cs121990's Personal Name List
Aakster
Derived from Old Dutch ekster "magpie".
Abbey
Usage: English
Pronounced: AB-ee
Indicated a person who lived near an abbey or worked in an abbey, from Middle English abbeye.
Ainsley
From a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English
anne "alone, solitary" or
ansetl "hermitage" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Aiza
From Basque aitz meaning "rock, stone".
Alamilla
From Spanish alamillo meaning "poplar, aspen".
Alma
Means
"son of Ale 2", the suffix
-ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.
Almeida
Usage: Portuguese
Pronounced: al-MAY-du(European Portuguese) ow-MAY-du(Brazilian Portuguese)
Designated a person who had originally lived in the town of Almeida in Portugal. The place name is from Arabic
ال مائدة (al māʾida) meaning "the plateau, the table".
Altimari
Derived from the given name
Altimaro, an alteration of
Adelmar.
Anjema
Denoted a person from the village of Anjum in the Netherlands. It possibly means "corner" in Dutch.
Aust
Usage: German
Pronounced: OWST
Aylmer
Derived from the Old English name
Æðelmær.
Azarola
Possibly from Basque azeri meaning "fox".
Babić
Usage: Serbian, Croatian
Other Scripts: Бабић(Serbian)
Pronounced: BA-beech
Matronymic surname derived from Serbo-Croatian baba "grandmother, old woman".
Bellamy
From Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".
Bellerose
Means "beautiful rose" in French.
Blumenthal
Usage: German, Jewish
Pronounced: BLOO-mən-tal(German)
Derived from German Blumen "flowers" and Thal "valley".
Caivano
From the name of the town of Caivano near Naples, derived from Latin
Calvianum, derived from the Roman
cognomen Calvus.
Capella
Usage: Catalan
Pronounced: kə-PEH-lyə
Cecil
From the Welsh given name
Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name
Sextilius, a derivative of
Sextus.
Charbonneau
Usage: French
Pronounced: SHAR-BAW-NO
Derived from a
diminutive form of French
charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
D'airelle
Usage: Norman, French, Anglo-Norman, Old Norman, Medieval French
D'Amore
From the given name
Amore.
Descoteaux
Means "from the hillside", from French coteau "hillside".
Eichel
Means "acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.
Elwyn
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-win
Fair
English: nickname meaning ‘handsome’, ‘beautiful’, ‘fair’, from Middle English
fair,
fayr, Old English
fæger. The word was also occasionally used as a personal name in Middle English, applied to both men and women.
Irish: translation of Gaelic
fionn ‘fair’, which Woulfe describes as ‘a descriptive epithet that supplanted the real surname’, or a reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Mac Finn, a variant of
Mag Fhinn (see
McGinn).
Fairbairn
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English and Scots.
Fairchild
Means "beautiful child" in Middle English.
Fay 1
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: FAY(English)
Referred to a person who came from various places named Fay or Faye in northern France, derived from Old French fau "beech tree", from Latin fagus.
Feliciano
Usage: Portuguese, Spanish
Pronounced: feh-lee-THYA-no(European Spanish) feh-lee-SYA-no(Latin American Spanish)
Fiala
Means "violet" in Czech, referring to the flower. It may have originally referred to a person who lived near a sign bearing violets, or it may have been given to a person who lived in a place where violets grew.
Fiore
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: FYO-reh
Derived from the given name
Fiore.
Forester
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAWR-is-tər
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see
Forest).
Fortune
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAWR-choon
From Middle English, ultimately from Latin fortuna meaning "fortune, luck, chance". This was possibly a nickname for a gambler.
Fox
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAHKS
From the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.
Garnet
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAHR-nət
Gebara
Habitational name for someone who lived in Gebara, a village in the province of Álava in Spain.
Genovese
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jeh-no-VEH-zeh
Denoted a person from the Italian city of
Genoa (
Genova in Italian).
Georgiou
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Γεωργίου(Greek)
Pronounced: yeh-or-YEE-oo
Hackett
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAK-it
From a
diminutive of the medieval byname
Hake, which was of Old Norse origin and meant "hook".
Hathaway
Usage: English
Pronounced: HATH-ə-way
Habitational name for someone who lived near a path across a heath, from Old English hæþ "heath" and weg "way".
Ibáñez
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ee-BA-nyeth(European Spanish) ee-BA-nyehs(Latin American Spanish)
Jeanes 1
Derived from the given name
Jan, a medieval English form of
John.
Joly
From Old French joli meaning "happy, jolly, pretty".
Kamiya
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 神谷(Japanese Kanji) かみや(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KA-MEE-YA
From Japanese
神 (kami) meaning "god" and
谷 (ya) meaning "valley".
Kasabian
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Ղասաբյան(Armenian)
Pronounced: rah-sahb-YAHN
Kask
Means "birch" in Estonian.
Keighley
Derived from an English place name meaning "clearing belonging to Cyhha". The Old English given name Cyhha is of unknown meaning.
Kiss
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: KEESH
Nickname meaning "small" in Hungarian.
Krstevski
Usage: Macedonian
Other Scripts: Крстевски(Macedonian)
Kyselý
Means "sour" in Czech. It was most likely used to denote a person known for having a bad mood.
Lachance
Means "chance, luck" in French, a nickname for a lucky person.
Lachapelle
Means "the chapel" in French, most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.
Lacroix
Means "the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.
Laganà
Occupational name for a greengrocer, meaning
"vegetables" in southern Italian dialects, ultimately from Greek
λάχανον (lachanon).
Lapointe
Usage: French
Pronounced: LA-PWEHNT
Means "the point (of a lance)" in French, possibly a nickname for a soldier.
MacBeth
Derived from the Gaelic given name Mac Beatha meaning "son of life", which denoted a man of religious devotion. This was the name of an 11th-century Scottish king, and the name of a play based on his life by William Shakespeare.
Marchi
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: MAR-kee
Derived from the given name
Marco.
Marinos
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Μαρίνος(Greek)
Derived from the given name
Marinos.
Marinov
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Маринов(Bulgarian)
Masin
Venetian variant of
Masi.
Matsubara
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 松原(Japanese Kanji) まつばら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MA-TSOO-BA-RA
From Japanese
松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and
原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".
Maus
Usage: German
Pronounced: MOWS
From a nickname meaning "mouse", from Old High German mus.
McClelland
From Gaelic
Mac Giolla Fhaoláin meaning
"son of the servant of Faolán".
McIver
Anglicized form of Gaelic
MacIomhair meaning
"son of Íomhar".
Medeiros
From various Portuguese place names that were derived from Portuguese medeiro meaning "haystack", ultimately from Latin meta meaning "cone, pyramid".
Medved
Usage: Slovene, Croatian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Медведь(Ukrainian, Russian)
Means
"bear" in several languages, from the Old Slavic root
medvědĭ.
Meir
Usage: Jewish
Other Scripts: מֵאִיר(Hebrew) מאייר(Yiddish)
Merritt
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHR-it
From an English place name meaning "boundary gate".
Naoumov
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Наумов(Russian, Bulgarian)
Alternate transcription of Russian/Bulgarian
Наумов (see
Naumov).
Napoliello
Originally indicated a person from
Naples in Italy.
Notaro
Occupational name for a clerk, derived from Latin notarius.
Nyqvist
From Swedish
ny (Old Norse
nýr) meaning "new" and
qvist (Old Norse
kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".
O'Byrne
Anglicized form of Irish
Ó Broin meaning
"descendant of Bran 1".
Pace
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: PA-cheh
Derived from the Italian given name Pace meaning "peace".
Palazzo
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: pa-LAT-tso
From various Italian places, named from Italian palazzo, Latin palatium meaning "palace, noble mansion".
Palmeiro
Usage: Portuguese
Pronounced: pal-MAY-roo(European Portuguese) pow-MAY-roo(Brazilian Portuguese)
Pemberton
From the name of a town near Manchester, derived from Celtic penn meaning "hill" combined with Old English bere meaning "barley" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Pereira
Usage: Portuguese, Galician
Pronounced: pi-RAY-ru(European Portuguese) peh-RAY-ru(Brazilian Portuguese, Galician)
From Portuguese and Galician pereira meaning "pear tree", ultimately from Latin pirum meaning "pear".
Pinheiro
Usage: Portuguese
Pronounced: pee-NYAY-roo(European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese)
Means "pine tree" in Portuguese.
Piovene
From the name of the town of Piovene Rocchette in Veneto, Italy.
Poirier
Means "pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.
Polley
From Old French poli meaning "polite, courteous".
Porsche
Usage: German
Pronounced: PAWR-shə
Possibly derived from German
Bursche meaning
"boy, servant" or from the given name
Boris.
Priestley
Usage: English
Pronounced: PREEST-lee
From a place name meaning "priest clearing", from Old English
preost and
leah.
Prieto
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: PRYEH-to
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish, referring to a person with dark hair or skin.
Prinz
Usage: German, Jewish
Pronounced: PRINTS(German)
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.
Profeta
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: pro-FEH-ta
From Italian profeta meaning "prophet". It probably came from a nickname indicating a person who wanted to predict the future. It is typical of southern Italy.
Putnam
From Puttenham, the name of towns in Hertfordshire and Surrey in England, which mean "Putta's homestead".
Quigley
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Coigligh meaning "descendant of Coigleach", a given name meaning "untidy".
Radcliff
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAD-klif
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.
Rattray
From a Scottish place name meaning "fortress town", from Gaelic ráth meaning "fortress" and a Pictish word meaning "town".
Rayne
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: RAYN(English)
Reich
Usage: German, Jewish
Pronounced: RIEKH(German)
Nickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German rihhi "rich, powerful".
Rhodes
Usage: English
Pronounced: RODZ
Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.
Rivière
Usage: French
Pronounced: REE-VYEHR
Rosales
Means "rose bushes" in Spanish.
Rowntree
Originally given to a person who lived near a rowan tree or mountain ash.
Salazar
Usage: Basque, Spanish
Pronounced: sa-la-THAR(European Spanish) sa-la-SAR(Latin American Spanish)
From Spanish sala meaning "hall" and Basque zahar meaning "old". It can also refer to the town of Salazar in Burgos, Spain, which is of the same origin.
Sass
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: SHAWSH
Schlimme
From German schlimm "bad, crooked, awry".
Séverin
Usage: French
Pronounced: SEH-VREHN
Derived from the given name
Séverin.
Shine 1
Usage: English
Pronounced: SHIEN
Means "beautiful, attractive" from Old English sciene.
Silveira
Means "forests" in Portuguese.
Szymański
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: shi-MAN-skee
Tähtinen
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: TAH-tee-nehn
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".
Tarpinian
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Դարբինյան(Armenian)
Ter Avest
Means "at the edge, eave" indicating a person who lived at the edge of a forest or under a covered shelter.
Tessaro
Occupational name meaning "weaver", ultimately from Latin texarius.
Tindall
Usage: English
Pronounced: TIN-dəl
From Tindale, the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from the name of the river Tyne combined with Old English dæl "dale, valley".
Tipton
Usage: English
Pronounced: TIP-tən
Originally given to one who came from the town of Tipton, derived from the Old English given name Tippa combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Ungaretti
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: oon-ga-REHT-tee
Urbina
Derived from Basque ur "water" and bi "two", indicating a place where two waterways met.
Van Dalen
Means "from the valley", from Old Dutch dal meaning "valley".
Van der Veen
Means "from the swamp", from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat". It originally indicated a person who resided in a peat district or fen colony.
Vanhanen
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: VAHN-hah-nehn
From Finnish vanha meaning "old".
Vega
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: BEH-gha
From Spanish vega meaning "meadow, plain", of Basque origin.
Veres
Dialectical variant of
Vörös.
Verity
Usage: English
Pronounced: VEHR-i-tee
From a nickname meaning "truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.
Verona
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: veh-RO-na
From the name of the city of Verona, one of the most important historical cities of northern Italy. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain.
Ververs
Occupational name derived from Dutch verver meaning "dyer, painter".
Vieth
From the given name
Veit.
Virgo
Usage: English
Pronounced: VUR-go
Possibly from Latin virgo "virgin, maiden". It may have been a nickname for an actor who played the Virgin Mary in mystery plays, or for a shy man or a lecher.
Viteri
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a Basque place name.
Von Ingersleben
Means
"from Ingersleben", a town in Germany, which means "
Inge's village".
Westcott
From any of the several English towns by this name, derived from Old English meaning "west cottage".
Whittemore
From various English place names derived from Old English
hwit "white" and
mor "moor, heath, bog".
Wilbur
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL-bər
From the nickname Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.
Wolff
Usage: German, Danish, Norwegian, Jewish
Wynne
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIN
Derived from the given name
Wine.
Xylander
From Greek
ξύλον (xylon) meaning "wood, timber" and
ἀνδρός (andros) meaning "man". This surname was a Greek translation of German surnames of the same meaning.
Yoxall
Originally indicated a person from the town of Yoxall in Staffordshire, itself derived from Old English geoc "oxen yoke" and halh "nook, recess".
Zeelen
Derived from the given name
Ceel.
Zilberstein
Usage: Jewish
Other Scripts: זילבערשטיין(Yiddish)
Ornamental name meaning
"silver stone", from Yiddish
זילבער (zilber) and
שטיין (tein), both of Old High German origin.
Zyma
Usage: Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Зима(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: zeh-MA
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