KilroyEnglish "Kilroy was here" was a phrase widely written up on walls by American service personnel in the UK during World War II. The identity of the probably mythical Kilroy has been much debated (one theory is that he was a shipyard inspector of Quincy, Massachusetts, who chalked the phrase on material he had checked).
KilvertEnglish Probably from an Old Norse personal name Ketilfrith, literally "cauldron peace". The surname was borne by British clergyman and diarist Francis Kilvert (1840-1879).
KindEnglish Nickname from Middle English kynde meaning "kind, type, nature" or "disposition", possibly used in the sense of "legitimate".
KindemEnglish 1 English: habitational name from a place in Derbyshire, of unknown etymology (probably a pre-English hill name, but the form is obscure).... [more]
KinderEnglish Habitational name derived from a place in Derbyshire, of unknown etymology.
KindredEnglish From the Anglo-Saxon given name Cenered meaning "bold counsel" from the elements cene, cen (later kene) meaning "bold, brave, proud" and raed meaning "counsel".
KingsburyEnglish Habitational surname derived from several places in England with the same name, for example in northwest London (formerly Middlesex), Somerset, and Warwickshire. These are mostly named in Old English as cyninges burh meaning "the king’s stronghold", but the last mentioned is cynesburh meaning "stronghold of Cyne" (cyne is a short form of any of various compound names with cyne- meaning "royal" as the first element).
KingsfordEnglish English habitational name from any of various places named Kingsford, for example in Essex, Devon, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. The name ostensibly means ‘the king’s ford’, but the one in Worcestershire is named as Ceningaford ‘ford of Cena’s people’.
KinslowEnglish habitational name from Kingslow in Worfield (Shropshire). The placename means "king's tumulus" from Old English cyning "king" (genitive cyninges) and hlaw "tumulus burial mound hill".
KiplinEnglish A locational surname that takes its name from the hamlet of Kiplin in the English county of North Yorkshire. In turn, the hamlet is said to derive its name from Old English Cyppelingas, which means "the people of Cyppel", as it consists of the Old English personal name Cyppel with the Old English word ingas meaning "people".
KippsEnglish From Middle English Kipp, perhaps a byname for a fat man, from an unattested Old English form Cyppe, which according to Reaney is from the Germanic root kupp 'to swell'.
KirklandEnglish, Scottish Derived from the Scottish 'kirk', meaning church, and land. This name denoted one who lived near or tended to the land belonging to or surrounding a church. A famous /fictional/ bearer is Arthur Kirkland, a main character in the highly popular anime/webmanga Axis Powers Hetalia... [more]
KirkmanEnglish A name originally found in both Scotland and England. From Kirk- meaning "church" and -man for someone who lived near or worked at a church.
KitchenerEnglish Variant spelling of Kitchen. A notable bearer was the Anglo-Irish senior British Army officer and colonial administrator Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850-1916).
KitchenhamEnglish Occupational surname for a person who was in charge of the kitchen in a royal or noble house, or a monastery. From the Anglo Saxon cycene (German: Küche Dutch: kjøkken Latin: cocina Italian: cucina)
KitchingEnglish The surname is thought to have originally been an occupational name for a cook, deriving from the Old English word cycen.
KiteEnglish From the name of the bird of prey, derived from Middle English kete "kite, bittern".
KiteEnglish Habitational name derived from Old English cyte "cottage, hut".
KitleyEnglish Derived from a place name in Devonshire, England, and was first recorded in the form of Kitelhey in 1305.... [more]
KitzmillerEnglish (American) Americanized form of German Kitzmüller, literally ‘kid miller’ ( see Kitz + Muller ), a nickname for a miller who kept goats; alternatively, the first element may be from a personal name formed with the Germanic element Gid-, cognate with Old English gidd ‘song’.
KixEnglish (Rare) Location name from one of two rivers in West Yorkshire called Kex.
KleberGerman, English (American) Derived from German kleben "to bind, to stick", hence an occupational name for someone who applied clay daub or whitewash on buildings.
KlineAmerican Kline is one of the smaller groups of anglicized forms of the German surname Klein.... [more]
KnappEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a hillock, Middle English "nappe, Old English cnæpp, or habitational name from any of the several minor places named with the word, in particular Knapp in Hampshire and Knepp in Sussex.
KnatchbullEnglish A nickname from Old English knatch "to strike" + bull "bull", indicating strength.
KnightonEnglish English surname which was derived from a place name composed of the Old English elements cnihta meaning "servant, retainer" (genitive plural of cniht) and tun "enclosure, settlement".
KnipeEnglish Habitational name derived from Old Norse gnípa "steep rock, cliff, overhang".
KnittGermanic (?), English (?) Possibly derived from the Middle High German word knüt or knüttel, meaning "club" or "knot". Could also derive from English word knit which indicates a knitter. Could be an anglicized or simplified form of Knittel, Knett, or even Knudt.
KnockEnglish Topographic name for someone living by a hill, from Middle English knocke "hill" (Old English cnoc).
KnollEnglish, German, Jewish English and German topographic name for someone living near a hilltop or mountain peak, from Middle English knolle ‘hilltop’, ‘hillock’ (Old English cnoll), Middle High German knol ‘peak’... [more]
KnopflerEnglish, German Derived from Knopf (German for "button"), this surname was originally given to button makers or button sellers. A famous bearer of this surname is English musician Mark Knopfler (1949-).
LailEnglish (American) Americanized form of German Lehl or Loehl. In either case, the name is a spelling variant of Lehle or Löhle, pet forms of the personal name Leonhardt.
LaithenEnglish English habitational name from any of various places so called, for example in Lancashire (near Blackpool) and in North Yorkshire. The former was named in Old English as ‘settlement by the watercourse’, from Old English lad ‘watercourse’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’; the latter as ‘leek enclosure’ or ‘herb garden’, from leac ‘leek’ + tun... [more]
LaithwaiteEnglish Habitational name for a person from the places named Laithwaite in Pemberton or Cockerham, derived from Old Norse hlaða "storehouse, barn" and þveit "clearing".
LaityEnglish Nickname for a trustworthy person, from Old French léauté ‘loyalty’ (Latin legalitas, a derivative of legalis ‘legal’, ‘by law’).
LakeEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream, Old English lacu, or a habitational name from a place named with this word, for example in Wiltshire and Devon. Modern English lake (Middle English lake) is only distantly related, if at all; it comes via Old French from Latin lacus... [more]
LammasEnglish Lammas is a surname from the village Lamarsh in Essex, England.
LammersEnglish Habitational name from either Lamas in Norfolk or Lamarsh in Essex, derived from Old English lām "loam, clay" combined with ersc "plowed field" or mersc "marsh".
LamshedEnglish Surname common in Australia & the UK. A variation of Lambshead which was originally a mis-spelling of Lambside which was the area from which the family originated in Pommyland. Other variations include Lambshed, Lamshead, Lammyside and Lamesta... [more]
LancashireEnglish Shire of Lancaster; One who came from Lancashire, a county in the North of England.
LancasterEnglish From the name of a city in northwestern England derived from Middle English Loncastre, itself from Lon referring to an ancient Roman fort on the River Lune combined with Old English ceaster meaning "city, town".
LandEnglish, German Topographic name from Old English land, Middle High German lant, "land, territory". This had more specialized senses in the Middle Ages, being used to denote the countryside as opposed to a town or an estate.
LangfieldEnglish Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Langfield, from Old English lang meaning "long" and feld meaning "field".
LanghorneEnglish From Middle English lang "long" and horn "horn". Can be a habitational name from a place named with the elements, with horn used in the sense of a promontory or extending piece of land... [more]
LangtryEnglish From the Old English ‘lang’, meaning long, and ‘treow’, meaning tree. The name of several settlements across England.
LangwadeEnglish From an English village Langmead, in the county of Devon. It was used to refer to those individuals who lived at the lang-mead, which literally means "the long meadow".
LanierFrench, English Occupational name designating one who worked in the wool trade (see Lane 2), derived from Old French lanier (ultimately from laine) meaning "wool", or for a keeper of donkeys, from Old French asnier literally "donkey keeper, donkey driver"... [more]
LansingEnglish Derived from the name of Lancing, a place in West Sussex, which was composed of the Old English personal name Wlanc and -ingas meaning "family of" or "followers of".
LaplanderEnglish A surname referring to someone who had immigrated from Lapland, northern Scandinavia.
LapsleyScottish, English, Medieval English Combination of Old English læppa ”end of a parish” and leah ”woodland clearing”. Another meaning could be possible.
LaramieEnglish From the French la ramée "the small wood, the arbour".
LargeFrench, English Originally a nickname derived from Middle English and Old French large "generous".
LarginEnglish (American) The surname Largin origin is English. Largin is not common and it probably came from Larkin, or Lawerson. My mother is from North Carolina I don't know any information about her or her family. My dad's family who I live with is Holders which my name will be soon... [more]
LarkEnglish From the name of the bird, a nickname for a singer or a cheerful person, or perhaps someone who caught and sold larks. Alternatively, could be a shortened form of the personal name Larkin.
LarterEnglish Uncertain etymology. Possibly a variant of the French Habitational surname Latour. Other theories connect it to Old Teutonic lahtro "place where animals bear young", or to Old English lyrt "liar, deceiver; crooked", though the latter is unlikely.
LasbyEnglish (Hellenized, Rare), French (Quebec) Likely derived from a place in England. Associated with the Old English terms "laes" and "by", meaning pasture or village. Now rare in England, most people with this surname are American or Canadian, and are descended from a group of French Canadian furtrappers.
LasherEnglish Their are many possible meanings. 1. One who lashes ropes together. 2. One who lashes or wipps. 3. One who lashes out in anger.
LasterEnglish Occupational name for a shoemaker, or for someone who made lasts, a wooden tool in the shape of a foot used for stretching and shaping leather when making boots.
LatimerEnglish Occupational name for an interpreter or clerk who wrote documents in Latin, ultimately derived from Latin latinarius "interpreter, speaker of Latin".
LavenderEnglish, Dutch Occupational name for a washerman or launderer, Old French, Middle Dutch lavendier (Late Latin lavandarius, an agent derivative of lavanda "washing", "things to be washed"). The term was applied especially to a worker in the wool industry who washed the raw wool or rinsed the cloth after fulling... [more]
LaverEnglish Occupational name for a washer, from French laveur (see Lavers). Also the name of a parish in Essex, England.
LaverickEnglish Derived from Old English lāferce meaning "lark", making it a cognate of Lark.
LaversEnglish English (chiefly Devon and Cornwall): Medieval English and occupational, from pre-10th century Old French "lavandier". Introduced by the Normans after 1066, originally described a worker in the wool industry, and was a metonymic or nickname for a person employed to wash raw wool or rinse the cloth after fulling... [more]
LawfordEnglish From any of several places in England called Lawford, derived from the personal name Lealla (cognate with Old High German Lallo), and ford "ford, river crossing".
LawlessEnglish, Scottish, Irish From a nickname for someone who was undisciplined or an outlaw, derived from Middle English laweles "not following the law or discipline".