Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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.
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]
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
DrielsmaDutch, Jewish Derived from the Frisian town IJlst. IJlst in Frisian is Drylts > Dryls > Driels combined with the Frisian surname suffix -(s)ma, which is most likely derived from Old Frisian monna meaning "men". Drielsma has Frisian Jewish origins.... [more]
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]
DrumScottish Habitational name from a place and castle in Aberdeenshire named from Gaelic druim "ridge".
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".
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).
Du AiméFrench The Duaime surname comes from an Old French word "hamel," which meant "homestead." It was likely first used as a name to describe someone who lived at a farm on the outskirts of a main town, or for someone that lived in a small village.
DualRomansh Derived from the preposition de "of" and Romansh ual "brook, creek".
DuanChinese From Chinese 段 (duàn) referring to the ancient fief of Duan Gan (段干).
DubachGerman (Swiss) A surname describing a person from the town of Tübach in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
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".
DucheminFrench Either a topographic name with fused preposition and definite article du "from the" for someone who lived beside a path from chemin "path way" (from Late Latin caminus a word of Gaulish origin); or a habitational name for someone from Le Chemin the name of several places in various parts of France.
DuchêneFrench Means "from the oak (tree)" in French, used to denote a person who lived near an oak tree or an oak forest.
DuckworthEnglish Habitational name from Duckworth Fold, in the borough of Bury, Lancashire, which is named from Old English fuce "duck" and wor{dh} "enclosure".
DuddridgeEnglish It is locational from a "lost" medieval village probably called Doderige, since that is the spelling in the first name recording (see below). It is estimated that some three thousand villages and hamlets have disappeared from the maps of Britain over the past thousand years... [more]
DudzińskiPolish Habitational name from Dudyńce or from the surname Duda suffixed with -iński based on habitational surnames.
DuerreGerman Topographic name for a person who lived on a dry, barren land, derived from Old German durri and German dürre meaning "barren, infertile". It could also be a variant of Dürr.
DufresneFrench Topographic name for someone who lived near a prominent ash tree from Old French fraisnefresne "ash" from Latin fraxinus "ash".
DugmoreMedieval English This habitational name is chiefly found in the West Midlands region of England. The origin is certainly Old English pre 7th Century and may be Ancient British i.e. pre Roman 55 A.D. The origins are lost but are believed to develop from "Dubh" meaning "black" and "mor" a morass or swamp... [more]
DuhamelFrench Topographic name for someone who lived in a hamlet, from Old French hamel, a diminutive of ham "homestead", with fused preposition and definite article du.
DumfriesScottish, Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese) From the name of a market town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and preas meaning "thicket". This surname is found predominantly in Aruba, the Netherlands and Suriname... [more]
DummittEnglish Habitational name from Dumart-en-Ponthieu in Somme, France.
DumoulinFrench, Walloon Variant with fused preposition and definite article du "from the" of Moulin meaning "from the mill".
DunawayEnglish Originally indicated someone who came from the village and civil parish of Dunwich in Suffolk, England, derived from Old English dun meaning "hill" (or possibly dune meaning "valley") and weg meaning "way"... [more]
DunayevskyRussian Derived from the Danube, the second-longest river in Europe. Two famous bearers are Soviet film composer and conductor Isaak Dunayevsky (1900-1955), and his son, Russian film composer Maksim Dunayevsky (1945-).
DundasScottish, Northern Irish Scottish and northern Irish (Counties Leitrim and Fermanagh): habitational name from Dundas, a place near Edinburgh, Scotland, which is named from Gaelic dùn ‘hill’ + deas ‘south’.
DundeeScottish From the name of the city of Dundee in Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and dè meaning "fire".
DunfordEnglish Derived either from Dunford Bridge in Yorkshire (named after the River Don and the English word “Ford”), or from Dunford House in Yorkshire (named after “Dunn’s Ford”). One known bearer is US General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
DunmoreEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from Dunmore Farm in Oxfordshire or from any of many places in Scotland named in Gaelic as Dún Môr 'great hill'.
DunwoodyScottish, Scottish Gaelic It is said that the origin is pre 7th century Gaelic from ''dun'' or ''din'' meaning a wood or forest and ''gwydd'' which means much the same. Arguably the name means wood - wood, a result of language and dialect changing several times in the past 1500 years.
DupinFrench Means "of the pine tree" in French, referring to a person who lived near a pine tree or was from any of various locations named Le Pin.
DuplainFrench topographic name from Old French plain an adjective meaning "flat" and a noun meaning "plain" with fused preposition and definite article du "from the".
DurbinFrench Derived from the place called D'urban or D'urbin in Languedoc
DurdenEnglish A different form of Dearden. A fictional bearer is Tyler Durden, a character from Chuck Palahniuk's 'Fight Club' (1996) and its subsequent film adaptation (1999).
DurhamEnglish Denotes a person from either the town of Durham, or elsewhere in County Durham, in England. Durham is derived from the Old English element dun, meaning "hill," and the Old Norse holmr, meaning "island."
DurieuxFrench Derived from Old French riu meaning "river, stream", originally used to indicate someone who lived by a stream.
DurrenbergerGerman habitational name for someone from any of numerous places in Bavaria, Thuringia, Saxony, and Silesia named Dür(r)nberg or Dürrenberg
DursleyEnglish (British) Of English origin and is locational from a place so called in Gloucestershire, which was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Dersilege', in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195 as 'Derseleie' and in the Fees of 1220 as 'Dursleg'... [more]
DüsterwaldGerman Derived from Middle Low German düster "dark" combined with Old High German wald "forest".
DuterteFilipino, Cebuano Hispanicised spelling of the French surname Dutertre. A notable bearer is Rodrigo Duterte (1945-), the former president of the Philippines.
DutertreFrench Means "of the hillock, of the mound" in French.
DuttonEnglish habitational name from any of the places called Dutton, especially those in Cheshire and Lancashire. The first of these is named from Old English dun ‘hill’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’; the second is from Old English personal name Dudd + Old English tun.
DuvernayFrench Means "from the alder grove," from Gaulish vern meaning "alder" combined with Latin -etum, whence Modern French -aie, forming names of orchards or places where trees/plants are grown)... [more]
DuvillardFrench French surname, pronounced /dyvilaʁ/, whose bearers mainly live in Haute-Savoie. It means "from Le Villard", a village in the Rhône-Alpes region, whose name comes from the Latin 'villare' which means 'hamlet'... [more]
DuxburyEnglish Habitational name from a place in Lancashire, recorded in the early 13th century as D(e)ukesbiri, from the genitive case of the Old English personal name Deowuc or Duc(c) (both of uncertain origin) + Old English burh ‘fort’ (see Burke).
DyckDutch Topographic name for someone who lived by a dike, from Dutch dijk. Compare Dyke.
DykeEnglish English - Name for someone who lived 'by the dike' from Middle English dik deke, dike deke "ditch dyke", or someone from Dyke in Lincolnshire. Medieval dikes were bigger than modern ones and often built for defense, not drainage.... [more]
EarnshawEnglish Means "person from Earnshaw", Lancashire ("Earn's nook of land" - Earn from an Old English personal name meaning literally "eagle"). In fiction this surname is borne by Catherine Earnshaw, her brother Hindley and her nephew Hareton, characters in Emily Brontë's 'Wuthering Heights' (1847).
EastEnglish From the English vocabulary word, ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic *austrą "east". It originally denoted someone who lived to the east of something, or someone who came from the east.
EastburnEnglish Habitational name from either of two places, one in Humberside and one in West Yorkshire, so named from Old English ēast, ēasten "east" and burna "stream".
EasterbrookEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a brook to the east of a main settlement, from Middle English easter meaning "eastern" + brook meaning "stream".
EasthopeEnglish From the name of the village and civil parish of Easthope in Shropshire, England, derived from Old English est meaning "east, eastern" and hop meaning "enclosed valley".
EastleyEnglish A Saxon village called East Leah has been recorded to have existed since 932 AD. (Leah is an ancient Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'a clearing in a forest'). There is additional evidence of this settlement in a survey from the time which details land in North Stoneham being granted by King Æthelstan to his military aid, Alfred in 932 AD... [more]
EbitsuboJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 海老坪 (Ebitsubo) meaning "Ebitsubo", a division in the area of Mimura in the city of Ishioka in the prefecture of Ibaraki in Japan.
EccbeerEnglish (Rare) From Middle English aker "field" and Old English bǣre "swine pasture," denoting someone who lived near one.... [more]
EcclesEnglish From the name of a town in Greater Manchester, England or another town or village named Eccles, derived from Latin ecclesia via Romano-British ecles meaning "church".
ÉcoleFrench (Rare) From French meaning "school". Given to a person who lived or worked near a school.
EdaJapanese From Japanese 江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
EdenEnglish From Middle English given name Edun, derived from Old English Ēadhūn, with the elements ēad "prosperity, wealth" and hūn "bear cub".... [more]
EdenGerman Refers to someone from one of several places of the same name, mainly in Bavaria and Austria, from Middle High German œde "wasteland" and the suffix n, which signifies an action toward the root word... [more]
EdgeEnglish Topographic name, especially in Lancashire and the West Midlands, for someone who lived on or by a hillside or ridge, from Old English ecg "edge".
EdgecombeEnglish From a location meaning ridge valley, from Old English ecg "edge, ridge" and cumb "valley".
EdgelyEnglish A surname of Anglo-Saxon origin, and a place name taken from either a village in Cheshire or one in Shropshire. The name means “park by the wood” in Old English.
EdgerlyEnglish Habitational name from any of numerous minor places named Edgerley, Edgerely, or Hedgerley.
EffenbergGerman Possibly denoted a person coming from a place of this name in Germany, or for someone who lived on or near a mountain or hill covered with elm trees, derived from German effe meaning "elm" and berg meaning "mountain, hill"... [more]
EggenkampDutch Probably from Dutch eggen "to harrow, to plough" and kamp "field".
EggertGerman, Jewish Derived from the Proto-Germanic root agi meaning "edge".
EggimannGerman (Swiss) Denotes someone from the Emmental valley, a valley in Switzerland.
EggingtonEnglish Surname derived from a parish named "Eggington" in England.
EgglestonEnglish Habitational name from a place in County Durham so called, or from Egglestone in North Yorkshire, both named in Old English as Egleston, probably from the Old English personal name Ecgel (unattested) + tūn ‘settlement’, ‘farmstead’.
EgiaBasque Habitational name derived from Basque (h)egi "border, edge; hill, slope, bank".
EgiarretaBasque (Rare) From the name of a neighbourhood in Arakil, Navarre, possibly derived from Basque (h)egi "side, slope, bank; edge, border" combined with (h)arri "stone, rock" and -eta "place of, abundance of".
EgilatzBasque (Rare, Archaic) From the name of a town in Álava, Basque Country, derived from (h)egi "border, edge; hill, slope, bank" and lats "brook, small stream", or possibly latz "rough, crude".
EichGerman German from Middle High German eich(e) ‘oak’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived near an oak tree. In some cases, it may be a habitational name for someone from any of several places named with this word, for example Eiche or Eichen, or for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of an oak.
EichackerGerman Topographic name meaning "oak field. from Middle High German eiche "oak" and acker "field".
EichelbergGerman Habitational name from any of various places, notably one southeast of Heidelberg, named from Middle High German eichel meaning "acorn" + berc meaning "mountain", "hill", or topographic name for someone who lived on an oak-covered hill.
EichelbergerGerman Habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Eichelberg.
EichenlaubGerman, Jewish Derived from Eichenlau, a topographic name from Middle High German eichen "oaks" and loh "forest clearing", reinterpreted through folk etymology as Eichenlaub, meaning "oak leaf".
EichhornGerman, Jewish, Belgian German topographic name for someone who lived on or near an oak-covered promontory, from Middle High German eich(e) ‘oak’ + horn ‘horn’, ‘promontory’. German from Middle High German eichhorn ‘squirrel’ (from Old High German eihhurno, a compound of eih ‘oak’ + urno, from the ancient Germanic and Indo-European name of the animal, which was later wrongly associated with hurno ‘horn’); probably a nickname for someone thought to resemble the animal, or alternatively a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a squirrel... [more]
EichhorstGerman Denoted someone from a town called Eichhorn in either Brandenburg or Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
EickhoffGerman From Middle Low German eke "oak" and hof "manor farm."
EilandGerman Topographic name for someone who lived on or owned property surrounded by water, from Middle High German eilant, "island"
EinhornGerman, Jewish Derived from German Einhorn (Middle High German einhorn) "unicorn", denoting someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a unicorn.
EirizPortuguese This indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Paços de Ferreira.
EisenbergGerman, Jewish Means "iron hill" from German isen meaning "iron" and berg meaning "hill".
EisenbergerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from any of the several places called Eisenberg. As a Jewish name it is also an ornamental name.
EistEstonian Eist is an Estonian surname possibly derived from the Germanic "eist"; ultimately from Latin "Aesti". The modern endonym for "Estonia" in the Estonian language is "Eesti".
EjiriJapanese 江 (E) means "inlet, river" and 尻 (jiri) means "behind, rear".
EjiriJapanese From Japanese 江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet" and 尻 (shiri) meaning "behind, end, rear".
EkernNorwegian (Rare) From Old Norse ekra "meadow, field". This was the name of a farmstead in Norway.
ElamEnglish English habitational name for someone from a place called Elham, in Kent, or a lost place of this name in Crayford, Kent. The first is derived from Old English el ‘eel’ + ham ‘homestead’ or hamm ‘enclosure hemmed in by water’... [more]
ElbeGerman habitational name from any of various places called Elbe, Elben or from the river name.
ElenbaasDutch Reinterpretation of Elenbos or Elebaers (see Elbert), or from another Germanic personal name composed of the elements aljaz "other" or agil "point or edge (of a sword)" combined with berht "bright"... [more]
ElexaldeBasque The name of several locations in Biscay, Spain, derived from Basque elexa "church" (variant of eliza) and -alde "near, by; side". Compare Elizalde.
ElfordMedieval English From the Old English personal name Ella, from the word oelf meaning "elf" or from the Old English alor/elre, meaning "alder tree." The name in full would mean "alder tree by a ford" or "Ella who lives by a ford".... [more]
ElfvingSwedish Possibly a combination of an obsolete spelling of Swedish älv "river" and the suffix -ing (ultimately from Proto-Germanic -ingaz) meaning "coming from, belonging to, descending from"... [more]
ElgetaBasque (Rare) From the name of a town in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, derived from Basque elge "cultivated land, field" and the suffix -eta "place of, abundance of".
ElgezabalBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Zornotza, Spain, derived from Basque elge "field, cultivated land" and zabal "wide, broad, open".
ElizabelarBasque Habitational name derived from Basque eliza "church" and belar "grass".
ElizagaBasque It indicates familial origin within the eponymous hamlet in the commune of Sarrikotapea.
ElizaldeBasque, Spanish From Basque eleiza meaning "church" combined with the suffix -alde "by". This could be either a habitational name for a person who was from the town of Elizalde in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, or a topographic name for someone living near a church.
ElkanoBasque Habitational name derived from Basque elke "field, garden, cultivated land" and the toponymic suffix -ano.
ElkingtonEnglish According to Wikipedia Elkington is a deserted medieval village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire in England. The villages name means "Elta's hill" or perhaps, less likely, "swan hill".... [more]
EllenbergGerman, Jewish, German (Swiss) Derived from two municipalities and a village called Ellenberg in Germany. As an ornamental name, it is derived from German ölenberg, literally meaning "olive mountain".
EllerGerman Habitational name from places in the North Rhine and Mosel areas
EllerbyEnglish Denoted a person from a town called Ellerby, meaning "Ælfweard’s farm", or perhaps "alder tree town" from Middle English aller "alder tree" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".
EllicotScottish The Ellicot family name was first used by descendants of the Pictish people of ancient Scotland. It is a name for someone who lived in Liddesdale and Teviotdale where the family has a long and distinguished history dating back to the early Middle Ages... [more]
EllinghamEnglish Habitational name from places so named in Hampshire, Northumbria, and Norfolk. The first of these is named from Old English Edlingaham ‘homestead (Old English ham) of the people of Edla’, a personal name derived from a short form of the various compound names with a first element ead ‘prosperity’, ‘fortune’; the others may have the same origin or incorporate the personal name Ella 1 (see Ellington).
ElorriagaBasque It indicates familial origin within either of 5 eponymous neighborhoods: the one in Gasteiz, the one in Deba, the one in Kortezubi, the one in Barakaldo, or the one in Lemoa.
ElsassAlsatian A geographical surname based on a region named "Alsace" in France.
ElsemereEnglish The surname Ellesmere was first found in Shropshire at Ellesmere, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union.
ElsevierDutch The name of a prominent Dutch publishing house of the 17th and 18th century, possibly derived from Old Hebrew הל ספר (hal safir) meaning "the book". Another suggested origin is Dutch hellevuur "hellfire" or helsche vier "four from hell", supposedly derived from a sign by the family’s house.
ElsharkawyArabic (Egyptian) Means "the easterner, the one from the east" from Arabic شَرْقِيّ (šarqiyy) meaning "east, eastern".