HeiderGerman Combination of German Heide "heath, headland" and the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant. The surname can be either topographic for someone living on or near a heath, or habitational for someone from any place named with the element Heide.
HelanderSwedish The first element is Hel-, which is probably derived from place names ultimately derived from Swedish helig "holy, sacred, blessed" or the male given name Helge... [more]
HelgrindPopular Culture Helgrind is the surname of a King in the fictional series, "Mianite".
HellandNorwegian The Old Norse name element -land meaning "country, land" combined with either Old Norse hella "flat rock" or hellir "cave". ... [more]
HellbomSwedish From Swedish häll, a type of flat rock, and bom "barrier, boom".
HellgrenSwedish Combination of Swedish häll "flat rock" and gren "branch".
HellmichGerman Derived from a personal name composed of the Germanic elements helm "helmet" and wig "battle".
HelsingSwedish Denoted a person who came from the Swedish province Hälsingland.
HeltonEnglish (American) Habitational name from Helton in Cumbria, named in Old English probably with helde "slope" and tun "farmstead, settlement", or possibly a variant of Hilton... [more]
HiddlestonEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from a place called Huddleston in Yorkshire, England. The place name was derived from the Old English personal name HUDEL.
HoferleGerman (Austrian) Means "Yard Clearing" from a Combination of the Austrian word Höfer meaning "yard" or "court" with the ancient suffix "le" meaning woodland or clearing.
HollGerman, Dutch Topographic name meaning "hollow" or "hole", from Middle Low German and Middle High German hol.
HolmqvistSwedish Combination of Swedish holm "islet, small island" and kvist "twig".
HolmstenSwedish Combination of Swedish holm "islet" and sten "stone".
HolterEnglish, German, Norwegian Derived from English holt meaning "small wood". A topographic name for someone who lived near a small wooden area, as well as a habitational name from a place named with that element.
HomolkaCzech From homolka meaning "(cone-shaped lump of) cream cheese". The word homolka itself is derived from homole "cone". This was either a nickname for a mild person or an occupational name for someone who made cheese.
HopperstadNorwegian Probably a habitational name from a farm name in Norway.
HörbergSwedish The first element is probably derived from a place name starting with hör. The meaning of this element differs depending on which place name it was derived from, examples include harg "sanctuary, altar" (from Höör, Hörby), hö "hay" (from Hörröd), and hörn "corner" (from Hörnefors)... [more]
HornæusSwedish (Archaic) Probably a latinization of Härnösand, a city in Västernorrland County, Sweden. A notable bearer was Swedish priest Laurentius (Lars) Christophori Hornæus (born as Lars Christoffersson in 1645 in Härnösand)... [more]
HovdaNorwegian Habitational name from the many farmsteads in Norway named Hovda. Derived from Old Norse hófði "rounded peak", itself derived from Old Norse hofuð "head".
HøyerDanish A surname relatively common in Denmark, derived from the Old Norse word haugr, meaning "mound, cairn, hill". Alternatively, meaning can be traced back to the old Germanic personal name Hucger, a compound consisting of hug- "heart, mind, spirit" and geirr "spear".
HuckleberryEnglish From the name of the variety of shrubs (genus Vaccinium) or the berries that grow on them. This is also the anglicized form of the German surname Hackelberg.
HurtigSwedish Nickname for someone full of energy and endurance, from Swedish hurtig "quick, fast, rapid, brisk".
HustedGerman The name was originally spelled "Hustedt" and means "homestead." The family name originated in northern Germany. One branch of the family migrated to England, and a branch of that family to the United States.
HuttonEnglish, Scottish Scottish and northern English habitational name from any of the numerous places so called from Old English hoh ‘ridge’, ‘spur’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’.
HuygensDutch, Belgian Means "son of Hugo". A notable bearer was Dutch mathematician, physicist and astronomer Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695).
IencaItalian (Rare) Allegedly derived from Italian giovenca "heifer". A heifer is a young cow that has not yet had a calf. Mount Jenca and Jenca Valley are located near Gran Sasso d'Italia in the Abruzzo region in Italy.
JanewayEnglish Derived from Middle English Janaways, the name for someone from the city of Genoa, Italy. A notable fictional bearer is Kathryn Janeway, the captain of starship USS Voyager on the TV-series 'Star Trek: Voyager' (1995-2001).
JaynesEnglish (British) The Jaynes surname is a patronymic name created from the personal name Jan, which was a Middle English variant of the name John, or as "son of Jan.
JessieEnglish Possibly a variant of Jessey, an occupational name for someone making jesses (a short strap fastened around the leg of a bird used in falconry).
JeterFrench (Huguenot), German Jeter is a French and German surname. It is the last name of former New York Yankees baseball player, Derek Jeter. It's also the last name of Carmelita Jeter, an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 meter sprint.
JhandUrdu, Pakistani From Sanskrit or northern India comes from Kemboja kings and warriors, or rulers
JoplinEnglish Possibly derived from a Middle English diminutive of Geoffrey, a nickname from Middle English joppe "fool", or from the Biblical name Job... [more]
JuhlDanish, Norwegian (Rare), Low German Likely originating as a nickname for people born around Christmas or who had a connection with that time of year, from the Old Norse jól, which was the name of the Nordic pagan midwinter festival, or modern Danish jul meaning "Christmas" (cf... [more]
KampradGerman, Swedish (Rare) Possibly a variant of the German surname Kamprath meaning ”cogwheel (in a mill)”. A notable bearer is Ingvar Kamprad (1926-2018), a Swedish business magnate and the founder of IKEA... [more]
KareninaLiterature In Leo Tolstoy's novel 'Anna Karenina' (1877), this is the title character's surname, the feminine form of her husband's surname, Karenin.
KärkinenFinnish Combination of Finnish kärki "peak point" and the common surname suffix -nen.
KarmazinasLithuanian Perhaps a habitational name taken from the Lithuanian village Karmazinai. The name of the village is allegedly derived from Polish karmazyn "crimson". See also Karmazsin, a Hungarian occupational name for a dyer or for someone making dyestuff (taken directly from Hungarian karmazsin "crimson").
KasselmannGerman Combination of the German place name Kassel (or Cassel) and German Mann "man".
KayanoJapanese (Rare), Brazilian Kaya means "yew tree",and No means "field,meadow,wilderness".People with this last name are Kayano Gonbei (a samurai),Ai Kayano(a voice actress of MANY characters /more than 30),and Shigeru Kayano(an Ainu politician who lived well up to 2006)... [more]
KenobiPopular Culture Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the 'Star Wars' saga, created by George Lucas. The meaning of the name is not known, but as Lucas was very much influenced by Japanese samurai movies, it is possible that the name is a combination of Japanese 剣 (ken) "sword" and 帯 (obi) "belt".
KensingtonEnglish English surname meaning "Cynesige's town", from the Old English personal name Cynesige and ton 'town'.
KeplerGerman From Middle High German kappe meaning "hooded cloak". This was an occupational name for someone who made these kind of garments. A notable bearer was German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler (1571–1630).
KierkegaardDanish Means "farm near the church" from elements kirke meaning "church" and gaard meaning "farm." A famous bearer is Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.
KihlbergSwedish Combination of Swedish kil "wedge" and berg "mountain".
KilburgGerman, Luxembourgish "Kyll castle," from German burg (castle) near the Kyll river in Germany. Also "wedge mountain" in Swedish: kil (wedge) and berg (mountain).
KleinknechtGerman A combining of the German word klein "small" and knecht "servant", originally an occupational name for a secondary hired hand. A famous historic figure who bore this surname was Jakob Friedrich Kleinknecht (8 April 1722 in Ulm - 11 August 1794 in Ansbach), a German composer of many works of chamber music and symphonies, flutist and Kapellmeister (chapel master).
KnorrGerman From a nickname for a gnarly person, derived from Middle High/Low German knorre "knot, protruberance".
KnösSwedish (Rare) Derived from the name of a farm named Knorren or Knörren in Sweden whose name is unexplained but possibly taken from Swedish knusa "to crush, to crumble". Knös coincides with the Swedish word knös meaning "rich person", but the surname existed before the vocabulary word appeared in the Swedish language.
KnucklesEnglish Possibly a nickname for someone with prominent knuckles.
KoefoedDanish Probably a Danish form of Dutch Koevoets. The name arrived on the Danish island Bornholm via Lübeck, Germany.
KollGerman From the given name Colo or Koloman. Alternatively derived from Middle Low German kolle "head".
KölschGerman From German kölsch, denoting someone from Cologne (Köln in German).
KomatsuzakiJapanese (Rare) Ko ("Small") + Matsu ("Pine Tree") + Zaki ("Peninsula, Cape"). This is a uncommon name, but it has kanji that 90% of Japanese family names have.
KremicBosnian (Rare) Surname Kremić was used in early middle-ages, in Bosnia. It was used by royal and ordinary people. That surname is very rare today and it's almost extinct, but in the past it had very big influence.
KriegerGerman Noun to kriegen, kämpfen meaning "to fight (with words)". Describes a person who likes to argue. A wrangler, a quarreler, a brawler. Literal translation "warrior", from the German noun krieg "war" and the suffix -er.
KrzyżewskiPolish Derived from the name of any of the villages called Krzyżewo in Poland. A notable bearer is American basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski (b. 1947).
KujiraJapanese (Rare) Kujira is an uncommon Japanese surname and first name that literally means "whale".
KulGerman, Dutch Derived from Old High German kol meaning "coal", perhaps an occupational name for a miner or coal seller.
KullbergSwedish Combination of Swedish kulle "hill" and berg "mountain".
KumakiJapanese (Rare) The kanji in Anri Kumaki's name reads, Kuma ("Bear") + Ki ("Tree"). She is a singer and songwriter. There might be other combinations too, probably being , Ku ("Long Time") + Maki 1 ("Shepard").
LabbaSami Meaning uncertain. Perhaps derived from Sami slabba "large reindeer antler shaped like a hand" or from Northern Sami láppis "lamb".
LadulåsOld Swedish Most likely from Swedish ladulås "barnlock", but it could also be derived from the Slavic name Ladislaus. Magnus Ladulås, sometimes known as Magnus Birgersson or Magnus III in English, was the king of Sweden between 1275 and 1290.
LæstadiusSwedish From the name of the village Lästa in Ångermanland, Sweden, whose name possibly means "Leiðulfr's home". Lars Levi Læstadius (1800-1861) was a Swedish priest who founded a Lutheran revival movement known as Laestadianism.
LagerlöfSwedish A notable bearer was Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940), the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature (1909).
LagerqvistSwedish Combination of Swedish lager "laurel" and qvist, an archaic spelling of kvist, "twig".
LambergGerman Derived from any of several places so named in Germany.
LambergFinnish, Swedish Perhaps combination of an unexplained first element (maybe taken from a place name) and Swedish berg "mountain". It could also be of German origin (see other submission).
LamborghiniItalian Probably from Germanic landa "land" and burg "fortress, castle".
LangerakDutch A habitational name from any of several places called Langerak, derived from lang "long" and rak "straight section of a waterway".
LångstrumpLiterature Last name of Pippi Långstrump, the original Swedish name for Pippi Longstocking, a character invented by Astrid Lindgren. Pippi's name was allegedly made up by Lindgren's daughter Karin. It's a combination of Swedish lång "long" and strumpa "sock".
LaplanderEnglish A surname referring to someone who had immigrated from Lapland, northern Scandinavia.
LappGerman From Middle High German lap(pe) ‘cloth’, ‘patch’, ‘rag’; a metonymic occupational name for a mender of clothes or shoes, or a nickname for a simple-minded person.... [more]
LapsleyScottish, English, Medieval English Combination of Old English læppa ”end of a parish” and leah ”woodland clearing”. Another meaning could be possible.
LargeFrench, English Originally a nickname derived from Middle English and Old French large "generous".
LarterEnglish From the old Teutonic word 'lahtro' which is to do with a place that animals bear their young. This was modifed in several dialects to be 'lahtre', 'lattr', 'lauchter' and 'lawchter'. ... [more]
LaverdièreFrench Habitational name from various places named La Verdière in France, or a variant of the name Leverdier (see Verdier).
LawlerIrish, Scottish This Irish surname is of Gaelic language origin. The surname derives from the original Gaelic 'O'Leathlobhair' meaning 'descendant of leathlobhair'. Leathlobhair derives from 'Leath' meaning 'Half' and 'Lobhar' meaning 'leper'.... [more]
LaxnessIcelandic (Rare) Derived from the name of a farm in Mosfellsbær parish in southwest Iceland. A notable bearer was author and Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness (1902-1998).