ChristGerman, Dutch Either from a short form of the personal name Christian, or from a nickname meaning "the Christian", both from Latin Christ (see Christos 1).
ChryslerGerman, Jewish From a German name referring to spinning or related to a Yiddish word, krayzl meaning "spinning top." The name can refer to a potter who spun a wheel to make utensils or to a person with curly hair or someone known for being continually active... [more]
CialiehaBelarusian Derived from цялега (cialieha) meaning "cart, telega".
CianciItalian The surname Cianci is a name for a person of small financial means. The surname Cianfari is derived from the Italian words cianfrone and cianferone, which referred to a type of medieval coin.
CiceroItalian From Sicilian cìciru "chickpea", an occupational name for someone who grew or sold chickpeas, or perhaps a nickname for someone with notable pimples or skin sores.
CichymPolish Means "quiet, silent" in Polish, a cognate of Tichý.
CifrinoItalian (Rare) Possibly from an inflection of Italian cifrare, meaning "to monogram, to abbreviate (a name) to initials; to encode, to cypher", or perhaps a derived term meaning "little nothing". Ultimately from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr) "empty, zero".
ÇilTurkish Means "freckle, spot, fleck" in Turkish.
ÇillerTurkish Means "freckles" in Turkish, referring to a person with freckles on their face. A notable bearer was Turkey's first female prime minister, Tansu Çiller (1946-).
CinTurkish Means "jinn" in Turkish, also figuratively meaning "smart, intelligent".
CingözTurkish Means "wily, sly, cunning" in Turkish.
CiottiRomanian From Meglenite, a closely related language.
CircelliSicilian Derived from Sicilian circedda meaning "(hoop) earring", originally used to denote someone who wore hoop earrings.
CirrincioneItalian From Sicilian cirrinciò meaning "greenfinch, great tit".
CiuffiItalian Probably from Italian ciuffo "tuft (of hair)".
ClaretCatalan Diminutive of clar meaning "clear, bright". This is the name of various towns in Catalonia. A famous bearer of this surname is Catalan saint and missionary Antonio María Claret (1807-1870).
ClottsEnglish Found in the United States, most likely either an English spelling of Klutz, meaning "awkward, clumsy," or as a plural form of the English surname Clot, meaning "cloth ."
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".
ClyNavajo From Navajo tłʼaaí meaning "lefty, left-handed one", from the verb nishtłʼa "to be left-handed".
CoakleyIrish From Irish Gaelic Mac Caochlaoich "son of Caochlaoch", a personal name meaning literally "blind warrior".
CocciaItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Sicilian cocciu "grain, berry", denoting a kind of gruel; an occupational name for a farmer from Greek κόκκος (kokkos) "grain, seed"; or from Italian coccia "head, shell", referring to someone with a large head, or who was stubborn.
CoccoItalian Possibly from Italian cocco, meaning "darling, favourite" or "hen's egg".
CochetFrench Either from cochet a diminutive of coq "rooster" used as a nickname for a vain conceited or womanizing individual... [more]
CockeEnglish nickname from Middle English cok ‘cock’, ‘male bird or fowl’ (Old English cocc), given for a variety of possible reasons. Applied to a young lad who strutted proudly like a cock, it soon became a generic term for a youth and was attached with hypocoristic force to the short forms of many medieval personal names (e.g. Alcock, Hancock, Hiscock, Mycock)... [more]
CockerEnglish, German (Anglicized) Originally a nickname for a bellicose person, from Middle English cock "to fight". Also an anglicized form of Köcher.
CocuzzaItalian, Sicilian Means "gourd, pumpkin", possibly a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of gourds, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a large head or rotund figure.
CodinoItalian Means "pigtail, plait" in Italian, literally "tail's end". Ultimately from Latin cauda "tail (of an animal)". Perhaps given to someone who often wore their hair in such a style, possibly given to orphans or foundlings.
CodispotiItalian A Calabrian surname from Greek οικοδεσπότης (oikodespótis) "host, master of the house".
CogottiItalian From Sardinian cogotto "cockerel, rooster".
CojuangcoChinese (Filipino) From the name of family patriarch Kho Giok Hoan (許玉寰), a 19th-century Chinese-Filipino businessman originally from Fujian. He was also known by his Hokkien nickname Khó͘ Hoân-ko (許寰哥) meaning "brother Kho Hoan", comprised of 許 (Khó͘), the Hokkien romanization of his surname, 寰 (Hoân), the second syllable of his given name, and 哥 (ko), a male honorific meaning "brother"... [more]
CokayneEnglish Medieval English nickname which meant "idle dreamer" from Cockaigne, the name of an imaginary land of luxury and idleness in medieval myth. The place may derive its name from Old French (pays de) cocaigne "(land of) plenty", ultimately from the Low German word kokenje, a diminutive of koke "cake" (since the houses in Cockaigne are made of cake).
ColeyEnglish With variant Colley can mean "dark" or "blackbird" or it can be a nickname for Nicholas.
ColfaxEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone with dark or black hair, from Old English cola "charcoal" and feax "hair".
ColleyEnglish With variant Coley, can mean "dark" or "blackbird" or it can be a nickname for Nicholas. Colley was used as a surname for generations of students from the same family taught by a teacher over many years in James Hilton's sentimental novel "Goodbye, Mr... [more]
ColluItalian From a dialectical form of Italian collo, meaning "neck" or "parcel, package".
ColosiItalian Patronymic or plural form of a pet form of the personal name Nicoloso.
ComitoItalian From the medieval Latin comitus, meaning "count", or the medieval Greek form of this word, komitos, used as a nickname for someone who put on airs and graces or worked for a count.
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.”
CommanderEnglish From Middle English comander "commander, leader, director", derived from Old French comandeor "military commander". This may have been either an occupational name or a nickname.
ConejoSpanish from conejo "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus), presumably applied as a nickname with various possible connotations (big ears, timidity, etc.) or otherwise as a metonymic occupational name for a rabbit catcher or dealer... [more]
ConiglioItalian, Sicilian From coniglio "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus ) applied as a nickname for a timid person or a metonymic occupational name for a dealer in rabbits... [more]
ConinxBelgian, Dutch Variant form of Koning, from a genitive form of Middle Dutch coninc "king, leader, important person".
ConquestEnglish Probably from a nickname for a domineering person, from Old French conqueste. A famous bearer of the name was British historian, poet, and novelist Robert Conquest (1917-2015).
ConsiglioItalian Means "advice, counsel" or "council, assembly" in Italian, a nickname for a wise, thoughtful, or perhaps fearful individual, or an occupational name for a member of a council.
ConteItalian Means "count (a title of nobility)" in Italian.
ContestabileItalian Means "debatable, questionable" in Italian, perhaps a nickname for an argumentative person, or for someone of dubious respectability.
ConversFrench Nickname for a Jew who converted to Christianity.
ConverseEnglish Originally a nickname for a Jew converted to Christianity or an occupational name for someone converted to the religious way of life, a lay member of a convent, from Middle English and Old French convers "convert".
CootEnglish “an early member was a person who seemed to exhibit some of the characteristics of birds.”
CopaItalian from the Italian word scopa which means “broom” or “heather”.
CopeEnglish From Middle English cope "cape, cloak", an occupational name for a maker of cloaks, or a nickname for someone known for wearing one.
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.
CorbettEnglish, Scottish, Welsh Nickname from Norman French corbet meaning 'little crow, raven'. This surname is thought to have originated in Shropshire. The surname was taken by bearers to Scotland in the 12th Century, and to Northern Ireland in the 17th Century.... [more]
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.
CorbinEnglish, French Derived from French corbeau meaning "raven," originally denoting a person who had dark hair.
CorbynEnglish Variant of Corbin, notably borne by current Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (1949-).
CorcinoSpanish Means "little deer", a diminutive of Spanish corzo "roe deer". More commonly used outside of Spain.
CorcovadoSpanish Means "hunchback" in Spanish. It would denote a person with a curved spine.
CordascoItalian Possibly derived from a dialectical form of Italian cordesco "late-born lamb", or in Old Italian "of or pertaining to cows or sheep".
CorderoSpanish Means "lamb" in Spanish, either used as an occupational name for a shepherd or a religious name referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God.
CordrayEnglish From a medieval nickname for a proud man (from Old French cuer de roi "heart of a king").
CorlissEnglish Derived from Old English carleas "free from anxiety; unconcerned", cognate to Old Norse kærulauss. This was a nickname given to a carefree person.
CornacchiaItalian Means "crow, carrion crow, jackdaw" in Italian, a nickname for someone who was talkative, or thought to resemble a crow or jackdaw in some other way.
CoronadoSpanish from coronado "crowned" past participle of coronare "to crown" (from Latin corona "crown") applied as a nickname for someone who behaved in an imperious manner or derived from the village Coronado in Galacia.
CorsaItalian Probably a feminine form of Corso. Coincides with Italian corsa "run, running, racing; trip, journey".
CottEnglish From the Old English personal name Cotta. Possibly an altered spelling of French Cotte, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of chain mail, from Old French cot(t)e ‘coat of mail’, ‘surcoat’... [more]
CoulibalyWestern African, Manding Francization of Bambara kulu bari meaning "without a canoe", referring to someone who crossed a river or another body of water without the use of a canoe.
CoullsonScottish Gaelic (Anglicized, Rare), English All origins of the name are patronymic. Meanings include an Anglicized version of the Gaelic Mac Cumhaill, meaning "son of Cumhall", which means "champion" and "stranger" and an Anglicized patronymic of the Gaelic MacDhubhghaill, meaning "son of Dubhgall." The personal name comes from the Gaelic words dubh, meaning "black" and gall, meaning "stranger."... [more]
CountrymanEnglish Translation of German Landmann, Landsmann or Dutch Landman, Landsman, which means ‘countryman’ or ‘fellow countryman’.
CouricFrench Originally a nickname given to a short person, derived from Middle Breton corr, korr meaning "dwarf, midget". A well-known bearer of this surname is the American journalist, television host and author Katie Couric (1957-).
CourtEnglish, French, Irish A topographic name from Middle English, Old French court(e) and curt, meaning ‘court’. This word was used primarily with reference to the residence of the lord of a manor, and the surname is usually an occupational name for someone employed at a manorial court.... [more]
CrabbEnglish, Scottish From Old English crabba "crab (crustacean)", a nickname for someone with a peculiar gait. Could also be from the sense of "crabapple (tree)", from Middle English crabbe "crabapple, wild apple", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a crabapple tree, or a nickname for a cantankerous person, with reference to the sourness of the fruit.
CraneEnglish From Middle English crane "crane (bird)", a nickname for a tall, thin man with long legs. The term included the heron until the introduction of a separate word for the latter in the 14th century... [more]
CrawEnglish, Scottish, Northern Irish One who had characteristics of a crow; sometimes used as an element of a place name e.g. Crawford, and Crawfordjohn in Lanarkshire, Crawshawbooth in Lancashire, and Crawley in Sussex
CreeseEnglish From Middle English crease "fine, elegant".
CreteFrench French (adjectival form Crété ‘crested’): nickname for an arrogant individual, from Old French creste ‘crest (of a hill)’ (Late Latin crista), used with reference to the comb of a rooster... [more]
CristEnglish From Old English Crīst meaning "Christ, the Messiah" (see Christos 1). May have been a nickname for someone who played the part of Christ in a pageant, or a short form of a given name containing it as an element, such as Christian or Christopher.
CriteLow German, Upper German (Americanized) Probably an Americanized form of South German Kreit or Kreith which are topographic names derived from Middle High German geriute meaning “land cleared for farming” or of North German Kreite which is a nickname for a quarrelsome person derived from Middle Low German kreit meaning “strife.”
CrnkovićCroatian Derived from crn "black". The name refers to a person who was dark-skinned, or a person from the region Crna Gora "Black Mountain" (modern-day Montenegro).
CrobuItalian From Sardinian crobu "crow", or a place of the same name.
CrockettEnglish, Scottish Nickname for someone who affected a particular hairstyle, from Middle English croket ''large curl'' (Old Norman French croquet, a diminutive of croque "curl", "hook").
CronkhiteDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of the obsolete Dutch surname Krankheyt, derived from krankheid meaning "illness, weakness", most likely a nickname for a sickly individual.
CronkiteDutch (Anglicized) Variant form of Cronkhite. A well-known bearer of this surname was the American broadcast journalist and anchorman Walter Cronkite (1916-2009).
CroomEnglish Based on a nickname for a crippled person or a hunchback, derived from Middle English crom(p) and Old English crumb, meaning "bent", "crooked", or "stopping". (See Crump.)
CroyIrish (Anglicized) A shortened form of the surname McRoy, from Irish Gaelic Mac Rúaidh "son of Ruadh", literally "the red one".
CruijffDutch Referred to a person with curly locks of hair, derived from Middle Dutch cruuf, cruve literally meaning "curl, lock", ultimately from Latin curvus. A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer player Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (1947-2016), commonly known as Johan Cruyff.
CruikshankScottish From a medieval Scottish nickname for someone with a crooked leg (from Scots cruik "bent" + shank "leg"). This was the surname of British caricaturist George Cruikshank (1792-1872) and British actor Andrew Cruikshank (1907-1988).
CrumbleGerman Probably an altered form of German Krumpel or Krümpel a nickname from Middle High German krum(p) 'deformed crooked'; skeletal deformities were common in the Middle Ages often as a result of childhood illnesses such as rickets.
CrumbleyEnglish Derived from the Old English word crump meaning "bent, crooked." Perhaps a name for a person with an abnormal spine. One notable person with this surname is evil doer Ethan Crumbley, who was a school shooter in Oxford High School in Michigan.
CrumpEnglish Originally a nickname for a crippled or deformed person, from Middle English cromp, crump meaning "bent, crooked, stooping" (from Old English crumb).
CruseEnglish (British) Possible nickname from Middle English crus, cruse "bold, fierce".
CucuzzaItalian From Sicilian cucuzza "marrow, pumpkin", perhaps a nickname for someone who resembled a pumpkin.
CudakPolish Means "oddity, crank" in Polish. It can also come from the word cud meaning "miracle, wonder".
CuelloSpanish, South American From Spanish meaning "neck". Could be a nickname for a person with a stiff neck.
CuervoSpanish Means "raven, crow" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin corvus. From a nickname for a man with strikingly glossy black hair or with a raucous voice. Alternatively, a habitational name from places containing this word (e.g. El Cuervo, Teruel).
CugnascaItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Italian cugnata "hatchet" (from Sicilian cugna "wedge"), or cugnata "related, similar; sister-in-law" (from Latin cognata "related by blood"), or cugino "cousin", combined with nascere "to be born, to sprout".
CuizonFilipino From Hokkien 貴孫 (kuì sun) meaning "expensive grandchild" or "precious grandchild".
CulbertEnglish, Scottish, Irish Meaning and origin are uncertain. Possibly derived from an unattested given name composed of beorht "bright" and an uncertain first element, or an altered form of Cuthbert... [more]
CurcioItalian Could be derived from the Ancient Roman gens Curtius, or directly from a regional descendant of Latin curtus meaning "shortened, short" or "mutilated, broken, incomplete"... [more]
CurcurutoItalian From an Italian nickname derived from curcurutu meaning "speedy, fleet of foot".
CureFrench From cure meaning “vicarage” or “presbytery,” possibly applied as a nickname to an employee or from a homonymous word meaning “healing” or “cure” possibly used as a metonymic occupational name for a healer.
CureFrench From curé which means “(parish) priest” used as a metonymic occupational name for a servant in the household of a priest or applied as an ironic nickname.
CurialeItalian (Rare) In ancient Rome, the curiales (from co + viria, 'gathering of men') were initially the leading members of a gentes (clan) of the city of Rome. Their roles were both civil and sacred. Each gens curialis had a leader, called a curio... [more]
CurrerEnglish It was a name given to someone who was a messenger or person who "dresses tanned leather". In the former case, the surname Currer is derived from the Old French words corëor or courreour, which means "courier".
CzechPolish, English From the ethnonym meaning "Czech", or from the short form of a personal name such as Czesław. The English surname is borrowed from the Polish surname, or from Czech or Slovak Čech.
CzerwonkaPolish Derived from Polish czerwony meaning "red", probably a nickname for a person who had red hair or a ruddy complexion, or for someone who frequently wore the colour red.
DaceyEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of Déiseach meaning "of the Déisi", the name of an archaic Irish social class derived from Old Irish déis "vassal, tenant, subject".
DadashiPersian Derived from Persian داداش (dadash) meaning "brother".
DağlıTurkish Means "mountaineer, highlander" in Turkish.
DağlıTurkish Means "mountaineer, highlander" in Turkish.
DagohoyFilipino, Cebuano From a shortened form of the Cebuano phrase dagon sa huyuhoy meaning "talisman of the breeze", which was the nom de guerre of Filipino rebel Francisco "Dagohoy" Sendrijas (1724-1800).
DahlerGerman From a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name, possibly a cognate with Anglo-Saxon deal, the first part of which means “proud” or “famous.”
DahlkeGerman Eastern German: from a pet form of the Slavic personal names Dalibor or Dalimir, which are both derived from dal- ‘present’, ‘gift’.
DainoFilipino From daino ‘fallow deer’, applied as a nickname, perhaps for someone who was timid or fleet of foot, or as a metonymic occupational name for a game warden or hunter.
DaintithEnglish From a medieval nickname (roughly equivalent to "precious") applied to a dearly loved person (from Middle English deinteth "pleasure, titbit", from Old French deintiet).
DaintyEnglish From a medieval nickname meaning "handsome, pleasant" (from Middle English deinte, from Old French deint(i)é). This was borne by Billy Dainty (1927-1986), a British comedian.
DamanikBatak Means "charismatic, noble, intelligent", derived from Simalungun Batak si mada meaning "possessor, owner" and manik meaning "enthusiasm, charisma, intelligence".
DameronFrench Nickname for a foppish or effeminate young man, Old French dameron, a derivative of Latin dominus "lord", "master" plus two diminutive endings suggestive of weakness or childishness.
D'AmicoItalian Derived from Italian amico meaning "friend".
DammGerman From a short form of a personal name containing the Old High German element thank "thanks", "reward".
DanzaItalian Means "dance" in Italian, a nickname for a dancer. Alternatively, it could derive from an Italian form of the given name Abundantius.
DapperDutch Nickname from dapper meaning ‘brave, gallant’ in Dutch. Famous bearers of this surname include the American actor and model Marco Dapper (1983-), and Dutch physician and writer Olfert Dapper (1636-1689).
DareEnglish This interesting surname has two possible derivations. Firstly, it may derive from the Olde English pre-7th Century personal name "Deora", Middle English "Dere", which is in part a short form of various compound names with the first element "deor", dear, and in part a byname meaning "Beloved"... [more]
DarkEnglish Nickname for someone with dark hair or a dark complexion, from Middle English darke, Old English deorc "dark". In England, the surname is most frequent in the West Country.
DarmonJudeo-Spanish From the name of the Dharmon branch of the Berber tribe of Haouara, which historically roamed parts of Libya and Tunisia.