PelissierFrench From Old French "Pelicier", (Meaning "Furrier", from an agent derivative of pelice, meaning "Fur cloak", from Late Latin "pellicia", from "pellis", meaning "skin fur". An occupational name of someone likely in the fur and hide trade.
PelleGerman From Middle Low German pelle "precious purple silk cloth", presumably an occupational name for a maker or seller of such cloth or for a maker of official and church vestments.
PellegrinFrench Unknown. Possibly a variant of Pellegrino. This surname was given to the Chilean named Raúl Alejandro Pellegrin Friedmann (1958-1988; nicknamed JoséMiguel).
PellerinFrench From Old French pellerinpelegrin "pilgrim" (from Latin peregrinus "traveler") applied as a nickname for a person who had been on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or to a famous holy site elsewhere... [more]
PellicanoItalian, Sicilian nickname from dialect pelecanòpelicanò "woodpecker" from modern Greek pelekanos "green woodpecker" (cognate with pelekan "pelican"; both come from pelekys "axe" the pelican because its beak is shaped like an axe the woodpecker because it uses its beak like an axe).
PelterEnglish Derived from Middle English pellet "skin (of an animal, sheep)", an occupational name for someone who tanned or sold hides and pelts for a living. Compare French Pelletier.
PeltierFrench Variant of Pelletier (from Old French pellet, a diminutive of pel "skin, hide").
PeltonEnglish Habitational name from Pelton, a place in County Durham, named from an unattested Old English personal name Peola + tun 'farmstead', 'settlement'.
PeltzGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a furrier, from Middle High German bellez, (modern German pelz) "fur", "animal skin".
PendarvisEnglish (American) The American English spelling of the Cornish surname Pendarves. Ultimately, the surname is traced back to Pendarves Island, Cornwall.
PendleEnglish Habitational name from a borough called Pendle in Lancashire, derived from Proto-Brythonic *penn "head, top" and hyll "hill".
PendleburyEnglish Habitational name from the town called Pendlebury in Greater Manchester, derived from Pendle Hill (see Pendle) and Old English burg "fortress, fortification, citadel".
PendletonEnglish Habitational name from any of the two villages in Lancashire called Pendleton, both derived from Pendle Hill (see Pendle) and Old English tun "enclosure, town".
PengellyCornish Habitational name for someone from any of various locations in Cornwall named Pengelly, from Cornish penn meaning "head, top, end" and gelli or gilly meaning "copse, grove".
PenleyEnglish habitational name from Penleigh in Dilton Wiltshire. The place name probably derives from Old English penn "fold enclosure" or perhaps Celtic penn "head" and Old English leah "wood woodland clearing"... [more]
PenmanScottish Occupational name for someone who was a scribe, but could also be a habitational name derived from any place named with the British elements penn "hill" and maen "stone".
PennaItalian Possibly from Italian penna "feather, pen", a nickname for a scribe.
PenningEnglish, Dutch, Low German From early Middle English penning, Low German penning, and Middle Dutch penninc, all meaning "penny". It was used as a topographic surname from the name of a field, or a nickname referring to tax dues of one penny.
PenningtonEnglish Habitational surname denoting someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Pennington, derived from Old English penning meaning "penny" (used as a byname or from a tribute due on the land) and tun meaning "town".
PennoEstonian Penno is an Estonian surname derived from "penny"; from the German "pfennig".
PennybackerLow German Pennybacker is an anglicized German surname for someone who worked making roof tiles or as a tiler.
PennymanEnglish (British) This name refers to a person who worked as the servant for Penn. Additionally, it may derive from their work as local treasurers or pennymasters who were in charge of the Mint. Its etymology is comprised of the words "penny" and "man" (from Old English Penning "penny" meaning "half penny")... [more]
PennywellEnglish English habitational name from Pennywell in Tyne and Wear or from a similarly named lost place elsewhere.
PenroseEnglish, Cornish, Welsh From the names of various towns in Cornwall and Wales, all derived from Cornish penn "head" and ros "moor, heathland".
PenryWelsh, Cornish, English Derived from Welsh ap Henry meaning "son of Henry". It is also a variant of Pendray, which is derived from a place name in Cornwall meaning "top of the village" in Middle Cornish... [more]
PensaItalian Possibly from Italian pensa "think", indicating the bearer was known for being thoughtful or intelligent.
PenseFrench Pense is, quite literally, a French word meaning "to think" or "thought", but is also a surname. Sometimes confused with the surname Pence, which is German.
PentEstonian Pent is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "pentsik" meaning "funny" and "eccentric".
PentaItalian From the name of a hamlet in Salerno, Italy, possibly derived from a southern Italian word meaning "large rock" or "steep slope" (penta, pente, or pendë).
PépinFrench From the Old French name Pepis, itself a form of the given name Pépin. Alternatively, it may be derived from French pépin meaning "(fruit) seed", thus making it an occupational name for a gardener or someone who grew fruit-bearing trees.
PeralesSpanish Habitational name for someone from any of various locations named Perales, from Spanish perales meaning "pear trees" (the plural of peral meaning "pear tree").
PeraltaCatalan, Spanish, Aragonese Habitational name from any of the places in Aragon, Catalonia, and Navarre called Peralta, from Latin petra alta "high rock". This name is also established in Italy.
PercevalEnglish, Norman Derived from either the Old French given name Perceval, or from one of two places called Perceval in the department of Calvados in Normandy, France... [more]
PercyEnglish Either a nickname from Old French percehaie "pierce hedge" (Old French percer "to pierce, penetrate" and haie "hedge, fence"), perhaps with the sense of someone breaking into an enclosure... [more]
PerdikisGreek A surname derived from the Greek word "πέρδικα", meaning partridge or grouse. It appeared first time in the Byzantine Empire during the 11th century.
PerdueEnglish, Irish, French English and Irish from Old French par Dieu ‘by God’, which was adopted in Middle English in a variety of more or less heavily altered forms. The surname represents a nickname from a favorite oath... [more]
PereaBasque It indicates familial origin within the municipality of Aiara.
PeredoGalician, Portuguese For Galicians, it indicates familial origin near the eponymous hill in the municipality of Castroverde and for Portuguese people, it indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros.
PeregrineEnglish, Popular Culture Derived from the given name Peregrine. A fictional bearer is Alma LeFay Peregrine, a character from the novel "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" (2011) by Ransom Riggs.
PerelloCatalan (Balearic), Catalan Perello is a Catalan surname linked to regions like Catalonia and the Balearic Islands in Spain, often associated with "pear tree" or specific locations named Perello.
PerhamEnglish A variation of the English name Parham, based on the village of Parham (one in county Suffolk, another in county Sussex). From the Old English peru, meaning "pear" (the fruit), and ham, meaning "homestead".
PerpichEnglish (American) Americanized spelling of Croatian and Serbian Prpić. Prporuše was a term denoting young girls who, in the dry season, would visit houses in the village and pray for rain.
PershinmRussian From Russian перший (pershiy), meaning "first". Probably denoted to a first born child.
PersiaItalian, Spanish Ethnic name or regional name for someone from Persia (modern-day Iran) or some other country with Persian-speaking peoples or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries (see the given name Persis)... [more]
PerskeBelarusian, Lithuanian, Jewish Variant form of Persky. This was the real surname of American actress Lauren Bacall (1924-2014), who was born Betty Joan Perske.
PerskyBelarusian, Lithuanian, Jewish Derived from the village of Pershai in the Valozhyn District of Belarus, or the place named Perki in Lithuania.
PetitjeanFrench Nickname for a small or little man, or ironically a large or tall man, derived from Old French petit meaning "small, little" combined with the given name Jean 1... [more]
PetitoItalian, Judeo-Italian Nickname for a small person, derived from a dialectal word ultimately from French petit meaning "small, little".
PetkeGerman German surname derived from a diminutive form for Peter.
PettEnglish The name Pett has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a person who was referred to as Peat. The surname Pett was originally derived from the Old English word which meant a spoiled or pampered child.
PettiferEnglish Nickname for a good infantryman, an old soldier who had lost a foot, or a person who was never tired of walking, derived from Old French pedefer, pied de fer meaning "iron foot".
PettisEnglish From the possessive or plural form of Middle English pytte, pitte ‘pit’, ‘hollow’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a pit, or a habitational name from a place named with this word, as for example Pett in East Sussex.
PewWelsh From Welsh ap Hew or ap Hugh "son of Hugh" (see Pugh). A fictional bearer is Blind Pew, the blind pirate in Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island' (1883).
PeyronFrench Unknown meaning. French surname. Famous bearer of this name is Bruno Peyron and the German princess Louise Peyron (1918-1989).... [more]
PezzimentiItalian From pezzimento "military baggage", a word from a Greek dialect in southern Italy. Probably an occupational name for a soldier, or someone who worked in the military in some way.
PfautzGerman It was originally given as a nickname for a chubby person.
PfefferGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a spicer, or a nickname for a person with a fiery temper, for a small man, or for a dark-haired person. Derived from German Pfeffer "pepper".
PfefferleGerman South German diminutive of Pfeffer, and a nickname for a person who sells spices.
PfeilGerman From Middle High German pfil ‘arrow’ (from Latin pilum ‘spike’, ‘javelin’), either a metonymic occupational name for an arrowsmith or possibly a nickname for a tall thin man.
PflaumGerman, Jewish metonymic occupational name or possibly a nickname from Middle High German pflūme, German pflaume "plum", as a Jewish name it is artificial... [more]
PflugGerman Means "plough, plow" in German, an occupational name for a plowman or plowwright.
PflügerGerman Occupational name for a Ploughman, literally meaning "Ploughman/Plowman" in German.
PfotenhauerGerman High German, carpenter's and woodworker's main occupation. Actual old German translation is "paw slapper" or "large paw" as in an animal (bear).
PfuhlGerman a topographic name for someone who lived by a swamp or pond, Middle High German phuol.... [more]
PfundGerman metonymic occupational name for a sealer of weights, or for a wholesale merchant, from Middle High German pfunt ‘pound’ (as a measure of weight and a unit of currency).
PhenixFrench (Quebec, Anglicized) Either (i) an anglicization of French Canadian Phénix, literally "phoenix", probably originally a nickname of now lost import; or (ii) a different form of Fenwick.
PheonixEnglish, Scottish Variant of Fenwick re-spelled after the legendary bird Phoenix. A famous bearer of the name is American actor Joaquín Rafael Phoenix (1974-), although their family renamed themselves after the Phoenix after leaving the religious cult Children of God, symbolizing a new beginning.