This is a list of submitted surnames in which the usage is English; and the name appears on the list of Olympic Medalists.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AdlingtonEnglish Habitational name from any of the two places called Adlington in Cheshire and Lancashire, both derived from Old English given name Eadwulf and tun "enclosure, town".
AlderEnglish Originally denoted for someone who lived by alder trees, from Old English alor.
AldermanEnglish Occupational name for a person who is a member of the governing body of a city or borough, from Middle English alderman, a compound of Old English ealdor "elder" and man.
AlfordEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from any of several places in England, derived from Old English ford "ford, river crossing" and an uncertain first element, possibly eald "old", or the given name Ealdgyð.
AllenEnglish Possibly derived from the feminine given name Aline, a medieval diminutive of Adeline.
AllmanEnglish From Norman aleman "German, relating to Germany", ultimately from Late Latin Alemannus "member of the Alemanni tribe". Cognate to French Allemand and Spanish Alemán.
ApplegarthEnglish, Scottish Topographic or habitational name from Middle English applegarth meaning "apple orchard", from Old Norse apaldr "apple tree" and garðr "enclosure, yard".
ArdenEnglish From various English place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high".... [more]
ArmitageEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived on or near a hermitage or a habitational for places so called, derived from Middle English ermitage. A famous bearer of the name is English actor Richard Crispin Armitage (1971-).
AshbrookEnglish Derived from Ampney St Mary, a small village and civil parish locally known as "Ashbrook", in Gloucestershire, England (recorded in the Domesday Book as Estbroce). It is named with Old English est meaning "east, eastern" and broc meaning "brook, stream".
AsherEnglish Name for someone who dwelled by an ash tree, from Middle English asche or asshe meaning "ash tree".
AshfordEnglish Derived from Ashford, which is the name of several places in England. All but one of these derive the second element of their name from Old English ford meaning "ford" - for the one in North Devon, it is derived from Old English worō or worth meaning "enclosure".... [more]
AstburyEnglish Habitational name for a person from a village named Astbury in Cheshire, from Old English east "east" and burg "fortress, fortification, citadel".
AtwellEnglish Topographic name from Middle English atte welle "by the spring or stream"
BackmanEnglish, Swedish, German Combination of Old English bakke "spine, back" and man "man". In Swedish, the first element is more likely to be derived from Swedish backe "hill", and in German the first element can be derived from German backen "to bake"... [more]
BaconEnglish, French, Norman An occupational surname for someone who sold pork, from Middle English and Old French bacun or bacon, meaning 'bacon', which is ultimately of Germanic origin. Can also be derived from the Germanic given names Baco, Bacco, or Bahho, from the root bag-, meaning 'to fight'... [more]
BadeEnglish From the Old English personal name Bada, probably derived from Old English beadu "battle, war" or a name containing the element.
BainEnglish, Scottish Nickname for a hospitable person, derived from northern Middle English bayn meaning "welcoming, friendly" or "straight, direct".
BainbridgeEnglish Habitational name for a village called Bainbridge in North Yorkshire, derived from the River Bain of North Yorkshire (itself derived from Old Norse beinn meaning "straight") and Old English brycg "bridge".
BardenEnglish English: habitational name from places in North and West Yorkshire named Barden, from Old English bere ‘barley’ (or the derived adjective beren) + denu ‘valley’.
BarkerEnglish SURNAME Town cryer, or someone who shouts out notices
BarrowmanEnglish A man employed in wheeling a barrow; specifically, in coal-mining, one who conveys the coal in a wheelbarrow from the point where it is mined to the trolleyway or tramway on which it is carried to the place where it is raised to the surface.
BartleyEnglish, American 1. English: habitational name from Bartley in Hampshire, or from Bartley Green in the West Midlands, both of which are named with Old English be(o)rc ‘birch’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’; compare Barclay... [more]
BattersbyEnglish Derives from the place of Battersby in North Yorkshire, which is composed of Old Norse personal name Bǫðvarr and the Old Norse suffix býr "farm, settlement"... [more]
BeardEnglish From a nickname for a bearded person.
BeaubienFrench (Quebec), English From French beau meaning "beautiful" and bien meaning "well, good". The name referred to someone with physical beauty.
BeckerEnglish Occupational name for a maker or user of mattocks or pickaxes, from an agent derivative of Old English becca "mattock".
BedfordEnglish From the English county Bedfordshire and its principal city or from a small community in Lancashire with the same name. The name comes from the Old English personal name Beda, a form of the name Bede and the location element -ford meaning "a crossing at a waterway." Therefore the name indicates a water crossing once associated with a bearer of the medieval name.
BeerEnglish Habitational name from any of the forty or so places in southwestern England called Beer(e) or Bear(e). Most of these derive their names from the West Saxon dative case, beara, of Old English bearu "grove, wood"... [more]
BenthamEnglish Habitational name from any of various places named Bentham, from Old English beonet "bent grass" + ham "homestead" or hamm "enclosure hemmed in by water".
BinghamEnglish Ultimately deriving from the toponym of Melcombe Bingham in Dorset. The name was taken to Ireland in the 16th century, by Richard Bingham, a native of Dorset who was appointed governor of Connaught in 1584... [more]
BitencourtBrazilian, Portuguese (Brazilian), French (Rare), English BITENCOURT, derives from Bittencourt, Bettencourt and Bethencourt; They are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element -court (courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm) is typical of the French provinces, where the Frankish settlements formed an important part of the local population... [more]
BlandEnglish Bland is a habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire called Bland, the origin of which is uncertain. Possibly it is from Old English (ge)bland ‘storm’, ‘commotion’ (from blandan ‘to blend or mingle’), with reference to its exposed situation... [more]
BodeGerman, Dutch, English, Danish Means "messenger, deliverer, herald; prophet, omen", ultimately from Old Germanic budą. This can be an occupational name, or a patronymic derived from a given name containing the element (see Bothe).
BoltEnglish Either: an occupational name for an archer or a maker of bolts, or a nickname for a stocky or upright person, derived from Middle English bolt "bolt, crossbow bolt". A famous bearer of the name is Jamaican athletic sprinter Usain Bolt (1986-), widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time.
BootEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of boots, ultimately from Old French bote "boot, high-sided leather shoe".
BowdenEnglish Habitational name from any of several places called Bowden or Bowdon, most of them in England. From Old English boga "bow" and dun "hill", or from Old English personal names Buga or Bucge combined with dun.... [more]
BraggEnglish, Welsh From a nickname for a cheerful or lively person, derived from Middle English bragge meaning "lively, cheerful, active", also "brave, proud, arrogant".
BriscoeEnglish From any of the various places of this name or similar, derived from Old Norse bretar "Briton, Welsh" or birki "birch" and skógr "forest, wood".
BrogdonEnglish Variant of Brogden The valley of the brook a rural place now in Lancanshire, England.
BrookerEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream, a variant of Brook.
BroughEnglish Habitational name derived from any place called Brough, named with Old English burh "fortress" (compare English and Irish Burke).
BrowningEnglish English: from the Middle English and Old English personal name Bruning, originally a patronymic from the byname Brun (see Brown).
BuckinghamEnglish Habitational name from the former county seat of the county of Buckinghamshire, Old English Buccingahamm "water meadow (Old English hamm) of the people of (-inga-) Bucc(a)".
BurchellEnglish An English surname derived from the village of Birkehill (also known as Biekel or Birtle). It means "birch hill".
BurgerEnglish, German, Dutch Status name for a freeman of a borough. From Middle English burg, Middle High German burc and Middle Dutch burch "fortified town". Also a German habitational name for someone from a place called Burg.
CallenderEnglish Occupational name for a person who finished freshly woven cloth by passing it between heavy rollers to compress the weave. From Old Franch calandrier, calandreur.
CarmichaelScottish, English From the name of a village in Scotland meaning "fort of Michael", from Welsh caer meaning "fortress" and the given name Michael.
CarringtonEnglish, Scottish English: habitational name from a place in Greater Manchester (formerly in Cheshire) called Carrington, probably named with an unattested Old English personal name Cara + -ing- denoting association + tun ‘settlement’.... [more]
CartmellEnglish Denoted a person from Cartmel, a village in Cumbria, England (formerly in Lancashire). The place derives its name from the Cartmel Peninsula, which is composed of Old Norse kartr "rocky ground" and melr "sandbank, dune".
CassellEnglish 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]
CavillEnglish 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-).
ChampionEnglish, 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]
CherryEnglish 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]
ChildEnglish From a nickname for an affectionate term for a person, or for a young man of noble birth, or for a young noble waiting for knighthood, or for someone who was younger than their siblings, or who was a minor on the death of his father, derived from Old English cild "baby, child"... [more]
ClevelandEnglish 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]
CliffEnglish 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]
CollierEnglish From the English word for someone who works with coal, originally referring to a charcoal burner or seller. Derived from Old English col "coal, charcoal" combined with the agent suffix -ier.
CopeEnglish From Middle English cope "cape, cloak", an occupational name for a maker of cloaks, or a nickname for someone known for wearing one.
CorsonEnglish Nickname from Old French 'corson', a diminutive of curt ‘short’
CosgroveEnglish Habitational name from Cosgrove in Northamptonshire, named with an Old English personal name Cof + Old English graf "grove", "thicket".
CottonEnglish From the name of any of the various places in England so-called or similar, derived from Old English cot "cottage, small house" and ham "home, estate, settlement".
CourtEnglish, French, Irish A topographic name from Middle English, Old French court(e) and curt, meaning ‘court’. This word was used primarily with reference to the residence of the lord of a manor, and the surname is usually an occupational name for someone employed at a manorial court.... [more]
CoventryEnglish habitational name from the city of Coventry in the West Midlands, which is probably named with the genitive case of an Old English personal name Cofa (compare Coveney) + Old English treow 'tree'.
CrockerEnglish Occupational name for a potter, from Middle English crockere "potter". Compare Crock.
CrookEnglish, Scottish Topographic name for someone who lived by a bend in a river or road, derived from Old English *croc "crook, bend".
CrooksEnglish Habitational name from Crookes in Sheffield (Yorkshire), named with Old Norse krókr ‘hook, bend’.... [more]
CrowEnglish Originally a nickname for a person with dark hair or a dark complexion, or who was thought to resemble the bird in some way, derived from Middle English crowe, from Old English crawe.
DavenportEnglish Habitational name from a town in Cheshire named Davenport, from the Dane river (apparently named with a Celtic cognate of Middle Welsh dafnu "drop, trickle") and Old English port "port, haven, harbour town".
DerbyshireEnglish Habitational name from a county in England, derived from Old English Deorby (see Derby) and scir "shire, district".
DiamondEnglish English variant of Dayman (see Day). Forms with the excrescent d are not found before the 17th century; they are at least in part the result of folk etymology.
DoughtyEnglish Doughty. This interesting surname of English origin is a nickname for a powerful or brave man, especially a champion jouster, deriving from the Middle English "doughty", Olde English pre 7th Century dohtigdyhtig meaning "valiant" or "strong"... [more]
DruryEnglish, French, Irish Originally a Norman French nickname, derived from druerie "love, friendship" (itself a derivative of dru "lover, favourite, friend" - originally an adjective, apparently from a Gaulish word meaning "strong, vigourous, lively", but influenced by the sense of the Old High German element trut, drut "dear, beloved").... [more]
DykeEnglish Originally given to a person who lived near a dike or a ditch, derived from Old Norse díki.
EastEnglish From the English vocabulary word, ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic *austrą "east". It originally denoted someone who lived to the east of something, or someone who came from the east.
EstesWelsh, Spanish, English a popular surname derived from the House of Este. It is also said to derive from Old English and have the meaning "of the East." As a surname, it has been traced to southern England in the region of Kent, as early as the mid-16th century.
EwellEnglish Habitation name from the town of Ewell in Surrey or from Temple Ewell or Ewell Manor, both in Kent or Ewell Minnis near Dover. Originally from Old English Aewill meaning "river source" or "spring".
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]
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]
FentonEnglish Originated from several place names in England, meaning “marsh town” from Old English fenn “marsh, fen” + tun “enclosure; settlement, town”.
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]
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).
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]
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.
FouldsEnglish (British) Mr. Fould-Dupont supplied the steel for the Eiffel tower. Later on, he fled to England and changed his last name from Fould-Dupont to Foulds.
FountainEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived near a spring or well, from Middle English fontayne, "fountain".
FrizzellEnglish (Rare) Either (i) from Friseal, the Scottish Gaelic form of Fraser; or (ii) from a medieval nickname applied to someone who dressed in a showy or gaudy style (from Old French frisel "decoration, ribbon").
GainesEnglish, Norman, Welsh English (of Norman origin): nickname for a crafty or ingenious person, from a reduced form of Old French engaine ‘ingenuity’, ‘trickery’ (Latin ingenium ‘native wit’). The word was also used in a concrete sense of a stratagem or device, particularly a trap.... [more]
GallScottish, Irish, English Nickname, of Celtic origin, meaning "foreigner" or "stranger". In the Scottish Highlands the Gaelic term gall was applied to people from the English-speaking lowlands and to Scandinavians; in Ireland the same term was applied to settlers who arrived from Wales and England in the wake of the Anglo-Norman invasion of the 12th century... [more]
GatlinEnglish English of uncertain origin; probably a variant of Catlin or Gadling, a nickname from Old English gœdeling ‘kinsman’, ‘companion’, but also ‘low fellow’.
GayEnglish, French Nickname for a lighthearted or cheerful person, from Middle English and Old French gai "happy, cheerful, joyous".
GayEnglish Habitational name from a settlement in Normandy called Gaye, possibly derived from a Germanic person name cognate with Wade 2, or perhaps related to Old French gayere "wet ground" or goille "puddle, quagmire".
GodinEnglish Comes from the Germanic personal name Godin-, a pet form of any of various compound names beginning with god, got ‘god’. Compare Godbold, Goddard, and Godfrey.
GouldingEnglish From the late Old English personal name Golding, which was derived from Golda (or the feminine form Golde) and the patronymic suffix -ing.... [more]
GuestEnglish Nickname for a stranger or newcomer to a community, from Middle English g(h)est meaning "guest", "visitor" (from Old Norse gestr, absorbing the cognate Old English giest).
GurneyEnglish, French, Norman Originated from the region Normandy in France, is also a biospheric name from Gournay-en-Bray, a commune in France. It is also a fictional character's maiden name, Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier from the animated sitcom show, The Simpsons.
HadfieldEnglish Habitational name for a person from Hadfield in Derbyshire, from Old English hæþ "heath, wilderness" and feld "field".
HalsteadEnglish Geographic surname from places by the same name in Essex, Kent, and Leicestershire.
HamlinEnglish From an Old English word meaning "home" or "homestead" and a diminutive suffix -lin.
HammerGerman, English, Jewish From Middle High German hamer, Yiddish hamer, a metonymic occupational name for a maker or user of hammers, for example in a forge, or nickname for a forceful person.
HancockEnglish One plausible meaning for Hancock, due to the armorial achievement of the rooster charge. In medieval times, (500-1500AD) the rooster symbolized Christianity. This was due to with the fact the cock was crowing before Peter denied Christ, however, quickly after, it became a symbol for repentance & vigilance for looking out for sin... [more]
HareIrish (Anglicized), English (American) Irish (Ulster): Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÍr, meaning ‘long-lasting’. In Ireland this name is found in County Armagh; it has also long been established in Scotland.... [more]
HarndenEnglish From an English village Harrowden in Bedfordshire. This place name literally means "hill of the heathen shrines or temples," from the Old English words hearg and dun.
HatchEnglish English (mainly Hampshire and Berkshire): topographic name from Middle English hacche ‘gate’, Old English hæcc (see Hatcher). In some cases the surname is habitational, from one of the many places named with this word... [more]
HelmEnglish, Dutch, German Either from Old English helm "protection covering" (in later northern English dialects "cattle shelter barn"). The name may be topographic for someone who lived by or worked at a barn or habitational from a place so named such as Helme in Meltham (Yorkshire)... [more]
HemingwayEnglish Habitational name probably from an unidentified place in West Yorkshire, derived from the Old English given name Hemma combined with weg "way, road, path"... [more]
HemmingsEnglish Derived from the given name Hemming. It is the last name of the band member of Five Seconds of Summer (5sos), Luke Hemmings.
HenleyEnglish, Irish, German (Anglicized) English: habitational name from any of the various places so called. Most, for example those in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and Warwickshire, are named with Old English héan (the weak dative case of heah ‘high’, originally used after a preposition and article) + Old English leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’... [more]
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.
HesterEnglish This surname is derived from a given name, which is the Latin form of Esther.
HigginsEnglish Patronymic from the medieval personal name Higgin, a pet form of Hick.
HineEnglish occupational name from Middle English Old English hine "servant member of a household" also "farm laborer" (such as a herdsman or shepherd)... [more]