Browse Submitted Surnames

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the usage is English or American.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Cartman English
Originally referred to a man who worked with a cart. A famous bearer is Eric Cartman from the adult cartoon South Park
Cartmell English
Denoted a person from Cartmel, a village in Cumbria, England (formerly in Lancashire). It is the site of a famous priory, inland from Cartmel Sands. The place name is derived from Old Norse kartr meaning "rocky ground" and melr meaning "sandbank".
Carveth English
From the village of Carveth, from Cornish Karvergh meaning "fort of horses".
Cary African American
This surname is a variant of the surname Carey.
Casley English
Derived from Old English C(e)atta, a personal name meaning "cat" and leah "woodland, clearing"."
Casperson English
Means "son of Casper".
Cassel English, French, German
A surname derived from the Latin military term castellum "watchtower, fort". A variant spelling of the word castle. Denoted someone hailing from the commune of Cassel in the Nord départment in northern France or the city of Kassel (spelled Cassel until 1928) in Germany... [more]
Cassell English
Either (i) "person from Cassel", northern France, or "person from Kassel", Germany ("fort"); or (ii) a different form of Castle ("person who lives by or lives or works in a castle")... [more]
Castel French, English
Topographic name from a derivative of Late Latin castellum "castle" (a diminutive of Latin castrum "fort Roman walled city") or a habitational name from any of several places called Le Castel... [more]
Caston English
A habitational name from a place named Caston, which is from the unattested Old English personal name Catt or the Old Norse personal name Káti + Old English tūn meaning ‘farmstead, settlement’.
Caswell English
Habitational name from places in Dorset, Northamptonshire, and Somerset named Caswell, from Old English cærse '(water)cress' + well(a) 'spring', 'stream'.
Catching English
Likely a variant of Kitchen.
Catching English (American)
Americanized variant of German Göttgen.
Catchpole English
Meant "bailiff, especially (originally) one who could seize domestic animals in lieu of tax or debt" (from Anglo-Norman cachepol, from cacher "to chase" + pol "chicken").
Cater English
Comes from the English word "caterer".
Cates English
English patronymic from the Old Norse byname Káti (from káti ‘boy’).
Catesby English
Derived from a civil parish with the same name, located in Northamptonshire, England. An infamous bearer was Robert Catesby (1572-1605), the leader of a group of English Catholics who attempted to assassinate King James VI and I in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Catlett American (South)
There are several towns in the American South named Catlett.
Catt English
Variant of Cat.
Catt English
Nickname from the animal, Middle English catte "cat". The word is found in similar forms in most European languages from very early times (e.g. Gaelic cath, Slavic kotu). Domestic cats were unknown in Europe in classical times, when weasels fulfilled many of their functions, for example in hunting rodents... [more]
Catterall English
Derived from a town in England named "Catterall".
Cattermole English
Found mainly in Norfolk and Suffolk. Meaning uncertain; possibly from an east Anglian term meaning “dweller at the dyke”, or from Old French quatre moles “four mills”.
Cattley English
Means "person from Catley", Herefordshire and Lincolnshire ("glade frequented by cats"). It was borne by the British botanical patron William Cattley (1788-1835).
Cattrall English
This surname is of Old Scandinavian origin, is an English locational name from Catterall, near Garstang in Lancashire, which appeared as "Catrehala" in the Domesday Book of 1086, and "Caterhale" in the Book of Fees of 1212... [more]
Cave Norman, French, English
A name of various possible origins. As a Norman French name Cave can mean "bald" from cauf or it can mean "worker in a wine cellar" or "one who dwelt in or near a cave". As an English name Cave refers to a Yorkshire river whose fast current inspired the name meaning "swift".
Cavell English
Nickname for a bald man, from a diminutive of Anglo-Norman French cauf.
Caverly English
English surname, a variant of the English surname Calverley, itself derived from the Old English calf "calf" and leag "field, clearing".
Cavil English
Variant of Cavill
Cavill English
Derived from Cavil, a place located in the East Riding of Yorkshire in northern England, named from Old English ca meaning "jackdaw" and feld meaning "open country". It is borne by the British actor Henry Cavill (1983-).
Cawood English
Traditional English habitational surname meaning "jackdaw wood" from the Old English ca referring to 'jackdaw' (a member of the crow family), and wudu 'wood'.
Cawthorne English
Means "person from Cawthorn or Cawthorne", both in Yorkshire ("cold thorn bush").
Caylor English
Anglicized form of Kaylor.
Cayson English
Variant of Cason.
Cazaly English (Australian)
The meaning of this surname is unknown. This is a very important name in Australian Football culture, as it was the surname of a very prestigious Australian rules football player, Roy Cazaly. Mike Brady, from The Two Man Band, published a song called "Up There Cazaly", which is played every year at the AFL grand finals, thus making this surname is well-known by Australian Football fans.
Ceasar African American, German (Americanized)
Possibly derived from the given name Ceasar (a variant of Caesar), or an Americanized form of German Zieser.
Cena English (American), English
Cena is a prominently used English name. It is derived from the word "see", however it rather than referring to the ability to see it, what it actually refers to is the inability to see as the other half of the name ("-na") means "naw" a synonym for "no"... [more]
Cephas English
Transferred use of the given name Cephas.
Cephus English
Possibly a variation of Cephas
Cestare English (American, Modern)
There is a similar name, Sastre, which is the Spanish form of the surname Sarto, meaning "tailor." The name CESTARE is phonetically similar to Sastre and could be a derivative of that name.... [more]
Chadburn English (Rare)
Form the wildcat brook
Chadrick English
Possibly a variant of Chadwick.
Chaffey English
Possibly, Chaffcombe in Somerset or Chaffhay in Devon
Chaffin English
A diminutive that originated from the Old French word chauf, which itself is derived from Latin calvus, both meaning "bald". Originally used as an Anglo-Norman nickname for a bald man.
Chaisson French, English
Variant of the French surname Chiasson originally denoting someone from the the municipality of Chiasso in Ticino, Switzerland, located along the Swiss/Italian border.... [more]
Chalaire American (South, Rare, ?)
Chalaire is a very rare surname, few people in the United States have the family name and might be raised in the United States. Around 99 people have been found who wears Chalaire as their family name... [more]
Chalcraft English
Surname of Anglo- Saxon origin. Topographical or locational surname... [more]
Chalk English
English: from Old English cealc 'chalk', applied as a topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of chalk soil, or as a habitational name from any of the various places named with this word, as for example Chalk in Kent or Chalke in Wiltshire.
Challenger English
Probably from a medieval nickname for a touchy or quarrelsome person (from a derivative of Middle English chalangen "to challenge"). A fictional bearer is Professor George Challenger, irascible scientist and explorer, leader of the expedition to Amazonia in Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Lost World' (1912).
Chamblee English
Possible variant of Chambley.
Chambo English (Canadian)
Suspected to be of French origin. Specifically, a derivative of Archambault.
Champion English, French
Derived from the Middle English and Old French words campion, champiun and champion all meaning "athlete" such as a wrestler or boxer; also "warrior hired to do battle in single combat on behalf of others" (from Late Latin campio genitive campionis a derivative of campus "plain field of battle")... [more]
Champlin Belgian, English
Means Champion, was a family name in Belgium, a status and influence that was envied by the princes of the region.... [more]
Chantry English
Means "singer in a chantry chapel" or "one who lives by a chantry chapel". A chantry was a type of chapel, one endowed for the singing of Masses for the soul of the founder (from Old French chanterie, from chanter "to sing").
Chaplyn English
son of chaplain or servant of chaplain
Chappell English
Name for someone who lived near a chapel, derived from Old French chapele meaning "chapel".
Charleson English
Patronymic from the personal name Charles.
Charleston English
Means "son of Charles."
Charlesworth English
Derived from a village and civil parish with the same name near Glossop, Derbyshire, England.
Charlotte French, English
From the feminine given name Charlotte.
Charlton English, Caribbean
Location last name from any of the numerous places called Charlton, from Old English Ceorlatun meaning "settlement of the peasants"... [more]
Charmian English, French
from the given name Charmian
Charming English (Archaic)
An extinct surname. From English meaning "pleasing, attractive". In an alternative representation, it could be derived from the given name Charles.
Charnes American
History and origin unknown.
Charnock English (Rare)
The locational surname originates from two places, Charnock Richard and Heath Charnock, which are both located in Lancashire, England.... [more]
Charters English
Scottish (Kirkcudbrightshire) and northern English, ultimately of Norman origin. This is a habitational name derived from the French town of Chartres, which is named from the Gaulish tribe recorded in Latin sources as the Carnutes.
Chatwin English
Old English given name CEATTA combined with Old English (ge)wind "winding ascent".
Chaucer English
Meaning a "worker who makes leggings or breeches". Notable bearer is author Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), most well known for his classic 'The Canterbury Tales'.
Chauncey American
Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Norman French habitation names Chancé or an American adaptation of a German place name of Schanze located on the Upper Rhine. Could also be a short form of Chancellor.
Chedder English (American)
this name comes from the name cheddar cheese
Cheeseman English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of cheese.
Cheever English
Means "goatherd", or from a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a goat (e.g. in capriciousness) (in either case from Anglo-Norman chivere "goat"). It was borne by American author John Cheever (1912-1982).
Chenery Medieval French, English (British, Anglicized, Modern)
Derived from the Old French "chesne" for oak tree, or "chesnai" for oak grove, from the medieval Latin "casnetum". As a topographical name, Cheyne denoted residence near a conspicuous oak tree, or in an oak forest.
Cherrington English
Habitational Name From Any Of Various Places Called Cherington or Cherrington... [more]
Cherry English
From Middle English chirie, cherye "cherry", hence a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of cherries, or possibly a nickname for someone with rosy cheeks.... [more]
Cherryman English
It is topographical or perhaps occupational and describes a person who lived or worked at a cherry orchard, or who lived by a house known by the sign of the cherry. In the days before house numbering, it was the tradition in almost all western countries to give the house a sign... [more]
Cherwin English
It means cherry friend.
Chesbrough English
habitational name from Cheeseburn in Northumberland early recorded as Cheseburgh possibly from Old English cis "gravel" and burh "stronghold"... [more]
Chesney English (?)
Came from France and has been shortened.
Chesterton English
From the name of a parish in Cambridgeshire.
Chestnut English
From Old French castan "chestnut tree" (Latin castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair (see Chastain).
Chestnutt English
"Chestnut." A notable bearer is Charles Waddel Chestnut, a novelist.
Chew English
Habitational name from a place in Somerset named Chew Magna, which is named for the river on which it stands, a Celtic name, perhaps cognate with Welsh cyw ‘young animal or bird’, ‘chicken’.
Cheyne English
Locational or topographical surname derived from Old French chesne, chesnai "oak tree, oak grove", ultimately derived from medieval Latin casnetum.
Chiasson French, English
French surname originally denoting someone from the the municipality of Chiasso in Ticino, Switzerland, located along the Swiss/Italian border.... [more]
Child English
Nickname from Middle English child meaning "child", "infant".
Childers English
Probably a habitational name from some lost place named Childerhouse, from Old English cildra "child" and hus "house". This may have referred to some form of orphanage.
Childs English
patronymic from Child
Chillingworth English (Rare)
Notable as the surname of Hester Prynne's husband Roger Chillingworth in the 1850 novel 'The Scarlet Letter'
Chilver English (British)
Means "ewe lamb" , (a young female sheep).
Chilvers English
Means "son of Chilver" (probably from the Old English male personal name Cēolfrith, literally "ship-peace").
Chin English
Variant of Chinn.
Chippendale English
Derived from a place called "Chippingdale".
Chipperfield English
Derived from Hertfordshire Village of Chipperfield
Chips English (British)
Chips is a rare English (british) last name which is a nickname of Christopher and Charles
Chishall English
The name comes from when they lived in Chishall, two parishes in the county of Essex.
Chivton English (American)
Portmanteau of Chiovaro and Cranston. First known use in 2023.
Choate English
Probably derived from the place name Chute in Wiltshire, England, or from the parish Shute in Devon. Alternatively, it could be from the Dutch surname Van Choate, itself derived from a location in France.
Chock English
From English Shock or German Schöck
Choice English
Derived from the personal names Josse or Goce, which are derived from the Latin word "gaudere" and is a cognate in origin with the word "joy."
Cholmely English
The Cholmely family lived in the township of Cholmondley in the parish of Malpas in Cheshire.
Cholmondeley English
An aristocratic surname derived from a place name in Cheshire which means "Ceolmund's grove" in Old English.
Choules English (British, Rare)
The surname Choules is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a variant of Scholes, itself "a topographical name for someone who lived in a rough hut or shed", from the Northern Middle English 'scale, schole'... [more]
Chrisman English
Derived from the given name Christian.
Christenson English
Anglicized form of Christensen
Christina English, Various
Derived from the name Christina
Christmas English
Either an occupational name for someone who was responsible for arrangement of festivities for Christmas day, or it might a nickname for someone who was born on Christmas.
Chriswell English
Likely originated in England. Creswell seems to be the oldest spelling then gradually giving way to Criswell and Chriswell.
Chubb English
English (mainly West Country): nickname from Middle English chubbe ‘chub’ a common freshwater fish Leuciscus cephalus. The fish is notable for its short fat shape and sluggish habits and the word was used in early Modern English for a lazy spiritless person a rustic or a simpleton... [more]
Churchyard English
It comes from when the family lived in or near the precincts of a church. Churchyard belongs to the large class of Anglo-Saxon topographic surnames, which were given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as "a hill", "stream", "church", or "type of tree".
Churlson English
Means “son of Charles”.
Ciccone English
A diminutive of Francesco. A famous bearer is American singer Madonna Ciccone (1958-), better known as simply Madonna.
Cingeswell English
Meaning "Lives at the King's spring"
Cinnamond Scottish, Irish, English
Possibly originates from Scottish place name Kininmonth. Probably introduced to Northern Ireland by Scottish settlers where it remains in Ulster. Another origin is the French place name Saint Amand originated from French Huguenots settling in Ireland.
Cinwell English
Meaning "Lives at the King's spring"
Citrone English, Italian
Ultimately from Latin citrum meaning "lemon, citrus fruit". Possibly an occupational name for someone who sells or raise lemons or any citrus fruit.
Claeson English
Means "Son of Claes". Possibly an English phonetic elaboration of Clayton, but also a Swedish variant of Claesson.
Clagett English
One who came from a town named "claygate".
Clairmont English
Means "bright hill."
Clare English
From the given name Clare
Clarence English
From the given name Clarence.
Clarks English
Variant of Clark.
Clason English (American)
Americanized spelling of Dutch Claasen.
Clattenburg English (?)
Most likely something to do with a fortress. Meaning currently unknown.
Claver English, Catalan
occupational name from Old French clavier Catalan claver "keeper of the keys doorkeeper" (from Latin clavarius from clavis "key").
Clavero English, Catalan
1 English: occupational name from Old French clavier ‘doorkeeper’ (from Latin clavis ‘key’).... [more]
Claw English
The surname Claw is a very rare English surname.
Clawson English
Means "son of Claus"
Claxton English
Originates from England, derived from Old Norse elements meaning “cliff” or “rock” and “settlement,” likely referencing geographical features of places named Claxton, particularly in Norfolk... [more]
Clayberg English
Meaning is unknown, but it most likely means "clay mountain", from surnames Clay "clay" and Berg "mountain".
Claypool English
Derived from Claypole, a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, named from Old English cl?g meaning "clay" and pol meaning "pool".
Clayson English
Patronymic from the personal name Classe, a short form of Nicholas.
Cleamons English
Likely an anglicized variation of Clemons, which derives from the Latin Clemens, meaning “merciful” or “gentle.” It evolved through Old French and Middle English influences, often indicating lineage as a patronymic name.
Cleave English
From an English topographical name meaning "cliff".
Cleaveland English
Spelling variant of Cleveland.
Cleaves English
Originates from the Old English cleof, meaning “cliff,” indicating a topographic connection to steep landscapes. It emerged during the Middle Ages as hereditary surnames became common, reflecting the geographical features of the areas where people lived.
Cleburne English
Cleburne is a surname of Northern English and Southern Scottish Anglo-Saxon origin.
Cleese Scottish, Irish, English
Variant spelling of McCleese. A famous bearer is English actor and comedian John Cleese (1939-).
Clegg English
From Old Norse kleggi 'haystack'
Clem English
From the given name Clem.
Clements English
Means "son of Clement".
Clemmons English
Derived from the Latin first name Clement, Clemmons means "merciful".
Clemo English
From a Cornish form of the personal name Clement.
Clemons English
Means "son of Clement". Variant of Clement.
Clemson English
Means "son of Clem".
Clerk English
Variant spelling of Clark.
Clester English (American)
Probably an Americanized form of Dutch Klooster .
Cleveland English
English regional name from the district around Middlesbrough named Cleveland ‘the land of the cliffs’, from the genitive plural (clifa) of Old English clif ‘bank’, ‘slope’ + land ‘land’... [more]
Clevenger English, Anglo-Saxon
The surname is derived from the Old English word cleofan which means to cleave or split.
Cleverley English
Probably means "person from Cleveley", Lancashire ("woodland clearing by a cliff").
Cleverly English
From a nickname for an intelligent or quick-witted person.
Cliff English
habitational name from any of numerous places called Cliff(e), Cle(e)ve, or Clive, from Old English clif "slope, bank, cliff", or a topographic name from the same word... [more]
Cliffe English (British)
After the village of Cliffe, Kent in England.
Clift English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a crevice in rock, derived from Middle English clift meaning "cleft". The American actor Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) was a famous bearer of this name.
Clinger English (American)
Americanized spelling of German Klinger.Possibly a variant of Clinker. an English occupational name for a maker or fixer of bolts and rivets.
Clinker English (British, ?)
Possibly a varient of Clinger.
Clisby English
Surname originating in the village of Cleasby in North Yorkshire's Richmondshire district.