English Surnames
English names are used in English-speaking countries. See also about English names.
1,056 surnames in our directory
English
1,056EtymologyThe surname Norris is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word norreis, meaning "from the north". It was commonly used as a regional name for someone who had migrated from the north of England to...
Norris is an English surname with origins in the medieval period. It derives from the Old French norrice (modern French nourrice), meaning "wet nurse, foster mother," which itself comes from Latin nutricius, meaning "one...
North is an English surname that originates as a topographic name for a person who lived to the north of a settlement or region. The derivation is from the Old English norð, meaning “north,” which in turn comes from the...
EtymologyThe English surname Northrop is a locational surname, derived from one of several places in England named Northrop. The place name combines the Old English words norþ (north) and þorp (village or farm), meaning...
Oliverson is an English patronymic surname meaning "son of Oliver". It belongs to a family of surnames formed by adding the suffix "-son" to the given name Oliver, reflecting a common Norse-influenced naming tradition in...
Outlaw is an English surname derived from the Middle English word outlawe, meaning simply "outlaw" — a person declared outside the protection of the law. In its original legal sense, outlawry was a severe penalty in pre-...
Outterridge is a rare English surname of toponymic or metronymic origin. According to NameHub, it derives from the Old English given name Uhtric. Uhtric itself is composed of the elements uhta meaning “pre-dawn” (the tim...
Overton is an English habitational surname, originating from places named Overton in various English counties. The name is derived from Old English elements: "ofer" meaning "upper" or "riverbank," and "tūn" meaning "encl...
Owen is a Welsh and English surname originating from the Welsh given name Owain. Originally a patronymic, Owen became a fixed family name in Wales during the reign of Henry VIII. Etymologists mainly trace Owain to the La...
Owston is a habitational surname of English origin, derived from any of several locations in Britain called Ouston or Owston. The name is formed from Old English elements: ēast, meaning “east,” and tūn, meaning “enclosur...
Paddon is a surname of English origin, primarily a variant of the surname Patton, which is itself derived from a diminutive of the given name Patrick. The name Patrick comes from the Latin name Patricius, meaning "noblem...
Padmore is an English surname of territorial origin, referring to a person from Padmore in England. The place name itself derives from Old English padde "toad" and mor "moor, marsh", thus meaning "toad marsh" or "marsh w...
Etymology Pain is an English surname that represents a variant spelling of Payne. The name Payne originates from the Middle English given name Pagan, which itself derives from the Latin Paganus. In medieval times, Paganu...
Parent is an English and French surname with two possible origins. It derives from the Old French parent, which could mean either "notable" (from Latin pareo, meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin pario, mean...
Paris is a surname of English, French, and Italian origin, initially used to denote a person who came from the French city of Paris. The city's name itself derives from the Parisii, an ancient Celtic tribe that inhabited...
Parish 1 is a variant of the surname Paris. The surname Paris originally denoted a person who came from the French city of Paris, which derived its name from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii. The variant spe...
Parish 2 is an English surname with a unique origin: it derives from the medieval given name Paris, itself an Old French diminutive of Patrick. The name Patrick ultimately comes from the Latin Patricius, meaning "noblema...
Park is an English surname that originated as a variant of the medieval name Perkin, itself a diminutive of Peter. The surname thus carries the same underlying meaning as Peter: “stone,” from the Greek Πέτρος (Petros). T...
Park is an English surname originating from the Middle English word park, which itself derives from Latin parricus, of Frankish origin. The name was given to someone who worked in or lived near a park—often a large enclo...
Parkins is an English patronymic surname meaning “son of Parkin.” Parkin is a medieval diminutive form of Peter, which itself derives from the Greek Petros, meaning “stone.” The surname thus traces its origins to the wid...
Parkinson is an English patronymic surname meaning "son of Parkin", where Parkin is a medieval diminutive of Peter. The name thus ultimately derives from the Greek Πέτρος (Petros), meaning "stone," a name borne by the ap...
Parks is an English patronymic surname derived from the medieval given name Park, which itself originates as a diminutive of Peter. The name thus shares the meaning of Peter—'stone' in Greek—and ultimately traces back to...
Parrish is an English surname, a variant of Parish, which itself is a variant of the surname Paris. The root of these surnames is the French city of Paris, whose name derives from the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Pa...
Parsons is a surname of English origin, denoting a son or servant of a parson. The word "parson" itself derives from Latin persona meaning "person," which gradually came to refer specifically to a church official, partic...
Paternoster is an occupational surname of English and Italian origin, denoting a maker of rosaries, also known as patenosters. The name derives from the Latin phrase pater noster, meaning 'our Father', which are the open...
Paterson is a Scottish and English surname meaning "son of Patrick." The personal name Patrick derives from the Latin Patricius, meaning "nobleman," and was famously borne by Saint Patrick, the fifth-century patron saint...
Etymology and HistoryPatrickson is an English patronymic surname meaning "son of Patrick." The root name Patrick derives from the Latin Patricius, meaning "nobleman", a title given to members of the patrician class in an...
Patterson is a Scottish and Northern English patronymic surname meaning "son of Patrick". It originated in the Middle Ages from the given name Patrick and the common suffix -son, indicating filiation. The spelling Patter...
Paulson is an English patronymic surname meaning "son of Paul". It originated in England during the Middle Ages as a way to identify individuals by their father's given name, a common practice in many cultures. Etymology...
Peacock is an English surname derived from the Middle English word pecok, meaning "peacock." It originated as a nickname for a person perceived as proud, vain, or flamboyant, much like the male peafowl known for its stri...
Peak is an English surname with toponymic origins, typically indicating a dweller by a pointed hill or a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England, from Middle English pek, Old English peac meaning 'peak' or '...
Pearson is an English patronymic surname derived as a variant of Pierson. Pierson itself meant "son of Piers", an Old French form of Peter. Thus, Pearson ultimately signifies "son of Peter" and belongs to a large family...
Peck 1 is a variant of the surname Peak. Originally, the name Peak indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, derived from the Old English word peac, meaning "peak." It could also denote someone from the Peak District in Der...
Peck 2 is an English occupational surname with roots in the medieval trade of measuring. The name derives from the Middle English word pekke, meaning a vessel used as a peck measure—a historical unit of dry volume. Thus,...
Peel is an English surname with origins in a nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel and Latin palus, meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole). The name likely referred to someone who was slender o...
Pemberton is a locational surname of English origin. It derives from a place named Pemberton, traditionally a town near Manchester (now a suburb of Wigan, Greater Manchester). The place-name itself is a hybrid of Celtic...
Pender is an English surname with occupational origins, referring to a person who penned animals, such as a poundkeeper or animal impounder. The name derives from Middle English pind, meaning 'to pen up' or 'to enclose',...
Penn 1 is an English surname with topographic origins, ultimately derived from the Brythonic word penn meaning "hilltop, head" or "headland". This name was adopted from various place names in England that incorporated th...
Penn is an English surname with roots in the Old English word penn, meaning an enclosure or pen. It originated as an occupational name for someone who tended penned animals, such as a shepherd or a keeper of livestock. T...
Penner is a surname with multiple possible origins, primarily English and German. As an English surname, Penner derives from the Old English word penn, meaning an enclosure or pen, and typically served as an occupational...
Perkins is an English surname derived from Perkin, a medieval diminutive of the given name Peter. As a patronymic surname, it signifies "son of Perkin"—the suffix -s indicating a shortened form of "son of." The name Perk...
Perry is an English surname with both locational and occupational origins. It is derived from the Old English pirige, meaning "pear tree", which itself comes from peru ("pear"), ultimately from Latin pirum. As a location...
Peters is an English, Dutch, and German surname of patronymic origin, meaning "son of Peter." The given name Peter derives from the Greek Πέτρος (Petros), meaning "stone," which is a translation of the Aramaic name Cepha...
Peterson is a Scandinavian and English patronymic surname meaning "son of Peter." The given name Peter derives from the Greek Πέτρος (Petros), meaning "stone" or "rock," a translation of the Aramaic Cephas given to the a...
Petit is a French, Catalan, and English surname meaning "small, little", derived from Old French and Catalan petit. Originally, it was used as a nickname for a short or small person, or to denote the younger of two indiv...
Pettigrew is an English surname with origins in medieval Norman French. It is derived from the French phrase petit cru, meaning 'small growth,' from Anglo-Norman French petit creu. The surname originally served as a nick...
Etymology and OriginsPhelps is an English surname of patronymic origin, meaning "son of Philip". This formation is typical of English surnames where an s is added to the father's name to create a patronym. The name Phili...
Philips is a Dutch and English surname meaning "son of Philip". The name is a variant of Phillips, sharing the same patronymic origin.Etymology and HistoryThe surname derives from the given name Philip, which comes from...
Phillips is a patronymic surname of English origin, meaning "son of Philip". Philip itself derives from the Greek name Φίλιππος (Philippos), composed of the elements φίλος (philos, "friend, lover") and ἵππος (hippos, "ho...
EtymologyPickering is a habitational surname of Old English origin, derived from the town of Pickering in North Yorkshire, England. The place name itself comes from the Old English word Piceringas (meaning 'people of Pīc...
Pickle is an English surname. Derived from Middle English pighel, meaning "small field", the name likely originated as a topographic surname for someone who lived by or owned a small enclosed piece of land. The term pigh...
Pierson is an English patronymic surname meaning "son of Piers." Piers itself is a medieval form of Peter, derived from the Greek Petros meaning "stone." The name traces its lineage to the apostle Simon Peter, whom Jesus...
Pilgrim is an English and German surname derived from a nickname for a person who had made a pilgrimage to a holy site, often given to someone who had returned from a journey to a sacred place. The name ultimately comes...
Pitt is an English surname of topographical origin, derived from Old English pytt meaning "pit" or "hollow." It was originally given to someone who lived near a pit or a hole, or who worked in a mine or quarry. The name...
Pittman is an English surname, a variant of Pitt, which itself is a topographic surname. The name Pitt originates from the Old English word pytt meaning "pit" or "hollow," and was originally given to someone who lived ne...
Pitts is an English surname with a topographic origin, indicating a person who lived by a pit or hollow, from Middle English pytt (Old English pytt, meaning 'pit'). It could also denote someone from the villages of Pitt...
Plank is an English and German surname with multiple origin theories. The name derives from the word "plank", which entered Middle English via Old French planque, itself from Late Latin planca (meaning a board or plank)....
Plaskett is an English topographic surname, originally denoting a person who lived or worked near a swampy meadow. The name derives from Old French plascq (wet meadow) combined with the diminutive suffix -et, thus litera...
Platt is an English surname of topographic or nickname origin. It derives from the Old French plat, meaning "flat, thin," which itself comes from Late Latin plattus and ultimately from Greek πλατύς (platys), meaning "wid...
Pocock is an English surname, a descriptive nickname for a proud or vain person, derived from a Peacock. The name entered English as a surname during the Middle Ages, when physical traits, behaviors, or animals often ins...