Weird Last Names

These weird last names are real surnames that look strange to modern eyes, shown with their actual meanings and origins, which usually turn out to be old words for places, trades or personal traits.

201 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Allbones

Rare English name, perhaps Albon or a nickname, uncertain

English
Allgood

From an Old English or Norse personal name, not all good

English
Angel

Nickname for an angelic person or a pageant actor

English
Anyon

Welsh name from Einion, meaning anvil

Welsh
Armour

Maker of armour, an armourer

English
Auchterlonie

From an Angus place, upland of the marsh in Gaelic

Scottish

B

Babb

From a pet form of Barbara, or a baby-faced person

English
Barrell

Maker of barrels, a cooper

English
Bastable

From Barnstaple in Devon, pole of the bearded axe

English
Bath

From the city of Bath in Somerset

English
Bee

Nickname for a busy person, or a beekeeper

English
Beer

From Beer in Devon, a grove, or a brewer

English
Bellchambers

Keeper of a church bell chamber

English
Birdsall

Yorkshire place, Bridd's nook of land

English
Birdwhistell

A form of Birtwistle, from a place in Lancashire

English
Blackadder

From the Blackadder Water in the Scottish Borders

Scottish
Blanket

Maker of white woollen cloth called blanket

English
Blizzard

Possibly a variant of Bliss or Blizard, origin uncertain

English
Blood

Anglicised from Welsh ab Llwyd, son of Lloyd

Welsh
Bloodgood

Anglicised Dutch Bloetgoet, possibly blood-good or bold

Dutch
Bloodworth

From Blidworth in Nottinghamshire, Blitha's enclosure

English
Bone

From Old French bon, good

English
Bonebrake

Americanised form of a German name, possibly Beinbrech

German
Brass

Brass worker, or a nickname for a bold person

English
Brokenshire

Cornish or Devon place, broken shire land

English
Broom

Dweller where broom shrubs grew

English
Brush

Dweller by brushwood, or a brush maker

English
Buckett

Maker of buckets, or from Old French buquet

English
Bullett

From Old French boulet, small ball, a nickname for a round person

English

C

Cake

Baker of small flat loaves called cakes

English
Candy

Possibly from Old French candi, or a Scottish place

English
Cannon

Clergyman of a cathedral, or Irish Ó Canáin

English
Catt

Nickname for a sly or agile person

English
Chance

Nickname for a gambler or a lucky person

English
Cheek

Nickname for someone with notable cheeks or jaw

English
Cheese

Cheesemaker or seller of cheese

English
Chinn

Nickname for someone with a prominent chin

English
Cholmondeley

From Cholmondeley in Cheshire, Ceolmund's clearing; pronounced Chumley

English
Christmas

Given to someone born or baptised at Christmas

English
Churchyard

Dweller beside the churchyard

English
Cloud

Dweller by a rock or hill, Old English clud

English
Coffin

From Old French chauve, bald, a Norman nickname

English
Coldwell

Dweller by a cold spring

English
Cutbush

Hedge-cutter, one who trimmed bushes

English

D

Deadman

Variant of Dedman, likely from Debenham in Suffolk

English
Deadmarsh

Probably a dweller by a stagnant, lifeless marsh

English
Deadwyler

Georgia family name, probably of German origin, meaning uncertain

German
Death

Possibly from the Belgian town of Ath, or a pageant role

English
Dedman

Probably from Debenham in Suffolk, or a pageant role

English
Doggett

Nickname from a little dog, perhaps for a loyal person

English
Doubtfire

Rare Scottish name of uncertain origin, perhaps douse fire

Scottish

E

Easter

Born at Easter, or dweller on the east side

English

F

Fairbrother

Nickname for a handsome brother, or a stepbrother

English
Faithfull

Nickname for a loyal, trustworthy person

English
Farewell

Nickname from a habitual farewell, common in Newfoundland

English
Fear

From Old French fier, proud, or Irish Fear, man

English
Ffolliott

Anglo-Irish name from Norman Folet, with an old double f

Irish
Fforde

Dweller by a river crossing, with a scribal double f

English
Ffoulkes

Welsh form of Fulk; ff is the Welsh letter for f

Welsh
Ffrench

Irish Norman family; the double ff was a medieval capital F

Irish
Fishwick

From Fishwick in Lancashire, a fish market settlement

English
Fiveash

Dweller by a group of five ash trees

English
Foot

Nickname for someone with an unusual foot

English
Fortune

Nickname for a lucky person, or a foundling

English
Fouracre

Holder of four acres of land

English
Friday

Born or baptised on a Friday, a day name

English
Frost

Nickname for a white-haired or cold-hearted person

English
Frostick

Nickname for a cold, stern person, diminutive of frost

English
Fullalove

Nickname for an affectionate or amorous person

English

G

Ginger

Spice dealer, or a nickname for red hair

English
Godbehere

Pious nickname from the phrase God be here

English
Godsave

Nickname from a habitual pious phrase, God save

English
Goldfinch

Nickname for a bright, cheerful person, from the bird

English
Goodhart

Nickname for a kind, good-hearted person

English
Goodluck

Nickname for a lucky person

English
Goodspeed

From the wish God speed, a medieval farewell

English
Goodyear

From a New Year greeting, Good Year

English
Gotobed

Nickname for a lazy person who liked his bed

English
Graves

Dweller by a grove, or a steward, from grieve

English
Gravestock

Dweller by a stump of a grove, grove stock

English
Gristwood

Sussex place, a wood by a grist mill, uncertain

English

H

Hailstone

Dweller by a grey boundary stone, Old English har stan

English
Halfhide

Holder of half a hide of land

English
Halfyard

Holder of half a yardland, a measure of land

English
Handyside

Scottish place name in Berwickshire, origin uncertain

Scottish
Head

Dweller at the top of a hill or valley

English
Heart

Variant of Hart, a stag, or a nickname for courage

English
Heaven

Anglicised from Welsh ab Evan, or a pageant role

English
Hellman

German and Jewish name, light or clear man

German
Hellyer

Roofer or slater, from Middle English hele, to cover

English
Hipkiss

Pet form of the medieval name Ibb, from Isabel

English
Hogsflesh

Sussex name, probably for a pork butcher

English
Honeybone

Gloucestershire name, probably from the personal name Hunibald

English
Hope

Dweller in a small enclosed valley, Old English hop

English
Horsenail

Maker of horseshoe nails

English

I

Inkpen

From Inkpen in Berkshire, a hill with a ridge

English
Irons

From Airaines in Picardy, or an ironworker

English

J

January

Americanised French Janvier, for someone born in January

French
Joy

Nickname for a cheerful person, Old French joie

English

K

Killingback

From Killingbeck near Leeds, named after a stream

English
Kingdom

Rare English name, perhaps a pageant king or a king's man

English
Knatchbull

Kentish nickname, perhaps knatch the bull, a butcher

English
Kneebone

Cornish name of uncertain origin, probably from a place

English

L

Leadbeater

Worker in lead, a plumber

English
Lipscomb

From Lipscombe in Hampshire, a valley with a steep slope

English
Lively

Nickname for an energetic, cheerful person

English
Lovelace

From Middle English loveles, loveless; possibly a nickname for a philanderer

English
Loveless

Variant of Lovelace, from Middle English loveles, loveless

English

M

Middlemiss

Scottish name for a dweller by the middle moss or bog

Scottish
Midwinter

Born at midwinter, or owing rent at Christmas

English
Moon

From Moyon in Normandy, or Irish Ó Mócháin

English
Mortimer

From Mortemer in Normandy, dead sea or stagnant lake

English
Mortlock

From Mortlake in Surrey, possibly salmon stream

English
Mothersole

Suffolk name, possibly mother's soul, a pious nickname

English
Mould

Pet form of Maud, or Old English molde, earth

English
Mummery

Mummer, an actor in masked folk plays

English
Munday

Born on a Monday, or from the Norse name Mundi

English
Mustard

Maker or seller of mustard, or a sharp-tongued person

English
Mustoe

Dweller at a meeting place, Old English mot stow

English

N

Noel

French for Christmas, given to children born then

French
Noseworthy

From Norsworthy in Devon, a common Newfoundland surname

English
Nutter

Scribe or clerk, from Old English notere, or a neatherd

English

O

Onion

From Welsh Einion, anvil, not the vegetable

Welsh
Onslow

From Onslow in Shropshire, Andlaf's burial mound

English
Otter

Nickname from the animal, or the Germanic name Oter

English

P

Pagan

From Latin paganus, villager, a medieval personal name

English
Paradise

Dweller by a garden called paradise, often a monastery garden

English
Peace

Nickname for a calm person, or born at Easter, Pasch

English
Pennycuick

From Penicuik near Edinburgh, hill of the cuckoo

Scottish
Pentecost

Born or baptised at Whitsun, common in Cornwall

English
Peppercorn

Tenant who paid a nominal peppercorn rent

English
Physick

Physician or dealer in medicines, a Cornish name

English
Pilgrim

One who had made a pilgrimage

English
Pope

Nickname for a pompous person or a pageant pope

English
Popejoy

Nickname from the popinjay, the parrot, for a vain person

English
Pretty

Nickname for a crafty, clever person, Old English praettig

English
Prophet

Pageant role or nickname for a seer

English

Q

Quartermaine

Norman nickname quatre mains, four hands

English

R

Rainbow

From the Old English personal name Regenbeald, not the arc

English
Rainwater

Possibly an Americanised German name such as Reinwasser, uncertain

German
Ransom

Son of Rand, a Germanic personal name

English
Regenbogen

German and Yiddish ornamental name meaning rainbow

Jewish
Rosenkranz

German for rosary or rose wreath, a house sign

German
Rumbelow

From a sailors' rowing refrain, or a place name

English

S

Sadd

Nickname for a serious or steady person, older meaning of sad

English
Scattergood

Nickname for a generous person who scattered goods

English
Scull

From the medieval name Skuli, Old Norse for protector

English
Sevenoaks

From Sevenoaks in Kent, named for seven oak trees

English
Sexton

Church officer who tended the graveyard and bells

English
Sheepshank

Variant of Sheepshanks, thin-legged like a sheep

English
Sheepshanks

Nickname for someone with thin legs like a sheep's

English
Sheepwash

Dweller by a pool where sheep were washed

English
Sheets

Americanised German Schütz, an archer or guard

German
Sherwin

Nickname meaning shear wind, for a swift runner

English
Shivers

Possibly a variant of Chivers, from Old French chevre, goat

English
Silverthorne

Dweller by a white or silvery thornbush

English
Sixsmith

Maker of sickles, a sickle smith, not six smiths

English
Slaughter

From Slaughter in Gloucestershire, a muddy place

English
Slipper

Sword sharpener or polisher, from Middle English slipen

English
Smellie

Scottish name of uncertain origin, possibly from smal, small

Scottish
Snowball

Nickname for a white-haired person, common in County Durham

English
Sonnenschein

German and Yiddish ornamental name meaning sunshine

Jewish
Sparrow

Nickname for a small, chirpy person

English
Starr

Nickname or a house sign of a star

English
Stirrup

Maker of stirrups for riders

English
Storm

Nickname for a stormy-tempered person

English
Stumbles

Devon name, probably a nickname for a clumsy walker

English
Sugar

Dealer in sugar, or shortened from the Jewish name Sugarman

English
Summerscales

Dweller at a summer shelter, from Old Norse skali

English
Sweetlove

Nickname for a dear sweetheart

English
Swindells

From Swindale, a valley where pigs were kept

English
Swindlehurst

Lancashire place name, possibly a wooded hill by swine pasture

English

T

Tempest

Nickname for a stormy-tempered person

English
Thickbroom

Staffordshire place, a thick patch of broom shrubs

English
Thunder

Possibly from the Norse god Thor or a noisy person

English
Tollemache

Pronounced Tolmash; old Suffolk family of Norman origin, meaning uncertain

English
Tombs

Pet form of Thomas, Tom with a genitive ending

English
Tongue

From Tong in Yorkshire or Shropshire, or a chatterer

English
Toogood

Ironic nickname for someone thought too good

English
Treadaway

Nickname for a traveller, one who treads the way

English
Treasure

Treasurer, or a nickname for a precious child

English
Truelove

Nickname for a faithful sweetheart

English
Twelves

Possibly one of twelve jurors, or a twelfth share of land

English
Twelvetrees

Dweller by a landmark group of twelve trees

English
Twentyman

Cumbrian name for a herdsman of two-year-old beasts

English

U

Ughtred

From the Old English personal name Uhtred

English

V

Virtue

Nickname for a virtuous person, or a pageant role

English

W

Waterfall

Dweller by a waterfall, or from Waterfall in Staffordshire

English
Welcome

Nickname for a welcome guest or newborn

English
Whatmore

Shropshire place, possibly wheat moor

English
Widdows

Son of a widow, a metronymic name

English
Widowson

Son of a widow

English
Wildblood

Nickname for a hot-tempered or reckless person

English
Wildbore

Nickname for a fierce person, from the wild boar

English
Wildgoose

Nickname for a flighty or shy person

English
Wildsmith

Probably a kind of smith, the first element uncertain

English
Winter

Nickname for a cold person, or born in winter

English
Winterflood

Dweller by a stream that ran only in winter

English
Wisdom

Nickname for a wise person, sometimes ironic

English
Wotherspoon

Scottish place name, possibly a sheep pasture, Old English wether

Scottish
Wurm

German for worm or dragon, a nickname

German

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Results (6)

Sheepshanks

Nickname for someone with thin legs like a sheep's

English
Faithfull

Nickname for a loyal, trustworthy person

English
Wildgoose

Nickname for a flighty or shy person

English
Truelove

Nickname for a faithful sweetheart

English
Bloodworth

From Blidworth in Nottinghamshire, Blitha's enclosure

English
Loveless

Variant of Lovelace, from Middle English loveles, loveless

English

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Why weird last names look so strange

Some surnames look odd because their spelling froze centuries ago while the way people said them kept changing. Cholmondeley is pronounced Chumley and Tollemache is usually said Tolmash. Scottish names such as Auchterlonie and Pennycuick keep the spelling of the places they came from, and Ughtred preserves an Old English personal name that fell out of use centuries ago. The families who carried these names kept the old spelling on documents and estates, while speech wore the sound down.

Some names even begin with a doubled letter. Ffrench, Ffoulkes, Ffolliott and Fforde start with ff because medieval scribes often wrote a capital F in a form that looked like two small ones. Later readers copied it literally, and some families, especially in Wales and among Anglo-Irish gentry, kept the spelling as a mark of an old line. Once you know rules like these, many of the strangest names in the list make sense.

Old words hiding inside unusual names

Many names that seem weird are simply built from words English no longer uses. Popejoy comes from popinjay, an old word for a parrot, and was a nickname for a showy person. Sheepshanks described someone with long, thin legs. Twelvetrees named a spot marked by a group of trees, and Birdwhistell is a form of Birtwistle, a place in Lancashire. These names described real people, places and trades, and they made perfect sense to neighbours in the Middle Ages.

Other languages have similar surprises. A popular story claims that Dutch people chose silly names such as Naaktgeboren, born naked, to mock the French officials who made surnames compulsory in 1811. Historians point out that many of these names existed long before, often with a religious or everyday meaning. What looks weird is usually just old, local or unfamiliar, not a joke.

Treating unusual names with respect

Every name on this page belongs to real people who say it, spell it and explain it every day. It is fine to find a name curious, but asking about its history is kinder than making fun of it. Remember too that weird is relative. A name that looks strange in English may be common and ordinary in Wales, the Netherlands or Scotland.

Writers use surprising names to make a character memorable, especially in comedy, mysteries and fantasy. A plain first name keeps an odd surname grounded, as in Anne Cholmondeley or Tom Popejoy. Game masters, quiz writers and puzzle fans also enjoy names with unexpected pronunciations. Use the search box to find a name you have heard, and read the meaning beside it for the real story.

Frequently asked questions

Where do weird last names come from?

Most come from ordinary sources: places, jobs, nicknames and parents' names. They look weird because English spelling and vocabulary changed over centuries. Some also keep old letters or spellings that no longer match the way they are pronounced, which makes them look far stranger than they are.

How do you pronounce Cholmondeley?

Cholmondeley is pronounced Chumley. It comes from a place in Cheshire and belongs to an old English family. The long spelling preserves an earlier form of the name, while everyday speech shortened the sound over time.

Why do some names begin with ff?

In medieval handwriting, a capital F was often written in a way that looked like two small letters. Later copyists read it as ff, and some families kept that spelling on purpose. Ffrench, Ffoulkes and Fforde are examples, and the ff is simply pronounced as a single F.

Did Dutch people pick silly names on purpose?

That is a popular story, but historians doubt it. When surnames became compulsory in the Netherlands in 1811, some registered names looked odd, but many already existed and had sensible meanings. Few families would deliberately choose a name their children would carry forever.