OruetaBasque From the name of a district in the town of Gautegiz-Arteaga, Spain, derived from Basque oru "ground, place, building site" and the toponymic suffix -eta "place of, abundance of".
OtxaranBasque (Rare) From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Zalla, Spain, derived from Basque otso "wolf" and (h)aran "valley".
OudenhovenDutch Derived from Dutch oude "old" and hoeve "farm, farmstead, manor". As a surname it is derived from one of the many places of this name.
OudshoornDutch From the name of a former village in South Holland, Netherlands, derived from Out, a Middle Dutch diminutive of the given name Otgar, and hoorn "horn; corner, protruding bend (of a river)"... [more]
PaceyEnglish Habitational name from the French location Pacy-sur-Eure, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Paccius and the locative suffix -acum... [more]
PagliaroItalian Derived from Italian paglia "straw" or pagliaro "haystack, straw-rick", an occupational name for someone who gathered or used straw, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a barn or straw-loft.
PampinellaItalian Uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Italian pampino "vine leaf" and the diminutive suffix -ella, or perhaps related to pimpinella "pimpernel (plant)" (genus Lysimachia), which derives from Latin bipennella via Catalan pampinella
PanaroItalian From old Italian panaro meaning "bread basket" or "wooden basket, hamper", an occupational name for a baker, or perhaps a basket maker. Alternatively, could be a habitational name from the Panaro river.
PancioneItalian Means "fat person, paunch, big belly" in Italian.
PancorboSpanish From the name of a town in Burgos, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Suggestions as to its origin include Spanish puente curvo "curved bridge", or a legend about crows delivering bread to the town when it was besieged by Saracens, leading to it being called Pan-Cuervo "Bread-Crow".
PandimiglioItalian Probably means "millet bread" in Italian, from pane "bread" and miglio "millet".
PaneItalian, Corsican Means "bread" in Italian, a metonymic occupational name for a baker, or a a nickname or given name (medieval Panis, Panellus) figuratively meaning "good as bread, good thing".
PanebiancoItalian Means "white bread", from Italian pane "bread" and bianco "white", an occupational name for a baker who worked with high quality breads, or in some cases perhaps a nickname for someone of good character.
PanellaItalian From the name of a kind of fritter or pancake made with chickpea powder. Could be an occupational name for a baker, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a yellowish complexion. Alternatively, can be a diminutive form of Pane.
PanettaItalian Diminutive form of Italian pane "bread", probably an occupational name for a baker.
PanichiItalian Probably from panico, a type of millet grown in Italy. Alternately, it could be from the Latin name Panicus "of Pan, panic".
PannebakkerDutch From Middle Dutch panne "pan, roof tile" and backer "baker", an occupational name for someone who made roof tiles.
PannekoekDutch Means "pancake" in Dutch, possibly a nickname for someone who made or liked to eat pancake. Alternatively, it could derive from a place name, such as an inn or field named for pancakes.
PanzeriItalian Either a nickname from Italian pancia "belly, paunch", referring to someone with a prominent belly (see Panza), or an occupational name for someone who manufactured girdles and armour, from panciere "corset, girdle; paunce (armour covering the belly)", ultimately from the same root.
PanzicaItalian From Sicilian panzicu "pot-bellied, paunch".
ParoloItalian Derived from a variant of Italian paiolo "cauldron, copper pot", an occupational name for someone who made or sold such vessels.
ParsonEnglish Means "priest, cleric, minister" in English, either an occupational name for someone who worked for a parson, a nickname for someone considered particularly pious, or perhaps given to illegitimate children of a priest.
PassafiumeItalian From Italian passa fiume meaning "(one who) crosses the river", an occupational name for a ferryman.
PaterDutch, German, English, Polish From Latin pater "father", used as a religious title for a priest in Roman Catholicism. Possibly used semi-literally for a man who worked in the church, or figuratively for a solemn or pompous man.
PaternoItalian From any of several locations called Paterno or Paterna in Italy, which can derive from Latin patere "open", or from the Roman cognomen Paternus "paternal, fatherly".
PaternòItalian From the name of a municipality in Catania, Sicily, of uncertain etymology. It could derive from latinized Ancient Greek Paetram Aitnaion meaning "fortress of the Etnaeans", from Latin-Byzantine paternum praedium (or Paternòn) meaning "landed property inherited from the father", or perhaps from Latin Praeter Aetna "in front of Mount Etna".
PattaItalian Possibly from patta "draw, settlement", perhaps a nickname given to a negotiator. The same term can also mean "heat, warmth of the hearth".
PauwDutch, Flemish Means "peacock" in Dutch. Could be a habitational name from a sign depicting a peacock, or a nickname for a proud or flamboyant person. In some cases, it can be a shortened form of the patronymic Pauwels "son of Paul".
PávekmCzech Diminutive of páv "peacock", hence a nickname for a pretentious or ostentatious person.
PelterEnglish Derived from Middle English pellet "skin (of an animal, sheep)", an occupational name for someone who tanned or sold hides and pelts for a living. Compare French Pelletier.
PenisFilipino Possibly derived from Spanish pino "pine tree", or perhaps a nickname based on the English word for genitalia.
PennaItalian Possibly from Italian penna "feather, pen", a nickname for a scribe.
PenningEnglish, Dutch, Low German From early Middle English penning, Low German penning, and Middle Dutch penninc, all meaning "penny". It was used as a topographic surname from the name of a field, or a nickname referring to tax dues of one penny.
PezzimentiItalian From pezzimento "military baggage", a word from a Greek dialect in southern Italy. Probably an occupational name for a soldier, or someone who worked in the military in some way.
PietrafesaItalian From the former name of a town in Potenza, Italy (changed to Satriano di Lucania in 1887), an Italianized form of Medieval Latin Petrafixa, composed of petra "rock, stone" and fixa "fixed, fastened, immovable; constant"... [more]
PijlDutch Means "arrow, projectile" in Dutch, an occupational name for an archer or fletcher.
PiliItalian Sardinian form of Italian pelo "hair, hairy".
PinFrench A topographic name for someone living by a pine tree or in a pine forest, or a habitational name from a place named with the Old French word pin, meaning "pine, pine tree".
PinDutch From Middle Dutch pinne meaning "peg, pin", probably an occupational name for a craftsman who used them in his work.
PipoloItalian Possibly derived from a Latin word meaning "nothing, insignificant; a thing without value", perhaps a nickname for an unimportant or disliked person. Alternatively, it could be from a pet form of the given name Pippo, a diminutive of Filippo.
PlumEnglish, German From Old Germanic *plūmā "plum", used as a topographic name for someone who lived by a plum tree, a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or sold plums, or perhaps a nickname referring to a plum-coloured birthmark.
PlumEnglish From Old French plomb "lead (metal)", a metonymic occupational name for a plumber, or someone who dealt in lead.
PoortmanDutch Occupational name for a gatekeeper or topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town, from Dutch poort "gate" and man "man, person".
PootsmannEstonian Possibly an altered form of German Bootsmann, an occupational name meaning "boatswain, bosun". Compare Frisian Bootsma.
PopsEstonian Possibly derived from Estonian pops "cottager, peasant with tenure".
PorcelliItalian From Italian porcello, meaning "piglet". Used to denote someone who worked as a swineherd, or perhaps a nickname for someone who resembled a piglet in some way.
PorchiaItalian Means "young sow, female piglet", a metonymic name for a swineherd.
PosthumusDutch, Low German From a personal name which was given to a posthumous child, i.e., one born after the death of his father, derived from Latin postumus "last, last-born" (superlative of posterus "coming after, subsequent") via Late Latin posthumus, which was altered by association with Latin humare "to bury", suggesting death (i.e., thought to consist of post "after" and humus "grave", hence "after death"); the one born after the father's death obviously being the last.
PostmaWest Frisian, Dutch West Frisian variant of the Dutch and North German surname Posthumus, given to a child born after their father’s death. It could also be a variant of the habitational name Post or an occupational name for a mailman or guard, using the Frisian suffix -ma.
PrinsDutch, Jewish Means "prince" in Dutch, a doublet of Prince. Often a habitational name for someone who lived or worked near a location named Prins, such as an inn or windmill, or sign depicting the Prince of Orange... [more]
ProcidaItalian Habitational name from Procida, one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. Derived from Ancient Greek Προχύτη (Prokhútē) via Latin Prochyta, of uncertain etymology.
ProiettiItalian From Latin proiecto "abandoned, thrown away", given to foundlings and children abandoned at orphanages. The name may have been taken from la ruota dei proietti, or "foundling wheel", that some orphanages and religious institutes in Italy installed for infants to be anonymously abandoned in.
PronkDutch Means "flamboyance" in Dutch, derived from pronken "to show off, to display" or "to sulk, be sullen, be displeased".
PuddephattEnglish Probably from the unattested Old English *pudi "fat, swollen; round in the belly" combined with fæt "vat, cask, barrel", a nickname for someone with a large paunch, or perhaps who was known for drinking.
PuginaItalian Possibly derived from Venetian Pùgia, referring to the region of Puglia (see Pugliese), or pugia meaning "abundance, plenty" as well as referring to the cuccagna pole festivities... [more]
PuleoSicilian Derived from Sicilian pule(i)o (from Latin pulegium) "pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)", an herb in the mint family historically used in medicine and as a flea repellent.
PulsoniItalian Probably from Latin pulso "to beat, to strike".
PüssEstonian Means "gun" in Estonian, from Middle Low German busse "box, firelock".
PutxetaBasque (Rare) From the name of a neighborhood of the municipality of Abanto, Biscay, possibly derived from Basque putzu "well, hole, puddle" and -eta "place of, abundance of".
PuuseppEstonian Means "carpenter" in Estonian, literally "wood smith".
PyleDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of Dutch Pijl, a metonymic occupational name for a marksman or an arrowsmith, derived from pijl meaning "arrow".
QuailEnglish, Manx A variant of Quayle, derived from various patronymics meaning "son of Paul". Alternately, an English nickname derived from the bird, perhaps given to a person who was timid, or known for being promiscuous.
QuantDutch, German From Middle Dutch quant meaning "companion, comrade" or "trickster, prankster, rogue", ultimately from an older term meaning "journeyman, tradesman, small merchant". Compare Quandt.
QuantEnglish Nickname for a clever person from Middle English cwointe/queynte meaning "intelligent, skilled" or "cunning, deceptive", as well as "wonderful, strange, unknown". Ultimately derived from Latin cognitus "known, recognised".
RaadDutch Metonymic occupational name for an adviser, counselor, or member of a town council, from raad "advice, counsel", or derived from a given name containing the element (see rēdaz).
RaatDutch From Middle Dutch raet "advice, counsel". Could be an occupational name for a member of a council, or a short form of names containing rēdaz, such as Radulf... [more]
RamserGerman, German (Austrian) Habitational name derived from either any of several places called Ramsen in Germany and Switzerland, or from places in Austria and upper Bavaria called Ramsau... [more]
RavenEnglish, Dutch From a variety of sources all ultimately derived from the name of the bird. Could be a patronymic form of a given name such as Raven, Hraban, or Walraven; from a nickname referring to dark hair or thieving tendencies; or from a toponym derived from a given name.
RavenswaaijDutch From the name of a village in Gelderland, Netherlands, meaning "Raven’s ford", derived from the personal name Raven combined with Old Dutch wade "ford, shallows", later reinterpreted as Middle Dutch way "pool, kolk lake".
ReadingEnglish Habitational name from the county seat of Berkshire, which gets its name from Old English Readingas "people of Read(a)", a byname meaning "red".
RealeItalian Means "royal" in Italian, either an occupational name for someone in the service of a king or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal manner.
RebuffoItalian Possibly from the medieval given names Rebuffo or Robufus. Alternately, may derive from a nickname based on rabuffo "rebuke, scold".
ReddingGerman Patronymic from any of the Germanic personal names with the first element rad "counsel, advice".
RedenbacherGerman (Americanized) Habitational name for someone from any of several places in Bavaria and Austria called Rettenbach, derived from German bach "stream" and an uncertain first element; possibly Old Germanic retten "swamp, moor", reudan "to clear (land), clearing", or roden "to redden, become red".
ReeseLow German, Dutch, German Variant of Riese or Reus, from risi meaning "giant". Alternatively, could be a patronymic form of the Germanic given name Razo, derived from rēdaz "counsel, advise", or a habitational name from places called Rees or Reese in Rhineland and Lower Saxony.
RegaliaItalian Means "regalia; royal rights and privileges, regality" in Italian.
ReiszHungarian, 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.
ReitsmaWest Frisian Derived from either the personal name Reitse or the place name Reitsum combined with the Frisian suffix -ma.
RendaItalian Derived from the short form of a variant of Latin Laurentius (compare Renza), or perhaps from a feminine variant of Germanic Rando... [more]
RensDutch From the personal name Rens, a reduced form of Laurens. Could also derive from a given name containing the element regin "advice, counsel", such as Reinoud.
RenteríaSpanish Castilianized variant of Basque Errenteria, the name of two towns in Gipuzkoa and Biscay provinces, Basque Country. Means "customs" in Spanish.
RestivoItalian Derived from Sicilian restivu meaning "uncommunicative, reserved, shy; wayward, contrary" or "stammering, stuttering", as well as "difficult, obstinate" in reference to farm animals.
ReusDutch Means "giant" in Dutch, a nickname for a big man.
ReusGerman Topographic name from Middle High German riuse "fish trap", or from a regional term reuse meaning "small stream, channel".
ReusCatalan From the name of a city in Catalonia, Spain.
ReussGerman Occupational name for a cobbler, from Middle High German riuze.
ReusserSwiss, German, Upper German In Switzerland, an occupational name for a fisherman or maker of fish traps, from an agent derivative of Middle High German riuse "fish trap, weir basket". A nickname from an agent noun based on Middle High German riusen "to moan or complain"... [more]
RhettDutch Anglicized form of Dutch de Raedt, derived from raet "advice, counsel". Compare Raad.
RijlaarsdamDutch Derived from Reguliersdam, a dam named for a nearby monastery from Old French reguler "ecclesiastical, subject to religious or monastic rule".
RinatoItalian Means "born again, reborn" in Italian.
RockholdGerman (Americanized) Possibly an Americanized form of German Rocholl or Rochholt, derived from a Germanic personal name composed of Old Germanic ruoche "care, prudence" and wald "rule, power".
RoestDutch Habitational name derived from Old Dutch roest "reed bed, rush forest". Alternatively, from Dutch roest "rust", a nickname for a red-haired person.
RommelUpper German, Dutch Nickname for a noisy and disruptive person, from Middle Dutch rommel "noise, disorder, disturbance". Alternatively, a variant of Rummel.
RootEnglish A nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle English rote "glad, cheerful".
RootDutch From Dutch root, a derivative of roten "to ret", a topographic name for someone who lived by a retting place, a place where flax is soaked in tubs of water until the stems rot to release the linen fibers.
RootEnglish From Middle English and Old French rote, an early medieval stringed instrument similar to a guitar that was played by turning wheels like a hurdy-gurdy.
RosDutch Could be an occupational name for a horse breeder or trader derived from Middle Dutch ros "horse, steed" (see hros), or a nickname for someone with red hair or ruddy skin derived from Dutch ros "reddish; red-haired, ginger".
RosenboomDutch From Dutch rozeboom meaning "rose tree", a habitational name for someone who lived near such a tree or a sign depicting one, or who come from the neighbourhood Rozenboom.
RugeleyEnglish From the name of a town in Staffordshire, England, derived from Old English hrycg "ridge" and leah "woodland clearing".
RuiterDutch Derived from the Dutch noun ruiter meaning "rider, horseman, knight".
RumbleEnglish Descended from the personal name Rumbald/Rombold, which is composed of the Germanic elements hrom "fame, glory" and bald "bold, brave".
RummelGerman Derived from a short form of names containing the element hruom "fame, glory". Alternatively, could be a nickname for a noisemaker, from Middle High German rummeln "to make noise, to move impetuously"... [more]
RusconiItalian From Italian rusca, "splinter, sliver of wood".
RüsterGerman Means "elm (tree)" in German. Could alternatively derive from rüsten to "to equip, to arm", an occupational name for someone who provided weapons to an army.
RutulanteItalian Uncertain etymology, probably originates from Capestrano, Italy.
SaccenteItalian Nickname from medieval Italian saccente "wise, learned, intelligent". In modern times, the word has come to mean "conceited, presumptuous".
SætherNorwegian Derived from Old Norse sætr "farm" or setr "seat, residence, mountain pastures".
SaettaItalian Possibly an Italianized form of Sicilian Saitta, or else taken directly from the Italian word saetta meaning "arrow, bolt" or "thunderbolt, lightning"... [more]
SagastumeBasque Topographic name from Basque sagasta "apple tree" and ume "young (plant), child".
SaittaSicilian, Italian Means "arrow" or "lightning bolt" in Sicilian, from Latin sagitta via sajitta. Probably a nickname for a quick or fast-footed person, though it may have also been a metonymic occupational name for a fletcher.
SalgadoGalician, Portuguese Nickname for a witty person, from Galician or Portuguese salgado meaning "salty" (figuratively "witty, sharp").
SaliernoItalian Possibly denotes someone from the city Salerno.
SalmDutch Denoted a person from any of various places called Salm. It could also derive from Dutch zalm meaning "salmon", referring to someone who lived near a sign depicting them, or to someone who fished for salmon.
SamaniegoBasque, Spanish Habitational name from a town and municipality in Álava, Basque Country, of uncertain etymology.