ChaikhamThai From Thai ไชย (chai) meaning "victory" and คำ (kham) meaning "gold" or "word, speech".
ChaissonFrench, English Variant of the French surname Chiasson originally denoting someone from the the municipality of Chiasso in Ticino, Switzerland, located along the Swiss/Italian border.... [more]
ChaisukThai From Thai ชัย or ไชย (chai) meaning "victory" and สุข (suk) meaning "joy, happiness".
ChaiwongThai From Thai ใจ (chai) meaning "heart, mind, spirit" or ไชย (chai) meaning "victory" and วงศ์ (wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty".
ChakmaBengali From the name of the Chakma people of Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, derived from Sanskrit शक्तिमान (shaktimana) meaning "powerful" (composed of शक्ति (shakti) meaning "power" and the suffix मत् (mana) meaning "as, like, having the qualities of").
ChaleunLao Means "flourish, prosper" or "much, many" in Lao.
ChalujBelarusian Derived from Belarusian халуй (chaluj), a derogatory word meaning "lackey, groveller".
ChamounArabic, Arabic (Maghrebi), Assyrian, Jewish French-influenced variant of Arabic شمعون (see Shamoun), mainly used in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and parts of North Africa. This name was borne by Lebanese president Camille Chamoun (1900-1987).
ChamplainFrench Name given to those who live in or around fields. Known barrer of the name is Samuel de Champlain who founded Quebec, Canada and after whom the lake is named.
ChapelFrench Occupational name for a maker of cloaks or a nickname for a person who wore a distinctive cloak, from a diminutive of Old French chape meaning "cape, cloak".
ChappellEnglish Name for someone who lived near a chapel, derived from Old French chapele meaning "chapel".
ChaucerEnglish Meaning a "worker who makes leggings or breeches". Notable bearer is author Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), most well known for his classic 'The Canterbury Tales'.
ChaunceyAmerican Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Norman French habitation names Chancé or an American adaptation of a German place name of Schanze located on the Upper Rhine. Could also be a short form of Chancellor.
CheyoTanzanian (Rare) Italian and Spanish variation of Elisha. "God is my salvation"
ChhetriNepali, Indian, Bengali Derived from Sanskrit क्षत्रिय (kṣatríya), the name of the Hindu social class consisting of warriors and rulers.
ChiassonFrench, English French surname originally denoting someone from the the municipality of Chiasso in Ticino, Switzerland, located along the Swiss/Italian border.... [more]
ChiesaItalian Means "church" in Italian, originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a church, a habitational name from any of various places named Chiesa or perhaps an occupational name for someone who worked in a church.
ChigurhLiterature, Popular Culture Meaning unknown. It is intended to be "ethnically ambiguous", but one theory suggests that it may be derived from the Spanish verb seguir meaning "to follow, to continue". This name was invented by the American author Cormac McCarthy for the villain in his novel No Country for Old Men (2005)... [more]
ChildressAnglo-Saxon The surname Childress may have been a nickname for an orphan, or an occupational name applied to someone who ran an orphanage. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English word cildra-hus, which means "children's house" or "orphanage".
ChinjiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 鎮寺 (Chinji), from 鎮寺門 (Chinjimon), a name of a group of several households in the Kadowari System that took place in the Edo Period in the former Japanese province of Satsuma in parts of present-day Kagoshima, Japan, as well as surrounding areas.
ChinoJapanese From Japanese 千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
ChronisGreek From a short form of Greek Polychronis. The word χρόνος (chrónos) itself means "time" in Greek.
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]
ChukhoCircassian (Russified) Derived from Adyghe цу (c°) meaning "ox, bull, buffalo" and шъхьэ (ŝḥă) meaning "head".
ChumaJapanese Possibly from 忠 (chuu, tada, tadashi) meaning "loyalty" and 馬 (ba, uma, -uma, ma) meaning "horse."
ChurchwardAnglo-Saxon Churchward derives from Old English pre 7th Century 'cyrice' meaning church, plus 'weard', a ward of guardian, originally given as an occupation name to a church custodian.
ClaypoolEnglish Derived from Claypole, a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, named from Old English cl?g meaning "clay" and pol meaning "pool".
ClevelandEnglish English regional name from the district around Middlesbrough named Cleveland ‘the land of the cliffs’, from the genitive plural (clifa) of Old English clif ‘bank’, ‘slope’ + land ‘land’... [more]
CockerEnglish, German (Anglicized) Originally a nickname for a bellicose person, from Middle English cock "to fight". Also an anglicized form of Köcher.
ColeyEnglish With variant Colley can mean "dark" or "blackbird" or it can be a nickname for Nicholas.
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]
CollinSwedish Either a combination of an unknown first name element (possibly derived from a place name) and the common surname suffix -in, or a variant of German Colin.
CollisEnglish A variant of Collins 2, itself a patronymic of given names Collin or Colin, both ultimately nicknames for Nicholas.
ColonelAmerican From a French word for a military rank of an officer who led a column of regimental soldiers. Could be a nickname for someone with a military bearing or demeanor.
ColstonEnglish Colston means “Coal town settlement.” It is also a variant of Colton.
ComerEnglish Occupational name for a maker or seller of combs, or to someone who used them to prepare wool or flax for spinning, derived from Middle English combere, an agent derivative of Old English camb meaning "comb"... [more]
CongdonIrish, English A variant of Irish "Condon". In English usage: a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place; probably Devon or Cornwall, where the modern surname is most frequent.
ConteItalian Means "count (a title of nobility)" in Italian.
ConwayWelsh, Scottish, Irish As a Welsh surname, it comes from the name of a fortified town on the coast of North Wales (Conwy formerly Conway), taken from the name of the river on which it stands. The river name Conwy may mean "holy water" in Welsh.... [more]
CooterEnglish A Sussex, England surname of uncertain meaning. Could be a local pronunciation of Cotter, meaning "cottage dweller" for a serf in the feudal system allowed to live in a cottage in exchange for labor on the cottage owner's estate.
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-).
CordayFrench Either from the French word corde meaning "cord/rope/string", or from the Latin word cor meaning "heart." This was the surname of Charlotte Corday, the assassin who killed Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat during the French revolution.
CordellEnglish Means "maker of cord" or "seller of cord" in Middle English.
CorteSpanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese From corte "court", applied as an occupational name for someone who worked at a manorial court or a topographic name for someone who lived in or by one.
CossartEnglish, French From French, referring to "a dealer of horses" (related to the English word "courser"). This surname was brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066, and became one of the many Anglo-Norman words that made up Middle English.
CottrellEnglish, French First found in Derbyshire where the family "Cottrell" held a family seat and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege lord for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings, 1066CE... [more]
CoudercOccitan From Occitan codèrc meaning "pasture, meadow, enclosure".
CouncilEnglish, German 1 English: nickname for a wise or thoughtful man, from Anglo-Norman French counseil ‘consultation’, ‘deliberation’, also ‘counsel’, ‘advice’ (Latin consilium, from consulere ‘to consult’)... [more]
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-).
CousinEnglish, French Nickname derived from Middle English cousin and Old French cosin, cusin meaning "cousin".
CraigheadScottish Habitational name for someone who lived in places of this name in Scotland.
CraigmileScottish Derived from Craigmyle, a place in the village of Kincardine O'Neil, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It could also be an occupational name for a baker who made cracknel biscuits.
CroftonEnglish Derived from a place name meaning "town with a small enclosed field" in Old English.
CronholmSwedish Ornamental name derived from Swedish krona (from Latin corona) meaning "crown" and holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island".
CronkhiteDutch (Anglicized) Americanized form of Dutch Krankheid, derived from an abstract noun meaning "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).
CrudupGerman (Anglicized) Probably an Americanised form of North German Gratop, a nickname for an old man, derived from Middle Low German gra meaning "gray" and top meaning "braid". Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Billy Crudup (1968-), an actor, and Arthur Crudup (1905-1974), a Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist.
CuartoSpanish Means "fourth" in English. It is derived from the Latin word "quartus," which means "fourth." The surname may have originally been used to denote a fourth child in a family or to indicate that the family lived on the fourth floor of a building.
CuatonFilipino Possible alternate transcription of Chinese 廣東 (Guǎngdōng) referring to a coastal province in the South China region.
CudaSlovak Derives from the word name derives from cuda meaning "miracle".
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).
CuizonFilipino From Hokkien 貴孫 (kuì sun) meaning "expensive grandchild" or "precious grandchild".
CujecCroatian Derived from the word "cuj" which means "listen" or "hear" in English. Likely used to denote someone who was a good listener or was known for their attentive nature.
CulkinIrish Reduced anglicization of Irish Gaelic Mac Uilcín meaning "descendant of Uilcín", a diminutive of Ulick, itself an Irish diminutive of William... [more]
CullyEnglish From an Irish surname which was derived from Ó Colla meaning "descendant of Colla". The Old Irish name Colla was a variant of Conla (perhaps the same Connla).
CusterGerman (Anglicized) Anglicization of the German surname Köster or Küster, literally "sexton". A famous bearer was George Custer (1839-1876), the American cavalry general. General Custer and his army were defeated and killed by Sioux and Cheyenne forces under Sitting Bull in the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876; also known colloquially as Custer's Last Stand).
DabieAkan (Latinized, Modern) Dabie was originally from the Bono people of Ghana and it is portrayed as a royal name amongst the people. Many individuals who have inherited this name are Chiefs. It's meaning is someone who's a Warrior.
DagenaisFrench (Quebec) Denotes a person originally from the prefecture of Agen in southwestern France.
DağlıTurkish Means "mountaineer, highlander" in Turkish.
DağlıTurkish Means "mountaineer, highlander" in Turkish.
DagotFrench Derived from the Old French word "fagot", meaning "bundle of firewood". This was likely given as an occupational surname to a gatherer or seller of firewood.
DahlénSwedish Combination of Swedish dal "valley" and the common surname suffix -én.
DahlgrenSwedish Combination of Swedish dal "valley" and gren "branch".
DahlinSwedish Combination of Swedish dal "valley" and the common surname suffix -in.
DahlströmSwedish Derived from Swedish dal "valley" and ström "stream".
DaigleFrench Referred as a habitual name (someone from L’Aigle) in Orne.
DaileyIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dálaigh meaning "descendant of DÁLACH".
DailyIrish Anglicized form of Ó Dálaigh, meaning "descendent of DÁLACH". The name has strong roots in the county Cork.
DalmasFrench Surname Dalmas was first found in Limousin. Literally means "of the sea."
DalzielScottish Means "person from Dalyell", in the Clyde valley (probably "white field"). The name is standardly pronounced "dee-el". A fictional bearer is Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel, one half of the detective team of 'Dalziel and Pascoe' in the novels (1970-2009) of Reginald Hill.
DamasFrench French form of Damascus. Famous bearer Léon-Gontran Damas (1912-1978) was a French poet and politican from French Guiana, cofounder of the Négritude Mouvement and author of the collection "Black Label".
DamaskEnglish Presumably an occupational name for someone who sold damask a richly woven material of a kind originally made in Damascus.
d'AmboiseFrench Denoted a person from Amboise, a commune located in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.
DaoheuangLao Means "marigold" (literally "bright star") in Lao, from the words ດາວ (dao) meaning "star" and ເມືອງ (huang) meaning "bright, clear, beautiful".
D'aoustFrench D'Aoust, denotes someone from Aoust(e) in France. Aouste is situated in the Ardennes department (Champagne-Ardenne region) in the north-east of France at 29 km from Charleville-Mézières, the department capital... [more]
DaughtryEnglish, Norman English (of Norman origin) habitational name, with fused French preposition d(e), for someone from Hauterive in Orne, France, named from Old French haute rive ‘high bank’ (Latin alta ripa).
DaveyEnglish, Welsh Derived from the given name David. Alternately, it may be a variant spelling of Welsh Davies or Davis, which could be patronymic forms of David, or corrupted forms of Dyfed, an older Welsh surname and the name of a county in Wales.
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 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.
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.
DellaItalian, Spanish Likely derived from the Italian and Spanish word della, meaning "of the".
DemarFrench, English Combination of the French word de, meaning "from" and the Old French word maresc, meaning "marsh".
DeMilleFrench (Belgian) Denoted a person from Hamme-Mille, a section of the municipality of Beauvechain, in the province of Walloon Brabant in Wallonia, Belgium. This surname was borne by the American filmmaker and producer Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959).
DemskyPolish, Jewish Derived from Polish dab and demb meaning "oak", which is either a habitational name from a place with the same name or an ornamental name with reference to the tree and its qualities of strength and durability.
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.
d'EstaingFrench Derived from Estaing, a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. A famous bearer was the French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (1926-2020).
DevonJamaican Patois (Modern, Rare) The name Devon is of English and Irish origin and means "Warrior of God". This name is also very common in the British West Indies, especially Jamaica.
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]
DewanIndian, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali From a title for a high-ranking government official or minister, derived from Persian دیوان (divan) meaning "royal court, tribunal, ministry, assembly".
DickerEnglish Either an occupational name for a digger of ditches or a builder of dikes, or a topographic name for someone who lived by a ditch or dike, derived from Middle English dike or dik meaning "dyke.