Last names linked to ARE

Origin

Abbott : English: nickname from Middle English abbod abbot(t) abbat ‘abbot’ (Old English abbod) or Old French abet ‘priest’. Both the Old English and the Old French term are derived from Late Latin abbas (genitive abbatis) ‘priest’ from Greek abbas from Aramaic aba ‘father’. The nickname was presumably a joking reference to a person's behaviour. In the US the English name is also sometimes a translation of a cognate or equivalent European name e.g. Italian Abate Spanish Abad or German Abt.

Abdala : Arabic: from a variant of the personal name Abdallah (see Abdullah). Bearers of this surname which is found mainly in Latin America and Africa are both Muslims and Christians.

Abdallah : Arabic: from a variant of the personal name Abdullah. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians.

Abdelnour : Arabic (also Abd el-Nour): from the personal name ʿAbd al-Nūr ‘servant of the Light’ (see Nur). Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians.

Abdou : Arabic: variant of Abdu. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians.

Abdul : Muslim: from an Arabic personal name based on ʿabd ul ‘servant of the […]’ (literally ‘slave of the […]’) a variant of ʿabd al (see Abdel). In Arabic personal names ʿAbdul is normally a component of a compound name referring to an attribute of Allah for example ʿAbdul-Ḥakīm ‘servant of the All-Wise’. Traditionally these attribute names are 99 in number and are known as the ‘most beautiful names’. Compare Abdool.

Abdullah : Arabic: from the personal name ʿAbdullāh ‘servant of God/Allah’. This was the name of the father of the prophet Muhammad who died before Muhammad was born. In the Koran (19:30) Jesus calls himself ʿAbdullāh: ‘He (Jesus) said: I am the servant of God’. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians. Compare Abdallah.

Abe : Japanese (pronounced as two syllables): usually written 阿倍 阿部 or 安倍 with characters used phonetically. Listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku the Abe claim descent from Ōhiko first son of the mythical Emperor Kōgen. There are several places in Japan named Abe which means ‘sun festival’ in the Ainu language. Some Ainu connections may be assumed but the name could also be purely habitational from one of these places. It is found mostly in northeastern Japan the island of Kyūshū and the Ryūkyū Islands.

Abington : English: habitational name from Abington (Northamptonshire) Great and Little Abington (Cambridgeshire) or Abington Pigotts (Cambridgeshire) all of which are derived from the Old English personal name Abba + ingtūn ‘farm’ meaning ‘Abba's farm’.

Abou : Arabic and Jewish (Sephardic from the Maghreb): French-influenced variant of Abu. Its Arabic bearers are both Muslims and Christians.

Acaster : from Acaster Selby or Acaster Malbis (both WR Yorks) which are recorded as Acastre in 1086. The place-names mean ‘Roman fort on the river’ from Old Scandinavian á ‘river stream’ (probably replacing Old English ēa ‘river’) + Old English cæster ‘Roman fortification’.

Achkar : Arabic (Lebanon and Syria): French-influenced form of Ashkar. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians.

Achterberg : North German and Dutch: topographic name from any of several villages called Achterberg i.e. achter de berg ‘behind the hill’. Most families with this surname come from Achterberg near Rhenen by the Rhine river in Utrecht. Other possibilities are Achterberg a hamlet near Dongen in North Brabant Achterberg near Bad Bentheim across the border in Germany and (also in Germany) Achterberg near Tönisberg über Krefeld.

Acklam : from either Acklam (ER Yorks) or West Acklam (NR Yorks) both of which are recorded as Aclun in 1086 Acclum in the 12th century. The etymology of the place-names is uncertain. They possibly contain Old Scandinavian *ak(k)ul- ‘ankle’ (used in Norwegian place-names with the sense ‘slope’) in the dative plural form *ak(k)lum i.e. ‘(place) at the slopes’. Alternatively they may derive from an Old English *āc-lēah ‘oak wood oak-tree clearing’ in the dative plural form *āc-lēum i.e. ‘(place) at the oak-tree clearings’.

Acton : English: habitational name from any of several places especially in Shropshire and adjacent counties named Acton. Generally these are from Old English āc ‘oak’ + tūn ‘settlement’. In Ireland the surname has been established in Connacht since the 17th century.

Addington : English: habitational name from any of various places called in Old English as Eaddingtūn ‘settlement associated with Eadda’ or Æddingtūn ‘settlement associated with Æddi’. Places so named are found in Northamptonshire Buckinghamshire Kent and Surrey.

Adekunle : West African (Nigeria): from the Yoruba personal name Adékúnlé from adé kún ilé ‘the crown fills the house crowns are many in the house’ with ‘crown’ understood as a metaphor for ‘child’.

Adgie : reduced form of Algeo; compare Algie. This is clear from correlations between various spellings of the names in the Lanarks parishes of Glasgow Govan and Barony reinforced in the IGI lists for Barony for example where husbands and wives named James Agie and Margaret Logine (1692) and Bartholomew Aja and Margaret Smith (1696) are probably identical with James Algea and Margarat Logan (1699) and Bartholomew Algeo and Margaret Smyth (1698).

Afton : English: habitational name from Affeton Barton in East Worlington or Afton in Berry Pomeroy (both in Devon) both of which are derived from the Old English personal name Æffa + tūn ‘farmstead’ meaning ‘Æffa's farmstead’.

Agarwal : Indian (northern states): Bania and Jain habitational name from the placenames Agroha or Agar + the Hindi or Punjabi adjectival suffix -wāl (equivalent to -er in English) i.e. ‘person from Agroha’. Agroha (in Hissar district formerly in the Punjab now in Haryana) is said to have been named as the capital city of Agar Sen a legendary Vaishya king whom the Agarwals claim as their ancestor. Alternatively the placename in question may be Agar a city forty miles northeast of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. The Agarwals are one of the most prominent mercantile communities of northern India.

Aguero : 1: Spanish and Aragonese (Agüero): habitational name from any of the places in the provinces of Cantabria and Huesca (Aragon) named Agüero or from Puente Agüero in Cantabria. They are probably named from Late Latin (vicus) aquarius ‘well-watered (settlement)’. Compare De Aguero.2: Spanish (Agüero): nickname from agüero ‘(bad/good) omen’ from Latin augurium.

Aird : Scottish: habitational name from either the medieval lordship of The Aird (Inverness) or from Aird Farm near Hurlford Ayrshire. Both are named from Gaelic àird(e) ‘height promontory’ or ‘headland’ from the adjective àrd ‘high lofty’ cognate with Latin arduus ‘steep difficult’. Compare Ard.

Akella : Indian (mainly Andhra Pradesh): from a Telugu word meaning ‘leaf’ especially the kind of leaf used to build huts. It is not clear whether this word was used to signify a totem. Telugu surnames are mostly locative; as a result this surname is found across several castes.

Akerson : 1: Americanized form of Swedish Åkesson or Åkeson (see Akeson).2: Swedish (Åkerson): ornamental name composed of the elements åker ‘field’ + son ‘son’. This is one of a small group of Swedish names ending in -son that are not patronymics; it is very rare in Sweden. Compare Ackerson 1 and Okerson.

Akridge : 1: Possibly English a habitational name from a place with a name meaning ‘oak ridge’ as for example Aikrigg in Cumbria (from Old Norse eik ‘oak’ + hryggr ‘ridge’) or any of the many places called Oakridge (from Old English āc + hrycg). However neither Akridge nor Oakridge are found as surnames in current English records.2: Possibly an Americanized form of German Eckerich from an ancient Germanic personal name composed of agi ‘point edge (of a sword)’ + rich ‘powerful’.

Alam : Muslim:: 1: from a personal name based on Arabic ʿalam ‘emblem banner’ hence an epithet for a distinguished man. ʿAlam-al-Huda ‘banner of guidance’ is an honorific title of the prophet Muhammad.2: from a personal name based on Arabic ʿālam ‘world’. This name is found in a variety of compounds which are popular in the subcontinent for example Badrul-ʿĀlam ‘full moon of the world’. Compare Alem.

Alapati : Indian (Andhra Pradesh): Choudhary and Kamma name from the placename Alapadu in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. It is believed that bearers of this surname are descendants of Buddha.

Albach : German: habitational name taken from the name of a stream (Middle High German bach) of which there are several examples. The surname is most probably from one in Hesse. Compare Alpaugh Albaugh and Allbaugh.

Albano : Italian:: 1: from the personal name Albano (from Latin Albanus; see Alban).2: habitational name from any of the places called Albano for example near Rome Potenza and Bergamo or for someone from a place called Alba (from an adjectival form of the placename) of which there are various examples.

Albro : English: habitational name from any of the places so named. The surname is mainly from Aldborough Norfolk but occasionally from Aldborough Yorkshire or Aldbrough East Yorkshire. All of these places are named with Old English (e)ald ‘old’ + burh ‘stronghold’.

Alce : English (Sussex and Cornwall):: 1: probably a shortened form of Alice (see Allis). Alse and Alce are common spellings of the personal name Alice in the 16th and 17th centuries.2: sometimes perhaps a variant of Halse with loss of H-.

Alderton : English: habitational name from any of a number of places called Alderton. Those in Suffolk and Shropshire (Alretuna in Domesday Book) are named with Old English alor + tūn meaning ‘the settlement by the alders’. Those in Gloucestershire Northamptonshire and Wiltshire are named with the Old English personal name Ealdhere meaning ‘settlement associated with Ealdhere’. The one in Essex contains a different personal name probably the woman's name Æthelwaru. In England the surname is most common in East Anglia making the places in Suffolk and Essex the most likely sources.

Alexandra : English: variant of Alexander apparently from the feminine form of the personal name. — Note: It is possible that in the population figure published by the US Census Bureau (which dropped from 644 in the year 2000 to 440 in the year 2010) the female personal name Alexandra of some American bearers is also counted as a surname. Some of these bearers may be from countries such as Indonesia where (hereditary) surnames are not in general use.

Alexson : Americanized form (and a Swedish variant) of Swedish Alexsson: patronymic from the personal name Alex. Both forms of the surname are rare in Sweden.

Allard : 1: English: from a Middle English personal name Alard Adelard Aylard or Elard. The former two names are usually of native English origin from Old English Æthelheard composed of the elements æthel ‘noble’ + heard ‘hard bold’. Alternatively the surname may be of continental origin from an ancient Germanic name (see 2 below) which developed in Old French to Alard and in Middle Dutch to Adelaert and Alaert. The continental names were used in post-Conquest England by Normans and Flemings. Later development of -ard to -ett and -att in surnames means that these personal names may also lie behind some examples of e.g. Allatt and Hallett.2: French: from the medieval personal name Alard from ancient Germanic Adelhard composed of the elements adal ‘noble’ + hard ‘hardy’. Compare Allar Allor Allord and Allore.

Allason : in Scotland a patronymic from the personal name Allan; compare Allanson. There has been some confusion with Allison: forms such as Dunkan Alleson 1587 in IGI (Dysart Fife) are ambiguous.

Allinder : 1: Swedish: ornamental name from the root Al- of the placename Alseda (a village and parish in Småland named from al ‘alder’) + the suffix -inder (probably adapted from Greek andros genitive of anēr ‘man’). This surname was adopted in NE by a Swedish family from Alseda; in this form it is not found in Sweden where surnames with the same or similar background are spelled Alinder and Ahlinder.2: English and Scottish: variant of Allender. This surname is not found in Britain.

Allington : English (southern): habitational name from any of at least nine different places called Allington two in Kent three in Wiltshire and one each in Dorset Devon Hampshire and Lincolnshire. These have different origins: those in Devon Wiltshire near Chippenham and Kent near Maidstone are from the Old English personal name Ælla + -ingtūn meaning ‘Ælla's farm’; those in Dorset Wiltshire near Devizes and Lincolnshire are named with Old English ætheling ‘prince' + tūn meaning ‘settlement of the prince’; those in Hampshire and Wiltshire near Amesbury are from the Old English personal name Ealda + tūn; and the one in Kent near Lenham is from the Old English personal name Æthelnōth + -ingtūn meaning ‘Æthelnōth's farm’.

Alloway : English and Scottish: from the Middle English personal name Alwi representing any of several Old English names: Ælfwīg Æthelwīg Ealdwīg and perhaps an unrecorded Ealhwīg. These personal names are composed of Old English ælf ‘elf sprite’ æthel ‘noble’ eald ‘old ancient’ ealh ‘temple’ + wīg ‘battle’. Compare Alvey.

Almendinger : German and Swiss German: habitational name for someone from a place called Allmendingen of which there are two examples in Switzerland in Bern canton and one in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.

Almodovar : Spanish (Almodóvar) and Portuguese (Almodôvar): habitational name from any of the places called Almodóvar in the provinces of Ciudad Real and Córdoba and near Cuenca Spain or from Almodôvar Portugal. These are named with Arabic al-mudawwar ‘the round the circular’ referring to a hill fort or other topographic feature.

Altemus : Altered form of South German Altmoos or of its variant Altemoos: topographic name meaning ‘old swamp’ or ‘old fen’ from Middle High German alt ‘old’ + mōs ‘swamp fen’ for someone living near swampy land. The surnames Altmoos and Altemoos are very rare in Germany. Compare Altemose and Altimus.

Alton : English:: 1: habitational name from any of the many places called Alton in Derbyshire Dorset Hampshire Leicestershire Staffordshire Wiltshire Worcestershire and elsewhere. The origin of the placename is various: Alton in Derbyshire and Alton Grange in Leicestershire probably have as their first element Old English (e)ald ‘old’. Those in Hampshire Dorset and Wiltshire are at the sources of rivers and are named in Old English as ‘settlement (tūn) at the river source (ǣwiell)’. Others derive from various Old English personal names; for example the one in Staffordshire is formed with an unattested personal name Ælfa and one in Worcestershire Eanulfintun in 1023 is ‘settlement associated with (-ing) Ēanwulf’. The surname may also be from Auton Stile in Durham Saint Oswalds (Durham) which is recorded as Altone c. 1200.2: variant of Olton. Compare Allton.

Amavizca : Basque: Castilianized form of Amabizka probably a shortened variant of a habitational name from the placename Amabizkar (in Castilian: Amavizcar) in Biscay Basque Country (Spain). Both forms of this surname Amavizca and Amabizka are very rare in Spain; the surname Amavizca is found mainly in Mexico.

Amelia : 1: Italian (mainly Lazio Campania) West Indian (Dutch Caribbean) and Indonesian: from the personal name Amelia a feminine form of Latin Amelius and Italian Amelio. As a West Indian surname it reflects the partially mother-oriented name culture of the formerly enslaved people in the West Indies (compare Martina). — Note: As a name from Indonesia or any other country where hereditary surnames are not in general use this name was registered as a surname only after immigration of its bearers to the US.2: Italian (mainly Lazio Campania): possibly also a habitational name from a place called Amelia in Umbria.

Amin : Arabic and Indian (northern states): from an Arabic personal name based on amīn ‘trustworthy faithful honest’. Al-Amīn ‘the trustworthy’ is an honorific title of the prophet Muhammad. The term is used in combination with other words to form compound names: for example Ruḥ-ul-Amīn ‘faithful spirit’ is an epithet of the Angel Gabriel mentioned in the Koran (26:193). In India the name came to be used as a term denoting a government official concerned with investigation of land claims and revenue claims collection of revenue and land surveying. Bearers of the Arabic surname are both Muslims and Christians. Compare Ameen Amen Amine.

Amos : 1: English and Scottish: variant of Amis assimilated in spelling to the Biblical name (see 2 below). It occurs chiefly in southeastern England.2: Jewish German English Scottish and Welsh: from the Hebrew personal name Amos of uncertain origin in some traditions connected with the Hebrew verb amos ‘to carry’ and assigned the meaning ‘borne by God’. This was the name of a Biblical prophet of the 8th century BC whose oracles are recorded in the Book of Amos. This was one of the Biblical names taken up by Puritans and Nonconformists in the 16th–17th centuries too late to have had much influence on surname formationm in Britain except in Wales.

An : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 安 meaning ‘peace safe’ or ‘calm’ in Chinese: (i) borne by descendants of immigrants from an ancient state called An Xi (安息) also known as the Parthian Empire (located in present-day northeastern Iran). Traditional accounts record that the legendary emperor Huang Di the ‘Yellow Emperor’ (c. 27th century BC) had a grandson named An who moved to the far west to establish An Xi losing contact with the Middle Kingdom. In 147 AD An Shigao (安世高) prince of the Parthian Empire (An Xi) came to China to preach Buddhism. Later some immigrants from the Parthian Empire (An Xi) adopted their tribal name An as their surname. (ii) adopted as a surname by the An Chi (安遲) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). (iii) from one of the ‘Nine Sogdian Surnames’ also known as ‘Nine Surnames of Zhaowu’ because their ancestors came from Zhaowu an ancient city in present-day Gansu province in northwestern China. During the Sui and Tang dynasties (581–987 AD) there were nine Sogdian states in Central Asia one of which was called An (安) in Chinese. Between 649 and 655 AD these states submitted to Emperor Gaozong of Tang (628–83 AD). (iv) possibly from An (安) the name of an ancient fief (located in Shanxi province).2: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 晏 see Yan 5.3: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 洪 see Hong 1.4: Korean: written 안 in Chinese characters 安 meaning ‘peace’. This is the only Chinese character for the surname An. Some sources indicate that there are 109 An clans but only six can be documented. All had one common founding ancestor named Yi Wŏn (李 瑗) who migrated from Tang China to the Shilla Kingdom in 807 AD. Yi had three sons who helped the Shilla king Kyŏngmun (861–75) to repel Japanese invaders. As a token of royal appreciation these three sons were enfeoffed with land and granted the surname An (安). It is now quite a common Korean surname and can be found throughout the peninsula. Compare Ahn 1.5: Vietnamese: from the Chinese surname 安 (see 1 above).6: Vietnamese (Ân): from the Chinese surname 殷 (see Yin 1).

Ana : 1: Hawaiian: unexplained.3: Italian (Sardinia): perhaps from a female personal name Ana of Spanish origin or a nickname from dialect (v)ana ‘vain’.2: Spanish and Indonesian: from the female personal name Ana (see Anna). — Note: As a name from Indonesia or any other country where hereditary surnames are not in general use this name was registered as a surname only after immigration of its bearers to the US.

Andary : Arabic (Lebanon): habitational name from Aïn Dâra a place in Lebanon. Bearers of this surname are mostly Christians.

Anderton : English: habitational name from any of the three places so named in Cheshire Lancashire and Devon. Those in Cheshire and Lancashire are named with the personal name Ēanrēd (Old English) or Eindrithi (Old Norse) + Old English tūn ‘settlement’. The Devon placename recorded as Underdon in 1270 means ‘below the down’.

Angear : from any of several places in western Cornwall such as Angear in Gwennap which are named as an ger ‘the fort’ (Middle Cornish an ‘the’ + *ker ‘fort’).

Angood : from the Norman French personal name An(s)got a form of Old Scandinavian Ásgautr Asgot influenced by the Continental Germanic cognate Ansgod; both are derived from Germanic roots *ans- ‘(pagan) god’ + *Gaut- a tribal name influenced in the latter case by god. The -s- is lost through simplification of the consonant cluster.

Anita : Hispanic Indonesian and West Indian (Dutch Caribbean): from the female personal name Anita Spanish pet form of Ana. As a West Indian surname it reflects the partially mother-oriented name culture of the formerly enslaved people in the West Indies (compare Martina). — Note: As a name from Indonesia or any other country where hereditary surnames are not in general use this name was registered as a surname only after immigration of its bearers to the US.

Annat : 1: see Annett. 2: given the Scottish distribution in 1881 possibly in some cases from Annat in Kiltarlity (Inverness) from Annat in Kilmadock (Perths) or from one of several other places so named in most cases from Gaelic annaid ‘church mother-church’ or ‘old ruined disused church(-site)’ though pre-1881 early bearers from Scotland are rare.

Ansara : Arabic: apparently related to the Arabic word for Pentecost (Whitsunday) al-ʿanṣara of Aramaic origin. Bearers of this surname are Christians.

Anstis : from a French-mediated form of the female personal name Anastasia. The masculine form Anastasius also existed and may have given rise to a patronymic. Both personal names are from adjectival forms of Greek anastasis ‘resurrection’.

Antcliff : English: habitational name from Arncliffe Yorkshire with loss of -r- and at a later stage an intrusive -t- or (less probably) from Arnecliff in Egton or Ingleby Arncliffe both in North Yorkshire. All are named from Old English earn ‘eagle’ (genitive plural earna) + clif ‘cliff’.

Anthony : 1: English and West Indian (mainly Antigua and Barbuda Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago also Dutch Caribbean): from the personal name Anthony Latin Antonius which with its variants and cognates is one of the commonest personal names in Europe. Spellings with -h- which first appear in English in the 16th century and in French (as Anthoine) at about the same time are due to the erroneous belief that the name derives from Greek anthos ‘flower’. The popularity of the personal name in Christendom is largely due to the cult of the Egyptian hermit Saint Anthony (AD 251–356) who in his old age gathered a community of hermits around him and for that reason is regarded by some as the founder of monasticism. It was further increased by the fame of Saint Anthony of Padua (1195–1231) who long enjoyed a great popular cult and who is believed to help people find lost things. In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates and derivatives (patronymics) from other languages for example Greek patronymic Antoniades Italian Antoni Polish Antoniewicz Croatian and Serbian Antonović (see Antonovich) and Antunović; see also below. The name Anthony is also found among Christians in southern India but since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Compare Antony.2: German Flemish and French (mainly Alsace): Latinized (humanistic) patronymic from local equivalents of the Latin personal name Antonius from its genitive form Antoni(i). In North America this surname is also an altered form of the German Dutch French and Slovak cognates Antoni 1 and Antony 2.

Anzai : Japanese: written 安西 literally ‘pacify the west’. This pronunciation is more common in eastern Japan and the island of Okinawa. In western Japan the same characters are usually pronounced Yasunishi.

Apley : English: habitational name from any of several minor places called Apley in Lincolnshire Shropshire or the Isle of Wight or from Appley in Somerset and Chicksands Priory Bedfordshire or from Appley Bridge in Lancashire. All are named with Old English æppel ‘apple’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.

Apollo : Italian Filipino and East African (Uganda Kenya): from the Latin personal name Apollo. There are several saints Apollo in the Christian Church including an Egyptian hermit and monastic leader who died in 395 AD. The personal name derives from the name in Greek and Roman mythology of the sun god Apollo an ancient Indo-European name found for example in Hittite as Apulana ‘god of the gate’ (from pula ‘gate’ cognate with Greek pylē) therefore ‘protector patron’.

Appenrodt : German: habitational name from any of several places in Germany which are so named from the personal name Aben + Middle German rot ‘cleared land’. Compare Abendroth.

Applegarth : English (northern) and Scottish: topographic name from northern Middle English applegarth ‘apple orchard’ (Old Norse apaldr ‘apple tree’ + garthr ‘enclosure’) or a habitational name from a place so named of which there are examples in Cumbria and North and East Yorkshire as well as in the county of Dumfries.

Applewhite : English:: 1: variant of Hebblethwaite.2: variant of Applethwaite a habitational name from a place called Applethwaite from Old English æppel or Old Norse apaldr ‘apple tree’ + Old Norse thveit ‘meadow’. There are two such places in Cumbria. Applethwaite is also recorded as a surname from the 13th century in Suffolk England pointing to a lost placename there. The form Applewhite now found predominantly in Lincolnshire goes back to the 16th century in Suffolk.

Appleyard : English (northern): topographic name for someone who lived by an apple orchard Middle English appleyard or a habitational name from Appleyard in Yorkshire with the same etymology. There are several places called with this term of which the most significant as a source of surnames is in Yorkshire. It is also an Americanized form of Applegarth which in Scandinavian-speaking areas replaced the native Appleton.

Arab : Arabic: ethnic name for an Arab from ʿarab a collective meaning literally ‘Arabdom Arabs’. The surname is most frequent in countries such as Iran and Algeria that were not populated by ethnic Arabs in the first millennum; its bearers are both Muslims and Christians.

Arakawa : Japanese: written 荒川 ‘wild river’. It is a topographic name probably referring to the Arakawa River which drains the Kantō Plain into Tokyo Bay. There are other rivers of the same name. This surname is mainly found in eastern Japan.

Aram : 1: from Averham (Notts) which is recorded as Aigrun in 1086 Ægrum in about 1180 Earom in 1276 Agheram in 1277 Aram in 1280 and Averam in 1316. The etymology of the place-name is uncertain. It may derive from Latin augurium Medieval Latin *agurium ‘omen’ with reference to the well-known phenomenon called the eagre a tidal bore on the river Trent. 2: from one or more of the places in Yorks with names derived from Old Scandinavian *ǽrgum ‘at the shielings’ (dative plural of *ǽrgi ‘shieling pasture’) such as Arram in Atwick Argam in Hunmanby and Arram in Leconfield (all ER Yorks) Airyholme in Hovingham Airy Hill in Whitby Airy Holme in Great Ayton and Eryholme (all NR Yorks) which are recorded as Erghum Ergom and similar in medieval documents.

Arata : 1: Italian (northern): topographic name for someone who lived near an area of cultivated land from (terra) arata ‘cultivated (land)’ or a habitational name from a place called with this word as for example Arata in Piedmont.2: Japanese: written 荒田 ‘wild rice paddy’. It is found in the Ryūkyū Islands and listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku. Another version is 新田 ‘new rice paddy’ but this name is more usually pronounced Nitta or Shinden in Japan proper. All three names are found in western Japan.

Arca : 1: Galician and Portuguese: habitational name from any of the places called Arca in Pontevedra province (Galicia Spain) or northern Portugal or a topographic name. Both are formed with arca ‘chest’ but probably in the cultural (architectural) sense of ‘arch’.2: Italian (Sardinia): nickname or occupational name from arca ‘chest storehouse’ and in dialect also meaning ‘place for housing of livestock’ or a habitational name for someone from any of various places called Arca.

Archibald : Scottish and English: from a personal name Archibald of Anglo-Norman French and (ultimately) ancient Germanic origin (see Archambault). In the Highlands of Scotland it was taken as an Anglicized equivalent of the Gaelic personal name Gille Easbaig ‘servant of the bishop’ (see Gillespie) probably because of the approximate phonetic similarity between Arch(i)bald and easbaig. Both Archibald and Gillespie are personal names much favored among Clan Campbell.

Ardon : 1: Hispanic (mainly Honduras El Salvador and Guatemala; Ardón): habitational name from Ardón in León province Spain. Compare Dardon 1.2: French and Dutch (of French origin): from the ancient Germanic personal name Hardo a pet form of a name based on the element hard ‘hard strong’ (compare Ardoin).3: French: habitational name from any of several places called Ardon e.g. in Jura from Gaulish Aredunum (composed of are ‘in front of’ + dunum ‘hill’). Compare Dardon 2.

Ardrey : Scottish and northern Irish: habitational name from Airdrie the name of several farms and minor places in Nairn Fife and Kirkcudbrightshire as well as Airdrie near Glasgow. The origins of the placenames are uncertain; in some cases it is said to represent Gaelic árd ruigh ‘high reach’ or ‘high slope’.

Arensdorf : 1: Altered form of German Ahrensdorf: habitational name from a place called Ahrensdorf ‘village of Ahrens’ (see Arend and Dorf). There are several places called Ahrensdorf north and south of Berlin.2: Luxembourgish: cognate of 1 above.

Argenbright : Americanized form of German Erkenbrecht or Erckenbrecht: from an ancient Germanic personal name composed of Old High German erkan ‘pure perfect’ + berht ‘bright famous’. The surnames Erkenbrecht and Erckenbrecht are very rare in Germany. Compare Argabright Arganbright and Ercanbrack.

Ariail : French (mainly Loire-Atlantique): variant of Arriail a habitational name from Arriail a place in Gironde. Both surnames Ariail and Arriail are very rare in France.

Aris : 1: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Arras in Pas-de-Calais France.2: English: habitational name from one of two places called Arras in East Yorkshire. Both are derived from the plural of Old Norse erg ‘hut shelter’.3: Galician (Arís): habitational name from Arís in Pontevedra (Galicia Spain) an ancient placename derived from Latin villa Alarici from the name of its owner Alaricus of Visigothic origin.4: Catalan (Arís): probably from an old personal name. This surname is also found in southern France.

Arledge : English: variant of Aldrich or Aldridge. A few bearers of the name are recorded in southern England in the 17th–19th centuries but the name appears to have died out in Britain.

Arndorfer : South German (Arndörfer) and Austrian German: habitational name for someone from a place called Arndorf of which there are three examples in Bavaria and one in Styria Austria. The surname Arndörfer is very rare in Germany.

Arora : Indian (Punjab): from the name of a mercantile community of the Punjab. It is derived from a placename Aror (now called Rohri in Sindh Pakistan). According to legend the Aroras are of Kshatriya stock but denied their Kshatriya origin in order to escape persecution by Paras Ram (parašurāma in Sanskrit means ‘Rama with the axe’). They called themselves Aur which means ‘someone else’ in Hindi and Punjabi.

Asa : 1: Japanese: written 朝 or 旦 both meaning ‘morning’. However the most likely meaning is 麻 ‘hemp’ which would make it a topographic or occupational name. All forms are found mostly in Amami one of the Ryūkyū Islands.2: Spanish (Navarre): unexplained.

Asante : West African (Ghana): ethnic name for a member of the Ashanti (originally Asante) people of Ghana which are part of the Akan ethnic group.

Ashberry : see Astbury. The medieval bearers cited below are probably not the source of the modern surname: Redmonds notes that there is no evidence for the survival of the Middle English surname in 15th-century Sheffield or nearby places and since the post-medieval name there shares its spellings with variants of Astbury this is the more likely source.

Ashbolt : variant of Archibald via some intermediate step such as Archbolt Ashbole or Ashbold. However the first of these is not recorded (though its existence can be presupposed by Archbutt) whilst the second and third are recorded only long after the medieval period.

Ashfield : English: habitational name from either of two places called Ashfield in Shropshire and Suffolk or possibly from any of numerous minor places called Ashfield; these are named from Old English æsc ‘ash’ + feld ‘open country’.

Ashford : English: habitational name from any of several places called Ashford. Those in Devon Derbyshire and Shropshire are named from Old English æsc ‘ash’ + ford ‘ford’. One in Middlesex is first recorded in 969 as Ecelesford and is probably from the personal name Eccel a diminutive of Ecca ‘edge (of a sword)’ + ford. The one in Kent is from æscet ‘clump of ash trees’ + ford.

Ashkar : Arabic (mainly Syria and Lebanon): from the personal name Ashqar from Arabic ashqar ‘blond’. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians. Compare Achkar.

Ashland : 1: English: variant of Ashling itself a variant of Aslin. The name may also be a topographic or habitational name for residence on or near land covered with ash trees. There are minor places called Ashland(s) in Hampshire Sussex Leicestershire Staffordshire and Galloway.2: Americanized form of Norwegian Åsland (see Osland 2) or Askeland.3: Americanized form of French Canadian Asselin 2.

Ashton : English: habitational name from any of numerous places so called especially Ashton-under-Lyne near Manchester. Most are named from Old English æsc ‘ash tree’ + tūn ‘settlement’; the one in Northamptonshire is (æt thǣm) æscum ‘(at the) ash trees’. Others have been assimilated to this from different sources. The one in Devon is ‘the settlement (tūn) of Æschere’ while the one in Hertfordshire is ‘the settlement of Ælli’.

Ashurst : English (Lancashire): habitational name from any of various places called Ashurst from Old English æsc ‘ash tree’ + hyrst ‘wooded hill'. The most significant of these places are in Kent and West Sussex but in England the surname is now found chiefly in south Lancashire where it probably derives from Ashurst Beacon and Ashurst Hall near Wigan.

Askham : from Askham Bryan and Askham Richard (WR Yorks) which are recorded as Ascam in 1086 and Askham in the 12th century and perhaps also from Askham (Notts) which is recorded as Ascam in 1086 Ascham in 1167 and Askham in 1329. The place-names derive from Old English æsc ‘ash-tree’ + hām ‘homestead village’ with the first element replaced or influenced by Old Scandinavian askr ‘ash-tree’.perhaps occasionally from Askham (Westm) which is recorded as Ascum Askum Askom in the 13th century. The place-name derives from Old Scandinavian askum ‘at the ash-trees’ (the dative plural form of askr).

Aspden : English: habitational name from Aspden (alias Aspen) in Oswaldtwistle Lancashire. This surname has been confused with Ashton and Austin and probably also with Aston and Astin all of which are common surnames in Lancashire.

Aspley : 1: from Aspley in Brewood or Aspley in Eccleshall (both Staffs) or from Aspley Heath in Tanworth in Arden or perhaps the lost Aspley in Wixford (both Warwicks). All these place-names are from Old English æspe ‘aspen tree’ + lēah ‘wood glade’. 2: from Apsley End in Kings Langley (Herts). 3: from Aspley Guise (Beds) or possibly from Apsley End in Shillington (also Beds). 4: perhaps occasionally from another of the many places called Apsley or Aspley (the metathesis operates in both directions) such as Apsley Farm in Thakeham (Sussex) Apsley in Ellesborough (Bucks) and Aspley Hall in Radford (Notts).

Assad : Arabic:: 1: from a personal name Asʿad ‘happiest luckiest’ a superlative adjective derived from saʿīd ‘happy lucky’. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians. Compare Asaad and Asad.2: nickname or ornamental name from asad ‘lion’ connoting nobility and bravery. Compare Asad.

Astorino : Italian (southern): from a diminutive of the nickname astore literally ‘goshawk’. Italian astore is an adaptation of Occitan astor which displaced its Old Italian cognate accettore in the era of the troubadours. Both forms are derived from Latin acceptor ‘hawk’.

Atieh : Arabic (mainly the Levant): variant of Atiyeh. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians.

Atiyeh : Arabic (mainly Jordan and Lebanon): from a personal name based on ʿaṭiyyah ‘gift present’ originally forming part of the compound name ʿAṭiyyat-Allāh ‘gift of God’. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians. Compare Atieh and Attia.

Attia : 1: Arabic: variant of Atiyeh. Bearers of this surname are both Muslims and Christians.2: Jewish (Sephardic): from Arabic ʿaṭiyyah ‘gift present’; most likely a calque of a Jewish personal name with a similar meaning in Hebrew (for example Nathan Jonathan or Nathaniel).

Awa : 1: Filipino: nickname from Tagalog awa ‘mercy’.2: Japanese: usually written 粟 ‘millet’ or 淡 ‘pale’. It is also written phonetically in several variations the most common of which are two habitational names: 阿波 former province now Tokushima prefecture and 安房 former province now part of Chiba prefecture. In the Ryūkyū Islands the name is written phonetically 安和 and pronounced Ā.3: West African (Nigeria): from the Igbo personal name Awa unexplained.

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Surname frequency

Geographic distribution of the 6,774 individuals with the name ARE on Geneanet.

This last name in the family trees

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