Surnames, also known as last names or family names, often have fascinating origins and meanings. Here’s an expanded list of surnames from A to Z, along with their meanings and origins:
A:
- Abbott: Derived from the title of a monastic leader
- Anderson: Son of Andrew
- Armstrong: Strong arm, historically associated with a strong warrior
B:
- Baker: Occupational name for a baker
- Brown: Refers to a person with brown hair or skin
- Butler: Occupational name for a wine steward or head of a household
C:
- Campbell: Derived from the Gaelic for “crooked mouth”
- Cooper: Occupational name for a barrel maker
- Cruz: Spanish for “cross”
D:
- Davis: Son of David
- Delaney: From the Old French “d’aulnay,” meaning “from the alder grove”
- Dunn: From the Gaelic for “brown-haired”
E:
- Edwards: Son of Edward
- Elliott: From the Hebrew name Elijah, meaning “Jehovah is God”
- Evans: Son of Evan (Welsh form of John)
F:
- Fernandez: Son of Fernando
- Fisher: Occupational name for a fisherman
- Foster: Occupational name for a forester or foster parent
G:
- Garcia: Spanish patronymic name meaning “son of Garcia”
- Green: Refers to someone who lived near a village green or had green as a distinguishing feature
- Gupta: Indian name meaning “protected”
H:
- Harris: Son of Harry
- Henderson: Son of Henry
- Hughes: From the Old French “Hughe,” meaning “heart” or “mind”
I:
- Ingram: From the Old Norse name Ingi, meaning “Ing’s raven”
- Ivanov: Russian patronymic meaning “son of Ivan”
- Iwasaki: Japanese name meaning “rock peninsula”
J:
- Jackson: Son of Jack
- Johnson: Son of John
- Jones: Welsh variant of John
K:
- Kennedy: From the Gaelic “ceann” (head) and “éidigh” (ugly)
- Kim: Korean surname meaning “gold”
- Kumar: Sanskrit name meaning “prince” or “boy”
L:
- Lee: English topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow or clearing
- Lopez: Son of Lope (Spanish form of wolf)
- Lynch: From the Gaelic “Ó Loingsigh,” meaning “descendant of the mariner”
M:
- Martinez: Son of Martin
- Miller: Occupational name for a mill worker
- Murphy: From the Irish “Ó Murchadha,” meaning “descendant of sea warrior”
N:
- Nguyen: Vietnamese name meaning “musical instrument”
- Nielsen: Danish patronymic meaning “son of Niels”
- Novak: Slavic name meaning “newcomer” or “novice”
O:
- O’Brien: Descendant of Brian
- Olsen: Son of Ole (Scandinavian form of Olaf)
- Ortiz: Spanish patronymic derived from Ortun, meaning “fortunate”
P:
- Patel: Indian name meaning “village headman”
- Peterson: Son of Peter
- Powell: From the Welsh name ap Hywel, meaning “son of Hywel”
Q:
- Quinn: From the Irish “Ó Cuinn,” meaning “descendant of Conn”
- Quinto: Italian name meaning “fifth”
- Qureshi: Arabic name meaning “from the tribe of Quraysh”
R:
- Rodriguez: Son of Rodrigo
- Russell: From the Old French for “red-haired”
- Ryan: From the Irish “Ó Riain,” meaning “descendant of Rían”
S:
- Smith: Occupational name for a metalworker
- Sato: Japanese name meaning “help wisteria”
- Suzuki: Japanese name meaning “bell tree”
T:
- Taylor: Occupational name for a tailor
- Thompson: Son of Thomas
- Turner: Occupational name for someone who worked with a lathe
U:
- Underwood: Topographic name for someone who lived below a wood
- Unger: German name meaning “Hungarian”
- Upton: Topographic name meaning “upper town”
V:
- Vargas: Spanish topographic name meaning “steep slope”
- Vega: Spanish topographic name meaning “dweller in the meadow”
- Volkov: Russian name meaning “wolf”
W:
- Walker: Occupational name for a fuller of cloth
- Williams: Son of William
- Wong: Chinese name meaning “yellow” or “king”
X:
- Xavier: Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning “new house”
- Xu: Chinese name meaning “slow” or “gentle”
- Xiong: Chinese name meaning “bear”
Y:
- Yang: Chinese name meaning “poplar”
- Young: Descriptive name meaning “young”
- Yates: From the Old English “geat,” meaning “gate”
Z:
- Zhang: Chinese name meaning “archer” or “bowmaker”
- Zimmerman: German occupational name meaning “carpenter”
- Zhu: Chinese name meaning “vermilion” or “cinnabar”
Understanding the origin and meaning of your surname can provide fascinating insights into your family history and cultural heritage.
