FairbrotherEnglish From a medieval nickname probably meaning either "better-looking of two brothers" or "brother of a good-looking person", or perhaps in some cases "father's brother".
FaireyEnglish Either (i) meant "person from Fairy Farm or Fairyhall", both in Essex (Fairy perhaps "pigsty"); or (ii) from a medieval nickname meaning "beautiful eye". This was borne by Fairey Aviation, a British aircraft company, producer of the biplane fighter-bomber Fairey Swordfish... [more]
FairfaxEnglish From a nickname for someone with beautiful long hair, from Old English fæger "beautiful, pleasant" and feax "hair".
FairweatherEnglish, Scottish From Middle English fayr "fair, beautiful, pleasant" and weder "weather", a nickname for a person with a sunny temperament, or who only worked in good weather. ... [more]
FalkenhagenGerman Habitational name from any of several places named from Old High German falke meaning "falcon" + hag meaning "hedge", "fencing". A place so named is documented west of Berlin in the 14th century.
FallEnglish, German English topographic name Middle English falle "fall descent" (from Old English gefeall or gefall "felling of trees" Old Norse fall "forest clearing") denoting a waterfall steep slope or (in northern England) a forest clearing... [more]
FallowEnglish, Jewish English: topographic name for someone who lived by a patch of fallow land, Middle English falwe (Old English f(e)alg). This word was used to denote both land left uncultivated for a time to recover its fertility and land recently brought into cultivation.... [more]
FancourtEnglish Derived from the English surname Fancourt, which originated in the county of Bedfordshire in England.
FaneEnglish From a medieval nickname for a well-disposed person (from Old English fægen "glad, willing"), or from a medieval Welsh nickname for a slim person (Welsh fain). This is the family name of the earls of Westmorland.
FanshaweEnglish Meant "person from Featherstonehaugh", Northumberland (now known simply as "Featherstone") ("nook of land by the four-stones", four-stones referring to a prehistoric stone structure known technically as a "tetralith")... [more]
FanthorpeEnglish Fan means "From France" and Thorpe is a Middle English word meaning "Small Village, Hamlet"
FarleyEnglish Habitational name from any of various places called Farley in England, from Old English fearn "fern" and leah "woodland, clearing" meaning "fern clearing".
FarlowEnglish Habitational name from a place in Shropshire so named from Old English fearn "fern" and hlaw "hill tumulus".
FarmanEnglish (i) from an Old Norse personal name denoting literally a seafarer or travelling trader, brought into English via French; (ii) "itinerant trader, pedlar", from Middle English fareman "traveller"
FarnumEnglish English and Irish. The origins of the Farnum name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived at Farnham, in several different counties including Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Essex, Suffolk, and the West Riding of Yorkshire... [more]
FarnworthEnglish Farnworth is a combination of two words: old-English fearn meaning "fern" and worth, making the full meaning of Farnworth "settlers from a place where ferns are abundant." The oldest known record of the surname was in Farnworth with Kearsley (modern-day Farnworth), Lancashire in 1185... [more]
FarrarEnglish (British) Northern English: occupational name for a smith or worker in iron, from Middle English and Old French farrour, ferour, from medieval Latin ferrator, an agent derivative of ferrare ‘to shoe horses’, from ferrum ‘iron’, in medieval Latin ‘horseshoe’... [more]
FarrimondEnglish Either from the Norman given name Faramund, or else a variant of the occupational surname Ferriman ('with post-medieval excrescent -d').
FarrowEnglish Northern English: hyper-corrected form of Farrar, occupational name for a smith or worker in iron. The original -ar or -er ending of this name came to be regarded as an error, and was changed to -ow.
FarthingEnglish (i) "someone who lives on a 'farthing' of land" (i.e. a quarter of a larger area); (ii) from a medieval nickname based on farthing "1/4 penny", perhaps applied to someone who paid a farthing in rent; (iii) from the Old Norse male personal name Farthegn, literally "voyaging warrior"
FassGerman From Middle High German faz, German Fass 'cask', 'keg', hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of casks and kegs, or a nickname for someone as rotund as a barrel. German: variant of Fasse, Faas.
FassbinderGerman Occupational name for a cooper, derived from German Fass "barrel, keg, cask" and Binder "girder, tie". Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945-1982) was a German filmmaker considered as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement.
FastGerman, Swedish Either a short form of a name starting with the element fast meaning "steadfast, firm", or a nickname for a reliable steadfast person.
FastolfEnglish From the Old Norse male personal name Fastúlfr, literally "strong wolf". It was borne by Sir John Fastolf (1380-1459), an English soldier whose name was adapted by Shakespeare as "Falstaff".
FattigGerman (Americanized) Coming from the name “attig” meaning German royalty or nobles. It is also thought to come from Sweden meaning “poor”.
FaucettEnglish Locational surname from various British places: Fawcett in Cumberland, Facit in Lancashire, Forcett in North Yorkshire, or Fa’side Castle in East Lothian, Scotland. The linguistic origins of the name arise variously from, in Cumberland and Lancashire, "multi-coloured hillside" in 7th century Old English fag or fah, "brightly coloured, variegated, flowery" with side, "slope"; in North Yorkshire from Old English ford, "ford", and sete, "house, settlement"; or, reputedly, in East Lothian, "fox on a hillside"... [more]
FauntleroyEnglish Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. Fauntleroy is also Donald Duck's middle name.
FawcettEnglish Habitational name from Fawcett, Westmorland, or Facit, Lancashire, both derived from Old English fāh "multicoloured, variegated, colourful" and sīde "side, hill slope"... [more]
FawkesEnglish From the Norman personal name Faulques or Fauques, which was derived from a Germanic nickname meaning literally "falcon". A famous bearer of the surname was Guy Fawkes (1570-1606), the English Catholic conspirator... [more]
FawleyEnglish This is a name for someone who worked as a person who worked as the fowler or the bird-catcher having derived from the Old English word "fugelere" which literally means "hunter of wild birds, fowler"... [more]
FayneEnglish The surname Fayne is derived from the Middle English words "fein," "fayn," or " fane," which all mean "glad." The name was a nickname for a happy or good-natured person.
FazakerleyEnglish Habitational name for a person from a town of Fazakerley in Liverpool, derived from Old English fæs "border, fringe", æcer "field", and leah "woodland, clearing"... [more]
FearnleyEnglish (British) Comes from the family having resided in a forest glade carpeted with ferns. The name Fearnley is derived from two Old English elements: fearn, the old English word for ferns, and leah, a word for a clearing in a forest.
FeatherEnglish from Middle English fetherfedder "feather" or perhaps a shortened form of Middle English fetherer applied as a metonymic occupational name for a trader in feathers and down a maker of quilts or possibly a maker of pens... [more]
FeathermanEnglish Derived from the Old English word "feþerman," which means "falconer" or "hawk trainer." It was likely used as an occupational surname for someone who was involved in hunting with birds of prey using the falconry or hawking methods.
FeatherstonEnglish (British) The name probably means feudal stone where the locals paid the lord of the manor their taxes. It probably starts spelled in the 1500's as Fetherston which is mainly when parish records began and moves though the century's to Fetherstone and then to Featherston then Featherstone, In the Doomsday book the lord of the manor of Featherstone in West Yorkshire but in both cases it was of course Fetherston was Ralph de Fetherston... [more]
FeatherstonhaughEnglish Indicates a person lived in or near Featherstonhaugh in Northumberland, England. From Old English feðere "feather", stān "stone", and healh "corner."
FechterGerman Occupational name for a fencer or a duelist who fought for public entertainment, derived from Old High German fehtan or Middle Low German vechten, both meaning "to fight".
FechtmeisterGerman Means "fencing master" in German, this is a nickname for a show fighter or organizer who are a begging and thieving journeyman at fairs in 17th century Germany, from German fechten "to fence" and meister "master".
FeckGerman, Frisian From a short form of the Frisian personal name Feddeke, a pet form of Fre(de)rik (see Friederich).
FederGerman, Jewish metonymic occupational name for a trader in feathers or in quill pens from Middle High German vedere German feder "feather quill pen"... [more]
FederspielGerman (Swiss) Derived from Middle High German vederspil "bird of prey (trained for hunting)", this was an occupational name for a falconer.
FeemsterEnglish, Scottish Occupational name meaning "herdsman", from Middle English fee "cattle" and English master.
FeigeGerman Either a topographic name for someone who lived by a fig tree or metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of figs from Middle High German vīge (Old High German figa from Latin ficus)... [more]
FeilerGerman Occupational name for a filemaker, from Feil + the agent suffix -er.
FeinmanGerman, Jewish Nickname for a fine person, derived from either Middle High German fīn meaning "fine, elegant, cultivated" or German fein and Yiddish fayn meaning "fine, excellent", combined with man.
FelderhofDutch Derived from Old Dutch felt "field" and hof "court, yard, farmstead".
FeldhausGerman habitational name from a place called Feldhaus after a "house standing in open country", derived from the elements feld "field" and hus "house"... [more]
FeldsteinGerman, Jewish Ornamental name meaning "field stone" in German. A famous bearer is American actor and filmmaker Jonah Hill (1983-), born Jonah Hill Feldstein. Another famous bearer is Hill's sister, actress Beanie Feldstein (1993-).
FelkerEnglish The surname Felker was a patronymic surname, created from a form of the medieval personal name Philip. It was also a habitational name from a place name in Oxfordshire. Forms of the name such as de Filking(es) are found in this region from the 12th and 13th centuries.
FellEnglish From Middle English fell ”high ground”, ultimately derived from Old Norse fjall, describing one who lived on a mountain.
FellEnglish, German, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a furrier, from Middle English fell, Middle High German vel, or German Fell or Yiddish fel, all of which mean "skin, hide, pelt". Yiddish fel refers to untanned hide, in contrast to pelts "tanned hide" (see Pilcher).
FellenbaumGerman nickname for a woodman literally "fell the tree" or possibly a topographic name for someone who lived by a fallen tree derived from fellen "fall" and boum "tree".
FellerEnglish, German, Jewish Occupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle English fell, Middle Low German, Middle High German vel, or German Fell or Yiddish fel "hide, pelt". See also Fell.
FellerGerman Habitational name for someone from a place called Feld(e) or Feld(a) in Hesse.
FellowsEnglish English: patronymic from Fellow, from Middle English felagh, felaw late Old English feolaga ‘partner’, ‘shareholder’ (Old Norse félagi, from fé ‘fee’, ‘money’ + legja to lay down)... [more]
FennerEnglish A surname of either Old French origin, allegedly meaning “huntsman”, or else more probably referring to those who were brought over from the Low Countries to assist in draining the “fens” or wetlands of England and Ireland – a process which lasted from the 9th to the 18th centuries.
FenningEnglish Topographic name for a fen dweller, from a derivative of Old English fenn (see Fenn).
Fenrich De GjurgjenovacGerman Fenrich is a German family name, derived from a military title 'fenrich'/'fähn(d)rich' meaning "ensign" or "standard bearer" (bannerman), from early New High German fenrich. The term was formed and came into use around 1500, replacing Middle High German form vener, an agent derivative of Alemannic substantive van (flag).... [more]
FensterGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a window maker from Middle High German venster German fenster "window".
FentonEnglish Originated from several place names in England, meaning “marsh town” from Old English fenn “marsh, fen” + tun “enclosure; settlement, town”.
FerrandFrench, English This French surname can be derived from a given name (thus making it a patronymic surname) as well as from a nickname (thus making it a descriptive surname). In the case of a patronymic surname, the surname is derived from the medieval French masculine given name Ferrand, which was a variant form of the name Fernand, itself a contraction of Ferdinand.... [more]
FerrarEnglish The Ferrars are the Lincolnshire branch of the noble De Ferrers family. The latter having been linked to Tamworth Castle, manors in Baddesley Clinton, Tutbury Castle and the now ruined Groby Castle as well as many other estates around the UK.... [more]
FerrierEnglish, Scottish Occupational name for an ironsmith, from Old French ferrier "farrier, blacksmith, ironworker".
FeuchtwangerGerman Denoted a person from the town of Feuchtwangen in Germany. The name of the town is probably from German feucht "wet, humid, dank" and possibly wangen "cheek".
FeuerGerman Metonymic occupational name for a stoker in a smithy or public baths, or nickname for someone with red hair or a fiery temper, from Middle High German viur "fire".
FeuerbacherGerman Habitational name for someone from any of the places called Feuerbach.
FeuerhahnGerman Feuerhahn comes from the Old High German words (fivr) meaning "fire" & (hano) meaning "cock".
FeuerschütteGerman (Modern) comes from the combination of the words "Feuer" and "Schütte", which form the word "flamethrower". Surname of a Brazilian Celebrity with German Origin "Lucas Feuerschütte"
FeuersteinGerman This name comes from the German feuer meaning fire, and stein meaning stone. This was a name commonly given to a blacksmith.
FeulnerGerman Franconian dialect form of Feilner (see Feiler), or derived from Feuln, a town near the district of Kulmbach, Bavaria, Germany. A notable bearer is the American academic Edwin Feulner (1941-).
FeverelEnglish From a Middle English form of February, probably used as a nickname either for someone born in that month or for someone with a suitably frosty demeanor. In fiction, this surname was borne by the central character of George Meredith's novel 'The Ordeal of Richard Feverel' (1859).
FfelanEnglish Anglisized version of the Gaelic Ó Faoláin meaning "descendent of Faolán", a given name meaning "wolf".
FfordeEnglish (British) Notably the last name of English novelist Jasper Fforde. The spelling suggests it is Welsh. Possibly a form of Ford? The source is unknown to me.
FianderEnglish (British) The Fiander surname may have it's origins in Normandy, France (possibly from the old-French "Vyandre"), but is an English (British) surname from the Dorset county region. The Fiander name can also be found in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, Canada the origins of which can be traced back to the mid-1700's in the village of Milton Abbas, Dorsetshire.
FichterGerman Topographic name for someone who lived near pine trees (originally bei den Fichten, Feichten, or Feuchten), from Old High German fiohta. The vowel of the first syllable underwent a variety of changes in different dialects.
FichterGerman (Austrian) Habitational name deriving from places named with this word in Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, or Austria.
FichtnerGerman The Fichtner family name first began to be used in the German state of Bavaria. After the 12th century, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules, and names that were derived from locations became particularly common
FielderEnglish Southern English from Middle English felder ‘dweller by the open country’.
FieldhouseEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a house in open pasture land. Reaney draws attention to the form de Felhouse (Staffordshire 1332), and suggests that this may have become Fellows.
FieldingEnglish Topographic name from an Old English felding ‘dweller in open country’.
FieneGerman, Low German A nickname for an elegant person, from Middle Low German fin, meaning ‘fine’. Can also be a locational name from several fields and places named Fiene.
FiennesEnglish Derived from Fiennes, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. The wealthy and influential Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes family, prominent in British society, originated in northern France... [more]
FifieldEnglish Local. Has the same signification as Manorfield. Lands held in fee or fief, for which the individual pays service or owes rent.
FigginsEnglish Derived from a medieval diminutive of Fulk (such as Fygge or Fulchon).
FiggisEnglish From a medieval nickname for a trustworthy person (from the Anglo-Norman form of Old French fichais "loyal").
FightmasterGerman (Americanized) Americanized form of Fechtmeister. Emmett Rogers Fightmaster (1992-), known professionally as E. R. Fightmaster, is an American non-binary actor, producer and writer.
FilkinsEnglish Means either (i) "person from Filkins", Oxfordshire ("settlement of Filica's people"); or "son of Filkin", a medieval personal name meaning literally "little Phil", from Philip.
FilleryEnglish From a medieval nickname derived from Anglo-Norman fitz le rei "son of the king" (see also Fitzroy), probably applied mainly (and ironically) to an illegitimate person or to someone who put on quasi-royal airs.
FillmoreEnglish Of uncertain origin: it could be derived from the Norman given name Filimor, composed of the Germanic elements filu ("very") and mari or meri ("famous"), or it might be a combination of the Saxon elements fille ("abundance") and mere, a word denoting a lake or otherwise humid land.
FineEnglish (?) English nickname for a clever or elegant man, from Old French fin ‘fine’, ‘delicate’, ‘skilled’, ‘cunning’ (originally a noun from Latin finis ‘end’, ‘extremity’, ‘boundary’, later used also as an adjective in the sense ‘ultimate’, ‘excellent’).
FinelGerman (Swiss) In colloquial language the word “Finel” describes a shelter, protecting animal and man from wind and weather.
FingerEnglish, German, Jewish Probably applied as a nickname for a man who had some peculiarity of the fingers, such as possessing a supernumerary one or having lost one or more of them through injury, or for someone who was small in stature or considered insignificant... [more]
FinkGerman, Slovene, English, Jewish Nickname for a lively or cheerful person, Jewish ornamental name derived from the Germanic word for "finch", and German translation of Slovene Šinkovec which is from šcinkovec or šcinkavec meaning "finch".
FinkleaEnglish Variant form of Finkley. A famous bearer was the American actress and dancer Cyd Charisse (1922-2008), whose birth name was Tula Ellice Finklea.
FinkleyEnglish Habitational name for a person from the hamlet of Finkley in Hampshire, derived from Old English finc "finch" and leah "woodland, clearing".
FinneFinnish, Finland Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish (Rare) Derived from Swedish, Norwegian and Danish finne "Finn", ultimately from Old Norse finnr "Sámi, person from Finland". In Norwegian and Danish sometimes habitational.
FinstadNorwegian Means "Finn's farmstead", from the given name Finn 2 and Old Norse staðr "farmstead, dwelling". This was the name of several farms in Norway.
FinsterGerman, Jewish Nickname from German finster "dark, gloomy" or Yiddish fintster (Middle High German vinster). The name may have referred to a person's habitual character or it may have been acquired as a result of some now irrecoverable anecdote... [more]
FirmanEnglish, French From a medieval personal name meaning "firm, resolute, strong man." Borne by early saints and bishops. First name variants Firman and Firmin... [more]
FirthEnglish, Scottish, Welsh English and Scottish: topographic name from Old English (ge)fyrhþe ‘woodland’ or ‘scrubland on the edge of a forest’.... [more]
FischmannGerman, Jewish Cognate of Fishman. occupational name for a fish seller from Middle High German fisc Yiddish fish (German fisch) "fish" and Middle High German and Yiddish man (German mann) "man".
FiscusGerman From Latin fiscus "basket", a humanistic Latinization of the German surname Korb. This is a metonymic occupational name for a basketmaker or a peddler, or a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a basket.
FishburneEnglish Derived from the villages of Fishbourne in West Sussex and the Isle of Wight, or the village and civil parish of Fishburn in County Durham, England, all named from Old English fisc meaning "fish" and burna meaning "stream"... [more]
FiskEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling a fish in some way from Old Norse fiskr "fish" (cognate with Old English fisc)... [more]
FiskEnglish (British) English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller, or a nickname for someone supposedly resembling a fish in some way, from Old Norse fiskr ‘fish’ (cognate with Old English fisc).
FiskeEnglish, Norwegian From the traditionally Norwegian habitational surname, from the Old Norse fiskr "fish" and vin "meadow". In England and Denmark it was a surname denoting someone who was a "fisherman" or earned their living from selling fish.
FitzhughEnglish English (Northamptonshire): Anglo-Norman French patronymic (see Fitzgerald) from the personal name Hugh.
FitzpiersEnglish, Literature Means "son of Peter" in Anglo-Norman, from a medieval form of Peter, Piers. Edred Fitzpiers is a character in the 18th-century novel The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy, who is depicted as a new doctor in the small woodland village of Little Hintock, who took an interest in Grace Melbury, one of the characters, Giles Winterborne's childhood sweetheart.
FiveEnglish (African) a sassy 58 year old trapped in a 13 year old body who is married to a maniqen
FivelandNorwegian (Rare) From the name of a farm in Norway named with the word fivel possibly meaning "cottongrass, bog cotton". This plant grows in abundance in the marshy land near the location of the farm.
FlackEnglish Probably from Middle English flack / flak meaning "turf, sod" (as found in the place name Flatmoor, in Cambridgeshire), and hence perhaps an occupational name for a turf cutter.
FlannerEnglish This early occupational and mainly 'midlands' English surname, is actually of pre-medieval French origins. Introduced into England at the time of the Norman Conquest of 1066, it derives from the French word flaonet meaning a 'little flan', and described a maker of patisserie or pancakes.