Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ŌgaJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 淡河, 王賀 or 相賀 with 淡 (tan, awa.i) meaning "faint, fleeting, pale, thin," 河 (ka, kawa) meaning "river," 王 (ou, -nou) meaning "king, magnate, rule," 相 (shou, sou, ai-, ou) meaning "aspect, councillor, each other, inter-, minister of state, mutual, phase, physiognomy, together" and 賀 (ga) meaning "congratulations, joy."... [more]
O'GalvinIrish Anglicized form of Ó Gealbháin, which means "descendant of the bright, fair one", derived from the Gaelic elements geal "bright" and ban "fair, white". A known bearer of the original form of the surname is Ciarán Ó Gealbháin, former signer of the Irish traditional music band Danú.
Ó GibealláinIrish An Irish-Gaelic surname derived from a given name meaning "descendant of Gibealláin".
OglethorpeEnglish From Oglethorpe Hall in Bramham (WR Yorks) which is recorded as Ocelestorp in 1086 and Okelesthorp in 124 The place-name derives from the Old Scandinavian personal name Oddkell and Old Scandinavian or Old English þorp "secondary settlement outlying farmstead" meaning "Oddkell's village" the surname derived from oddr "point of a weapon" and ketill "cauldron".
O'gradyIrish Anglicized form of Ó Gradaigh, meaning "descendant of Gradaigh." Gradaigh is a personal name derived from the Irish Gaelic word grada, "the illustrious one."
OhanaJudeo-Spanish From a name meaning "son of Hanna" in Tamazight, either from the given name Hanna 1 or perhaps Tamazight ḥenna meaning "grandmother".
Ó hAngluinnIrish A patronymic surname meaning "son of Anglninn." This name is, in turn, thought to be derived from Irish Gaelic word anglonn, which means "hero" or "champion."
Ó HannáinIrish Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Hannant family in Ireland was Ó hAnnáin, which means "descendant of hAnnáin".... [more]
OlabeagaBasque From the name of a neighbourhood in the city of Bilbao in Biscay, Basque Country, derived from Basque ola "factory, foundry, ironworks" and -be "lower part" combined with -aga "place of, group of".
Ó LaighinIrish Means "of Leinster" or "descendant of the one from Leinster", denoting someone who came from the Irish province Leinster (Laighin in Irish)... [more]
Ó MaoiléidighIrish Means "descendant of Maoléidigh" in Irish. This surname was stressed on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable, and may have been shortened in some cases to give Leddy.
OnslowEnglish Locational name from a place called Onslow described in Victorian times as being "a place within the liberty of Shrewsbury, in Salop', the original and still confusingly used, name for the county of Shropshire.
OrdorikaBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Muxika, Spain, possibly derived from Basque ordo "plain, field, meadow" and ori "yellow" combined with the toponymic suffix -ika meaning "slope" or "place of".
OrleansFrench From Orléans, a city in France sieged by the English in 1429. Orléans is derived from Aurelianum, meaning "of Aurelius" in Latin.
OroscoSpanish, Basque Variant of Orozco. Means "place of the holly trees" from oros meaning "holly tree" and the suffix -ko signifying a place. Also believed to have been derived from Latin orosius meaning "the son of bringer of wisdom".
OrrisEnglish (Canadian) This unusual and interesting name is of Italian, Latin origin, and derives from one of the earliest Roman names, "Horatius". The name is thought to mean something connected with "hora", the Latin for "hour", but the original meaning has been lost... [more]
OrtolanoItalian, Spanish occupational name for a cultivator or seller of fruit and vegetables ortolano "gardener" from a derivative of orto "vegetable garden" (from Latin hortus "garden"). The term was also used in the medieval period to denote both a cleric with a fervant devotion to pastoral work and a rough or uncouth person and in some instances may have been applied as a nickname in either sense... [more]
OruetaBasque From the name of a district in the town of Gautegiz-Arteaga, Spain, derived from Basque oru "ground, place, building site" and the toponymic suffix -eta "place of, abundance of".
OsaragiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 大仏 (daibutsu) meaning "great statue of Buddha" with an assigned reading of おさらぎ (osaragi), from さらぎ (saragi), sound-changed from さらき (saraki), from 更木 (saraki) meaning "new wood; unused wood", referring to a statue of Buddha that was created using fresh wood.
OsaragiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 大仏 (daibutsu) meaning "great statue of Buddha" with an assigned reading of おさらぎ (saragi), sound-changed from Old Japanese おぽさらぎ (oposaragi), from オポ (opo) meaning "great; large" and サラギ (saragi) meaning "newcomer", referring to the large number of visitors to a great statue of Buddha.
Ó SeanachainIrish Means "grandson of Seanachan". Alternatively, may be derived from Gaelic seanachaidh, meaning "skilled storyteller".
O'SheeranIrish (Rare) Anglicized form of either Ó Sírín or Ó Síoráin meaning "descendant of Sírín" and "descendant of Síoráin" respectively. Sírín and Síoráin are variants of the same name, both are derived from a diminutive of síor meaning "long-lasting".
OsinagaBasque Habitational name derived from Basque osin "pit, well, abyss, depths" and -aga "place of, group of".
OstroverkhovmRussian Means "son of one who lives on top of island", from Russian остров (ostrov) "island" and верх (verkh) "top".
OsunaSpanish Habitational name from a place in the province of Seville, named from Arabic Oxuna, perhaps named from Late Latin Ursina (villa) "estate of Ursus" a byname meaning "bear".
O'TolanIrish The meaning of the name is unclear, but it seems to derive from the pre 13th century Gaelic O'Tuathalain suggesting that it was probably religious and may translate as "The male descendant of the follower of the lord".
O’tooleIrish O'Toole, along with Toole, comes from the Irish O Tuathail. This derives from the personal name Tuathal, meaning "ruler of the people", used by many Irish kings and heroes and accordingly incorporated into a surname in a number of distinct areas, among them south Ulster, Mayo and Kildare.
O'TuathalainIrish May translate as "The male descendant of the follower of the lord".
O'TwolanIrish The meaning of the name is unclear, but it seems to derive from the pre 13th century Gaelic O' Tuathalain suggesting that it was probably religious and may translate as "The male descendant of the follower of the lord".
OuabdesselamBerber, Arabic, Arabic (Maghrebi) Means "father of peace, man of peace" from Maghrebi prefix وواب` (ouab) (Arabic: أبو (abu)) (In North African dialects, abu is often rendered as ouab or oua in Latin script) meaning "father of" combined with ديسسيلام (desselam) (Corresponds to السلام (as-salām)) meaning "peace".
OuahmedBerber, Northern African Kabyle name meaning "son of Ahmed", from the Berber prefix ou- meaning "son (of)" combined with the Arabic name Ahmed (chiefly Algerian).
OudshoornDutch From the name of a former village in South Holland, Netherlands, derived from Out, a Middle Dutch diminutive of the given name Otgar, and hoorn "horn; corner, protruding bend (of a river)"... [more]
OuedraogoWestern African, Mossi Derived from the name of the semi-legendary Ouedraogo, who is believed to have founded the Mossi Kingdoms in the 11th century. Means "son of the elephant" in the Mossi language.
OuyahiaBerber, Northern African Means "son of Yahia", from the Berber prefix ou- meaning "son (of)" combined with the Arabic given name Yahia (chiefly Algerian).
OuyangChinese From Chinese 歐 (ōu) referring to Mount Sheng in present-day Huzhou, China, combined with 陽 (yáng) meaning "southern face (of a mountain)". The name supposedly originated with a prince of the Yue state that settled in the area surrounding the mountain... [more]
ÖvallSwedish (Rare) Combination of Swedish ö "island" and vall "wall, pasture, field of grass".
OwariJapanese From Japanese 終 (owa) meaning “last, to finish” and 里 (ri) meaning “village, the home of one’s parents, hometown”. The latter character is also an archaic Japanese unit of area.
OxendineEnglish From an English place name meaning "valley of the oxen", which was derived from Old English oxa "ox" (genitive plural oxena) and denu "valley".
OyaskiEnglish (American) A surname created by Michael Oyaski (formally Michael O'Yaski). The surname is currently known to only be used by one particular branch of the O'Yaski family tree. The surname means "Dragon Rider of the West" according to members of the Oyaski family.
PahlevanyanArmenian Means "son of the wrestler" or "son of the champion", ultimately from Persian پهلوان (pahlevân) meaning "strong man, champion, wrestler".
PaikashviliGeorgian Likely means "child of Paik", derived from the archaic masculine given name Paik (ultimately of Arabic origin) combined with Georgian შვილი (shvili) meaning "child".
PaikidzeGeorgian Likely means "son of Paik", derived from the archaic masculine given name Paik (ultimately of Arabic origin) combined with Georgian ძე (dze) meaning "son".
PalametsEstonian Palamets is an Estonian surname meaning "piece (of) forest". It is derived from the compound words "pala", meaning "piece" and "mets", meaning "forest".
PalinEnglish (i) "person from Palling", Norfolk ("settlement of Pælli's people") or "person from Poling", Sussex ("settlement of Pāl's people"); (ii) from the Welsh name ap Heilyn "son of Heilyn", a personal name perhaps meaning "one who serves at table"
PalliserEnglish Means "maker of palings and fences" (from a derivative of Old French palis "palisade"). In fiction, the Palliser novels are a series of six political novels by Anthony Trollope, beginning with 'Can You Forgive Her?' (1864) and ending with 'The Duke's Children' (1880), in which the Palliser family plays a central role.
PangilinanFilipino, Tagalog Means "place of abstinence" from Tagalog pangilin meaning "abstinence, to abstain" and the suffix -an meaning "place of, time of". It was used to denote abstinence from certain foods for religious purposes.
PanichiItalian Probably from panico, a type of millet grown in Italy. Alternately, it could be from the Latin name Panicus "of Pan, panic".
PapadiamantopoulosGreek Means "descendant of the diamond priest" in Greek. A notable bearer of this surname is Ioannis Papadiamantopoulos, a Greek revolutionary leader.
PapakostasGreek Means "son of Kostas the priest", from Greek πάπας (papas) combined with the given name Kostas.
PapazoglouGreek Means "son of the priest", derived from the Greek παπάς (papás) meaning "priest" combined with the Turkish oğlu or oğul meaning "son, descendant".
Pardo De TaveraSpanish (Rare, Archaic) In the case of Filipino physician Trinidad Pardo de Tavera (1857-1925), he came from a Portuguese aristocratic family of Pardo from Tavira (a town in Portugal). The family added the name de Tavera, meaning "of Tavira" to affix their place of origin, similar to Spanish noble customs... [more]
ParmarIndian, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi Derived from Sanskrit परमार (paramara) meaning "slayer of enemies", from पर (para) meaning "enemy, adversary" and मार (mara) meaning "killing, slaying, destroying".
ParmasEstonian Parmas is an Estonian surname meaning a "heap of sheaves" and an "armful".
ParquierFrench From an Old French word meaning "Keeper of the Park". Made from the element "Parc", meaning park, and the suffix "-ier", which indicates a profession. The surname Parker is a descendant.
PasquierFrench Meaning uncertain. Possibly "keeper of the oven."
PateEnglish Derives from the given name Pat(t), a short form of the personal name Patrick from the Latin Patricius meaning "son of a noble father".
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".
PattaItalian Possibly from patta "draw, settlement", perhaps a nickname given to a negotiator. The same term can also mean "heat, warmth of the hearth".
PauwDutch, Flemish Means "peacock" in Dutch. Could be a habitational name from a sign depicting a peacock, or a nickname for a proud or flamboyant person. In some cases, it can be a shortened form of the patronymic Pauwels "son of Paul".
PaxsonEnglish This surname means "son of Pack." Pack may be a survival of the Old English personal name Pacca or it may have been a Middle English personal name derived from Paschalis (meaning "relating to Easter"), the Latin form of Pascal.
PaytonIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Peatáin "descendant of Peatán.
PelterEnglish Derived from Middle English pellet "skin (of an animal, sheep)", an occupational name for someone who tanned or sold hides and pelts for a living. Compare French Pelletier.
PenryWelsh, Cornish, English Derived from Welsh ap Henry meaning "son of Henry". It is also a variant of Pendray, which is derived from a place name in Cornwall meaning "top of the village" in Middle Cornish... [more]
PevtsovmRussian Means "son of the singer", from Russian певец (pevets) "singer".
PewWelsh From Welsh ap Hew or ap Hugh "son of Hugh" (see Pugh). A fictional bearer is Blind Pew, the blind pirate in Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' (1883).
PhilippartBelgian In the Medieval period, of Ancient Greek origin, derives from philippos, a compound made of philein meaning "to love", and hippos, a horse, hence "lover of horses".
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]
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]
PinoSpanish, Galician, Italian Spanish and Galician habitational name from any of the places in Galicia (Spain) named Pino from pino "pine" or a topographic name for someone who lived by a remarkable pine tree. Italian habitational name from Pino d'Asti in Asti province Pino Torinese in Torino or Pino Solitario in Taranto all named with pino "pine’... [more]
PiovascoItalian, Literature Means "shower, brief fall of rain" in Italian, from Italian piovere or piova, both meaning "rain" with an added suffix. Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò is the protagonist in the Italian novel The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino, who inherited this surname from his father, Arminio Piovasco.
PirovanoItalian Probably from a place in Lombardy, itself possibly deriving from Ancient Greek πυρο- (pyro-) "fire" and -γενής (-genes) "born of".
PirzadehPersian Means "born of the pir", from the Persian title پیر (pir) denoting a Sufi spiritual guide (literally meaning "elder, old"). This name was traditionally used by owners or custodians of Sufi mausoleums and shrines.
PittendrighScottish From various place names possibly derived from pett "holding farm" and drech "face, countenance (of a hill)".
PittlerFrench A surname which originally belonged to a person who lived by a pit or hollow. Meaning "King of the Pit" or "King of the Hollow".
PlantagenetMedieval English, Medieval French Borne by the House of Plantagenet, a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. It also originated as a nickname for Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou (1113-1151), father of King Henry II of England (1133-1189), who ascended the English throne in 1154... [more]
PlantzEnglish (American) Deriving from England. "Men known as a Planter was an English term for people who were "planted" abroad in order to promote a political, religious cause or for colonization purposes." ... [more]
PlasschaertFlemish Probably derived from Middle Dutch plasch "puddle, pool of water" and the suffix -aert.
PletikosaCroatian Derived from pletiti, meaning "to knit", and kosa, meaning "hair".
PletikosićCroatian Derived from pletiti, meaning "to knit", and kosa, meaning "hair".
PlievIngush (Russified), Ossetian (Russified) Russified form of an Ingush and Ossetian name, which is derived from the name of an Ingush teip (clan). The name itself comes from Plievo, the name of a village in Ingushetia, which means "village of the sons of Pkhile", referring to a given name possibly derived from Ossetian пыл (pyl) meaning "elephant".
PlotnikovRussian Means "son of the carpenter" from Russian плотник (plotnik) "carpenter".
PoilièvreFrench, French (Quebec) Meaning uncertain, possibly from French pois aux lièvres "yellow pea, split pea" or a combination of French poil "hair" and lièvre "hare", denoting a furrier.
PolDutch From Middle Dutch pol "tussock, grassy hill; area of raised ground in a fen".
PolandEnglish, German, French (Anglicized), Irish (Anglicized) English and German name is derived from the Middle High German Polan, which means "Poland". The surname originally signified a person with Polish connections.This French surname originated from an occupational name of a poultry breeder, or from a fearful person; it is derived from the Old French poule, which means "chicken".In other cases, particularly in Ireland, the English Poland is a variant of Polin,which is in turn an Anglicised form of the original Gaelic spelling of Mac Póilín, which translated from Irish means "son of little Paul"... [more]
PolidoriItalian Means "son of Polidoro". Famous bearers include John William Polidori (1795-1821), a physician to Lord Byron and author of 'The Vampyre' (1819), and his sister Frances Polidori (1800-1886), the mother of painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, poet Christina Rossetti, critic William Michael Rossetti, and author Maria Francesca Rossetti.
PrideauxCornish Means "person from Prideaux, earlier Pridias", Cornwall (perhaps based on Cornish prȳ "clay"). The modern Frenchified spelling is based on the idea that the name comes from French près d'eaux "near waters" or pré d'eaux "meadow of waters".
PrieskornGerman Possibly either a derisive nickname for a grain merchant from pries a variant of Middle High German brüsch or Middle Low German bross "brittle crumbly" and korn "grain" or alternatively for a grain seller from prisekorn "(I) determine the price of grain".
PriorIrish Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Mac an Phríora meaning "son of the prior".
ProbynWelsh Derived from Welsh ap Robin, which means "son of Robin".
PuigdemontCatalan Means "top of the hill" or "peak of the mountain". It is derived from Catalan puig meaning "hill, peak" combined with either damunt meaning "on top, above", or munt (a diminutive of muntanya) meaning "mountain", using the preposition d'... [more]