Surname prefixes and suffixes by ethnicity.

[Sikeliot]

I saw a list going somewhere and I wanted to know what are some other distinctive surname prefixes and suffixes that give away one's ethnic origin.

The examples that come to my mind first:

Irish; O'- and Mc-
Armenian; -ian or -yan
Greek; -akis, -idis, -opoulos

As far as Portuguese and Spanish names go, names that end in -ez in Spanish end in -es in Portuguese (Lopez/Lopes, Marquez/Marques, etc.).

Any others?

[Norbert]

Polish:

-ski, cki, dzki (signifying place of origin)
-wicz ("son of")
-czyk, -czak, -czek, -ek, -ak (diminutive)

Serbian:

-vić ("son of")

Russian:

-ov, -yev (of, signifying place of origin or descent)

Ukrainian:

-enko (diminutive)

-shin (?)

[Norbert]

English:

-ley ("woodland clearing")

-son ("son of")

-ton (town)

[Sikeliot]

I'll throw out there that in Portuguese, -es names, like Marques, Soares, Henriques, Rodrigues etc. are patronymic, same with -ez names in Spain.

[Daos]

Many Romanian surnames (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanians#Surnames) end in -(e)an(u), when derived from toponyms, or -ei, -escu, -așcu, when derived from a parent's name.

The suffixes -chuk, -(en)ko, -(y)uk, -(y)ak are common for Ukrainian surnames (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_name#Ukrainian_family_names_.28surnames. 29).

Many Hungarian surnames have the ending -ás, -es, -os, -fi(a).

[Sikeliot]

Is there any truth to the idea that the Mc- prefix is Irish and Mac- is Scottish? Or do you find both in both places?

[The Ripper]

Finnish names often end in -nen or -la/-lä.

[Sikeliot]

Finnish names often end in -nen or -la/-lä.

I only know one person of Finnish ancestry in real life and her last name is Renkainen.

[Svanhild]

German:

-er (someone who's making something or living there)

For instance: Bauer, Friesländer, Hitler, Laiendecker...

[Rouxinol]

My middle name ends in -es and my last name is preceded by "de".

[Don Brick]

Finnish names often end in -nen or -la/-lä.

Yup and to further clarify things the -nen ending usually indicates Eastern Finnish origin while the other one western origin, but of course things tend to be quite mixed up nowadays, but roughly speaking. :)

[Electronic God-Man]

Lithuanian names often end in -as, -is or -us.

Ex. Majauskas, Macevicius, Unitas, Butkus, Norkus, Janavicius, Adomaitis, Uzugiris, Jankauskas, Naujokis, Paulauskas, Mielkus, Kulesius, Bielinis, Malinauskas, Staugaitis, Dovydaitis, Smilgevicius, Sernas, Basanavicius, Klimas, Mironas, Bizauskas, etc.

[Rouxinol]

Let me add that "de" in Portuguese names means "from" - the equivalent to "van" in Dutch and "von" in German. My last name has toponymic origina in a little village near the one my father was born in Minho (northern tip of Portugal, near Galicia). The first family to adopt this surname was that of one archbishop of Braga (also in Minho) born in the 13th century.

Examples:
- de Vasconcelos
- de Oliveira
- de Sousa
- de Carvalho
- de Assis
- de Meneses
- de Souto
(...)

[Comte Arnau]

As far as Portuguese and Spanish names go, names that end in -ez in Spanish end in -es in Portuguese (Lopez/Lopes, Marquez/Marques, etc.).


Not to confuse ethnicities with nationalities, better say that surnames ending in -ez are Castilian, not Spanish. Surnames of other ethnicities within Spain do not end in -ez.

In Catalonia, the few surnames ending in -is (Gomis, Peris, Llopis, Ferrandis...) are adaptations of the Castilian ones (Gómez, Pérez, López, Fernández...), but they are rare, only being relatively common in Valencia because of Navarro-Aragonese influence. Instead of that genitive ending, the use of the patronymic in Catalan lands was usually with a simple de, although it was also used to mean place origin. Surnames here were also more focused on professions, placenames, qualities...

Some common Catalan surnames meaning professions:

Ballester/Ballesté = Crossbow maker
Baster/Basté = Saddler
Bover/Bové = Oxherd
Escuder/Escudé = Squire
Ferrer/Ferré = Smith
Mercader/Mercadé = Merchant
Mestre = Master, Teacher
Moliner/Moliné/Munné = Miller
Oliver/Olivé = Olive trader
Oller/Ollé = Potter (Pot maker)
Pagès = Farmer
Pellicer = Furrier
Piquer/Piqué = Quarryman, Stonemason
Sabater/Sabaté = Shoemaker
Teixidor/Teixidó = Weaver

Some referring to place names:

Bosch = Wood
Fàbregues/Fàbregas = Factories
Mas = Catalan country house
Pla = Plain
Pont = Bridge
Puig = Hill
Pujol = Hillock
Riera = Stream
Rovira = Oak wood
Serra = Mountain range
Valls = Valleys
Vila = Town

Some related to qualities:

Amorós = Lovely
Anglès = English
Antich = Ancient
Bonet = Kindhearted
Fort = Strong
Llord = Dirty, ugly
Roig = Red
Ros = Blond
Rossell = Little blond

Some common surnames which come from names

Andreu = Andrew
Dalmau = Dalmatius
Domènech = Dominicus
Grau < Guerau =Gerald
March = Mark
Mateu = Matthew
Martí = Martin
Mir = Mirus
Sans/Sanç/Sanz = Sanctius

[Treffie]

Is there any truth to the idea that the Mc- prefix is Irish and Mac- is Scottish? Or do you find both in both places?

Mc or Mac can be both Scottish and Irish. The Welsh equivalent is ap/ab which has its origins from Mab. All three mean `son of`.

[leisitox]

Italian names often end in cci-ni like Cecconi, Musolini and Ricci for example.
Sweden names end in berg-son/sson-sen/ssen-ström/strøm for example Winberg, Svenson,Walfridsson, Andresen, Hanssen, Hallestrøm,Hegstrom for example

[Ibericus]

As far as Portuguese and Spanish names go, names that end in -ez in Spanish end in -es in Portuguese (Lopez/Lopes, Marquez/Marques, etc.).
?
The suffixes -ez, -az,(as in Fernández or Díaz) are of germanic origin and means 'son of '

[askra]

typical sardinian surnames end with -s or -u

common suffixes are:


as/is/us Cann-as, Pir-as, Marr-as, Solin-as, Ros-as, Vird-is, Lamp-is, Camp-us, Ang-us, Pint-us

au Bidd-au, Mad-au, R-au

edda Del-edda, L-edda, Z-edda, Fa-edda

u Al-u, Sor-u, Pa-u, Ra-u, Niedd-u, Ar-u, Ruj-u

[Comte Arnau]

The suffixes -ez, -az,(as in Fernández or Díaz) are of germanic origin and means 'son of '

Yes, a mark of the Germanic genitive. Also used for names from other origins.

PÉREZ Son of Pero (Peter) = Peterson, Parkinson, Pierson, Peters, Pierce ...
MÁRQUEZ Son of Marco (Mark) = Markson, Marks
GONZÁLEZ Son of Gonzalo (Gundisalvus)
FERNÁNDEZ, HERNÁNDEZ Son of Fernando (Ferdinand)
LÓPEZ Son of Lope (Wolf)
RODRÍGUEZ Son of Rodrigo (Roderick)
MARTÍNEZ Son of Martín (Martin) = Martinson, Martins
SÁNCHEZ, SÁENZ, SÁEZ Son of Sancho (Sanctius)
GÓMEZ Son of Gomo, short for Gomesano (Gumesandus)
JIMÉNEZ, GIMÉNEZ Son of Jimeno (prob. Simon) = Simonson, Simons, Simmins
RUIZ Son of Ruy, short for Rodrigo.
DÍAZ, DÍEZ, DÍEGUEZ Son of Día/Diego (Didacus, James, Jacob) = Jameson
ÁLVAREZ = Son of Álvaro (Alvarus)
GUTIÉRREZ = Son of Gutier or Gutierre (Gunther)
NÚÑEZ Son of Nuño (Nonnus)
DOMÍNGUEZ Son of Domingo (Dominicus)
VÁZQUEZ, VELÁZQUEZ, BLÁZQUEZ Son of Velasco (Basque name Belasko, little raven)
RAMIREZ Son of Ramiro (Ramirus) = Reymers in Germanic
SUÁREZ, JUÁREZ Son of Suero (Suarius)
MÉNDEZ, MENÉNDEZ, MELÉNDEZ Son of Mendo (Hermenegild)
MUÑOZ, MUÑIZ Son of Muño (Munnius)
IBÁÑEZ Son of Ibaño, Ibán, Juan (Ivan, John) = Johnson
BENÍTEZ Son of Benito (Bennet, Benedict)
PÁEZ, PELÁEZ Son of Payo, Pelayo (Pelagius)
BERMÚDEZ Son of Bermudo (Bermudus)
ANTÚNEZ Son of Antonio, Antón (Anthony)
ORDÓÑEZ Son of Ordoño (Ordonius)
etc...

[Bloodeagle]

Another suffix associated with a distinct type of English folk name is ing or ings.

The Old English ending ingas means "the descendants, followers or people of", represented by such names as Avening, Epping, Eddings, Hastings, and Reading.

[Nurzat]

most of the surnames in the moldavia region of romania are of ukrainian, russian, polish or hungarian origin or are romanian but of local specific and of course there is a percentage of pure romanian names. so there are a lot of moldavians with -ENCU/-ENCO (-енко > Gafencu, Bodnarenco), -(E)AC/-IAC (-ак, -як > Maruseac, Dubciac), -VICI (-вич > Popovici, Haimovici), -CIUC/-IUC (-чук, -юк, Ukrainian ending extremely widespread in Moldavia region of Romania > Marciuc, Filipciuc, Lobiuc, Siminiuc), -ĂU/-OV (-ов, the later usually transformed into the former like Cătărău instead of Katarov > Dobrov, Simeonov, Suharău), -SCHII/-ȚCHI (-ский, -цкий > Dobranschi, Halițchi), -CEC/-EC/-CIC (-чек, -ек, -чик > Uricec, Locic, Poliec), -CO (-ко > Senocico | Сеночко)... and there must be others i don't recall now

[Sikeliot]

I'm hoping someone can answer this for me, particularly someone German. A lot, if not most, of the surnames that are associated with Jews are actually Germanic in origin, such as Bernstein, Nussbaum, Lieberman, Goldstein, etc. How many ethnic Germans have these names? I'd think there would be some. I've been told that Cohen is the only name that is authentically Jewish.. meaning all other "Jewish" surnames should be found in non-Jews.

[SwordoftheVistula]

I'm hoping someone can answer this for me, particularly someone German. A lot, if not most, of the surnames that are associated with Jews are actually Germanic in origin, such as Bernstein, Nussbaum, Lieberman, Goldstein, etc. How many ethnic Germans have these names? I'd think there would be some. I've been told that Cohen is the only name that is authentically Jewish.. meaning all other "Jewish" surnames should be found in non-Jews.

You get oddities, but typically jews originating from Germany have names involving precious metals/stones, for example names containing Geld/Gold, Silber/Silver, Rubin, etc, as well as names ending in -stein. Also jews often took names from place names, so if you see a [German city]-er without a 'von' in front of it, the person is almost always jewish. Examples: Wiener, Frankfurter, Hamburger. Names containing 'lieb' and 'kin' are almost always jewish as well.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Some Irish/Scottish names I have seen with just the Ma- prefix, if followed by a 'g'. Examples; 'Magruder', 'Magovern', though it is more common to see it with the 'c' 'MacGruder', 'MacGovern' etc.

[Sikeliot]

I've also noticed some Irish surnames ending in -ty, like McNulty, Rafferty, Doherty, Moriarty, etc. But it seems like a coincidental pattern.

[Norbert]

Finnish names often end in -nen or -la/-lä.

What are the meanings of these?

[Norbert]

Fitz- as in "Fitzgerald" or "Fitzpatrick", seen in some Irish surnames.


The name was formed by the addition of the Anglo-Norman French prefix fi(t)z ‘son of’ (Latin filius) to the personal name.

http://www.ancestry.com/facts/fitzgerald-family-history.ashx

[Sikeliot]

I know someone with the last name Savonen and I asked her today if she was Finnish, because I remembered Riippumatto saying names ending in -nen are Finnish, and she was. Like I think I said earlier, another person I know who is Finnish has the last name Renkainen.

[Iron Will]

Leave it to The Norseman to mention...Son, Sson, Sen and Dottir can suffixes that can be found in Scandinavia as well as some other Germanic settled places.

[Wulfhere]

Is there any truth to the idea that the Mc- prefix is Irish and Mac- is Scottish? Or do you find both in both places?

Not really, in my experience. "Mc" is certainly used in both Ireland and Scotland, though conceivably "Mac" is more likely to be Scottish.

[Eldritch]

Yup and to further clarify things the -nen ending usually indicates Eastern Finnish origin while the other one western origin, but of course things tend to be quite mixed up nowadays, but roughly speaking. :)

Whereas -talo or -pää indicate Ostrobothnian roots most of the time. ;)

[Nurzat]

i always thought that portuguese-spanish-italian-romanian surnames sound gay or at least less manly

[Iron Will]

i always thought that portuguese-spanish-italian-romanian surnames sound gay or at least less manly

Hahaha, What about the French?

[W. R.]

My surname is quite rare and I doubt that it can be found somewhere outside Belarus. Most probably the stem of it is a Christian name which is very rare here now. The name may be a variant of prophet Haggai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggai)’s name, or a name of one of forty martyrs of Sebaste (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Martyrs_of_Sebaste).

The ending -vič used to be a patronymic suffix, now surnames with this ending are quite common in Belarus as well as, it seems, in some countries of former Yugoslavia.One more thing. When people hear my surname for the first time they often ask something like, "Oh, you must be originally from Stolin district?"

Yes, I am! And if you try hard you can guess even the village. :)

[Matritensis]

i always thought that portuguese-spanish-italian-romanian surnames sound gay or at least less manly


Even less manly than "Gaylord"? :D

[Peyrol]

Italian surnames have many different suffixs, with the most varied origins. Most common are -ani/-ano, -one/-oni, -ini, -azzi/-izzi, -etti, -ero/-eri/-ari, -er, -is, -elli; -ossi, -aldi, -ez

Many surname with the suffix -ani/-ano/-oni, with latin words and -is are of roman origin, like Giuliani (of the gens Julia), Flaviani (from the gens Flavia), Carbone (from the gens Carbo), De Martinis (from the ges Martia), De Regibus, De Magistris, etc etc...many can also mean a geographical place, like Provenzano (from southern France), Napolitano, Veneziano, etc etc.

Surnames with -eri/-ero/-ore, -ari, -er mean a work/occupation, like Ferrero/Ferrer (Smith), Tessitore (weaver), Mantero (taylor), Vaccari (cowman), Lettieri (beds-builder), Cantatore (singer), Carpentiere/Carpentieri (carpeter), Pellizzari (furrier), etc..

Most three common surnames are Rossi (redhead), Ferrari (smith) and Russo (russian//redhead).


The prefix "De", "Di" and " D' " means patrhonimic or place of origin, like De Stefano, De Micheli, De Rossi, Di Natale, Di Lorenzo, D'Amico, D'Angelo, D'Annunzio, Di Francia, Di Roma, Di Venezia, etc etc....

[Foxy]

Even less manly than "Gaylord"? :D

Gay is also an Italian surname.

http://www.gens.labo.net/it/cognomi/gif.html?cognome=GAY&k=FF&t=cognomi&s=G

[Tony]

I've also to add that a suffix ending with -in are particularly common in Veneto e those who have it come from Veneto in origin:
Ballarin
Cevenin
Stevanin
Giaccherin

with the surnames stressed on the last syllable.

In the Arabo-Islamic world , therefore from Morocco to Afghanistan , people with their surnames ending in -i very likely can trace their origins back to some Indo/European group:
Trabelsi
Jafari
Bazzi
Khomeini
Ebadi
Rafsanjani

[Bard]

I've also to add that a suffix ending with -in are particularly common in Veneto e those who have it come from Veneto in origin:
Ballarin
Cevenin
Stevanin
Giaccherin



I agree. Most venetians surnames end with a consonant, because venetian dialects tend to shorten the words eliminating the last letter.

[Comte Arnau]

You get oddities, but typically jews originating from Germany have names involving precious metals/stones, for example names containing Geld/Gold, Silber/Silver, Rubin, etc, as well as names ending in -stein. Also jews often took names from place names, so if you see a [German city]-er without a 'von' in front of it, the person is almost always jewish. Examples: Wiener, Frankfurter, Hamburger. Names containing 'lieb' and 'kin' are almost always jewish as well.

It is also said that those surnames related to flowers and plants are Jewish. Such as Rosales, Olmo, Pereira, Blumenfeld, Blumental... Frankly, I think that -unless proven- saying that a surname is Jewish is kinda stupid, because you're going to call Jewish hundreds of people with that surname who aren't Jewish at all.

Same thing here with those surnames that are regarded as 'Gypsy surnames'.

[Jack B]

People usually just think of O' and Mc/Mac for Irish names but there are actually quite a lot of similar patterns in Irish names that you can spot if you're used to them.

O'Neill, O'Hara, O'Shea etc

McArdle, McArthy, Mccabe etc

Fitzgerald, Fitzwilliam, Fitzpatrick etc

Hannigan, Hogan, Lanigan, Haligan, Brannigan, Corrigan etc

Flaherty, Doherty, etc

Shannahan, Monaghan, Callaghan etc

Rooney, Cooney, Mooney etc



And probably a lot more I can't remember right now.

[Comte Arnau]

Gay is also an Italian surname.

http://www.gens.labo.net/it/cognomi/gif.html?cognome=GAY&k=FF&t=cognomi&s=G

Gay or Gai is a word from Occitan and Catalan that meant 'happy, vigorous' in the past and was Gothic in origin. It passed to English via French, like many other Occitan/Catalan words. In the Jochs Florals Literary Contests those who won the three Big Prizes were called Mestres en Gai Saber (Masters of the Gay Science), which had nothing to do with homosexuality back then. :p

No wonder that in Italy, following your map, you mostly find the surname in the Occitan-influenced area. ;)

[Treffie]

The most common British surnames that originally came from Wales

JONES
WILLIAMS
DAVIES
EVANS
THOMAS
ROBERTS
HUGHES
EDWARDS
LEWIS
MORRIS
MORGAN
JAMES
PHILLIPS
PRICE
GRIFFITHS
RICHARDS
ELLIS
POWELL
OWEN
LLOYD
REES
PARRY
GRIFFIN
PRITCHARD
PUGH
HOWELL
BOWEN
HUMPHREYS
BEVAN
HOWELLS
ROWLANDS
JOHNS
MEREDITH
PREECE
LLEWELLYN
PROSSER
GRIFFITH
HARRIES
PIERCE
REECE
PROBERT
FLOYD
TUDOR
BREEZE
PRYCE
ROSSER
BRICE
GITTINS
BEYNON
MATHIAS
BRODERICK
PROWSE
GILLAM
MORGANS
HAVARD
EYNON
BEAVEN
COUGHLIN
PHOENIX
PRESS
PRICHARD
GERRISH
PROTHERO
SPEAKE
BREESE
CADOGAN
BOUND
GWILT
BEDDOE
DACEY
PENDRY
REESE
BRODRICK
BRICK
KNILL
EVENS
GILLIAM
ACE
DONNE
BEVANS
RAIKES
CLEAVES
TRAYLOR
EMBREY
LEAFE
CONNICK
PUMPHREY
BOORE
BURRIS
GAMES
DEMERY
GLYN
MABE
GWYN
SCALE
YANDLE
HARGEST
BEEDLES
BOYDE
SKONE

Welsh surnames (http://www.britishsurnames.co.uk/lists/Welsh+Surnames)

[Rouxinol]

Some common surnames in Portugal:

Of patronymic origin (ending in -es, which means son of):
- SANCHES (son of Sancho)
- MENDES (son of Mendo)
- LOPES (son of Lopo)
- GONÇALVES (son of Gonçalo)
- FERNANDES (son of Fernando)
- VASQUES (son of Vasco)
- PERES (son of Pedro)
- ÁLVARES (son of Álvaro)
- EANES (son of João)
- MARTINS (son of Martim)
- ESTEVES (son of Estêvão)
- NUNES (son of Nuno)
- ANTUNES (son of António)
- HENRIQUES (son of Henrique)
- RODRIGUES (son of Rodrigo)

Of matronymic origin (rare, derived of female first names):
- CATARINO (Catarina)
- MARIANO (Maria or Mariana)

Of toponymic origin (related to places as villages, cities, rivers, etc. and as such commonly preceeded by de or da, which means from):
- de ALMEIDA
- de ANDRADE
- de BARROS
- de BARCELOS
- de BASTOS
- de OLIVEIRA
- de GOUVEIA
- de CASTELO BRANCO
- de FARIA
- de LIMA

Other surnames of toponymic origin are related to places within villages/cities:
- FONTE
- CABRAL
- EIRA
- AZENHA

Or related to geological/geographical terms:
- ROCHA
- PEDROSO
- VALE
- RIBEIRO
- SEQUEIRA
- DANTAS
- COSTA
- BARREIRA

Or related to botanical species like trees, bushes, plantations, etc.:
- TEIXEIRA
- SILVA
- CAMPOS
- MATOS
- SILVEIRA
- CORREIA
- MACEDO
- AZEVEDO
- PEREIRA
- OLIVEIRA
- PINHEIRO
- FIGUEIRA
- CARVALHO

Of religious origin (these are said to might have originated among converted Christians as well as atributted to orphans raised in Christian orphanages or just very devout people who adopted them as family names, so it's hard to tell):
- JESUS
- dos REIS
- da ASSUNÇÃO
- PASCOAL
- SANTANA
- GRAÇA
- TRINDADE
- dos SANTOS
- CRUZ
- dos ANJOS
- BATISTA
- de DEUS
- SALES
- PÁDUA
- do ESPÍRITO SANTO

Other surnames:

Expressing a feature:
- VELOSO
- MAGRO
- TINOCO
- GAGO
- ROMERO

[EWtt]

Estonian surnames:

-ik (if it follows the name of a tree, it means "grove")
Lepik
Kuusik
Kaasik
Männik

-maa (land)
Randmaa
Põldmaa
Kasemaa

-mägi (hill)
Liivamägi

-mäe ([of a] hill)
Salumäe
Kivimäe
Aasmäe

-mets (forest)
Laanemets
Kasemets
Lillemets

-ots (end/edge)
Mäeots
Sillaots

-puu (tree)
Sarapuu
Õunapuu
Maripuu

-saar (island)
Soosaar
Jõesaar

-salu (grove)
Toomsalu

-sepp (smith)
Raudsepp
Puusepp
Müürsepp

-la (an area?)
Rohtla
Ojala
Pajula

-küla (village)
Kesküla

Possibly there are also some others that I didn't think of.

Names that have a German(ic) origin or suffix are not uncommon. Before 1920, 50% of Estonian surnames had a foreign origin. There was a period of Estonianization of surnames in the early 1930s.

Some of the most common Estonian surnames today include:

Tamm, Saar, Sepp, Mägi, Kask, Kukk, Rebane, Ilves, Pärn, Koppel, Luik, Kaasik, Lepik, Oja, Raudsepp, Kuusk, Karu, Kütt, Põder, Vaher, Lepp, Kivi, Kallas, Mets, Liiv, Kuusik, Teder, Lõhmus, Laur, Jõgi, Kangur, Peterson, Kõiv, Kull, Ots, Leppik, Mölder, Toom, Puusepp, Raud, Orav, Sild, Rand, Jakobson, Nõmm, Põld, Sarapuu, Uibo, Paju, Mitt, Männik, Laas, Jürgenson, Saks, Järv, Johanson, Pukk, Tomson, Kalda, Allik, Tamme, Kruus, Mark, Aas, Rätsep, Paas, Mänd, Hein, Roos, Parts, Kase, Väli, Järve, Lind, Mõttus, Palm, Rohtla, Valk, Hunt, Unt, Adamson, Pihlak, Nurk, Sikk, Kuus, Kala, Õunapuu, Pärna, Soosaar, Vares, Arro, Aavik, Kurg, Tali, Vahtra, Vahter, Varik, Mikk, Aru, Kikas, Õun, Luts, Roots, Tõnisson, Kolk, Lill, Must, Piir, Kallaste, Kurvits, Maripuu, Jänes, Mäe, Kirs, Kangro, Maasik, Kokk, Kaur, Tomingas, Koort, Tammik, Müür, Toomsalu, Martin, Susi, Ploom, Liiva, Hallik, Michelson, Valge, Miller, Toots, Vaino, Nõmmik, Talts, Jürgens, Kikkas, Kesküla, Post, Kärner, Martinson, Hansen, Rüütel, Veski, Müürsepp, Meier, Sarv, Palu, Aasa, Laanemets, Juhkam, Luht, Jalakas, Kivistik, Karro, Annus, Rosenberg, Lääne, Viira, Jõesaar, Tooming, Soo, Ott, Simson, Kotkas, Kink, Anderson, Aus, Ruus, Saare, Erm, Lang, Olesk, Pettai, Reimann, Tuisk, Ojala, Kroon, Raag, Raid, Org, Lauri, Laan, Pärtel, ...

[Peyrol]

The most common British surnames that originally came from Wales

JONES
WILLIAMS
DAVIES
EVANS
THOMAS
ROBERTS
HUGHES
EDWARDS
LEWIS
MORRIS
MORGAN
JAMES
PHILLIPS
PRICE
GRIFFITHS
RICHARDS
ELLIS
POWELL
OWEN
LLOYD
REES
PARRY
GRIFFIN
PRITCHARD
PUGH
HOWELL
BOWEN
HUMPHREYS
BEVAN
HOWELLS
ROWLANDS
JOHNS
MEREDITH
PREECE
LLEWELLYN
PROSSER
GRIFFITH
HARRIES
PIERCE
REECE
PROBERT
FLOYD
TUDOR
BREEZE
PRYCE
ROSSER
BRICE
GITTINS
BEYNON
MATHIAS
BRODERICK
PROWSE
GILLAM
MORGANS
HAVARD
EYNON
BEAVEN
COUGHLIN
PHOENIX
PRESS
PRICHARD
GERRISH
PROTHERO
SPEAKE
BREESE
CADOGAN
BOUND
GWILT
BEDDOE
DACEY
PENDRY
REESE
BRODRICK
BRICK
KNILL
EVENS
GILLIAM
ACE
DONNE
BEVANS
RAIKES
CLEAVES
TRAYLOR
EMBREY
LEAFE
CONNICK
PUMPHREY
BOORE
BURRIS
GAMES
DEMERY
GLYN
MABE
GWYN
SCALE
YANDLE
HARGEST
BEEDLES
BOYDE
SKONE

Welsh surnames (http://www.britishsurnames.co.uk/lists/Welsh+Surnames)

I have three friends of Anglesey, and everyone have the surname JONES.

[leisitox]

when dealing with French surnames, they have much variety and a prefixe that I know is
L' something or sse suffix, anyone have more info?:thumbs up and if I have a friend named Mühlhausen, almost is jewish origin? it dont have von or something and dont have suffix er in it. Is jewish at all?

[Norbert]

Kil- Scottish/Irish from Gaelic cill ("church of"), as in Kilpatrick "church of Patrick"

[Sikeliot]

Some common surnames in Portugal:

Of patronymic origin (ending in -es, which means son of):
- SANCHES (son of Sancho)
- MENDES (son of Mendo)
- LOPES (son of Lopo)
- GONÇALVES (son of Gonçalo)
- FERNANDES (son of Fernando)
- VASQUES (son of Vasco)
- PERES (son of Pedro)
- ÁLVARES (son of Álvaro)
- EANES (son of João)
- MARTINS (son of Martim)
- ESTEVES (son of Estêvão)
- NUNES (son of Nuno)
- ANTUNES (son of António)
- HENRIQUES (son of Henrique)
- RODRIGUES (son of Rodrigo)




One of those, is my last name. ;)

[Moustache]

Here you go (http://mek.oszk.hu/08900/08923/08923.pdf), a whole study dealing with the classification of Hungarian surnames from the 14th-17th century, in English from p. 15 onward.

[Logan]

“By Tre, Pol and Pen, Ye shall know Cornishmen.”

old saying

[safinator]

In Albania we have often the ending -aj in surnames.

[Dario Argento]

In Albania we have often the ending -aj in surnames.

I've seen this a lot, Hadergionaj, etc. But also a lot end just in "i".

[Tarja]

In Scotland we have the prefixes Mc and Mac e.g. McLean, MacDonald. Also the suffix 'son', e.g. Stevenson, although this isn't as common as the former 2. :cool:

[Comte Arnau]

In Scotland we have the prefixes Mc and Mac e.g. McLean, MacDonald. Also the suffix 'son', e.g. Stevenson, although this isn't as common as the former 2. :cool:

Is the prefix Fitz common there?

[Joss]

So. . That means my mom's surname would be in other languages like this. .
Márquez (spanish)
Marques(portuguese)
Marquiani (italian)
O'Mark/McMark (Scottish/ Irish)
Markson (English)
Von Rahmen (German). Is it right?

[Tarja]

Is the prefix Fitz common there?

There is a name with that prefix - Fitzpatrick - but it's the only name I can think of with it and I don't know anyone with that surname. So it does exist but no, I wouldn't say it was particularly common. :)

[Comte Arnau]

So. . That means my mom's surname would be in other languages like this. .
Márquez (spanish)
Marques(portuguese)
Marquiani (italian)
O'Mark/McMark (Scottish/ Irish)
Markson (English)
Von Rahmen (German). Is it right?

German Von Rahmen? :confused:

Let me "translate" your surname: ;)

Spanish: Márquez
Portuguese: Marques
Catalan: de March
French: Marquet, Demarcq
Italian: Marconi, Marchetti, Di Marco
English: Markson, Marks
German: von Mark
Dutch: Merckx, Van der Marck
Swedish: Markusson
Danish: Markussen
Russian: Markov
Serbian: Markovic
Hungarian: Markó
Greek: Markopoulos
Finish: Markunpoika

[Joss]

German Von Rahmen? :confused:

Let me "translate" your surname: ;)

Spanish: Márquez
Portuguese: Marques
Catalan: de March
French: Marquet, Demarcq
Italian: Marconi, Marchetti, Di Marco
English: Markson, Marks
German: von Mark
Dutch: Merckx, Van der Marck
Swedish: Markusson
Danish: Markussen
Russian: Markov
Serbian: Markovic
Hungarian: Markó
Greek: Markopoulos
Finish: Markunpoika


Lol thanks i was having troubles with the german translation :D

[rhiannon]

The most common British surnames that originally came from Wales

JONES
WILLIAMS
DAVIES
EVANS
THOMAS
ROBERTS
HUGHES
EDWARDS
LEWIS
MORRIS
MORGAN
JAMES
PHILLIPS
PRICE
GRIFFITHS
RICHARDS
ELLIS
POWELL
OWEN
LLOYD
REES
PARRY
GRIFFIN
PRITCHARD
PUGH
HOWELL
BOWEN
HUMPHREYS
BEVAN
HOWELLS
ROWLANDS
JOHNS
MEREDITH
PREECE
LLEWELLYN
PROSSER
GRIFFITH
HARRIES
PIERCE
REECE
PROBERT
FLOYD
TUDOR
BREEZE
PRYCE
ROSSER
BRICE
GITTINS
BEYNON
MATHIAS
BRODERICK
PROWSE
GILLAM
MORGANS
HAVARD
EYNON
BEAVEN
COUGHLIN
PHOENIX
PRESS
PRICHARD
GERRISH
PROTHERO
SPEAKE
BREESE
CADOGAN
BOUND
GWILT
BEDDOE
DACEY
PENDRY
REESE
BRODRICK
BRICK
KNILL
EVENS
GILLIAM
ACE
DONNE
BEVANS
RAIKES
CLEAVES
TRAYLOR
EMBREY
LEAFE
CONNICK
PUMPHREY
BOORE
BURRIS
GAMES
DEMERY
GLYN
MABE
GWYN
SCALE
YANDLE
HARGEST
BEEDLES
BOYDE
SKONE

Welsh surnames (http://www.britishsurnames.co.uk/lists/Welsh+Surnames)

There's three of those in my family.

[rhiannon]

Can someone give a list of surnames from Northern Italy?

[Ouistreham]

The diversity of French surnames (and even more so of their spellings) is extreme but with some experience you can with relative ease determine from which region they are from.

As for diminutive suffixes that all are pronounced with a closed "-oh" sound, here a few tips that may interest our French-Canadian friends:

• Names ending in '-eau' (extremely frequent among Acadians) almost all originate from the Central Atlantic regions (between Nantes and Bordeaux) : Parizeau, Juneau, Rochereau, Janneau, Bruneau etc...

[ Note: Brunel is etymologically the same as Bruneau but stems from either Northern pr Southern France ]

• Names endind in '-ot' are generally from the regions East of Paris (Champagne, Lorraine, Burgundy): Parisot, Junot, Jeannot etc.

• '-od' and more rarely '-oz' endings are specific for Jura, Lyons, Savoy and West Switzerland (Junod, Pernod, Dalloz...)

• For derivates of Germanic names in '-ald':

- '-ault' is most frequent in Eastern Brittany, Maine and the Loire valley: Renault, Arnault, Ernault, Hunault, Gouault

- '-aud' is mainly Southern French: Renaud, Arnaud (Raynaud is definitely Occitan)

- '-oult' is found all around Paris (Normandie, Champagne, Orléans): Arnoult, Renoult

- '-oud' has a maximal frequency around Lyons and Savoy

[Ouistreham]

Can someone give a list of surnames from Northern Italy?

I've noticed that almost all surnames from Central Italy (and all Corsican second names) end with an '-i'.

'-o' and '-a' endings indicate either a Northern or Southern origin.

Names ending on a consonant are from Venetia or Sardinia.

[Sikeliot]

The diversity of French surnames (and even more so of their spellings) is extreme but with some experience you can with relative ease determine from which region they are from.

As for diminutive suffixes that all are pronounced with a closed "-oh" sound, here a few tips that may interest our French-Canadian friends:

• Names ending in '-eau' (extremely frequent among Acadians) almost all originate from the Central Atlantic regions (between Nantes and Bordeaux) : Parizeau, Juneau, Rochereau, Janneau, Bruneau etc...

[ Note: Brunel is etymologically the same as Bruneau but stems from either Northern pr Southern France ]

• Names endind in '-ot' are generally from the regions East of Paris (Champagne, Lorraine, Burgundy): Parisot, Junot, Jeannot etc.

• '-od' and more rarely '-oz' endings are specific for Jura, Lyons, Savoy and West Switzerland (Junod, Pernod, Dalloz...)

• For derivates of Germanic names in '-ald':

- '-ault' is most frequent in Eastern Brittany, Maine and the Loire valley: Renault, Arnault, Ernault, Hunault, Gouault

- '-aud' is mainly Southern French: Renaud, Arnaud (Raynaud is definitely Occitan)

- '-oult' is found all around Paris (Normandie, Champagne, Orléans): Arnoult, Renoult

- '-oud' has a maximal frequency around Lyons and Savoy


Is the pronunciation of all of these suffixes the same? Of the people I know who have surnames ending in -eau and -aud, those two at least are said similarly by English speakers although I have no idea if it'd be the same in French.

[Ouistreham]

Is the pronunciation of all of these suffixes the same? Of the people I know who have surnames ending in -eau and -aud, those two at least are said similarly by English speakers although I have no idea if it'd be the same in French.

- -eau, -ot, -od, -aud, -ault, -auld are all pronounced the same.


-eau and -aud, those two at least are said similarly by English speakers

- They do right.

[Tony]

So. . That means my mom's surname would be in other languages like this. .
Márquez (spanish)
Marques(portuguese)
Marquiani (italian)
O'Mark/McMark (Scottish/ Irish)
Markson (English)
Von Rahmen (German). Is it right?
Marquiani with the -qu doesn't exist, there's those written by the Count and also Marchese/Marchesi/Marchesin/Marchesetti...

There is a name with that prefix - Fitzpatrick - but it's the only name I can think of with it and I don't know anyone with that surname. So it does exist but no, I wouldn't say it was particularly common. :)
Fiztsimmons, Fiztgerald, Fitzcarraldo...:tongue

Can someone give a list of surnames from Northern Italy?
There are literally tons, I need a root to start and then I can say wether it's from North or not...
http://www.cognomiitaliani.org/cognomi/index.html

[Lithium]

In Bulgaria the surnames end with -ov/ski and -ova/ska.

[rhiannon]

I've noticed that almost all surnames from Central Italy (and all Corsican second names) end with an '-i'.

'-o' and '-a' endings indicate either a Northern or Southern origin.

Names ending on a consonant are from Venetia or Sardinia.

My husband thinks the Italian in his ancestry (he is 25% Italian...through his father) is likely Northern Italian. He is relatively fair-skinned and REALLY tall (78inches)...with light blue/gray eyes. His last name ends in 'o'

[Dario Argento]

Marquiani with the -qu doesn't exist, there's those written by the Count and also Marchese/Marchesi/Marchesin/Marchesetti...

Fiztsimmons, Fiztgerald, Fitzcarraldo...:tongue

There are literally tons, I need a root to start and then I can say wether it's from North or not...
http://www.cognomiitaliani.org/cognomi/index.html

That "qu" pronunciation is similar to italian "ch". Che = que. Same sound, differently spelling.

[rhiannon]

Marquiani with the -qu doesn't exist, there's those written by the Count and also Marchese/Marchesi/Marchesin/Marchesetti...

Fiztsimmons, Fiztgerald, Fitzcarraldo...:tongue

There are literally tons, I need a root to start and then I can say wether it's from North or not...
http://www.cognomiitaliani.org/cognomi/index.html

'Gil' is the prefix. it ends with 'o'

[Sikeliot]

What are Czech and Slovakian surnames like? Does anyone know

[rhiannon]

What are Czech and Slovakian surnames like? Does anyone know

I had a Slovakian roommate for one year while in Med School......her last name ended in 'ova'

She told me that all women in her country tend to have that suffix added to their last names to designate them as female.

[Panopticon]

In Albania we have often the ending -aj in surnames.

Among Albanians the -aj suffix is more usual among Northern Albanians, it appears among Southern Albanians as well but more rarely. It's an archaic feature of our language -aj originally being -anj in old Albanian denoting something plural, in old times brotherhoods or vëllazëri in Albanian. The last name Gjonaj for example denotes many Gjon's and not just one Gjon.

It's only one variant of other plural suffixes in the Albanian language: -nj -enj and -inj. Some examples: -nj as in thonj meaning nails, -enj as in buddalenj meaning fools and -inj as in gjarpërinj meaning snakes.

The -i suffix is a definite article. In Albanian the definite article is placed after the noun. The last name Kasapi for example (kasap meaning butcher) translates into "the butcher" in English. To avoid palatization '-i' is replaced with '-u' when -g, -h or -k is before the suffix.

The -i and -u suffixes also have the same function of that of Yugoslav -vic/-ic/-ovic, it can denote that this person is the grandson of "Gjon" making it "Gjoni" or one could be the grandson of "Mark" making it "Marku", just like "Danilovic" means the grandson of "Danilo".

[Comte Arnau]

I had a Slovakian roommate for one year while in Med School......her last name ended in 'ova'

She told me that all women in her country tend to have that suffix added to their last names to designate them as female.

Yes. And not only the country women. Read a Czech film magazine and you'll see all foreign actresses end in -ova too: Julia Robertsova, Scarlett Johanssonová (see here (http://magazin.libimseti.cz/lifestyle/5836-scarlett-johanssonova-je-slavna-jen-diky-make-upu)) :D

[Peyrol]

Can someone give a list of surnames from Northern Italy?


Italian surnames have many different suffixs, with the most varied origins. Most common are -ani/-ano, -one/-oni, -ini, -azzi/-izzi, -etti, -ero/-eri/-ari, -er, -is, -elli; -ossi, -aldi, -ez

Many surname with the suffix -ani/-ano/-oni, with latin words and -is are of roman origin, like Giuliani (of the gens Julia), Flaviani (from the gens Flavia), Carbone (from the gens Carbo), De Martinis (from the ges Martia), De Regibus, De Magistris, etc etc...many can also mean a geographical place, like Provenzano (from southern France), Napolitano, Veneziano, etc etc.

Surnames with -eri/-ero/-ore, -ari, -er mean a work/occupation, like Ferrero/Ferrer (Smith), Tessitore (weaver), Mantero (taylor), Vaccari (cowman), Lettieri (beds-builder), Cantatore (singer), Carpentiere/Carpentieri (carpeter), Pellizzari (furrier), etc..

Most three common surnames are Rossi (redhead), Ferrari (smith) and Russo (russian//redhead).


The prefix "De", "Di" and " D' " means patrhonimic or place of origin, like De Stefano, De Micheli, De Rossi, Di Natale, Di Lorenzo, D'Amico, D'Angelo, D'Annunzio, Di Francia, Di Roma, Di Venezia, etc etc....


....

[Sicilianu101]

From Wikipedia:
On Italian Regional surname suffixes

Veneto: -asso, -ato and consonants (l, n, r); -on: Bissacco, Zoccarato, Cavinato, Brombal, Meneghin, Perin, Vazzoler, Peron, Francescon, Zanon, Fanton
Sicily: -aro, -isi and "osso": Cavallaro, Puglisi, Rosso (Sicily, Piedmont and Veneto)
Lombardy: -ago/ghi, -engo/enghi, -ate/ati: Salmoiraghi, Bonati, Vernengo
Friuli: -otti/utti and -t: Bortolotti, Pascutti, Codutti, Rigonat
Tuscany: -ai and -aci/ecci/ucci: Bollai, Balducci
Sardinia: -u, -as and -is: Pusceddu, Schirru, Marras, Argiolas, Floris, Melis, Abis
Piedmont: -ero, -audi, -asco,-zzi: Ferrero, Rambaudi, Comaco, Bonazzi
Calabria: -ace: Storace
Campania: -iello: Borriello

[Trog]

Is there any truth to the idea that the Mc- prefix is Irish and Mac- is Scottish? Or do you find both in both places?

I have only read the first pages so far from this subject, so I don't know if this has been answered yet. So yes, "Mc" is traditionally more Irish than it is Scottish, Mac being more Scottish. However, I know tons of those with "Mc" , sure I'm one myself. Mac seems less common in these parts of Scotland.

[Sicilianu101]

Gay is also an Italian surname.

http://www.gens.labo.net/it/cognomi/gif.html?cognome=GAY&k=FF&t=cognomi&s=G

Look at where it's concentrated.. :lol:

[Peyrol]

Look at where it's concentrated.. :lol:

Non offendiamo i piemontesi, prego. :)

[johngaunt]

Wales

Patronymic names changed from generation to generation, with a person's baptismal name being linked by ap, ab (son of) or ferch (daughter of)

Upjohn (from ap John), Powell (from ap Hywel), and Bowen (from ab Owen) Pugh (ap Hugh).

in Wales, nearly 35% of the Welsh population, have a family name of Welsh origin, compared with 5.3% in the rest of the United Kingdom, 4.7% in New Zealand, 4.1% in Australia, and 3.8% in the United States.

A total of 16.3 million people in the countries studied had a name of Welsh origin

[johngaunt]

“By Tre, Pol and Pen, Ye shall know Cornishmen.”

old saying

Not necessarily though, a certain 'le Pen' from Brittany across the water. :eek:

[Queen B]

Greek; -akis, -idis, -opoulos


The endings in Greek surnames many times show the region that someone is from

-akis - Crete
-idis (-iadis) - Pontic Greek
-opoulos - Pelloponese
-atos - Keffalonia
- ellis -Lesvos
-akos and -eas -Mani
-ekas -Epirus
-as - both Macedonia and Epirus
-allis -Rhodes and Dodecanese

[Tabiti]

My surname ends with -ska (the female version of -ski). Not very common in Bulgaria (-ov, -ev mostly) but has nothing to do with Macedonia or Poland. It is regional trait from North Western Bulgaria. Sometimes it is used to show geographical origin.

[morski]

Mine ends in "in", which is even more rare:)

[Caeruleus]

mine ends in "an" wich is pretty common for romanians not as frequent as "escu" but still a typical surname suffix in Romania.

The most common surnames in Romania are POPA (priest) and POPESCU (son of a priest) some 500.000 people bear these 2 surnames.

[morski]

mine ends in "an" wich is pretty common for romanians not as frequent as "escu" but still a typical surname suffix in Romania.

The most common surnames in Romania are POPA (priest) and POPESCU (son of a priest) some 500.000 people bear these 2 surnames.

Godfearing people the Romanians;)

[Boudica]

How about anglo norman names?

[Monolith]

Croatian:

-ić
-ović
-ević
-čić
-ov
-ek
-ec
-ak
-ski

I think these are the most common endings, though not necessarily in that order.

Oddly enough, the most common surname is Horvat, which means 'Croat'.

[hajduk]

My surname ends in ov, typical for Bulgaria. Dimitrov

[Supreme American]

My surname ends in ov, typical for Bulgaria. Dimitrov

I would associate that more with Russians.

[Onychodus]

I would associate that more with Russians.

They both have similar surnames

[hajduk]

Dont think many russians have my surname

[Mordid]

My surname end in ski which is obviously typical for Poland. To those people who think why do Polish names end in ski because the suffix -ski is equivalent to "from" or "to come from". So for example, Gorski is "from the mountains".

[Onychodus]

Dont think many russians have my surname

what about Ivanov, Petrov?

[Veneda]

My surname has –cka ending.

[Gratis]

My surname end in ski which is obviously typical for Poland. To those people who think why do Polish names end in ski because the suffix -ski is equivalent to "from" or "to come from". So for example, Gorski is "from the mountains".


I have a question directed at Polish members, although anyone who knows the answer can chime in. A Polish friend of mine told me that if the suffix 'ski' is spelled with a y, it indicates a Jewish person. While I have noticed a bit that people whose surnames are 'sky' instead of 'ski' tend to be Jewish, is there any truth to this, or do ethnic Poles also have the suffix 'sky'?

[Mordid]

I have a question directed at Polish members, although anyone who knows the answer can chime in. A Polish friend of mine told me that if the suffix 'ski' is spelled with a y, it indicates a Jewish person. While I have noticed a bit that people whose surnames are 'sky' instead of 'ski' tend to be Jewish, is there any truth to this, or do ethnic Poles also have the suffix 'sky'?
In most cases, -ski is Polish in background, while -sky is Russian Jewish in background.

[hajduk]

what about Ivanov, Petrov?
the most populars

[Lithium]

My surname is a classical and a typical one for both Bulgaria and Russia - Petrov

[Wanderlust]

The endings in Greek surnames many times show the region that someone is from

-akis - Crete
-idis (-iadis) - Pontic Greek
-opoulos - Pelloponese
-atos - Keffalonia
- ellis -Lesvos
-akos and -eas -Mani
-ekas -Epirus
-as - both Macedonia and Epirus
-allis -Rhodes and Dodecanese

My last name ends in -oti. :p

[Hevneren]

Common endings in Norway are:

- sen
- by
- gård
- gaard
- gard
- berg
- vik
- fjord
- ing

My last name ends with "-sen".

[Veneda]

I have a question directed at Polish members, although anyone who knows the answer can chime in. A Polish friend of mine told me that if the suffix 'ski' is spelled with a y, it indicates a Jewish person. While I have noticed a bit that people whose surnames are 'sky' instead of 'ski' tend to be Jewish, is there any truth to this, or do ethnic Poles also have the suffix 'sky'?

In Poland the suffixes “-ski”, “-cki” and “-dzki” for males and "-ska", "-cka" and "-dzka" for females are always spelled with an “i”. The most popular is “-ski” and "-ska"endings. We have not “y” ending in the suffixes, so the theory of your friend is not applicable here. The suffix “-sky” is not Polish invention for naming ethnic Polish people and abroad is used for both male and female surnames. It was created probably by foreigners because of difficulty in pronunciation of “-ski” for non-Slavic people.

[Queen B]

My last name ends in -oti. :p

Many -otis and -iotis (with omega) are coming from Cyclades.

[Peyrol]

mine ends in "an" wich is pretty common for romanians not as frequent as "escu" but still a typical surname suffix in Romania.

The most common surnames in Romania are POPA (priest) and POPESCU (son of a priest) some 500.000 people bear these 2 surnames.

I know five people here in my city with this surname.

[Wanderlust]

Many -otis and -iotis (with omega) are coming from Cyclades.

I'm from mainland Greece (2 different places actually) but thanks for the info.:)

[Han Cholo]

My second surname has the prefix "de" which is a Latin equivalent to "from" "von" "van".

[Peyrol]

However, this is the top 30 of most common italian surnames.

1 ROSSI
2 RUSSO
3 FERRARI
4 ESPOSITO
5 BIANCHI
6 ROMANO
7 COLOMBO
8 RICCI
9 MARINO
10 GRECO
11 BRUNO
12 GALLO
13 CONTI
14 DE LUCA
15 MANCINI
16 COSTA
17 GIORDANO
18 RIZZO
19 LOMBARDI
20 MORETTI
21 BARBIERI
22 FONTANA
23 SANTORO
24 MARIANI
25 RINALDI
26 CARUSO
27 FERRARA
28 GALLI
29 MARTINI
30 LEONE

[Laubach]

My second surname has the prefix "de" which is a Latin equivalent to "from" "von" "van".

But "von" is not common in Countries tha speaks germans.

My french norman surname has the prefix D´..... and one of my surnames of Germanics origin have the prefix "von." In both cases the prefixes are associated with places and indicate an origin, say, more elitist.

[Laubach]

However, this is the top 30 of most common italian surnames.

1 ROSSI
2 RUSSO
3 FERRARI
4 ESPOSITO
5 BIANCHI
6 ROMANO
7 COLOMBO
8 RICCI
9 MARINO
10 GRECO
11 BRUNO
12 GALLO
13 CONTI
14 DE LUCA
15 MANCINI
16 COSTA
17 GIORDANO
18 RIZZO
19 LOMBARDI
20 MORETTI
21 BARBIERI
22 FONTANA
23 SANTORO
24 MARIANI
25 RINALDI
26 CARUSO
27 FERRARA
28 GALLI
29 MARTINI
30 LEONE

My italian surname is not common, but in the north i found many people with my surname

[Laubach]

Tribuno, conoscere alcune Mattiello?

[Sikeliot]

Costa is an Italian name? Variations of it exist in Portugal too.

[Laubach]

Costa is an Italian name? Variations of it exist in Portugal too.

No. Portuguese surname. Is the second most popular surname in Brazil

[Peyrol]

Costa is an Italian name? Variations of it exist in Portugal too.

Yes, means "Coast / shore" but also "rib" (as the bone)

[Peyrol]

Tribuno, conoscere alcune Mattiello?

Aaaaahh this is the correct writing. :D

Of course, could be venetian

http://www.gens.labo.net/it/cognomi/genera.html?cognome=MATTIELLO&t=cognomi

[Han Cholo]

Costa is an Italian name? Variations of it exist in Portugal too.

I have a few friends with Costa as surname. It means "Coast". It's a common Latin word.

[Laubach]

Costa is a common surname in Portugal, Spain, Italy and the regions where there was natural migration of these countries throughout history, such as Brazil and Argentina.

sources

The surname identified a family of Portuguese medieval nobility of the thirteenth century would have a greek orign and called Nicolau Costa. Other authors claim that the origin would be even more remote (twelfth century) and is linked with the name of the Quinta da Costa, County of Guimarães, which belonged to Gonzalo Costa.

in Brazil

The name is Latin for Costa rib, but in Brazil, it is believed that the name has been adopted by its terrain metaphorically, referring to residents coasts. This theory would explain his absence in large families in the state of Minas Gerais, where there is no coast.

[supergiovane]

wait a second: are german surnames ending in -berg and -stein exclusively jewish or can they also be of gentile germans?

[Han Cholo]

wait a second: are german surnames ending in -berg and -stein exclusively jewish or can they also be of gentile germans?

I know a few Swedes with "-berg" surnames.

[Laubach]

wait a second: are german surnames ending in -berg and -stein exclusively jewish or can they also be of gentile germans?

the also be of gentile germans

[Laubach]

I know a few Swedes with "-berg" surnames.

"berg" means hill/ mountain in german, but yeah, is common in sweden

[Damião de Góis]

As far as Portuguese and Spanish names go, names that end in -ez in Spanish end in -es in Portuguese (Lopez/Lopes, Marquez/Marques, etc.).


None of my three surnames end in -es ;)
They end in:

-as
-eira
-al

[Sikeliot]

None of my three surnames end in -es ;)
They end in:

-as
-eira
-al

But do they have equivalents in Spanish ending in -ez? I meant Spanish names ending in -ez usually become the same name in Portuguese with an -es, like Lopez, Marquez, and Gonzalez become Lopes, Marques, and Gonçalves.

[Damião de Góis]

But do they have equivalents in Spanish ending in -ez? I meant Spanish names ending in -ez usually become the same name in Portuguese with an -es, like Lopez, Marquez, and Gonzalez become Lopes, Marques, and Gonçalves.

No, mine are specifically portuguese or possibly galician... they have no equivalent forms in Spain, not that i'm aware of.

I'm a true portuguese from the ethnic point of view. :D

[Sikeliot]

No, mine are specifically portuguese or possibly galician... they have no equivalent forms in Spain, not that i'm aware of.

I'm a true portuguese from the ethnic point of view. :D

The interesting thing with Portuguese surnames is, almost every other Portuguese person in my town seems to be either named Lopes, Gonçalves, Pires, Medeiros, Gomes, Pereira, Cabral, Ferreira, Almeida, or Andrade. Those are the ones I see most commonly here.. but how common are they in Portugal itself?

[Damião de Góis]

The interesting thing with Portuguese surnames is, almost every other Portuguese person in my town seems to be either named Lopes, Gonçalves, Pires, Medeiros, Gomes, Pereira, Cabral, Ferreira, Almeida, or Andrade. Those are the ones I see most commonly here.. but how common are they in Portugal itself?

They are among the most common ones. You just missed Silva and Costa.

[Sikeliot]

They are among the most common ones. You just missed Silva and Costa.

I've also noticed;

- Gonçalves is more common amongst the Brazilians here (as well as Barroso, Garcia, and daSilva)
- Lopes, Ferreira, Medeiros, and Almeida amongst the Portuguese
- Gomes, Cabral, Pires, Andrade are mostly amongst the Cape Verdeans here

[Sikeliot]

Another name I've only seen amongst Cape Verdeans here is Figueira. The name Ramos is also particularly common with them too.

[Damião de Góis]

I've also noticed;

- Gonçalves is more common amongst the Brazilians here (as well as Barroso, Garcia, and daSilva)


"da Silva" is separated :)

same as "da Costa" or da or de Whatever.

Anyway, as for names common amonst Cape Verdeans and Brazilians i have no idea about that. I'm guessing that's a very random thing.

[Sikeliot]

"da Silva" is separated :)

same as "da Costa" or da or de Whatever.

Anyway, as for names common amonst Cape Verdeans and Brazilians i have no idea about that. I'm guessing that's a very random thing.

I've seen it daSilva and daCosta. But maybe that's just how it is done amongst Portuguese/Brazilian/Cape Verdean Americans.

Also, the other common ones I really see are Monteiro, Vieira, Carvalho, and Barbosa.

[Damião de Góis]

I've seen it daSilva and daCosta. But maybe that's just how it is done amongst Portuguese/Brazilian/Cape Verdean Americans.

That is butchering the portuguese language. It makes no sense to join those two words, it would be something like "ofSmith". At least they should start the name with capital letters.


Also, the other common ones I really see are Monteiro, Vieira, Carvalho, and Barbosa.

All the surnames you're saying are very common here.

[Laubach]

I've seen it daSilva and daCosta. But maybe that's just how it is done amongst Portuguese/Brazilian/Cape Verdean Americans.

Also, the other common ones I really see are Monteiro, Vieira, Carvalho, and Barbosa.

Silva both exist as da silva, costa and da costa. In Brazil, Silva and costa are the two most common surnames. Da Silva and Da costa are also very popular. Gonçalves also but Barroso is not very common. Not enter the list of 20 most common surnames in Brazil

Monteiro, Viera, Carvalho and Barbosa, would certainly be on that list. Thus, as surnames mentioned by Alex.

I do not know what the most common surnames in Cape Verde, most Brazilians do not know about the country

[Sikeliot]

That is butchering the portuguese language. It makes no sense to join those two words, it would be something like "ofSmith". At least they should start the name with capital letters.

My last name (amongst most Portuguese people here who have it) has been altered as well.

[Atlantic Islander]

Mine is:

-court (French)

[Methmatician]

Bosniak:

ić
ović
nin
ko
ević
ac


Not all of these are common, these are just all the suffixes I've seen in Bosniak surnames multiple times.

[Corvus]

Danish: -sen
German: -er

[Sikeliot]

Here are some I know of.. I gave a few examples of each.

Portuguese:
-es (Lopes, Gomes, Tavares)
-eira (Oliveira, Teixeira, Moreira)
-ado (Machado, Furtado)

Sicilian:
-aci (Faraci, Maniaci, Bombaci)
-ara (Fanara, Cassara)
-ala (Aiala, Zappala)
-isi/esi (Torrisi, Ferlisi, Barresi, Parisi) -- denotes place origin


For the Sicilian ones, most surnames don't follow predictable endings but those that do often have non-Latin origins, i.e. -aci comes from -akis in Greek which is a diminutive, and -ala/-ara surnames are of Arabic origins.

[rhiannon]

How about names ending in ~ey? My maiden name ends that way.

In the USA, virtually every single Armenian person I have ever met has a surname ending in ~ian. The infamous Dr. Death, for example:

Kevorkian

My kindergarten crush:

Durian

That famous family which shouldn't be famous at all:

Kardashian

An Armenian friend of mine:

Kavonian

I wonder if there are many Armenians out there whose last names end in something else lol

[Slycooper]

Portuguese.
Costa/Da Costa
Silva/ Da Silva
Cunha
Botelho
Pereira
Gomes
Teixeira
Medeiros
Fereira
Coelho
De Sa
Reis/ Dos Reis
Mendes
Henriques
Correia
Pinheiro
Lima
Machado

[mysticism]

Serbs just have everything ending in -ic

and sometimes "-ica"

like: Koprivica, Kusturica, Bjelica, Kostunica

[Tabiti]

I'm "-ska". Nothing to do with place of origin, nor Macedonian or Polish roots. "-ska" female and "-ski" male suffixes are often used from the region my grandfather came instead of "-ov" and "-ova".

[mysticism]

in Slavic langs "Ski/Ska" is just a descriptor refering to what place one's from our type of person one is

"Ov/Ev" just refers to possession, "of whom" one is

"-in" refers to where one's from

[Sarmatian]

How about names ending in ~ey? My maiden name ends that way.

In the USA, virtually every single Armenian person I have ever met has a surname ending in ~ian. The infamous Dr. Death, for example:

Kevorkian

My kindergarten crush:

Durian

That famous family which shouldn't be famous at all:

Kardashian

An Armenian friend of mine:

Kavonian

I wonder if there are many Armenians out there whose last names end in something else lol

No, all Armenian's surnames ends with -ian/-yan

[Sikeliot]

In Armenian they appear -yan. They only are -ian when Anglicized.

[MarkyMark]

From my italian side their surname starts with de- and ends with-o. I've noticed italian surnames usually end with:
-o
-i
-a
-io
-ci

[Methmatician]

in Slavic langs "Ski/Ska" is just a descriptor refering to what place one's from our type of person one is

"Ov/Ev" just refers to possession, "of whom" one is

"-in" refers to where one's from

-in can also be possessive. -nin refers to where one is from (eg. Garašanin, Dubočanin)

[mysticism]

-in can also be possessive. -nin refers to where one is from (eg. Garašanin, Dubočanin)

yep, ur right.

[Onur]

"-oglu" - means "son of..."
"-li, lu" - to signify birthplace, hometown
"-ci, cu" - to signify profession, occupation

Anatolian christians in Greece uses our Turkish suffix as "-ouglu" and "-li" as "-lis" to signify their birthplace in Turkey. Balkan slavs uses our "-ci" as "djia" too.

[Vojnik]

'evski', 'ovski', 'ev', 'ov', 'ski' for family names. For woman, 'a' is added at the end, such as: 'ovska', 'evska', 'eva', 'ova'.

[Yalquzaq]

Azerbaijani: Oğlu/Qızı, Li/Lı/Lu/Lü, Gil, Soy.

[Peyrol]

From my italian side their surname starts with de- and ends with-o. I've noticed italian surnames usually end with:
-o
-i
-a
-io
-ci

You're quite right.


Italian surnames have many different suffixs, with the most varied origins. Most common are -ani/-ano, -one/-oni, -ini, -azzi/-izzi, -etti, -ero/-eri/-ari, -er, -is, -elli; -ossi, -aldi, -ez

Many surname with the suffix -ani/-ano/-oni, with latin words and -is are of roman origin, like Giuliani, Flaviani, Carbone, De Martinis, De Regibus, De Magistris, etc etc...many can also mean a geographical place, like Provenzano (from southern France), Napolitano, Veneziano, etc etc.

Surnames with -eri/-ero/-ore, -ari, -er mean a work/occupation, like Ferrero/Ferrer (Smith), Tessitore (weaver), Mantero (taylor), Vaccari (cowman), Lettieri (beds-builder), Cantatore (singer), Carpentiere/Carpentieri (carpeter), Pellizzari (furrier), etc..

Most three common surnames are Rossi (redhead), Ferrari (smith) and Russo (russian//redhead).


The prefix "De", "Di" and " D' " means patrhonimic or place of origin, like De Stefano, De Micheli, De Rossi, Di Natale, Di Lorenzo, D'Amico, D'Angelo, D'Annunzio, Di Francia, Di Roma, Di Venezia, etc etc....

[Peyrol]

"-oglu" - means "son of..."
"-li, lu" - to signify birthplace, hometown
"-ci, cu" - to signify profession, occupation

Anatolian christians in Greece uses our Turkish suffix as "-ouglu" and "-li" as "-lis" to signify their birthplace in Turkey. Balkan slavs uses our "-ci" as "djia" too.

What about the suffix -idis? I know some people from Black Sea coast with this suffix on the surname.

[Behemot]

Bosniak:

ić
ović
nin
ko
ević
ac


Not all of these are common, these are just all the suffixes I've seen in Bosniak surnames multiple times.

these are quite common...."ić" is maybe 70-80 % of last names
though mine ends in "ur".....that's not common

[Methmatician]

these are quite common...."ić" is maybe 70-80 % of last names
though mine ends in "ur".....that's not common

I thought that common meant it existed among a significant amount of Bosniaks. ić, ović, and ević are all common to me. But surnames that end in ko and nin are not as common. But I don't live in Bosnia so for me it's just based on Bosniak names I've seen.

[Flintlocke]

In the Albanian language almost all surnames end with
-i
-a
just like the Italian language, say Visconti or Gonzanga. there is also the -aj which is actually the plural form, say the Gonzang-ajs but it is used as a surname.

In Greek most surnames end with -s but there is also the
-poulos
-akis
-idis/adis

poulos comes from the Latin era where the Italians called the pure Greeks -poulos and the mixes Italian/Greeks -moulos. The -akis is mainly Cretan and it means small. -idis/adis means son of and its very common among the Pontiacs.

[Behemot]

I thought that common meant it existed among a significant amount of Bosniaks. ić, ović, and ević are all common to me. But surnames that end in ko and nin are not as common. But I don't live in Bosnia so for me it's just based on Bosniak names I've seen.
well yeah,that was what I ment :)
"ić" + black sheeps :D

[Methmatician]

well yeah,that was what I ment :)
"ić" + black sheeps :D

Best description I've heard so far :D

[rashka]

So most of the various slavic endings literally mean "belonging to" or "from/of"

[Methmatician]

So most of the various slavic endings literally mean "belonging to" or "from/of"

I think that's common in many languages around the world.

[Mraz]

well yeah,that was what I ment :)
"ić" + black sheeps :D

My lastname finishes by "aš", sometimes I feel alone with all those "ić". :D

[Methmatician]

My lastname finishes by "aš", sometimes I feel alone with all those "ić". :D

Is that a suffix or the last two letters of a word that is your surname? Like Tomaš?

[Mraz]

Is that a suffix or the last two letters of a word that is your surname? Like Tomaš?

Well my surname is word + aš, so I guess it's for the user form.

[Ulla]

Gay or Gai is a word from Occitan and Catalan that meant 'happy, vigorous' in the past and was Gothic in origin. It passed to English via French, like many other Occitan/Catalan words. In the Jochs Florals Literary Contests those who won the three Big Prizes were called Mestres en Gai Saber (Masters of the Gay Science), which had nothing to do with homosexuality back then. :p

No wonder that in Italy, following your map, you mostly find the surname in the Occitan-influenced area. ;)

Gay or Gai could derive from Latin "gaius" (verb gaudeo, gaudere), with the meaning of 'happy, glad'. Is of Gothic origin for sure? In this case it would be later introduced. I'll give a look in some etymological dictionaries. Caius or Gaius was a very common Roman given name, even if according to some sources is of Etruscan origin and has no relation with the other. Mmm.

In Italy Gay as surname is surely from Piedmont, spread in the Occitan areas but seems not be exclusively. While surname Gai is Piedmontese, Ligurian but also Tuscan, Latial and Venetian.

[Comte Arnau]

Gay or Gai could derive from Latin "gaius" (verb gaudeo, gaudere), with the meaning of 'happy, glad'. Is of Gothic origin for sure? In this case it would be later introduced. I'll give a look in some etymological dictionaries. Caius or Gaius was a very common Roman given name, even if according to some sources is of Etruscan origin and has no relation with the other. Mmm.

Interesting. As far as I know, gaius was a sort of raven in Latin, and that word gave the name for the Garrulus glandarius in some Romance languages such as Catalan (gaig) and French (geai) (and for the Frenchified English too, jay). Did it actually have the meaning of 'happy'? Regarding the name of Caius/Gaius, I didn't know that about the possibility of coming from Etruscan, but seems more plausible than a derivation from gaudere, IMO.

As for the Gothic origin, well, even if it's far from clear, this is what I read in several sources:

(Diccionari Català-Valencià-Balear)

GAI, GAIA adj.
Alegre, festiu; que dóna o expressa joia, alegria; cast. alegre, gayo. Nós veem que los aucells són pus gays e pus ysnells en lo temps del pascor, Llull Cont. 109, 23. Pel temps qui és gay e plasents, Am. f. conf. 506. Ella 's cuydà | tot temps duràs | lo gay solàs | e pa de noces, Spill 1160. Una cana de drap vert gay [=verd clar, alegre], doc. a. 1410 (Alós Inv. 27). Evitar de dir... gay per dir garrid o gentil o polit, Fenollar Regles 77. Sens altra conversa que'l gai murmuri dels xaragalls, Massó Croq. 7. Gai Saber o Gaia Ciència: la poesia, segons el llenguatge trobadoresc i dels jocs florals.
Fon.: gáј (Barc., Val.); ɟáј (Palma).
Etim.: del gòtic gâhi, mat. sign., segurament per intermedi del provençal gay.

(Trésor de la Langue Française)

GAI, GAIE, adj., interj. et adv.
Étymol. et Hist. 1. 2e moitié du XIe s. « qui est d'humeur riante (en parlant d'une personne); qui exprime la gaieté (visage, etc.) » (LEVY Trésor, p. 121); ca 1155 « id. » (WACE, Brut, éd. I. Arnold, 1564); 2. ca 1225 tens ... gais « qui inspire la gaieté, temps agréable et doux » (Durmart le Gallois, éd. J. Gildea, 924); 3. ca 1300 vert gay « vert clair, jaunâtre (en parlant d'un bouillon) » (TAILLEVENT, Viandier, éd. P. Aebischer, p. 94). Peut-être empr. de l'a. occitan gai « pétulant, gai » (dep. Guillaume IX ds FEW t. 16, p. 9 a; v. aussi LEVY (E.) Prov.), lui-même issu du got. *gaheis « impétueux » (cf. a. h. all. « id. », all. jäh « brusque »), provenance qui serait due à l'infl. des troubadours (FEW, loc. cit.), ou plus vraisemblablement mot issu directement de l'a. h. all. d'où la forme attendue jai (XIIIe s., Pastourelles, éd. J. Cl. Rivières, CIX, 8.

(Vocabolario Etimologico della Lingua Italiana)

http://etimo.it/gifpic/05/1fbfbf.png

[Stimpy]

Sweden and Iceland - sson
Norway and Denmark - sen

[Arbërori]

Most Albanian surnames end in

-i such as Krasniqi
-aj such as Lekaj
-u such as Marku

And then some clan names, such as Berisha for ex. Most Albanian surnames are Albanian in origin, with religious exceptions or Ottoman derived.

[Foxy]

Ukrainians -enko, -yuk, -yv, -yak

Italians Di -, De - (of)

[Itarildë]

Britain - names ending in
"son" (mine does)
"ton"
"or"
"by"

[oh-nahhh]

Latvia: All names end with 's'.

[Hubal]

Those are the ones used here:
-Descriptions using the prefix "Bou" = "father of/man with", like Bouymejjan ( the man with "big" ears), bouydodan, bouchawn...
-Other descriptions, like "azerwal" (bue "eyed"), aghzaf (tall), aderdor (deaf ), ahizoun, ameziane...
-Usind the prefix "ou" = "son of", like oubeqqi (son of abdelbaki), outaleb (son of taleb "student"), oumghar (son of "the elder")..
-Name of an animal like asekkur, iguider, izm, zalagh..

[Красавчик]

Polish:

-ski, cki, dzki (signifying place of origin)
-wicz ("son of")
-czyk, -czak, -czek, -ek, -ak (diminutive)

Serbian:

-vić ("son of")

Russian:

-ov, -yev (of, signifying place of origin or descent)

Ukrainian:

-enko (diminutive)

-shin (?)

-wicz and -czyk surnames are more in Ukraine and not in Poland.

Russian:

-in, -ov, -ev

[Skomand]

In Lithuanian surnames are declined, there are seven cases
In Prussian-Lithuanian father, mother, daughter and son have different suffixes. There are Singular, Dual (two people, four cases) and Plural forms.
Adding it all up, we arrive at more than 70 suffixes.
The following shows the singular forms of father, mother, daughter and son of the surname RIMKUS.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

In der artikellosen litauischen Sprache werden Eigennamen wie alle Substantive dekliniert. Es gibt 7 Fälle:

Nominativ: RIMKUS yra geras vyras = Rimkus ist ein guter Mann.
Genitiv: Ši knyga yra RIMKAUS = Dieses Buch gehört Rimkus.
Dativ: Perduok šią knygą RIMKUI! = Gib Rimkus dieses Buch!
Akkusativ: Pasveikink RIMKų su gimtadieniu = Gratuliere Rimkus zum Geburtstag.
Instrumental: RIMKUMI galima pasitikėti = Wir können Rimkus vertrauen.
Lokativ: RIMKUJE slepiasi kažkokia jėga = In Rimkus steckt Kraft.
Vokativ: RIMKAU, eik namo! = Rimkus, geh nach Hause!

Namensendungen des Sohnes, sie können regional variieren, in Ostpreußen überwiegen -ATIS und -AITIS, -UNAS ist seltener:
N. Rimkūnas, Rimkaitis
G. Rimkūno, Rimkaičio
D. Rimkūnui, Rimkaičiui
A. Rimkūną, Rimkaitį
I. Rimkūnu, Rimkaičiu
L. Rimkūne, Rimkaityje
V. Rimkūnai! Rimkaiti!

Namensendungen einer verheirateten Frau: Rimkuvienė, Rimkuvienės, Rimkuvienei, Rimkuvienę, Rimkuviene, Rimkuvienėje, Rimkuviene
Namensendungen einer unverheirateten Frau: Rimkutė, Rimkutės, Rimkutei, Rimkutę, Rimkute, Rimkutėje, Rimkute

Dazu kommen neben den Pluralformen in Ostpreußen noch die Formen des Duals, die im heutigen Litauisch verschwunden sind.

[Mikula]

I had a Slovakian roommate for one year while in Med School......her last name ended in 'ova'

She told me that all women in her country tend to have that suffix added to their last names to designate them as female.

Yes, -ová is a femal suffix of Czech and Slovak lastnames.
Samples:
Male / Female

Havel / Havlová
Kvita / Kvitová
Navrátil / Navrátilová
etc.

But female forms of lastname with endings -ý will be changed to -á, instead:
Veselý / Veselá
Černý / Černá
etc.