FerrierScottish Scottish: occupational name for a smith, one who shoed horses, Middle English and Old French ferrier, from medieval Latin ferrarius, from ferrus ‘horseshoe’, from Latin ferrum ‘iron’. Compare Farrar.
FerrignoItalian Derived from the Italian adjective ferrigno meaning "made of or resembling iron" (a derivative of Latin ferrum meaning "iron"), applied as a nickname to someone who was very strong or thought to resemble the metal in some other way... [more]
FeuerJewish Ornamental name from modern German Feuer "fire".
FeuerGerman Metonymic occupational name for a stoker in a smithy or public baths, or nickname for someone with red hair or a fiery temper, from Middle High German viur "fire".
FeuerbacherGerman Habitational name for someone from any of the places called Feuerbach.
FeuersteinGerman This name comes from the German feuer meaning fire, and stein meaning stone. This was a name commonly given to a blacksmith.
FeulnerGerman Franconian dialect form of Feilner (see Feiler), or derived from Feuln, a town near the district of Kulmbach, Bavaria, Germany. A notable bearer is the American academic Edwin Feulner (1941-).
FianderEnglish (British) The Fiander surname may have it's origins in Normandy, France (possibly from the old-French "Vyandre"), but is an English (British) surname from the Dorset county region. The Fiander name can also be found in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, Canada the origins of which can be traced back to the mid-1700's in the village of Milton Abbas, Dorsetshire.
FicheraItalian From Sicilian fichera "fig tree", a nickname for someone who grew or sold figs, or perhaps lived near them.
FichterGerman Topographic name for someone who lived near pine trees (originally bei den Fichten, Feichten, or Feuchten), from Old High German fiohta. The vowel of the first syllable underwent a variety of changes in different dialects.
FichterGerman (Austrian) Habitational name deriving from places named with this word in Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, or Austria.
FichtnerGerman The Fichtner family name first began to be used in the German state of Bavaria. After the 12th century, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules, and names that were derived from locations became particularly common
FicoItalian from fico "fig" (from Latin ficus) applied as a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or sold figs a topographic name for someone who lived in an area where figs grew or a habitational name from a place called with this word such as the district so named in Valderice Trapani province Sicily.
FielderEnglish Southern English from Middle English felder ‘dweller by the open country’.
FieldhouseEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a house in open pasture land. Reaney draws attention to the form de Felhouse (Staffordshire 1332), and suggests that this may have become Fellows.
FieldingEnglish Topographic name from an Old English felding ‘dweller in open country’.
FieneGerman, Low German A nickname for an elegant person, from Middle Low German fin, meaning ‘fine’. Can also be a locational name from several fields and places named Fiene.
FiermonteItalian Meaning uncertain. It possibly consists of the medieval Italian given name Fiero and the Italian word monte meaning "mountain", which would give this surname the meaning of "Fiero's mountain".
FigginsEnglish Derived from a medieval diminutive of Fulk (such as Fygge or Fulchon).
FightmasterGerman (Americanized) Americanized form of Fechtmeister. Emmett Rogers Fightmaster (1992-), known professionally as E. R. Fightmaster, is an American non-binary actor, producer and writer.
FigueiraPortuguese, Galician Means "fig tree" in Portuguese and Galician, ultimately from Latin ficaria. It was used a topographic name for someone who lived or worked near fig trees or for someone from any of various places called Figueira (derived from the same word).
FigueiredoPortuguese Name for someone from any of various places named Figueiredo, from Portuguese figueiredo meaning "fig tree orchard".
FiguerolaCatalan It indicates familial origin within either of 4 places: Figuerola farmhouse in the nucleus of Fontanet in the municipality of Torà in the comarca of Segarra, Figuerola neighborhood in the municipality of Les Piles, the municipality of Figuerola del Camp, or Figuerola d’Orcau neighborhood in the municipality of Isona i Conca Dellà.
FilipkowskiPolish Either a patronymic from the given name Filip, or a habitational name denoting a person from various places called Filipki (also derived from the given name) in Poland.
FilkinsEnglish Means either (i) "person from Filkins", Oxfordshire ("settlement of Filica's people"); or "son of Filkin", a medieval personal name meaning literally "little Phil", from Philip.
FillionFrench, French (Quebec) Probably a diminutive of fils or fille, respectively "son" and "daughter". May have alluded to the bearer being the youngest amongst siblings.
FillmoreEnglish Of uncertain origin: it could be derived from the Norman given name Filimor, composed of the Germanic elements filu ("very") and mari or meri ("famous"), or it might be a combination of the Saxon elements fille ("abundance") and mere, a word denoting a lake or otherwise humid land.
FilosaItalian Southern Italian: Probably an occupational nickname for a fisherman, from Sicilian filuòsa ‘fishing net’. Also from the subphylum: Filosa. These are known as euglyphids, filose (which means stringy or thread-like), amoebae with shells of siliceous scales or plates, which are commonly found in soils, nutrient-rich waters, and on aquatic plants.
FilsFrench From fils "son", used to identify the younger of two bearers of the same personal name in a family.
FineEnglish (?) English nickname for a clever or elegant man, from Old French fin ‘fine’, ‘delicate’, ‘skilled’, ‘cunning’ (originally a noun from Latin finis ‘end’, ‘extremity’, ‘boundary’, later used also as an adjective in the sense ‘ultimate’, ‘excellent’).
FingerEnglish, German, Jewish Probably applied as a nickname for a man who had some peculiarity of the fingers, such as possessing a supernumerary one or having lost one or more of them through injury, or for someone who was small in stature or considered insignificant... [more]
FinkGerman, Slovene, English, Jewish Nickname for a lively or cheerful person, Jewish ornamental name derived from the Germanic word for "finch", and German translation of Slovene Šinkovec which is from šcinkovec or šcinkavec meaning "finch".
FinkelsteinJewish Means "spark stone" from Old High German funko meaning "spark" and stein meaning "stone".
FinkleaEnglish Variant form of Finkley. A famous bearer was the American actress and dancer Cyd Charisse (1922-2008), whose birth name was Tula Ellice Finklea.
FinnertyIrish Reduced anglicisation of Irish Ó Fionnachta meaning "descendant of Fionnachta", a given name derived from fionn meaning "fair, white" and sneachta meaning "snow".
FinniganIrish This interesting surname is of Irish origin, and is an Anglicization of the Gaelic Ó Fionnagáin, meaning the descendant(s) of Fionnagan, an Old Irish personal name derived from the word "fionn", white, fairheaded.
FinocchioItalian From Italian finocchio "fennel", a nickname for someone who grew or sold the plant. In modern Italian, the word is a derogatory slang term for a gay man. The meaning "fine eye, keen eyesight" has also been suggested.
FinoñaChamorro Chamorro for "their language/speech/talk"
FinottiItalian Derived from the Medieval Italian given name Fino or also given to someone whose ancestors were named Delfino or Ruffino.
FinstadNorwegian Means "Finn's farmstead", from the given name Finn 2 and Old Norse staðr "farmstead, dwelling". This was the name of several farms in Norway.
FinsterGerman, Jewish Nickname from German finster "dark, gloomy" or Yiddish fintster (Middle High German vinster). The name may have referred to a person's habitual character or it may have been acquired as a result of some now irrecoverable anecdote... [more]
FiorelliItalian The surname Fiorelli was first found in Bolgna (Latin: Bononia), the largest city and the capital of Emilia-Romagna Region. The famous University of Bolgna was founded in the 11th century, by the 13th century the student body was nearly 10,000... [more]
FirmanEnglish, French From a medieval personal name meaning "firm, resolute, strong man." Borne by early saints and bishops. First name variants Firman and Firmin... [more]
FirthEnglish, Scottish, Welsh English and Scottish: topographic name from Old English (ge)fyrhþe ‘woodland’ or ‘scrubland on the edge of a forest’.... [more]
FischmannGerman, Jewish Cognate of Fishman. occupational name for a fish seller from Middle High German visch Yiddish fish (German fisch) "fish" and Middle High German and Yiddish man (German mann) "man".
FiscusGerman From Latin fiscus ‘basket’, a humanistic Latinization of the German name Korb. This is a metonymic occupational name for a basketmaker or a peddler, or a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a basket... [more]
FishMedieval English, Jewish From Middle English fische, fish ‘fish’, a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller, or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a fish.... [more]
FishburneEnglish Derived from the villages of Fishbourne in West Sussex and the Isle of Wight, or the village and civil parish of Fishburn in County Durham, England, all named from Old English fisc meaning "fish" and burna meaning "stream"... [more]
FiskEnglish (British) English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller, or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling a fish in some way, from Old Norse fiskr ‘fish’ (cognate with Old English fisc).
FiskeEnglish, Norwegian From the traditionally Norwegian habitational surname, from the Old Norse fiskr "fish" and vin "meadow". In England and Denmark it was a surname denoting someone who was a "fisherman" or earned their living from selling fish.
FitchScottish The name fitch is of anglo-saxon decent, it refers to a person of iron point inrefrence to a soldier or worrior it is derived from an english word (Fiche) which means iron point the name started in county suffolk
FitzsimonsIrish Fitzsimons (also spelled FitzSimons, Fitzsimmons or FitzSimmons) is a surname of Norman origin common in both Ireland and England. The name is a variant of "Sigmundsson", meaning son of Sigmund. The Gaelicisation of this surname is Mac Shíomóin.
FlackEnglish Probably from Middle English flack / flak meaning "turf, sod" (as found in the place name Flatmoor, in Cambridgeshire), and hence perhaps an occupational name for a turf cutter.
FlahertyIrish (Anglicized) Irish (Connacht) reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Flaithbheartaigh ‘descendant of Flaithbheartach’, a byname meaning ‘generous’, ‘hospitable’ (from flaith(eamh) ‘prince’, ‘ruler’ + beartach ‘acting’, ‘behaving’).
FlannerEnglish This early occupational and mainly 'midlands' English surname, is actually of pre-medieval French origins. Introduced into England at the time of the Norman Conquest of 1066, it derives from the French word flaonet meaning a 'little flan', and described a maker of patisserie or pancakes.
FlanneryIrish Appears originally in Irish Gaelic as O Flannabhra derived from flann, meaning "red", and abhra, meaning "eyebrow". First appeared in County Tipperary, Ireland.
FlashEnglish Means "person who lives near a pool" (Middle English flasshe "pool, marsh").
FlatowGerman Derived from the name of a district that existed in Prussia from 1818 to 1945. Today the territory of the Flatow district lies in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Poland.
FlaugherGerman (Anglicized) Americanized spelling of German Flacher, itself a variant of Flach, or of Flaucher, a nickname derived from an agent derivative of Middle High German vluochen meaning "to swear".
FlaxEnglish Metonymic occupational name for someone who grew, sold, or treated flax for weaving into linen cloth,
FleischhackerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a butcher from German fleisch "flesh meat", and an agent derivative of hacken "to chop or cut".
FleischhauerGerman Occupational name for a butcher from Middle High German fleisch or vleisch "flesh meat" and an agent derivative of Middle High German houwen "to cut". Variant of Fleischauer.
FleischmanGerman (Austrian) Fleischman translates in English to Meat Man, or Butcher It is most often used with a single "n" for those who were persecuted as Jews. Other Germanic spellings for Christians and others not deemed Jewish are Fleischmann, or Fleishmann... [more]
FleischmannGerman, Jewish occupational name for a butcher literally "meatman, butcher" from Middle High German fleisch "flesh, meat" and man "man".
FlettScottish, English (Canadian) Probably originating in Orkney and Shetland, from a place in the parish of Delting, Shetland, named with an Old Norse term 'flotr' denoting a strip of arable land or pasture. Also possibly derived from the Old Norse byname Fljótr ‘swift’, ‘speedy’... [more]
FleuryFrench, English Either a habitational name from Fleury the name of several places in various parts of France which get their names from the Gallo-Roman personal name Florus (from Latin florus "blooming flowering") and the locative suffix -acum or from the given name Fleury.
FlinkSwedish From Swedish flink, an adjective for someone who is quick and accurate.
FlintEnglish, German Topographic name for someone who lived near a significant outcrop of flint, Old English, Low German flint, or a nickname for a hard-hearted or physically tough individual.
FloNorwegian Famous bearers include Norwegian footballers and relatives Tore Andre, Håvard, and Jostein Flo of the Norwegian national team that upset Brazil twice in both a friendly in 1997 and a 1998 World Cup group match.
FlobergSwedish, Norwegian (Rare) Of uncertain origin. Could possibly be combination of flo, an unexplained element (but probably either ornamental or locational), and berg "mountain", or a habitational name from a place so named.
FloerchingerGerman Habitational name for someone from Flörchingen in the Saar region.
FloerkeGerman Floerke Name Meaning German (Flörke): from a pet form of the personal names Florian or Florentinus, from Latin Florus (from florere ‘to bloom’).Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4... [more]
FloodIrish There are some English Flood's, but the name mainly derives from the Irish O'Taicligh or Mac an Tuile and was Anglicized to Flood, Floyd, and Tully when the Gaelic language was outlawed in Ireland by the English.
FlorisItalian Cognate to Flores, or a toponym from Sardinian floris "flowers". Possibly from the Latin cognomen Florens meaning "prosperous, flourishing".
FlorkowskiPolish Habitational name for someone from Florków in Częstochowa voivodeship, or Florki from Przemyśl voivodeship, both so named from Florek, a pet form of the personal name Florian.
FlygareSwedish Means "someone who flies" in Swedish, ultimately a combination of the verb flyga "to fly" and the suffix -are denoting a person who performs the action of the verb. The surname was first used in the 17th century and is therefore unrelated to the modern occupation pilot (the Swedish word for pilot is also "pilot"), instead, a flygare probably referred to a person who was quick, fast.
FogartyIrish (Anglicized) Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fógartaigh ‘son of Fógartach’, a personal name from fógartha meaning "proclaimed", "banished", "outlawed". It is sometimes Anglicized as Howard.
FoggGermanic This surname appeared in Denmark during the time of the Vikings. It is believed to have Jute origin. It spread to Italy during the Roman Empire and to England as early as the 1080s, being listed in the Doomsday Book compiled by William the Conqueror... [more]
FolandAnglo-Saxon (Archaic) Originally an English name, Foland is actually a variant of the name Fowler (as in bird-catcher). Most migrating to Ireland, other Fowlers/Folands first came to the Americas in 1622; John Fowler.... [more]
FoleyIrish As a northern Irish surname it is derived from the Gaelic personal name Searrach, which was based on searrach "foal, colt" and anglicized as Foley because of its phonetic similarity to English foal.
FolgerGerman From nickname volger, meaning "companion, supporter"
FolignoItalian Derived from the Latin word folium "leaf"
FollowillEnglish Of Norman origin - from Folleville Somme in northern France. The placename Ashby Folville in Leicestershire derives its affix from the de Folevill family who held the manor from the 12th to 14th centuries.
FoltzGerman It is from Germany and it is based on the personal name Volz, which was popular in former times. It means son or descendant of a Volz or Folz
FontCatalan, Occitan, Spanish, French topographic name for someone living near a spring or well Catalan and Occitan font "spring well" (from Latin fons genitive fontis).
FooteEnglish Nickname for someone with a peculiarity or deformity of the foot, from Middle English fot (Old English fot), or in some cases from the cognate Old Norse byname Fótr.
ForbesIrish, Scottish Comes from a Scottish place meaning "field" in Gaelic. It can also be used as a first name.... [more]
ForceEnglish From the word "force" meaning waterfall in the North of England.
FørdeNorwegian From Old Norse fyrði dative form of fjórðr "fjord". This was the name of several farmsteads in Norway.