Last Names & Their Meanings
Discover the meaning, origin and history behind surnames from around the world — whether a name comes from a trade, a place, a father’s name or a personal trait.
Browse last names by origin
English Last Names
28 surnames →
Japanese Last Names
25 surnames →
Italian Last Names
24 surnames →
Spanish Last Names
24 surnames →
German Last Names
23 surnames →
Russian Last Names
23 surnames →
Irish Last Names
22 surnames →
French Last Names
22 surnames →
Korean Last Names
20 surnames →
Chinese Last Names
19 surnames →
All surnames A–Z
toponymic
Greco
The Greek · Italian
toponymic Green
Dweller by the village green · English
occupational Guerrero
Warrior · Spanish
clan name Han
Korea; a state (韓) · Korean
patronymic Harris
Son of Harry · English
descriptive Hartmann
Hardy man · German
toponymic Hashimoto
Base of the bridge (橋本) · Japanese
toponymic Hayashi
Forest (林) · Japanese
occupational Herrera
Ironworks, smithy · Spanish
toponymic Hill
Dweller on a hill · English
occupational Hoffmann
Steward, farm manager · German
patronymic Hogan
Youth · Irish
clan name Hong
Vast, flood (洪) · Korean
clan name Huang
Yellow (黃) · Chinese
clan name Hwang
Yellow (黃) · Korean
toponymic Ikeda
Pond rice field (池田) · Japanese
toponymic Inoue
Above the well (井上) · Japanese
toponymic Ishikawa
Stone river (石川) · Japanese
toponymic Ito
That wisteria (伊藤) · Japanese
patronymic Ivanov
Son of Ivan · Russian
clan name Jang
Draw a bow (張) · Korean
patronymic Jimenez
Son of Jimeno · Spanish
patronymic Johnson
Son of John · English
patronymic Jones
Son of John · English
clan name Jung
An ancient state (鄭) · Korean
clan name Kang
Ginger (姜) · Korean
toponymic Kato
Add, wisteria (加藤) · Japanese
patronymic Kelly
Bright-headed · Irish
patronymic Kennedy
Helmeted head · Irish
clan name Kim
Gold (金) · Korean
toponymic Kimura
Tree village (木村) · Japanese
descriptive Klein
Small, short · German
clan name Ko
High, tall (高) · Korean
toponymic Kobayashi
Small forest (小林) · Japanese
occupational Koch
Cook · German
descriptive Kozlov
Of the goat · Russian
occupational Kuznetsov
Son of the blacksmith · Russian
clan name Kwon
Authority (權) · Korean
descriptive Lange
Tall · German
descriptive Lebedev
Of the swan · Russian
clan name Lee
Plum tree (李) · Korean
occupational Lefebvre
The smith · French
occupational Lemaire
The mayor, steward · French
descriptive Leone
Lion · Italian
other Leroy
The king · French
clan name Liang
Beam, bridge (梁) · Chinese
clan name Lim
Forest (林) · Korean
clan name Lin
Forest (林) · Chinese
clan name Liu
An ancient surname (劉) · Chinese
toponymic Lombardi
From Lombardy · Italian
descriptive Longo
Tall · Italian
patronymic Lopez
Son of Lope (wolf) · Spanish
clan name Luo
Silk gauze (羅) · Chinese
clan name Ma
Horse (馬) · Chinese
descriptive Mancini
Left-handed · Italian
occupational Marchand
Merchant · French
occupational Marino
Of the sea; sailor · Italian
patronymic Martin
Of Mars, warlike · French
patronymic Martinez
Son of Martín · Spanish
occupational Masson
Stoneworker, mason · French