CababaSpanish Spanish (Cabaña) and Portuguese: habitational name from a place named with Spanish cabaña ‘hut’, ‘cabin’ (Late Latin capanna , a word of Celtic or Germanic origin).
CabañaSpanish, Portuguese Habitational name from a place named with Spanish cabaña ‘hut’, ‘cabin’ (Late Latin capanna, a word of Celtic or Germanic origin).
CabeleiraPortuguese Likely originates from the Portuguese word "cabeleira," which means "head of hair" or "hairpiece." It might have been used as a nickname to describe someone with a notable or distinctive head of hair... [more]
Cabeza De VacaSpanish Literally translates to "cow's head" or "head of a cow". It is likely an occupational name for someone who was associated with cows or cattle, perhaps as a rancher or butcher. Alternatively, it could also have been used to describe someone with a thick-headed or stubborn personality.
CahanaJewish (Rare, Archaic) Jewish surname, originally of Eastern European Ashkenazi origin, found in Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova. Currently a relatively common surname in Israel. Aramaic equivalent of Cohen.
CaixetaPortuguese (Brazilian) Portuguese common name for Tabebuia cassinoides, a tree native to Central and South America.
CajavilcaQuechua From kaja (cold) and vilca (supreme) meaning supreme cold. Possibly when the inhabitants of upper Chavín had to cross to the Callejón de Huaylas by the pass near Ulta they described this place as being too cold... [more]
CalabazaSpanish, Indigenous American Nickname from ‘calabaza’ meaning pumpkin squash. This is commonly used by Pueblos (Native Americans) in New Mexico.
CalcaterraItalian Nickname from calcare meaning "to tread", "to stamp" + terra meaning "land", "earth", "ground", probably denoting a short person, someone who walked close to the ground, or an energetic walker.
CaldeiraPortuguese Name given to a maker of kettles or other cooking vessels.
CalderaSpanish Derived from Spanish caldera meaning "basin, crater, hollow", ultimately from Latin caldarium or caldaria both meaning "hot bath, cooking pot". The word also denotes a depression in volcanoes, and it is commonly used as an element for surnames denoting streams or mountains.
CaliforniaSpanish (Latin American) It is thought that it might've been derived from Latin calida fornax meaning "hot furnace", or from Native American, kali forno meaning "high hill, native land". It is also thought to have derived from the given name Khalif or Khalifa.
CalihuaNahuatl Meaning uncertain, possibly related to calli "house".
CámaraSpanish Occupational name for a courtier or servant who could access the private quarters of a king or noble, from Spanish cámara meaning "room, chamber".
CambriaItalian Possibly denoted someone from Cambria, Sicily, which might be of Arabic origin and unrelated to the latinized form of Cymru; alternatively, it could derive from the Roman cognomen Cambria, which would be related to the Latin toponym Cambria.
CaminadaRomansh Derived from Late Latin caminata, denoting a room provided with a fireplace.
CammarataItalian Habitational name from any of various places in Sicily named Cammarata, all derived from Greek καμάρα (kamara) meaning "vault".
CampagnaItalian Name for someone originally from any of various locations named Campagna, all derived from Latin Campania, itself from campus meaning "field".
CanabravaBrazilian Cana is the short form of 'cana de açucar' that means "sugar cane", and Brava is the feminine form of 'bravo' that means "angry". There is a municipality in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, called Canabrava do Norte, and according to oral tradition, the origin of the name is due to the disease and subsequent death of some animals after eating a plantation of sugar cane.
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).
CannarsaItalian Possibly means "dry throat", a joking nickname for someone who drinks too much.
CannellaItalian Diminutive form of canna "cane, reed, pipe", possibly a nickname for a tall, thin person, or perhaps taken directly from cannella "cinnamon (spice)" as a metonymic name for a spice merchant.
CañosaFilipino It is derived from the word 'Caña' meaning 'reed'. Born as a surname in before World War I, it is a newly formed family name built by Angelo Cañosa and his 2 siblings, formerly his birth surname is Caña when he and his siblings migrated to Agusan when they are wanted by the Spanish Authorities as they were berdugos(Killing Spanish allies)in their native place, Minglanilla and by rowing boats, they landed in Mindanao and he, Angelo Caña and his two siblings changed their family name into Cañosa... [more]
CanosaItalian It derives from the toponym Canosa di puglia.
CañusaFilipino (Hispanicized, Modern, Archaic) Cañusa is the only variant of the family name of Cañusa. Used by the descendants of Ortillo Cañosa and Eulalia Cañosa in Agusan del Sur, Philippines.
CapdevilaCatalan From Catalan cap meaning "chief, head" and de vila meaning "of the town".
CapitaItalian Possibly derived from Sardinian cabitta meaning "little head" or "headboard (of a bed)", or perhaps from a contraction of cabiddáda "large quantity", indicating wealth. It could also derive from a descendant of Latin capitis "head".
CapraItalian From the Latin word capra meaning "nanny goat." This was a name originally borne by shepherds / goat herders.
CapuaItalian From the name of a city in Campania, Italy, possibly derived from Etruscan 𐌂𐌀𐌐𐌄𐌅𐌀 (capeva) meaning "city of marshes", though this etymology is disputed.
CarafaItalian It could derive from toponyms such as Caraffa del Bianco in the province of Reggio Calabria or Caraffa in the province of Catanzaro.... [more]
CarlovaRomanian Meaning uncertain. It may be related to the name Karlov or Karlova. Another possible relative is the surname Korolev, originating from korol meaning "king"... [more]
CarnigliaItalian Derived from the Latin word “carnem”, meaning “flesh”, and likely referred to a person who worked with meat or was a butcher. The surname may have also been adopted as a nickname for someone who was particularly robust or fleshy.
CarosellaItalian From carosello "carousel, merry-go-round", possibly a nickname for a farmer, as a carousel was an allotment of grain collected by farmers. Also a type of jousting tournament.
CarreraSpanish, Italian Spanish: topographic name for someone living by a main road, carrera ‘thoroughfare’, originally a road passable by vehicles as well as pedestrians (Late Latin carraria (via), a derivative of carrum ‘cart’), or a habitational name from any of various places named with this word.... [more]
CartagenaSpanish From the name of the city of Cartagena in southeastern Spain, derived from Latin Carthāgō Nova meaning "New Carthage" (ultimately derived from Phonecian qrt-ḥdšt meaning "new city").
CasabuenaSpanish (Modern, Rare) Means "Happy House" or "House of Happiness" in Spanish, with the Spanish word "Casa", which means "House" and Buena, meaning "Happy" or "Happiness".
CasamassimaItalian Habitational name for someone from the town in Apulia, Italy, derived from Italian casa meaning "house" and the given name Massimo.
CasamitjanaCatalan It indicates familial origin within either of 3 farmhouses: the one in Castellnou de Bages, the one in l'Esquirol, or the one in Moià.
CasamonicaItalian (Rare) Derived from Italian casa meaning "house" with the suffix -monica which is taken from the name of Saint Monica. Casamonica is a relatively rare surname associated with a notorious Italian clan involved in organized crime and criminal activities... [more]
CasapiccolaItalian Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations called Casapiccola or Casa Piccola, derived from Italian casa meaning "house" and piccola meaning "small".
CasapietraItalian From Italian casa meaning "house" and pietra meaning "stone".
CasellaItalian From casa "house" (Latin casa "hut, cottage, cabin"), perhaps originally denoting the occupier of the most distinguished house in a village. Italian chef Cesare Casella (1960 - ) is one such bearer of this name.
CavaItalian, Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese From cava ‘cave’, ‘cellar’ (from Latin cavea), hence a metonymic occupational name for someone employed in the wine cellars of a great house, a topographic name for someone who lived in or near a cave, or a habitational name from any of numerous places named with this word.
CavadzadəAzerbaijani Means "child of Cavad", using the Persian suffix زاده (zade) meaning "offspring".
CavaleraItalian A bearer of this name is Brazilian metal musician Max Cavalera, whose father was Italian.
CembrolaItalian Uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Italian cembro "stone pine, cembrum pine".
CenaEnglish (American), English Cena is a prominently used English name. It is derived from the word "see", however it rather than referring to the ability to see it, what it actually refers to is the inability to see as the other half of the name ("-na") means "naw" a synonym for "no"... [more]
CenaItalian Derived from Latin meaning "dinner, meal, supper". Possibly an occupational name for a cook or a waiter. In an alternative representation, it could be given to someone who's known for hosting or being involved in meals or dinners, or may have given this surname to an illegitimate child who was not welcomed at the dinner table.
CenaPolish From Polish meaning "price". Possibly an occupational name for a trader or dealer.
CeraSpanish, Italian, Catalan, Sicilian Metonymic occupational name for a wax seller, derived from Latin cera meaning "wax". A famous bearer of this surname is Canadian actor and musician Michael Cera (1988-).
CerdaSpanish, Portuguese Nickname for a person with a prominent tuft of hair, derived from Spanish and Portuguese cerda meaning "bristle, stiff, coarse, short, thick hair", ultimately from Late Latin cirra.
CerdàCatalan Denoted someone from Cerdanya (also called La Cerdanya), a natural and historical region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain.
CerqueiraPortuguese Habitational name from any of various places named Cerquerira, in most cases from a Latin derivative of quercus "oak". The family name also occurs in Sicily, probably of the same origin.
CervaItalian Possibly derived from Italian cerva "doe, hind", the feminine form of cervo "deer, stag", or perhaps from the Latin cognomen Cervius, which likely also derives from Latin cervus "deer, stag".
CerveraSpanish A name for someone coming from any one of many places called Cervera, coming from Late Latin cervaria, meaning "place of stags".
ChaKorean Cha is a relatively uncommon family name in Korea. The Yeonan Cha clan is the only clan. The founding ancestor was Cha Hyo-jeon, son of Ryoo Cha-dal (류차달) (10th century AD). Most of the clan's members live in Gyeongsang, Hwanghae, and P'yŏngan provinces... [more]
ChaHmong From the clan name Tsab or Tsaab associated with the Chinese character 張 (zhāng) (see Zhang).
ChabanaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 茶 (cha) meaning "tea" and 花 (bana), the joining form of 花 (hana) meaning "flower".
ChabashiraJapanese (Rare) From 茶 (cha) literally meaning "green tea" and 柱 (hashira) meaning "pillar". A tea pillar is considered good luck in Japanese culture.
ChabataJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 茶 (cha) meaning "tea" and 幡 (bata), the joining form of 幡 (hata), a clipping of 八幡 (Yahata), the name of a Shintō shrine in possibly Hiroshima, Japan.
ChaichanaThai From Thai ไชย (chai) meaning "victory" and ชนะ (chana) meaning "win, conquer, defeat".
ChakmaBengali From the name of the Chakma people of Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, derived from Sanskrit शक्तिमान (shaktimana) meaning "powerful" (composed of शक्ति (shakti) meaning "power" and the suffix मत् (mana) meaning "as, like, having the qualities of").
ChapaSpanish An occupational name for a metalworker meaning "metal sheet", amongst other things. It may also come from the name of a place in Galicia, Spain, or the Basque word and oak bush, "chaparro".
ChatatebaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 茶立場 (Chatateba) meaning "Chatateba", a division in the area of Tōkaichi in the city of Hachinohe in the prefecture of Aomori in Japan.
ChawlaIndian, Hindi, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh) Derived from the name of a clan in the Arora community, which is apparently named with Sanskrit तांडुल (cawal) meaning "rice". Originating from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, the name is also derived from Aror (now Rohri), a city in the Sukkur District, Sindh, Pakistan, and the community comprises both Hindus and Sikhs.
CheemaPunjabi Meaning unknown. This is the name of a Punjabi-speaking subclan of the Jat people found in India and Pakistan, with most members being either Muslim or Sikh.
ChemlaJewish (Sephardic) Derived from Arabic ﺷﻤﻠﺔ (shamlah) meaning "cloak, mantle", probably used as a name for someone who wore, made or sold cloaks.
ChiarenzaItalian From Clarence, a medieval Frankish town in Greece, called Chiarenza or Clarenza in Italian, rendered Γλαρέντζα (Glarentza) in contemporary Greek documents.
ChiavettaItalian From Italian "chiavetta", deriving from chiave meaning key.
ChibanaJapanese 千 (Chi) means "one thousand" and 花 (bana) is a variation of hana, meaning "blossom, flower".... [more]
ChicaSpanish, Spanish (Latin American) Apparently from chica, feminine form of chico ‘small’, ‘young’ (see Chico), but a variant of the habitational name Checa, from a place so named in Jaén province is also a possibility.
ChiesaItalian Means "church" in Italian, originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a church, a habitational name from any of various places named Chiesa or perhaps an occupational name for someone who worked in a church.
ChigusaJapanese This surname is used as 千種, 千草 or 千艸 with 千 (sen, chi) meaning "thousand", 種 (shu, -gusa, tane) meaning "class, kind, seed, species, variety", 草 (sou, kusa, kusa-, -gusa) meaning "draft, grass, herbs, pasture, weeds, write" and 艸 (sou, kusa) meaning "grass, plants."... [more]
ChiharaJapanese From Japanese 茅 (chi) meaning "thatch" or 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" combined with 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain". A notable bearer of this surname is Minori Chihara (茅原 実里), a Japanese voice-actress who is best known for voicing Yuki Nagato from the Haruhi Suzumiya series and Aya Natsume from Tenjō Tenge.
ChikahisaJapanese Chika means "near" and hisa means "long time, long time ago, longevity".
ChikamiyaJapanese 近 (chika) means ‘near, close, proximity’, 宮 (Miya) means ‘palace, shrine, temple.’ Could be used for someone who had lived near a palace, shrine, or temple. Currently used by around 10 families.
ChikumaJapanese From 竹 (chiku) meaning "bamboo" and 馬 (ma) meaning "horse".
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.