ChaoChinese Alternate transcription of Chinese 趙 (see Zhao).
ChapelleFrench Topographic name for someone who lived near a chapel from French chapelle "chapel" or from several places in France and Belgium called (La) Chapelle and variant of Lachapelle, Capelle, and Chappelle.
ChappellEnglish Name for someone who lived near a chapel, derived from Old French chapele meaning "chapel".
CharnockEnglish (Rare) The locational surname originates from two places, Charnock Richard and Heath Charnock, which are both located in Lancashire, England.... [more]
ChartersEnglish Scottish (Kirkcudbrightshire) and northern English, ultimately of Norman origin. This is a habitational name derived from the French town of Chartres, which is named from the Gaulish tribe recorded in Latin sources as the Carnutes.
ChaseFrench Topographic name for someone who lived in or by a house, probably the occupier of the most distinguished house in the village, from a southern derivative of Latin casa "hut, cottage, cabin".
ChatatebaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 茶立場 (Chatateba) meaning "Chatateba", a division in the area of Tōkaichi in the city of Hachinohe in the prefecture of Aomori in Japan.
ChaumontFrench Habitational name from any of numerous places called Chaumont "bald mountain" from the elements chalscaux "bald" and mont "mountain" (ultimately from Latin calvusmons) for example in Cher Orne Jura Haute-Savoie.
ChaurayFrench Habitational name from Chauray a place in Deux-Sèvres, France.
ChawlaIndian, Hindi, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh) Derived from the name of a clan in the Arora community, which is apparently named with Sanskrit तांडुल (cawal) meaning "rice". Originating from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, the name is also derived from Aror (now Rohri) a city in the Sukkur District, Sindh, Pakistan, and the community comprises both Hindus and Sikhs.
ChenKhmer From Khmer meaning "Chinese". It denotes a person who is Chinese descent or originally came from China.
ChêneFrench from Old French chesne "oak" (from Late Latin caxinus), hence a topographic name denoting someone who lived near a conspicuous oak tree or in an oak wood, or a habitational name from (Le) Chêne, the name of several places in various parts of France... [more]
CheneFrench Means "oak" in French. Perhaps it's named for someone who lived by an oak tree.
CheneryMedieval French, English (British, Anglicized, Modern) Derived from the Old French "chesne" for oak tree, or "chesnai" for oak grove, from the medieval Latin "casnetum". As a topographical name, Cheyne denoted residence near a conspicuous oak tree, or in an oak forest.
ChengHmong From the clan name Tsheej associated with the Chinese character 陳 (chén) (see Chen).
ChénierFrench French surname which indicated one who lived in an oak wood or near a conspicuous oak tree, derived from Old French chesne "oak" (Late Latin caxinus). In some cases it may be from a Louisiana dialectical term referring to "an area of shrub oak growing in sandy soil" (i.e., "beach ridge, usually composed of sand-sized material resting on clay or mud... [more]
ChenierFrench (Cajun) A sandy or shelly beach. Derived from the French word for wood, “chêne,” meaning oak.
CherroMedieval Spanish (Latinized) Meaning villager or farmer of Salamanca, especially of the region which includes Alba, Vitigudino, Ciudad Rodrigo And Ledesma. Concerning the villager from Salamanca called Charro and its equivalent demonym or gentilic is salmantino, salmanticense, salamanqués, salamanquino.
CherrymanEnglish It is topographical or perhaps occupational and describes a person who lived or worked at a cherry orchard, or who lived by a house known by the sign of the cherry. In the days before house numbering, it was the tradition in almost all western countries to give the house a sign... [more]
ChewEnglish Habitational name from a place in Somerset named Chew Magna, which is named for the river on which it stands, a Celtic name, perhaps cognate with Welsh cyw ‘young animal or bird’, ‘chicken’.
ChiappaItalian Possibly chiappa "stone", indicating someone who lived in a stony area.
ChiaramonteItalian comes from the italian word chiara meaning "clear" and the the word monte meaning "mountain", possibly denoting someone who lived by clear mountians, hills, etc.
ChiarenzaItalian From Clarence, a medieval Frankish town in Greece, called Chiarenza or Clarenza in Italian, rendered Γλαρέντζα (Glarentza) in contemporary Greek documents.
ChiassonFrench, English French surname originally denoting someone from the the municipality of Chiasso in Ticino, Switzerland, located along the Swiss/Italian border.... [more]
ChibanaJapanese 千 (Chi) means "one thousand" and 花 (bana) is a variation of hana, meaning "blossom, flower".... [more]
ChiclanaSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous Andalusian municipalities: Chiclana de la Frontera or Chiclana de Segura.
ChiesaItalian Means "church" in Italian, originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a church, a habitational name from any of various places named Chiesa or perhaps an occupational name for someone who worked in a church.
ChijimatsuJapanese From 千 (chi, sen) meaning "thousand", 々 is a particle that indicates that the previous syllable should be repeated (chi becomes ji), and 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree".
ChikamatsuJapanese From 近 (chika) meaning "close, near" and 松 (matsu) meaning "pine, fir tree".
ChikamiyaJapanese 近 (chika) means ‘near, close, proximity’, 宮 (Miya) means ‘palace, shrine, temple.’ Could be used for someone who had lived near a palace, shrine, or temple. Currently used by around 10 families.
ChikanoJapanese From 近 (chika) meaning "near" and 野 (no) meaning "field, rice paddy".
ChildersEnglish Probably a habitational name from some lost place named Childerhouse, from Old English cildra "child" and hus "house", possibly referring to an orphanage.
ChildreyEnglish From the name of a village in Oxfordshire, England, derived from either the Old English given name Cilla or the element cille/cwylla "spring, well" combined with riþ "stream".
ChillingworthEnglish (Rare) Notable as the surname of Hester Prynne's husband Roger Chillingworth in the 1850 novel 'The Scarlet Letter'
ChinchillaSpanish Originally denoted a person from the Spanish town of Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón in the province of Albacete. The place name is possibly of Arabic origin.
ChinchónSpanish It indicates familial origin within the eponymous Madrileño municipality.
ChinjiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 鎮寺 (Chinji), from 鎮寺門 (Chinjimon), a name of a group of several households in the Kadowari System that took place in the Edo Period in the former Japanese province of Satsuma in parts of present-day Kagoshima, Japan, as well as surrounding areas.
ChinoJapanese From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
ChoateEnglish Probably derived from the place name Chute in Wiltshire, England, or from the parish Shute in Devon. Alternatively, it could be from the Dutch surname Van Choate, itself derived from a location in France.
ChodeckiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Kuyavian town of Chodecz.
ChoulesEnglish (British, Rare) The surname Choules is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a variant of Scholes, itself "a topographical name for someone who lived in a rough hut or shed", from the Northern Middle English 'scale, schole'... [more]
ChouraquiJudeo-Spanish Means "the one who comes from the east" from Arabic شَرْقِيّ (šarqiyy) meaning "eastern".
ChronowskiPolish This indicates familial origin within either of 5 Lesser Polish villages: Chronów-Kolonia Dolna, Chronów-Kolonia Górna, Chronówek, Chronów in Gmina Orońsko, or Chronów in Gmina Nowy Wiśnicz.
ChrzanowskiPolish Originally denoted someone who came from a place called Chrzanów or Chrzanowo, both derived from Polish chrzan meaning "horseraddish".
ChuVietnamese Vietnamese form of Zhou, from Sino-Vietnamese 周 (chu).
ChuChinese From Chinese 褚 (chǔ) referring to the ancient fief of Chu, which existed in the state of Song in what is now Henan province.
ChuVietnamese Vietnamese form of Zhu, from Sino-Vietnamese 朱 (chu).
ChurchyardEnglish It comes from when the family lived in or near the precincts of a church. Churchyard belongs to the large class of Anglo-Saxon topographic surnames, which were given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as "a hill", "stream", "church", or "type of tree".
ChydeniusFinland Swedish From the name of the Kytyniemi estate in Nykyrko (now Uusikaupunki), Finland.
CiambraItalian A habitational name from a place containing the Sicilian element ciambra "room, chamber".
CiechanoverPolish, Jewish Variant of Ciechanower. It is borne by the Israeli biologist Aaron Ciechanover (1947-), who is known for characterising the method that cells use to degrade and recycle proteins using ubiquitin.
CiechanowerPolish, Jewish Denoted a person who came from one of the places in Poland called Ciechanów, for example the city in the Mazovia province.
CieplińskiPolish This indicates familial origin within either of 3 Kuyavian villages: Ciepliny-Budy, Cieplinki, or Ciepliny.
CieszyńskiPolish Habitational name for a person from the town Cieszyn in southern Poland, derived from a diminutive of the given name Ciechosław.
CifuentesSpanish Habitational Name Probably From Cifuentes In Guadalajara Named From Spanish Cien ‘Hundred’ (From Latin Centum) + Fuentes ‘Springs’ (From Latin Fontes; See Font ) Because Of The Abundance Of Natural Springs In The Area.
CinnamondScottish, Irish, English Possibly originates from Scottish place name Kininmonth. Probably introduced to Northern Ireland by Scottish settlers where it remains in Ulster. Another origin is the French place name Saint Amand originated from French Huguenots settling in Ireland.
CiriaSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Castilian municipality.
CisnerosSpanish Habitational name from Cisneros, a place in the province of Palencia, named with a derivative of Spanish cisne 'swan' (via Old French and Latin from Greek kyknos).
ClaxtonEnglish From the names of any of several settlements in England, derived from either the personal name Clacc (from Old Norse Klakkr "bump, hillock") or the Old English word clacc "hill, peak" combined with tun "town, settlement".
ClaybergEnglish Meaning is unknown, but it most likely means "clay mountain", from surnames Clay "clay" and Berg "mountain".
ClaypoolEnglish Derived from Claypole, a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, named from Old English cl?g meaning "clay" and pol meaning "pool".
ClevelandEnglish English regional name from the district around Middlesbrough named Cleveland ‘the land of the cliffs’, from the genitive plural (clifa) of Old English clif ‘bank’, ‘slope’ + land ‘land’... [more]
ClevelandNorwegian (Anglicized) Americanized spelling of Norwegian Kleiveland or Kleveland, habitational names from any of five farmsteads in Agder and Vestlandet named with Old Norse kleif "rocky ascent" or klefi "closet" (an allusion to a hollow land formation) and land "land".
CleverleyEnglish Probably means "person from Cleveley", Lancashire ("woodland clearing by a cliff").
CliffEnglish habitational name from any of numerous places called Cliff(e), Cle(e)ve, or Clive, from Old English clif "slope, bank, cliff", or a topographic name from the same word... [more]
CliftEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a crevice in rock, derived from Middle English clift meaning "cleft". The American actor Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) was a famous bearer of this name.
CliveEnglish English surname meaning "cliff" in Old English, originally belonging to a person who lived near a cliff.
CloptonEnglish Habitational name from any of various places, for example in Essex, Suffolk, and Warwickshire, named Clopton from Old English clopp(a) meaning "rock", "hill" + tūn meaning "settlement".
CloudEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived near an outcrop or hill, from Old English clud "rock" (only later used to denote vapor formations in the sky).
CloughEnglish (British) The distinguished surname Clough is of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin. It is derived from the Old English "cloh," meaning "ravine" or "steep-sided valley," and was first used to refer to a "dweller in the hollow."
ClutterbuckEnglish English surname of unknown origin, possibly a corrupted form of a Dutch surname derived from Dutch klateren "to clatter" and beek "brook", or from klateren and bok "buck, billy goat", or from an older form of kladboek meaning "account book, minute book".
ClwydWelsh This indicates familial origin near the River Clwyd.
ClydeScottish A river in the south-west of Scotland, running through Inverclyde, Ayrshire, Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, and the city of Glasgow. The second longest in Scotland; and the eighth longest in the United Kingdom... [more]
ClydesdaleEnglish, Scottish From the name of a location in Lanarkshire, Scotland, meaning "Clyde’s valley", derived from the name of the river Clyde.
CoatesEnglish Name for a cottager or a person who lived in a humble dwelling, derived from Old English cote meaning "cottage, hut". It could also be used as a habitational name for someone from any of numerous locations with this name.
CoatneyEnglish The initial bearer of this surname lived in a little cottage.
CoccimiglioItalian From Sicilian cuccumeli, the name of several fruit-bearing deciduous trees or of the hackberry plant, itself borrowed from an Ancient Greek word; possibly κοκκύμηλον (kokkymelon) "plum", literally "cuckoo apple", or from κόκκος (kókkos) "grain, seed, kernel" and μῆλον (mêlon) "apple, any fruit from a tree".
CochetFrench Either from cochet a diminutive of coq "rooster" used as a nickname for a vain conceited or womanizing individual... [more]
CoggeshallEnglish Habitational name from Coggeshall in Essex, England, which was derived from Cogg, an Old English personal name, and Old English halh meaning "nook, recess".
CoggillEnglish Recorded in several forms as shown below, this is a surname of two possible nationalities and origins. Firstly it may be of Scottish locational origins, from the lands of Cogle in the parish of Watten, in Caithness, or secondly English and also locational from a place called Cogges Hill in the county of Oxfordshire... [more]
CoisItalian Possibly from the name of a lost town, Coni. Alternately, may be from dialectical words meaning "to cook" or "finch", referring to an occupation or nickname.
CoishEnglish Variant of Cosh, derived from Middle English cosche "small cottage, hut, hovel".
ColburnEnglish Habitational name from a place near Catterick in North Yorkshire.
ColcloughEnglish Derived from a place called Cowclough in Whitworth, Lancashire.
ColdenEnglish, Scottish English: habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire named Colden, from Old English cald ‘cold’ col ‘charcoal’ + denu ‘valley’.... [more]
ColgateEnglish habitational name from Colgates in Kent named with Old English col "charcoal" and gæt "gate" indicating a gate leading into woodland where charcoal was burned... [more]
CollodiItalian, History From a part of the municipality of Pescia in the Tuscany region of central Italy, of unknown etymology. This was the surname of the pen name of the Italian author Carlo Lorenzini (1826-1890) who wrote the fairy tale novel The Adventures of Pinocchio.
CologneFrench Habitational name from a place in France called Cologne.
ColombresAsturian This indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish in Ribadeva.
ColonnaItalian topographic name from colonna "column" (from Latin columna).
ColvilleScottish, English Derived from the place Colleville in Normandy, France. With the Scandinavian name Koli and French ville "town, village".
CombeFrench Either a topographic name for someone living in or near a ravine from combe "narrow valley ravine" (from Latin cumba a word of Gaulish origin); or a habitational name from Combe the name of several places in the southern part of France of the same etymology.
CombèsFrench Either a topographic name from combe "narrow valley ravine" (see Combe ) or a habitational name from any of various places in southern France for example in Hérault named Combes.
ComleyEnglish Either a nickname from Middle English cumly, which means “fair,” “beautiful,” and “pleasing,” or a habitational name from Comley in Shropshire named with Old English cumb meaning “valley” + lēah meaning “woodland clearing.”
ČomorBosnian (Rare), Bosnian Čomor is a rare surname in the world and has (mostly) Herzegovenian origins. You can find most Čomors in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only 400 people bare the surname. Čomor has two meanings; First meaning is 'buttercup' and the second one is 'a disease that comes from eating fatty (oily) foods, fever with a constant feeling of nausea and disgust'
ComptonEnglish Habitational name from any of the numerous places throughout England (but especially in the south) named Compton, from Old English cumb meaning "short, straight valley" + tūn meaning "enclosure", "settlement".
ConantOld Celtic, Pictish A patronym from the ancient Celtic personal name Conan, which derives from the Celtic kunovals meaning "high" and "mighty".... [more]
CondéFrench habitational name from any of several places in Normandy and Picardy called Condé a French form of the Gaulish condate "junction of rivers".
CondomFrench Regional name for someone who lives in a French province named "Condom".
CondúnIrish Gaelicized variant of Canton, brought to Ireland from Pembrokeshire, Wales circa 1200 CE.
CongdonIrish, English A variant of Irish "Condon". In English usage: a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place; probably Devon or Cornwall, where the modern surname is most frequent.
ConningtonEnglish This name means "The king's manor, the royal estate," from the Old Scandinavian word "konunger" + the Old English word "tun." It was listed twice in the Domesday Book of 1086, once as Coninctune and secondly as Cunitone.
CoppEnglish Derived from Old English copp "top, summit; crown (of the head)", a topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, or perhaps a nickname for someone with an oddly-shaped head.
CorbalánAragonese This indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
CorbieFrench From the name of a town in northern France, possibly derived from a given name originating with the Latin word corvus meaning "raven, crow". Alternatively, it could be a variant form of Corbeau.
CorbyEnglish From the name of a town in Northamptonshire, England, derived from the Old Norse byname Kóri combined with býr "farm, settlement".
CórdobaSpanish Indicates someone who was originally from the city of Córdoba (Cordova) in Andalusia, Spain. The name itself is derived from Phonecian Qʾrtuba meaning "Juba’s city", itself from Phonecian qʾrt meaning "city" and juba referring to King Juba I of Numidia.