Origin
In : 1: Chinese: variant of Yin.2: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 阮 see Ruan 3.3: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 袁 see Yuan 1.4: Korean: name of a family that migrated from China to Korea during the reign of Shilla's 3rd-century king Sŏk Yu-rye (284–98). The founding ancestor In So established a clan seat in the Kyodong area of Chŏlla North Province. Another clan seat was subsequently established by his descendent In Pin during the Koryŏ period. The surname is not common in Korea.5: Cambodian: written អ៊ិន unexplained.
Aaby : Norwegian and Danish (also Åby): habitational name from a place called Aaby or Åby from å (old spelling aa) ‘stream small river’ + Old Norse býr ‘farm’. In Norway this is a farm name in five places.
Aalderink : Dutch: habitational name from any of several farmhouses named Aalderink (originally Alardinck) located in the eastern Netherlands in the villages of Laren Lenthe Zelhem Hertme Breklenkamp and Warken once belonging to a certain Alard and his kin. The personal name Alard is from the ancient Germanic personal name Adelhard composed of the elements adel ‘noble’ and hard ‘hardy’. Compare Alderink.
Aalto : Finnish: ornamental name from aalto ‘wave’ adopted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in western and southern Finland (compare Laine 4). Compare also Alto.
Aaron : Jewish English Welsh West Indian Guyanese and African (mainly Nigeria): from the Biblical Hebrew personal name Aharon (which was Latinized as Aaron) borne by the first high priest of the Israelites the brother of Moses (Exodus 4:14). Like Moses it is probably of Egyptian origin with a meaning no longer recoverable. In England and Wales the name comes from the occasional adoption of Aaron as a Christian personal name. In south Wales for example where fixed surnames developed much later than in England it was coined independently as a surname in the 17th–19th centuries reflecting the enthusiasm for Old Testament personal names among Nonconformists.
Aase : Norwegian (also Åse) and Swedish (mainly Åse): topographic name from an inflected form of ås ‘ridge’. This is also a common habitational name in Norway from any of about 30 places called with this word.
Aasen : Norwegian and Swedish (also Åsen): topographic name from åsen ‘the ridge’. In Norway this is also a habitational name from any of numerous farms so named all over the country.
Abadia : Spanish: topographic name or metonymic occupational name denoting a lay person who lived and/or worked at an abbey or nunnery (abadía from Latin abbatia) or a habitational name from any of several places called Abadía for example in Cáceres.
Abadie : French: topographic name for someone living near an abbey or a family chapel from a southern derivative of Late Latin abbatia ‘priest's house’; or a habitational name from Abadie the name of several places in southwestern France. Compare Labadie.
Abadilla : Spanish: habitational name probably from La Abadilla in Cantabria named with a diminutive of abadía ‘abbey’.
Abalos : Spanish (Ábalos): habitational name from Ábalos in La Rioja province. Compare Avalos.
Aban : Spanish: unexplained. This surname is most common in the Philippines.
Abanto : Spanish: habitational name from Abanto in Zaragoza or Abanto y Ciérvana in Biscay Basque Country or any of various other places called Abanto.
Abar : 2: Possibly also Basque: topographic name from abar ‘branch(es) firewood’. This surname is very rare in Spain.1: Altered form of French Hébert (see Hebert).
Abarca : Spanish:: 2: habitational name from the village of Abarca in the province of Palencia.1: nickname from abarca a type of traditional sandal no doubt bestowed on someone who habitually wore such sandals.
Abascal : Spanish: habitational name probably from Abascal de Lemos a village in Cantabria.
Abate : Italian: from abate ‘priest’ (from Late Latin abbas ‘priest’ genitive abbatis). It could be a nickname perhaps given to someone who behaved in a priest-like manner an occupational name for the servant of a priest or it may denote an (illegitimate) son of a priest. Compare Labate.
Abay : 1: Ethiopian: from the Tigrinya and Amharic personal name Abay which is interpreted as ‘big great’ in the Tigrinya language and is also the Ethiopian (Amharic) name for the Blue Nile. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.2: Turkish: from the personal name Abay of Turkish or Turkic origin interpreted as e.g. ‘skill’ or ‘awareness’ also ‘big brother’.
Abba : 1: variant of Abbey reflecting a common post-medieval northern pronunciation. 2: a Muslim name in Britain although there is no dictionary word of this form in Arabic. 3: from Latin and ultimately Hebrew abbas ‘father’. Compare Abate.
Abbasi : Muslim (Indian subcontinent and Iran): surname denoting descent from or association with someone called Abbas in particular association with Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib an uncle (died 652) of the prophet Muhammad the ancestor of the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs who ruled the Islamic world from 750 to 1258.
Abbe : 1: English: from the Middle English personal name Abbe which is usually a pet form of the female name Aubrey but may sometimes be a pet form of a male name beginning with Ab- namely Abel Abraham or Absalom. This surname is rare in Britain.2: English: occasionally perhaps also a variant of Abbey.3: German: from a pet form of the personal name Albrecht (see Albert).4: French (Abbé): from abbé ‘priest abbot’ presumably a metonymic occupational name for someone employed in the household of a priest or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a priest or an abbot in appearance or behavior. Compare Labbe.
Abberley : from Abberley (Worcs) which is recorded as Edboldelega in 1086 Abbodeley in 1327 and Abburley in 1478. The place-name derives from the Old English personal name Ēadbald + lēah ‘open woodland’ but was occasionally treated as if the first element were abbod ‘abbot’.
Abbey : English:: 1: from Anglo-Norman and Middle English abbeye abbaye ‘abbey’ i.e. a community of monks under an abbot or of nuns under an abbess (Old French abeie Late Latin abbatia ‘priest's house’) applied as a topographic name for someone living in or near an abbey or an occupational name for someone working in one.2: (of Norman origin): nickname from Anglo-Norman French abé abbé ‘priest’. See also French Labbe.
Abbot : English and Scottish: variant of Abbott. The spelling with one -t is more typically Scottish than English and in Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland this is sometimes an Anglicized form of McNabb.
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.
Abboud : 1: Arabic: from a French-influenced variant of the nickname ʿAbbūd a hypocoristic -ū extension from ʿabd ‘servant slave (of God)’ used in theophoric ʿAbd- names like ʿAbdullāh (see Abdullah) and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān (see Abdelrahman). This surname is found among both Muslims and Christians.2: Jewish (from the Levant): from the personal name borrowed from Muslims (see 1 above).
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.
Abdale : see Apedaile. Compare George Apedaile 1727 Frances Apedale 1762 Margaret Abdale 1841 in IGI (Auckland Saint Andrew Durham).
Abdel : Muslim: from an Arabic personal name based on ʿabd al ‘servant of the […]’ (literally ‘slave of the […]’). In Arabic personal names ʿAbd al (or ʿAbd el ʿAbdel) is normally a component of a compound name referring to an attribute of Allah for example ʿAbd al-Ḥakīm ‘servant of the All-Wise’. See also Abdul.
Abdi : 1: Muslim: from the Arabic personal name Abdī a short form of Abdul.2: Muslim (mainly Pakistan): Urdu variant of Abidi (see Abedi).3: Somali: from a Somali Muslim personal name a short form of Abdulle and thus a cognate of 1 above. It is also found in Ethiopia Kenya and Djibouti. — Note: Since Somalis traditionally do not have hereditary surnames this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.4: Ethiopian: from the Oromo personal name Abdi meaning ‘hope’ in the Oromo language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Abdikadir : Somali: from a Somali Muslim personal name from Arabic Abdelqader. It is also found in Kenya and Djibouti. — Note: Since Somalis traditionally do not have hereditary surnames this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Abdirahman : Somali: from a Somali Muslim personal name from Arabic Abdelrahman. It is also found in Ethiopia Kenya and Djibouti. — Note: Since Somalis traditionally do not have hereditary surnames this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Abdon : English: habitational name from Abdon in Shropshire (named in Old English with the personal name Abba + tūn ‘settlement’).
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.
Abduljabbar : Muslim (also Abdul-Jabbar): from the Arabic personal name ʿAbdul-Jabbār ‘servant of the All-Compelling’ (see Jabbar). In North America this surname is also found among African Americans.
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.
Abdullahi : 1: Muslim (mainly Nigeria Somalia Kenya and Ethiopia also Ghana): from the personal name Abdullahi a regional variant of Abdullah. — Note: Since Somalis (also from e.g. Ethiopia) do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.2: In some cases also Albanian (mainly Kosovo): from the Muslim personal name Abdullah (Albanian definite form Abdullahi).
Abdulle : Somali: from a Somali Muslim personal name from Arabic Abdullah. — Note: Since Somalis traditionally do not have hereditary surnames this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Abdy : from Middle English abbodie ‘an estate belonging to an abbey’ (Anglo-Norman French abbedi ‘abbacy property or jurisdiction of an abbot’ Latin abbatia compare Abbey). The Yorks surname derives from Abdy in Brampton Bierlow (WR Yorks) which is recorded as Abbedi in about 1260 Abdye in 1345. The 13th-century charter states that the land in Abbedi was held of the monks of Monk Bretton Priory.
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.
Abebe : Ethiopian: from the personal name Abebe which is interpreted as ‘he blossomed’ in the Amharic language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Abedi : Muslim (mainly Iran): surname denoting descent from or association with someone called Abed in particular from/with the fourth imam of the Shiites. Compare Abidi.
Abedin : Muslim (mainly Bangladesh and India): from a personal name based on Arabic ʿābidīn ‘worshipers’ (plural of ʿābid; see Abed) which is also found in compound names such as Zain ul-ʿĀbidīn ‘ornament of the worshipers’ an attribute of Ali ibn Husayn (c. 659–713) the fourth imam of the Shiites. Compare Abdin.
Abee : 1: Americanized form of Swiss German Äbi (see Eby).2: Probably also a shortened form of Irish McAbee.3: Possibly also an Americanized form of French Abbé see Abbe.4: In some cases possibly also Dutch: from the personal name Abe a shortened form of Albert or Albrecht. It may also be from the initials A. B. as in the case of at least one surname in Groningen.
Abeita : Hispanic: variant of Abeyta common among Native Americans (mainly Pueblos) in NM.
Abel : 1: English German Dutch Danish Norwegian French Spanish and Polish; Slovak (mainly Ábel) and Czech (also Ábel): from the Biblical personal name Abel Slovak Ábel which was used in continental Europe from the sixth century. After the Norman Conquest it was introduced to England and Scotland where it had a brief currency in the 12th and 13th centuries before being revived in England after the Reformation. In the Book of Genesis Abel is a son of Adam murdered by his brother Cain (Genesis 4:1–8). In Christian tradition he is regarded as a representative of suffering innocence. The Hebrew form of the name is Hebel (Latinized as Abel) from a vocabulary word meaning ‘breath’.2: German: from the personal name Abel a pet form of Albrecht.
Abelard : French and Haitian (also Abélard): from a derivative of the personal name Abel possibly under influence of ancient Germanic names ending in -hard.
Abella : 1: Catalan Galician and Spanish: habitational name from any of several places called Abella in Catalonia Galicia and Cantabria (Spain) notably Abella de la Conca in Catalonia.2: Catalan and Galician: from abella ‘bee’ hence a nickname for a small active person or perhaps an occupational name for a beekeeper.3: Galician (Abellá): habitational name from the placename Abellá in A Coruña province Galicia (Spain).4: Catalan (Abellà): variant of Avellà (see Avella).5: Italian (mainly Sicily): variant of Avella or possibly from a rare feminine form of the Biblical name Abele (see Abel). The surname may also be of Spanish or Catalan origin (see above).
Abellera : Hispanic (mainly Philippines): Castilianized form of Galician Abelleira a habitational name from any of numerous places in Galicia (Spain) so named from abelleira ‘beehive’.
Abend : 1: German: from Middle High German ābent ‘evening’ possibly applied as a topographic name for someone living to the west of a settlement.2: German: habitational name from any of the places so named in Saxony.3: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Abend ‘evening’.
Abendano : Basque (Abendaño): habitational name from Abendaño in Araba/Álava province Basque Country (Spain). Compare Avendano.
Abendroth : German: apparently from the vocabulary word Abendrot(h) Middle High German ābentrōt ‘sunset’ (compare Abend) but in many if not all cases actually a folk-etymological alteration of Appenrodt or of its cognate Appenroth.
Abendschein : South German: ornamental name meaning ‘evening light’. The word Abendschein is of relatively recent origin; it was used in the 17th century by Baroque writers as a name of their circle. Compare Auvenshine and Obenchain.
Abera : Ethiopian: from the male personal name Abera which is interpreted as ‘he illuminated’ in the Amharic language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Abercrombie : Scottish: habitational name from a place in Fife named Abercrombie (earlier Abercrumbin) which is of Pictish origin meaning ‘mouth of the Cromb or Crombie (bending river)’.
Aberdeen : Scottish: habitational name from the city of Aberdeen in northeast Scotland. The placename which originally denoted the old city to the north of modern Aberdeen derives from Pictish aber ‘confluence river-mouth’ + the river name Don (named for the Celtic goddess Devona).
Abernathy : Scottish: habitational name from Abernethy in southeastern Perthshire. The placename is of Pictish origin meaning ‘mouth of the river Nethy’.
Abery : 1: from Avebury (Wilts) which is recorded as Aveberia in 1196 Avenebyr' in 1268 Abury in 1386 Aubury in 1494 Abery in 1535 and Awbery alias Avebury in 1689. The place-name derives from Old English burg ‘stronghold fortified place’ with an uncertain first element possibly the Old English personal name Afa (genitive Afan). 2: variant of Aubrey. Some of the examples below may alternatively belong under (3). 3: variant of Albury. The 1579 example below may alternatively belong to (2).
Abey : English: habitational name from Aby in Lincolnshire. The placename derives from Old Norse á ‘river stream’ + bȳ ‘settlement village’.
Abeyta : Hispanic: altered form of Basque Beitia. The surname Abeyta is common among Native Americans (mainly Pueblos) in NM. Compare Abeita and Avitia.
Abinger : from Abinger (Surrey) which is recorded as Abbingeworth in 1225 and Abbyngere in 1558. The place-name probably means ‘enclosure of the people of a man called Abba’ from the Old English personal name Abba + the group-name suffix -ingas (genitive -inga-) + worð ‘enclosure curtilage’.
Abitz : East German:: 1: from a vernacular form of the personal name A(da)lbert (see Albert).2: habitational name from a placename in eastern Germany of Slavic origin.
Ablard : probably a post-medieval variant of Ablett (1). Compare William Ablard 1703 Richd. Ablet 1749 in IGI (Boston Lincs); Edwd Ablard 1745 Anne Ablett 1749 in IGI (North Thoresby Lincs); and Richard Ablet Frances Ablerd 1788 in IGI (Scrivelsby Lincs).
Able : 1: English: variant of Abel. In North America this surname may also absorbed cognates from other languages.2: South German: from a pet form of the personal name Albrecht.
Abler : German: variant of Habler which is a diminutive of Haber ‘grower of or dealer in oats’.
Ableson : from the Middle English personal name Abel + son. The intrusive -t- in Ableston(e) shows post-medieval confusion between names in -son and names in -ston(e). Compare the locative name Sibson from an earlier Sibston.
Abner : 1: English: from a Biblical personal name meaning in Hebrew ‘God is (my) light’ which was popular among the Puritans especially among early settlers in New England but also in the southern states. In the First and Second Books of Samuel Abner is Saul's uncle and the commander of his army who is eventually cut down by Joab (II Samuel 3:12–39). This surname is very rare in Britain.2: Probably also an Americanized form of German Ebner.
Abney : English: habitational name from a place in Derbyshire named Abney from the Old English personal name Abba (+ genitive -n) + Old English ēg ‘island’.
Abo : 1: Japanese: usually written 安保 meaning ‘peaceful’ and ‘guarantee’ or 阿保 meaning ‘flatter’ and ‘guarantee’ with characters used phonetically. It is mainly found in eastern Japan. An ancient variant pronounced Aho is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku.2: Muslim: variant of Abu. Compare Abbo.3: Filipino: nickname from abo meaning ‘ash’ and ‘gray’ in Tagalog and some other languages of the Philippines.4: Norwegian (Åbø): from the name of several farms a compound of Old Norse á ‘stream river’ + bǿr ‘farm’.
Aboytes : Spanish (found mainly in Mexico): variant of Asturian Aboites unexplained.
Abraha : Ethiopian: from the Tigrinya male personal name Abraha a cognate of Amharic Abreha which is interpreted as ‘he illuminated’ in the Ge’ez or related languages. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Abrahall : from Aberhall in Hentland (Herefs) which is recorded as Aberhale in 1334. The place-name may mean ‘Eadburg's nook’ from the Old English female personal name Ēadburg (genitive Ēadburge) + halh ‘nook corner’ though the first element is uncertain.
Abraham : 1: English French Spanish German Slovenian Ethiopian and Assyrian/Chaldean; Hungarian (Ábrahám) Slovak (mainly Abrahám also Ábrahám) Czech (also Abrahám): from the Hebrew personal name ʾAbraham (modern spelling Avraham) borne by the Biblical patriarch revered by Jews as the founding father of the Jewish people (Genesis 11–25) and by Muslims as founder of all the Semitic peoples both Hebrew and Arab (compare Ibrahim). The original name of the Biblical patriarch was probably Abram meaning ‘high father’ (from ab father ram ‘exalted’) while its later form is explained in Genesis 17:5 as being derived from Hebrew ab hamon goyim ‘father of a multitude of nations’. It was widely used as a personal name among Christians as well as Jews in the Middle Ages. The name Abraham 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. As a surname of Hungarian origin Abraham is also found in Romania. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames the Ethiopian name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.2: Irish: adoption of the English name (see 1 above) as an equivalent of Gaelic Mac an Bhreitheamhan ‘son of the judge’. See McBroom and compare Breheny.
Abrahamian : Armenian: patronymic from the Biblical personal name Abraham. It is a variant of eastern Armenian Abrahamyan and western Armenian Aprahamian found mainly in the US Iran and Lebanon.
Abram : 1: English German Dutch Polish Slovenian Croatian and Jewish; Hungarian (Ábrám): from a shortened form of the Biblical personal name Abraham.2: English: habitational name from a place near Manchester recorded as Adburgham in the 12th century Abraham in the late 14th century and Abram in the 15th. The placename is from the Old English female personal name Ēadburg + hām ‘homestead’ meaning ‘Ēadburg's homestead’.
Abramian : Armenian: variant of Abramyan found mainly in the US.
Abramyan : Armenian: patronymic from the personal name Abram or a Russianized form of Abrahamyan. This surname is found mainly in Russia. Compare Abramian.
Abrantes : Portuguese: habitational name from the town of Abrantes in Santarém district. This surname is also found in Spain.
Abrell : South German: from Middle High German aberëlle ‘April’ hence perhaps a nickname for a moody or temperamental man with reference to the changeable weather typical of that month. Alternatively it may have been applied to someone with a particular connection with the month of April for example as the month in which an annual payment was due.
Abreu : Portuguese and Galician: habitational name from a place called Abreu in Minho province (Portugal). Compare De Abreu.
Absalom : English and Welsh (mainly southern): from the Old Testament Hebrew personal name Abshalom ‘father of peace’. In the Middle Ages this was occasionally used as a personal name in France from where it was introduced to England after the Norman Conquest. During the 17th century through the influence of the King James Bible and due to the popularity of the Biblical story of Absalom the adored but rebellious son of King David in the King James Bible (II Samuel 13-19) Absalom became the standard vernacular English form of the personal name and hence the source of this surname.
Absher : Variant of Abshire. This surname is most common in NC.
Abshier : Variant of Abshire. This surname is most common in TX.
Abshire : 1: Probably an altered form of English Upsher.2: Possibly also an Americanized form of German Ibscher: from Middle High German überscher ‘surplus’ applied as a nickname for someone who lived on surplus land that had not been allotted during the establishment of a settlement. The surname Abshire is found mainly in LA and TX. Compare Abshear Absher and Abshier.
Abson : English (Yorkshire): from the Middle English personal name Abbe + -son. Derivation as a habitational name from Abson in Gloucestershire is possible but unlikely as there is no medieval evidence of this as a surname in or near Gloucestershire.
Abston : 1: Possibly an altered form of English Osbiston a habitational name from Osabaldeston in Lancashire named with the Old English personal name Osbald + tūn ‘settlement’.2: Alternatively perhaps an altered form of English Abson.
Abt : 1: German and Dutch: from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch abt ‘abbot’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a servant of an abbot or a nickname for someone thought to resemble an abbot in some way. In some instances it may have been a topographic or habitational name referring to a house named with this word.2: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): variant of Abt a habitational name from Opatów in Poland.
Abu : 1: Muslim: abstracted as a surname from Arabic abū ‘father’ a common component of traditional Muslim names. It is used to form the kunya (a type of name meaning ‘father of’ such as Abū-Bakr literally ‘father of the Young Camel’; see Abubakr) in combination with the name of a man's child usually his firstborn son (or hoped-for firstborn). In traditional Muslim society a man is generally known and addressed by his kunya rather than by his ism (his personal name) the use of which can seem unduly familiar. A kunya may also be used to form a nickname as in the case of Abū-Turāb ʿAlī ‘ʿAlī father of dust’ the kunya of caliph Ali conferred on him by the prophet Muhammad. — Note: It is possible that in some cases this is counted as an independent surname only in the population figure published by the US Census Bureau.2: Muslim and Jewish (Sephardic from the Maghreb): from the Arabic male personal name ʿAbbū a pet form of any of the many names beginning with ʿAbd ‘servant’.3: West African (Sierra Leone Ghana and Nigeria): probably of Arabic origin (see 1 and 2 above).
Abuan : Filipino: topographic name from the name of a river in northern Philippines.
Abukar : Somali: from a Somali Muslim personal name a shortened and altered form of Arabic Abū-Bakr (see Abubakr). — Note: Since Somalis traditionally do not have hereditary surnames this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Aca : 1: Spanish (mainly Cádiz): unexplained. This surname is very rare in Spain.2: Hispanic and Amerindian (Mexico): from a Castilianized form of Nahuatl (Aztec) ácatl ‘reed’.
Acampora : Italian (southern mainly Campania):: 1: habitational name from Campora in Salerno province.2: occasionally it may be variant of Acanfora: from the medieval personal name Canfora from canfora ‘camphor’ (from Arabic kāfūr).
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’.
Accleton : of uncertain origin; perhaps an unvoiced variant of Eggleton. Compare Mary Eggleton 1779 in IGI (Chatham Kent) with the 1833 bearer below.
Accurso : Italian (southern mainly Sicily): variant of Accorso from a medieval personal name meaning ‘help assistance’ often also found in the compound form Bonaccorso ‘good help’.
Acebedo : Spanish and Galician: variant of Acevedo. This surname is also found in the Philippines. Compare Asebedo.
Acebo : Spanish: habitational name from a place called Acebo for example in Cáceres province. The placename is from acebo ‘holly’ (from Latin aquifolium literally ‘sharp-leafed’).
Acedo : Spanish:: 2: habitational name from Acedo a town in Navarre.1: from acedo ‘sour’ (from Latin acetum ‘vinegar’) a nickname for someone of a sour or vinegary disposition.
Acerra : Italian (southern): habitational name from Acerra in Naples province.
Aceto : Italian: from the medieval name Aceto in origin either a nickname from aceto ‘vinegar’ (metaphorically ‘sour’) or a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of vinegar.
More
Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
FANBI : The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, ©2021, University of the West of England
Subject to the Terms and Conditions of Ancestry
