AbregoSpanish As a Spanish surname, it was from Spanish ábrego, which originally meant "African", from Latin africus. The vocabulary word in modern Spanish has lost this general sense and now means "south wind" (literally, "African (wind)").
AcquavivaItalian From an Italian place name meaning "running water, spring", literally "living water".
AddingtonEnglish Habitational name from any of various places named in Old English as Eaddingtun 'settlement associated with Eadda' or Æddingtun 'settlement associated with Æddi'.
AdlamEnglish Derived (via Anglo-Norman) from the Old German given name Adalhelm. Also compare Adelelmus (see Adelelm).
AguerDinka the name was mainly given to boys of the Dinka tribe ,mainly in the Upper Nile state of South Sudan. meaning is unknown but is synonymous with "tree"
AhearnaIrish (Anglicized, Rare) Either from an Irish surname which was derived from Ó Eachthighearna meaning "descendant of Eachthighearna", or else an anglicized form of Eachthighearna.
AikyōJapanese From Japanese 愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and 敬 (kyō) meaning "respect, honour, reverence". One known bearer is Hisashi Aikyō (1976-), a retired Japanese baseball player... [more]
AlabasterEnglish From the name of a whitish kind of gypsum used for vases, ornaments and busts, ultimately deriving from Greek alabastros, itself perhaps from Egyptian 'a-labaste "vessel of the goddess Bast"... [more]
al-GhoulArabic (Mashriqi) Perhaps from the Arabic folklore tradition of the ghoul. In the English speaking world, this name is probably known from the Batman comic/movie characters Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul.
AlliluyevRussian Russian surname. The feminine form Alliluyeva was borne by Nadezhda Alliluyeva (1901-1932), the second wife of Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin.
AlmgrenSwedish Composed of Swedish alm meaning "elm tree" and gren "branch".
AlomarCatalan From the given name Alomar, used especially in the Balearic Islands, itself derived from the Old German name Aldemar. This is borne by the Puerto Rican baseball player Roberto Alomar (1968-).
AlsopEnglish Habitational name, now chiefly found in the Midlands, for a person from Alsop-en-le-Dale, a chapelry in the parish of Ashborne, Derbyshire. The place name itself meant "Ælle's valley" from the genitive of the Old English personal name Ælle and Old English hōp meaning "enclosed valley" (compare Hope).
AmelinafRussian Feminine form of Amelin. This was borne by Ukrainian novelist Victoria Amelina (1986-2023), who died at age 37 from injuries sustained during the Russian attack on Kramatorsk.
AndaluzSpanish Means "from Andalusia" or "from Spain", derived from the region of Spain called Andalucía, once called Al-Ándalus (a classical Arab name for the Iberian Peninsula)... [more]
AndornPiedmontese This indicates familial origin within the eponymous commune in the Province of Biela.
AneyEnglish English surname of uncertain origin, though it has been suggested that this is an anglicized form of French Ané. Ané itself is said to be taken from a personal name, possibly a gallicized form of Asnar or Aznar, which may be derived from Latin asinarius meaning "keeper of asses, ass-driver", from asinus "ass".
ArundelEnglish English surname which comes from two distinct sources. Either it was derived from a place name meaning "horehound valley" in Old English (from harhune "horehound (a plant)" and dell "valley"), or it was from Old French arondel, diminutive of arond "swallow", which was originally a Norman nickname given to someone resembling a swallow.
AtempaMexican, Nahuatl (Hispanicized) Means "on the riverbank" or "on the bank of the lake", derived from Nahuatl atl meaning "water" combined with tentli "bank, shore" and the suffix -pan "in, on".
AtmoreEnglish Locational surname derived from Middle English atte more meaning "at the marsh".
AusleyEnglish (Modern) Rare surname which was from an English place name in which the second element is Old English leah "wood, clearing". The first element may be hors "horse" (in which case the name likely referred to a place where horses were put out to pasture) or the river name Ouse (ultimately from the ancient British root ud- "water").
AziAfizere Azi is actually pronounced Azīh which means "Unending, in ended father of many generations" it is named after children believed to become the origin or source of lasting families.
BabushkinmRussian, Jewish Derived from Russian бабушка (babushka) meaning "grandmother".
BackhouseEnglish (British), English (Australian) Denoted someone who worked in a bakery, from Old English bæchūs meaning "bakehouse, bakery", a word composed of Old English *bæc "something baked" and hus "house".
BadilloSpanish One who came from Badillo (small ford), in Spain. This looks like the diminutive form of "badil" meaning a fire shovel. "Badillo" comes from "vado" meaning a place to cross the river. Other Spanish names from this name source are Vado, Bado and Vadillo.
BaezSpanish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Spanish Báez, which might be a different form of Peláez (cf. Páez). A famous bearer is American singer and activist Joan Baez (1941-).... [more]
BaffaItalian The origins of this surname are uncertain, but it may be from Italian baffo "mustache", with the Latinate feminine suffix probably due to the influence of the word famiglia "family". Alternatively it may be Albanian in origin, of unexplained meaning.
BaillyFrench, English French cognate of Bailey, as well as an English variant; derived from Old French baillif "bailiff" (from Latin baiulus).
BaldacchinoMaltese Derived from Italian baldacchino meaning "baldachin (or baldaquin)", referring to a type of canopy placed over a throne. It was originally used as an occupational name for a maker of baldachins.
BaldyEnglish Possibly derived from an Old English feminine given name, *Bealdgýð, composed of the elements beald "bold" and guð "battle", first recorded c.1170 as Baldith, and in other cases from the Old Norse byname or given name Baldi.
BalfagerGothic, Medieval Portuguese Name of a Visigoth noble family (around the 10th century) from the Iberian Peninsula (current northern Portugal), meaning "bold spear"; they descent from the Balti dynasty.
BamboroughEnglish Bamborough name origin from early Northumberland early times other name know from the Bamborough is bamburgh as in bamburgh castle, ... [more]
BangDanish Originally a nickname denoting a loud or brash person, from Old Danish bang "noise" (from Old Norse banga "to pound, hammer" of echoic origin). A literary bearer was Danish author Herman Bang (1857-1912).... [more]
BeauchampEnglish, French From the name of various places in France, for example in Manche and Somme, which was derived from Old French beu, bel meaning "fair, lovely" and champ, champs "field, plain".
BeauvoirEnglish From the surname of Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), a French feminist and philosopher.
BeddoesWelsh “This name derives from Old Welsh name and patronymic surname “Morgetuid / Margetiud”, composed of two elements: “mere” (great, splendid) plus “iudd” (lord). As a personal name the origins are lost in the mists of time but it is certainly pre Roman, however the modern use of the name is commonly taken from Merdydd ap Bleddyn, prince of Powys who died in 1132... [more]
BeemanEnglish (British) The name Beeman first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived near a mountain. This name was brought to England by the Normans, and is a corruption of the Norman French name Beaumont, which means beautiful mountain.
BegayNavajo Derived from the Navajo word biyeʼ meaning "his son". This was frequently adopted as a surname among the Navajo when Native Americans were required by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to formally adopt surnames for the purpose of official records.
BégonFrench Probably from French béguin "(male) Beguin", referring to a member of a particular religious order active in the 13th century, and derived from the surname of Lambert le Bègue, the mid-12th-century priest responsible for starting it... [more]
BelinskyRussian, Jewish Habitational surname for someone from Belin (Bilyn) in Ukraine, which may be derived from Proto-Slavic *bělъ "white".
BellancaSicilian Originally a nickname derived from Italian bella "beautiful" and anca "hip".
BelmontEnglish English surname of Norman origin, a variant of the surname Beaumont, which was derived from place names meaning "lovely hill" in Old French (from beu, bel "fair, lovely" and mont "hill").
BenelliItalian The distinguished surname Benelli originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent... [more]
BennionWelsh Anglicized form of Welsh ab Einion meaning "son of Einion".
BermejoSpanish Originally a nickname for a man with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Spanish bermejo "reddish, ruddy" (itself from Latin vermiculus "little worm", from vermis "worm", since a crimson dye was obtained from the bodies of worms).
BlackerbyEnglish, Irish, Scottish English surname of unexplained origin, probably from the name of a lost or unidentified place.
BlankenshipEnglish Variant of Blenkinsop, a surname derived from a place in Northumberland called Blenkinsopp. The place name possibly derives from Cumbric blaen "top" and kein "back, ridge", i.e. "top of the ridge", combined with Old English hōp "valley" (compare Hope).
BlaylockEnglish The surname of James P. Blaylock (1950-), an early steampunk author. His surname may mean "black lock" from Middle English blakelok, originally referring to a person with dark hair.
BlomstrandSwedish From Swedish blomma (Old Norse blóm) meaning "flower" and strand (Old Norse strǫnd) meaning "beach, sea shore".
BoneraItalian Bresciano surname (i.e., concentrated in Brescia, Lombardy, Italy), derived from the medieval Italian given name Bonora or Buonora which in turn meant "(it was a) good hour (when you were born)" from Latin bonus "good" and hora "time, hour".
BonnevierSwedish Likely brought to Sweden by Walloon immigrants in the 16th century.
BoormanEnglish This surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and may be either a topographical name for someone who lived in a particularly noteworthy or conspicuous cottage, from the Old English bur "bower, cottage, inner room" with mann "man", or a locational name from any of the various places called Bower(s) in Somerset and Essex, which appear variously as Bur, Bure and Bura in the Domesday Book of 1086.
BostwickEnglish From an English surname which was from a lost or unidentified place name. The second element is clearly Old English wic "outlying (dairy) farm".
BraggEnglish, Welsh From a nickname for a cheerful or lively person, derived from Middle English bragge meaning "lively, cheerful, active", also "brave, proud, arrogant".
BraileyEnglish Habitational name for a person from Brayley Barton in Devon, which is derived from the name of the Bray river (a back formation from High Bray which is from Celtic bre meaning "hill" or Old English brǣg "brow") combined with Old English leah "woodland, clearing".
BrannockIrish Originally taken from the Welsh place name Brecknock. Medieval settlers brought this name to Ireland.
BrightwenEnglish From either of the two Old English given names Beohrtwine (a masculine name which meant "bright friend") or Beohrtwynn (a feminine name which meant "bright joy").
CandelaSpanish, Italian, Sicilian, Catalan Either an occupational name for a chandler (a candle maker or candle seller) or a nickname for a tall thin person, derived from candela meaning "candle" (from Latin candela).
CanellaItalian Italian regional surname denoting someone who lived by a canal. From the Italian canale 'canal', from the Latin canalis meaning "canal; conduit; groove; funnel; or ditch". Alternatively, it may come the genus name of wild cinnamon, a diminutive of the Latin canna "reed, cane".
CarmichaelScottish, English From the name of a village in Scotland meaning "fort of Michael", from Welsh caer meaning "fortress" and the given name Michael.
CasementManx Anglicized and reduced form of Manx Gaelic Mac Asmuint meaning "son of Ásmundr". A notable bearer was Sir Roger Casement (1864-1916), an Irish-born British consular official and rebel.
CattleyEnglish Means "person from Catley", Herefordshire and Lincolnshire ("glade frequented by cats"). It was borne by the British botanical patron William Cattley (1788-1835).
CeesayWestern African, Manding Gambian surname of Mandinka origin, which originally indicated a descendant of a marabout, i.e. a West African Muslim teacher and religious leader.... [more]
ChalaireAmerican (South, Rare, ?) Chalaire is a very rare surname, few people in the United States have the family name and might be raised in the United States. Around 99 people have been found who wears Chalaire as their family name... [more]
ChekhovRussian Possibly referred to someone from Czechia, or a derivative of the ancient Russian name Chekh or Chokh, which in turn relates to the verb chikhat "to sneeze"... [more]
ChénierFrench French surname which indicated one who lived in an oak wood or near a conspicuous oak tree, derived from Old French chesne "oak" (Late Latin caxinus). In some cases it may be from a Louisiana dialectical term referring to "an area of shrub oak growing in sandy soil" (i.e., "beach ridge, usually composed of sand-sized material resting on clay or mud... [more]
ChinchillaSpanish Originally denoted a person from the Spanish town of Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón in the province of Albacete. The place name is possibly of Arabic origin.
ChucklerIndian, Telugu Telugu occupational name for a leather worker, a job historically considered spiritually polluting and impure in India, where the surname belongs to Dalit, or "Untouchables" - members of the lowest caste.
ClattenburgEnglish (?) Most likely something to do with a fortress. Meaning currently unknown.
ClavelSpanish Metonymic occupational name for a spice trader or a nail maker, derived from Spanish clavel or Catalan clavell meaning "nail", later also "clove", itself a derivative of Latin clavellus "nail".
ClavelFrench Metonymic occupational name for a nail maker, ultimately from Latin clavellus "nail", but in some cases possibly from the same word in the sense "smallpox, rash". A fictional bearer is Miss Clavel, a nun and teacher in Ludwig Bemelmans's 'Madeline' series of children's books (introduced in 1939).
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".
ClyNavajo From Navajo tłʼaaí meaning "lefty, left-handed one", from the verb nishtłʼa "to be left-handed".
CoggeshallEnglish Habitational name from Coggeshall in Essex, England, which was derived from Cogg, an Old English personal name, and Old English halh meaning "nook, recess".
CokayneEnglish Medieval English nickname which meant "idle dreamer" from Cockaigne, the name of an imaginary land of luxury and idleness in medieval myth. The place may derive its name from Old French (pays de) cocaigne "(land of) plenty", ultimately from the Low German word kokenje, a diminutive of koke "cake" (since the houses in Cockaigne are made of cake).
CornacchiaItalian Nickname meaning "crow, jackdaw" in Italian, applied to someone who was talkative or thought to resemble a crow or jackdaw in some other way.
CottrellEnglish, French First found in Derbyshire where the family "Cottrell" held a family seat and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege lord for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings, 1066CE... [more]
CreusCatalan Means "crosses" in Catalan, the plural of creu. Also compare Spanish Cruces. A famous bearer of this surname is the Spanish footballer Xavi Hernández Creus (1980-).
CrumpEnglish Originally a nickname for a crippled or deformed person, from Middle English cromp, crump meaning "bent, crooked, stooping" (from Old English crumb).
CullyEnglish From an Irish surname which was derived from Ó Colla meaning "descendant of Colla". The Old Irish name Colla was a variant of Conla (perhaps the same Connla).
CurialeItalian (Rare) In ancient Rome, the curiales (from co + viria, 'gathering of men') were initially the leading members of a gentes (clan) of the city of Rome. Their roles were both civil and sacred. Each gens curialis had a leader, called a curio... [more]
DaaeLiterature, Norwegian, Danish (Rare), Swedish (Rare) Norwegian surname, originating in Trondheim in the 17th century. Also a variant of Daa, the name of a Danish noble family which originated in Southern Jutland in the 14th century... [more]
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]
DanzGerman Derived from a given name, a short form of the name Tandulf, the origins of which are uncertain. (In some cases, however, this surname may have originated as a nickname denoting a person who liked to dance, from the Middle High German word tanz, danz "dance".)
DebsFrench From the given name Debus, a variant of Thebs or Thebus, which was an altered short form of Mattheus. This was borne by American union leader Eugene V. Debs (1855-1926).
DeetzGerman (Americanized), German Either an Americanized form of German Dietz or a North German surname which is ultimately derived from the same source (from an old personal name formed with Old High German diota "people, nation")... [more]
DemidovRussian Means "son of Demid". This was the name of a Russian industrialist family prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries. A bearer of the feminine form Demidova was Anna Stepanovna Demidova (1878-1918), a lady-in-waiting in the service of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna who acquired posthumous fame for being executed alongside her employer in 1918.
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.
DesangesFrench (Rare) Means "from the angels", possibly connected to the French title of the Virgin Mary Notre Dame des Anges, meaning "Our Lady of the Angels". Bearers of this surname include Louis William Desanges (1822-1905), an English artist of French descent, and French historian Jehan Desanges (1929-).
Des RochesFrench Either a topographic name for someone living among rocks or a habitational name from any of several places named with this word, meaning "from the rocks" in French.
DimarucutFilipino, Tagalog Means "cannot be caught" from Tagalog di meaning "no, not" and dukot meaning "draw out, pull".
DineenIrish (Anglicized) Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Duinnín which meant "descendant of Duinnín". The byname Duinnín was derived from a diminutive of Gaelic donn meaning "brown" (i.e. "brown-haired man") or "chieftain".
DobyEnglish From a diminutive of the given name Dob or Dobbe, itself a medieval diminutive of Robert (one of several rhyming nicknames of Robert in which the initial letter was altered; compare Hobbs).
DorsainvilHaitian Creole Ornamental name derived from French d'or meaning "of gold" combined with saint "holy" and vil "settlement" (the Haitian Creole spelling of French ville).
DoukainafHistory, Late Greek Feminine form of Doukas. Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamaterina was a Byzantine Empress by marriage to the Byzantine Emperor Alexios III Angelos.
DrabkinBelarusian, Jewish Jewish (from Belarus): metronymic from Yiddish drabke “loose woman”. Can also be from drabki (Belarusian) 'light cart' (+ the same suffix -in), an occupational name for a coachman (Alexander Beider).... [more]
DragooAmerican, French (Huguenot) Americanized form of Dragaud, a French (Huguenot) surname derived from the Germanic given name Dragwald, itself derived from the elements drag- meaning "to carry" and wald "power, rule".