All Surnames

Jafarov m Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Cəfərov.

Jafarova f Azerbaijani
Alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Cəfərova.

Jäger German
Means "hunter" in German, from Old High German jagon meaning "to hunt".

Jager German
Variant of Jäger.

Jagger English
From an English word meaning "carter, peddler". A famous bearer is the British musician Mick Jagger (1943-), the lead singer of the Rolling Stones.

Jagoda Polish
Means "berry" in Polish.

Jahn German
From a Low German short form of Johannes.

Jahoda m Czech
Czech cognate of Jagoda.

Jahodová f Czech
Feminine form of Jahoda.

Jain Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Referred to a person who followed the principles of Jainism, a religion practiced in India. Jains are the followers of Lord Mahavira (599-527 BC).

Jakab Hungarian
Derived from the given name Jakab.

Jakeman English
Means "servant of Jack".

Jakobsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jakob".

Jakobsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Jakob".

James English
Derived from the given name James.

Jameson English
Means "son of James".

Jamison English
Means "son of James".

Jamshidi Persian
From the given name Jamshid.

Janáček m Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Jan 1.

Janáčková f Czech
Feminine form of Janáček.

Janda m & u Czech, Polish
Derived from the given name Jan 1.

Jandová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Janda.

Janíček m Czech, Slovak
From a diminutive of the given name Jan 1.

Janíčková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Janíček.

Jankauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Jankauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Jankauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Janowski.

Jankauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Jankauskas. This form is used by married women.

Janković Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Janko".

Jankovič Slovene
Means "son of Janko".

Jankovics Hungarian
Means "son of Jankó", a diminutive of János.

Jankowska f Polish
Feminine form of Jankowski.

Jankowski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from a town named Jankowo or Janków, all derived from the given name Janek.

Janowska f Polish
Feminine form of Janowski.

Janowski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from a town named Janowo, Janów or Janowice, all derived from the given name Jan 1.

Jans Dutch, German
Means "son of Jan 1".

Jansen Dutch, Norwegian
Means "son of Jan 1". This is the second most common Dutch surname.

Jansens Dutch
Variant of Jansen.

Jansing Dutch
Variant of Jansen.

Jansingh Dutch
Variant of Jansen.

Jansink Dutch
Variant of Jansen.

Janson German, Dutch, Swedish, English
Means "son of Jan 1".

Jansone f Latvian
Feminine form of Jansons.

Jansons m Latvian
Latvian form of Jansson.

Janssen Dutch
Means "son of Jan 1".

Janssens Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Jan 1".

Jansson Swedish
Means "son of Jan 1".

Janvier French
Either from the given name Janvier or the French word janvier meaning "January", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.

Janz German
Means "son of Jan 1".

Janzen Dutch
Means "son of Jan 1".

Jardine English, Scottish
Means "garden", denoting someone who worked as a gardener.

Jarrett English
Variant of Garrett.

Järvi Finnish
Means "lake" in Finnish.

Järvinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish järvi meaning "lake". It is one of the most common surnames in Finland.

Jarvis English
Derived from the given name Gervais.

Jaskólska f Polish
Feminine form of Jaskólski.

Jaskólski m Polish
Originally indicated a person from various Polish towns named Jaskółki, derived from Polish jaskółka "swallow (bird)".

Jaskulska f Polish
Feminine form of Jaskulski.

Jaskulski m Polish
Variant of Jaskólski.

Jaso Basque
Derived from Basque jats meaning "sorghum", a type of cereal grass.

Jasso Basque
Variant of Jaso.

Jaworska f Polish
Feminine form of Jaworski.

Jaworski m Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the various places named Jawory or Jaworze, derived from Polish jawor meaning "maple tree".

Jean French
From the given name Jean 1.

Jeanes 1 English
Derived from the given name Jan, a medieval English form of John.

Jeanes 2 English
Originally denoted a person who came from Genoa, Italy.

Jedlička m Czech
Derived from Czech jedle meaning "fir tree", given to a person who lived near a prominent one.

Jedličková f Czech
Feminine form of Jedlička.

Jedynak Polish
Means "only child" in Polish.

Jeffers English
Patronymic from the given name Jeffrey. A famous bearer was poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962).

Jefferson English
Means "son of Jeffrey". A famous bearer was American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). Since his surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, it is now more common among the African-American population.

Jeffery English
Derived from the given name Jeffrey.

Jeffries English
Patronymic from the given name Jeffrey.

Jehlička m Czech
From Czech jehla meaning "needle", most likely borne by tailors in reference to their occupation.

Jehličková f Czech
Feminine form of Jehlička.

Jekyll English
Derived from the Breton given name Judicaël. This name was used by Robert Louis Stevenson for the character of Dr Henry Jekyll in the book Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886).

Jelen m & u Czech, Slovene
From a nickname meaning "stag" in Czech and Slovene.

Jeleń Polish
Polish form of Jelen.

Jelenová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Jelen.

Jelínek m Czech
Diminutive of Jelen.

Jelínková f Czech
Feminine form of Jelínek.

Jenkins English
From the given name Jenkin, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.

Jennings English
From the given name Jenyn, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.

Jensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jens". This is the most common surname in Denmark.

Jenson Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jensen.

Jenssen Norwegian
Means "son of Jens".

Jensson Icelandic
Means "son of Jens".

Jeong Korean
Korean form of Zheng, from Sino-Korean 鄭 (jeong).

Jephson English
Variant of Jepson.

Jeppesen Danish
Means "son of Jeppe".

Jepson English
Means "son of Jep".

Jerković Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Jerko".

Jernigan English
Possibly derived from the old Breton name Iarnogon meaning "iron famous".

Jérôme French
Derived from the given name Jérôme.

Jerome English
Derived from the given name Jerome. A famous bearer of this surname was the American-born Jennie Jerome (1854-1921), Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill.

Jervis English
Variant of Jarvis.

Jespersen Danish
Means "son of Jesper".

Jesus Portuguese
Derived from the given name Jesus.

Jewel English
Variant of Jewell.

Jewell English
Derived from the Breton given name Judicaël.

Jež u & m Slovene, Czech
Cognate of Jeż.

Jeż Polish
Means "hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.

Ježek m Czech
Diminutive form of Jež.

Ježková f Czech
Czech feminine form of Ježek.

Ježová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Jež.

Jiang 1 Chinese
From Chinese 江 (jiāng) meaning "river, Yangtze".

Jiang 2 Chinese
From Chinese 姜 (jiāng) meaning "ginger".

Jiménez Spanish
Means "son of Jimeno".

Jin Chinese
From Chinese 金 (jīn) meaning "gold".

Jinks English
Means "son of Jenk", a short form of Jenkin, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.

Jo Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 조 (see Cho).

Jó Hungarian
Means "good" in Hungarian.

Johannessen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Johannes".

Jóhannsson Icelandic
Means "son of Jóhann".

Johansen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Johan". This is the second most common Norwegian surname.

Johansson Swedish
Means "son of Johan". This is the second most common surname in Sweden.

John English
Derived from the given name John. A famous bearer is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight.

Johns English
Derived from the given name John.

Johnsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of John".

Johnson English
Means "son of John". Famous bearers include American presidents Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).

Johnsson Swedish
Means "son of John".

Johnston Scottish
From the name of a Scottish town, which meant "John's town".

Joiner English
Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).

Jokela Finnish
Derived from Finnish joki "river".

Jokinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish joki "river".

Jokumsen Danish
Means "son of Jokum".

Jöllenbeck German
From the name of a village in western Germany, itself derived from the name of the Jölle, a small river, combined with Low German beck "stream".

Joly French
From Old French joli meaning "happy, jolly, pretty".

Jonaitienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Jonaitis. This form is used by married women.

Jonaitis m Lithuanian
From the given name Jonas 1.

Jonaitytė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Jonaitis. This form is used by unmarried women.

Jónás Hungarian
Derived from the given name Jónás.

Jonasen Danish
Means "son of Jonas 2".

Jonasson Swedish
Means "son of Jonas 2".

Jonckers Dutch
Patronymic form of Jonker.

Jones English, Welsh
Derived from the given name Jon, a medieval variant of John.

Jonker Dutch
From the Dutch title jonkheer meaning "young lord". It was originally a medieval noble designation (not an actual title) for a young nobleman.

Jonkers Dutch
Patronymic form of Jonker.

Jonkheer Dutch
Variant of Jonker.

Jönsson Swedish
Means "son of Jöns".

Jonsson Swedish
Means "son of Jon 1".

Joó Hungarian
Variant of Jó.

Joossens Flemish
Means "son of Joos".

Joosten Dutch
Derived from the given name Joost.

Jordà Catalan
Derived from the given name Jordà.

Jordan 1 English, French, German
Derived from the given name Jordan.

Jordan 2 Jewish
Derived from the name of the Jordan river, which is from Hebrew יָרַד (yarad) meaning "descend" or "flow down".

Jorge Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Jorge.

Jørgensen Danish
Means "son of Jørgen".

Joseph English, French
Derived from the given name Joseph.

Josephs English
Derived from the given name Joseph.

Josephson English
Means "son of Joseph".

Joshi Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Nepali
From Sanskrit ज्योतिश (jyotisha) meaning "astronomer".

Joubert French
From the given name Gaubert.

Jovanović Serbian
Means "son of Jovan".

Jovanovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Jovanovski.

Jovanovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Jovan".

Joyce English, Irish
From the given name Joyce.

Joyner English
Variant of Joiner.

Juan Spanish
From the given name Juan 1.

Juárez Spanish
Variant of Suárez.

Judd English
Derived from the medieval name Judd.

Judson English
Means "son of Judd".

Jughashvili Georgian (Rare)
Meaning uncertain. One theory suggests Ossetian roots with the meaning "son of the herder", derived from Ossetian дзуг (dzug) meaning "herd, flock, troop". Alternately, it could be derived from the name of the village of ჯუღაანი (Jughaani) in eastern Georgia. The most notable bearer was Joseph Stalin (1878-1953), born Ioseb Jughashvili, a leader of the Soviet Union.

Jugovac Croatian
From Croatian jug meaning "south".

Juhász Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "shepherd" in Hungarian, from juh "sheep".

Jukić Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Juraj.

Julien French
From the given name Julien.

Jundt German
Derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Judith.

Jung 1 German
Means "young" in German, from Middle High German junc.

Jung 2 Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 정 (see Jeong).

Junge German
Variant of Jung 1.

Jurić Croatian
Means "son of Jure".

Juriša Croatian
Derived from a diminutive form of Jure.

Jusić Bosnian
Perhaps means "son of Josip".

Kaczka Polish
Means "duck" in Polish.

Kaczmarek Polish
Occupational name for a person who worked as an innkeeper, derived from Polish karczma meaning "inn".

Kádár Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Kader Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic قادر (see Qadir).

Kadlec m Czech
From Czech tkadlec meaning "weaver".

Kadlecová f Czech
Feminine form of Kadlec.

Kadyrov m Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Chechen
Means "son of Kadyr".

Kadyrova f Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Chechen
Feminine form of Kadyrov.

Kadyrow m Turkmen
Means "son of Kadyr".

Kadyrowa f Turkmen
Feminine form of Kadyrow.

Kafka m Czech
Derived from Czech kavka meaning "jackdaw". A notable bearer was the author Franz Kafka (1883-1924).

Kafková f Czech
Feminine form of Kafka.

Kahler German
From a nickname derived from German kahl meaning "bald".

Kaiser German
From Middle High German keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name Caesar.

Kalb German
Occupational name meaning "calf (animal)" in German.

Kalbfleisch German
Occupational name for a butcher who dealt in veal, from German kalb meaning "calf" and fleisch meaning "meat".

Kalmár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "merchant, shopkeeper" in Hungarian, of German origin.

Kalniņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Kalniņš.

Kalniņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian kalns meaning "mountain, hill".

Kaloyanchev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Kaloyan".

Kaloyancheva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Kaloyanchev.

Kaloyanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Kaloyan".

Kaloyanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Kaloyanov.

Kałuża Polish
Means "puddle" in Polish.

Kaluža u & m Slovene, Czech
Slovene and Czech form of Kałuża.

Kalužová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Kaluža.

Kamau Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Kamau.

Kamińska f Polish
Feminine form of Kamiński.

Kamiński m Polish
From Polish kamień meaning "stone", a name for a stonecutter or for one who lived at a place with this name.

Kamiya Japanese
From Japanese 神 (kami) meaning "god" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Kanda Japanese
From Japanese 神 (kan) meaning "god" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Kane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Kaneko Japanese
From Japanese 金 (kane) meaning "gold, metal, money" and 子 (ko) meaning "child".

Kanemaru Japanese
From Japanese 金 (kane) meaning "gold, metal, money" and 丸 (maru) meaning "circle, round, whole".

Kang Korean
Korean form of Jiang 2, from Sino-Korean 姜 (gang).

Kanzaki Japanese
From Japanese 神 (kan) meaning "god" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Kapanadze Georgian
Means "son of the one from Kapan", originally denoting someone who came from the city of Kapan in present-day Armenia (from Armenian կապել (kapel) meaning "to tie, to fasten").

Kappel German, Dutch
Name for a person who lived near or worked at a chapel, ultimately from Late Latin cappella, a diminutive of cappa "cape", arising from the holy relic of the torn cape of Saint Martin, which was kept in small churches.

Karagianni f Greek
Feminine form of Karagiannis.

Karagiannis m Greek
From the Greek prefix καρα (kara) meaning "black, dark" (of Turkish origin) and the given name Giannis.

Karamazov Literature
Created by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky for his novel The Brothers Karamazov (1879), about three brothers and their murdered father. Dostoyevsky may have based it on Tartar/Turkic кара (kara) meaning "black" and Russian мазать (mazat) meaning "stain". The connection to black is implied in the novel when one of the brothers is accidentally addressed as Mr. Черномазов (Chernomazov), as if based on Russian чёрный meaning "black".

Kardos Hungarian
From Hungarian kard meaning "sword". It could have been applied to soldiers, sword makers, or one with a pugnacious nature.

Karga Turkish
Nickname meaning "crow" in Turkish.

Karim Arabic
Derived from the given name Karim.

Karimi Arabic, Persian
Derived from the given name Karim.

Kərimov m Azerbaijani
Means "son of Kərim".

Karimov m Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tatar, Azerbaijani
Means "son of Karim". It is also an alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Kərimov.

Kərimova f Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Kərimov.

Karimova f Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tatar, Azerbaijani
Feminine form of Karimov. It is also an alternate transcription of Azerbaijani Kərimova.

Kariuki Kikuyu
Derived from the given name Kariuki.

Karjalainen Finnish
Derived from Finnish Karjala meaning "Karelia". Karelia is an area on the border between Finland and Russia.

Kārkliņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Kārkliņš.

Kārkliņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian kārkls meaning "osier, willow".

Karl German
From the given name Karl.

Karlsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Karl".

Karlsson Swedish
Means "son of Karl".

Kárpáthy Hungarian
Variant of Kárpáti.

Kárpáti Hungarian
Derived from Kárpátok, the Hungarian name of the Carpathians.

Kárpáty Hungarian
Variant of Kárpáti.

Karppinen Finnish
From Finnish karppi meaning "carp", of Germanic origin.

Karstensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Karsten".

Kartal Turkish
From a nickname meaning "eagle" in Turkish.

Kasabian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Ղասաբյան (see Ghasabyan).

Kask Estonian
Means "birch" in Estonian.

Kašpar m Czech
Derived from the given name Kašpar.

Kaspar German
Derived from the given name Kaspar.

Kašparová f Czech
Feminine form of Kašpar.

Kaspersen Danish
Means "son of Kasper".

Kasprzak Polish
Means "son of Kacper".

Kästner German
Means "cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German kaste "box".

Kasun Croatian
Possibly derived from the old Slavic word kazati meaning "to order, to command".

Katırcı Turkish
Derived from Turkish katır meaning "mule", a name for a person who made transports by mule.

Kato Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 加藤 (see Katō).

Kató Hungarian
Derived from a diminutive of the Hungarian feminine given name Katalin.

Katō Japanese
From Japanese 加 (ka) meaning "add, increase" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The latter character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Katona Hungarian
Means "soldier" in Hungarian.

Katou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 加藤 (see Katō).

Katsaros m Greek
Means "curly" in Greek, referring to a person with curly hair.

Katsarou f Greek
Feminine form of Katsaros.

Katz Jewish
Derived from Hebrew כֹּהֵן צֶדֶק (kohen tzedek) meaning "priest of justice", indicating a descendant of Aaron.

Kaube German
From the name of the town of Kaub in Germany.

Käufer German
Variant of Kaufer.

Kaufer German
Means "trader" in German.

Kauffmann German, Jewish
Variant of Kaufmann.

Kaufman German, Jewish
Variant of Kaufmann.

Kaufmann German, Jewish
Means "trader, merchant" in German.

Kaur Indian (Sikh)
Means "princess", ultimately from Sanskrit कुमारी (kumari) meaning "girl". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh female followers the surname Kaur and all males Singh. In many instances, it is also used as a middle name with the family name serving as the surname.

Kavalchuk Belarusian
Belarusian cognate of Kovalchuk.

Kavaliauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Kavaliauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Kavaliauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Kowalski.

Kavaliauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Kavaliauskas. This form is used by married women.

Kavalioŭ m Belarusian
Alternate transcription of Belarusian Кавалёў (see Kavalyow).

Kavaliova f Belarusian
Alternate transcription of Belarusian Кавалёва (see Kavalyova).

Kavalyova f Belarusian
Feminine form of Kavalyow.

Kavalyow m Belarusian
Derived from Belarusian каваль (kaval') meaning "blacksmith".

Kavanagh Irish
Derived from the Irish Gaelic name Caomhánach, which means "a student of saint Caomhán". It was the name used by a 12th-century king of Leinster, Domhnall Caomhánach, the eldest son of the historic Irish king Diarmait Mac Murchada.

Kavanah Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Kavanaugh Irish
Variant of Kavanagh.

Kawa Polish
Derived from Polish kawka "jackdaw".

Kawaguchi Japanese
Means "mouth of the river", from Japanese 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Kawakami Japanese
From Japanese 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and 上 (kami) meaning "above, top, upper".

Kawasaki Japanese
From Japanese 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Kay 1 English
Derived from the given name Kay 2.

Kay 2 English
Derived from Old French kay meaning "wharf, quay", indicating one who lived near or worked on a wharf.

Kaya Turkish
Means "rock, cliff" in Turkish.

Kayode Yoruba
From the given name Kayode.

Kazama Japanese
From Japanese 風 (kaza) meaning "wind, style" and 間 (ma) meaning "among, between".

Kazlauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Kazlauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Kazlauskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Kozłowski. This is the most common surname in Lithuania.

Kazlauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Kazlauskas. This form is used by married women.

Kazloŭ m Belarusian
Alternate transcription of Belarusian Казлоў (see Kazlow).

Kazlova f Belarusian
Feminine form of Kazlow.

Kazlow m Belarusian
Derived from Belarusian казёл (kaziol) meaning "male goat", probably used to denote a goatherd.

Kean Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Keane Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Catháin.

Kearney Irish
From the Irish name Ó Ceithearnaigh meaning "descendant of Ceithearnach", a given name meaning "warrior".

Keaton English
From any of three English place names: Ketton in Rutland, Ketton in Durham or Keaton in Devon. The first is probably derived from an old river name or tribal name combined with Old English ea "river", with the spelling later influenced by tun "enclosure, yard, town". The second is from the Old English given name Catta or the Old Norse given name Káti combined with Old English tun. The third is possibly from Cornish kee "hedge, bank" combined with Old English tun.

Kecskeméti Hungarian
Originally indicated a person who came from the Hungarian city of Kecskemét, derived from kecske meaning "goat".

Kedves Hungarian
Means "nice, kind" in Hungarian.

Kędzierska f Polish
Feminine form of Kędzierski.

Kędzierski m Polish
From a nickname meaning "curly", describing a person with curly hair.

Keefe Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish Ó Caoimh meaning "descendant of Caomh".

Keegan Irish
From Irish Mac Aodhagáin meaning "descendant of Aodhagán". The given name Aodhagán is a double diminutive of Aodh.

Keeley Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Caolaidhe meaning "descendant of Caoladhe", a given name derived from caol "slender".

Keely Irish
Variant of Keeley.

Keen English
From Old English cene meaning "bold, brave".