Submitted Surnames Starting with L
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
LAAKSOFinnishFrom
laakso ‘valley’, generally an ornamental name adopted during the name conversion movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Often, it was adopted by Finnish bearers of Swedish names containing the Swedish element
dal ‘valley’.
LÄÄNEstonianLään is an Estonian surname meaning "liege" or "fief".
LAANEstonianLaan is Estonian surname derived from "laanelill"; starflower and wintergreen (Trientalis europaea).
LAANEMÄEEstonianLaanemäe is an Estonian surname meaning "wintergreen hill/mountain".
LAANEOTSEstonianLaaneots is an Estonian surname meaning "wintergreen tip" or "edge".
LAANEPÕLDEstonianLaanepõld is an Estonian surname meaning "chickweed-wintergreen field".
LAAREstonianLaar is an Estonian name meaning "gyle" (wort in the process of fermentation added to a stout, beer, or ale).
LAASEstonianLaas is an Estonian surname meaning "greenwood" (wood that has been recently cut) and "woodland".
LAASIKEstonianLaasik is an Estonian surname meaning "woodland area/stand".
LAATSEstonianLaats is an Estonian name derived from "laat", meaning "fair" or "attractive".
LABAKHUAAbkhazAbkhaz name derived from Arabic لَاحَظَ
(lāḥaẓa) meaning "to notice, to look" combined with بَهِيجَة
(bahīja) meaning "delightful, joyous" (see
Bahija). The spellings were altered by historical changes in the Abkhaz language, and the name was traditionally used to refer to descendants of ancestors named "Lavahiz" and "Bahija".
LABORDEFrenchOccupational or status name for a tenant farmer, from
borde "small farm" (from Frankish
bord "plank") and the definite article
la.
LABRADORSpanish, Portuguese, FilipinoFrom the root word "labora" meaning labor or work. This means laborer or worker but often associated to farmers as in San Isidro Labrador
LABRIEFrenchTopographic name from l’abri meaning "the shelter", or a habitational name from a place named with this word.
LACERDAPortuguese, SpanishNickname for someone with remarkably thick or long hair, or with an unusually hairy back or chest. From Spanish and Portuguese
la cerda ‘the lock (of hair)’.
LACHTRUPDutchMeans 'laughing group' in Dutch. Also occurs in Germany, but mostly in the Netherlands.
LACKEYIrishLackey was originally a name for a horse servant.
LACOMBEFrenchFrench (western and southwestern): topographic name for someone living in or near a ravine, from la combe ‘the ravine’ (a word of Gaulish origin, related to English Combe)....
[more] LACROIXFrenchMeans "the cross" in French. It originally denoted someone who lived near a cross.
LADLEYEnglishProbably a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place.
LADULÅSOld SwedishMost likely from Swedish
ladulås "barnlock", but it could also be derived from the Slavic name
Ladislaus. Magnus Ladulås, sometimes known as Magnus Birgersson or Magnus III in English, was the king of Sweden between 1275 and 1290.
LAESEstonianLaes is an Estonian surname meaning "fore" and "overhead".
LAFLÈCHEFrench (Quebec)A French-Canadian secondary surname from "Richer dit Laflèche," used independently since 1746. Laflèche is derived from the French town of La Flèche, in the former province of Anjou.
LAFRANCHIAlpinePossibly, the Frank. Thought by some to indicate a group of merchants in Middle Ages responsible for the transalpine trade to the French.
LAGASSEFrenchFrench: nickname from Old French agace, agasse ‘magpie’ + the definite article l’.
LAGEEstonianLage is an Estonian surname meaning "plain" or "flat".
LAGERLÖFSwedishA notable bearer was Swedish author
Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940), the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature (1909).
LAGERQUISTSwedishOrnamental name composed of the elements
lager ‘laurel’ +
quist, an old or ornamental spelling of
kvist ‘twig’.
LAGHIItalianPossibly originated to denote someone from the Italian town of Laghi.
LAGLEEstonianLagle is an Estonian surname (and feminine given name) meaning "goose".
LAGRANGEFrenchFrench: topographic name for someone who lived by a granary, a variant of
Grange, with the definite article la.
LAHAIEFrenchLocational name for someone who lived near a hedge or large bush, from old French "La" the and "Haie" hedge.
LAHEEstonianLahe is an Estonian surname meaning both "spacious" and "easy-going".
LAHEYIrishLahey and Leahy originate from two different Gaelic surnames. Lahey, Lahy, Lahiff, Lahiffe, Laffey, and Lahive all originate from the Gaelic surname O Laithimh, which itself is a variant of O Flaithimh...
[more] LAHIFFEIrish (Rare)From Irish
Ó Laochdha meaning "descendant of the hero" or "descendant of the heroic", ultimately from
laoch "warrior, hero".
LAHLOUArabic (Maghrebi)Derived from Arabic حُلْو
(ḥulw) meaning "sweet" or "nice, charming, pretty" (chiefly Moroccan).
LAHNERGerman, HungarianHabitational name for someone from any of various places called Lahn in Hungary and Germany. In southern Germany and Austria, Lahn denotes a place where there had been an avalanche or landslide, from Middle High German laen, lēne meaning "avalanche".
LAHTEstonianLaht is an Estonian surname, meaning "bay" or "gulf".
LAHTINENFinnishA combination of Finnish
lahti "bay" and the common surname suffix
-nen.
LAIEstonianLai is an Estonian surname meaning "wide", "vast" and "spacious".
LAIKEstonianLaik is an Estonian surname meaning "blotch", "stain" and "spot".
LAINEVOOLEstonianLainevool is an Estonian surname meaning "flowing wave" (literally, "wave flow").
LAINGScottishScottish form of
LANG. A famous bearer was the explorer Alexander Gordon Laing.
LAISAAREstonianLaisaar is an Estonian surname meaning "wide/expansive island".
LAKEEnglishTopographic 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] LAKERBAIAAbkhazMingrelian form of the Abkhaz aristocratic family name
Lakrba possibly from Abkhaz а-лакра
(a-lakra) meaning "in thickets, to catch in thickets" or "to rank, to include". It was most likely used to refer to a hunter or a member of a large group of peasants.
LAKOBAAbkhazFrom the nickname
Lako, possibly meaning "swamp" in Abkhaz (denoting someone who lived in a marshy area).
LAKUNTZABasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Navarrese municipality.
LALIndian, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Malayalam, Nepali, BengaliMeans "darling, precious, beloved", from Sanskrit
lala meaning "cajoling". It can also mean "boy" or "red, ruby" in Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali.
LALATOVICSerbianPossibly derived from the slavic word for "tulips",
lale or from son of
Lala (a nickname for
Lazar)
LALIEVOssetian (Russified)Russified form of an Ossetian surname derived from Georgian ლალი
(lali) meaning "ruby", ultimately from Sanskrit लाल
(lāl).
LALONDEFrenchFrench (Normandy): habitational name from any of various places in Normandy, so named from Old Norse
lundr ‘grove’, with the definite article
la.
LAMATibetan, NepaliA Buddhist name found among people of Tibet and Nepal, from the Tibetan
blama, meaning "priest" or "monk".
LAMALFASicilianVariant of
Malfa, most probably a habitational name for someone from Malfa on the island of Salina (Messina), although the name has also been linked with Amalfi in Salerno and Melfi in Potenza.
LAMANTIAItalianItalian:vail, the last name of a general in Palrmo, Sicily, Italy.
LAMARREFrenchHabitational name from any of the places in Normandy called La Mare, from Old Northern French
mare "pool, pond" (Old Norse
marr).
LAMBEnglishA nickname for a gentle or malleable person or an occupational name for someone who raised or cared for young sheep. Can take the form
Lum.
LAMBERGGermanHabitational name from any of several places so called in Bavaria, Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein.
LAMBERGSwedishPossibly of German origin, but perhaps an ornamental name composed of an unexplained first element combined with
berg "mountain".
LAMBILLOTTEFrench (Modern)Currently, a common name in Wallonia, Belgium with some descendants in USA. Believed to be derived from three terms..."lamb" "ill" "otte". The first term has remained unchanged from early Germanic term; the second is latin for "of the" and the third a dimiuative or feminine form suffix...
[more] LAMONDScottishScottish classical pianist and composer; Henry George Lamond has this surname. It means lawyer.
LAMPELAFinnishFrom Finnish word
lampi which means "pond" or "pool". There is almost 2000 Finns and 127 people from other countries with this name.
LAMSHEDEnglishSurname common in Australia & the UK. A variation of
Lambshead which was originally a mis-spelling of Lambside which was the area from which the family originated in Pommyland. Other variations include
Lambshed,
Lamshead,
Lammyside and
Lamesta...
[more] LANBARRIBasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Gueñes.
LANCASHIREEnglishShire of Lancaster; One who came from Lancashire, a county in the North of England.
LANCASTEREnglishHabitational name from Lancaster in northwestern England, named in Old English as ‘Roman fort on the Lune’, from the Lune river, on which it stands, + Old English
cæster ‘Roman fort or walled city’ (Latin
castra ‘legionary camp’)...
[more] LANCEEnglishFrom the Germanic personal name
Lanzo, originally a short form of various compound names with the first element land ‘land’, ‘territory’ (for example, Lambert), but later used as an independent name...
[more] LANCERJewishOrnamental name from German
Lanze "lance, spear" combined with the agent suffix
-er.
LANCKOROŃSKIPolishThis denotes familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Lanckorona.
LANDEnglish, GermanTopographic 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.
LĀNDAPunjabiLānda (ਲਾਨਦਾ) is a Punjabi surname that is used amongst families belonging to the Bhat tribe. The bearers of this surname belong to the gotra Lākhanpal, which is of Kshatriya origin.
LANDAPolishNickname for a persistent and irritating person, from a derivative of the dialect verb
landzić "to ask insistently, badger someone".
LANDAZURIBasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Mimetiz.
LANDEFrench, Norwegian, JewishFrench: topographic name for someone living on a heath,
lande (from Gaulish
landa ‘space’, ‘land’), or a habitational name from any of numerous minor places named La Lande from this word....
[more] LANDETXOBasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Mungia.
LANDIBARBasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Navarrese municipality of Urdazubi.
LANDINSwedishA combination of Swedish
land "land" and the common surname suffix
-in, derived from Latin
-inus,
-inius "descendant of"
LANDISGerman, German (Swiss)German and Swiss German nickname for a highwayman or for someone who lays waste to the land, from Middle High German
landoese.
LANDRYFrench, EnglishFrom the Germanic personal name
Landric, a compound of
land "land" and
ric "powerful, ruler".
LANEZOSpanishMeans "Lanezo's street" from Basque abas "Lanezo" and kale "street".
LANGARIKABasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Iruraitz-Gauna.
LANGELANDNorwegianDerived from the elements
lang meaning "long" and
land meaning "land" or "farmstead".
LANGFIELDEnglishCombination of Old English
lang meaning "long" and
feld meaning "stretch of open country". It could serve either as a topographic surname or a habitational surname for someone from one of the many locations named "Langfield" (ex...
[more] LANGFORDLiterature, EnglishAn English habitational name from any of the numerous places named in Old English as ‘long ford’, from
lang,
long ‘long’ +
ford ‘ford’, except for Langford in Nottinghamshire, which is named with an Old English personal name
Landa or possibly
land, here used in a specific sense such as ‘boundary’ or ‘district’, with the same second element.
LANGHORNEnglish, Danish, DutchNorthern English: probably a habitational name from a minor place in Soulby, Cumbria, called Longthorn, from Old English
lang ‘long’ +
horn ‘projecting headland’, or a topographic name with the same meaning....
[more] LANGSTONEnglishMeans "long stone"; derived from Old English
lang meaning "long" and
stan meaning "stone". It can also be used as a given name.
LÅNGSTRUMPLiteratureLast name of Pippi Långstrump, the original Swedish name for Pippi Longstocking, a character invented by Astrid Lindgren. Pippi's name was allegedly made up by Lindgren's daughter Karin. It's a combination of Swedish
lång "long" and
strumpa "sock".
LANSDOWNEFrench, EnglishThe first marquis lansdowne, land owners for there lords and farmers also know as tenants.
LANSINGEnglishDerived from the name of
Lancing, a place in West Sussex, which was composed of the Old English personal name
Wlanc and
-ingas meaning "family of" or "followers of".
LÄNTSEstonianLänts is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "lant", meaning "drail".
LANTZGermanHabitational name from places called Lanz or derived from the given name
Lanzo.
LANTZIEGOBasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
LANUZAAragoneseThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Sallén de Galligo.
LAPLANDEREnglishA surname referring to someone who had immigrated from Lapland, northern Scandinavia.
LAPORTEFrenchTopographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town (and often was in charge of them; thus in part a metonymic occupational name), from Old French
porte "gateway", "entrance" (from Latin
porta, "door", "entrance"), with the definite article
la...
[more] LAPPGermanFrom 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] LARDIZABALBasqueThis indicates familial origin within Lardizabal Palace, a mansion in Segura, Comarca of Goierri.
LARIVIÈREFrench (Modern)From the region of Bourgoigne, in France, meaning 'the river'. The name is likely a topographic reference to the physical location, likely a river in this case.
LAROSEItalianTopographic name for someone who lived at a place where wild roses grew; or a habitational name from a town house bearing the sign of a rose. It may also have been a nickname for a man with a ‘rosy’ complexion, as well as a nickname of a soldier...
[more] LARRAGABasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Navarrese municipality.
LARRAINBasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Navarrese municipality of Adios.
LARRALDEBasqueThis indicates familial origin within any of several eponymous localities in the former French province of Lapurdi.
LARRAÑAGABasqueThis indicates familial origin within the vicinity of the eponymous farmhouse in the municipality of Azpeitia.
LARRAZABALBasque, SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Arteaga, Comarca of Arratia-Nerbioi.
LARRIONBasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Navarrese municipality of Allin.
LARTEREnglishFrom the old Teutonic word 'lahtro' which is to do with a place that animals bear their young. This was modifed in several dialects to be 'lahtre', 'lattr', 'lauchter' and 'lawchter'. ...
[more] LASALLEFrench1. French: local name or occupational name for someone who lived or worked at a manor house, from Old French sal(e) ‘hall’ (modern French salle; see also
Sale), with the definite article la. ...
[more] LASCELLESFrenchFrench location name from Lacelle in Orne, northern France and referring to "small rooms or cells inhabited by monks".
LASICHANHUnknownLasichanh is the surname of Pharrell Williams wife Helen Lasichanh.
LASIEWICKIPolishI don't know meaning history.Please tell me the meaning and history of my name
ŁASKAPolishFrom a homonym meaning "weasel." Actual surname means "favour, grace." A famous bearer is Polish singer Katarzyna Łaska (1979-present) professionally known as Kasia Łaska.
LASKARISGreekFrom ancient and medieval Greek
laskaris, a kind of soldier, from Persian
laeshkaer "army". This is the same word as Urdu
lascar "sailor" and Arabic
el-askari "the army", "the troops".
LASKIPolish, Hungarian, JewishPolish (Laski) and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name from Lasko (now Lask) in Sieradz voivodeship, named with laz, lazy ‘clearing in a forest’. ...
[more] LASSEstonianLass is an Estonian surname, a corruption of "laas", meaning "woodland".
LÄTEEstonianLäte is an Estonian surname meaning "fountain" or "wellspring".
LATHAMEnglish (British)Habitational name from any of the places in England named with the Old Norse word
hlaða meaning "barn".
LATIMEREnglishEnglish occupational name for a Latinist, a clerk who wrote documents in Latin, from Anglo-Norman French
latinier,
latim(m)ier. Latin was more or less the universal language of official documents in the Middle Ages, displaced only gradually by the vernacular—in England, by Anglo-Norman French at first, and eventually by English.
LATINOItalianFrom the medieval personal name Latino, originally an ethnic name for someone of Latin as opposed to Germanic, Byzantine or Slavic descent.
LATOSZYŃSKIPolishThis indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Latoszyn.
LÄTTEstonianLätt is an Estonian surname, probably derived from "Läti", meaning "Latvia", or "läte" meaning "spring" and "fountain".
LATTANZIOItalianMy great-great grandmother's name was Patrizia Maria Lattanzio. After she passed and my Great-grandmother sent my grandmother to America, the officials mis-spelled her name on her documents and the last name was shortened to Lattanzi...
[more] LÄTTEMÄEEstonianLättemäe is an Estonian surname derived from "läte" meaning "spring" or "fountain" and "mäe" meaning "hill" and "mountain"; "spring mountain".
LAUEstonianLau is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "lauk" meaning "table" or "desk" or "laul" meaning "song".
LAUDERScottish, Northern IrishFrom a village in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. It derives from the Celtic
Lauuedder, probably indicating a rapidly flowing river, cognate with Modern Welsh
llifer meaning 'to gush'.
LÄUFERGerman, JewishHabitational name for someone from a place called Lauf, also an occupational name for a messenger or a nickname for a fast runner, from an agent derivative of Middle High German loufen, German laufen ‘to run’.
LAUGHTONEnglishHabitational name from any of the numerous places in England so called. Most of them, as for example those in Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (near Gainsborough), Sussex, and West Yorkshire, are named with Old English
leac ‘leek’ +
tun ‘enclosure’...
[more] LAUKEstonianLauk is an Estonian surname meaning both "leek" and "coot" (Fulica).
LAUREstonianLaur is an Estonian surname, a shortened for of "Lauri"; a masculine given name.
LAURIEstonianLauri is an Estonian surname (and given name); from the masculine given name "Lauri", a shortened form of "Laurits".
LAURIMAAEstonianLaurimaa is an Estonian surname meaning "Lauri's land" (Lauri is an Estonian masculine given name).
LAUTERMILCHGerman (Modern)Comes from German words Lauter, meaning 'pure', or 'nothing but', and Milch, meaning 'milk'. This could mean that the people who first used this name were farmers.
LAVELYMedieval English[Lavelly} May have been used my early English, in Medieval times. May have been used during the puritans. really little is know about the name by me.
LAVERDIÈREFrenchHabitational name from various places named La Verdière in France, or a variant of the name Leverdier (see
VERDIER).
LAVERDUREFrenchFrom the French place name
La Verdure meaning "greenness, greenery".
LAVERSEnglishEnglish (chiefly Devon and Cornwall): Medieval English and occupational, from pre-10th century Old French "lavandier". Introduced by the Normans after 1066, originally described a worker in the wool industry, and was a metonymic or nickname for a person employed to wash raw wool or rinse the cloth after fulling...
[more] LAVIADAAsturianThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of Xixón.
LAVIOLETTEFrench, French (Quebec), French (Acadian)A secondary surname, associated with some forty family names in Canada and also used independently since 1698, a nickname from the flower
violette ‘violet’, with the definite article la. In feudal France it was a name given to soldiers and domestic servants.
LAWFORDAnglo-SaxonThis surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name from any of the various places called Lawford which have as their component elements the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "
Lealla", cognate with the Old High German "
Lallo", and the Olde English "ford", a ford...
[more] LAWLERIrish, ScottishThis Irish surname is of Gaelic language origin. The surname derives from the original Gaelic 'O'Leathlobhair' meaning 'descendant of leathlobhair'. Leathlobhair derives from 'Leath' meaning 'Half' and 'Lobhar' meaning 'leper'....
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