20000-NAMES.COM: Surnames, Family Names, Page 2 of 8

Main Menu | Contact | Surnames | Links | 20000-surnames

Proudly Hosted by JaguarPC.com

***

Surnames, Family Names

[ Suggest Names for this page ]

[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ]

ARDEN: English habitational surname, derived from Celtic ard, meaning "high," hence "from the high place."
ARDGALL: English surname derived from an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Árdghal, meaning "high valor."
ARGYLE: Scottish surname derived from Gaelic Earra Ghaidheal, meaning "country of the western Gael" or "breeding-place of the Gael."
ARLINGTON: English surname derived from the name of a village in Sussex, England.
ARLON: English surname derived from the name of a town in the Netherlands, thirteen miles east of Luxemburg.
ARMISTEAD: Old English surname meaning "place of arms."
ARMITAGE: English surname derived from the word hermitage, the cell or habitation of a hermit, formerly a wilderness or solitary place.
ARMOUR: English surname derived from the occupational name armorer, meaning "maker of armor."
ARMSTED: Contracted form of the Old English surname Armistead, meaning "place of arms."
ARMSTRONG: Old English surname meaning "strong arm." The following tradition exists concerning this name: "This family was anciently settled on the Scottish border; their original name was Fairbairn, which was changed to Armstrong on the following occasion: An ancient king of Scotland having had his horse killed under him in battle, was immediately re-mounted by Fairbairn, his armor-bearer, on his own horse. For this timely assistance he amply rewarded him with lands on the borders, and to perpetuate the memory of so important a service, as well as the manner in which it was performed (for Fairbairn took the king by the thigh, and set him on the saddle), his royal master gave him the appellation of Armstrong. The chief seat of Johnnie Armstrong was Gilnockie, in Eskdale, a place of exquisite beauty. Johnnie was executed by order of James V., in 1529, as a "Border Freebooter." Andrew Armstrong sold his patrimony to one of his kinsmen, and emigrated to the north of Ireland in the commencement of the seventeenth century. The Armstrongs were always noted for their courage and daring. In the "Lay of the Last Minstrel," when the chief was about to assemble his clans, he says to his heralds: Ye need not go to Liddisdale, / For when they see the blazing bale / Elliots and Armstrongs never fail."
ARNOLD: English surname derived from French Arnaud, meaning "eagle power."
ARTHUR: English surname of uncertain etymology, perhaps composed of Welsh art/arth "bear" and Brittonic gur "man," hence "bear-man." In early Welsh works the word art was used as a figurative synonym for "warrior." William Arthur has the following to say about this name: "ARTHUR (British) A strong man; from Ar (Lat. vir), a man, and thor, strong. In the Gaelic, Air is the same as Fear, a man; and the ancient Scythians called a man Aior. Thor was the Jupiter of the Teutonic races, their god of thunder. In Welsh, Arth is a bear, an emblem of strength and courage, and ur a noun termination, a man. Arthur, a bear-man, a hero, a man of strength; the name of a British prince."
ARTOIR: English surname derived from the name of a province in the Netherlands.
ARUNDEL: English surname derived from Arundale, the name of a town in Sussex, England, meaning "the dale on the Arun."
ASCALL: Variant spelling of the English surname Hascall, possibly meaning "a covert, a sheltered place."
ASGALL: Variant spelling of the English surname Ascall, possibly meaning "a covert, a sheltered place."
ASHBURTON: English surname derived from the name of a town in Devonshire, England, meaning "town on the hill covered with ash trees."
ASHBY: Old English surname meaning "place by the ash."
ASHFORD: Old English surname derived from the name of a town in Kent, England, meaning "on the river Ash (or Esh)."
ASHLEY: English habitational surname, composed of the Old English elements æsc "ash" and lēah "wood," hence "ash-tree grove."
ASHTON: English habitational surname, derived from the name of various places composed of the Old English elements æsc "ash tree" and tun "settlement," hence "ash tree settlement."
ASKEW: Contracted form of the Old English surname Acksheugh, meaning "hilly land covered with oaks."
ASPINWALL: Old English surname meaning "aspen vale."
ASTLEY: Contracted form of the Old English surname Eastley, meaning "the east meadow."
ASTON: English habitational surname, derived from the name of various places composed of the Old English elements east "east" and tun "settlement," hence "east settlement."
ASTOR: English surname, perhaps derived from the personal name Astor, or cognate with it, meaning "hawk." It was originally a derogatory term for men with hawk-like, predatory characteristics.
ATHERTON: Old English surname derived from a contracted form of Atherstone, the name of a town in Warwickshire, England, named after the family of Athelstan, meaning "noble stone."
ATHILL: Anglicized form of the Norman French surname De la Hou ("of the hill"), meaning "at (the) hill."
ATHOL: Scottish surname derived from the name of a district of Perthshire, Scotland, composed of the Gaelic elements ath "ford" and al "rock, stone," hence "ford of the rock; rock-ford."
ATHOW: Scottish surname composed of the Gaelic elements ath "ford" and how/hoo "high place," hence "high ford."
ATKINS: English patronymic surname, meaning "son of Adam," though some take the prefix At- to be a short form of Arthur, hence "son of Arthur."
ATKINSON: English and Scottish patronymic surname, meaning "son of Atkins."
ATTREE: English surname meaning "at (the) tree."
ATWATER: English surname meaning "at (the) water."
ATWELL: English surname meaning "at (the) well."
ATWOOD: English surname meaning "at (the) wood."
AUBREY: English surname derived from the personal name Aubrey, derived from German Alberich via Norman French Alberi, meaning "elf ruler."
AUCHINLECK: Scottish surname derived from a place of the same name, composed of the Gaelic elements ach "elevation, hill, mound" and leac "flat stone," hence "hill stone." Auchinleck may have originally been one of those places where Celts and Druids held festivals and performed acts of worship.
AUCHMUTY: Irish surname composed of the Gaelic elements ach "an elevation, a mound," and mod "an assembly, court, meeting," hence "mount of law."
AUDLEY: English habitational surname, derived from the name of a place in Staffordshire, composed of Old English Ealdgyth and leah "meadow, woodland clearing," hence "Ealdgyth's meadow."
AUSTIN: English surname, derived from Old French Aousten, from Roman Latin Augustinus, meaning "venerable."
AVERILL: Contracted form of the English surname Haverhill, meaning "the hill sown with oats."
AVERY: English surname derived from the Middle English personal name Alfred, meaning "elf counsel."
AVIS: English surname, perhaps derived from the French, meaning "a schemer, busy-body," or from Latin avus, meaning "ancestor, grandfather."
AYLSWORTH: English surname composed of Cornish British ayles "low meadow washed by a river or sea" and gwerth "a farm, house or village."
AYLEWARD: English occupational surname meaning "ale-keeper."
AYRES: English surname derived from the name of a river, town, and district in Scotland, of uncertain etymology, possibly from Gaelic air, meaning "slaughter; place of battle," or Celtic aer "to open, expand, flow clearly." There is an account of this name in Thorpe's catalogue of the deeds of Battle Abbey: "Ayres, formerly Eyre. The first of this family was named Truelove, one of the followers of William the Conqueror. At the battle of Hastings, Duke William was flung from his horse, and his helmet beaten into his face, which Truelove observing, pulled off, and horsed him again. The duke told him 'Thou shalt hereafter from Truelove be called Eyre (or Air), because thou hast given me the air I breathe.' After the battle, the Duke, on inquiry respecting him, found him severely wounded (his leg and thigh having been struck off); he ordered him the utmost care, and on his recovery, gave him lands in Derby, in reward for his services, and the leg and thigh in armor, cut off, for his crest; an honorary badge yet worn by all the Eyres in England."
BAANING: Danish surname derived from the word baaning, meaning "a dwelling, a home."
BABA: A surname of uncertain origin, but the word is nearly the same in all languages, signifying a young child of either sex. German bube, "a boy"; Greek baba, an inarticulate sound, as of an infant crying out, hence a child.
BABER: English surname composed of the Gaelic elements bas "death" and fear "man," hence "death-man," i.e. "a fencer" or "a swordsman"; one who, by his blows, produced death.
BABCOCK: English surname composed of the elements Bab, a pet form of Bartholomew, and the diminutive suffix -cock, hence "little Bab."
BACHELOR: English surname of Dutch origin, composed of the elements bock "book" and leeraar "doctor of divinity, law, or physic."
BACKMAN: English surname of German origin, composed of the elements bach "brook" and man "man," hence "brook-man."
BACKUS: English surname of German origin, composed of the elements back "bake" and haus "house," hence "bake-house."
BACON: Old English surname derived from the word baccen, meaning "beech-tree."
BADEAU: French surname derived from a byname for Parisians who admire anything extravagant.
BADGER: English surname having three possible meanings, 1) "badger" the animal, 2) "a dealer in grain, and 3) "hawker, peddler."
BADGELY: English surname derived from Bagasly, the name of a town in Scotland.
BAGLEY: Old English surname composed of the elements bœlge "rising, swelling" and leagh/ley "plain or pasture land," hence "the rising or swelling ground that lies untilled."
BAGOT: French surname meaning "walking staff."
BAILEY: English occupational surname, meaning "bailiff."
BAILLIE: French form of the English surname Bailey, meaning "bailiff."
BAIN: Irish Gaelic surname meaning "white."
BAINE: Variant spelling of the Irish surname Bain, meaning "white."
BAISLEY: Irish surname derived from Gaelic baisealach, meaning "proud."
BAITS: English occupational surname derived from the word baits, signifying to eat and rest for refreshment, hence "one who keeps a house of entertainment.
BAKER: Old English occupational surname derived from the word bacan ("to dry by heat"), hence "baker."
BALL: English surname derived from the word bal, meaning "hilltop."
BALCOMBE: Gaelic surname composed of the elements bal "round body" and combe "valley," hence "the round valley."
BALDWIN: English surname derived from Old High German Baldawin, via French Baldoin, meaning "brave friend."
BALEN: English surname, perhaps of Cornish British origin, from belen, meaning "mill."
BALFOUR: Scottish surname, composed of the Gaelic elements bail "farm, house, village," and p�ir "grass, pasture," hence "farm pasture; grazing land."
BALISTARIUS: Roman surname meaning "cross-bowman."
BALLANTINE: Variant spelling of the English surname Ballantyne, meaning "the fire of Baal."
BALLANTYNE: English surname derived from the name of a place of ancient Celtic worship, composed of the elements Baalen "of Baal" and teine "fire," hence "the fire of Baal." Also spelled Ballantine.
BALLARD: From an Old English derogatory name for a bald-headed person, derived from Middle English balled, meaning "rounded like a ball," hence "bald-headed."
BANCHO: Gaelic surname composed of the elements ban "white" and chu/cu "dog," hence "white dog."
BANCROFT: English surname composed of the elements ban "high ground, hill" and croft "field," hence "high field."
BANGS: English surname of uncertain derivation, either from French bain, meaning "a bath" or "a hot-house," or a corruption of the English surname Banks, meaning "from the hillside" or "from the riverbank."
BANKER: Variant form of the English surname Banks, meaning "from the hillside" or "from the riverbank."
BANKS: English surname derived from the word bank "ridge" or "hillside," hence "from the hillside" or "from the riverbank."
BANNATYNE: Scottish surname derived from the name of a place "where fires are kindled."
BANNERMAN: Scottish surname meaning "standard-bearer."
BANNING: Anglicized form of the Danish surname Baaning, meaning "a dwelling, a home."
BANNISTER: English occupational surname of French origin, from bain ("bath" or "hot-house"), meaning "keeper of a bath."
BANT: Welsh surname meaning "from the high place."
BANTA: Gaelic surname derived from beaunta, meaning "hills, mountains."
BANVARD: English surname composed of the elements ban "hill, high ground, mount" and vard "rampart," hence "fortified hill."
BARBER: English occupational surname meaning "barber," one who shaves and dresses hair.
BARCLAY: Scottish form of the Old English surname Berkeley, meaning "birch tree meadow."
BARCULO: Dutch surname derived from Borkulo, the name of a town in Holland.
BARD: Celtic surname composed of the elements bawr "highest, topmost" and eidde "instructor," hence "chief instructor."
BARDEL: Welsh surname meaning "fortification."
BARHYDT: Dutch surname derived from barheid, meaning "severity, sharpness."
BARKER: English occupational surname meaning "a tanner."
BARNARD: Variant spelling of the English surname Bernard, meaning "bold as a bear."
BARNES: English surname derived from the Cornish British word barnyz, meaning "a judge."
BARNET: English surname derived from the name of a town in Hertfordshire, England, meaning "the land that was burned." Also spelled Barnett.
BARNETT: Variant spelling of the English surname Barnet, meaning "the land that was burned."
BARNEY: English surname derived from a pet form of Bernard, meaning "bold as a bear."
BARNHAM: Old English surname derived from the name of the town of Bearnham, meaning "the baron's home." Barnum is a contracted form.
BARNWELL: Old English surname composed of the elements bearne "wood" and veld "field," hence "from the field by the wood."
BARNUM: Contracted form of the Old English surname Barnham, meaning "the baron's home."
BARR: Scottish surname derived from the name of a place in Ayrshire, Scotland, meaning "elevation, height" or "hill."
BARRET: From an English byname for a quarrelsome person, derived from Middle English barat, a derivative of barater, meaning "to haggle," hence "haggler."
BARRON: English surname derived from the title of nobility, probably derived from Old English beorn, meaning "bear" or "young warrior."
BARTÓ: Hungarian surname derived from Greek Bartholomaios, meaning "son of Talmai."
BARTON: English surname derived from the name of a town in England composed of the Old English elements bere "barley" and tun "town, settlement," hence "barley town."
BARTOS: Hungarian surname derived from Greek Bartholomaios, meaning "son of Talmai."
BATES: Old English surname derived from the word bate, meaning "contention."
BAXTER: Old English occupational surname, derived from the word b�cestre, meaning "baker."
BEAUMONT: Old French surname, derived from a place name composed of the elements beau "beautiful" and mont "hill, mountain," hence "beautiful mountain."
BEAUREGARD: Old French surname, derived from a place name composed of the elements beau "beautiful" and regard "aspect, outlook," hence "beautiful aspect" or "beautiful outlook."
BECK: English surname having several origins:
1. an occupational surname, derived from Old English becca "matlock," meaning "maker or seller of matlock."
2. a topographical surname, derived from Middle English bekke "stream," hence "lives by the stream."
3. from a medieval byname for someone with a prominent nose, from Middle English beke, Old French bec, meaning "beak (of a bird)."
4. from the name of various places in France, derived from Old Norman French bec "stream," hence "from the town by the stream."
BECKER:
1. Occupational surname, derived from Middle English bakere, meaning "baker.
2. Topographical surname, derived from Middle High German bach, meaning "stream."
BECKERS: Patronymic form of the English surname Becker, meaning "son of Becker" or "son of the baker."
BECKET: Either a diminutive form of the surname Beck, meaning "little Beck," or from the name of a place in Berkshire, composed of the Old English elements beo "bee" and cot "cottage," hence "bee cottage." Gilbert Abbott Becket, journalist and dramatist.
BENEOIT: Old French surname derived from Latin Benedictus, meaning "blessed."
BENSON: English surname meaning "son of Ben."
BENTLEY: English surname, derived from the name of various places composed of the Old English elements beonet, "bent grass" and lēah "clearing, meadow" hence "bent grass meadow."
BENTON: English surname, derived from the name of a place in Northumbria composed of the Old English elements beonet "bent grass" and tūn "enclosure; settlement," hence "bent grass settlement."
BERKELEY: Old English habitational surname, composed of the elements be(o)rc "birch" and leah "clearing, meadow, pasture," hence "birch tree meadow."
BERNARD: English surname derived from the personal name Bernard, meaning "bold as a bear."
BEVAN: Anglicized form of Welsh ap Iefan, meaning "son of Evan."
BEVERLY: English surname, derived from the name of a place in Humberside composed of the Old English elements beofor "beaver" and lēac "stream," hence "beaver stream." Also spelled Beverley.
BEVIS: English surname, probably derived from the Old French place name Beauvais, in Oise, France which got its name from the Belgic tribe of the Bellovaci (Belovasci) that some say is the name of the Fir Bolg (the ancient Irish "shining ones") of Celtic mythology.
BLAIN: English surname derived from the personal name, an Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Bláán, meaning "little yellow one."
BLAIR: Scottish surname derived from the name of various places in Scotland called Blair, which took their name from Gaelic blàr, meaning "field, plain," most often referring to a "battlefield."
BLAKE: English surname derived from an Old English byname for a person having unusually dark or light hair or skin. It comes from two Old English words: 1) bl�c "black," and, 2) blāc "white." It can therefore mean either "black" or "white."
BLOOD:
1. Dutch surname, which may have originally been a byname for "a coward" or "a simpleton."
2. English surname of Anglo-Saxon origin, which may have originated as a byname for "a surgeon," from Old English blod, meaning "blood."
3. Possibly a contraction of the Welsh surname ap Lloyd, meaning "son of Lloyd," a personal name meaning "grey-haired."
BLYTHE: Old English surname, derived from the word blīðe, meaning "cheerful, happy."
BOND: English occupational surname, meaning "peasant farmer; smallholder."
BOOKER: English occupational surname, originally denoting both a "book-binder" and a "scribe."
BOONE: English surname, derived from Old French bon, meaning "good."
BOOTH: English surname, derived from Middle English bothe, meaning "lives in a bothy (hut)."
BOYD: Scottish surname meaning "yellow," as in yellow-haired.
BRADBURN: English surname, composed of the Old English elements brad "broad" and burna "stream," hence "broad stream."
BRADEN: Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Bradain, meaning "descendant of Bradán," hence "salmon."
BRADFORD: English habitational surname, composed of the Old English elements brád "broad" and ford "ford, river crossing" hence "broad river crossing."
BRADLEY: English habitational surname, composed of the Old English elements brád "broad" and leah "meadow, woodland clearing," broad meadow."
BRADY: Irish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Brádaigh, meaning "descendant of Brádach," hence "large-chested."
BRANDON: English surname, derived from the name of various places most of which were composed of the Old English elements brom "broom" and dun "hill," hence "broom-covered hill."
BRANDT: English surname, derived from Anglo-Saxon Brand, meaning "blade, sword."
BRANT: Variant spelling of the English surname Brandt, meaning "blade, sword."
BRANTON: English surname, derived from the name of various places in England, composed of the Old English elements brom "broom, gorse," and tun "town, settlement," hence "broom town."
BRAOSE: English-Norman dynastic surname, probably meaning "woods; thicket."
BRAXTON: English surname, derived from an unidentified place name, probably composed of the Old English personal name Bracc and the word tun "town, settlement," hence "Bracc's town."
BRENNAN: Irish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Braonáin, "descendant of Braonán," hence "little drop."
BRENT: English surname having several possible origins:
1. From an Old English byname for a criminal who had been "branded." For example, the surname Brendcheke "burned cheek" came from such a byname.
2. From a habitational name derived either from Old English brant "steep" or an old British Celtic word meaning "high place."
3. From a topographic name for someone who "lives by the ground cleared by fire," from Middle English brend, from brennan "to burn."
BRENTON: English surname, derived from the Old English place name Bryningtun, composed of the personal name Bryni and the word tun "town, settlement," hence "town of Bryni."