*This is not an exhaustive list of every surname on this blog. Go here for such a list.
According to Google, the search query southern last names often brings up this blog in its results. So I decided to add this page in order to maybe answer the query better. Let me know if it helps!
Per the United States Census Bureau, the following states comprise the South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Furthermore, the "Deep South" (where I am from) consistently includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
The most common surnames in the deep South are easily Smith, Williams, and Johnson. South Carolina adds Brown. Other common surnames in the broader South include Jones and Miller. The border state of Texas shows its shared heritage by numbering Garcia and Martinez as its first and third most common surnames (Smith is second).
Smith has English roots. Williams and Jones both have English and Welsh roots. Johnson has English and Scottish roots. Brown has English, Scottish, and Irish roots. Miller has English, Scottish, German, French, and Italian roots. Garcia and Martinez have Spanish roots.
These surnames and so many more are found in the cemeteries of the southern United States. Following is a bit of a dictionary of some of the ones I've come across and can be found on this blog. [Note: In most instances, these are short definitions. Each source cited usually goes into much greater detail, and I highly recommend A Dictionary of Surnames* for those of European origin.]
ABEL: Common European surname from the personal name Abel, which is of Biblical origin and was used as a Christian name in many countries of Europe. In the Book of Genesis Abel is a son of Adam, murdered by his brother Cain (Genesis 4:1–8). In Christian tradition, he is regarded as representative of suffering innocence. Also, German from the personal name Abel, a pet form of Albrecht (Albert). [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ABEL.
ABERNATHY: Scottish habitational name from Abernethy in southeastern Perthshire. The place-name is of Pictish origin, meaning "mouth of the river Nethy." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ABERNATHY.
ACHORD: Variant of French ACORD / ACHARD, "which is from an Old French personal name, Achart, a derivative of an ancient Germanic personal name composed of the elements agi(n) ‘edge (of a sword)’ + hard ‘bold’, ‘hardy’." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ACHORD.
ADAIR: Scottish and northern Irish; from the Scottish personal name Adair, also spelled Edear, a form of Edgar. Click here for posts with the label ADAIR.
ADAMS: English and German; patronymic (a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor) from the personal name Adam. Click here for posts with the label ADAMS.
ADDISON: Scottish and English; patronymic from the Older Scots or northern Middle English personal name Addie, a pet form of Adam. Click here for posts with the label ADDISON.
ADKINSON: Northern English; patronymic from the Middle English personal name Adkin. Click here for posts with the labels ADKISON (a reduced form) and ADKINSON.
AGEE: French Huguenot of uncertain origin. Click here for posts with the label AGEE.
ALDEN: "From a Middle English personal name. This is either Aldan...or Aldine, Old English Ealdwine, literally ‘old friend’, but probably to be interpreted as ‘friend of the past’." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ALDEN.
ALEXANDER: "Scottish, English, German, Dutch; also found in many other cultures: from the personal name Alexander, classical Greek Alexandros...Its popularity in the Middle Ages was due mainly to the Macedonian conqueror, Alexander the Great (356–323 bc) — or rather to the hero of the mythical versions of his exploits that gained currency in the so-called Alexander Romances. The name was also borne by various early Christian saints, including a patriarch of Alexandria (ad c.250–326), whose main achievement was condemning the Arian heresy. The Gaelic form of the personal name is Alasdair, which has given rise to a number of Scottish and Irish patronymic surnames, for example, McAllister. Alexander is a common forename in Scotland, often representing an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name. In North America the form Alexander has absorbed many cases of cognate names from other languages, for example, Spanish Alejandro, Italian Alessandro, Greek Alexandropoulos, Russian Aleksandr, etc...It has also been adopted as a Jewish name." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ALEXANDER.
ALLEN: "English and Scottish; from a Celtic personal name of great antiquity and obscurity...Various suggestions have been put forward regarding its origin; the most plausible is that it originally meant ‘little rock’...The present-day frequency of the surname Allen in England and Ireland is partly accounted for by the popularity of the personal name among Breton followers of William the Conqueror, by whom it was imported first to Britain and then to Ireland. St. Alan(us) was a 5th-century bishop of Quimper, who was a cult figure in medieval Brittany. Another St. Al(l)an was a Cornish or Breton saint of the 6th century, to whom a church in Cornwall is dedicated." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ALLEN.
ALTER: "German and Jewish... distinguishing epithet for the older of two bearers of the same personal name. Jewish... from the Yiddish personal name Alter, an inflected form of alt ‘old’. This was in part an omen name, expressing the parents’ hope that the child would live a long life; in part an apotropaic [having the power to avert evil influences or bad luck] 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." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ALTER.
ARMSTRONG: Middle English nickname for someone who was strong in the arm. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ARMSTRONG.
ARTHUR: "Scottish, Irish, Welsh, English, and French: from the ancient Celtic personal name Arthur. In many cases it is a shortened form of Scottish or Irish McArthur, the patronymic Mac- often being dropped in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries under English influence. The personal name is most probably from an old Celtic word meaning ‘bear’...It has been in regular use as a personal name in Britain since the early Middle Ages, owing its popularity in large part to the legendary exploits of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, which gave rise to a prolific literature in Welsh, French, English, German, and other European languages." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ARTHUR.
ASHURST: "English habitational name from any of various places called Ashurst, from Old English æsc ‘ash tree’ + hyrst ‘wooded hill’." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ASHURST.
AULTMAN: Americanized spelling of German Altmann. Click here for posts with the label AULTMAN.
BAKER: English occupational name. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BAKER.
BALDWIN: "English; from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements bald ‘bold’, ‘brave’ + wine ‘friend’, which was extremely popular among the Normans and in Flanders in the early Middle Ages. It was the personal name of the Crusader who in 1100 became the first Christian king of Jerusalem, and of four more Crusader kings of Jerusalem." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BALDWIN.
BANKS: English and Scottish topographic name for someone who lived on the slope of a hillside or by a riverbank. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BANKS.
BARFIELD: "Topographic name for someone who lived in an area where barley was cultivated, from Middle English berefeld." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the lable BARFIELD.
BARTHOLOMEW: "English; from a medieval personal name, Latin Bart(h)olomaeus...This was an extremely popular personal name in Christian Europe, with innumerable vernacular derivatives. It derived its popularity from the apostle St. Bartholomew (Matthew 10:3), the patron saint of tanners, vintners, and butlers." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BARTHOLOMEW.
BASS: "English; from Old French bas(se) ‘low’, ‘short’...either a descriptive nickname for a short person or a status name meaning ‘of humble origin’, not necessarily with derogatory connotations...in some instances, from Middle English bace ‘bass’ (the fish), hence a nickname for a person supposedly resembling this fish, or a metonymic occupational name for a fish seller or fisherman." [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BASS.
BEHRENS: "Dutch and North German; patronymic from Behrend, variant of Bernhard. According to documentary evidence, the earlier form Be(h)rendes was generally replaced by Behrens during the 17th century." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BEHRENS.
BELL: "Scottish and northern English; from Middle English belle ‘bell’, in various applications; most probably a metonymic occupational name for a bell ringer or bell maker, or a topographic name for someone living ‘at the bell’ (as attested by 14th-century forms such as John atte Belle). This indicates either residence by an actual bell (e.g. a town’s bell in a bell tower, centrally placed to summon meetings, sound the alarm, etc.) or ‘at the sign of the bell’, i.e. a house or inn sign." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BELL.
BELT: "English and North German; metonymic occupational name for a leather belt or strap maker, from Middle English belt(e), Middle Low German balt." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BELT.
BERRY: "Scottish and northern Irish: variant spelling of Barrie...French: regional name for someone from Berry, a former province of central France...In North America, this name has alternated with Berrien." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BERRY.
BIFFLE: "From late Middle High German büffel ‘buffalo’ (in some areas ‘bull’); the surname may have arisen from a house name or a nickname for a loutish person." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BIFFLE.
BIRCH: "English, German, Danish, and Swedish: topographic name for someone who lived by a birch tree or in a birch wood, from a Germanic word meaning ‘birch’ (Old English birce ‘birch’, Middle High German birche, Old Danish birk)." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BIRCH.
BISCHOFF: "German; from Middle High German bischof, Middle Low German bischop ‘bishop’, probably applied as a nickname for someone with a pompous manner or as a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a bishop." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BISCHOFF.
BISHOP: "From Middle English biscop, Old English bisc(e)op ‘bishop’, which comes via Latin from Greek episkopos ‘overseer’. The Greek word was adopted early in the Christian era as a title for an overseer of a local community of Christians...The word came to be applied as a surname for a variety of reasons, among them service in the household of a bishop." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BISHOP.
BLASE: North German; derivative of Blasius. Click here for posts with the label BLASE.
BLISS: English; a nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle English blisse ‘joy’. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BLISS.
BLOUNT: English variant of Blunt. "Nickname for someone with fair hair or a light complexion, from Anglo-Norman French blunt ‘blond’...nickname for a stupid person, from Middle English blunt, blont ‘dull’, ‘stupid.’" [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BLOUNT.
BOND: "English; status name for a peasant farmer or husbandman, Middle English bonde (Old English bonda, bunda, reinforced by Old Norse bóndi)...Among Germanic peoples who settled to an agricultural life, the term came to signify a farmer holding lands from, and bound by loyalty to, a lord; from this developed the sense of a free landholder as opposed to a serf. In England after the Norman Conquest the word sank in status and became associated with the notion of bound servitude." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BOND.
BONEY: English nickname from the adjective bony, denoting a scrawny individual with prominent bones. Click here for posts with the label BONEY.
BOOTH: "Northern English and Scottish: topographic name for someone who lived in a small hut or bothy, Middle English both(e), especially a cowman or shepherd. The word is of Scandinavian origin (compare Old Danish both, Old Norse buð) and was used to denote various kinds of temporary shelter, typically a cowshed or a herdsman’s hut." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BOOTH.
BORN: "North German, Danish, and Dutch: from Middle Low German born ‘well’, ‘spring’, a topographic name for someone who lived beside a well or spring, or a habitational name from a place named with this word." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BORN.
BOZEMAN: Dutch nickname for a wicked man. Click here for posts with the label BOZEMAN.
BREWER: English occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BREWER.
BRIGHT: "From a Middle English nickname or personal name, meaning ‘bright’, ‘fair’, ‘pretty’, from Old English beorht ‘bright’, ‘shining’." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BRIGHT.
BROWN: English, Scottish, and Irish: generally a nickname referring to the color of the hair or complexion. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BROWN.
BULLARD: Most probably from bullward, an occupational name for someone who looked after a bull. Click here for posts with the label BULLARD.
BURMESTER: Variant of Burmeister. North German; status name for the mayor or chief magistrate of a town. Click here for posts with the label BURMESTER.
BUSH: English topographic name for someone who lived by a bushy area or thicket. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BUSH.
CAMPBELL: Scottish nickname from Gaelic cam ‘crooked’, ‘bent’ + beul ‘mouth’. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CAMPBELL.
CARLOS: Spanish and Portuguese; from the personal name Carlos, Spanish equivalent of Charles. Click here for posts with the label CARLOS.
CARRELL: "English; from Old French carrel, ‘pillow’, ‘bolster’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of these. In some cases perhaps an altered spelling of Irish Carroll." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the labels of CARRELL and CARROLL.
CARTER: English occupational name for a transporter of goods. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CARTER.
CASS: "English; from the medieval female personal name Cass, a short form of Cassandra. This was the name...of an ill-fated Trojan prophetess of classical legend, condemned to foretell the future but never be believed; her story was well known and widely popular in medieval England." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CASS.
CHAMBERS: "English occupational name for someone who was employed in the private living quarters of his master, rather than in the public halls of the manor...is synonymous in origin with Chamberlain, but as that office rose in the social scale, this term remained reserved for more humble servants of the bedchamber." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CHAMBERS.
CHAPIN: "French and Spanish; from a reduced form of French eschapin or Spanish chapín, a term for a light (woman’s) shoe; perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore this type of footwear or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CHAPIN.
CHAPEL: "French; from a diminutive of Old French chape ‘hooded cloak’, ‘cape’, ‘hood’, or ‘hat’...hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of cloaks or hats, or a nickname for a habitual wearer of a distinctive cloak or hat." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CHAPEL or CHAPLE.
CHAPLIN: English and French occupational name for a clergyman, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French chapelain ‘chantry priest’, a priest endowed to sing mass daily on behalf of the souls of the dead. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CHAPLIN.
CHAPMAN: English occupational name for a merchant or trader. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CHAPMAN.
CHRISTOPHER: "English; from a medieval personal name which ostensibly means ‘bearer of Christ’, Latin Christopherus, Greek Khristophoros, from Khristos ‘Christ’...This was borne by a rather obscure 3rd-century martyred saint. His name was relatively common among early Christians, who desired to bear 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. In this guise, he was enormously popular in the Middle Ages, and many inns were named with the sign of St. Christopher. In some instances, the surname may have derived originally from residence at or association with such an inn." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CHRISTOPHER.
CLARK: "English occupational name for a scribe or secretary, originally a member of a minor religious order who undertook such duties. The word clerc denoted a member of a religious order, from Old English cler(e)c ‘priest’, reinforced by Old French clerc...In medieval Christian Europe, clergy in minor orders were permitted to marry and so found families; thus the surname could become established. In the Middle Ages, it was virtually only members of religious orders who learned to read and write, so that the term clerk came to denote any literate man." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CLARK.
COOK: English occupational name for a cook, a seller of cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label COOK.
CRAIG: Scottish topographic name for someone who lived near a steep or precipitous rock, from Gaelic creag, a word that has been borrowed in Middle English as crag(g). [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CRAIG.
CROW: From Middle English crow, Old English crawa, applied as a nickname for someone with dark hair or a dark complexion or for someone thought to resemble the bird in some other way. Click here for posts with the label CROW or CROWE.
CULPEPPER: English occupational name for a herbalist or spicer. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CULPEPPER.
DAGG: English metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of daggers. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DAGG.
DANIEL: "English, French, Portuguese, German, Polish, and Jewish: from the Hebr[ew] male given name Daniel 'God id my judge,' borne by a major prophet in the Bible." [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DANIEL.
DARLEY: English habitational name from either of two places in Derbyshire. This surname was taken to Ireland in the 17th century. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DARLEY.
DART: English topographic name for someone living beside the river Dart in Devon, which gets its name from a British term meaning 'oak.' Also, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of arrows. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DART.
DAVIS: "Southern English: patronymic from David." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DAVIS.
DELMAR: Catalan topographic name for someome living beside the sea or having some other association with the sea. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DELMAR.
DENECKE: German. Click here for posts with the label DENECKE.
DENT: English and French nickname bestowed on someone with some deficiency or peculiarity of the teeth, or of a gluttonous or avaricious nature. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DENT.
DICK: Especially common in Scotland as a pet form of Richard. German and Jewish nickname for a stout, thickset man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DICK.
DICKSON: Scottish and northern Irish patronymic from the personal name Dick. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DICKSON.
DOBBINS: English patronymic name meaning "son of Robin." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DOBBINS.
DOBBS: English patronymic name meaning "son of Robert." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DOBBS.
DOBY: English from a pet form of the personal name Dobbe. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DOBY.
DONALDSON: Scottish patronymic name from Donald. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DONALDSON.
DUCKETT: From a Middle English pet form of the personal name Duke. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DUCKETT.
DUNAWAY: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DUNAWAY.
DUNCAN: Scottish and Irish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DUNCAN.
DUNNING: Scottish habitational name from a place in Perthshire, recorded in 1200 as Dunine and later as Dunyn. Also, English patronymic name from Dunn. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DUNNING.
DYER: English occupational name for a dyer of cloth. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DYER.
ECHOLS: German. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ECHOLS.
EDWARDS: English and Welsh patronymic name from Edward. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label EDWARDS.
ELDER: English distinguishing nickname bestowed on the elder of two bearers of the same given name. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ELDER.
ELLIS: English from the medieval given name Elis, the normal vernacular form of Elijah. This name was borne by a Biblical prophet, but its popularity among Christians in the Middle Ages was a result of its adoption by various early saints. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ELLIS.
ELLISON: English patronymic name from Ellis. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ELLISON.
ESTES: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ESTES.
EVANS: Welsh patronymic from the personal name Iefan (Evan). [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label EVANS.
FELDER: German variant of the topographic name Feld, or habitational name for someone from a place named with this word. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FELDER.
FELTON: English habitation name from any of various places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FELTON.
FIELDER: From Middle English felder, "dweller by the open country." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FIELDER.
FISH: English metonymic occupational name for a catcher or seller of fish or nickname for someone bearing some supposed resemblance to a fish. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FISH.
FITE: "Americanized spelling of German Veit." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FITE.
FITZGERALD: Irish from the given name Gerald. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FITZGERALD.
FLETCHER: English occupational name for an arrowsmith. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLETCHER.
FLOURNOY: French topographic name for someone who lived in a place where flowers grew. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLOURNOY.
FLOYD: Welsh variant of Lloyd. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLOYD.
FLUM: "Americanized spelling of German Pflaum." Nickname for someone with a downy beard. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLUM.
FLYNN: Irish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLYNN.
FOHL: German nickname for someone who behaved in a skittish or unpredictable manner. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FOHL.
FOLDS: English topographic name for someone who lived near a pen for animals, or an occupational name for someone who worked in one. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FOLDS.
FORBES: Scottish habitation name from a place near Aberdeen. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FORBES.
FORCE: French topographic name for someone who lived by a fortress or stronghold. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FORCE.
FORD: English topographic name for someone who lived near a ford. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FORD.
FORSYTH: Scottish variant of Forsythe. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FORSYTH.
FUQUA: Americanized spelling of French Fouquet. Name supposedly concentrated in Tennessee and Texas; my couple were in Georgia. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FUQUA.
FURMAN: Polish, Czech, Slovak, Jewish, and Slovenian occupational name for a carter or drayman, the driver of a horse-drawn delivery vehicle. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FURMAN.
GANNON: Irish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GANNON.
GANT: French and English metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of gloves. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GANT.
GARDNER: English reduced form of Gardener. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GARDNER.
GARNER: English topographic names for someone who lived near a barn or granary, or metonymic occupational name for someone in charge of the stores kept in a granary. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GARNER.
GARTRELL: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GARTRELL.
GASKINS: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GASKINS.
GASTON: French. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GASTON.
GATES: English topographic name for someone who lived by the gates of a medieval town. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GATES.
GILBERT: English (Norman), French, and Low German from Gislebert, a Norman personal name. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GILBERT.
GLEN: Scottish topographic name for someone who lived in a valley. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GLEN.
GLOVER: English occupational name for a maker or seller of gloves. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GLOVER.
GOMEZ: Spanish from a medieval personal name. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GOMEZ.
GOODE: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GOODE.
GORDON: French nickname for a fat man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GORDON.
GOSSETT: English and French from a pet form of Gosse. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GOSSETT.
GRAY: English nickname for someone with gray hair or a gray beard. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GRAY.
GREEN: One of the most common and widespread of English surnames, a nickname for someone who was fond of dressing in this color. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GREEN.
GREER: Irish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GREER.
GRESHAM: English habitation name from a place in Norfolk. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GRESHAM.
GRICE: English nickname for a gray-haired man, or metonymic occupational name for a swineherd or nickname meaning "pig." [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GRICE.
GRIFFIN: English nickname for a fierce or dangerous person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GRIFFIN.
GRIFFITH: Welsh. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GRIFFITH.
GROOMS: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GROOMS.
GUNN: English metonymic occupational name for someone who operated a siege engine or cannon, perhaps also a nickname for a forceful person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GUNN.
GURR: German derisive nickname for a useless person or a wicked woman. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GURR.
HABERSHAM: English metonymic occupational name for a maker of coats of chain mail. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HABERSHAM.
HAGEMAN: Dutch topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAGEMAN.
HALL: English, German, Danish/Norwegian, and Swedish topographic name for someone who lived near a large house, or occupational name for someone employed at a hall or manor. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HALL.
HAMILTON: Scottish and Irish habitational name. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAMILTON.
HAMMETT: English from a pet form of the Norman personal name Hamo. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAMMETT.
HAMMOCK: English. Very common in Georgia and Tennessee. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAMMOCK.
HAMMOND: English from the Norman personal name of Hamo(n). [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HAMMOND.
HAMRICK: German. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAMRICK.
HANEY: English and Scottish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HANEY.
HARBUCK: Americanized version of German Harbach. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARBUCK.
HARDY: English and French nickname for a brave or foolhardy man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HARDY.
HARMS: German, Dutch, Danish, and English patronymic from a short form of the personal name Herman. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARMS.
HARP: English and Scottish metonymic occupational name for a harpist. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARP.
HARRELL: English variant of Harold. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARRELL.
HARRIS: English patronymic from the medieval given name Harry. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HARRY.
HARTLEY: English habitation name from any of the various places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HARTLEY.
HARVARD: From the Old English personal name Hereweard. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARVARD.
HAVIS: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAVIS.
HAYS: Irish and English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAYS.
HAYWOOD: English habitational name from any of various places. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAYWOOD.
HEAD: English nickname for someone with some peculiarity or disproportion of the head; or topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or at the head of a stream or valley. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HEAD.
HEARD: English occupational name for a tender of animals, normally a cowherd or shepherd. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HEARD.
HEINSOHN: German patronymic from the personal name Hein, short form of Heinrich. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HEINSOHN.
HERNDON: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HERNDON.
HEWETT: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HEWETT.
HICKS: English, Dutch, and German patronymic from Hick. This is a widespread surname in England, and is common in southwest and southern Wales. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HICKS.
HILES: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HILES.
HILL: Extremely common and widely distributed English topographic name for someone who lived on or by a hill. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HILL.
HILLYER: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HILLYER.
HINK: From a pet form of the personal name Heinrich or Hendrick. Also, nickname for someone with a limp. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HINK.
HOBBS: English patronymic from the medieval personal name Hobb. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOBBS.
HODGE: English from the medieval given name Hodge, a pet form of Roger. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HODGE.
HOFFMAN: German nickname for a farmer who owned his own land as opposed to holding it by rent or feudal obligation. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOFFMAN.
HOLLAND: English habitation name from any of the eight villages in various parts of England so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOLLAND.
HOLLEMAN: English, German, and Dutch. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOLLEMAN.
HOLLINSHEAD: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOLLINSHEAD.
HOLMES: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOLMES.
HOLT: English topographic name for someone who lived in or by a wood or copse. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOLT.
HOLTZCLAW: Americanized spelling of German Holzklau, which translates into modern German as "wood thief," but is probably a nickname for someone who gathered wood. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOLTZCLAW.
HOOD: English metonymic occupation name for a maker of hoods or nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOOD.
HOOPER: Widely distributed English occupation name for someone who fitted wooden or metal hoops on wooden casks and barrels. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOOPER.
HORNE: English, Scottish, and Dutch. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HORNE.
HOSCH: German. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOSCH.
HOSE: English topographic name. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOSE.
HOUSTON: Scottish habitation name from a place near Glasgow. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOUSTON.
HOWARD: English from the Norman personal name Huard or Heward. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOWARD.
HOWELL: Welsh from the personal name Hywel "Eminent," popular since the Middle Ages in honor of the great 10th-century law-giving Welsh king. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOWELL.
HUBBARD: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUBBARD.
HUBER: German status name based on Middle High German huobe, a measure of land, varying in size at different periods and in different places, but always of considerable extent, appreciably larger than the holding of the average peasant. The surname usually denotes a holder or owner of this amount of land, who would have been a prosperous small farmer and probably one of the leading men of his village. This name is widespread throughout central and eastern Europe, not only in German-speaking lands. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUBER.
HUDSON: English patronymic from the medieval personal name Hudde. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUDSON.
HUFF: English topographic name for someone who lived by a spur of a hill. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HUFF.
HUGHES: English patronymic from the Middle English and Anglo-Norman French personal name Hugh. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUGHES.
HULSEY: English origin. This is a very frequent name in Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HULSEY.
HUNNICUTT: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUNNICUTT.
HUNT: English occupational name for a hunter. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HUNT.
HUTCHINS: English patronymic from the medieval personal name Hutchin, a pet form of Hugh. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUTCHINS.
HUXFORD: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUXFORD.
INGRAM: English from a common Norman personal name, Ingram, of Germanic origin. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label INGRAM.
INMAN: English occupational name for a keeper of a lodging house. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label INMAN.
IRWIN: Irish, Scottish, and English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label IRWIN.
IVERSON: English and Scottish patronymic from the Old Norse personal name Ívarr. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label IVERSON.
IVEY: English variation of Ive. From the Norman personal name Ivo. This was a popular name in Normandy and Brittany, and was introduced into England at the time of the Conquest. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label IVEY.
JACKSON: English, Scottish, and Irish patronymic from Jack. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label JACKSON.
JAMES: English from a given name that has the same origin as Jacob but that is now felt to be a separate name in its own right. This is largely because in the Authorized Version of the Bible (1611) the form James is used in the New Testament as the name of two of Christ's apostles, whereas in the Old Testament the brother of Esau is called Jacob. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label JAMES.
JESTER: English occupational name for a jester. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label JESTER.
JOHNSTON: Scottish habitation name, deriving in most cases from the place so called in Annandale, in the former county of Dumfries. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label JOHNSTON.
JONES: English and Welsh patronymic from the Middle English given name Jon(e) John. The surname is especially common in Wales. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label JONES.
JORDAN: English, French, German, and Polish from the baptismal name of the same spelling, which is taken from the name of the river Jordan. At the time of the Crusades it was common practice for crusaders and pilgrims to bring back flasks of water from the river, in which John the Baptist had baptized people, including Christ Himself, and to use it in the Christening of their own children. Thus Jordan became quite a common given name. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label JORDAN.
JULIAN: English, Spanish, and German from a personal name, Latin Iulianus, a derivative of Iulius, which was borne by a number of early saints. In Middle English the name was borne in the same form by women. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label JULIAN.
KAMINSKI: Polish occupational name for a quarryman or stone-cutter. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KAMINSKI.
KEITH: Scottish habitation name from a place so called between Huntly and Elgin. The placename is first recorded in 1187 as Geth and in about 1220 as Keth. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KEITH.
KENDRICK From the Middle English given names Cenric and Kendrich. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KENDRICK.
KIRKLAND: English topographic name for someone who lived on land belonging to the Church. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KIRKLAND.
KNOWLES: English topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KNOWLES.
KNOX: Scottish, English, and Irish topographic name for someone who lived on a hilltop. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KNOX.
LAMB: English nickname for a meek and inoffensive person or metynomic occupational name for a keeper of lambs. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LAMB.
LANCASTER: English habitation name from the city in northwest England. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LANCASTER.
LAW: English and Scottish from a Middle English pet form of Lawrence; topographic name for someone who lived near a hill. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LAW.
LEACH: English occupational name for a physician. It may also have been a nickname for a demanding or bloodthirsty person, from the bloodsucking creature of the same name, although the metaphor lay originally in calling the animal "healer" rather than the doctor "bloodsucker." Also, a local name for someone who lived by a boggy stream. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LEACH.
LEE: English topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow, pasture, or patch of arable land. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LEE.
LLOYD: Welsh nickname for a person with gray hair or who habitually dressed in gray. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LLOYD.
LONG: English nickname for a tall person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LONG.
LOWE: German nickname for a brave or regal person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LOWE.
MARSH: English topographic name for someone who lived by or in a marsh or fen. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MARSH.
MARSTON: English habitation name from any of the numerous places so called, of which there are examples in at least sixteen counties. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MARSTON.
MERCER: English occupational name for a trader. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MERCER.
MILLER: English occupational name for a miller. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MILLER.
MOORE: English topographic name for someone who lived on a moor or in a fen, both of which were denoted by Middle English more, or habitation name from any of the varioua places named with this word. Also, nickname for a man of swarthy complexion. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MOORE.
MOSS: English topographic name for someone who lived by a peat bog, or habitation name from a place named with this word. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MOSS.
MURRAY: Scottish regional name from Moray in northeast Scotland. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MURRAY.
NASH: English topographic name for someone lived by an ash tree. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NASH.
NEAL: English variation of Neil, derived from the Middle English forms of the given name such as Neel. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NEAL.
NEW: English nickname for a newcomer to an area, from Middle English newe. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NEW.
NORTON: English habitation name from any of the many places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NORTON.
NORWOOD: English habitation name from any of the many places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NORWOOD.
OWEN: Welsh from the personal name Owain. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label OWEN.
PACE: English nickname for a mild-mannered and even-tempered man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PACE.
PARK: English metonymic occupational name for someone employed in a park, or topographic name for someone who lived in or near a park. "In the Middle Ages a park was a large enclosed area where the landowner could hunt game..." [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PARK.
PARROTT: English from a Middle English given name which took various forms -- Perot, Parot, Paret, etc., all diminutives of Peter. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PARROTT.
PATE: English and Scottish from the given name Pat(t), Pate, a short form of Patrick. Also, a nickname for a man with a bald head. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PATE.
PAUL: English, French, German, and Dutch for the given name, which has always been popular in Christendom. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PAUL.
PEACOCK: English nickname for a vain, strutting person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PEACOCK.
PEEL: English nickname for a tall thin man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PEEL.
PENN: English metonymic occupation name for a shepherd or an impounder. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PENN.
PERRY: English topographic name for someone who lived near a pear tree. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PERRY.
POLLARD: English nickname for a person with a large or unusually shaped head. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label POLLARD.
POOL: English topographic name for someone who lived near a pool or pond. Dutch ethnic name for someone from Poland. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label POOL.
PORTER: English occupation name for the gatekeeper of a town or the door-keeper of a large house. Also an occupational name for a man who carried loads for a living, especially one who used his own muscle power rather than a beast of burden or a wheeled vehicle. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PORTER.
PRATT: English nickname for a clever trickster. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PRATT.
PRESCOTT: English habitation name from any of the places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PRESCOTT.
PROCTOR: English occupational name for a steward. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PROCTOR.
RAY: English nickname denoting someone who behaved in a regal fashion or who had earned the title in some contest of skill or by presiding over festivities. Also, and English nickname for a timid person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label RAY.
REEVES: English patronymic from Reeve, an occupational name for a steward or bailiff. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label REEVES.
RILEY: Irish variation of Reilly. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label RILEY.
ROOT: English nickname for someone for a cheerful person. Also, English metonymic occupational name for a player on the rote, an early medieval stringed instrument. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ROOT.
ROUSE: English nickname for a person with red hair. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ROUSE.
SADLER: English and German occupational name for a maker of saddles. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SADLER.
SALTER: English occupational name for an extractor and seller of salt, a precious commodity in medieval times. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SALTER.
SAWYER: English occupational name for someone who earned his living from sawing wood. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SAWYER.
SAXON: English from the medieval given name Saxon, originally an ethnic byname for someone from Saxony. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SAXON.
SCOTT: English and Scottish ethnic name for someone from Scotland or, more commonly, for a Gaelic-speaker within Scotland. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SCOTT.
SEILER: German occupational name for a rope-maker. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SEILER.
SELF: English from the Middle English given name Saulf. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SELF.
SHAW: English topographic name for someone who lived by a copse or thicket. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SHAW.
SHELTON: English habitation name from any of various places. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SHELTON.
SHORT: English nickname for a person of low stature. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SHORT.
SMALL: English nickname for a person of slender build or diminutive stature. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SMALL.
SMITH: English occupational name for a worker in metal. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SMITH.
SNELL: English nickname for a brisk or active person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SNELL.
SPARROW: English nickname, perhaps for a small, chirpy person, or else for someone bearing some fancied physical resemblance to a sparrow. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SPARROW.
SPENCE: English metonymic occupational name for a servant employed in the pantry of a great house or monastery. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SPENCE.
STAFFORD: English habitation name from any of the various places so called, which do not all share the same etymology. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label STAFFORD.
SUTTON: English habitation name from any of the extremely numerous places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SUTTON.
TAYLOR: English occupational name for a tailor. The surname is extremely common and widespread. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TAYLOR.
TEAGUE: Cornish nickname for a handsome person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TEAGUE.
TERRY: English from the common Norman personal name T(h)erry. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TERRY.
THORNTON: English and Scottish habitation name name from any of the numerous places throughout England and Scotland so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label THORNTON.
TILL: English from a common medieval female given name, a short form of Matilda. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TILL.
TROUT: English metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or nickname for someone supposedly resembling this freshwater fish. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TROUT.
TURNER: Extremely common and widespread English and Scottish occupational name for a maker of small objects of wood, metal, or bone by turning on a lathe. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TURNER.
WALKER: English and Scottish occupational name for a fuller. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label Walker.
WALL: English topographic name for someone who lived by a stone-built wall, like one used to fortify a town or to keep back the encroachment of the sea. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WALL.
WALLACE: Scottish, Irish, and English name for a Celt. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WALLACE.
WALTON: English habitation name from any of the numerous places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WALTON.
WARD: English occupational name for a watchman or guard. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WARD.
WARE: English topographic name for someone who lived by a dam or weir on a river. Also, a nickname for a cautious person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WARE.
WASHINGTON: English habitation name for either of the places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WASHINGTON.
WATERMAN: English and Dutch occupational name for a boatman or a water-carrier, or topographic name for someone who lived by a stretch of water. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WATERMAN.
WEBB: English occupational name for a weaver. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WEBB.
WHEELER: English occupational name for a maker of wheels for vehicles or use in spinning or various other manufacturing processes. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WHEELER.
WHITE: English, Scottish, and Irish nickname for someone with white hair or an unnaturally pale complexion. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WHITE.
WHITEHEAD: English and Scottish nickname for someone with fair or prematurely white hair. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WHITEHEAD.
WHITTY: English nickname for someone with unusually pale eyes. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WHITTY.
WIGHT: Scottish and English nickname for a strong-willed or brave man. Also, topographic name for someone who lived by a bend or curve in a river or road. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WIGHT.
WITHINGTON: English habitation name from any of several places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WITHINGTON.
WOOD: Most of the time, an English and Scottish topographic name for someone who lived in or by a wood or a metonymic occupational name for a woodcutter or forester. Also, a nickname for a mad, eccentric, or violent person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WOOD.
WOODRUFF: English topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of land thickly grown with woodruff. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WOODRUFF.
WOODWARD: English occupational name for a forester employed to look after the trees and game. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WOODWARD.
WORTHY: English habitation name from an of various minor places so called. Also, a nickname for a respected member of the community. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WORTHY.
WRIGHT: English and Scottish common occupational name for a maker of machinery or objects, mostly in wood, of any of a wide range of kinds. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WRIGHT.
YOUNG: English distinguishing name for the younger of two bearers of the same given name, usually a son who bore the same name as his father. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label YOUNG.
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According to Google, the search query southern last names often brings up this blog in its results. So I decided to add this page in order to maybe answer the query better. Let me know if it helps!
Per the United States Census Bureau, the following states comprise the South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Furthermore, the "Deep South" (where I am from) consistently includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
The most common surnames in the deep South are easily Smith, Williams, and Johnson. South Carolina adds Brown. Other common surnames in the broader South include Jones and Miller. The border state of Texas shows its shared heritage by numbering Garcia and Martinez as its first and third most common surnames (Smith is second).
Smith has English roots. Williams and Jones both have English and Welsh roots. Johnson has English and Scottish roots. Brown has English, Scottish, and Irish roots. Miller has English, Scottish, German, French, and Italian roots. Garcia and Martinez have Spanish roots.
These surnames and so many more are found in the cemeteries of the southern United States. Following is a bit of a dictionary of some of the ones I've come across and can be found on this blog. [Note: In most instances, these are short definitions. Each source cited usually goes into much greater detail, and I highly recommend A Dictionary of Surnames* for those of European origin.]
ABEL: Common European surname from the personal name Abel, which is of Biblical origin and was used as a Christian name in many countries of Europe. In the Book of Genesis Abel is a son of Adam, murdered by his brother Cain (Genesis 4:1–8). In Christian tradition, he is regarded as representative of suffering innocence. Also, German from the personal name Abel, a pet form of Albrecht (Albert). [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ABEL.
ABERNATHY: Scottish habitational name from Abernethy in southeastern Perthshire. The place-name is of Pictish origin, meaning "mouth of the river Nethy." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ABERNATHY.
ACHORD: Variant of French ACORD / ACHARD, "which is from an Old French personal name, Achart, a derivative of an ancient Germanic personal name composed of the elements agi(n) ‘edge (of a sword)’ + hard ‘bold’, ‘hardy’." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ACHORD.
ADAIR: Scottish and northern Irish; from the Scottish personal name Adair, also spelled Edear, a form of Edgar. Click here for posts with the label ADAIR.
ADAMS: English and German; patronymic (a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor) from the personal name Adam. Click here for posts with the label ADAMS.
ADDISON: Scottish and English; patronymic from the Older Scots or northern Middle English personal name Addie, a pet form of Adam. Click here for posts with the label ADDISON.
ADKINSON: Northern English; patronymic from the Middle English personal name Adkin. Click here for posts with the labels ADKISON (a reduced form) and ADKINSON.
AGEE: French Huguenot of uncertain origin. Click here for posts with the label AGEE.
ALDEN: "From a Middle English personal name. This is either Aldan...or Aldine, Old English Ealdwine, literally ‘old friend’, but probably to be interpreted as ‘friend of the past’." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ALDEN.
ALEXANDER: "Scottish, English, German, Dutch; also found in many other cultures: from the personal name Alexander, classical Greek Alexandros...Its popularity in the Middle Ages was due mainly to the Macedonian conqueror, Alexander the Great (356–323 bc) — or rather to the hero of the mythical versions of his exploits that gained currency in the so-called Alexander Romances. The name was also borne by various early Christian saints, including a patriarch of Alexandria (ad c.250–326), whose main achievement was condemning the Arian heresy. The Gaelic form of the personal name is Alasdair, which has given rise to a number of Scottish and Irish patronymic surnames, for example, McAllister. Alexander is a common forename in Scotland, often representing an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name. In North America the form Alexander has absorbed many cases of cognate names from other languages, for example, Spanish Alejandro, Italian Alessandro, Greek Alexandropoulos, Russian Aleksandr, etc...It has also been adopted as a Jewish name." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ALEXANDER.
ALLEN: "English and Scottish; from a Celtic personal name of great antiquity and obscurity...Various suggestions have been put forward regarding its origin; the most plausible is that it originally meant ‘little rock’...The present-day frequency of the surname Allen in England and Ireland is partly accounted for by the popularity of the personal name among Breton followers of William the Conqueror, by whom it was imported first to Britain and then to Ireland. St. Alan(us) was a 5th-century bishop of Quimper, who was a cult figure in medieval Brittany. Another St. Al(l)an was a Cornish or Breton saint of the 6th century, to whom a church in Cornwall is dedicated." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ALLEN.
ALTER: "German and Jewish... distinguishing epithet for the older of two bearers of the same personal name. Jewish... from the Yiddish personal name Alter, an inflected form of alt ‘old’. This was in part an omen name, expressing the parents’ hope that the child would live a long life; in part an apotropaic [having the power to avert evil influences or bad luck] 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." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ALTER.
ARMSTRONG: Middle English nickname for someone who was strong in the arm. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ARMSTRONG.
ARTHUR: "Scottish, Irish, Welsh, English, and French: from the ancient Celtic personal name Arthur. In many cases it is a shortened form of Scottish or Irish McArthur, the patronymic Mac- often being dropped in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries under English influence. The personal name is most probably from an old Celtic word meaning ‘bear’...It has been in regular use as a personal name in Britain since the early Middle Ages, owing its popularity in large part to the legendary exploits of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, which gave rise to a prolific literature in Welsh, French, English, German, and other European languages." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ARTHUR.
ASHURST: "English habitational name from any of various places called Ashurst, from Old English æsc ‘ash tree’ + hyrst ‘wooded hill’." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ASHURST.
AULTMAN: Americanized spelling of German Altmann. Click here for posts with the label AULTMAN.
BAKER: English occupational name. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BAKER.
BALDWIN: "English; from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements bald ‘bold’, ‘brave’ + wine ‘friend’, which was extremely popular among the Normans and in Flanders in the early Middle Ages. It was the personal name of the Crusader who in 1100 became the first Christian king of Jerusalem, and of four more Crusader kings of Jerusalem." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BALDWIN.
BANKS: English and Scottish topographic name for someone who lived on the slope of a hillside or by a riverbank. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BANKS.
BARFIELD: "Topographic name for someone who lived in an area where barley was cultivated, from Middle English berefeld." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the lable BARFIELD.
BARTHOLOMEW: "English; from a medieval personal name, Latin Bart(h)olomaeus...This was an extremely popular personal name in Christian Europe, with innumerable vernacular derivatives. It derived its popularity from the apostle St. Bartholomew (Matthew 10:3), the patron saint of tanners, vintners, and butlers." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BARTHOLOMEW.
BASS: "English; from Old French bas(se) ‘low’, ‘short’...either a descriptive nickname for a short person or a status name meaning ‘of humble origin’, not necessarily with derogatory connotations...in some instances, from Middle English bace ‘bass’ (the fish), hence a nickname for a person supposedly resembling this fish, or a metonymic occupational name for a fish seller or fisherman." [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BASS.
BEHRENS: "Dutch and North German; patronymic from Behrend, variant of Bernhard. According to documentary evidence, the earlier form Be(h)rendes was generally replaced by Behrens during the 17th century." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BEHRENS.
BELL: "Scottish and northern English; from Middle English belle ‘bell’, in various applications; most probably a metonymic occupational name for a bell ringer or bell maker, or a topographic name for someone living ‘at the bell’ (as attested by 14th-century forms such as John atte Belle). This indicates either residence by an actual bell (e.g. a town’s bell in a bell tower, centrally placed to summon meetings, sound the alarm, etc.) or ‘at the sign of the bell’, i.e. a house or inn sign." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BELL.
BELT: "English and North German; metonymic occupational name for a leather belt or strap maker, from Middle English belt(e), Middle Low German balt." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BELT.
BERRY: "Scottish and northern Irish: variant spelling of Barrie...French: regional name for someone from Berry, a former province of central France...In North America, this name has alternated with Berrien." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BERRY.
BIFFLE: "From late Middle High German büffel ‘buffalo’ (in some areas ‘bull’); the surname may have arisen from a house name or a nickname for a loutish person." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BIFFLE.
BIRCH: "English, German, Danish, and Swedish: topographic name for someone who lived by a birch tree or in a birch wood, from a Germanic word meaning ‘birch’ (Old English birce ‘birch’, Middle High German birche, Old Danish birk)." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BIRCH.
BISCHOFF: "German; from Middle High German bischof, Middle Low German bischop ‘bishop’, probably applied as a nickname for someone with a pompous manner or as a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a bishop." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BISCHOFF.
BISHOP: "From Middle English biscop, Old English bisc(e)op ‘bishop’, which comes via Latin from Greek episkopos ‘overseer’. The Greek word was adopted early in the Christian era as a title for an overseer of a local community of Christians...The word came to be applied as a surname for a variety of reasons, among them service in the household of a bishop." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BISHOP.
BLASE: North German; derivative of Blasius. Click here for posts with the label BLASE.
BLISS: English; a nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle English blisse ‘joy’. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BLISS.
BLOUNT: English variant of Blunt. "Nickname for someone with fair hair or a light complexion, from Anglo-Norman French blunt ‘blond’...nickname for a stupid person, from Middle English blunt, blont ‘dull’, ‘stupid.’" [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BLOUNT.
BOND: "English; status name for a peasant farmer or husbandman, Middle English bonde (Old English bonda, bunda, reinforced by Old Norse bóndi)...Among Germanic peoples who settled to an agricultural life, the term came to signify a farmer holding lands from, and bound by loyalty to, a lord; from this developed the sense of a free landholder as opposed to a serf. In England after the Norman Conquest the word sank in status and became associated with the notion of bound servitude." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BOND.
BONEY: English nickname from the adjective bony, denoting a scrawny individual with prominent bones. Click here for posts with the label BONEY.
BOOTH: "Northern English and Scottish: topographic name for someone who lived in a small hut or bothy, Middle English both(e), especially a cowman or shepherd. The word is of Scandinavian origin (compare Old Danish both, Old Norse buð) and was used to denote various kinds of temporary shelter, typically a cowshed or a herdsman’s hut." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BOOTH.
BORN: "North German, Danish, and Dutch: from Middle Low German born ‘well’, ‘spring’, a topographic name for someone who lived beside a well or spring, or a habitational name from a place named with this word." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BORN.
BOZEMAN: Dutch nickname for a wicked man. Click here for posts with the label BOZEMAN.
BREWER: English occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BREWER.
BRIGHT: "From a Middle English nickname or personal name, meaning ‘bright’, ‘fair’, ‘pretty’, from Old English beorht ‘bright’, ‘shining’." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label BRIGHT.
BROWN: English, Scottish, and Irish: generally a nickname referring to the color of the hair or complexion. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BROWN.
BULLARD: Most probably from bullward, an occupational name for someone who looked after a bull. Click here for posts with the label BULLARD.
BURMESTER: Variant of Burmeister. North German; status name for the mayor or chief magistrate of a town. Click here for posts with the label BURMESTER.
BUSH: English topographic name for someone who lived by a bushy area or thicket. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label BUSH.
CAMPBELL: Scottish nickname from Gaelic cam ‘crooked’, ‘bent’ + beul ‘mouth’. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CAMPBELL.
CARLOS: Spanish and Portuguese; from the personal name Carlos, Spanish equivalent of Charles. Click here for posts with the label CARLOS.
CARRELL: "English; from Old French carrel, ‘pillow’, ‘bolster’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of these. In some cases perhaps an altered spelling of Irish Carroll." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the labels of CARRELL and CARROLL.
CARTER: English occupational name for a transporter of goods. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CARTER.
CASS: "English; from the medieval female personal name Cass, a short form of Cassandra. This was the name...of an ill-fated Trojan prophetess of classical legend, condemned to foretell the future but never be believed; her story was well known and widely popular in medieval England." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CASS.
CHAMBERS: "English occupational name for someone who was employed in the private living quarters of his master, rather than in the public halls of the manor...is synonymous in origin with Chamberlain, but as that office rose in the social scale, this term remained reserved for more humble servants of the bedchamber." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CHAMBERS.
CHAPIN: "French and Spanish; from a reduced form of French eschapin or Spanish chapín, a term for a light (woman’s) shoe; perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore this type of footwear or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CHAPIN.
CHAPEL: "French; from a diminutive of Old French chape ‘hooded cloak’, ‘cape’, ‘hood’, or ‘hat’...hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of cloaks or hats, or a nickname for a habitual wearer of a distinctive cloak or hat." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CHAPEL or CHAPLE.
CHAPLIN: English and French occupational name for a clergyman, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French chapelain ‘chantry priest’, a priest endowed to sing mass daily on behalf of the souls of the dead. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CHAPLIN.
CHAPMAN: English occupational name for a merchant or trader. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CHAPMAN.
CHRISTOPHER: "English; from a medieval personal name which ostensibly means ‘bearer of Christ’, Latin Christopherus, Greek Khristophoros, from Khristos ‘Christ’...This was borne by a rather obscure 3rd-century martyred saint. His name was relatively common among early Christians, who desired to bear 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. In this guise, he was enormously popular in the Middle Ages, and many inns were named with the sign of St. Christopher. In some instances, the surname may have derived originally from residence at or association with such an inn." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CHRISTOPHER.
CLARK: "English occupational name for a scribe or secretary, originally a member of a minor religious order who undertook such duties. The word clerc denoted a member of a religious order, from Old English cler(e)c ‘priest’, reinforced by Old French clerc...In medieval Christian Europe, clergy in minor orders were permitted to marry and so found families; thus the surname could become established. In the Middle Ages, it was virtually only members of religious orders who learned to read and write, so that the term clerk came to denote any literate man." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label CLARK.
COOK: English occupational name for a cook, a seller of cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label COOK.
CRAIG: Scottish topographic name for someone who lived near a steep or precipitous rock, from Gaelic creag, a word that has been borrowed in Middle English as crag(g). [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CRAIG.
CROW: From Middle English crow, Old English crawa, applied as a nickname for someone with dark hair or a dark complexion or for someone thought to resemble the bird in some other way. Click here for posts with the label CROW or CROWE.
CULPEPPER: English occupational name for a herbalist or spicer. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label CULPEPPER.
DAGG: English metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of daggers. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DAGG.
DANIEL: "English, French, Portuguese, German, Polish, and Jewish: from the Hebr[ew] male given name Daniel 'God id my judge,' borne by a major prophet in the Bible." [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DANIEL.
DARLEY: English habitational name from either of two places in Derbyshire. This surname was taken to Ireland in the 17th century. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DARLEY.
DART: English topographic name for someone living beside the river Dart in Devon, which gets its name from a British term meaning 'oak.' Also, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of arrows. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DART.
DAVIS: "Southern English: patronymic from David." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DAVIS.
DELMAR: Catalan topographic name for someome living beside the sea or having some other association with the sea. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DELMAR.
DENECKE: German. Click here for posts with the label DENECKE.
DENT: English and French nickname bestowed on someone with some deficiency or peculiarity of the teeth, or of a gluttonous or avaricious nature. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DENT.
DICK: Especially common in Scotland as a pet form of Richard. German and Jewish nickname for a stout, thickset man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DICK.
DICKSON: Scottish and northern Irish patronymic from the personal name Dick. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DICKSON.
DOBBINS: English patronymic name meaning "son of Robin." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DOBBINS.
DOBBS: English patronymic name meaning "son of Robert." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DOBBS.
DOBY: English from a pet form of the personal name Dobbe. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DOBY.
DONALDSON: Scottish patronymic name from Donald. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DONALDSON.
DUCKETT: From a Middle English pet form of the personal name Duke. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DUCKETT.
DUNAWAY: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DUNAWAY.
DUNCAN: Scottish and Irish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DUNCAN.
DUNNING: Scottish habitational name from a place in Perthshire, recorded in 1200 as Dunine and later as Dunyn. Also, English patronymic name from Dunn. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label DUNNING.
DYER: English occupational name for a dyer of cloth. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label DYER.
ECHOLS: German. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ECHOLS.
EDWARDS: English and Welsh patronymic name from Edward. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label EDWARDS.
ELDER: English distinguishing nickname bestowed on the elder of two bearers of the same given name. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ELDER.
ELLIS: English from the medieval given name Elis, the normal vernacular form of Elijah. This name was borne by a Biblical prophet, but its popularity among Christians in the Middle Ages was a result of its adoption by various early saints. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ELLIS.
ELLISON: English patronymic name from Ellis. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ELLISON.
ESTES: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label ESTES.
EVANS: Welsh patronymic from the personal name Iefan (Evan). [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label EVANS.
FELDER: German variant of the topographic name Feld, or habitational name for someone from a place named with this word. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FELDER.
FELTON: English habitation name from any of various places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FELTON.
FIELDER: From Middle English felder, "dweller by the open country." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FIELDER.
FISH: English metonymic occupational name for a catcher or seller of fish or nickname for someone bearing some supposed resemblance to a fish. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FISH.
FITE: "Americanized spelling of German Veit." [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FITE.
FITZGERALD: Irish from the given name Gerald. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FITZGERALD.
FLETCHER: English occupational name for an arrowsmith. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLETCHER.
FLOURNOY: French topographic name for someone who lived in a place where flowers grew. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLOURNOY.
FLOYD: Welsh variant of Lloyd. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLOYD.
FLUM: "Americanized spelling of German Pflaum." Nickname for someone with a downy beard. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLUM.
FLYNN: Irish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FLYNN.
FOHL: German nickname for someone who behaved in a skittish or unpredictable manner. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FOHL.
FOLDS: English topographic name for someone who lived near a pen for animals, or an occupational name for someone who worked in one. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FOLDS.
FORBES: Scottish habitation name from a place near Aberdeen. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FORBES.
FORCE: French topographic name for someone who lived by a fortress or stronghold. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FORCE.
FORD: English topographic name for someone who lived near a ford. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label FORD.
FORSYTH: Scottish variant of Forsythe. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FORSYTH.
FUQUA: Americanized spelling of French Fouquet. Name supposedly concentrated in Tennessee and Texas; my couple were in Georgia. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FUQUA.
FURMAN: Polish, Czech, Slovak, Jewish, and Slovenian occupational name for a carter or drayman, the driver of a horse-drawn delivery vehicle. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label FURMAN.
GANNON: Irish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GANNON.
GANT: French and English metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of gloves. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GANT.
GARDNER: English reduced form of Gardener. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GARDNER.
GARNER: English topographic names for someone who lived near a barn or granary, or metonymic occupational name for someone in charge of the stores kept in a granary. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GARNER.
GARTRELL: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GARTRELL.
GASKINS: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GASKINS.
GASTON: French. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GASTON.
GATES: English topographic name for someone who lived by the gates of a medieval town. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GATES.
GILBERT: English (Norman), French, and Low German from Gislebert, a Norman personal name. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GILBERT.
GLEN: Scottish topographic name for someone who lived in a valley. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GLEN.
GLOVER: English occupational name for a maker or seller of gloves. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GLOVER.
GOMEZ: Spanish from a medieval personal name. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GOMEZ.
GOODE: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GOODE.
GORDON: French nickname for a fat man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GORDON.
GOSSETT: English and French from a pet form of Gosse. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GOSSETT.
GRAY: English nickname for someone with gray hair or a gray beard. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GRAY.
GREEN: One of the most common and widespread of English surnames, a nickname for someone who was fond of dressing in this color. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GREEN.
GREER: Irish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GREER.
GRESHAM: English habitation name from a place in Norfolk. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GRESHAM.
GRICE: English nickname for a gray-haired man, or metonymic occupational name for a swineherd or nickname meaning "pig." [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GRICE.
GRIFFIN: English nickname for a fierce or dangerous person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GRIFFIN.
GRIFFITH: Welsh. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GRIFFITH.
GROOMS: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GROOMS.
GUNN: English metonymic occupational name for someone who operated a siege engine or cannon, perhaps also a nickname for a forceful person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label GUNN.
GURR: German derisive nickname for a useless person or a wicked woman. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label GURR.
HABERSHAM: English metonymic occupational name for a maker of coats of chain mail. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HABERSHAM.
HAGEMAN: Dutch topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAGEMAN.
HALL: English, German, Danish/Norwegian, and Swedish topographic name for someone who lived near a large house, or occupational name for someone employed at a hall or manor. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HALL.
HAMILTON: Scottish and Irish habitational name. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAMILTON.
HAMMETT: English from a pet form of the Norman personal name Hamo. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAMMETT.
HAMMOCK: English. Very common in Georgia and Tennessee. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAMMOCK.
HAMMOND: English from the Norman personal name of Hamo(n). [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HAMMOND.
HAMRICK: German. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAMRICK.
HANEY: English and Scottish. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HANEY.
HARBUCK: Americanized version of German Harbach. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARBUCK.
HARDY: English and French nickname for a brave or foolhardy man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HARDY.
HARMS: German, Dutch, Danish, and English patronymic from a short form of the personal name Herman. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARMS.
HARP: English and Scottish metonymic occupational name for a harpist. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARP.
HARRELL: English variant of Harold. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARRELL.
HARRIS: English patronymic from the medieval given name Harry. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HARRY.
HARTLEY: English habitation name from any of the various places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HARTLEY.
HARVARD: From the Old English personal name Hereweard. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HARVARD.
HAVIS: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAVIS.
HAYS: Irish and English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAYS.
HAYWOOD: English habitational name from any of various places. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HAYWOOD.
HEAD: English nickname for someone with some peculiarity or disproportion of the head; or topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or at the head of a stream or valley. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HEAD.
HEARD: English occupational name for a tender of animals, normally a cowherd or shepherd. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HEARD.
HEINSOHN: German patronymic from the personal name Hein, short form of Heinrich. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HEINSOHN.
HERNDON: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HERNDON.
HEWETT: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HEWETT.
HICKS: English, Dutch, and German patronymic from Hick. This is a widespread surname in England, and is common in southwest and southern Wales. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HICKS.
HILES: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HILES.
HILL: Extremely common and widely distributed English topographic name for someone who lived on or by a hill. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HILL.
HILLYER: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HILLYER.
HINK: From a pet form of the personal name Heinrich or Hendrick. Also, nickname for someone with a limp. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HINK.
HOBBS: English patronymic from the medieval personal name Hobb. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOBBS.
HODGE: English from the medieval given name Hodge, a pet form of Roger. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HODGE.
HOFFMAN: German nickname for a farmer who owned his own land as opposed to holding it by rent or feudal obligation. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOFFMAN.
HOLLAND: English habitation name from any of the eight villages in various parts of England so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOLLAND.
HOLLEMAN: English, German, and Dutch. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOLLEMAN.
HOLLINSHEAD: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOLLINSHEAD.
HOLMES: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOLMES.
HOLT: English topographic name for someone who lived in or by a wood or copse. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOLT.
HOLTZCLAW: Americanized spelling of German Holzklau, which translates into modern German as "wood thief," but is probably a nickname for someone who gathered wood. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOLTZCLAW.
HOOD: English metonymic occupation name for a maker of hoods or nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOOD.
HOOPER: Widely distributed English occupation name for someone who fitted wooden or metal hoops on wooden casks and barrels. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOOPER.
HORNE: English, Scottish, and Dutch. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HORNE.
HOSCH: German. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOSCH.
HOSE: English topographic name. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HOSE.
HOUSTON: Scottish habitation name from a place near Glasgow. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOUSTON.
HOWARD: English from the Norman personal name Huard or Heward. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOWARD.
HOWELL: Welsh from the personal name Hywel "Eminent," popular since the Middle Ages in honor of the great 10th-century law-giving Welsh king. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HOWELL.
HUBBARD: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUBBARD.
HUBER: German status name based on Middle High German huobe, a measure of land, varying in size at different periods and in different places, but always of considerable extent, appreciably larger than the holding of the average peasant. The surname usually denotes a holder or owner of this amount of land, who would have been a prosperous small farmer and probably one of the leading men of his village. This name is widespread throughout central and eastern Europe, not only in German-speaking lands. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUBER.
HUDSON: English patronymic from the medieval personal name Hudde. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUDSON.
HUFF: English topographic name for someone who lived by a spur of a hill. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HUFF.
HUGHES: English patronymic from the Middle English and Anglo-Norman French personal name Hugh. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUGHES.
HULSEY: English origin. This is a very frequent name in Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HULSEY.
HUNNICUTT: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUNNICUTT.
HUNT: English occupational name for a hunter. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label HUNT.
HUTCHINS: English patronymic from the medieval personal name Hutchin, a pet form of Hugh. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUTCHINS.
HUXFORD: English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label HUXFORD.
INGRAM: English from a common Norman personal name, Ingram, of Germanic origin. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label INGRAM.
INMAN: English occupational name for a keeper of a lodging house. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label INMAN.
IRWIN: Irish, Scottish, and English. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label IRWIN.
IVERSON: English and Scottish patronymic from the Old Norse personal name Ívarr. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label IVERSON.
IVEY: English variation of Ive. From the Norman personal name Ivo. This was a popular name in Normandy and Brittany, and was introduced into England at the time of the Conquest. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label IVEY.
JACKSON: English, Scottish, and Irish patronymic from Jack. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label JACKSON.
JAMES: English from a given name that has the same origin as Jacob but that is now felt to be a separate name in its own right. This is largely because in the Authorized Version of the Bible (1611) the form James is used in the New Testament as the name of two of Christ's apostles, whereas in the Old Testament the brother of Esau is called Jacob. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label JAMES.
JESTER: English occupational name for a jester. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label JESTER.
JOHNSTON: Scottish habitation name, deriving in most cases from the place so called in Annandale, in the former county of Dumfries. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label JOHNSTON.
JONES: English and Welsh patronymic from the Middle English given name Jon(e) John. The surname is especially common in Wales. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label JONES.
JORDAN: English, French, German, and Polish from the baptismal name of the same spelling, which is taken from the name of the river Jordan. At the time of the Crusades it was common practice for crusaders and pilgrims to bring back flasks of water from the river, in which John the Baptist had baptized people, including Christ Himself, and to use it in the Christening of their own children. Thus Jordan became quite a common given name. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label JORDAN.
JULIAN: English, Spanish, and German from a personal name, Latin Iulianus, a derivative of Iulius, which was borne by a number of early saints. In Middle English the name was borne in the same form by women. [Source: Ancestry.com] Click here for posts with the label JULIAN.
KAMINSKI: Polish occupational name for a quarryman or stone-cutter. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KAMINSKI.
KEITH: Scottish habitation name from a place so called between Huntly and Elgin. The placename is first recorded in 1187 as Geth and in about 1220 as Keth. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KEITH.
KENDRICK From the Middle English given names Cenric and Kendrich. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KENDRICK.
KIRKLAND: English topographic name for someone who lived on land belonging to the Church. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KIRKLAND.
KNOWLES: English topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KNOWLES.
KNOX: Scottish, English, and Irish topographic name for someone who lived on a hilltop. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label KNOX.
LAMB: English nickname for a meek and inoffensive person or metynomic occupational name for a keeper of lambs. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LAMB.
LANCASTER: English habitation name from the city in northwest England. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LANCASTER.
LAW: English and Scottish from a Middle English pet form of Lawrence; topographic name for someone who lived near a hill. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LAW.
LEACH: English occupational name for a physician. It may also have been a nickname for a demanding or bloodthirsty person, from the bloodsucking creature of the same name, although the metaphor lay originally in calling the animal "healer" rather than the doctor "bloodsucker." Also, a local name for someone who lived by a boggy stream. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LEACH.
LEE: English topographic name for someone who lived near a meadow, pasture, or patch of arable land. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LEE.
LLOYD: Welsh nickname for a person with gray hair or who habitually dressed in gray. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LLOYD.
LONG: English nickname for a tall person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LONG.
LOWE: German nickname for a brave or regal person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label LOWE.
MARSH: English topographic name for someone who lived by or in a marsh or fen. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MARSH.
MARSTON: English habitation name from any of the numerous places so called, of which there are examples in at least sixteen counties. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MARSTON.
MERCER: English occupational name for a trader. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MERCER.
MILLER: English occupational name for a miller. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MILLER.
MOORE: English topographic name for someone who lived on a moor or in a fen, both of which were denoted by Middle English more, or habitation name from any of the varioua places named with this word. Also, nickname for a man of swarthy complexion. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MOORE.
MOSS: English topographic name for someone who lived by a peat bog, or habitation name from a place named with this word. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MOSS.
MURRAY: Scottish regional name from Moray in northeast Scotland. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label MURRAY.
NASH: English topographic name for someone lived by an ash tree. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NASH.
NEAL: English variation of Neil, derived from the Middle English forms of the given name such as Neel. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NEAL.
NEW: English nickname for a newcomer to an area, from Middle English newe. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NEW.
NORTON: English habitation name from any of the many places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NORTON.
NORWOOD: English habitation name from any of the many places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label NORWOOD.
OWEN: Welsh from the personal name Owain. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label OWEN.
PACE: English nickname for a mild-mannered and even-tempered man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PACE.
PARK: English metonymic occupational name for someone employed in a park, or topographic name for someone who lived in or near a park. "In the Middle Ages a park was a large enclosed area where the landowner could hunt game..." [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PARK.
PARROTT: English from a Middle English given name which took various forms -- Perot, Parot, Paret, etc., all diminutives of Peter. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PARROTT.
PATE: English and Scottish from the given name Pat(t), Pate, a short form of Patrick. Also, a nickname for a man with a bald head. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PATE.
PAUL: English, French, German, and Dutch for the given name, which has always been popular in Christendom. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PAUL.
PEACOCK: English nickname for a vain, strutting person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PEACOCK.
PEEL: English nickname for a tall thin man. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PEEL.
PENN: English metonymic occupation name for a shepherd or an impounder. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PENN.
PERRY: English topographic name for someone who lived near a pear tree. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PERRY.
POLLARD: English nickname for a person with a large or unusually shaped head. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label POLLARD.
POOL: English topographic name for someone who lived near a pool or pond. Dutch ethnic name for someone from Poland. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label POOL.
PORTER: English occupation name for the gatekeeper of a town or the door-keeper of a large house. Also an occupational name for a man who carried loads for a living, especially one who used his own muscle power rather than a beast of burden or a wheeled vehicle. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PORTER.
PRATT: English nickname for a clever trickster. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PRATT.
PRESCOTT: English habitation name from any of the places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PRESCOTT.
PROCTOR: English occupational name for a steward. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label PROCTOR.
RAY: English nickname denoting someone who behaved in a regal fashion or who had earned the title in some contest of skill or by presiding over festivities. Also, and English nickname for a timid person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label RAY.
REEVES: English patronymic from Reeve, an occupational name for a steward or bailiff. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label REEVES.
RILEY: Irish variation of Reilly. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label RILEY.
ROOT: English nickname for someone for a cheerful person. Also, English metonymic occupational name for a player on the rote, an early medieval stringed instrument. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ROOT.
ROUSE: English nickname for a person with red hair. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label ROUSE.
SADLER: English and German occupational name for a maker of saddles. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SADLER.
SALTER: English occupational name for an extractor and seller of salt, a precious commodity in medieval times. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SALTER.
SAWYER: English occupational name for someone who earned his living from sawing wood. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SAWYER.
SAXON: English from the medieval given name Saxon, originally an ethnic byname for someone from Saxony. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SAXON.
SCOTT: English and Scottish ethnic name for someone from Scotland or, more commonly, for a Gaelic-speaker within Scotland. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SCOTT.
SEILER: German occupational name for a rope-maker. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SEILER.
SELF: English from the Middle English given name Saulf. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SELF.
SHAW: English topographic name for someone who lived by a copse or thicket. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SHAW.
SHELTON: English habitation name from any of various places. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SHELTON.
SHORT: English nickname for a person of low stature. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SHORT.
SMALL: English nickname for a person of slender build or diminutive stature. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SMALL.
SMITH: English occupational name for a worker in metal. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SMITH.
SNELL: English nickname for a brisk or active person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SNELL.
SPARROW: English nickname, perhaps for a small, chirpy person, or else for someone bearing some fancied physical resemblance to a sparrow. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SPARROW.
SPENCE: English metonymic occupational name for a servant employed in the pantry of a great house or monastery. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SPENCE.
STAFFORD: English habitation name from any of the various places so called, which do not all share the same etymology. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label STAFFORD.
SUTTON: English habitation name from any of the extremely numerous places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label SUTTON.
TAYLOR: English occupational name for a tailor. The surname is extremely common and widespread. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TAYLOR.
TEAGUE: Cornish nickname for a handsome person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TEAGUE.
TERRY: English from the common Norman personal name T(h)erry. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TERRY.
THORNTON: English and Scottish habitation name name from any of the numerous places throughout England and Scotland so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label THORNTON.
TILL: English from a common medieval female given name, a short form of Matilda. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TILL.
TROUT: English metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or nickname for someone supposedly resembling this freshwater fish. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TROUT.
TURNER: Extremely common and widespread English and Scottish occupational name for a maker of small objects of wood, metal, or bone by turning on a lathe. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label TURNER.
WALKER: English and Scottish occupational name for a fuller. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label Walker.
WALL: English topographic name for someone who lived by a stone-built wall, like one used to fortify a town or to keep back the encroachment of the sea. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WALL.
WALLACE: Scottish, Irish, and English name for a Celt. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WALLACE.
WALTON: English habitation name from any of the numerous places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WALTON.
WARD: English occupational name for a watchman or guard. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WARD.
WARE: English topographic name for someone who lived by a dam or weir on a river. Also, a nickname for a cautious person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WARE.
WASHINGTON: English habitation name for either of the places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WASHINGTON.
WATERMAN: English and Dutch occupational name for a boatman or a water-carrier, or topographic name for someone who lived by a stretch of water. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WATERMAN.
WEBB: English occupational name for a weaver. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WEBB.
WHEELER: English occupational name for a maker of wheels for vehicles or use in spinning or various other manufacturing processes. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WHEELER.
WHITE: English, Scottish, and Irish nickname for someone with white hair or an unnaturally pale complexion. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WHITE.
WHITEHEAD: English and Scottish nickname for someone with fair or prematurely white hair. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WHITEHEAD.
WHITTY: English nickname for someone with unusually pale eyes. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WHITTY.
WIGHT: Scottish and English nickname for a strong-willed or brave man. Also, topographic name for someone who lived by a bend or curve in a river or road. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WIGHT.
WITHINGTON: English habitation name from any of several places so called. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WITHINGTON.
WOOD: Most of the time, an English and Scottish topographic name for someone who lived in or by a wood or a metonymic occupational name for a woodcutter or forester. Also, a nickname for a mad, eccentric, or violent person. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WOOD.
WOODRUFF: English topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of land thickly grown with woodruff. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WOODRUFF.
WOODWARD: English occupational name for a forester employed to look after the trees and game. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WOODWARD.
WORTHY: English habitation name from an of various minor places so called. Also, a nickname for a respected member of the community. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WORTHY.
WRIGHT: English and Scottish common occupational name for a maker of machinery or objects, mostly in wood, of any of a wide range of kinds. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label WRIGHT.
YOUNG: English distinguishing name for the younger of two bearers of the same given name, usually a son who bore the same name as his father. [Source: A Dictionary of Surnames*] Click here for posts with the label YOUNG.
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