NairIndian, Malayalam From Nair, the name of a group of Hindu castes concentrated in the Indian state of Kerala. The origin of the word itself is somewhat disputed. Some believe it is derived from nayaka, an honorific meaning "leader of the people", while another theory suggests that is is derived from the Sanskrit नाग (nāgá) "snake, serpent" (a reference to the practice of snake worship)... [more]
NamdarPersian Means "famous, celebrated" in Persian.
NamdariPersian Derived from Persian نامدار (namdar) meaning "famous, celebrated".
NamurArabic, Maltese Derived from Arabic نمر, نامور (namur) meaning "tiger". It is typical of Malta.
NantzGerman From a pet form of a Germanic compound name formed with Nant- (for example, Nantwig, Nantger); its meaning is reflected in Middle High German nenden 'to dare'.
NapelloItalian a nickname taken from the plantname Aconitum napellus, possibly for someone with a 'venerous' character (because the plant is venerous)
NapieralaPolish Nickname for an insistent person, from a derivative of napierac ‘advance’, ‘press’, ‘urge’.
NaporaPolish Nickname for an interfering person, Polish napora, derivative of napierać meaning ‘to insist on somebody doing something’.
NapsoCircassian (Russified) Means "whole-eyed", derived from Adyghe нэ (nă) meaning "eye" and псэу (psăw) "health, alive" or "whole, all, complete".
NaqviUrdu Derived from Arabic نقي (naqi) meaning "pure, clean". This is the name of a Shi'ite clan found primarily in Iran, Iraq and South Asia, named after 9th-century imam Ali al-Hadi (also known as al-Naqi).
NasutiItalian From Italian nasuto "nosey, big-nosed".
NasutionBatak From Mandailing Nan Sakti On or Na Sakti On meaning "the magic one", itself from sakti meaning "mystical, magical" (ultimately of Sanskrit origin). This was a nickname of legendary Mandailing ruler Si Baroar Nan Sakti.
NeadEnglish 1. English: possibly a metonymic nickname for a needy person, from Middle English ne(e)d ‘need’. ... [more]
NearsEnglish French in origin, it is derived from the word "Noir," which is the equivalent of the English word "Black." It could have referred to a person with dark features, hair, or perhaps even one who was thought to engage in nafarious, or "dark," deeds.
NeemeloEstonian Neemelo is an Estonian surname derived from the masculine given name "Neeme".
NeeskensDutch Nickname for a nosy person, from Dutch nees meaning "nose, snout". It could also be derived from a Dutch diminutive of the feminine given name Agnes... [more]
NeffGerman, German (Swiss) From Middle High German neve 'nephew', hence probably a distinguishing name for a close relation or familiar of a prominent personage.
NegreCatalan Nickname or ethnic name from negre "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NegreteSpanish Possibly from negrete denoting a member of a 15th-century faction based in the mountainous area of Cantabria.
NegroItalian, Spanish, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NegroItalian, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, Jewish Nickname or ethnic name from negro "black" (continuation of Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair, dark eyes, a dark complexion, someone who wore dark clothes, someone who worked a job in the night, or was otherwise associated with the night.
NegruRomanian Nickname or ethnic name from negru "black" (Latin niger), denoting someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.
NeighborEnglish From the Middle English word neighbor, derived from neghebour, which in turn comes from the Old English words neah, meaning "near", and gebur, meaning "a dweller". This may have been used as a nickname for someone who was a 'good neighbor', more likely it evolved from the term of address for someone living nearby.
NeujahrGerman nickname for someone who owed feudal dues at the New Year, or sometimes a name given to someone born on that day
NeutsFlemish Flemish Dutch, meaning "New Son" lore tells of a son of a foreign given this name after being born in Flanders with no known father
NeveEnglish, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish Ultimately derived from Old Germanic nefo "nephew, grandson". In Middle English, it also became a term meaning "wastrel, spendthrift".
NevelsDutch Possibly a variant of Nevens. Coincides with Dutch nevel "fog".
NevensFlemish Derived from Middle Dutch neve "male cousin, nephew, grandson".
NeveuFrench Relationship name from Old French neveu "nephew" also "grandson" used to distinguish the two bearers of the same personal name.
NevilisVenetian (Archaic) An extinct surname. Likely derives from Italian "neve", meaning "snow". This surname was possibly given as a nickname to someone with light hair or fair skin. It could also be a cognate of the French surname Neuville.
NewEnglish Nickname for a newcomer to an area, from Middle English newe meaning "new".
NewcomerEnglish (American) Nickname for a person who was new to a town or location, from Old English niwe meaning "new" and cumen meaning "to come".
NewittEnglish Possibly derived from Middle English newete "newt", or perhaps from the Dutch personal name Nout.
NeznaykoUkrainian, Russian Means "unknown", from Ukrainian and Russian не знай (ne znay), meaning "don't know".
NgọVietnamese Vietnamese form of Wu, from Sino-Vietnamese 午 (ngọ).
NhekKhmer Means "close, together, often, frequently" in Khmer. It may also be from a short form of Chinese 涅槃 (nièpán) meaning "nirvana".
NiangWestern African, Wolof Refers to a member of the Deme, a Wolof clan whose symbol is the donkey.
NibbeGerman Nickname meaning ‘beak’, or from a short form of a Germanic personal name Nippo, composed of Old High German nit ‘hostility’, ‘eagerness’ + boto ‘messenger’.
NiceEnglish From the English word 'nice', meaning "kind".
NichterGerman, Yiddish Possibly means "negator, negate" from Middle High German nicht meaning "not", or "sober", from Middle High German nüchter. Perhaps it originally denoted a person who was a philosopher, judge, or bartender.
NieboerDutch Dutch cognate for Neubauer. epithet for a farmer who was new to an area from nie "new" and bur "farmer".
NiedbałaPolish Nickname from niedbały meaning "negligent", "careless", "untidy".
NiemanDutch Means "new man", a cognate of German Neumann. Can also derive from Middle Dutch nieman "no one, nobody", a byname for an unknown or otherwise nameless person... [more]
NievoItalian From nievo "grandchild, grandson; nephew", probably used to differentiate between relatives of the same name.
NightingaleEnglish Nickname for someone with a good voice from Middle English nightegale "nightingale" (Old English nihtegale, ultimately from niht "night" and galan "to sing").
NikbakhtPersian From Persian نیک (nik) meaning "good" and بخت (bakht) meaning "fortune, happiness".
NiknamPersian From Persian نیک (nik) meaning "good" and نام (nam) meaning "name".
NikpourPersian From Persian نیک (nik) meaning "good" and پور (pour) meaning "son, descendant".
NimitzGerman Derived from Russian немчин (nemchin) meaning "German", of Slavic origin. This surname was borne by Chester W. Nimitz (1885-1966), a fleet admiral of the United States Navy during World War II.
NoeMedieval English, Korean A patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah from the Hebrew word "noach" meaning long-lived. Possible origins could be ... [more]
NoirFrench Means "black" in French, originally used in Northern France as an ethnic nickname for someone from Southern France, Spain, Italy or North Africa. It also may have been used for someone who wore dark clothing or for someone who had an occupation during the night or was associated with the night.
NoonEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname for someone of a sunny disposition (noon being the sunniest part of the day); or (ii) from Irish Gaelic Ó Nuadháin "descendant of Nuadhán", a personal name based on Nuadha, the name of various Celtic gods (cf... [more]
NoorhaniEstonian Noorhani is an Estonian surname meaning "young goose".
NoorzaiPashto Means "son of light", from Arabic نور (nūr) meaning "light, illumination" combined with Pashto زوی (zoy) meaning "son (of)".
NoppeFlemish Possibly related to Middle Dutch noppe "tuft of wool, tassel", a metonymic name for someone who worked with cloth, or a nickname for someone with a slight stature. Alternatively, from a childish form of the given name Norbert.
NovelloItalian From the nickname and personal name Novello, from Italian meaning 'new, young'. A famous bearer of this name is Welsh actor and musician Ivor Novello (1893-1951).
NovoGalician, Portuguese Nickname from Portuguese and Galician novo ‘new’, ‘young’ (Latin novus). The word was also occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name, particularly for a child born after the death of a sibling, and this may also be a source of the surname.
NovotutovmRussian Maybe from Russian новый (novyy) meaning "new", and тут (tut), meaning "here", probably denoting to a new person in a village.
NuteEnglish Possibly derived from the given name Cnute, or be a variant of Newitt. Alternatively, it may be from Old English hnutu "brown", a nickname for someone with a brown complexion or hair.
ObeidatArabic From Arabic عبيد ('ubayd), a diminutive of عبد ('abd) meaning "servant, slave".
ObinagaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 帯 (obi) meaning "sash; belt" and 長 (naga), the root form of 長い (nagai) meaning "long; lengthy".... [more]
Ó BolguidirIrish The name Ó Bolguidir has changed considerably in the time that has passed since its genesis. It originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Bolguidir, which likely meant "yellow-belly" (from bolg odhar).
ObuchMedieval Polish (Rare) Obuch is a surname found in Poland and specifically areas that were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom. It was the name of a long handled battle hammer and may have denoted someone handy with the weapon or who produced the weapon... [more]
OcchiItalian From Italian occhio "eye", a nickname for someone with good eyesight, or with distinctive eyes.
OcchibelliItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and bello "beautiful, good", as a nickname for someone with keen eyesight or attractive eyes. May also originate from a place of the same name.
OcchibiancoItalian Means "white eye" in Italian, most often given to foundlings.
OcchiboveItalian Probably means "ox eyes, cow eyes", from Italian occhio "eye" and bove "ox", perhaps a nickname for someone with large, dark eyes.
OcchiochiusoItalian Probably from Italian occhio "eye" and chiuso "closed, shut", perhaps a nickname for someone who was blind, or known for being lazy.
OchsGerman, Jewish Means "ox" in German, derived from Middle High German ohse, possibly denoting a strong person or someone who worked with oxen. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Ó CiaráinIrish A byname from a diminutive of ciar ‘dark’, ‘black-haired.'
Ó CróinínIrish It literally means "little saffron-colored one’s descendant".
Ó CrotaighIrish Means “descendant of Crotach.” Crotach is a byname for a hunchback.
OdehArabic (Mashriqi) Derived from Arabic عودة ('awdah) meaning "return". This surname is primarily found in the Levant.
OdhamEnglish Variant of Odom, altered by folk etymology as if derived from a place name formed with -ham.
OdishoAssyrian Means "servant of Jesus" from Syriac ܥܒܕܐ (ʿaḇdā) meaning "servant" and ܝܫܘܥ (Išōʿ) meaning "Jesus".
OdomEnglish Medieval nickname for someone who had climbed the social ladder by marrying the daughter of a prominent figure in the local community, from Middle English odam ‘son-in-law’ (Old English aðum).
O'DowdIrish The original Gaelic form was Dubhda. The first portion of the name comes from the word dubh, which means "black" or "dark-complexioned."
OechslinGerman (Swiss) South German (also Öchslein): from Middle High German ohse ‘ox’ + the diminutive suffix -lin. An occupational name for someone who tended cattle, or for a cattle dealer; or a nickname for a farmer who used oxen for plowing, or for someone perceived to resemble an ox.
O'feeIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fiaich "descendant of Fiach".
O'GalvinIrish Anglicized form of Ó Gealbháin, which means "descendant of the bright, fair one", derived from the Gaelic elements geal "bright" and ban "fair, white". A known bearer of the original form of the surname is Ciarán Ó Gealbháin, former signer of the Irish traditional music band Danú.
OggScottish Anglicized form of a nickname from the Gaelic adjective óg meaning "young", used to distinguish the junior of two bearers of the same personal name.
OğuzTurkish From the name of an ancient Turkic people, itself derived from a Turkic word meaning "tribe, clan".
Ó hAngluinnIrish A patronymic surname meaning "son of Anglninn." This name is, in turn, thought to be derived from Irish Gaelic word anglonn, which means "hero" or "champion."
ÓhearcáinIrish The surname ÓhEarcáin (Harkins) is derived from the Irish nickname of Erc or Earc meaning freckled. The diminutive of Erc or Earc is Ercáin or Earcáin. When the Irish alphabet added the aspirate “h” the name became hErcáin or hEarcáin with the hereditary surname prefixes Uí hErcáin, UahErcáin, ÓhEarcáin and (female)Ní Earcáin that was anglicized as Harkin, Harkan, or Harkins... [more]
OldEnglish From Middle English old, not necessarily implying old age, but rather used to distinguish an older from a younger bearer of the same personal name.
O'LennonIrish Original form of Lennon. Probably a variant of Ó Leannáin (from a by-name meaning "lover"), but may also be derived from O'Lonain (from lon, "blackbird").
OliphantEnglish Means "elephant" (from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German olifant "elephant"), perhaps used as a nickname for a large cumbersome person, or denoting someone who lived in a building distinguished by the sign of an elephant.
OllEstonian Oll is an Estonian surname, possibly derived from the masculine give name "Olev".
ÖlmezTurkish Means "immortal, undying, eternal" in Turkish.
Ó MaoiléidighIrish Means "descendant of Maoléidigh" in Irish. This surname was stressed on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable, and may have been shortened in some cases to give Leddy.
Ó MiadhaighIrish Means "descendant of Miadhach", a byname meaning "honorable" from Old Irish míad "honour, dignity, elevation".
OmtzigtDutch Derived from Dutch omzicht meaning "cautious, careful, circumspection", ultimately from the verb omzien meaning "to look around". It may have originated in a Dutch village with several farms named Omzicht, or as a nickname for a cautious person... [more]
OnasisGreek From Turkish oynas which means "Lover".
ÖncüTurkish Means "innovator, pioneer, trailblazer" in Turkish.
ÔngVietnamese Vietnamese form of Weng, from Sino-Vietnamese 翁 (ông).
OnnoEstonian Onno is an Estonian surname derived from "onu" meaning "uncle".
OnotoraJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 男虎 (onotora) meaning "male tiger", from 男 (o) meaning "male; man", の (no), an unwritten possessive particle, and 虎 (tora) meaning "panthera tigris", referring to someone with qualities of a male tiger.... [more]
OrakzaiPashto Means "lost son" from Pashto ورک (worak) meaning "lost" and زوی (zoy) meaning "son".
OrangeEnglish, French Nickname for someone associated with the color orange.
OrangeMedieval English, Medieval French, English Derived from the medieval female name, or directly from the French place name. First used with the modern spelling in the 17th century, apparently due to William, Prince of Orange, who later became William III... [more]
OrfanelliItalian Means "little orphans" in Italian, ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀρφᾰνός "without parents; bereft". Given to children raised in an orphanage.
OrfanovRussian Derived from Greek ὀρφανός (orphanos) meaning "orphan".
Orus-oolTuvan Means "Russian boy" in Tuvan, from Tuvan орус (orus) meaning "Russian (person)" combined with оол (ool) "son, boy".
OsakoJapanese From Japanese 大 (o) meaning "big, large" combined with 迫 (sako) meaning "imperative".... [more]
Ó ScannailIrish Ó Scannail is both the name of a sept in Ireland and a surname. It is derived from the Gaelic term scannal, meaning "contention" or "strife."
OseiGhanian, Akan This name is of Ghanaian, Akan, and Fante origin and means "noble, honorable"
OsnovinmRussian Derived from Russian word основной, meaning "main."
OsterdayAmerican (Germanized, Rare) One day in Germany there was a male infant left on the steps to a church. When someone found the baby on the steps, they decided to name him Oster because that day was the day of Easter. Easter in German is Oster... [more]
OumKhmer Alternate transcription of Khmer អ៊ំ or អ៊ុំ (see Um).
OuwehandDutch Means "old hand" in Dutch, originally a nickname for a fisherman, associated with the phrase "old hands at sea". Another theory holds that it comes from a misdivision of the surname Oudeland... [more]
OvechkinRussian Patronymic derived from Russian овечка (ovechka) meaning "lamb". A famous bearer is the Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin (1985-).
PaclebIlocano From Ilocano pakleb meaning "to prostrate, to lie prone".
PacynaPolish Unflattering nickname from paczyna meaning "clod", "brickbat", or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a boatman, from the same word in the sense meaning "oar", "rudder".
PagdangananFilipino, Tagalog Means "to be respected" in Tagalog, from Tagalog dangan "respect, consideration" with object trigger prefix and suffix pag- -an. This surname is mostly found in Bulacan.
PahlaviPersian Means "hero, champion, athletic, strong man", a variant of Pahlavan. It could also refer to a person who came from Parthia, a historical region situated in present-day Iran and Turkmenistan, derived from Persian پهلو (pahlaw) meaning "Parthian, person from Parthia"... [more]
PahlevanyanArmenian Means "son of the wrestler" or "son of the champion", ultimately from Persian پهلوان (pahlevân) meaning "strong man, champion, wrestler".
PaiaEstonian Paia is an Estonian surname derived from "pai" meaning "good".
PaikKorean Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 백 (see Baek).
PaixãoPortuguese Means "passion" in Portuguese, a reference to the Passion, the final period before the death of Jesus commemorated during Holy Week. It was originally used as a nickname for someone born on that day or for someone who had completed a pilgrimage on that day.
PakCircassian Circassian name derived from Adyghe пакъ (pāq) meaning "snub-nosed, bluntnose".
PakKorean Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 박 (see Park 1).