Origin
Island : Norwegian: habitational name from any of the four farmsteads so named. The origin of their name is not certain; it may be a compound of is ‘ice’ + land ‘(piece of) land farmstead’ or from Island ‘Iceland’ (the name of the country).
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.
Albion : variant of Alban or Albin influenced by the place-name Albion an archaic name for Britain. The latter is an ancient Greek and Latin representation found in Ptolemy Pliny and elsewhere of the ancient Brittonic name of this island. Metathesis of forms such as Alibone itself a variant of Alban may have resulted in the form Albion.
Anglesey : Welsh: habitational name from the island of Anglesey (Welsh name: Ynys Môn) which is recorded as Anglesege in 1098 Ongulsey in the 13th century and Angliseye in 1304–5. The placename means ‘Ongull's island’ from the Old Norse personal name Ǫngull in the possessive case + ey ‘island’.
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.
Arbo : 1: Norwegian (of Danish origin): altered form of Danish Ærbo a habitational name for someone from the island of Ærø in the province of Fyn Denmark. The element bo ‘live’ is denoting a person living on this island.2: Americanized form of French Arbeau: variant of Harbaud from the ancient Germanic personal name Haribald composed of the elements hari ‘army’ + bald ‘brave’.3: Catalan (Arbó) and southern French: cognate of 2 above.
Banta : West Frisian: probably a habitational name for someone from Bant in the 17th century an island in Friesland now a village north of Emmeloord in the Noordoostpolder (see Band 4 compare Banda 5). This surname is no longer found in the Netherlands.
Barry : 1: Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Beargha ‘descendant of Beargh’ a byname meaning ‘plunderer’.2: Irish and Manx: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Báire ‘descendant of Báire’ a short form of either of two Gaelic personal names Bairrfhionn or Fionnbharr both meaning ‘fair-topped’. This may also be the source of the Manx name Barry whose family's main seat was Ballavarry in Kirk Andreas.3: English Welsh and Irish (of Norman origin): habitational name which according to the Anglo-Norman chronicler Gerald de Barry (Giraldus Cambrensis) refers to the Island of Barry opposite the town of Barry (Glamorgan) owned by the Barry family by gift of William the Conqueror. In Ireland the surname mostly goes back to another member of the family Philip de Barry who took part in the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169. His son William de Barry was granted baronies in South Munster by King John and his principal seat was Castlelyons (Cork). Derivation from one of the French hamlets called Barri is unlikely since they all occur in southern France far from spheres of Norman influence.4: English: nickname from Old French barré Anglo-Norman French barri ‘striped’ probably in reference to striped clothing or to a piece of horizontally striped cloth worn around the helmet for identification in battle. The term barry came to be used in heraldry for a field horizontally divided by strips of alternating color.5: Scottish: variant of Barrie.6: French: topographic name from Occitan barri ‘part of a town outside its walls’ or a habitational name from any of hamlets called Barri in southern France named with the same word. Compare Bary 2 and Dubarry.7: Altered form of French Baril and Barré (see Barre 3 and 4). Compare Barrie 3 Bary 3 and Berry 7.8: Walloon and northern French: habitational name from Barry in Wallonia (Belgium). This surname is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium. Compare Bary 1.9: West African (mainly Guinea and Burkina Faso): from the name of the Barry clan of the Fulani people of unexplained etymology.
Bate : English:: 1: from the Middle English personal name Bate. It could represent an unrecorded Old English name Bata or a form of Batte a short form of Anglo-Norman French names beginning with Bart- such as Bartelmeu (see Bartholomew) or Bartram (see Bertram).2: perhaps a topographic name from an unrecorded Middle English antecedent of the modern English dialect bate ‘river island or land liable to flooding’.
Bilney : from East Bilney or West Bilney (both Norfolk). The second element of the place-name is Old English ēg island raised ground in marsh but the first is uncertain.
Boro : 1: Polish: from the personal name Boro a pet form of Polish compound names such as Borosław Czcibor Dalebor etc. based on the Slavic element bor ‘to fight’ (see Boron).2: Hungarian (Boró): from a pet form of the personal name Barnabás Hungarian form of Barnaby.3: Norwegian (Borø): habitational name from the island of Borøy named with an unclear first element + øy ‘island’.
Boyd : 1: Scottish: habitational name from the island of Bute in the Firth of Clyde from Bòid (genitive case of Bòd the Gaelic name of the island of Bute) or Bòideach denoting a person from Bute. Alternatively the name may denote descendants of a Gilla filius Boed who appears in reference to Glasgow Cathedral in the early 12th century perhaps from the Gaelic personal name Boite of uncertain origin.2: Scottish and Irish: from the Gaelic epithet buidhe ‘yellow(-haired)’. Compare Bowie.3: Manx: from Mac Gille Buidhe ‘son of the yellow-haired lad’ (compare 2 above).
Brownsey : apparently from Brownsea Island in Studland (Dorset) which is recorded as Brunkeseye in 1241 Bronkesye in 1319 Brounkeseye in 1381 and Brownesey in the 17th century. The place-name derives from an Old English personal name *Brūnoc (genitive *Brūnoces) + ēg ‘island’.
Capri : Italian: habitational name for someone from Capri the island in the Bay of Naples.
Cauchi : apparently a variant of Italian Calchi from the plural of calco ‘tracing rubbing’ perhaps denoting an engraver.possibly from the Greek island of Chalki Halki (Italian name Calchi) in the Aegean near Rhodes.
Chong : 1: Korean (Chŏng): written 정 in Chinese characters 鄭 丁 and 程. There are actually eight Chinese characters used to represent the surname Chŏng which is one of the most common Korean surnames but the clans that use five of these characters are extremely small. The characters 丁 and 程 are mainly found in Chŏlla province. (i) The clan which uses the Chinese character 丁 is descended from a Chinese Tang Dynasty minister named Tŏk-sŏng (徳盛) who immigrated to Korea and settled on Aphae Island in Shinan county Chŏlla South Province. (ii) The clan bearing the surname 程 is believed to be descended from Chinese immigrants but further details are not known. The founding ancestor of the Han San Chŏng clan was called Chŏng Hoe (程 淮). (iii) The most common of the three more numerous clans which uses the Chinese character 鄭 is the oldest and is widely distributed throughout the peninsula. It is probably of Chinese origin too. Some sources indicate that there are 215 separate Chŏng clans but only 32 of them can be documented. The earliest and largest Chŏng clan began in 32 AD when Chibaekho one of the six ruling elders of pre-Shilla Korea received the surname of Chŏng from the Shilla King Yuri Isagŭm (24–57 AD). Compare Cheong 5 Choung 1 Chung 11 Jeong 1 Jong 1 Joung Jun 1 and Jung 10.2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 崇: from Chong (崇) the name of an ancient state (located in Songxian in Henan province) during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC).3: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 种 adopted in place of another Chinese surname Zhong (仲) by the descendants of Zhong Shanfu (仲山甫) an official during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou (reigned 827–782 BC) in order to escape from the feud.4: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 莊 see Zhuang.5: Chinese: variant Cantonese form of the surnames 鐘 and 仲 see Zhong 1 and 2.6: Chinese: variant Cantonese form of the surname 宗 see Zong.7: Chinese: variant Cantonese form of the surname 叢 see Cong 1.8: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 臧 see Zang.9: Chinese: Hakka form of the Chinese surnames 張 and 章 see Zhang 1 and 2. Hakka Chinese is spoken in southern China and certain other parts of Southeast Asia.10: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 蔣 see Jiang 2.11: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄭 see Zheng 1.12: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曾 see Zeng.13: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 蒼 and 倉 see Cang.
Coffman : 1: Americanized form of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Kaufmann or of its variants Kaufman Koffmann (see Koffman) Kofmann and Kofman.2: Americanized form of Dutch Kofman or of its cognate Koffeman the second form characteristic of the former island of Urk.
Cretella : Italian: probably a derivative of Creta a habitational name from the Greek island of Crete which in Renaissance times was under Venetian rule.
Delisle : 1: French: topographic name with fused preposition de and definite article l' ‘from the’ for someone who lived on an island Old French isle (from Latin insula) or a habitational name for someone from L'Isle or Lisle names of several places in various parts of France named with this word. Compare Delille.2: English (of Norman origin): variant of Lisle (see Lyle).
Doi : 1: Japanese: usually written 土井 ‘earthen well’. It is found mainly in western Japan and the island of Shikoku. A name with the same pronunciation but written 土居 ‘earthen habitation’ is found in eastern Japan. Both have an alternate pronunciation Tsuchii.2: Vietnamese (Đới): variant of Đái (from the Chinese surname 戴 see Dai 1).
Du Parcq : from a Channel Island form of Park with retained preposition.denoting someone from Parq (Pas-de-Calais) or Le Parc-d'Anxtot (Seine-Maritime) or from numerous minor places in N France especially Normandy identified with parq ‘enclosure for animals’.
Eguchi : Japanese: written 江口 ‘estuary’. It is found mostly on the island of Kyūshū. Another version perhaps with the same original meaning but using 栄 ‘splendid’ as the first element is found in Okinawa.
Elenbaas : Dutch: for the first time used by ancestors on the island Tholen in the province of Zeeland in the first half of the 17th century. Possibly a shortening of edelen baas ‘noble boss lord’ hence a nickname for someone who behaved as a nobleman.
Ely : 1: English: habitational name from Ely a cathedral city on an island in the fens north of Cambridge so named from Old English ǣl ‘eel’ + gē ‘district’.2: English French and Breton (Finistère): from the Middle English Old French personal name Elie Hely (Elijah in the King James Bible); see Ellis and Elias.3: English: variant of Healey.4: German: variant of Eley and in North America probably also an altered form of this.
Escolme : from Eskham in Pilling (Lancs) probably named with Old Scandinavian eski ‘ash tree’ + holmr ‘small island water meadow’.
Estwick : English: from Middle English est ‘east’ + wik(e) ‘dwelling settlement’ (Old English wīc ‘specialised farm dairy farm’). The name may be topographic for someone who lived at a building or farm to the east of the main settlement or a habitational name from a place so named such as Eastwick (Hertfordshire Yorkshire) Eastwick in Great Bookham (Surrey) East Wick on Foulness Island (Essex) or Eastwick Barn in Patcham (Sussex). Compare Wick.
Eye : 1: English: habitational name from any of at least three places called Eye (Suffolk Northamptonshire Herefordshire) or possibly a topographic name for someone who lived on low-lying land partly surrounded by water or marsh or an island from Middle English eye (Old English ēg). Compare Nye Rea and Rye. This surname has now died out in Britain.2: Norwegian: variant of Eie from Eide.
Fano : 1: Italian: from pet form of the personal name Stefano.2: Italian and Jewish (from Italy): habitational name from a place called Fano in Pesaro province.3: Asturian-Leonese: habitational name from any of the places in Asturias (Spain) named Fano or Fanu.4: Danish (Fanø): habitational name from the island of Fanø in the province of Esbjerg. It is derived from an unattested noun fæn ‘mud swamp bog’ + ø ‘island’.
Forsey : English: habitational name from Furzey Island in Corfe Castle Dorset which is derived from Old English fyrs ‘furze’ + ēg ‘island’.
Furness : 1: English: habitational name from the district on the south coast of Cumbria (formerly in Lancashire) earlier Futharnes so named from the genitive case (Futhar) of Old Norse Futh meaning ‘rump’ the name of the peninsula formerly of an island opposite the southern part of this district + Old Norse nes ‘headland nose’.2: English (of Norman origin): occasionally perhaps a variant of Furneaux (see Furnace 2). The two names were sometimes confused.3: Norwegian: old variant of Furnes (and in North America probably also an altered form of this) a habitational name from any of various farms particularly in Møre og Romsdal named Furnes from Old Norse fura ‘pine’ + nes ‘headland’.
Gatdula : Filipino: Tagalog name a compound of gat a title of nobility and Dula (see Dula) presumably a short form of the name Lakandula borne by the last lakan or paramount ruler of the Tondo settlement which forms part of present-day Manila on the island of Luzon.
Gauci : Maltese and Italian (Sicily): from Maltese Arabic Għawdxi denoting a native of the island of Gozo.
Gillanders : Scottish: shortened and altered form of Gaelic Mac Gille Aindreis ‘son of the servant (i.e. devotee) of (Saint) Andrew’. This surname was found in Rathlin Island between Ireland and Scotland. See also McAndrew and the ‘translation’ Anderson.
Go : 1: Japanese (Gō): variously written; the most common form 郷 means ‘village’; another 江 means ‘inlet’. This surname is found in eastern Japan and on the Ryūkyūan island of Amami. If the name is Go with a short vowel it could be the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese name Wu.2: Chinese: alternative Teochew form of the surname 吴 see Wu 1. This pronunciation is found in eastern Guangdong province from where some people migrated to Malaysia Thailand Singapore the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia.3: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 伍 possibly based on its Teochew or Hokkien or Taiwanese pronunciation see Wu 2.4: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 高 possibly based on its Cantonese pronunciation see Gao 1.5: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 敖 possibly based on its Cantonese pronunciation see Ao.6: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 郭 see Guo 1.
Goben : 1: Altered form of Gobin a surname of English or French origin. In some cases however the surname Goben (possibly of German origin; see 2 below) was changed to Gobin.2: German (Göben): habitational name from Gobbin on Rügen Island (Pomerania) or perhaps from any of several places called Goben in Bavaria.
Goda : 1: Hungarian and Slovak: from the old personal name Goda a short form of Slavic names like Godemir based on the element god ‘to do good to please’ (from Old Slavic goditi). This is also a Sorbian surname found in Germanized forms only (see Goede).2: Japanese (Gōda): written 合田 ‘connected rice paddies’. It is not common in Japan; this pronunciation is found mostly on the island of Shikoku. In western Japan it is pronounced Aita.3: Indian (Gujarat): Jain name of unexplained etymology based on the name of a Jain community.
Guernsey : English (southern): habitational name from the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. The name of the island is from the Old Norse ey ‘island’ with an uncertain first element perhaps the male personal name Grani in the genitive case with original -ar or from a genitive case form of grǫn ‘pine’. This surname is now rare in Britain.
Hagiwara : Japanese: written 萩原 ‘bush clover plain’. It is also pronounced Hagihara; both versions are found mostly in the Tokyo area and the latter is also found in the island of Okinawa.
Hamada : Japanese: written 浜田 ‘seashore rice paddy’. It is found in the island of Shikoku and in the Ryūkyū Islands. Several unrelated families bearing this name descend from the Fujiwara Taira Kikuchi Arakida and other clans.
Handa : 1: Indian (Punjab): Khatri and Sikh name probably from Punjabi həṇḍa ‘cooking pot’.2: Japanese: written 半田 ‘half of a rice paddy’. It originated in Yamato and Kawachi (now Nara and Ōsaka prefectures) and is found mostly in the Tokyo and Ōsaka areas and the island of Okinawa.
Harada : Japanese: written 原田 ‘rice paddy on the plain’. It is a topographic name mainly found in the island of Kyūshū and the Ryūkyū Islands.
Hayashida : Japanese: written 林田 ‘forest rice paddy’. It is mainly found in the island of Kyūshū. Some bearers are descended from the Minamoto clan.
Hayling : 1: from Old Welsh heilyn ‘cup-bearer’ used as a personal name; occasionally found with post-medieval excrescent -s. Some of the following post-medieval bearers may alternatively belong with (2) or (3). 2: from Hayling Island (Hants) although the 1330 Shrops example seems to point to an alternative but unidentified place. The Hants place-name is recorded as Hailinges in the 12th century and derives from an Old English personal name *Hægel + the Old English group-name suffix -ingas. 3: variant of Ayling witha prosthetic H-.
Hillesland : Norwegian: habitational name from a farm name on the island of Karmøy a compound of Old Norse hellir ‘mountain cave’ and land ‘(piece of) land farmstead’.
Holm : 1: English Scottish German and Scandinavian: topographic name for someone who lived on an island in particular a piece of slightly raised land lying in a fen or partly surrounded by streams from Middle English Middle Low German holm Old Norse holmr or else a habitational name from a place called with this element. The Swedish name is often ornamental.2: English: topographic name for someone who lived where holly grew from Middle English holm a divergent development of Old English hole(g)n ‘holly (tree)’; or especially in southern England a habitational name from any of the places such as East and West Holme (Dorset) or Holne (Devon). Compare Hollis.
Holmer : 1: English: variant of Homer.2: Danish and North German (Schleswig-Holstein): topographic name for someone who lived on an island (see Holm).3: Swedish (also Holmér): ornamental name from holm(e) ‘island’ (possibly as a placename element) + the suffix -er (from German) or -ér (a derivative of Latin -erius).
Hovick : Americanized form of Norwegian Hovik: topographic name a compound of Old Norse hór ‘high’ + vik ‘bay inlet’ denoting a high-level island.
Insel : German: topographic name for someone living on an island German Insel.
Inselman : Americanized form of German Inselmann: topographic name for someone living on an island German Insel or a habitational name for someone from any of several places called Insel.
Isobe : Japanese: written 磯部 or 磯辺 ‘seashore’. It is found mostly in eastern Japan and the Ryūkyūan island of Miyako.
Isola : Italian: topographic name for someone who lived on an island isola.
Iwai : Japanese:: 1: written 岩井 ‘stone well’ or 岩居 ‘resides in a stony place’; a common placename. The first is found as a surname in western Japan the second is more common in eastern Japan. Both are related to the name Ishii which has similar meanings.2: alternate reading in the Ryūkyūan island of Amami of Ga 2. The name is written 祝 ‘celebration’.
Izumi : Japanese: written 泉 ‘spring of water’. The name written with two characters 和泉 ‘harmonious spring’ is more common in the Ōsaka area and eastern Japan. The one character version is mostly found widely separated in northern Japan the island of Kyūshū and the Ryūkyū Islands. Listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku phonetically as 出水.
Jamaica : Hispanic: habitational name from Jamaica an island situated in the Caribbean Sea named from Taíno Xaymaca ‘land of wood and water’ or ‘land of springs’.
Kai : 1: Japanese: original meaning could be 貝 ‘shell’ but the name is written phonetically with two characters 甲斐 ‘tortoise shell’ and ‘beauty’. Though the surname is found mostly in the island of Kyūshū some families could have connections with the ancient province of Kai (now Yamanashi prefecture) in the mountains of central Honshū whose name is written with the two characters above.2: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surname 蓋 see Gai 1.3: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 解 see Xie 2.4: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 計 see Ji 8.5: Altered form or a rare variant of North German and Danish (and perhaps also of Dutch) Kay.
Kalmar : 1: Hungarian (Kalmár): occupational name from kalmár ‘merchant’ (from Middle High German kram ‘trading post tent’). It is also found in Slovakia.2: Swedish: habitational name from the seaport of Kalmar which is situated opposite the island of Öland.
Kamke : East German: possibly a habitational name from a place called Kamminke on the island of Usedom Pomerania.
Kampen : 1: Dutch (mainly Van Kampen): habitational name for someone from the city of Kampen in the province of Overijssel or from any other of the places in the Netherlands with that name.2: North German: topographic name from the plural or an inflected form of Low German kamp ‘enclosed field’ (see Kamp 1) or a habitational name from Kampen on the island of Sylt in Schleswig-Holstein.3: Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads in southeastern Norway named Kampen from the definite singular form of kamp ‘round hill top boulder’.
Kanemoto : Japanese: written 金本 or 金元 a topographic name meaning ‘(one who lives) near where gold (or any metal) is found’. Found in the island of Okinawa where it is usually written phonetically as 兼本.
Kang : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 康 meaning ‘healthy’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of Kang Shu (康叔) the posthumous title of one of the sons of the virtuous King Wen of Zhou (1152–1056 BC). Kang Shu was the first king of the state of Wey (衛) (which is located mainly around present-day Hebi and Xinxiang in Henan province). (ii) from the first element of Kang Ju (康居) the name of a state in Central Asia during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–25 AD). People from this state adopted 康 as their surname. (iii) from Kang (康) the Chinese name of the state of Samarkand in Central Asia. Immigrants from Samarkand in China acquired 康 the Chinese name of their state as their surname known as one of the 'Nine Sogdian Surnames’. (iv) adopted in place of another Chinese surname 匡 (see Kuang 2). Some people with the surname 匡 changed their surname to 康 during the reign of Zhao Kuangyin (赵匡胤) known as Emperor Taizu of Song (927–976 AD) the first emperor of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127 AD) because 匡 happened to be part of the personal name of the emperor which was taboo in ancient China.2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 亢 meaning ‘high’ or ‘haughty’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the placename Kang Fu (亢父) the name of a vassal state (in present-day Jining in Shandong province) in the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) adopted in place of another Chinese surname 伉 (Kang in Mandarin pinyin) also sharing the same origin of another two Chinese surnames 抗 (Kang in Mandarin pinyin) and 杭 (pronounced the same as 抗 in ancient Chinese Hang in today's Mandarin pinyin) which can be traced back to San Kang (三伉/抗/杭) a noble official in the state of Wey (衛) during the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC).3: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 耿 see Geng 2.4: Chinese: Teochew Hokkien or Taiwanese form of the surname 江 see Jiang 1. This pronunciation is found in eastern Guangdong province Fujian province and Taiwan from where some people migrated to Malaysia Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia.5: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 簡 see Jian 1.6: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surname 剛 see Gang 6.7: Korean: written 강 in Chinese characters 姜 康 剛 and 强. There are actually five Chinese characters for the surname Kang. Some records indicate that there are as many as one hundred separate Kang clans but only four have actually been documented. There is one Chinese character for each clan. The fifth character is an alternate character for the smallest of the Kang clans and is the result of a scribal error which was introduced in 1908. That segment of the smaller Kang clan which was labeled with the alternate character still uses it and recognizes it as the character for their surname. (i) The largest clan the Kang family of Chinju (it uses the Chinese character 姜) first appears in the historical record in AD 597. It is said to be descended from Kang I-shik (姜 以式) a military official in the ancient Koguryŏ kingdom. Kang I-shik valiantly defended the Koguryŏ kingdom against invasions from China. Subsequently his descendant Kang Chin (姜 縉) was enfeoffed with Chinju in Kyŏngsang South Province. Chinju henceforth became the clan seat for the Kang family. Many members of the largest Kang clan still live in the area of Chinju of Kyŏngsang Province. (ii) The Chinese character 康 is borne by the descendants of Kang Ho-kyŏng (康 虎景). His 14th-generation descendant Kang Chi-yŏn (康 之淵) attended the Koryŏ king Kojong when he fled to Kanghwa Island during the Mongol invasions. Kang Chi-yŏn was subsequently enfeoffed with Shinch’ŏn in Hwanghae Province. There are two other clans of this Kang family but both descend from Kang Chi-yŏn. (iii) The two smaller Kang clans have only a few households in all of Korea. Compare Gang 6.8: Cambodian: written កាំង of Chinese origin but unexplained etymology (probably corresponding to one of the surnames above).9: Cambodian: written កង corresponding to the Khmer word meaning e.g. ‘round bracelet’. Compare Kong 9.10: Southeast Asian (Hmong): variant of Khang 1; in Chinese characters it is written 康 (see 1 above).
Kari : 1: Finnish: habitational name from farms so named or an ornamental name from kari ‘shoal skerry sandbar’ or ‘rocky place in a field’. Established as a hereditary surname (based on farm names) mainly in Ostrobothnia northern and southwestern Finland and Gogland an island in the Gulf of Finland. Adopted largely as an ornamental name in the name-changing campaigns of the early 20th century (compare Laine 4).2: German: from a pet form of the personal name Zacharias.3: Hungarian: from a pet form of the personal name Károly Hungarian form of Charles.4: Indian (Maharashtra): Maratha name of unexplained etymology.
Kawano : Japanese: written 川野 or 河野 ‘river field’. It is mainly found in western Japan the island of Shikoku and the Ryūkyū Islands. The second version can also be pronounced Kōno (see Kono).
Kempa : 1: Polish: variant of Kępa from kępa ‘islet’. The same word is also applied to isolated clumps of trees and to tufts of grass; hence a topographic name for someone who lived on a small island or by an isolated clump of trees.2: German: habitational name from any of several places so named for example in Silesia (now Poland).
Kida : Japanese: written 木田 ‘rice paddy near a tree’. It is found in western Japan and the Ryūkyūan island of Yaeyama. Also sometimes pronounced Kita.
Kikuchi : Japanese: written 菊池 ‘chrysanthemum pond’ (also read Kikuike). It is found mostly in western Japan. Another version substituting the character 地 ‘ground’ for ‘pond’ (both chi) is found in northeastern Japan and the island of Kyūshū. An ancient variant 久々智 ‘Kukuchi of Higo’ (now Kumamoto prefecture) is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku.
Kilham : from Kilham (ER Yorks) Kilham in Cantley (WR Yorks) or Kilham in Kirknewton (Northumb). The ER Yorks and Northumb place-names are recorded as Killum in medieval documents and probably mean ‘at the kilns’ from Old English cylnum dative plural of cyln ‘kiln’. The WR Yorks place-name is recorded as Kilholme in 1557 and may derive from an Old English personal name Cylla or Old English cyln ‘kiln’ + Old Scandinavian holmr ‘small island water meadow’.
Killam : English (mainly Yorkshire): variant of Kilham a habitational name from any of the places in Northumberland and Yorkshire so named either from Old English cylnum ‘(at) the kilns’ dative plural of cyln or from Old English cyln ‘kiln’ or the personal name Cylla + Old Norse holmr ‘small island water meadow’. This surname is rare in Britain.
Ko : 1: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surname 柯 see Ke 1.2: Chinese: variant Mandarin Romanization of the surname 葛 see Ge 1.3: Chinese: Cantonese form and alternative Mandarin Romanization of the surname 戈 see Ge 2.4: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 高 and 郜 see Gao 1 and 2.5: Chinese: variant Mandarin Romanization of the surnames 郭 國 and 過 see Guo 1-3.6: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 許 possibly based on their Teochew Hokkien or Taiwanese pronunciation. See Xu 2.7: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 古 顧 and 辜. See Gu 1-3.8: Korean: written 고 in Chinese characters 高 meaning ‘high’. This is the only Chinese character for the surname Ko. There are ten different Ko clans but they are all descended from the Ko clan of Cheju Island. There is no historical information regarding the founder of this clan but there is a legend which tells of three men who appeared from a cave on the north side of Cheju Island's Halla Mountain. These three men were the founders of the Yang clan the Pu clan and the Ko clan the latter being named Ko Ŭl-la (高 乙那). Some days after the three men emerged from the cave a box was washed up on the shore of the island. In the box were three women horses cows and agricultural seed. From these beginnings the three established Cheju Island's T’amnaguk kingdom and ruled peacefully. Ko is a common surname found throughout the Korean peninsula. Approximately ten percent of Cheju Island's present-day population consists of members of the Ko family. Compare Goe 1.9: Burmese: from a form of address for a young man akin to English ‘mister’ used as part of the male name proper; its literal meaning is ‘elder brother’. See also Koko. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.10: Hungarian (Kő): from kő ‘stone’ a word from the ancient Finno-Ugric word stock of Hungarian (cognate with Finnish kivi Estonian keve) hence a topographic name for someone who lived on stony ground or by a notable outcrop of rock or alternatively a metonymic occupational name for a mason or stonecutter.
Kochel : German (Köchel): habitational name from any of numerous minor placenames in Bavaria and the Tyrol that get their name from Köchel a dialect term denoting an island of raised land surrounded by marsh from Middle High German köche. Compare Koechel.
Komatsu : Japanese: written 小松 ‘small pine tree’. It is found mostly in west-central Japan the island of Shikoku and the Ryūkyū Islands; an alternate reading found farther east is Omatsu. Several samurai families of various lineages took this surname from any of various villages of this name.
Krienke : German: habitational name from a place called Krienke on Usedom an island in western Pomerania.
Kritikos : Greek: ethnic name for a Cretan someone from the island of Crete from an adjectival derivative of Kriti ‘Crete’. In the Ionian islands the ethnic name acquired the secondary meaning ‘good-for-nothing scrounger’ after the large number of refugees who came to the islands from Crete following its conquest by the Ottoman Turks.
Kuni : 1: German: from a pet form of the personal name Kuno Kunrat (see Konrad). Compare Kuney.2: Hungarian: habitational name for someone from a place such as Kun named after the Turkic Cumanian people (see Kun 1).3: Japanese: written 国 ‘country’ or ‘kingdom’ and sometimes also 邦; both are rare today. It is written phonetically 六合 in Amami Island. Found in the Shinsen shōjiroku. Some instances in America may be shortened versions of longer names.
Kuroda : Japanese: written 黒田 ‘black rice paddy’ denoting an old field. It is a habitational name taken from many locations throughout Japan and is mainly found in western Japan and the island of Okinawa. Also sometimes pronounced Kurota and Kuruta.
Kurokawa : Japanese: written 黒川 ‘black river’. It is found as a surname mostly on the island of Kyūshū though several places elsewhere in Japan bear the name.
Lihou : from the island of Lihou in Saint Pierre du Bois (Guernsey) whose name is of Scandinavian origin (from an uncertain initial element + Old Scandinavian holmr ‘small island’).
Lockham : from Lockham in Easington near Patrington (ER Yorks) which is recorded as Locholm in medieval documents. The place-name derives from Old English loc ‘lock enclosure fold’ + Old Scandinavian holmr ‘small island water meadow’. There may have been some confusion with the SW England surname Luckham.
Lyle : 1: Scottish and English (of Norman origin): topographic or habitational name from Anglo-Norman French del isle ‘from the island’ (from Latin de insula) denoting someone who lived on an island or who came from a place in France named Ile Isle or L'Isle. The surname may also in some cases be from Lille (Nord). Compare Lisle and Iles.2: Scottish: variant of Lyall.
Madeira : Portuguese:: 1: metonymic occupational name for a carpenter from madeira ‘wood timber’ (from Late Latin materia from classical Latin materies ‘material substance’).2: perhaps also a habitational name from the island of Madeira which was named with Portuguese madeira ‘timber’ because of the timber that grew there. The island was colonized in the 15th century under the patronage of Prince Henry the Navigator.
Maeda : Japanese: written 前田 ‘front rice paddy’. It is found mostly on the island of Kyūshū and the Ryūkyū Islands. Also spelled Mayeda in America.
Magat : 1: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic and Sephardic): variant of Magid ‘preacher’.2: French: from a diminutive of Old Occitan maga ‘greater superior main’ used as a nickname for an eldest son.3: Slovak (Magát): unexplained.4: Filipino: topographic name from the river Magat in the Philippine island of Luzon.
Mainland : Scottish (Orkney also Shetland): habitational name from Mainland the name of the principal island of both Orkney and Shetland named with Old Norse megin ‘main principal’ + land ‘land’.
Maki : 1: Finnish (Mäki): ornamental name from mäki ‘hill’ adopted as a hereditary surname in the late 19th century in western and southern Finland. During the name-changing campaigns of the early 20th century it was frequently substituted for Swedish surnames especially those formed with berg ‘mountain hill’ or back ‘hill(side)’. In a few cases Mäki is a habitational name from farms so named with reference to their location. It has been a hereditary surname since the 19th century mainly in western Finland and in the Torne Valley. In North America the surname Maki may also be a shortened form of Mäkinen (see Makinen) or other surnames based on the element mäki. It has sometimes been translated into English as Hill.2: Japanese: written 牧 ‘pasture’. It is found in the island of Kyūshū but is not common in Japan proper; it appears to originate in the Ryūkyūan island of Amami. It can also be written several ways phonetically such as 真木 万木 and others.
Malfa : Italian (Sicily): habitational name from Malfa on the island of Salina (Messina). Compare La Malfa.
Malta : 1: Italian (southern) Spanish and Portuguese: habitational or ethnic name for someone from the Mediterranean island of Malta (from Latin Melita Greek Melitē).2: Dutch: habitational name from any of the places called Malt(h)a in the Netherlands named after the Mediterranean island of Malta.
Malter : 1: English: occupational name from Middle English malter ‘maltster malt-maker or malt-seller’ (a derivative of Old English mealt ‘malt’). Compare Maltman. This surname is very rare in Britain and Ireland.2: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Maleterre in Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes (Ille-et-Vilaine) from Old French male terre ‘bad land’. This surname is very rare in Britain and Ireland.3: German: metonymic occupational name for a grain measurer or a maker of grain measures or for a miller from Middle High German malter a measure of grain.4: Jewish (from Austrian Galicia): from German Malta ‘the island of Malta’ + the suffix -er one of names assigned at random by Austrian clerks.
Maltese : Italian: habitational or ethnic name for someone from the island of Malta.
Maltez : 1: Portuguese; Croatian (Maltež): habitational or ethnic name for someone from the island of Malta.2: Hispanic (mainly Nicaragua): altered form of Spanish Maltés a cognate of 1 above.
Marcano : Spanish (Cantabria): unexplained. This surname is most common in Venezuela where it is especially concentrated on the Margarita Island in the Caribbean northeast of the mainland.
Marichal : French (northern) Walloon and Spanish (Canary Islands): variant of French Marchal. This surname which is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium is established in the Canary Island since the 16th century.
Marsters : English: variant of Masters. Marsters is the predominant surname on Palmerston Island Cook Islands South Pacific deriving from a settler and owner reputedly born in Leicestershire.
Masa : 1: Czech (Máša and Maša): from Máša a pet form of the personal names beginning with Ma- e.g. Matěj (from Latin Matthias; see Matej).2: Polish: unexplained.3: Spanish: habitational name from a place called Masa in Burgos province from Latin (terra) mansa ‘land prepared for cultivation’ or a topographic name or nickname from masa ‘mass’ from Latin massa ‘mass lump pile’.4: Indian (Rajasthan): habitational name from Masani village in Rewari district of Haryana.5: Japanese: written 政 ‘ruler’. It is found in Amami Island and Kyūshū. Some occurrences in America may be shortened versions of longer names.
Matsuura : Japanese: written 松浦 ‘pine tree bay’. The name of an ancient warrior clan it was originally taken from ancient Matsura-gun now Matsuura City in what is now Nagasaki prefecture. Mostly found in the island of Kyūshū and the Ryūkyū Islands. The old pronunciation Matsura is also found.
Matsuzaki : Japanese: written 松崎 ‘pine tree cape’. It is found mostly in both the Tokyo area and on the island of Kyūshū where it is pronounced Matsusaki.
Mayorquin : Spanish (Mayorquín): variant of Mallorquín a habitational name for someone from Majorca the largest island in the Balearic Islands from an adjectival form of its Spanish name Mallorca. The surname Mayorquín is rare in Spain where it is found mainly in Granada; it is most common in Central America.
McAndie : from Mc(Sh)anndaidh ‘son of Sandy’ using a gaelicized form of the Scottish personal name (a pet form of Alexander). Compare Sandy (3) Sandison.from Gaelic Clann 'Ic Anndaidh or 'Ic Anndai (from Old Scandinavian personal name Sand(i)) the name of a sept on the island of Bernera; compare Sandy (2).in theory the name involved might be Old Scandinavian Andi a possible pet-form of the male given name Árnthorr.
McCallum : Scottish and Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Caluim ‘son of Calum or Colum’ a personal name derived from Latin columba ‘dove’. The surname often represents a short form of Mac Gille Caluim or Mac Giolla Coluim ‘son of the servant (i.e. devotee) of Saint Columba’ (Colum Cille). The personal name (Scottish Calum Irish Colum originally combined with giolla ‘servant’) has long been popular in Scotland and Ireland due largely to the cult of Saint Columba 521–597 who converted the Picts to Christianity and founded an influential monastery on the island of Iona. His name in Irish is Colum Cille ‘Dove of the Church’.
Melita : Italian: from Melita the Latin name for Malta hence an ethnic name for someone from Malta or someone with trade or other connections with the island. This has been a surname since Byzantine times.
Mellenthin : German: habitational name from any of the places so called near Berlin and on the island of Usedom.
Memmer : 1: South German (mainly Rhineland-Palatinate): unexplained.2: In some cases possibly also East Frisian: habitational name from the island of Memmert between Borkum and Juist (in the North Sea). This surname is very rare in East Frisia and elsewhere in northern Germany.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, ©2021, University of the West of England
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
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