GatenbyEnglish Derives from the place of Gatenby in North Yorkshire, which comes from an Old Norse personal name "Gaithen", likely from Old Norse geitin "goats" (later influenced by Old English gāt "goat") and the suffix býr "farm, settlement", referring to a settlement with goats... [more]
GatzGerman Habitational name from a place so named in Pomerania.
GauGerman Habitational name from any of various places named with Middle High German gau, göu ‘area of fertile agricultural land’.
GauciMaltese Derived from Maltese Għawdex through Arabic غودش (ġawdeš) which refers to the island of Gozo in the Maltese archipelago. The name itself is of Phoenician origin (through a Greek borrowing) possibly meaning "turn around"... [more]
GawthropEnglish habitational name from any of several places in Yorkshire and Lancashire called Gawthorpe or Gowthorpe all of which are named from Old Norse gaukr "cuckoo" and þorp "enclosure" meaning "village where cuckoo's frequented".
GayEnglish, Norman Habitational name from places in Normandy called Gaye, from an early proprietor bearing a Germanic personal name cognate with Wade.
GayangosSpanish This indicates familial origin within the Castilian comarca of Las Merindades.
GaztañagaBasque It indicates familial origin within the eponymous farmhouse in the municipality of Usurbil.
GazteluBasque From Basque gaztelu "castle", denoting someone from the town of Gaztelu in Basque country, Spain.
GeChinese From Chinese 葛 (gé) referring to the ancient state of Ge, which existed during the Xia dynasty in what is now Henan province.
GebbiaItalian From Sicilian gebbia "irrigation cistern", itself from Arabic جُبّ (jubb) "cistern, well".
GeddesScottish, Irish There is a place of this name in Nairn, but the name is more likely to be a patronymic from Geddie.
GeeIrish, Scottish, English, French Irish and Scottish: reduced form of McGee, Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Aodha ‘son of Aodh’ (see McCoy). ... [more]
GeipelhorstGerman This rather rare surname is appears to be the combination of "Geipel", which is a variant of "Geibel" originating from a personal name or topographic name formed with Old High German gawi ‘fertile region’, ‘countryside’ (as opposed to a town), and "Horst" which came from of Old High German, meaning "man from the forest", "bosk" or "brushwood"... [more]
GeisbergerGerman Regional name for someone who lives in Geisburg, Geisa or near any mountain called Geisberg.
GeiselhartGerman (Silesian, Rare), Lombardic (Rare), Old High German (Rare) Possibly after the Geisel, a river in Saxony-Anhalt, which likely received its name from either the Lombardic patronym Giso, meaning "noble, precious promise" or from the Old High German gewi, from the Gothic gavi, or gaujis, a which is a medieval term for a "region within a country", often a former or actual province combined with the suffix Hart, which means "stag", and comes from the Middle English hert and the Old English heort.... [more]
GeisingerGerman Denoted a person from the town of Geising in Germany, which in turn got it's name from the Geisingberg mountain. The Geisingberg most likely got it's name from the Germanic geut or the Early New High German geußen, both meaning "to pour", and the German word Berg meaning "mountain"... [more]
GeistGerman Habitational name for someone who lived in a house marked by the sign of the Holy Spirit (normally depicted as a dove), from Middle High German geist 'spirit'.
GemündGerman Regional name for someone who lives in Gemünden.
GendaJapanese From Japanese 源 (gen) meaning "source, origin" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
GendikaBasque It indicates familial origin within the eponymous district of the municipality of Ibarrangelu.
GengChinese From Chinese 耿 (gěng) referring to the ancient city of Geng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Henan province. Alternately it may come from the name of an ancient state that existed during the Spring and Autumn period in present-day Shanxi province.
GenovaItalian habitational name from Genoa (Italian Genova) in Liguria which during the Middle Ages was one of the great seaports of the Mediterranean and a flourishing mercantile and financial center... [more]
GereñaBasque Habitational name of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from the archaic Basque element ger meaning "stone, crag" or "mill" (compare Gernika).
GerenaSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality.
GermaineFrench Germaine was first found in Savoy in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where the family held a family seat from ancient times.
GernikaBasque (Rare) From the name of a town and municipality (called Guernica in Spanish and English) in Biscay, Basque Country, of uncertain etymology... [more]
GerosaItalian Denoted someone from the town of Gerosa in Lombardy, or perhaps a nickname from geros (modern ghiaioso) "gravelly".
GessaItalian Possibly a variant of Chessa. Alternately, may be from a Sardinian term for "mulberry".
GfellerGerman Topographical name for someone who lived by a gorge, Middle High German gevelle, or a habitational name for someone from any of various places in Bavaria and Austria named from this word.
GhauriUrdu Meaning uncertain, most likely from the name of the province of Ghor in Afghanistan.
GiápVietnamese Vietnamese form of Jia, from Sino-Vietnamese 甲 (giáp).
GiarratanaItalian Sicilian habitational name from a place so named in Ragusa.
GiedraitisLithuanian This indicates familial origin within the town of Giedraičiai.
GierlachowskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Gierlachów.
GiesingerGerman Denoted a person from the town of Giesing in Germany. Or perhaps a variant spelling of Geisinger. A famous bearer of this surname is the German singer-songwriter Max Giesinger.
GiffordEnglish Gifford is an English name for someone who comes from Giffords Hall in Suffolk. In Old English, it was Gyddingford, or "ford associated with Gydda." Alternatively, it could come from the Middle English nickname, "Giffard," from Old French meaning "chubby-cheeked."
GigaJapanese It might mean 儀間 "ceremonial space" spelled as 儀 (gi) meaning "ceremony, rite, righteous, etiquette" with 間 (ga) meaning "pause, between, interval". It is found mostly in the Ryūkyū Islands.
GijonSpanish From the city of Gijón (Asturian form Xixón) located in the Principality of Asturias in Spain.
GilaniArabic, Urdu, Persian, Pashto Originally indicated a person from the Gilan province in Iran, or the Gelani tribe mentioned in ancient records.
GilbyEnglish Means either (i) "person from Gilby", Lincolnshire ("Gilli's farm"); or (ii) "little Gilbert".
GilgenGerman, German (Swiss) Derived from Middle High German gilge "lily", this was a habitational name from the inflected form of a house name meaning "at the lily".
GillPunjabi Gill is an Indian (Punjab): Sikh name, probably from Punjabi gil ‘moisture’, also meaning ‘prosperity’. There is a Jat tribe that bears this name; the Ramgarhia Sikhs also have a clan called Gill... [more]
GilstrapEnglish (British, Anglicized, Rare) This is a place name acquired from once having lived at a place spelled Gill(s)thorp(e), Gilsthorp(e), Gill(s)throp(e) or Gil(s)throp(e) located in the Old Danelaw area of England.... [more]
GindlespergerGerman Possibly a topographic name for someone who lived on a mountain near the town of Gindels in Bavaria, Germany.
GinsburgGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone who came from Gunzberg in Bavaria, Günsburg in Swabia, or Gintsshprik (Königsburg) in East Prussia. Its origin is from the name of the river Günz, written in early Latin documents as Guntia, which was probably of Celtic origin, and Old High German burg meaning "Fortress, walled town".
GladneyEnglish Probably means "bright island", from the Old English element glæd "bright" (cf. Glædwine) and the English element ney "island" (cf.... [more]
GladstoneScottish Habitational name from a place near Biggar in Lanarkshire, apparently named from Old English gleoda meaning "kite" + stān meaning "stone".
GlendenningScottish Habitational name from a place in the parish of Westerkirk, Dumfries, recorded in 1384 as Glendonwyne. It is probably named from Welsh glyn meaning "valley" + din meaning "fort" + gwyn meaning "fair", "white".
GlockGerman Meant "person who lives by a church bell-tower or in a house with the sign of a bell", "bell-ringer" or "town crier" (German Glocke "bell"). It was borne by Sir William Glock (1908-2000), a British music administrator.
GlosterEnglish habitational name from the city of Gloucester. The place originally bore the British name Glevum (apparently from a cognate of Welsh gloyw "bright") to which was added the Old English element ceaster "Roman fort or walled city" (from Latin castrum "legionary camp")... [more]
GloucesterEnglish habitational name from the city of Gloucester. The place originally bore the British name Glevum (apparently from a cognate of Welsh gloyw "bright") to which was added the Old English element ceaster "Roman fort or walled city" (from Latin castrum "legionary camp")... [more]
GohrbandGerman (Rare) Contained in a Latin land deed granted to a German for a castle-keep dated February 21, 1308. It is believed to be the first written record and original spelling of the name, generally understood to mean in German, "he who lives by the marsh"... [more]
GoienetxeBasque Derived from Basque goien "highest, superior; apex, peak" and etxe "house, home, building".
GoldthwaiteEnglish Possibly derived from Guilthwaite in South Yorkshire, which is named from Old Norse gil meaning "ravine" and þveit meaning "clearing". However, the modern surname is associated with Essex, suggesting some other source, now lost.
GondaJapanese From Japanese 権 (gon) meaning "right" and 田 (Ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
GongChinese From Chinese 龚 (gōng) referring to the ancient state of Gong (written as 共), which existed during the Shang dynasty possibly in what is now Henan province. This name was adopted in place of 共 by future descendants to flee persecution.
GongChinese From Chinese 恭 (gōng) referring to the ancient state of Gong, which existed in what is now Gansu province.
GongoraBasque From the name of a town in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque goien "highest, supreme; apex, peak" and gora "up, upwards, above, high".
GoñiBasque, Spanish From the name of a town and municipality in Navarre, Spain, probably derived from Basque goien "highest point, apex, peak".
GonzagaSpanish, Portuguese, Italian (Archaic) Habitational name for someone from a location called Gonzaga in Mantua, Italy. This was the name of an Italian family that ruled Mantua from 1328 to 1708.
GoodallEnglish Habitational name from Gowdall in East Yorkshire, named from Old English golde "marigold" and Old English halh "nook, recess".
GoretsRussian Derived from Russian горец (gorets) meaning "highlander".
GorhamEnglish A name originating from Kent, England believed to come from the elements gara and ham meaning "from a triangular shaped homestead." Compare Gore.
GörlitzGerman The name of a small town in Saxony. Derived from old Sorbian word "Zgorelc" meaning "settlement on a burned-out forest."
GorringeEnglish Derived from the name of the village of Goring-by-the-Sea in Sussex
GorritiBasque From the name of a town in Navarre, Spain, probably derived from Basque gorri meaning "red" or "bare, stripped".
GorsuchEnglish Habitational name from the hamlet of Gorsuch, Lancashire, earlier Gosefordsich, derived from Old English gosford meaning "goose ford" and sic meaning "small stream".
GosdenEnglish From the name of a lost place in the village and civil parish of Slaugham in West Sussex, England, derived from Old English gos meaning "goose" and denn meaning "woodland pasture".
GothamEnglish English: habitational name from Gotham in Nottinghamshire, so named from Old English gat ‘goat’ + ham ‘homestead’ or hamm ‘water meadow’.
GouweleeuwDutch Means "golden lion", from an inflected form of goud "gold" and leeuw "lion". Probably given to someone who worked by or lived near a sign depicting a lion.
GrąbczewskiPolish It indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Grąbczewo.
GrabeGerman Topographic name for someone who lived by a dike or ditch, or habitational name from either of two places in Thuringia named with this word: Grabe and Graba.
GrabensteinGerman Habitational name from Grafenstein near Wohlau, Silesia.
GrabińskiPolish Habitational name for someone from a settlement named Grabienice, Grabin, Grabina, Grabiny, etc.; ultimately from grab meaning "hornbeam" or, in the case of Grabienice, possibly from gręba meaning "hill".
GrajalesSpanish Topographic name from the plural of Spanish grajal ‘place inhabited with rooks’ a derivative of the bird name graja feminine of grajo ‘rook (Corvus frugilegus)’.
GrajçevciKosovar, Albanian, Serbian Originally indicated a person from a place named Greiçec in the town of Suva Reka in Prizren, Kosovo. In Serbian it is called Grejčevce.
GrammerGerman, English Variant of Krämer or a habitational name for someone possibly from German places called Gram or Grammen. It can also be an English occupational name for a scholar or an astrologer, derived from Old French gramaire meaning "grammarian, scholar, astrologer"... [more]
GrandisonEnglish A habitational name from Grandson on Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland.... [more]
GrangeEnglish, French Topographic name for someone who lived by a granary, from Middle English, Old French grange (Latin granica "granary, barn", from granum "grain"). In some cases, the surname has arisen from places named with this word, for example in Dorset and West Yorkshire in England, and in Ardèche and Jura in France... [more]
GranthamEnglish Habitational name from Grantham in Lincolnshire, of uncertain origin. The final element is Old English hām "homestead"; the first may be Old English grand "gravel" or perhaps a personal name Granta, which probably originated as a byname meaning "snarler"... [more]
GrassEnglish, German Topographic name for someone who owned or lived by a meadow, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold hay, from Middle English gras, Middle High German gras "grass, pasture, grazing".
GrattàLate Greek (Italianized, Modern, Archaic, Expatriate) Historical origins of Grattà are found in The Southern Region of Italy in The Province of Catanzaro, Calabria; predominately in the Comune of Girafalco and Palermiti. There is also at least one Coat of Arms that place the name being used in the The Commune of Lucca, Region of Tuscany in Central Italy.
GraueGerman Habitational name from a place so named near Hannover.
GraveFrench Topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of gravelly soil, from Old French grave "gravel" (of Celtic origin).
GraveGerman Either from the northern form of Graf, but more commonly a topographic name from Middle Low German grave "ditch", "moat", "channel", or a habitational name from any of several places in northern Germany named with this word.
GrechishkinmRussian Possibly derived from греческий (grecheskiy) meaning Greek.
GreenallEnglish From Lincolnshire in England, meaning "green hill".
GreenbergerGerman, Jewish Anglicized form of the German surname Grünberger, which is formed from the words grün "green", Berg "mountain", and the habitational suffix -er. This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.
GreenburghGerman, Jewish The surname Greenburgh is anglicized for the German Jewish surname Greenberg which translates into English as green mountain.
GreengrassEnglish Notable bearers include film director Paul Greengrass and baseball player Jim Greengrass.
GreenhillEnglish The name is derived from a geographic locality, "at the green hill", or rather, more specifically of "Greenhill". The surname could also derive from the liberty on the wapentake of Corringham in Lincolnshire, or a hamlet in the parish of Harrow in Middlesex... [more]
GreenidgeEnglish From Greenhedge Farm in Aslockton, Nottinghamshire, itself derived from Old English grene “green” + hecg “hedge”.
GreenlandEnglish (Germanized) Greenland Name Meaning. English: topographic name for someone who lived near a patch of land left open as communal pasturage, from Middle English grene 'green' + land 'land'. Translated form of German Grönland, a topographic name with the same meaning as 1, from Low German grön 'green' + Land 'land'.
GreenlawEnglish From one of two placenames, located near the Anglo-Scottish border. Named with Old English grēne, 'green' and halw, 'hill, mound'.
GreenleeEnglish habitational name from any of various minor places, for example in Staffordshire, so named from Old English grene ‘green’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’.
GreenwayEnglish Originally given to a person who lived near a grassy path, from Middle English grene "green" and weye "road, path" (cf. Way).... [more]
GreinerUpper German, German (Swiss) Nickname for a quarrelsome or cantankerous person, derived from Middle High German grīner meaning "squabbler, quarreler" (ultimately an agent derivative of grīn meaning "loud, cry, screaming, shouting")... [more]
GrellGerman Habitational name from a place named Grelle.
GrijalvaSpanish, Central American Spanish: habitational name from any of various places called Grijalba in particular the one in Burgos province. The placename is from iglesia 'church' + Old Spanish alva 'white'.
GrimshawEnglish A habitational surname originating from the hamlet of Grimshaw in Lancashire, derived from Old English elements grīma "mask" and sċeaga "copse". Famous bearers of this surname include , English Victorian-era artist John Atkinson Grimshaw and Irish writer Beatrice Grimshaw, as well as the Grimshaw family in Coronation Street.
GrindstaffGerman (Anglicized) Americanized form of German Frenzhof or Grenzhof, a place near Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg or Granzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany.
GrinerGerman (Anglicized), Jewish Americanised form of German Greiner. It could also denote a person who came from various German places called Grüna or Grünau. In Jewish, it is a topographic name for someone who lived in a green of leafy area, derived from Yiddish grin meaning "green" or Middle High German gruene meaning "greenery".
GrodskyPolish, Jewish Altered spelling of Polish Grodzki, a habitational name from Grodziec or Grodzie, places named with gród ‘castle’, ‘fortification’ (cognate with Russian grad)... [more]
GroenewoudDutch Derived from a place name meaning “green wood”.
GronkowskiPolish Originally indicated a person who came from Gronków, a village in southern Poland.
GrońskiPolish Habitational name for someone from Grońsko in Greater Poland Voivodeship (named with the nickname Gron, Grono, from grono "bunch of grapes") or from Groń, the name of several places in southern, mountainous part of Lesser Poland (named with the regional word groń "ridge").
GroveGerman Name from any of several places named Grove or Groven, which derive their name from Middle Low Germany grove ‘ditch’, ‘channel’. In some cases the name is a Dutch or Low German form of Grube.
GroveEnglish Name for someone who lived by a grove or thicket, Middle English grove, Old English graf.
GrubeGerman Name for someone who lived in a depression or hollow, from Middle High German gruobe "pit", "hollow". See also Gruber.
GrumbachGerman (Swiss), Alsatian From the name of various places in Switzerland and Germany, for example the municipality of Grumbach in Rhineland-Palatinate.
GrünGerman, Jewish from Middle High German gruoni "green fresh raw" hence a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in green a topographic name for someone who lived in a green and leafy place or a habitational name for someone from a place called with this word such as GrunaGrunau in Silesia... [more]
GrünbaumGerman, Jewish from Middle High German gruoni "green" and boum "tree" probably a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a tree in leaf... [more]
GrünfeldGerman, Jewish Habitational name from any of several places in northern and central Germany named Grünfeld named with elements meaning "green open country" derived from the elements gruoni "green" and feld "field"... [more]
GrunwaldGerman, German (Swiss), Jewish German and Swiss German (Grünwald): habitational name from any of various places named Grün(e)wald, from Middle High German gruene ‘green’ + walt ‘wood’, ‘forest’. ... [more]
GuChinese From Chinese 顾 (gù) referring to the ancient state of Gu, which existed during the Xia dynasty in what is now Henan province.
GuChinese From Chinese 谷 (gǔ) referring to the ancient fief of Qin Gu, which existed in what is now the province of either Gansu or Shaanxi. Alternately it may come from the name of the fief of Jia Gu, which was part of the state of Qi during the Zhou dynasty.
GuChinese From Chinese 古 (gǔ) possibly derived from Kucheng (古成 or 苦城), the name of an ancient fief that may have existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province... [more]
GuadalajaraSpanish habitational name from Guadalajara in Castile named with Arabic wādī-al-ḥijāra (واد الحجرة o وادي الحجرة) "river of the stones".
GuajardoSpanish Spanish: unexplained. Perhaps a habitational name from a place so named in Estremadura. This name is common in Argentina, Chile, and Mexico. ... [more]
GuanChinese From Chinese 管 (guǎn) meaning "administer, manage, control", also referring to the ancient state of Guan that existed in what is now Henan province.
GuancheSpanish (Canarian), Berber, Guanche Derived from the name of the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands before the Spanish conquest. The Guanche people were a Berber-speaking people who arrived in the Canary Islands in the 5th century AD... [more]
GuaporáPopular Culture The surname of a fictional Amerindian family in the telenovela Bicho do Mato.
GuapurúPopular Culture The surname of a fictitious Amerindian family in the Brazilian telenovela Uga Uga.
GuàrdiaCatalan, Spanish, Italian Catalan, Spanish, and Italian from Catalan guàrdia, Spanish and Italian guardia ‘guard’, ‘watch’, a topographic name for someone who lived by a watch place, an occupational name for a member of the town guard, or a habitational name from any of the numerous places named (La) Guardia.
GuardiaItalian, Spanish From Spanish and Italian guardia "guard watch" a topographic name for someone who lived by a watch place by a watchtower or a habitational name from any of numerous places called La Guardia named with the same word; or a metonymic occupational name for someone who kept watch or for a member of the town guard... [more]
GuardiolaCatalan Habitational name from any of the numerous places named Guardiola, from guardiola, a diminutive of guàrdia meaning "guard".
GubatanTagalog From Tagalog gubat meaning "woods, forest".
GuettaJudeo-Spanish Meaning uncertain, possibly from the name of a tribe from northwestern Libya or from the name of the town of Huete in Cuenca province, Spain.
GuggenheimerJewish Originally indicated a person from either Gougenheim in Alsace or Jugenheim in Hesse, perhaps meaning "home of Gogo(n)". Gogo(n) is a Germanic personal name
GuiChinese From Chinese 桂 (guì) referring to the ancient state of Gui, which existed during the Han dynasty in what is now Guangxi province.
GuiChinese From Chinese 归 (guī) referring to the ancient state of Gui, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Anhui province.
GuimarãesPortuguese Habitational name for someone originally from the city of Guimarães in northern Portugal.
GujaratiIndian Denoted a person of Gujarat descent. From Gujarati ગુજરાત (gujrāt), inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀕𑀼𑀚𑁆𑀚𑀭𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀸 (gujjarattā) "country of the Gurjaras”, itself comes from Sanskrit *गुर्जरत्रा (gurjaratrā), of the same meaning... [more]
GuldbergDanish Derived from the name of Guldbjerg Parish on the island Funen, Denmark.
GüldenGerman Variant of Gulden, a metonymic occupational name for a craftsman who gilded objects, or a habitational name referring to a house name such as In den silvren Gulden ("In the Silver Guilder"), De Gulden Hoeve ("The Gilded Farmhouse") or De Gulden Zwaan ("The Gilded Swan").
GuldenDutch, German Means "golden, gilded" or "guilder, florin (coin)", possibly an occupational name for a goldsmith, or a habitational name derived from a house.
GummaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 群馬 (Gumma) meaning "Gumma", a former district in the former Japanese province of Kōzuke in present-day Gumma, Japan.... [more]
GundiánGalician This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous neighborhoods: the one in the parish of Costantín, Baralla or the one in the parish of A Ponte Ulla, Vedra.
GuntínGalician It indicates familial origin within one of 15 places.
GunzenhauserGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from either of two places named Gunzenhausen, one in Württemberg and the other in Bavaria.
GuppyEnglish English habitational name from a place in Wootton Fitzpaine, Dorset, Gupehegh in Middle English. This is named with the Old English personal name Guppa (a short form of Guðbeorht "battle bright") + (ge)hæg "enclosure"... [more]
GurewitzJewish Belarusian and Lithuanian variant of Horowitz, a habitational name from Horovice in central Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic, which is named with a short form of a personal name formed with Hor, as for example Horimir, Horislav.
GurneyEnglish, French, Norman Originated from the region Normandy in France, is also a biospheric name from Gournay-en-Bray, a commune in France. It is also a fictional character's maiden name, Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier from the animated sitcom show, The Simpsons.