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.
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]
CousinEnglish, French Nickname derived from Middle English cousin and Old French cosin, cusin meaning "cousin".
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]
CraparottaItalian From Sicilian crapa "she-goat" and rotta "broken".
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.
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. This name has been borne by two Dutch soccer players, Johan Cruijff (1947-2016) and his son Jordi Cruijff (1974-).
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]
CurcurutoItalian From an Italian nickname derived from curcurutu meaning "speedy, fleet of foot".
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.
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).
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".
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.
DayalIndian, Hindi, Punjabi From Sanskrit दयालु (dayālu) meaning "kind, compassionate, merciful".
DayanghirangTagalog From a title meaning "chosen lady" in Tagalog, derived from dayang referring to a precolonial noblewoman and hirang meaning "chosen, selected, appointed". It was originally used by a Tagalog noblewoman from Batangas, which became a hereditary surname after conversion to Christianity.
DayaratneSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit दया (daya) meaning "compassion, pity" and रत्न (ratna) meaning "jewel, treasure".
DearbornEnglish The surname Dearborn was first found in Surrey where the family trace their lineage back to Abernon listed in the Domesday Book having sprung from the fief of that name in Normandy. ... [more]
DearthEnglish From a medieval nickname apparently based on Middle English derth "famine".
DearyEnglish Nickname for a noisy or troublesome person, from Anglo-French de(s)rei ‘noise’, ‘trouble’, ‘turbulence’ (from Old French desroi). topographic for someone who lived by a deer enclosure, from Old English deor ‘deer’ + (ge)hæg ‘enclosure’.
De AthEnglish Probably a deliberate respelling of Death (i), intended to distance the name from its original signification.
De BeerDutch, Afrikaans, South African Means "the bear" or "the boar" in Dutch and Afrikaans, a nickname for a person who resembled the animal in some way, such as being very large, strong, or aggressive, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting one... [more]
De BieDutch Means "the bee" in Dutch, a nickname for a beekeeper or a for a busy person, or perhaps a habitational name for someone who lived near a sign depicting a bee.
DebleEnglish This surname is of French derivation and was introduced to Britain by the Normans. It has two possible derivations, the first from the Roman (Latin) 'debil-is', which means literally "poorly" or "weak", and may have been a metonymic for a doctor or healer, whilst the second possible origin is a nickname derivation from the old French 'Theodore' to Tibald and Tibble or Dibble, Deble.
De BonoItalian Derives from the Latin word bonus, meaning "good".
De BonteDutch Means "the colourful", from Dutch bont meaning "motley, multi-coloured; varied, mixed". Probably a nickname for someone known for wearing bright clothing, or perhaps figuratively referring to someone who behaves oddly or unpredictably.
De BreeDutch Means "the broad", from Dutch breed "broad, wide, large", a nickname for someone strong or with a broad build.
De BruyneDutch, French, Flemish Derived from Middle Dutch bruun meaning "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion. A famous bearer is Belgian soccer player Kevin De Bruyne (1991-).
DebyeDutch Variant of De Bie. A notable bearer of the surname was the Dutch-American physicist and physical chemist Peter Debye (1884-1966), born Petrus Debije.
De CatersDutch Nickname for someone thought to resemble a tom cat, derived from Middle Dutch cater, kater literally meaning "tom cat".
DecaturDutch Variant spelling of De Caters. A notable bearer was Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), an American naval officer and commodore during the War of 1812, the Barbary Wars and the Quasi-War.
De CurtisItalian Originally denoting someone who was short, or came from a family of short people. A famous bearer of this surname is Italian actor Antonio "Totò" De Curtis (1898–1967).
DedushkinRussian From Russian Дедушка (dedushka) meaning "grandfather".
DefensorFilipino From Spanish defensor meaning "defender, advocate". A notable bearer was Miriam Defensor Santiago (1945-2016), a Filipino stateswoman and lawyer.
DefoorFlemish Derived from Dutch voort "ford". Alternatively, can be a variant of the French surnames Dufour or Deford.
DefordFrench Variant of Dufort meaning "son of the strong" from French de-, "of" and fort, "strong". Notable namesake is author Frank Deford.
DefraiaItalian From an archaic Sardinian term, possibly meaning "factory", or from an alteration of frai "brother". Alternately, may mean "from Fraia", a settlement in Italy.
De GeusDutch Means "the beggar" in Dutch, derived from French geaux "beggar, poor", itself from Middle Dutch guyte "rascal, rogue, vagabond, freeloader". In many instances, this surname would derive from an association with the Geuzen ("The Beggars"), a group of Dutch rebels opposing Spanish rule in the Netherlands.
De GoedeDutch Means "the good (person)" in Dutch, a nickname for someone considered especially kind or gentle, or perhaps for someone gullible.
De GoeijDutch From Dutch goei meaning "good", making this a cognate of Good. A famous bearer is the retired Dutch soccer goalkeeper Eduard de Goeij (1966-), better known as Ed de Goey.
De GoeyDutch Variant of De Goeij. Famous bearers of this name include former Dutch soccer goalkeeper Ed de Goey (1966-) and Australian rules footballer Jordan De Goey (1996-).
De GraaffDutch Variant spelling of De Graaf "the count", an occupational name for someone who worked for a count, or perhaps a nickname for someone who behaved like one.
De GroeveFlemish Etymology uncertain. Possibly a habitational name from any of several places called De Groeve, derived from groeve "quarry, pit; excavated watercourse"... [more]
De HartDutch Can mean "the hart", "the heart", or "the hard", derived from Middle Dutch hart "male deer, stag" (see Hart), harte "heart" (see Hertz), or hart "hard, solid, sturdy; harsh, cruel"... [more]
De HeerDutch Means "the lord" or "the gentleman" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch hêre "feudal lord, master, leader, gentleman". Could be a nickname for a person who acted as a leader, or an occupational name for someone who worked for a lord... [more]
De HoogDutch Means "the high" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch hooch "high, tall; important, noble". Either a nickname for a tall person, or for someone who is high in rank or behaves as though they are, or a habitational name from a settlement built on relatively high ground.
DeianaItalian From Sardinian de "of, from" and jana "fairy, spirit of the woods, sorceress" (from Latin Diana).
de LaenderFlemish Possibly from Middle Dutch laenre meaning "stone falcon", a kind of small bird of prey such as a merlin or sparrowhawk.
DelafoyFrench From Old French de la foy meaning "of the faith". This is probably a name given to a cleric or a very pious person among the French Catholics.
DelahuntIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dulchaointigh meaning "descendant of a satirist", from Irish dul "going, to go" or "satirist" and cainteach "talkative, chatty" or "plaintive, sad".
De LeeuwDutch, Flemish Means "the lion" in Dutch, a habitational name for someone who lived at a house or tavern with a sign depicting a lion. In some cases, it may have been a nickname denoting a wild or courageous individual.
Dell'oroItalian Means "of the gold" in Italian. Might indicate someone with blond hair, someone who worked as a goldsmith, or might be descended from the Latin name Aurius.
Del MundoSpanish (Philippines) Means "of the World" in Spanish. A famous bearer of this name is Fe del Mundo, a Filipino pediatrician.
Del PopoloItalian Means "of the people", given to foundlings at a time when a small stipend was allotted to their maintenance by the king.
DelvecchioItalian The surname Delvecchio is derived from the Italian word vecchi, which further derives from the late Latin word veclus, which measn old, aged, or elderly.
De ManDutch Means "the man" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch man "person, man; husband, vassal". Could be a nickname, perhaps to differentiate an older individual (compare Mann), or a habitational name derived from a house name such as De Geleerde Man ("The Learned Man") or De Zwarte Man ("The Black Man").
DemirtaşTurkish Means "iron rock" from Turkish demir meaning "iron" and taş meaning "rock, stone".
Den HartogDutch Derived from Dutch hertog "duke", a nickname for someone behaved in a haughty manner, or an occupational name for someone who worked for a duke’s household.
Den OudenDutch Means "the elder, the senior", from Middle Dutch out "old".
Den UijlDutch Means "the owl" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch ule. A notable bearer was the Dutch prime minister Johannes den Uijl (1919-1987), also known as Joop den Uyl.
DepardieuFrench Means "of by God", derived from French pardieu meaning "by God", originally a nickname for someone who blasphemously uttered the name of God. It could also indicate a person who came from various places in France called Part-Dieu or Pardieu, for example the Lyon-Part-Dieu Business District in the city of Lyon... [more]
De PoorterFlemish, Dutch Means "the burgher, the citizen (of a city)", ultimately derived from poort "gate".
DepooterFlemish Variant of De Poorter, or alternatively, an occupational name for a farmer or gardener derived from poten "to plant, to sow seeds". Compare Potter.
DeppGerman Derived from Germanic depp which is a nickname for a joker (person who plays jokes on others). A notable bearer is Johnny Depp, an American actor.
De PraetereFlemish Means "the prattler", from or related to Middle Dutch praten "to chatter" (c. 1400), from a Proto-Germanic imitative root.
DerryIrish, English English variant of Deary, or alternatively a nickname for a merchant or tradesman, from Anglo-French darree ‘pennyworth’, from Old French denree... [more]
De RuiterDutch Means "the rider" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch ruter "freebooter, vagrant, robber", later meaning "cavalryman, soldier, armed horseman". It could also be a nickname based on an event, in one case deriving from an incident involving a ride on a runaway pig.
DesaiIndian, Marathi, Gujarati From a feudal title derived from Sanskrit देश (desha) meaning "country, kingdom" and स्वामिन् (svamin) meaning "owner, master, lord".
DevoyEnglish Anglicized form of Gaelic surname Ó Dubhuidhe ‘descendant of Dubhuidhe’, a name probably derived from dubh "dark, black" and buidhe "sallow".
De WaalDutch, Walloon Means "the Walloon" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch wale, originally indicating a person who came from Wallonia, a French-speaking region of southern Belgium. It could also possibly be a variant spelling of Van Der Walle and De Walle meaning "the wall"', though evidence for this is lacking... [more]
De WildeDutch Means "the wild", from Middle Dutch wilt "wild, savage, untamed".
De WinterDutch Means "the winter" in Dutch, a nickname for a cold or gloomy man, or perhaps for someone born in the winter. It could also be a habitational name referring to a house or tavern named for the season.
De WolfDutch, Flemish Means "the wolf", a nickname given to someone associated with wolves in some way, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a wolf. Could also be a patronymic form of Wolf.
DeyIndian, Bengali, Assamese, Odia Derived either from Sanskrit देव (deva) meaning "god" or देय (deya) meaning "fit or proper (for a gift)".
DharmaratneSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit धर्म (dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and रत्न (ratna) meaning "jewel, treasure".
DharmasenaSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit धर्म (dharma) meaning "that which is established, law, duty, virtue" and सेना (sena) meaning "army".
DheerasingheSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit धीर (dhira) meaning "steady, firm, courageous" and सिंह (sinha) meaning "lion".
DiabArabic Derived from Arabic ذئب (dhiʾb) meaning "wolf".
DiamondIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Diamáin "descendant of Diamán", earlier Díomá or Déamán, a diminutive of Díoma, itself a pet form of Diarmaid.
DiaoChinese From Chinese 刁 (diāo) referring to the ancient state of Diao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province. It was adopted due to being homophonous with the character 雕, which was the actual name of the state.
DickermanEnglish, German, Jewish Possibly derived from Middle High German dic(ke) "strong, thick" and Mann "man, male, husband".
DieuFrench, Walloon From French dieu "god" given as a nickname for someone who played Christ in medieval mysteries or for a presumptious or an overly religious person, or from a short for of the given name Dieudonné.
DieulafoyFrench From Old French Dieu la foy meaning "God the faith". Famous bearers were the married couple of French archeologists Marcel Dieulafoy (1844-1920) and Jane Dieulafoy (1951-1916). A medical condition of the stomach causing gastric bleeding called "Dieulafoy's lesion" was named after Dr... [more]
DiffeyEnglish Possibly from Anglo-Norman defieu meaning "faithless, disloyal", perhaps denoting an unpious person.
DigneFrench From French digne "dignified, worthy" perhaps a nickname for a hardworking person.
D'ignotiItalian Means "of the unknown", a descriptive term for foundlings of unknown parentage that evolved into a given name.
DikshitIndian, Hindi, Odia From Sanskrit दीक्षित (dikshita) meaning "one who is initiated", ultimately from दीक्षा (diksha) meaning "initiation, dedication". The term was historically used to refer to teachers and scholars of the Brahmin caste.
DilagFilipino, Tagalog Means "beauty, splendour, brilliancy" or "maiden" in Tagalog.
ĐilasSerbian Derived from đilas (ђилас), a rare word meaning "jumper, runner".
DillEnglish Nickname from Middle English dell, dill, dull "dull, foolish".
DimaandalTagalog From Tagalog di maandal meaning "not pushable, not shovable".
DimaanoFilipino, Tagalog Means "not touched, not injured" from Tagalog di meaning "no, not" and maano meaning "have something happen" or ano meaning "how, what".