GroschGerman Either a metonymic occupational name for a moneyer or possibly a nickname for an avaricious person from Middle High German Middle Low German grosche "groschen" a medieval thick silver coin its name ultimately derived from medieval Latin denariusgrossus literally "thick coin".
GrosjeanFrench, French (Belgian) Derived from French gros "large" and the given name Jean 1. As a nickname, it is sometimes applied to a person who is perceived as stupid.
GrotiusDutch (Latinized) Latinized form of De Groot. This name was used by the Dutch humanist, theologian and jurist Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), born as either Huig de Groot or Hugo de Groot... [more]
GruberJewish A nickname from an inflected form of Yiddish dialect grub meaning ‘rude' or 'impolite’.
GrullonDominican, Mexican, French Possibly from a derivative of Spanish grulla "crane (bird)" presumably applied as a nickname for tall thin person; in Mexico however grulla denotes a crafty person
GrumpyEnglish, English (American) Grumpy was english name possibly origin of Germanic languages and other spoken languages or other European languages
GrünGerman, Jewish from Middle High German gruoni "green fresh raw" hence a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in green a topographic name for someone who lived in a green and leafy place or a habitational name for someone from a place called with this word such as GrunaGrunau in Silesia... [more]
GuChinese From Chinese 辜 (gū) meaning "crime, wrong, sin".
GuancheSpanish (Canarian), Berber, Guanche Derived from the name of the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands before the Spanish conquest. The Guanche people were a Berber-speaking people who arrived in the Canary Islands in the 5th century AD... [more]
GuerzoniItalian From guercio "cross-eyed, one-eyed; blind in one eye".
GuestEnglish Nickname for a stranger or newcomer to a community, from Middle English g(h)est meaning "guest", "visitor" (from Old Norse gestr, absorbing the cognate Old English giest).
GuijarroSpanish Spanish: nickname from guijarro 'pebble' perhaps applied to a man who sold pebbles (used for paving the streets).
GuilbeauFrench Possibly from Ancient Germanic wil, meaning "will, power", and Latin bellus, meaning "beautiful".
GülerTurkish Means "laughing, smiling" in Turkish.
GulkScottish Gaelic A patronym from the old Gaelic personal name Gilchrist, composed of gilla meaning “friend, servant” with the suffix Christ; means "follower of Christ".
GulliverEnglish From a medieval nickname for a greedy person (from Old French goulafre "glutton"). Jonathan Swift used it in his satire 'Gulliver's Travels' (1726), about the shipwrecked ship's surgeon Lemuel Gulliver, whose adventures "offer opportunities for a wide-ranging and often savage lampooning of human stupidity and vice."
GültekinTurkish From Turkish gül meaning "rose" combined with the title tekin meaning "prince".
GummEnglish From a nickname or byname from Middle English gome, Old English guma "man".
GünaltayTurkish From Turkish gun meaning "sun, day" and altun meaning "gold". A famous bearer was the Turkish prime minister Şemsettin Günaltay (1883-1961).
GunasekaraSinhalese From Sanskrit गुण (guna) meaning "talent, virtue, quality, merit" and शेखर (shekhara) meaning "crest, peak, top".
GunawardanaSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit गुण (guna) meaning "quality, property, attribute" and वर्धन (vardhana) meaning "increasing, strengthening, growing".
GurungNepali From the name of the Gurung (Tamu) people of Nepal, itself an exonym probably of Tibetan origin.
GusevRussian Derived from Russian гусь (gus) meaning "goose".
GushikenOkinawan, Japanese Means "strong-willed" from Japanese 具 (gu) meaning "tool, utensil, means", 志 (shi) meaning "intention, will", and 堅 (ken) meaning "hard, resolute, unyielding".
GutangFilipino, Cebuano Means "cracked heels, cracked calluses of the feet" in Cebuano.
GutfreundGerman From the words gut freund, which means "good friend."
GutherzGerman, Jewish Nickname for a kindly or righteous person. Derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and herz meaning "heart".
GutjahrGerman, German (Swiss) nickname for someone born on New Year's Day from a New Year's greeting meaning "Good year".
GüvenTurkish Means "trust, confidence" in Turkish, perhaps designating a trustworthy person or one who trusts in others readily.
GüzelTurkish Meaning "beutiful" or "pretty" in Turkish.
GuzzoItalian, Sicilian, Calabrian Some characteristic forenames: Italian Rocco, Angelo, Salvatore, Agostino, Carmelina, Domenic, Gildo, Giorgio, Nunzio, Santo, Saverio.... [more]
GwizdalaPolish Nickname for someone noted for his cheerful whistling, from a derivative of gwizdac ‘to whistle’.
GyökeresHungarian From a nickname meaning "rooted, radical, drastic" in Hungarian. A famous bearer is Viktor Gyökeres (1998-), a Swedish soccer player of Hungarian descent.
HagelsteinGerman nickname for a hot-headed irascible man from Middle High German hagelstein "hailstone" derived from the elements hagel "hail" and stein "stone"
HaghighiPersian Means "real, actual, true" in Persian, ultimately from Arabic حقيقي (ḥaqīqiyy).
HajArabic Refers to a person who has participated in the حج (hajj), the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that Muslims must undertake at least once in their lifetimes.
HajianPersian From Persian حاجی (haji) meaning "hajji" (of Arabic origin), referring to a person who has participated in the حج (hajj), the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that Muslims must undertake at least once in their lifetimes.
HajizadehPersian Means "son of the pilgrim" from Arabic حَاجِيّ (ḥājiyy) meaning "pilgrim" and the Persian suffix -زاده (-zâde) meaning "offspring".
HajjArabic Alternate transcription of Arabic حاج (see Haj).
HaleviHebrew Means "The Levite" in Hebrew, from the word ha which means "the", and the surname Levi.
HalfpennyEnglish Nickname probably for a tenant whose feudal obligations included a regular payment in cash or kind (for example bread or salt) of a halfpenny. From Old English healf "half" (from proto Germanic halbaz) and penning "penny" meaning "half penny".
HaliliTagalog Means "successor, substitute, replacement" in Tagalog, originally used to denote a vice-chief or a chief's successor.
HallEstonian Hall is an Estonian surname meaning both "grey" and "frost".
HallasGreek Possibly derived from Albanian hala "yet, still", a nickname for a slow or lazy person. Alternatively, it could be related to Greek χαλάω (chaláo) "to break, spoil, ruin", descended from Ancient Greek χαλάω (khaláo) "to become loose, slack; to open, be open".
HallmarkEnglish From Middle English halfmark ‘half a mark’, probably a nickname or status name for someone who paid this sum in rent.
HamillEnglish Nickname for a scarred or maimed person, from Middle English, Old English hamel "mutilated", "crooked".
HamillIrish According to MacLysaght, a shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÁdhmaill "descendant of Ádhmall", which he derives from ádhmall "active".
HammerGerman, English, Jewish From Middle High German hamer, Yiddish hamer, a metonymic occupational name for a maker or user of hammers, for example in a forge, or nickname for a forceful person.
HaringtonEnglish Variant spelling of Harrington. A famous bearer is English actor Kit Harington (1986-).
HarjoCreek From Creek Ha'chō meaning "crazy brave; recklessly brave".
HarkawayEnglish From a sporting phrase used to guide and incite hunting dogs.
HarlessEnglish, German English: probably a variant spelling of Arliss, a nickname from Middle English earles ‘earless’, probably denoting someone who was deaf rather than one literally without ears.
HarmaFinnish, Estonian Anglicized form of either Härma or Haarma. The former is a toponymic surname referring to several places in Estonia and Finland, probably derived from the given name Herman... [more]
HašekCzech (?) Meaning "Pure" or "Chaste" from Latin Castus, a shortening of Castulus. Diminutive of the personal name Haštal. Noteable people with this surname include Dominik Hašek, a Czech ice hockey Goal-tender and Jaroslav Hašek, a Czech satirist and Journalist, most known for his satirical novel, 'The Good Soldier Švejk'.
HässliGerman (Swiss), French (Rare) Swiss German diminutive form of Haas. This is a French surname via Alsace-Lorraine. A notable bearer is French footballer (soccer player) Eric Hassli (1981-).
HasumiJapanese From Japanese 蓮 (hasu) meaning "lotus" and 見 (mi) meaning "look, appearance".
HatzisGreek Hatzis is the modern form of the Greek khatzis 'a pilgrim to Jerusalem' (either Christian or Muslim), considered a high social distinction. The Greek term is Semitic in origin and is cognate with Arabic hajj 'pilgrimage (to Mecca).'
HaworthEnglish Literally means "enclosure with a hedge," from the Old English words haga + worth.
HazardEnglish, French Nickname for an inveterate gambler, a crafty person, or a brave or foolhardy man prepared to run risks, from Middle English hasard via Old French hasart "dice game, game of chance", later used metaphorically of other uncertain enterprises... [more]
HazarikaIndian, Assamese From a military title used during the Ahom Kingdom that indicated an official who commanded over 1,000 soldiers. The title itself is derived from Assamese হাজাৰ (hazar) meaning "thousand".
HeaEstonian Hea is an Estonian surname meaning "good".
HechtGerman Means "pike (fish)" in German, generally a nickname for a rapacious and greedy person. In some instances it may have been a metonymic occupational name for a fisher, and in others it may be a habitational name from a house distinguished by a sign depicting this fish.
HeenanOld Irish Thought to be a nickname or metonymic, and to owe its derivation from the early Gaelic word ean meaning a "bird". The derivation is from the ancient name O'hEeanchain, which loosely translates as The descendant of the son of the Bird.
HeintzelmanGerman From a pet form of Heinrich, with the addition of -mann ‘man’.
HeitmeyerGerman German: distinguishing nickname for a farmer whose land included heathland, from Middle Low German heide ‘heath’, ‘wasteland’ + Meyer 1.
HeldGerman, Jewish, Dutch Means "hero" in German, ultimately derived from Middle High German helt. This name was bestowed upon a person either in its literal meaning or else in an ironic sense.
HeldeEstonian Helde is an Estonian surname meaning "big-hearted".
HellatEstonian Hellat is an Estonian surname derived from "hellalt", meaning "affectionately".
HellerGerman Nickname from the small medieval coin known as the häller or heller, named for the city it was first minted (in 1208) at, Hall am Kocher (currently called Schwäbisch Hall).
HemKhmer From Khmer ហេម (hem) meaning "gold", ultimately from Sanskrit हेम (hema).
HematiPersian Derived from Persian همت (hemat) meaning "aspiration, ambition, zeal".
HenaresSpanish Derived from the Celtic form of "brave". Also is the name of many towns (Alcala de Henares, Espinosa de Henares, Tortola de Henares...) and a river
HengstGerman, Dutch metonymic occupational name for someone who worked with or bred horses or a nickname for a brave strong man from Middle High German and Middle Dutch hengest "stallion" also "gelding" derived from Old Germanic hangist "stallion"... [more]
HeppEstonian Hepp is an Estonian surname meaning "lively".
HerbstGerman, Jewish Nickname from Middle High German herbest "harvest". The modern German word herbst has come to mean "fall" the time of year when the harvest takes place... [more]
HerdDutch Comes from Middle Dutch hert, herte ‘hart’, ‘stag’; probably a nickname for someone who was fleet of foot, or a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a deer; variant of Heard.
HerringGerman, English, Dutch, Scottish Occupational name for a fisherman, someone who caught or sold herring, or perhaps someone known for eating herring. It could have also been a nickname from the medieval phrase "to like neither herring nor barrel", meaning something of little value.
HertzelGerman The ancestral home of the Hertzel family is in the German province of Bavaria. Hertzel is a German nickname surname. Such names came from eke-names, or added names, that described their initial bearer through reference to a physical characteristic or other attribute... [more]
HerzlGerman, Jewish Variant of Hertz. It was notably borne by the Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist, writer and political activist Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), who is considered the founder of the modern Zionist movement.
HettiarachchiSinhalese From Sinhala හෙට්ටි (hetti) referring to the Chetty caste (primarily composed of merchants and traders) combined with the colonial-era title ආරච්චි (arachchi) used to denote a village headman or leader.
HettigeSinhalese From Sinhala හෙට්ටි (hetti) referring to the Chetty caste (primarily composed of merchants and traders) combined with the suffix -ගේ (-ge) meaning "of, home, house".
HeureauxFrench (Caribbean) Possibly from French heureux "happy, lucky, good". Ulises Heureaux (1845-1899) was the 22nd, 26th, and 27th president of the Dominican Republic
HewczakPolish Hewczak is primarily a Polish surname of the Ukrainian surname of Hewczuk.... [more]
HexspoorDutch Derived from Middle Dutch hicken "to pick, to chop" and spoor "spur", a nickname for a rider who often spurred on their horse.
HeyerDutch From Middle Dutch heiger "heron", a nickname for someone with long legs. Alternatively, from a Germanic personal name composed of hag "enclosure, hedge" and heri "army".
HindEnglish, Scottish English (central and northern): nickname for a gentle or timid person, from Middle English, Old English hind ‘female deer’.... [more]
HoareEnglish From a nickname meaning "gray-haired", ie. "hoary".
HodgeEnglish Nickname from Middle English hodge "hog", which occurs as a dialect variant of hogge, for example in Cheshire place names.
HoeEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a spur of a hill.
HoenDutch, German From Middle Dutch hoen "chicken, hen", perhaps a nickname denoting a silly or foolish person, or an occupational name for someone who raised chickens.
HolladayEnglish English: from Old English haligdæg ‘holy day’, ‘religious festival’. The reasons why this word should have become a surname are not clear; probably it was used as a byname for one born on a religious festival day.
HölttäFinnish Means "unreliable" or "untrustworthy". A nickname for a deceitful person.
HoltzclawGerman (Anglicized, Modern) Americanized spelling of German Holzklau, which translates into modern German as "wood thief", but is probably a nickname for someone who gathered wood, from Middle High German holz "wood" + a derivative of kluben "to pick up", "gather", "steal".
HolzklauGerman From Middle High German holz ‘wood’ + a derivative of klūben ‘to pick up, gather, steal’. It means "wood thief" but it was probably more likely used as nickname for someone who gathered wood
HomolkaCzech From homolka meaning "(cone-shaped lump of) cream cheese". The word homolka itself is derived from homole "cone". This was either a nickname for a mild person or an occupational name for someone who made cheese.