ChiaramonteItalian Italianized from of the French surname Clermont, using Italian chiaro "bright, clear" and monte "mountain". It was brought to Sicily from Picardy, France, by a branch of the House of Clermont in the 11th century, and several locations were subsequently named after them... [more]
ChildersEnglish Probably a habitational name from some lost place named Childerhouse, from Old English cildra "child" and hus "house", possibly referring to an orphanage.
ChildreyEnglish From the name of a village in Oxfordshire, England, derived from either the Old English given name Cilla or the element cille/cwylla "spring, well" combined with riþ "stream".
ChimalhuaNahuatl Means "has a shield, possessor of shields" in Nahuatl.
ChiricoItalian Variant of Ciriaco, ultimately from the Ancient Greek given name Kyriakos. Alternatively, could be from Italian chierico "cleric, acolyte; learned man, clerk", from Ancient Greek κληρικός (klerikos) "of the clergy" via Latin clericus.
ChoateEnglish Probably derived from the place name Chute in Wiltshire, England, or from the parish Shute in Devon. Alternatively, it could be from the Dutch surname Van Choate, itself derived from a location in France.
ChristGerman, Dutch Either from a short form of the personal name Christian, or from a nickname meaning "the Christian", both from Latin Christ (see Christos 1).
CiavarellaItalian From Sicilian ciavaredda "goat kid", an occupational name for a goatherd, or perhaps a nickname based on the bearer's appearance or behaviour.
CiavattaItalian From ciabatta "slippers", a nickname for a cobbler, or someone known for dressing casually.
CiceroItalian From Sicilian cìciru "chickpea", an occupational name for someone who grew or sold chickpeas, or perhaps a nickname for someone with notable pimples or skin sores.
CiceroneItalian Derived from the given name Cicerone. In some cases, it could instead be an augmentative form of Cicero.
CiechiItalian Means "blind (people)" in Italian, from Latin caecus "devoid of light, blind; invisible; aimless".
CifrinoItalian (Rare) Possibly from an inflection of Italian cifrare, meaning "to monogram, to abbreviate (a name) to initials; to encode, to cypher", or perhaps a derived term meaning "little nothing". Ultimately from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr) "empty, zero".
CimaItalian Means "mountain top, peak, summit" in Italian. Alternatively, it could derive from the medieval given name Cima.
CimarosaItalian Possibly derived from Italian cima "top, peak, summit" combined with either rossa "red" or rosa "rose (flower); pink (colour)". If the former, it may be a habitational name derived from Cima Rossa, a mountain in the Alps... [more]
CiminoItalian Possibly derived from Italian cimino or Sicilian ciminu "cumin" as a metonymic occupational name for a spice merchant. Alternatively, it could be a diminutive of a shortened form of names such as Decimius or Ecimius.
CivillaItalian Possibly derived from the Roman cognomen Civilis, taken from Latin civilis meaning "civic, civil (of or pertaining to civilians)" or "courteous, polite".
ClaxtonEnglish From the names of any of several settlements in England, derived from either the personal name Clacc (from Old Norse Klakkr "bump, hillock") or the Old English word clacc "hill, peak" combined with tun "town, settlement".
ClooneyEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) From Gaelic Ó Cluanaigh meaning "descendant of Cluanach". Cluanach was a given name derived from Irish clauna "deceitful, flattering, rogue".
ClutterbuckEnglish English surname of unknown origin, possibly a corrupted form of a Dutch surname derived from Dutch klateren "to clatter" and beek "brook", or from klateren and bok "buck, billy goat", or from an older form of kladboek meaning "account book, minute book".
ClydesdaleEnglish, Scottish From the name of a location in Lanarkshire, Scotland, meaning "Clyde’s valley", derived from the name of the river Clyde.
CocciaItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Sicilian cocciu "grain, berry", denoting a kind of gruel; an occupational name for a farmer from Greek κόκκος (kokkos) "grain, seed"; or from Italian coccia "head, shell", referring to someone with a large head, or who was stubborn.
CoccimiglioItalian From Sicilian cuccumeli, the name of several fruit-bearing deciduous trees or of the hackberry plant, itself borrowed from an Ancient Greek word; possibly κοκκύμηλον (kokkymelon) "plum", literally "cuckoo apple", or from κόκκος (kókkos) "grain, seed, kernel" and μῆλον (mêlon) "apple, any fruit from a tree".
CoccoItalian Possibly from Italian cocco, meaning "darling, favourite" or "hen's egg".
CocuzzaItalian, Sicilian Means "gourd, pumpkin", possibly a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of gourds, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a large head or rotund figure.
CodaItalian Means "tail" in Italian, from Latin cauda, probably referring to the bearer living on a long, narrow piece of land.
CodinoItalian Means "pigtail, plait" in Italian, literally "tail's end". Ultimately from Latin cauda "tail (of an animal)". Perhaps given to someone who often wore their hair in such a style, possibly given to orphans or foundlings.
CodispotiItalian A Calabrian surname from Greek οικοδεσπότης (oikodespótis) "host, master of the house".
CogottiItalian From Sardinian cogotto "cockerel, rooster".
CoisItalian Possibly from the name of a lost town, Coni. Alternately, may be from dialectical words meaning "to cook" or "finch", referring to an occupation or nickname.
CoishEnglish Variant of Cosh, derived from Middle English cosche "small cottage, hut, hovel".
ColiaItalian Possibly derived from a diminutive form of the given name Nicola 1.
CollabruscoItalian From the region Calabria in southern Italy; widely moved to US.
CollierEnglish From the English word for someone who works with coal, originally referring to a charcoal burner or seller. Derived from Old English col "coal, charcoal" combined with the agent suffix -ier.
ColluItalian From a dialectical form of Italian collo, meaning "neck" or "parcel, package".
CommanderEnglish From Middle English comander "commander, leader, director", derived from Old French comandeor "military commander". This may have been either an occupational name or a nickname.
ConinxBelgian, Dutch Variant form of Koning, from a genitive form of Middle Dutch coninc "king, leader, important person".
ConklinEnglish Origin unidentified. Possibly of Dutch origin, deriving from konkelen "to plot, intrigue, deceive" or from a given name containing the element kuoni meaning "brave, bold"... [more]
ConsiglioItalian Means "advice, counsel" or "council, assembly" in Italian, a nickname for a wise, thoughtful, or perhaps fearful individual, or an occupational name for a member of a council.
ConsiglioItalian Derived from the medieval given name Consilius, or from a short form of the auspicious name Buonconsiglio "good advice", associated with the Marian title Madonna del Buon Consiglio "Our Lady of Good Counsel".
ContestabileItalian Means "debatable, questionable" in Italian, perhaps a nickname for an argumentative person, or for someone of dubious respectability.
CoppEnglish Derived from Old English copp "top, summit; crown (of the head)", a topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, or perhaps a nickname for someone with an oddly-shaped head.
CorbieFrench From the name of a town in northern France, possibly derived from a given name originating with the Latin word corvus meaning "raven, crow". Alternatively, it could be a variant form of Corbeau.
CorcinoSpanish Means "little deer", a diminutive of Spanish corzo "roe deer". More commonly used outside of Spain.
CordascoItalian Possibly derived from a dialectical form of Italian cordesco "late-born lamb", or in Old Italian "of or pertaining to cows or sheep".
CordiscoItalian Possibly from Italian cordesco "second-born lamb, butchered calf".
CorioItalian Possibly a variant of Coiro, from Latin corium "leather". Alternatively, could derive from the Latin given name Corius, or from the toponym Cori, a town in Lazio, Italy.
CorletoItalian Habitational name derived from the town Corleto Perticara, the first element derived from Latin coryletum "hazel tree grove, copse of hazel trees".
CornacchiaItalian Means "crow, carrion crow, jackdaw" in Italian, a nickname for someone who was talkative, or thought to resemble a crow or jackdaw in some other way.
CorneyEnglish A habitational surname from places in Cumbria and Hertfordshire named Corney, derived from either Old English corn "grain, seed" or a metathesized form of cran "crane (bird)" combined with eg "island, dry land in a marsh"... [more]
CorongiuItalian Possibly from Sardinian corongiu "rocky hill, boulder, large mass", denoting someone who lived near such a landmark, or perhaps a nickname based on the bearer's physical appearance.
CorpusEnglish Possibly derived from Old Norse Korpr "raven", a nickname for a person with dark hair.
CorteSpanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese From corte "court", applied as an occupational name for someone who worked at a manorial court or a topographic name for someone who lived in or by one.
CossuItalian Probably from Sardinian cossu "tub, trough, basin".
CostabileItalian Occupational name for a chamberlain, cognate to Constable. In some cases, it’s instead taken from the Italian given name derived from Late Latin Constabilis.
CotoniItalian (Rare, ?) Uncertain etymology, possibly derived from Italian cotone meaning "cotton".
CotterIrish Anglicized form of Irish Mac Oitir meaning "son of Oitir", a given name borrowed from Old Norse Óttarr, composed of the elements ótti "fear, dread" and herr "army, warrior".
CoyacNahuatl Meaning uncertain, possibly derived from Nahuatl coyahuac "broad, wide" or coyoctic "a hole, something with a hole in it".
CrabbEnglish, Scottish From Old English crabba "crab (crustacean)", a nickname for someone with a peculiar gait. Could also be from the sense of "crabapple (tree)", from Middle English crabbe "crabapple, wild apple", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a crabapple tree, or a nickname for a cantankerous person, with reference to the sourness of the fruit.
CraigieScottish Habitational name from any of several places in Scotland called Craigie, or simply a topographic name derived from Scottish Gaelic creag.
CraneEnglish From Middle English crane "crane (bird)", a nickname for a tall, thin man with long legs. The term included the heron until the introduction of a separate word for the latter in the 14th century... [more]
CremaItalian From the name of a city in Lombardy, Italy, derived from Lombardic (an Old Germanic language) krem "small hill".
CrisafulliItalian Derived from a Greek name, perhaps from χρυσός (khrysos) "gold" and φύλλον (phyllon) "leaf, foliage".
CristEnglish From Old English Crīst meaning "Christ, the Messiah" (see Christos 1). May have been a nickname for someone who played the part of Christ in a pageant, or a short form of a given name containing it as an element, such as Christian or Christopher.
CrobuItalian From Sardinian crobu "crow", or a place of the same name.
CrockEnglish Means "stone or earthenware jar, pot, vessel", possibly an occupational name for a potter. Compare Crocker.
CrockerEnglish Occupational name for a potter, from Middle English crockere "potter". Compare Crock.
CrombruggeBelgian, Flemish Possibly means "crooked bridge", from Middle Dutch crom "bent, not straight" and brugge "bridge".
CronjeAfrikaans Altered form of the French surname Cronier, derived from Old French crones, a term denoting a sheltered area by a river bank where fish retreat to. This could be used as an occupational name for someone who fished in such an area, or derived from a place named with the element, such as the French village Crosne.
CronkhiteDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of the obsolete Dutch surname Krankheyt, derived from krankheid meaning "illness, weakness", most likely a nickname for a sickly individual.
CuginoItalian Means "cousin" in Italian, with the archaic meaning "relative, kinsman". It may have been a nickname for a prominent or well-connected individual, or for someone who often used the term as a form of address to others.
CugnascaItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Italian cugnata "hatchet" (from Sicilian cugna "wedge"), or cugnata "related, similar; sister-in-law" (from Latin cognata "related by blood"), or cugino "cousin", combined with nascere "to be born, to sprout".
CugnoItalian From Sicilian cugnu "wedge", indicating someone who lived on a hill or other topographical "wedge", someone whose occupation involved using an axe, or a person who was considered to be hard or angular in personality or appearance.
CulbertEnglish, Scottish, Irish Meaning and origin are uncertain. Possibly derived from an unattested given name composed of beorht "bright" and an uncertain first element, or an altered form of Cuthbert... [more]
CurcioItalian Could be derived from the Ancient Roman gens Curtius, or directly from a regional descendant of Latin curtus meaning "shortened, short" or "mutilated, broken, incomplete"... [more]
DaceyEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Déiseach meaning "of the Déisi", the name of an archaic Irish social class derived from Old Irish déis "vassal, tenant, subject".
DaintonEnglish Habitational name possibly derived from an older form of Doynton, a village in Gloucestershire, England, meaning "Dydda’s settlement", or perhaps from the hamlet Dainton in Devon meaning "Dodda’s settlement".
DanzaItalian Probably a habitational name from a place in Salerno, Italy. In the case of American actor Tony Danza, it’s a shortened form of Iadanza, used as a stage name.
DanzaItalian Means "dance" in Italian, a nickname for a dancer. Alternatively, it could derive from an Italian form of the given name Abundantius.
DavenportEnglish Habitational name from a town in Cheshire named Davenport, from the Dane river (apparently named with a Celtic cognate of Middle Welsh dafnu "drop, trickle") and Old English port "port, haven, harbour town".
DaveyEnglish, Welsh Derived from the given name David. Alternately, it may be a variant spelling of Welsh Davies or Davis, which could be patronymic forms of David, or corrupted forms of Dyfed, an older Welsh surname and the name of a county in Wales.
DawlingEnglish Derived from the Old English given name Dealing, or possibly from Middle English Daulin, a rhyming pet form of Rawlin which is a medieval diminutive of Roul.
De BeerDutch, Afrikaans, South African Means "the bear" or "the boar" in Dutch and Afrikaans, a nickname for a person who resembled the animal in some way, such as being very large, strong, or aggressive, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting one... [more]
De BieDutch Means "the bee" in Dutch, a nickname for a beekeeper or a for a busy person, or perhaps a habitational name for someone who lived near a sign depicting a bee.
De BonoItalian Derives from the Latin word bonus, meaning "good".
De BonteDutch Means "the colourful", from Dutch bont meaning "motley, multi-coloured; varied, mixed". Probably a nickname for someone known for wearing bright clothing, or perhaps figuratively referring to someone who behaves oddly or unpredictably.
De BreeDutch Means "the broad", from Dutch breed "broad, wide, large", a nickname for someone strong or with a broad build.
DefoorFlemish Derived from Dutch voort "ford". Alternatively, can be a variant of the French surnames Dufour or Deford.
DefraiaItalian From an archaic Sardinian term, possibly meaning "factory", or from an alteration of frai "brother". Alternately, may mean "from Fraia", a settlement in Italy.
De GeerDutch, Swedish Derived from the town of Geer near Liège, Belgium. The town lies along the course of the river Jeker, which is called Geer in French. Alternatively, it could derive from Dutch geer "wedge-shaped piece of land".
DegenGerman, Swiss Means "rapier, small sword, dagger" in German, an occupational name for someone who made rapiers. Alternately, it could be derived from a given name containing Old High German degan "soldier, warrior", such as Degenhard or Herdegen.
De GeusDutch Means "the beggar" in Dutch, derived from French geaux "beggar, poor", itself from Middle Dutch guyte "rascal, rogue, vagabond, freeloader". In many instances, this surname would derive from an association with the Geuzen ("The Beggars"), a group of Dutch rebels opposing Spanish rule in the Netherlands.
De GoedeDutch Means "the good (person)" in Dutch, a nickname for someone considered especially kind or gentle, or perhaps for someone gullible.
De GraaffDutch Variant spelling of De Graaf "the count", an occupational name for someone who worked for a count, or perhaps a nickname for someone who behaved like one.
De GroeveFlemish Etymology uncertain. Possibly a habitational name from any of several places called De Groeve, derived from groeve "quarry, pit; excavated watercourse"... [more]
De HartDutch Can mean "the hart", "the heart", or "the hard", derived from Middle Dutch hart "male deer, stag" (see Hart), harte "heart" (see Hertz), or hart "hard, solid, sturdy; harsh, cruel"... [more]
De HeerDutch Means "the lord" or "the gentleman" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch hêre "feudal lord, master, leader, gentleman". Could be a nickname for a person who acted as a leader, or an occupational name for someone who worked for a lord... [more]
De HoogDutch Means "the high" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch hooch "high, tall; important, noble". Either a nickname for a tall person, or for someone who is high in rank or behaves as though they are, or a habitational name from a settlement built on relatively high ground.
DeianaItalian From Sardinian de "of, from" and jana "fairy, spirit of the woods, sorceress" (from Latin Diana).
DeiddaSardinian Sardinian cognate of Villani, from de "of, from" and bidda "town, hamlet".
De LeeuwDutch, Flemish Means "the lion" in Dutch, a habitational name for someone who lived at a house or tavern with a sign depicting a lion. In some cases, it may have been a nickname denoting a wild or courageous individual.
Del FrateItalian Derived from Italian del "of the" and frate meaning "monk, friar" or "brother", the latter used as an appellation for close friends or peers as opposed to a literal sense.
DellEnglish From Old English dell "small valley, hollow, dell".
DelleFrench From the name of a commune in Territoire de Belfort, France, derived from Medieval Latin Dadila, from Late Latin Datira.
DelleGerman Habitational or topographic name derived from Low German delle "dell, depression, hollow".
Dell'elceItalian From Italian elce "holm oak", literally "of the holm oak".
Dell'oroItalian Means "of the gold" in Italian. Might indicate someone with blond hair, someone who worked as a goldsmith, or might be descended from the Latin name Aurius.
DeloguItalian Means "from/of the place", from Sardinian de "of, from" and logu "place".
Del PopoloItalian Means "of the people", given to foundlings at a time when a small stipend was allotted to their maintenance by the king.
De ManDutch Means "the man" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch man "person, man; husband, vassal". Could be a nickname, perhaps to differentiate an older individual (compare Mann), or a habitational name derived from a house name such as De Geleerde Man ("The Learned Man") or De Zwarte Man ("The Black Man").
DemmaItalian Matronymic derived from a contracted form of Italian d(e) Emma meaning "of Emma".
DemuroItalian Probably denoting someone from Muro, Basilicata. Alternately, may be a nickname from Sardinian muru "wall" or "donkey".
Den HartogDutch Derived from Dutch hertog "duke", a nickname for someone behaved in a haughty manner, or an occupational name for someone who worked for a duke’s household.
Den OudenDutch Means "the elder, the senior", from Middle Dutch out "old".
DeplanoItalian From Latin de plano, "of the plain, from the flat land".
De PoorterFlemish, Dutch Means "the burgher, the citizen (of a city)", ultimately derived from poort "gate".
DepooterFlemish Variant of De Poorter, or alternatively, an occupational name for a farmer or gardener derived from poten "to plant, to sow seeds". Compare Potter.
De PraetereFlemish Means "the prattler", from or related to Middle Dutch praten "to chatter" (c. 1400), from a Proto-Germanic imitative root.
DeremerDutch Occupational name for a belt maker or cutter of leather straps, from Dutch riem "belt, strap". It could also be a name for a peat digger, someone who "riems" peat.
De RuiterDutch Means "the rider" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch ruter "freebooter, vagrant, robber", later meaning "cavalryman, soldier, armed horseman". It could also be a nickname based on an event, in one case deriving from an incident involving a ride on a runaway pig.
DesogusItalian Denotes someone from the town of Sogus, which may have taken its name from Sa bia de is Ogus, "the road of the eyes".
DessiItalian Denoting someone from Sini, Sardinia, formerly called Sinu or Sii.
De WaardDutch From Dutch waard "innkeeper, host, landlord, protector", derived from Middle Dutch weert. Alternatively, from Middle Dutch waert "floodplain, riverine island".
De WildeDutch Means "the wild", from Middle Dutch wilt "wild, savage, untamed".
De WinterDutch Means "the winter" in Dutch, a nickname for a cold or gloomy man, or perhaps for someone born in the winter. It could also be a habitational name referring to a house or tavern named for the season.
De WolfDutch, Flemish Means "the wolf", a nickname given to someone associated with wolves in some way, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a wolf. Could also be a patronymic form of Wolf.
DillonIrish, English Could be an Irish form of the Breton surname de Léon, meaning "of Léon", an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Duilleáen, from the given name Dallán "little blind one", or be from a Norman French personal name derived from Ancient Germanic Dillo, possibly a byname from dil- "destroy".
DiotalleviItalian Means "god raise you", from Italian dio "god, deity" and allevi "to raise (children)". Often given to abandoned or orphaned children.
DistelGerman, 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.