DolbergDanish, German A name for a village in North Rine-Westphalia Germany.
DolceItalian, Sicilian From the medieval name Dolce meaning "sweet, pleasant" derived from Latin dulcis.
DoleEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) English: from Middle English dole ‘portion of land’ (Old English dal ‘share’, ‘portion’). The term could denote land within the common field, a boundary mark, or a unit of area; so the name may be of topographic origin or a status name... [more]
DollingEnglish (British) From an unrecorded Middle English word dolling, douling, or dulling meaning “dull person.” Compare Doll. Post-medieval examples of the name may also have arisen from a late assimilation of rl to ll in Dorling, a variant of Darling: Samuel Dorling, 1770 is identical with Samuel Dolling, 1782 in Parish Registers (West Stow Suffolk)... [more]
DollinsEnglish (British) Variant of Dollin, with post-medieval excrescent -s, itself a variant of Dolling, a nickname from an unrecorded Middle English word dolling douling dulling meaning “dull or stupid one” (compare Doll)... [more]
DomanCzech, Slovak, Polish Derivative of the personal name Tomas, or Slavic, Polish name formed with 'doma' meaning home or domestic such as Domasław or Domarad, also shortened from the surname Domański.
DomańskiPolish Habitational name for someone from any of various locations called Domanice or Domaniew, or places named with Doman.
DonScottish Don derives from the Old Gaelic "donn", brown, or the Old English pre 7th Century "dunn", brown, or the Old English pre 7th Century "dunn", dull brown or dark, and was originally given as a distinguishing nickname to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
DonabedianArmenian Patronymic from classical Armenian tōnapet meaning ‘head of a festival’.
Do NascimentoPortuguese (Brazilian) Variant of Nascimento. This surname was borne by several Brazilian soccer players, including Pelé (1940-2022), Ramires (1987-) and Thiago Alcântara (1991-).
DonatoItalian From the medieval personal name Donato (Latin Donatus, past participle of donare, frequentative of dare "to give"). It was the name of a 4th-century Italian bishop martyred in c. 350 under Julian the Apostate, as well as various other early saints, and a 4th-century grammarian and commentator on Virgil, widely respected in the Middle Ages as a figure of great learning.
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]
DoneganIrish Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó Donnagáin. Diminutive of "donn" which means "brown," referring to hair color.
DonkDutch Means "sandy hill" in Dutch, specifically referring to a hill above a marsh or silty area. Element found in several place names.
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.
DonnaItalian Probably a matronymic, from the given name Donna meaning "lady, mistress" in classical Italian and "woman" in modern Italian. May alternately derive from a place name.
DonnanIrish Anglicized form of Ó Donnáin meaning "descendant of Donnán", a diminutive of the given name Donn, derived from Irish donn "brown, brown-haired" or donn "prince, chieftain".
DonnarummaItalian Composed of Italian donna "lady" (from Latin domina "lady, mistress") and a short form of Rummeneca, a Neapolitan variant of the feminine given name Domenica, meaning "Sunday" and also deriving from Latin dominus "lord"... [more]
DoolingEnglish Variant of Dolling, a nickname from an unrecorded Middle English word, dolling, douling, dulling meaning “dull or stupid one.”
DoolittleEnglish From a medieval nickname applied to a lazy man (from Middle English do "do" + little "little"). It was borne by the American poet Hilda Doolittle (1886-1961). A fictional bearer is Eliza Doolittle, the flower seller in Bernard Shaw's 'Pygmalion' (1913); and a variant spelling was borne by Dr Dolittle, the physician who had the ability to talk to animals, in the series of books written by Hugh Lofting from 1920.
DoradoSpanish From dorado "golden" (from Late Latin deaurare "to gild", from aurum "gold"), probably applied as a nickname to someone with golden hair.
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".
D'orivalFrench Variant form of D'oreval. This is also one of the very few forms (of what is ultimately the D'aurevalle surname) that is still in use nowadays.
DorlandEnglish A variant of Darling. It was a name for a person who was greatly loved by his friends and family. The surname was originally derived from the word deorling, which meant "darling".
DormanEnglish From the Old English personal name Deormann, composed of Old English deor (see Dear) + mann 'man'. This surname became established in Ireland in the 17th century; sometimes it is found as a variant of Dornan.
DornGerman, Jewish, Flemish Means "thorn" in German. Given as a habitational name to someone who lived near thorn bushes, or as an ornamental name.
DornEnglish Either a place name from Dorn, Worcestershire, possibly derived from a root word meaning "fort, stronghold", or a variant of Thorn from Middle High German dorn "thorn" (from ancient Germanic þurnaz).
DornfeldGerman topographic name for someone who lived by a field where thorn bushes grew from Middle High German Middle Low German dorn "thorn" and feld "open country".
DorsaItalian Derived from the Albanian placename Durrës.
DorsainvilHaitian Creole Ornamental name derived from French d'or meaning "of gold" combined with saint "holy" and vil "settlement" (the Haitian Creole spelling of French ville).
DoschGerman Topographic name for someone living near bushes or brush, from Middle High German doste, toste ‘leafy branch’, or a habitational name from a house with a sign depicting a bush. Also an altered spelling of Dasch.
Dos SantosPortuguese, Galician Means "of the saints" in Portuguese and Galician, originally given to a person born or baptized on All Saints' Day.
DossettEnglish Recorded in several forms including Dowsett, Dosset, and Dossit, this is an English surname. ... [more]
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]
DotaJapanese From 土 (do) meaning "soil, ground earth" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
DotsonEnglish Patronymic of the Middle English name Dodde. Originally derived from the Germanic root dodd meaning "something rounded", used to denote a short, rotund man.
DötterGerman From a Germanic personal name formed with theud ‘people’, ‘race’ + hard ‘hardy’, ‘strong’ or hari, heri ‘army’
DouChinese From Chinese 窦 (dòu) meaning "hole, burrow".
DouangdaraLao From Lao ດວງ (douang) meaning "ball, sphere, circle" and ດາລາ (dara) meaning "star".
DouangmalaLao From Lao ດວງ (douang) meaning "circle" and ມາລາ (mala) meaning "bunch of flowers, garland".
DoubledayEnglish Possibly from the nickname or byname do(u)bel meaning "the twin", or a combination of the given name Dobbel (a pet form of Robert) and Middle English day(e) meaning "servant".
DoughtonEnglish Habitational name from Doughton in Gloucestershire or Doughton in Norfolk, both from Old English dūce meaning “duck” + tūn “farmstead.”
DoughtyEnglish Doughty. This interesting surname of English origin is a nickname for a powerful or brave man, especially a champion jouster, deriving from the Middle English "doughty", Olde English pre 7th Century dohtigdyhtig meaning "valiant" or "strong"... [more]
DoukasGreek From medieval Greek doukas "duke", "lord", from Latin dux. This was the name of a family of imperial rank in medieval Byzantium.
DovelEnglish A English name that originated from the french surname Duval in 1725 in England, the Dovels are historically farmers and are mostly found in the USA.
DowdellEnglish Habitational name from a lost Ovedale or Uvedale which gave rise to the 14th-century surname de Uvedale alias de Ovedale connected with the manor of D'Ovesdale in Litlington, Cambridgeshire, first recorded as “manor of Overdale, otherwise Dowdale” in 1408... [more]
DowellEnglish, Scottish, Irish Derived from the Gaelic name Dubhgall, composed of the elements dubh meaning "black" and gall, "stranger". This was used as a byname for Scandinavians, in particular to distinguish the dark-haired Danes from fair-haired Norwegians.
DowlandEnglish Habitational name from Dowland in Devon, possibly named from Old English dūfe meaning “dove” + land “open country.” The name is pronounced with the first element rhyming with owl, but it may have been confused with and absorbed by Dolling, also a Devon name (see Dollins)... [more]
DowningEnglish Topographic name derived from Middle English doun "hill, down" (see dun). Compare Downer.
DownsEnglish This surname is derived from the Old English element dun meaning "hill, mountain, moor." This denotes someone who lives in a down (in other words, a ridge of chalk hills or elevated rolling grassland).
DowsonEnglish Either a patronymic surname derived from the given name Dow, a medieval variant of Daw (which was a diminutive of David), or else a metronymic form of the medieval feminine name Dowce, literally "sweet, pleasant", from Old French dolz, dous (cf... [more]
DrabkinBelarusian, Jewish Jewish (from Belarus): metronymic from Yiddish drabke “loose woman”. Can also be from drabki (Belarusian) 'light cart' (+ the same suffix -in), an occupational name for a coachman (Alexander Beider).... [more]
DrachJewish Ornamental surname derived from German Drache "dragon" (ultimately from Middle High German trache).
DragNorwegian (Rare) Habitational name from any of several farms named Drag. The place name is related to Old Norse draga "to pull" (compare modern Norwegian dra with the same meaning) and originally denoted a place where boats were pulled along a river or across an isthmus.
DragonFrench, English Nickname or occupational name for someone who carried a standard in battle or else in a pageant or procession, from Middle English, Old French dragon "snake, monster" (Latin draco, genitive draconis, from Greek drakōn, ultimately from derkesthai "to flash")... [more]
DragooAmerican, French (Huguenot) Americanized form of Dragaud, a French (Huguenot) surname derived from the Germanic given name Dragwald, itself derived from the elements drag- meaning "to carry" and wald "power, rule".
DrakefordEnglish The first element of this locational surname is probably derived from the personal name Draca or Draki (see Drake), while the second element is derived from Old English ford meaning "ford"... [more]
DraxlerGerman Derived from the Middle High German "Drehseler," meaning "turner," and was most likely initially borne by a turner or lathe worker.
DrayEnglish From Middle English dregh, probably as a nickname from any of its several senses: "lasting", "patient", "slow", "tedious", "doughty". Alternatively, in some cases, the name may derive from Old English drýge "dry, withered", also applied as a nickname.
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.
DreilingGerman From Middle High German drīling, meaning “third (part),” possibly denoting a service or tax obligation and hence a status name or a triplet.
DreilingGerman Habitational name from Drelingen near Uelzen, Lower Saxony.
DrellJewish (Ashkenazi) Metonymic occupational name from East Slavic drel meaning “borer, gimlet.”
DrenthDutch From the place name Drenthe, possibly derived from Old Dutch thrie "three" and hant "lands".
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]
DrexelGerman, Jewish It originates from the pre 7th century word 'dreseler' meaning 'to turn', a verb which in medieval times had a wide range of meanings.
DreyfussGerman, Jewish Means "three feet" in German. This surname originates from the German city of Trier. The Latin name for the city was "Treveris," whose pronunciation eventually developed into Dreyfuss. The spelling variants tend to correspond to the country the family was living in at the time the spelling was standardized: the use of one "s" tends to be more common among people of French origin, while the use of two tends to be found among those of German descent
DriggersAmerican Corruption of the Spanish surname Rodriguez. Originated in 17th century Virginia as a former slave by that surname was integrated into free society.
DringEnglish Means "young man" (from Old Norse drengr).
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.
DromgooleIrish An Anglicized from the Irish Gaelic place name Droim Gabhail in County Louth, Ireland meaning "ridge of the forking stream." Dromgoolestown in County Louth is believed to be named after this surname... [more]
DropkinJewish, Belarusian Jewish (from Belarus): nickname from Belorussian drobka ‘crumb’+ the eastern Slavic patronymic suffix -in.... [more]
DrouillardFrench Probably a derogatory nickname, from a derivative of the regional term drouiller "to defecate", which also has various figurative senses.
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".
DruryEnglish, French, Irish Originally a Norman French nickname, derived from druerie "love, friendship" (itself a derivative of dru "lover, favourite, friend" - originally an adjective, apparently from a Gaulish word meaning "strong, vigourous, lively", but influenced by the sense of the Old High German element trut, drut "dear, beloved").... [more]
DrydenEnglish Possibly from an English place name meaning "dry valley" from the Old English elements drȳġe "dry" and denu "valley". A notable bearer was the English poet, literary critic, translator and playwright John Dryden (1631-1700).
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.
DubeNdebele, Zulu It means Zebra. It is usually a surname instead of a person's name used by Zimbabwean Ndebele people and South African Zulu people.... [more]
DubreuilFrench Topographic name derived from Old French breuil meaning "marshy woodland" (also derived from Late Latin brogilum, of Gaulish origin). In French the term later came to mean "enclosed woodland" and then "cleared woodland", and both these senses may also be reflected in the surname.
DubuissonFrench A topographic name for someone who lived in an area of scrub land or by a prominent clump of bushes, derived from Old French buisson meaning "small tree, bush, scrub".