The 165 Funniest Last Names & What They Mean

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Plus, learn where last names come from in the first place
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Ever heard a last name that made you say, “Come again?” Well, we’ve got a bunch of them right here for you! We’ve collected 165 funny surnames from various cultures and languages that sound just a little bit… odd in modern English. Plus, we’ll explore the longest surname in history and discover where last names came from in the first place. Keep scrolling to learn (and laugh) more!

Our Favorite Funny Family Names

  • Cobbledick (Anglo-Saxon, “from Cobbledi”)
  • Dikshit (Indian, “consecrated,” “initiated,” or “prepared for”)
  • Faartz (German, “powerful”)
  • Fokker (Dutch, “breeder”)
  • Licker (German, “to lick”)
  • Pappalardo (Italian, “eats lard”)
  • Rollo-Koster (German/Dutch, sounds like “rollercoaster”)
Section 1 of 7:

Funniest Surnames

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  1. These last names sound hysterical to English speakers today. In their original times and languages, these surnames wouldn’t have gotten much attention. In today’s English, though, they would certainly make you do a double-take! Here are some of the silliest-sounding surnames to kick off our list:
    • Assman (Assmann, Aßmann): A German name that comes from Erasmus (“beloved”) and mann (“man”).
    • Aycock : An Anglo-Saxon name for people from Heycock in Berkshire.
    • Baal: From the Old French baud (“joyful”). Also a common Indian and Arabic last name.
    • Boob : An Americanized version of the German bub (“boy”).
    • Bottom: From the Old English botm (“valley bottom”), meaning someone who lives in a broad valley.
    • Butts : An English surname from the French word but (“target”).
    • Clapsaddle : From a German nickname for a person who laughs or claps easily.
    • Cobbledick : An Anglo-Saxon word for families from Cobbledi in Lincolnshire.
    • Cockburn : From the Old English cocc (“rooster”) and burna (“stream”). Also refers to the town Cockburn in Berwickshire.
    • Cok: A popular Chinese surname meaning “the wall that surrounds a city.”
    • Cornfoot : An Anglo-Saxon name for families from Cornford in Durham, England.
    • Dick : A variant of Richard meaning “brave ruler.”
    • Dickinson : Another variant of Richard, meaning “son of Dickin.”
    • Everhard : An English last name from the German Eberhard (“brave boar”).
    • Faartz : From the German vaz (“powerful”). [1]
    • Gay : From the Middle English and Old French gai (“a cheerful person”).
    • Gotobed : A 12th-century English name possibly referring to people who were able to own beds.
    • Greedy : From the Old Irish MacRiada (more commonly known as “Grady” or “Gread”), meaning “horseman.”
    • Hardick : An Indian name from the Sanskrit word for “cordial” or “heartfelt.”
    • Hardmeat : From Hardmead, a parish in Buckingham, England.
    • Hickinbottom : An English last name for families from Hugg’s land in East Cheshire.
    • Horsedick : An English last name meaning “brave horse rider.”
    • Longbottom : English for a person who lives in a long valley. [2]
    • Mahboobeh (Mahbub): From the Arabic word for “dear” or “beloved.”
    • Pappalardo : An Italian last name that means “eats lard.”
    • Poo : An English translation of a Chinese last name meaning “flower.”
    • Quackenbush : A Dutch name meaning “swampy forest.”
    • Ramsbottom : From the Old English ramm (“wild garlic”) and bothm (“valley bottom”).
    • Sackrider : An American spelling of the German sackreuter , meaning “plunderer.”
    • Sausage : A last name derived from French or German food culture.
    • Sexwale : A Limponian last name (pronounced “Sekgwale”).
    • Silly : From the Old English saelig , meaning “a person who is cheerful and happy.”
    • Squatpump : A rare and unconventional American surname.
    • Supersad : A rare American last name.
    • Tickle : An English last name for families from Tickhill in South Yorkshire.
    • Wankum : A German last name meaning “imagination.”
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Section 2 of 7:

Surnames Based on Body Parts & Physical Traits

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  1. These last names are reminiscent of certain private parts of the body today. You may have noticed that a lot of names in the previous section sound like slang words for body parts these days. Well, there are more where those came from! That’s for two reasons. First, physical traits and characteristics were the inspiration for many early surnames. [3] Second, as languages change over time, certain words evolve from innocent meanings (for example, “cock” meaning “rooster”) to more risqué meanings. Here are some more hilarious surnames describing physical traits or that sound like body parts:
    • Baldhead : An English last name for a person with no hair.
    • Ball or Balls : From the Middle English balle , meaning someone who lives on or near a rounded hill.
    • Bierhals : German for “beer throat.”
    • Bodycomb (Boddam, Bodiam, Bodicam, Bodicum, and Bodycombe): An English surname from Bodiam county in West Sussex.
    • Bottom : An Anglo-Saxon surname referring to families from a broad valley or hillside near Bootham (Yorkshire).
    • Brain : An English last name for families from Brain, Normandy (France).
    • Cock : From the medieval cok (“rooster”).
    • Colon : A Spanish surname similar to the English Columbus.
    • Cox : An English and Welsh surname from cocke (“son of” or “servant of”).
    • De Groot : A Dutch surname meaning “the great” or “tall one.” [4]
    • Dickson : A traditional Scottish last name meaning “son of Dick.”
    • Fanny : An Anglo-Saxon last name from the Old English fenn (“fen” or “wetlands”).
    • Hyman : From the Old English hegham (“enclosed dwelling”).
    • Rump : An Estonian last name meaning “dugout” or “punt.”
    • Shufflebottom : An English last name for families who have lands in a valley.
    • Smalley : From the Old English smæl (“narrow”) and leah (“wood” or “clearing”).
    • Swett : A variant of the Slavic svet (“world”).
    • Thickman : An English last name for a sturdy fellow.
    • Titball : An American last name most common in Pennsylvania.
    • Twocock : A common English last name.
    • Wang : A common Chinese last name.
    • Willy (Wily, Willie, Willey): An English last name derived from William, meaning “desire” and “helmet.”
Section 3 of 7:

Rude-Sounding Surnames

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  1. These last names sound like curse words, insults, or other taboo words. Whether they sound like a rude term for a body part or an old-timey insult, these surnames will have you asking, “What did you just call me?” Here are our favorites:
    • Babble : An English name for someone who talks excessively or makes confusing sounds.
    • Bich : A Vietnamese last name meaning “blue-green” or “jade.”
    • Bonner : An English, Scottish, and Irish surname from the Middle English bonere (“gentle” or “handsome”).
    • Broad : An Ancient Anglo-Saxon name from the Old English brode (“stout person”).
    • Broadhurst : From the Old English brad (“broad”) and hyrst (“wooded hill”).
    • Crump : An English last name for someone bent, crooked, or who has a unique physical trait.
    • Cummings : An English, Scottish, and Irish last name from the Norman word for “bent” or “crooked.”
    • Daft : From the Middle English daffle (“mild,” “gentle,” or “meek”).
    • Dangle : An English last name for someone clumsy or lanky.
    • Dikshit (Dixit): An Indian surname meaning “consecrated,” “initiated,” or “prepared for” in Sanskrit.
    • Dork : From the German Tederich (“powerful people”).
    • Fagot : From the Old French fagot (“bundle of wood”). [5]
    • Fokker : From the Dutch word for “breeder.”
    • Fuk : A Cantonese last name meaning “to lean over” or “to fall.”
    • Gaywood : An English last name for families from Gaywood, Norfolk.
    • Grossweiner : From the German gross (“large” or “great”) and weiner (possibly referring to wine, the city of Vienna, or the word for sausage).
    • Ho : A Chinese and Korean last name (various meanings depending on how it is written). [6]
    • Hooker : From the Old English hoc (“angle” or “hook”), meaning “a person who lived near a river bend or corner of a natural feature.”
    • Horney : A German last name linked to people from places called Horn.
    • Jerkins : Probably a Flemish last name derived from the names Jen, Jon, or Jan (from John, meaning “God is gracious”).
    • Kuntz : From the German word for “bold.”
    • Loser : A Saxon surname from the Old English Loesar or Lesar, meaning Lazarus.
    • Loonet : From the Irish Garlic Ó Luanaigh (“descendant of Luanach”).
    • Nimrod : A Hebrew name meaning “great hunter.”
    • Peanisbreath : A rare American and Australian last name.
    • Perv : An American last name.
    • Poop : A Taiwanese surname.
    • Poore : A last name derived from a nickname meaning “power and pauper.”
    • Pusey : An English last name for families from Pusey in Oxfordshire.
    • Ruff : An English last name for someone who lives on rough or uncultivated land.
    • Schmuck : German for “jewelry” or “cleanliness.”
    • Sharts : An African surname possibly coming from the German schertz (“joke” or “jest”).
    • Smelly : A Scottish surname for people with a nice smile or happy disposition.
    • Stroker : A last name derived from Stock in Normandy.
    • Titsworth : An ancient English last name for families from Tetsworth in Oxfordshire.
    • Wanket : An American surname.
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Section 4 of 7:

Funny Occupational Last Names

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  1. These silly surnames reflect the occupations of generations past. A person’s profession was a common way to assign or create last names throughout history. [7] Here are some old occupational surnames that sound a bit humorous today, to say the least:
    • Bacon : From the Old French word for someone who worked with pork or cured meats.
    • Bader : German for an attendant or owner of a public bathhouse.
    • Badman : A last name for a bailiff or official.
    • Bagel : A Yiddish last name describing someone who makes or sells round bread.
    • Beefman : A last name for cattleworkers.
    • Berger : From the Old French bergier (“shepherd”).
    • Biscuit : From the French word for “twice-baked,” referring to a baker.
    • Bracegirdle : Anglo-Saxon for “maker of breech-girdles” (belts for holding up pants in ancient times).
    • Cheeseman : An Old English surname for a maker or seller of cheese. [8]
    • Cockett : A Middle English word for the occupation of baker.
    • Coffin : A surname for basket makers.
    • Coward : An English name meaning “cattle herder.”
    • Kock or Kok : From the Dutch and German words for “art of cooking” or “cook.”
    • Macaroni : An Italian surname originally referring to pasta makers.
    • Mangina : An Italian surname meaning “wine maker” or “wine drinker.”
    • Medick : An English last name derived from a nickname for a physician.
    • Nutter : From the Old English notere (“clerk” or “person who breeds oxen”).
    • Onions : A popular last name in 13th-century France and Ireland to identify onion sellers or growers.
    • Pelagatti : An Italian name meaning “skins cats.”
    • Pepper : An English last name meaning “spice dealer.”
    • Pigg : From the Middle English pigge (“young hog”). Used as a last name for swineherds.
    • Raper : A variant of Roper, meaning “person who makes ropes.”
    • Register : From the Middle English and Old French register (“register”) and used as a last name for the occupation of a scribe.
    • Seeman (Seaman): From the Anglo-Saxon word for “sailor.”
    • Shytles : From the Dutch word for “bargemaster.”
    • Tingle : A name for a person who makes nails or pins.
    • Weiner : A German last name signifying a cartwright.
Section 5 of 7:

More Silly Last Names

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  1. These last names are just plain fun to say or think about. From funny-sounding names like “Clutterbuck” to foreign names with silly translations (Glydenbollocks, anyone?), we couldn’t leave these lighthearted last names off of our list:
    • Applebottom : An English last name for families who lived near apple orchards.
    • Beaver : An English last name from the Old French beu (“fair” or “lovely”) and voir (“to see”).
    • Bellagamba : An Italian surname meaning “beautiful leg.”
    • Bonefat : From the French surname Bonenfrant (“good child”).
    • Borgnino : Italian for “blind in one eye.”
    • Cienfuegos : A Spanish last name meaning “one hundred fires.”
    • Chew : A Chinese, Korean, and Cantonese last name.
    • Clutterbuck : A 16th-century English last name.
    • Condom : A French last name for families from the French region of Condom.
    • Danger : From a French word for “power” or “rule.”
    • Dankworth : From the German name Tancred (“a farmstead”).
    • Duck : An English last name from the German name Duyck.
    • Fumagalli : An Italian last name meaning “blow smoke at chickens.”
    • Glydenbollocks : A German last name meaning “golden balls.”
    • Goff : A Welsh surname common in East Anglia derived from a nickname meaning “red-haired person.”
    • Goodenough : An English last name meaning someone is sufficient or just right.
    • Gopnik : From the Russian word for “drunken hooligan.”
    • Gorey : From the Gaelic Mac Gafraidh (“son of Gafradh”).
    • Hardman : From the Anglo-Saxon words for “person with a tough character.”
    • Hardy : A common English and French name meaning “bold.”
    • Kieksyte : From the Dutch word for “compassion.”
    • Large : From the Middle English and French words for “generous.”
    • Licker : From the Middle Low German licken (“to lick”).
    • Light : A Middle English surname for a happy, cheerful person.
    • Luckinbill : From the German Luginbuhl , meaning “to watch” or “to lie in wait” ( luogen ) and “hillock” ( buhel ).
    • Maldonaldo : Spanish for “ill-favored.”
    • Normous : Swedish for “trustworthy” and “loyal.”
    • Noteboom : From the Dutch for “nut tree.” [9]
    • Or : A phonetic translation of a Chinese word meaning “light.”
    • Panda : An Indian surname meaning “wisdom,” “understanding,” and “learning.”
    • Payne : From the Latin paganus (“heathen” or “pagan”).
    • Pound ( Pounds, Pounder, Pund, Pond, and Ponds): From the Middle English pund (“enclosure for animals”).
    • Rollo-Koster : A common last name in Germany and the Netherlands that sounds like “rollercoaster.”
    • Saap : From the German sabbe or Middle English sap , meaning “spruce tree.”
    • Saltaformaggio : An Italian last name meaning “jump the cheese.”
    • Seisdedos : A Spanish surname meaning “a person with 6 fingers.”
    • Sporn : A German last name meaning “to spur.”
    • Suparman : An Arabic surname popular in Indonesia that sounds like “Superman.”
    • Viejobueno : A Spanish last name meaning “nice old man.”
    • Villalobos : A Spanish and Portuguese last name meaning “wolf town.”
    • Weed : From the Old English wed (“fury” or “rage”).
    • Wiwi : A Nordic last name.
    • Woolfson : A last name meaning “son of a wolf.”
    • You : An English spelling of a Chinese last name.
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Section 6 of 7:

What’s the longest surname in the world?

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  1. The longest surname in history is a German name with 597 characters. The complete last name is Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorffwelchevoralternwarengewissenhaftschaferswessenschafewarenwohlgepflegeundsorgfaltigkeitbeschutzenvonangreifendurchihrraubgierigfeindewelchevoralternzwolftausendjahresvorandieerscheinenvanderersteerdemenschderraumschiffgebrauchlichtalsseinursprungvonkraftgestartseinlangefahrthinzwischensternartigraumaufdersuchenachdiesternwelchegehabtbewohnbarplanetenkreisedrehensichundwohinderneurassevonverstandigmenschlichkeitkonntefortpflanzenundsicherfreuenanlebenslanglichfreudeundruhemitnichteinfurchtvorangreifenvonandererintelligentgeschopfsvonhinzwischensternartigraum. [10]
    • Thankfully, this name was often shortened to Wolfe­schlegel­stein­hausen­berger­dorff.
    • The name belonged to Hubert Blaine Wolfe­schlegel­stein­hausen­berger­dorff Sr. from Germany (1914–1997). He had a name for every letter of the alphabet, plus his uniquely lengthy surname.
Section 7 of 7:

Where do surnames come from?

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  1. 1
    Surnames originated to identify individuals based on their traits, location, or family. As human populations grew larger and cities became more dense throughout history, additional names were needed to properly identify specific people. Last names were often based on professions, nicknames about physical appearance or personality traits, and what landmarks people lived near. [11]
    • Family played an important role in last names as well. Many cultures eventually adopted family names or names meaning “son/daughter of ___” to identify multiple generatins of the same lineage.
  2. 2
    The oldest surnames are thousands of years old. The earliest known surnames come from Ancient China in the 3rd millennium BCE, where matrilineal surnames were used until the Shang dynasty (1600-1046 BCE), when patrilineal names became more common. The last names helped identify individuals among growing populations, and reflected the importance of family connection in societies that adopted them. [12]
    • Ancient Roman names included family and clan names, showing the importance of family recognition in early Western cultures.
    • Surnames weren’t common in Europe until the Middle Ages. As European cities grew larger, last names were adopted to sound more stylish and differentiate between people with the same first name. [13]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://lastnames.myheritage.com/last-name/faatz
      2. ↑ https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-last-names/
      3. ↑ https://guides.loc.gov/surnames
      4. ↑ https://aroundtheworldwithme.com/dutch-surnames/
      5. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/en/surname?surname=fagot
      6. ↑ https://www.mychinaroots.com/surnames/detail?word=Ho
      7. ↑ https://guides.loc.gov/surnames
      8. ↑ https://www.houseofnames.com/cheeseman-family-crest
      9. ↑ https://aroundtheworldwithme.com/dutch-surnames/
      1. ↑ https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/67285-longest-personal-name
      2. ↑ https://guides.loc.gov/surnames
      3. ↑ https://historyfacts.com/arts-culture/article/when-did-people-start-using-last-names/
      4. ↑ https://guides.loc.gov/surnames

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