KleisUpper German, Romansh Derived from the given name Kleis, a South German variant of Klaus. The Kleis settled in Romansh-speaking areas after the Napoleonic Wars.
KnausGerman Comes from Middle High German knuz ‘proud’, ‘arrogant’, ‘daring’, hence a nickname for a haughty person. In Württemberg knaus (and in Switzerland knus) also meant ‘gnarl’, hence a nickname for a short, fat, gnarled person; topographic name for someone living on a hillock, from knaus ‘hillock’ in the Swabian and Alemannic dialects of German
KnösSwedish (Rare) Derived from the name of a farm named Knorren or Knörren in Sweden whose name is unexplained but possibly taken from Swedish knusa "to crush, to crumble". Knös coincides with the Swedish word knös meaning "rich person", but the surname existed before the vocabulary word appeared in the Swedish language.
KnowlesIrish As an Irish surname it is an anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Tnúthghail meaning "descendant of Tnúthgal", a given name composed of the elements tnúth "desire, envy" and gal "valor".
KnucklesEnglish Possibly a nickname for someone with prominent knuckles.
KontrafourisGreek A surname of Italian origin, from the Italian words 'contra' meaning against, and 'furo' meaning thief. Common in Greece and among the Greek diaspora.
KontsEstonian Konts is an Estonian surname meaning "heel" and "stubb".
KoopmeinersDutch, German Perhaps derived from koop "purchase, buy" and meiners "mine." An alternate interpretation is that "meiners" could be derived from the German word miner.
KoopsDutch, Low German Patronymic from the given name Koop, a diminutive form of Jakob. Alternatively, a variant of German and Dutch Koop.
KooritsEstonian Koorits is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "koor" meaning both "(tree) bark" and "choir". It may also be a corruption of "kõrvits" meaning "pumpkin".
KorjusEstonian Korjus is an Estonian surname meaning "carrion".
KörmösHungarian From Hungarian köröm "nail, claw", indicating someone with long or dirty nails, or perhaps someone aggressive.
KormosHungarian Means "sooty" in Hungarian. Most likely a nickname for someone with dark hair or a shabby appearance, but may also be an occupational name for a house painter who used soot as a raw material. ... [more]
KourlitisGreek (Modern) Of unknown origin, bearing the locational suffix -tis, "of, from". Potentially related to κουρλί, "tendril of hair", kouros, "noble boy, youth", or a location such as Koursaroi.
KrabsPopular Culture This is the surname of Eugene H. Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants.
KraisGerman, Brazilian Brazilian adaptation of the German surname Greis; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil.
KrapikasLithuanian From Lithuanian krapas meaning "dill". An occupational name for someone who grows or sells dill.
KressGerman From Middle High German kresse "gudgeon", hence probably a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish in some way or an occupational name for a fisherman.
KressGerman From Old High German krassig, gratag "greedy".
KriaučiūnasLithuanian Derived from Lithuanian kriaučius "tailor" combined with the patronymic suffix -ūnas.
KriesGerman From Middle High German kriese "cherry" hence an occupation for someone who sold soft fruits or a locational surname for some who lived by a cherry tree.
KrieviņšLatvian Derived from the word krievs meaning "Russian".
KroesDutch, Low German Means "chalice, cup, jug" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who made drinking vessels, such as a potter. Could also be a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a cup.
KrossLow German Occupational name for a maker of mugs and jugs, from Middle Low German krus, kros 'pitcher', 'ceramic drinking vessel'.
KruisDutch, Flemish Means "cross" in Dutch, a habitational name for someone who lived near a crossroads, a sign depicting a cross, or a place where people were executed. Could also denote someone who made crosses, either the religious symbol or the instrument of torture.
LadulåsOld Swedish Most 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.
LaesEstonian Laes is an Estonian surname meaning "fore" and "overhead".
LæstadiusSwedish From the name of the village Lästa in Ångermanland, Sweden, whose name possibly means "Leiðulfr's home". Lars Levi Læstadius (1800-1861) was a Swedish priest who founded a Lutheran revival movement known as Laestadianism.
LambrosGreek Alternate transcription of Greek Λαμπρος (see Lampros), derived from Greek λαμπρός (lampros) meaning "bright, shining, brilliant"... [more]
LammasEstonian Lammas is an Estonian surname meaning "sheep".
LammasEnglish Lammas is a surname from the village Lamarsh in Essex, England.
LammersEnglish Habitational name from either Lamas in Norfolk or Lamarsh in Essex, derived from Old English lām "loam, clay" combined with ersc "plowed field" or mersc "marsh".
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.
LardinoisFrench Originally denoted a person from the Ardennes, a forest-covered region situated in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. A notable bearer of this name was the Dutch politician and diplomat Pierre Lardinois (1924-1987).
LaskarisGreek From 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".
LaversEnglish English (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]
LaxnessIcelandic (Rare) Derived from the name of a farm in Mosfellsbær parish in southwest Iceland. A notable bearer was author and Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness (1902-1998).
Le BrasBreton Altered form of Breton Ar Brazh meaning "the great, the imposing" or "the big, the fat", ultimately from Proto-Celtic *brassos "great, violent".
LeedsEnglish From the city of Leeds in Yorkshire. The name was first attested in the form Loidis in AD 731. In the Domesday Book of 1086, it is recorded as 'Ledes'. This name is thought to have ultimately been derived from an earlier Celtic name... [more]
LefilsFrench, Haitian Creole Derived from French le "the" and fils "son". This was originally a nickname to distinguish a son from his father with the same given name.
LefrançoisFrench From the given name François. It may also mean "the Frenchman", probably used to denote someone who came from the region of Île de France in France.
LehisEstonian Lehis is an Estonian surname meaning "larch".
LehismetsEstonian Lehismets is an Estonian surname meaning "larch forest".
LehmusEstonian Lehmus is an Estonian surname relating to "lehm" meaning "cow".
LehtmetsEstonian Lehtmets is an Estonian surname meaning "leaf(y) forest".
LemassFrench, Irish Meaning uncertain. It may be derived from Old French maistre meaning "master", ultimately from Latin magister (see Masterson). Another theory holds that it comes from Irish Gaelic Laighmheasa, a given name meaning "dispatch"... [more]
LinharesPortuguese Portuguese: habitational name from any of several places called Linhares, for example in Braganca, Guarda, and Vila Real, from the plural of linhar ‘flax field’ (Latin linare, a derivative of linum ‘flax’).