Browse Submitted Surnames

Abantas Filipino, Maranao
Means "long-lived" in Maranao.

Accola Romansh
Derived from Medieval Latin accola "tenant; farmer", ultimately from Classical Latin accola "one who lives near a place; a neighbor".

Ackley English
From an Old English surname: a place name which meant "Oak meadow". A variation of this is: "dwells at the oak tree meadow". ... [more]

Acquaviva Italian
From an Italian place name meaning "running water, spring", literally "living water".

Aviña Galician
Galician surname referring to someone who "lives by a vineyard", from d’Aviña, a variant of da viña.

Bacchus English
(i) Variant of Backus (meaning "one who lives in or works in a bakery", from Old English bǣchūs "bakehouse, bakery"), the spelling influenced by Bacchus (name of the Greek and Roman god of wine).... [more]

Bodin Swedish
Swedish bo "dwelling, home" or bod "small shop, boutique, shed, shack" combined with the common surname suffix -in.

Bolitho Cornish
Habitational name for someone originally from the locality of Bolitho in western Cornwall, derived from Old Cornish bod or bos meaning "dwelling" combined with an unknown personal name.

Boman Swedish
Combination of Swedish bo (noun) "nest, farm, dwelling" and man "man".

Bosinney Cornish
Denotes the original bearer came from Bossiney, Cornwall. Bossiney comes from Cornish Bod and Cini, meaning "Cini's dwelling," with Cini being a Cornish name of unknown meaning.... [more]

Boström Swedish
Combination of Swedish bo "dwelling, home" and ström "stream, river".

Bowell English
Of Norman origin; habitational name from Bouelles, Seine-Maritime, France, which is from Old Norman French "boelle" meaning "enclosure, dwelling".

Broughton English
Habitational name from any of the many places so called in England. The first name element is derived from Old English broc "brook", burh "fortress", or beorg "castle". The second element is derived from Old English tun "settlement, dwelling".

Bumpus English
(i) from a medieval nickname for a vigorous walker (from Old French bon "good" + pas "pace"); (ii) perhaps "person who lives by a place through which travel is easy" (from Old French bon "good" + pas "passage")

Burr English, Scottish, German
Nickname for a person who is difficult to shake off, derived from Middle English burr meaning "bur" (a seedhead that sticks to clothing). It could also be a derivation from Old English bur meaning "small dwelling, building", or a German topographic name derived from burre meaning "mound, hill"... [more]

Burrow English
Used to describe someone who lives in a burrow, which makes this surname’s meaning “he whom lives in a burrow.”

Cassell English
Either (i) "person from Cassel", northern France, or "person from Kassel", Germany ("fort"); or (ii) a different form of Castle ("person who lives by or lives or works in a castle")... [more]

Castellar Medieval Italian, Medieval Spanish
An Italian surname variant of or relating to Castello , Castelli, or Spanish Castella, among others, the Castellar family name signified that the original bearers "lived at or near a castle"... [more]

Cave Norman, French, English
A name of various possible origins. As a Norman French name Cave can mean "bald" from cauf or it can mean "worker in a wine cellar" or "one who dwelt in or near a cave". As an English name Cave refers to a Yorkshire river whose fast current inspired the name meaning "swift".

Chantry English
Means "singer in a chantry chapel" or "one who lives by a chantry chapel". A chantry was a type of chapel, one endowed for the singing of Masses for the soul of the founder (from Old French chanterie, from chanter "to sing").

Charnock English (Rare)
The locational surname originates from two places, Charnock Richard and Heath Charnock, which are both located in Lancashire, England.... [more]

Chegwin Cornish
Means "person who lives in or by a white house" (from Cornish chy "house" + gwyn "white").

Choules English (British, Rare)
The surname Choules is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a variant of Scholes, itself "a topographical name for someone who lived in a rough hut or shed", from the Northern Middle English 'scale, schole'... [more]

Cingeswell English
Meaning "Lives at the King's spring"

Cinwell English
Meaning "Lives at the King's spring"

Claxon Anglo-Saxon, Medieval English
Derived from the Old English elements clǽg, which denoted places with a clayey soil and tūn, usually meaning "dwellings" or an "enclosed space", but was used in relation to any kind of human habitation... [more]

Cricks American
"living near a river." Comes from a similar origin of Rios

Dieckmann German
"one who lives on a dike"

Dozier French
Meaning "lives near willow trees" or possibly someone who made goods, such as baskets, from willow wood.

Elford Medieval English
From the Old English personal name Ella, from the word oelf meaning "elf" or from the Old English alor/elre, meaning "alder tree." The name in full would mean "alder tree by a ford" or "Ella who lives by a ford".... [more]

Ellermeyer German
It is a combination of the German words “Eller,” which means “alder,” and “Meyer,” which means “steward” or farmer”. So, it is thought to refer to someone who was either a steward or farmer who lived near an alder grove.

Elu Estonian
Elu is an Estonian surname meaning "life" and "being"; "living".

Esumi Japanese
E means "river, inlet" and sumi mean "residence, dwelling, abide" or "nook, corner".

Farthing English
(i) "someone who lives on a 'farthing' of land" (i.e. a quarter of a larger area); (ii) from a medieval nickname based on farthing "1/4 penny", perhaps applied to someone who paid a farthing in rent; (iii) from the Old Norse male personal name Farthegn, literally "voyaging warrior"

Finstad Norwegian
Means "Finn's farmstead", from the given name Finn 2 and Old Norse staðr "farmstead, dwelling". This was the name of several farms in Norway.

Flake English
Surname. Meaning, "lives by a swamp."

Flash English
Means "person who lives near a pool" (Middle English flasshe "pool, marsh").

Glock German
Meant "person who lives by a church bell-tower or in a house with the sign of a bell", "bell-ringer" or "town crier" (German Glocke "bell"). It was borne by Sir William Glock (1908-2000), a British music administrator.

Gohrband German (Rare)
Contained in a Latin land deed granted to a German for a castle-keep dated February 21, 1308. It is believed to be the first written record and original spelling of the name, generally understood to mean in German, "he who lives by the marsh"... [more]

Haag Germanic (Archaic)
'The German surname Haag, like many surnames, was taken from some geographical feature near the dwelling place of its first bearer. Coming from the Old Norse haga, or some local variation of the word, the name means "one who lives near a hedged or fenced enclosure."... [more]

Hookham English
This surname may derive from Old English hóc meaning "hook, angle" and hám meaning "village, hamlet, dwelling."

Ieiri Japanese (Rare)
家 (Ie) means "building, residency, family, dwelling, home, habitation", and 入 (iri) means "enter, input". ... [more]

Ikuta Japanese
From Japanese 生 (iku) meaning "living, life" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Iori Japanese
This surname is used as 庵, 井居, 井折, 井織, 伊折 or 伊織 with 庵 (an, iori, io) meaning "hermitage, retreat", 井 (sei, shou, i) meaning "well, well crib, town, community", 伊 (i, kare) meaning "Italy, that one", 居 (kyo, ko, i.ru, -i, o.ru) meaning "reside, to be, exist, live with", 折 (setsu, o.ru, ori, o.ri, -o.ri, o.reru) meaning "fold, break, fracture, bend, yield, submit" and 織 (o.ri) meaning "fabric, weave."... [more]

Jareño Basque (Modern), Spanish
Perhaps "who lives among the rockroses".

Kadoya Japanese
From Japanese 門 (kado) meaning "gate, entrance" and 屋 (ya) meaning "house, dwelling".

Kingswell English
An English surname meaning "Lives by the King's spring"

Lascelles French
French location name from Lacelle in Orne, northern France and referring to "small rooms or cells inhabited by monks".

Leverton English
This surname combines the Old English personal female name Leofwaru or the Old English word læfer meaning "rush, reed" with another Old English word tún meaning "enclosure, field, farm, dwelling." The etymology with the female name addition fits in with the town of the same name in Berkshire while the etymology with the word addition fits in with the one in Lincolnshire.

Macabuhay Filipino, Tagalog (Hispanicized)
Derived from Tagalog makabuhay meaning "to live."

Misumi Japanese
Mi means "three" and sumi can mean "dwelling, residence, abode" or "corner, nook".

Moriya Japanese
From the Japanese 守 (mori or kami) "guard," "protect," "defend" or 森 (mori) "forest" and 屋 (ya) "dwelling" or 谷 (ya or tani) "valley."

Moriya Japanese
From Japanese 守 (mori) meaning "watchman, keeper, caretaker" and 屋 (ya) meaning "house, dwelling".

Mudd English
Either (i) "person who lives in a muddy area"; (ii) from the medieval female personal name Mudd, a variant of Maud (variously Mahalt, Mauld, Malt, vernacular versions of Anglo-Norman Matilda); or (iii) from the Old English personal name Mōd or Mōda, a shortened form of various compound names beginning with mōd "courage".

Nabatame Japanese
From 生 meaning "to live, raw", 天 meaning "heaven, sky", and 目 meaning "eyes".

Nabrotzky German
Supposedly means "lived near water". Originated from Prussia.

Nagaya Japanese
From Japanese 長 (naga) meaning "long" and 屋 (ya) meaning "roof, dwelling".

Niswonger Dutch
"One who dwells in the clearing"

Nurchis Italian
Denoting someone from Nure or Nurra in Sardinia, which were possibly derived from the pre-Roman root words nur meaning "fire" or "stones, heap" and the suffix -ke meaning "earth" or "dwelling".

Okey English
Location name meaning "lives near oak trees".

Pantazis Greek
Derived from the Greek wish: πάντα να ζει! (panta na zei!) or πάντα ζεις! (panta zeis!) meaning "live forever!", from the Greek πάντα (panta) meaning "always" and ζεις (zeis) meaning "live"... [more]

Paradise English, Scottish
Nickname for someone who "lived by a park or pleasure garden".

Paudel Nepali
From Nepali पौडी (paudi) possibly referring to the town of Pauri in Uttarakhand, India, combined with आलय (alaya) meaning "house, dwelling".

Peachy English (Anglicized)
Means “lived near a peach tree, sold peaches, or was associated with the fruit in some other way”. Originally arrived with the in England after the Norman conquest of 1066.

Pickup English
The name is derived from when the family resided in Pickup or Pickup Bank in Lancashire. This place-name was originally derived from the Old English word Pic-copp which referred to those individuals who "lived on a hill with a sharp peak."

Prymak Belarusian
Derived from Belarusian прымак (prymak) meaning "live-in son-in-law (man who marries and lives with his wife's family)".

Rodwell English
Rodwell, a name of Anglo-Saxon origin, is a locational surname deriving from any one of various places in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Kent, England. In English, the meaning of the name Rodwell is "Lives by the spring near the road".

Roser German
German: topographic name for "someone who lived at a place where wild roses grew" (see Rose 1), with the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.German (Röser): habitational name from places called Rös, Roes, or Rösa in Bavaria, Rhineland, and Saxony, or a variant of Rosser.Swiss German (Röser): from a short form of a Germanic personal name based on hrod "renown".English: "unexplained".

Samarajeewa Sinhalese
Derived from Sanskrit समर (samara) meaning "coming together, meeting" or "conflict, struggle" and जीव (jiva) meaning "alive, living, life, existence".

Scudamore Anglo-Norman
A locational surname that was first recorded in England in 1264. Derived from one of the ancient villages of Fifield Scudamore or Upton Scudamore, with Scudamore coming from the Old English scitemor, which means "one who lived at the moor."

Shockley English
(i) perhaps "person from Shocklach", Cheshire ("boggy stream infested with evil spirits"); (ii) perhaps an anglicization of Swiss German Schoechli, literally "person who lives by the little barn"

Shrivastav Indian, Hindi
Short form of Sanskrit श्रीवास्तव्य (shrivastavya) meaning "abode of wealth", itself from श्री (shri) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty, wealth, prosperity" and वास्तव्य (vastavya) meaning "residence, abode, dwelling, inhabiting".

Smithwick English
habitational name from Smethwick in Staffordshire Smethwick Green near Brereton Heath (Cheshire) or a lost place called Smithwick in Southover (Sussex). The place name means "the farm of the smiths" from Old English smiþ "smith" and wic "dwelling specialized farm"... [more]

Southwick English
An English/Scottish locational name from a variety of places, including, Southwick in Northamptonshire, England, and Southwick in Gloucestershire, Sussex, Durham, Hampshire. ... [more]

Sumida Japanese
From Japanese 住 (sumi) meaning "dwelling, residence, abode" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Sumigai Japanese
Possibly from (ko) meaning "small" and 住 (sumi) meaning "residence, dwelling, abode" or 隅 (sumi) meaning "corner, nook.

Sumitomo Japanese
From Japanese 住 (sumi) meaning "living" and 友 (tomo) meaning "friend".

Sumiyoshi Japanese
From Japanese 住 (sumi) meaning "dwelling, residence, abode" and 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck".

Summerhays English
Probably means "person living by a summer enclosure (where animals were grazed on upland pastures in the summer)" (from Middle English sumer "summer" + hay "enclosure").

Thannhausen German
An old noble family from Germany. Meaning "dwelling in Tann", specifically from their ancestral seat in the town of Tannhausen.

Tizzoni Italian
From Italian tizzone "embers, live coal; firebrand", probably a nickname for a troublemaker or revolutionary.

Tomiie Japanese (Rare)
Tomi means "wealth, abundance, fortune" and ie means "house, home, building, family, dwelling, residence, habitation".

Tregurtha Cornish
A rare Cornish surname that derives its name from either the manor of Tregurtha in the parish of St. Hilary (located in west Cornwall) or from the hamlet of Tregurtha Barton in the parish of St. Wenn (located in central Cornwall)... [more]

Tsuchiya Japanese
From Japanese 土 (tsuchi) meaning "earth, soil, ground" and 屋 (ya) meaning "roof, dwelling" or 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Walcott English
habitational name from any of several places called Walcott Walcot or Walcote for example in Lincolnshire Leicestershire Norfolk Oxfordshire and Wiltshire all named in Old English wealh "foreigner Briton serf" (genitive plural wala) and cot "cottage hut shelter" (plural cotu) meaning "the cottage where the (Welsh-speaking) Britons lived".

Waldron Medieval German, Old Norman, Scottish Gaelic, English (British)
Derived from the German compound wala-hran, literally "wall raven", but originally meaning "strong bird". Also derived from the Gaelic wealdærn, meaning "forest dwelling", thought to be derived from the Sussex village of Waldron... [more]

Weld English
Meant "one who lives in or near a forest (or in a deforested upland area)", from Middle English wold "forest" or "cleared upland". A famous bearer is American actress Tuesday Weld (1943-).

Welford English
English surname meaning "Lives by the spring by the ford"

Weller English, German
Either from the Olde English term for a person who extracted salt from seawater, or from the English and German "well(e)," meaning "someone who lived by a spring or stream."... [more]

Whineray English
Means "person from Whinneray", Cumbria, or "person who lives in a nook of land growing with gorse" (in either case from Old Norse hvin "whin, gorse" + vrá "nook of land"). It was borne by New Zealand rugby player Sir Wilson Whineray (1935-2012).

Zika Czech, Greek
From a short form of the personal name Zikmund, the Czech form of Siegmund.... [more]