NasutiItalian From Italian nasuto "nosey, big-nosed".
NattiItalian Derived from the Gaulish given name Nattius, possibly derived from either Old Celtic natu "chant, poem" or from Latin (g)nato "born".
NautaDutch Humanistic Latinization of Schipper, from nauta "sailor, seaman, mariner".
NaylorEnglish Occupational name for someone who made nails, from Middle English nayler "nail maker".
NeesonIrish (Anglicized) Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Naois "son of Naois", usually Anglicized as Mcneese. Surname made famous by the actor Liam Neeson.
NeveEnglish, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish Ultimately derived from Old Germanic nefo "nephew, grandson". In Middle English, it also became a term meaning "wastrel, spendthrift".
NevelsDutch Possibly a variant of Nevens. Coincides with Dutch nevel "fog".
NevensFlemish Derived from Middle Dutch neve "male cousin, nephew, grandson".
NevesPortuguese Means "snows" in Portuguese, derived from either the Marian title Maria das Neves "Mary of the Snows", or from any of several locations named for the title.
NewbyEnglish From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English niwe "new" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".
NewittEnglish Possibly derived from Middle English newete "newt", or perhaps from the Dutch personal name Nout.
NiedermeyerGerman Means "lower farmer", a distinguishing name for a farmer who worked further south or in a low-lying location.
NiemanDutch Means "new man", a cognate of German Neumann. Can also derive from Middle Dutch nieman "no one, nobody", a byname for an unknown or otherwise nameless person... [more]
NixGerman Derived from Middle High German nickes "water sprite, elf, demon".
NoceItalian Means "nut" or "walnut" in Italian. Could be a topographic name for someone who lived where nut trees grew, an occupational name for a grower or seller of walnuts, or perhaps a nickname based on the bearer’s strength of character, or a physical characteristic such as brown hair or skin.
NolfFlemish, German Derived from a short form of the personal names Arnolf or Nodolf (a variant of Odolf), or possibly another name ending in wolf "wolf".
NoppeFlemish Possibly related to Middle Dutch noppe "tuft of wool, tassel", a metonymic name for someone who worked with cloth, or a nickname for someone with a slight stature. Alternatively, from a childish form of the given name Norbert.
NorzagaraiBasque (Rare) From the name of a house in the municipality of Álava, Spain, derived from Basque garai "high, tall, top" and an uncertain first element.
NotteItalian From Italian notte "night", perhaps a shortened form of Mezzanotte "midnight" or Bonanotte "good night".
NottetFrench, Belgian, Flemish Derived from given names using the French diminutive -otte, such as Ernotte.
NurchisItalian Denoting someone from Nure or Nurra in Sardinia, which were possibly derived from the pre-Roman root words nur meaning "fire" or "stones, heap" and the suffix -ke meaning "earth" or "dwelling".
NurmeEstonian Derived from nurm, meaning "field, meadow, lea" in Estonian.
NuteEnglish Possibly derived from the given name Cnute, or be a variant of Newitt. Alternatively, it may be from Old English hnutu "brown", a nickname for someone with a brown complexion or hair.
OcchiItalian From Italian occhio "eye", a nickname for someone with good eyesight, or with distinctive eyes.
OcchibelliItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and bello "beautiful, good", as a nickname for someone with keen eyesight or attractive eyes. May also originate from a place of the same name.
OcchibiancoItalian Means "white eye" in Italian, most often given to foundlings.
OcchiboveItalian Probably means "ox eyes, cow eyes", from Italian occhio "eye" and bove "ox", perhaps a nickname for someone with large, dark eyes.
OcchiochiusoItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and chiuso "closed, shut", perhaps a nickname for someone who was blind, or known for being lazy.
Ó DonndubhartaighIrish (Archaic) Means "descendant of Donndubhartach", a personal name composed of donn "brown" and dub "black" combined with artach "nobleman".
Ó DuibhneIrish Means "descendent of Duibhne", a given name possibly meaning "ill-tempered, surly".
OegemaDutch, Frisian Patronymic form of an uncertain personal name, possibly Hugo, using the Frisian suffix -ma "man of".
OgnissantiItalian Means "all saints" in Italian, either from the devotional name given to children born on All Saints’ Day, or from any of several locations named as such.
OiangurenBasque Habitational name derived from Basque oihan "forest, woods" and guren "limit, edge, boundary".
OiartzunBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Basque Country, Spain, possibly derived from the nearby Roman town Oiasso (also called Oiarso), the name of which may have been applied to the entire surrounding region... [more]
OibarBasque The name of several locations in Navarre, Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Basque ibar "valley". Compare Aybar.
OihartzabalBasque (Rare) Derived from Basque oihan "forest, woods" and zabal "wide, broad, open".
OlabeagaBasque From the name of a neighbourhood in the city of Bilbao in Biscay, Basque Country, derived from Basque ola "factory, foundry, ironworks" and -be "lower part" combined with -aga "place of, group of".
OlaetxeaBasque From the name of a tower house in Elgoibar, an industrial town in Basque Country, derived from Basque ola "factory, foundry, forge; cabin, hut" and etxe "house, building".
OlagaraiBasque Derived from Basque ola "factory, forge, ironworks; hut, cabin" and garai "high, tall, prominent".
OlagueBasque From the name of a town and municipality in Navarre, Spain, probably derived from Basque ola meaning "forge, factory, foundry" or "hut, cabin" and the suffix -gune "place, area".
Ó LaighinIrish Means "of Leinster" or "descendant of the one from Leinster", denoting someone who came from the Irish province Leinster (Laighin in Irish)... [more]
OlanoBasque From the name of a hamlet in Álava, Basque Country, derived from ola "factory, forge, ironworks; hut cabin" and the diminutive suffix -no.
Ó MiadhaighIrish Means "descendant of Miadhach", a byname meaning "honorable" from Old Irish míad "honour, dignity, elevation".
OmtzigtDutch Derived from Dutch omzicht meaning "cautious, careful, circumspection", ultimately from the verb omzien meaning "to look around". It may have originated in a Dutch village with several farms named Omzicht, or as a nickname for a cautious person... [more]
OnbekendDutch Means "unknown, anonymous" in Dutch, given to individuals who don’t have a family name (often for cultural reasons).
OnidiItalian Denoting someone from Onida, a former village.
OosterweghelDutch Derived from the Dutch words ooster "east" and weg "road".
OostwalDutch From the Dutch words oost "east" and wal "coast, shore" or "bank, levee, wall".
OranjeDutch Means "orange (colour)" in Dutch, in reference to the Dutch Royal Family, who in turn derive their name from the town of Orange (or Auranja) in France, first attested as Arausio in the first century... [more]
OrdorikaBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Muxika, Spain, possibly derived from Basque ordo "plain, field, meadow" and ori "yellow" combined with the toponymic suffix -ika meaning "slope" or "place of".
OrfanelliItalian Means "little orphans" in Italian, ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀρφᾰνός "without parents; bereft". Given to children raised in an orphanage.
OritzBasque Habitational name from Oritz, a town in Navarre province.
OrleyEnglish Habitational name from Orleigh, possibly meaning "Ordwulf’s clearing", functionally from ort "point" and leah "woodland, clearing"... [more]
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".
PauselliItalian Etymology uncertain. Possibly a nickname derived from Italian pausa "stop, pause, rest" combined with a diminutive suffix.
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.
PensaItalian Possibly from Italian pensa "think", indicating the bearer was known for being thoughtful or intelligent.
PentaItalian From the name of a hamlet in Salerno, Italy, possibly derived from a southern Italian word meaning "large rock" or "steep slope" (penta, pente, or pendë).
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.
PiscopoItalian, Neapolitan Means "bishop" in Neapolitan, ultimately derived from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) "overseer, supervisor, bishop" or "watcher, guardian"... [more]
PistarioEnglish (American, Rare) Uncertain etymology, possibly an altered spelling of an Italian or Spanish surname derived from Latin pisto "to pound, to beat", perhaps as an occupational name for a baker.
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".