DigginsNorman Diggins came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066; from the Norman baptismal name which means the son of Diccon, a diminution of the parent name, Richard.
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.
DinçerTurkish From Turkish dinç meaning "vigorous, energetic, active" and er meaning "man, hero, brave".
DinklageGerman Occupational name for a grain farmer or grain merchant, derived from an agent derivative of Middle High German dinkel meaning "spelt" (a variety of wheat). It could also be derived from Dinkelsbühl, a historic town in the state of Bavaria (formerly in central Franconia), or Dinklage, a town in the Vechta district, in Lower Saxony, Germany... [more]
DondoJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 闐々 (dondo), from ドンド (dondo), an onomatopoeic word for sounds of thuds and bangs, referring to a water gate; to a person working at one.... [more]
DouwesDutch, Frisian From the given name Douwe, itself derived from Frisian dou meaning "dove, pigeon". A notable bearer was the Dutch writer Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820-1887), better known by his pen name Multatuli.
DowellEnglish, Scottish, Irish Derived from the Gaelic name Dubhgall, composed of the elements dubh meaning "black" and gall, "stranger". This was used as a byname for Scandinavians, in particular to distinguish the dark-haired Danes from fair-haired Norwegians.
DowlerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of dowels and similar objects, from a derivative of Middle English “dowle”.
DowneyIrish Anglicization of Irish name Dounaigh, which is, in turn, an Gaelicization of a Norman name. Dates from the 11th c.
DōyuJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 堂 (dō) meaning "temple, shrine, hall" and 湯 (yu) meaning "hot water, bath; hot spring".
DreyfussGerman, Jewish Means "three feet" in German. This surname originates from the German city of Trier. The Latin name for the city was "Treveris," whose pronunciation eventually developed into Dreyfuss. The spelling variants tend to correspond to the country the family was living in at the time the spelling was standardized: the use of one "s" tends to be more common among people of French origin, while the use of two tends to be found among those of German descent
DrummerEnglish Locational name from a place called Drummer, near Chadderton in Lancashire. The meaning is possibly from the pre 7th century Olde English 'drum' meaning "a ridge".
DrydenEnglish Possibly from an English place name meaning "dry valley" from the Old English elements drȳġe "dry" and denu "valley". A notable bearer was the English poet, literary critic, translator and playwright John Dryden (1631-1700).
DubeNdebele, Zulu It means Zebra. It is usually a surname instead of a person's name used by Zimbabwean Ndebele people and South African Zulu people.... [more]
DubosqueFrench DuBosque means 'of the forest' in french and was a surname given typically to someone from a rural treed area.
DubreuilFrench Topographic name derived from Old French breuil meaning "marshy woodland" (also derived from Late Latin brogilum, of Gaulish origin). In French the term later came to mean "enclosed woodland" and then "cleared woodland", and both these senses may also be reflected in the surname.
DuchêneFrench Means "from the oak (tree)" in French, used to denote a person who lived near an oak tree or an oak forest.
DugmoreMedieval English This habitational name is chiefly found in the West Midlands region of England. The origin is certainly Old English pre 7th Century and may be Ancient British i.e. pre Roman 55 A.D. The origins are lost but are believed to develop from "Dubh" meaning "black" and "mor" a morass or swamp... [more]
DulayFilipino, Tagalog Occupational name for a picker of fruit or a gatherer of bird nests, from Tagalog dulay meaning "climbing a tree".
DulinFrench The surname Dulin is most common in France and is an occupational name meaning "from flax". Pronounced "du LIN" in English; however, in French it is pronounced "du LON". Anglicized in some cases as Duling, Dowling, or Dulong (a more common French surname brought to England, Ireland and Scotland from French Normans and later Huguenots).
DulleaIrish Variant of Dunleavy. A well-known bearer is American actor Keir Dullea (1936-).
DumfriesScottish, Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese) From the name of a market town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and preas meaning "thicket". This surname is found predominantly in Aruba, the Netherlands and Suriname... [more]
DundeeScottish From the name of the city of Dundee in Scotland, derived from Gaelic dùn meaning "fort" and dè meaning "fire".
DunfordEnglish Derived either from Dunford Bridge in Yorkshire (named after the River Don and the English word “Ford”), or from Dunford House in Yorkshire (named after “Dunn’s Ford”). One known bearer is US General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
DunstanEnglish Either from the given name Dunstan or habitational name from Dunston (Derbyshire Lincolnshire Norfolk) from the Old English personal name Dunn and tun "settlement"... [more]
DupainFrench Means "of the bread" in French, probably used as an occupational name for a baker.
DupinFrench Means "of the pine tree" in French, referring to a person who lived near a pine tree or was from any of various locations named Le Pin.
DurieuxFrench Derived from Old French riu meaning "river, stream", originally used to indicate someone who lived by a stream.
DurkoRussian, Ukrainian, Belarusian Derived either from Russian дурной (durnoy) or Ukrainian дурний (durnyi) or Belarusian дурны (durny) all meaning "dump, foolish, stupid".
DurmazTurkish Derived from Turkish durmak meaning "to stop" or "to remain, to persist".
DuttonEnglish habitational name from any of the places called Dutton, especially those in Cheshire and Lancashire. The first of these is named from Old English dun ‘hill’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’; the second is from Old English personal name Dudd + Old English tun.
DüzgünTurkish Means "smooth, orderly, correct" in Turkish.
DyatlovRussian From Russian дятел (dyatel) meaning "woodpecker".
DymekPolish Diminutive of Polish dym meaning "smoke".
DziałoPolish Derived from Polish działo "cannon" or "gun" as an occupational name metonymically. It can also be a nickname from Polish działać "to work", "to do", "to influence", etc.
DźwigałPolish Derived from Polish dźwigać "to lift; to lug".
EarleyGerman, Irish The surname Earley originally derived from the Old English word Eorlic which referred to one who displayed manly characteristics.... [more]
EasthopeEnglish From the name of the village and civil parish of Easthope in Shropshire, England, derived from Old English est meaning "east, eastern" and hop meaning "enclosed valley".
EdénSwedish Possibly a habitational name from a place named with the element ed "isthmus". In some cases it could also be a shortened form of EDENIUS (a combination of Swedish ed "isthmus" and the Latin suffix -enius "descendant of").
EdströmSwedish Combination of Swedish ed "isthmus" and ström "stream".
EfeTurkish Means "older brother, brave" in Turkish.
EfronJewish From a Biblical place name that was used for a mountain mentioned in Joshua 15:9 and a city mentioned in 2 Chronicles 13:19. It can also be considered to be derived from the given name Ephron.
EinhornGerman, Jewish Derived from German Einhorn (Middle High German einhorn) "unicorn", denoting someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a unicorn.
EiseleGerman Either from a diminutive of any of the Germanic given names formed with the element isarn meaning "iron" (such as Isanhard) or from Isenlin, a nickname for a blacksmith, ironworker or dealer in iron, composed of Middle High German īsen "iron" and the diminutive suffix -līn.
EkbladSwedish Combination of Swedish ek "oak" and blad "leaf".
EklandSwedish (Rare) Combination of Swedish ek "oak" and land "land". A famous bearer is Swedish actress Britt Ekland (b. 1942), but in her case, the name is a variant of Eklund.
ElfvingSwedish Possibly a combination of an obsolete spelling of Swedish älv "river" and the suffix -ing (ultimately from Proto-Germanic -ingaz) meaning "coming from, belonging to, descending from"... [more]
EschelsLow German A name common to the native inhabitants of the island of Föhr off the coast of northern Germany.
EscherGerman Derived from German Esche meaning "ash (tree)", a habitational name for someone who lived near an ash tree, or came from a place named after it. This name was borne by the Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher, known for making works inspired by mathematics.
EstesWelsh, Spanish, English a popular surname derived from the House of Este. It is also said to derive from Old English and have the meaning "of the East." As a surname, it has been traced to southern England in the region of Kent, as early as the mid-16th century.
EtchellsEnglish (British) This surname was a habitation name derived from the Old English word "ecels" which is roughly translated as the "dweller on a piece of land added to an estate." Alternatively, the name may have derived from the Old English word "ecan" which means "to increase."
Eto'oCentral African, Ibibio, Efik Means "tree, wood" in Ibibio and Efik. It is found predominantly in Cameroon. The former Cameroonian soccer player Samuel Eto'o (1981-) is a famous bearer of this surname.
EwellEnglish Habitation name from the town of Ewell in Surrey or from Temple Ewell or Ewell Manor, both in Kent or Ewell Minnis near Dover. Originally from Old English Aewill meaning "river source" or "spring".
EyreEnglish Derived from Middle English eyer, eir "heir", originally denoting a man who was designated to inherit or had already inherited the main property in a particular locality. The surname was borne by the heroine of Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre' (1847).
EzellAmerican Of uncertain origin. The name is found primarily in the southeastern United States, possibly as a variation of Israel or a form of Ezekiel.
EzerHebrew Means "helping" or "to help" in Hebrew.
FaganIrish 'The name Fagan in Ireland is usually of Norman origin, especially in Counties Dublin and Meath. In the County Louth area the name is derived from the native Gaelic O'Faodhagain Sept of which there are a number of variants including Feighan, Fegan and Feehan.' (from irishsurnames.com)
FagerSwedish From Swedish fager, an archaic word meaning ”pretty, fair”.
FalcesSpanish (Philippines) Falces is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. In Basque the town is called Faltzes. It has a population of around 2500 inhabitants. It is well known for the famous "encierro del pilon", which is a running of the bulls made even more dangerous due to it being run down a narrow road of a steep hill... [more]
FalcónSpanish, South American Originally a nickname from falcón, an archaic variant of Spanish halcón "falcon" (from Latin falco). It is a cognate of Falco.
FältskogSwedish Combination of Swedish fält "field" and skog "forest". Agnetha Fältskog (b. 1950) is a Swedish singer and former member of ABBA.
FaranHebrew The name of a desert mentioned in the Bible where Ishmael settled after his wanderings with his mother Hagar. The Israelites also came to this desert on their journey from the Sinai desert.
FarleyEnglish habitational name from any of various places called Farley of which there are examples in Berkshire Derbyshire Hampshire Kent Somerset Gloucestershire Staffordshire Surrey Wiltshire Shropshire and Sussex... [more]
FarnumEnglish English and Irish. The origins of the Farnum name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived at Farnham, in several different counties including Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Essex, Suffolk, and the West Riding of Yorkshire... [more]
FarrowEnglish Northern English: hyper-corrected form of Farrar, occupational name for a smith or worker in iron. The original -ar or -er ending of this name came to be regarded as an error, and was changed to -ow.
FaucettEnglish Locational surname from various British places: Fawcett in Cumberland, Facit in Lancashire, Forcett in North Yorkshire, or Fa’side Castle in East Lothian, Scotland. The linguistic origins of the name arise variously from, in Cumberland and Lancashire, "multi-coloured hillside" in 7th century Old English fag or fah, "brightly coloured, variegated, flowery" with side, "slope"; in North Yorkshire from Old English ford, "ford", and sete, "house, settlement"; or, reputedly, in East Lothian, "fox on a hillside"... [more]
FauciSicilian Means "sickle" in Sicilian, originally an occupational name for a maker of sickles.