Trollope

Habitational surname from a minor place in Northumberland, from Old Norse trǫll (“supernatural being, imp”) + Old English hop (“small, enclosed valley”).

der

A surname.
Anthony Trollope, English author.


Clifton

en-proper noun

Clifton (countable and uncountable, plural Cliftons)

*Literally meaning "town by a cliff." From Old English clif (“cliff”) + tūn (“town”). Analyzable as cliff + -ton.
*In Oregon County, Missouri, from Cliff + -ton. From being named after a Cliff, or which may be clipped to Clif.

(countable) An English habitational surname from Old English for someone who lived in one of the places in England.


Law

Clipping of Lawrence; From the given name Lawrence.


Law

Law (countable and uncountable, plural Laws)

From Old English hlaw (“a hill or burial mound”).

der

A topographic surname from Old English, perhaps originally meaning someone who lives near a burial mound.


Law

From Cantonese 羅／罗 (lo⁴). Doublet of Luo.


Wordsworth

en-proper noun

Wordsworth (countable and uncountable, plural Wordsworths)

A habitational surname from Old English.


Locke

John Locke (1632 – 1704); an influential English philosopher of the Enlightenment and social contract theorist.


Gascoyne

An English surname from Old French, variant of Gascoigne.


Gascoigne

From Old French Gascoigne, the regional name of Gascony.


Crawford

Crawford (countable and uncountable, plural Crawfords)

From Old English crāwe (“crow”) + ford (“ford”).

An English and Scottish habitational surname from Old English derived from several different place names.


Hayhurst

An English habitational surname from Old English, from Hay Hurst in Lancashire


Barney

Barney (countable and uncountable, plural Barneys)

From either the Old English personal name Bera (genitive singular Beran) or from Old English beren (“growing with barley”) + īeġ (“island”).

inh

A surname transferred from the given name

A surname from Old English [in turn from placenames] from the place name Barney, Old English "barn/barley island".

A surname from Old English [in turn transferred from the given name]

A surname
A surname from Old English
A surname from Old English


Abbas

From Arabic عَبَّاس (ʕabbās, “one who frowns a lot; untamed lion”), from عَبَسَ (ʕabasa, “to frown”), the title of the eightieth sura of the Qur'an.


Coronado

/ˌkɒɹəˈnɑːdəʊ/

Borrowed from Spanish coronado (“crowned”).


Gowda

Borrowed from Kannada ಗೌಡ (gauḍa); this surname is predominantly found in Karnataka.


Kohl

From the German surname, from Kohl (“cabbage”). Compare Koehl, Cole, Coll, Kail, Kale.


Kolar

Ultimately, from Proto-Slavic *kolařь (“wheelwright”), via various languages, including:
* Czech Kolář, from kolář.
* Slovak Kolár, from kolár.
* Serbo-Croatian Kolar, from kolar.
* Slovene Kolar, from kolar.


Minnie

en-proper noun

Minnie (countable and uncountable, plural Minnies)


Barnes

Barnes (countable and uncountable, plural Barneses)

* As an English surname, from the place on the bank of the Thames, derived from the root of the noun barn.
* Also as an English surname, variant of Barne, from both a Middle English personal name from Old Norse Bjǫrn and Old English Beorn, and from the noun barn (“child”). Semantically compare Child.
* As an Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Bearáin (literally “descendant of Bearán”), a byname from bior (“spear”).
* As a French surname, variant of Bernes, from a short form of a Germanic name derived from Frankish *berō (“bear”), similar to Bernhard.
* As a Jewish surname, variant of Parnes, from Yiddish פּרנס (prns), from Hebrew פַּרְנָס (“leader of a Jewish community, provider”).

der

An English toponymic surname transferred from the common noun for someone who owned, lived in, or worked in a barn.

A habitational surname from Middle English for someone from the place of the same name in Surrey.


Lancaster

From Middle English Lancaster, Loncastre, the name of the Roman fort on the River Lune, from Lune + the Old English suffix ceaster (“town”), found in many placenames.

Sylvia Lancaster is the founder of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, a campaigning charitable organisation formed in the wake of her daughter Sophie's tragic murder in 2007.

2015, Neil Chakraborti, Jon Garland, Responding to Hate Crime: The Case for Connecting Policy and Research:


Roland

From Old French, from Frankish *Hrōþiland (literally “fame-land”). Name of a paladin of Charlemagne in medieval French romance. Doublet of Orlando.

Chanson de Roland
Roland (disambiguation)


Messier

en-proper noun

Messier (countable and uncountable, plural Messiers)

A surname from French [in turn originating as an occupation], famously held by:

Charles Messier (1730-1817), a French astronomer who between 1774 and 1781 published his Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters, a catalogue of deep-sky objects.

Messier 31 (M31) is the Andromeda Galaxy; Messier 42 (M42) is the Orion Nebula

(astronomy) As a designation, the numbered objects in Messier's catalog are prepended with his surname or the letter M.


Mohn

From the German surname:
* from the noun Mohn (“poppy”),
* also from the old personal name Monrad, composed of the elements *mundiz (“thought, mind, spirit”) and *rēdaz (“counsel”),
* also a variant of Moehn, from Möhn near Trier.


Campbell

* As a Scottish surname, from Scottish Gaelic Caimbeul, from cam (“crooked”) + beul (“mouth”). Compare Cameron, from Scottish Gaelic cam (“crooked”) + sròn (“nose”).
* As an Irish surname, from Mac Cathmhaoil (“son of Cathmhaol”), see Caulfield, Cowell.
* As an English surname, variant of Camel, probably influenced by the above.
* (duck breed): Developed by Adele Campbell.

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.


Deist

Borrowed from German Deist, from a small place called Deisten near Celle and Hanover.


Glenn

A surname from Scottish Gaelic, variant of Glen.


Rigel

Probably an Americanized spelling of German Reigel or Riegel.


Cade

* As an English surname, from an old personal name Cada, from a Germanic root meaning "lump, swelling" and perhaps related to the next sense.
* Also as an English occupational surname for a cooper, from Old French cade (“barrel, cask”), from Latin cadus.
* Also as an English surname, from the noun cade (sense 1) (“domestic animal”).
* As a French surname, spelling variant of Cadé, from cade (“juniper”).

Jack Cade hath gotten London bridge; / The citizens fly and forsake their houses; / The rascal people, thirsting after prey, / Join with the traitor;

An English metonymic surname originating as an occupation for a cooper.


Chester

Chester (countable and uncountable, plural Chesters)

From Middle English Chestre, from Old English Ċeaster, from ceaster, a borrowing from Latin castra (“camp”).
The village in Nova Scotia is likely named after the city in Pennsylvania.

(countable) An English habitational surname from Old English.


Cassidy

From the Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Caiside (“descendant of Caiside”), from cas (“curly-haired”).

A surname from Irish anglicized from Ó Caiside (“descendant of Caiside”). Caiside is a byname from Irish cas (“curly”) meaning “curly-haired”.

A surname from Irish, a rare anglicization of Mac Casarlaigh (Casserly).


Nathan

Nathan (countable and uncountable, plural Nathans)

From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan.

Alternative form: Nation

An English surname originating as a patronymic.

An Ashkenazi surname from Hebrew [in turn originating as a patronymic], a variant of Natan.


Quinn

Quinn (countable and uncountable, plural Quinns)

The surname is borrowed from Irish Ó Coinn (“descendant of Chief”).


Jenkin

Either transferred from the surname Jenkins or derived from the medieval given name Jankin, the pet form of Jan.

An English surname transferred from the given name, variant of Jenkins, especially in the south-west of England


Jenkins

/ˈd͡ʒɛŋkɪnz/

A patronymic surname that is derived from the male given name John + -kin (which forms diminutive )+ -s (denoting "son of") hence meaning "son of little John". It was originally an offshoot of the male medieval name Jenkin/Jankin. The name was brought from the crusaders; it originated in Cornwall but became popular in England and Wales.

A surname originating as a patronymic of Cornish and in English ("mainly of Devon") origin.


Dixon

en-proper noun

Dixon (countable and uncountable, plural Dixons)

A northern English surname originating as a patronymic.


Fisher

Fisher (countable and uncountable, plural Fishers)

From fisher (“fisherman”). Doublet of Fisker.

Fisker

Equivalent surnames of "fisher" in other languages

(countable) An English surname originating as an occupation for a fisherman.


Trent

Trent (countable and uncountable, plural Trents)

*From Welsh tros (“over”) + hynt (“way”), often taken to mean "the trespasser"
*Another possibility: a shortening of "Tranent", or "Tranant" in Scottish Gaelic, a geographical location in East Lothian. "Tranant" itself is possibly of Brythonic (Celtic) origin.

A topographic surname An English and Scottish surname for someone who lived near any of the rivers of that name.


Zhuang

From Mandarin 莊／庄 (Zhuāng). Doublet of Trang.


Dallon

A rare English surname, said to mean "from the dale."


Millerchip

An English and Scottish surname from Middle English derived from the name Miller.


Romani

In some cases, derived from Italian Romani, Romano, or cognates thereof.


Kimberly

Kimberly (countable and uncountable, plural Kimberlys)


Levi

Ultimately from Biblical Hebrew לֵוִי (Leví), of uncertain origin. Doublet of Lewi.


Ignacio

Ignacio (countable and uncountable, plural Ignacios)

Borrowed from Spanish Ignacio. This surname is mostly found in the Philippines.


Jefferson

Jefferson (countable and uncountable, plural Jeffersons)

/ˈd͡ʒɛfɚsən/

From Jeffrey + -son. The placenames in the United States are named for Thomas Jefferson.

Ellis starts with Jefferson and race, writing that the Virginian, who began his career with a failed attempt to make emancipation easier, was “thoroughly embedded in the twin American dilemmas of slavery and racism […]”.

2019 November 28, John S. Gardner, “American Dialogue review: elegant history meets the Trump era”, in The Guardian:

Clearly quite a number of past chief executives would have been TV washouts. Jefferson, for example, is acknowledged to have been a terrible public speaker, Madison an unimpressive little man in voice and appearance.

2011 October 28, Alonzo L. Hamby, “Would Jefferson Make the Cut?”, in The New York Times:

(countable) An English surname originating as a patronymic; (US politics) used specifically of Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), the third president of the United States, principal author of the US Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential founders of the United States.


Blake

Blake (countable and uncountable, plural Blakes)

A surname derived from either English black, from Old English blæc (“black”) or from Old English blāc (“pale, fair, shining, white”), or as an anglicisation of Irish Ó Bláthmaic.

der

An English surname transferred from the nickname.

(countable) A surname.
A surname from Irish.


Tobias

Derived from Ancient Greek Τοβίας (Tobías), from Hebrew טוֹבִיָּה (toviyá, literally “my good is YHWH”).


Koch

Borrowed from German Koch (“cook”), an occupational surname.


Lyons

From Old French Lyons (nominative of Lyon), from the Roman name, Latin Lugdūnum (“fort of Lug”), named after Lugus, a Celtic deity, from Proto-Celtic *Lugus.

bor

nominative of <i class="Latn mention" lang="fro">Lyon</i>


Graves

An English surname from Middle English derived from Grave.


Loew

From the German surname, variant of Lowe.

A surname from German of German derivation (from Loewe or Löwe).


Clement

en-proper noun

Clement (countable and uncountable, plural Clements)

From Late Latin Clēmens (genitive Clēmentis), name of early saints and popes, from clēmens (“merciful”). Doublet of Clemens and San Clemente.


Lorraine

Borrowed from French Lorraine, from Old French Loherraine, from Latin Lotharingia, Lothringia (ultimately named for Lothair II, who ruled it); compare Lotharingia, German Lothringen.


Lyon

From Middle English lyon (“lion”), as a nickname, or from a sign often used outside of roadside inns and adopted as a family name by those who lived there (compare Bush). Doublet of Leo, leu, lev, and lion.

A surname transferred from the nickname.


Kingston

In the case of settlements outside England, from king's + -ton (“town”), in reference to monarchs of the British Empire. In the case of settlements within England, a development from earlier Old English Cinges tūn or Cynges tūn (“king's town or manor”), in reference to various monarchs. Sometimes derived from other places already named Kingston or, particularly in America, from people with the surname King. Doublet of Kingstown, Kingstone, Conington, and Cunnington. Cf. also Kingsville, Kingsburg, Conisbrough, Coniston, Coniston Cold, Queenstown, Queenston, Princeton, Princetown, and Princes Town.
In particular, the community founded in New Brunswick in 1783 in the aftermath of the American Revolution may have been named as a sign of loyalty to George III; its parish was named for the community. The village in Nova Scotia was named for its district (Kings County) and the unrealized hope that it would become a town. The surname is derived from the various locations named Kingston.


Isidore

French form of the name of early Spanish saints, from Ancient Greek Ἰσίδωρος (Isídōros), meaning "gift of (the goddess) Isis".


Perry

en-proper noun

Perry (countable and uncountable, plural Perrys or Perries)

A topographic surname from Old English derived from the Old English pyrige (“a pear tree”).


Yulgyal

A composite of phayul (father's land), and gyalpo (king).

A surname from Tibetan, that means "ruler of the nation".


Verma

Borrowed from Hindi वर्मा (varmā). Variant of Varma.


Boutcher

Derived from butcher, of Norman influence. The name first entered English history by reference in the Domesday Book of 1086.

An English surname originating as an occupation common throughout the Midlands.


Stroh

en-proper-noun

Stroh (countable and uncountable, plural Strohs)


Durst

From the German surname, from Durst (“dryness, thirst”).


Jameson

A Scottish and Northern Irish surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name James.


Ding

Borrowed from Mandarin 丁 (Dīng) or Eastern Min 陳／陈 (Dĭng).


Spurs

en-proper noun

Spurs (countable and uncountable, plural Spurses)

An occupational surname from Middle English


Cary

A surname, a less common spelling of Carey.

A male given name transferred from the surnames.

A diminutive of the female given name Caroline.


Enobakhare

From Edo, literally "the edict of the king."


Stephenson

Stephenson (countable and uncountable, plural Stephensons)

An English and Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.


Onions

A surname from Welsh [in turn originating as a patronymic].


Trevena

Trevena (countable and uncountable, plural Trevenas)

Borrowed from Cornish Tre war Venydh, meaning "village on a mountain".


Abbott

An occupational surname for someone employed by an abbot. In the U.S., sometimes an anglicization of Italian Abate, Spanish Abad or German Abt. Doublet of Abad.

Abat

surnames derived from the equivalents of “abbot”


Clemens

From Late Latin Clēmens (genitive Clēmentis), name of early saints and popes, from clēmens (“merciful”). Doublet of Clement and San Clemente.


Sawyer

Sawyer (countable and uncountable, plural Sawyers)

* As an English occupational surname, from sawyer (“one who saws”). Senses loaned from various languages include Jewish/German Seger and Sager, Slovene Žagar.
* As a French surname, variant of Seguin.

A surname originating as an occupation for someone who made a living from sawing wood.


Qanungo

Transliteration of Punjabi ਕ਼ਾਨੂੰਗੋ (qānūṅgo) / قانُونگو (qānūngo), Urdu قَانُون گو (qānūn go) / Hindi क़ानूनगो (qānūngo), Sindhi قانُون گو / क़ानूंगो / 𑊺𑋩𑋠𑋑𑋤𑋟𑊼𑋧 (qānūṅgo), Gujarati કાનૂગો (kānūgo), Marwari कानूंगौ (kānūṅgau) / 𑅕𑅧𑅒𑅧𑅗𑅒 (knungu), Maithili कानूनगो (kānūnᵊgō) / 𑒏𑒰𑒢𑒴𑒢𑒑𑒼 (kānūnagō), Odia କାନୁନ୍ଗୋ (kānungo), Bengali কানুনগো (kanungō), Assamese কাননগো (kanongü), from Classical Persian قانونگو (qānūn-go). This designation was used in South Asia for hereditary registrar of landed property in a subdivision of a district, meaning “an expounder of law”.

translit

Urdu قَانُون گو (qānūn go)

Sindhi قانُون گو


Alessandro

en-proper noun

Alessandro (countable and uncountable, plural Alessandros)


Underwood

The name is from England or Scotland, and from Middle English.
The surname is sometimes habitational, used by someone who lived in any of several places of the same name. Otherwise it is topographic, referring to someone who lived near a wood.
The common noun comes from the name of the manufacturer, after John T. Underwood, one of its founders.


Ambrose

From Latin saints' name Ambrosius, from Ancient Greek ἀμβρόσιος (ambrósios, “immortal, divine”). Compare Athanasius.


Marion

en-prop

Marion (countable and uncountable, plural Marions)

From Middle English Marion, from Old French Marion, a diminutive of Marie, used in England since the Middle Ages.


Bartholomew

/bɑːˈθɒləmjuː/

From Latin Bartholomaeus, from Ancient Greek Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaîos), from Aramaic בר תלמי (bar tolmai, “son of Talmai; son of Ptolemy”), from בר (bar, “son”) and תלמי (tolmai, “Talmai; Ptolemy”). It has long been unclear whether the Apostle's father was named after the biblical Talmai, king of Geshur, or one of the Greek Ptolemies, as the two originally unrelated names were conflated in Jewish Aramaic.
The name's pronunciation was changed to match the spelling; contrast French Barthélemy from the same source.

der

Βαρθολομαῖος


Oytaben

(rare) A surname, originating in Mid- to Northern Europe, with members in the UK, Australia/New Zealand, and in parts of America and Europe.


Lin

From Chinese: compare Mandarin 林 (lín), Gan 林 (lin⁴), Wu 林, Xiang 林 (lin²). 林 itself is composed of a reduplication of 木 (“wood, tree”). Literally, “forest”.

A surname from Chinese, equivalent to English Forest, Woods, or Grove


Simmons

Mega rock star, businessman, marketing genius, and self-proclaimed free spirit Gene Simmons follows up his bestselling books "Kiss and Make-Up," and "Sex Money Kiss" with this examination of the history of prostitution.

2008, Gene Simmons, Ladies of the Night:

A southern English patronymic surname from the given name Simon.


Mebin

A surname. The meaning of this name in Hebrew is "to understand"


Powys

en-proper noun

Powys (countable and uncountable, plural Powyses)

Borrowed from Welsh Powys, from Latin pagēnsis (“provincial”). Cognate with Italian paese and French pays (“country”).


Gerald

Gerald (countable and uncountable, plural Geralds)

From Old French, ultimately from Frankish *gaiʀ (“spear”) + *wald (“might, power”). The name was brought to England by the Normans. It survived in Ireland, and was revived in the 19th century.


Leicester

Leicester
Leicester (disambiguation)
Leicester, Massachusetts
River Soar

From Middle English Ledecestre, from Old English Ligoraċeaster, from Old English Ligore (“the name of a people living by the River Soar”) + ċeaster (“settlement”). The river name is thought to be of Brythonic/Celtic origin and possibly from the same source as the river Loire.


Evelyn

Medieval English form of the Old French female name Aveline, diminutive of the Germanic root *avi-, of uncertain meaning, possibly “desired, wished for“ (compare Latin aveo (“to wish for”)), or aval “strength”. By folk etymology the name Eve is seen as a diminutive of the female given name. Doublet of Eileen. Also compare Ava.


Augusta

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Augusta.wav

From Latin Augusta, feminine of Augustus. The places are mostly named for British royalty.

(rare) A habitational surname from Italian, from the town in Sicily.


Ashton

From Old English æsc (“ash (tree species)”) + tūn (“enclosure, settlement”).

A habitational surname from Old English derived from the place names.


Newport

en-proper noun

Newport (countable and uncountable, plural Newports)

Port-Neuf

the equivalent of Newport (new port: a new transport hub)

Porte-Neuve

the equivalent of Newport (new port: a new portal)

(countable) An English habitational surname from the places in Britain.


Danes

Various origins:
* Patronymic or genitive form of Dane, a variant of Dean.
* Borrowed from Dutch Danes, a short form of the personal name Daniel.
* Borrowed from Czech and Slovak Daneš.


Constance

A medieval form of the Latin Constantia from a word meaning constancy.


Broadway

From broad + way. The Old English words "brad weg" have been used to name wide roads and associated settlements for over a thousand years. Documented examples include Broadway, Somerset and Broadway, Worcestershire, England, which are listed in the Domesday Book census of 1086AD as "Bradewie" and "Bradeweia" respectively.
Sense of “government of Manitoba” is from the address of the Manitoba Legislative Building, on Broadway in Winnipeg, Manitoba.


Tyler

Tyler (countable and uncountable, plural Tylers)

From Middle English Tyler, Tylere, Tygler, Tygheler, Tyghelere, Tyghelare, Tygelere, from Middle English tiler, tylere, tylare, tylier (“tiler”).

An English surname originating as an occupation for a tiler.


Kennedy

Borrowed from Irish Ó Cinnéidigh (ceann (“head”) + éidigh (“ugly”)) or Scottish Gaelic Ceannaideach (ceann (“head”) + aideach (“ugly”). Compare Kenneth and Irish eitigh (“refuse, reject”).


Ogg

An abbreviation of OggSquish, a 1993 suggestion by Michael Whitsun to replace the original name (Squish) which was trademarked. Ogg was jargon from the computer game Netrek meaning roughly: to put all your resources into an attack to ensure its success, regardless of any negative consequences on the rest of the game. Allegedly ogg is a corruption of Og, the screen-name of the player who first played the game this way.


Fitz-

From Anglo-Norman fitz, from Old French fiz (modern fils), from Latin fīlius (“son”).

(used in A surnames) Son of; especially used for the illegitimate sons of royalty.


Allan

A surname transferred from the given name derived from the given name, more often spelled Allen.


Acker

An English topographical surname from Old English from Old English æcer (“field”).

A German topographical surname from German from Old High German ackar (“field”).


Bena

Various origins:
* Borrowed from Italian Benà, a reduced form of the medieval personal name Benenato.
* Borrowed from Hungarian Béna, a nickname from béna (“lame”).
* Borrowed from Czech and Slovak Béňa, a diminutive of Benedikt.


Paige

Paige (countable and uncountable, plural Paiges)

Variant of Page, from page, from Old French page, possibly via Old Italian paggio, from Late Latin pagius (“servant”), probably from Ancient Greek παιδίον (paidíon, “boy, lad”), from παῖς (paîs, “child”); some sources consider this unlikely and suggest instead Latin pagus (“countryside”), in sense of "boy from the rural regions".

der

A southern English surname originating as an occupation, a variant of Page.


Beverly

en-proper noun

Beverly (countable and uncountable, plural Beverlys)


Fairbanks

A habitational surname. An English habitational surname for someone who lived in any of several places named "fair bank" etc.


Esau

From Ancient Greek Ἡσαῦ (Hēsaû), from Biblical Hebrew עֵשָׂו (ʿēśāw).


Garrick

An English habitational surname from Old English from Garwick in Lincolnshire.


Garrick

From Old English *Gārrīċ, from Proto-Germanic *Gaizarīks. Doublet of Gaiseric.

An English surname originating as a patronymic.


Ross

* As a Scottish surname, from several places such as Roose in Cumbria or Roos in Yorkshire, both from Scottish Gaelic ros (“promontory”) or a Brythonic parallel of its source such as Welsh rhos (“moor, heath”). There were also several Norman families in Scotland who took their name from Rots in Calvados. Compare Rose, Rhodes.
* As an English surname, from Wrose in Shipley, with loss of initial w.
* As an English and German surname, from derivatives of the old Germanic root common in names *hrōþi (“fame”). Compare Rossell.
* As a Cornish surname, from several places in Cornwall deriving from ros (“heathland”), related to the above Celtic word meaning "heath" or "promontory." See Rouse.
* As a Jewish and German occupational surname for a breeder of horses, from the regional/poetic noun Ross (“horse”).
* Also as a Jewish surname, Americanized from Rose.

An English and Scottish habitational surname from Scottish Gaelic derived from any of several places of that name, from Scottish Gaelic ros (“headland”).


Burton

Usually from Old English burhtun (fortified farmstead, farmstead near or belonging to a stronghold or manor), from burh + tun.

An English habitational surname from Old English for someone who lived in any of several places with that name.


Forester

A surname originating as an occupation for someone who lived, or worked in a forest.


Luther

A surname from German of English speakers who descend from German immigrants.


Luther

From Middle English luthier (“lute player”).

(rare) A surname originating as an occupation.


Elias

The New Testament form of Elijah, a Hebrew prophet, from Ancient Greek Ἠλίας (Ēlías).


Spencer

Spencer (countable and uncountable, plural Spencers)

An occupational surname from Middle English Spenser, Spencer, Spensier, from the common noun spenser (“spencer”), denoting someone who works in a spense (“spence”), or as a butler or steward.

Speiser

surnames derived from the equivalent of “spencer”

(countable) An English surname originating as an occupation.


Davidian

Borrowed from Armenian Դավթյան (Davtʻyan). Doublet of Davtyan.

A surname from Armenian, equivalent to English Davidson.


Keane

Probably borrowed from Irish Ó Catháin (“descendant of Cathán”).


Clarence

Originally a ducal title of the English and British royal family, from Clārensis (“from the town of Clare”), (the town of Clare, Suffolk), although it has also been associated with Italian Chiarenza, Clarentza, &c., a former fortress and settlement in the medieval Frankish Principality of Achaea in Greece.


Damon

From Ancient Greek Δάμων (Dámōn), a name famous for the story of Damon and Pythias; derivative of δαμάζω (damázō, “to tame, subdue”).

An English and Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.


Turan

From Classical Persian توران (tūrān), originally meaning "the Land of Tur".


Hayley

Localities in England, from Old English hēg (“hay”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”). Equivalent to hay + -ley (“lea”).

A habitational surname from Old English. (More often spelled Haley.)


Biss

Two main origins:
* English surname from Middle English bis (“dark, murky, gray”), an adjective related to French bis (“beige”) and Italian bigio (“ash gray, dun”).
* Borrowed from German Biss (“bite”), a nickname for a cutting, sarcastic person.

der

A surname transferred from the nickname.


Brauch

South German surname, from the noun Brauch (“custom”) or the related verb, brauchen (“to enjoy, use”).


Bischof

Occupational surname borrowed from German Bischof (“bishop”).


Bau

Various origins:
* Borrowed from German Bau, perhaps a short form of compounds with this element, such as Bauhofer or Baumann.
* Borrowed from French Bau, perhaps a variant of Beau.
* Variant of Bao, a surname of Chinese origin.


Dudley

Translingual: Dudleya

From Old English, literally "wood or clearing of Dudda (a personal name of unknown meaning)".

A habitational surname from Old English, notably of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester at the time of Elizabeth I.


Edwin

→ Danish: Edvin

→ Latvian: Edvīns

→ Norwegian Bokmål: Edvin

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: Edvin

→ Polish: Edwin

→ Swedish: Edvin

Inherited from Old English Ēadwine, from Proto-West Germanic *Audawini, from Proto-Germanic *Audawiniz. Akin to Old Norse Auðun, Icelandic Auðunn, German Otwin, Norwegian Audun, and the Lombard king's name Audoin (French Ouen).


Dolgan

Cognate of Dolhan, Douhan, Dovgan, Dovhan, and Dowhan. Compare Kovtun / Koltun. See l-vocalization.


Busch

From the German surname, from Busch (“thicket, wood”).


Garbe

* As a German surname, variant of Garb, which is converged from words such as gerben (“to tan”) and Ger (“spear”). Compare the surnames Gerber, Gerhardt.
* As a French surname, from Old French gerba (“wheatsheaf”) (see modern verb gerber (“to sheave”)).


Degen

* As a German and Alemannic German surname, from the noun Degen (“boy warrior, hero”).
* As a German and Dutch surname, shortened from names like Degenhard, Degenhold, etc., with the same meaning as the above.
In isolated cases it can also be from Degen (“rapier”), for someone who made or wore such weapons, and from Middle High German dechen (“dean”, modern German Dechant).


Kahn

* As a north German surname, from Low German Kane (“small boat”), from Middle Low German kāne, from Old Saxon *kano, from Proto-West Germanic *kanō, from Proto-Germanic *kanô (“vessel, boat”).
* Also as a north German surname, from a short form of Kahnert, a variant of Konrad.
* Among Jews, a Germanicised form of Cohen.


Kachel

Borrowed from German Kachel, metonymic occupational surname for a potter.


Kante

A common surname in West Africa, especially in Mali and Guinea.


Kitt

* As an English surname, from Kit, a pet form of Christopher; also from kit (“vessel of hooped staves”).
* As a German surname, from kit (“sprout, offshoot”), from Middle High German kīde, from Old High German *chīdi, from Proto-Germanic *kīþą (“sprout, seedling”). Compare Alemannic German chiide.


Kerl

Borrowed from German Kerl (“freeman of non-aristocratic descent”).


Keller

* As a German surname, from Keller (“storehouse”).
* As an English surname, from queller (“hangman, executioner, killer”).
* As a Scottish Gaelic surname, spelling variant of Keillor, from gu leòr (“plenty, enough, sufficient”) (comparable to galore).


Salisbury

en-proper noun

Salisbury (countable and uncountable, plural Salisburys)

From Middle English Sarisberie, from Old English Searesbyriġ, Searobyriġ, Searoburh, from searu (“armor”) via folk etymology + byriġ, burh (“stronghold”), partial translation of British Latin Sorviodūnum, Sorbiodōnum, from *sorwjo-, *sorbjo- of unknown Celtic origin, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srew- (“to flow”) (compare Proto-Celtic *srutom (“a stream”)) + Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“stronghold”).
Dissimilation of -r- to -l- is the result of influence from Salesbury in Lancashire, from sealh (“willow”) + burh (“stronghold”).
The naming of the village in New Brunswick is not entirely certain. It may be named after explorer John Salusbury (1707 - 1762) or after Salisbury in England.
The civil parish in New Brunswick is named after the village.
The former capital of Rhodesia was named after Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830–1903) who served three times as Prime Minister of Great Britain.


Wassermann

A surname from German, variant of Wasserman, equivalent to English Waterman


Giles

Medieval English form of Old French saints' name Giles, modern Gilles, an altered form of Latin Aegīdius, from Ancient Greek Αἰγίδιος (Aigídios), derivative of αἰγίδιον (aigídion, “kid, young goat”).


Kraft

From German, Jewish, Swedish and Danish surname, from the noun Kraft (“strength, power”). Compare Croft and Craft.


Krebs

Krebs (countable and uncountable, plural Krebs or Krebses)

As a German, Alemannic German, and occasionally Danish surname, from the noun Krebs (“crab”).


Albany

Albany (countable and uncountable, plural Albanys)

From Middle English Albany ("Scotland"), a Scottish duchy created in 1398 and bestowed upon younger sons of the King of Scots which became a British title upon the 1707 Act of Union.

A surname, from the title of the Duke of Albany.


Linde

* As a German, Dutch, Jewish, and North Germanic surname, from Linde (“lime tree”). Compare Lindy.
* As a Spanish surname, from linde (“boundary”).


Mangel

* As a German surname, variant of Mangold.
* As a Jewish surname, from German Mangel (“scarcity, lacking, need”).
* As an English surname, variant of Mangnall, from Mankinholes in Lancashire, usually said to be from the Irish name Manchán (compare manach (“monk”)) + Old English hol (“hollow”).
* As a French surname, variant of Mange, shortened from the personal name Demange, a dialect form of Dominique.


Ober

en-proper noun

Ober (countable and uncountable, plural Obers)


Messing

Borrowed from German Messing (“brass”), a metonymic occupational surname for a brazier.


Hawthorne

A topographic or habitational surname from Middle English for someone who lived near a hawthorn hedge or in a place with such a name.


Krug

From the German and Jewish surname, from both senses of the noun Krug (“jug”) and Krug (“pub, tavern”). Compare Krueger.

Director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom since 1967, Mrs. Krug was a national leader in several legal cases that rose to the Supreme Court.

2009 April 14, Patricia Sullivan, “Judith Krug”, in The Washington Post:


Ruck

* As a German surname, from the noun Rücken (“back”).
* Also as a German surname, shortened from derivatives of Rüdiger.
* As an English surname, variant of Rook, itself from the noun rook (“type of crow”).


Marseille

Borrowed from French Marseille. This surname is mostly found in Haiti.


Schau

Two main origins:
* Borrowed from North German Schau, a variant of Schuh.
* Borrowed from Norwegian Schau, a variant of Skau, a topographic surname from skau (“forest”).


Scholle

Borrowed from Dutch and North German Scholle.


Rinne

Two main origins:
* Borrowed from Finnish Rinne, a topographic or ornamental surname from rinne (“slope”).
* Borrowed from German Rinne, a topographic surname from Middle High German rinne (“stream, spring; channel, pipe, groove”).


Schopf

* As a south German surname, from the noun Schopf (“tuft of hair”).
* As a German/Bavarian surname Schöpf, from Middle High German schepfe (“juryman”), for which see modern Schöffe. Compare Schoepf, Sheff, Shepp.
* As a Swiss/Alemannic German surname, from the noun Schopf (“shed”).


Stapel

→ Translingual: Stapelia

Borrowed from Dutch and North German Stapel.


Strang

en-proper noun

Strang (countable and uncountable, plural Strangs)


Cromwell

From Old English crump (“crooked, bent”) + wella (“spring”), equivalent to crump + well.

com

An English habitational surname from Old English from any of several placenames.

Oliver Cromwell, English military leader, politician, and dictator, or his son Richard Cromwell.


Thatcher

/ˈθat͡ʃə(ɹ)/

An occupational surname originating as an occupation for someone who covered roofs in straw.


Stratford

From Old English strǽt (“road”) + ford (“ford”). Doublet of Stretford.

A habitational surname from Old English.


Carlyle

An English and Scottish habitational surname, a variant of Carlisle.


Madison

en-proper noun

Madison (countable and uncountable, plural Madisons)

From Middle English Madde (“Maud”) + -son.

An English surname originating as a matronymic; (US politics) used specifically of James Madison (1751–1836), a Founding Father and fourth president of the United States.


Dougherty

Dougherty (countable and uncountable, plural Doughertys)


Harvard

A variant of Harward reflecting the merger of /v/ and /w/ in the dialects of southeastern England; thus from Middle English Herward, Herreward, itself from Old English Hereweard and a doublet of Harward and Hereward. Compare German Herwarth.

A surname transferred from the given name.


Sigourney

According to Ernest Nègre in his book Toponymie générale de la France (1990), the French placename Sigournais comes from Old French Segurniaci, which itself has been derived from Latin Secorinus + -acum. So it appears that the resemblance to Germanic dithematic names starting with *segaz is superficial.


François

Borrowed from French François, from Medieval Latin Franciscus (from Francia + -iscus).


Cuthbert

Name of early English saints, from Old English Cūþbeorht (“brightly known, famous”).


Crewe

en-proper noun

Crewe (countable and uncountable, plural Crewes)

Recorded as Creu in the Domesday Book, the town's name derive from Welsh criu (“weir; crossing”).

(countable) A habitational surname from Welsh.


Devonshire

Devonshire (countable and uncountable, plural Devonshires)

From Old English Defenasċīr, equivalent to Devon + -shire.


Humphrey

Name of a 9th-century French saint, brought to England by Normans; Proto-Germanic *unnaną (“to grant, bestow”) + *friþuz (“peace”). In Ireland it has been used to Anglicize Irish Amhlaoibh (= Olaf).


Macbeth

Anglicization of Middle Irish Mac Bethad, equivalent to the modern mac (“son of”) bheatha (“life”).


Morton

From Old English mōr (“moor, marsh”) + tūn (“settlement”).

An English and Scottish habitational surname from Old English from the placename.


Warwick

From Middle English Warwyk, from Old English Wǣringwīċ (literally “dwelling by the weir”), from wer (“weir”) + -ing (“of the”, used with masculine nouns) + wīċ (“dwelling place, village”).

affix

A habitational surname from Old English from the English town.


Orlando

/ɔːˈlæn.dəʊ/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Orlando.wav

From Italian Orlando (“Roland”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *Hrōþiland. The Florida city has gone by the name since 1857, perhaps in honour of the soldier Orlando Reeves, whom Seminoles killed there in 1835. (Previously, it had been settled in 1844 as Jernigan.) Doublet of Roland.

A surname from Italian derived from the given name.


Bedford

Bedford (disambiguation)
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford

From Middle English Bedforde, Bedeford, from Old English Bedaford, Bedanford, equivalent to Bede's + ford.
The civil parish is named after John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (1710 - 1771). Coined by British-Dutch surveyor Samuel Holland.


Heil

As a German surname, shortened from Heinrich. As a German and Dutch surname, from the name Heila, from hail (“whole”).


Jocelyn

/ˈd͡ʒɒsəlɪn/

From the Middle English male given name from Old French Joscelin, German Gautzelin, diminutive of names beginning with the tribal name Gaut (“a Geat, a Goth”), the root form of which probably comes from Proto-Germanic *Gautalinþiz (from *gautaz + *linþaz); also used as a diminutive form of the Breton name Josse (= Joyce). It survived as a surname and was revived as a given name in the nineteenth century.
* Jocelyn is currently popular among U.S. Hispanics, and in the Philippines, by folk etymology explained as a feminine diminutive form of José (Joseph).


Herman

From Old English here (“army”) + man (“man”) It was revived in the 19th century, partly due to American immigrants from continental Europe where the name has been more popular. Compare the German equivalent Hermann.


Homberg

A habitational surname transferred from the place name


Martini

Martini is an Italian name, and in the sense of vermouth is used by the Italian company Martini & Rossi.
In the sense “cocktail with vermouth and either gin or vodka”, coined in America in the 19th or 20th century, for which various theories exist – perhaps named for the Italian brand of vermouth, perhaps after Martinez, California, perhaps after an Italian bartender of that name.


Baldwin

en-proper noun

Baldwin (countable and uncountable, plural Baldwins)

From Proto-West Germanic *Balþawini, from Proto-Germanic *Balþawiniz (“bold friend”).

der

(countable) A surname originating as a patronymic.

Stanley Baldwin, British Prime Minister.


Brooke

Audio (US)

A topographic surname for someone who lived near a brook.


Seymour

From a Norman surname from a place in Normandy, from Old French Saint-Maur, from Late Latin Sanctus Maurus (“Saint Maurus”). The name is cognate to Murry and Maurice.


Norris

An Anglo-Norman surname, from Old French norreis (“a northerner, a migrant from the north”). More at French norois.


Shelley

From Old English, meaning "clearing on a bank".


Eton

en-proper noun

Eton (countable and uncountable, plural Etons)

From Old English Eatun, from ea (“river”) + tun (“town”). See also the doublet Eaton.


Malcolm

Royal name in Scotland, anglicised from various historical Goidelic names equivalent to Scottish Gaelic Maol Chaluim or Calum, Irish Maol Colm, Middle Irish Máel Coluim, Old Irish Máel Columb (literally “devotee of [Saint] Columba”); proper nouns derived from máel (“tonsured”) from Proto-Celtic *mailos, and columb (“dove”) from Latin columbus.


Wallace

en-proper noun

Wallace (countable and uncountable, plural Wallaces)

An Old English byname for a Welshman or Breton, from Anglo-Norman waleis (“foreign”); see wielisc.

(countable) A Scottish surname transferred from the nickname, notably of the Scottish patriot William Wallace.


Whitney

From Old English hwītan, dative of hwīt (“white”) + īeġ (“island”), "white island".

A habitational surname from Middle English.


Bassett

An English surname transferred from the nickname derived from a nickname for a short person.


Vance

From a Southern English dialectal form of Old English fenn (“marsh, bog”).

Springfield resident Denise Williams' phone began blowing up on Monday while she was spending time with her children and grandchildren, not long after Vance posted.

2024 September 10, Huo Jingnan, Jasmine Garsd, “JD Vance spreads debunked claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets”, in NPR:


Pembroke

Ultimately from Proto-Brythonic *Penn-broɣ (literally “land's head, land's end”), whence Welsh Penfro.


Bryan

en-proper noun

Bryan (countable and uncountable, plural Bryans)

A surname from Irish [in turn originating as a patronymic] derived from Brian.


Boyd

From Scottish Gaelic, either buidhe (“blond, yellow, fair”), or a habitational surname from the Isle of Bute in Scotland.

A Scottish and Irish surname from Scottish Gaelic.


Cain

From Hebrew קַיִן (Káyin, “craftsman”), present since Old English.


Carlisle

From Middle English Carlele, from Old English Carleol, Carleul, from Cumbric [Term?] (compare Caer Ligualid in the Historia Brittonum, Middle Welsh Caer Liwelydd, Welsh Caerliwelydd, all suffixed with -ydd), composed of Proto-Brythonic *kaɨr (“fort”) + Proto-Brythonic [Term?] (> Latin Luguvalium), from Proto-Celtic *Luguwalos (personal name, literally “strength of Lugus”), from *Lugus + *walos (“strength”).
The absence of a suffix comparable to Welsh -ydd in the underlying Cumbric form is unexplained; see w:Cumbric/Absence of -ydd.


Cyrus

From Latin Cȳrus, from Ancient Greek Κῦρος (Kûros), from Old Persian 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 (kuruš). As a saints' name it has been identified by folk etymology with Ancient Greek κύριος (kúrios, “lord”).


Leonard

From Old French Leonard, name of a 6th century Frankish saint, from Old High German leo (“lion”) or Old High German liut (“person”) and hart (“hard”). As a surname, also used as an anglicisation of Irish Ó Leannáin (Lennon).


Berwick

→ Welsh: Berwig

For places in England and Scotland (e.g North Berwick), from Old English bere (“barley”) + Old English wīc (“settlement”). For the Scottish name, there is the possibility that the second element instead derives from a different word, for which see -wick.
Places outside England and Scotland are generally named, possibly indirectly, after places in England, including Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The town in Nova Scotia is named after the town in Maine. The name was chosen by a local resident who had travelled through the community in Maine and was impressed by its neatness.


Mozart

Borrowed from German Mozart. First recorded in the 14th century as Middle High German Mozahrt, from motzen (“to roll in filth”); originally used as a given name with the -hart suffix, as a name for dirty or sloppy people.

How do we know what we think we know about Mozart? And why is he still the most popular composer of the western classical tradition? He is one of the most written-about, dissected and mythologised composers in the history of western music.

2005 September 16, Nicholas Kenyon, “Myth, Muzak and Mozart”, in The Guardian:

Of course, this only raises once more the conundrum why the general public should value gothic cathedrals, Mozart's operas, and Kafka's stories so highly, but not the Method of Infinite Descent or Fourier analysis.

1999, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, translated by Tom Artin, Drawbridge Up: Mathematics—A Cultural Anathema, Natick, MA: A K Peters, page 25:

Individuals who are biologically “young” (whatever that means) have no monopoly on “young” or “fresh” ideas. Thus Mozart can write Eine Kleine Nachtmusik before he is dead at the age of 31, Thomas Jefferson can draft the Declaration of Independence at age 34 and Buchminster Fuller, after reaching the age of 70, can continue to get patents for his inventions.

1997, Larimer v. Dayton Hudson Corportation, Appeal no. 97-2127: Brief of the Defendants-Appellees, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, see footnote 6, page 11:

A surname from German; (music) used specifically of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period.


Rankin

A Scottish and Northern Irish surname, from a diminutive of the name Ronald.


Manda

Borrowed from Hindi मन्दा (mandā). Also from a Czech derivative of the female personal name Magdalena.


Lindenbaum

Borrowed from German Lindenbaum, a Jewish Ashkenazi surname.


Kendal

From Old English Cent + dæl = "valley of the river Kent".

A habitational surname from Old English, also as a variant of Kendall.


McLeod

The combination tool was created in 1905 by Malcolm McLeod, a US Forest Service ranger.

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic, the anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Leòid


Sheffield

en-proper noun

Sheffield (countable and uncountable, plural Sheffields)

From the name of the River Sheaf, which is from Old English scēaþ (“boundary”), + Old English feld (“field, open land”).

A habitational surname from Old English.


Wagner

From German Wagner (literally “wainwright”), later conflated with wheelwright. See also the English surnames Wainwright and Wheelwright. Doublet of Wagoner.
As the name of a private military company, borrowed from Russian Ва́гнер (Vágner). Reportedly the call sign of Russian GRU officer and company founder Dmitry Utkin, which was ultimately named after German composer Richard Wagner.


Gladstone

A Scottish habitational surname from Old English.

William Ewart Gladstone, British Prime Minister.


Ricardo

From Portuguese and Spanish Ricardo. Doublet of Richard.


Schmidt

From German Schmidt (“smith”). Doublet of Smid and Smith.

A surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation].


Mansfield

From Old English Mammesfeld, from a Brythonic word mamm, meaning "mother" or "breast" + feld (“field”).


Dupont

en-proper noun

Dupont (countable and uncountable, plural Duponts)


Hanna

Hanna (countable and uncountable, plural Hannas)

Variant spelling of Hannah or romanization of Hebrew חַנָּה (Ḥanâ), chiefly for the mother of Samuel, from חַנָּה (ḥanâ, “grace, gracious, graced with child”). As an Oklahoman town, named for Hanna Bullett, one of the initial settlers. As a Polish village, named for the queen Anna Jagiellon.

(rare) A surname originating as a matronymic based on Hannah.


Hanna

From anglicization of Irish Ó hAnnaigh (“descendant of Annadh”) under influence from Hanna and Hannah. As a ghost town in Missouri and unincorporated community in South Dakota, named for Ohio senator Mark Hanna. As an unincorporated community on Ute land in Utah, named for postmaster William P. Hanna.

der

An Irish and Scottish surname from Irish.


Houston

en-proper noun

Houston (countable and uncountable, plural Houstons)

Originally from a place near Glasgow, from the Middle English equivalent of "Hugh's town". Analyzable as Hugh + -s- + -ton


Dallas

Dallas
Dallas (disambiguation)
George M. Dallas

# The Texas city was named after George M. Dallas, vice president to Polk; family name is evolved from dalhous (13th c.), meaning "dweller at the house in the dale," from dale + house.
# The Scottish place-name is from Pictish, equivalent to Welsh dôl (“meadow, haugh”) + gwas (“abode”).


Ahmad

From Arabic أَحْمَد (ʔaḥmad), from حَمِدَ (ḥamida, “to thank or to praise”).


Graeme

A surname from Old English, a less common spelling of Graham.


Roswell

Roswell (countable and uncountable, plural Roswells)

Metathesized from Middle English Roweshill, from a contraction of either the Old English personal name Hrōþwulf or its Norman cognate Rolf, Rouf, Rou (in the genitive case, adding -es) + Old English hyll (“hill”).


Elton

From Old English, meaning "Ella's town".


Sayers

* A patronymic form of the occupational name Sayer, from Middle English and Old English, and of a Norman given name of uncertain etymology.
* An anglicisation of the Irish Saoghair.

An English surname originating as an occupation common in Sussex.


Wohl

* As a German and Jewish surname, borrowed from the adjective meaning "good, pleasant" (see below).
* As a north/Low German surname, from Middle Low German wolt (“wood, forest”).


Hereford

Hereford (countable and uncountable, plural Herefords)

From Middle English Hereford, from Old English Hereford, from Old English here (“army”) + ford (“ford”). Compare Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia.


Albuquerque

Albuquerque (countable and uncountable, plural Albuquerques)

From Spanish Albuquerque, from Latin albus (“white”) + quercus (“oak”) (white oak). Compare translingual Quercus alba
* (New Mexico): From Spanish Alburquerque (a town in Spain), named after Spanish viceroy Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 8th Duke of Alburquerque (1619–1676).


Hoffman

en-prop

Hoffman (countable and uncountable, plural Hoffmans)

Anglicised from German Hoffmann, an occupational surname referring to the owner or manager of a piece of land.

Graphs with diameter d and girth 2d#x2B;1 are known as Moore graphs. They were introduced by Hoffman and Singleton in a paper that can be viewed as one of the prime sources of algebraic graph theory.

2013, Chris Godsil, Gordon F. Royle, Algebraic Graph Theory, Springer, page 77:

A surname from German of German and Ashkenazi Jewish origin.


Suba

Various origins:
* Borrowed from either Hungarian Suba or Czech Šuba.
* Borrowed from Cebuano Suba, from suba (“river”).


Vaughn

en-proper noun

Vaughn (countable and uncountable, plural Vaughns)

A variant of Vaughan, from Welsh bychan (“small”).


Jeeves

Originally a surname derived from a Middle English diminutive of Genevieve.


Reynold

From Anglo-Norman Reinald, from Proto-Germanic *Raginawaldaz brought to England by Normans and partly merged with the earlier equivalent Ronald, from Old Norse Rǫgnvaldr. Doublet of Renault.


Crawley

From Old English crāwe (“crow”), genitive plural, crāwan + lēah (“wood, clearing”).


Reynolds

Reynolds (countable and uncountable, plural Reynoldses)

A surname originating as a patronymic, derived from Reynold.


Curtis

From Old French corteis and curteis (Modern French courtois (“polite, courteous”). Doublet of courteous.

An English surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname for a refined or courtly person.


Mortimer

A habitational surname from Mortemer in France, from Old Northern French, literally meaning “dead pond”.

He said he would not ransom Mortimer; / Forbade my tongue to speak of Mortimer; / But I will find him when he lies asleep, / And in his ear I'll holla ‘Mortimer!’

c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:


Randolph

From Old Norse rǫnd (“shield”) + úlfr (“wolf”).


Kabel

Borrowed from German Kabel, metonymic occupational surname for a rope maker.


Montgomery

From a Norman surname, from a place in Normandy (Old French for "Gomeric's hill"). Gumaric was a Germanic personal name composed of *gumô (“man”) and *rīks (“ruler”) (whence the modern French surnames Gomery, Gommery and Gumery or the Galician placename Gomariz).


Vivian

Early saints' name from Latin Vīviānus, and of its feminine form Vīviāna, probably from vīvus (“alive”).

"Mr. Grey," asked her ladyship, "are you of Dorsetshire?" "My mother is a Dorsetshire woman; her family name is Vivian, which name I also bear - Sir Hargrave Vivian, of Chester Grange."

1827, Benjamin Disraeli, Vivian Grey, E. L. Carey and A. Hart (1837), page 117:


Yarmouth

Yarmouth (countable and uncountable, plural Yarmouths)

* From the name of the River Yare + Old English mūþ (“mouth”).
* On the Isle of Wight, from the River Yar + mouth.
* The town in Nova Scotia is named after the town in Massachusetts.

(countable) A habitational surname from Old English.


Cal

Various origins:
* Borrowed from Spanish Cal. This surname is mostly found in Guatemala.
* Borrowed from Polish Cal.
* Borrowed from Turkish Çal.


Wickham

Wickham (countable and uncountable, plural Wickhams)

From Middle English Wicham, Wikham, from Old English wīċ (“village”) + hām (“homestead”). Doublet of Wycombe.


Eastleigh

Borough of Eastleigh
Eastleigh (disambiguation)


Taunton

en-prop

Taunton (countable and uncountable, plural Tauntons)

From (River) Tone + Old English tūn (“settlement”).


Fareham

en-proper noun

Fareham (countable and uncountable, plural Farehams)

Recorded as Ferneham in the Domesday Book, the placename derives from Old English fearn (“fern”) + hām (“homestead”).


Ringwood

Ringwood (countable and uncountable, plural Ringwoods)

Probably from Old English rimuc (“boundary”) + wudu (“wood”).


Warrington

From Middle English Wardintone, from personal name, Wearda, from Old English weard (“guard”) + ing + tūn, meaning either "Wearda's estate" or "the lookout place".


Telford

Telford (countable and uncountable, plural Telfords)

Telford
Telford (disambiguation)
en:Thomas Telford

From Old French taille fer, meaning "(he who) cuts iron" or "iron-cleaver"; used as a nickname for a man who could cleave clean through the armour of his foe. The second syllable was eventually reanalysed as native English 'ford'.
* (road): Named after Thomas Telford, a famous civil engineer.


Stevenson

Stevenson (countable and uncountable, plural Stevensons)


Bradley

Bradley (countable and uncountable, plural Bradleys)

Ultimately from Old English brād (“broad”) + lēah (“woodland”). Equivalent to broad + -ley.

An English habitational surname from Old English from any of these villages in England.


Henderson

Henderson (countable and uncountable, plural Hendersons)


Dawson

Dawson (countable and uncountable, plural Dawsons)

desc

Translingual: dawsoni, dawsonii, Dawsonia

From Daw, a Middle English pet form of David + -son.


Doncaster

en-proper noun

Doncaster (countable and uncountable, plural Doncasters)

The Romano-British name was Latin Dānum, from the common Celtic river name Proto-Celtic *Dānu << Proto-Indo-European *dʰenh₂-, + the Old English suffix ceaster (“town”), found in many placenames.


Newman

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Newman.

A surname transferred from the nickname.


Andrews

A surname originating as a patronymic derived from Andrew.


Hilary

From Latin Hilarius (“cheerful, happy”), name of a fourth-century saint and from its feminine form Hilaria.


Trewartha

Cornish, from tre (above, upper) and wartha (farm, homestead).


Beethoven

A surname from German, usually applying to Ludwig van Beethoven.


Adolphe

Borrowed from French Adolphe; this surname is predominantly found in Haiti.


Adrien

Patronymic surname, borrowed from French Adrien. This surname is mostly found in Haiti.


Mayberry

From Old English mere (“lake”) + Old English byriġ (“fortified place”).


Lovell

Originally a nickname, from Anglo-Norman lou (“wolf”) + -el (diminutive suffix).


Lowell

A Middle English diminutive of Old French lou + -el (diminutive suffix), meaning "little wolf". Akin to Wolfie.

A surname from Anglo-Norman, a variant of Lovell.


Pitt

Pitt (countable and uncountable, plural Pitts)

(countable) An English topographical surname for someone who lived by, or operated a pit or mine.


Abdon

Abdon (countable and uncountable, plural Abdons)

The placename is from the Old English personal name Abba + tūn (“settlement”). The surname is habitational from the village in Shropshire, but it is also borrowed from Spanish Abdón. The surname is mostly found in the Philippines.


Angers

Angers (countable and uncountable, plural Angerses)


Windsor

Inherited from Middle English Wyndelsore, from Old English Windlesōra (“Windsor”, literally “bank with a windlass, winch by the riverside”), from *windel ("reel, winch"; > Middle English windel (“reel, spool”)) + ōra (“bank, shore”). See windlass.

gloss

"reel, winch"; > Middle English <i class="Latn mention" lang="enm">windel</i> (“reel, spool”)

A habitational surname from Old English from the town in Berkshire.


Peckham

en-proper noun

Peckham (countable and uncountable, plural Peckhams)

Probably from Old English pēac (“peak”) + hām (“homestead”) or hamm (“water meadow”).

A habitational surname from Old English.


Malaga

Malaga (countable and uncountable, plural Malagas)

From Spanish Málaga, from Arabic مَالَقَة (Mālaqa), from Latin Malaca, from Phoenician 𐤌𐤋𐤊 (Málaka or Malake) of uncertain origin but possibly derived from Proto-West Semitic *milḥ- (“salt”). The American places are from the Spanish city. The surname is also sometimes derived via Polish Malaga.


Geddies

A surname from Scottish Gaelic originating from Peeblesshire.


Toulouse

From French Toulouse, from Latin Tolōsa, probably of Gaulish origin. Compare Welsh twl (tumulus), Irish tulach, from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”).


Gina

* (name from Greek): Clipping of Georgina.
* (name from Latin): Clipping of Regina.
* (name from Italian): Italian Gina


Paske

Various origins:
* A variant of the English surname Pask.
* Americanized spelling of Danish Paaske, a short form of Pascal.
* Borrowed from German Paske or Päske.


Abram

en-proper noun

Abram (countable and uncountable, plural Abrams)

A surname from Hebrew [in turn originating as a patronymic].


Abram

From Old English Eadburh's (a woman's name) hām.


Adair

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.


Johns

An English surname originating as a patronymic derived from John


Hungerford

Hungerford (countable and uncountable, plural Hungerfords)

From Old English hungor (“hunger, famine”) + ford (“ford”), a name which probably denoted an unproductive or barren land.


Alby

From place names in England. Variant: Albee.


Allister

Anglicized from Alasdair, the Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander

A surname from Scottish Gaelic [in turn originating as a patronymic].


Harley

From Old English hær (“rock”) or hara (“hare”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”). Equivalent to hare + -ley (“lea”).

A habitational surname from Old English from the place names.


Elmer

Medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, from Old English Æþelmǣr, from æþel (“noble”) + mǣre (“famous”).

A surname transferred from the given name.


Davidson

Տաւիտյան

surname meaning "son of David" in other languages

An English and Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.


Elgar

From Old English Ælfgār (from Proto-Germanic *Albigaizaz, equivalent to ælf (“elf”) + gār (“spear”)) and Old English Æþelgār (from Proto-Germanic *Aþalagaizaz, equivalent to æþele (“noble”) + gār (“spear”)).

A surname originating as a patronymic.
Edward Elgar, an English composer.


Barnsley

Barnsley (countable and uncountable, plural Barnsleys)

From the Old English personal name Beorn + -s- + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”).


Albano

Borrowed from Italian and Spanish Albano.


Machin

From machun, from Anglo-Norman machun, masson, from Frankish *makjo (“maker; builder; see make”). More at mason.


Moors

An English surname transferred from the given name.


Rhode

en-proper noun

Rhode (countable and uncountable, plural Rhodes)

Rhodes (plural)
A habitational surname (canonical)

From Middle English Rode, from Old English rod, rodu and/or Old English hrēod.
The Rh- form—a 16th century spelling modification— was created by analogy with the unrelated Rhodes, Greece.

for a person who either lived near a woodland clearing, or came from a place so named.


Courtney

Courtney (countable and uncountable, plural Courtneys)

Variant of Courtenay, an aristocratic Norman surname derived from place names in Normandy, from Latin Curtenus, a personal name from curtus (“short”).

Sir Edward Courtney, and the haughty prelate,
Bishop of Exeter, his brother there,
With many moe confederates are in arms.

c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:


Newbury

From Old English niwe (“new”) + byriġ, the dative case of burh (“fortified place”). Doublet of Newburgh.


Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer


Azucena

Borrowed from Spanish Azucena, from azucena (“lily”).


Boyle

* As an Irish surname, Anglicised from Irish Ó Baoithghill, possibly a compound of baoth (“vain, foolish”) and geall (“pledge”).
* As a Scottish surname of Norman origin, from Biéville in Normandy, which could be from the Germanic personal name Boia + the common placename suffix -ville.


Newby

Newby (countable and uncountable, plural Newbys)

From new + -by. Meaning "new settlement".

(countable) An English habitational surname from Middle English for someone from one of these places.


Boise

An English habitational surname from Old French, a variant of Boyce.


Denver

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Denver.wav

Named after James W. Denver. The surname Denver ultimately derives from Old English Dene-fær ("crossing or passing of the Danes"), from Dene + fær; or alternatively from den-ōfer ("valley-bank"), from denu + ofer.


Lara

Anglicized from Ла́ра (Lára), a Russian pet form of Larissa, known from the novel (1957) and film (1965) Dr Zhivago.


Pepys

Samuel Pepys, a 17th-century politician and diarist.


Jericho

/ˈd͡ʒɛɹɪkəʊ/

/ˈd͡ʒɛɹɪˌkoʊ/

From Middle English Iericho, from Old English Iericho, from Latin Ierīchō, from Ancient Greek Ἰερῑχώ (Ierīkhṓ), from Biblical Hebrew יְרִיחוֹ (yərīḥō), recorded early as Ugaritic 𐎊𐎗𐎃 (yrḫ). Regarding the "place of concealment" sense, see 2 Samuel 10:5.


Metz

Borrowed from French Metz, from Latin Mediomatrici (later Mettis).


Jasper

A name given to one of the Magi in a medieval European cult, from Biblical Hebrew גִּזְבָּר (gizbar), ultimately from Old Median *ganǰabarah; see it for more.


Burkard

A surname from German, variant of Burkhart


Willis

An English surname originating as a patronymic from the name Will.


Davenport

* As an English surname, from Old English Devennport, named after the River Dane + port. The first element is from Welsh dafn (“trickle, drop”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“mist, haze”).
* As an Irish surname, from Ó Donndubhartaigh (“descendant of Donndubhartach”), which is from donn (“brown”) + dubh (“black”) + artach (“nobleman”); see airigh.

der

A habitational surname from Old English from the town in Cheshire.

Ó Donndubhartaigh
Ó Donndubhartaigh#Irish

A surname from Irish of Irish origin from the Gaelic Ó Donndubhartaigh.

A surname from Anglo-Norman of Anglo-Norman origin: de avesne port, where avesne is derived from Frankish avisna ("field" see:Wiese).


Lothian

en-prop

Lothian (countable and uncountable, plural Lothians)

/ˈləʊ.ðɪ.ən/

According to A. D. Mills, in A Dictionary of British Place Names, named after "one Leudonus".


Pollard

From Middle English poll (“head”) or the given name Paul + the pejorative suffix -ard.

A surname transferred from the nickname.


Lafayette

en-proper noun

Lafayette (countable and uncountable, plural Lafayettes)

/ˌlɑːfiːˈɛt/

French surname from Occitan, "the little beech tree".


Deans

en-prop

Deans (countable and uncountable, plural Deanses)


Tonks

From a back-formation of Tomkin, from Thomas + the patronymic suffix -s.


Hester

Borrowed from Middle Low German hêster (“beech”).


Carson

Could originate from the Gaelic name "Carr" or "Carra", meaning "rock" or "fort," combined with "son", thus "son of Carr.".

A Scottish surname, possibly a form of Curzon.


Waggoner

A surname originating as an occupation for a wagoner.


Aach

Herb Aach, 1923-1985


Hubble

en-proper-noun

Hubble (countable and uncountable, plural Hubbles)

From Anglo-Norman, from Old Northern French Hubald, from Old High German Hucbalt, Hugbald, from Proto-West Germanic *Hugibald.

(countable) An English surname transferred from the given name derived from the Norman French given name Hubald.


Lambert

en-proper noun

Lambert (countable and uncountable, plural Lamberts)

From Old French, from Old High German lant (“land”) + beraht (“bright”) (Proto-Germanic *berhtaz), a saint's name (of a Bishop of Maastricht) brought to England by the Normans. Cognate with Old English Landbeorht.


Deb

Sopan Deb, b. 1988


Clinton

Clinton
Clinton (disambiguation)
en:DeWitt Clinton
en:Glinton, Cambridgeshire
en:Glympton

* (English habitational surname): A habitational surname, derived from places named Glinton ("town on a hill") or Glympton ("settlement on the River Glyme"), from Old English [Term?] + tun (“enclosure, homestead, town”), equivalent to the modern -ton.
* (given name): Derived from the surnames.
* (DeWitt County): Named after DeWitt Clinton.

Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001

Hillary Clinton, 67th United States secretary of state from 2009 to 2013

An English habitational surname from Old English from a river and city 15 miles NW of Oxford, England named "Glinton" or "Glympton".


Dave

A surname from Gujarati from Gujarati દવે (dave, “(one who has studied) two Vedas”).


Robertson

Robertson (countable and uncountable, plural Robertsons)

(countable) An English surname originating as a patronymic.


Navarra

From Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Sephardic Jewish surname, from the region Navarre.


Quincy

A Norman surname of Old French origin, from a place name Quincy or Quincey in France, ultimately from Latin Quintus (“fifth [born]”).
Use in reference to toilets derives from President John Quincy Adams, who was the first to have one installed at the White House.


Sayer

Of multiple origins, including an occupational surname for a sawyer, or an assayer of metals, or a seller of serge cloth ( Middle English say), or a sewer.

An English surname originating as an occupation common in Sussex.


Mikov

Миков Миков#Bulgarian

A transliteration of the Bulgarian surname Миков (Mikov).


Tess

Borrowed from German Tess, a variant of Tesch.


Beaumont

Inherited from Middle English [Term?], borrowed from Anglo-Norman [Term?], from beau (“beautiful”) + mont (“mountain”). Cognate with French Beaumont. Doublet of Belmont.

A French toponymic surname derived therefrom.

An English toponymic surname inherited from French ancestors so named.


Laurent

A surname from French, equivalent to English Lawrence or Laurence


Williamson

en-prop

Williamson (countable and uncountable, plural Williamsons)

Millennials and Gen Zedders’ approach to romance can teach later-life singletons a thing or two about new relationships, according to dating agent Anna Williamson.

2022 August 14, “Lessons in love”, in The Sunday People:

An Scottish and English surname originating as a patronymic from William + -son.

An Irish surname originating as a patronymic, an adopted anglicization of Mac Uilliam (McWilliam)


Johnston

en-proper noun

Johnston (countable and uncountable, plural Johnstons)

A Scottish habitational surname. from a place in Dumfriesshire, meaning "John's town".


Hammond

Hammond (countable and uncountable, plural Hammonds)

A patronymic surname from the Anglo-Norman given name Hamo, Hamon, from Germanic names beginning with a derivative of Proto-Germanic *haimaz (“home”), such as descendants of *Haimarīks (“Henry”).
The river in New Brunswick is named after British politician and colonial governor Sir Andrew Hamond, 1st Baronet (1738 - 1828). The civil parish is named after a settlement, named in turn after the river.


Warner

Warner (countable and uncountable, plural Warners)

* English, Norman, and German surname, all corresponding to German Werner. Also see Warrener.
* As an Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Murnáin; see Murnane.

A surname originating as a patronymic derived from a medieval given name, from Germanic war, warin "cautious; heedful; wary; watchful" + her, heri "army", modern German Werner.

A surname originating as an occupation, reduced from Warrener.


Cristo

Borrowed from Romance (either Spanish Cristo, Portuguese Cristo or Italian Cristo).


Hubert

From Old French Hubert, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hugiz (“mind”) + *berhtaz (“bright, famous”). See Saint Hubert.


Jodrell

The rhyming slang comes from Jodrell Bank.


Lesley

From a placename in Aberdeenshire, originally Lesslyn, Scottish Gaelic lios cuileann (“garden of hollies”).


Gayheart

Thought to be a corruption of the German Gerhardt or a calque of the French Jolicoeur.


Gaillard

A surname from French, equivalent to English Gaylord


Gaylord

Derived from the Old French surname Gaillard (from gaillard (“strong”)), brought to England by the Normans. Compare Spanish Gallardo (from gallardo (“dashing, strapping, gallant”). Shaped by folk etymology into gay (“joyful”) + lord.

Why should we Gaylords be above all the others, and why should I throw away the few short minutes I have to breathe in this world, throw it away on family pride and a seven-letter name? Gaylord. Gaylord. GAYLORD. A sound like an elm tree full of katydids.

1942, Stephen Longstreet, The Gay Sisters, Random House, page 81:


Bramley

From Old English brom (“broom”) + leah (“wood clearing, meadow”), like Bromley. Equivalent to broom + -ley (“lea”).

A habitational surname from Old English.


Jenifer

en-proper noun

Jenifer (countable and uncountable, plural Jenifers)

A surname transferred from the given name.


Conger

en-proper-noun

Conger (countable and uncountable, plural Congers)

unk

Unexplained


Rochester

/ˈɹɒt͡ʃɪstə/

/ˈɹɑt͡ʃɛstɚ/

From Middle English Rovescester, from Old English Hrofesċeaster (literally “Hrofi's fortified camp”).


Greene

A surname from Middle English, a variant of Green.


Browne

A surname transferred from the nickname, a spelling variant of Brown.


Fairfax

English surname, equivalent to fair + fax (sense 1), "beautiful tresses."

A surname transferred from the nickname that was originally a nickname for someone with long fair hair.


Livingstone

A Scottish surname from Old English, variant of Livingston.


Fitzgerald

A Hiberno-Norman surname originating as a patronymic.


Champlain

en-proper noun

Champlain (countable and uncountable, plural Champlains)


Beaufort

An English habitational surname from Old French of Norman origin


Everett

Everett (countable and uncountable, plural Everetts)

From Old English Everard, a personal name from eofor (“boar”) + heard (“hardy, brave, strong”).


Harding

Originally a patronymic from Hardy or from compound given names with the Germanic element *hard (“hard”).

An English and Irish surname transferred from the given name.


Osborne

From a medieval given name influenced by, or possibly derived from, Old Norse Ásbjǫrn, from áss (“god”) + bjǫrn (“bear”). See English bear.

An English surname transferred from the given name.


Howe

Howe (countable and uncountable, plural Howes)

An English topographic surname from Middle English for someone who lived by a small hill.


Eliot

An English and Scottish surname, variant of Elliott.


Longfellow

Originally a nickname for a tall person, from long + fellow.

A surname transferred from the nickname.


Carroll

A surname from Irish derived from the Irish Ó Cearbhaill.


Thackeray

An English habitational surname from a place in Yorkshire, of Old Norse origin, from þak (“thatch, roof”) + rá (“nook”), therefore referring to a "place with thatching".


Thackeray

Anglification of Marathi ठाकरे (ṭhākre).


Prescott

Prescott (countable and uncountable, plural Prescotts)

(countable) An English habitational surname from any of several places in England.


Hopkins

Hopkins (countable and uncountable, plural Hopkinses)

From Hob + -kin + the patronymic suffix -s.

An English, Irish and Welsh surname originating as a patronymic.


Oswald

Name of early English saints and kings, from Old English Osweald


Cato

From French Catherine. Used as a matronymic.


Merton

en-prop

Merton (countable and uncountable, plural Mertons)

An English habitational surname from Old English from the placenames.


Norton

en-proper noun

Norton (countable and uncountable, plural Nortons)

From Old English norþ (“north”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).
The parish in New Brunswick is named after Norton, Massachusetts.

An English habitational surname from Old English from any of these places.


Clarendon

Clarendon (countable and uncountable, plural Clarendons)

Earl of Clarendon
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon

The Wiltshire place-name may come from Old English *Claringa dūn, the hill associated with Clare (a personal name).
The parish in New Brunswick was named after a settlement, named in turn after British politician George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon (1800 - 1870).
The typeface was named after the Clarendon Press, which was named after the Earl of Clarendon (a former chancellor of Oxford University).

A habitational surname from Old English.


Beauchamp

Beauchamp (countable and uncountable, plural Beauchamps)

Borrowed from French Beauchamp, from beau (“handsome, fine, attractive”) + champ (“field”).

(countable) An English habitational surname from Old French of Norman origin


Calhoun

Common anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Colquhoun.


Stafford

en:Stafford
en:Stafford (disambiguation)
en:Stafford (surname)

An English habitational surname from the place name.


Buckingham

From Old English Buccingahām, from the personal name Bucca (see bucca (“he-goat”)) + -ing (“belonging to”) + hām (“home”).

A habitational surname from Old English derived from the place name.


Hyde

Hyde (countable and uncountable, plural Hydes)

* As an English surname, from the root of hide (“measure of land”).
* Also as an English surname, spelling variant of Ide.
* As a Jewish surname, Americanized from Haid.

An English topographic surname from Middle English for someone living on a hide of land.


Eustace

From the Old French form of Byzantine Greek εὐσταθής (eustathḗs, “steadfast, stable”) or εὔστᾰχῠς (eústakhus, “fruitful”, literally “abundant in grain”), from εὖ (eû) + στάχυς (stákhus). Doublet of Ostap.


Rousseau

en-proper noun

Rousseau (countable and uncountable, plural Rousseaus)

From French Rousseau. Originally a French nickname for someone with red hair, from roux (“redhead”). Doublet of Russell. Compare russel.


Sutherland

The name of the county is from Old Norse Suðrland, from suðr (“south”) + land (“land”), named from the point of view of Orkney and Shetland.
In some cases the surname may represent the equivalent formation in Old English.


Hartford

A habitational surname from Old English from these places.


Benson

An English habitational surname from Old English from a place in Oxfordshire.

An English surname originating as a patronymic from Benedict + -son.


Roosevelt

From Dutch roos (“rose”) + veld (“field”).

An American surname from Dutch; borne by a political family who produced two Presidents of the U.S.


Huxley

Huxley (countable and uncountable, plural Huxleys)

From the Old English personal name Hucc + -s- + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”). The first element could also be husċ (“insult, scorn, mockery”).


Perkins

Perkins (countable and uncountable, plural Perkinses)

An English and Welsh surname originating as a patronymic from Perkin, a medieval diminutive of Peter.


Brooks

A topographic surname from Middle English, variant of Brook.


Southey

English place names, from Old English sūþ (“south”) + Middle English haye (“enclosure”), from Old English heġe and ġehæġ.


Tomkins

From Tom + -kin + -s. From the medieval diminutive Tomkin for Thomas and the patronymic suffix -s.

An English surname originating as a patronymic from the pet form of Thomas.


Baxter

From Middle English bakster, bakestre, from Old English bæcestre (“baker”), equivalent to bake + -ster.

A surname originating as an occupation originating in northern England and in Scotland, a variant of Baker.


Barton

From Old English bere (“barley”) + Old English tūn (“enclosure”).

A habitational surname from Old English from the places in England.


Monroe

From Old English mann m (“human being, person, man”) + Roe, a river in Northern Ireland, meaning "man from the River Roe".

inh

A Scottish topographic surname from Scottish Gaelic from Gaelic words meaning "foot of a hill"


Churchill

/ˈt͡ʃɜːt͡ʃɪl/

/ˈt͡ʃɜːɹt͡ʃɪl/

A habitational surname from Old English from any of these places.


Franco

Francisco Franco, the long-ruling right-wing 20th century Spanish caudillo since the Spanish Civil War (1939–1975).


Weston

From Old English west (“west”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

An English and Scottish habitational surname.


Boswell

Scottish surname, from Norman, named after Beuzeville, from Beuze + -ville ("Bosi's farm"); first element from Old Norse Bosi, from Proto-Germanic *bausuz.

A Scottish habitational surname from Old French of Norman origin from Beuzeville in France.

James Boswell, biographer of Samuel Johnson.


Bertram

From Proto-Germanic *berhtaz (“bright”) + *hrabnaz (“raven”).


Hampton

Variously from:
* Old English hāmtūn, from hām and tūn (equivalent to home + town);
* Old English hēantūn, from hēah and tūn (equivalent to high + town).
The town in New Brunswick may have been named after one of several towns in New England. The civil parish is named after the town.

An English habitational surname from Old English from the placenames.


Balzac

A surname from French.
Honoré de Balzac, French writer


Clayton

en-proper noun

Clayton (countable and uncountable, plural Claytons)

Translingual: Claytonia

From Middle English Claytone, Cleyton, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”) + Old English tūn (“enclosure, settlement; town”). Analyzable as clay + -ton.

der

A habitational surname from Old English.


Middleton

en-proper noun

Middleton (countable and uncountable, plural Middletons)

From middle + -ton.
The town in Nova Scotia is named for its location midway between Annapolis Royal and Kentville.

(countable) An English and Scottish habitational surname from Old English from any of the places.


Thornton

From Old English þorn (“thorn”) + tūn (“settlement”).

An English and Scottish habitational surname from Old English from these places.


Raphael

Raphael (countable and uncountable, plural Raphaels)

/ˈɹæf.eɪˌɛl/

/ˌɹæf.aɪˈɛl/

/ˌɹɑ.faɪˈɛl/

/ˌɹæf.aɪˈɛl/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-Raphael.wav

Latin Raphael. From Koine Greek Ῥᾱφᾱήλ (Rhāphāḗl), from Hebrew רָפָאֵל (Rāfāʾēl, literally “God cures/has healed”).


Parisien

Borrowed from French Parisien (“Parisian”).


Reid

en-proper noun

Reid (countable and uncountable, plural Reids)

A Scottish surname from Old English, a byname from Old English rēad (“red”).

An English surname from Old English, a variant of Reed.

A surname from Irish, an anglicization of Réid, a byname from Anglo-Norman le Rede (“the red”).

A surname from Irish, a translation of Ó Maoildeirg (“descendant of the red chief”) (Mulderrig).

A surname from Irish, an adopted anglicization of Ó Maoilbhríghde (Mulready).


Pallas

From Ancient Greek Παλλάς (Pallás) (f.) or Πάλλας (Pállas) (m.), from πάλλω (pállō, “to poise, sway, or swing”), but explained here by the ancients as more specifically meaning to brandish something. In Athena's conventional iconography, she was often depicted with a spear or a shield. Thus the epithet was explained as referring to her brandishing these things.


Jonson

From John + -son. A rare spelling variant of Johnson.

An English surname originating as a patronymic.


Hooke

A surname from Middle English derived from hook, as an occupational or topographical name or a nickname.


Yorke

Yorke (countable and uncountable, plural Yorkes)


Lawson

Lawson (countable and uncountable, plural Lawsons)

* As a Scottish and northern English surname meaning "son of Lawrence," from Lawrence + -son. Compare Law, Laws.
* As a Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and north German surname, Americanized from Larsen, Larsson.

An English and Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.


Percival

From Old French Perceval, name of a knight in a twelfth century Arthurian romance by the French poet Chrétien de Troyes. Shaped like Old French percier (“pierce”) + val (“valley”), but probably representing some Gaulish or Old Welsh name, possibly related to Welsh Peredur, from ber (“spear, lance”) (from Middle Welsh ber, from Proto-Brythonic *ber, from Proto-Celtic *beru (“spit”)) + dur (“hard metal, steel”) (see Latin durus).
Cognate with German Parzival and Parsifal.


Sinclair

Derived from Saint Clare, to whom the clan's churches were dedicated.

A Scottish surname transferred from the given name, that of a clan.


Germaine

A surname transferred from the given name, a variant of Germain.


Melville

Melville (countable and uncountable, plural Melvilles)

(countable) A Scottish habitational surname from Old French of Norman origin, from Malleville in Normandy.


Carleton

An English surname, alternative spelling of Carlton.


Wentworth

Wentworth (countable and uncountable, plural Wentworths)

From either the Old English byname Wintra, or Old English winter (“winter”) + Old English worþ (“enclosure”).


Conway

en-prop

Conway (countable and uncountable, plural Conways)

The two main figures in a high-stakes clash of wits inspired by this number series were Dr. John Conway, a professor of mathematics at Princeton University in New Jersey and Dr. Colin L. Mallows, a mathematician at A.T.&T. Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, N.J.

1988 August 30, Malcolm W. Browne, “Intellectual Duel: Brash Challenge, Swift Response”, in The New York Times:

(countable) A habitational surname from Welsh derived from Conwy, the town or river in North Wales.


Sherwood

From Old English scīr + wudu (“forest”). The first element is either the ancestor of the modern noun shire, or an adjective meaning "bright" (ancestor to the modern word sheer), depending on the specific placename (listed below).

An English habitational surname from Old English derived from Sherwood Forest.


Hawkins

en-proper noun

Hawkins (countable and uncountable, plural Hawkinses)

From the Middle English personal name Hawkin, diminutive of Hal (Henry), or from a byname "hawk" (Hawk), with -s.


Carlton

From Old English ċeorl (“freeman”) and tūn (“town”). Doublet of Charlton. The alteration of /tʃ/ to /k/ is down to Old Norse influence.

A habitational surname from Old English, from any of these places.


Germain

A patronymic from a medieval given name, identical with the French one; or from an ethnic term for a German.

A surname transferred from the given name.


Dion

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Δίων (Díōn). Also a medieval English and French diminutive of Dionysius (Dennis).


Metcalf

A Northern English surname originating as an occupation thought to be an occupational name for a herdsman or slaughterer.


Maura

Borrowed from Catalan, French, and Italian Maura.


Metcalfe

Metcalfe (countable and uncountable, plural Metcalfes)

An English surname originating as an occupation, Alternative spelling of Metcalf


Willoughby

Willoughby (countable and uncountable, plural Willoughbys)

From Old English weliġ (“willow”) and Old Norse byr (“settlement”).


Steele

From Middle English stele (“steel”); either a metal worker or a person considered to be as hard as steel.

An English and Scottish surname originating as an occupation.


Colton

Colton (countable and uncountable, plural Coltons)

From Old English cola (“coal”) + tun (“settlement”).

(countable) An English and Scottish habitational surname from Old English derived from any of these places in Britain.


Pelosi

From Italian Pelosi, from peloso (“hairy”), from Latin pilōsus.


Brewster

A surname originating as an occupation. An English and Scottish occupational surname for a brewer of ale.


Garratt

Developed by Herbert William Garratt, a British locomotive engineer.


Catalina

Catalina
Consolidated PBY Catalina
en:Santa Catalina Island (California)


Looney

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Luanaigh (“descendant of Luanach”), a personal name based on luan (“warrior”).


Eastoft

From (village) Danish eski (“ash tree”) (from Old Norse aska) + toft (“homestead, hillock”).

A surname from Old English, alternatively spelt Eastaughffe, Eastoff, or Eastaugh.


Eastaughffe

From (town) east + Danish toft meaning "homestead" with an enclosure.

A surname from Old English, possibly from north-eastern England or the neighbouring parts of Scotland.


Spock

en-proper noun

Spock (countable and uncountable, plural Spocks)


Asthana

Borrowed from Hindi अस्थाना (asthānā). This surname is predominantly found in Uttar Pradesh.


Karambelkar

Borrowed from Marathi करंबेळकर (karambeḷkar).


Frazer

Frazer (countable and uncountable, plural Frazers)

A Scottish and Irish surname from Old French, variant of Fraser


McAdam

Anglicised from a Scottish Gaelic surname meaning "son of Adam".

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.


McAndrew

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Aindreis (“son of Andrew”).


Muir

From Scots muir (“moor”). A derivation from Scottish Gaelic muir (“ocean”) has also been suggested.


Platon

Borrowed from French Platon, Greek Πλάτων (Pláton) or Russian Платон (Platon).


Fraser

en-proper noun

Fraser (countable and uncountable, plural Frasers)

Scottish surname thought to be from Norman, but not corresponding to any obvious places in France; perhaps a corrupted transcription of a Middle Irish name. More at Fraser.

A Scottish surname from Old French thought to be of Norman origin.


Marchi

Borrowed from Italian Marchi. Compare Marco, Marko, Markovic. Sometimes also Italianized from Slovene Mrak (from mrak (“murkiness, cloud”)) and Makovec (from mak (“poppy”)).


Braden

Braden (countable and uncountable, plural Bradens)

Anglicised from an Irish surname Ó Bradáin (“descendant of Bradán”), from a personal name meaning "salmon".


Waldorf

Ultimately from the German town name, Walldorf.


Endo

Mitsuye Endo, a stenographer at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Sacramento, was one of a small group of Nisei state employees who were dismissed from their positions in early 1942.

2018, Jonathan H. X. Lee, Asian American History Day by Day: A Reference Guide to Events, ABC-CLIO, page 3:


Tyndall

An English surname, a variant of Tindall/Tyndale/Tindill.


Butt

* As an English surname, from Middle English butte (“target, goal”), from French but (“target, aim”).
* Also as an English surname, from butte (“isolated hill”).
* Also as an English surname, from butt (sense 3) (“cask, bottle”).
* Also as an English surname, from a nickname related to butt (sense 1) (“thick end”).
* As an English and German surname, from butt (sense 4) (“type of flounder”).
* As a Kashmiri surname, spelling variant of Bhatt.


Forsythe

Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic personal name Fearsithe, composed of the elements fear (“man”) + sìth (“peace”).


Finlay

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic derived from the Gaelic name Fionnlagh meaning "fair warrior"; a variant of Finley.


Hartman

A surname from Dutch of Dutch and Low German origin.


Finley

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic derived from the Gaelic name Fionnlagh meaning "fair warrior"; a variant of Finlay


McGill

A Scottish and Irish surname from Scottish Gaelic. Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Ghoill "son of the stranger"


Ramsey

From Old English hramsa (“wild garlic”) + īeġ (“island”).

A habitational surname from Old English from the town in Huntingdonshire.


Derry

Derry (countable and uncountable, plural Derrys)

From Irish Doire, from doire (“oak grove”), from Old Irish daire (“oak forest”), from Proto-Celtic *daru.


Hawking

An English surname originating as a patronymic, variant of Hawkins.


Chopin

Chopin (countable and uncountable, plural Chopins)

Borrowed from French Chopin, from chopine (“measure of liquid”), from chope (“tankard”), from Alemannic German Schoppe, from Proto-Germanic *skuppōną, from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-. Related to English scoop.


Haydn

Two years ago I rashly accepted a commission from Tring Chamber Music and Paul Barritt, leader of the Hallé orchestra, to write poems to read between movements of Haydn's quartet Opus 51, which meditates on Christ's "Seven Last Words". Haydn, commissioned in 1785 by Cádiz cathedral, wrote this music to go between words so it's hard to perform and listen to without some.

2014 April 18, Ruth Padel, “How to do justice to Christ's Last Words”, in The Guardian:

A surname from German; (music) used specifically of Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), an Austrian composer of the Classical period.


Randall

A Middle English variant of Randolph, preserved as a surname and revived in the twentieth century.


Upton

Upton (countable and uncountable, plural Uptons)

From Old English upp (“up”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

A habitational surname from Old English.


Fries

The town was named after a prominent cotton-mill owner, Francis Henry Fries. The surname is converged from both Friesland and French friche (“fallow land”), found in Swiss French.


Senna

Borrowed from Italian Senna; this surname is predominantly attested in Brazil, however it is not of Portuguese origin.


Maulis

English modification of Czech Moulis, probably from French Moulin.

A United States surname from Czech, the Americanised form of the Czech Moulis


Gresham

Gresham (countable and uncountable, plural Greshams)

From Old English græs (“grass”) + hām (“homestead”).


Pratt

Pratt (countable and uncountable, plural Pratts)

Probably from French pré (“meadow”), meaning a meadow dweller; from Old French prat, from Latin pratum. Another proposed source is Old English prætt (“trick, cunning, astute”).

der

A surname known in England, Ireland, and Scotland.


Austen

An English surname transferred from the given name; a variant of Austin.

Jane Austen (1775–1817), English novelist.


Wharton

en-proper noun

Wharton (countable and uncountable, plural Whartons)

/ˈʍɔː(ɹ)tən/

Various possible origins:
* The villages in Cheshire and Herefordshire are named after the River Weaver, whose name derives from Old English wæfre (“wavering, winding”), + Old English tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).
* The village in Lincolnshire is named with either Old English weard (“ward, guard”) or waroþ (“shore, warth”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).
* The village in Cumbria is named with Old English hwearf (“wharf, embankment”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

der

(countable) A habitational surname from Old English.


Sheldon

From Old English scylf (“shelf”) + dūn (“hill”) or denu (“valley”).

A habitational surname from Old English from the placename.


Bartlett

The pear was named by Enoch Bartlett of Dorchester, Massachusetts, after himself.

A surname transferred from the given name from a pet form of Bartholomew.


Forrest

A topographical surname from Middle English for someone who lived or worked in a Royal forest (area of woodland reserved for hunting)


Payne

en-proper noun

Payne (countable and uncountable, plural Paynes)


Jayne

A surname originating as a patronymic derived from a medieval variant of John.


Stirling

Likely from Scottish Gaelic srib (“stream”) + Scottish Gaelic linn (“pool, lake”).

A Scottish habitational surname derived from the town.


Harrington

A habitational surname from Old English from several places of that name in England.

A surname from Irish anglicised from the Irish Ó hArrachtáin "descendant of Arrachtán".


Sterling

An English surname, thought to be a variant of Starling.

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Dodd

Dodd (countable and uncountable, plural Dodds)

An English surname from Middle English derived from a Middle English given name of obscure origin.


Jacks

A surname originating as a patronymic derived from Jack.


McMahon

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Mathúna, earlier spelling Mac Mathghamhna (literally “son of the bear”), from Old Irish macc (“son”) and mathgamain (“bear”).


Drummond

A Scottish habitational surname from Scottish Gaelic for someone from any of several places in Scotland.


Kuiper

(countable) A surname from Dutch, Dutch surname equivalent to the English surname Cooper, from the profession cooper (“kuiper”)


Auch

A surname from French, habitational for the town.


Laval

Laval (countable and uncountable, plural Lavals)

A surname from French. originating from France


Jolly

* Cognate to the French name Jolie. It derives from the Old French word joli (merriness).
* In Punjab (India) it is a corruption of the word jalli.


Muarrif

A Persian surname. A Muslim name, meaning the praised one and one that is well known amongst his people.


Swamigal

From a South Indian word which means holy/saintly man, as commonly used in the Indian States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.It is derived from the Sanskrit word swami (holy/saintly man).


Skinner

The family surname is occupational in origin, meaning "one who prepares skins". Before becoming used as a surname the word skinner was commonly used to identify someone who treated animal skins.
Alternatively, it may be borrowed from Danish and meaning "Keeper of Robes" or "skins then worn" which also hints at the historical connection to tradespeople who were involved with furs and hides.


Nixon

From Nick + -son, an alteration of Nickson, originally a patronymic meaning "son of Nicholas".

An English surname transferred from the given name.

Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States of America


Walpole

From Old English words for "wall" and "pool".

An English habitational surname from Old English from either of two places in Norfolk and Suffolk.


Winthrop

From wines (“friend's”) + þorp (“village”).

A habitational surname from Old English from the English places.


Hicks

Hicks (countable and uncountable, plural Hickses)

A surname originating as a patronymic derived from Hick, a medieval diminutive of Richard.


Floyd

Floyd (countable and uncountable, plural Floyds)

Anglicisation of the Welsh name Lloyd, from Welsh llwyd (“grey, grey-haired”).


Wolfe

A surname transferred from the given name of English and German origin, a variant of Wolf.


Howie

From a Middle English diminutive of Hugh.


Maitland

Maitland (countable and uncountable, plural Maitlands)

Uncertain, possibly a nickname for an ungracious individual, from Anglo-Norman maltalent (“bad temper”). However, it could also derive from the French village of Mautalant, in Normandy.


O'Dare

Variant of O'Deere, anglicised from Irish Ó Duibhuidir. Most of the O’Dare clan now lives on the Eastern Coast of the US.


Carmen

From Spanish Carmen, cognate with English Carmel. Made famous outside Spain by the opera Carmen (1875) by Georges Bizet. The male name is from Italian Carmine.


Haag

* As a German and Dutch surname, from the noun Hecke (“hedge”).
* Also as a Dutch surname, shortened from Van den Haag, a name derived from the Hague.
* As a south German and Alemannic German surname (and Swedish adoption of it), from the personal name Hago, from a derivative of Proto-West Germanic *haggju (“hedge”) and thus related to the first sense.


Valentino

en-proper-noun

Valentino (plural Valentinos or Valentinoes)

Valentinos (plural)
Valentinoes (plural)

Borrowed from Italian Valentino.
* (noun): Named after Italian-American actor Rudolph Valentino (1895–1926).


Kumamoto

Borrowed from Japanese 熊本(くまもと) (Kumamoto).


Kimberley

English place name "wood or clearing of Kyneburga (a seventh century female saint)", from Old English cyne- (“royal”) + burh (“fortress”) + lēah (“leigh, clearing”).

A habitational surname from Old English.


McIntosh

en-proper noun

McIntosh (countable and uncountable, plural McIntoshes)

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac an Tòisiche.


Nash

Nash (countable and uncountable, plural Nashes)

An English habitational surname from Middle English from the places in England.

A habitational surname from Irish of Anglo-Norman origin, an anglicization of Irish de Nais or de Nás, both from the English surname.


Azzopardi

Likely of North Italian origin, from the Langobardic Italian names Azzo (meaning 'noble') and Pardo. It is a rare surname, present in Italy (Sicily), France (Marseille) and Greece (Corfù), areas of Maltese diaspora. It is sometimes said to be of Jewish origin (from sefardi) but this is not considered a reliable etymology as the name was already attested in Malta in 1419-1420.


Quitman

Places with said name, are likely to be named after American politician John A. Quitman.


Xuereb

From Maltese Xuereb, from Arabic شَوَارِب (šawārib, “moustache”).


Two Rivers

From 2 + river.
From having two rivers in the region.
* (surname): From American New World indigenous languages


Gibb

A surname transferred from the given name derived from a Middle English diminutive of the name Gilbert.


Valdez

en:Valdez
en:Valdez (surname)
en:Valdez, Alaska

Valdez (countable and uncountable, plural Valdezes)

From Spanish Valdez, from Asturian Valdés.


Gibbs

An English patronymic surname from Gibb (Gilbert).


Cadillac

From French Cadillac, from Occitan Cadilhac.
Most places or objects named Cadillac are named for Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, a French explorer who founded the eponymous city in Maine and later the city of Detroit, Michigan.


Wu

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 吳／吴 (Wú). Doublet of O.

A historic and cultural region of China around the mouth of the Yangtze River, whence:


Wu

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 武 (Wǔ, “war, warrior, warlike”).


Wu

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 烏／乌 (Wū or Wù, “crow, raven, black”).


Wu

Romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 巫 (Wū or Wú, “shaman, sorceror, witch”).


Wu

The romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of various other Chinese surnames: 伍 (Wǔ), 仵 (Wǔ), 鄔／邬 (Wū).


Cooke

en-proper noun

Cooke (countable and uncountable, plural Cookes)

A surname originating as an occupation for a cook, or a seller of cooked food.


Monaghan

Monaghan (countable and uncountable, plural Monaghans)

Borrowed from Irish Muineachán. The surname derives from an anglicization of Irish Ó Manacháin.


Cavan

Various origins:
* Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Caomháin (“descendant of Caomhán”), a diminutive form of the personal name Caomh.
* Borrowed from Cebuano Cavan, a surname of unexplained origin.


Weimar

en-proper noun

Weimar (countable and uncountable, plural Weimars)

(countable) A habitational surname from German.