OppGerman Generally considered a (very) contracted form of given names that contained the Old High German element od "fortune; wealth" (or a variant thereof) and a second element that began with or contained the letter B, for example Audobald.
OrangeMedieval English, Medieval French, English Derived from the medieval female name, or directly from the French place name. First used with the modern spelling in the 17th century, apparently due to William, Prince of Orange, who later became William III... [more]
OrangeEnglish, French Nickname for someone associated with the color orange.
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]
OrbisonEnglish From a village in Lincolnshire, England originally called Orby and later Orreby that is derived from a Scandinavian personal name Orri- and the Scandinavian place element -by which means "a farmstead or small settlement."
OrchardEnglish Derived from Middle English orchard, from Old English ortgeard. It denoted somebody who lived by or worked in an orchard or lived in a place named Orchard.
OrcuttEnglish Perhaps a much altered spelling of Scottish Urquhart used predominantly in Staffordshire, England.
OrdEnglish, English (American) Ord is an English descent surname that also has Gaelic roots. It's also short for many English surnames that end with "Ord". people include US Army general Edward Ord who practiced in California and had many street names after him.
OrganEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a player of a musical instrument (any musical instrument, not necessarily what is now known as an organ), from Middle English organ (Old French organe, Late Latin organum ‘device’, ‘(musical) instrument’, Greek organon ‘tool’, from ergein ‘to work or do’).
OrganEnglish From a rare medieval personal name, attested only in the Latinized forms Organus (masculine) and Organa (feminine).
OrleyEnglish Habitational name from Orleigh, possibly meaning "Ordwulf’s clearing", functionally from ort "point" and leah "woodland, clearing"... [more]
OrmayEnglish (American) Believed to be the Americanization of the last name Ormoi from Hungary.
OrmerodEnglish Habitational name for a person from a minor place named Ormerod in Lancashire, from Old Norse given name Ormr and Old English rod "cleared land".
OrpinEnglish Means "herbalist" (from Middle English orpin "yellow stonecrop", a plant prescribed by medieval herbalists for healing wounds). A variant spelling was borne by British painter Sir William Orpen (1878-1931).
OrrellEnglish Habitational name from either of two minor places in Lancashire called Orell. The placename derives from Old English ora "bank, slope, hill, edge" or ora "ore" and hyll "hill".
OrrelsMedieval English Means "Ore hill", likely for iron ore miners. From the Old English ora, meaning "ore" and hyll, meaning hill.... [more]
OrrisEnglish (Canadian) This unusual and interesting name is of Italian, Latin origin, and derives from one of the earliest Roman names, "Horatius". The name is thought to mean something connected with "hora", the Latin for "hour", but the original meaning has been lost... [more]
OrtGerman Either from the ancient Germanic personal name Orto, a short form of various compound names with the first element ort "point (of a sword spear)"... [more]
OrtmanGerman The surname Ortman was first found in Silesia, where the name emerged after the 14th century, where it was related to the name "Ertmar"; this name is also reflected in the place name Erdmannsdorf, found in both Saxony and Silesia... [more]
OsbaldestonEnglish Habitational name for a person from the village called Osbaldeston in Lancashire, derived from Old English given name Osbald and tun "enclosure, town".
OsgoodEnglish, Jewish English: Old Norse personal name Asgautr, composed of the elements as'god'+the tribal name Gaul. This was established in England before the Conquest, in the late old English forms Osgot or Osgod and was later reinforce by the Norman Ansgot.... [more]
OslerEnglish Possibly derived from Ostler (from the the Norman 'Hostelier') meaning clerk or bookkeeper. First used in England after the Norman invasion of 1066. Surname of a 19th cent... [more]
OsmerEnglish, Low German from an Old English and ancient Germanic personal name composed of Old English Old Saxon os "god" and Old English mære Old Saxon mari "famous" (Middle English Osmer)... [more]
OsterreicherGerman I was told that this surname in native Austria originates as follows. Oster means East, reich means kingdom, with er meaning native of. In old Austria there were six kingdoms, with the East one being the largest with the seat of government there... [more]
OstwaldGerman from the ancient Germanic personal name Ostold composed of the elements ōst "east" (see Oest ) and Old High German walt(an) "to rule". Variant of Oswald.
OtteGerman Otte was given to someone who lived in Bavaria, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging medieval society. The name Otte evolved from the Old German personal name Ott, a name of Emperors, made famous by Otto the Great (912-973), Holy Roman emperor.
OttowayEnglish From the Norman male personal names Otoïs, of Germanic origin and meaning literally "wealth-wide" or "wealth-wood", and Otewi, of Germanic origin and meaning literally "wealth-war".
OudelandDutch Habitational name from places called Oudeland in the Netherlands, or perhaps the village of Oudelande in the Dutch province of Zeeland. Their names mean "old land" in Dutch.
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]
OuwehandDutch Means "old hand" in Dutch, originally a nickname for a fisherman, associated with the phrase "old hands at sea". Another theory holds that it comes from a misdivision of the surname Oudeland... [more]
OverathGerman From the name of the town of Overath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A famous bearer is the German former soccer player Wolfgang Overath (1943-).
OverholserGerman (Swiss) The Oberholtzer family originated in the Swiss village of Oberholtz, south of Zurich, before the 15th century. However, in 1661, one family left Switzerland for the Palatinate in Germany.
OvermarsDutch Means "over the marsh", derived from Middle Dutch over meaning "over, above" and marsch meaning "marsh". A famous bearer of this name is the former Dutch soccer player Marc Overmars (1973-).
OverpeltDutch From the name of a town in Limburg, Belgium, meaning "above the pelt" (see Van Pelt).
OversonEnglish Derived from the Old French name Overson, meaning "dweller by the river-banks". The name was probably brought to England in the wake of the Norman conquest of 1066.
OwnerEnglish From English owner meaning "a person who owns something".
OwsleyEnglish Habitational name form a now lost place name in Southern England. Possibly derived from the name of the river name Ouse and Old English -leah meaning "wood".
OxbyEnglish fortification where oxen are kept (From the Old English words “oxa” and “burh”)
OxendineEnglish From an English place name meaning "valley of the oxen", which was derived from Old English oxa "ox" (genitive plural oxena) and denu "valley".
OxfordEnglish Habitational name from the city of Oxford in Oxfordshire. The placename derives from Old English oxa "ox" and ford "ford, river crossing".
OyaskiEnglish (American) A surname created by Michael Oyaski (formally Michael O'Yaski). The surname is currently known to only be used by one particular branch of the O'Yaski family tree. The surname means "Dragon Rider of the West" according to members of the Oyaski family.
PaceyEnglish Habitational name from the French location Pacy-sur-Eure, derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Paccius and the locative suffix -acum... [more]
PachGerman Pach is an occupational hereditary surname for a baker in Old German. Pach is also a German local name for someone who lived by a stream, which was originally derived from the German word "bach" which means stream... [more]
PaddockEnglish Derived from Middle English parrock meaning "paddock, small enclosure", hence a topographic name for a dweller by a paddock or an enclosed meadow. It could also be a nickname for a person who resembled a toad or frog in some way (derived from Middle English paddock meaning "toad, frog"), or denote a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name, for example the town and civil parish of Paddock Wood in Kent.
PadgettEnglish Diminutive form of Page, which is of Old French origin, and an occupational name for a young servant, a personal attendant in a noble's house, from the Old French, Middle English "page", ultimately deriving from the Greek "paidion", a boy, child... [more]
PadleyEnglish A habitational name from a place named Padley, which was probably named with the Old English personal name Padda and lēah meaning ‘glade, woodland clearing’. Alternatively, the first element may have been padde, meaning ‘toad’.
PaleyEnglish English surname, either a habitational name denoting a person from a lost or unidentified place in Lancashire or Yorkshire (which was apparently named with Old English leah "woodland, clearing" as the final element), or derived from the Old Danish personal name Palli, from Old Danish páll meaning "pole"... [more]
PaleyJewish, Yiddish, Belarusian, Ukrainian Occupational name for a distiller, derived from an East Slavic word (Russian палить (palitʹ), Ukrainian палити (palyty)) meaning "to burn". A famous bearer was Princess Olga Valerianovna Paley (1865-1929), the morganatic second wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia.
PalfreyEnglish Occupational surname for a man who works with saddle-horses, from Middle English palfrey, a kind of small saddle horse used in the Middle Ages.
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"
PalliserEnglish Means "maker of palings and fences" (from a derivative of Old French palis "palisade"). In fiction, the Palliser novels are a series of six political novels by Anthony Trollope, beginning with 'Can You Forgive Her?' (1864) and ending with 'The Duke's Children' (1880), in which the Palliser family plays a central role.
PallmannGerman The name Pallmann originates from the Landsuhl area of Bavaria, Germany (nor in Rhineland-Palatinate). The meaning of the name is unknown. Some Pallmanns came to America and Americanized the spelling, by dropping the second "n", while others retained the "n".
PancakesDutch (Americanized), German (Americanized) The last name "Pancake" is an Americanized form of German and Dutch names like "Pfannkuch," "Pannekoek," and similar terms. It likely originated as a metonymic nickname for someone who had a fondness for pancakes, made or sold them, or lived at an inn or on a farm with a name related to pancakes (like "In de Pannekoek" meaning "In the Pancake")... [more]
PankratzGerman (East Prussian) The name originated in Holland, as a surname chosen in 1811 when Napoleon insisted that all Dutch people have permanent surnames passed down to children. This particular family chose the name of a venerated saint - Saint Pancras, the patron saint of children... [more]
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.
PanzerGerman Metonymic occupational name for an armorer from Middle High German panzier "mailcoat" (Old French pancier "armor for the stomach, body armor" from Late Latin).
PardoeEnglish From a medieval nickname based on the Old French oath par Dieu "by God" (cf. Purdie).
ParduhnGerman Variant Of Pardon From Middle English Pardun, Pardon "Pardon" A Metonymic occupational name for a pardoner, a person licensed to sell papal pardons or indulgences. German: either a cognate of 1 (also for a sexton), from Old French pardon ‘pardon’, or perhaps a nickname from Middle Low German bardun, Middle High German purdune ‘pipe’ (instrument), ‘tenor’ (voice).
ParhamIrish, English This name has been used amongst the Irish and English. This user's great grandmother came from Ireland and her maiden name was Parham. However, in English (London) it is a habitational name from places in Suffolk and Sussex, named in Old English with pere ‘pear’ + ham ‘homestead’.
ParkingtonEnglish Habitational name from a place in Greater Manchester (formerly in Cheshire) called Partington, from Old English Peartingtun 'settlement (tun) associated with Pearta', a personal name not independently recorded.
ParkzerEnglish (American, Modern, Rare) Variant of "Parker". Adam Parkzer, better known mononymously as Parkzer, formally known as Adam Park, renamed it to Parkzer because of 'how generic his surname was'
ParleyEnglish A place name meaning "pear field" from Old English 'per' with 'lee' or 'lea' meaning a field or clearing, perhaps where land was cleared to cultivate pear trees. Therefore this name denotes someone who lived near or worked at such a location or came from a habitation associated with the name... [more]
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.
PartenheimerGerman Habitational name for someone from Partenheim in Rheinhessen.
PartingtonEnglish Habitational name from a place in Greater Manchester (formerly in Cheshire) called Partington, from Old English Peartingtun "Pearta's town".
PartonEnglish Habitational name from any of various places called Parton; most are named with Old English peretun ‘pear orchard’. A famous bearer of the surname is Dolly Parton.
PaschGerman Topographic name for a field or meadow which was used at Easter as a playground; etymologically two sources seem to be combined: Latin pascuum ‘pasture’ and Middle Low German pāsche(n) ‘Easter’.
PaskEnglish Derived from the medieval given name Pask from Middle English Paske Pashe Pake "Easter Passover" (Old French Pasques Paque) probably originally used as a personal name for someone born at Easter... [more]
PasseleweMedieval English The medieval name is from Old French passe(r) ‘to pass or cross’ + l’ewe ‘the water’, hence a nickname, probably for a ferryman or a merchant who was in the habit of traveling overseas, or else someone who had been on a pilgrimage or crusade.
PassmoreEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname for someone who crossed marshy moorland (e.g. who lived on the opposite side of a moor, or who knew the safe paths across it); or (ii) perhaps from an alteration of Passemer, literally "cross-sea", an Anglo-Norman nickname for a seafarer... [more]
PastoriusGerman (Latinized) Derived from Latin pastor "shepherd", a Latinized form of German surname Schäfer. This surname is no longer found in Germany. Jaco Pastorius (1951-1987), full name John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, was the most influential American jazz bassist, composer, and producer... [more]
PateEnglish Derives from the given name Pat(t), a short form of the personal name Patrick from the Latin Patricius meaning "son of a noble father".
PatemanEnglish The name Pateman is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It is a name for someone who worked as a boatman. The surname Pateman is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word bat, which means a boat.
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.
PattinsonEnglish, Scottish Derived from the name of an ancestor. 'The son of Patrick' (which see), from the nick. Pate and diminutive Patt-in; compare Colin, Robin.
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".
PaxsonEnglish This surname means "son of Pack." Pack may be a survival of the Old English personal name Pacca or it may have been a Middle English personal name derived from Paschalis (meaning "relating to Easter"), the Latin form of Pascal.
PaytasHungarian, English (American) From the Hungarian nickname pajtás meaning "comrade, pal". Possibly originates from the Ottoman Turkish word پایداش (paydaş) meaning "partner, sharer". A notable bearer of the surname is the American YouTuber Trisha Paytas.
PeabodyEnglish, Popular Culture From a nickname for someone who was haughty or dressed ostentatiously, from Middle English po "peacock, peafowl", and bodi "body" (see Peacock). Famous bearers of the name were American banker and philanthropist George Foster Peabody (1852-1932) and Mr... [more]
PeachEnglish (Rare) Derived from the name of the fruit, which itself derived its name from Late Latin persica, which came from older Latin malum persicum meaning "Persian fruit."
PeachyEnglish (Anglicized) Means “lived near a peach tree, sold peaches, or was associated with the fruit in some other way”. Originally arrived with the in England after the Norman conquest of 1066.
PearcyEnglish (American) Variant of Percy, which is a name derived from Perci, a parish and canton near St. Lo, in Normandy
PearksEnglish Sir Stuart Edmond Pearks (1875–1931) served as the Chief Commissioner of the North-West Frontier Province of British India from 1930 until 1931. Sourced from Wikipedia.... [more]
PearlEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a trader in pearls, which in the Middle Ages were fashionable among the rich for the ornamentation of clothes, from Middle English, Old French perle (Late Latin perla).
PeaseEnglish English: from Middle English pese ‘pea’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of peas, or a nickname for a small and insignificant person. The word was originally a collective singular (Old English peose, pise, from Latin pisa) from which the modern English vocabulary word pea is derived by folk etymology, the singular having been taken as a plural.
PechmanGerman "Pechman" means "man with bad luck" in many European languages (Polish, German, and Dutch predominantly), though in German, it originally referred to one who prepared, sold, or used pitch.
PechtoldGerman, Dutch, Jewish From the Old German given name Pechtholt, which is composed of the elements pecht "rotation" and holdt "hero". As a Dutch-language surname, it is derived from the Middle Dutch given name Pechte combined with Old High German walt "power, authority"... [more]
PeeleEnglish This surname was given topographically to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. A famous bearer of this surname is actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director Jordan Peele.