Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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".
GioiaItalian Means "joy, delight" in Italian. Can derive from the given name Gioia, from a nickname, or from any of several toponyms in southern Italy.
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".
GonellaItalian From Italian gonnella "skirt", derived from Latin gunna "leather garment", in Old Italian referring to a unisex garment similar to a long tunic that probably originated as military garb... [more]
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.
GorovmRussian From Russian гора (gora), meaning "mountain".
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]
GranaroloItalian (Rare) Possibly a habitational name related to Italian granaio "granary, barn; region that produces grain", ultimately from Latin granum "grain, seed".
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.
GriesUpper German Topographic name for someone who lived in a sandy place from Middle High German griez meaning “sand pebble” or a shortened form of German Griese.
GrieserUpper German topographic name for someone living on a sandy site, from Middle High German griez ‘sand’ + -er suffix denoting an inhabitant.
GriesslerGerman Topographic name for someone who lived or farmed in an area of sand.
GriffioenDutch Dutch cognate of Griffin 2. Could be a habitational name referring to a sign depicting a griffin, or derived from a coat of arms.
GrigoryevskiymRussian From location called Grigoryev (Григорьев) or something similar such as Grigoryevo (Григорьево), Grigoryevka (Григорьевка) ultimately from given name Grigoriy.
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]
GroenewegDutch Dutch cognate of Greenway. habitational name from any of various minor places called Groeneweg a compound of groen "green" and weg "road path" for instance from the hamlets Groeneweg near Hoog Blokland in the province of South Holland and near Westbroek in the province of Utrecht.
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 Habitational name from any of several places named Grove or Groven in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, derived from Middle Low Germany grove "hole, pit, ditch, channel"... [more]
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.
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.
GuthrieScottish, Irish As a Scottish surname, this is either a habitational name for a person from the village of Guthrie near Forfar, itself from Gaelic gaothair meaning "windy place" (a derivative of gaoth "wind") and the locative suffix -ach, or alternatively it might possibly be an Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mag Uchtre meaning "son of Uchtre", a personal name of uncertain origin, perhaps related to uchtlach "child".... [more]
GwakKorean Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 곽 (see Kwak).
GyljárlaugssonIcelandic The name Gyljárlaugsson combines two Icelandic words, "gylja" meaning "to roar" and "laug" meaning "hot spring". Therefore, the name Gyljárlaugsson could be interpreted as "son of the roaring hot spring".
GyllenhaalSwedish The name Gyllenhaal originated from Nils Gunnarsson Gyllenhaal's father Gunne Olofsson Haal, who was from Hahlegården, a crown homestead in South Härene Parish in the county of Västergötland in West Sweden... [more]
HaKorean From Sino-Korean 河 (ha) meaning "river, stream".
HaarDutch, Low German Probably from the place name Haar, derived from Middle Dutch harr "sandy hill".
HaavistoFinnish Means "place with aspens" or "group of aspens". This name comes from a combination of haapa, "aspen", and the suffix -sto which is used for places and groups of things.
HabashArabic Derived from Arabic حبش (ḥabash) meaning "Abyssinian", originally indicating a person who came from Abyssinia, a historical region that is nowadays split between Ethiopia and Eritrea. This surname is more common among Muslims and Christians in the Arab world... [more]
HackneyEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from Hackney in Greater London, named from an Old English personal name Haca (genitive Hacan) combined with ēg "island, dry ground in marshland".
HaddonEnglish Derived from the Old English word had meaning "heathland" and the Old English suffix -don meaning "hill"; hence, the "heathland hill" or the "heather-covered hill".... [more]
HadfieldEnglish Habitational name from a place so named in Derbyshire named from Old English hæþ "heathland heather" and feld "field" meaning "heath open land".
HadleyEnglish A habitational name from either a place named Hadley, or a place named Hadleigh. The first is named from the Old English personal name Hadda + lēah (means ‘wood’, ‘(woodland) clearing’), and the other three are from Old English hǣð (meaning ‘heathland’, ‘heather') + lēah.