GiffordEnglish Gifford is an English name for someone who comes from Giffords Hall in Suffolk. In Old English, it was Gyddingford, or "ford associated with Gydda." Alternatively, it could come from the Middle English nickname, "Giffard," from Old French meaning "chubby-cheeked."
GigaJapanese It might mean 儀間 "ceremonial space" spelled as 儀 (gi) meaning "ceremony, rite, righteous, etiquette" with 間 (ga) meaning "pause, between, interval". It is found mostly in the Ryūkyū Islands.
GillanIrish The Gillan surname is a reduced Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic Mac Gille Fhaoláin, which means "son of the servant of St Faolán." While the name may have originated in Ireland, this line was extant by the beginning of the 17th century, only to find many of the family to return to Ireland about 100 years later with the Plantation of Ulster.... [more]
GilmorHebrew (Modern) Combination of the surnames Gil and Mor, means "happy myrrh" in Hebrew, also a modern Hebrew version of the surname Gilmore.
GinelCatalan My Great Grandfather's name was Jose Maria Ginel
GinsburgGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone who came from Gunzberg in Bavaria, Günsburg in Swabia, or Gintsshprik (Königsburg) in East Prussia. Its origin is from the name of the river Günz, written in early Latin documents as Guntia, which was probably of Celtic origin, and Old High German burg meaning "Fortress, walled town".
GioveItalian From Giove ("Jupiter") the name of the chief Roman deity perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually swore per Giove "by Jove". From Sicilian ggiòve iòvi "Thursday" applied as a personal name for someone born or baptized on that day of the week... [more]
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
GogliaItalian Nickname or a metonymic occupational name for a person who used leaves from a kind of plant to bind grafts, derived from the Italian dialectal goglia.
GohrbandGerman (Rare) Contained in a Latin land deed granted to a German for a castle-keep dated February 21, 1308. It is believed to be the first written record and original spelling of the name, generally understood to mean in German, "he who lives by the marsh"... [more]
GökçeTurkish Means "celestial, heavenly, sky" in Turkish.
GokhaleIndian, Marathi Derived from Sanskrit गवाक्ष (gavaksha) meaning "round window" (literally "cow eye"), from गो (go) meaning "cow" and अक्षि (akshi) meaning "eye"... [more]
GöktaşTurkish From Turkish gök meaning "sky" and taş meaning "stone".
GołańczPolish It denotes that a family originated in the eponymous Greater Polish town.
GoldenEnglish From the English word golden, likely a nickname for someone with blonde hair.
GoldthwaiteEnglish Possibly derived from Guilthwaite in South Yorkshire, which is named from Old Norse gil meaning "ravine" and þveit meaning "clearing". However, the modern surname is associated with Essex, suggesting some other source, now lost.
GoldwynEnglish, Jewish Derived from the Old English given name Goldwine, composed of the elements gold meaning "gold" and win meaning "friend".
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]
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".
GoodliffeEnglish Derived from the Middle English feminine given name Godlieve, composed of the Germanic elements god meaning "good" or gud meaning "god", and liub meaning "dear, beloved".
GoodloeEnglish Goodloe traces back to the English Gidlow. The first recorded use of the name is from 1291; Robert de Gidlow was a freeholder in Aspull, Lancanshire, United Kingdom and the name occurs frequently down to the 17th century... [more]
GoodrichEnglish Derived from the Middle English given name Goderiche (itself derived from the Anglo-Saxon given name Godric), composed of Old English god meaning "good" and ric meaning "ruler, mighty, god's ruler, power"... [more]
GoodsonEnglish Nickname for a dutiful son, from Middle English gode ‘good’ + sone ‘son’.
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
GörenTurkish Means "seer, one who sees" in Turkish.
GoretsRussian Derived from Russian горец (gorets) meaning "highlander".
GorhamEnglish A name originating from Kent, England believed to come from the elements gara and ham meaning "from a triangular shaped homestead." Compare Gore.
GöringGerman German surname most commonly associated with Nazi Party leader, Hermann Göring.
GörlitzGerman The name of a small town in Saxony. Derived from old Sorbian word "Zgorelc" meaning "settlement on a burned-out forest."
GormleyIrish (Anglicized) Anglicised form of Ó Gormghaile meaning "descendant of Gormghal," Gormghal, a personal name, being derived from gorm meaning "noble, (dark) blue" and gal meaning "valour, ardour."
GorsuchEnglish Habitational name from the hamlet of Gorsuch, Lancashire, earlier Gosefordsich, derived from Old English gosford meaning "goose ford" and sic meaning "small stream".
GosdenEnglish From the name of a lost place in the village and civil parish of Slaugham in West Sussex, England, derived from Old English gos meaning "goose" and denn meaning "woodland pasture".
GoshawkEnglish Probably referring to a breeder of Eagle-Owls or an eagle-tamer. Shares its name with the Wizarding World author, Miranda Goshawk.
GoudDutch, Afrikaans Means "gold" in Dutch, an occupational name for a goldsmith, or possibly a nickname for a person with blonde hair. It could also be a variant form of Gott.
GoudeauGermanic (Rare, Archaic), French Possible variant of the surname Goethe. It also possibly derives from the diminutive Old French of "gode", meaning "happy-go-lucky, debauched".
GoulterEnglish (Rare) This very unusual name has long been recorded in England but perhaps surprisingly as a Norman personal name. The first recording in England was as "Galterii" which appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 for London as a French form of the Olde German "Walter" translating as "Mighty Army".
GourmaudFrench A famous bearer is a journalist well known from the educational TV, Jamy Gourmaud
GoussetFrench It is derived from the Old French word gousset, which means "purse" or "wallet". It is likely that this surname was originally given to someone who was a purse maker or a merchant who dealt in small items.
GoyaJapanese (Rare) This is variously written, but is usually written with the characters meaning "Barbarian Room" or "Give Room".
GozarFilipino A filipino surname from the Spanish word "gozar," meaning "to enjoy."
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 (c... [more]
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]
GranierFrench French for a grain merchant (from Latin granarius), a topographic name for someone who lived by a granary (from Latin granarium) or a metonymic role name for someone who monitors or owned one.
GrañónSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
GreinerUpper German, German (Swiss) Nickname for a quarrelsome or cantankerous person, derived from Middle High German grīner meaning "squabbler, quarreler" (ultimately an agent derivative of grīn meaning "loud, cry, screaming, shouting")... [more]
GreshamEnglish From a place name meaning "grazing homestead" in Old English.
GresleyEnglish From the name of either of two villages in Derbyshire, derived from Old English greosn "gravel" and leah "woodland clearing, glade".
GrieserUpper German topographic name for someone living on a sandy site, from Middle High German griez ‘sand’ + -er suffix denoting an inhabitant.
GrimkéGerman (Americanized) Americanised form of the German surname Grimk or Grimke with French inspiration. This was the name of a prominent American family of abolitionists.
GrindstaffGerman (Anglicized) Americanized form of German Frenzhof or Grenzhof, a place near Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg or Granzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany.
GrinerGerman (Anglicized), Jewish Americanised form of German Greiner. It could also denote a person who came from various German places called Grüna or Grünau. In Jewish, it is a topographic name for someone who lived in a green of leafy area, derived from Yiddish grin meaning "green" or Middle High German gruene meaning "greenery".
GrobglasJewish Perhaps an ornamental name derived from Yiddish גראָב (grob) meaning "crude, coarse, rough" and גלאז (glaz) meaning "glass". Israeli actress Yael Grobglas (1984-) bears this surname.
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
GrundinSwedish Combination of Swedish grund "shallow (water)" and the surname suffix -in.
GuanzonFilipino From Hokkein 关孫 (guān-sun), derived from 关 (guān) meaning "frontier pass" and 孫 (sun) meaning "grandchild."
GucciItalian Patronymic or plural form of the given name Guccio, a late medieval Italian diminutive of various names ending in go, such as Arrigo (via Arriguccio) or Ugo (via Uguccio)... [more]
GuchetlAdyghe (Russified) From Circassian гъукӏэ (ġ°č̣̍ă) meaning "blacksmith" and лӏы (ḷə) meaning "man".
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.
GuettaJudeo-Spanish Meaning uncertain, possibly from the name of a tribe from northwestern Libya or from the name of the town of Huete in Cuenca province, Spain.
GuezJudeo-Spanish Either derived from Hebrew גָּזַז (gazaz) meaning "to shear, to cut (hair)" or Arabic قزاز (qazzaz) meaning "silk merchant, sericulturist".
GuitryFrench Derived from the given name Witeric. A famous bearer of this name was Sacha Guitry (1885-1957), a French actor, playwright, screenwriter and director.
Guivarc'hBreton Guivarc'h means 'swift stallion' in the Breton language.
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.
GüllüTurkish Means "(made) with roses" in Turkish.
GuloIndonesian, Nias From the Nias clan name Gulö, possibly derived from the name of the clan's ancestor, Kulo Ana'a.
GummaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 群馬 (Gumma) meaning "Gumma", a former district in the former Japanese province of Kōzuke in present-day Gumma, Japan.... [more]
GurneyEnglish, French, Norman Originated from the region Normandy in France, is also a biospheric name from Gournay-en-Bray, a commune in France. It is also a fictional character's maiden name, Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier from the animated sitcom show, The Simpsons.
GürsoyTurkish From Turkish gür meaning "bushy, strong" or "thunder" and soy meaning "ancestry, descent, family".
HabashArabic Derived from Arabic حبش (ḥabash) meaning "Abyssinian", originally indicating a person who came from Abyssinia, a historical region that is nowadays split between Ethiopia and Eritrea. This surname is more common among Muslims and Christians in the Arab world... [more]
HabsburgGerman This surname may have been used by someone whose descendants originated from the House of Habsburg, which was one of the most important royal houses in Europe. It is assumed that the surname is derived from High German Habichtsburg meaning "hawk castle," but some historians and linguists believe that it may actually be derived from Middle High German hab/hap meaning "ford", as there is a river with a ford nearby.
HabuJapanese From 羽 (ha) meaning "feather, plume" and 生 (bu) meaning "life, living".
HackneyEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from Hackney in Greater London, named from an Old English personal name Haca (genitive Hacan) combined with ēg "island, dry ground in marshland".
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]
HaddockEnglish Haddock is a surname of English. It may refer to many people. It may come from the medieval word Ædduc, a diminutive of Æddi, a short form of various compound names including the root ēad, meaning prosperity or fortune... [more]
HaddonEnglish Derived from the Old English word had meaning "heathland" and the Old English suffix -don meaning "hill"; hence, the "heathland hill" or the "heather-covered hill".... [more]
HagenGerman, Dutch, Danish from the ancient Germanic personal name Hagen a short form of various compound names formed with hag "enclosure protected place" as the first element.
HäggkvistSwedish Combination of Swedish hägg "bird cherry" (a type of tree native to Sweden) and kvist "twig".
HägglundSwedish Combination of Swedish hägg "bird cherry" (a type of tree native to Sweden) and lund "grove".
HäggströmSwedish Combination of Swedish hägg "bird cherry" and ström "stream, small river".
HallaDanish Derived from the Old Norse HALLR, which means 'flat stone, rock' or 'sloping, leaning to one side'... [more]
HallamEnglish Habitational name from Halam (Nottinghamshire) or from Kirk or West Hallam (Derbyshire) all named with the Old English dative plural halum "(at the) nooks or corners of land" (from Old English halh "nook recess"; see Hale)... [more]
HallgrenSwedish, English Combination of the dialectal Swedish word hall (Standard Swedish häll, Old Norse hallr), a type of flat rock, and gren meaning "branch". The first element may be taken from the name of a place named with this element (e.g. Halland, Hallsberg, or Hallstavik)... [more]
HallströmSwedish Combination of Swedish hall "hall, stone, rock" and ström "stream, small river".
HalpernJewish Habitational name for someone originally from the city of Heilbronn in Germany, derived from Old High German heil meaning "whole" or "holy" combined with brunno meaning "well".
HamelFrench topographic name for someone who lived and worked at an outlying farm dependent on the main village Old French hamel (a diminutive from an ancient Germanic element cognate with Old English ham "homestead"); or a habitational name from (Le) Hamel the name of several places in the northern part of France named with this word.
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.
HampshireEnglish Originally indicated a person from the county of Hampshire in England (recorded in the Domesday Book as Hantescire), derived from Old English ham meaning "water meadow, enclosure" and scir meaning "shire, district"... [more]
HanleyIrish Means “descendant of Áinle.” Derived from “O’Hanley,” an anglicized form of “Ó hÁinle,” ultimately from Gaelic “ainle” meaning “beauty, grace.”
HanounArabic Derived from Arabic حنون (hanun) meaning "loving, fond, affectionate" or "merciful, compassionate".
HarbinEnglish This surname is of Anglo-Saxon origins, and is derived from the personal names Rabin, Robin, and Robert. It has the English prefix 'har', which means gray.... [more]
HarcusScottish Orcadian form of Harcase, a habitational name originating from Berwickshire, Scotland.
HarknessScottish, English (British), Northern Irish Apparently a habitational name from an unidentified place (perhaps in the area of Annandale, with which the surname is connected in early records), probably so called from the Old English personal name Hereca (a derivative of the various compound names with the first element here ‘army’) + Old English næss ‘headland’, ‘cape’... [more]
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]