English Last Names (2022)

English surnames have generated from the first names that were eventually adopted as family names, taken from places, immigrants, conquests, and more. But each of these English Last names has a unique history attached to it. Moreover, it has references across Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and other regions of the United Kingdom.

Did you know there are more than thousands of English family names, having a well-defined meaning, history, and story to it? In this article, it has compiled a list of such Common English surnames along with their meanings.

So the following list below gives you the most popular last names for Boys and Girls in different countries, both for babies born today and the entire last century.

A

Adams – Son of Adam

Allen – harmony

Anderson – son of Andrew

Armstrong – strong arms

Atkinson – red earth

Anderson – son of man

Awen – Muse

Alexander – Defender

Aba – Father

Abram – exalted father

Acker – field

Acton – The Oak Tree

Addington – delicious

Adley – God is just

Ainsley – one’s own meadow

Alby – village of alder trees

Allerton – village where alder-tress grow

Alston – noble stone

Altham – river meadow of the swans

Alton – old town

Anderton – brave settlement

Ansley – hermitage field

Anstey – one path

Appleton – apple town

Asheton – ash tree town

Ashley – Ash tree meadow

Ashton – ash tree town

Astley – east meadow

Atherton – Aethelhere’s town

Atterton – Powerful town

Axton – sword stone

Abelino – bird

Alan – Harmony

Acalan – immovable

Alejandro – Defender Of The People

Alonzo – Noble

Alfonzo – Ready for a fight

Alvaro – Guardian

Amador – lover

Ángel – Messenger Of God

Antonio – Highly praiseworthy

Arturo – Bear

Alachua – sink

Atlanta – secure and immovable

B

Bailey – berry clearing

Baker – who bake

Ball – round one

Barker – a tanner of leather

Barnes – warrior

Bell – ringer

Bennett – blessed

Booth – small dwelling place

Bradley – broad wood

Brooks – stream

Brown – Brown haired

Burton – fort enclosure

Butler – the bottler

Bennett – blessed

Bryant – Son Of Brian

Bailey – berry clearing

C

Campbell – crooked

Carter – Cart driver

Chapman – marketman

Clarke – clerk

Cole – swarthy

Collins – holly

Cook – who cook

Cooper – Barrel Maker

Corbyn – a person with dark hair

Cox – rooster

Clark – scholar

Campbell – crooked mouth

Coleman – coal man

Caesar – Thick Head Of Hair

Cannes – south-east coast

Canoe – travel in or paddle a canoe

Carlos – Free Man

Chili – Cold

Chimalli – shield

Chihuahua – dry place

Chipahua – clean

Citlalee – star

Call – To speak

Cualli – Good

Cuetlachtli – wolf

Camden – The Valley Of The Camps

Carlisle – from the walled city

Carlton – Peasants’ settlement

Cason – son of the marsh-dwellers

Charlton – settlement of free men

Chatham – From the soldier’s land

Chester – A Fortress

Churchill – hill of the church

Clapham – a hillock

Clare – bright

Clayden – Clay Hill

Clayton – place with good clay

Clifford – forged by a cliff

Clifton – A Town Near A Cliff

Clinton – Town On A Hill

Clive – Cliff

Colby – from a coal town

Colgate – charcoal gate

Colton – Cole’s Town

Compton – Short straight valley

Coombs – valley

Copeland – bought land

Cornish – joyful

Cotton – Cotton

Crawford – From The Crow Ford

Cromwell – winding stream

Cumberbatch – valley with a stream

D

Davidson – beloved

Davies – son of David

Dawson – Son Of David

Dixon – son of Richard

Diaz – days

Davis – Son Of David

Dana – arbiter

Daniel – God is my judge

David – Beloved

Diego – Saint James

Dalton – From The Valley Town

Darby – deer

Darlington – Cheerful and a darling

Davenport – the town on the trickling stream

Dayton – Bright and sunny town

Deighton – Bright And sunny town

Denholm – Valley island

Denver – green valley

Digby – Farm by a ditch

Dryden – Dry Town

Dudley – From Dudda’s Meadow

Durham – hill

E

Edwards – prosperous guardian

Elliott – Bravely

Evans – God has been gracious

Eduardo – Wealthy guardian

F

Fisher – one lived by fishing

Fletcher – arrow-maker

Fernando – Brave traveler

Francisco – Free

Ford – River crossing

Foster – One who keeps the forest

Fox – Wild Animal In Dog

Flores – flower

G

Gibson – Gilbert’s son

Graham – grey home

Grant – Bestow

Gray – gray-haired

Green – Green color

Griffiths – strong lord

Garcia – young

Gonzales – Son of Gonzalo

Griffin – Strong in faith

Gonzalez – Son of Gonzalo

Gabriel – God is my strength

Gerardo – spear courageous

H

Hall – spacious house

Hamilton – treeless hill

Harris – son of Harry

Harrison – son of Harris

Harvey – Battle worthy

Henderson – Son of Henry

Hill – at the hill

Holmes – of the river sands

Howard – Heart Brave

Hughes – mind

Hunt – to hunt

Hunter – One Who Hunts

Hillan – of several hills

Hallow – sacred

Hernandez – Adventurous

Howardez – Heart Brave

Hender – old water

Hughes – intellect

Hayes – hedged area

Harris – son of Harry

Hedia – Echo Of God

Hackney – Hacca’s island

Hadlee – heather meadow

Hadleigh – heather meadow

Hadley – heather meadow

Hailey – wise one

Hale – a nook

Hales – healthy

Haley – hay clearing

Hallewell – holy well

Halsey – Hal’s island

Hamilton – treeless hill

Hampton – homestead farm

Harlan – rocky land

Harley – hare’s meadow

Harlow – army hill

Harrington – Strong and powerful

Hartford – deer crossing

Hastings – Violent

Hayden – Fire

Hayes – fire

Hayhurst – enclosure made of trees

Hayley – wise one

Hazelton – settlement near hazel trees

Holton – farmstead by the wood

Home – From the cave

Hurley – Sea tide

Huxley – Hugh’s meadow

I

Ithaca – rugged island

Ichtaca – Secret

Ikal – spirit

Ireland – Ireland

J

Jackson – son of Jack

James – Supplanter

Jenkins – little John

Johnson – son of John

Johnston – John’s town

Jones – John’s son

K

Kelly – Bright-headed

Kennedy – ugly head

King – Ruler

Knight – Noble or soldier

L

Lee – Meadow

Lewis – renowned warrior

Lloyd – grey

Lawren – from Laurentium

Lewisen – lion-like

Leen – tender

Lopez – Son of Lope

Long – dragon

Lancaster – fort on the Lune river

Landon – From The Long Hill

Langdon – long hill

Langley – long meadow

Langston – long stone

Law – From the hill

Leighton – meadow town

Lester – Fortified place

Lincoln – pool colony

Linden – Lime tree

Lindsay – A lake

Lindsey – A lake

Lynn – Lake

M

Marshall – horse servant

Martin – Of Mars

Mason – One who works with stone

Matthews – gift of Yahweh

Mcdonald – world ruler

Miller – Mill Worker

Mitchell – Gift from God

Moore – open land

Morgan – white sea dweller

Morris – dark-skinned

Morrison – Dark-skinned

Murphy – Descendant Of Sea Warrior

Murray – From the sea

Morris – swarthy

Martinez – son of Martin

Manley – Manly

Marlee – marshy meadow

Marleigh – marshy meadow

Marley – pleasant wood

Marlowe – driftwood

Marston – From The Marsh Town

Merton – Settlement by a lake

Middleton – middle town

Milton – From The Mill Town

Morley – meadow on the moor

Morton – settlement by the moor

Myers – mayor

N

Nelson – son of neil

Neol – birthday of the Lord

Negan – strong

Neal – Champion

Newton – New town

Norris – Caretaker

O

Owen – The Yew Tree

Olsen – Olaf’s son

Oliver – The olive tree

Onel – Love and prosperity

Oberon – Noble Bear

Olan – ancestor

Oshea – A savior

Omal – soft

P

Palmer – palm tree

Parker – park keeper

Payne – the son of Pagan

Pearce – Rock

Pearson – rock

Perry – Dweller By The Pear Tree

Phillips – son of Phillip

Powell – son of

Perez – son of Pero

Parker – park keeper

Peterson – son of Peter

Patterson – son of Pate

Peyton – fighting-man’s estate

Pickering – the ridge of the pointed hill

Prescott – priest’s cottage

Presley – priest’s meadow

Preston – Priest’s estate

R

Reid – red

Reynolds – brave councilor

Richards – powerful

Richardson – Son of Richard

Roberts – bright renown

Robertson – son of Robert

Robinson – on of Robin

Rogers – famous spear man

Rose – rose flower

Ross – horse

Russell – red hair color

Rodriguez – Son of Rodrigo

Rivera – riverbank

Ramirez – son of Ramiro

Reed – red hair

Ramsay – low-lying land

Ramsey – wild garlic island

Rayden – god of thunder

Read – Red haired

Redfield – an area cleared

Reed – red-haired

Reid – red

Remington – place on a riverbank

Ridley – Reed Clearing

Riley – courageous

Rodney – island

Roscoe – deer forest

Rowley – rough clearing

Royal – Of The King

Royston – Royse’s stone

Rutherford – cattle ford

Rylan – From The Rye Land

Ryland – From The Rye Land

Ryley – brave

S

Saunders – defending men

Scott – Gaelic speaker

Shaw – Copse

Simpson – Son of Simon

Smith – man who works with metal

Spencer – Dispenser of provisions

Stevens – crown

Stewart – household guardian

Sanchez – Sanctified

Simmons – listening

Sanders – defending men

Scott – Person From Scotland

Sandford – sandy ford

Sanford – the Sandy Ford

Scarboro – fortified town

Shelby – a willow grove

Sheldon – steep valley

Shelley – meadow’s edge

Shelly – From the ledge meadow

Sherwood – bright forest

Shipley – From the sheep meadow

Shirley – Bright wood

Sidney – wide meadow

Snape – dweller by the pasture

Snowdon – snow hill

Soames – homestead by the pool

Spalding – divided field

Spaulding – Spaulding

Springfield – the season spring

Stafford – landing place’

Stanford – stone ford

Stanhope – the stony hollow

Stanley – Stony meadow

Stansfield – stony field

Stanton – Stony meadow

T

Taylor – tailor

Thomas – twin

Thompson – Son of Thom

Thomson – son of Thom

Turner – Lathe Worker

Torres – tower

Tatum – cheerful bringer of joy

Tenley – Dennis’ Field

Tewksbury – a market town

Thornton – bush enclosure

Thorpe – hamlet

Tickle – kid hill

Tindall – to flow

Tinley – Dennis’ Field

Trollope – troll valley

W

Walker – Worker in cloth

Walsh – foreigner

Ward – a guard

Watson – son of Wat

Watts – Ruler of the army

Webb – weaver of cloth

Webster – weaver

West – From The West

White – fair

Wilkinson – son of Wilkin

Williams – determined protector

Williamson – son of William

Wilson – Son of will

Wood – forest

Wright – a maker of machinery

Williams – determined protectors

Washington – From the intelligent one’s farm

Wade – to go

Wakefield – Watch field

Walcott – Peasant’s cottage

Wallace – Foreigner

Walpole – pool formed by a well

Warwick – buildings near the weir

Webley – From the weaver’s meadow

Wedgwood – place at the marshy wood

Weld – undisciplined

Wellington – From the wealthy estate

Wentworth – pale man’s settlement

Wesley – western meadow

Westbrook – town west of the brook

Westcott – west cottage

Weston – western town

Wharton – farm near the river

Wheatley – from the wheat meadow

Whitby – From The White Village

Wilberforce – will fortress

Willoughby – The Farm By The Willows

Winchester – the dweller at the Roman fort

Windsor – riverbank with a windlass

Winterbourne – winter stream

Winthrop – Friend’s village

Wordsworth – World guardian

Y

Young – The young one

Yong – brave

Premina Parker

Premina Parker, is a parenting advisor. She is the author, most recently, parenting blog called Genbabycarrier.com. Her work has helped Time win two National Magazine Awards.

January 4, 2022

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