Last Names That Mean Fire

These last names that mean fire come from Irish, Scottish, German, English, Persian and other traditions, including names honoring an ancestor called fire and names from trades like charcoal burning, each listed with its meaning and origin.

96 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Agnihotri

Keeper of the Agnihotra sacred fire ritual

Indian
Agnivanshi

Of the fire-born lineage, a Rajput clan

Indian
Ahangar

Blacksmith

Persian
Aschenbrenner

Ash burner, who burned wood for potash

German
Ashburner

Burner of wood for ashes and potash

English
Ateş

Fire

Turkish
Azar

Fire, from Persian azar

Persian
Azargoshasb

From Adur Gushnasp, a great Zoroastrian fire temple

Persian

B

Brand

From Brand, fire or firebrand, also a sword

German
Brandner

Dweller on land cleared by fire

German
Brandstetter

From a place cleared by burning

German
Brandt

Land cleared by burning, or a firebrand

German
Brenneman

One who clears land by burning

German
Brenner

Burner, of charcoal, lime or brandy

German
Brûlé

Burnt, from burned land or a nickname

French

C

Carbonaro

Charcoal burner

Italian
Carbonell

Charcoal seller, a Catalan name

Spanish
Carboni

Charcoal, a charcoal maker's family

Italian
Charbonneau

Charcoal burner or seller

French
Charbonnier

Charcoal maker

French
Coleman

Often a charcoal burner or seller; in Ireland also from the name Colmán

English
Collier

Charcoal burner or seller

English

D

Darbinyan

Son of the smith

Armenian
Demirci

Blacksmith

Turkish

E

Egan

Son of Aodhagán, little fire

Irish

F

Fabbri

Smiths, forge workers

Italian
Fabre

Smith, an Occitan form

French
Fahham

Charcoal maker or seller

Arabic
Faure

Smith, a southern French form

French
Favilla

Spark or glowing ember

Italian
Ferrari

Smith, a worker at the forge

Italian
Ferreiro

Blacksmith, a Galician and Portuguese form

Portuguese
Ferrer

Blacksmith, a Catalan form

Spanish
Feuer

Fire

Jewish
Feuerbach

Fire brook, from a place name

German
Feuerstein

Flint, the fire stone

Jewish
Firestone

Anglicized Feuerstein, flint or fire stone

English
Flam

Possibly Yiddish flam, flame, an ornamental name

Jewish
Flambard

Torch or flame-bearer, a Norman nickname

French
Funk

Spark, a nickname for a fiery person

German
Funke

Spark, a nickname for a lively person

German
Funkenstein

Spark stone

Jewish
Fuoco

Fire, a nickname for a fiery temper

Italian

G

Gorelov

From Russian gorely, burnt

Russian
Gow

Smith, from Gaelic gobha

Scottish

H

Haddad

Blacksmith

Arabic
Hayes

Often Ó hAodha, descendant of Aodh, fire

Irish
Herrero

Blacksmith

Spanish
Hino 火野

Fire field, a rare spelling

Japanese
Hughes

In Ireland often for Ó hAodha, descendant of Aodh, fire; elsewhere from Hugh

Irish

K

Kaji 鍛冶

Blacksmith, one who works the forge

Japanese
Kalkbrenner

Lime burner, who fired limestone in a kiln

German
Keegan

Son of Aodhagán, little fire

Irish
Kilner

Worker at a kiln

English
Kıvılcım

Spark

Turkish
Koehler

Charcoal burner

German
Kohler

Charcoal burner, from German Köhler

German
Kovács

Smith

Hungarian
Koval

Smith

Ukrainian
Kovalchuk

Son of the smith

Ukrainian
Kovalenko

Descendant of the smith

Ukrainian
Kovář

Smith

Czech
Kowal

Smith

Polish
Kowalski

Of the smith

Polish
Kuznetsov

Son of the smith

Russian

L

Lahav

Hebrew for flame, also a blade

Jewish
Lapid

Torch, a Hebrew name

Jewish
Lefebvre

The smith, from Latin faber

French
Lymburner

Lime burner, who fired a lime kiln

English

M

Mackay

Son of Aodh, a Gaelic name meaning fire

Scottish
Magee

Son of Aodh, fire

Irish
McCoy

Son of Aodh, fire

Irish
McGee

Son of Aodh, fire

Irish
McGowan

Son of the smith

Irish
McHugh

Son of Aodh, fire

Irish
McKay

From Mac Aoidh, son of Aodh, a Gaelic name meaning fire

Scottish
McKee

Son of Aodh, fire

Scottish

O

O'Hea

Descendant of Aodh, fire

Irish
Ocak

Hearth, fireplace

Turkish
Ognev

From ogon, fire

Russian

P

Palach

Possibly from Czech pálit, to burn

Czech
Palacz

Polish for a stoker or burner

Polish
Pogorelov

From Russian pogorely, burnt out, a nickname for a fire victim

Russian
Pozharsky

From the Pozhar estate, a name from pozhar, fire or burnt land

Russian

Q

Quemada

Burnt, from places cleared by fire

Spanish

S

Schmidt

Smith, who worked iron at the forge

German
Shihab

Blazing flame or shooting star

Arabic
Smit

Smith, a forge worker

Dutch
Smith

Smith, who worked metal at the forge

English
Sumitani 炭谷

Charcoal valley

Japanese
Szenes

Charcoal maker, from szén, coal

Hungarian

T

Tison

Firebrand, a burning log

French

U

Uhlíř

Charcoal burner

Czech

V

Vulcano

From Vulcan, the Roman god of fire

Italian

W

Węglarz

Charcoal burner

Polish

Z

Zharov

From zhar, heat or glowing embers

Russian

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Results (6)

Węglarz

Charcoal burner

Polish
Favilla

Spark or glowing ember

Italian
Hughes

In Ireland often for Ó hAodha, descendant of Aodh, fire; elsewhere from Hugh

Irish
Koval

Smith

Ukrainian
Palacz

Polish for a stoker or burner

Polish
McGee

Son of Aodh, fire

Irish

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Irish and Scottish names from Aodh

One of the richest sources of fiery surnames is the Old Irish personal name Aodh, meaning fire, which was borne by kings and saints. It sits inside a whole family of modern names. Hayes and Hughes can come from Ó hAodha, descendant of Aodh, while McHugh, McKay and McCoy come from Mac Aodha or Mac Aoidh, son of Aodh. Egan and Keegan come from diminutive forms, roughly little fire, the same root that gives the first name Aidan.

Because Aodh was so popular, these names are spread across Ireland and Scotland, and many were anglicized in different ways depending on the clerk and the region. The result is a group of surnames that look nothing alike on the page yet share a single meaning. Hughes, for example, can also be Welsh or English from the first name Hugh, which has a different root, so the origin column in the list notes where a name has more than one source.

Last names that mean fire in other languages

Persian gives one of the most direct fire names, Azar, from the word for fire, which had a sacred role in Zoroastrian tradition. Azar and compound forms built on it appear in Iran and among Iranian families abroad. German Brand comes from a Germanic word for fire, torch or sword, and Brenner, from brennen, to burn, usually described a distiller, a charcoal burner or someone who cleared land by burning it. The idea of fire as work runs through many of these names.

Fire trades left English surnames too. Collier and Coleman can describe a charcoal burner or seller, an essential job when charcoal fueled forges and kitchens, and German Kohler and Köhler mean the same thing. Smith, the most common English surname, belonged to men who worked metal over a fire every day. Russian Ignatiev and similar patronymics come from Ignatius, a name later linked by folk tradition to the Latin ignis, fire.

Choosing a name with a fiery meaning

For a character, a fire meaning can be a quiet piece of symbolism. A hot-tempered hero named Egan or McCoy carries an echo of little fire or son of fire that readers can discover for themselves, while a blacksmith named Brenner or Smith hints at the forge. These names work because they are real and familiar. An invented fire name would announce itself, while a genuine one rewards anyone curious enough to look it up.

Be careful with names that only look fiery. Burns is usually a Scottish topographic name for someone living by a burn, which means a stream, so its meaning is closer to water than flame. Firth is also mainly Scottish and refers to a sea inlet or, in some cases, to woodland. The list leaves these lookalikes out so you can pick with confidence. Use the search box to check a single name or filter by letter to match an initial.

Frequently asked questions

What are some last names that mean fire?

Good examples include Hayes, McHugh, McKay, McCoy, Egan and Keegan, all from the Irish name Aodh, meaning fire, as well as Persian Azar, German Brand and Brenner, and trade names such as Collier and Kohler for charcoal burners.

Which Irish names come from the word for fire?

Many Irish family names come from Aodh, an old personal name meaning fire. They include Hayes, Hughes, McHugh, McCoy, Egan and Keegan, and the first name Aidan shares the same root. Aodh was a favorite name among early kings, so its descendants multiplied into many surname forms.

Does Burns mean fire?

Usually not. Burns is mainly a Scottish name for someone who lived by a burn, a small stream, and in Ireland it often stands in for Gaelic names such as Ó Broin. It looks fiery in English, but its roots are in water and landscape rather than flame.

What does the name Azar mean?

Azar is Persian for fire. Fire held a central place in Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran, and the word appears in personal names, month names and surnames. Azar is also the name of a month in the Iranian calendar, falling in late autumn.