Origin
Jesus : Spanish (Jesús) and Portuguese: either from a personal name taken in honor of Jesus Christ in Christianity the divine son of God the Father (see Christ 1) or from a short form of any compound name composed of any personal name + de Jesús. The name Jesus is from the Greek form Iēsous of Aramaic Yeshua from Hebrew Yoshua a byform of Yehoshuah (English Joshua) ‘God is salvation’.
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.
Ahmad : Muslim: from the Arabic personal name Aḥmad ‘the most praised’ elative adjective from ḥamid (see Hamid). This is an epithet of the prophet Muhammad. In the Koran (6:16) Jesus foretells the arrival of Aḥmad (the prophet Muhammad) in the words: ‘I have brought good news about a messenger who will come after me whose name will be Aḥmad’. Compare Ahmed.
Artinian : Armenian: patronymic from the personal name Artin an altered form of Harutyun or Arutyun meaning ‘resurrection (of Jesus Christ)’; see Harutyunyan. This surname is found mainly in the US Lebanon and Egypt.
Ascencio : Hispanic (mainly Mexico and El Salvador): from a Spanish Christian personal name referring to the Ascension of Jesus (see Ascencion). Compare Asencio.
Ascencion : Spanish (Las Palmas; Ascención): variant of Ascensión from a Christian personal name referring to the Ascension of Jesus (Spanish Ascensión del Señor Latin Ascensio Iesu from ascensio ‘ascent’) i.e. the ascent of Jesus Christ to heaven on the fortieth day after His resurrection. The surname may also be a reference to a local church dedicated to the Ascension. This surname is very rare in Spain; it is found mainly in Mexico. Compare Ascencio and Asencio.
Asencio : Spanish: from a Christian personal name referring to the Ascension of Jesus (see Ascencion). Compare Ascencio and Asensio.
Baptiste : French and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from the personal name Baptiste derived from Latin Baptista ‘baptist’ the distinguishing epithet of Saint John the Baptist who baptized people including Jesus Christ in the river Jordan (Mark 1:9). The Latin name is from Greek baptistēs literally ‘one who washes’ (from baptisma ‘the act of washing’). For Christians baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin prior to admission to the Church. This surname is also found in England mainly as a surname of Huguenot origin. Compare Baptist Batiste and Battiste and also Portuguese and Spanish Baptista and Batista Italian Battista.
Barabas : Hungarian and Spanish (Barabás); Polish (Barabaś); Czech (Barabáš); Slovak (also Barabás and Barabáš); Serbian Croatian and Slovenian (Barabaš): from the New Testament personal name Barabbas meaning ‘son of Abba’ or ‘son of the father’ in Aramaic. This was the name borne by the thief whose life was demanded by the crowd in Jerusalem in preference to that of Jesus (Matthew 27:15–21). In central Europe it came to be used as a personal name with reference to a reformed or repentant sinner one whose life had been saved by Jesus's self-sacrifice. The surname Barabás or Barabas of Hungarian origin is also found in Romania where it is also spelled Barabaş. In North America the surname Barabas is also an altered form of the Polish variant Barabasz.
Basta : 1: Italian (southern): perhaps from the personal name Basta from basta ‘that's enough!’ (i.e. enough children in the family). Since the surname is found among the Albanian speakers of Calabria and Sicily it may alternatively be of Albanian origin probably related to 4 below.2: Polish: from a pet form of the personal name Bastian (short form of Sebastian).3: Czech and Slovak (Bašta): from a pet form of the personal name Bartoloměj (Czech) Bartolomej (Slovak) (see Bartholomew) or perhaps a nickname from bašta ‘bastion’.4: Serbian and Croatian: occupational name from bastah ‘porter’ from medieval Greek vastazos from classical Greek bastazōn ‘carrying’.5: Coptic (Egypt): probably from a placename Basta where according to the Coptic tradition the Holy Family drank from a spring of water which Jesus caused to well up from the ground.6: Muslim (Egypt and Maghreb): from basṭā probably of the same Greek origin as 4 above used as a surname.
Belen : 1: Spanish (Belén): from a personal name derived from the Biblical placename Bethlehem birthplace of Jesus Christ.2: Jewish (American): perhaps a shortened form of Belenky.
Cafasso : Italian: variant of Cafa from the medieval Greek personal name Kaiaphas of Hebrew origin referring to Caiaphas the Jewish high priest who according to the gospels condemned Jesus to death. Its use by Christians was presumably pejorative in origin.
Cephas : African American: from the Biblical personal name Cephas given by Jesus to Apostle Peter from a Hellenized form of Aramaic kēpā ‘rock stone’. Compare Cephus and Sephus 1.
Christ : 1: German and Dutch: from a short form of the personal name Christian or a nickname meaning ‘the Christian’. In both cases it is (ultimately) from the Latin name Christus ‘Christ’ which is from Greek Christos a derivative of chriein ‘to anoint’ a calque of Hebrew mashiaḥ ‘Messiah’ which likewise means literally ‘the anointed’. This is the title given to Jesus of Nazareth (see Jesus) as embodying the fulfilment of Messianic prophecy and expectation; he is the central figure of Christianity and most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God the Son. Compare Chrest Crist Ghrist and Krist.2: English: variant of Crist a cognate of 1 above.3: American shortened form of any of various Greek derivatives of the personal name Christos.4: American shortened and altered form of Bulgarian or Macedonian Hristov (compare Christoff) and also of some related or similarly pronounced Slavic surnames (see Krist).5: Americanized form of German Dutch Czech Slovak or Slovenian Krist a variant or cognate of 1 above.6: American shortened and altered form of any of various Italian surnames beginning with Crist-. Compare Crist.
Christi : 1: Altered form of English and Scottish Christie 1.2: Indian and Indonesian: apparently adopted as a name designating a Christian from Christi ‘of Christ’ genitive case of Christus the Latin name of Jesus Christ. Compare Christo 4 and Christy 3. Alternatively in some cases from the English female personal name Christi a pet form of Christine (which is derived from the name Christus as well). — Note: As a name from India or 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.
Christina : Americanized form of Italian Spanish and Portuguese Cristina. — Note: It is likely that in the population figure published by the US Census Bureau (which dropped from 1205 in the year 2000 to 887 in the year 2010) the personal name Christina (from Christus the Latin name of Jesus Christ) 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.
Christo : 1: American shortened form of any of various Greek derivatives of the personal name Christos. Compare Cristo.2: American shortened and altered form of Bulgarian or Macedonian Hristov. Compare Christoff and Cristo.3: Americanized form of Albanian Kristo and in some cases also of Croatian or Slovak Krišto (see Kristo 2). Compare Cristo.4: Americanized form of Spanish Italian or Portuguese Cristo.5: In some cases also Indian and Indonesian: apparently adopted as a name designating a Christian from a derivative of Christus the Latin name of Jesus Christ. Compare Christi 2.
Christopher : English German West Indian (mainly Trinidad and Tobago Antigua and Barbuda and British Virgin Islands) and African (mainly Nigeria and Tanzania): from the English and German personal name Christopher from Greek Christophoros ‘Christ-bearing’ (see Christ 1). This was borne by a rather obscure 3rd-century Christian martyr. His name was relatively common among early Christians who desired to bear Jesus Christ metaphorically with them in their daily lives. Subsequently the name was explained by a folk etymology according to which the saint carried the infant Christ across a ford and so became the patron saint of travelers. Despite the widespread veneration and depiction of this saint this was not a very common personal name in medieval England and may in some instances have a habitational origin for someone living for example in Saint Christopher parish (Saint Christopher le Stocks London). In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed the German variant Christoffer and cognates from other languages e.g. Hungarian Kristóf and Czech Slovak Slovenian and Croatian Krištof (see Kristof). The usual German form of the name is Christoph.
Cyriac : 1: Indian (Kerala): from the English form of the Latin personal name Cyriacus from Greek Kyriakos an adjectival derivative of kyrios ‘lord master’ meaning ‘of the Lord’ with reference to Jesus Christ. The name Cyriacus (or Cyricus Quiricus) was borne by numerous early Christian saints; one of them was St. Cyriacus a 4th-century martyr (together with companions Largus and Smaragdus and twenty others) under the emperor Diocletian; for another see Cyr. Compare Kuriakose and Kurian. — Note: since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.2: Americanized form of French (actually Haitian) Cyriaque a cognate of 1 above.
De Jesus : Spanish (De Jesús): patronymic from the personal name Jesús itself from the Latin form of the Greek name Iēsous which renders Aramaic Yeshua from Hebrew Yoshua a by-form of Yehoshua (see Jesus and Joshua).
Enos : 1: Variant of Eno 2 a surname of French origin.2: French (Énos): from the personal name Énos from Biblical Enos from Hebrew Enosh borne by the first son of Seth who is part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ as mentioned in Luke 3:38.3: Welsh (Cardiganshire): from the Welsh personal name Einwys a pet form of Einion from Enniaun an old Welsh personal name ultimately from Late Latin Annianus associated with Welsh einion ‘anvil’ for ‘stability fortitude’ and doubtfully with uniawn ‘upright just’. Compare Bennion.4: English: perhaps a variant of Eno or the variant Ennew with post-medieval excrescent -s.5: Irish: variant of Ennis.
Gabriel : English Scottish French German Spanish Portuguese Romanian Polish Czech Slovak Slovenian West Indian (mainly Haiti) African (mainly Nigeria and Tanzania) and Jewish; Hungarian (Gábriel): from the Hebrew personal name Gabri’el composed of the elements geber ‘man’ and El ‘God’ hence ‘man of God’. This was borne by an archangel in the Bible (Daniel 8:16 and 9:21) who in the New Testament announced the impending birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26–38). It has been a comparatively popular personal name in all parts of Europe among both Christians and Jews during the Middle Ages and since (compare Michael and Raphael). In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates from other languages e.g. Slovenian Gabrijel and also their patronymics and other derivatives e.g. Slovenian Gabrijelčič Greek Gabrielis and Gabrielidis.
Harutyunyan : Armenian: patronymic from the personal name Harutyun from classical Armenian yarutʿiwn ‘resurrection (of Jesus Christ)’ a calque on the Greek word anastasis and the name Anastasios (see Anastasio). This form of the surname is found mainly in Armenia. Compare Arutyunyan Haroutunian and Hartunian.
Ignatius : Dutch German and Indian (southern states): from the Late Latin personal name Ignatius derived from the old Roman surname Egnatius (of uncertain origin possibly Etruscan). This was altered in the early Christian period by association with Latin ignis ‘fire’. It was borne by various early saints notably by a bishop of Antioch c. 100 AD the object of a widespread cult in the Middle Ages which gave rise to surnames such as German Natzke. However comparative popularity of this personal name and its local forms (such as Spanish Ignacio) in Catholic countries today is due to the fame of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556; see Inigo) founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). — Note: 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.
Imran : Muslim (mainly the Indian subcontinent): from the Arabic personal name ʿImrān ‘prosperity state of being well-inhabited’. Like Omar it comes from an Arabic root ʿ-m-r with the sense of ‘life growth’. In the Koran this name is borne by the father of Maryam mother of ʿIsa (i.e. Mary mother of Jesus). Compare Omran.
Kleypas : Americanized form of German (Westphalia) Kleipass or Kleypass: probably from Kleophas the name of one of the two disciples who met Jesus on the way to Emmaus and was adopted as the patron saint of the Teutonic Order.
Kuriakose : Indian (Kerala): from the personal name Kuriakose found among Christians in southern India. It is derived from Greek Kyriakos ‘of the Lord’ (with reference to Jesus Christ; see Cyriac). — Note: Since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Kurian : Indian (Kerala): from the personal name Kurian found among Christians in southern India. It is derived from Greek Kyriakos ‘of the Lord’ (with reference to Jesus Christ; see Cyriac) with the Tamil-Malayalam third person singular suffix -n. — Note: Since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames this name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Kyriacou : Greek (typically Cypriot): patronymic from the genitive case of the personal name Kyriacos a typically Cypriot spelling of Kyriakos an adjectival derivative of Greek kyrios ‘lord master’ meaning ‘of the Lord’ with reference to Jesus Christ. See also Cyriac.
Lahoud : Syriac (Lebanon): from a derivative of laḥdo ‘the One and only’ referring to Jesus. Bearers of this surname are Christians.
Leece : 1: English: from a medieval female personal name Lece a short form of Lettice (from Latin Laetitia meaning ‘happiness gaiety’).2: English: variant of Lees.3: Irish: shortened form of Gaelic Mac Giolla Íosa Manx Mac Guilley Yeesey ‘son of Giolla Íosa (devotee or servant of Jesus)’. Ballaleece (‘Leece's farm’) in Kirk German was the family's main seat.
Maria : 1: Spanish (María); Italian and Portuguese; Hungarian (Mária): from the female personal name Latin Maria. This was the name of the mother of Jesus Christ in the New Testament as well as several other New Testament figures. The Latin form of the name on which all common variants from European languages are based (including English Mary) derived as a back-formation from the early Christian female name Mariam. This was mistaken for an accusative case with the usual Latin feminine accusative ending -am but in fact it is an Aramaic form (originally Maryam) of the Hebrew name Miryam. The Hebrew name is of uncertain etymology perhaps from a word meaning ‘wished-for child’ from an Egyptian root mrj with the addition of the Hebrew feminine diminutive suffix -am. Saint Jerome understood it as a compound of mar ‘drop’ + yam ‘sea’ which he rendered as Latin stilla maris later altered to stella maris ‘star of the sea’ whence the medieval Christian liturgical phrase.2: French: Latinized form of Marie a cognate of 1 above. It is also found in England as a surname of Huguenot origin.3: West Indian (Dutch Caribbean): from the female personal name Maria (see 1 above). Maria is among the ten most frequent surnames on Curaçao where it reflects the partially mother-oriented name culture of the formerly enslaved people in the West Indies (compare Martina).
Mariam : 1: Ethiopian: from the female personal name Mariam (see 2 below) forming part of Christian male names like Haile Mariam ‘the power of Mary’ (see Hailemariam). — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.2: Indonesian and Indian: from the female personal name Mariam a variant of the Aramaic Maryam (see Maria) among Christians usually applied with the reference to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ. — Note: As a name from Indonesia and India 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.
Marien : 1: Flemish German and Dutch: metronymic from the personal name Maria.2: German: topographic name for someone who lived by a church named for one of the Marys of the New Testament: Mary the Mother of Jesus Mary Magdalene or Mary sister of Martha.3: French: from the male personal name Marien (popularized by the 6th-century St. Marien of Auxerre) Latin Marianus (see Mariano).4: French (Picardy): from the Old French oblique case of the personal name Marie.
Maudlin : English: from the Middle English vernacular form Maudeleyn of the New Testament Greek personal name Magdalēnē. This is a byname meaning ‘woman from Magdala’ (a village on the Sea of Galilee deriving its name from Hebrew migdal ‘tower’) denoting the woman cured of evil spirits by Jesus (Luke 8:2) who later became a faithful follower. In Christian folk belief she was generally identified with the repentant sinner who washed Christ's feet with her tears in Luke 7; hence the name came to be used as a byname for a prostitute also a tearful woman. The popularity of the personal name increased with the supposed discovery of her relics in the 13th century.
Nazareth : Portuguese and French: from a personal name adopted with reference to Jesus of Nazareth. This surname is also found among Christians in western India (mainly Maharashtra and Goa).
Nazario : Portuguese (Nazário) and Spanish: from the personal name Nazario from the Late Latin personal name Nazarius ‘of Nazareth’ referring to Jesus of Nazareth.
Nazzaro : Italian: from the personal name Nazzaro from Latin Nazareus or Greek Nazarios a derivative of Nazareth (Hebrew Natserat perhaps from a root meaning ‘to guard or protect’) applied to early Christians as followers of Jesus of Nazareth and accepted by them as an honorable personal name.
Nicodemus : Spanish: from a personal name of Greek origin composed of the elements nikē ‘victory’ + dēmos ‘people’. This is the name borne in the New Testament by a Greek Jew who defended Jesus before the religious leaders (John 7:50) and was present at his burial (John 19:39).
Nikodem : German Polish Slovak and Czech: from a personal name of Greek origin composed of the elements nikē ‘victory’ + dēmos ‘people’. This is the name borne in the New Testament by a Greek Jew who defended Jesus before the religious leaders (John 7:50) and was present at his burial (John 19:39).
Ozanne : 1: French: from the female personal name Osanne which is based on a Biblical liturgical word the Latin form of which is Hosanna (from Hebrew hosha'na ‘save we pray’). This was the cry of acclamation that greeted Jesus when he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21: 8–9). Compare Dauzat">Dauzat 3.2: German: from a variant of the female personal name Susanna influenced by the liturgical word hosanna (see 1 above).
Poythress : English: variant of Poytress a Worcestershire and Gloucestershire surname originally a nickname for one who is scantily clad or in the buff from Anglo-Norman French poi dras ‘little clothing’ (i.e. wearing none at all) from Old French poi ‘few little’ and dras ‘clothes’ (plural of drap ‘garment’). The phrase was used as a mocking nickname for the naked Jesus in the late medieval Chester crucifixion play and occurs as a surname in England from c. 1200. Development of Poydras (1527) to Poitheres (1564) and Poytherus (1701) has been noted in the parish of Fownhope (Herefordshire). The surname Poythress is no longer found in Britain.
Salome : Spanish and Portuguese (Salomé): from a shortened form of the personal name Maria Salomé the Spanish and Portuguese form of a Biblical name borne by a follower of Jesus who was present at the crucifixion.
Sindoni : Italian (Sicily): probably from a medieval Greek personal name Sindonē based on sindōn ‘winding sheet shroud’ and adopted as a Christian name with reference to Jesus Christ's shroud.
Veracruz : 1: Spanish: from a Christian religious byname derived from Latin Vera Crux ‘True Cross’ the name for a Christian relic reputed physical remnants of the cross on which Jesus was crucified.2: Hispanic (Mexico): habitational name from Veracruz the name of a state in Mexico of the same etymology as in 1 above.
Visitacion : Spanish: from a short form of the Marian name María de la Visitación referring to the visit of Virgin Mary pregnant with Jesus to her cousin Elizabeth pregnant in turn by John the Baptist. This surname is most common in the Philippines.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
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