KöthGerman From Middle High German, Middle Low German kote ‘cottage’, ‘hovel’, a status name for a day laborer who lived in a cottage and owned no farmland.
KuhiEstonian Kuhi is an Estonian surname meaning "pile" or "stack".
KühlGerman, Low German The spelling Kühl results from a folk-etymological association with High German kühl ‘cool’ (Middle High German küel(e), a nickname from Middle High German küel ‘cool’, ‘calm’... [more]
KuruJapanese Japanese: though written with the character for ‘give’ or ‘present’, the original meaning may actually be ‘sunset’. The name is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku and is no longer common in Japan, but there is a city by that name in Hiroshima prefecture and the area may have ancient connections with the family.
KvonChinese (Russified) Russified form of Kuang used by ethnic Chinese living in parts of the former Soviet Union (based on the Cantonese romanization of the name).
KwakKorean From Sino-Korean 郭 (gwak) meaning "outer city" (making it the Korean form of Guo) or 霍 (gwak) meaning "quickly, suddenly".
KyröFinnish Origins remain unknown, might be deprived from the rare given name Kyrö or the location name. The earliest documented person with Kyrö as a surname dates back to 1553
LäänEstonian Lään is an Estonian surname meaning "liege" or "fief". May also derive from lääne meaning "western".
LaanEstonian Laan is Estonian surname derived from laanelill; starflower and wintergreen (Trientalis europaea).
LaanDutch Means "lane, avenue" in Dutch (see Van Der Laan). Alternatively, could be a matronymic from the given name Lane, a Middle Dutch diminutive of Juliana and other names with similar elements.
LaarEstonian Laar is an Estonian name meaning "gyle" (wort in the process of fermentation added to a stout, beer, or ale).
LaasEstonian Laas is an Estonian surname meaning "greenwood" (wood that has been recently cut) and "woodland".
LageEstonian Lage is an Estonian surname meaning "plain" or "flat".
LagoItalian, Spanish, Portuguese Topographic name for someone living by a lake from lago "lake" (from Latin lacus) or a habitational name from any of the many places called with this word.
LaheEstonian Lahe is an Estonian surname meaning both "spacious" and "easy-going".
LaidEstonian Laid is an Estonian surname meaning "islet".
LaikEstonian Laik is an Estonian surname meaning "blotch", "stain" and "spot".
LailEnglish (American) Americanized form of German Lehl or Loehl. In either case, the name is a spelling variant of Lehle or Löhle, pet forms of the personal name Leonhardt.
LakeEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream, Old English lacu, or a habitational name from a place named with this word, for example in Wiltshire and Devon. Modern English lake (Middle English lake) is only distantly related, if at all; it comes via Old French from Latin lacus... [more]
LakkEstonian Lakk is an Estonian surname meaning "hay loft".
LanaItalian, Spanish Means "wool" in Spanish and Italian. Occupational name for a wool merchant.
LandEnglish, German Topographic name from Old English land, Middle High German lant, "land, territory". This had more specialized senses in the Middle Ages, being used to denote the countryside as opposed to a town or an estate.
LangEstonian Lang is an Estonian surname meaning "relative" and "in-law".
LangPopular Culture From 狼 (láng) meaning "wolf". Shi-Long Lang is a character in the game Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, a wolf-themed Interpol agent who speaks mainly in quotes and metaphors about wolves... [more]
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]
LarkEnglish From the name of the bird, a nickname for a singer or a cheerful person, or perhaps someone who caught and sold larks. Alternatively, could be a shortened form of the personal name Larkin.
LatoHungarian, Polish From Hungarian látni meaning ‘to see’, hence a nickname for a wise person or an occupational name for a clairvoyant, or possibly for an official who checked the quality of products at markets.... [more]
LättEstonian Lätt is an Estonian surname, probably derived from "Läti", meaning "Latvia", or "läte" meaning "spring" and "fountain".
LealPortuguese, Spanish Means "loyal" in Portuguese and Spanish. A famous bearer of this surname is Roberto Leal, a very popular singer in Portugal.
LealEnglish Derived from Old French leial "loyal, faithful (to obligations)", this name was occasionally used as a nickname for a trustworthy person.
LearEnglish Means (i) "person from Leire", Leicestershire ("place on the river Leire", a river-name that may also be the ancestor of Leicestershire); or (ii) "person from Lear", any of several variously spelled places in northern France with a name based on Germanic lār "clearing"... [more]
LiebGerman, Jewish Nickname for a pleasant or agreeable person, from Middle High German liep "dear, beloved"; Yiddish lib or German lieb. This word was also used as a personal name, both alone (German) and in compounds (German and Jewish).
LiebGerman From a short form of the various compound Slavic personal names formed with lubo- "love" as the first element.
LilyEnglish Derived from Lily, a pet name for Elizabeth. It was also used as a nickname for someone with fair skin or hair, and is derived from Old English lilie meaning "lily (the flower)"... [more]
LimaPortuguese Topographic name for someone living on the banks of the river of this name (of pre-Roman origin, probably akin to a Celtic element lemos, limos 'elm').
LimaPortuguese Topographic name for someone who lived on the banks of the Lima River in Portugal, most likely derived from Indo-European *léymō meaning "lake".
LimbMedieval English Rare name of medieval English origin. A dialectal variant of the locational name 'Lumb', from places so called in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, and derives from the Old English pre-7th Century 'lum(m)'... [more]
LineEnglish Americanized form of German Lein: occupational name for a grower of or dealer in flax from Middle High German līn, meaning “flax”.... [more]
LinéFrench (Rare) From Old French liné meaning "made of linen". This name was an occupational name for someone who weaved linen or was a linen merchant.
LingChinese From Chinese 凌 (líng) meaning "ice", originally used as an occupational name for a palace official who was in charge of storing and handling ice.
LinnGerman Toponymic surname derived from Germanic lin "swamp, bog, marsh".
LinnGerman Derived from the given name Linto, a short form of names containing the element lind "soft, flexible".
LinnGerman (Silesian), Jewish (Ashkenazi) Derived from the Slavic word lin "tench (fish)", a nickname for a fisherman, or for a person who somehow resembled a tench.
LoamEnglish 1 English and Scottish: unexplained. The name is recorded in both England and Scotland. It may be a variant of Scottish Lour, a habitational name from Lour, formerly a part of the parish of Meathielour.... [more]
LöbeGerman Variant of Löwe from Middle High German lēwelöuwe "lion" hence a nickname for a brave or regal person. In some cases the surname may have been a topographic or habitational name referring to a house or inn distinguished by the sign of a lion.
LõbuEstonian Lõbu is an Estonian surname meaning "fun" and "merriment".
LochGerman From German Loch "hole", ultimately derived from Middle High German loch "hole, hollow, valley".
LohuEstonian Lohu is an Estonian surname derived from "lohutus", meaning "comfort" and "console".
LoiaItalian Most likely a variant of Aloia. May alternately be related to Italian loggia "atrium, open-roofed gallery", Greek λεώς (leos) "the people", or Tuscan loia "dirt, filth on clothes or skin", perhaps a nickname for someone with a profession that often made them dirty, such as mining.
LoidEstonian Loid is an Estonian surname meaning "languid" and "inert".
LoikEstonian Loik is an Estonian surname meaning "puddle".
LoitEstonian Loit is an Esotnian surname meaning "flare". Also, probably from "loits", meaning "incantation" or "spell".
LokkEstonian Lokk is an Estonian surname meaning "crimp" or "curl".