CordenEnglish Derives from Old French Cordon meaning "a seller of ribbon" or from Cordoan, a locational job description for a worker in fine kid leather. Originally associated with the city of Cordova in Spain... [more]
CorderFrench (Anglicized, Archaic), English (American) Linked to both English, French and Spanish origin. Cordier, Cordero, Corder- one who makes cord. Can refer to both the act of making cords (rope), cores of fire wood, or actual location names.... [more]
CornetFrench, Walloon Either a topographic name for someone who lived on a street corner, from a derivative of corne "corner". From cornet, denoting either a rustic horn or an object made of horn, hence a metonymic occupational name for a hornblower or for a worker in horn... [more]
CorneyEnglish A habitational surname from places in Cumbria and Hertfordshire named Corney, derived from either Old English corn "grain, seed" or a metathesized form of cran "crane (bird)" combined with eg "island, dry land in a marsh"... [more]
CorrieEnglish Habitational name from places in Arran, Dumfries, and elsewhere, named Corrie, from Gaelic coire "cauldron", applied to a circular hanging valley on a mountain.
CorrinManx, Scottish First documented in 1290, sources suggest prototypes to be of Norse and/or Irish origins or a Manx contraction of Mac Oran from Mac Odhrain.
CorsonEnglish Nickname from Old French 'corson', a diminutive of curt ‘short’
CorsonDutch (Americanized, ?) From the given name of Cors Pieters, a sailor with the Dutch West Indies Company, who arrived in the Dutch Colony, New Amsterdam (present day New York), on or before 1638... [more]
CosterEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of costards (Anglo-Norman French, from coste 'rib'), a variety of large apples, so called for their prominent ribs.
CotijaSpanish (Mexican) Derived from a small town in Michoacán named "Cotija de la Paz". It is also known to be a type of cheese.
CotnerMedieval Low German (Americanized) Likely originating from an Americanized spelling of Kötner or Köthner, status names for a cotter. Derived from Middle Low German kote ‘shelter’, ‘cottage’.
CotoniItalian (Rare, ?) Uncertain etymology, possibly derived from Italian cotone meaning "cotton".
CotterEnglish Derived from the Old English elements cot "cottage, hut" and the suffix -er. In the feudal system a cotter held a cottage by service (rather than by rent). Reaney gives the surname deriving from the Old French cotier "cottager" (see: villein)... [more]
CotterIrish Anglicized form of Irish Mac Oitir meaning "son of Oitir", a given name borrowed from Old Norse Óttarr, composed of the elements ótti "fear, dread" and herr "army, warrior".
CottonEnglish, French English: habitational name from any of numerous places named from Old English cotum (dative plural of cot) ‘at the cottages or huts’ (or sometimes possibly from a Middle English plural, coten)... [more]
CoulonFrench From Old French colomb "pigeon" (from Latin columba) used as a metonymic occupational name for a breeder.
CouricFrench Originally a nickname given to a short person, derived from Middle Breton corr, korr meaning "dwarf, midget". A well-known bearer of this surname is the American journalist, television host and author Katie Couric (1957-).
CousinEnglish, French Nickname derived from Middle English cousin and Old French cosin, cusin meaning "cousin".
CouterEnglish The couter (also spelled "cowter") is the defense for the elbow in a piece of plate armour. Initially just a curved piece of metal, as plate armor progressed the couter became an articulated joint.... [more]
CoveloGalician Habitational name from places called Covelo. From Galician cova meaning "cave".
CovertEnglish, French The surname is probably topographical, for someone who either lived by a sheltered bay, or more likely an area sheltered by trees. The formation is similar to couvert, meaning a wood or covert, and originally from the Latin "cooperio", to cover... [more]
CrascìSicilian From Sicilian craxi, an obsolete word meaning "wine", ultimately from Ancient Greek κρᾶσις (krasis) "mixture, blending".
CravenIrish, English Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Crabháin (County Galway) or Mac Crabháin (Louth, Monaghan) ‘descendant (or ‘son’) of Crabhán’... [more]
CrestaItalian, Romansh Derived from Italian and Romansh cresta "crest" (ultimately from Latin crista). This name was perhaps applied as a topographic name for someone who lived by the crest of a mountain or as a nickname with reference to the comb of a rooster.
CribbsEnglish (Rare) Unknown origin. Likely either from the Old English given name Crispin, which derives from a Latin nickname meaning "curly-haired", or from the place Cribbis near Lauder, England.
CricksAmerican "living near a river." Comes from a similar origin of Rios
CronjeAfrikaans Altered form of the French surname Cronier, derived from Old French crones, a term denoting a sheltered area by a river bank where fish retreat to. This could be used as an occupational name for someone who fished in such an area, or derived from a place named with the element, such as the French village Crosne.
CrudupGerman (Anglicized) Probably an Americanised form of North German Gratop, a nickname for an old man, derived from Middle Low German gra meaning "gray" and top meaning "braid". Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Billy Crudup (1968-), an actor, and Arthur Crudup (1905-1974), a Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist.
CrusoeEnglish (Rare) According to Reaney and Wilson this name was taken to England by John Crusoe, a Huguenot refugee from Hownescourt in Flanders, who settled in Norwich.
CuartoSpanish Means "fourth" in English. It is derived from the Latin word "quartus," which means "fourth." The surname may have originally been used to denote a fourth child in a family or to indicate that the family lived on the fourth floor of a building.
CuatonFilipino Possible alternate transcription of Chinese 廣東 (Guǎngdōng) referring to a coastal province in the South China region.
CuelloSpanish, South American From Spanish meaning "neck". Could be a nickname for a person with a stiff neck.
CuencaSpanish Cuenca is an ancient Spanish last name which originated from Cuenca, a city in the Kingdom of Castilla.... [more]
CuervoSpanish Means "raven, crow" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin corvus. From a nickname for a man with strikingly glossy black hair or with a raucous voice. Alternatively, a habitational name from places containing this word (e.g. El Cuervo, Teruel).
CulkinIrish Reduced anglicization of Irish Gaelic Mac Uilcín meaning "descendant of Uilcín", a diminutive of Ulick, itself an Irish diminutive of William... [more]
CulverEnglish Means "person who keeps or looks after doves", or from a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a dove (e.g. in mild disposition) (in either case from Middle English culver "dove")... [more]
CummerEnglish The surname Cummer has origins in both English and Scottish cultures. In English, it's thought to be a topographic name for someone who lived by a bend in a river, derived from the Middle English word "cummer," meaning "bend" or "meander." In Scottish, it could also be a variant of the surname Comer, derived from the Gaelic word "comar," meaning "confluence" or "meeting of waters."
CurcioItalian This name derives from Latin “curtĭus”, which in turn derives from the Latin “curtus” meaning “shortened, short, mutilated, broken, incomplete”.
CurrerEnglish It was a name given to someone who was a messenger or person who "dresses tanned leather". In the former case, the surname Currer is derived from the Old French words corëor or courreour, which means "courier".
CurrieScottish, Irish, English Irish: Habitational name from Currie in Midlothian, first recorded in this form in 1230. It is derived from Gaelic curraigh, dative case of currach ‘wet plain’, ‘marsh’. It is also a habitational name from Corrie in Dumfriesshire (see Corrie).... [more]
CusackIrish An Irish family name of Norman origin, originally from Cussac in Guienne (Aquitaine), France. The surname died out in England, but is common in Ireland, where it was imported at the time of the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century.
CusterGerman (Anglicized) Anglicization of the German surname Köster or Küster, literally "sexton". A famous bearer was George Custer (1839-1876), the American cavalry general. General Custer and his army were defeated and killed by Sioux and Cheyenne forces under Sitting Bull in the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876; also known colloquially as Custer's Last Stand).
CutlerEnglish Given to a "knife maker" or a man that "makes cutlery"
CutterEnglish This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the cutter,' i.e. cloth-cutter
CwynarPolish Polonized form of the German surname Zwirner, an occupational name for a yarn or twine maker, from an agent derivative of Middle High German zwirn ‘twine’, ‘yarn’
CziborHungarian Hungarian surname derived from the Slavic given name Ctibor. The Hungarian soccer player Zoltán Czibor (1929-1997) was a famous bearer of this name.
DahlénSwedish, Norwegian Combination of Swedish dal "valley" and the common surname suffix -én.
DahlerLow German From Old Norse dalr meaning "valley," hence a topographical name for someone who lived in a valley or a habitational name for someone from a place called with this word.
DahlerGerman From a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name, possibly a cognate with Anglo-Saxon deal, the first part of which means “proud” or “famous.”
DahlerNorwegian Habitational name from the farm name Daler, a plural indefinite form of dal meaning “valley.”
DahlinSwedish Combination of Swedish dal "valley" and the common surname suffix -in.
DahlkeGerman Eastern German: from a pet form of the Slavic personal names Dalibor or Dalimir, which are both derived from dal- ‘present’, ‘gift’.
DahmerGerman, Danish A northern German or Danish habitual name for someone from one of the many places named Dahme in Brandenburg, Holstein, Mecklenburg, or Silesia. A famous bearer of this name was Jeffrey Dahmer, serial killer (1960 - 1993).
DaiberGerman Derived from either Middle High German tiuber "pigeon breeder, pigeon fancier" or from Middle High German touber "wind musician, musician who plays a wind instrument".
DaigleFrench Referred as a habitual name (someone from L’Aigle) in Orne.
DaileyIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh meaning "descendant of DÁLACH".
DaimanJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 大 (dai) meaning "big; large" and 万 (man) meaning "10,000, various".
DaimesDutch Of Dutch origin, related to surnames Dames and Daïmes. Arrived in the United States in the 17th century, where it is most common.
DaimonJapanese From Japanese 大 (dai) meaning "big, great" and 門 (mon) meaning "gate, door".
DaintyEnglish From a medieval nickname meaning "handsome, pleasant" (from Middle English deinte, from Old French deint(i)é). This was borne by Billy Dainty (1927-1986), a British comedian.
DamianFrench, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Slovak, Polish From the medieval personal name Damian, Greek Damianos (from damazein "to subdue"). St. Damian was an early Christian saint martyred in Cilicia in ad 303 under the emperor Domitian, together with his brother Cosmas... [more]
D'AmicoItalian Derived from Italian amico meaning "friend".
DaneseItalian Ethnic name for a Dane, or from the personal name Danese, which was introduced to and popularized in medieval Italy through French Carolingian literature, notably the epics Chanson de Roland and Ogier de Denemarche.
DaneshPersian Means "knowledge, learning" in Persian.
DanesiEdo THERE ARE TWO SETS OF DANESI. ONE IN ITALY AND THE OTHER IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA. DANESI ITALIAN MEANS «MAN FROM DENMARK» AFRICAN DANESI MEANS «PRAISE BE TO THE CREATOR»
DangalNepali (Modern) The surname Dangal is supposed to be the shortened form of the demonym Dangali (pronounced DHAA-NGAA-LEE) for Dang (pronounced DHAA-NG), a district in Mid-Western Nepal. The surname is found to have been adopted by various communities, especially the Tiwaris (for the surname Tiwari), after they migrated to various regions of the countries and the locals in those regions referred to them as Dangalis (later shortened to Dangal) instead of their original surnames.
DangerEnglish (Rare), Popular Culture This has been seen in records of the most uncommon American surnames. It has also been used in popular culture, in the show Henry Danger. Although, it's not the character's actual last name.
D'aoustFrench D'Aoust, denotes someone from Aoust(e) in France. Aouste is situated in the Ardennes department (Champagne-Ardenne region) in the north-east of France at 29 km from Charleville-Mézières, the department capital... [more]
DapperDutch Nickname from dapper meaning ‘brave, gallant’ in Dutch. Famous bearers of this surname include the American actor and model Marco Dapper (1983-), and Dutch physician and writer Olfert Dapper (1636-1689).
DarleyEnglish Means "person from Darley", Derbyshire ("glade frequented by deer").
DarmonJudeo-Spanish From the name of the Dharmon branch of the Berber tribe of Haouara, which historically roamed parts of Libya and Tunisia.
Da RosaPortuguese Literally means "of the rose" in Portuguese. It is generally a component of personal names; among women, it is a Marian name; among men, it is of uncertain application.