AmamiyaJapanese 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–).
AonumaJapanese From Japanese 青 (ao) meaning "green, blue" and 沼 (numa) meaning "swamp, marsh".
AozoraJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 青 (ao) meaning "blue" and 空 (sora) meaning "sky".
AppelmanDutch Occupational name from Middle Dutch apelmanger "apple seller".
AquilaItalian Habitational name from L'Aquila in Abruzzo or from any of various smaller places called Aquila.
AritaJapanese From Japanese 有 (ari) meaning "have, possess" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
AshwoodEnglish Habitational name from a place in Staffordshire named Ashwood, from Old English æsc "ash" and wudu "wood".
BakeEnglish Probably an occupational name for a baker.
BartholomewEnglish 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]
BeddowWelsh From the personal name Bedo, a pet form of Meredydd (see Meredith).
BelkinRussian Patronymic from the nickname Belka meaning "squirrel" (a derivative of bely "white", referring to the animal's white stomach).
BirnbaumGerman Topographic name for someone who lived by a pear tree, from Middle High German bir "pear" and boum "tree".
BladeEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a cutler, from Middle English blade "cutting edge, sword".
BlausteinGerman, Jewish Ornamental name from German blau "blue" and Stein "stone", i.e. lapis lazuli.
BreedEnglish 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").
BrinerGerman (Swiss) Habitational name for someone from Brin in Grison canton (Graubünden) or from the Brin valley.
BucklandEnglish 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.
CanavanIrish (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.
CattEnglish 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]
ChapinFrench, 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.
ChaseFrench 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".
CherryEnglish 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]
CorkEnglish 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).
CorkeryIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Corcra "descendant of Corcra", a personal name derived from corcair "purple" (ultimately cognate with Latin purpur).
CotterIrish 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".
CromwellEnglish Habitational name from places in Nottinghamshire and West Yorkshire named Cromwell, from Old English crumb "bent, crooked" and well(a) "spring, stream".
CrowEnglish 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.
DaimonJapanese From Japanese 大 (dai) meaning "big, great" and 門 (mon) meaning "gate, door".
DamianFrench, 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]
DamonEnglish, Scottish From the personal name Damon, from a classical Greek name, a derivative of damān "to kill". Compare Damian.
DangerfieldEnglish 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]
DarkEnglish 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.
DateJapanese From Japanese 伊 (da) meaning "this" and 達 (te) meaning "achieve, arrive at, intelligent".
DiskinIrish (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.
DistelGerman, Low German, Dutch Topographic name for someone who lived by a patch of ground overgrown with thistles, or perhaps a nickname for a "prickly" person, from Middle High German, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch distel "thistle".
DistlerGerman Topographic name for someone who lived in a place where thistles grew, from German Distel "thistle" (see Distel) and -er, suffix denoting an inhabitant.
DittmannGerman Variant of Dittmar. In eastern Germany, this form has been used for Dittmar since the 15th century.
DobbeEnglish From the medieval personal name Dobbe, one of several pet forms of Robert in which the initial letter was altered. Compare Hobbs.
DonatoItalian 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.
DouillardFrench Nickname for a softie, possibly derived from Old French do(u)ille meaning "soft, tender".
DragonFrench, 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]
DrayEnglish 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.
DrouillardFrench Probably a derogatory nickname, from a derivative of the regional term drouiller "to defecate", which also has various figurative senses.
FahnLow 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.
FellEnglish, 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).
FellerEnglish, 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.
FellerGerman Habitational name for someone from a place called Feld(e) or Feld(a) in Hesse.
FeuerJewish Ornamental name from modern German Feuer "fire".
FeuerGerman 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".
FilsFrench From fils "son", used to identify the younger of two bearers of the same personal name in a family.
FlamJewish Ornamental name from Yiddish flam "flame".
FreeEnglish Nickname or status name from Old English frēo "free(-born)", i.e. not a serf.
FucciItalian 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.
FukuharaJapanese From Japanese 福 (fuku) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing" and 原 (hara) meaning "plain, field".
FukuokaJapanese From Japanese 福 (fuku) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
FukuyamaJapanese From Japanese 福 (fuku) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".
FuttermanJewish Occupational name for a furrier, from Yiddish futer "fur, fur coat" and Yiddish man "man".
GallantEnglish 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.
GendaJapanese From Japanese 源 (gen) meaning "source, origin" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
GlasWelsh Nickname meaning "gray, green, silver-haired".
GlassIrish, Scottish Anglicized form of the epithet glas "gray, green, blue" or any of various Gaelic surnames derived from it.
GowScottish Occupational name from Gaelic gobha meaning "smith".
GrapeLow German Metonymic occupational name for a maker of metal or earthenware vessels, from Middle Low German grope "pot".
GrauGerman, Jewish Nickname for someone with gray hair or a gray beard, from German grau "gray".
GrellGerman Nickname for an irritable or irascible person, from Middle High German, Middle Low German grellen "to be angry".
GriffinIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized (part translated) form of Gaelic Ó Gríobhtha "descendant of Gríobhtha", a personal name from gríobh "gryphon".
GuttingGerman Of uncertain origin. Probably from a Germanic personal name formed with god "good" or god, got "god".
HaberlandGerman Topographic name from Middle High German haber(e) "oats" and land "land", or a habitational name from any of various places so called.
HabermannGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a grower or seller of oats, composed of the elements Haber and the agent suffix -mann.
HackneyEnglish, 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".
HackneyEnglish, 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]
HaferGerman, 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.
HamamuraJapanese From Japanese 浜, 濱 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".
HardacreEnglish 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.
HarlacherGerman Habitational name for someone from Ober- or Unter-Harlachen, near Überlingen.
HarunoJapanese Means "spring field", from Japanese 春 (haru) "spring" and 野 (no) "field".
HaruyamaJapanese From Japanese 春 (haru) meaning "spring" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".
HedgeEnglish 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.
HiiragiJapanese From Japanese 柊 (hiiragi) meaning "holly osmanthus".
HiromiJapanese (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]
HisamotoJapanese From Japanese 久 (hisa) meaning "long time ago" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
HiyamaJapanese From Japanese 檜, 桧 (hi) meaning "Japanese cypress" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".
HodgeEnglish Nickname from Middle English hodge "hog", which occurs as a dialect variant of hogge, for example in Cheshire place names.
HollingsheadEnglish 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]
HonigGerman, Jewish Metonymic name for a gatherer or seller of honey, from Middle High German honec, honic "honey", German Honig.
HoshiJapanese From Japanese 星 (hoshi) meaning "star".
HumbertGerman, Dutch, French From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hun "Hun, giant" or hun "bear cub" and berht "bright, famous". This was particularly popular in the Netherlands and North Germany during the Middle Ages as a result of the fame of a 7th-century St... [more]
IshizuJapanese From Japanese 石 (ishi) meaning "stone" and 津 (zu) meaning "ferry".
IwayamaJapanese Means "rocky mountain" in Japanese, from 岩 (iwa) "rock" and 山 (yama) "mountain".
JayEnglish, 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.
JōnouchiJapanese From Japanese 城 (jō) meaning "castle"; 之 (no), a possessive particle; and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".
JulesFrench From a personal name (Latin Julius). The name was borne in the Middle Ages in honor of various minor Christian saints.
JuradoSpanish, Portuguese Occupational name for any of various officials who had to take an oath that they would perform their duty properly, from jurado "sworn", past participle of jurar "to swear" (Latin iurare).
KakiJapanese From Japanese 柿 (kaki) meaning "persimmon".
KakiharaJapanese 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–).
KakitaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 柿 (kaki) meaning "persimmon" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
KeetonEnglish 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.
KeränenFinnish 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.
KestelEnglish Habitational name from Kestle, a place in Cornwall, so named from Cornish castell "castle, village, rock".
KidaJapanese From Japanese 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
KiriharaJapanese From Japanese 桐 (kiri) meaning "paulownia" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".
KishiJapanese From Japanese 岸 (kishi) meaning "bank, shore".
KitanoJapanese From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
KitaokaJapanese From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
KiyaJapanese Means "tree valley" in Japanese, from 木 (ki) "tree" and 谷 (ya) "valley".
KlingbeilGerman 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]
KnickerbockerDutch (Anglicized) 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]
KondouJapanese From Japanese 近 (kon) meaning "near, close" and 藤 (dou) meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
KornGerman From Middle High German korn "grain", a metonymic occupational name for a factor or dealer in grain or a nickname for a peasant.
KumaiJapanese From Japanese 熊 (kuma) meaning "bear" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".
KunimotoJapanese From Japanese 国 (kuni) meaning "country" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
KuramotoJapanese From Japanese 倉, 蔵 (kura) meaning "warehouse, storehouse" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
KurosuJapanese From Japanese 黒 (kuro) meaning "black" and 須 (su) meaning "mandatory, necessary".
KusanagiJapanese 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–).
KusudaJapanese From Japanese 楠 (kusu) meaning "camphor tree" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
LancerJewish Ornamental name from German Lanze "lance, spear" combined with the agent suffix -er.
LandryFrench, English From the Germanic personal name Landric, a compound of land "land" and ric "powerful, ruler".
LeemingEnglish 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".
LiebGerman, 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).
LiebGerman From a short form of the various compound Slavic personal names formed with lubo- "love" as the first element.
LiebrechtGerman From a Germanic personal name formed with liut "people, tribe" and berht "shining, famous".
LightEnglish Nickname for a happy, cheerful person, from Middle English lyght, Old English lēoht "light (not dark), bright, cheerful".
LodgeEnglish 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]
LordFrench Nickname from Old French l'ord "the dirty one".
LovatoSpanish (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-.
LöwensteinGerman Habitational name from any of several places called Löwenstein.
LöwenthalGerman Habitational name from any of various places called Löwenthal.
LöwenthalJewish, 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").
LucciItalian Patronymic or plural form of Luccio, a reduced form of a personal name formed with this suffix.
LuciusDutch From the personal name Lucius (Latin Lucius, an ancient Roman personal name probably derived from lux "light", genitive lucis).
MallochScottish 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.
MalpassEnglish, 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]
ManchesterEnglish 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").
ManleyEnglish 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.
ManuelCatalan, Spanish Possibly also a habitational name from Manuel in Valencia province.
MarcheseItalian 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]
MarkEnglish, German, Dutch Topographic name for someone who lived on a boundary between two districts, from Middle English merke, Middle High German marc, Middle Dutch marke, merke, all meaning "borderland"... [more]
MarkerGerman 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.
MatsukiJapanese From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
MatsunoJapanese From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
MatsuuraJapanese From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet".
MccarleyIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Fhearghaile "son of Fearghal", a personal name meaning "valiant man".
MccollumNorthern Irish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Coluim "son of Colum". See McCallum, which is the usual spelling of this name in Scotland.
MccordNorthern 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).
MccurdyIrish (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]
McglynnIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mag Fhloinn, patronymic from the personal name Flann "red, crimson".
McmorrowIrish (Anglicized), Scottish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Murchadha, a patronymic from the personal name Murchadh "sea warrior", from muir "sea" and cath "battle". In Leinster this name is usually Anglicized as McMurrough and in Ulster as Murphy.
McmurtryNorthern Irish, Scottish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Muircheartaigh "son of Muircheartach", a personal name meaning "navigator", from muir "sea" and ceartach "ruler".
MeauxFrench Habitational name from a place in Seine-et-Marne, so named from the Gaulish tribal name Meldi, or from Meaux-la-Montagne in Rhône.
MeredithWelsh 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".
MignognaItalian In part a Southern Italian a habitational name from Mignogna, a minor place in Foggia province.
MinamotoJapanese 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]
NatalPortuguese, 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.
NatividadSpanish 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]
NegroItalian, Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NewbornEnglish 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.
NishiharaJapanese From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 原 (hara) meaning "meadow, field, plain".
ŌzoraJapanese From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 空 (sora) meaning "sky".
PagánSpanish Castilianized spelling of Catalan Pagà, from the Late Latin personal name Paganus, which originally meant "dweller in an outlying village" (see Paine).
PaineEnglish 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]
PeppeItalian From a short form of the personal name Giuseppe.
PeppeDutch From Peppo, a pet form of a Germanic personal name.
PicóCatalan Probably a nickname from Catalan picó "having a thick upper lip".
PilchEnglish 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.
PilcherEnglish 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.
PrinceEnglish, 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.
PríncipeItalian, 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.
ProctorEnglish 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.
QingChinese From Chinese 青 (qīng) meaning "blue, green, young".
RandolphEnglish, German Classicized spelling of Randolf, a Germanic personal name composed of the elements rand "rim (of a shield), shield" and wolf "wolf". This was introduced into England by Scandinavian settlers in the Old Norse form Rannúlfr, and was reinforced after the Norman Conquest by the Norman form Randolf.
ReddickScottish, 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".
ReddickEnglish Habitational name from Redwick in Gloucestershire, named in Old English with hrēod "reeds" and wīc "outlying settlement".
RégisFrench Occupational name for a local dignitary, from a derivative of Old French régir "to rule or manage".
ReiszDutch Patronymic from a pet form of one of the Germanic compound names formed with ragin "counsel" as the first element.
RichmondEnglish 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]
RickenGerman From a short form of any of the Germanic personal names composed with rīc "power(ful)".
RiegelGerman 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.
RinJapanese From Japanese 林 (rin) meaning "forest".
RitzGerman From a short form of the personal name Rizo, itself derived in part from Richard and in part from Heinrich (see Henry).
RocaCatalan Habitational name from any of the numerous places so named, from Catalan roca "rock". This name is also Occitan.
RolloScottish From a Latinized form, common in early medieval documents, of the personal name Rou(l), the usual Norman form of Rolf.
RyūzakiJapanese 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).
SaintEnglish, 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.
SakimotoJapanese From Japanese 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
SakiyamaJapanese From Japanese 崎 (saki) "small peninsula, cape" and 山 (yama) "mountain".
SakuraJapanese From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 倉 (kura) meaning "warehouse, storehouse".
SakuranoJapanese Means "cherry blossom field" in Japanese, from 桜 (sakura) "cherry blossom" and 野 (no) "field".
San JuanSpanish 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).
SatomiyaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 里 (sato) meaning "village" and 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace".