AceEnglish, Norman, Medieval French The surname Ace's origin is from a Norman and Old French personal name, Ace, Asse, from Germanic Frankish origin Azzo, Atso, a pet form of personal names containing adal ‘noble’ as a first element.
AchGerman Topographic name for someone who lived by a spring or stream, from Old High German aha meaning "running water".
AiaEstonian Aia is an Estonian surname meaning "horticultural".
AimEstonian Aim is an Estonian surname meaning "idea" or "inkling".
AimScottish Orcadian surname derived from Gaelic aimh "raw".
AïtBerber, Northern African Derived from Tamazight ⴰⵢⵜ (aït) meaning "son", also commonly used a component for compound names and surnames.
AitEstonian Ait is an Estonian surname meaning "granary" and "outbuilding".
AjaSpanish Means "adze" in Spanish, denoting a person who uses the tool.
AkiJapanese Aki commonly means "Autumn" and "Bright,Luminous" as a first name and surname,but there's also "Rising Sun", "Crystal (Ball)" ,"Brightness,Luster" or "Obvious,Clear". First name Aki has far more kanji possibilities.
AkkEstonian Akk is an Estonian surname possibly derived from the German surname "Hack".
AmaJapanese From Japanese 阿万 (Ama) meaning "Ama", a former villa in the former district of Mihara in the former Japanese province of Awaji in parts of present-day Hyōgo, Japan.... [more]
ÄnnEstonian Änn is an Estonian surname meaning "skua/jaeger" (bird species: Stercorarius parasiticus).
AnnEnglish Habitational name from Abbots Ann in Hampshire, named for the stream that runs through it, which is most probably named with an ancient Welsh word meaning ‘water’.
ArdScottish Habitational name from any of several places called Aird, including one near Hurlford in Ayrshire, another near Stranraer in Galloway, and the Aird, the higher part of the Vale of Beauly, near Inverness... [more]
ArıTurkish Means "bee" or "clean, pure" in Turkish.
AruEstonian Aru is an Estonian surname meaning both "dry upland grassy meadow" and "wit" and "intelligence".
AruItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Sardinian aru, a forked branch used to close hedges (possibly related to Latin varus "bent outwards, bow-legged"), or from arru "ring".
AsaJapanese Variously written, sometimes with characters used phonetically. It can mean ‘morning’, but the most likely meaning is ‘hemp’, making it a topographic or occupational name. Both forms are found mostly in Amami, one of the Ryūkyū Islands.
AsoJapanese From Japanese 阿蘇 (Aso) meaning "Aso", a former district in the former Japanese province of Higo in parts of present-day Kumamoto, Japan.... [more]
AsōJapanese Combination of the kanji 麻 (asa, "hemp plant") and 生 (fu, "place where vegetation grows"), thus "place where hemp plants grow". A famous bearer of this surname is Japanese Prime Minister Tarō Asō (麻生 太郎; b. 1940).
AstGerman German and Ashkenazic Jewish: from German Ast ‘knot (in wood)’ hence a nickname for a tough or awkward individual or a metonymic occupational name for a lumberjack. ... [more]
AuaEstonian Aua is an Estonian surname meaning "honorable".
AugEstonian Aug is an Estonian surname derived from "auga" meaning "honorably".
AukEstonian Auk is an Estonian surname meaning "pit" or "hole".
AulEstonian Aul is an Estonian surname meaning "long-tailed duck" (Clangula hyemalis).
AunEstonian Aun is an Estonian surname derived from the word "aun" meaning "peatstack".
AusEstonian Aus is an Estonian surname meaning "honest".
AwaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 阿波 (Awa), a clipping of 上阿波 (Kamiawa) or 下阿波 (Shimoawa), both areas in the city of Iga in the prefecture of Mie in Japan.
AwaJapanese From Japanese 阿波 (Awa) meaning "Awa", a former Japanese province in present-day Tokushima, Japan.
AxeEnglish Locational surname which describes one who lived by the Axe Rivers in Somerset or Dorset.
AxtGerman From a Middle High German ackes or axt, meaning "axe". Name for a woodcutter, carpenter, or axe maker.
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.
BacMayan From Mayan b'aq meaning "bone, needle" or "thin".
BaeKorean Korean form of Pei, from Sino-Korean 裴 (bae).
BahFula (Anglicized) A surname of Fulani origin found all over Western Africa. French speaking African countries typically spell this surname as Ba or Bâ.
BalPunjabi Based on the name of a branch of the Jat clan, meaning "strength, power, force" in Punjabi, derived from Sanskrit बल (bala).
BalTurkish Means "honey" in Turkish, originally denoting a person who worked as a beekeeper.
BalDutch Diminutive form of the given name Baldwin, or perhaps another name beginning with bald "bold, brave".
BalDutch Means "ball, sphere" in Dutch, a nickname for a ball player or someone who made balls, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a landmark shaped like a ball. Cognate to English Ball.
BayEnglish, French, Dutch Derived from Middle English and Old French bay, bai and Middle Dutch bay, all meaning "reddish brown". It was originally a nickname for someone with a hair color similar to that.
BeaSpanish Habitational name from a place of this name in Teruel.
BeeEnglish From Middle English be meaning "bee", Old English beo, hence a nickname for an energetic or active person or a metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper.
BeiChinese From Chinese 贝 (bèi) referring to the ancient fief of Bei, which was part of the state of Jin during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hebei province.
BenArabic (Maghrebi) Maghrebi variant of Arabic بْن (bn), a form of اِبْن (ibn) meaning "son (of), offspring". It is often used as a prefix for other Maghrebi patronymic names (such as Benali "son of Ali 1" or Ben Amor "son of Amor").
BiaNavajo The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs ("BIA") required all Indians to choose a family name. The Navajo family name Bia is derived from BIA ("Bureau of Indian Affairs")
BolDutch From Dutch bol "ball, sphere" or "bun, roll, round piece of bread or pastry", possibly an occupational name for a baker, a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a ball or globe, or a nickname for a bald man, or perhaps a ball player.
BolDutch Derived from the given name Baldo, a short form of names beginning with the element bald "bold, brave”.
BonFrench, Hungarian As a French surname, it is derived from Old French bon meaning "good", or occasionally from the Latin given name Bonus (borne by a minor 3rd-century Christian saint martyred at Rome with eleven companions under the Emperor Vespasian... [more]
BooKorean From Sino-Korean 富 (Bu) meaning "Fortune".
BusDutch Possibly derived from Middle Dutch busse meaning "firelock" or "round box, tin", an occupational name for someone who made containers or firearms.
CenChinese From Chinese 岑 (cén) referring to the ancient fief of Cen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province.
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).
CheChinese From Chinese 车 (chē) meaning "(wheeled) vehicle".
ÇilTurkish Means "freckle, spot, fleck" in Turkish.
CinTurkish Means "jinn" in Turkish, also figuratively meaning "smart, intelligent".
ClyNavajo From Navajo tłʼaaí meaning "lefty, left-handed one", from the verb nishtłʼa "to be left-handed".
CoeEnglish English (Essex and Suffolk): nickname from the jackdaw, Middle English co, Old English ca (see Kay). The jackdaw is noted for its sleek black color, raucous voice, and thievish nature, and any of these attributes could readily have given rise to the nickname.
DoeEnglish An English nickname for a gentle person from the word for a female deer. Originally a female first name transferred to use as a surname. Well known in American law as a hypothetical surname for a person unnamed in legal proceedings, as in Jane Doe or John Doe.
DoiJapanese Do ("Earth") + I ("Habitation") or ("Well, Mineshaft") in a different region. "Earth Well" is used mainly in the west and in Shikoku, the "Earth Habitation" kanji is used in eastern Japan. This name isn't rare and considered out of the ordinary, but it's uncommon to the ears.
DoiJapanese From Japanese 土 (do) meaning "earth, soil" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".
DoiJapanese From Japanese 土 (do) meaning "earth, soil" and 居 (i) meaning "being, sitting".
DoiJapanese From Japanese 土 (do) meaning "earth, soil" and 肥 (i) meaning "manure, fertilizer".
DonScottish Don derives from the Old Gaelic "donn", brown, or the Old English pre 7th Century "dunn", brown, or the Old English pre 7th Century "dunn", dull brown or dark, and was originally given as a distinguishing nickname to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
DyeEnglish, Welsh English: from a pet form of the personal name Dennis. In Britain the surname is most common in Norfolk, but frequent also in Yorkshire. Welsh is also suggested, but 1881 and UK both show this as an East Anglian name - very few in Wales.
EidArabic Means "feast, holiday, festival" in Arabic. It is typically used to refer to the two major religious holidays observed by Muslims, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.