Search

The Online Encyclopedia and Dictionary

 
     
 

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Quotes

 

Family name etymology

This is a collection of family name etymologies. For German names, see German family name etymology.

  • Aaronovitch, Aronowitz, etc. son of Aaron. Jewish surname.
  • Anders(s)on: son of Anders/Andrew. Scandinavian and English surname.
  • Boyer: when German, can be a modification of "Bauer," farmer.
  • Balshemnik, Balshemennik, Bolshemennikov: from Baal Shem: Wizard. A Jewish surname from Belarus.
  • Dixon or Dickson - son of Richard (Dick is diminutive of Richard.) as also Welsh Pritchard from ap Richard - son of Richard.
  • Holmberg: "Holm" comes from "holme", which means islet. "Berg" means hill or mountain. Scandinavian surname.
  • Huber: the German name is derived from Huober, a farmer holding a fief. It has also been explained as an abbreviation of Hubert or as a derivation of Heber, the Hebrew Patriarch. It may occur in the following variations: Hiver, Hivar, Hubbar, Hupper, Huper, Hobar, Hibber, Kuber, Cooper, Kubri, Kivri, Heber, Eber, Hever, Ever.
  • Johans(s)on, Johns(s)on, Jons(s)on: son of Johan/John. Scandinavian and English surnames.
  • Karls(s)on, Carls(s)on, Karlsen, Carlsen: son of Karl. Scaninavian surname.
  • Kolikov: son of Kolek. Russian surname.
  • Lars(s)on, Larsen: Son of Lars (Lawrence). Scandinavian surname.
  • Lindberg: "Lind" means lime/linden and "berg" means hill or mountain. Scandinavian surname.
  • MacLachlan: Gaelic, "son of Norway." Variously spelled.
  • Malone: servant of Saint John
  • McDonald, MacDonald: son of Donald.
  • O'Donald: grandson of Donald (O' is an anglicisation of "ua", meaning grandson).
  • Moreau: From dark or black horse. [1] has the etymology as "French, derived from the nickname for the dark-skinned man, perhaps a Moor."
  • Pers(s)on, Petters(s)on: son of Per/Petter (Peter). Scaninavian surname.
  • Plotkin: from Plotki. Jewish surname from Belarus.
  • Rabinowitz, Rabinovitch, Rabinowich: Son of a rabbi. Jewish surname. (This surname has the owitz ending, meaning "son of"). Poland, Russian Empire, other Eastern European countries.
  • Rambo. "Raven's nest". Swedish-American surname from New Sweden taken by a settler from Ramberget (Raven's Hill) near Gothenburg.
  • Spector: From the Russian Spectorski, meaning inspector. Jews who registered as inspectors with the Russian or Ukraine governments received a favored status with respect to travel, although those who collected taxes were generally resented in the shtetls (Jewish ghettos).
  • Walker: One who walks on grapes to get the juices for wine-making
  • Wolfgang: A wolves' cave (gang), a German family name
Last updated: 10-29-2005 02:13:46