PassepartoutLiterature Derived from French passe-partout, which literally means "goes everywhere" but is actually an idiom for "skeleton key".... [more]
PattinsonEnglish, Scottish Derived from the name of an ancestor. 'The son of Patrick' (which see), from the nick. Pate and diminutive Patt-in; compare Colin, Robin.
PavelkaCzech Derived from the given name Pavel. A famosu bearer is Jake Pavelka.
PaveseItalian Means "one from Pavia". Pavia is an Italian town located in Lombardy, northern Italy. It can also derive from pavese, a kind of big, Medieval shield.... [more]
PedreiraPortuguese, Galician Means "quarry, rocky place" in Portuguese and Galician, originally a habitational name from any of various places called Pedreira or A Pedreira.
PehlivanTurkish Means "wrestler, strongman" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian پهلوان (pahlavân).
PeixotoPortuguese Occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a fish, derived from Portuguese peixe meaning "fish".
PelevinRussian Derived from dialectal Russian пелева (peleva) meaning "chaff, shuck". A notable bearer is Victor Pelevin, the Russian fiction writer.
PeñalverSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
PendarvisEnglish (American) The American English spelling of the Cornish surname Pendarves. Ultimately, the surname is traced back to Pendarves Island, Cornwall.
PendletonEnglish An Old English name meaning "overhanging settlement".
PengellyCornish Habitational name for someone from any of various locations in Cornwall named Pengelly, from Cornish penn meaning "head, top, end" and gelli or gilly meaning "copse, grove".
PenningtonEnglish Habitational surname denoting someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Pennington, derived from Old English penning meaning "penny" (used as a byname or from a tribute due on the land) and tun meaning "town".
PennyworthEnglish From Old English pening, penig meaning "penny (the coin)" and worþ meaning "enclosure". A notable fictional bearer is Alfred Pennyworth, a DC Comics character notable for being the butler of the superhero Batman.
PeralesSpanish Habitational name for someone from any of various locations named Perales, from Spanish perales meaning "pear trees" (the plural of peral meaning "pear tree").
PercevalEnglish, Norman Derived from either the Old French given name Perceval, or from one of two places called Perceval in the department of Calvados in Normandy, France... [more]
PerelloCatalan (Balearic), Catalan Perello is a Catalan surname linked to regions like Catalonia and the Balearic Islands in Spain, often associated with "pear tree" or specific locations named Perello.
PetitjeanFrench Nickname for a small or little man, or ironically a large or tall man, derived from Old French petit meaning "small, little" combined with the given name Jean 1... [more]
PetitoItalian, Judeo-Italian Nickname for a small person, derived from a dialectal word ultimately from French petit meaning "small, little".
PettiferEnglish Nickname for a good infantryman, an old soldier who had lost a foot, or a person who was never tired of walking, derived from Old French pedefer, pied de fer meaning "iron foot".
PettyferEnglish Variant spelling of Pettifer. The British actor and model Alex Pettyfer (1990-) is a famous bearer of this surname.
PhanouvongLao From Lao ພານຸ (phanou) meaning "light, sun" and ວົງ (vong) meaning "lineage, family".
PhanthavongLao From Lao ພັນທະ (phantha) meaning "connect, join, tie" or "obligation" and ວົງ (vong) meaning "lineage, family".
PhanuwatThai (Rare) From Thai ภาณุ (phanu) meaning "light, Sun" and วัฒน์ (wat), from วัฒน (watthana-) meaning "prosperity, beauty".
PhetdaraLao From Lao ເພັດ (phet) meaning "diamond" and ດາຣາ (dara) meaning "star".
PhilippartBelgian In the Medieval period, of Ancient Greek origin, derives from philippos, a compound made of philein meaning "to love", and hippos, a horse, hence "lover of horses".
PhimmasoneLao From Lao ພິມ (phim) meaning "law, custom, form" and ສອນ (sone) meaning "arrow, weapon".
PhommachackLao From Lao ພົມມະ (phomma) referring to the Hindu god Brahma and ຈັກ (chack) meaning "disk, circle, wheel".
PhommachanhLao From Lao ພົມມະ (phomma) referring to the Hindu god Brahma combined with ຈັນ (chanh) meaning "moon".
PhommasoneLao From Lao ພົມມະ (phomma) referring to the Hindu god Brahma and ສອນ (sone) meaning "arrow, weapon".
PhommavongLao From Lao ພົມມະ (phomma) referring to the Hindu god Brahma and ວົງ (vong) meaning "lineage, family".
PhomphakdyLao From Lao ພົມ (phom) referring to the Hindu god Brahma and ພັກດີ (phakdy) meaning "loyalty, devotion".
PhomvihaneLao From Lao ພົມ (phom) referring to the Hindu god Brahma and ວິຫານ (vihane) meaning "temple, sanctuary". A notable bearer was Kaysone Phomvihane (1920-1992), the second president of Laos.
PhonesavanhLao From Lao ພອນ (phone) meaning "blessing" and ສະຫວັນ (savanh) meaning "heaven".
PhonevilayLao From Lao ພອນ (phone) meaning "blessing" and ວິໄລ (vilay) meaning "splendid, beautiful".
PhongsavanhLao From Lao ພົງ (phong) meaning "family, lineage" and ສະຫວັນ (savanh) meaning "heaven".
PhongsavathLao From Lao ພົງ (phong) meaning "family, lineage" and ສະຫວາດ (sawat) meaning "sincere, open, beautiful".
PierahudBelarusian Derived from Belarusian перагуд (pierahud) meaning "prolonged rumble". This may have been a nickname for a gossip.
PijnenburgDutch From the name of an estate or hamlet called Pijnenburg in the town of Soest in Utrecht, the Netherlands, composed of Middle Dutch pijn meaning "pine tree" and burg meaning "fortress, manor, mansion".
PikalovmRussian Konstantin Pikalov ("Mazay") is the head of the Wagner PMC's branch in Central Africa and the founder of PMC Convoy.
PikettyFrench Perhaps related to the English surname Pickett. A notable bearer is French economist Thomas Piketty (1971-).
PillsburyEnglish Derived from a place in Derbyshire, England, so named from the genitive of the Old English given name Pil and burh meaning "fortified place".
PimentaPortuguese Means "pepper" in Portuguese, used as an occupational name for someone who grew or sold peppers.
PimentelPortuguese, Spanish Derived from Portuguese pimenta meaning "pepper", used as an occupational name for someone who grew or sold peppers.
PinkertonScottish, Northern Irish Habitational name for a person originally from a location in Scotland named Pinkerton, which is of uncertain meaning.
PinochetBasque, French, Spanish Derived from Basque pinoche meaning "pine cone". Alternately, it could be derived from the name of the hamlet of Pinouchet, located in the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France... [more]
PiovascoItalian, Literature Means "shower, brief fall of rain" in Italian, from Italian piovere or piova, both meaning "rain" with an added suffix. Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò is the protagonist in the Italian novel The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino, who inherited this surname from his father, Arminio Piovasco.
PirzadehPersian Means "born of the pir", from the Persian title پیر (pir) denoting a Sufi spiritual guide (literally meaning "elder, old"). This name was traditionally used by owners or custodians of Sufi mausoleums and shrines.
PlatiniItalian Occupational name for a person who coats objects with platinum, derived from Italian platinare literally meaning "to platinize, to coat with platinum". A notable bearer is the former French soccer star Michel Platini (1955-).
PlotnikovRussian Means "son of the carpenter" from Russian плотник (plotnik) "carpenter".
PolitisGreek Politis derives from the Greek word polis, which means 'city'. Therefore Politis means 'citizen'. According to some historians people with this surname have ancestors who came from Constantinople, which was commonly called Polis in the Byzantine era.
PolnareffFrench Most known by famous French singer Michel Polnareff, and fictional Jojo's Bizarre Adventure character Jean-Pierre Polnareff (who is named after the singer).
PoloskinRussian Derived from полоска (poloska), a diminutive of полоса (polosa) meaning "stripe, strip, streak". This may have been a nickname for a tall and thin person.
PorteousScottish A topographic surname for someone who lived in the lodge at the entrance to a manor house, derived from Middle English port, meaning "gateway" or "entrance", and hous meaning "house". It can also be an occupational name with similar meaning, derived from Latin portarius meaning "porter"... [more]
PrigozhinmRussian Prigozhin was the last name of Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner PMC until 2023 when he died in a plane crash. Pavel Prigozhin is his son, the current leader.
ProkuskiPolish Polish in origin with history in America since at least the early 1900s
ProvidenceEnglish From the name of the capital city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, derived from Middle English providence meaning "divine guidance, care", ultimately from Latin providentia.
PuddephattEnglish Probably from the unattested Old English *pudi "fat, swollen; round in the belly" combined with fæt "vat, cask, barrel", a nickname for someone with a large paunch, or perhaps who was known for drinking.
PugachevRussian From the nickname Pugach which is probably derived from Ukrainian пугач (pugach) meaning "owl". Following this etymology, the nickname was most likely given to someone who was wise or sensible (attributing to the owl as a symbol of wisdom).
PuigdemontCatalan Means "top of the hill" or "peak of the mountain". It is derived from Catalan puig meaning "hill, peak" combined with either damunt meaning "on top, above", or munt (a diminutive of muntanya) meaning "mountain", using the preposition d'... [more]
PulitzerHungarian, German, Jewish Variant form of Politzer. A famous bearer was the Hungarian-American businessman, newspaper publisher and politician Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911). His family came from Hungary, but they were of Czech origin.
PunzalanFilipino, Tagalog, Pampangan Possibly an occupational name for a maker of fences or a nickname derived from Spanish punzar meaning "to punch, to sting".
QuinteroSpanish Habitational name from a location in Galicia named Quintero, from Galician quinteiro meaning "farmstead, square, plaza". Alternately, it may be derived from Spanish quinto meaning "fifth", possibly used as a name for a renter of quintas (a type of wine-growing estate).
QureshiArabic, Urdu Denotes a member of the Quraysh, a mercantile Arab tribe that the Prophet Muhammad belonged to, itself is derived from Arabic قرش (qarasha) meaning "to gnash, to grind, to chew".
RabenschlagGerman Means "wing beat of a raven" in German, from German Rabe meaning "raven" and Schlag meaning "flap" or "wing beat" in this context.
RabsztyńskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Rabsztyn.
RagasaTagalog From Tagalog dagasa meaning "reckless hasty, hurrying carelessly".
RaguseaItalian (Americanized) Possibly an Americanized form of Ragusa. Adam Ragusea (1982-) is an American internet personality who makes videos about food recipes, food science, and culinary culture.
RaguzinmRussian Derived from рагу (ragu) meaning stew or soup.
RamsbottomEnglish Habitational name from a market town called Ramsbottom in Greater Manchester, England (historically in Lancashire), derived from Old English hramsa meaning "wild garlic" or ramm "ram", and bothm meaning "bottom, bottom valley".
RangkutiBatak From a rapid pronunciation of the nickname Orang Yang Ditakuti meaning "The Feared One".
RapinoItalian From the name of two municipalities in Abruzzo, Italy. It could also be a nickname for a barber, derived from Italian rapare meaning "to crop, to shave, to scalp".
RavenscarEnglish (British) From a coastal village with the same name, located in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England.
RavenswaaijDutch From the name of a village in Gelderland, Netherlands, meaning "Raven’s ford", derived from the personal name Raven combined with Old Dutch wade "ford, shallows", later reinterpreted as Middle Dutch way "pool, kolk lake".
RealiItalian Variant of the surname Reale, which stems from reale "royal", either a name for someone in the service of a royal or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal, aristocratic manner.
ReddingtonEnglish From a place name derived from an uncertain first element (perhaps the Old English given name Rēada) combined with the suffix ing meaning "belonging to" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
RédeyHungarian Indicated a person from Kisréde or Nagyréde, a village in Hungary.
ReichenbergGerman, Jewish Habitational name from various places named Reichenberg in several different areas of Germany. As an ornamental name, it is composed of German reich(en) meaning "rich" and berg meaning "mountain, hill".
RibchesterEnglish This name originates from the small village in Lancashire that shares the same name. Interestingly, most people with the name 'Ribchester' are in Lancashire, but a lot are also found in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
RiberaCatalan, Spanish Habitational name from any of various locations in Spain named Ribera, derived from Catalan and Spanish ribera meaning "bank, shore".
RiinaSicilian Derived from Sicilian rijina meaning "queen".
RijlaarsdamDutch Derived from Reguliersdam, a dam named for a nearby monastery from Old French reguler "ecclesiastical, subject to religious or monastic rule".
RiseboroughEnglish Denoted a person hailing from any of the various places called Risborough, Riseborough or Risbury in England, derived from Old English hrīs meaning "brushwood" and beorg meaning "hill, mound", or from hrīs and burh meaning "fortification"... [more]
RispoliItalian A patronymic from a derivative of the given name Rispo, which is probably of Germanic origin. Alternatively, it could be a variant of Ruspoli, which is of unknown origin.
RochussenDutch Means "son of Rochus". Famous bearers of this name are the Dutch prime minister Jan Jacob Rochussen (1797-1871) and the 19th-century painter Charles Rochussen (1814-1894).
RomualdezFilipino Means "son of Romualdo." This is the name of a prominent political family in the Philippines.
RondelliItalian, English, French From the medieval name "Rondello" derived from French "rondel" meaning "go around, round" or "rondel", a French old nickname for a round, plump man.
RoppoloItalian Perhaps a derivative of Roppo, a given name of Germanic origin.
RoviraCatalan Topographic name for someone who lived by an oak wood, from Catalan rovira meaning "oak wood, oak grove".
RoxburghScottish From Roxburgh, a village near the market town of Kelso in the Scottish Borders area in Scotland, derived from the Old English byname Hroc meaning "rook" and burh meaning "fortified place"... [more]
RozemaFrisian Possibly a contraction of Roelfsema meaning "son of Roelf" or derived from Roos. Also spelled Rosema, Roosma, Rozeman.
RozenbergYiddish (Russified) A form of Rosenberg used for Cyrillic script languages. Aleksandr Rozenberg is the (as of 2024) current prime minister of Transnistria.