GoldmannGerman, Jewish occupational name for someone who worked with gold denoting anything from a gold-miner to a maker of gold jewelry or a gilder (someone skilled in decorating surfaces with a very thin layer of gold leaf)... [more]
GoldsmithEnglish Occupational name for a worker in gold, a compound of Old English gold "gold" and smið "smith". In North America it is very often an English translation of German or Jewish Goldschmidt.
GoldsternYiddish (Germanized, Rare) It is a Jewish surname that means (Gold Star), which in Hebrew is כוכב המלך דוד the star of King David. This surname has its origins in Hungary, Austria and Germany, this surname was bought by the Jews who worked as sellers of gold, diamonds, emeralds and jewels... [more]
GoodallEnglish From Middle English gode "good" and ale "ale, malt liquor", hence a metonymic occupational name for a brewer or an innkeeper.
GoodbarGerman (Anglicized), English Possibly an altered spelling of English Godber, derived from the medieval given name Godebert, or an occupational name for a beer brewer and a nickname for a toper... [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.
GoshawkEnglish Probably referring to a breeder of Eagle-Owls or an eagle-tamer. Shares its name with the Wizarding World author, Miranda Goshawk.
GraanoogstDutch, Dutch (Surinamese) Occupational name for a person who harvested grain, derived from Middle Dutch grâen literally meaning "grain, cereal" and ôgest meaning "harvest". A famous bearer is the Surinamese soldier and politician Ivan Graanoogst (19??-), who was an acting president of Suriname in December 1990.
GrabarekPolish Occupational name from a diminutive of Polish grabarz meaning "gravedigger".
GrableGerman Means "digger of ditches or graves" (from a derivative of Middle High German graben "ditch"). A famous bearer was US actress, dancer and singer Betty Grable (1916-1973).
GradankićBosnian Derived from "gradan" meaning "citizen" in Bosnian.
GraefDutch, German Name used to denote the chairman of a town council. Compare Graf.
GraffEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a clerk or scribe, from Anglo-Norman French grafe "quill, pen" (a derivative of grafer "to write", Late Latin grafare, from Greek graphein).
GrammerGerman, English Variant of Krämer or a habitational name for someone possibly from German places called Gram or Grammen. It can also be an English occupational name for a scholar or an astrologer, derived from Old French gramaire meaning "grammarian, scholar, astrologer"... [more]
GranadosSpanish Occupational name for a grower or seller of pomegranates, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a pomegranate tree, from granado "pomegranate tree" (cf. GARNETT).
GrapeLow German Metonymic occupational name for a maker of metal or earthenware vessels, from Middle Low German grope "pot".
GrassEnglish, German Topographic name for someone who owned or lived by a meadow, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold hay, from Middle English gras, Middle High German gras "grass, pasture, grazing".
GrassScottish Occupational name, reduced from Gaelic greusaiche "shoemaker". A certain John Grasse alias Cordonar (Middle English cordewaner "shoemaker") is recorded in Scotland in 1539.
GraupmanGerman Occupational name for someone who produced or dealt with grits and legumes, from early modern German graupe "pot barley" (bohemian krupa) and man "man".
GraveEnglish Occupational name from Middle English greyve "steward", from Old Norse greifi or Low German greve
GravesEnglish, French, German Derives from someone who had an occupation as a grave digger or a caretaker for a graveyard.
GrawertLow German, German (East Prussian) As a Low German name, Grawert is derived from Middle High German grā and Old High German grāo "gray" (originally "shimmery, gleaming"). As a surname, it was a nickname given to someone with gray hair.... [more]
GrealishEnglish The name derives from the Old Norman French word "greslet", meaning pitted or scarred, and is itself derived from the very early Germanic word "gresle", or hailstone.
GrenierFrench Occupational name for a grain merchant (from Latin granarius), or a topographic name for someone who lived by a granary (from Latin granarium) or a metonymic occupational name for someone who supervised or owned one.
GriebeGerman Occupational name for a butcher or fat dealer from Middle High German griebegriube "rendered bacon pieces crackling".
GrindyGerman (Modern), French I have seen elsewhere explanations about this name being German or French in origin. Sorry, I do not have the sources to hand
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 denarius grossus literally "thick coin".
GrosvenorEnglish English surname of Norman origin meaning ‘the master huntsman’. Derived from Le Grand Veneur, this title was held by Hugh d'Avranches who accompanied William the Conqueror in the Norman invasion of England in 1066.
GuadagninoItalian It came from Italian word guadagno which means "earnings" and has a diminutive suffix ino which is also an occupation suffix.
GuastiItalian Meaning uncertain, may denote someone from the town of Guasto. Alternately, it may be an occupational name from gastaldo "chamberlain", from Latin gastaldus "manager, bailiff, steward", or be a nickname from guasto "broken, crippled".
GuertinFrench A French surname that evolved from the Old Germanic given name, Warin, "meaning to guard", or "protection". This surname was often given as an occupational name for a guard, or someone who served as a protector in their community.
GuetFrench French - From Old French guet "lookout, watchman".
GuilderEnglish Occupational name for someone who worked in gold. The derivation is from the Old English pre 7th Century "gyldan" and the Old High German "gold", a refiner, jeweller, or gilder.
GüldenDutch, German from gulden "golden" derived from vergulden vergolden "to gild" a metonymic occupational name for a craftsman who gilds objects; compare Guldner. From gulden the name of the coin (English guilder) applied as a topographic or habitational name referring to a house name such as In den silvren Gulden ("In the Silver Guilder") or from related verb meaning "to gild" applied as a topographic or habitational name referring to a house name such as De Gulden Hoeve ("The Gilded Farmhouse") or De Gulden Zwaan ("The Gilded Swan").
GullitDutch, Dutch (Surinamese) Possibly derived from Old Dutch golt meaning "gold", most likely referring to a person who worked with gold. The former Dutch soccer player Ruud Gullit (1962-; birth name Rudi Dil) is a famous bearer of this name.
GunjiJapanese From Japanese 郡 (gun) meaning "county, district" and 司 (ji) meaning "officer, official, boss".
GunnerEnglish From Old English gunne meaning "cannon, gun" and the agent suffix "-er"
GuralnickJewish Occupational name from Ukrainian guralnyk, Yiddish guralnik "distiller".
GuriraSouthern African, Shona From the Ndau word gurira meaning "to break or cut for someone, cut short, take shortcut". The American-Zimbabwean actress and playwright Danai Gurira (1978-) is a famous bearer of this name.
GuroFilipino, Maranao From Maranao goro meaning "teacher, instructor", ultimately from Sanskrit गुरु (guru).
GuroalimFilipino, Maranao From Maranao goro meaning "teacher, instructor" and alim meaning "sage, philosopher".
GurusingaBatak From Sanskrit guru, meaning “Mentor”, and singha, meaning “Lion”.
HäberliGerman (Swiss) Derived from Alemannic and Upper German Haber, a variant of Standard High German Hafer "oats" in combination with the diminutive suffix -li. This name denoted a young farmer of oats.
HabermannGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a grower or seller of oats, composed of the elements Haber and the agent suffix -mann.
HabermehlGerman metonymic occupational name for a producer or seller of oatmeal from Middle High German habaro "oats" and melo "flour".
HackneyEnglish, Scottish From Middle English hakenei (Old French haquenée), an ambling horse, especially one considered suitable for women to ride; perhaps therefore a metonymic occupational name for a stablehand... [more]
HaferGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a grower of or dealer in oats, from German Hafer "oats". Compare Haber. As a Jewish surname, it is in many cases ornamental.
HaganJewish Hebrew, shortened from haganah which means soldier
HagemannGerman, Danish Combination of Middle Low German hage "enclosure, hedge" and mann "man".
HajjarArabic Means "stonemason" from Arabic حَجَر (ḥajar) "stone, weight".
HamerEnglish, German From the town of Hamer in Lancashire from the old english word Hamor combining "Rock" and "Crag". It is also used in Germany and other places in Europe, possibly meaning a maker of Hammers.
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.
HammershaimbFaroese An Faroese Surname, Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb (1819-1909) was a Faroese Lutheran minister who established the modern orthography of Faroese, the language of the Faroe Islands, based on the Icelandic language, which like Faroese, derives from Old Norse.
HandschuhGerman Occupational name for a maker or seller of gloves or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore gloves from Middle High German hantschuoch "glove" literally "hand shoe" from the elements hant "hand" and schuh "shoe".
HarambašićCroatian, Bosnian, Serbian Derived from harambaša (харамбаша), which was a historic rank for the senior commander of a hajduk band. The hajduks were bandits and freedom fighters in the Balkans who fought the Ottomans.
HaramijaCroatian Derived from harambaša, which was a historic rank for the senior commander of a hajduk band. The hajduks were bandits and freedom fighters in the Balkans who fought the Ottomans.
HarbourEnglish Variant of French Arbour or a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of a lodging house, from Old English herebeorg "shelter, lodging".
HargierFrench Known back to the 15th or 16th century in France.... [more]
HarmerEnglish (British) Meaning, of the Army or man of Armor, from the battle at Normandy, France. It was formerly a French last name Haremere after the battle at Normandy it moved on to England where it was shortened to Harmer.
HatmanuRomanian Medieval military rank the equivalent of general rank
HatterEnglish This name derives from the Old English pre 7th Century "haet" meaning a hat and was originally given either as an occupational name to a maker or seller of hats
HattlerGerman Occupational name for someone who raises goats.
HauptmannGerman Derived from German hauptmann, a word used for a German military rank meaning "Captain".
HausGerman Topographic and occupational name for someone who lived and worked in a great house, from Middle High German, Middle Low German hus "house" (see House).
HauschildGerman Possibly from German haus "house" or hauen "to chop, to hack" combined with schild "shield".
HausknechtGerman occupational name from Middle High German hus "house" and kneht "boy servant" also "town-hall, messenger".
HausmannGerman From Middle High German hus "house" (see Haus) + man "man".
HauswirthGerman From Middle High German haus 'house' and wirt 'owner' or 'master'.
HaversEnglish Possible variant of Haver, a German, Dutch and English surname. In Germany or England it refers to oats and is used as an occupational surname for a grower or seller of oats... [more]
HayEnglish, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Frisian Scottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure, Middle English hay(e), heye(Old English (ge)hæg, which after the Norman Conquest became confused with the related Old French term haye ‘hedge’, of Germanic origin)... [more]
HechtGerman, Dutch From Middle High German hech(e)t, Middle Dutch heect, hecht "pike", 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.
HefnerGerman, Jewish Recorded in several spellings including Hafner, Haffner, and Hevner, this is as surname of early Germanic origins. ... [more]
HegdeKannada Hegde means the Headman of the village. Hegde or Heggade Pergade is a surname from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kasargod district of Kerala and Karnataka in India. It is found amongst Hindus of the Bunt community, Jain bunt community, Havyaka Brahmins, Vokkaligas in Karnataka.... [more]
HeilandGerman South German: from Middle High German heilant ‘savior’, ‘Christ’, presumably either a name given to someone who had played the part of Christ in a mystery play or an occupational name for a healer, from Middle High German heilen ‘to heal’, ‘save’.
HeimburgerGerman, Jewish Status name for a village head, derived from Middle High German heim meaning "homestead, settlement" and bürge meaning "guardian". It could also be a habitational name for someone from numerous places called Heimburg or Heimberg in Germany.
HelberGerman Occupational name for a thresher, from Middle High German helwe 'chaff' + the agent suffix -er; alternatively, it could be a habitational name from a place called Helba near Meiningen.
HelferGerman Metonymic occupational name for an assistant of some kind, or nickname for a helpful person, from Middle High German hëlfære, German Helfer 'helper', 'assistant'.
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]
HenkerGerman Occupational name for an Executioner, from the German word "Henker" meaning Hangman.
HerHmong From the clan name Hawj associated with the Chinese character 侯 (hóu) (see Hou).
HerbsterGerman Occupational name for a grape picker or vintner from Middle High German herbest "(grape) harvest".
HercigonjaCroatian Derived from Herzogin, a German title meaning "duchess".
HerderGerman An occupational surname in reference to herding animals. The anglicized pronounciation is "Her-der", but is Germanically pronounced, "Herr-der".
HerrmanGerman Herrman is of ancient German origin. It is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements heri meaning "army," and man meaning "man." Herrman was first found in Prussia, where the name emerged in medieval times as one of the notable families of the region.
HoggEnglish An occupational name for someone who herded swine.
HoggattEnglish A name for someone who worked as a keeper of cattle and pigs.
HohnGerman Derived from Middle High German hon "chicken". As a surname, it was given to someone who either bred or traded in chickens.... [more]
HolderGerman, Jewish, English 1. German: topographic name for someone who lived by an elder tree. Middle High German holder, or from a house named for its sign of an elder tree. In same areas, for example Alsace, the elder tree was believed to be the protector of a house... [more]
HollierEnglish, French Occupational name for a male brothel keeper, from a dissimilated variant of Old French horier "pimp", which was the agent noun of hore "whore, prostitute". Hollier was probably also used as an abusive nickname in Middle English and Old French.... [more]
HolzschuhGerman Occupational - from German holz "wood", and schuh "shoe".
HomeyerGerman status name from Middle Low German ho "high" and meier "headman steward" (see Meyer ).
HonigGerman, Jewish Metonymic name for a gatherer or seller of honey, from Middle High German honec, honic "honey", German Honig.
HoodEnglish, Scottish, Irish English and Scottish: metonymic occupational name for a maker of hoods or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood, from Middle English hod(de), hood, hud ‘hood’. Some early examples with prepositions seem to be topographic names, referring to a place where there was a hood-shaped hill or a natural shelter or overhang, providing protection from the elements... [more]
HoornaertBelgian Comes from the Dutch word "Hoorner" meaning Horner. Surname more prevalent in Northwest Belgium.
HootDutch, German The Dutch form is a habitation name for someone who lived in the hout or "woods" while the German form hoth is from an occupational name for a maker of hats.
HöövelEstonian Höövel is an Estonian surname meaning "planer".
HosnerGerman Occupational name for a knitter of hose (garments for the legs), from the plural form of Middle High German hose + the agent suffix -er (see Hose 3).
HospodPolish (Rare) From the Proto-Slavic gospodь, meaning "lord" or "host." Variant of the Old Polish gospodzin, meaning "landlord."... [more]
HotalingEnglish (American) Americanized spelling of Dutch Hoogteijling, an indirect occupational name for a productive farmer, from hoogh ‘high’ + teling ‘cultivation’, ‘breeding’.
HowladerBengali From a Bengali word meaning "land owner", itself derived from Arabic حول (hawl) meaning "power, might, strength" and the Persian suffix دار (dar) indicating ownership.
HoyEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a sailor, from Middle Dutch hoey "cargo ship".
HuāwūChinese From Chinese 花 (huā) meaning "flower, blossom" combined with 屋 (wū) meaning "shop".
HudecCzech, Slovak Occupational name for a fiddler, hudec, a derivative of housti meaning "to play the fiddle".
HufnagelGerman Metonymic occupational name for a farrier from Middle High German hufnagel "horseshoe nail" (literally "hoof nail"). Derived from huof "hoof" and nagal "nail".
HuitemaDutch The name is believed to come from the Dutch word 'hout', meaning wood. Thus, this was a name often given to woodcutters.
HulkeEnglish a nickname for a person who literally "towed" ships and barges
HurtadoSpanish Derived from the Spanish word hurtar, meaning "to steal".
HusemannGerman Epithet for a servant or an administrator who worked at a great house, from Middle Low German hus ‘house’ (see House 1, Huse) + man ‘man’.
HütterGerman German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a hatter from an agent derivative of Middle High German huot ‘hat’; Yiddish hut, German Hut ‘hat’. German (Hütter): topographic name from Middle High German hütte ‘hut’... [more]
ImamArabic, Bengali, Persian, Urdu From Arabic إِمَام (ʾimām) meaning "leader, guide", used to denote a Muslim leader.
IngogliaItalian Means "belonging to the family of Goglia" in Italian, derived from the prefix in- meaning "belonging to the family of" combined with the name Goglia... [more]
InmanEnglish (British) Anglo-Saxon in Origin. Occupational surname given to a person who "tended a lodge or an inn". Surname first found in Lancashire, England.
In'yakuJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 印鑰 (in'yaku) meaning "seal of head government office and keys to various buildings", referring to someone who would make seals or keys for such purposes.
IteJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 射 (i) meaning "shoot" and 手 (te) meaning "hand", referring to an archer.
JäägerEstonian Jääger is an Estonian surname meaning "game warden". Ultimately, from the German-language "jäger" meaning "hunter".
JägermeisterssenGerman Means son of the "Master-Hunter". Originally given to the son of the master-hunter in hunting camps.
JaggardEnglish The name Jaggard is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was originally a name for someone who worked as a person who tends draughthorses.
JahimeesEstonian Jahimees is an Estonian surname meaning "hunter" (literally, "hunting man").
JaimoukhaCircassian Means "cow herd, cowman", from Kabardian жэм (žăm) meaning "cow" and хъу (χ°) "male, man". It traditionally indicated someone who was wealthy because they possessed a large herd of bovine.
JardinFrench, English Derived from Old French jardin meaning "enclosure, garden", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a garden or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked as a gardener.
JaukGerman (Austrian) The meaning of the name Jauk is similar to the word "acre" in English. It is a measure word for how much land an ox can plough in one day. People with the surname Jauk are likely to have descended from farmers... [more]
JaunzemeLatvian Feminine form of Jaunzems, a Latvian occupational surname meaning "new farmer", composed of jauns meaning "new" and zeme meaning "land" (compare zemlja).
JavaheriPersian Occupational name for a jeweller from Persian جواهر (javaher) meaning "jewel".
JessieEnglish Possibly a variant of Jessey, an occupational name for someone making jesses (a short strap fastened around the leg of a bird used in falconry).
JezavitBelarusian Derived from dialectal Belarusian езавіт (jezavit), an equivalent to standard езуіт (jezuit) meaning "jesuit".
JezavitaŭBelarusian Patronymic surname derived from dialectal Belarusian езавіт (jezavit) meaning "jesuit".
JourdemayneMedieval English Likely from Old French jor de main meaning "day labourer". This was borne by Margery Jourdemayne, an English woman known as the "Witch of Eye" who was burned at the stake in 1441 for conspiring to kill the king with witchcraft... [more]
JuhtEstonian Juht is an Estonian surname meaning "leader" and "driver".
JunkurEstonian Junkur is an Estonian surname meaning "squire" and "cadet".
JupinFrench from a diminutive of Old French jupe a term denoting a long woolen garment hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller (or a nickname for a wearer) of such garments. This word ultimately derives from Arabic.
JuradoSpanish, Portuguese Occupational name for any of various officials who had to take an oath that they would perform their duty properly, from jurado "sworn", past participle of jurar "to swear" (Latin iurare).
JuskeEstonian Juske is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "harjusk", meaning "peddler".
KaeserGerman, German (Swiss) Occupational name for a cheesemaker or a cheese merchant from an agent derivative of Middle High German kæse "cheese". Variant of Käser.
KafetzisGreek Means "coffee shop owner" in Greek, derived from the Ottoman Turkish word قهوهجی (kahveci), equivalent to Greek καφές (kafés) both meaning “coffee” and the Greek suffix -τζής (-tzís), from Ottoman Turkish قهوه (kahve) and Ottoman Turkish ـجی (-ci) respectively... [more]