Origin
Young : 1: English Scottish and northern Irish: nickname from Middle English yong ‘young’ (Old English geong) used to distinguish a younger man from an older man bearing the same personal name (typically father and son). In Middle English this name is often found with the Anglo-Norman French definite article for example Robert le Yunge. In Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland this was widely used as an English equivalent of the Gaelic nickname Og ‘young’; see Ogg. This surname is also very common among African Americans.2: Americanized form (translation into English) of various European surnames meaning ‘young’ or similar notably German Jung Dutch Jong and De Jong and French Lejeune and Lajeunesse.3: Americanized form of Swedish Ljung: topographic or an ornamental name from ljung ‘(field of) heather’ or a habitational name from a placename containing this word e.g. Ljungby.4: Americanized form of French Guyon reflecting the specific former French Canadian pronunciation of the initial G- followed by a vowel or of one of its altered forms such as Yon 3.5: Native American: translation into English and shortening of a personal name composed of a word meaning ‘young’ or ‘little’ such as Lakota Sioux Mato Čikala ‘Little Bear’ or ‘Young Bear’ (see Youngbear).6: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 楊 and 陽 see Yang 1 and 2.7: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 容 see Rong 2.8: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 翁 see Weng 2.
Abu : 1: Muslim: abstracted as a surname from Arabic abū ‘father’ a common component of traditional Muslim names. It is used to form the kunya (a type of name meaning ‘father of’ such as Abū-Bakr literally ‘father of the Young Camel’; see Abubakr) in combination with the name of a man's child usually his firstborn son (or hoped-for firstborn). In traditional Muslim society a man is generally known and addressed by his kunya rather than by his ism (his personal name) the use of which can seem unduly familiar. A kunya may also be used to form a nickname as in the case of Abū-Turāb ʿAlī ‘ʿAlī father of dust’ the kunya of caliph Ali conferred on him by the prophet Muhammad. — Note: It is possible that in some cases this is counted as an independent surname only in the population figure published by the US Census Bureau.2: Muslim and Jewish (Sephardic from the Maghreb): from the Arabic male personal name ʿAbbū a pet form of any of the many names beginning with ʿAbd ‘servant’.3: West African (Sierra Leone Ghana and Nigeria): probably of Arabic origin (see 1 and 2 above).
Abubakr : Muslim: from the Arabic personal name Abū-Bakr ‘father of Bakr’ literally ‘father of the Young Camel’ borne by the father-in-law staunch supporter of Muhammad and principal military leader during the early years of Islam who became the first of the ‘rightly guided’ caliphs (lived 573–634; ruled 632–634). See also Abu and Bakr compare Abubakar and Abubaker.
Babb : 1: English (Devon Somerset and Cornwall): from the Middle English personal name Babb(e) usually no doubt a pet form of the female personal name Barbara (see Barbara) but possibly in some cases a survival of the Old English personal name Babba which is found in several placenames including Babbacombe in Devon and Babington in Somerset.2: English (Devon Somerset and Cornwall): from Middle English babe ‘infant young child’ applied as a nickname.3: Americanized form of German Bobb or of some other similar (like-sounding) surname.
Backler : from Norman French bacaler ‘a young knight a novice in arms’. The [k] is a characteristically Norman form where Central French has [tʃ]; see Batchelor.
Balaji : Indian (Andhra Pradesh): from Hindi Sanskrit bala ‘young boy’ + the -ji suffix a mark of respect. This name is particularly associated with Vishnu as the reigning deity at Sri Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh. The god is said to have appeared as a young boy and playmate to a devotee named Ramanuja who named the idol at the temple as Balaji.
Balchin : perhaps an altered form of Bolsham from Bilsham in Yapton (Sussex) recorded as Bul(e)sham from the 12th century whose name is from an Old English given name or nickname Bȳli (bȳl(e) ‘a boil’) in the genitive case with -es + hamm ‘watermeadow; enclosed place’ or hām ‘large estate farm’. Woolbeding where the earliest example of Balchin occurs is next to Midhurst (Sussex) where James Bolsham is recorded in 1606. The will of a Peter Bolsham of Kirdford (Sussex) was proved in 1614 and a Walter Bulshyne (a scribal mangling of Bulsham?) is recorded in that neighbourhood in 1307. This might explain the naming of Bulchin's Farm in Kirdford as suggested in Place-Names of Sussex. The family name Bulchin in Guildford Surrey and in Kirdford Sussex seems to be an alternative 18th- and 19th-century pronunciation of Balchin. However the Guildford connection also suits the alternative explanation for Balchin given in (ii).perhaps an altered form of Balchild a name that is first recorded in East Worldham (Hants) in 1327 about 16 miles from Guildford (Surrey) where it appears from the 1380s onwards. It is in Guildford and nearby villages where both Balchin and Balchild are found from the late 17th century onwards an overlap which is much better evidenced than Balchin with Bolsham which only occurs in Kirdford. The origin of Balchild is uncertain. It appears to be either a nickname containing Middle English child (Old English cild) ‘child young man knight attendant apprentice’ (see Child) or perhaps a topographical name containing Middle English childe (Old English *cielde) spring but the identity of Bal- is difficult to determine. In relation to the nickname Middle English balgh ‘tubby round-bellied’ is a possibility; compare Fairchild Goodchild and Littlechild.
Batchelor : English: status name for a young knight or novice at arms Middle English and Old French bacheler (medieval Latin baccalarius). The word had already been extended to mean ‘(young) unmarried man’ by the 14th century but it is unlikely that many bearers of the surname derive from the word in that sense.
Bear : 1: English: variant of Beer 1.2: English: from the Middle English nickname Bere meaning ‘bear’ (Old English bera which is also found as a byname) or from a personal name derived from a short form of the various ancient Germanic compound names with this as the first element (compare e.g. Bernhard). The bear has generally been regarded with a mixture of fear and amusement because of its strength and unpredictable temper on the one hand and its clumsy gait on the other and in the medieval period it was also thought to typify the sins of sloth and gluttony. All these characteristics are no doubt reflected in the nickname. Throughout the Middle Ages the bear was a familiar figure in popular entertainments such as bear baiting and dancing bears. Compare Beer 2.3: Native American: translation into English (and shortening) of a personal name based on a word such as Lakota and Dakota Sioux mato and Meskwaki (Fox) makwa meaning ‘bear’. The great cultural significance of the bear to Native Americans is reflected in their traditional personal names many of which were adopted as surnames (translated into English) e.g. Black Bear (see Blackbear) Little Bear (see Littlebear) Standing Bear (see Standingbear) and Young Bear (see Youngbear).4: Americanized form (translation into English) of cognates of 2 above in other languages for example German Baer and Slovenian Croatian Ukrainian and other Slavic Medved and also an Americanized form of German Bahr.
Bichard : French and Channel Islands:: 1: nickname from Old French bichard ‘fawn young fallow deer’. As the Old French word was also used to denote a measure of grain a nickname for a grain dealer is possible.2: from an ancient Germanic personal name composed of the elements bic (respelling of bek a borrowing of Latin beccus ‘beak’) + hard ‘hardy strong’. Compare German Bickhart.
Bird : 1: English and Scottish: nickname for a young or a small and slender person from Middle English brid bird burd (Old English bird brid perhaps also byrd) ‘bird young bird’ also ‘young man young woman child’.2: Irish: Anglicized form of a number of Irish names erroneously thought to contain the element éan ‘bird’ in particular Ó hÉinigh (see Heagney) Ó hÉanna (see Heaney) Ó hÉanacháin (see Heneghan) and Mac an Déaghanaigh (see McEneaney).3: Americanized form (translation into English) of various European surnames meaning ‘bird’ as for example German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Vogel French Loiseau Czech Ptáček (see Ptacek) and Pták Polish Ptak.4: Native American: translation into English (and shortening) of a personal name based on a word such as Lakota Sioux ziŋtkala meaning ‘bird’. The importance of the birds particularly eagles (see Eagle 4) and hawks (see Hawk 4) to Native Americans is reflected in their traditional personal names many of which were adopted as surnames (translated into English) e.g. Black Bird (see Blackbird) King Bird (see Kingbird) and Red Bird (see Redbird).
Blache : 1: French (southeastern): topographic name for someone who lived by an oak grove from the Old Occitan word of Gaulish origin blaca ‘oak plantation’ originally denoting a plantation of young trees of any kind.2: French: habitational name from (La) Blache the name of several places in the south of France.
Brenneisen : German: literally ‘burn (the) iron’ from Middle High German brennen ‘to burn’ + īsen ‘iron’ a nickname given to young journeymen by the guild of blacksmiths.
Bross : 1: German: from a shortened form of the Latin personal name Ambrosius (see Ambrose).2: German: from Middle High German brossen ‘to sprout or bud’ hence an affectionate nickname for a young son. Compare Brotz.3: East German: from a Germanized form of a Slavic ethnic name for a Prussian (see Prus).
Brust : 1: German: from Middle High German brust ‘chest breast’; also ‘vest armor’ presumably a nickname for someone with a particularly broad chest or alternatively for the wearer of a distinctive upper garment or protection. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine).2: Swiss German: topographic name for someone living near a down-fault in a mountain range probably a crevasse from Brust a noun derivative of bresten ‘to burst’.3: French: variant of Broust from Old French brost ‘shoot young growth’ a topographic name for someone who lived by an area of low growth suitable for grazing. Alternatively at least in Alsace and Lorraine a surname of German origin (see 1 above).4: Jewish (Ashkenazic): presumably from German Brust ‘chest’ (see 1 above) or from the Yiddish equivalent brust.
Buckett : English (of Norman origin): from Old French boquet ‘kid young goat’ perhaps a nickname for a worker or dealer in buckskin or leather goods or possibly implying ‘lecherous’. Compare the French surname Bouquet. This surname is common in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Bullock : English (West Midlands): from Middle English bulluc bullok ‘bullock’ (Old English bulluc) referring to a young bull probably applied as a nickname for an exuberant young man or a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of bullocks.
Caflisch : Swiss German: possibly from a shortened form of Kalbfleisch literally ‘calf meat’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a butcher who sold mainly veal or a nickname for a young immature ‘half-baked’ person (compare Kalbfleisch). According to the Schweizer Idiotikon veal was regarded as meat of inferior quality.
Caruso : Italian: nickname from caruso ‘close-cropped’ (from Latin cariosus ‘decayed’ also ‘smooth bald’). This word was also used in the more general sense ‘boy lad’ since in the Middle Ages young men of fashion sometimes wore their hair much shorter than was the prevailing style. In the Girgenti area of Sicily the term was a metonymic occupational name for a worker in the sulfur pits since such workers were required to wear their hair short.
Child : English:: 1: nickname from Middle English child ‘child infant’ (Old English cild) in various possible applications. The word is found in Old English as a byname and in Middle English as a widely used affectionate term of address. It was also used as a term of status for a young man of noble birth although the exact meaning is not clear; in the 13th and 14th centuries it was a technical term used of a young noble awaiting elevation to the knighthood. In other cases it may have been applied as a byname to a youth considerably younger than his brothers or to one who was a minor on the death of his father.2: in Kent possibly a topographic name from Old English cielde ‘spring (water)’ a rare word derived from c(e)ald ‘cold’.
Childerley : from Childerley in Cambs. The place-name may have denoted ‘the woodland clearing of the young men (or male heirs)’ from cildra the genitive plural of Old English cild ‘child young man’ + Old English lēah. Domesday Book records that before the Conquest the estate was jointly held by four sokemen (free tenants).
Childerstone : from a lost or unidentified place possibly in Suffolk. The place-name could be a compound of Old English cildra + Old English stān ‘stone’ with reference perhaps to a free standing boulder. In the surname the first element alternates between Childre- and Childe- apparently representing Old English cildra and cilda two different genitive plurals of Old English cild ‘child young (noble)man boy monk’ probably also ‘male heir’ (of any rank). Alternatively the second element is Old English tūn ‘estate’. Old English cild is sometimes compounded with tūn as is clear in early spellings of Chillaton (Devon) Chilton (Berks Somerset) and Chilton Street (Suffolk) as well as Chilson (Oxon) Chilston (Kent) and Chilstone (Herefs) which retain a singular genitival -s. If the original forms of Childerstone were *Cildratūn and *Cildatūn they could have alluded to joint ownership by several male heirs perhaps sokemen or free tenants as recorded for Childerley (Cambs). See Childerley. In that case the medial -s- is not original to the name but a later tautologous genitive added to Middle English childe and childre or childer. Chilton Street in Suffolk (Childton' in the late 12th cent.) is about 13 miles from Kettlebaston and Thorpe Morieux where the surname is first recorded but relevant early spellings with Childe(s)- or Childre(s)- have not been found.
Chilman : 1: possibly from Middle English childesman ‘servant or attendant of a young noble’; see the 1276 record. Childman (from Middle English child ‘young noble’ + man) may have the same meaning.alternatively perhaps from an unrecorded Middle English personal name Childman (Old English *Cildmann) one of the late Old English personal names compounded with -mann with the same elements as in (i). Nicholas Childman was the son of Childman 1279 in Hundred Rolls (Cambs). 2: from the Old English personal name Cēolmund (from cēol ‘ship’ + mund ‘protection guardian’) which was common in the 8th and 9th centuries and recorded once later about 1050 in Herts. It must have continued in use after the Conquest at least in Somerset. For -man from -mund compare Osman.
Chimera : Italian (southern): habitational name from a place in Sicily named Chimera from chimera ‘kid young goat’ from Greek chimaira.
Cho : 1: Korean: written 조 in Chinese characters 趙 and 曺. There are only these two Chinese characters for the surname Cho. (i) Some records indicate a total of 210 different Cho clans which use the Chinese character 趙 but only fifteen can be documented with confidence. Each of these claims a different founding ancestor. Most of them trace their origins to the beginning of the Koryŏ kingdom (early 10th century). (ii) Only one clan the Ch’angnyŏng Cho uses the Chinese character 曺. The founder of this clan's name was Cho Kye-ryong (曺 繼龍). According to legend there was a certain scholar named Yi Kwang-ok whose daughter very much wanted to marry. A monk visited her and told her to go to Hwawang Mountain to pray at the dragon pond. The maiden did so and upon her return found herself to be pregnant. In a dream a young man with a crown and a jade belt appeared to her. A few months later in the 48th year of the reign of the Shilla King Chinp’yŏng (AD 626) she gave birth to a little boy under whose arm the Chinese character for Cho appeared in red. The king understanding the boy to be special named him Cho Kyeryong and married him to his daughter the princess. So began the Ch’angnyŏng Cho clan. Compare Jo 1 Joe 3 and Joh 1.2: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 祖 see Zu 1.3: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 左 see Zuo 1.4: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surname 卓 see Zhuo 1.5: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 曹 see Cao 1.6: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 楚 see Chu 1.7: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄒 see Zou.8: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 巢 see Chao 1.9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 周 see Zhou 1.10: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 趙 see Zhao 1.
Ciavarella : Italian (Sicily): probably from Sicilian ciavareddu ‘kid young goat’ from Old French chevrel presumably applied as a nickname or as a metonymic occupational name for a goatherd.
Colt : 1: English: nickname from Middle English colt ‘young ass or horse’ probably for a lively perhaps sexually unrestrained young man.2: Americanized form (translation into English) of French Poulin ‘young animal colt’.
Coult : from Middle English colt ‘young horse or ass’ probably used disparagingly for a lively young man.
Coultas : English (Yorkshire): from early modern English coulthus ‘stable’ a compound of co(u)lt ‘colt young horse’ + hus ‘house’ hence a topographic name or an occupational name for someone who lived or worked at a stables.
Coulthard : English (Cumbria and Durham) and Scottish: occupational name for someone who looked after asses or working horses Middle English colthirde ‘keeper of colts’ (from Old English colt ‘ass young horse’ + hierde ‘herdsman’). In Scotland often pronounced Cowtart.
Croissant : 1: French: from croissant ‘growing’ present participle of croître ‘to grow’ hence a nickname for a fast-growing young man.2: French: from the personal name Croissant a vernacular form of Cressent Crescent from the Latin name Crescens from crescens ‘growing’. This surname in any of the two possible senses (see also 1 above) is also found in Germany.3: Breton: topographic name from kroashent ‘crossing’ or a habitational name from any of several minor places in Brittany named Croissant of the same etymology.
Daborn : denoting ‘child of Daw’ from the Middle English personal name Daw (a pet form of Ralph and occasionally David) + Middle English barn ‘child young man’. Compare Dawes Dawson.
Dakin : English: variant of Dawkin a pet form of the personal name Daw + the diminutive suffix -kin. The name mostly denoted someone known as ‘little or young Ralph’ or perhaps occasionally ‘little or young David’. Ralph was much commoner than David as a personal name in most parts of medieval England. The -kin suffix may have been used to distinguish a son from a father bearing the same personal name.
Dame : 1: English and French: from Middle English Old French dame ‘lady’ (from Latin domina ‘mistress’) applied as a nickname for a foppish young man whose outfit and manner have an effeminate elegance or as a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a lady. As a French name it may also be a nickname meaning ‘mother-in-law’.2: English: possibly an East Anglian variant of Dam 4.
Dameron : French and English (of French origin): nickname for a foppish young man whose outfit and manner have an effeminate elegance from a derivative of Old French dame ‘lady’. This surname is virtually non-existing in Britain. Compare Damron.
Dawkin : from the Middle English personal name Dawkin a pet form of Daw + the diminutive suffix -kin. The name mostly denoted ‘little or young Ralph’ and perhaps occasionally ‘little or young David’. The -kin suffix may have been used to distinguish a son from a same-named father.
Dawkins : English: variant of Dawkin from the Middle English personal name Dawkin a pet form of Daw + the diminutive suffix -kin with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. The name mostly denoted ‘little or young Ralph’ and perhaps occasionally ‘little or young David’. The -kin suffix may have been used to distinguish a son from a same-named father. Compare Dakin.
Devich : Americanized form of Croatian and Serbian Dević: metronymic or nickname from deva ‘maid virgin’ (as a nickname possibly used e.g. for a husband of a young woman) or from the female personal name Deva of the same origin.
Escudero : Spanish: occupational name for a squire a young man of good birth attendant on a knight or shield bearer escudero (medieval Latin scutarius a derivative of Latin scutum ‘shield’).
Eshete : Ethiopian: from the personal name Eshete which is interpreted as e.g. ‘my young grain’ in the Amharic language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Falkner : 1: German: occupational name for a falconer Middle High German valkenaere. In medieval times falconry was a sport practised only by the nobility; it was the task of the falconer to look after the birds and train young ones.2: English: variant of Faulkner.
Faunce : English: nickname from Middle English faun foun (Old French faon foun) with genitival or more likely post-medieval excrescent -s meaning ‘cub young animal young fallow deer’ perhaps for a lively frisky youth. The same word was occasionally used as a personal name.
Fawn : from Middle English faun foun (Old French faon foun) ‘cub young animal young fallow deer’ perhaps denoting a lively frisky youth. The same word was occasionally used as a personal name. Compare Fone.
Fawns : 1: Scottish: habitational name from Fans in Earlston (Berwickshire).2: English: nickname from Middle English faun foun (Old French faon foun) ‘young fallow deer young animal cub’ with post-medieval excrescent -s. The medieval nickname perhaps denoted a lively frisky youth. The Old French word was occasionally used as a personal name.
Fendt : German: nickname for a lad or a young man or farmer from Middle High German vende vent vendel(in) Middle Low German vent ‘lad page little boy’ (in Old High German ‘foot soldier’).
Fersch : German:: 1: nickname for someone with a deformed heel from Middle High German verse(n) ‘heel’.2: nickname for a handsome young person from Middle Low German versch ‘fresh new’.
Floch : 1: German: variant of Flach.2: Breton (mainly Finistère; Floc'h): nickname or status name from floc'h a term denoting a page or a young servant.
Foale : from Middle English fo(a)le ‘foal; horse; young child’ (Old English fola).
Fone : English: nickname from Middle English foun faun (Old French foun faon) ‘fawn young fallow deer’ a word that was also used to denote any kind of young animal. Compare Fawns.
Fresquez : Hispanic (also Frésquez): possibly an altered form of Catalan Fresquet a nickname derived from fresc ‘fresh young cool’.
Garzone : Italian:: 1: occupational name for a young servant from garzone ‘boy lad servant’ possibly a loanword from French garçon.2: alternatively perhaps from a derivative of garzo ‘head of a species of thistle used for teasing cloth’ presumably applied as a topographic name or metonymic occupational name or garza ‘heron’ or Calabrian and Sicilian garzu ‘sweetheart lover’.
Giles : 1: English (of Norman origin): from a medieval personal name Middle English Giles or Gile a borrowing from Old French Gil(l)e(s). This is from Latin Aegidius and this presumably from Greek aigidion ‘kid young goat’ (alternatively it could be a Late Latin formation from the Latin personal name Eggius + the suffix -idius). The personal name was widely used in France and the Low Countries partly through veneration of Saint Gilles de Provence supposedly a hermit of the 7th century near Arles; he was patron saint of cripples hence the dedication of Saint Giles Cripplegate in London though the personal name itself was less common in England than elsewhere in Europe. See also Gilles.2: Irish: adopted as an Anglicized equivalent of Gaelic Ó Glaisne a County Louth name based on glas ‘green blue gray’.3: French: variant of Gilles a cognate of 1 above.
Girle : from Middle English girle gerle gurle (perhaps from an Old English *gyrela) ‘child (of either sex); young woman’ possibly used of an attractive but effeminate young man.
Goltz : 1: East German: habitational name from Golz or Golssen in eastern Germany placenames that may derive from Sorbian or other Slavic góla hola etc. ‘heath’.2: Germanized form of Sorbian Gólc: nickname or status name from Lower Sorbian gólc ‘boy young man’ also ‘apprentice farmhand’.3: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): occupational name for a woodcutter or someone who sold wood or an artificial name from German Holz ‘wood’ altered under Russian influence since Russian has no h and alters it to g in borrowed words and names.4: Germanized form of Slovenian Golec.
Gonzaga : Spanish: habitational name from a place so named in Mantua Italy; this was the home of the ruling family of Mantua for almost four centuries whose most famous son was Saint Aloysius (Luigi) Gonzaga (1568–91) a young Jesuit who died in Rome nursing plague victims.
Gopinath : Indian (mainly southern states): from a personal name from Hindi and Sanskrit gopinath meaning ‘lord of the gopis’ an epithet of the god Krishna in which gopi denotes young girls who looked after cows. — 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.
Green : 1: English: either a nickname for someone who was fond of dressing in this color (Old English grēne) or was young or immature or who had played the part of the ‘Green Man’ in the May Day celebrations or a topographic name for someone who lived near a village green (Middle English grene a transferred use of the color term). This is one of the most common and widespread of English surnames. In North America it has assimilated cognates from other languages notably German Grün (see Gruen) and Dutch Groen; compare 7 below. This surname is also very common among African Americans.2: English: alternatively from a Middle English personal name Grene.3: Irish: adopted for Ó hUainín ‘descendant of Uainín’ a personal name from a pet form of uaine ‘green’ see Honan.4: Irish: adopted for Ó Fathaidh or Ó Fathaigh through erroneous association with faithche ‘lawn’ see Fahey.5: German: habitational name from Green (Rhineland-Palatinate) or Greene (Lower Saxony) or a topographic name from Middle Low Saxon grēn ‘grain sand’ for someone living in a sandy place.6: Danish: habitational name from placenames beginning with Gre(e)n- like Greene Grenbole (compare 5 above).7: Americanized form of Jewish (Ashkenazic) Grün (see Gruen 2) or Grin artificial names meaning ‘green’ in German and Yiddish respectively or a short form of any of numerous compound names with this element.
Gurganus : Altered form of Gurgany an Anglicized form of the Welsh personal name Gwrgenau composed of the elements gwr ‘man warrior’ + cenau ‘whelp young dog’ a term used in Welsh heroic poetry for a warrior who was ferocious in attack. Compare Gainous Ganus and Gurganious.
Hayes : 1: Irish (Cork): shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hAodha ‘descendant of Aodh’ a personal name meaning ‘fire’. Compare McCoy. In some cases especially in County Wexford the surname is of English origin (see below) having been taken to Ireland by the Normans.2: English: variant of Hay with post-medieval excrescent -s.3: English: topographic name from the plural form of Middle English hay(e) heye heghe ‘enclosure’ (see Hay) sometimes used as a collective noun for a farm especially in Devon where it is a frequent minor placename. Compare Hain.4: English: habitational name from either of two places called Hayes (Middlesex Kent) or a topographic name for someone who lived near land overgrown with brushwood or underwood especially young oak or beech. The etymon in each case is Old English hǣse hēse Middle English hese ‘brushwood’ which is also the source of the lost minor placename Heys in Hellingly (Sussex) Northease and Southease (Sussex) and Heys Wood (Kent).5: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from one of the French hamlets named La Haise (Eure Ille-et-Vilaine Sarthe). The original sense like that of Old English hǣse (see 4 above) was ‘land overgrown with brushwood or underwood’ and the Norman and English names are difficult to tell apart. The French surname was reintroduced to England after 1685 by Huguenots.6: English: variant of Ace with hypercorrect initial H-.7: French: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure a variant (plural) of Haye. Compare Deshayes">Deshayes.8: Jewish (Ashkenazic): metronymic from Yiddish name Khaye ‘life’ + the Yiddish possessive suffix -s.
Heffer : 1: from Middle English heifer heifor (Old English hēafore hēafre) ‘heifer young cow’ apparently attested in the 1327 example. Some of the following bearers may belong with (2) or (3). 2: variant of Hefford with loss of final -d. However the word heifer in (1) also appears from the 16th century as heckforde heckfurthe heffarth and hefforth (OED) so there may have been confusion between several different names which only genealogical research can disentangle. 3: in SW England alternatively perhaps from Heiffers in Witheridge (Devon) with later loss of final -s. The place-name may mean ‘place where furze was cut’ from Old English hīewe ‘cut hewn’ + fyrs ‘furze’.
Hipskind : German: nickname for a well-mannered young person from a variant of Middle High German hüebsch (older hövesch) ‘handsome polite’ + Kind ‘child’.
Hogg : 1: English (northern England and Scotland): nickname for a swineherd or shepherd from Middle English hog(ge) (Old English hogg) denoting either a pig especially a castrated one or a young sheep before its first shearing (the latter sense is most likely in northern England).2: German (Högg): topographic name a variant of Heck 1 found chiefly in Bavaria.
Hoggard : English (East Yorkshire): occupational name from Middle English hog(ge)+ herd(e) hird indicating either a ‘swineherd’ or in northern England more likely ‘one who looks after the hogs or young unshorn sheep’ (see Hogg).
Holec : Czech: nickname for a beardless young man from a noun derivative of holý ‘naked bare’ (see Holy).
Hollatz : East German: nickname from a Germanized form of a variant (or cognate) of Upper Sorbian hólc ‘boy young man’ also ‘apprentice farmhand’ (see Holz 3).
Holoubek : Czech: nickname from a diminutive of holub ‘dove’ (see Holub) denoting a mild-mannered person also a lovely young person.
Holy : 1: Czech and Slovak (Holý): from holý ‘naked bare bald’ thus a nickname denoting either a young beardless man a bald or clean-shaven man or a destitute person.2: English: variant of Holley.
Holz : 1: German: topographic name for a forest dweller from Middle High German holz ‘wood copse’.2: Jewish (Ashkenazic): from German Holz ‘wood’ either an artificial name or a metonymic occupational name for a woodcutter or someone who sold wood.3: Germanized form of Sorbian Hólc: nickname or status name from Upper Sorbian hólc ‘boy young man’ also ‘apprentice farmhand’.4: In some cases also a Germanized form of Slovenian Holc ‘wood’ a topographic name of German origin (see 1 above) often applied as a translation into German of Slovenian cognate surnames such as Les. Compare Holtz.
Hose : 1: English Scottish and German: metonymic occupational name from Middle English or medieval German hose ‘hose leggings stockings’ denoting a knitter or seller of hose (stocking for the legs) or a nickname for someone who habitually wore some sort of noticeable legwear.2: German (Upper Saxony): from a Czech personal name Hos a shortened form of Johannes (see John) or from an Old Czech personal name based on the element host ‘guest’ (see Hosack).3: English: perhaps a nickname for someone with a croaky or husky voice from Middle English hos(e) ‘hoarse’.4: English: habitational name from a place called ‘the Hose’ probably from an unrecorded Middle English hose (Old English hās a side-form of Old English hǣse hēse) ‘underwood especially of young beech or oak’.5: English: variant of Howes.6: English: possibly a shortened form of Hussey.
Hulan : 1: Altered form of English Huling.2: Czech (also Hulán) and Slovak (also Húlan): occupational name from hulán ‘uhlan’ (a member of a cavalry regiment armed with a lance) a word ultimately derived from Turkish oğlan ‘servant young man’.3: Americanized form of an unidentified Vietnamese name.
Inkson : 1: de-aspirated variant of Hingston. 2: possibly a reduced form of Hinkinson a surname recorded in Lancs (compare Edmund Hinkinson 1539 in IGI (Kirkham)) though now extinct in England. It is probably a variant of Henkinson ‘son of young Henry’. Compare Hink and Hinks.
Jalufka : Germanized form of Czech Jalůvka: from jalůvka ‘cow that has not yet had a calf’ used as a nickname for a young naive man.
Jeune : French Channel Islands and Haitian: nickname designating a young person or more oftenly a distinguishing epithet for the younger of two bearers of the same personal name from French jeune ‘young’. This surname was brought to the US mainly from Haiti where it is by far most common. Compare Lejeune.
Jonathan : English Welsh and Jewish: from the Biblical name Jonathan meaning ‘God has given’ in Hebrew. In the Bible this is the name of a son of King Saul the close friend of the young David whose friendship persisted even when Saul and David are themselves at loggerheads (1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 1:19–26). In Britain the name is often traceable to Wales and within England it seems rarely if ever to be unambiguously Jewish. The name Jonathan is also found among Christians in southern India but since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Juengel : German (Jüngel): nickname for a young person from Middle High German junc ‘young’ + the diminutive suffix -l.
Jun : 1: Korean: variant of Chŏng (see Chong 1).2: Czech: nickname for a lively young man from the adjective juný ‘young heroic’.
Jung : 1: German (also Jüng): distinguishing epithet from Middle High German junc ‘young’ for the younger of two bearers of the same personal name usually a son who bore the same name as his father. The form Jung is also found in some central European countries e.g. in Czechia Slovakia and Croatia.2: Jewish (Ashkenazic): from German jung ‘young’ given to or assumed by people who were young at the time when surname became obligatory.3: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 容 榮 and 戎 see Rong 2-4.4: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 鐘 仲 and 衷 see Zhong 1-3.5: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 張 see Zhang 1.6: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曾 see Zeng.7: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 楊 see Yang 1.8: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄭 see Zheng 1.9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 蔣 see Jiang 2.10: Korean: variant of Chŏng (see Chong 1).
Jungbluth : German: nickname for a young man from Middle High German junc ‘young’ + bluot ‘blood’.
Jungling : German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) (Jüngling): nickname from German Jüngling ‘youth young man’ (see Jung). Compare Juengling and Yingling.
Junker : 1: German and Danish: from Middle High German junc hērre ‘young nobleman’ (literally ‘young master’). In the Middle Ages the term denoted a member of the nobility who had not yet assumed knighthood.2: Swiss German: probably a nickname for a young man a helper on a dairy farm or hut.
Juster : English (London and Surrey): of Norman origin a nickname from Middle English juster(e) ‘jouster’ (Anglo-Norman French justour Old French justeor justeur ‘jouster’). To give young knights practice in deeds of arms and their elders excitement tournaments or jousts were held. They sprang up in France in the 12th century and were popular with the Anglo‐Norman knights.
Kalbfleisch : German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): literally ‘calf meat’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a butcher who sold mainly veal or a nickname for a young immature ‘half-baked’ person. See also Caflisch compare Colflesh.
Kase : 1: German (Käse): metonymic occupational name for a cheese maker or cheese merchant from Middle High German kæse ‘cheese’. Compare Case Kass and Kehs.2: German: topographic name from Rhineland dialect Kas ‘thicket of young oak trees’.3: German: from a medieval personal name Cazo which derives from the unexplained root kad-.4: Slovenian (Kaše): nickname for a very small man from an altered form of dialect keše ‘dwarf’.5: Japanese (pronounced as two syllables): written 加瀬 ‘add’ and ‘torrent’. It is found mostly in the Tokyo area.
Kidd : English: nickname from Middle English kidde kide kede ‘kid young deer or goat’.
Kidman : English:: 1: occupational name from Middle English kid(d)e ‘kid young deer or goat’ + man denoting a goatherd or someone who had charge of young livestock.2: occupational name from the Middle English personal name Kid Kydd (see Kidd) + man denoting the ‘man(servant) of someone called Kid’.
Kidwell : English (Devon and Glamorgan in Scotland): nickname from Middle English kid ‘kid young goat’ + wild ‘wild’ i.e. ‘frisky as a kid’.
Kint : 1: Flemish and Dutch: nickname from Middle Dutch kint ‘child young knight servant’.2: German: variant of Kind possibly derived from pet forms Kintlein or Kintling ‘little child’.
Knabe : German: status name for a young man or a page from Middle High German knabe. In aristocratic circles this term denoted a page or squire (a youth destined to become a knight) while among artisans it referred to a journeyman's assistant or (as a short form of Lehrknabe) ‘apprentice’. In the 15th century a semantic split between Knabe and its variants Knape Knapp(e) resulted in Knabe meaning ‘boy’ and Knapp(e) ‘servant apprentice’ and ‘miner’ in modern German.
Knapton : English (Yorkshire): habitational name from Knapton by York (Yorkshire) or Knapton near Malton (East Yorkshire). The placenames derive from the Old English personal name Cnapa or Old English cnapa ‘boy young man servant’ + tūn ‘farmstead estate’.
Knightley : from Knightley in Gnosall (Staffs) which is recorded as Cnitteley in the 13th century. The place-name derives from Old English cniht ‘knight young man retainer’ (genitive plural cnihta) + lēah ‘wood woodland clearing’.
Knightly : English (Middlesex and Cambridgeshire): variant of Knightley a habitational name from Knightley in Gnosall (Staffordshire). The placename derives from Old English cniht ‘knight young man retainer’ (genitive plural cnihta) + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. This is the usual spelling of the name in Ireland where it has been establishes since the 17th century.
Knighton : English (East Midlands): habitational name from any of numerous places called with Old English cniht ‘knight young man retainer’ (genitive plural cnihta) + tūn ‘farmstead estate’ such as Knighton (Leicestershire Staffordshire) and Knighton on Teme (Worcestershire).
Knightsbridge : from Knightsbridge in Westminster (Middx) which is recorded as Knichtebrig' in 1235 and Knyghtesbrugg in 1364. The place-name means ‘bridge of the young men’ from Old English cniht ‘youth servant soldier’ (genitive plural cnihta) + brycg ‘bridge’.
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.
Koc : 1: Turkish (Koç): ornamental name or nickname from koç ‘ram’ as a nickname probably applied to a healthy sturdy and bold young male.2: Polish: nickname from koc ‘blanket’ or possibly derived from kocić się ‘to behave like a kitten’.
Kosnik : 1: Polish (Kośnik): occupational name from dialect kośnik ‘mower’ (standard Polish kosiarz).2: Slovenian (Košnik): topographic name derived from koš ‘bush young trees’ or an occupational name (compare above) derived from kositi ‘to mow’.
Ladd : English: from Middle English lad(de) ‘lad’ of obscure origin used as an occupational name for a young male attendant a servant a status name for a man of low birth or a nickname for a rogue or ruffian.
Lajeunesse : 1: French: from la jeunesse ‘(the) youth’ used as a soldier's name and probably also as a nickname for someone especially young fresh or naive. Compare Laginess Lajiness and Young 2.2: Haitian: from the personal name or nickname La Jeunesse or Lajeunesse of French origin (see 1 above) borne by a servant in The Barber of Seville a play written in 1773 by the French writer Pierre Beaumarchais.
Lejeune : French and Walloon: nickname designating a young person or more oftenly a distinguishing epithet for the younger of two bearers of the same personal name a variant of French Jeune with fused masculine definite article le. This surname is also found in Germany where it is of Huguenot origin. Compare Young.
Lepage : 1: French: occupational or status name for a young servant a variant of Page 1 with fused masculine definite article le. Compare Lapage.2: French Canadian: altered form of Pagé (see Page 2).
More
Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
FANBI : The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, ©2021, University of the West of England
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