All Surnames

Griffith Welsh, English
Derived from the Welsh given name Gruffudd.

Griffiths Welsh, English
Means "son of Gruffudd".

Grigorescu Romanian
Means "son of Grigore" in Romanian.

Grigorov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Grigor".

Grigorova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Grigorov.

Grigoryan Armenian
Means "son of Grigor" in Armenian.

Grillo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "cricket", perhaps given originally to a cheerful person (the cricket is associated with cheerfulness).

Grimaldi Italian
From the given name Grimaldo. It is the surname of the royal family of Monaco, which came from Genoa.

Grimm German
From a nickname for a stern person, derived from Old High German grim "stern, severe, angry". Famous bearers include Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), known for compiling German folktales.

Groen Dutch
Dutch cognate of Green.

Gronchi Italian
From the Tuscan word gronchio meaning "numb, bent". This is an Italian regional surname typical of Tuscany. A famous bearer was the Italian president Giovanni Gronchi (1887-1978).

Groos German
Variant of Groß.

Groot Dutch
Variant of De Groot.

Gros French
Means "thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.

Gross German
Variant of Groß.

Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".

Große German
Variant of Groß.

Grosse German
Variant of Groß.

Größel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großel German
Variant of Groß, used in southern Germany.

Großer German
Variant of Groß.

Grosser German
Variant of Groß.

Grossi Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Grosso Italian
Italian cognate of Gros.

Grósz Hungarian
Hungarian form of Groß.

Grover English
From Old English graf meaning "grove of trees". A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908).

Groves English
From Old English graf meaning "grove". This originally indicated a person who lived near a grove (a group of trees).

Gruber Upper German
From German Grube meaning "pit", indicating a person who lived or worked in a pit or depression. This is the most common surname in Austria.

Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Grünewald German
Means "green forest" from German grün "green" and Wald "forest".

Grünspan Jewish
Original form of Greenspan.

Grześkiewicz Polish
Derived from the given name Grzegorz.

Guadarrama Spanish
Derived from the name of the town of Guadarrama near Madrid.

Guan Chinese
From Chinese 关 (guān) meaning "frontier pass".

Guarneri Italian
From the given name Guanero, an Italian cognate of Werner.

Guérin French
From the Old German given name Warin.

Guerra Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "war", given to a belligerent person or one engaged in warfare.

Guerrero Spanish
Means "warrior" in Spanish, an occupational name for a soldier. It is derived from Late Latin werra "war", of Germanic origin.

Guerriero Italian
Italian form of Guerrero.

Guevara Spanish
Hispanicized form of Gebara. A notable bearer was Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara (1928-1967).

Guidi Italian
From the given name Guido.

Guillaume French
From the given name Guillaume.

Guillory French
Derived from the Old German given name Williric.

Guillot French
From a diminutive of the given name Guillaume.

Guinness Irish
Variant of McGuinness. The name is well known because of the Guinness brand of ale, established in 1759 by Arthur Guinness.

Gujić Bosnian
Means "son of a snake" from the Bosnian word guja meaning "snake".

Gulbrandsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gulbrand" in Norwegian.

Guldbrandsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Gulbrand" in Norwegian and Danish.

Guliyev m Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Quliyev.

Guliyeva f Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Quliyeva.

Gully English
Nickname for a big person, from Middle English golias meaning "giant" (ultimately from Goliath, the Philistine warrior who was slain by David in the Old Testament).

Gulyás Hungarian
Means "herdsman, tender of cows" in Hungarian.

Gump German (Rare), Popular Culture
Possibly from a nickname derived from Middle High German gumpen meaning "to hop, to jump". This surname was used by author Winston Groom for the hero of his novel Forrest Gump (1986), better known from the 1994 movie adaptation.

Gundersen Norwegian
Means "son of Gunder".

Gunnarsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Gunnar".

Gunnarsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Gunnar".

Günther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

Gunther German
Derived from the given name Günther.

Gunvaldsen Norwegian
Means "son of Gunvald".

Guo Chinese
From Chinese 郭 (guō) meaning "outer city".

Gupta Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu
Means "protected" in Sanskrit.

Gurbanow m Turkmen
Means "son of Gurban".

Gurbanowa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Gurbanow.

Gustafsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustaf". The actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990) was originally named Greta Gustafsson.

Gustavsson Swedish
Means "son of Gustav".

Gutermuth German
Derived from Middle High German guot meaning "good" and muot meaning "mind, spirit". It was a nickname for an optimistic person.

Gutiérrez Spanish
Means "son of Gutierre".

Gutierrez Spanish
Variant of Gutiérrez.

Guttuso Italian
From a Sicilian nickname meaning "sad". It was name of the famous Italian painter Renato Guttuso (born 1912).

Guzmán Spanish
From the name of the town of Guzmán in Burgos, Spain. The town's name itself may be derived from an old Visigothic given name, from the Germanic elements *gautaz "a Geat" and *mannô "person, man".

Gwerder German (Swiss)
From Swiss German gwerig meaning "agile, alert".

Gwózdek Polish
Derived from either archaic Polish gwozd meaning "forest" or gwóźdź meaning "nail".

Gynt Literature
Meaning unknown. This name was used by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen for the central character in his play Peer Gynt (1867). Ibsen based the story on an earlier Norwegian folktale Per Gynt.

Haak Dutch
Occupational name meaning "peddler" in Dutch.

Haakonsson Norwegian
Means "son of Håkon".

Haan Dutch
Variant of De Haan.

Haanraads Dutch
Originally indicated a person from Haanrade, a small village in the south of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Haanraadts Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Haanraats Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Haas Dutch, German
Variant of Hase.

Haase German
Variant of Hase.

Haber German, Jewish
Occupational name for one who grew or sold oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Haberkorn German
Occupational name for a dealer in oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat" and korn "kernel, grain".

Habich German
German cognate of Hawk.

Habicht German
German cognate of Hawk.

Hackett English
From a diminutive of the medieval byname Hake, which was of Old Norse origin and meant "hook".

Hadaway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Haden English
From a place name derived from Old English hæþ "heath" and dun "hill".

Hadjiev m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Хаджиев (see Hadzhiev).

Hadjieva f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Хаджиева (see Hadzhieva).

Hadzhiev m Bulgarian
Derived from Bulgarian хаджия (hadzhiya) meaning "pilgrim", ultimately from Arabic حَجّ (hajj).

Hadzhieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Hadzhiev.

Hadžić Bosnian
From Bosnian hadž meaning "hajj, pilgrimage", ultimately derived from Arabic حَجّ (hajj). It originally denoted a person who had completed the hajj.

Haenraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Hafner German
Occupational name for a potter, derived from Old High German hafan "pot, vessel".

Hagen Norwegian, Dutch
From Old Norse hagi or Old Dutch hago meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Haggard English
From a nickname meaning "wild, untamed, worn", from Old French, ultimately from a Germanic root.

Hagihara Japanese
From Japanese 萩 (hagi) meaning "bush clover" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Hagopian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Հակոբյան (see Hakobyan).

Hahn German
From a nickname for a proud or pugnacious person, from Old High German hano meaning "rooster, cock".

Haig English, Scottish
From Old English haga or Old Norse hagi meaning "enclosure, pasture".

Haight English
Topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill, derived from Old English heahþu "height, summit".

Hailey English
Variant of Haley.

Haines English
Variant of Haynes.

Hájek m Czech
Means "thicket" in Czech, a diminutive of háj "woods".

Hájková f Czech
Feminine form of Hájek.

Hajós Hungarian
Means "boatman, sailor" in Hungarian.

Håkansson Swedish
Means "son of Håkan".

Hakim Arabic
Derived from the given name Hakim.

Hakobyan Armenian
Means "son of Hakob" in Armenian.

Halász Hungarian
Means "fisherman" in Hungarian.

Hale English
Derived from Old English halh meaning "nook, recess, hollow".

Haley English
From the name of an English town meaning "hay clearing", from Old English heg "hay" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Hall English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

Halle German
German variant of Hall.

Hallman Swedish
From Swedish hall (Old Norse hallr) meaning "rock, boulder, slab" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Halloran Irish
From Irish Ó hAllmhuráin meaning "descendant of Allmhurán". The given name Allmhurán means "stranger from across the sea".

Halmi Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian halom meaning "mound, small hill". Originally the name was given to someone who lived near or on a hill.

Halvorsen Norwegian
Means "son of Halvor".

Hamaguchi Japanese
From Japanese 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Hämäläinen Finnish
Derived from the region in southern Finland known as Häme, also called Tavastia.

Hamasaki Japanese
From Japanese 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Hambleton English
From various English place names, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Hamilton English, Scottish
From an English place name, derived from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists).

Hamm English
Means "river meadow" in Old English.

Hammond English
From the Norman given name Hamo or the Old Norse given name Hámundr.

Hampson English
Means "son of Hamo".

Hampton English
From the name of multiple towns in England, derived from Old English ham "home" or ham "water meadow, enclosure" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Han Chinese, Korean
From Chinese 韩 (hán) referring to the ancient state of Han, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Shanxi and Henan provinces.

Hancock English
From a diminutive of the medieval name Hann.

Hanegan Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Hanigan Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Hanley English
From various English place names meaning "high meadow" in Old English.

Hannigan Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Hannigen Irish
Variant of O'Hannagain.

Hanraets Dutch
Variant of Haanraads.

Hansen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Hans". This is the most common surname in Norway, and the third most common in Denmark.

Hanson English
Means "son of Hann".

Hanssen Norwegian
Means "son of Hans".

Hansson Swedish
Means "son of Hans".

Haraguchi Japanese
From Japanese 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Haralampiev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Haralampi".

Haralampieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Haralampiev.

Haraldsen Norwegian
Means "son of Harald".

Haraldsson Swedish
Means "son of Harald".

Harden English
From a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.

Hardie Scottish
Scots variant of Hardy.

Harding English
Derived from the given name Heard. A famous bearer was American president Warren G. Harding (1865-1923).

Hardwick English
From Old English heord "herd" and wic "village, town".

Hardy English, French
From Old French and Middle English hardi meaning "bold, daring, hardy", from the Germanic root *harduz.

Harel Jewish
Ornamental name adopted from a biblical place name meaning "altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew.

Harford English
Habitational name from places called Harford in Gloucestershire and Devon, meaning "hart ford" or "army ford".

Hargrave English
Derived from Old English har meaning "grey" and graf "grove".

Harlan English
Variant of Harland.

Harland English
From various place names meaning "hare land" in Old English.

Harley English
Derived from a place name meaning "hare clearing", from Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Harlow English
Habitational name derived from a number of locations named Harlow, from Old English hær "rock, heap of stones" or here "army", combined with hlaw "hill".

Harmaajärvi Finnish
Means "grey lake" in Finnish.

Harman English
From the given name Herman.

Harmon English
From the given name Herman.

Haroldson Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Haraldsson.

Harper English
Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.

Harrell English
From the given name Harold.

Harrelson English
Means "son of Harold". A famous bearer of this surname is the American actor Woody Harrelson (1961-).

Harrington English
From the name of towns in England, meaning either "Hæfer's town" or "stony town" in Old English.

Harris English
Means "son of Harry".

Harrison English
Means "son of Harry".

Hart English
Means "male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.

Hartell English
From various place names derived from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and hyll "hill".

Hartley English
Habitational name for someone originally from any of the various locations in England named Hartley, from Old English heorot "hart, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Hartman Dutch, German
Dutch and Americanized form of Hartmann.

Hartmann German
From the German given name Hartmann.

Harutyunyan Armenian
Means "son of Harutyun" in Armenian.

Harvey English
From the Breton given name Haerviu (see Harvey).

Həsənov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Həsən".

Hasanov m Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Həsənov.

Həsənova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Həsənov.

Hasanova f Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Həsənova.

Hase German
From Middle High German and Middle Low German hase meaning "hare, rabbit". This was a nickname for a person who was quick or timid.

Hasegawa Japanese
From the Japanese place name 長谷 (Hase, not a standard reading) combined with 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Hašek m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Havel.

Hasenkamp German
From a northern German place name meaning "rabbit field", from Old Saxon haso "hare" and kamp "field" (from Latin campus).

Hashemi Persian
From the given name Hashem.

Hashiguchi Japanese
From Japanese 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Hashimoto Japanese
From Japanese 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Hašková f Czech
Feminine form of Hašek.

Hass German
From the given name Hasso.

Hassan Arabic, Persian, Urdu
From the given name Hassan.

Hathaway English
Habitational name for someone who lived near a path across a heath, from Old English hæþ "heath" and weg "way".

Hatheway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Hathway English
Variant of Hathaway.

Hauer German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Haugen Norwegian
Means "hill" in Norwegian, referring to a person who lived on a hilltop.

Haumann German
Derived from Middle High German houwen "to chop" and man "man", referring to a butcher or woodchopper.

Haupt German
German cognate of Head.

Häusler German
Name for someone who lived in a house with no land, derived rom Old High German word hus meaning "house".

Havel m Czech
Derived from the given name Havel.

Havelka m Czech
Means "son of Havel" in Czech.

Havelková f Czech
Feminine form of Havelka.

Havener German
Variant of Hafner.

Havlíček m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Havel.

Havlíčková f Czech
Feminine form of Havlíček.

Havlová f Czech
Feminine form of Havel.

Havrylyuk Ukrainian
From a diminutive of the given name Havryil.

Haward English
Variant of Howard 1 or Hayward.

Hawk English
Originally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English hafoc "hawk".

Hawking English
From a diminutive of Hawk. A famous bearer was the British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018).

Hawkins English
From a diminutive of Hawk.

Hawthorne English
Denoted a person who lived near a hawthorn bush, a word derived from Old English hagaþorn, from haga meaning "haw berry" and þorn meaning "thorn bush". A famous bearer was the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of The Scarlet Letter.

Hayasaka Japanese
From Japanese 早 (haya) meaning "already, now" and 坂 or 阪 (saka) meaning "slope".

Hayashi Japanese
From Japanese 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest".

Hayden 1 English
From place names meaning either "hay valley" or "hay hill", derived from Old English heg "hay" and denu "valley" or dun "hill".

Hayden 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hÉideáin or Ó hÉidín.

Hayes 1 English
From various English place names that were derived from Old English hæg meaning "enclosure, fence". A famous bearer was American President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893).

Hayes 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hAodha meaning "descendant of Aodh".

Hayes 3 Jewish
Matronymic name derived from the given name Chaya.

Hayley English
Variant of Haley.

Haynes English
Patronymic derived from the Norman name Hagano.

Hayter English
Name for a person who lived on a hill, from Middle English heyt meaning "height".

Hayward English
Occupational name for a person who protected an enclosed forest, from Old English hæg "enclosure, fence" and weard "guard".

Haywood English
From various place names meaning "fenced wood" in Old English.

He Chinese
From Chinese 何 (hé), representing a southern pronunciation of the name of the ancient state of Han (see Han). After Han was destroyed by the state of Qin, those who resettled further south changed their name to this character in order to match the local pronunciation.

Head English
From Middle English hed meaning "head", from Old English heafod. It may have referred to a person who had a peculiar head, who lived near the head of a river or valley, or who served as the village headman.

Headley English
From place names meaning "heather clearing" in Old English.

Hearn Irish
Anglicized form of Ó hEachthighearna.

Heath English
Originally belonged to a person who was a dweller on the heath or open land.

Hébert French
Derived from the given name Herbert.

Hedley English
Variant of Headley.

Hedlund Swedish
From Swedish hed (Old Norse heiðr) meaning "heath, moor" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Heeren Dutch
From Dutch heer "lord, master", a nickname for a person who acted like a lord or who worked for a lord.

Heffernan Irish
From Irish Ó hIfearnáin meaning "descendant of Ifearnán". The byname Ifearnán means "little demon".

Hegedűs Hungarian
Means "fiddler" in Hungarian, from hegedű "violin".

Heidrich German
From the Old German given name Heidrich.

Heijman Dutch
Patronymic from a diminutive of the given name Hendrik.

Heijmans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Heikki Finnish
From the given name Heikki.

Heikkilä Finnish
From the given name Heikki with the suffix -lä indicating a place.

Heikkinen Finnish
From the given name Heikki.

Heiman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Heimans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Heimisson Icelandic
Means "son of Heimir".

Heinonen Finnish
From the given name Heino.

Heinrich German
Derived from the given name Heinrich.

Heinrichs German
Derived from the given name Heinrich.

Heintze German
Derived from a diminutive of Heinrich.

Heinz German
Derived from a diminutive of Heinrich.

Hellström Swedish
From Swedish häll (Old Norse hallr), a type of flat rock, combined with ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Henderson Scottish, English
Means "son of Hendry".

Hendrickx Flemish
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Hendriks Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Hendrikx Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik.

Hendrix Dutch
Derived from the given name Hendrik. A famous bearer was the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).

Hendry Scottish, English
Derived from the given name Henry.

Hennessy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hAonghuis meaning "descendant of Aonghus".

Hennig German
From a diminutive of the given name Heinrich.

Henningsen Danish
Means "son of Henning".

Henriksen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Henrik".

Henriksson Swedish
Means "son of Henrik".

Henriques Portuguese
Means "son of Henrique".

Henry English
Derived from the given name Henry.

Henryson English
Means "son of Henry". A bearer of this surname was the poet Robert Henryson (1425-1500).

Henson English
Means "son of Henne", a medieval diminutive of Henry.

Hepburn English, Scottish
From northern English place names meaning "high burial mound" in Old English. It was borne by Mary Queen of Scot's infamous third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwall. Other famous bearers include the actresses Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).

Heppenheimer German
From the name of the city of Heppenheim in Hesse, Germany.

Herbert English, German, French
Derived from the male given name Herbert.

Herberts English, Dutch
Variant of Herbert.

Herbertson English
Means "son of Herbert".

Herbertsson Swedish
Swedish form of Herbertson.

Herceg Croatian
Croatian form of Herzog.

Herczeg Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herczog Hungarian
Hungarian form of Herzog.

Herman English, Dutch
From the given name Herman.

Hermann German
From the given name Hermann.

Hermans Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Herman".

Hermansen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Herman".

Hermanson English
Means "son of Herman".

Hermansson Swedish
Means "son of Herman".

Hernández Spanish
Means "son of Hernando" in Spanish.

Hernandez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Hernández.

Hernando Spanish
From the given name Hernando.

Herrema Frisian
Frisian variant of Heeren.

Herrera Spanish
Spanish form of Ferreira.

Herrero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Ferrari.

Herriot English
From an Old French diminutive of the given name Herry.

Herrmann German
From the given name Hermann.

Hersch German, Jewish
Variant of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2.

Herschel German, Jewish
Diminutive form of Hirsch 1 or Hirsch 2. A famous bearer was the British-German astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), as well as his sister Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) and son John Herschel (1792-1871), also noted scientists.

Hershey English
Originally denoted a person from Hercé in Normandy.

Hertz German
Derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.

Herzog German
From a German title meaning "duke", a nickname for a person who either acted like a duke or worked in a duke's household.

Hewitt English
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Hugh.

Hext English
From a nickname meaning "tallest" in Middle English. It is most common in the southwest of England in the county of Devon.

Heydari Persian
From the given name Heydar.

Heyman Jewish
From the given name Chayyim.

Heymans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Hibbert English
Derived from the given name Hilbert.

Hickey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hÍcidhe meaning "descendant of the healer".

Hicks English
Derived from the medieval given name Hicke, a diminutive of Richard.

Hidaka Japanese
From Japanese 日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" and 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high".

Hidalgo Spanish
Means "nobleman" in Spanish. The Spanish word is a contraction of the phrase hijo de algo meaning "son of something". This surname was typically in origin a nickname or an occupational name for one who worked in a noble's household.