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.
CosbyEnglish From the name of a village in Leicestershire, derived from the Old English given name Cossa and Old Norse býr "sarm, settlement". A famous bearer of the name is American comedian and convicted felon Bill Cosby, full name William Henry Cosby Jr... [more]
CoscaItalian Topographic name from Calabrian c(u)oscu "young oak".
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 From the name of any of the various places in England so-called or similar, derived from Old English cot "cottage, small house" and ham "home, estate, settlement".
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".
CoutoPortuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Galician Habitational name for a person from any of the various places in Portugal containing Portuguese or Galician word couto "enclosed area of land". In some cases, the name may be topographic.
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.
CowgillEnglish From the name of a hamlet in West Riding of Yorkshire.
CowherdEnglish Variant of Coward. A famous bearer of the name is American sports media personality Colin Cowherd (1964-).
CowieScottish habitational name from any of several places, especially one near Stirling, named Cowie, probably from Gaelic colldha, an adjective from coll ‘hazel’
CrabbEnglish, Scottish From Old English crabba "crab (crustacean)", a nickname for someone with a peculiar gait. Could also be from the sense of "crabapple (tree)", from Middle English crabbe "crabapple, wild apple", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a crabapple tree, or a nickname for a cantankerous person, with reference to the sourness of the fruit.
CrabtreeEnglish The ancestors of the Crabtree surname lived in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when they lived in the county of Yorkshire. Their name, however, indicates that the original bearer lived near a prominent crabtree.
CraigheadScottish Habitational name for someone who lived in places of this name in Scotland.
CraigieScottish Habitational name from any of several places in Scotland called Craigie, or simply a topographic name derived from Scottish Gaelic creag.
CraigmileScottish Derived from Craigmyle, a place in the village of Kincardine O'Neil, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It could also be an occupational name for a baker who made cracknel biscuits.
CraneEnglish From Middle English crane "crane (bird)", a nickname for a tall, thin man with long legs. The term included the heron until the introduction of a separate word for the latter in the 14th century... [more]
CranleyIrish The surname Cranley was first found in Ulster (Irish: Ulaidh), where they held a family seat but were also to be found in County Offaly and Galway. The sept is styled the Princes of Crich Cualgne and are descended from Cu-Ulladh, a Prince in 576.
CranstonScottish Habitational name from the parish named Cranston in Midlothian, from Old English given name Cran or element cran, both meaning "crane" and tun "enclosure, town"... [more]
CravenIrish, English Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Crabháin (County Galway) or Mac Crabháin (Louth, Monaghan) ‘descendant (or ‘son’) of Crabhán’... [more]
CravottaSicilian From a Sicilian immigrant to America, Cravotta was changed to Cravatta upon arrival at Ellis Island. The name means "bowtie."
CreightonEnglish From Irish 'crioch' meaning "border", and Old English 'tun' meaning "town".
CrellinManx Manx: shortened form of Gaelic Mac Nialláin ‘son of Niallán’ a diminutive of the personal name Niall. This name has been explained as a metathesized form of Crennall
CremaItalian From the name of a city in Lombardy, Italy, derived from Lombardic (an Old Germanic language) krem "small hill".
CrenshawEnglish The derivation of this surname is from the Old English pre 7th Century "Crawa", a crow, with "sceaga" a grove, thus "Crowswood". The earliest recording of this placename is in the Lancashire Inquests of 1324 and appears as "Croweshagh".
CrépeauFrench Nickname for someone with curly hair from a derivative of Old French crespe "curly-haired" (from Latin crispus)... [more]
CrepeauFrench From the Latin word, crispus, meaning "curly hair".
CressGerman, Jewish, Belarusian A variant of the German surname Kress. From the Middle High German "kresse" meaning "gudgeon" (a type of fish) or the Old High German "krassig", meaning "greedy". Can also be from an altered form of the names Erasmus or Christian, or the Latin spelling of the Cyrillic "КРЕСС".
CrestaItalian, Romansh Derived from Italian and Romansh cresta "crest" (ultimately from Latin crista). This name was perhaps applied as a topographic name for someone who lived by the crest of a mountain or as a nickname with reference to the comb of a rooster.
CreteFrench French (adjectival form Crété ‘crested’): nickname for an arrogant individual, from Old French creste ‘crest (of a hill)’ (Late Latin crista), used with reference to the comb of a rooster... [more]
CreusCatalan Means "crosses" in Catalan, the plural of creu. Also compare Spanish Cruces. A famous bearer of this surname is the Spanish footballer Xavi Hernández Creus (1980-).
CrevierFrench Either a derivative of Old French creve meaning “crevice” or “fissure” hence a topographic name for someone who lived on arid land or an occupational name for a seller of crawfish from an agent derivative of Old French crevis meaning “crawfish.”
CribbsEnglish (Rare) Unknown origin. Likely either from the Old English given name Crispin, which derives from a Latin nickname meaning "curly-haired", or from the place Cribbis near Lauder, England.
CrislerGerman (Americanized) Americanized form of German Kreisler or Griessler or, in the south, an occupational name for a grocer from Middle High German griezmel meaning “milled grain.”
CristEnglish From Old English Crīst meaning "Christ, the Messiah" (see Christos 1). May have been a nickname for someone who played the part of Christ in a pageant, or a short form of a given name containing it as an element, such as Christian or Christopher.
CriteLow German, Upper German (Americanized) Probably an Americanized form of South German Kreit or Kreith which are topographic names derived from Middle High German geriute meaning “land cleared for farming” or of North German Kreite which is a nickname for a quarrelsome person derived from Middle Low German kreit meaning “strife.”
CrivelliItalian From the Italian crivello, which is derived from the Latin cribrum, meaning "sieve," (a mesh food strainer); likely an occupational name for a maker or user of sieves.
CrnkovićCroatian Derived from crn "black". The name refers to a person who was dark-skinned, or a person from the region Crna Gora "Black Mountain" (modern-day Montenegro).
CroakerEnglish Meant "person from Crèvecoeur", the name of various places in northern France ("heartbreak", an allusion to the poverty of the local soil).
CrockettEnglish, Scottish Nickname for someone who affected a particular hairstyle, from Middle English croket ''large curl'' (Old Norman French croquet, a diminutive of croque "curl", "hook").
CromptonEnglish Derived from the Old English word "Crometun"
CromwellEnglish Habitational name from a place called Cromwell in Nottinghamshire, derived from Old English crump "bent, crooked" and wille "well, stream". Famous bearers of the name were English statesman Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), considered as one of the most important figures in British history, as well as his son, English statesman Richard Cromwell (1626-1712).
CronkhiteDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of the obsolete Dutch surname Krankheyt, derived from krankheid meaning "illness, weakness", most likely a nickname for a sickly individual.
CronkiteDutch (Anglicized) Variant form of Cronkhite. A well-known bearer of this surname was the American broadcast journalist and anchorman Walter Cronkite (1916-2009).
CrookEnglish, Scottish Topographic name for someone who lived by a bend in a river or road, derived from Old English *croc "crook, bend".
CrooksEnglish Habitational name from Crookes in Sheffield (Yorkshire), named with Old Norse krókr ‘hook, bend’.... [more]
CroomEnglish Based on a nickname for a crippled person or a hunchback, derived from Middle English crom(p) and Old English crumb, meaning "bent", "crooked", or "stopping". (See Crump.)
CroomEnglish An occupational surname for a maker, seller, or user of hooks. Derived from Middle English crome or cromb, meaning "hook" or "crook".
CroomEnglish A habitational surname, describing someone who lived in a place named Croom or Croome.