Origin
So : 1: Korean (Sŏ): written 서 in Chinese characters 徐 meaning ‘slow’. Although there are two Chinese characters for the Sŏ surname one of these is very rare and can be discounted (there are only about two hundred people in Korea who use this rare character). Some records indicate that the more common character for Sŏ has as many as 165 clans but only eleven of them can be documented. The first recorded ancestor of the Sŏ clans seems to be a Shilla figure named Sŏ Shin-il. According to some legends the rulers of the Old Chosŏn kingdom (died 194 BC) were driven from power by the Wiman Chosŏn and settled in the Ich’ŏn area. The Sŏ clans are among the descendants of these ancient rulers. About fifty percent of modern members of the Sŏ clans live in the Kyŏngsang provinces or in Chŏlla South province. Compare Seo 1 Soh 2 Suh 1 and Sur 3.2: Chinese: Cantonese or Teochew/Hokkien form of the surname 蘇 see Su 1. It is also found in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia Philippines and Indonesia. Compare Soh 1.3: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surname 索 see Suo.4: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 舒 see Shu 1.5: Hungarian (Só): metonymic occupational name for a salt seller or producer from só ‘salt’.
Aaberg : 1: Norwegian and Danish (also Åberg): habitational name from a place so named meaning ‘(on) the hill by the stream’ from å (old spelling aa) ‘stream small river’ + berg ‘mountain hill’. Compare Aberg 2 and Oberg 1.2: Altered form of Swedish Åberg (see Aberg 1) a cognate of 1 above.
Aakre : Norwegian (also Åkre): habitational name from any of several places so named from an inflected form of Old Norse akr ‘plowed field’. Compare Akre.
Aamodt : Norwegian (also Åmodt): topographic name for someone who lived by the confluence of two streams from å (old spelling aa) ‘stream small river’ + mot ‘meeting’ or a habitational name from any of the 40 or more farms so named.
Aarhus : Norwegian (also Århus): habitational name from any of 15 or so farms so named from Old Norse á ‘river’ + hús ‘house farmstead’.
Aas : 1: Norwegian (also Ås): habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads so named from Old Norse áss ‘hill ridge’.2: Swedish (also Ås): topographic name from ås ‘ridge’. Compare Aus Oas Ohs and Oss.
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.
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’.
Ach : 1: German: topographic name for someone who lived by a spring or stream from Old High German aha ‘running water’.2: German: habitational name from any of the places so named in southern Germany and Austria.3: Americanized form of Hungarian Ács ‘carpenter’ (see Acs) and of its Slovak variant Áč.
Acquaviva : Italian: literally ‘living water’ i.e. ‘running water spring’; a habitational name from any of various minor places in central and southern Italy so named on account of their springs of fresh water as for example Acquaviva Platani in Sicily (until 1862 known simply as Acquaviva).
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.
Adney : 1: English: habitational name from Adeney in Edgmond Shropshire named in Old English as Ēadwynna īeg ‘island of Ēadwynn (a female personal name)’.2: Possibly an Americanized form of Norwegian Aadnøy a habitational name from a farmstead so named from Old Norse örn ‘eagle’ + øy ‘island’.
Aga : 1: Norwegian: habitational name from either of two farms so named in Hordaland; of uncertain derivation.2: Turkish (Ağa): ornamental name or nickname from ağa ‘lord master’ also ‘gentleman’. This was an Ottoman Turkish title for a nobleman with a landed estate and a military rank. It was also used as an honorific for high officials and rich men.3: Albanian: from aga or agë (definite form aga) an Ottoman Turkish title (see above).4: Muslim: variant of Agha a cognate of 2 above.
Aho : 1: Finnish: habitational name from farms so named or ornamental name from aho ‘glade forest clearing’ (areas of woodland adjacent to farmhouses were cleared by slash-and-burn techniques to produce glades which eventually became pastureland). As a hereditary surname it was established in the 19th century chiefly in Ostrobothnia. As a popular ornamental surname it was adopted especially among people converting from Swedish surnames to Finnish in the early 20th century in southern western and central Finland (compare Laine 4). In North America Aho may also be a shortened form of the cognate Ahonen.2: Assyrian/Chaldean: from a short form of the personal name Ahikar name of ancient Assyrian origin borne by a semi-legendary sage.
Ahola : Finnish: habitational name from farms so named from aho ‘glade forest clearing’ (see Aho) with the addition of the locative suffix -la. Established as a hereditary surname since the 19th century in southern western and northern Finland. Adopted also as an ornamental name in the early 20th century to replace Swedish surnames.
Ainscough : apparently from a lost or unidentified place called Ainscough or similar probably in Lancs. If so the place-name would have Old Scandinavian skógr ‘wood’ as its second element. Compare Inscoe; the names may well share an origin.alternatively a variant of Askew (compare Ayscough) with intrusive -n-.
Airdrie : from Airdrie (Lanarks) which is recorded as Ardry in 1546 Airdrie in 1584 and Ardrie in 1633 or from any of the farms so named in Kirkcudbrights Fife and Nairns. The place-name of Airdrie (Lanarks) is from Gaelic àrd‘ high’ + rèidh ‘shelf of land’.
Aispuro : Hispanic (mainly Mexico): altered form of Basque Aizpuru a habitational name from a place so named in Gipuzkoa province Basque Country (Spain) composed by the Basque elements haitz ‘rock’ + puru a variant of buru ‘peak’ + the definite article -a hence meaning ‘the top of the rock’.
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’.
Alcantara : 1: Spanish (Alcántara) and Portuguese (Alcântara): habitational name from any of various places so named for example Alcántara in the provinces of Cáceres and Cádiz in Spain from Arabic al ‘the’ + qanṭara ‘bridge’.2: Catalan: Castilianized form of a habitational name from Alcàntera a town in Valencia province (Spain).
Alden : 1: English: from a Middle English personal name. This is either Aldwin Aldin (representing Old English Ealdwine with loss of -w-) or Middle English Alwin with an intrusive -d- (see Alwin) or Aldan a variant of the Anglo-Scandinavian personal name Healfdene (see Haldane).2: Norwegian: habitational name from a farmstead in western Norway so named because of its situation below a high mountain Alden from an unattested word ‘high standing out’.
Allerding : North German: habitational name from a farm so named once belonging to a certain Allert (see Allert) and his kin.
Allerton : English:: 1: habitational name from any of several places so called. Allerton on Merseyside Chapel Allerton in Yorkshire and others in Yorkshire were named in Old English as alra tūn ‘settlement by the alders’. One in Somerset (Alwarditone in Domesday Book) is ‘Ælfweard's settlement’; one in Yorkshire (Allerton Mauleverer Alvertone in Domesday Book) is ‘Ælfhere's settlement’.2: (Suffolk): probably a variant of Alderton.
Allport : English: topographic name for someone who lived at the old town or market from Middle English olde ‘old’ + port ‘town market’ or a habitational name from a place so named such as Alport in Youlgreave Derbyshire or Alport in Church Stoke Montgomeryshire.
Almaraz : Spanish: habitational name from any of the places so called in Zamora Cáceres and Vallodolid provinces. The placename is of Arabic origin either from al-maḥrath ‘the cultivated or arable land’ or from al-maḥras ‘the guarded or fortified place the sanctuary’. Compare Almarez and Almeraz.
Almas : 1: Norwegian (Almås): habitational name from any of several farms so named a compound of alm ‘elm’ + ås ‘hill ridge’.2: Hungarian (Almás): from alma ‘apple’ hence an occupational name for a producer or seller of apples and probably also a topographic name for someone who lived by an apple orchard. This surname is very rare in Hungary; as an American name it may also be a shortened form of the related surnames Almási and Almásy (see Almasy).3: Portuguese: from the plural of alma ‘soul’.4: Muslim (mainly Pakistan): from a personal name based on Persian almās ‘diamond’.
Alme : Norwegian: habitational name from any of the seven farms most in western Norway so named from an inflected form of Old Norse almr ‘elm’.
Alphin : Altered form of an unidentified surname possibly Dutch Van Alphen: habitational name from either of the places so named in North Brabant and South Holland. Compare Allphin.
Alstad : Norwegian: habitational name from any of ten or so farms most in Trondelag named Alstad from a personal name + Old Norse stathr ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Altena : Dutch and North German: habitational name from any of several places and houses so named. For a long time the placename has been explained as al te na ‘too close’ referring to its location nearby another object. Possibly this associative explanation has been applied for some Altena places indeed but in North Brabant the toponym Land of Altena with the castle of the noblemen of Altena seems to be adopted from an old river name Huolthena (996) which probably means olten a ‘old a’ a being a general noun for ‘waterway’.
Altenhofen : German: topographic name for a person from a place near an old farmstead from an inflected form of Middle High German alt ‘old’ + hof ‘farm manor farm’ or a habitational name from a place so named.
Alter : 1: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): distinguishing epithet for the older of two bearers of the same personal name.2: Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish personal name Alter an inflected form of alt ‘old’. This was in part an omen or well-wishing name expressing the parents’ hope that the child would live a long life; in part a protective name given to a child born after the death of a sibling but also said to have sometimes been assumed by someone who was seriously ill. The purpose is supposed to have been to confuse the Angel of Death into thinking that the person was old and so not worth claiming as a victim.3: German: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with alt ‘old’.
Altherr : Swiss German and South German:: 1: literally ‘old master’ hence a name for an older person of high status as distinguished from a younger member of his family; or a metonymic occupational name for a servant in the retinue of such a person.2: habitational name from a place so called near Leipzig.
Amarante : 1: Italian (Campania): from an early Christian female personal name Greek Amaranthē ‘unfading’ bestowed with reference to the adjective amarantos (conflated with anthos ‘flower’ to give the -anth ending) as used in I Peter 5:4: ‘And when the chief shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away’.2: Portuguese and Galician: habitational name from any of the places so called in northern Portugal and Galicia from Latin (villa) Amaranti from the Latin personal name Amarant(h)us (‘amaranth’).
Ambler : English (Yorkshire):: 1: (of Norman origin): occupational name from Middle English amayler amelour (Old French esmailleur) ‘enameller’ with intrusive b to give a(u)mbelour.3: perhaps an occupational name from a shortened form of an unrecorded Middle English amblerer ‘dealer in amblers or saddle horses’.2: nickname perhaps derived from Middle English ambler ‘walker steady-paced horse or mule’ (ultimately from Latin ambulare ‘to walk’) probably applied to someone with a steady easy-going temperament possibly even a facetious nickname for a walker or fuller. The Middle English verb is also recorded from the 14th century onward in the sense ‘to ride an ambling horse’ so the surname might have denoted someone who rode such a horse though because of its gentle pace it was generally preferred by women.
America : Dutch:: 1: habitational name from a village in the province of Limburg named so after the continent where the offspring emigrated to or perhaps from another hamlet or farm metaphorically named after America.2: Latinized form (from de Mirica) of the topographic name Van der Heijden (see Vanderheyden).
Amezola : Basque (Castilianized as Amézola): topographic name from ametz ‘gall oak’ + the topographic suffix -ola ‘place of’ or a habitational name from a place so named.
Amezquita : Hispanic (mainly Mexico and Colombia; Amézquita): altered form of Amézqueta a Castilianized form of Basque Amezketa a habitational name from a place so named in Gipuzkoa province Basque Country (Spain) from Basque ametz ‘Pyrenean oak’ + -(k)eta ‘place or group of’. Compare Amesquita.
Andal : 1: Filipino: nickname from Tagalog andal ‘jostle push’ or Bikol (h)andal ‘to worry’ or alternatively borrowed from Indonesian andal ‘reliable dependable’ and ‘capable able’.2: Norwegian: habitational name from any of the four farms so named most likely from ahn ‘elm’ + dal ‘valley’.
Anderson : 1: Scottish and northern English: patronymic from the personal name Ander(s) a northern Middle English form of Andrew + son ‘son’. The frequency of the surname in Scotland is attributable at least in part to the fact that Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland so the personal name has long enjoyed great popularity there. Legend has it that the saint's relics were taken to Scotland in the 4th century by a certain Saint Regulus. In North America this surname has absorbed many cognate or like-sounding surnames in other languages notably Scandinavian (see 3 and 4 below) but also Ukrainian Andreychenko etc.2: German: patronymic from the personal name Anders hence a cognate of 1 above.3: Americanized form (and a less common Swedish variant) of Swedish Andersson a cognate of 1 above.4: Americanized form of Norwegian Danish and North German Andersen or Anderssen cognates of 1 above.
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’.
Angel : 1: Spanish (Ángel) and Slovenian: from local equivalents of the Latin personal name Angelus from angelus Greek angelos ‘messenger angel’. In early Christian folk belief angels were so named because they were considered to be messengers sent from God. Compare Spanish Del Angel.2: English (of Norman origin): from Middle English angel ‘angel’ from Old French angele from Latin angelus (see above) perhaps applied as a nickname to someone of angelic temperament or appearance or for someone who played the part of an angel in a pageant. In North America this surname may also be an altered form of any of several cognate European surnames for example Italian Angelo Romanian Anghel Czech Anděl or Hungarian Angyal.3: American shortened form of Greek Angelis or of any other derivative of the personal name Angelos (see Angelos). Compare Angell and Angelus.4: German: nickname from Old High German ango ‘spine prick’ (also denoting the sharp awn or ‘beard’ of grain) denoting an angry or aggressive person. The German surname is concentrated in the farming area of southern Württemberg.5: German: metonymic occupational name for a fisherman from Middle High German angel ‘fishing rod’.6: South German: perhaps a topographic name from angel ‘meadow grass field’.7: Americanized form of Croatian Anđel a cognate of 1 above. Compare Angell.
Angerer : South German: topographic name for a dweller by a meadow or village green (see Anger) or a habitational name for someone from any of numerous places so named in Bavaria and Austria.
Anglada : Catalan: habitational name from any of various minor places in Catalonia (Spain) so named from Latin anglata ‘corner’.
Anich : 1: Americanized form of Croatian and Serbian Anić: metronymic from the female personal name Ana (see Anna).2: South German: habitational name from a farmstead so named in Tyrol.
Annala : Finnish: habitational name from farms so named from the female personal name Anna + the locative suffix -la. Established as a hereditary surname since the 19th century chiefly in Ostrobothnia. The female personal name indicates that a farm has been managed by a widow.
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.
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.
Applewhaite : apparently from a lost place called Applethwaite in Suffolk. If so the place-name would seem to derive from Middle English appel ‘apple’ + thwait ‘clearing’ (Old English æppel + Old Scandinavian þveit) comparable to Applethwaite Common in Windermere (Westm) which is recorded as Appilthwayt in 1283.alternatively perhaps a variant of Hebblethwaite.
Arana : 1: Basque: topographic name from aran ‘valley’ + the definite article -a or a habitational name from any of several places so named in Treviño (province of Burgos where Basque was still spoken during the early Middle Ages) and Biscay (Basque Country Spain).2: Spanish (Araña; Canary Islands): from araña ‘spider’ a nickname for a weaver or perhaps for an industrious or opportunistic person.
Aranguren : Basque: habitational name from any of several places so called in Navarre and the Basque Country from Basque (h)aran ‘valley’ and guren ‘boundary’.
Aranibar : Basque: habitational name from a place so named in the Basque Country Spain from aran ‘valley’ and ibar ‘meadow riverbank’. Compare Arenivar.
Arano : 1: Basque: habitational name from a place so named in Navarre.2: Japanese: found in east-central Japan usually written 荒野 ‘wild plain’ or 新野 ‘new plain’; the latter may also be pronounced Niino.3: Japanese (Aranō): written 荒納 ‘wild’ and ‘dedicate’ or 荒能 ‘wild’ and ‘ability’; found in Ishikawa prefecture.
Argote : Spanish: habitational name from any of the places so named in A Coruña (Galicia) and especially in Burgos (Castile).
Ariza : 1: Spanish: habitational name from a place so called in Zaragoza province in Aragon.2: Basque: Castilianized form of a topographic name from (h)aritz ‘oak’ + the definite article -a.
Arlott : 1: from Old French herlot harlot arlot ‘rascal scoundrel vagrant’ hence Middle English harlot harlet herlot ‘vagabond beggar idle rogue’. It was used by Chaucer both as a term of derision (‘ye false harlot’) and also ironically for a good fellow (‘he was a gentil harlot and a kynde’). In the 14th century it came to denote also an itinerant jester buffoon or juggler also a male servant attendant or menial. The sense ‘female prostitute’ is not recorded before the 15th century so Muriel Arlot and Matilda le Harlot probably bear their husbands' surnames.possibly from the Old French personal name Arlot a pet form of Arlaud a French version of the Continental Germanic personal name Arlwald (of which the second element is *wald- ‘rule’). However there is no certain evidence that this personal name was ever used in medieval England. 2: see Arlett.
Arne : 1: English (northern) Swedish and German: from the (medieval) personal name Arne a short form of Arnold or in Scandinavia any of the many other Norse names of which arn ‘eagle’ is the first element for example Arnbjörn Arnfinn and Arnsten.2: English: habitational name from Arne a place in Dorset which is most probably named with Old English ærn ‘building house’.3: Norwegian: habitational name from the farmstead Arna in western Norway so named from a fjord name meaning ‘the streaming the fjord with the waves’.
Arney : 1: English: perhaps from the Middle English personal name Ernwi (Old English Earnwīg composed of the elements earn ‘eagle’ + wīg ‘battle’). If so the surname shows the unexceptional loss of -w- in the unstressed syllable following -n-.2: In some cases an Americanized form of German or Swedish Arne.3: In some cases also an Americanized form of Norwegian Arnøy: habitational name from any of a number of farmsteads named for the islands on which they stand; the original derivation of such names being either from the Old Norse personal name Arni or from ǫrn ‘eagle’ + øy ‘island’.
Aro : 1: Finnish: habitational name from farms so named or ornamental name from aro ‘hard relatively infertile ground’ or ‘wet meadow swamp’. As a hereditary surname it was established in the late 19th century chiefly in southwestern Finland and in Ostrobothnia. As an ornamental name it was adopted during the name-changing campaigns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries especially in southern and western Finland (compare Laine 4). In the US this is also a shortened form of surnames such as Kiviaro of which the first element is kivi ‘stone rock’. The surname Aro is also found in Estonia.2: Galician: habitational name from either of two places called Aro in Galicia Spain. This surname is very rare in Spain.3: West African (Nigeria): unexplained.
Arola : 1: Finnish: habitational name from farms so named from aro ‘hard relatively infertile ground’ or ‘wet meadow swamp’ (compare Aro) with the locative suffix -la. Established as a hereditary surname in the 19th century in southern western and northern Finland.2: Italian (Campania): habitational name from Arola in Naples province.3: Catalan: topographic name from arola (from Latin areola) ‘threshing floor’.
Arquette : Altered form of Breton Arcouet: habitational name from Argoat the name of the inland part of Brittany France or from any of several places in Brittany so named. The surname Arcouet is very rare in Brittany; it is found mainly in Charente-Maritime in western France. Compare Arcouette and Arquitt.
Arquilla : 1: Spanish: habitational name from a place so named in Málaga province or from a diminutive of the vocabulary word arca ‘chest coffer’ hence an occupational name for a chest maker.2: Italian: unexplained.
Arundel : English:: 1: (of Norman origin): nickname from Old French arondel ‘little swallow’ (a diminutive of arond ‘swallow’ from Latin hirundo).2: habitational name from a place so named in West Sussex from Old English hārhūne ‘horehound’ (a wild plant Marrubium vulgare) + dell ‘valley’. This place is the seat of the dukes of Norfolk. In northern England folk etymology resulted in variants such as Arendale.
Asby : English: habitational name from any of the many places so named or from Asby or Great and Little Asby in Cumbria all named from Old Norse askr ‘ash tree’ + bȳ ‘farmstead’ (see Ashby).
Asch : 1: North German: from a Middle Low German personal name Asc originally meaning ‘spearman’.2: German: habitational name from any of various places so named in Bavaria Baden-Württemberg and Austria from Middle High German asch esche ‘ash tree’. Compare Ascher and Ash.3: Jewish (Ashkenazic): adoption of the German name (see above) or a variant of Ash.
Aschenbach : German: habitational name from a place so named in Rhineland.
Ascott : 1: variant of Arscott a Devon name pronounced /ˈɑ:skɔt/. 2: from any of several places so called such as Ascott under Wychwood (Oxon) which is recorded as Estcote in 1086 and Astcote in 1258 Ascott in Stadhampton (also Oxon) recorded as Estcote in about 1190 and Astecote in 1285 Ascot in Sunninghill (Berks) recorded as Ascote in 1269 and Astcote in 1348 and Ascott in Wing (Bucks) recorded as Estcota Ascote in the 13th century. The place-names all derive from Old English ēast ‘east’ + cot ‘cottage’.
Ashington : 1: from Ashington (Lincs Northumb Sussex). The Northumb place-name is from Old English æscen ‘ash-grown’ + denu ‘valley’. The Sussex name is from the Old English given name Æsc + -inga- indicating a connection between the family or followers of the person named and the place + tūn ‘farm village’ so ‘farm of those connected with Æsc’. The name in Lincs has not yet been explained. 2: perhaps sometimes from Ashingdon (Essex) but there is no clear evidence for continuity from the Middle Ages. The place-name recorded as Assandun in 1016 is from Old English assa ‘ass’ or a given name of the same form in the genitive case with -n + dūn hill. 3: possibly a variant of Ashenden in Kent contexts.
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’.
Assink : Dutch: habitational name from any of several farms so called in the East Netherlands (Twente and Achterhoek districts) originally belonging to a certain Asse (see Asch) or Atzo (see Atz) and his kin.
Ast : 1: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German ast German Ast ‘knot (in wood) branch’ hence a nickname for a tough or awkward individual or a metonymic occupational name for a lumberjack. As a Jewish name it is artificial.2: North German: occupational name from Middle Low German arste ‘physician’ a variant of Arzt.3: German: habitational name from any of the places so named in Bavaria.4: French (southern): from Occitan ast ‘pike’ or ‘lance’ probably an occupational name for a maker of these weapons. The surname is however most common in Alsace and Lorraine where it is no doubt of German origin (see above).
Au : 1: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surname 敖 see Ao.2: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 歐 and 區 see Ou 1 and 2.3: Vietnamese (Âu): from the Chinese surname 歐 see Ou 1 and 2 above.4: Vietnamese (Ấu): written 幼 in Chinese of unexplained etymology.5: South German: topographic name from Au ‘water meadow stream’ (see Aue) or a habitational name from any of several places so named in Germany Austria and Switzerland.
Auchincloss : Scotland: habitational name from the lands so named in Kilmarnock parish.
Aulenbach : German:: 1: habitational name from a creek or place so named in Württemberg.2: variant of Allenbach.
Aulick : Americanized form of German Aulich a habitational name from a place in Saxony so named.
Aure : 1: Norwegian: habitational name from five farms in southern Norway so named from Old Norse aurr ‘gravel coarse sand’ in a river plain.2: Aragonese: probably a topographic name from a dialectal form of arbre ‘tree’. The surname Aure is most common in the Philippines where it may possibly be of different origin.3: French (Auré; mainly Vendée): habitational name from any of several places in western France named Auré or Auray.4: French (southern): topographic name for someone living in a windswept place from Old French (h)aure or ore ‘breeze wind’.
Austerfield : from Austerfield (WR Yorks) so named from Old English eowestre ‘sheepfold’ + feld ‘open land’.
Autio : Finnish: habitational name from farms so named from autio ‘uninhabited uncultivated fallow’ denoting a farm or field that had fallen into disuse or an ornamental name from the same word which also means ‘spacious wide unforested’. Established as a hereditary surname especially since the 19th century in Ostrobothnia. Adopted also as an ornamental name in the early 20th century to replace Swedish surnames chiefly in Tavastia (compare Laine 4).
Auxier : Probably an altered form of French Auxerre a habitational name from a city so named in Yonne reportedly via the intermediate German form Axer.
Ave : 1: North German: habitational name from a place in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania so named.2: Galician: nickname from ave ‘bird’ or Latin Ave Maria ‘Hail Mary’ (see 3 below).3: French (Avé): nickname for a precentor from Latin Ave Maria ‘Hail Mary’ the angelic salutation to the Virgin Mary used as a devotional recitation with the addition (in more recent times) of a prayer to the Virgin as Mother of God.4: French (Avé): variant of Havet from Old French havet ‘hook pick’ hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made picks or worked with a pick.
Awai : Japanese: written 粟井 ‘millet well’. It is from a village so named in Yoshino district in Yamato (now Nara prefecture). The name is also written 淡相 ‘pale’ and ‘mutual’ with characters used phonetically.
Bacha : 1: Americanized form of Slovak Czech and Croatian Bača ‘senior shepherd’ (see Baca).2: Americanized form of Hungarian Bacsa: habitational name from a place so named. The name Bacsa may also be a Hungarized form of the Slovak name in 1 above (Hungarian bacsa ‘shepherd’ a loanword from Slovak entered into the Hungarian language only in the 18th century).3: Muslim (Maghreb): French-influenced form of Basha (see also Pasha).4: Muslim (Pakistan): unexplained.
Badri : 1: Arabic: derivative of the placename Badr near Medina in Saudi Arabia the location of a decisive battle in early Islamic history (634 AD). Badr is also found as a personal name and the surname may denote descent from or association with someone so called.2: Indian: Tamil name of unexplained etymology.
Bagshaw : English: habitational name from a place so named in Chapel en le Frith in Derbyshire. The first element of the placename is either the Old English personal name Bacga or an unattested Old English word bagga for a ‘bag-shaped’ object or creature; the second element is Old English sceaga ‘copse’.
Bakker : 1: Dutch and North German: occupational name for a baker Dutch and Low German bakker. Compare Backer and Baker.2: Norwegian: habitational name from any of the farmsteads so named in southeastern Norway; it is the indefinite plural form of Bakke.
Bakkum : 1: Dutch: habitational name from the village so named near Castricum in North Holland province. Bakkum may be ‘the homestead of someone with the personal name Bak’ (see Bak) or refer to the location on a back a hillside.2: Norwegian: habitational name from the dative plural case of Bakke.
Balay : 1: Altered form of English Bailey.2: French: habitational name from any of various minor places so named.3: Breton: from the old personal name Balay borne by a Breton saint and preserved e.g. in the placename Ploubalay.4: Indian (Gujarat): from the name of a Bhatia subgroup of unexplained etymology.
Ball : 1: English: from Middle English bal ball(e) ‘ball sphere globe round body’ (Old French balle or Old English beall(a)) a nickname for a short obese person.2: English: topographic name for someone who lived on or by a knoll or rounded hill from the same Middle English word bal(le) as in 1 above but applied topographically.3: English: from a Middle English adjective ball (weak form balle) in the sense ‘bald’ from ball ‘white streak bald place’.4: English: from Balle an Old Norse personal name found in placenames in England. The Scandinavian name may be for ballr ‘dangerous’ in an older sense of ‘brave’ or bǫllr ‘ball’.5: South German: from Middle High German bal ‘ball’ possibly applied as a metonymic occupational name for a juggler or a habitational name from a place so named in the Rhine area.6: German: from a short form of any of various ancient Germanic personal names formed with the element bald (see Bald).7: Americanized form of Dutch Bal.
Ballesteros : Spanish: habitational name from any of various places in Spain for example Ballesteros de Calatrava in the province of Ciudad Real Los Ballesteros (Huelva) Ballesteros (Cuenca) and others no longer identifiable which were probably so named because of their association with ballesteros ‘crossbowmen’ plural of ballestero an agent derivative of ballesta ‘crossbow’ (see Ballester).
Ballin : 1: German and Danish: habitational name from a place so named near Neubrandenburg Germany.2: Jewish (western Ashkenazic): most likely metronymic from the hypocoristic form (using the suffix -lin) of the Yiddish female personal name Be(y)le (see Balin 1). Earliest bearers of the name spelling Bal(l)in or Bellin appear in available sources of Switzerland at the turn of the 14th–15th centuries.3: Hispanic: altered form of Asturian-Leonese Vallín (see Vallin).4: French: metonymic occupational name for a maker of straw mattresses Old French ballin.5: French: variant of Balin a derivative of Bal.6: English (of Norman origin): variant of Balaam (see Ballam).
Balling : 1: German (Bälling): patronymic from the ancient Germanic personal name Baldo (see Bald) or a nickname from Middle High German Middle Low German ballinc ‘outlaw’.2: Danish: habitational name from a farm so named from a derivative of Balle.
Ballingall : from the lands of Ballingall near Milnathort (Kinross) or from one of the places so called in Fife. The place-name appears to be Gaelic baile nan gall ‘farm of the foreigners’.
Ballou : 1: French: possibly an altered form of French and Flemish Ballieu or Balliu surnames mainly found in Nord in France and in neighbouring Flanders in Belgium. If so it is either habitational from one of the numerous places in Picardy Artois and Normandy called Bailleul (Old French Balliol) or an occupational name from Old Picard and Middle Dutch bailli(e)u ba(i)lleu baillu (Old French baillif balliu) ‘bailiff’. Alternatively the name Ballou might be from the ancient Germanic personal name Balowulf composed of the elements balo ‘torment wickedness’ and wulf ‘wolf’. The surname Ballou is rare in France.2: Alternatively an altered form of French Belleau or perhaps Beaulieu. The name is sometimes (also) said to be an altered form of Boileau but this is problematic in terms of family history and phonological development. Compare Ballew Ballow 1 Belew Bellew and Belue.3: Alternatively a rare variant of English Ballow 2 or an altered form of English Bellew 1.
Balstad : Norwegian: habitational name from any of various farmsteads so named from an uncertain first element most likely a personal name + Old Norse stathir plural of stathr ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Bampton : from one or more of the places so called such as Bampton (Oxon Devon Westm) Kirkbampton (Cumb) and Bempton (ER Yorks). With the exception of that in Devon the place-names are from Old English bēam ‘beam tree’ + tūn ‘farm village’; the Devon name is from Bæðhǣma tūn ‘farm or village of the dwellers by a bath (?spring)’ or ‘of people from Bath’.
Bank : 1: German Dutch and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German or Middle Low German banc or Yiddish bank ‘bench table counter’ in any of various senses e.g. a metonymic occupational name for anyone whose work required a bench or counter for example a butcher baker court official or money changer. The surname of German is also found in Poland and in Czechia.2: Danish and Swedish: topographic name from bank ‘(sand)bank’ or a habitational name from a farm named with this word.3: Danish and Swedish: from bank ‘noise’ hence a nickname for a loud or noisy person. Compare Bang.4: Danish: habitational name from the German placename Bänkau.5: English: topographic name from Middle English banke (Old Norse banke) ‘bank hillside’ or a habitational name from any of the many places so called.6: Irish: adopted for Ó Bruacháin ‘descendant of Bruachán’ a byname apparently meaning ‘large-bellied’. This name has also been Anglicized as Banks as if from Irish bruach ‘bank’.7: Dutch: from the personal name Bank recorded in North Holland province a vernacular of Bancras from Pancratius (see Pankratz).8: Hungarian (Bánk): from a diminutive of Bán (see Ban).
Bankhead : Scottish: topographic name for someone who lived at the top or end of a bank or hill (see Bank 5) or habitational name from a place with this origin. There are several minor places in Scotland so called but the most likely source of the surname is one on the border between the parishes of Kilmarnock and Dreghorn in Ayrshire.
Banning : 1: English: perhaps from an unrecorded Middle English personal name Banning which might be a pet form of Old English Banna (see Bann 2).2: Dutch and German: habitational name from a farm so named which once belonged to a certain Banno and his kin. The personal name Banno is possibly a form of an ancient Germanic Bern- ‘bear’ name. The farm name Banning has been located in several places in Gelderland. In North America this surname may also be an altered form of the Dutch cognate Bannink.
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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
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