CalamariItalian From Latin calamarius "relating to a writing reed, ink pen", a name for a scribe, or perhaps a fisherman from the Italian descendant calamaro "squid, calamari".
CalandraItalian from calandra "skylark" (from Latin calandra) probably a nickname for someone with a fine singing voice.
CalieschRomansh Derived from Romansh casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name Aliesch.
CalliariItalian (Latinized, Archaic) This is an Italian surname, in the north of Italy. Calliari is the result of the deformation of the graphically Calligari, where you can clearly see excision of the letter or character D, which is located in the middle of the surname... [more]
CalonderRomansh Either derived from Romansh casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name Leonhard or from the name of the mountain Calanda.
CamichelRomansh Derived from Romansh casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name Michael.
CaminadaRomansh Derived from Late Latin caminata, denoting a room provided with a fireplace.
CampagnaItalian Name for someone originally from any of various locations named Campagna, all derived from Latin Campania, itself from campus meaning "field".
CannarsaItalian Possibly means "dry throat", a joking nickname for someone who drinks too much.
CannellaItalian Diminutive form of canna "cane, reed, pipe", possibly a nickname for a tall, thin person, or perhaps taken directly from cannella "cinnamon (spice)" as a metonymic name for a spice merchant.
CantieniRomansh Derived from Romansh casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name Antieni.
CapecchiItalian Probably from Old Italian capecchio, either denoting a type of cheap batting and, by extension, upholsterers, who worked with it, or as a nickname for a person with bristly hair or beard.... [more]
CaradineEnglish, German (Anglicized) Americanized form of German Gardein, itself a Germanized spelling of French Jardin. It could also denote someone from the village and civil parish of Carden in Cheshire, England.
CardilloItalian Cardillo is a surname of Sicilian origin, derived from the word cardilla, meaning ''goldfinch''.
CardinalEnglish, French From the rank of the Catholic Church, derived from Latin cardinalis "pertaining to a door hinge", through the notion of the function of such priests as ‘pivots’ of church life. It was used as a nickname for someone who habitually wore red or acted like a cardinal.
CarducciItalian From Riccarduccio, an affectionate form of the given name Riccardo. A famous bearer of this surname is Italian poet Giosuè Carducci (1835-1907), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1906.
CastagnoItalian For someone who lived near a chestnut tree from castagno "chestnut" (from latin castanea). Variant of Castagna and Italian cognitive of Chastain.
CatapanoItalian Means "catapan, governor of a catepanate", ultimately from Byzantine Greek κατεπάνω (katepánō) "(the one) placed at the top, or the topmost".
ChaissonFrench, 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]
ChalametFrench Nickname for someone who played the reed or an occupational name for seller of torches, from a regional form of Old French chalemel meaning "reed" or "blowtorch". A notable bearer is American actor Timothée Chalamet (1995-).
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]
ChapelleFrench Topographic name for someone who lived near a chapel from French chapelle "chapel" or from several places in France and Belgium called (La) Chapelle and variant of Lachapelle, Capelle, and Chappelle.
CharetteFrench Variant of Charrette. In some cases it may also be derived from the place name.
CharisseFrench Of unknown meaning. It was used as a given name in honour of American actress and dancer Cyd Charisse (1921-2008).
CharlierFrench, Walloon Occupational name for a cartwright wheelwright from Old French charrelier a derivative of charrel "cart" a diminutive of char "cart carriage".
CharmantFrench Derived from French meaning "charming, attractive". It could have been given to an ancestor who was known for their charming or pleasant demeanor, or to someone who was known for their good looks or attractive features... [more]
ChaumontFrench Habitational name from any of numerous places called Chaumont "bald mountain" from the elements chalscaux "bald" and mont "mountain" (ultimately from Latin calvusmons) for example in Cher Orne Jura Haute-Savoie.
ChevrierFrench Occupational name for a goatherd from an agent derivative of chèvre "goat" (from Latin capra "nanny goat").
ChiassonFrench, English French surname originally denoting someone from the the municipality of Chiasso in Ticino, Switzerland, located along the Swiss/Italian border.... [more]
ChryslerGerman, Jewish From a German name referring to spinning or related to a Yiddish word, krayzl meaning "spinning top." The name can refer to a potter who spun a wheel to make utensils or to a person with curly hair or someone known for being continually active... [more]
CiavattaItalian From ciabatta "slippers", a nickname for a cobbler, or someone known for dressing casually.
CiceroneItalian Derived from the given name Cicerone. In some cases, it could instead be an augmentative form of Cicero.
CimarosaItalian Possibly derived from Italian cima "top, peak, summit" combined with either rossa "red" or rosa "rose (flower); pink (colour)". If the former, it may be a habitational name derived from Cima Rossa, a mountain in the Alps... [more]
CimineraItalian from a dialect variant of ciminiera "chimney" hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who built chimneys or worked a furnace oven or kiln with a chimney or a nickname for a tall thin person.
ConiglioItalian, Sicilian From coniglio "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus ) applied as a nickname for a timid person or a metonymic occupational name for a dealer in rabbits... [more]
CoraggioItalian From Italian meaning "courage, bravery". Historically, the surname could have been given to someone who was known for their bravery or courage in the face of conflict, danger, or adversity, or to someone associated with the military or warfare.
CordascoItalian Possibly derived from a dialectical form of Italian cordesco "late-born lamb", or in Old Italian "of or pertaining to cows or sheep".
CorongiuItalian Possibly from Sardinian corongiu "rocky hill, boulder, large mass", denoting someone who lived near such a landmark, or perhaps a nickname based on the bearer's physical appearance.
CottrellEnglish, French First found in Derbyshire where the family "Cottrell" held a family seat and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege lord for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings, 1066CE... [more]
CourtierFrench, Medieval French, Medieval English French: habitational name from places called Courtier (Seine-et-Marne, Aples-de-Haute-Provence), Courtié (Tarn), or Courtière (Loir-et-Cher). ... [more]
CrivelliItalian From the Italian crivello, which is derived from the Latin cribrum, meaning "sieve," (a mesh food strainer); likely an occupational name for a maker or user of sieves.
CugnascaItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Italian cugnata "hatchet" (from Sicilian cugna "wedge"), or cugnata "related, similar; sister-in-law" (from Latin cognata "related by blood"), or cugino "cousin", combined with nascere "to be born, to sprout".
CuvelierFrench, Walloon, Flemish Occupational name for a Cooper derived from an agent in Old French cuve "vat tun". Also found in the Netherlands.
D'abbadieFrench, English, Occitan Means "of the Abbey" from the Occitan abadia. Variants Abadia, Abbadie, Abadie, Abada, and Badia mean "Abbey".
D'AbruzzoItalian Variant of Abruzzo. It is the real surname of the American actor Alan Alda (1936-), who was born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo.
De BrazzaItalian Denoted someone who lived in Brač, an island off the coast in Dalmatia, from Italian Brazza "Brač". The famous bearer of this surname was an Italian-French explorer Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza (1852-1905).
De BruyneDutch, French, Flemish Derived from Middle Dutch bruun meaning "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion. A famous bearer is Belgian soccer player Kevin De Bruyne (1991-).
De CurtisItalian Originally denoting someone who was short, or came from a family of short people. A famous bearer of this surname is Italian actor Antonio "Totò" De Curtis (1898–1967).
Dell'elceItalian From Italian elce "holm oak", literally "of the holm oak".
Del NegroItalian Literally “of or belonging to the black one” hence a name denoting the son, apprentice, associate, or servant of a man bearing this nickname or ethnic name.
DepietriItalian The distinguished surname Depietri can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Piedmont. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent... [more]
DesaillyFrench Originally denoted a person who came from any of the various places in northern or eastern France called Sailly, which is possibly derived from Old French saillir, salir meaning "to spring", ultimately from Latin saliō... [more]
DesangesFrench (Rare) Means "from the angels", possibly connected to the French title of the Virgin Mary Notre Dame des Anges, meaning "Our Lady of the Angels". Bearers of this surname include Louis William Desanges (1822-1905), an English artist of French descent, and French historian Jehan Desanges (1929-).
DeschainFrench, Literature Of French origin. This is the last name of the character of the Gunslinger Roland in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series.
d'EstaingFrench Derived from Estaing, a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. A famous bearer was the French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (1926-2020).
DielmannGerman (Modern) It was once spelled as "Dielhmann" and sometimes with one "n". The meaning is unknown, but when I used Google's translator "dielh" means "the" and "mann" was "man".
Di MaggioItalian Came from a child who was born in the month of May. The surname Maggio is derived from the Italian word Maggio, which literally means the month of May.
Di MatteoItalian The surname Di Matteo comes from the personal names Matteo, of Jewish origin and popularized by the evangelist "Mattia" which have the meaning of "Gift of God".
DinklageGerman Occupational name for a grain farmer or grain merchant, derived from an agent derivative of Middle High German dinkel meaning "spelt" (a variety of wheat). It could also be derived from Dinkelsbühl, a historic town in the state of Bavaria (formerly in central Franconia), or Dinklage, a town in the Vechta district, in Lower Saxony, Germany... [more]
DioaiutiItalian Means "may god help you", from dio "god" and aiutare "to help, assist". Most often given to foundlings and orphans.
DisraeliItalian, Jewish Originally denoted a person who came from Israel. This surname was borne by the British politician, statesman and novelist Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; he is also the only British prime minister to have been of Jewish origin.