DeforgeFrench This is a surname of French origins. Introduced into England after the famous Invasion and Conquest of 1066, it is residential, but also possibly occupational. It is a surname which in its different forms is widely recorded heraldically, and particularly in the French regions of Brittany and Normandy... [more]
DefraiaItalian From an archaic Sardinian term, possibly meaning "factory", or from an alteration of frai "brother". Alternately, may mean "from Fraia", a settlement in Italy.
De GoedeDutch Means "the good (person)" in Dutch, a nickname for someone considered especially kind or gentle, or perhaps for someone gullible.
De GoeijDutch From Dutch goei meaning "good", making this a cognate of Good. A famous bearer is the retired Dutch soccer goalkeeper Eduard de Goeij (1966-), better known as Ed de Goey.
DelafoyFrench From Old French de la foy meaning "of the faith". This is probably a name given to a cleric or a very pious person among the French Catholics.
DeleddaItalian, Sardinian Variant of Ledda. A famous bearer of this surname is Nobel Prize for Literature recipient Grazia Deledda (1871–1936).
De LeeuwDutch, Flemish Means "the lion" in Dutch, a habitational name for someone who lived at a house or tavern with a sign depicting a lion. In some cases, it may have been a nickname denoting a wild or courageous individual.
DelfinoItalian, Spanish From the personal name Delfino, from Latin Delphinus, from delphis "dolphin", regarded in medieval times as a symbol of goodness and friendliness.
Dell'oroItalian Means "of the gold" in Italian. Might indicate someone with blond hair, someone who worked as a goldsmith, or might be descended from the Latin name Aurius.
DeloreyFrench (Anglicized) Anglicized version of Deslauriers, a topographic name for someone living among laurels, a combination of the fused preposition and plural definite article des ‘from the’ + the plural of Old French lorier ‘laurel’.
DemariaItalian Metronymic from the female personal name Maria, or name for a devotee of the Virgin Mary.
De MarniItalian From Italy, most likely Northern Italy. One theory is that De Marni or a similar sounding name was the name of an orphanage, but it's origin is unknown.
DemichiJapanese From 出 (de) meaning "exit" and 路 (michi) meaning "road, street, path".
DemidovRussian Means "son of Demid". This was the name of a Russian industrialist family prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries. A bearer of the feminine form Demidova was Anna Stepanovna Demidova (1878-1918), a lady-in-waiting in the service of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna who acquired posthumous fame for being executed alongside her employer in 1918.
DeMilleFrench (Belgian) Denoted a person from Hamme-Mille, a section of the municipality of Beauvechain, in the province of Walloon Brabant in Wallonia, Belgium. This surname was borne by the American filmmaker and producer Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959).
DennehyIrish Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Duineachdha meaning "descendant of Duineachaidh", a given name meaning "humane". A famous bearer was American actor Brian Dennehy (1938-2020).
Den UijlDutch Means "the owl" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch ule. A notable bearer was the Dutch prime minister Johannes den Uijl (1919-1987), also known as Joop den Uyl.
De PaulaSpanish a Metronymic from the female personal name Paula and from a shortened form of Francisco de Paula a personal name bestowed in honor of Saint Francis of Paola
DepederRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and the given name Peder.
DeplanoItalian From Latin de plano, "of the plain, from the flat land".
DepuydtBelgian Flemish (also De puydt): nickname from Middle Dutch puyt puut ‘frog’ with the addition of the definite article de ‘the’. "Depuydt" means "the frog". It's origins are in Ypres.
DeremerDutch Occupational name for a belt maker or cutter of leather straps, from Dutch riem "belt, strap". It could also be a name for a peat digger, someone who "riems" peat.
DerrettEnglish (British) From a Middle English personal name Der(i)et, derived from Old English Dēorgēat, Dȳregēat, which are composed of the elements dēore meaning “dear” or dēor meaning “bold, fierce” + the tribal name Gēat... [more]
DerungsRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and Latin runcare "to weed out, to thin out, to root up", referring to someone who lived near a clearing.
De SalvoItalian Meaning of "De" is "From", or "Of", so probably "From Salvo".
De SantaItalian (Tuscan) The surname De Santa was first found in Lucca, a city and comune in Tuscany, capital of the province of Lucca and where Bascilican type churches abound. The history commences in 218 B.C., and passed through many hands in the intervening centuries... [more]
De SouzaPortuguese Means "of Sousa" in Portuguese, referring to the River Sousa flowing through northern Portugal. The word Sousa itself is derived from the Latin saxa, saxum meaning "stone, rock". The surname is more commonly used in Brazil and Portuguese-speaking African countries today.
DesslerGerman, Yiddish Meaning Unknown. Known primarily in pop culture as the surname of a certain Michelle in the Fox tv hit 24 and of a certain villain called Albert in Space Battleship Yamato.
DevaneyIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Duibheannaigh ‘descendant of Duibheannach’, a personal name of uncertain origin; the first element is dubh ‘black’, the second may be eanach ‘marshy place’... [more]
De WaardDutch From Dutch waard "innkeeper, host, landlord, protector", derived from Middle Dutch weert. Alternatively, from Middle Dutch waert "floodplain, riverine island".
DiabateWestern African From the name of the Diabaté clan of the Mandinka and the closely related Soninke peoples, usually interpreted as “the irresistible.”
DiamantJewish Derived from Yiddish דימענט (diment) meaning "diamond".
DiamondJewish Americanized form of a Jewish surname, spelled in various ways, derived from modern German Diamant, Demant "diamond", or Yiddish dimet or diment, from the Middle High German diemant (via Latin from Greek adamas ‘unconquerable’, genitive adamantos, a reference to the hardness of the stone)... [more]
DiamondIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Diamáin "descendant of Diamán", earlier Díomá or Déamán, a diminutive of Díoma, itself a pet form of Diarmaid.
DiamondEnglish English variant of Dayman (see Day). Forms with the excrescent d are not found before the 17th century; they are at least in part the result of folk etymology.
DiawaraWestern African From the name of the Diawara clan and ethnic subgroup of the Soninke people which is apparently derived from the name of the town of Dia in Mali or from the name of the medieval Dia Dynasty of Gao, also in Mali.
DigginsNorman Diggins came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066; from the Norman baptismal name which means the son of Diccon, a diminution of the parent name, Richard.
DiggoryEnglish Possibly an anglicized form of Degaré, which might come from the French word egare. It might mean "the lost one".
DikshitIndian, Hindi, Odia From Sanskrit दीक्षित (dikshita) meaning "one who is initiated", ultimately from दीक्षा (diksha) meaning "initiation, dedication". The term was historically used to refer to teachers and scholars of the Brahmin caste.
DimaanoFilipino, Tagalog Means "not touched, not injured" from Tagalog di meaning "no, not" and maano meaning "have something happen" or ano meaning "how, what".
DimaapiFilipino, Tagalog Means "cannot be oppressed" from Tagalog di- meaning "no, not" and inaapi meaning "oppressed".
Di NardoItalian (Tuscan) Ancient and illustrious family, called Nardo, Nardi or De Nardi, originally from Tuscany, spread over the centuries in various regions of Italy.
DishmanGerman (Americanized) Americanized form of North German Dischmann or Tischmann: occupational name for a joiner from Middle Low German disch 'table' + man 'man'.
DistlerGerman Topographic name for someone who lived in a place where thistles grew, from German Distel "thistle" (see Distel) and -er, suffix denoting an inhabitant.