EllenbergGerman, Jewish, German (Swiss) Derived from two municipalities and a village called Ellenberg in Germany. As an ornamental name, it is derived from German ölenberg, literally meaning "olive mountain".
HigginbothamEnglish Habitational name for a minor place in Lancashire, now called Oakenbottom, derived from Old English ac "oak" and botm "ground, soil, bottom"
NairIndian, Malayalam From Nair, the name of a group of Hindu castes concentrated in the Indian state of Kerala. The origin of the word itself is somewhat disputed. Some believe it is derived from nayaka, an honorific meaning "leader of the people", while another theory suggests that is is derived from the Sanskrit नाग (nāgá) "snake, serpent" (a reference to the practice of snake worship)... [more]
CiechiItalian Means "blind (people)" in Italian, from Latin caecus "devoid of light, blind; invisible; aimless".
ZufallMedieval German A German name from the Middle High German "zuoval," meaning "benefit," "coincidence" or "windfall." It was a nickname for a lucky person, most likely a person to whom a plot of land had been given. It could also be an occupational name for a tax collector.
SolokovRussian Derived from the Russian word 'Sokol', meaning 'falcon'. It is one of the most common Russian surnames, appearing in the top ten.
PyleDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of Dutch Pijl, a metonymic occupational name for a marksman or an arrowsmith, derived from pijl meaning "arrow".
QuasimodoItalian (Rare) From the name of the Sunday that follows Easter, called Quasimodo Sunday, which gets its name from the opening words of the Latin chant quasi modo meaning "like the way" (see Quasimodo as a first name), possibly denoted somebody who was born or baptized in the first Sunday after Easter... [more]
AranamiJapanese Ara (荒) means rough, wild. Nami (波) means wave(s).
CorkillManx, Irish The name is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Thorcaill ("son of Thorkell") which is derived from the Old Norse personal name meaning "Thor's kettle".
BalsanoGerman (Austrian), Italian The roots of the distinguished surname Balzano lie in Austria. The name derives itself from "Balthasar," the name of one of the three Magi who followed the star to Bethlehem, and was popular as both a first name and a family name during the 18th century.... [more]
KalahasthiSanskrit It is derived from the Sanskrit words “kala,” which mean “time”, and “hasthi,” which means “elephant”. Together, the name means “the elephant of time,” which is a reference to the goddess Kali, who is often depicted riding on the back of an elephant... [more]
QuChinese The surname Qu has several sources. One of the main origins is from the ancient state of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period. There was an official position named "Qu Ren" responsible for managing the brewing of wine in Jin... [more]
ManganIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Mongáin ‘descendant of Mongán’, originally a byname for someone with a luxuriant head of hair (from mong ‘hair’, ‘mane’), borne by families from Connacht, County Limerick, and Tyrone... [more]
YelnatsLiterature Invented by Louis Sacher for his novel "Holes". The name was created because it is Stanley spelled backwards. Stanley Yelnats IV is the main character in the novel.
TyskSwedish Means "German" in Swedish. It probably started out as a nickname for someone who had immigrated from Germany or for someone who had German ancestry. It could also be a 'soldier name' and refer to the military unit someone belonged to... [more]
PopoolaYoruba "The way of the rich man" or "The way of prosperity"
OffenbachGerman, Jewish From the name of the city of Offenbach am Main in Hesse, Germany. A famous bearer was the German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880).
RawlsEnglish From the Olde German and Anglo-Saxon personal name Rolf. Originally derived from the Norse-Viking pre 7th Century 'Hrolfr' meaning "Fame-Wolf".
KallmeyerGerman from a Germanized form of Slavic kal "marshland bog" or from Middle High German Middle Low German kalc "lime" and Middle High German meier "tenant farmer" (see Meyer 1) hence a distinguishing nickname for a farmer whose farm lay on marshy land or near a lime pit.
SiqueiraPortuguese Habitational name from numerous places called Siqueira or Sequeira in Portugal or Galicia, derived from sequeira meaning "arid land" (ultimately from Latin siccus "dry").
GoakmanEnglish (British) This surname derives itself from the Old English personal name Ācmann, composed of the elements āc “oak” and mann “man”... [more]
BaruaIndian, Assamese From a military title historically used in Assam, derived from an Ahom word meaning "ten thousand" (referring to the number of soldiers under the command of such an officer).
LathamEnglish (British) Habitational name from any of the places in England named with the Old Norse word hlaða meaning "barn".
LagerstedtSwedish Feom Swedish, lager meaning "lair, den, shelter" and stedt meaning "town, farmstead".
EgilatzBasque (Rare, Archaic) From the name of a town in Álava, Basque Country, derived from (h)egi "border, edge; hill, slope, bank" and lats "brook, small stream", or possibly latz "rough, crude".
PalinEnglish (i) "person from Palling", Norfolk ("settlement of Pælli's people") or "person from Poling", Sussex ("settlement of Pāl's people"); (ii) from the Welsh name ap Heilyn "son of Heilyn", a personal name perhaps meaning "one who serves at table"
SwettEnglish Derived from the old English words "swete" and "swot".
MatamalaCatalan Town of the Capcir district, in the Northern Catalonia, now part of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in France.
SlackEnglish, Dutch Nickname for an idle person, from Middle Dutch slac "slow, loose", Middle English slak "lazy, careless". Alternatively, the Dutch form could derive from Middle Dutch slecke "snail, slug", with a similar implication of idleness.
CatchpoleEnglish Occupational name for a bailiff or a tax collector, from Anglo-Norman chacer "to catch, to hunt" and pol "fowl" (ultimately derived from Latin pullus).
DanaoFilipino, Tagalog Topographic name for someone who lived near a body of water, derived from Tagalog danaw meaning "lagoon, lake".
MudaliarTamil "Mudaliar" is a combination of a Tamil word "Mudali" which means "First" and "yar" which is an honorific suffix. So the surname means "First People" or "Elite People" in Tamil.
OotonoJapanese (Rare) Oo means "big, great, large, huge" and tono is an outdated honorific that literally means "lord".
BreitkreutzGerman probably a nickname for a person with a broad butt. Breitkreutz replaced an earlier more transparent form of the surname Breitarsch the use of kreuz (literally "cross") as a euphemism for "buttocks" first occurring in the 17th century... [more]
BonninFrench Derived from a diminutive of Bon, it is also found in the island of Mallorca and Turin, Italy.
BardwellEnglish From the name of a town in Suffolk, derived from the Old English byname Bearda (derived from beard "beard") or brerd "rim, edge, bank" and wille "well, spring, stream".
CinnamondScottish, Irish, English Possibly originates from Scottish place name Kininmonth. Probably introduced to Northern Ireland by Scottish settlers where it remains in Ulster. Another origin is the French place name Saint Amand originated from French Huguenots settling in Ireland.