Biblical Last Names

These biblical last names are real surnames that grew from people and places in the Bible, from Abrahams and Jacobs to Matthews and Jordan, each listed with its origin and meaning.

209 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Aarons

From Aaron, brother of Moses and first high priest

English
Abraham

From Abraham, the patriarch of Genesis

English
Abrahams

Son of Abraham, the biblical patriarch

English
Abrahamsen

Son of Abraham, the patriarch

Nordic
Abrahamyan

Son of Abraham, the patriarch

Armenian
Abramov

Son of Abram, the patriarch Abraham

Russian
Abramowitz

Son of Abram, the patriarch

Jewish
Abrams

From Abram, the earlier name of Abraham

English
Adam

From Adam, the first man

French
Adamczyk

Son of Adam, the first man

Polish
Adams

From Adam, the first man in Genesis

English
Adamson

Son of Adam, the first man

English
Addison

Son of Addie, a pet form of Adam

English
Andersen

Son of Anders, the Nordic form of Andrew

Nordic
Anderson

Son of Andrew, the apostle

Scottish
D'Andrea

Son of Andrea, after the apostle Andrew

Italian
Andreou

Son of Andreas, the apostle Andrew

Greek
Andrews

From Andrew, the fisherman apostle

English
Andrzejewski

From Andrzej, the Polish form of Andrew

Polish
Aronson

Son of Aaron, the first high priest

Jewish
Asher

From Asher, son of Jacob and one tribe

Jewish
Atkins

From Atkin, a medieval pet form of Adam

English
Atkinson

Son of Atkin, a diminutive of Adam

English

B

Bartels

From Bartel, a German form of Bartholomew

German
Bartholomew

From the apostle Bartholomew

English
Bartlett

From a diminutive of Bartholomew, the apostle

English
Bates

From Bate, a medieval pet form of Bartholomew

English
Batson

Son of Bate, short for Bartholomew

English
Bautista

From John the Baptist

Spanish
Benjamin

From Benjamin, youngest son of Jacob

English
Bevan

Welsh ab Evan, son of Ieuan (John)

Welsh
Boutros

From Butrus, the Arabic form of Peter

Arabic

C

Cohen

Priest, a descendant of Aaron the high priest

Jewish

D

Daniels

From Daniel, the prophet of the lions' den

English
Danielson

Son of Daniel, the Old Testament prophet

English
Danielsson

Son of Daniel, the prophet

Nordic
Danilov

Son of Danila, the Russian form of Daniel

Russian
Danylenko

Descendant of Danylo (Daniel)

Ukrainian
Daoud

From Dawud, the Arabic form of David

Arabic
Davey

From a pet form of David, king of Israel

English
Davidson

Son of David, king of Israel

English
Davies

Son of David, king of Israel, in Welsh use

Welsh
Davis

From David, the shepherd king of Israel

English
Davtyan

Son of Davit, after King David

Armenian
Davydov

Son of Davyd, after King David

Russian
Dawes

From Daw, a medieval pet form of David

English
Dawkins

From Dawkin, a diminutive of David

English
Dawson

Son of Daw, a pet form of David

English

E

Elias

From Elias, the Greek form of the prophet Elijah

English
Elkins

From Elkin, a diminutive of Elias (Elijah)

English
Ellis

From Elis, a medieval form of Elijah

English
Ephraim

From Ephraim, son of Joseph and a tribe

Jewish
Evans

From Ieuan, the Welsh form of John

Welsh

F

Filippov

Son of Filipp, after the apostle Philip

Russian
Fitzsimmons

Norman-Irish son of Simon

Irish

G

Gabriel

From the archangel Gabriel of the Annunciation

French
Galilei

From the given name Galileo, meaning of Galilee

Italian
Gershon

From Gershon, eldest son of Levi

Jewish
Di Giacomo

Son of Giacomo, after the apostle James

Italian
Giordano

From Giordano, named after the River Jordan

Italian
Di Giovanni

Son of Giovanni, after John

Italian

H

Hancock

From Hann, a pet form of John, plus cock

English
Hanna

From Yuhanna, the Arabic form of John

Arabic
Hansen

Son of Hans, short for Johannes (John)

Nordic
Hovhannisyan

Son of Hovhannes, the Armenian form of John

Armenian

I

Iakovidis

Son of Iakovos, the Greek form of Jacob

Greek
Ibáñez

Son of Iván or Ibán, forms of John

Spanish
Ibrahim

From Ibrahim, the Arabic form of Abraham

Arabic
Ilyin

Son of Ilya, the Russian form of Elijah

Russian
Ioannou

Son of Ioannis, the Greek form of John

Greek
Isaacs

From Isaac, son of Abraham

English
Isaacson

Son of Isaac, the patriarch

English
Isaev

Son of Isay, the Russian form of Isaiah

Russian
Israel

From Israel, the name God gave Jacob

Jewish
Issa

From Isa, the Arabic form of Jesus

Arabic
Ivanenko

Descendant of Ivan (John)

Ukrainian
Ivanov

Son of Ivan, the Russian form of John

Russian

J

Jackson

Son of Jack, a pet form of John

English
Jacob

From Jacob, the patriarch, as a surname

French
Jacobi

Latin for of Jacob, a patronymic for Jacob or James

German
Jacobs

From Jacob, the patriarch also called Israel

English
Jacobson

Son of Jacob, the biblical patriarch

English
Jacques

French form of Jacob or James

French
Jakab

From Jakab, the Hungarian form of Jacob

Hungarian
Jakobsen

Son of Jakob, the patriarch Jacob

Nordic
Jakubowski

From places named after Jakub (Jacob or James)

Polish
James

From James, name of two apostles

English
Jameson

Son of James, after the apostle

English
Janeček

From a diminutive of Jan (John)

Czech
Jansen

Son of Jan, the Dutch form of John

Dutch
Janssen

Son of Jan (John), Dutch and Low German

Dutch
Jenkins

From Jenkin, a diminutive of John

Welsh
Jennings

From Janin, a medieval diminutive of John

English
Jensen

Son of Jens, a Danish form of John

Nordic
Jobson

Son of Job, the patient sufferer

English
Joel

From Joel, the minor prophet

English
Johansson

Son of Johan, the Swedish form of John

Nordic
Johns

From John, a hugely popular biblical name

English
Johnson

Son of John, after the Baptist or the apostle

English
Johnston

From a place called John's town

Scottish
Jonas

From Jonas, the Greek form of the prophet Jonah

English
Jones

From John, the Baptist or the apostle

Welsh
Jordan

From the River Jordan, where Jesus was baptized

English
Joseph

From Joseph, son of Jacob, or Mary's husband

English
Josephs

Son of Joseph, the biblical dreamer

English

K

Kahn

German Jewish form of Cohen, descendant of Aaron

Jewish

L

Lazarus

From Lazarus, raised from the dead by Jesus

Jewish
Levi

From Levi, son of Jacob, and the priestly tribe

Jewish
Levine

Variant marking descent from the tribe of Levi

Jewish
Levy

Member of the tribe of Levi

Jewish
De Luca

Son of Luca, after Luke the evangelist

Italian
Lucas

From Lucas, the Latin form of Luke the evangelist

English
Lukin

Son of Luka, after Luke the evangelist

Russian

M

MacAdam

Son of Adam, the first man

Scottish
MacAndrew

Son of Andrew, Scotland's patron apostle

Scottish
Maciejewski

From Maciej, the Polish form of Matthias

Polish
MacMichael

Son of Michael, the archangel

Scottish
MacPhail

Son of Pàl, the Gaelic form of Paul

Scottish
MacShane

Son of Seán, the Irish form of John

Irish
MacTavish

Son of Tàmhas, the Gaelic form of Thomas

Scottish
Markov

Son of Mark, after the evangelist

Russian
Marks

From Mark, the evangelist

English
Mateos

From Mateo, the Spanish form of Matthew

Spanish
Mathewson

Son of Matthew, the apostle

English
Mathieu

French form of Matthew, the apostle

French
Matoušek

From a diminutive of Matouš (Matthew)

Czech
Di Matteo

Son of Matteo, after the apostle Matthew

Italian
Matthes

From a German form of Matthew

German
Matthews

From Matthew, the apostle and evangelist

English
Mattsson

Son of Matts, a Swedish form of Matthew

Nordic
Matveev

Son of Matvey, the Russian form of Matthew

Russian
Mayhew

From Mahieu, a Norman French form of Matthew

English
McKeown

Mac Eoin, son of John

Irish
Mendel

Pet form of Menachem, a king of Israel

Jewish
Michaelis

Latin for of Michael, a patronymic after the archangel

German
Michaelson

Son of Michael, the archangel

English
Michailidis

Son of Michail, after the archangel Michael

Greek
Michalski

From Michał, the Polish form of Michael

Polish
Michel

From Michel, the French form of archangel Michael

French
Mikhailov

Son of Mikhail, after the archangel Michael

Russian
Mikkelsen

Son of Mikkel, a Danish form of Michael

Nordic
Mitchell

Usually from Michel, a medieval form of the archangel Michael

English
Moses

From Moses, the lawgiver of the Exodus

English
Moss

Often from Mosse, a medieval form of Moses

English
Musa

From Musa, the Arabic form of Moses

Arabic

N

Nathan

From Nathan, the prophet at King David's court

English
Nathanson

Son of Nathan, the biblical prophet

Jewish
Naumov

Son of Naum, after the prophet Nahum

Russian

O

Osipov

Son of Osip, a Russian form of Joseph

Russian

P

Pál

From Pál, the Hungarian form of Paul

Hungarian
Di Paolo

Son of Paolo, after Saint Paul

Italian
Parkinson

Son of Perkin, a pet form of Peter

English
Pauli

Latin for of Paul, a patronymic after the apostle

German
Pavlenko

Descendant of Pavlo (Paul)

Ukrainian
Pavlík

From a diminutive of Pavel (Paul)

Czech
Pavlou

Son of Pavlos, the Greek form of Paul

Greek
Pavlov

Son of Pavel, the Russian form of Paul

Russian
Pawlak

From Paweł, the Polish form of Paul

Polish
Pearson

Son of Piers, a medieval form of Peter

English
Peres

Son of Pero, the Portuguese form of Peter

Portuguese
Pérez

Son of Pedro, the Spanish form of Peter

Spanish
Perkins

From Perkin, a diminutive of Peter

English
Peters

From Peter, chief of the apostles

English
Petersen

Son of Peter, the apostle

Nordic
Peterson

Son of Peter, the apostle

English
Petrenko

Descendant of Petro (Peter)

Ukrainian
Petri

Latin for of Peter, a patronymic after the apostle

German
Petrosyan

Son of Petros, the apostle Peter

Armenian
Petrou

Son of Petros, the Greek form of Peter

Greek
Petrov

Son of Pyotr, the Russian form of Peter

Russian
Pettersson

Son of Petter, a Swedish form of Peter

Nordic
Phelps

From Phelp, a medieval form of Philip

English
Phillips

From Philip, one of the twelve apostles

English
Philpott

From a diminutive of Philip, the apostle

English
Pierce

From Piers, the Norman form of Peter

English
Pieters

Son of Pieter, the Dutch form of Peter

Dutch
Di Pietro

Son of Pietro, after the apostle Peter

Italian
Piotrowski

From places named after Piotr (Peter)

Polish

R

Raphael

From the archangel Raphael in the Book of Tobit

French
Rubin

Usually from Reuben, eldest son of Jacob

Jewish

S

Salmon

From Salamon, a medieval form of Solomon

English
Salomone

From Salomone, the Italian form of Solomon

Italian
Sampson

From Samson, the strongman judge of Israel

English
Samson

From Samson, the judge of Israel

English
Samuels

From Samuel, the prophet who anointed David

English
Samuelson

Son of Samuel, the prophet

English
Santiago

From Saint James the apostle (Sant Iago)

Spanish
Semyonov

Son of Semyon, the Russian form of Simeon

Russian
Sharon

From the Plain of Sharon in ancient Israel

Jewish
Simmons

From Simon, the apostle or Simeon of Genesis

English
Di Simone

Son of Simone, after the apostle Simon

Italian
Simons

From Simon, name of Peter and another apostle

English
Simpson

Son of Sim, a pet form of Simon

English
Solomon

From Solomon, the wise king of Israel

English
Stephens

From Stephen, the first Christian martyr in Acts

English
Stevenson

Son of Steven, after the martyr Stephen

English
Suleiman

From Sulayman, the Arabic form of Solomon

Arabic

T

Tamás

From Tamás, the Hungarian form of Thomas

Hungarian
Thomas

From Thomas, the doubting apostle

Welsh
Thompson

Son of Thom, a short form of Thomas

English
Thomsen

Son of Thomas, the apostle

Nordic
Tobias

From Tobias, hero of the Book of Tobit

English
Tomaszewski

From Tomasz, the Polish form of Thomas

Polish
Tomlinson

Son of Tomlin, a diminutive of Thomas

English

Y

Yacoub

From Yaqub, the Arabic form of Jacob

Arabic
Yakovlev

Son of Yakov, the Russian form of Jacob

Russian
Youssef

From Yusuf, the Arabic form of Joseph

Arabic

Z

Zacharias

From Zechariah, the prophet or John the Baptist's father

Greek
Zakharov

Son of Zakhar, the Russian form of Zechariah

Russian

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Results (6)

Aronson

Son of Aaron, the first high priest

Jewish
Hanna

From Yuhanna, the Arabic form of John

Arabic
Salomone

From Salomone, the Italian form of Solomon

Italian
Mikkelsen

Son of Mikkel, a Danish form of Michael

Nordic
MacMichael

Son of Michael, the archangel

Scottish
Matthews

From Matthew, the apostle and evangelist

English

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How biblical last names came into use

From the twelfth century onward, names from the Bible and the saints spread widely across Christian Europe as baptismal names. When surnames became fixed, many families took them from a father's given name, so John produced Johnson and Jones, David produced Davis, Davies and Davidson, and Matthew produced Matthews. Welsh names such as Evans, from Ieuan, a Welsh form of John, follow the same path.

Jewish surnames grew from the same scriptures in a different way. Cohen and Kahn mark descent from the priestly line of Aaron, and Levi and Levy from the tribe of Levi. Katz comes from the Hebrew initials of kohen tzedek, priest of righteousness. Patronymic names such as Abrahams, Isaacs, Samuels and Jacobs appear among both Jewish and Christian families, especially in Britain and the Netherlands.

Old and New Testament names in families

Old Testament figures gave rise to Adams, Abrahams, Isaacs, Jacobs, Josephs, Samuels, Daniels, Nathan and Solomon. The Hebrew meanings are still attached: Daniel means God is my judge, Nathan means he gave and Samuel is often explained as heard by God. New Testament names produced Peters, Andrews, Phillips, Thomas, Stephens and Bartholomew, all from apostles and early saints whose names spread through church dedications.

The same biblical names took different shapes across Europe. John became Jansen in the Netherlands, Hansen in Denmark and Norway, Ivanov in Russia and Giovanni in Italy, giving surnames such as Di Giovanni. Peter gave Petrov, Pietri and Peterson. Place names from the Bible also appear, most notably Jordan, which may have been given to children baptised with water brought back from the river by pilgrims and crusaders.

Choosing a name with scriptural roots

These names suit many purposes. Parents who want to honour their faith sometimes choose a biblical surname as a middle name. Writers use them for characters in historical, religious and family saga fiction, where a name like Abrahams or Matthews can hint at background without explanation. Genealogists find them helpful clues, since a patronymic surname points back to an ancestor with that given name.

When pairing, avoid echoing the same name twice, as in John Johnson, unless that is deliberate. Biblical first names such as Ruth, Miriam, Caleb or Eli can sit well with a neutral surname, while a non biblical first name, like Grace Matthews or Oliver Isaacs, keeps the full name balanced. The search box and letter bar help you find a particular figure quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Which biblical last names are the most widespread?

Names formed from biblical given names are among the most common in the English speaking world. Johnson, Jones and Davis come from John and David, and Thomas, Matthews and Evans are also very widespread. Many Scandinavian and Dutch names, such as Hansen and Jansen, come from John too.

Is Cohen a biblical name?

Yes. Cohen comes from kohen, the Hebrew word for priest, and traditionally marks descent from Aaron, the brother of Moses and the first high priest. Variants include Kahn, Cohn and Kagan, and Katz comes from an abbreviation of kohen tzedek.

What does the name Jordan have to do with the Bible?

Jordan comes from the river where John the Baptist baptised Jesus. In medieval Europe, pilgrims and crusaders sometimes brought back water from the Jordan for baptisms, and children baptised with it could be named Jordan, which later became a surname.

Are Jones and Evans connected to the Bible?

Yes. Both come from John. Jones grew from the given name John, and Evans from Ieuan or Evan, Welsh forms of John. Since John was one of the most popular Christian names in medieval Wales, these became some of the most common Welsh surnames.