TowlesScottish “Towles” is not to be confused with “towels” - note the placement of the “les” vs. “els” — as this clarifies pronunciation.
TownEnglish topographic name from Middle English toun(e) th one tun(e) "town village settlement" (Old English tun) often in the senses "primary settlement within an area" "manor estate" and "hamlet farm" for someone who lived in such a place.
TownleyEnglish Habitational name for a person from Towneley near Burnley in Lancashire, itself from the Old English elements tun "enclosure, settlement" and leah "wood, clearing"... [more]
TownshendEnglish Variant of Townsend. This surname is borne by the English musician Pete Townshend (1945-).
TozerEnglish Tozer is a surname commonly believed to have originated in Devon, South West England. It is a reference to the occupation of carding of wool which was originally performed by the use of teasels (Latin carduus), via the Middle English word tōsen, to tease (out).
TozziItalian Derived from the Italian adjective tozzo meaning "squat; stocky" and also "chunk; hunk", both from Latin túndere meaning "to dent" or from Slavic stotz meaning "stump".... [more]
TrabelsiArabic (Maghrebi) Habitational name for someone originally from the city of Tripoli in Libya from Arabic طَرَابُلُس (ṭarābulus). The city's name ultimately comes from Ancient Greek Τρίπολις (Trípolis) meaning "three cities", from τρι- (tri-) meaning "three" and πόλις (pólis) meaning "city".
TrachtenbergGerman, Jewish Could mean either mean "mountain of thoughts", from Yiddish trakhtn (טראַכטן) "to think" and berg "mountain" or "mountain of costumes", from German tracht "to wear, carry" and berg "mountain"... [more]
TraegerGerman Derived from the German word Trager which means "Someone who carries something." Traeger could also mean "gift of God."
TraffordAnglo-Saxon A habitational surname that originates from villages in Cheshire and Northamptonshire. First recorded as a surname in 1086. ... [more]
TrahanFrench (Cajun), Welsh From the Welsh name Trahern, derived from the Welsh family seat Trehaverne.
TrailScottish This surname is most likely a habitational name, taken on from a place name; perhaps from the Gaelic "Traill Creek" which runs into Upper Loch Torridon of Scotland.... [more]
TrainEnglish English (Devon): 1. metonymic occupational name for a trapper or hunter, from Middle English trayne, Old French traine ‘guile’, ‘snare’, ‘trap’. ... [more]
TrainorIrish Reduced form of McTraynor, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Thréinfhir "son of Tréinfhear", a byname meaning "champion, strong man" (from tréan "strong" and fear "man").
TranmerEnglish This particular name derives from Tranmere, a district within the borough of Birkenhead, Cheshire. The placename, recorded as Tranemor in the County Court, City Court and Eyre Rolls of Chester in 1260, is composed of the old Norse elements trani, meaning crane, plus melr, sandbank.
TransfiguracionSpanish (Philippines) Derived from Spanish transfiguración meaning "transfiguration," referring to an event where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain.
TransonFrench Possibly from Old French tronçon "block of wood", perhaps an occupational name for a woodcutter.
TraoréWestern African, Manding Francization of Manding Tarawele, which is of uncertain etymology. It was originally used by 13th-century Malian warrior Tiramakhan and possibly means "going to call it".
TrapaneseItalian Habitational name meaning "Trapanese", "from the city of Trapani or "from the province of Trapani". Variant of Trapani.
TraunGerman Derived from the Celtic word dru meaning "river". Traun is a river in the Austrian state of Upper Austria as well as a city located on the north bank of that river and borders Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, to the east.
TrauschGerman, Slavic, Low German, Luxembourgish A nickname either derived from Trauschke, a nickname from Old Slavic drugu "companion", or from Middle Low German druus "sullen", "dour".
TrautGerman From either a nickname or a given name derived from the Middle High German word trut "dear, beloved".
TraynorEnglish Derives from old English word 'trayne' which means to trap or to snare. Also an occupational name given to horse trainers. First found in Yorkshire, England in the 1300s.
TreadwellEnglish Occupational name for a fuller, a person who cleaned and shrunk newly woven cloth by treading it. It is derived from Middle English tred(en) "to tread" and well "well".
TreiEstonian Trei is an Estonian surname meaning "turn".
TreichelGerman (Swiss) Swiss German: from a word meaning ‘cow bell’, presumably a nickname for a cowherd or farmer, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who made cow bells.
TrejoSpanish Spanish habitational surname, for someone from Trexo, a place in Asturias in northwest Spain.
TrellesAsturian This indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Cuaña.
TremaineCornish Variant of Tremayne. A famous fictional bearer is Lady Tremaine, the main antagonist of Disney's Cinderella (1950).
TremayneCornish Name for someone from any of various locations called Tremayne (or Tremaine), from Cornish tre meaning "home, settlement, town" and men meaning "stone".
TremelGerman A nickname for a disagreeable person, from German tremel, meaning "boor ruffian".
TrettinGerman Habitational name from a place so named in Brandenburg.
TreuGerman, Jewish From a nickname for a trustworthy person, from late Middle High German triuwe ‘loyal’. As a Jewish surname it is mainly ornamental.
TrevathanEnglish, Cornish Habitational name from one or more places in Cornwall named Trevethan, from Middle Cornish tre "estate farmstead" with a second element of uncertain meaning. It could be an unrecorded Old Cornish personal name Buthen.
TreviñoSpanish Habitational name from either of the places so named in the provinces of Burgos and Santander.
TrevithickCornish Means "person from Trevithick", the name of various places in Cornwall ("farmstead" with a range of personal names). It was borne by British engineer Richard Trevithick (1771-1833), developer of the steam engine.
TrevorrowCornish Trevorrow pronounced like tomorrow but with trev at the beginning.... [more]
TrewinCornish Habitational name from Trewin in Cornwall.
TrexlerGerman It is derived from the Middle High German "Drehseler," meaning "turner," and was most likely initially borne by a turner or lathe worker.
TreziseCornish Means "person from Trezise or Tresayes", Cornwall ("Englishman's farmstead").
TrianoSpanish Possibly a habitational name from Triano, the Castilianized name of the Basque towns called Abanto and Urtuella, in Biscay province, Basque Country.
TricaricoItalian Denoting someone from the province of Tricarico, in Basilicata.
TriguerosSpanish Habitational name from places in Huelva and Valladolid named Trigueros, from a derivative of trigo ‘wheat’, or possibly triguero ‘corn merchant’. Nickname from triguero ‘dark blond’, ‘corn colored’.
TrimboliMedieval Italian Trimboli: Means: "prince of three valleys." Land or (spoils) were given to worthy soldiers for there efforts after conquest. Three valleys in Calabria were given to a soldier who will become known as Francesco Guytano Trimboli, the new perprieitor in an area near Plati, Italy, Calabria.
TripoliItalian Habitational name from Tripoli in Libya, a place name of Greek origin meaning "triple city", from the elements τρι- (tri-) "three, thrice" and πόλις (polis) "city".
TrivediIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati Means "one who knows the three Vedas", derived from Sanskrit त्रि (tri) meaning "three" and वेद (veda) meaning "Veda".
TroiaItalian Could derive from the name of a town in Foggia, or be a nickname derived from Italian troia "sow, female pig", which has a slang meaning of "slut".
TrollopeEnglish Locational surname derived from Trolhop, the original name of Troughburn, a place in Northumberland, England. The place name means "troll valley" from Old Norse troll "troll, supernatural being" and hop "enclosed valley, enclosed land"... [more]
TrombinoItalian From a trombino a diminutive of tromba "trumpet" applied as an occupational name for a trumpeter or for someone who made trumpets.
TrossEnglish (American) This is a surname used by a person in furry culture for his fursona, Arden Tross.
TrothEnglish From a nickname meaning "truth" or "oath, pledge, promise", given to someone known to be truthful or loyal, or perhaps known for swearing oaths.
TrotskyRussian This surname means the Lithuanian city of "Trakai", a notable bearer of this surname was Leon Trotsky.
TrottEnglish "Trott" is an early recorded surname of the 17th century in America. It is five hundred years older when linked to Medieval Britain.
TrottaItalian From Italian trota meaning "trout" or from the medieval female nickname Trotta the Italian cognate of Trude.
TrotterEnglish, Scottish, German Northern English and Scottish: occupational name for a messenger, from an agent derivative of Middle English trot(en) 'to walk fast' (Old French troter, of Germanic origin). ... [more]
TroutEnglish Occupational name for a fisherman, or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling the fish.
TroutmanEnglish (American) Americanized form of German "Trautmann". The German adjective "traut" means “dear” or "beloved", and it derives from the same root as "trauen": to trust. Worldwide, there are now more Troutmans than Trautmanns.... [more]
TrovatoItalian Given to a foundling or abandoned child, literally "found" in Italian.
TrowEnglish Nickname for a trustworthy person, from Middle English trow(e), trew(e) 'faithful', 'steadfast'.
TroxelGerman Roots of the German surname Troxel can be found in the region of Hesse, where the name originated. Troxel may be an occupational name, derived from the Middle High German word "truhsaesee," meaning "leader." In this case, Troxel would be a variation of the German surname Truchsess.
TroyerGerman (Anglicized) Surname common among the Amish and the Mennonites. It is the Pennsylvania German form of the German last name "Dreier", "Dreyer" or "Treyer". Hans Treyer, an early Anabaptist leader, died as a martyr of his faith in Bern in 1529... [more]
TruettEnglish English habitational name from Trewhitt in Northumbria, named from Old Norse tyri ‘dry resinous wood’ + possibly an Old English wiht ‘river bend’.
TrustyEnglish This is a late medieval occupation descriptive name given to a professional witness, in effect an early Solicitor, the name deriving from the Olde French "Attester" - one who testifies or vouches for a contract or agreement.
TruszkowskiPolish Habitational name for someone from Truszków in Lublin voivodeship.
TrzcińskiPolish From the name of numerous Polish places called Trzcin, for example the village of Trzcin in northern Poland. It is derived from Polish trzcina meaning "reed".
TsaiTaiwanese Alternate romanization of Cai chiefly used in Taiwan.
TsakirisGreek Means "crock" in Greek, a nickname for a feeble person. It could also be derived from the Turkish word çakır meaning "gray eyed" or "blue eyed".
TsosieNavajo From the Navajo suffix -tsʼósí meaning "slender, slim", originally a short form of a longer name such as kiitsʼósí "slender boy", hashkétsʼósí "slender warrior", cháalatsʼósí "slim Charlie", dághaatsʼósí "the one with a slender mustache", dinétsʼósí "slender man", or hastiintsʼósí "slender man".
TsouTaiwanese Tsou is a last name commonly found in Taiwan among its Chinese community. It is the transliteration of a Chinese surname meaning: vassal state during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC) in the southeast of Shandong Province.
TsoyKorean (Russified) Russified form of Choi used by ethnic Koreans living in former Soviet territories.
TsuboiJapanese From Japanese 坪 (tsubo) referring to a traditional unit of length or 壺 or 壷 (tsubo) meaning "container, pot, jar" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine".
TsuchidaJapanese From the Japanese 土 (tsuchi) "earth," "soil," 槌 (tsuchi) "mallet" or 津 (tsu) "harbour" and 知 (chi) "wisdom," "intellect" and 田 (da or ta) "rice paddy" or 多 (da or ta) "many."
TsuchiyaJapanese From Japanese 土 (tsuchi) meaning "earth, soil, ground" and 屋 (ya) meaning "roof, dwelling" or 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".
TsuchiyamaJapanese From Japanese 土 (tsuchi) meaning "earth, soil, ground" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill". Other Kanji combinations are possible.
TsudaJapanese Tsu means "harbor, seaport" and da is a form of ta meaning "rice paddy, field". ... [more]
TsudaJapanese From Japanese 津 (tsu) meaning "port, harbour" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
TsujiJapanese From Japanese 辻 (tsuji) meaning "crossroad".
TsujimotoJapanese From Japanese 辻 (tsuji) meaning "crossroad" and 本 or 元 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
TsujimuraJapanese From Japanese 辻 (tsuji) meaning "crossroad" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".
TsukadaJapanese From Japanese 塚 (tsuka) meaning "hillock, mound" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
TsukamotoJapanese From Japanese 塚 (tsuka) meaning "mound, hillock" or 柄 (tsuka) meaning "design, pattern" or "handle, hilt" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
TsukiyamaJapanese From Japanese 築 (tsuki) meaning "fabricate, build, construct" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".
TsumuraJapanese From Japanese 津 (tsu) meaning "port, harbour" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".
TsunKorean (Russified) Russified form of Chun used by ethnic Koreans living in former Soviet territories.
TuChinese From Chinese 屠 (tú) referring either to Zou Tu, an ancient country that may have existed in what is now Shandong province, or the ancient fief of Tu, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province.
TuChinese From Chinese 涂 (tú), the old name for the Chu River that runs through the present-day provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu.
TuazonFilipino From Hokkien 大孫 (tōa-sun) or 大孙 (tōa-sun) meaning "grandson".
TubbEnglish Derived from the Middle English given names Tubbe and Tubbi, themselves possibly diminutives of Old Norse Þórbjǫrn (see Thorburn)... [more]
TubbsPopular Culture Surname of Cleveland's second wife Donna and her children Roberta and Rallo from American sitcom The Cleveland show (2009-2013)
TubervilleFrench Tuberville May be related to the surname Turbeville which is a derivation of the original de’ Turberville which derives from old French Thouberville, ville meaning town, place or residence (from Latin villa).
TuđmanCroatian Derived from Croatian tuđin meaning "foreigner, stranger". This was the surname of the first president of Croatia, Franjo Tuđman (1922-1999). He was also the ninth and last president of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, which was part of the former state of Yugoslavia.
TuffinEnglish (Archaic), Anglo-Norman Tuffin is a surname that was brought to England in the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the medieval female given name Tiffania, that comes from the Greek Theophania, composed of the elements theos, meaning God and phainein meaning to appear... [more]
TuinstraFrisian Topographic name for a person who lived by a garden or enclosure, derived from Frisian tuin meaning "garden, yard", or a habitational name denoting someone from a place called Tuin.
TullochScottish Scottish habitational name from a place near Dingwall on the Firth of Cromarty, named with Gaelic tulach ‘hillock’, ‘mound’, or from any of various other minor places named with this element.
TullyIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Taithligh "descendant of Taithleach", a byname meaning "quiet", "peaceable".
TullyIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Maol Tuile "descendant of the devotee of the will of God" (from toil "will of God").
TullyScottish Habitational name from any of various places called Tullo in eastern Scotland.
TulpEstonian Tulp is an Estonian surname meaning both "post/picket/stake" and "tulip".
TumberEnglish English: habitational name from any of the various places so called from their situation on a stream with this name. Humber is a common prehistoric river name, of uncertain origin and meaning.
TunaTurkish From the Turkish name for the Danube River, which flows through parts of Central and Southeastern Europe.
TungateEnglish habitational name from Tungate a minor place near North Walsham named from Old English tun "farmstead estate" and Old Norse gata or Old English gæt "way path road street gate".
TunstallEnglish Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Tunstall, derived from Old English tun meaning "enclosure, garden, farm" and steall meaning "position, place, site".
TuppenEnglish It comes from people who shepherds. The word tup refers to a male sheep, and pen comes from where the sheep were kept. Tupping is a word used to refer to the mating of sheep and may also be related.
TuranTurkish Refers to Turan, an historical region in Central Asia inhabited by the nomadic Iranian Turanian people. The name itself means "land of the Tur" and is derived from the name of a Persian mythological figure, Tur (تور).
TurbaItalian Possibly from Italian turbare, "to disturb, to trouble", itself from Latin turba, "turmoil, disturbance; mob, crowd". Alternately, it could be from the German surname Turba, of uncertain meaning.
TurbinRussian From the nickname Турба (Turba) which was probably derived from an old dialectal word meaning "face, snout, muzzle (of an animal)", used as a name for a person with an unpleasant or ugly appearance... [more]
TurcoItalian Ethnic name for a Turk, or a nickname from the same word in the sense of a non-Christian or, following the medieval ethnic stereotype, a cruel, ferocious, or short-tempered person.
TürkmenTurkish, Turkmen Refers to a Turkmen person (someone from the present-day nation of Turkmenistan). The ethnonym itself is believed to be derived from Türk combined with the Sogdian suffix -man (thus meaning "almost Turk") or from Türk combined with Arabic إِيمَان (ʾīmān) meaning "faith, belief, religion".