Funny Last Names

These funny last names are real surnames that make English speakers smile, shown with their true meanings and origins, which are almost always ordinary old words for places, jobs or personal traits that simply changed sense over the centuries.

222 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

B

Backhouse

Worker at a bakehouse

English
Bacon

Seller of pork, or from a Germanic personal name

English
Badger

Pedlar or dealer in corn, once called a badger

English
Barefoot

Nickname for someone who went unshod, perhaps a pilgrim

English
Batty

Pet form of Bartholomew, common in Yorkshire

English
Bean

Grower or seller of beans, or a nickname

English
Beauchamp

Pronounced Beecham in England; Norman French for beautiful field

French
Beaver

From Belvoir in Leicestershire, pronounced beaver, beautiful view

English
Belcher

From Old French bel chiere, a pleasant or cheerful face

English
Bellringer

Ringer of church bells

English
Blewitt

Pet form of Middle English blue, for someone pale or blue-clad

English
Blow

Nickname for someone pale or blue-grey, Old English blaw

English
Blubaugh

Americanised German Blaubach, blue brook

German
Boggis

From Middle English boggi, boastful or bold

English
Bottomley

Yorkshire place meaning clearing in a valley

English
Bottoms

Dweller in a valley bottom, from Old English botm

English
Bugg

From Middle English bugge, a hobgoblin or scarecrow

English
Bumgarner

Americanised German Baumgartner, keeper of an orchard

German
Bumpus

From Old French bon pas, good pace or good passage

English
Bumstead

From Bumpstead in Essex, homestead where reeds grew

English
Bunn

Baker of small bread rolls, or a nickname

English
Bunyan

From Old French buignon, a lump or swelling

English
Burpee

Americanised French Beaupré, beautiful meadow

French
Butters

Dealer in butter, or a nickname from the bittern bird

English
Butterworth

Lancashire place, enclosure with rich butter-making pasture

English
Butts

Dweller by archery practice mounds or strips of land

English
Buzzard

Nickname from the buzzard, a hawk once thought sluggish

English
Bytheway

Dweller beside the road

English

C

Cakebread

Baker of fine bread or cakes

English
Cash

From Old French casse, a maker of boxes or chests

English
Catchpole

Tax collector who seized poultry for unpaid debts

English
Cheeseman

Maker or seller of cheese

English
Cheesewright

Cheesemaker, from Old English cyse and wyrhta, maker

English
Chew

From the Chew valley in Somerset

English
Cholmondeley

Pronounced Chumley; Cheshire place, Ceolmund's woodland clearing

English
Chubb

Nickname from the chub fish, for a plump person

English
Clutterbuck

Gloucestershire family of Dutch or Flemish origin, Clotterbooke

English
Cockayne

Nickname from Cockaigne, the mythical land of plenty

English
Cockburn

Pronounced Coburn, a Scottish place, stream of the wild cock

Scottish
Cockerell

Nickname for a strutting young man, a young cock

English
Cockshott

Dweller by a woodland glade where woodcock were netted

English
Codd

From Middle English codd, a bag, for a round-bellied man

English
Colquhoun

Pronounced Cahoon; Scottish barony on the shores of Loch Lomond

Scottish
Cowgill

Yorkshire place, a ravine where cows grazed

English
Crabbe

Nickname for a crabby person or one with a sideways walk

English
Crapper

Cropper or harvester; Thomas Crapper was a famous plumber

English
Crisp

Nickname for someone with curly hair

English
Crookshanks

Scottish nickname for someone with crooked legs

Scottish
Crowfoot

Dweller where crowfoot plants grew, or a nickname

English
Cuddy

Scottish and northern pet form of Cuthbert

Scottish

D

Dalziel

Pronounced Dee-ell; Scottish place, white field in Gaelic

Scottish
Dimbleby

From Dembleby in Lincolnshire, farm by a hollow

English
Dingle

Dweller in a deep wooded hollow or dell

English
Dinkelacker

German for spelt field, a grower of spelt wheat

German
Dinwiddie

From Dinwoodie in Dumfriesshire, possibly fort by the wood

Scottish
Dollar

From the town of Dollar in Clackmannanshire, Scotland

Scottish
Doody

Kerry form of Ó Dubhda, the dark one

Irish
Doolittle

Medieval nickname for an idle person who did little

English
Doubleday

Probably a pet form of Robert plus Middle English dey, servant

English
Dozier

From French Dosier, a place where osier willows grew

French
Drinkwater

Nickname for a poor man, or ironically for a tavern keeper

English
Duckworth

Lancashire place, an enclosure where ducks were kept

English
Dumbleton

Gloucestershire place, farm in a hollow

English

F

Fairweather

Nickname for a sunny-tempered person

Scottish
Farthing

Holder of a quarter share of land

English
Featherstonehaugh

Pronounced Fanshaw; Northumberland place named for a four-stone monument

English
Fiddler

Player of the fiddle

English
Fish

Fisherman or seller of fish

English
Fogg

Dweller by long grass left for winter grazing

English
Freebody

Nickname for a free man rather than a serf

English
Fudge

Pet form of the medieval personal name Fulcher

English
Funk

German for spark, a nickname for a lively person

German

G

Gamble

From Old Norse Gamall, meaning old

English
Gander

Nickname for a foolish person, from the male goose

English
Garlick

Grower or seller of garlic

English
Gathercole

Gatherer of coal or charcoal

English
Gaukroger

Yorkshire nickname meaning clumsy or left-handed Roger

English
Golightly

Nickname for a messenger, one who goes lightly

English
Goodbody

Nickname for a good person, body simply meaning person

English
Goodchild

Nickname for a well-behaved child, or a godchild

English
Goodenough

Nickname meaning good enough, perhaps for an easygoing person

English
Goodfellow

Nickname for a good companion

English
Goodwillie

Scottish nickname meaning good will

Scottish
Gosling

Nickname from a young goose, or a pet form of Joscelin

English
Gotobed

Medieval nickname for a lazy person who went to bed early

English
Grubb

Nickname for a short person, from Middle English grub

English
Gudgeon

Nickname from the gudgeon fish, for a gullible person

English

H

Haddock

Fish seller, or from a place named Haddock

English
Halfacre

Holder of half an acre of land

English
Halfpenny

Payer of a halfpenny rent, or a nickname for a small man

English
Handsome

Cornish nickname for someone handy or pleasant to deal with

English
Hazard

Nickname for a gambler, from the dice game hazard

English
Herring

Seller of fish, especially herrings

English
Higginbottom

Lancashire valley name, first part possibly oak or rowan

English
Himmelfarb

Yiddish ornamental name meaning sky colour

Jewish
Hogarth

Keeper of pigs, a hog herd

English
Hogben

Kentish nickname, hog bone, for a man with a hunched back

English
Hogg

Keeper of pigs, or a nickname from hog

Scottish
Hogwood

Dweller by a wood where pigs foraged

English
Honey

Beekeeper, or a term of endearment used as a nickname

English
Honeyball

From the medieval personal name Hunibald, of Germanic origin

English
Hopkirk

Scottish place, a valley with a church

Scottish
Hornblower

Official who blew a horn to summon workers

English
Hugg

Pet form of the personal name Hugh

English

I

Idle

From Idle in Yorkshire, meaning empty or unused land

English

J

Jelley

Probably a pet form of Julian or Giles, not the dessert

English
Jolly

Nickname for a cheerful person, from Old French joli

English

K

Kettle

From Old Norse Ketill, meaning cauldron or helmet

English
Kiss

Hungarian for small, one of Hungary's most common surnames

Hungarian
Kisser

Maker of cuisses, armour for the thighs

English
Kneebone

Cornish name, probably from a place, origin uncertain

English
Knickerbocker

Dutch Knickerbacker, possibly a baker of clay marbles

Dutch
Kuchenbecker

German for cake baker

German

L

Lazenby

Place meaning farm of the freedmen, Old Norse leysingi

English
Legge

Nickname for someone with notable legs

English
Lightbody

Scottish nickname for a small or nimble person

Scottish
Lightfoot

Nickname for a swift runner or messenger

English
Littlechild

Nickname for a small or youngest child

English
Longbottom

Dweller in a long valley, nothing to do with trousers

English
Longfellow

Nickname for a tall man

English
Loveday

Named for a loveday, a medieval day for settling disputes

English
Lovejoy

Nickname for a pleasure-loving or joyful person

English
Lovelady

Nickname for a ladies' man or devoted servant

English

M

Mainwaring

Pronounced Mannering; Norman name from a Mesnil-Warin estate

English
Makepeace

Nickname for a peacemaker

English
Marjoribanks

Pronounced Marchbanks; lands granted to Princess Marjorie Bruce

Scottish
Menzies

Pronounced Mingis; Scottish form of the Norman name Mesnières

Scottish
Merriman

Nickname for a cheerful man

English
Merryweather

Nickname for a cheerful person who brought merry weather

English
Money

From Monnaie places in France, or a moneyer

English
Moody

Nickname for a bold, brave person, Old English modig

English
Mudd

From a medieval personal name, or a dweller on muddy ground

English
Mutton

Shepherd or seller of sheep, Old French mouton

English

N

Napper

Keeper of table linen in a great household

English
Nutbeam

Dweller by a nut tree

English
Nutt

Nut seller, or a nickname for a round-headed man

English
Nuttall

Lancashire place, a nook where nut trees grew

English

O

Oates

From the Norman personal name Odo

English
Oddie

Pet form of the Norse name Oddr, point of a blade

English
Onions

Anglicised from the Welsh personal name Einion, not the vegetable

Welsh
Overend

Dweller at the upper end of a village

English

P

Parsley

From Norman Passelewe, a nickname meaning cross the water

English
Peacock

Nickname for a proud or showy person

English
Pease

Grower of peas, or a nickname for a small person

English
Pennyfather

Nickname for a miser, a father of pennies

English
Pennypacker

Americanised Dutch Pannebakker, a baker of roof tiles

Dutch
Pepper

Spice merchant who dealt in pepper

English
Pettifer

Norman nickname pied de fer, iron foot

English
Pettigrew

From Norman French petit cru, of small growth

Scottish
Pickles

Dweller by a small field, from Middle English pightel

English
Pickup

Lancashire place meaning pointed hill

English
Pigeon

Nickname for a gentle or trusting person

English
Pigg

Pig keeper or nickname, from Middle English pigge

English
Piggott

Pet form of the Norman name Pic, meaning pike

English
Pinchbeck

Lincolnshire place, finch stream; also a fake-gold alloy

English
Plunkett

Anglo-Norman name, possibly from blanchet, white woollen cloth

Irish
Poppleton

Yorkshire place, farm on pebbly ground

English
Popplewell

Dweller by a pebbly spring, from Middle English popel

English
Pottinger

Maker of pottage or soup, a cook

English
Pounds

Keeper of the village pound for stray animals

English
Pratt

Nickname for a cunning person, Old English praett

English
Proudfoot

Nickname for someone with a haughty walk

English
Puddephatt

Nickname meaning round like a vat, for a stout man

English
Puddifoot

Variant of Puddephatt, a nickname for a barrel-bellied man

English
Pumphrey

From Welsh ap Humphrey, son of Humphrey

Welsh
Puttock

Nickname from Middle English puttok, the kite bird

English

R

Rabbitt

Irish, translated from Ó Coinín, from coinín, rabbit

Irish
Ramsbottom

Lancashire place meaning ram's valley or wild garlic valley

English
Rowbotham

Dweller in a rough valley, from Old English ruh

English

S

Salmon

From Salomon, the medieval form of Solomon

English
Salt

From Salt in Staffordshire, a salt-working place

English
Scattergood

Nickname for a generous person who scattered his wealth

English
Scrimshaw

Fencer, from Old French eskermisseor

English
Scroggins

Dweller by scrubland, from scrog, a stunted bush

English
Seely

Nickname for a happy or blessed person, the root of silly

English
Shakeshaft

Like Shakespeare, one who brandished a spear shaft

English
Shakespeare

Nickname for a spearman, one who brandished a spear

English
Shorthose

Nickname for someone who wore short stockings

English
Shufflebottom

Variant of Shipperbottom, a Lancashire valley place name

English
Sidebottom

Dweller in a wide valley, from Old English sid and botm

English
Sillitoe

Nottinghamshire name of uncertain origin, probably from a lost place

English
Slack

Dweller in a shallow valley, Old Norse slakki

English
Smallbones

Nickname for a slightly built person

English
Smiley

Nickname for a cheerful, smiling person

English
Snell

Nickname for a quick, active person

English
Snoddy

Scottish nickname for a neat, trim person

Scottish
Snodgrass

Scottish place name meaning smooth, neatly cropped grass

Scottish
Snooks

Dweller on a projecting piece of land, a snook

English
Sowerbutts

Lancashire name for sour strips of farmland

English
Sparrowhawk

Nickname from the small bird of prey

English
Spendlove

Nickname for a generous or free-hearted person

English
Spittle

Worker at a hospital, from spital

English
Spratt

Nickname for a small person, from the little fish

English
Startup

Maker of startups, a rustic boot, or a lively person

English
Stout

Nickname for a brave or proud person

English
Suckling

Nickname for a baby or a youthful-looking person

English
Swallow

Nickname from the bird, or from Swallow in Lincolnshire

English
Sweetapple

Grower or seller of sweet apples, or a nickname

English
Sweetman

Nickname for a well-loved man, Old English swete

English

T

Tattersall

From Tattershall in Lincolnshire, Tathere's corner of land

English
Tenpenny

Nickname from a rent or price of ten pence

English
Tickle

From Tickhill in Yorkshire, hill of the young goats

English
Tinkler

Scottish word for a tinker or mender of pots

Scottish
Titmuss

From Titchmarsh in Northamptonshire, or a nickname from the titmouse

English
Tootell

Dweller by a lookout hill, Old English tot hyll

English
Tooth

Nickname for someone with a notable tooth

English
Trumper

Trumpeter, one who sounded the trumpet

English
Tubbs

Maker of tubs, or a nickname for a stout man

English
Tupper

Herdsman of rams, from tup

English
Tweedie

From Tweedie on the River Tweed in Scotland

Scottish
Twigg

Nickname for a thin person, from twig

English
Twitchell

Dweller by a narrow alley, Old English twicen

English

U

Underdown

Dweller at the foot of the hill

English
Upjohn

From Welsh ap John, son of John

Welsh

W

Waddle

Variant of Waddell, from Wedale in Midlothian

Scottish
Wagstaff

Nickname for an officer who wagged a staff of office

English
Weatherhead

Keeper of castrated rams, a wether herd

English
Wemyss

Pronounced Weems; Scottish place from Gaelic uamh, cave

Scottish
Wiggins

Pet form of the Breton personal name Wiucon

English
Wigglesworth

Yorkshire place, the enclosure of a man named Wincel

English
Winterbottom

Dweller in a valley used for winter grazing

English
Woodcock

Nickname from the woodcock, a bird thought easily fooled

English

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Results (6)

Himmelfarb

Yiddish ornamental name meaning sky colour

Jewish
Puttock

Nickname from Middle English puttok, the kite bird

English
Titmuss

From Titchmarsh in Northamptonshire, or a nickname from the titmouse

English
Littlechild

Nickname for a small or youngest child

English
Pettifer

Norman nickname pied de fer, iron foot

English
Golightly

Nickname for a messenger, one who goes lightly

English

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Where funny last names really come from

Most names that sound funny today were perfectly sensible when they formed. In northern English dialect, a bottom or botham was a valley floor, so Ramsbottom, Winterbottom, Longbottom and Sidebottom simply describe valleys, one broad, one long and one linked to wild garlic or rams. Pickles comes from pightel, a small enclosed field, and Bacon could mean a seller of pork or come from an old Germanic personal name.

Other names come from forgotten words. Pratt comes from an Old English word meaning cunning or astute, a compliment rather than an insult. Onions is usually Welsh and comes from Einion, an old personal name, and has nothing to do with vegetables. Gotobed was a medieval nickname, perhaps for someone who liked to rest, and Loveday named a child born on a day set aside for settling quarrels.

Enjoying the names without mocking anyone

Every name in this list belongs to real families, and most of them have heard every joke already. Children with an unusual surname can find school hard, and adults may be tired of the same remark at every reception desk. The humour is in the gap between old and modern English, not in the people. Knowing the real meaning often turns a snigger into genuine interest, which is why each name here comes with its origin.

Many families have carried these names proudly for centuries, and some have become well known in sport, science and politics without changing a letter. Others adjusted the spelling or pronunciation along the way, which is also perfectly normal. If you share a name with someone who has a funny surname, a curious question about its history is usually welcome, while a joke they have heard many times is usually not.

Using humorous names in stories and games

Comic writing has long used real English surnames for gentle humour, and a well chosen name can set the tone of a scene before a character speaks. A pompous first name paired with a homely surname, such as Reginald Pickles or Lady Winterbottom, creates instant comedy. For younger readers, names with a bouncy rhythm and a clear picture, like Bacon or Goodbody, work especially well.

Tabletop game masters keep lists like this for shopkeepers, innkeepers and minor officials, while party games, school plays and radio sketches all benefit from a name that makes people grin. Avoid using a real person's name to ridicule them, and remember that a name that is funny in English may be ordinary in another language. The search box and letter bar help you find exactly the sound you want.

Frequently asked questions

Are funny last names real?

Yes. Every name in this list is a real surname carried by real families. They seem funny only because English has changed. Words like bottom, pightel and prætt once meant a valley, a small field and cunning, so the names made complete sense to the people who first used them.

Why do so many names end in bottom?

In northern England, especially Lancashire and Yorkshire, bottom or botham meant the floor of a valley. Families were named after the valley where they lived, so Ramsbottom, Winterbottom and Longbottom are place names. The body part meaning had nothing to do with it.

Is it rude to laugh at someone's name?

It is usually unkind, even if it is not meant badly. People with an unusual surname hear the same jokes all their lives. Showing interest in the name's history is a better approach, and most people enjoy explaining where their family name comes from.

What does Pickles mean?

Pickles comes from the Middle English word pightel or pickle, meaning a small field or enclosure. It named a family who lived by such a field and is especially associated with Yorkshire and Lancashire. It has no connection to pickled food.