or plural form of Luccio, a reduced form of a personal name formed with this suffix.

Lucius German, Dutch
From the personal name Lucius.

Malloch Scottish
Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic MacIain Mhalaich "son of Ian of the bushy eyebrows", which was the family name of the MacGregors of Balhaldie. The Ian from whom the name is derived died in the early 16th century.

Malpass English, Scottish, French
Habitational name from any of various places named Malpas, because of the difficulty of the terrain, from Old French mal pas "bad passage" (Latin malus passus). It is a common French minor place name, and places in Cheshire, Cornwall, Gwent, and elsewhere in England were given this name by Norman settlers... [more]

Manchester English
Habitational name from the city in northwestern England, formerly part of Lancashire. This is so called from Mamucio (an ancient British name containing the element mammā "breast", and meaning "breast-shaped hill") combined with Old English ceaster "Roman fort or walled city" (Latin castra "legionary camp").

Manley English
Habitational name from places in Devon and Cheshire, named in Old English as "common wood or clearing", from (ge)mǣne "common, shared" and lēah "woodland clearing". The surname is still chiefly found in the regions around these villages.

Manuel Spanish, Portuguese, French, German
Derived from the given name Manuel.

Manuel Catalan, Spanish
Possibly also a habitational name from Manuel in Valencia province.

Marchese Italian
From the title of rank marchése "marquis" (in Italy the rank immediately below that of duke), probably applied as a nickname for someone who behaved like a marquis, or an occupational name for a servant in the household of a marquis... [more]

Mark English, German, Dutch
Topographic name for someone who lived on a boundary between two districts, from Old High German marka "border, boundary, march". The German term also denotes an area of fenced-off land (see Marker) and, like the English word, is embodied in various place names which have given rise to habitational names.

Marker German
Status name for someone who lived on an area of land that was marked off from the village land or woodland, Middle High German merkære.

Martinet French
From a diminutive of the given name Martin.

Matsuki Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".

Matsuno Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Matsuura Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet".

Mccarley Irish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Fhearghaile "son of Fearghal", a personal name meaning "valiant man".

Mccollum Northern Irish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Coluim "son of Colum". See McCallum, which is the usual spelling of this name in Scotland.

Mccord Northern Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Cuairt or Mac Cuarta, apparently meaning "son of a journey", which Woulfe suggests may be a reduced form of Mac Muircheartaigh (see Mcmurtry).

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]

Mcglynn Irish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mag Fhloinn, patronymic from the personal name Flann "red, crimson".

McMorrow Irish
Anglicized form of a Gaelic patronymic, either Mac Murchadha or Mac Muireadhaigh.

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

Meaux French
Habitational name from a place in Seine-et-Marne, so named from the Gaulish tribal name Meldi, or from Meaux-la-Montagne in Rhône.

Meredith Welsh
From the personal name Maredudd. In Welsh the stress is on the second syllable. The Old Welsh form is Morgetiud, of which the first element may mean "pomp, splendor" and the second is iudd "lord".

Mignogna Italian
In part a Southern Italian a habitational name from Mignogna, a minor place in Foggia province.

Minamoto Japanese
From 源 (minamoto) meaning "fountainhead, river source; source, origin," derived from a combination of 水 (mi), the combining form of mizu meaning "water," and 元/本 (moto) meaning "source, origin" with the addition of the Old Japanese possessive particle na.... [more]

Minella Italian
Southern Italian, from a pet form of the female personal name Mina 1, a short form of Guglielmina, Giacomina, etc.

Misaki Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Miyagi Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 城 (gi) meaning "castle".

Miyahara Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Miyano Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Miyaoka Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 岡 (oka) meaning "ridge, hill".

Miyasaki Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 宮崎 (see Miyazaki).

Miyauchi Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Miyazato Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 里 (sato) meaning "village".

Mizuhara Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Mizukawa Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Mizusaki Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Mizuta Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Momoi Japanese
From Japanese 桃 (momo) meaning "peach" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Morrow Irish (Anglicized), Scottish
Shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Murchadha (see McMorrow).

Nadal Catalan, Occitan
From the personal name Nadal, from nadal "Christmas" (from Latin natalis "birthday"). Compare Noel.

Nakaoka Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Nam Korean
From Sino-Korean 南 (nam) meaning "south".

Namkoong Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 남궁 (see Namgung).

Natal Portuguese, Spanish
From the personal name Natal (from Latin Natalis), bestowed on someone born at Christmas or with reference to the Marian epithet María del Natal.

Natividad Spanish
From the personal name Natividad "nativity, Christmas", from Latin nativitas "birth", genitive nativitatis, usually bestowed with reference to the Marian epithet María de la Natividad... [more]

Negro Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish
Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.

Newborn English
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.

Nishihara Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 原 (hara) meaning "meadow, field, plain".

Nishioka Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Nonaka Japanese
From Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Numata Japanese
From Japanese 沼 (numa) meaning "swamp, marsh" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Oak English
Topographic surname for someone who lived near an oak tree or in an oak wood, from Middle English oke "oak".

Ōgami Japanese
From Japanese 大 (tai, dai, oo-, -oo.ini, oo.kii) meaning "large, great", 神 (shin, jin, kami, kan-, kou-) meaning "god, deity", 上 (shan, shou, jou, a.gari, a.garu, a.geru, ue, -ue, uwa-, kami, nobo.su, nobo.seru, nobo.ri, nobo.ru, yo.su) meaning "above, up", 賀 (ga) meaning "congratulations, joy" and 美 (bi, mi, utsuku.shii) meaning "beauty, beautiful".

Ohara Japanese
From Japanese 小 (o) meaning "small" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Oka Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "ridge, hill".

Okajima Japanese
From Japanese 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

O'Neil Irish
Variant of O'Neal.

Ōoka Japanese
From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

O'Shaughnessey Irish
Variant of O'Shaughnessy.

Ōzora Japanese
From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 空 (sora) meaning "sky".

Pagán Spanish
Castilianized spelling of Catalan Pagà, from the Late Latin personal name Paganus, which originally meant "dweller in an outlying village" (see Paine).

Paine English
From the Middle English personal name Pain(e), Payn(e) (Old French Paien, from Latin Paganus), introduced to Britain by the Normans. The Latin name is a derivative of pagus "outlying village", and meant at first a person who lived in the country (as opposed to Urbanus "city dweller"), then a civilian as opposed to a soldier, and eventually a heathen (one not enrolled in the army of Christ)... [more]

Peppe Italian
From a short form of the personal name Giuseppe.

Peppe German
From Peppo, a pet form of a Germanic personal name (see Pepin).

Philippi German (Latinized)
Latinized patronymic derived from the given name Philipp.

Philson English
Patronymic from Phil, a short form of the personal name Philip.

Pickles English
Variant of Pickle.

Picó Catalan
Probably a nickname from Catalan picó "having a thick upper lip".

Pilch English
From Middle English pilch, a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of pilches or a nickname for a habitual wearer of these. A pilch (from Late Latin pellicia, a derivative of pellis "skin, hide") was a kind of coarse leather garment with the hair or fur still on it.

Pilcher English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of pilches, from an agent derivative of Pilch. In early 17th-century English, pilcher was a popular term of abuse, being confused or punningly associated with the unrelated verb pilch "to steal" and with the unrelated noun pilchard, a kind of fish.

Plata Spanish
Byname from plata "silver".

Plata Spanish
Habitational name from places in Toledo and Cáceres provinces named Plata, or various places named La Plata.

Pollick Scottish
Variant of Pollock.

Prince English, French
Nickname from Middle English, Old French prince (Latin princeps), presumably denoting someone who behaved in a regal manner or who had won the title in some contest of skill.

Príncipe Italian, Spanish
From principe "prince, heir" (Latin princeps, genitive principis, from primus "first" and capere "to take"), applied probably as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces or for someone in the service of a prince.

Proctor English
Occupational name from Middle English prok(e)tour "steward" (reduced from Old French procurateour, Latin procurator "agent", from procurare "to manage"). The term was used most commonly of an attorney in a spiritual court, but also of other officials such as collectors of taxes and agents licensed to collect alms on behalf of lepers and enclosed orders of monks.

Qing Chinese
From Chinese 青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green, young".

Reddick Scottish, Northern Irish
Habitational name from Rerrick or Rerwick in Kirkcudbrightshire, named with an unknown first element and wīc "outlying settlement". It is also possible that the first element was originally Old Norse rauðr "red".

Reddick English
Habitational name from Redwick in Gloucestershire, named in Old English with hrēod "reeds" and wīc "outlying settlement".

Régis French
Occupational name for a local dignitary, from a derivative of Old French régir "to rule or manage".

Reisz Hungarian, German (Archaic), Jewish
Variant form of Reis, or else a patronymic from a pet form of one of the Germanic compound names formed with raginą "counsel, advice" as the first element.

Rial English
Variant of Royle.

Richmond English
Habitational name from any of the numerous places so named, in northern France as well as in England. These are named with the Old French elements riche "rich, splendid" and mont "hill"... [more]

Ricken German
From a short form of any of the Germanic personal names composed with rīc "power(ful)".

Riegel German
From Middle High German rigel "bar, crossbeam, mountain incline", hence a topographic name or a habitational name from any of numerous places named with this word in Baden, Brandenburg, and Silesia; in some instances it may have been a metonymic occupational name for a maker of crossbars, locks, etc.

Rin Japanese
From Japanese 林 (rin) meaning "forest".

Ritz German
From a short form of the personal name Rizo, itself derived in part from Richard and in part from Heinrich (see Henry).

Rolf English, German
Derived from the given name Rolf.

Rollo Scottish
From a Latinized form, common in early medieval documents, of the personal name Rou(l), the usual Norman form of Rolf.

Ryūzaki Japanese
From Japanese 竜, 龍 (ryū) meaning "dragon" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula". One bearer of this surname was actor Katsu Ryūzaki (竜崎 勝, 1940–1984), born Fumiaki Takashima (高島 史旭).

Saint English, French
Nickname for a particularly pious individual, from Middle English, Old French saint, seint "holy" (Latin sanctus "blameless, holy"). The vocabulary word was occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name, especially on the Continent, and this may have given rise to some instances of the surname.

Sakimoto Japanese
From Japanese 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Sakiyama Japanese
From Japanese 崎 (saki) "small peninsula, cape" and 山 (yama) "mountain".

Sakura Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 倉 (kura) meaning "warehouse, storehouse".

Sakurano Japanese
Means "cherry blossom field" in Japanese, from 桜 (sakura) "cherry blossom" and 野 (no) "field".

San Juan Spanish
Means "Saint John", derived from Spanish santo "saint" combined with Juan 1. This is a habitational name for a person from any of various places called San Juan, so named for a local shrine or church dedicated to Saint John (San Juan).

Satomiya Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 里 (sato) meaning "village" and 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace".

Satonaka Japanese
From Japanese 里 (sato) meaning "village" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Schemmel German
Nickname for a disabled person, from Middle High German schemel "stool", which was used as a crutch by invalids.

Sciortino Italian
Occupational name from a diminutive of sciorta, sciurta "city guard, watchman, policeman" (Arabic ̣shuṛtī).

Seitz Upper German
A mainly Bavarian surname, from a reduced form of the personal name Seifried, a variant of Siegfried... [more]

Seitzer German
Variant of Seitz.

She Chinese
From Chinese 佘 (shé), which is of unknown significance.

Shibayama Japanese
From Japanese 柴 (shiba) meaning "firewood" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Shimamoto Japanese
From Japanese 島 (shima) meaning "island" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".