ConningtonEnglish This name means "The king's manor, the royal estate," from the Old Scandinavian word "konunger" + the Old English word "tun." It was listed twice in the Domesday Book of 1086, once as Coninctune and secondly as Cunitone.
ConquestEnglish Probably from a medieval nickname, perhaps applied to a domineering person. This surname is borne by the British poet, historian and critic Robert Conquest (1917-).
ContestabileItalian Means "debatable, questionable" in Italian, perhaps a nickname for an argumentative person, or for someone of dubious respectability.
ContractorIndian (Parsi) Parsi occupational surname for a contractor, or someone who works on the basis of a contract. As the British rule of India demanded for all Parsees to adopt a surname, many adopted English vocabulary based on their occupation (i.e. Engineer or Merchant).
ConversFrench Nickname for a Jew who converted to Christianity.
ConverseEnglish Originally a nickname for a Jew converted to Christianity or an occupational name for someone converted to the religious way of life, a lay member of a convent, from Middle English and Old French convers "convert".
ConwellEnglish Russell Cornwell Hoban was a children's book writer.
ConynghamScottish alternate spelling or descendant from surname Cunningham. source: Baron or Marquess Conyngham family line.
ConzettRomansh Derived from Conz, a variant of the given name Kunz, in combination with the diminutive suffix -ett.
CooganIrish Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "MacCogadhain"; composed of the Gaelic prefix "mac," which means "son of," and the Gaelic personal name "Cuchogaidh", which means "Hound of War". The name is also found in Ireland as Cogan, Coggan, Coggen, Cogin, Coggon, Coogan and Goggin(s).
CookinhamJewish (Americanized) This has the form of an English habitational name; however, there is no record of any such place name in the British Isles, and the surname does not appear in present-day records. It is probably an Americanized form of Jewish Guggenheim .
CooleyIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Chúille ‘son of the servant of (Saint) Mochúille’, a rare Clare name.
CoolidgeEnglish Probably an occupational name for a college servant or someone with some other association with a university college, for example a tenant farmer who farmed one of the many farms in England known as College Farm, most of which are or were owned by university colleges.
CooterEnglish A Sussex, England surname of uncertain meaning. Could be a local pronunciation of Cotter, meaning "cottage dweller" for a serf in the feudal system allowed to live in a cottage in exchange for labor on the cottage owner's estate.
CopaItalian from the Italian word scopa which means “broom” or “heather”.
CopasEnglish Possibly a topographic name derived from Middle English coppis "coppice, thicket, grove of brushwood; cut-over forest".
CopeEnglish From Middle English cope "cape, cloak", an occupational name for a maker of cloaks, or a nickname for someone known for wearing one.
CoppEnglish Derived from Old English copp "top, summit; crown (of the head)", a topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, or perhaps a nickname for someone with an oddly-shaped head.
CoraggioItalian From Italian meaning "courage, bravery". Historically, the surname could have been given to someone who was known for their bravery or courage in the face of conflict, danger, or adversity, or to someone associated with the military or warfare.
CorbettEnglish, Scottish, Welsh Nickname from Norman French corbet meaning 'little crow, raven'. This surname is thought to have originated in Shropshire. The surname was taken by bearers to Scotland in the 12th Century, and to Northern Ireland in the 17th Century.... [more]
CorbieFrench From the name of a town in northern France, possibly derived from a given name originating with the Latin word corvus meaning "raven, crow". Alternatively, it could be a variant form of Corbeau.
CorbinEnglish, French Derived from French corbeau meaning "raven," originally denoting a person who had dark hair.
CordascoItalian From the given name Corda or Cordio (a short form of Accord(i)o, literally "agreement") + the suffix -asco denoting kinship.
CordayFrench Either from the French word corde meaning "cord/rope/string", or from the Latin word cor meaning "heart." This was the surname of Charlotte Corday, the assassin who killed Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat during the French revolution.
CordeiroPortuguese, Galician Means "young lamb" in Portuguese and Galician (Latin cordarius, a derivative of cordus "young", "new"). Occupational name for a shepard
CordellEnglish Means "maker of cord" or "seller of cord" in Middle English.
CordenEnglish Derives from Old French Cordon meaning "a seller of ribbon" or from Cordoan, a locational job description for a worker in fine kid leather. Originally associated with the city of Cordova in Spain... [more]
CorderFrench (Anglicized, Archaic), English (American) Linked to both English, French and Spanish origin. Cordier, Cordero, Corder- one who makes cord. Can refer to both the act of making cords (rope), cores of fire wood, or actual location names.... [more]
CorderoSpanish Means "lamb" in Spanish, either used as an occupational name for a shepherd or a religious name referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
CordiscoItalian Possibly from Italian cordesco "second-born lamb, butchered calf".
CórdobaSpanish Indicates someone who was originally from the city of Córdoba (Cordova) in Andalusia, Spain. The name itself is derived from Phonecian Qʾrtuba meaning "Juba’s city", itself from Phonecian qʾrt meaning "city" and juba referring to King Juba I of Numidia.
CordonnierFrench An occupational surname for a cordwainer or shoemaker, and derived from Old French cordouanier, literally meaning "cobbler".
CoreanoFilipino, Spanish, Portuguese Means "Korean" in Spanish and Portuguese, possibly an ethnic name or regional name for someone from Korea or who had connections with Korea.
CorkEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a supplier of red or purple dye or for a dyer of cloth, Middle English cork (of Celtic origin; compare Corkery).
CorkeryIrish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Corcra "descendant of Corcra", a personal name derived from corcair "purple" (ultimately cognate with Latin purpur).
CorkillManx, Irish The name is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Thorcaill ("son of Thorkell") which is derived from the Old Norse personal name meaning "Thor's kettle".
CorlissEnglish Derived from Old English carleas "free from anxiety; unconcerned", cognate to Old Norse kærulauss. This was a nickname given to a carefree person.
CormierFrench French topographic name for someone who lived near a sorb or service tree, Old French cormier (from corme, the name of the fruit for which the tree was cultivated, apparently of Gaulish origin).
CornacchiaItalian Means "crow, carrion crow, jackdaw" in Italian, a nickname for someone who was talkative, or thought to resemble a crow or jackdaw in some other way.
CornetFrench, Walloon Either a topographic name for someone who lived on a street corner, from a derivative of corne "corner". From cornet, denoting either a rustic horn or an object made of horn, hence a metonymic occupational name for a hornblower or for a worker in horn... [more]
CorneyEnglish A habitational surname from places in Cumbria and Hertfordshire named Corney, derived from either Old English corn "grain, seed" or a metathesized form of cran "crane (bird)" combined with eg "island, dry land in a marsh"... [more]
CornwallCeltic One who came from Cornwall, a county in the South West of England.
CornwellEnglish Habitational name from Cornwell in Oxfordshire, named from Old English corn, a metathesized form of cron, cran ‘crane’ + well(a) ‘spring’, ‘stream’.variant of Cornwall.
CoronadoSpanish from coronado "crowned" past participle of coronare "to crown" (from Latin corona "crown") applied as a nickname for someone who behaved in an imperious manner or derived from the village Coronado in Galacia.
CoronelSpanish, Portuguese Means "colonel" in Spanish and Portuguese, used as an occupational name for someone in command of a regiment.
CorpusEnglish Possibly derived from Old Norse Korpr "raven", a nickname for a person with dark hair.
CorpusSpanish Ultimately from Latin corpus meaning "body, corpse, matter". It is possibly from the feast of Corpus Christi.
CorralesSpanish Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations named Corrales in Spain, from Spanish corral meaning "coral, enclosure".
CorrieEnglish Habitational name from places in Arran, Dumfries, and elsewhere, named Corrie, from Gaelic coire "cauldron", applied to a circular hanging valley on a mountain.
CorrinManx, Scottish First documented in 1290, sources suggest prototypes to be of Norse and/or Irish origins or a Manx contraction of Mac Oran from Mac Odhrain.
CorsonEnglish Nickname from Old French 'corson', a diminutive of curt ‘short’
CorsonDutch (Americanized, ?) From the given name of Cors Pieters, a sailor with the Dutch West Indies Company, who arrived in the Dutch Colony, New Amsterdam (present day New York), on or before 1638... [more]
CortPolish, Russian, Jewish Derived from the surname "Kutalczuk", "Kotelchik", "Cuttlechuck", or "Kuttlechuck"
CorteSpanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese From corte "court", applied as an occupational name for someone who worked at a manorial court or a topographic name for someone who lived in or by one.
CortrightEnglish Habitational surname from the Dutch Kortrijk for a person from a place of this name in Flanders. Perhaps also a respelling of English Cartwright.
CosgroveEnglish Habitational name from Cosgrove in Northamptonshire, named with an Old English personal name Cof + Old English graf "grove", "thicket".
CossartEnglish, French From French, referring to "a dealer of horses" (related to the English word "courser"). This surname was brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066, and became one of the many Anglo-Norman words that made up Middle English.
CostabileItalian Occupational name for a chamberlain, cognate to Constable. In some cases, it’s instead taken from the Italian given name derived from Late Latin Constabilis.
CostainEnglish, Scottish, Manx When originating in Scotland Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man the surname is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Mac Austain, meaning "son of Austin"... [more]
CostelloIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Oisdealbhaigh meaning "son of Oisdealbhach". The given name Oisdealbhach is derived from Irish os meaning "deer, fawn" and dealbhach meaning "resembling, shapely".
CosterEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of costards (Anglo-Norman French, from coste 'rib'), a variety of large apples, so called for their prominent ribs.
CotnerMedieval Low German (Americanized) Likely originating from an Americanized spelling of Kötner or Köthner, status names for a cotter. Derived from Middle Low German kote ‘shelter’, ‘cottage’.
CotoSpanish, Galician Habitational name from any of the many places named "Coto" especially in Galicia and Asturias. From coto meaning "ground".
CottEnglish From the Old English personal name Cotta. Possibly an altered spelling of French Cotte, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of chain mail, from Old French cot(t)e ‘coat of mail’, ‘surcoat’... [more]
CotterEnglish Derived from the Old English elements cot "cottage, hut" and the suffix -er. In the feudal system a cotter held a cottage by service (rather than by rent). Reaney gives the surname deriving from the Old French cotier "cottager" (see: villein)... [more]
CotterIrish Anglicized form of Irish Mac Oitir meaning "son of Oitir", a given name borrowed from Old Norse Óttarr, composed of the elements ótti "fear, dread" and herr "army, warrior".
CottonEnglish, French English: habitational name from any of numerous places named from Old English cotum (dative plural of cot) ‘at the cottages or huts’ (or sometimes possibly from a Middle English plural, coten)... [more]
CottrellEnglish, French First found in Derbyshire where the family "Cottrell" held a family seat and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege lord for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings, 1066CE... [more]
CoulibalyWestern African, Manding Francization of Bambara kulu bari meaning "without a canoe", referring to someone who crossed a river or another body of water without the use of a canoe.
CouncilEnglish, German 1 English: nickname for a wise or thoughtful man, from Anglo-Norman French counseil ‘consultation’, ‘deliberation’, also ‘counsel’, ‘advice’ (Latin consilium, from consulere ‘to consult’)... [more]
CountrymanEnglish Translation of German Landmann, Landsmann or Dutch Landman, Landsman, which means ‘countryman’ or ‘fellow countryman’.
CourtEnglish, French, Irish A topographic name from Middle English, Old French court(e) and curt, meaning ‘court’. This word was used primarily with reference to the residence of the lord of a manor, and the surname is usually an occupational name for someone employed at a manorial court.... [more]
CourtierFrench, Medieval French, Medieval English French: habitational name from places called Courtier (Seine-et-Marne, Aples-de-Haute-Provence), Courtié (Tarn), or Courtière (Loir-et-Cher). ... [more]
CourvilleFrench Derived from either of two communes in the departments of Marne and Eure-et-Loir in France. It is named with Latin curba villa, denoting a settlement in the curve of a road.
CousinEnglish, French Nickname derived from Middle English cousin and Old French cosin, cusin meaning "cousin".
CouturierFrench occupational name for a tailor Old French cousturier from an agent derivative of cousture "seam". status name from Old French couturier "farmer husbandman" an agent derivative of couture "small plot kitchen garden".
CovaCatalan, Galician Topographic name from Catalan and Galician cova ‘cave’, or a habitational name from a place named with this word, in the provinces of Lugo, Ourense, Pontevedra, Catalonia and Valencia.
CoventryEnglish habitational name from the city of Coventry in the West Midlands, which is probably named with the genitive case of an Old English personal name Cofa (compare Coveney) + Old English treow 'tree'.
CovertEnglish, French The surname is probably topographical, for someone who either lived by a sheltered bay, or more likely an area sheltered by trees. The formation is similar to couvert, meaning a wood or covert, and originally from the Latin "cooperio", to cover... [more]
CowburnEnglish The place-name, in turn, comes from the Old English cocc, meaning "rooster," and burna, meaning "a stream." As such, the surname is classed as a local, or habitational name, derived from a place where the original bearer lived or held land.
CowdellEnglish (British) Cowdell is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Coldwell' (v. Caldwell), a township in the union of Bellingham, Northumberland Also of Colwell, a township in the union of Hexham, same county.
CowieScottish habitational name from any of several places, especially one near Stirling, named Cowie, probably from Gaelic colldha, an adjective from coll ‘hazel’