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.
HolmanEnglish Uncertain etymology. Could be a topographic name derived from Old English holh "hollow, hole" or holm, which can mean either "holly" or "small island" (see Holme), combined with man "man, person"... [more]
HolyfieldEnglish, Scottish Although the Scottish surname is known to derive from the Medieval Latin word "olifantus," meaning "elephant," its origins as a surname are quite uncertain. ... He was one of the many Anglo-Norman nobles that were invited northward by the early Norman kings of Scotland.
HorsleyEnglish Habitational name from any of the various places called Horsley in England, all derived from Old English hors "horse" and leah "woodland, clearing", probably referring to a place where horses were put out to pasture.
HoughtonEnglish Habitational name derived from any of several locations across England, usually derived from Old English hoh "heel, hough, point of land" and tun "town, settlement, enclosure"... [more]
HoyEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a sailor, from Middle Dutch hoey "cargo ship".
HoytEnglish Generally a topographical name for someone who lived on a hill or other high ground. As such Hoyt is related to words such as heights or high. Hoyt is also possibly a nickname for a tall, thin person where the original meaning is said to be "long stick".
HubbleEnglish From the Norman personal name Hubald, composed of the Germanic elements hug "heart, mind, spirit" and bald "bold, brave".
HuntleyEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from a place in Gloucestershire, so named from Old English hunta 'hunter' (perhaps a byname (see Hunt) + leah 'wood', 'clearing'). Scottish: habitational name from a lost place called Huntlie in Berwickshire (Borders), with the same etymology as in 1.
HurleyEnglish, Irish Meaning is "from a corner clearing" in Old English. Also an anglicized form of an Irish name meaning "sea tide" or "sea valor".
HusseyEnglish, Irish As an English surname, it comes from two distinct sources. It is either of Norman origin, derived from Houssaye, the name of an area in Seine-Maritime which ultimately derives from Old French hous "holly"; or it is from a Middle English nickname given to a woman who was the mistress of a household, from an alteration of husewif "housewife"... [more]
HuttonEnglish, Scottish Scottish and northern English habitational name from any of the numerous places so called from Old English hoh ‘ridge’, ‘spur’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’.
IbbotsonEnglish Diminutive form ("son of" or little) of Hibbs, itself a patronymic, from a diminutive of Hibbert, which derives from a Norman personal name, "Hil(de)bert", composed of the Germanic elements "hild", battle, and "berht" famous.
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.
IrbyEnglish The name of several places in England, derived from Old Norse Iri býr meaning "Irish settlement".
IronsEnglish English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Airaines in Somme, so named from Latin harenas (accusative case) ‘sands’. The form of the name has been altered as a result of folk etymology, an association of the name with the metal... [more]
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.
JayEnglish, French Nickname from Middle English, Old French jay(e), gai "jay (the bird)", probably referring to an idle chatterer or a showy person, although the jay was also noted for its thieving habits.
JeffreyEnglish From a Norman personal name that appears in Middle English as Geffrey and in Old French as Je(u)froi. Some authorities regard this as no more than a palatalized form of Godfrey, but early forms such as Galfridus and Gaufridus point to a first element from Germanic gala "to sing" or gawi "region, territory"... [more]
JobEnglish, French, German, Hungarian English, French, German, and Hungarian from the personal name Iyov or Job, borne by a Biblical character, the central figure in the Book of Job, who was tormented by God and yet refused to forswear Him... [more]
JoyEnglish Either derived directly from the word, indicating a nickname for a joyous person, or a variant of Joyce.
JukesEnglish Either a variant of Duke, or patronymic from a short form of the Medieval Breton given name Iudicael (see Jewell).
KenworthyEnglish (British, Anglicized, Rare) his interesting surname of English origin is a locational name from a place so called in Cheshire, deriving from the Old English pre 7th Century personal name Cyna, a short from of the various compound names with the first element "cyne" meaning "Royal", or, Cena, a byname meaning "Keon", "Bold" or a short form of various compound personal names with this first element plus the Old English pre 7th Century "worthing" "enclosure"... [more]
KingsburyEnglish Habitational surname derived from several places in England with the same name, for example in northwest London (formerly Middlesex), Somerset, and Warwickshire. These are mostly named in Old English as cyninges burh meaning "the king’s stronghold", but the last mentioned is cynesburh meaning "stronghold of Cyne" (cyne is a short form of any of various compound names with cyne- meaning "royal" as the first element).
KirkseyEnglish English: probably a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place. This surname is also common in the American South.
KleberGerman, English (American) Derived from German kleben "to bind, to stick", hence an occupational name for someone who applied clay daub or whitewash on buildings.
LammersEnglish Habitational name from either Lamas in Norfolk or Lamarsh in Essex, derived from Old English lām "loam, clay" combined with ersc "plowed field" or mersc "marsh".
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"). The term was applied especially to a worker in the wool industry who washed the raw wool or rinsed the cloth after fulling... [more]
LiddellEnglish From the Liddel river, which takes its name from Okd English hl̄de “loud” + dæl “valley”.
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.
LippincottEnglish A habitational name meaning "of Luffincott," a parish in Devon, England. Named from Old English uncertain first element + cot ‘cottage’.
LivingstonEnglish, Scottish This surname is thought to be derived from Middle English Levingestun meaning "Leving's town" or "Leving's settlement."
LoomisEnglish Derived from Lomax (Lumhalghs), near Bury, Lancashire, which means "pool nook/recess."
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.
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.
ManleyEnglish Habitational name from places in Devon and Cheshire, named in Old English as "common wood or clearing", from (ge)mǣne "common, shared" and lēah "woodland clearing". The surname is still chiefly found in the regions around these villages.
MarquisEnglish, French From the title of nobility, which originally denoted an officer whose duty was to guard the marches or frontiers of the kingdom. A march was originally denoted as a border region at a frontier. The word marquis was derived from Late Latin marchensis, from Frankish *marku "boundary, border"... [more]
MartonEnglish habitational name from any of several places so called Marton principally in Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, and North Yorkshire named in Old English as "settlement by a lake" (from mere or mær "pool, lake" and tun "settlement") or as "settlement by a boundary" (from gemære "boundary" and tun "settlement").
MaxsonPopular Culture, English Means son of Max. This is the surname of the hereditary leaders of the Brotherhood of Steel in the popular Fallout game. The first bearer of the name was Captain Roger Maxson, who founded the BOS, with the most recent bearer being Arthur Maxson, the current leader of the BOS in Fallout 4.
MerriottEnglish Either a habitational name from Merriott in Somerset. The placename may derive from Old English meremiere "mare" mere "pool" or gemære "boundary" and gæt "gate gap"... [more]
MetcalfeEnglish An occupational name from Northern England, from Old English mete, 'food' and calf, 'calf', i.e calfs being fattened for consumption in late summer. Thus, making this surname an occupational name for either a slaughterer or herdsman... [more]
MimsEnglish (British) Habitational name from Mimms (North and South Mimms) in Hertfordshire, most probably derived from an ancient British tribal name, Mimmas.
MitchamEnglish Habitational name from Mitcham in Surrey so named from Old English micel "big" and ham "village homestead" or ham "water meadow" meaning either "the great homestead" or "the great meadow".
MoreEnglish, Scottish Variant of Moore 3. A famous bearer was the English lawyer, humanist, and martyr Saint Thomas More (1478-1535).
MosleyEnglish Habitational name from any of several places called Mos(e)ley in central, western, and northwestern England. The obvious derivation is from Old English mos "peat bog" and leah "woodland clearing", but the one in southern Birmingham (Museleie in Domesday Book) had as its first element Old English mus "mouse", while one in Staffordshire (Molesleie in Domesday Book) had the genitive case of the Old English byname Moll.
MoultonEnglish Derived from various places with the same name, for example in the counties of Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Suffolk and North Yorkshire in England. It is either derived from the Old English given name Mūla, the Old Norse name Múli or Old English mūl meaning "mule" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
MunkGerman, Scandinavian, Dutch, English From Middle High German münich Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish munk Middle Dutch munc "monk" a nickname for someone thought to resemble a monk or a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a monastery... [more]
NesbittEnglish, Scottish, Irish Habitational name from any of the places in England, Scotland and Ireland called Nesbitt or similar, all derived from Old English nes "headland, promontory" and bita "bit, fragment, morsel" or byht "bight, bend, angle"... [more]
NewhouseEnglish Either a habitational name for someone who lived at a "new house" (from Middle English niwe "new" and hus "new house") or a habitational name from any of various minor places so called especially perhaps Newhouses in Horton Yorkshire near the border with Lancashire... [more]
NorthwayEnglish Habitational name from one or more of the minor places called with Middle English bi northe weie "(place) to the north of the way or road" from the elements norþ "north" and weg "way" including Northway in Monkleigh Widecombe in the Moor and Parkham Norway in Whitestone Narraway in Drewsteignton (all Devon) and Northway in Halse (Somerset)... [more]
NugentEnglish, Irish, French An English, Irish (of Norman origin) and French habitational surname derived from any of several places in northern France (such as Nogent-sur-Oise), From Latin novientum and apparently an altered form of a Gaulish name meaning "new settlement".
NuttallEnglish English: habitational name from some place named with Old English hnutu ‘nut’ + h(e)alh ‘nook’, ‘recess’. In some cases this may be Nuthall in Nottinghamshire, but the surname is common mainly in Lancashire, and a Lancashire origin is therefore more likely... [more]
OdomEnglish From a nickname for someone who married a daughter of a prominent figure in a community, derived from Middle English odam "son-in-law", from Old English aþum.
OfficerEnglish (Canadian), English (American, Rare) Occupational name for the holder of any office, from Anglo-Norman French officer (an agent derivative of Old French office ‘duty’, ‘service’, Latin officium ‘service’, ‘task’).
OldhamEnglish Habitational name from Oldham in Lancashire. The placename derives from Old English ald "old" and Old Norse holmr "island water meadow" or eald "old" and ham "farmstead" meaning either "old lands" or "old farm".
OrchardEnglish Derived from Middle English orchard, from Old English ortgeard. It denoted somebody who lived by or worked in an orchard or lived in a place named Orchard.
PaddockEnglish Derived from Middle English parrock meaning "paddock, small enclosure", hence a topographic name for a dweller by a paddock or an enclosed meadow. It could also be a nickname for a person who resembled a toad or frog in some way (derived from Middle English paddock meaning "toad, frog"), or denote a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name, for example the town and civil parish of Paddock Wood in Kent.
PappinEnglish (Canadian) Southeastern Ontario, Canada. My dad and uncle are the only two I met. I was told their family background was Metis/Cree.
ParsonEnglish Means "priest, cleric, minister" in English, either an occupational name for someone who worked for a parson, a nickname for someone considered particularly pious, or perhaps given to illegitimate children of a priest.
PartonEnglish Habitational name from any of various places called Parton; most are named with Old English peretun ‘pear orchard’. A famous bearer of the surname is Dolly Parton.
PeaseEnglish English: from Middle English pese ‘pea’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of peas, or a nickname for a small and insignificant person. The word was originally a collective singular (Old English peose, pise, from Latin pisa) from which the modern English vocabulary word pea is derived by folk etymology, the singular having been taken as a plural.
PendletonEnglish Habitational name from any of the two villages in Lancashire called Pendleton, both derived from Pendle Hill (see Pendle) and Old English tun "enclosure, town".
PercyEnglish Either a nickname from Old French percehaie "pierce hedge" (Old French percer "to pierce, penetrate" and haie "hedge, fence"), perhaps with the sense of someone breaking into an enclosure... [more]
PerdueEnglish, Irish, French English and Irish from Old French par Dieu ‘by God’, which was adopted in Middle English in a variety of more or less heavily altered forms. The surname represents a nickname from a favorite oath... [more]
PlaceEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in or near the main market square.
PlayfairEnglish From a medieval nickname for an enthusiastic competitor in sports and games (from Middle English pleyfere "companion in play, playmate"), or else a different form of Playford (from a Suffolk place-name meaning "ford where sports are held")... [more]
PlumEnglish, German From Old Germanic *plūmā "plum", used as a topographic name for someone who lived by a plum tree, a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or sold plums, or perhaps a nickname referring to a plum-coloured birthmark.
PlumEnglish From Old French plomb "lead (metal)", a metonymic occupational name for a plumber, or someone who dealt in lead.
PollakEnglish, German A name for someone who came from the place called Poland.
PonceSpanish, English The Ponce name was carried into England after the migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066.'Ponce' is derived from 'Ponsoby',a place in Cumberland, where the family settled. The Ponce motto is 'Pro rege, lege grege' meaning "For the King, law, and people"
PratleyEnglish Originates from a now "lost" medieval village believed to have been in the south east of England.
PressEnglish, Jewish A nickname for a pious individual from the Middle English form of "priest" or possibly someone employed by a priest. In the Jewish sense, one whose occupation was to iron clothes.
RadfordEnglish Habitational name from any of the various places so named, for example in Devon, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Hereford and Worcester. Most are named from Old English read "red" + ford "ford", but it is possible that in some cases the first element may be a derivative of Old English ridan "to ride", with the meaning "ford that can be crossed on horseback".
RalphEnglish From a Middle English personal name composed of Germanic rad "counsel, advice" and wolf "wolf". This was first introduced into England by Scandinavian settlers in the Old Norse form Ráðulfr, and was reinforced after the Conquest by the Norman form Ra(d)ulf... [more]
RamplingEnglish Originally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, derived from Latin ramus meaning "branch" (see Ramos). Famous bearers include English actress Charlotte Rampling (1946-) and her father, athlete and British Army officer Godfrey Rampling (1909-2009).
RawlsEnglish From the Olde German and Anglo-Saxon personal name Rolf. Originally derived from the Norse-Viking pre 7th Century 'Hrolfr' meaning "Fame-Wolf".
RectorEnglish Status name for the director of an institution, in particular the head of a religious house or a college. Also an anglicized form of Richter.
RichEnglish From a nickname of a wealthy person, in some cases given ironically for a pauper, ultimately derived from Germanic ric "powerful". A notable fictional bearer is Richie Rich who first appeared as a comic book character in 1953.
RichEnglish Derived from the name of a (former) village in Lincolnshire, England named with the Old English element ric "stream, drainage channel".
RichmondEnglish Habitational name from any of the numerous places so named, in northern France as well as in England. These are named with the Old French elements riche "rich, splendid" and mont "hill"... [more]
RockEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived near a notable crag or outcrop, from Middle English rokke "rock" (see Roach), or a habitational name from a place named with this word, as for example Rock in Northumberland.
RootEnglish A nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle English rote "glad, cheerful".
RootEnglish From Middle English and Old French rote, an early medieval stringed instrument similar to a guitar that was played by turning wheels like a hurdy-gurdy.
RoperEnglish English: occupational name for a maker or seller of rope, from an agent derivative of Old English rāp ‘rope’. See also Roop.
RouseEnglish From a nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, derived from Old French rous "red", from Latin russus "red, reddish-brown".
RowleyEnglish Anglo Saxon Name- locational, comes from several places in England such as in Devonshire, Yorkshire, County Durham and Staffordshire. It means ' rough wood or clearing', from the Old English 'run' meaning rough and 'leah', meaning clearing in a wood.
RuddEnglish From a nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion, ultimately derived from Old English rudu "redness, ruddy complexion". A famous bearer of the name is British-American actor Paul Rudd (1969-).
SaintEnglish, French From a nickname for a very pious or religious person, ultimately derived from Latin sanctus "holy, saintly". In some cases, it may be from the Medieval given name Saint, of the same origin.
SalisburyEnglish Habitational name from the city in Wiltshire, the Roman name of which was Sorviodunum (of British origin). In the Old English period the second element (from Celtic dun ‘fortress’) was dropped and Sorvio- (of unexplained meaning) became Searo- in Old English as the result of folk etymological association with Old English searu ‘armor’; to this an explanatory burh ‘fortress’, ‘manor’, ‘town’ was added... [more]
SavilleEnglish A habitational name from an uncertain place in Northern France. This is most likely Sainville, named from Old French saisne, 'Saxon' and ville, indicating a settlement.
SearsEnglish Version of Sayer. Used in the United States. Famous bearer of the name is Richard Warren Sears, one of the founders of Sears, Roebuck and Co.
SegerSwedish, English, Dutch Means "victory" in Swedish. It is also a variant of the English surname Seager or derived from the Germanic given name Sigiheri "victory army".
ShippEnglish nickname for a mariner or perhaps a boatbuilder from Middle English schip "ship". Compare Shipman . in addition the name may occasionally also have been topographic or habitational referring to a house or inn distinguished by the sign of a ship.
ShiptonEnglish From Old English scip "sheep", and tun "enclosure; settlement".
SingletonEnglish Habitational name from either of two villages, one in Lancashire, derived from Old English scingol "shingle, roof tile" and tun "enclosure, yard, town", the other in Sussex, derived from Old English sengel meaning "brushwood" or "burnt clearing".
SissonEnglish metronymic from the medieval female personal name Siss, Ciss, short for Sisley, Cecilie, or possibly from a pet form of Sisley (with the old French diminutive suffix -on). variant of Sessions.
SkeltonEnglish, German, Norwegian (Rare) Habitational name from places in Cumbria and Yorkshire, England, originally named with the same elements as Shelton, but with a later change of ‘s’ to ‘sk’ under Scandinavian influence.
StaleyEnglish Byname from Middle English staley "resolute, reliable", a reduced form of Stallard.
StallardEnglish Byname for a valiant or resolute person, from a reduced pronunciation of Middle English stalward, stalworth "stalwart" (an Old English compound of stǣl "place" and wierðe "worthy").
StensonEnglish From the name of a hamlet (now called Twyford and Stenson) in Derbyshire, England. The name is a combination of the Old Norse name Steinn and Old English tun "settlement, enclosure".
StewardEnglish Occupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard".
StocktonEnglish Habitational surname for a person from any of the places (e.g. Cheshire, County Durham, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and North and West Yorkshire) so called from Old English stocc "tree trunk" or stoc "dependent settlement" + tun "enclosure", "settlement".
StockwellEnglish An English boy's name meaning "From the tree stump spring"
TelferScottish, English From a personal name based on a byname for a strong man or ferocious warrior, derived from Old French tailler "to cut" and fer "iron". Compare Taillefer, Tagliaferro.
TewksburyEnglish Derived from Tewkesbury, a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is named with the Old English given name Teodec and burg meaning "fortification".
TisdaleEnglish Variant spelling of Teasdale. Famous bearers or this name include the actress and singer Ashley Tisdale (1985-), basketball player and bass guitarist Wayman Tisdale (1964-2009) and the engraver, miniature painter and cartoonist Elkanah Tisdale (1768-1835), all Americans.
TrottEnglish "Trott" is an early recorded surname of the 17th century in America. It is five hundred years older when linked to Medieval Britain.
TrotterEnglish, Scottish, German Northern English and Scottish: occupational name for a messenger, from an agent derivative of Middle English trot(en) 'to walk fast' (Old French troter, of Germanic origin). ... [more]
TuttleEnglish, English (American), Irish Derived from the Old Norse given name Þorkell, derived from the elements þórr (see Thor) and ketill "cauldron". The name evolved into Thurkill and Thirkill in England and came into use as a given name in the Middle Ages... [more]
TysoeEnglish Denoted the bearer was from the parish of Tysoe, Warwickshire, England. The name of the parish is derived from Old English Tīges hōh, meaning "spur of land belonging to the god Tiw." (Tiw was the Old English name for the Roman deity Mars, and also inspired the name of Tuesday.)
VickersEnglish Means "son of the vicar". It could also be the name of someone working as a servant of a vicar.
VieiraEnglish (Anglicized) A surname of British origin mainly from Ireland and Scotland but Anglicised into and english name when many Vieira's immigrated to England.
VirtueEnglish Used as a name for someone who had played the part of Virtue in a medieval mystery play, or as a nickname for someone noted for their virtuousness or (sarcastically) for someone who parades their supposed moral superiority.
WainwrightEnglish Occupational name for a maker or repairer of wagons.
WalcottEnglish habitational name from any of several places called Walcott Walcot or Walcote for example in Lincolnshire Leicestershire Norfolk Oxfordshire and Wiltshire all named in Old English wealh "foreigner Briton serf" (genitive plural wala) and cot "cottage hut shelter" (plural cotu) meaning "the cottage where the (Welsh-speaking) Britons lived".
WardenEnglish Occupational name for a watchman or guard, from Old French wardein meaning "protector, guard". It was also used as a habbitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Warden... [more]
WashburnEnglish Northern English topographic name for someone living on the banks of the Washburn river in West Yorkshire, so named from the Old English personal name Walc + Old English burna ‘stream’... [more]