LATIMEREnglish English occupational name for a clerk who could translate documents to and from Latin and/or other languages, from Anglo-Norman French latinier, latim(m)ier.
LAUGHTONEnglish Habitational name from any of the numerous places in England so called. Most of them, as for example those in Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (near Gainsborough), Sussex, and West Yorkshire, are named with Old English leac ‘leek’ + tun ‘enclosure’... [more]
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’)... [more]
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]
LAWTONEnglish Habitational name, common in Lancashire and Yorkshire, from Buglawton or Church Lawton in Cheshire, or Lawton in Herefordshire, named in Old English as ‘settlement on or near a hill’, or ‘settlement by a burial mound’, from hlaw ‘hill’, ‘burial mound’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’... [more]
LEAREnglish Means (i) "person from Leire", Leicestershire ("place on the river Leire", a river-name that may also be the ancestor of Leicestershire); or (ii) "person from Lear", any of several variously spelled places in northern France with a name based on Germanic lār "clearing"... [more]
LEARNEnglish (American) The surname Learn is traced to an 18th-century settler and his family who lived in what is now Tannersville, Pa. It is an Anglicized version of the Germanic "Loehrner," which name the settler and his family also used.
LEATHEREnglish, Scottish A metonymic occupational name for a leatherworker or seller of leather goods, and derived from Middle English and Old English lether meaning "leather".
LECKEYScottish, English, Irish Originally Scottish, but also found in England, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Possibly derives from the barony of Leckie (meaning "place of flagstones", from Gaelic leac, "flagstone") in Stirlingshire.
LEDGEREnglish, Norman, French, Dutch English: from a Norman personal name, Leodegar, Old French Legier, of Germanic origin, composed of the elements liut ‘people’, ‘tribe’ + gar, ger ‘spear’... [more]
LEEDSEnglish From the city of Leeds in Yorkshire. The name was first attested in the form Loidis in AD 731. In the Domesday Book of 1086, it is recorded as 'Ledes'. This name is thought to have ultimately been derived from an earlier Celtic name... [more]
LEEMINGEnglish Habitational name from either of two places, in West Yorkshire near Keighley and in North Yorkshire near Northallerton. Both are named with a river name, derived from the Old English word lēoma "gleam, sparkle".
LELANDEnglish derived from the Old English elements leah (wood, clearing, meadow) or læge (fallow) and land (land, area). The name was indicative of one who lived near a clearing or piece of fallow land.
LENTONEnglish Habitational name from Lenton in Nottinghamshire, which is named from the river on which it stands, the Leen (see Leen) + Old English tun 'settlement', 'enclosure'.
LEVANTEnglish Derived from the Italian word levante, meaning "rising" and the French word levant, meaning "to rise". The term entered the English language in 1497 and was used to describe the "Mediterranean lands east of Italy" by referring to the rising of the sun in the east... [more]
LEVERFrench, English Nickname for a fleet-footed or timid person, from Old French levre ‘hare’ (Latin lepus, genitive leporis). It may also have been a metonymic occupational name for a hunter of hares... [more]
LEVERETTEnglish Diminutive of LEVER, from the Middle English personal name LEFRED, Old English LEOFRED, composed of the elements leof ‘dear’, ‘beloved’ + red ‘counsel’.
LEVEROCKAnglo-Saxon, English It goes back those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain. Such a name was given to a person who was given the nickname Laverock, which was the Old English word that described a person who was a good singer or someone who had a cheery personality.
LEVERTONEnglish This surname combines the Old English personal female name LEOFWARU or the Old English word læfer meaning "rush, reed" with another Old English word tún meaning "enclosure, field, farm, dwelling." The etymology with the female name addition fits in with the town of the same name in Berkshire while the etymology with the word addition fits in with the one in Lincolnshire.
LICKFOLDEnglish Derives from a hamlet in West Sussex, England. All known holders, worldwide, of this rare surname can be traced back to Lickfolds who lived within 20 miles of Lickfold in the 16th century.
LIDDIARDEnglish From Celtic place names in England meaning "gray hill".
LIDDINGTONEnglish, Scottish (Rare) This surname is derived from a geographical locality. "of Liddington", a parish in Rutland, near Uppingham; a parish in Wiltshire, near Swindon.
LIGHTEnglish Nickname for a happy, cheerful person, from Middle English lyght, Old English lēoht "light (not dark), bright, cheerful".
LIGHTFOOTEnglish English (chiefly northern England, especially Liverpool): nickname for a messenger or for a fast runner, from Middle English lyght ‘light’, ‘nimble’, ‘quick’ (Old English lioht) + fote ‘foot’.
LIGHTHALLEnglish A habitational name from a place called Lightollars in Lancashire, so named from Old English leoht ‘light-colored’ + alor ‘alder’. The surname, however, is not found in current English sources.
LILLYEnglish Derived from Lilly, a pet name for ELIZABETH. It was also used as a nickname for someone with fair skin or hair, and is derived from Old English lilie meaning "lily (the flower)"... [more]
LILLYWHITEEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone with very fair hair or complexion. It was borne by English cricketers James Lillywhite (1842-1929), first captain of England, and William Lillywhite (1792-1854), pioneer of overarm bowling, uncle of James... [more]
LILYEnglish Derived from Lily, a pet name for ELIZABETH. It was also used as a nickname for someone with fair skin or hair, and is derived from Old English lilie meaning "lily (the flower)"... [more]
LINDSwedish, English Derived from Swedish and Middle English lind "lime tree".
LINDBERGHSwedish (Rare), English (Rare) Rare variant spelling of LINDBERG. A famous bearer was American aviator Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) who was the first person to fly non-stop from America to mainland Europe in 1927.
LINDLEYEnglish, German English habitational name from either of two places in West Yorkshire called Lindley, or from Linley in Shropshire and Wiltshire, all named from Old English lin ‘flax’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘glade’, with epenthetic -d-, or from another Lindley in West Yorkshire (near Otley), named in Old English as ‘lime wood’, from lind ‘lime tree’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’... [more]
LINLEYEnglish This surname can be derived from a place of the same name in Shropshire, which is derived from Old English lín meaning "flax, linen" and leah meaning "clearing." As a modern surname, it can also be a variant of Lindley (Lindley is used in 2 places in Yorkshire), which is derived from Old English lind meaning "lime tree" and leah.
LINNEYEnglish From an Old English female personal name LINDGIFU, LINDGEOFU, composed of the elements lind ‘lime (wood)’, i.e. ‘shield’ (a transferred sense) + gifu, geofu ‘gift’.
LIONSEnglish Variant of LYONS influencd by the spelling of the word lion
LIPPINCOTTEnglish A habitational name meaning "of Luffincott," a parish in Devon, England. Named from Old English uncertain first element + cot ‘cottage’.
LITTLEWOODEnglish (British) This surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and may be either a locational or topographical surname. If the former, it derives from any of several minor places in West Yorkshire, such as Littlewood in Wooldale near Holmfirth, all of which are so called from the Olde English pre 7th Century "lytel", little, small, and "wudu", wood... [more]
LIVELYEnglish A modern English surname possibly derived from a lost village called Laefer-leah which would give it the meaning "the farm by the lake".... [more]
LIVELYEnglish Nickname from Middle English lifly, "lively", "nimble".
LIVINGSTONEnglish, Scottish This surname is thought to be derived from Middle English Levingestun meaning "Leving's town" or "Leving's settlement."
LOAMEnglish 1 English and Scottish: unexplained. The name is recorded in both England and Scotland. It may be a variant of Scottish Lour, a habitational name from Lour, formerly a part of the parish of Meathielour.... [more]
LOCKEnglish, Dutch, German Habitational name from any of various places called Loock, from look ‘enclosure’.
LOCKYEREnglish Variant of LOCKLEAR. Lockyer is an occupational name of anglo-saxon origin meaning "locksmith".
LODGEEnglish Local name for someone who lived in a small cottage or temporary dwelling, Middle English logge (Old French loge, of Germanic origin). The term was used in particular of a cabin erected by masons working on the site of a particular construction project, such as a church or cathedral, and so it was probably in many cases equivalent to an occupational name for a mason... [more]
LOMASEnglish, Scottish, Scottish Gaelic Variant spelling of "Lomax", meaning a steam pool devoted from Lumhalghs, Lancs. Also variant spelling of "Lennox", meaning Elmwood in Gaelic.
LOMAXEnglish Lomax is a territorial surname, derived from the hamlet of Lumhalghs, near Bury, Greater Manchester, and meaning "pool nook" or "recess". Notable persons with the surname Lomax include: Alan Lomax (1915–2002) American musicologist, son of John Avery Lomax... [more]
LONGBOTTOMEnglish, Literature, Popular Culture English (West Yorkshire) topographic name for someone who lived in a long valley, from Middle English long + botme, bothem ‘valley bottom’. Given the surname’s present-day distribution, Longbottom in Luddenden Foot, West Yorkshire, may be the origin, but there are also two places called Long Bottom in Hampshire, two in Wiltshire, and Longbottom Farm in Somerset and in Wiltshire.
LONGFELLOWEnglish Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline.
LORDEnglish A surname derived from someone of a lordly manner, or perhaps one who had earned the title in some contest of skill or had played the part of the ‘Lord of Misrule’ in the Yuletide festivities.... [more]
LORIMEREnglish Means "maker or seller of metal items of a horse's harness and associated equipment (e.g. bits and spurs)" (from Anglo-Norman loremier, a derivative of Old French lorain "harness").
LOSHAWEnglish English name this is the last name of singer Avril Lavigne’s Mother Judith Rosanne Loshaw
LOTSPEICHEnglish possibly from Bavarian lott ‘mud’ + speich ‘spittle’, ‘moist dirt’, either a topographic name for someone who lived on land in a muddy area or a nickname for someone who had a dirty appearance... [more]
LOTTEnglish from a medieval personal name brought to England by the Normans, of uncertain origin. It may be the Hebrew personal name Lot ‘covering’, which was relatively popular in northern France, or a reduced form of various names formed with the diminutive suffix -lot (originally a combination of -el + -ot), commonly used with women’s names.
LOUDEnglish from the English word "loud", given to a loud or, in jest, quiet person
LOVECRAFTEnglish An English surname coming from the Old English lufu, meaning "love, desire", and cæft, meaning "strength, skill".... [more]
LOVEDAYEnglish Means either (i) "person particularly associated with a 'loveday'" (a day when, by custom, old differences were settled and reconciliations were made); or (ii) from the medieval female personal name LOVEDAY, a descendant of Old English Lēofdæg, literally "beloved day"... [more]
LOVEJOYEnglish Combination of Middle English love(n), luve(n) "to love" and joie "joy".
LOVELACEEnglish From a medieval nickname for a woman-chaser or lothario (from Old English lufulēas, literally "without love", hence "fancy-free"). The English poet Richard Lovelace (1618-1657) was a famous bearer.
LOVELANDEnglish From a surname which was derived from a place name, possibly meaning "Lufa's land" in Old English or "leaf land" in Norwegian.
LOVELOCKEnglish From a medieval nickname for a dandy or a man conceited about his appearance (from lovelock, a term for an elaborately curled lock of hair). This surname is borne by British scientist James Lovelock (1919-), formulator of the "Gaia" concept.
LOXLEYEnglish English: habitational name from any of various minor places named Loxley, as for example one in Warwickshire, which is named with the Old English personal name Locc + leah ‘woodland clearing’.
LUCEROEnglish, Spanish The surname "Lucero" was derived from English conquerers who came from England, most likely someone who worked for a king or queen. The term Lucero refers to a "star" or "light carrier" when the English traveled to Spain, the Spanish people gave them the name "Lucero" but earlier was spelled with an "s or Lusero"... [more]
LUDLOWEnglish Habitational name from a place in Shropshire, so named from the Old English river name Hlude (from hlud 'loud', 'roaring') referring to the Teme river + hlaw 'hill'.
LUGGEnglish English (Devon) probably from a local vernacular derivative of LUCAS. However, Reaney posits an Old English personal name, Lugga, from which this name could be derived.
LUKEEnglish From a derivative of LUCAS. This was (and is) the common vernacular form of the name, being the one by which the author of the fourth Gospel is known in English.
LUNDYEnglish Either (i) "person from Lundie", the name of various places in Scotland (meaning "place by a marsh"); or (ii) a different form of MCALINDEN.
LUNNNorwegian, English Derived from LUND, which in turn comes from the Old Norse lundr, meaning "grove of trees".
LUXTONEnglish English habitational name from a minor place, probably one of two in Devon, so called from the possessive form of the Middle English personal name or surname LUGG (from Old English Lugga) + Middle English tune, tone ‘settlement’ (Old English tun).
MABBETTEnglish From a pet-form of the medieval female personal name Mabbe, a shortened form of AMABEL (ultimately from Latin amābilis "lovable")... [more]
MACEEnglish, French English: from a medieval personal name, a survival of Old English MÆSSA, which came to be taken as a pet form of MATTHEW.... [more]
MACMILLANScottish, English A Scottish family name. The origin of the name is said to derive from the origin of the Scottish Clan MacMillan. The progenitor of the Clan was said to be Airbertach, Hebridean prince of the old royal house of Moray... [more]
MADELEYEnglish English: habitational name from places so named in Shropshire and Staffordshire, named in Old English with the personal name MADA + leah ‘woodland clearing’.
MAHLOYEnglish (American) Mahloy is a misspelling of Malloy by Charles Malloy's (b. 1898, Scotland) elementary school teacher in the Ireland. The surname Malloy is derived from the pre 10th century Old Gaelic name O'Maolmhuidh, meaning the descendant of the Great Chief.
MAITLANDEnglish, Scottish Possibly from Mautalant, the name of a place in Pontorson, France meaning "inhospitable" or "bad temper" in Norman French (ultimately from Late Latin malum "bad" and talentum "inclination, disposition"), which was so named because of its unproductive soil; or perhaps it was originally a nickname for an ungracious individual, derived from the same source.
MAKEPEACEEnglish From a medieval nickname for a skilled conciliator. It was borne by English cricketer Harry Makepeace (1881-1952).
MALEEnglish Nickname for a virile man, from Middle English male meaning "masculine".
MALINEnglish, French, Dutch From the given name MALIN (English), and from the given name Madalin composed of the Germanic element madal meaning "council" (French, Dutch).
MALLARDEnglish Either (i) from the Old French male personal name Malhard, brought into England by the Normans but ultimately of Germanic origin and meaning literally "council-brave"; or (ii) from a medieval nickname for someone thought to resemble a male wild duck.
MALLOWSEnglish From Anglo-Saxon origins, meaning "The cross or mark on the hill". This surname is taken from the location 'Mallows Green' in England.
MALPASSEnglish, Scottish, French Habitational name from any of various places named Malpas, because of the difficulty of the terrain, from Old French mal pas "bad passage" (Latin malus passus). It is a common French minor place name, and places in Cheshire, Cornwall, Gwent, and elsewhere in England were given this name by Norman settlers... [more]
MANCHESTEREnglish Habitational name from the city in northwestern England, formerly part of Lancashire. This is so called from Mamucio (an ancient British name containing the element mammā "breast", and meaning "breast-shaped hill") combined with Old English ceaster "Roman fort or walled city" (Latin castra "legionary camp").
MANFORDEnglish Place name for "Munda's ford" from an Old English personal name Munda, the same element in the second syllable of Edmund and ford meaning a waterway crossing.
MANHATTANEnglish From the name of the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City, in the U.S. state of New York. Derived from the Munsee Lenape language term manaháhtaan (where manah- means "gather", -aht- means "bow" and -aan is an abstract element used to form verb stems), meaning "the place where we get bows" or "place for gathering the (wood to make) bows"... [more]