This is a list of submitted surnames in which the pattern is *r.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
DahlerNorwegian Habitational name from the farm name Daler, a plural indefinite form of dal meaning “valley.”
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".
DampierEnglish Habitational name from any of various places in northern France called Dampierre named in honor of St. Peter. The first element Dam- or Don is an Old French title of respect, from Latin dominus meaning “lord,” often prefixed to the names of saints.
DancerEnglish Occupational name for someone who dances.
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.
DänzerGerman Occupational name for a professional acrobat or entertainer; variant of Tanzer.
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).
De BeerDutch, Afrikaans, South African Means "the bear" or "the boar" in Dutch and Afrikaans, a nickname for a person who resembled the animal in some way, such as being very large, strong, or aggressive, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting one... [more]
DecaturDutch Variant spelling of De Caters. A notable bearer was Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), an American naval officer and commodore during the War of 1812, the Barbary Wars and the Quasi-War.
DefensorFilipino From Spanish defensor meaning "defender, advocate". A notable bearer was Miriam Defensor Santiago (1945-2016), a Filipino stateswoman and lawyer.
DefoorFlemish Derived from Dutch voort "ford". Alternatively, can be a variant of the French surnames Dufour or Deford.
De GeerDutch, Swedish Derived from the town of Geer near Liège, Belgium. The town lies along the course of the river Jeker, which is called Geer in French. Alternatively, it could derive from Dutch geer "wedge-shaped piece of land".
De HeerDutch Means "the lord" or "the gentleman" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch hêre "feudal lord, master, leader, gentleman". Could be a nickname for a person who acted as a leader, or an occupational name for someone who worked for a lord... [more]
DelacourFrench Probably based off the term "de la cœur", meaning "on the court".
de LaenderFlemish Possibly from Middle Dutch laenre meaning "stone falcon", a kind of small bird of prey such as a merlin or sparrowhawk.
De La TourFrench Means "of the tower" in French, a cognate of De La Torre. It denoted one who lived near a watchtower.
DelaurierFrench Altered form of French Deslauriers or a topographic name with fused preposition de meaning “from” denoting someone who lived by a laurel, from laurier.
DeldojarScottish (Anglicized, Rare) Deldojar is a nickname for Bangladeshi traders who settled on the coastal port of Perth and Kinross, Scotland. This name is taken from the name of the merchant's hometown, Deldur upazila, a district of Tangail in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
DelgerDutch Possibly an occupational name from an agent derivative of (ver)delgen, meaning “to nullify” or “to exterminate.”
DempsterManx, English, Scottish The name for a judge or arbiter of minor disputes, from Old English dem(e)stre, a derivative of the verb demian ‘to judge or pronounce judgement’. Although this was originally a feminine form of the masculine demere, by the Middle English period the suffix -stre had lost its feminine force, and the term was used of both sexes... [more]
DepederRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and the given name Peder.
De PoorterFlemish, Dutch Means "the burgher, the citizen (of a city)", ultimately derived from poort "gate".
DepooterFlemish Variant of De Poorter, or alternatively, an occupational name for a farmer or gardener derived from poten "to plant, to sow seeds". Compare Potter.
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.
De RuiterDutch Means "the rider" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch ruter "freebooter, vagrant, robber", later meaning "cavalryman, soldier, armed horseman". It could also be a nickname based on an event, in one case deriving from an incident involving a ride on a runaway pig.
DesserJewish Habitational name from the city of Dessau in Germany.
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.
De WinterDutch Means "the winter" in Dutch, a nickname for a cold or gloomy man, or perhaps for someone born in the winter. It could also be a habitational name referring to a house or tavern named for the season.
DexheimerGerman From the German village Dexheim (south of Mainz).
DickerEnglish Either an occupational name for a digger of ditches or a builder of dikes, or a topographic name for someone who lived by a ditch or dike, derived from Middle English dike or dik meaning "dyke.
DickterGerman From dichter, the German word for "poet".
DierJewish the name allegedly means "dyer (of clothes)"
DieringerGerman (Americanized) Americanized form of German Thüringer, regional name for someone from Thuringia, This was also used as a medieval personal name. Americanized form of German Tieringer, habitational name for someone from Tieringen in Württemberg.
DillingerGerman Denoted a person from Dillingen, a district in the region of Swabia in Bavaria, Germany. This name was borne by the infamous John Dillinger (1903-1934), an American gangster and bank robber during the Great Depression.
DimerGerman (Portuguese-style) Brazilian adaptation of the German surname Diemer; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil.
DinçerTurkish From Turkish dinç meaning "vigorous, energetic, active" and er meaning "man, hero, brave".
DingerEnglish Means "one who rings the bell," which is most likely a butler
DingfelderMedieval German (Rare, Archaic) When surnames were finally adopted, family heads who originated from Thungfeld in the Steigerwald area of Mittelfranken, took the name of their traditional home area.
DinjerGerman (Rare) Occupational surname that originated in the German dialect spoken in the Rhineland-Palatinate region. ... [more]
DischingerGerman Habitational name for someone from Dischingen near Neresheim or Oberdischingen near Ehingen in Württemberg.
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.
DoncastermEnglish Doncaster's name originates from the Roman fort called Danum, established around 71 AD. The term "caster" derives from the Latin castra, meaning military camp, while "Don" comes from the Old English word Dunne, referring to the nearby River Don... [more]
DönerTurkish Means "rotating, turning" in Turkish.
DonkerDutch Means "dark, dim, somber" in Dutch, a nickname for a person with dark hair or a dark complexion, or perhaps for someone with a gloomy demeanour.
DorchesterEnglish Derived from either the village in Oxfordshire, or the county town of Dorset, England (both of which have the same name). Both are named with a Celtic name, respectively Dorcic and Durnovaria combined with Old English ceaster meaning "Roman fort, walled city".
DosterGerman, Belgian A German surname, which is from an agent derivative of the Middle High German words 'doste' and 'toste' (meaning ‘wild thyme’, ‘shrub’, ‘bouquet’). It is a topographic surname which was given to someone whose land abutted an uncultivated piece of land, or possibly an occupational name for someone who dealt herbs.... [more]
DötterGerman From a Germanic personal name formed with theud ‘people’, ‘race’ + hard ‘hardy’, ‘strong’ or hari, heri ‘army’
DowlerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of dowels and similar objects, from a derivative of Middle English “dowle”.
DozierFrench Meaning "lives near willow trees" or possibly someone who made goods, such as baskets, from willow wood.
DraxlerGerman Derived from the Middle High German "Drehseler," meaning "turner," and was most likely initially borne by a turner or lathe worker.
DreamerEnglish The word dreamer (or surname) comes from the word dream with an added -er at the end indicating someone is dreaming. The word dream comes from the Dutch phrase droom and the German phrase Traum.
DrescherYiddish, German German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a thresher, German Drescher, Yiddish dresher, agent derivatives of Middle High German dreschen, Yiddish dresh(e)n 'to thresh'.... [more]
DriverEnglish Occupational name for a driver of horses or oxen attached to a cart or plow, or of loose cattle, from a Middle English agent derivative of Old English drīfan ‘to drive’.
DrollingerGerman Ethnic or habitational name for someone from Tyrol.
DruckerGerman, Jewish, Dutch Occupational name for an operator of a printing press, derived from German drucken "to print".
DrummerEnglish Locational name from a place called Drummer, near Chadderton in Lancashire. The meaning is possibly from the pre 7th century Olde English 'drum' meaning "a ridge".
DryerEnglish From an agent derivative of Old English dr̄gean "to dry"; possibly an occupational name for a drier of cloth. In the Middle Ages, after cloth had been dyed and fulled, it was stretched out in tenterfields to dry.
DulquerArabic The name is derived from the Arabic word "Dhul-Qarnayn". Actor Dulquer Salmaan says it means Warrior. but another meaning is "Expressive, Diplomatic"
DuqbeerSomali Duqbeer would translate to "old farm" in Somali.
DürerGerman, History In the case of the German painter Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), this was a variant of the German surname Türer, a German translation of Hungarian Ajtósi, meaning "doormaker", to adapt to the local Nuremberg dialect... [more]
DurrenbergerGerman habitational name for someone from any of numerous places in Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxony, and Silesia named Dür(r)nberg or Dürrenberg
DuysterDutch Derived from Middle Dutch duuster meaning "dark, gloomy, obscure" or "stupid, terrible".
DvirHebrew Surname that also used as a first name, probably means "inner room" and related to The Holy of Holies. It is a term in the Hebrew Bible which refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle where God dwelt and later the Temple in Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept during the First Temple, which could be entered only by the High Priest on Yom Kippur after sanctifying himself.
DwengerGerman From an agent derivative of Middle Low German dwengen "to press or oppress" probably a nickname for a violent person.
EisenbergerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from any of the several places called Eisenberg. As a Jewish name it is also an ornamental name.
EisenhauerGerman Occupational name meaning "iron cutter" where Eisen- means "iron" and -hauer means "hewer". The verb 'hew' being less well used in English than in earlier times, but still understood to mean cut, such as in hewing tree limbs... [more]
EisenhowerEnglish (American) American form of German Eisenhauer. A notable bearer was Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), president of the United States between 1953 and 1961. His ancestors immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany in the 1740s and at some point the spelling changed from Eisenhauer to Eisenhower.
EisnerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for an ironworker, smith, or ironmonger, from an agent derivative of Middle High German īsen and German Eisen, meaning ‘iron’ (see Eisen).
EjioforWestern African, Igbo Means "one who acts in good faith" in Igbo. A famous bearer is British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (1977-).
ElizabelarBasque Habitational name derived from Basque eliza "church" and belar "grass".
ElizoharHebrew (Modern, Rare) Means "my God is brilliant" or "my God is shining" in Hebrew. Taken from Hebrew ’el + i (7) combined with the name Zohar.
ElkjærDanish From Danish el meaning "alder" and kær meaning "fen, marsh". Danish former soccer player Preben Elkjær Larsen (1957-) bears this name.
EllenderGerman Respelling of German Elender, a nickname for a stranger or newcomer, from Middle High German ellende ‘strange’, ‘foreign’, or a habitational name for someone from any of twenty places named Elend, denoting a remote settlement, as for example in the Harz Mountains or in Carinthia, Austria.
EllerGerman Habitational name from places in the North Rhine and Mosel areas
EllermeyerGerman It is a combination of the German words “Eller,” which means “alder,” and “Meyer,” which means “steward” or farmer”. So, it is thought to refer to someone who was either a steward or farmer who lived near an alder grove.
ElsevierDutch The name of a prominent Dutch publishing house of the 17th and 18th century, possibly derived from Old Hebrew הל ספר (hal safir) meaning "the book". Another suggested origin is Dutch hellevuur "hellfire" or helsche vier "four from hell", supposedly derived from a sign by the family’s house.
EmmerGerman A topographic name for someone who lived by land where grain was grown, a status name for someone who owned such land, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or dealt in grain.
EngineerIndian (Parsi) Parsi name literally meaning "engineer", referring to someone who made machines or engines. As the British rule of India demanded for all Parsees to adopt a surname, many used English vocabulary based on their occupation.
EngländerGerman, Jewish German ethnic name from Engländer "Englishman" and Jewish artificial name distributed at random by Austrian clerks.
EnglanderGerman, Jewish Ethnic name derived from German Engländer, meaning 'Englishman', thus denoting an incomer from England. In some cases, the Jewish name may be an ornamental adoption.
EnsorEnglish Derived from Endesor, a village in Derbyshire, indicating a person who lived there. Endesor itself is Old English, coming from the genitive case of the first name Ēadin and ‘ofer’, meaning ‘sloping ridge’ (From ‘Dictionary of American Family Names’, 2nd edition, 2022).... [more]
EpplerGerman Occupational name for a fruit grower or dealer, from Middle High German epfeler meaning "grower of or dealer in apples".
ErberJewish, German Meaning uncertain. Either a habitational name for someone living in a place named Erb or Erp, a name for a owner of a farm named Erbhof (derived from MIddle High German erbære "honorable, noble"), or derived from the given name Erpo.
ErlanderSwedish Derived from the personal name Erland. A famous bearer was Swedish politician Tage Erlander (1901-1985), Prime Minister of Sweden between 1946 and 1969... [more]
ErmatingerGerman (Swiss) The surname Ermatinger derives from the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance. It simply means "from Ermatingen".... [more]
ErmendingerGerman The surname Ermendinger was derived from the older surname Ermatinger, a name connected to the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance, and came into existence at some point during the early 17th or late 16th century when a branch of the Ermatinger family relocated from Schaffhausen, Switzerland, to Mulhouse, Alsace... [more]
ErnsbergerGerman (Anglicized, Modern) Also spelled (Ehrnsberger) has been said that a Christian Ernsberger or Ehrnsberger came to the U.S. in 1710 from Germany but i dont know from where in Germany.
EscherGerman Derived from German Esche meaning "ash (tree)", a habitational name for someone who lived near an ash tree, or came from a place named after it. This name was borne by the Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher, known for making works inspired by mathematics.