GoberEnglish, French The surname Gober was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Norman influence of English history dominated after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed.
GobertFrench, German, English From the given name Gobert a compressed form of Godebert composed of the ancient Germanic elements gōd "good" or godgot "god" and berht "bright famous".
GognonFrench, Occitan Nickname for an aggressive or belligerent man, from Old French Gagnon ‘ mastiff’, ‘guard dog’. Possibly from Occitan ganhon ‘young pig’, applied as an offensive nickname. See also Gonyeau.
GombertFrench, German French and German: from Gundbert, a Germanic personal name composed of the elements gund ‘battle’ + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’... [more]
GonzeFrench My family surname originated in southern French-speaking Belgium. There is a tiny village called Gonzeville in northern France near the Belgian border which you can find on Wikipedia. Many surnames from French speaking Belgium have 5 or 6 letters and end in -ze, such as Gonze and Meeze... [more]
GoosGerman, Flemish, Dutch Either a metonymic occupational name for a breeder or keeper of geese, from Middle Low German gōs and Middle Dutch goes "goose", or a short form of an Old German personal name containing Gote "Goth" or got "god", particularly Goswin or Gozewijn (a compound name with the second element wini "friend").
GouletFrench (Quebec), French Of uncertain origin and meaning. Theories include a derivation from Old French goule "mouth" (combined with a diminutive suffix), in which case this name would have been a nickname for a glutton.
GoupilFrench nickname for someone with red hair or for a cunning person from Old French goupil "fox" Late Latin vulpiculus a diminutive of classical Latin vulpes a distant cognate of Wolf . This was replaced as a vocabulary word during the Middle Ages by Renard originally a personal name.
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.
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 (19??-), who was an acting president of Suriname in December 1990.
GraefDutch, German Name used to denote the chairman of a town council. Compare Graf.
GrandjeanFrench, French (Swiss) Derived from French grand meaning "tall, large" and the given name Jean 1, hence possibly a nickname for a tall or large person.
GrandpierreFrench Derived from French grand meaning "tall, large" and the given name Pierre.
GrangeEnglish, French English and French topographic name for someone who lived by a granary, from Middle English, Old French grange (Latin granica ‘granary’, ‘barn’, from granum ‘grain’)... [more]
GrenierFrench Occupational name for a grain merchant (from Latin granarius), or a topographic name for someone who lived by a granary (from Latin granarium) or a metonymic occupational name for someone who supervised or owned one.
GriffonFrench From a diminutive of Old French griffe "claw", hence a nickname for a grasping or vicious person, or perhaps for someone with a deformed or otherwise remarkable hand.
GrignonFrench From French 'grignard' meaning "angry" and "contemptuous", and Old French (of Germanic origin) 'grignier' "to grit the teeth" or "curl the lips".
GrindyGerman (Modern), French I have seen elsewhere explanations about this name being German or French in origin. Sorry, I do not have the sources to hand
GriselFrench, French (Swiss) Derived from the Old French adjective grisel, a variant of gris meaning "grey". It was a nickname for a person with grey hair a grey complexion or who habitually wore grey.
GroenewoudDutch Derived from a place name meaning “green wood”.
GrosjeanFrench, French (Belgian) Derived from French gros "large" and the given name Jean 1. As a nickname, it is sometimes applied to a person who is perceived as stupid.
GroulxFrench French spelling, often found in Canada, of Groult, Grould, possibly reduced forms of Gréoul, a personal name of Germanic origin, composed of the elements gred "hunger" + wolf, wulf "wolf".
GrullonDominican, Mexican, French Possibly from a derivative of Spanish grulla 'crane' presumably applied as a nickname for tall thin person; in Mexico however grulla denotes a crafty person
GuerryFrench From the Germanic given name Wigric derived from the elements wig "battle" and ric "powerful".
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.
GuetFrench French - From Old French guet "lookout, watchman".
GuillotinFrench From a diminutive of Guillaume and a variant of Guillot. A notable user is Joseph-Ignace Guillotin whom the guillotine was named after.
GuimondFrench from the medieval French name Guimond from the Germanic name Wigmund composed of the ancient Germanic elements wīg "battle combat" and mund "protection".
GuinFrench From the given name Guin the French form of Wino a short form of names with the element win "friend".
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.
GüldenDutch, German from gulden "golden" derived from vergulden vergolden "to gild" a metonymic occupational name for a craftsman who gilds objects; compare Guldner. From gulden the name of the coin (English guilder) applied as a topographic or habitational name referring to a house name such as In den silvren Gulden ("In the Silver Guilder") or from related verb meaning "to gild" applied as a topographic or habitational name referring to a house name such as De Gulden Hoeve ("The Gilded Farmhouse") or De Gulden Zwaan ("The Gilded Swan").
GulletteFrench Comes from Guillemme or William of Normandy. Reference 1066: The Battle of Hastings.
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.
GuyEnglish, French From a French form of the Germanic personal name Wido, which is of uncertain origin. This name was popular among the Normans in the forms Wi, Why as well as in the rest of France in the form Guy.
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.
HagerDutch, North Frisian From a Germanic personal name composed of hag 'hedge', 'enclosure' + hari, heri 'army'.
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 hām "homestead"); or a habitational name from (Le) Hamel the name of several places in the northern part of France named with this word.
HarmseDutch, Low German The surname Harmse is derived from Harms or Harm, a Low-German / Niederdeutsch surname or name. In Plattdeutsch/Low Saxon the word sine is used as a possessive construction, hence Harmse indicates that it is the child of Harms, Harm, or Harmensze... [more]
HässliGerman (Swiss), French (Rare) Swiss German diminutive form of Haas. This is a French surname via Alsace-Lorraine. A notable bearer is French footballer (soccer player) Eric Hassli (1981-).
HaverbusYiddish, Dutch From Yiddish/Hebrew Haver (חבר) and Baruch (ברוך), thus literally "blessed friend".
HaverkampGerman, Dutch Topographic name for someone who lived on an oat field from Middle Low German haver "oats" and kamp "field".
HayEnglish, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Frisian Scottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure, Middle English hay(e), heye(Old English (ge)hæg, which after the Norman Conquest became confused with the related Old French term haye ‘hedge’, of Germanic origin)... [more]
HazardEnglish, French, Dutch Nickname for an inveterate gambler or a brave or foolhardy man prepared to run risks, from Middle English, Old French hasard, Middle Dutch hasaert (derived from Old French) "game of chance", later used metaphorically of other uncertain enterprises... [more]
HechtGerman, Dutch From Middle High German hech(e)t, Middle Dutch heect, hecht "pike", generally a nickname for a rapacious and greedy person. In some instances it may have been a metonymic occupational name for a fisher and in others it may be a habitational name from a house distinguished by a sign depicting this fish.
HeeDanish, Norwegian, Dutch A Danish habitational name from any of several places named from a word meaning ‘shining’ or ‘clear’, referencing a river.... [more]
HeemskerkDutch From the name of a small town in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It means "home church" in Dutch. Famous bearers of this surname include Jan Heemskerk (1818-1897) and his son Theo Heemskerk (1852-1932), both of whom were Dutch prime ministers... [more]
HelderDutch, German, Upper German, English 1. Dutch and German: from a Germanic personal name Halidher, composed of the elements haliò “hero” + hari, heri “army”, or from another personal name, Hildher, composed of the elements hild “strife”, “battle” + the same second element... [more]
HellwigGerman, Dutch Curiously it started out life in ancient history as the baptismal name, Hell-wig. "luck" & "war;" this name literally translates to, "battle-battle."
HelmeyerGerman, Dutch, Danish From Hel in Norse mythology and Meyer meaning "higher, superior". It means ´blessed´ or ´holy´. The name is mostly found in Germany, but also in the Netherlands and some parts of Denmark.
HengstGerman, Dutch metonymic occupational name for someone who worked with or bred horses or a nickname for a brave strong man from Middle High German and Middle Dutch hengest "stallion" also "gelding" derived from Old Germanic hangist "stallion"... [more]
HennardFrench From the ancient Germanic personal name Haginhard composed of the elements hag "enclosure protected place" and hard "strong hardy".
HerdDutch Comes from Middle Dutch hert, herte ‘hart’, ‘stag’; probably a nickname for someone who was fleet of foot, or a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a deer; variant of Heard.
HermèsFrench Either a topographic name for someone who lived in a deserted spot or on a patch of waste land from Occitan erm "desert waste" (from Greek erēmia) and the topographic suffix -ès, or from the given name Hermès.
HeroldEnglish, Dutch, German From the given name Herold. This was the surname of David Herold, one of the conspirators in the Abraham Lincoln assassination plot.
HeronFrench, Caribbean Either derived from the given name Heron, or given to someone who resembled a heron bird.
HerrickDutch From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements heri, hari 'army' + ric 'power', or from an assimilated form of Henrick, a Dutch form of Henry.
HickDutch From a pet form of a Germanic personal name, such as Icco or Hikke (a Frisian derivative of a compound name with the first element hild "strife", "battle").
HilbertEnglish, French, Dutch, German English, French, Dutch, and German: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hild ‘strife’, ‘battle’ + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’.
HilgerGerman, Dutch From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hild 'strife', 'battle' + gar, ger 'spear'.
HollierEnglish, French Occupational name for a male brothel keeper, from a dissimilated variant of Old French horier "pimp", which was the agent noun of hore "whore, prostitute". Hollier was probably also used as an abusive nickname in Middle English and Old French.... [more]
HolmanDutch Topographic name for a dweller in a hollow
HoogenboomDutch Topographic name for someone living by a tall tree, "tall tree", or a habitational name from places called Hoogboom and Hogenboom in the Belgian province of Antwerp, meaning "tall tree".
HoogendijkDutch Derived from Dutch hoog meaning "high, elevated" and dijk meaning "dike, ditch, levee", referring to someone who lived near a high dyke or embankment.
HoornaertBelgian Comes from the Dutch word "Hoorner" meaning Horner. Surname more prevalent in Northwest Belgium.
HootDutch, German The Dutch form is a habitation name for someone who lived in the hout or "woods" while the German form hoth is from an occupational name for a maker of hats.
HouttemanFlemish (Dutchified) Flemish. Houtteman. Meaning: Woodsman. Our ancestors were wardens of the woods, protecting them for the king and royal family.
HuckEnglish, Dutch From the medieval male personal name Hucke, which was probably descended from the Old English personal name Ucca or Hucca, perhaps a shortened form of Ūhtrǣd, literally "dawn-power".
HugoFrench Victor Hugo was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. He was also the writer of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and 'Les Misérables'.
HuismanDutch Dutch cognate of Houseman. Famous bearers include actor Michiel Huisman (1981-), television host and musician Henny Huisman (1951-) and speed skater Sjoerd Huisman (1986-2013), all from the Netherlands.
HuitemaDutch The name is believed to come from the Dutch word 'hout', meaning wood. Thus, this was a name often given to woodcutters.
HumbertGerman, Dutch, French From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hun "Hun, giant" or hun "bear cub" and berht "bright, famous". This was particularly popular in the Netherlands and North Germany during the Middle Ages as a result of the fame of a 7th-century St... [more]
IlesEnglish (British), French English (mainly Somerset and Gloucestershire): topographic name from Anglo-Norman French isle ‘island’ (Latin insula) or a habitational name from a place in England or northern France named with this element.
ImbertFrench From the medieval French personal name Imbert, of Germanic origin and meaning literally "vast-bright".
InderriedenDutch means in the reeds because ancestors of name made reed houses.
JacobiJewish, English, Dutch, German From the Latin genitive Jacobi ‘(son) of Jacob’, Latinized form of English Jacobs and Jacobson or North German Jakobs(en) and Jacobs(en).
JanisseFrench Possibly a respelling of French Janisset, from a pet form of Jan, a variant spelling of Jean, French equivalent of John.
JanmaatDutch Famous bearer of this surname is Dutch footballer Daryl Janmaat.
JapengaDutch Means son of Jap "Yap" related to Jacobson in the Netherlands
JaponFilipino, Spanish, French Ethnic name or regional name for someone from Japan or who had connections with Japan.
JardelFrench Of debated origin and meaning; theories include a derivation from Old French jardel, a diminutive of jard (jardin in Modern French), meaning "garden".
JardinFrench, English Derived from Old French jardin meaning "enclosure, garden", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a garden or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked as a gardener.