GoebbelsGerman, History Originally an occupational name for a brewer. Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.
GoettemsGerman, Brazilian Brazilian adaptation of the German surname Goedems; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil. All members of the Goettems family in Brazil are descendants of Johann Goedems, born in Oberlöstern, Saarland, on September 17, 1798.
GöktaşTurkish From Turkish gök meaning "sky" and taş meaning "stone".
GoosGerman, Flemish, Dutch Either a metonymic occupational name for a breeder or keeper of geese, from Middle Low German gōs and Middle Dutch goes "goose", or a short form of an Old German personal name containing Gote "Goth" or got "god", particularly Goswin or Gozewijn (a compound name with the second element wini "friend").
GoretsRussian Derived from Russian горец (gorets) meaning "highlander".
GrajalesSpanish Topographic name from the plural of Spanish grajal ‘place inhabited with rooks’ a derivative of the bird name graja feminine of grajo ‘rook (Corvus frugilegus)’.
GranadosSpanish Occupational name for a grower or seller of pomegranates, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a pomegranate tree, from granado "pomegranate tree" (cf. GARNETT).
GrassEnglish, German Topographic name for someone who owned or lived by a meadow, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold hay, from Middle English gras, Middle High German gras "grass, pasture, grazing".
GrassScottish Occupational name, reduced from Gaelic greusaiche "shoemaker". A certain John Grasse alias Cordonar (Middle English cordewaner "shoemaker") is recorded in Scotland in 1539.
GriesUpper German Topographic name for someone who lived in a sandy place from Middle High German griez meaning “sand pebble” or a shortened form of German Griese.
GrobglasJewish Perhaps an ornamental name derived from Yiddish גראָב (grob) meaning "crude, coarse, rough" and גלאז (glaz) meaning "glass". Israeli actress Yael Grobglas (1984-) bears this surname.
GrotiusDutch (Latinized) Latinized form of De Groot. This name was used by the Dutch humanist, theologian and jurist Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), born as either Huig de Groot or Hugo de Groot... [more]
GryllsEnglish (Rare) There was an old and distinguished family of Grylls of Tavistock (Devon) and Lanreath (Cornwall) in the 17th century; two high sheriffs of the county then bore the name. The manor of Gryils (commonly mispronounced Garles), near the rocks called the Gryils or Garles, from which they probably derive their name, is in the parish of Lesneweth in that county.
GuilalasTagalog From Tagalog gilalas meaning "astonishment, amazement".
GuilesFrench Of uncertain origin; it could be a variant of French Guill or of English Guile or Giles .
GuimarãesPortuguese Habitational name for someone originally from the city of Guimarães in northern Portugal.
GuirguisAncient Egyptian, Coptic The surname Guirguis is of Egyptian and Coptic origin, primarily associated with Christian families from Egypt. It is a transliteration of the Coptic name Girgis (Γεώργιος), which is derived from the Greek name George (Γεώργιος), meaning "farmer" or "earthworker."
GyökeresHungarian From a nickname meaning "rooted, radical, drastic" in Hungarian. A famous bearer is Viktor Gyökeres (1998-), a Swedish soccer player of Hungarian descent.
HailesScottish, English Scottish habitational name from Hailes in Lothian, originally in East Lothian, named from the Middle English genitive or plural form of hall ‘hall’. ... [more]
HaljasEstonian Haljas is an Estonian surname meaning "verdant".
HallasGreek Possibly derived from Albanian hala "yet, still", a nickname for a slow or lazy person. Alternatively, it could be related to Greek χαλάω (chaláo) "to break, spoil, ruin", descended from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláo) "to become loose, slack; to open, be open".
HarknessScottish, English (British), Northern Irish Apparently a habitational name from an unidentified place (perhaps in the area of Annandale, with which the surname is connected in early records), probably so called from the Old English personal name Hereca (a derivative of the various compound names with the first element here ‘army’) + Old English næss ‘headland’, ‘cape’... [more]
HarlessEnglish, German English: probably a variant spelling of Arliss, a nickname from Middle English earles ‘earless’, probably denoting someone who was deaf rather than one literally without ears.
HärmatisEstonian Härmatis is an Estonian surname meaning "hoarfrost".
HarrisWelsh A combination of the Welsh adjective 'hy', meaning 'bold' or 'presumptuous' and the common Welsh personal name 'Rhys'. This surname is common in South Wales and the English West Country and has an official Welsh tartan... [more]
HatzisGreek Hatzis is the modern form of the Greek khatzis 'a pilgrim to Jerusalem' (either Christian or Muslim), considered a high social distinction. The Greek term is Semitic in origin and is cognate with Arabic hajj 'pilgrimage (to Mecca).'
HaueisGerman Derived from Middle High German houwen "to beat" and isen "iron". This surname denoted a smith.
HausGerman Topographic and occupational name for someone who lived and worked in a great house, from Middle High German, Middle Low German hus "house" (see House).
HaverbusYiddish, Dutch Means "blessed friend", from Hebrew חבר (haver) and ברוך (baruch) "blessed".
HaversEnglish Possible variant of Haver, a German, Dutch and English surname. In Germany or England it refers to oats and is used as an occupational surname for a grower or seller of oats... [more]
HemmingsEnglish Derived from the given name Hemming. It is the last name of the band member of Five Seconds of Summer (5sos), Luke Hemmings.
HenaresSpanish Derived from the Celtic form of "brave". Also is the name of many towns (Alcala de Henares, Espinosa de Henares, Tortola de Henares...) and a river
HermèsFrench Either a topographic name for someone who lived in a deserted spot or on a patch of waste land from Occitan erm "desert waste" (from Greek erēmia) and the topographic suffix -ès, or from the given name Hermès.
HessGerman Habitational name from Hesse, a German state. It can also derive from the personal name Hesso, a short form of Matthäus, Hendrick, or a name containing the element hadu "battle, strife".
HiiemetsEstonian Hiiemets is an Estonian surname meaning "sacred grove forest".
HiisEstonian Hiis is an Estonian surname meaning "grove".
HillegasGerman German: Variant of Hillegass from a variant of the Germanic personal name Hildegaud, composed of hild ‘strife’, ‘battle’ + got, of uncertain meaning (perhaps the same word as Goth).
HitchinsEnglish Can be either a patronymic derived from the medieval given name Hitch, or a habitational name denoting someone from the town Hitchin, itself from Old English Hicce, the name of the Celtic tribe who originally resided in the area.
HollisEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived where holly trees grew.
HolthausGerman North German: topographic name for someone who lived by a copse (a small group of trees), from Middle Low German holt ‘small wood’ + haus ‘house’.
HornæusSwedish (Archaic) Probably a latinization of Härnösand, a city in Västernorrland County, Sweden. A notable bearer was Swedish priest Laurentius (Lars) Christophori Hornæus (born as Lars Christoffersson in 1645 in Härnösand)... [more]
HowesEnglish Pronounced to rhyme with hose, a variant of Howe with plural or post-medieval excrescent -s. Hose (Leicestershire), recorded as Howes in 1086, is named with the plural of Old English hōh ‘hill spur’.... [more]
IlesEnglish (British), French English (mainly Somerset and Gloucestershire): topographic name from Anglo-Norman French isle ‘island’ (Latin insula) or a habitational name from a place in England or northern France named with this element.