88 surnames on this site, with what each one means.
CabreraPlace · rank 357From a place of goats or a locality called Cabrera, with related goatherd associations.
CainParent’s name · rank 564A multi-origin surname including Manx Mac Catháin, “son of Cathan,” English Cane, and Norman habitational Caen.
CalderonOccupation · rank 415From Spanish calderón, a large cauldron; an occupational or topographic surname.
CaldwellPlace · rank 340An English, Scottish, and Northern Irish habitational surname meaning “cold well” or “cold spring.”
CalhounPlace · rank 814A Scottish habitational surname, a variant of Colquhoun from the barony of Colquhoun in Dumbartonshire (Gaelic “narrow nook” or “narrow wood”).
CallahanParent’s name · rank 682An Irish patronymic from Ó Ceallacháin, “descendant of Ceallachán.”
CamachoNickname · rank 484A Spanish and Portuguese surname with regional nickname explanations, including a traditional association with a distorted or awkward gait.
CameronNickname · rank 625A Scottish surname traditionally linked with Gaelic cam sròn, “crooked nose,” and also with places named Cameron.
CamposPlace · rank 328A Spanish and Portuguese topographic or habitational surname referring to fields, open country, or a place called Campos.
CannonOccupation · rank 480A multi-origin surname with English occupational cannon-related explanations and Irish Ó Canannáin, “descendant of Canannán,” routes.
CanoNickname · rank 920A Spanish nickname from cano, “white- or gray-haired; old; worthy,” for an older man or someone with premature gray hair; also Portuguese/Spanish Caño topographic senses.
CantuPlace · rank 691An Italian and Hispanic habitational surname from Cantù in Lombardy.
CardenasPlace · rank 421From a Spanish place called Cárdenas, associated with thistles or purple color.
CardonaPlace · rank 995A Catalan habitational surname from Cardona in Barcelona province, a place-name of pre-Roman origin.
CareyParent’s name · rank 614A surname with Irish Ó Ciardha “descendant of Ciardha,” alongside English, Welsh, Cornish, and Norman place-name routes.
CarlsonParent’s name · rank 263Scandinavian and American patronymic surname meaning “son of Carl or Karl.”
CarpenterOccupation · rank 247English occupational surname for a worker in wood or builder, from Anglo-French carpentier and Latin carpentarius.
CarrPlace · rank 265Surname with English topographic carr “marsh or wet ground” and separate Irish and French histories.
CarrilloNickname · rank 354A Spanish surname associated with “cheek,” with competing cart or wagon-related explanations.
CarrollParent’s name · rank 226Irish patronymic from Ó Cearbhaill, “descendant of Cearbhall”; the older personal name has a traditional battle-related gloss.
CarsonPlace · rank 608A Scottish and northern Irish surname probably from the lost place Acarson or Carsan, with additional patronymic and English place-name routes.
CarterOccupation · rank 50A cart driver or transporter of goods by cart/wagon.
CaseOccupation · rank 896An English metonymic occupational name from Middle English case, “box/chest,” for a box maker; also a variant of Cass/Cash, or Americanized Caisse, Kaas, or Käse.
CaseyParent’s name · rank 519An Irish patronymic surname from Ó Cathasaigh, “descendant of Cathasach,” with a separate Norman place-name route.
CastanedaPlace · rank 474A Spanish habitational surname from places called Castañeda, meaning a chestnut grove or place of chestnuts.
CastilloPlace · rank 94Spanish habitational or topographic surname from castillo, “castle” or fortified building.
CastroPlace · rank 130A Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish place surname from castro, “castle” or “fortress.”
CervantesPlace · rank 404A Spanish surname linked to Cervantes places and debated stag or servant word roots.
ChambersOccupation · rank 334An English occupational surname for a servant or official responsible for a lord’s chamber or private household rooms.
ChanPlace · rank 384A Chinese surname spelling with several romanization histories, notably Cantonese Chan for 陳/陈 and other regional forms.
ChandlerOccupation · rank 440An occupational surname for a maker or seller of candles and, later, a household provisioner.
ChangNickname · rank 373A Chinese surname whose romanization covers several characters and traditions, including “constant” or “flourishing.”
ChapmanOccupation · rank 249English occupational surname from Old English cēapmann, a merchant or trader.
CharlesParent’s name · rank 526A surname from the personal name Charles, ultimately Germanic Karl, “free man” or “man.”
ChaseOccupation · rank 669An English occupational surname for a huntsman or hunter, from Middle English chase, “hunt.”
ChavezPlace · rank 84Spanish spelling of Chaves, associated with Portuguese/Galician chaves “keys” and with places named Chaves.
ChenPlace · rank 93Chinese 陈/陳 — from the ancient State of Chen; character also glossed "old" / "to explain."
ChengPlace · rank 865A Chinese surname romanizing several characters, chiefly 程 (“measurement”) and 成 (“accomplish”), from ancient states or fiefs; also Cantonese/Wade–Giles forms of 鄭 (Zheng) and others.
ChoPlace · rank 964A Korean surname (조) written 趙 or 曺, linked with Chinese Zhao; also a romanization of several other Chinese surnames.
ChoiNickname · rank 624A Korean surname from 崔, commonly glossed “high” or “lofty,” with Choe and Chinese Cui as related romanizations.
ChristensenParent’s name · rank 435A Scandinavian patronymic meaning “son of Christen” or “son of Christian.”
ChristianParent’s name · rank 651An English, French, German, and Manx surname from the personal name Christian, ultimately Latin Christianus, “follower of Christ.”
ChungNickname · rank 766A romanized Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese surname representing several different characters (including Zhōng 鍾, Zhāng 張, and Korean Jeong 정), not one shared meaning.
CisnerosPlace · rank 675A Spanish habitational surname from Cisneros in Palencia, probably associated with Spanish cisne, “swan,” though an ash-related place-name analysis also occurs.
ClarkOccupation · rank 28A clerk, scribe, or literate churchman (from Latin clericus).
ClarkeOccupation · rank 466An English and Irish occupational surname, a spelling of Clark, from Middle English clerk, originally a cleric or scribe.
ClayPlace · rank 710An English topographic or occupational surname from Old English clǣg, “clay,” for someone living on clay soil or working with it.
ClaytonPlace · rank 611An English habitational surname from places named Clayton, “clay settlement” or “clay enclosure.”
ClementsParent’s name · rank 933An English, Irish, and Dutch patronymic variant of Clement, from Latin Clemens, “merciful,” with an excrescent or genitival -s.
ClineNickname · rank 699An Americanized German or Dutch Klein, “small,” with Jewish Ashkenazic and English Clyne routes.
CobbNickname · rank 529An English nickname surname from Cobbe or Cobba, likely referring to a large or well-built person.
CochranPlace · rank 581A Scottish habitational surname from the lands or barony of Cochrane near Paisley in Renfrewshire.
CoffeyParent’s name · rank 992An Irish surname from several Gaelic Ó forms (Ó Cobhthaigh and related), “descendant of” a personal byname tied to battle or victory.
ColeNickname · rank 129A multi-origin surname linked to Old English col, “coal,” and to Cole as a medieval short form of Nicholas.
ColemanOccupation · rank 110An English occupational surname for a charcoal burner, with Irish patronymic and other streams.
CollierOccupation · rank 604An English occupational surname for a charcoal maker, coal miner, or coal seller.
CollinsParent’s name · rank 60English: from Colin (pet form of Nicholas) + -s; Irish/Manx: Ó Coileáin / Mac Coileáin anglicized as Collins.
ColonNickname · rank 470A Spanish surname Colón from Latin columbus, “dove,” related to Italian Colombo and Catalan Colom.
CombsPlace · rank 638An English and Welsh surname, usually a variant of Coombs, associated with a hollow or valley and with other regional forms.
ComptonPlace · rank 1000An English habitational surname from places named Compton—Old English cumb “short valley” + tūn “settlement.”
ConleyParent’s name · rank 622An anglicized Irish surname from Ó Conghaile, “descendant of Conghaile,” a personal name linked with a hound of valor.
ConnerParent’s name · rank 545An Irish patronymic variant of Connor, from Ó Conchobhair, “descendant of Conchobhar.”
ConradParent’s name · rank 882A German, French (Alsace/Lorraine), English, and Ashkenazic Jewish surname from the ancient Germanic personal name Konrad/Conrad (ragin “counsel” + hard “brave/strong”).
ContrerasPlace · rank 239Spanish habitational surname associated with Contreras place names; the word is related to “opposite” or a contrasting side.
ConwayParent’s name · rank 793Usually an Irish anglicization of several Gaelic surnames (including Ó Connmhaigh and Mac Conmidhe); also Welsh from the place Conwy.
CookOccupation · rank 66A cook, seller of cooked food, or keeper of an eating house.
CooperOccupation · rank 72A maker or repairer of wooden casks, barrels, and tubs.
CopelandPlace · rank 619An English or Scottish habitational surname from places associated with a copse or wooded land.
CordovaPlace · rank 765A Spanish habitational surname (Córdova), a variant of Córdoba, for someone from the city of Córdoba in Andalusia.
CoronaNickname · rank 851A Spanish and Italian surname from corona, “crown,” used as a house-sign place-name, a nickname for tonsure or power, or from the female personal name Corona.
CorreaOccupation · rank 902A Spanish occupational surname from correa, “leather strap, belt, rein, or shoelace,” for a maker or seller of such articles; also Sephardic adoption of the Spanish name.
CortesNickname · rank 668A Spanish and Portuguese surname from cortés or cortês, “courteous,” with habitational routes from places called Cortes.
CortezNickname · rank 327A Spanish surname, usually a spelling variant of Cortés, from a word meaning “courteous” or “polite”; place-name routes also occur.
CostaPlace · rank 890A Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Galician, southern French, and Italian topographic or habitational name from costa, “slope, river bank, or coast” (Latin costa, “rib/side”).
CoxNickname · rank 82English surname commonly from Cock/Cocke, a nickname for a rooster or a familiar personal name; some lines may be patronymic or occupational.
CraigPlace · rank 349A chiefly Scottish topographic surname for someone living near a steep or precipitous rock or crag.
CraneNickname · rank 935An English nickname from Middle English cran, “crane” (the bird), usually for a tall, thin, long-legged person; also Dutch Krane and translated German Krahn/Kranich.
CrawfordPlace · rank 161A locational surname from Crawford places, combining a crow or crāwe element with ford, a river crossing.
CrosbyPlace · rank 874An English habitational surname from places named with Old Norse kross, “cross,” plus bȳ, “farm” or “settlement”; also an Irish adoption of Mac an Chrosáin.
CrossPlace · rank 432A surname associated with a cross, a crossing place, or a person who carried a cross in church.
CruzPlace · rank 55Spanish/Portuguese “cross” — lived by a cross or came from a place named Cruz.
CuevasPlace · rank 779A Spanish topographic or habitational surname from the plural of cueva, “cave,” or from places named (Las) Cuevas.
CummingsParent’s name · rank 418A patronymic from Cummin or Comán; Scottish Cumming lines also occur.
CunninghamParent’s name · rank 229A mixed surname: Scottish Cunningham place-name traditions and Irish Ó Cuinneagáin, “descendant of Cuinneagán,” coexist.
CurryPlace · rank 443A surname from places called Curry, with Irish and Scottish personal-name routes also documented.
CurtisNickname · rank 322An English surname from the Norman French curteis, “courteous,” used as a character nickname.