American Submitted Surnames

American names are used in the United States. See also about American names.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Neufeld German, English
Neufeld is a surname of German origin, meaning "new field". It is not seldom in Germany and it is common among German speaking Mennonites from Russia.
Neve English, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish
Ultimately derived from Old Germanic nefo "nephew, grandson". In Middle English, it also became a term meaning "wastrel, spendthrift".
Nevil English
"Variant of the name Neville"
New English
Nickname for a newcomer to an area, from Middle English newe meaning "new".
Newark English
A habitational name taken on from a place name, such as Newark in Cambridgeshire or Newark on Trent in Nottinghamshire.
Newborn English
Habitational name from Newbourn in Suffolk or Newburn in Tyne and Wear (formerly part of Northumberland), both named with Old English niwe "new" and burna "stream", perhaps denoting a stream that had changed its course.
Newby English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English niwe "new" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".
Newcomer English (American)
Nickname for a person who was new to a town or location, from Old English niwe meaning "new" and cumen meaning "to come".
Newey English
Topographic name for someone who lived at a "new enclosure", from Middle English newe "new" and haga "enclousire".
Newfield English
habitational name from any of many places called Newfield especially in northern England and Scotland. Derived from the elements niwe "new" and feld "field"... [more]
Newham English
Habitational name from any of the various places, for example in Northumbria and North Yorkshire, so named from Old English neowe "new" and ham "homestead".
Newhouse English
Either a habitational name for someone who lived at a "new house" (from Middle English niwe "new" and hus "new house") or a habitational name from any of various minor places so called especially perhaps Newhouses in Horton Yorkshire near the border with Lancashire... [more]
Newitt English
Possibly derived from Middle English newete "newt", or perhaps from the Dutch personal name Nout.
Newlin English, Irish
An Irish surname meaning "By the the spring"
Newquist English
Americansized form of Swedish Nyquist.
Newtown English, French (Americanized)
Variant of Newton. In some cases, it can be a literal translation of the French surname Villeneuve.
Ney German, English
A dialectal form of the common German word neu "new".... [more]
Nice English
From the English word 'nice', meaning "kind".
Nicholas English
From the given name Nicholas.
Nickerson English
Means "son of Nicholas".
Nicks English, German
Means "son of Nick".
Nickson English
Variant of Nixon, patronymic from the given name Nicholas.
Niggeman English
Meaning unknown. Possibly means "new man"
Nigh English
Variant of Nye.
Night English
Variant of Knight.
Nightingale English
Nickname for someone with a good voice from Middle English nightegale "nightingale" (Old English nihtegale, ultimately from niht "night" and galan "to sing").
Nighy English
Pet form of Nigh.
Nikolas English, Greek
From the given name Nikolas.
Nine English (American)
Americanized spelling of German Nein or Neun, from Middle High German niun meaning "nine".
Nipple Anglo-Saxon, German, Dutch, Germanic, English (American)
It could relate to someone who lived near a small hill or mound, as nipple in English can colloquially describe a rounded hilltop. It could also be a variation or corruption of a German or Dutch surname, such as Knippel, Nippel, or Nippold... [more]
Nithercott English (Archaic)
An extinct surname. Derived from Old English "nefa," meaning "navel, center," and "cote," meaning "small cottage".
Nivison English, Scottish
Means "son of Nevin".
Nix English, German, Dutch
Means "son of Nick".
Noah English
Derived from the biblical name Noah 1.
Noar English
This surname is thought to be derived from nore which could mean "shore, cliff." This could denote that someone might have lived in a shore or cliff. It may also be used as a surname for someone who lived in the now 'diminished' village of Nore in Surrey.
Nobbs English
Derived from Hob, a Medieval English diminutive of Robert.
Nock Celtic, English
Dweller at the oak tree; originally spelt as "Noake" evolved into "Nock".
Nocte American
Means "night" in Latin.
Noggy English (American, Rare)
Perhaps a variant of Hungarian Nagy.
Noice English
Variant spelling of Noyce.
Noon English
Either (i) from a medieval nickname for someone of a sunny disposition (noon being the sunniest part of the day); or (ii) from Irish Gaelic Ó Nuadháin "descendant of Nuadhán", a personal name based on Nuadha, the name of various Celtic gods (cf... [more]
Norcross English
It indicates familial origin in Norcross near Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.
Nordeen English (American)
Perhaps an anglicization of Nordin or Nordén.
Nordick English
Habitational name from a place so named near Bocholt, in the Lower Rhine area.
Norey English
Variant of Norrie and Norry.
Norrell English, German (?)
A locational surname from the Germanic (Old English/Old Norse) term for the north. It either refers to someone who lived in a location called Northwell, lived north of a well, spring or stream (Old English weall)... [more]
Norrington English
Derived from Old English norþ in tun meaning "north of the village".
Norrison English
Means "son of Norris".
Norsworthy English
Habitational name from Norseworthy in Walkhampton, Devon.
Northam English
habitational namefrom Northam (Devon) Northam Farm in Brean (Somerset) Northam in Southampton (Hampshire) or a lost Northam in Redbridge Hundred Hampshire. The place names derive from Old English norþ "north northern" and ham "village homestead" or ham "water meadow".
Northcote English
English: variant of Northcutt.
Northcott English
Derived from the Old English words "norð," meaning "north," and "cot," meaning a "cottage," or "shelter."
Northern English
Topographic name, from an adjectival form of North.
Northey English
Habitational name from Northay in Hawkchurch Devon. The placename derives from Middle English north "north northern" and heie "fence enclosure hedge" (Old English norþ (ge)hæg)... [more]
Northland English
Meaning "North land".
Northway English
Habitational name from one or more of the minor places called with Middle English bi northe weie "(place) to the north of the way or road" from the elements norþ "north" and weg "way" including Northway in Monkleigh Widecombe in the Moor and Parkham Norway in Whitestone Narraway in Drewsteignton (all Devon) and Northway in Halse (Somerset)... [more]
Norvell English
Derived from the name of a place in England named Northwell in Nottinghamshire. It is a combination of the old English term for "north" with other geographic features such as welle meaning "a well, spring."
Norway English
From the country in Europe.
Norwel English
English surname meaning "From the North Spring"
Norwell English
Means, "from the North Spring"
Nottage English
Nickname referring to the nuthatch bird, derived from Middle English notehache meaning "nuthatch".
Nourse English
Variant of Norris 2, from norice "nurse".
November English (American)
From the name of the month.
Noxon English
Variant of Nixon. It is derived from the personal name Nicholas, which was Nik, or Nikke in Old English.
Noy English
Either (i) from the medieval male personal name Noye, the English form of the Hebrew name Noach "Noah 1"; or (ii) an invented Jewish name based on Hebrew noy "decoration, adornment".
Noye English
Patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah.
Nugent English, Irish, French
An English, Irish (of Norman origin) and French habitational surname derived from any of several places in northern France (such as Nogent-sur-Oise), From Latin novientum and apparently an altered form of a Gaulish name meaning "new settlement".
Numan English, German (Anglicized)
Variant of Neumann. A famous bearer is English musician Gary Numan.
Nunn English
Means someone who is a nun
Nunnallys English (American)
A common surname in America, belonging to 4058 individuals. Nunnally is most common among White (63.36%) and Black/African American (30.93%) individuals.
Nurse English
Variant of Norris 2, from Old French norice "nurse".
Nute English
Possibly derived from the given name Cnute, or be a variant of Newitt. Alternatively, it may be from Old English hnutu "brown", a nickname for someone with a brown complexion or hair.
Nuttall English
English: habitational name from some place named with Old English hnutu ‘nut’ + h(e)alh ‘nook’, ‘recess’. In some cases this may be Nuthall in Nottinghamshire, but the surname is common mainly in Lancashire, and a Lancashire origin is therefore more likely... [more]
Nutter English
Means either (i) "scribe, clerk" (from Middle English notere, ultimately from Latin notārius); or (ii) "person who keeps or tends oxen" (from a derivative of Middle English nowt "ox")... [more]
Nyce English
Variant of Nice.
Nygard English (American), Norwegian (Rare)
Form of Nygård mostly used outside Scandinavia, as well as a (rare) Norwegian variant.
Oak English
Topographic surname for someone who lived near an oak tree or in an oak wood, from Middle English oke "oak".
Oakden English
A variant of Ogden, from a place name derived from Old English āc "oak" and denu "valley". Famous bearers include British diplomat Edward Oakden and English cricketer Patrick Oakden.
Oakes English, Irish
English: Topographic name, a plural variant of Oak.... [more]
Oakland English
This surname is derived from Old English āc and land and it, obviously, means "oak land."
Oakleaf English (American)
Probably an Americanized (translated) form of Swedish Eklöf.
Oaks English
English variant spelling of Oakes and Americanized form of Jewish Ochs.
Oakwell English
Probably either from the former village of Oakwell-in-the-Blean in the county of Kent, or Ockwell Manor, and again a former village, near Bray, in Berkshire
Oates English
Patronymic from the Middle English personal name Ode (see Ott).
Oatfield English
Means "oat field". Cognate of Haberfeld
Oatis English
Altered spelling of Otis, itself a variant of Oates.
Oatridge English
From an unidentified place called Oatridge apparently named with Old English hrycg ‘ridge’ as the final element.
Oats English
Variation of Oates.
Oberg English
Anglicized form of either Åberg or Öberg.
Oberley English
Of debated origin and meaning; theories include an Anglicized form of Oberle.
Obesus American
Means "obese" in Latin.
Obscurite English
A word which means "darkness" in French language.
Oby French (Acadian, Americanized), English, Hebrew
English habitat from Oby Norfolk, meaning serving God in Hebrew.
Odd English
Variant of Ott.
Odham English
Variant of Odom, altered by folk etymology as if derived from a place name formed with -ham.
Odom English
From a nickname for someone who married a daughter of a prominent figure in a community, derived from Middle English odam "son-in-law", from Old English aþum.
Office English (Modern)
Occupational name for a person who works in an office.
Officer English (Canadian), English (American, Rare)
Occupational name for the holder of any office, from Anglo-Norman French officer (an agent derivative of Old French office ‘duty’, ‘service’, Latin officium ‘service’, ‘task’).
Ogier French, English
From the given name Ogier.
Ogilvie Scottish, English
From the ancient Barony of Ogilvie in Angus, Northeast Scotland. The placename itself is derived from Pictish ocel, 'high' and fa, 'plain'.
Ogle Scottish, English, Northern Irish
Habitational name from a place in Northumbria, named with the Old English personal name Ocga + Old English hyll 'hill'.
Oglethorpe English
It indicates familial origin within the civil parish of Bramham cum Oglethorpe in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Oglethorpe English
From Oglethorpe Hall in Bramham (WR Yorks) which is recorded as Ocelestorp in 1086 and Okelesthorp in 124 The place-name derives from the Old Scandinavian personal name Oddkell and Old Scandinavian or Old English þorp "secondary settlement outlying farmstead" meaning "Oddkell's village" the surname derived from oddr "point of a weapon" and ketill "cauldron".
Okey English
Location name meaning "lives near oak trees".
Old English
From Middle English old, not necessarily implying old age, but rather used to distinguish an older from a younger bearer of the same personal name.
Oldham English
Habitational name from Oldham in Lancashire. The placename derives from Old English ald "old" and Old Norse holmr "island water meadow" or eald "old" and ham "farmstead" meaning either "old lands" or "old farm".
Oldknow English
Originally "Oldknoll"; deriving from the word knoll meaning ''hill''.
Oldroyd English
Derived from Old English euld meaning "old" and royd meaning "clearing".
Olds English
English: patronymic from Old .
Oldshield English
Probably came from the occupation of being a shielder
Oleson English
Anglicized form of Olesen
Oley English
Was my mother's fathers name. Also my mother's brother.
Olin English
Etymology uncertain, possibly derived from the Swedish surname Olander.
Oliphant English
Means "elephant" (from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German olifant "elephant"), perhaps used as a nickname for a large cumbersome person, or denoting someone who lived in a building distinguished by the sign of an elephant.
Olivia English
From the given name of Olivia
Ollis English
Unexplained surname found in records of Bristol and Bath.
Ollson English
Variant of Olsson or Olsen.
Olwell English
Possibly a habitational name from Ulwell in Swanage Dorset named with Old English ule "owl" and wille "stream".
Olyphant English, Scottish
Variant of Oliphant. A famous bearer is American actor Timothy Olyphant (1968-).
Oman Arabic, English
From the place Oman.
Ong English
Variant of Yong
Onge English
Variant of Ong or Yonge
Onslow English
Locational name from a place called Onslow described in Victorian times as being "a place within the liberty of Shrewsbury, in Salop', the original and still confusingly used, name for the county of Shropshire.
Ophel English
19th century name from the Cambridgeshire area. Probably derived from Oldfield. Variants include Opheld, Oful and Offel.... [more]
Opie English, Cornish
From the medieval personal name Oppy or Obby, a diminutive of such names as Osbert, Osborn, and Osbald... [more]
Orange Medieval English, Medieval French, English
Derived from the medieval female name, or directly from the French place name. First used with the modern spelling in the 17th century, apparently due to William, Prince of Orange, who later became William III... [more]
Orange French, English
Habitational name from various places named "Orange".
Orange English, French
Nickname for someone associated with the color orange.
Orbison English
From a village in Lincolnshire, England originally called Orby and later Orreby that is derived from a Scandinavian personal name Orri- and the Scandinavian place element -by which means "a farmstead or small settlement."
Orchard English
Derived from Middle English orchard, from Old English ortgeard. It denoted somebody who lived by or worked in an orchard or lived in a place named Orchard.
Orcutt English
Perhaps a much altered spelling of Scottish Urquhart used predominantly in Staffordshire, England.
Ord English, English (American)
Ord is an English descent surname that also has Gaelic roots. It's also short for many English surnames that end with "Ord". people include US Army general Edward Ord who practiced in California and had many street names after him.
Ordwald English
English name meaning "spear strength".
Ore English
Habitational name from Woore (Shropshire, England).
Oregon English (American, Rare)
From the state of Oregon. Meaning “River of the west”
Organ English
Metonymic occupational name for a player of a musical instrument (any musical instrument, not necessarily what is now known as an organ), from Middle English organ (Old French organe, Late Latin organum ‘device’, ‘(musical) instrument’, Greek organon ‘tool’, from ergein ‘to work or do’).
Organ English
From a rare medieval personal name, attested only in the Latinized forms Organus (masculine) and Organa (feminine).
Orland English
Possibly derived from Orlando.
Orley English
Habitational name from Orleigh, possibly meaning "Ordwulf’s clearing", functionally from ort "point" and leah "woodland, clearing"... [more]
Ormay English (American)
Believed to be the Americanization of the last name Ormoi from Hungary.
Ormerod English
Habitational name for a person from a minor place named Ormerod in Lancashire, from Old Norse given name Ormr and Old English rod "cleared land".
Orpin English
Means "herbalist" (from Middle English orpin "yellow stonecrop", a plant prescribed by medieval herbalists for healing wounds). A variant spelling was borne by British painter Sir William Orpen (1878-1931).
Orrell English
Habitational name from either of two minor places in Lancashire called Orell. The placename derives from Old English ora "bank, slope, hill, edge" or ora "ore" and hyll "hill".
Orry English
1 English: unexplained.... [more]
Osbaldeston English
Habitational name for a person from the village called Osbaldeston in Lancashire, derived from Old English given name Osbald and tun "enclosure, town".
Osborn English
From the given name Osborn.
Osgood English, Jewish
English: Old Norse personal name Asgautr, composed of the elements as'god'+the tribal name Gaul. This was established in England before the Conquest, in the late old English forms Osgot or Osgod and was later reinforce by the Norman Ansgot.... [more]
Osgood English, Jewish
Derived from the Medieval English given name Osgod the anglicized form of the Old Norse name Ásgautr... [more]
Osler English
Possibly derived from Ostler (from the the Norman 'Hostelier') meaning clerk or bookkeeper. First used in England after the Norman invasion of 1066. Surname of a 19th cent... [more]
Osmar English
Variant of Hosmer.
Osmer English, Low German
from an Old English and ancient Germanic personal name composed of Old English Old Saxon os "god" and Old English mære Old Saxon mari "famous" (Middle English Osmer)... [more]
Osmond English
From the given name Osmond
Oss English (American)
Americanized Varient of Aas
Osterday American (Germanized, Rare)
One day in Germany there was a male infant left on the steps to a church. When someone found the baby on the steps, they decided to name him Oster because that day was the day of Easter. Easter in German is Oster... [more]
Ostrom English (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Swedish Öström.
Ostrum English (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Swedish Öström.
Oswalt English
From the given name Oswald.
Osward English
From the Medieval English given name Osward.
Otter English
An otter is a type of animal
Ottoway English
From the Norman male personal names Otoïs, of Germanic origin and meaning literally "wealth-wide" or "wealth-wood", and Otewi, of Germanic origin and meaning literally "wealth-war".
Ovenden English
A habitational name perhaps derived from Ovingdean (Sussex) or Ovenden (Yorkshire)... [more]
Overfelt English
Derived from the Old English "ofer," meaning "seashore," or "riverbank" and "felt" meaning "field".
Overson English
Derived from the Old French name Overson, meaning "dweller by the river-banks". The name was probably brought to England in the wake of the Norman conquest of 1066.
Overstreet English
A notable bearer is Chord Paul Overstreet.
Owner English
From English owner meaning "a person who owns something".
Owsley English
Habitational name form a now lost place name in Southern England. Possibly derived from the name of the river name Ouse and Old English -leah meaning "wood".
Oxby English
fortification where oxen are kept (From the Old English words “oxa” and “burh”)
Oxendine English
From an English place name meaning "valley of the oxen", which was derived from Old English oxa "ox" (genitive plural oxena) and denu "valley".