165+ Medieval Last Names and Surnames From England & Europe

Are you interested in last names that date back to the Middle Ages? Keep reading, because we’ve put together a list of over 180 medieval last names that are perfect for your fantasy story, video game, and role-play characters. They include names based on geography , occupation , parentage, royalty , and more. You’ll also find out how to create your own unique medieval surname using online name generators.

Last Names from Medieval Times

Popular: Darcy, Dudley, Lancaster, Miller, Smith, Taylor, Walker, Wood
Royal: Anjou, Bourbon, Godwin, Habsburg, Kaiser, King, Medici, Tudor, York
Based on Occupation: Baker, Fischer, Jasper, Lister, Sawyer, Wainwright, Wheeler
Based on Geography: Alder, Beckett, Fleming, Lyndon, Strome, Villanueva, Weston

Section 1 of 12:

Popular Medieval Last Names

Download Article

Choose names that are instantly recognizable. These medieval last names are still popular today, especially Smith, Miller, and Taylor. Others like Bruno and Rossi are well-known in Italy, while Albrecht is still a surname today in Germany. ^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Albrecht - Composed of the German “adal,” meaning “noble,” and “berht,” meaning “famous.”
- Bruno - Originated as the Latin Brunus, meaning “polished with luster”; used in Italy.
- Darcy - Means “dark-haired one,” yet it’s based on the place name Arcy.
- Dietrich - A German variation of Theodoric, made up of “theud,” meaning “people,” and “rīc,” meaning “rich.”
- Dudley - Based on Dudley in Worcestershire, which was first Duddeleye in the 13th and 14th centuries.
- Holloway - means “lived by the sunken road” in Old English.
- Hurst - An English surname for someone living near “a wooded hill.”
- Jacobi - Given to “descendants of Jacob,” meaning “the supplanter” in Hebrew.
- Lancaster - Based on the city of Lancashire, England; it means “walled city.”
- Miller - An occupational name given to someone who operated a mill to grind grain.
- Pearson - Given to descendants of “Pierre” or “Piers,” older French forms of Peter.
- Rossi - Associated with the Italian “rosso,” meaning “red”; given to someone with “red hair” or a “ruddy complexion.”
- Santos - A plural of Santo that originated with the Latin “sanctus,” meaning “sacred place.”
- Shepherd - Made up of the Old English “sceap,” meaning “sheep,” and “hierde,” meaning “herdsman.”
- Smith - A name given to a metalworker or blacksmith; one of the most popular last names today.
- Taylor - Means "tailor" or "cutter of cloth," derived from the Old French “tailleur.”
- Thorne - Refers to any English place with a “clump of thorns.”
- Turner - The name of a person who “worked with a lathe,” or a tool to form wood.
- Walker - A “walker” was also known as a “fuller,” an occupation in England and Germany.
- Wood - Derived from the Old English “wode,” meaning “wood”; it was used to describe someone living in a forest.

Section 2 of 12:

Unique Medieval Last Names

Download Article

Go for a stand-out surname that may not be obvious. Many of the following last names are English or have roots in French and German. Chastain means “chestnut tree” in French, while Sommer means “summer” in German. Names like Mannix come from the Gaelic “manach,” meaning “monk.” ^{[2]
X
Research source}
- Babcock - Taken from the Middle English Badecok, from Bade, meaning “strife” or “battle”; the medieval form of Barbara.
- Beauregard - Means “handsome” or “good-looking” in French.
- Braxton - Associated with someone who lived near “Bracca’s boundary mark,” but came to mean “Brock’s settlement.”
- Burnside - Means “of the burnside”; associated with the Picts, an ancient Scottish tribe.
- Chastain - Comes from the Old French “castan(h),” meaning “chestnut tree.”
- Fontaine - Refers to someone “living at or near a spouting spring.”
- Irvine - Means “green water” in Scottish.
- Mannix - Dates back to the Gaelic “manach,” meaning “monk.”
- Pomeroy - Derives from the French “pommeraie,” meaning “apple orchard.”
- Sommer - Based on the Old German “sumar,” meaning “summer.”
- Thayer - Taken from the Old English “þeġer,” meaning “a person who lays thatch.”
- Vale - Given to those who lived in regions near a valley.
- Walden - Refers to a person from Walden in Essex; composed of the Old English “weald,” meaning “forest,” and “dene,” meaning “valley.”
- Wesley - Made up of the Old English “west,” meaning “western,” and “lēah,” meaning “woodland clearing.”
- Whitlock - Means “white lock (of hair)” in Old English.

Section 3 of 12:

Cool Medieval Last Names

Download Article

Pick last names that feel as stylish as any you’d choose. The coolest names from medieval times are unique and have meanings that don’t occur very often. Some are English, like Cromer, meaning “a gap in the cliffs.” Others come from surrounding European cultures like Echeverria, meaning “new house” in Basque, or Volpe, meaning “fox” in Italian.
- Cromer - Means “a gap in the cliffs”; dates back to the 13th century.
- Echeverria - Began as Etxeberria, meaning “new house” in Basque.
- Elias - Originally a personal name based on the Greek Elias and the Hebrew Eliyahu, meaning “El is Yahweh.”
- Gifford - Refers to a place meaning “gift ford,” a river crossing where travelers could receive presents or favors.
- Jennings - Means “little John” in Old English.
- Lovelace - Refers to a place name meaning “love’s place,” known for its romance.
- Mortimer - Refers to the Old French “mort(e),” meaning “dead,” and “mer,” meaning “sea.”
- O’Connor - Means “descendant of Conchobhar,” as well as “a lover of hounds.”
- Paxton - Given to a settlement known as “peace town.”
- Quill - Means “hollow” or “recess,” for a place known to have natural depressions.
- Radcliff - Means “red cliff” in Old English.
- Tinoco - Derives from the Spanish-Castilian “tino,” meaning “marksmanship.”
- Volpe - Means “fox” in Italian; a nickname for a “sly or cunning” person.
- Willoughby - Composed of the Old English “wilig,” meaning “willow,” and Old Norse “bȳ,” meaning “farmstead.”
- Yardley - Means “wood clearing” in Old English.

Section 4 of 12:

Ancient Medieval Last Names

Download Article

Travel back in time for names that are as old as they come. Names like Otto and Templeton date back to the 7th century, while Agincourt is associated with a castle in England. Brabazon hails from an area located in modern-day Belgium referred to as a “duchy” or kingdom.
- Agincourt - Originated in Lincolnshire, where "Walter de Aincourt” is linked to an ancient family castle.
- Berryann - Existed before the 7th century; taken from the French “burri,” meaning “fortress” or “castle.”
- Brabazon - Given to someone "from the duchy of Brabant" (in Belgium); taken from the Old French Brabançon.
- Clervaux - Means “clear valley” in French.
- Dunstan - Means “dark stone” in Old English.
- Eldridge - Means “sage ruler” in Old English.
- Engel - Based on the ancient Germanic tribe called the Angles; derives from the Old English “ængel,” meaning “angel.”
- Fenwick - An Old English surname meaning “village of the marsh.”
- Fuchs - Means “fox” in German; used for someone with red hair or a clever nature.
- Godfrey - An early medieval name given to German nobles; it means “peace of God.”
- Isambard - Means “iron bright” in German.
- Montague - Means “pointed hill” in French; it was a name given to nobility.
- Otto - Dates back to the 7th century and Odo, the “son of Uro,” whose descendants were called Otto.
- Templeton - Refers to someone from Templeton in Devon, England; dates back to the 7th-century Dark Ages.
- Tobias - Also a boy’s name originating from the Hebrew “Tovya,” meaning “God is good.”

Section 5 of 12:

Medieval Last Names Based on Heritage

Download Article

Find surnames passed on from parent to child. Patronymic surnames are a term used for any last name that means “son of,” or “descendant of” another person. For example, Howell means “the son of Hoel,” while Simpson means “the son of Morris.” Others are based on parental short form names, like Dickinson, meaning “the son of Dickin,” a nickname for Richard. ^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Aldrich - Derives from the Old English Aelfric, meaning “elf ruler” or denotes a “son of Aldrich.”
- Ambrose - Taken from the Greek “ambrosios,” meaning “immortal divine.” In England, it also refers to the “son of Ambrose.”
- Andrews - Means "son of Andrew"; taken from the Greek Andreas, meaning "manly" or "brave.”
- Archibald - A name passed down from one’s parents referring to “the son of Archibald.”
- Dickinson - Means "son of Dickin," a diminutive of Richard.
- Fennel - Taken from the Gaelic Ó Fionnghail, meaning "descendant of Fionnghal," itself meaning "white valor.”
- FitzPatrick - An Anglo form of the Gaelic Mac Giolla Phádraig, meaning "son of the servant of Patrick.”
- Garvin - A shorter form of the Gaelic Ó’Gairbhín, meaning “descendant of Gairbhín.”
- Howell - Means “eminent”; given to “the son of Hoel.”
- Hughes - Given to a “son of Hugh”; derives from the Old French "Hugh," meaning "mind" or "intellect.”
- Hutchinson - Means "son of Huchin" or "son of Little Hugh”; a medieval diminutive of Hugh .
- Jefferson - Means "son of Jeffrey" or "son of peace” in Old English.
- Morrison - Means "son of Morris" or "son of Maurice" in Scottish.
- Nilsen - Given to a “son of Niels” in Scandinavia.
- Robson - Means “son of Robert” in Old English.
- Simpson - Means "son of Morris" or "son of Maurice" in Old English.
- Tennyson - Refers to a "son of Teni" or "son of Tenny.”
- Willis - Means “son of William or Will” in Old English.

Section 6 of 12:

Medieval Last Names Based on Occupation

Download Article

Find out which surnames describe a person’s job or occupation. Some are easy to figure out, like Cook, Baker, and Wheeler. Others, like Chamberlain, refer to a “chief officer of the household” in French. The German Schlosser is a name for someone who “works at a castle.” ^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Baker - Relates to Bakman, a German occupational name for a “baker.”
- Chamberlain - Given to a steward or manager of a household; also means “chief officer of the household” in Old French.
- Chapman - Based on “céapmann,” meaning “marketman” or “monger.” “Céapan” means “to buy or sell,” while “ceap” means “barter.”
- Cook - Taken from the Old English “coc” and Latin “cocus,” both referring to the occupation of a “cook.”
- Coulthard - An English and Scottish occupational name for someone in charge of horses.
- Fischer - The name given to a “fisherman,” based on “fiscere,” meaning “to catch fish.”
- Jaeger - Taken from the Middle German “jeger(e),” meaning “hunter.”
- Jasper - Comes from the French Gaspard, from “gaspar,” meaning “bringer of treasure”; given to a treasurer.
- Lister - An occupational surname for a “dyer of fabrics,” from the Old English “lystare.”
- Lovell - Linked to the French Louvel, a nickname for a small man.
- Sawyer - An English occupational surname for a “woodcutter.”
- Schlosser - A German name given to those who “work at a castle.”
- Stoddard - A variation of the English Stothard, given to “a keeper of cattle or horses.”
- Wainwright - Derives from the Old English “waegnwyrhta,” meaning “wagon builder.”
- Wheeler - Given to a “maker of wheels”; composed of the Old English “hweogol,” meaning “wheel.”

Section 7 of 12:

Medieval Last Names Based on Geography

Download Article

Celebrate last names that are tied to a specific place or location. Geographically-based medieval names may be linked to the old name of a town or region, like Barlow or Beckett. Others, like Strome, were given to someone “living near a river or stream.” Lyndon is probably the most famous here, referring to a “place where lime trees grow.” ^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Alder - Alder refers to a particular location: “at the alder tree.” It can appear as Alter in Germany, where it’s based on “althērre,” meaning “(respected) older gentleman.”
- Ashdown - Means “dweller on ash-tree hill” in Old English.
- Barlow - Associated with the town of Barlow, near Manchester; composed of the Old English “bere,” meaning “barley,” and “hlāw,” meaning “hill.”
- Beasley - Means “bent grass” and “woodland clearing”; refers to a person from Beasley or Beazley in England.
- Beauchamp - Refers to several places in France; arrived in England with the Norman Conquest in 1066.
- Beckett - Means “bee cottage”; refers to places called Beckett in Berkshire and Devon in England.
- Borden - Composed of the Old English “bor,” meaning “hill,” and “denu,” meaning “valley”; linked to Burdon.
- Brawley - Means “dweller on the broad meadow.”
- Chilton - The name of a town in Suffolk dating back to the Iron Age.
- Devereaux - Given to someone “from Évreux,” in Normandy, France.
- Fleming - Used in the 12th century for someone “from Flanders,” in Belgium.
- Lyndon - Given to a resident at “the hill of Linden trees; it means “lime tree hill” in Old English.
- Strome - Taken from the Swedish Ström, meaning “current”; given to someone living near “a river or a stream,”
- Villanueva - means “one who came from Villanueva,” the name of multiple places in Spain.
- Weston - An English place name from the Old English “west,” meaning “western,” and “tūn,” meaning “farmstead settlement.”

Section 8 of 12:

Descriptive Medieval Last Names

Download Article

Explore last names given to people based on their traits. Surnames rooted in nicknames may refer to their physicality, like Lange does for “tall” people. Others describe hair color, like Fairfax for “blondes” or Duff for “dark-haired” people. Some last names are used for personality traits, like Bellamy, meaning “fair friend” in French. ^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Bassett - Means “dwarf” or “low man” in French; It may have referred to someone of short stature.
- Bayard - Means “reckless” in French; made up of the Old French “baiard,” meaning “foolhardy.”
- Bellamy - Comes from the Old French “bel,” meaning “fair,” and “amy,” meaning “friend.”
- Blase - A French nickname for a “firebrand.”
- Blundell - An English last name for someone who was “blond.”
- Browne - A nickname given to someone with “brown hair” or “dark skinned.”
- Duff - Taken from the Gaelic “dubh,” meaning “dark” or “black”; a nickname for a dark-haired person.
- Fairfax - Means “fair-haired” in Old English.
- Higgins - Taken from "Hick," a medieval pet name for Richard.
- Lange - A nickname for anyone “tall” or “long.”
- Midsumer - Refers to a person born during the summer season.
- Payne - An English surname given to someone whose baptism was delayed.
- Pellegrino - Means “pilgrim” in Italian for someone who went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
- Rankin - Comes from "Ran," a medieval diminutive of Randolph.
- Reed - Linked to the Old English “read,” meaning “red-haired.”

Section 9 of 12:

Royal Medieval Last Names

Download Article

Discover just how many names are associated with royal families. There is no shortage of names associated with nobility and ruling clans dating back to the Middle Ages. Some include French royals like Bourbon, Orleans, and Anjou. Some famous English royal names, like Tudor, King, and York, are well-known for their history in the British Isles. ^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Amaury - A French interpretation of the Germanic Amalric. It dates back to the Old European Gothic tribe called Amali and also means “ruler.”
- Anjou - Linked to Angevin, and the Plantagenet royal family that ruled England for over 300 years
- Bourbon - Associated with the French royal House of Bourbon, who ruled from 1589 to 1792 and from 1814 to 1848.
- Courteney - Associated with Courtenay and the noble House of Courtenay in medieval France and England
- Gilbert - Means “famous pledge” in German; known through Richard FitzGilbert, a Norman lord who traveled with William the Conqueror in 1066.
- Godwin - Made up of the Old English “god,” meaning “good,” and “wine,” meaning “friend”; known for Godwin, Earl of Wessex.
- Habsburg - Comes from Habichtsburg, meaning "hawk's castle"; The Habsburg family ruled Austria from the 13th century through 1918.
- Kaiser - The German title for a “king” or “ruler.”
- King - Derives from the Old English “cyning,” meaning “tribal leader.”
- Medici - Derived from the Italian “medico,” meaning “physician”; the Medici family ruled Florence from 1434 to 1737.
- Orleans - Linked to the city of Orléans in Loiret, France; the family ruled from 1830 to 1848.
- Navarre - Associated with Navarre, an area in northern Spain; the ruling family of Navarre dates back to the 15th century.
- Savoy - A feudal royal family that ruled the southwestern region of France as early as the 11th century.
- Tudor - Originally a Welsh given name relating to the Celtic Toutorīx, meaning “people” and “king.”
- York - Means “yew tree place” in Old English; the York family ruled England during the Wars of the Roses, from 1461 to 1485.

Section 10 of 12:

Warrior Medieval Last Names

Download Article

Get excited about names that are rooted in warriors and battles. The following names often have meanings associated with heroes, like Gervaise, meaning “serving with one’s spear,” or Everhard, meaning “brave as a wild boar.” Some are funny surnames that just have cool, strange definitions, like Kilgore, named for an area with a “church of goats.”
- Armstrong - Given to someone known for their physical strength, or one with “powerful arms.”
- Axton - Means “stone of axes” in Old English.
- Caldwell - Means “cold well” in Old English to describe someone “stoic” or “unyielding.”
- Cromwell - Means “crooked well” in Old English.
- Dragomir - A noble Slavic last name meaning “precious and peaceful.”
- Everard - Means “brave as a wild boar” in German. ^{[8]
  X
  Research source}
- Falkenwrath - Means “falcon’s counsel” in German.
- Gauthier - Based on the French given name Gauldheri, meaning “army ruler.”
- Gervaise - Taken from the French Gervais and the German “gervas,” meaning “serving with one’s spear.”
- Hidalgo - Dates back to the 12th century as “fidalgus,” or “hijo de algo,” meaning “son of something”; given to noblemen.
- Hildebrand - Means “battle sword” in German; linked to the Old Norse Hildibrandr.
- Kilgore - A place name meaning “church of goats,” where a church was once dedicated to goats.
- Lockwood - Means “enclosed wood” in Old English.
- Ragnarok - A Norse surname that describes the mythological end of the world.
- Squire - Derives from “esquire” and the Old French “escuier,” meaning “shield bearer.”

Section 11 of 12:

Famous Medieval Last Names

Download Article

Decide on names that were famous then, and now. Some of these names are associated with famous figures or characters, like Faust, Kipling, or Wilde. Some are linked to the British royal family and their titles, such as Cambridge, Middleton, and Windsor. You can even find names like Pendragon, taken from the legend of King Arthur. ^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Cambridge - Linked to Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.
- Faust - Taken from the Middle German “fūst,” meaning “fist”; also linked to the Latin Faustus, meaning “lucky.”
- Ferdinand - The last name of the King of the Netherlands.
- Ferrari - The Italian equivalent of the British Smith, meaning “worker in metals.”
- Kipling - used for someone “of Kiplin,” in Yorkshire, England; known for Rudyard Kipling, a 19th-century novelist known for The Jungle Book .
- Knight - Refers to a “man-at-arms” or “a military follower.”
- Middleton - The middle name of Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge; means “middle settlement.”
- Pendragon - Associated with King Arthur, a hero character in English medieval literature.
- Rolland - Based on the German “hrod,” meaning “renown,” and “land,” meaning “territory”; the name for one of Charlemagne’s warriors.
- Stark - Based on the Old English “strearc,” meaning “severe,” “strong,” and “unyielding.”
- Townsend - Represents a place located at a “town’s end” or the edges of a village.
- Valentine - Comes from the Latin Valentinus, meaning strong or healthy.
- Wallace - Linked with the Old French “waleis,” meaning “Welshman”; known for William Wallace.
- Wilde - Originated in German Bavaria, meaning “wild” and “out of control.”
- Windsor - Made up of the Old English "windles,” meaning “windlass,” and "ōra,” meaning “bank”; the surname for the British royal family.

Section 12 of 12:

How to Generate Your Own Medieval Last Names

Download Article

Craft your own unique medieval name using a name generator. If you are looking to create a name that sounds like it came from the Middle Ages for a video game name, a fantasy last name for a character, or a drow name for DnD role-play, try some medieval last name generators to get started:
- Dwarven name generator
- Paladin name generator
- Dragon name generator
- Kingdom name generator
- You can also find the origin of your last name !

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

Log in

165+ Medieval Last Names and Surnames From England & Europe

Last Names from Medieval Times

Steps

Popular Medieval Last Names

Unique Medieval Last Names

Cool Medieval Last Names

Ancient Medieval Last Names

Medieval Last Names Based on Heritage

Medieval Last Names Based on Occupation

Medieval Last Names Based on Geography

Descriptive Medieval Last Names

Royal Medieval Last Names

Warrior Medieval Last Names

Famous Medieval Last Names

How to Generate Your Own Medieval Last Names

Expert Q&A

Tips

You Might Also Like

References

About This Article

Did this article help you?

Quizzes

You Might Also Like

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Featured Articles

Featured Articles

Watch Articles

Trending Articles

Quizzes

Explore Categories