Surnames starting with E

A surname from the pet form of the medieval given name Ede or Edie, ultimately meaning “the son of Ede.”

An English surname meaning “son of Ede,” with Ede/Eady ultimately coming from an old personal name related to wealth or prosperity.

A surname that may be a spelling variant of Eades/Eds, often linked to the name Ed or to a place-name element meaning a river or valley side.

A surname usually from a pet form of a baptismal name, especially Edie/Eddie, rather than from a place or occupation.

An Irish surname usually treated as a variant of Egan, ultimately from a Gaelic personal name meaning “small fiery one” or similar.

A surname from the bird name “eagle,” often first used for someone at a sign of the Eagle or for a person thought to be lofty, bold, or “soaring.”

A surname most likely connected with the Irish name Egan, with later spelling shapes like Eakin and Eakins.

A surname most likely from the place-name Ely, though some old sources also link it to similar-sounding local names.

A German surname ultimately from a personal name meaning “honor-brave” or “noble-brave.”

A surname from the Old English word for a nobleman, originally meaning a man of rank, leadership, or high standing.

Usually an English surname from the title *earl*, originally a nickname or occupational-style label for someone associated with an earl.

A surname most often taken from a place-name, especially Earley in Berkshire, rather than from the adjective “early.”

A surname that likely began as a nickname or status-based name connected with an earl, the noble rank.

An English surname that likely began as a place-name, especially from a liberty in Sonning, Berkshire.

A surname that usually began as a nickname for someone known as serious, sincere, or steadfast.

An old English surname probably from a byname meaning “swarthy” or “dark,” though its exact origin has been debated.

Easley is most likely a surname that began as a place-name form, probably meaning someone from an eastern place or settlement.

A surname most likely from Easton, meaning someone from an eastern settlement or place.

A topographic or directional surname for someone who lived to the east of a place, or came from the eastern part of a district.

A surname with several possible roots, most likely linked to the Easter season or to a place-name in Essex.

An English surname meaning “person from the east,” especially a Hanseatic or German trader in older usage.

An English surname with debated origins, probably from an old personal name like Estmund/Eastmund or, less likely, from an eastern ethnic label such as Easterling.

A habitational surname meaning “someone from Easton” or a place-name based on “east town/settlement.”

A habitational surname for someone who lived by, or came from, an east wood or from one of several places called Eastwood.

A common English surname meaning someone from an Eaton—literally a settlement by a river meadow or island, depending on the place-name.

Usually a locational surname from places called Eaves, especially in Lancashire and nearby counties.

A German surname that likely began as a short form of a personal name such as Ebo or Eberhard.

A German surname from a personal name meaning “strong boar” or “brave as a wild boar.”

A Germanic surname meaning “boar-hard” or “strong as a boar,” built from ancient elements for “boar” and “hardy, strong.”

A German surname that likely began as a diminutive or familiar form of a name built on Eber-, often linked to the personal name Eberhard or the word for “boar.”

A surname of German origin, likely a shortened or altered form of a name built on the old personal name Eber- meaning “boar.”

A surname of likely Germanic origin, probably built from the name of an animal or a place-name element, though the exact source is uncertain.

A German surname that usually comes from a short form of the old name Eberhard, meaning roughly “boar-brave.”

A German surname for someone who lived on a plain or level piece of land.

A surname of Germanic origin, most likely a short form related to names like Ebi or Eberhard.

A Basque surname built from a place-name element, likely meaning “new farm” or “new settlement.”

A Basque surname built from words for a farmhouse, often pointing to someone from or near a particular homestead.

A Basque surname from a place-name meaning “new farm” or “new house.”

A surname usually understood as a variant of Eccles, meaning someone from or near a church or ecclesiastical place.

A short German surname that likely began as a clipped old personal name or nickname, though some sources also treat it as a reshaped form of a biblical name.

A German surname usually linked to a place by an edge, corner, or steep slope.

A German surname usually tracing back to the old name Eckhard, meaning “strong edge” or “hard as a sword edge.”

A German surname from a strong Old High German personal name meaning roughly “hardy spear” or “firm strength.”

A surname of Germanic form, likely built from a personal name or an occupational byname ending in -man.

A German surname meaning “corner stone,” originally a topographic name or house-name for someone living by a stone corner or landmark.

A surname most likely formed as a patronymic or possessive from the given name Eddie/Edda, meaning “descendant or family of Edd.”

A habitational surname meaning “from Eddington,” originally used for someone who came from a place of that name.

A patronymic surname likely meaning “son or descendant of Edd,” originally from a short form of a personal name.

Usually a nickname from Edward, though some early English forms may also reflect a pet form of Edith or Edie.

A surname meaning “noble man,” originally a status term or nickname for someone of gentle rank or refined bearing.

A surname most likely taken from place-names in Durham, England, though it also evokes the biblical garden name.

An English surname that may be a patronymic or a spelling variant tied to the given names Ede, Ida, or Eden.

A German and Austrian surname often linked to someone who lived near an Ede/Öde, meaning a barren or uncultivated place.

A medieval surname from the old Anglo-Saxon personal name Eadgar, meaning “wealth” or “prosperity” plus “spear.”

A topographic surname for someone who lived at the edge, boundary, or margin of a place.

A place-based surname, likely meaning someone from or near Egerton or a similar settlement name.

A German surname, likely built from a place name or from a personal name with the German suffix -inger, meaning someone from or connected with a particular place or family line.

Likely a patronymic surname meaning “son of Ede” or “son of Ed,” with Ed- names often tied to Edith, Eda, or Edward.

A Scottish surname most likely tied to the old place-name Ednam, later reshaped through dialect and spelling changes.

A surname from the old personal name Edmund, meaning “prosperity protector” or “wealthy guardian.”

A patronymic surname meaning “son of Edmund,” with some medieval English and Norman forms linked to the name Edmund.

A patronymic surname meaning “son of Edmund.”

A patronymic surname meaning “son of Edmund.”

A surname meaning “son of Edmund,” ultimately from an old given name meaning “prosperous protector.”

An English surname often understood as a shortened form of Edwardson, though some 19th-century writers also connected it with the old element meaning “earth.”

A surname taken from the old personal name Edward, meaning “wealthy guardian.”

A common surname meaning “son of Edward,” especially widespread in Wales and English-speaking regions.

An Irish surname from a Gaelic personal name linked to the idea of strength or fire, and also associated with descendants of Eochán/Owen.

A surname from an old personal name meaning “famous” or “bright,” ultimately of early Germanic origin.

A surname most often from the German short form of old compound names like Eckhart, though in some places it can also point to a person from a place called Egg.

A German and Dutch surname that likely developed as a shortened form of old personal names such as Eckhart or similar names beginning with Eck-.

A German surname from an old personal name built on the element meaning “spear” or “edge,” often understood as “strong with the spear.”

A habitational surname from places called Eggleston, most famously in County Durham, though some examples may be simplified forms of Eccleston.

A northern German surname most likely meaning “son of Ehler,” from an old personal name built on a shortened form of names beginning with Agil- or Eil-.

A German surname meaning “honest” or “upright,” formed from the old word for honor and integrity.

A German surname meaning someone from a place marked by oaks, or from a farm near an oak grove.

A German surname usually meaning “one from the oak place” or “dweller by an oak wood.”

A surname most likely from a Norse word for an oath, or from place-names built on that root.

An English-language surname that likely began as a patronymic form meaning “son of Eid” or a variant of a similar personal name.

A surname built from the word for a landform or island, likely used for someone living on an island or in a meadow-like place name.

A Germanic surname most likely descended from an old personal name, originally meaning something like “noble army warrior.”

A North German surname that likely began as a patronymic from a short form of a personal name such as Eilert or Eilhard.

A German surname from the word for “iron,” often tied to ironworking or a strong, iron-like nickname.

A German surname meaning “iron mountain,” usually from a place name or topographic feature.

A surname often linked in German-speaking areas to place-name forms, especially in Silesia and Upper Lusatia.

A Scandinavian surname meaning “oak grove” or “oak hill,” formed from natural features.

A Scandinavian surname meaning “island stream” or “river by an island.”

A surname most likely taken from a place-name, with an old English link to Elliam or Elham in Kent.

A surname most likely derived from the personal name Albert, especially in Flemish and German usage.

Usually a surname for someone who lived by an elder tree or elderberry, though it can also reflect the word for an elder or senior person.

An old English name that began as a personal name, ultimately meaning something like 'old counsel' or 'wise elder.'

A surname that most likely developed as a variant of Eldridge, meaning “son of Alderich” or related to the old personal name Alderic.

An English surname with several proposed roots, most often linked to a medieval form of Aldrich or to a word meaning eerie or ghostly.

A surname most likely related to Ely, often treated as a variant spelling with English regional roots.

A surname with several likely roots, most often linked to the biblical name Elijah/Elias or to the Italian form of Elias.

A surname from the biblical personal name Elias, meaning “the Lord is my God.”

A patronymic surname meaning “son of Elias,” ultimately tied to the biblical name Elijah.

A Basque surname meaning “church house” or “house by the church.”

A Basque habitational surname meaning “by the church” or “church place,” from a common place-name element.

A surname most likely from a medieval diminutive or nickname based on the old personal names Ella or Elias.

An English surname that usually means “son or descendant of Ellis,” with Ellis itself coming from the medieval form of Elias/Elijah.

An English surname most likely developed as a nickname or dialect form related to “ledge” or “edge.”

A surname that most likely began as a place-name, especially for someone living by alders or a spot called Eller.

A Scandinavian-style patronymic surname meaning “son of Elling.”

A surname most likely taken from one of several English places called Ellington, meaning a settlement associated with a person named Ella or similar.

A surname with more than one likely root, but often treated as a form of Elliot or Elliott, itself linked to medieval forms of Elijah/Elias or to place-name origin in some Scottish families.

A widespread surname with several possible roots, often linked to a medieval pet form of Elias/Elijah, though in Scotland it is also associated with the Border family and the place-name Eliot near Dundee.

A very common surname with several possible roots, including Welsh patronymic, English-from-Given-Name, and sometimes descriptive or occupational origins.

Usually a patronymic surname meaning “son of Ellis,” ultimately from a medieval form of Elijah/Elie or a related Christian personal name.

A surname most often interpreted as a local or place-based name built from the older personal name Aylward/Ellward plus a settlement term.

An old English surname probably reduced from Aylmer, later also linked by folk etymology to the elm tree in some records.

A habitational surname meaning “from Elmore,” especially the place in Gloucestershire.

A surname of uncertain origin, possibly once a nickname or occupational reference, but the historical evidence is too thin to be sure.

A locational surname meaning “from Elston,” originally taken from several English places by that name.

A habitational surname from a place-name, most likely meaning “El’s farm or settlement.”

A surname most likely from a place-name, probably meaning someone from or near a “well” place, though the exact source is not certain.

A surname that may be either a shortened form of an old personal name like Aylward/Æthelwald or a locational name tied to a place called Elwood.

Usually a locational surname from Ely in Cambridgeshire, taking its name from the river-and-island landscape of the city.

A surname from the biblical given name Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us,” often used by Jewish families and, later, by some Christian families too.

A surname that likely began as a pet form of Emery, with an intrusive B added in later spelling.

A surname of uncertain origin, probably from an old personal name rather than a place or occupation.

A surname of Germanic origin, ultimately from an old personal name meaning “ever-rich” or “ruler with prosperity.”

A surname that most likely means “son of Emery” or “son of Emmer,” with older sources sometimes giving it as a personal-name patronymic.

A surname that began as a form of the old personal name Almeric/Emery, meaning something like “home-ruler” or “industrious ruler.”

A surname of old Germanic origin, likely from a personal name built on a root meaning “strength” or “honor.”

A surname usually explained as coming from the medieval pet name Em, short for Emma.

A surname that likely began as a patronymic form of Emm, Emmot, or Emma, meaning “son of Em” or “son of Emma.”

A surname that usually began as a variant of Emery, itself ultimately from an old Germanic personal name meaning “work-ruler” or “brave power.”

A Spanish surname from a religious name meaning “the Incarnation,” referring to the doctrine of Christ’s becoming human.

A Spanish surname meaning “oaks,” originally a plural form tied to the oak tree.

A Spanish surname likely taken from a place name, ultimately linked to a landscape feature or locality called Enciso.

A surname that likely began as a German pet form of Andreas, meaning “Andrew’s son” or “descendant of Andrew.”

A surname from a place-name meaning “cottage at the end” or “border cottage.”

A German surname usually understood as a form of Andreas, i.e. “son or descendant of Andrew.”

An English surname with a very uncertain origin, sometimes explained as an old nickname for a nimble or versatile person.

A surname with several overlapping roots, most often from German Engel meaning “angel,” though in older scholarship it can also be linked to the Angles or to nickname-like forms.

A German surname meaning “angel-brave” or “angel-strong,” built from a common German given-name element plus a word for hard or brave.

A surname for someone linked to England, most likely originally used for an Englishman abroad or from a place called England.

A surname that likely grew from the old name for the Angles, the Germanic people from whom the English took their name.

A German surname that most often began as a short form of older personal names built with the element meaning “Anglo-Saxon” or “English.”

A German surname that likely grew from a short form of old given names like Engelhard or other names ending in -hart/-hard.

A surname that originally identified someone as English by nationality or origin.

A Scandinavian surname meaning “by the river/island stream,” from a place-name element plus a word for a stream.

A surname with two main roots: in Ireland it is commonly a shortened form of Mac Gennis, while in Scotland and elsewhere it can come from a place-name meaning “island.”

A biblical surname and given-name surname meaning “dedicated” or “disciplined,” taken from the name Enoch in the Hebrew Bible.

A biblical surname from the Hebrew name Enosh, meaning “mortal” or “frail man.”

An Irish surname, often treated as a phonetic or Anglicized form of an older Irish name rather than a literal English -wright compound.

A Spanish surname meaning “son of Enrique” or “belonging to Enrique,” with Enrique being the Spanish form of Henry.

A surname that most likely began as a place-based name, probably from an English locality or field name now lost or altered in spelling.

A surname most likely from a German place-name or a short altered form of an older European family name.

An English and Scottish-style patronymic surname meaning “son of Epp,” with Epp probably a short form of Ebbe or a related medieval personal name.

A surname that likely began as a short form of a medieval personal name, later fixed in its possessive/genitive form.

A German surname likely meaning “Eppo’s stone” or “Eppo’s castle,” built from a personal name plus the word for stone.

A Spanish surname most likely tied to a place-name or regional family origin.

A short German surname usually linked to a word meaning “inheritance” or, in some cases, a name built from an old Germanic personal name.

A German surname meaning “man of the earth” or “earth man,” often understood as a nickname or occupational-style name tied to land or farming.

A German surname meaning “earth man,” likely originally describing someone connected with the land.

A patronymic surname meaning “son of Eric,” with strong Scandinavian roots.

A patronymic surname meaning "son of Eric."

A Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning “son of Erik.”

A surname and given name from a Germanic word for “earnest,” “serious,” or “resolute.”

A German and Dutch surname from a word meaning “earnest,” “serious,” or “zealous.”

A Scottish surname taken from the lands of Erskine in Renfrewshire, near the River Clyde.

A surname generally understood as a spelling variant of Irvin/Irwin, ultimately tied to an old Germanic personal name meaning something like “green,” “fresh,” or possibly “army-friend,” depending on the line of explanation.

A surname with more than one origin: in English and Scottish usage it can be tied to an old Germanic name, while some Irish bearers may come from Gaelic forms later anglicized as Erwin or Irwin.

A Spanish surname from the place name Escalante, ultimately linked to the idea of climbing or rising by steps.

A Spanish surname from the word for a staircase or ladder, originally a topographic or house-name nickname.

A Spanish surname most likely tied to place-name or descriptive roots, with a meaning that has been variously explained in older sources.

A Spanish surname originally referring to a place where broom shrubs grew in abundance.

A Spanish surname probably tied to broom shrubs or brushy places, and perhaps to the place-name Escobedo in northern Spain.

A surname meaning “the Scotsman” or “Scottish person,” used in Spanish for someone from Scotland or of Scottish descent.

A Spanish surname meaning “shield-bearer” or “squire,” originally a term for a noble attendant in medieval warfare and court life.

A northern English surname from a place-name or from a residence by an ash tree.

An English surname probably from a nickname or place-name form related to Old Norse or Middle English roots, later established in the southern United States.

A locational surname most likely referring to someone from a place called Eskridge or from a ridge near an ash tree or river bend.

A Spanish surname most likely tied to a place name or a word for open space, though the older sources here are only incidental mentions.

A surname for someone from Spain, literally “the Spanish one.”

A Spanish surname meaning “of the thorny place” or “belonging to the spine/thorn.”

A Spanish surname from the word for a thorn bush or hawthorn.

A Spanish surname usually meaning “thorny place” or “place covered with brambles.”

A Spanish surname meaning “thornbush” or “hawthorn place,” often tied to someone who lived near such plants or a spiny landscape.

A surname drawn from the Spanish word for “spirit,” often linked in full form to the religious name Espiritu Santo (“Holy Spirit”).

A Spanish surname probably tied to a place name, especially in the Iberian or possibly Latin American tradition.

A classic Italian surname that originally meant a child who had been left exposed or abandoned.

A likely Spanish surname, most probably tied to a place name or local landmark.

A likely Basque surname, probably a place-based name tied to a local landscape feature or settlement name.

A Spanish surname most likely taken from a place name, and now especially common in the Spanish-speaking world and the U.S.

A German surname that can point to someone from Essen or, in some traditions, to a person associated with eating.

A surname taken from the English county of Essex, originally meaning a person from the East Saxons’ land.

A Spanish surname from the given name Esteban, ultimately from Greek Stephenos, meaning “crown” or “garland.”

A surname of uncertain origin, most likely a spelling variant of names like Eastman or a shortened form of a place-based English surname.

A surname of uncertain origin, most likely a short form or altered spelling of older European names that began with Est- or Este-.

A Portuguese and Galician surname meaning “son of Esteve/Stephen,” ultimately from the Greek name for “crown” or “garland.”

A Spanish surname meaning “son of Esteve,” ultimately from the given name Stephen.

A Spanish surname meaning “road” or “street,” originally used for someone who lived by a road or from a place called Estrada.

A Spanish surname from the word for “star,” likely first used as a nickname or devotional name.

A surname most likely from a place name, probably meaning someone from an old English locality whose name has since disappeared or shifted in form.

A surname most likely meaning “one who lived at or near a ridge,” with some forms showing the old prefix At- or atte- fused into the name.

A name with several possible roots, most likely from Germanic surname patterns rather than a single clear meaning.

A surname most likely built from the old word for a yew tree or yew tree-bank place-name.

A surname originally meaning someone who lived by, or came from, an 'yew bank' or hillside with yew trees.

A surname taken from the given name Eugene, ultimately meaning “nobly born.”

A surname drawn from the Christian word for “gospel bearer” or “evangelist,” often first used as a devotional or descriptive name.

A classic Welsh patronymic meaning “son of Evan,” with Evan itself corresponding to John in Welsh usage.

A surname most likely meaning “son of Evan,” with Evan being a Welsh form of John.

A surname that began as a form of Everard, ultimately from an old word for “boar.”

A form of Everett, ultimately from an old personal name meaning “wild boar brave” or “brave as a boar.”

A surname from the old Germanic personal name Eberhard, meaning “boar-brave” or “strong as a boar.”

A surname from the medieval personal name Everard, meaning “always brave” or “ever strong.”

A surname that can be English and local, or in America sometimes a changed form of the German name Eberle.

A surname with two likely roots: either from a place name in England or from an older Germanic word for “boar.”

An English surname probably built from a medieval personal name plus a descriptive or place-name element, though its exact origin is uncertain.

Usually a patronymic surname meaning “son of Ever” or “son of Every,” with some historical confusion from related forms like Everard and Eyre-based names.

A surname from an old Germanic personal name meaning roughly “lawful power” or “strong ruler.”

Usually a locational surname from places called Ewell, originally meaning a spring or well.

A surname usually taken from the old personal name Ewan/Ewen, meaning it began as “son of Ewan” rather than from the word “wing.”

An English-language surname of uncertain origin, probably a variant spelling of a longer older name or nickname form.