PasteurFrench French for "shepherd" or "preacher, pastor". Famous bearer Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), French chemist who created the first rabies vaccine, gave his name to the process of 'pasteurization'.
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.
PaternoItalian From any of several locations called Paterno or Paterna in Italy, which can derive from Latin patere "open", or from the Roman cognomen Paternus "paternal, fatherly".
PaternòItalian From the name of a municipality in Catania, Sicily, of uncertain etymology. It could derive from latinized Ancient Greek Paetram Aitnaion meaning "fortress of the Etnaeans", from Latin-Byzantine paternum praedium (or Paternòn) meaning "landed property inherited from the father", or perhaps from Latin Praeter Aetna "in front of Mount Etna".
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]
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.
PedrosaSpanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Galician Habitational name from any of numerous places named Pedrosa, from pedroso, pedrosa meaning "stoney", an adjectival derivative of pedra meaning "stone".
PedrosoPortuguese Its origin is the word "pedra", which means "stone".
PeeblesScottish, Spanish (?) Habitational name from places so named in Scotland. The place names are cognate with Welsh pebyll "tent, pavilion".
PeikertGerman Probably an occupational name for a drummer.
PeinadoSpanish Derived from peinado meaning "combed" (past participle of peinar meaning "to comb"), hence a nickname for a well-groomed person or for someone with naturally smooth rather than curly hair.
PeixotoPortuguese Occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a fish, derived from Portuguese peixe meaning "fish".
PejovićSerbian (Russified, Modern) Pejović is a Serbian surname. Mainly used in serbia. But also used in Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia
PenkethEnglish (British) The surname Penketh was first found in Lancashire at Penketh, a township, in the chapelry of Great Sankey, parish of Prescot, union of Warrington, hundred of West Derby.
PenningEnglish, Dutch, Low German From early Middle English penning, Low German penning, and Middle Dutch penninc, all meaning "penny". It was used as a topographic surname from the name of a field, or a nickname referring to tax dues of one penny.
PeralesSpanish Habitational name for someone from any of various locations named Perales, from Spanish perales meaning "pear trees" (the plural of peral meaning "pear tree").
PeraltaCatalan, Spanish, Aragonese Habitational name from any of the places in Aragon, Catalonia, and Navarre called Peralta, from Latin petra alta "high rock". This name is also established in Italy.
PercherEnglish In textile mills, woven fabric coming off the mill / loom would pass over a frame, or rod, called a 'perch'. It was the job of the 'Percher' to examine the cloth for defects, and repair them when they were found... [more]
PereireBreton (Latinized, Archaic) This surname is the Gallic (Gaulish) origin and it means wild pear tree. There are also similar spellig in the Iberian Peninsula such as Pereiro, Pereyro, Pereiros, Perero and Pereros. These surnames (last names) correspond to families of the Celtiberian culture.
PereiriCeltic (Latinized, Archaic) Pereiri or Pereiro is a Galician surname in the north of Spain. It's a last name belonging to ancient Celtic tribes.
PereiruMedieval Portuguese (Latinized, Rare, Archaic) This is a Military Order (Knights Templar or the Order of Solomon's Temple) and it was founded by the Henrique de Borgonha, conde de Portucale (Henry, Count of Portugal) in the year 1090. It was then confirmed by Pope Alexandre III in the year 1177... [more]
PerelloCatalan (Balearic), Catalan Perello is a Catalan surname linked to regions like Catalonia and the Balearic Islands in Spain, often associated with "pear tree" or specific locations named Perello.
PerlmanGerman Occupational name for a person who makes or sells pearls.
PernierItalian A famous bearer is the Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier (1874 - 1937), who discovered the mysterious Phaistos disc on the Greek island of Crete.
PerpichEnglish (American) Americanized spelling of Croatian and Serbian Prpić. Prporuše was a term denoting young girls who, in the dry season, would visit houses in the village and pray for rain.
PeshkovmRussian Derived from Russian пешка (peshka), meaning "pawn".
PeskettMedieval Welsh The surname Peskett is derived from the word "peascod" or "peapod," a sack in which peas were kept. This word was originally derived from the Old English words "peose" and "pise," which mean "pea," and "codd," which means "bag." The Peskett name was occupational for a seller of peas... [more]
PfefferGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a spicer, or a nickname for a person with a fiery temper, for a small man, or for a dark-haired person. Derived from German Pfeffer "pepper".
PflügerGerman Occupational name for a Ploughman, literally meaning "Ploughman/Plowman" in German.
PheonixEnglish, Scottish Variant of Fenwick re-spelled after the legendary bird Phoenix. A famous bearer of the name is American actor Joaquín Rafael Phoenix (1974-), although their family renamed themselves after the Phoenix after leaving the religious cult Children of God, symbolizing a new beginning.
PhoenixEnglish From the name of a beautiful immortal bird which appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years... [more]
PhongsaLao Means "lineage, descent" in Lao, ultimately from Sanskrit वंश (vansha).
PickettEnglish Of Norman origin, from the personal name Pic, here with the diminutive suffixes et or ot, and recorded as Picot, Pigot and Piket. The name is ultimately of Germanic derivation, from pic meaning "sharp" or "pointed", which was a common element in names meaning for instance, residence near a "pointed hill", use of a particular sharp or pointed tool or weapon, or a nickname for a tall, thin person.
PicklerEnglish Derived from the occupation of "pickler," which referred to someone who worked in the pickling industry, preserving foods such as vegetables or meats in brine or vinegar.
PicquetFrench A variant of Piquet of which it's meaning is of a military terminology of one soldier/small group of soldiers on a line forward of a postion to provide a warning of an enemy advance... [more]
PiénoelFrench (Rare) French surname that possibly refers to the buckled shoes that the original bearer was wearing, in which case it is derived from Old French pié meaning "foot" combined with Old French noiel meaning "buckle"... [more]
PiggottEnglish, Irish, Norman From the Old French and Old English given names Picot and Pigot, or derived from Old English pic meaning "point, hill", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a hill with a sharp point (see Pike).
PiirojaEstonian Piiroja is an Estonian surname meaning "border creek".
PiiskopEstonian Piiskop is an Estonian surname meaning "bishop".
PikachuBrazilian From Japanese ピカチュウ (Pikachuu), derived from the onomatopoeic words ピカピカ (pikapika), a sparkly sound, and チュウチュウ (chuuchuu), a mouse sound. It happens to be a nickname for someone with a short stature who runs super fast according to the famous barrier Yago Pikachu (born Glaybson Yago Souza Lisboa) a Brazilian footballer who plays for Fortaleza.
PilcherEnglish Occupational name for a maker or seller of pilches, from an agent derivative of Pilch. In early 17th-century English, pilcher was a popular term of abuse, being confused or punningly associated with the unrelated verb pilch "to steal" and with the unrelated noun pilchard, a kind of fish.
PiliangMinangkabau Probably derived from Indonesian pili meaning "a lot, many" and hyang meaning "god, deity" or the phrase pili hyang meaning "the god, the deity" (most likely referring to the Hindu-influenced gods that were worshiped before the arrival of Islam in the Indonesian archipelago)... [more]
PimentaPortuguese Means "pepper" in Portuguese, used as an occupational name for someone who grew or sold peppers.
PinchesEnglish (British, Rare) This is one of the very earliest of surnames. This is an English name. First recorded in the 12th century it was a nickname of endearment for a bright, chirpy, person, thought by his peer group to be active like a finch... [more]
PinchotAmerican Of unknown origin. Historically, borne most famously by Gifford Pinchot (1865 - 1946) first Chief of the United States Forest Service.
PincockEnglish It is believed to be a variant of the surname Pink, which itself can have several origins, including being a nickname for someone with pink cheeks or a rosy complexion, or an occupational name for a dyer or someone who worked with pigment dyes.
PindsooEstonian Pindsoo is an Estonian surname meaning "surface swamp/marsh".
PiscopoItalian, Neapolitan Means "bishop" in Neapolitan, ultimately derived from Ancient Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) "overseer, supervisor, bishop" or "watcher, guardian"... [more]
PitcherEnglish, German From an agent derivative of Middle English pich ‘pitch’, hence an occupational name for a caulker, one who sealed the seams of ships or barrels with pitch. English variant of Pickard... [more]
PlatiniItalian Occupational name for a person who coats objects with platinum, derived from Italian platinare literally meaning "to platinize, to coat with platinum". A notable bearer is the former French soccer star Michel Platini (1955-).
PlumierFrench, Belgian Possibly an occupational name for a dealer in feathers and quills, from an agent derivative of Old French plume "feather, plume" (compare English and Dutch Plumer)... [more]
PlumleyEnglish Meaning "plum-tree wood or clearing" from the Old English words plume and leah.
PlummerEnglish 1. Occupational name for a worker in lead, especially a maker of lead pipes and conduits, from Anglo-Norman French plom(m)er, plum(m)er ‘plumber’, from plom(b), plum(b) ‘lead’ (Latin plumbum)... [more]
PlunketEnglish Either an occupational name for someone who sold plunket, a "coarse white woollen cloth", or a location in France with the name Planquette or Planquenet.
PoehlerGerman German (Westphalian): topographic name for someone who lived by a muddy pool, from an agent noun derived from Middle Low pol ‘(muddy) pool’.
PõhjalaEstonian Põhjala is an Estonian surname meaning "the North" and "Northern area" as well as "Norse".
PoissonFrench Poisson is the French word for fish, and was given to one who was a fishmonger, fisherman, or could be a nickname for one who had the appearance similar to a fish.
PoitierFrench Evidently an altered spelling of Pothier. A famous bearer of this surname was the Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier (1927-2022).
PolancoSpanish Habitational name from Polanco in Santander province.
PõldmaaEstonian Põldmaa is an Estonian surname meaning "field land".
PõldmäeEstonian Põldmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "field hill/mountain".
PõldojaEstonian Põldoja is an Estonian surname meaning "field stream/creek".
PõldotsEstonian Põldots is an Estonian surname meaning "field end".
PõldpüüEstonian Põldpüü is an Estonian surname meaning "partidge".
PõldveeEstonian Põldvee is an Estonian surname meaning "field water".
PolitisGreek Politis derives from the Greek word polis, which means 'city'. Therefore Politis means 'citizen'. According to some historians people with this surname have ancestors who came from Constantinople, which was commonly called Polis in the Byzantine era.