DonkDutch Means "sandy hill" in Dutch, specifically referring to a hill above a marsh or silty area. Element found in several place names.
DonkerDutch Means "dark, dim, somber" in Dutch, a nickname for a person with dark hair or a dark complexion, or perhaps for someone with a gloomy demeanour.
DonnaItalian Probably a matronymic, from the given name Donna meaning "lady, mistress" in classical Italian and "woman" in modern Italian. May alternately derive from a place name.
DonnanIrish Anglicized form of Ó Donnáin meaning "descendant of Donnán", a diminutive of the given name Donn, derived from Irish donn "brown, brown-haired" or donn "prince, chieftain".
DonnarummaItalian Composed of Italian donna "lady" (from Latin domina "lady, mistress") and a short form of Rummeneca, a Neapolitan variant of the feminine given name Domenica, meaning "Sunday" and also deriving from Latin dominus "lord"... [more]
DornGerman, Jewish, Flemish Means "thorn" in German. Given as a habitational name to someone who lived near thorn bushes, or as an ornamental name.
DornEnglish Either a place name from Dorn, Worcestershire, possibly derived from a root word meaning "fort, stronghold", or a variant of Thorn from Middle High German dorn "thorn" (from ancient Germanic þurnaz).
DragonettiItalian Diminutive of Drago or Dragone meaning "dragon". Can also derive from a toponym, which may have been named after a person with the given name Dragonetti, or perhaps for the sulphur springs in the area.
DrenthDutch From the place name Drenthe, possibly derived from Old Dutch thrie "three" and hant "lands".
DrostDutch, German, Danish Means "reeve, steward; sheriff, bailiff" in German and Dutch, a title for the administrative head of a court or district.
DuckEnglish, Irish English from Middle English doke "duck", hence a nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a duck, or an occupational name for someone who kept or hunted ducks. Alternatively, a variant form of Duke... [more]
DurwardEnglish, Scottish Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper, porter", derived from Old English duru "door" and weard "guard, guardian". In Medieval Scotland, this was a hereditary title for the warden of the king’s door.
D'uvaItalian From Italian uva "grape", meaning "of the grapes". An occupational name for someone who produced grapes, or possibly a nickname.
DuyckFlemish Nickname from Middle Dutch duuc "duck"; in some cases the name may be a derivative of Middle Dutch duken "to dive" and cognate with Ducker... [more]
DuysterDutch Derived from Middle Dutch duuster meaning "dark, gloomy, obscure" or "stupid, terrible".
DyckDutch Topographic name for someone who lived by a dike, from Dutch dijk. Compare Dyke.
EcclesEnglish From the name of a town in Greater Manchester, England or another town or village named Eccles, derived from Latin ecclesia via Romano-British ecles meaning "church".
EgiaBasque Habitational name derived from Basque (h)egi "border, edge; hill, slope, bank".
EgiarretaBasque (Rare) From the name of a neighbourhood in Arakil, Navarre, possibly derived from Basque (h)egi "side, slope, bank; edge, border" combined with (h)arri "stone, rock" and -eta "place of, abundance of".
EgilatzBasque (Rare, Archaic) From the name of a town in Álava, Basque Country, derived from (h)egi "border, edge; hill, slope, bank" and lats "brook, small stream", or possibly latz "rough, crude".
EichenlaubGerman, Jewish Derived from Eichenlau, a topographic name from Middle High German eichen "oaks" and loh "forest clearing", reinterpreted through folk etymology as Eichenlaub, meaning "oak leaf".
ElenbaasDutch Reinterpretation of Elenbos or Elebaers (see Elbert), or from another Germanic personal name composed of the elements aljaz "other" or agil "point or edge (of a sword)" combined with berht "bright"... [more]
ElexaldeBasque The name of several locations in Biscay, Spain, derived from Basque elexa "church" (variant of eliza) and -alde "near, by; side". Compare Elizalde.
ElgetaBasque (Rare) From the name of a town in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, derived from Basque elge "cultivated land, field" and the suffix -eta "place of, abundance of".
ElgezabalBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Zornotza, Spain, derived from Basque elge "field, cultivated land" and zabal "wide, broad, open".
ElizabelarBasque Habitational name derived from Basque eliza "church" and belar "grass".
ElizaldeBasque, Spanish From Basque eleiza meaning "church" combined with the suffix -alde "by". This could be either a habitational name for a person who was from the town of Elizalde in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, or a topographic name for someone living near a church.
ElkanoBasque Habitational name derived from Basque elke "field, garden, cultivated land" and the toponymic suffix -ano.
EllerbyEnglish Denoted a person from a town called Ellerby, meaning "Ælfweard’s farm", or perhaps "alder tree town" from Middle English aller "alder tree" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".
ElortzaBasque Derived from Basque elorri "hawthorn, thorn" and the abundance suffix -tza.
ElsevierDutch The name of a prominent Dutch publishing house of the 17th and 18th century, possibly derived from Old Hebrew הל ספר (hal safir) meaning "the book". Another suggested origin is Dutch hellevuur "hellfire" or helsche vier "four from hell", supposedly derived from a sign by the family’s house.
EmerJewish Metonymic occupational name from Yiddish emer "pail, bucket".
ErasoBasque Habitational name of uncertain etymology, possibly derived from Basque iratze "fern" and the abundance suffix -so. Coincides with the Basque word meaning "attack, charge, assault".
ErratzurizBasque (Rare, Archaic) From the name of a farmhouse in Baztan, Navarre, derived from Basque erratz "broom (plant), Spanish broom" and zuri "white" with the toponymic suffix -iz.
ErrenteriaBasque Non-Castilianized form of the toponymic surname Rentería. Means "customs house, exchange" in Basque, itself in turn from Spanish rentaría.
EscherGerman Derived from German Esche meaning "ash (tree)", a habitational name for someone who lived near an ash tree, or came from a place named after it. This name was borne by the Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher, known for making works inspired by mathematics.
EspaItalian From Sardinian espa "wasp", making this a cognate of Vespa.
EspotzBasque (Rare) From the name of a location in Navarre, Spain, of uncertain etymology.
EsprontzedaBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Navarre, Spain, possibly derived from Basque (h)aitz "rock, stone", bera "place below, river bank", on "good" and etxe "house, building".
EssenDutch, German From any of several places called Essen, probably derived from asc "ash tree".
EtxagueBasque Habitational name derived from Basque etxe "house, home, building" and an altered form of the suffix -gune "place, area".
EtxalarBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque etxe "house, home, building" and larre "pasture, meadow, prairie".
EtxauriBasque From the name of a town in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque etxe "house, building" and uri "town, city".
EzkerraBasque Derived from Basque ezker "left-handed, left".
FaberGerman, Dutch, French, Danish An occupational name for a blacksmith or ironworker, ultimately derived from Latin faber "artisan, creator, craftsman, smith".
FacenteItalian Means "industrious, eager" or "doing" in Italian, ultimately from Latin facio "to do; to make, construct, produce".
FaddaItalian Possibly from fada "fairy, fate", or from Sardinian fadda "error", itself from Latin falla "mistake, failure, trick".
FairweatherEnglish, Scottish From Middle English fayr "fair, beautiful, pleasant" and weder "weather", a nickname for a person with a sunny temperament, or who only worked in good weather. ... [more]
FalaguerraItalian Possibly means "make war" in Italian, from fare "to make, to provoke" and guerra "war". Alternately, from a given name of the same origin. ... [more]
FalangaItalian From Sicilian falanga "plank, temporary bridge; fence".
FalascaItalian Possibly from a dialectical word falasca meaning "straw", referring to someone's build or hair, or possibly an occupation of making things out of straw.
FalboItalian Means "dark yellow, tawny; reddish-brown, sorrel" in archaic Italian, from medieval Latin falvus "dun (colour)", ultimately from Proto-Germanic falwaz "pale, grey, fallow".
FaloneItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from a dialectical word for a row of grapes or tomatoes.
FanaraItalian A Sicilian occupational name from Greek φαναράς (fanarás) "lampmaker", ultimately from φανός (fanós) "torch, lamp".
FanciulacciItalian Probably means "bad child", from Italian fanciullo "child" and the pejorative suffix -accio.
FasanoItalian Probably from Italian fasani "pheasant", a nickname for someone who resembled the bird in appearance or (lack of) intelligence, who hunted them, or who lived in an area populated by them. ... [more]
FátaHungarian From the old personal name Fáta, probably derived from Italian fata "fairy" (see Fata).
FataItalian Means "fairy" in Italian, ultimately derived from Latin fatum "fate, destiny", possibly a nickname for a healer, or someone believed to use magic. In some cases, it could instead be a variant of Fato, a short form of given names such as Bonifatius meaning "good fate".
FaticaItalian From Italian fatica "hard work, effort, labour; fatigue".
FawcettEnglish Habitational name from Fawcett, Westmorland, or Facit, Lancashire, both derived from Old English fāh "multicoloured, variegated, colourful" and sīde "side, hill slope"... [more]
FegatilliItalian From Italian fegato "liver", figuratively used to denote courage. May be occupational, for someone who cooked liver, or a nickname for someone considered to be courageous.
FelderhofDutch Derived from Old Dutch felt "field" and hof "court, yard, farmstead".
FelliItalian Possibly derived from a nickname based on fello "criminal; evil, wretched; angry; sad, gloomy".
FentonEnglish Originated from several place names in England, meaning “marsh town” from Old English fenn “marsh, fen” + tun “enclosure; settlement, town”.
FenuItalian From Sardinian fenu "hay, marsh grass". A relation to Latin faenus "interest, profit" has been suggested, but seems unlikely.
FeraItalian Probably related to modern Italian fiero "fierce, savage, raging; bold, daring; proud", by way of Latin ferus "wild, fierce; untamed" or fera "wild beast".
FincoVenetian From Venetian finco "finch", possibly a nickname for someone considered shrewd or cunning.
FinocchioItalian From Italian finocchio "fennel", a nickname for someone who grew or sold the plant. In modern Italian, the word is a derogatory slang term for a gay man. The meaning "fine eye, keen eyesight" has also been suggested.
FischioneItalian Means "widgeon" (a kind of dabbling duck) in Italian, or literally "whistler", derived from fischio "whistle".
FiscusGerman From Latin fiscus "basket", a humanistic Latinization of the German surname Korb. This is a metonymic occupational name for a basketmaker or a peddler, or a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a basket.
FlorisItalian Cognate to Flores, or a toponym from Sardinian floris "flowers". Possibly from the Latin cognomen Florens meaning "prosperous, flourishing".
FluckGerman Derived from Middle High German vlücke "feathered, fully fledged", a nickname for a lively or cheerful person.
FoeEnglish (Rare) From Middle English fo "foe, enemy; hostile", possibly a nickname for someone who played the Devil in a pageant play. Can also be a variant form of Fow.
ForteItalian Means "strong" in Italian, either given as a nickname, or taken from the medieval given name Forte, derived from Latin fortis "strong, steadfast, brave"... [more]
FoschiItalian From Italian fosco "dark, murky (colour); gloomy", a nickname referring to the bearer's hair colour or mood. May also stem from the given name Fuscus, of the same meaning.
FowEnglish Derived from Middle English fou "spotted, stippled, multicoloured".
FoweatherEnglish Derived from the place name Fawether, Bingley, itself a combination of Middle English fah "multicoloured, stippled" and hather "heather"... [more]
FoxworthEnglish Variant of Foxworthy, a habitational name derived from the unattested Old English given name Færoc and worþig "estate, enclosure, homestead".
FracassoItalian Means "din, uproar, fracas; crash, ruin" in Italian, a nickname for a rowdy, destructive person, or for a noisy braggart. Alternatively, it could derive from the Roman cognomen Fraucus.
FrareItalian Probably derived from a North Italian descendant of Latin frater "brother", used to denote a member of a religious order or a close male friend (compare Friar)... [more]
FumagalliItalian Means "smoke the rooster" in Italian, from fuma "to smoke" and gallo "rooster". Refers to filling a henhouse with smoke to keep the chickens quiet when stealing them, thus making this a name probably given to chicken thieves.
FusilloItalian From Italian fuso "spindle", referring to their occupation, or a nickname based on the bearer's build. Also the name of a type of pasta.
GabiriaBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Basque Country, Spain, derived from Basque gabi "blacksmith’s hammer, mallet" and hiri "village, town, city".
GaglianoItalian Habitational name from any of several places in Italy, most of which derive from the Latin personal name Gallius (see Gallus). Alternatively, it could derive directly from the given name Gallius, or from a similar name such as Galianus or Galenus.
GaintzaBasque (Rare) Habitational name derived from Basque gain "above, upper part; top, summit, peak" and the abundance suffix -tza.
GalanoItalian A Campanian name from Greek γαλανός (galanós) "light blue, pale blue", denoting someone with blue eyes.
GalanteItalian, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Jewish Means "gallant, courteous, chivalrous; romantic" in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, both derived from French galant "gentlemanly" or "flirtatious, amorous". In the case of Mordecai Galante, a Spanish exile in 16th century Rome, his courteous manners won for him from the Roman nobles the surname Galantuomo, meaning "gentleman" in Italian, from which Galante was eventually derived.... [more]
GalartzaBasque Habitational name derived from Basque galar "dry wood, dead wood, kindling" and the abundance suffix -tza.
GalassoItalian In northern Italy it could derive from Piedmontese galàs "rooster" (see Gallo), while in southern Italy it might derive from Greek γάλα (gala) "milk", as a nickname for someone with pale skin.
GalbuseraItalian From Latin gallicusalbusagger, "white Gallic Field".
GallipoliItalian Possibly from the town of Gallipoli in Apulia, Italy, derived from Greek Καλλίπολις (Kallípolis) meaning "beautiful city", or perhaps denoted someone from Gallipoli (also Gelibolu) in Turkey, of the same etymology.
GamberiniItalian Possibly from the given name Gambrinus or Gambarus. The Italian word gambero "prawn, shrimp" has also been suggested as an origin.
GamboaSpanish, Filipino Castilianized form of Basque Ganboa. It is also a name for the quince tree (Cydonia oblonga).
GamizBasque The name of two settlements in Basque Country, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Basque gain "above, upper part; top, summit, peak" and the toponymic suffix -iz.
GanboaBasque Habitational name of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Basque gain "height, summit, peak; over, above", or from the hypothetical archaic word *ganbo "hot spring, sulphurous water".
GansGerman, Dutch Means "goose" in German and Dutch, either an occupational name for someone who worked with geese, a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a goose, or a nickname for someone walked oddly or was considered silly or foolish... [more]
GansGerman, Dutch From Old High German ganz "whole, intact, healthy", a nickname for a particularly strong or healthy person.
GaraiBasque Means "height, summit, peak" and "high, tall; prominent, outstanding" in Basque.
GarateBasque Habitational name from a town called Garate in Basque Country, or a topographic name, possibly from a derivative of Basque gara "height, peak" (garhaite in some dialects).
GarauItalian Possibly from a Sardinian modification of the given name Gherardo. Alternately, it may be from a Spanish surname derived from Basque garau "grain, wheat".
GardeaBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Laudio in Álava, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Basque gari "wheat" and -di "place of, forest of", or from garagardi "barley field" and arte "in between"... [more]
GaribaiBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Oñati, Spain, probably derived from Basque gari "wheat" and ibai "river". Alternatively, the first element could be garo "fern" or garai "high, tall, prominent".
GarroBasque From the name of a place in the Basque province of Behenavarra, France. Possibly derived from gar "flame", or from harri "rock, stone".
GarufiItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly related to the Germanic given name Garulf, or to Arabic qaruf "hard, cruel".
GarvinIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Gairbhín "descendant of Garbhán", a given name derived from a diminutive form of Old Irish garb "rough, coarse, rugged, cruel".
GarvinEnglish Derived from the Old English given name Garwine meaning "spear friend".
GayEnglish, French Nickname for a lighthearted or cheerful person, from Middle English and Old French gai "happy, cheerful, joyous".
GayEnglish Habitational name from a settlement in Normandy called Gaye, possibly derived from a Germanic person name cognate with Wade 2, or perhaps related to Old French gayere "wet ground" or goille "puddle, quagmire".
GayCatalan Probably from the Catalan personal name Gai, a variant of Gaius.
GazteluBasque From Basque gaztelu "castle", denoting someone from the town of Gaztelu in Basque country, Spain.
GebbiaItalian From Sicilian gebbia "irrigation cistern", itself from Arabic جُبّ (jubb) "cistern, well".
GeerDutch From Dutch geer "tapering piece of land" (compare Garland). Can also be a shortened form of Van Den Geer.
GeersDutch Patronymic from the short form of any of various personal names formed with the Germanic element ger "spear". Compare Geerts.
GemistosGreek, Late Greek Means "full, laden" in Greek, supposedly referring to a head full of knowledge. One of the earliest recorded bearers was Georgios Gemistos Plethon, a Greek scholar of the late Byzantine era. He chose the pseudonym Plethon (from πλῆθος (plethos) "multitude, great number", from πλήθω (pletho) "to fill") partly in reference to the meaning of his surname.
GemitoItalian From a misspelling of genito "to be born", given to sculptor Vincenzo Gemito upon being abandoned at an orphanage as an infant.
GencoItalian From Sicilian jencu "calf, young heifer or bullock", figuratively referring to a large or strong boy, derived from Latin iuvencus meaning "young" or "bullock; young man".
GereñaBasque Habitational name of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from the archaic Basque element ger meaning "stone, crag" or "mill" (compare Gernika).
GermanottaItalian Possibly derived from a diminutive form of the feminine given name Germana. A famous bearer of the surname is singer Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta).
GernikaBasque (Rare) From the name of a town and municipality (called Guernica in Spanish and English) in Biscay, Basque Country, of uncertain etymology... [more]
GerosaItalian Denoted someone from the town of Gerosa in Lombardy, or perhaps a nickname from geros (modern ghiaioso) "gravelly".
GielMedieval English From a medieval personal name of which the original form was Latin Aegidius, from Greek aigidion "kid, young goat". Compare English Giles.... [more]
GilardiItalian Means "son of Gilardo", a rare Italian form of the Germanic given name Gerard.
GilioItalian Derived from a variant of the given name Giglio, which can be from an Italian form of Latin Aegidius, or else taken directly from the Italian word giglio meaning "lily".
GioiItalian Possibly from Sardinian angioi "lamb", a nickname for a shepherd, or from gioi "Thursday".
GioiaItalian Means "joy, delight" in Italian. Can derive from the given name Gioia, from a nickname, or from any of several toponyms in southern Italy.
GipsGerman, Dutch Patronymic derived from a short form of names containing the Old Germanic element gebō "gift", or a Dutch cognate of Gibbs.
GiudiceItalian Means "judge, magistrate" in Italian, from Latin iudex, composed of ius "law" and dicere "to say, declare". This was an occupational name for an officer of justice, or a nickname for a solemn and authoritative person.
GoldenEnglish From the English word golden, likely a nickname for someone with blonde hair.
GonellaItalian From Italian gonnella "skirt", derived from Latin gunna "leather garment", in Old Italian referring to a unisex garment similar to a long tunic that probably originated as military garb... [more]
GongoraBasque From the name of a town in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque goien "highest, supreme; apex, peak" and gora "up, upwards, above, high".
GoñiBasque, Spanish From the name of a town and municipality in Navarre, Spain, probably derived from Basque goien "highest point, apex, peak".
GoodchildEnglish Nickname derived from Middle English god "good" and cild "child". In some cases, it might have instead derived from godchild and been a nickname for someone who was the godchild of a prominent member of the community.