Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
FayeFrench, English Refers to one who came from Fay or Faye (meaning "beech tree") in France.
FayneEnglish The surname Fayne is derived from the Middle English words "fein," "fayn," or " fane," which all mean "glad." The name was a nickname for a happy or good-natured person.
FegatilliItalian From Italian fegato "liver", figuratively used to denote courage. May be occupational, for someone who cooked liver, or a nickname for someone considered to be courageous.
FeinmanGerman, Jewish Nickname for a fine person, derived from either Middle High German fīn meaning "fine, elegant, cultivated" or German fein and Yiddish fayn meaning "fine, excellent", combined with man.
FeitGerman, Jewish Variant of Veit. Also, nickname from Middle High German feit ‘adorned’, ‘pretty’ (the same word as French fait, Latin factus).
FelliItalian Possibly derived from a nickname based on fello "criminal; evil, wretched; angry; sad, gloomy".
FenechMaltese Derived from Maltese fenek meaning "rabbit", ultimately from Arabic فَنَكْ (fanak) meaning "fennec fox".
FenimoreEnglish From a medieval nickname meaning literally "fine love" (from Old French fin amour).
FeraItalian Probably related to modern Italian fiero "fierce, savage, raging; bold, daring; proud", by way of Latin ferus "wild, fierce; untamed" or fera "wild beast".
FerrignoItalian Derived from the Italian adjective ferrigno meaning "made of or resembling iron" (a derivative of Latin ferrum meaning "iron"), applied as a nickname to someone who was very strong or thought to resemble the metal in some other way... [more]
FettGerman Nickname for a fat man, from Middle Low German vett meaning "fat".
FettEnglish Nickname from Old French fait, Middle English fet meaning "suitable", "comely".
FeverelEnglish From a Middle English form of February, probably used as a nickname either for someone born in that month or for someone with a suitably frosty demeanor. In fiction, this surname was borne by the central character of George Meredith's novel 'The Ordeal of Richard Feverel' (1859).
FeynmanRussian, Yiddish Russian and Yiddish form of Feinman. This name was borne by the American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988).
FfrostMedieval Welsh Devired from the old Welsh word "Ymffrostgar", meaning a brag or boastful person. Originally spelt as "Ffrost", later changed to "Frost".
FichterGerman Topographic name for someone who lived near pine trees (originally bei den Fichten, Feichten, or Feuchten), from Old High German fiohta. The vowel of the first syllable underwent a variety of changes in different dialects.
FieneGerman, Low German A nickname for an elegant person, from Middle Low German fin, meaning ‘fine’. Can also be a locational name from several fields and places named Fiene.
FiggisEnglish From a medieval nickname for a trustworthy person (from the Anglo-Norman form of Old French fichais "loyal").
FilizTurkish Means "sprout, bud, shoot" in Turkish.
FilleryEnglish From a medieval nickname derived from Anglo-Norman fitz le rei "son of the king" (see also Fitzroy), probably applied mainly (and ironically) to an illegitimate person or to someone who put on quasi-royal airs.
FillionFrench, French (Quebec) Probably a diminutive of fils or fille, respectively "son" and "daughter". May have alluded to the bearer being the youngest amongst siblings.
FilsFrench From fils "son", used to identify the younger of two bearers of the same personal name in a family.
FincoVenetian From Venetian finco "finch", possibly a nickname for someone considered shrewd or cunning.
FineEnglish (?) English nickname for a clever or elegant man, from Old French fin ‘fine’, ‘delicate’, ‘skilled’, ‘cunning’ (originally a noun from Latin finis ‘end’, ‘extremity’, ‘boundary’, later used also as an adjective in the sense ‘ultimate’, ‘excellent’).
FingerEnglish, German, Jewish Probably applied as a nickname for a man who had some peculiarity of the fingers, such as possessing a supernumerary one or having lost one or more of them through injury, or for someone who was small in stature or considered insignificant... [more]
FinkGerman, Slovene, English, Jewish Nickname for a lively or cheerful person, Jewish ornamental name derived from the Germanic word for "finch", and German translation of Slovene Šinkovec which is from šcinkovec or šcinkavec meaning "finch".
FinsterGerman, Jewish Nickname from German finster "dark, gloomy" or Yiddish fintster (Middle High German vinster). The name may have referred to a person's habitual character or it may have been acquired as a result of some now irrecoverable anecdote... [more]
FitzEmpressHistory, Anglo-Norman Means "son of the empress" in Anglo-Norman French. The three sons of Empress Matilda (1102-1167) were known as Henry FitzEmpress (King Henry II of England), Geoffrey FitzEmpress, Count of Nantes, and William FitzEmpress, Count of Poitou.
FlahertyIrish (Anglicized) Irish (Connacht) reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Flaithbheartaigh ‘descendant of Flaithbheartach’, a byname meaning ‘generous’, ‘hospitable’ (from flaith(eamh) ‘prince’, ‘ruler’ + beartach ‘acting’, ‘behaving’).
FlaugherGerman (Anglicized) Americanized spelling of German Flacher, itself a variant of Flach, or of Flaucher, a nickname derived from an agent derivative of Middle High German vluochen meaning "to swear".
FlinkSwedish From Swedish flink, an adjective for someone who is quick and accurate.
FlintEnglish, German Topographic name for someone who lived near a significant outcrop of flint, Old English, Low German flint, or a nickname for a hard-hearted or physically tough individual.
FlygareSwedish Means "someone who flies" in Swedish, ultimately a combination of the verb flyga "to fly" and the suffix -are denoting a person who performs the action of the verb. The surname was first used in the 17th century and is therefore unrelated to the modern occupation pilot (the Swedish word for pilot is also "pilot"), instead, a flygare probably referred to a person who was quick, fast.
FooteEnglish Nickname for someone with a peculiarity or deformity of the foot, from Middle English fot (Old English fot), or in some cases from the cognate Old Norse byname Fótr.
FormicaItalian Means "ant" in Italian. It used to indicate a humble or short and thin person but hardworker.
FoschiItalian From Italian fosco "dark, murky (colour); gloomy", a nickname referring to the bearer's hair colour or mood. May also stem from the given name Fuscus, of the same meaning.
FountasGreek Someone with a lot of hair from the Latin word funda.
FoustGerman Foust is a name for a person who was strong and pugnacious and was derived from the Old German word "fust," which meant "fist."
FowlEnglish, Popular Culture This name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and derives from the Old English pre 7th Century word fugol, "fowl", "bird", which was used as a byname and as a personal name. The medieval form of the word was the Middle English development foul, fowl(e), used as a continuation of the Old English personal name and also as a nickname for someone who in some way resembled a bird.
FoyFrench From a medieval nickname based on Old French foi "faith", applied either to a notably pious person or to one who frequently used the word as an oath; also, from the medieval French female personal name Foy, from Old French foi "faith".
FreeEnglish Nickname or status name from Old English frēo "free(-born)", i.e. not a serf.
FreimannGerman German cognate of Freeman. from Middle High German vriman "free man" status name in the feudal system for a free man as opposed to a bondman or serf derived from the elements fri "free" and man "man".
FreirePortuguese, Galician Means "friar" in Portuguese and Galician, either an occupational name or a nickname for a pious person.
FriendEnglish Nickname for a companionable person, from Middle English frend "friend" (Old English freond). In the Middle Ages the term was also used to denote a relative or kinsman, and the surname may also have been acquired by someone who belonged to the family of someone who was a more important figure in the community
FrigerioItalian Possibly from the Lombard name for hackberry.
FrimodigSwedish Taken directly from Swedish frimodig meaning "frank, outspoken, bold, ingenuous".
FrinkAnglo-Saxon, Norman It was a name given to a person who was referred to as being free or generous. The surname was originally derived from the Old French franc, which meant "liberal, generous." ... The surname also has origins from the Norman official title, the frank which also means free.
FrischGerman Nickname for someone who was handsome, cheerful, or energetic, from Middle High German vrisch.
FromSwedish From Swedish from "pious, devout, religious, holy".
FromentFrench, Walloon, English from French froment "wheat" (from Latin frumentum "grain") probably applied as a nickname for a peasant or as metonymic occupational name for a dealer in wheat... [more]
FroschGerman Nickname for someone thought to resemble a frog.
FrostWelsh Originally spelled Ffrost (the double ff is a Welsh letter). The Welsh word ffrost refered to someone who is excessively bold or a brag, especially with regard to warrior feats. Edmund Ffrost signed his name this way on the ship's register of the boat which brought him to the Massachussett's Bay Colony in 1631... [more]
FrühlingGerman (Rare) Nickname from Middle High German vrüelinc German frühling "spring" in some cases for an early-born child from früh "early" and the suffix -ling denoting affiliation.
FruscianteItalian Derived from the Italian adjective frusciante meaning "rustling, swishing, whishing", which itself is derived from the Italian verb frusciare meaning "to rustle, to swish, to whish". The surname had probably started out as a nickname for someone who made a rustling or whishing sound whenever they walked, which was probably caused by the clothes that they were wearing (in that the clothes must have been made of a certain fabric that is prone to making some noise when touched in any way).... [more]
FruthGerman nickname from Middle High German vruot ‘clever’, ‘astute’
FuerteSpanish Derived from the Spanish word "fuerte" meaning strong.
FujinagaJapanese From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 永 (nagai) meaning "eternity".
FukamiJapanese From Japanese 深 (fuka) meaning "deep" and 見 (mi) meaning "look, appearance".
FukushiJapanese From Japanese 福 (fuku) meaning "happiness, good fortune, blessing" and 士 (shi) meaning "esteemed person, gentleman".
FulhuDhivehi From an honorific title used for items associated with nobility.
FumagalliItalian Means "smoke the rooster" in Italian, from fuma "to smoke" and gallo "rooster". Refers to filling a henhouse with smoke to keep the chickens quiet when stealing them, thus making this a name probably given to chicken thieves.
FurtadoPortuguese Means "stolen" in Portuguese, probably used to refer to an illegitimate or kidnapped child.
FusilloItalian From Italian fuso "spindle", referring to their occupation, or a nickname based on the bearer's build. Also the name of a type of pasta.
FustGerman Variant of Faust or a nickname for a person who was strong and pugnacious, derived from Old German fust "fist".
FutamiJapanese From Japanese 二 (futa) meaning "two" and 見 (mi) meaning "look, appearance".
GabaratyOssetian Derived from Алгуз (Alguz), an earlier Ossetian family name of unknown meaning. Historically, the last of the Alguz family migrated to the village of Zalda (located in present-day South Ossetia), where most members of the family presently reside.
GabbettEnglish From the middle English Gabbett, which is from a pet form of the personal name Gabriel.
GaddafiArabic (Maghrebi) From قذاذفة (Qadhadhfa), the Arabic name for a Berber tribe in Libya. The name possibly means "thrower, archer", from Arabic قَذَفَ (qaḏafa) meaning "to throw". A famous bearer was Muammar Gaddafi (1942–2011), a Libyan politician and revolutionary.
GaddamIndian, Telugu Derived from Telugu గడ్డము (gaddamu) meaning "beard".
GainesEnglish, Norman, Welsh English (of Norman origin): nickname for a crafty or ingenious person, from a reduced form of Old French engaine ‘ingenuity’, ‘trickery’ (Latin ingenium ‘native wit’). The word was also used in a concrete sense of a stratagem or device, particularly a trap.... [more]
GajdaSerbian, Croatian, Czech A slavicized variant of the German surname, Geidl. This was most notably used by Radola Gajda, a Czech military commander and politician who slaviczed his name from Rudolf Geidl.
GakpoWestern African, Ewe Means "iron, metal" in Ewe, possibly derived from a nickname or an occupation. It is usually found in Ghana and Togo. Dutch soccer player Cody Gakpo (1999-) bears this name.
GallSpanish In fact it is Catalan. See italian Gall... [more]
GallScottish, Irish, English Nickname, of Celtic origin, meaning "foreigner" or "stranger". In the Scottish Highlands the Gaelic term gall was applied to people from the English-speaking lowlands and to Scandinavians; in Ireland the same term was applied to settlers who arrived from Wales and England in the wake of the Anglo-Norman invasion of the 12th century... [more]
GallandFrench Nickname for a cheerful or high-spirited or bold person from Old French galant "lively vivacious" also "bold valiant" (the meanings "gallant" and "attentive to women" developed only in the 16th century) the present participle of Old French galer "to be in good humor to enjoy oneself" a word of ancient Germanic origin... [more]
GallantEnglish Nickname for a cheerful or high-spirited person, from Old French, Middle English galant "bold, dashing, lively". The meanings "gallant" and "attentive to women" are further developments, which may lie behind some examples of the surname.
GallyFrench Derived from southern French gal "rooster", this name was used as a nickname for a vain or conceited person.
GaltEnglish An early member was a person with a fancied resemblance to the wild boar.
GambonEnglish, Irish Derived from Anglo-Norman French gambon meaning "ham", itself derived from a Norman-Picard form of Old French jambe meaning "leg". A famous bearer is the Irish-English actor Sir Michael Gambon (1940-).
GamelinFrench From pet form of any of the compound personal names formed with gamal, related to Old Norse gamall, Old German gamel "old", "aged". ... [more]
GammonEnglish From a medieval nickname applied to a merry or sportive person (from Middle English gamen "game"), or to someone who walked in a strange way or had some peculiarity of the legs (from Anglo-Norman gambon "ham").
GampEnglish (British) This surname is thought to originate from Sarah or Sairey Gamp, Mrs. Gamp as she is more commonly known, in the novel Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens.... [more]
GandinFrench From the French gandin, pronounced /ɡɑ̃dœ̃/, which is a word used for a dandy, an elegant young man with affected, quite often ridiculous, manners.
GantenbeinRomansh Derived from Romansh canta bein "he or she sings well".
GanzonFilipino From Hokkien 顏 (gân) meaning "face, colour, hue" and 孫 (sun) meaning "grandchild".
GarandFrench nickname or status name from the Old French legal term garant "guarantor". perhaps from a personal name based on the ancient Germanic element warin "protection shelter" or "guard".
GąsiorPolish Means "gander (male goose)" in Polish. It was used as a nickname for a person who resembled a gander or as an occupational name for a keeper of geese.
GatchalianFilipino, Tagalog From a Hispanicised spelling of Gat Sa Li-Han, a Chinese title meaning "lord of Li-Han". It was used by the rulers of Li-Han, an ancient Philippine state that was located in the present-day city of Malolos.
GatlinEnglish English of uncertain origin; probably a variant of Catlin or Gadling, a nickname from Old English gœdeling ‘kinsman’, ‘companion’, but also ‘low fellow’.
GatmaitanFilipino, Tagalog From a Hispanicised form of Gat Maitan, a title meaning "lord of Mait" that was used by rulers of an ancient place named Mait or Maitan.
GattoItalian Derived from Old Italian gatto meaning "cat", ultimately from Late Latin cattus. This was a nickname for a person who resembled a cat in some way.
GattusoItalian, Sicilian Sicilian and Calabrian variant of Gatto, notably borne by the Italian former soccer player Gennaro Gattuso (1978-).
GayeEnglish Possibly a nickname for a cheerful person, derived from the archaic word "gay" meaning "happy". A famous bearer was the American singer Marvin Gaye (1939-1984).
GemistosGreek, Late Greek Means "full, laden" in Greek, supposedly referring to a head full of knowledge. One of the earliest recorded bearers was Georgios Gemistos Plethon, a Greek scholar of the late Byzantine era. He chose the pseudonym Plethon (from πλῆθος (plethos) "multitude, great number", from πλήθω (pletho) "to fill") partly in reference to the meaning of his surname.
GemitoItalian From a misspelling of genito "to be born", given to sculptor Vincenzo Gemito upon being abandoned at an orphanage as an infant.
GermanEnglish, Norman, German, Jewish, Greek From Old French germain meaning "German". This sometimes denoted an actual immigrant from Germany, but was also used to refer to a person who had trade or other connections with German-speaking lands... [more]
GharbiArabic (Maghrebi) Means "westerner, one from the west" from Arabic غرب (gharb) meaning "west, occident". In Tunisia it is typically used as a name for someone originally from Algeria or Morocco (being the two westernmost countries in North Africa).
GharibiPersian Derived from Persian غریب (gharib) meaning "strange, rare, foreign".
GhatakIndian, Bengali Derived from Sanskrit घटक (ghataka) meaning "striving for, bringing about, accomplishing".
GhezziItalian Patronymic or plural form of a nickname from Old Italian ghezzo ‘dark’
GiannoneItalian From a diminutive meaning "big Gianni" formed by combining the personal name Gianni with -one, a suffix used to form augmentatives.
GlassIrish, Scottish Anglicized form of the epithet glas "gray, green, blue" or any of various Gaelic surnames derived from it.
GlauberJewish Derived from German glauben "to believe" and the suffix -er. It was originally given either to an elder of the tribe, one renowned for his counsel, or to a layman who kept 'the faith'.
GlushkovRussian Derived from Russian глухой (glukhoy) meaning "deaf" or "remote, out-of-the-way", either used as a nickname for a deaf person or for someone originally from a remote place.
GoforthEnglish Probably given to someone who likes to lead
GognonFrench, Occitan Nickname for an aggressive or belligerent man, from Old French Gagnon ‘ mastiff’, ‘guard dog’. Possibly from Occitan ganhon ‘young pig’, applied as an offensive nickname. See also Gonyeau.
GogoiIndian, Ahom Means "younger brother" or "king" in Ahom.
GolabPolish Nickname for a mild-mannered or peace-loving man, from Polish golab "dove".
GoldenEnglish From the English word golden which is the yellow color.
GonyeauFrench Respelling of French Gagnon, found predominantly in New England, possibly also of Gagneau, from a diminutive of Gagne.
GoodenoughEnglish From a medieval nickname probably applied either to someone of average abilities or to an easily satisfied person; also, perhaps from a medieval nickname meaning "good servant".
GoodfellowEnglish Generally explained as a nickname meaning 'good fellow' or 'good companion'.
GoodfriendEnglish Nickname for a reliable friend or neighbor, from Middle English gode meaning "good", and frend meaning "friend". It is an English translation and cognate of German Gutfreund, from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and vriunt meaning "friend".
GoodsonEnglish Nickname for a dutiful son, from Middle English gode ‘good’ + sone ‘son’.
GoodwillEnglish Nickname for a friendly or amiable person; from Middle English god(e), gud(e)goud(e), meaning "good" and wil(le), meaning "will, volition".
GoodyMedieval English From Middle English god dai ‘good day’, possibly applied as a nickname for someone who frequently used this greeting.... [more]
GoodyearEnglish Probably a nickname from Middle English expression gode ‘good’ (Old English gōd) + year, yere ‘year’ commonly used as an intensifier in questions e.g. ‘What the good year?’... [more]
GooseEnglish, Norman Occupational name for a goose-herd (a person who tends to geese) or a medieval nickname for a person who resembled a goose in some way. It could also be a English (of Norman French origins) cognate of Gosse.
GóraPolish A Polish and Jewish name that means; ‘mountain’, ‘hill’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived on a hillside or in a mountainous district, or perhaps a nickname for a large person
GorbachenkoRussian From Russian горбач (gorbach) meaning "hunchback, humpback"
GorbachevRussian From Russian горбач (gorbach) meaning "hunchback, humpback". A notable bearer is Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-), a former Soviet politician.
GorgaItalian Topographic name from Sicilian gorga, Catalan gorg(a) ‘place where water collects’, ‘mill pond’, ‘gorge’.
GoscinnyPolish Derived from Polish adjective gościnny from word gość meaning 'guest'.
GoswamiIndian, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese Derived from Sanskrit गोस्वामिन् (gosvamin) meaning "religious mendicant" (literally "owner of cows" or "lord of cows"), from गो (go) meaning "cow" and स्वामिन् (svamin) meaning "owner, lord, master".
GötzGerman Originally a hypocorism of Gottfried, which is derived from an Old High German given name. Variants include the surnames Getz and Goetz, as well as the given name Götz.
GouChinese From Chinese 苟 (gǒu) meaning "careless, casual, indifferent".
GoupilFrench nickname for someone with red hair or for a cunning person from Old French goupil "fox" Late Latin vulpiculus a diminutive of classical Latin vulpes a distant cognate of Wolf . This was replaced as a vocabulary word during the Middle Ages by Renard originally a personal name.