Surnames starting with L

A short surname that is often tied to French, Vietnamese, or other East and Southeast Asian naming traditions, depending on family origin.

A French surname meaning “the gate” or “the door,” usually a locational name for someone who lived by a town gate or entrance.

An Italian surname meaning “the rock” or “the fortress,” originally a place-based name for someone from a rocky stronghold or settlement.

A French surname meaning “the rock,” usually referring to a rocky place or a house “at the rock.”

A surname meaning “the rose,” often from a place name, house name, or a nickname tied to the flower or a rosy complexion.

A French surname meaning “the hall” or “the manor house,” originally marking someone who lived near such a place.

A Spanish surname meaning “the tower,” originally used for someone who lived by or worked at a tower or fortification.

A French surname meaning “the tower,” usually from a place name or a house or landmark near a tower.

A French-looking surname most likely built from a place-name or descriptive byname beginning with la- and Barge.

A French surname most likely from a form of *l'abbé* or *abbé*, meaning “the abbot” or “priest.”

A French surname meaning “the beautiful” or “the fine one,” often originally a nickname or descriptive byname.

A French surname meaning “the good,” likely first used as a descriptive nickname or as a name formed from a place or sign.

A French habitational surname meaning someone from a farmstead, small rural holding, or outlying homestead.

A surname most often linked to a French-style place-name or nickname form, and especially found in francophone and Caribbean-descended families.

A French surname usually meaning “the box” or “the chest,” likely referring to a container maker, a house sign, or a place by a storeroom.

A chiefly locational surname, usually traced to Norman de Laci, from a place in Normandy.

A French surname meaning “the chance” or “good luck,” likely first used as a nickname or descriptive byname.

A surname that most likely began as a nickname or occupational name for a servant, attendant, or footman.

A French surname meaning “the valley” or “the hollow,” usually from a place name or a family living by a combe.

A French surname meaning “the court” or “the courtyard,” often originally tied to a farmstead, estate, or manor.

A French surname meaning “the cross,” originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a cross or crossroads.

A surname of Norman origin, most famously tied to the medieval de Laci lords who came to England with the Conquest.

A surname with more than one possible root, including a nickname for a young servant or a Welsh word meaning “destroy.”

A surname most likely from a place-name or local geographic feature, with roots in Germanic-speaking Europe.

A French surname usually understood as a contracted form of a name built on Old French words for a road or way.

An Irish surname usually traced to Gaelic Ó Laifeartaigh, meaning a descendant of Laifeartach.

A French surname meaning “the flame,” likely first used as a nickname or descriptive byname.

A French surname meaning “the flower,” often originally a nickname or ornamental name.

A French surname meaning “the bottom” or “the low ground,” usually referring to a place near the bottom of a slope, valley, or field.

A French surname meaning “the fountain” or “by the spring,” originally pointing to someone who lived near a water source.

A French-derived surname meaning “the fountain” or “the spring,” likely referring to a place near a water source.

A surname meaning “the France one” or “from France,” usually marking a French connection or identity.

A surname most often linked to the Spanish and Portuguese word for a lake or lagoon, or to the place name Lagos.

A Spanish and Latin-derived surname meaning “lagoon,” “pool,” or “stretch of standing water.”

A Spanish surname most likely referring to someone who lived near lakes or marshy waters.

A surname that most likely began as a German place-name or nickname, later carried into English-speaking countries by immigration.

A short surname found in several cultures, most often from southern Chinese names or from Romance-language words in older European records.

A rare surname whose origin is uncertain from the provided evidence, though it may be a short form or regional variant rather than a transparent occupational or place-name.

A surname that can reflect French or Gaelic roots, but in English records it often appears as a spelling variant or shortened form rather than a single clear family-name source.

A Scottish surname that usually began as a nickname for a tall or long person.

A rare surname that may reflect a place name or, in some cases, a descriptive term related to a den or shelter.

A Scottish surname meaning “lord” or “landowner,” often first used as a title or nickname for the head of a household or estate.

A surname from a place by a lake or watercourse, and sometimes from residence near a small stream in western England.

A surname most likely from a place name, originally meaning someone who lived by a lake or at a waterside meadow.

A surname probably from an old personal name, though some early writers linked it to place-names or a regional form of Lake.

A surname most often tied to South Asian usage, commonly carrying the sense of “beloved” or “dear” in some languages.

An Irish surname from Ó Maolalaidh, shortened over time to Lally.

A French surname meaning “the hill” or “the mound,” originally a topographic name.

A surname with several possible origins, most often linked to a short form of personal names or to Chinese and other East Asian surnames.

A surname of uncertain origin, found chiefly in English- and Spanish-speaking contexts and often treated as a locational or nickname-style name.

A surname found in French and Spanish records, probably from a place-name or regional word, though its exact origin is not certain.

A surname that can come from the animal word “lamb,” often as a nickname, house sign, or sometimes from the short form of Lambert.

A common surname from an old Germanic personal name meaning “bright land” or “bright fame,” also sometimes tied to Norman place-names.

A habitational surname taken from Lambeth in London, originally the name of the riverside landing-place there.

A Germanic surname from the medieval given name Lambert, meaning “bright land” or “land-bright.”

A surname most likely built from the Germanic name Lambert, later reshaped in English spelling and pronunciation.

A surname most likely from a word for “lamb,” used as a nickname or shortened form of a longer name.

A surname of Germanic and Dutch background, most likely from a personal name built on the old name element Lambert.

A Scottish Highland clan name, probably meaning “son of Lamond,” with older roots that may ultimately be Norse or Gaelic.

A French surname meaning “the mountain,” originally used for someone who lived by or came from a prominent hill or mountain.

A French surname meaning “the mound” or “the hill,” often referring to a raised piece of ground or a fortified mound.

A French surname built from the word for “love,” originally meaning “the amorous” or “the loving man.”

Lamp is probably a shortened or altered form of Lamb, and may also reflect Lamprey or Lambert in some families.

A surname with several possible roots, most often linked to the German word for a lamp or, in some cases, to a medieval personal name like Lampo.

A surname usually treated as a form of Lambert, ultimately from a Germanic name meaning “land-bright” or “bright land.”

A diminutive surname ultimately from Lamb, often understood as “little Lamb” or a pet-form built from the animal name.

A rare surname most likely built from an older place-name or personal-name form that was later reshaped in English usage.

A rare surname with Celtic and medieval British associations, especially in Scottish and Cornish records.

A locational surname meaning “from Lancaster,” the historic city and county town of Lancashire, England.

A surname from the word for a spear or light cavalry weapon, likely first given to a soldier or to someone associated with such arms.

A surname with several possible roots, most often from a place-name or a word for open ground, and sometimes from a short form of a fuller name.

A surname with more than one possible origin, including a place-name sense tied to land or an old Norman/French locational byname.

A surname usually tied to the German place name Landau, meaning someone from that town or region.

A Spanish-language surname meaning “green land,” likely referring to a place-name or a lush stretch of countryside.

An English surname that can be occupational in Cornwall and Devon, and may also in some cases come from place-name or older personal-name roots.

A Spanish surname likely referring to someone connected with land or a place called Landa.

A surname found in several places, sometimes linked to a Norman French name and sometimes treated as an English/Flemish or Irish variant.

A surname most likely tied to a place-name or to land, especially in French usage.

A surname with several possible origins, including a diminutive of Roland in French and a Scandinavian place-name or patronymic formation.

A surname most likely from the German word for “land,” often associated with Swiss and Pennsylvania German families.

A surname most often explained as coming from a place-name, probably meaning “the enclosed hill or settlement.”

A surname most likely built from a place-name, probably meaning someone from a patch of open land or a settlement by a clearing.

A surname of uncertain origin, probably a place-name or older surname that later spread in English-speaking countries.

A surname with French roots, most often from the old Germanic personal name Landric, though in some places it may also have been influenced by French place-name forms or by Cornish local names.

Usually a topographic surname for someone who lived by a lane or narrow road, though a few families may descend from a Norman de Lone line.

Usually a shortened form of Irish surnames such as Delaney, though in some cases it may also reflect an English place-name origin.

A common surname from a nickname for a tall person, with some families also taking it from place names.

A surname often linked to place-names, especially as a form related to “long” or to church-land names in Gaelic and Cornish areas.

A locational surname meaning someone from a place called Langdon, literally “long hill.”

A surname with two main roots: in German it usually means “tall” or “long,” while in French it can be a shortened form of names meaning “the angel.”

Usually a German surname meaning “the tall one” or “the long one,” and sometimes a name taken from a place called Lang or similar.

A habitational surname meaning “someone from a long ford,” taken from several English place-names.

A habitational surname taken from places called Langham in England.

A habitational surname from places named Langley, meaning “long meadow” or “long clearing.”

A French surname meaning “the Englishman.”

A habitational surname meaning “from the long stone” or, more generally, “from Langston,” a place-name-based English surname.

An English surname most likely shortened from the place-name Lavenham in Suffolk.

A surname with several possible roots, often linked to an old occupation or a French/Norman descriptive nickname.

An English place-name surname meaning “the ford by the lank or long hill.”

A surname of uncertain origin, probably tied either to an old Germanic personal name or to Cornish place-name forms.

A Dutch and English place-name surname meaning someone from low, meadowy land.

A surname with several possible Germanic roots, most often treated as a short form or variant of names built on land or related sounds.

A surname from the Spanish word for a spear or lance, likely first used as a nickname or occupational name.

An uncommon surname that can be mistaken for a short name from several languages, with no single well-established English origin.

A French surname meaning “the stone” or “the rock,” often originally a name for someone who lived by a prominent stone or rocky place.

A French surname meaning “the plant” or, in some dialect explanations, “young vine.”

A French surname meaning “the point,” usually referring to someone who lived by a pointed hill, promontory, or other prominent place.

A surname with multiple possible origins, including a short-form or regional name, and not one single secure derivation.

A surname with several possible origins, most often treated as a Spanish and Portuguese family name, though older sources also connect similar forms to other European name groups.

A surname with a form that looks Hispanic, but whose deeper origin is unclear from the historical sources given.

A nickname surname for a big or stout person, originally contrasting with the surname Small.

A surname that likely began as a French or English variant of Argent, meaning “silver,” though its exact pathway is not fully certain.

A Spanish surname most likely connected to a place-name, with Lario as an older underlying form.

Usually a nickname from the bird-name “lark,” likely suggesting someone cheerful or musical.

A surname usually understood as a diminutive of Lawrence, meaning “little Lawrence” or “son of Lawrence.”

A surname usually explained as a diminutive or family form of Lawrence, not as a direct reference to the bird.

A surname meaning “the rose,” likely from a decorative or plant-based French name.

An American surname of unclear origin, with forms suggesting a place-name or possibly a French-influenced spelling.

A short form of Lawrence, ultimately from the Latin name Laurentius.

A Scandinavian patronymic meaning “son of Lars,” with Lars itself coming from Laurence.

A patronymic surname meaning “son of Lars,” with Scandinavian roots and strong use in America through immigrant families.

A French surname most likely meaning “one who lives on the main street” or “the street.”

A surname that may come from a nickname or from the word for a whip or lash, though the exact origin is uncertain.

Most likely an English surname connected with a lash, blow, or striking action, though the old sources are not fully certain.

A likely English surname built from a place-name, meaning someone from or near a meadow, clearing, or enclosed place with a similar-sounding local name.

A Polish surname meaning someone from a place called Lasków or Lasko, or, more broadly, from a place associated with linden trees or woods.

A surname most often tied to Slavic place-name or nickname roots, with several possible Eastern European origins.

A surname likely formed as a variant spelling of a longer name such as Leslie, rather than a name with one fixed, certain origin.

A surname most likely built from a personal name or nickname, with a long-established English-language form in the United States.

A surname of uncertain origin, probably a late medieval nickname or spelling variant rather than a distinct old-root name.

An English surname from a place name, most likely referring to someone from Lathom in Lancashire or a related northern settlement.

A surname most likely linked to an old Celtic form meaning “broad” or “wide,” though the historical evidence is thin.

An English habitational surname from a place-name meaning a remote or outlying village, later carried to America in several spelling forms.

An occupational surname from Middle English for a translator or interpreter, especially one who worked between English and Welsh.

A surname with several possible roots, most likely tied to a place name or an old word for a lath or board.

A surname with an uncertain origin, probably tied to a place-name or an old personal-name form rather than a modern word meaning.

A surname with several possible roots, including a Latin word for a translator or an old place-name element in some British and European lines.

A Scottish locational surname taken from the district of Lauderdale in Berwickshire.

A German surname with a few possible roots, most often linked either to a place-name element or to an older personal-name form.

An Irish and Scottish surname that usually comes from an old Gaelic personal name, often linked to the idea of a “Viking” or “sea-faring” ancestor.

A surname built from the Latin name Laureanus, meaning “of laurel” or “crowned with laurel.”

A surname from the given name Laurence, ultimately meaning “from Laurentum” and long associated with the saint’s name.

A French surname from the personal name Laurent, ultimately from Latin Laurentius, meaning “from Laurentum” or linked to laurel.

A northern form of Lawrence, ultimately from the Latin name meaning “crowned with laurel.”

A surname often explained as a shortened German form of Lucas/Luke.

A French surname meaning “the valley,” usually referring to someone who lived in or came from a valley.

A French surname likely formed from a place-name or phrase beginning with "la vallée," meaning "the valley."

An Irish surname that was often used as an Anglicized or Gallicized form of older Gaelic family names.

A surname that most likely began as an occupational name for a washerman or washerwoman, not the flower.

A French surname originally tied to a place name meaning “the alder grove” or “the alders.”

An Irish surname most often treated as a variant of Lowry/Lowrey, with some Irish families distinguished by prefixes like Baun- or Roe-.

A French surname meaning “the vine” or “from the vineyard.”

An Irish surname, usually treated as an anglicized form of an old Gaelic family name.

A surname that is often a variant spelling of Levine, usually tied to the Hebrew name Levi.

A French surname usually referring to someone who lived by a road or route, or sometimes from a place named La Voie.

A name that usually began as a topographic surname for someone who lived by a hill, mound, or low rise.

A surname most likely formed from a place-name or an older compound nickname, with the first element from Middle English or Old English “law” and the second from “horn.”

An Irish surname that is often treated as a spelling variant of Lalor/Lawlor, with roots in an older Gaelic family name.

An English and Irish surname first used as a nickname for someone thought to be wild, unruly, or beyond the law.

An Irish surname usually taken from O'Leathlobhair, a Gaelic name traditionally linked to the idea of a “half-speaker” or hesitant speaker.

A surname that began as a patronymic from the personal name Lawrence, meaning “son of Lawrence.”

A surname most likely from the name Law, often a patronymic or plural family form, and sometimes linked to legal office or status.

A patronymic surname meaning “son of Lawrence.”

A mainly English surname taken from places called Lawton, especially the Cheshire parish now known as Church Lawton.

An English surname that may reflect an occupational byname for a lawyer or a later spelling shaped by intrusive -y- in surnames.

A surname that may come from a lane in the forest or from the word for “lay” or “unclerical,” with some cases also tied to Irish or Scottish surname forms.

A surname that may come from “layman” in the sense of a non-clergyman, though in some cases it may also reflect a form of Lawrence or another older name.

Usually a shortened or variant spelling of Lane, itself often from a lane or roadway name.

A habitational surname meaning “from Layton,” from several English places with names built from Old English elements for a settlement or enclosure.

A surname from a medieval name for a leper or beggar, ultimately tied to the biblical Lazarus.

A surname ultimately from the biblical name Lazarus, meaning “God will help.”

A surname from the biblical name Lazarus, often understood as “God has helped”; in some English families it was also used for a leper or one associated with leprosy.

A Spanish surname that most likely began as a nickname or occupational name from lazo, meaning a loop, noose, or lasso.

A Spanish patronymic surname meaning “son of Lain,” ultimately tied to the medieval name Lain or Laín.

A short surname that can come from several different linguistic traditions, most often a reduced form or particle meaning “the” in names of French, Vietnamese, or other Asian origin.

A surname usually linked to a meadow or to places named from meadowland.

Usually a habitational surname meaning someone who lived by a lake or water meadow, though it can also be confused with Leech in some records.

An English surname that likely began as a nickname or occupational label for a leader, guide, or person who led work or people.

An Irish surname usually understood as an Anglicized form of an old Gaelic family name, with forms like Lahey and Leahey.

A locational surname from Old English words for a meadow, clearing, or woodland glade.

A surname usually taken from place-names in England, especially Leake in Nottinghamshire and other Leake/Leek parishes.

A surname from a word meaning “loyal” or “faithful,” used as a nickname for a trustworthy person.

Usually a locational surname, probably from a Norman place-name rather than the Shakespearean king’s name.

A surname most likely from a dialect word for meadow or pasture, though some bearers may be linked to place-names or the surname Leese.

An English surname that likely began as a spelling variant of an older name such as Lesser or Leyser, rather than from the modern word “leisure.”

An old surname that likely began as a nickname or local name, with possible links to meadowland or an ancient personal name.

An occupational surname for a dealer in leather, or perhaps for someone connected with a leather worker.

Likely from an old personal name, with the -s spelling probably marking “son of Leather/Lethar.”

A rare surname most likely taken from a place-name or natural feature involving a ‘leatherwood’ tree or shrub.

A surname with uncertain roots, most likely an English name that later became established in America in several spelling forms.

A French surname meaning “the handsome” or “the beautiful one.”

A French surname meaning “the white” or “the fair,” originally a descriptive byname.

A French surname meaning “the ox,” originally a nickname or house sign based on the animal.

A surname most often treated as a Spanish or French-style name, probably built from a place-name or older personal name rather than a common occupation.

A French surname meaning “the brown one,” originally a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.

A German surname originally referring to someone who held or worked a fief or leased holding.

A Spanish surname taken from the common word for “lettuce,” likely first used as a nickname or house name.

A French surname most often understood as a spelling variant of Leclerc, shaped by French pronunciation and local spelling habits.

A surname of uncertain origin, probably a later English form built on a personal or place-name beginning with Led-.

A Spanish habitational surname for someone from one of several places called Ledesma, especially the town in Salamanca, Spain.

A rare surname of likely Norman origin, probably preserved in medieval England by an early landholding family.

A Spanish surname most likely tied to a place name, especially the Basque area around Ledesma/Ledezma-type forms.

A surname most likely from a place-name meaning “ford by a clearing or slope,” though its exact origin is not fully certain.

A French nickname surname meaning “the gentle” or “the agreeable.”

A French surname that likely began as a nickname meaning “the duke” or “of the duke,” though some early etymologies are uncertain.

A widespread surname with several origins, most commonly from a place-name meaning “meadow” or “clearing.”

An English surname that originally meant “healer” or “physician,” from an Old English word for a medical practitioner.

A habitational surname taken from the city of Leeds in Yorkshire.

Usually a habitational surname from places called Leek, especially the town in Staffordshire.

An English surname most likely linked to the old name Lepper, itself related to the skin condition “leprosy” or a nickname for a leper.

A surname usually taken from places named Lee, Lea, or Lees, meaning a clearing or meadow.

A French surname meaning “the blacksmith” or more broadly “the smith,” from an old form of French *fevre*.

A French surname meaning “the smith,” from a word for an ironworker or blacksmith.

A French occupational surname meaning “the smith.”

A surname most likely from a Germanic personal name, probably meaning “descendant of the one of peace.”

A surname most likely formed from a personal name or nickname, probably pointing to a family line that adopted a Germanic-sounding surname in Europe or North America.

A surname taken from Leftwich in Cheshire, England, originally identifying someone who came from that place.

A Filipino surname ultimately tied to the Spanish explorer Legazpi, often seen as a phonetic spelling of that historical name.

A name tied to St. Léger in Normandy, with some older sources also linking it to the idea of a “light, swift” nickname.

An English surname with several possible roots, most often linked to a place-name ending in Old English "ley" or to an old personal name.

An English surname with several proposed roots, most likely a diminutive or variant of an older name or nickname form found especially in Lincolnshire.

A French descriptive surname meaning “the tall” or “the big one.”

A German surname most often meaning “tenant” or “vassal,” though some bearers got it through later spelling changes or variant forms.

German surname meaning a feudal tenant or vassal—literally a “man of the fief.”

A German surname most often linked to the word for “empty” or “bare,” or sometimes treated as a short form of names built on similar roots.

A rare surname that was probably taken from a place-name, though one old source also links it to a medieval surgeon of Edward III.

A surname from the Old English word for a meadow or clearing, often indicating someone who lived near such a place.

A surname from several English place-names called Leighton, meaning a settlement by a leek garden or a clearing.

A surname with likely Spanish-language roots, probably tied to a place name or a regional spelling tradition.

A German habitational surname, likely meaning “someone from Leiningen” or a place with the Lein- name element.

A Scottish surname most likely tied to the word for a healer or physician, though some families are linked to the place-name Leith.

A German surname most often linked to a place by a slope or hillside.

A surname most likely taken from the place-name Leiva in Spain, and later carried to the Americas by Spanish families.

A French surname meaning “the young one,” originally used as a nickname or descriptor.

A surname with likely local roots, often explained as meaning “low land” or tied to a place-name.

A surname of uncertain origin, with older scholarship suggesting it may preserve a short personal name or diminutive form.

A surname that likely began as a variant spelling of Master, sometimes with French-style “Le-” added in later use.

A French surname most often understood as meaning “the May one” or “from May,” with several possible roots in French naming patterns.

A French surname meaning “the better one” or “the one who is best,” from a comparative form of French *mieux* (“better”).

A French surname probably from an old word for a physician or healer.

A North German and Dutch-style diminutive surname, often from a personal name beginning with Lam- or possibly from a related nickname form.

A surname most likely from a place-name or a variant of another older English surname, now best known in the United States.

A surname that most likely began as a form of Leman or Lemon, originally meaning “beloved” or “sweetheart.”

A surname most likely from the personal name Lemmon, itself a pet form of Lambert or a variant of Lemon.

A French surname meaning “the monk,” originally a nickname for someone thought to resemble or live like a monk.

A surname that likely began as a medieval nickname meaning “dear one” or “sweetheart,” though some families may have a separate origin from Leman/Lehman forms.

A surname that most likely began as a spelling variant of Leman or Leeman, originally meaning “beloved one” or “dear friend.”

A surname tied to the Galician place name Lemos, best known through the historic County of Lemos in Spain and Portugal.

A Spanish surname with multiple possible roots, most often linked to a place name or an older personal name.

A surname usually treated as a short form or spelling variant of Leonard, meaning “lion-hearted.”

A German surname built on a medieval personal name meaning “strong as a lion.”

An Irish surname often explained as meaning “lover” or “sweetheart,” though some bearers may come from a related Gaelic form with different spellings.

A Scottish surname taken from the old district around the River Leven in Dumbartonshire.

A French surname meaning “the black one,” from the old descriptive nickname Le Noir.

A surname most likely marking someone born during Lent, the Christian season before Easter.

A German surname most often linked to the word for “spring,” though in some cases it may come from older names or place-names.

A German surname that may come from the season of spring or from short forms of names like Lorenz.

A surname from the Latin word for “lion,” sometimes also used from the medieval personal name Leo.

A surname from the given name Leonard, meaning “brave lion” or “lion-like.”

A surname and given name from the Latin word for “lion,” ultimately meaning “lion-like” or “brave as a lion.”

A surname from the word for “lion,” especially common in Italian and Spanish forms.

A surname of Chinese origin, most often a romanization of a name pronounced roughly “Leung” in Cantonese or related forms in other Chinese languages.

A German surname built from the old personal name Leonhard, meaning “brave as a lion” or “lion-strong.”

A Germanic surname from a personal name meaning “bold leader of the people.”

Leos is likely a Hispanic surname that may have started as a nickname or a shortened form, though the exact origin is not certain from the available evidence.

A French surname meaning “the page” or “the boy/page attendant,” originally a nickname or occupational label.

A rare surname that may have arisen from an old English word for a basket or basket-maker, though the evidence is thin.

An Italian surname most often explained as a nickname or regional form linked to a hare or rabbit.

A German surname usually from the word for “lark,” likely first used as a nickname or house name.

A Spanish surname taken from a place name, most famously the town of Lerma in Burgos, Spain.

A surname most often linked to learning, especially someone connected with scholarship or teaching.

A French surname meaning “the king,” originally a nickname for someone acting in a kingly way or serving a royal household.

A surname most likely linked to a place name or to a German-language occupational or descriptive form that was later Anglicized.

A surname of Slavic origin, most often a patronymic or nickname form built from a personal name like Les or Lesek.

A Scottish surname most often linked to the place-name Leslie in Aberdeenshire, though older tradition tied it to a nobleman said to have come from Hungary.

A French surname meaning someone from a cleared piece of land, or from a place named for such land.

A surname that may come from a word meaning “smaller” or “younger,” though its exact origin is not certain.

A surname most commonly taken from Leicester, the English city, so it originally meant “someone from Leicester.”

An old surname probably from a Livonian or similar foreign name, though some later bearers may also reflect local English or place-name origins.

A common Chinese surname, best known as the Cantonese spelling of several Chinese surnames written with different characters.

An uncommon surname with several possible origins, including a Cornish place-name and foreign-language forms that were later shortened to Levan.

A French surname meaning “the vassal,” originally referring to a feudal tenant owing service to a lord.

A surname most likely from the French *levrette*, meaning a female greyhound, probably first used for a swift-footed person.

A French surname meaning “the bishop,” originally a nickname or byname tied to a bishop-like role or association.

A biblical Hebrew surname meaning “joined” or “attached,” originally the name of Jacob’s third son and the ancestor of the Levites.

A surname with two main origins: in English it can reflect the old given name Leofwine, while among Jewish families it often comes from Levi.

A surname with multiple roots, most often linked to the Hebrew name Levi, meaning “joined” or “attached.”

A surname meaning “son of Levi” or “son of Levin,” especially associated with Jewish family names.

An English surname most likely from the old name Levett, long associated with Sussex and southeastern England.

Usually a surname from the biblical name Levi, though in some families it was also shaped by Jewish naming traditions in continental Europe.

A surname with several possible origins, including a local name for someone who lived by a sheltered place or, less certainly, an old foreign or nickname-based form.

A surname likely built from the old given name Lewis, with an added diminutive or surname-forming ending.

A Polish surname meaning “belonging to Lewand,” usually from a place name or family name based on the given name Lewand/Lewan.

Originally a medieval personal-name surname meaning “dear friend,” from Old English Leofwine.

A common surname from the medieval personal name Lewis, ultimately tied to the wider family of Louis/Llewelyn-style given names.

A surname most often from a meadow or from places named with the Old English word for meadow.

A surname of likely Spanish origin, probably a variant spelling tied to the place-name or surname Leiva.

A Spanish surname most often traced to a place name, especially in Iberia and the Spanish-speaking world.

A Basque surname most likely taken from a place-name, referring to someone from Lezama in the Basque Country.

A surname usually meaning “lion,” though in some cases it may be locational, especially from places named León.

A common Chinese surname with several possible written forms and long historical roots.

A major Chinese surname and given-name element that can mean different things depending on the Chinese character behind it.

A common Chinese surname, most often linked to the ancient state and place name Liao.

Usually a nickname-turned-surname from Elizabeth or Isabella, especially through the pet forms Lib and Libbie.

A rare surname taken from the word for a privileged district or franchise, and sometimes used as a place-name surname.

An Italian surname usually linked to the Sicilian town of Licata, making it a classic locational family name.

A Spanish-language surname most likely tied to a place name, especially in the Hispanic world.

A Scottish surname from the River Liddel on the Anglo-Scottish border.

A Jewish surname built from a German/Yiddish root meaning “dear” or “beloved,” plus the common suffix -man.

A surname with several possible origins, most likely from a place name or a shortened form of a personal name in northern Europe.

A rare surname likely borrowed from a French or Norman word for a place, site, or dwelling.

A surname most likely from a place-name, probably meaning someone from or near a local gate or passageway.

A surname probably connected to old English forms based on “fire” or, more likely, a later family-name development from a shorter name like Legg or Leigh.

An English nickname surname that likely began as a byname for someone light-footed, light in complexion, or simply quick and cheerful.

An English nickname surname for someone known for moving quickly or nimbly on foot.

Lightner is a surname that likely began as a German name linked to light or brightness, though its exact pathway is a little unclear.

A surname of uncertain origin, likely developed as a regional family name in England or France and later carried into America.

A surname usually treated as a spelling or regional form related to Little, ultimately meaning “small.”

A surname most likely from a nickname or an altered form of an older personal name, rather than from a place or trade.

Usually a locational surname, originally meaning someone from Lilley in Hertfordshire or another place called Lilly/Lilley.

A surname that can point to a place-name, the flower lily, or an old personal name like Lilian.

A surname most often linked to the lily flower or to places named Lilley/Lilly in England.

A surname found in several traditions, most often from a place-name in England or from Asian naming customs where Lim is a common family name.

A name that usually points to the Portuguese/Spanish place name Lima, or to families identified with that place.

A surname with more than one possible origin, including a place-name link and, in Spanish usage, association with the lemon tree or fruit.

A surname with multiple possible origins, most often linked to East Asian family names but also appearing in older European surname traditions.

A Spanish surname from several place names called Linares, ultimately linked to flax fields or a boundary line.

A surname taken from the city of Lincoln, England, originally meaning someone from that place.

Usually a surname from a linden or lime tree, with some Scottish local associations as well.

A Swedish surname meaning “linden tree valley” or “linden grove valley,” formed from nature words.

A Scandinavian surname meaning “lime tree hill” or “hill by the linden trees.”

A surname most likely formed from Scandinavian words for a linden tree or a wooded place, with a gentle northern-European feel.

A surname most likely built from the Germanic root for the linden tree, with a possible “man of the linden” sense.

A German surname meaning “lime-tree man,” usually referring to someone who lived by linden trees or came from a place named for them.

A surname usually taken from the linden, or lime tree, often pointing to someone who lived near such a tree or grove.

A surname with several possible roots, most often linked to place-names or the Germanic element lind- meaning “lime tree” or “soft, gentle.”

A surname usually formed from the linden tree or from a place-name built on that tree-name.

A Swedish surname meaning “linden tree branch” or “linden branch,” built from nature words common in Scandinavian family names.

A Scandinavian surname meaning “linden tree islet” or “linden grove island.”

A locational surname from places in Yorkshire, especially the parish of Lindley near Huddersfield.

A German surname meaning “person from the linden tree / linden place,” or in some cases “person from Linden.”

A surname that can point to a Portuguese naturalized name, or in some cases to a Spanish word meaning “handsome” or “neat.”

A Swedish-style surname meaning “linden tree twig/branch,” from a nature word plus a common name-building element.

A surname of place-name origin, most likely from the old English district of Lindsey in Lincolnshire, though some early writers linked it to Essex.

A surname most often taken from a place-name, especially the old district of Lindsey in Lincolnshire.

A Scandinavian surname meaning “lime tree stream” or “linden stream.”

A surname that may have begun as a topographic name for someone who lived near a lime tree or another line-shaped landmark.

A likely English-language surname formed from a place-name or old personal-name element, though its exact origin is uncertain.

An Irish surname usually understood as a form of Lenihan/Linan, linked by older writers to marshland or a place-name element.

A surname that may have arisen from a place name or from an older word for a boundary, bank, or shore.

A surname that may come from a place name, or less certainly from the word for heath or the fish name.

A German-language surname likely referring to someone from or near a place called Lingen or a similar topographic feature.

A surname of uncertain origin, probably a variant spelling or dialect form rather than a long-established occupational name.

A surname most likely from the place-name or nickname family found in forms like Linch, though its exact origin is not fully settled.

A surname that can point to a lake, pool, or waterfall place-name, and in some cases may also be tied to linden trees or Irish/Gaelic forms.

A surname with several possible roots, most likely from the Latin and Romance word for “flax” or “linen,” or from a name based on the personal name Lino.

A habitational surname meaning “from Linton,” a place name found in several parts of Britain.

A surname most likely derived from a place name, probably meaning “the settlement by the lime trees” or “lime-tree town.”

A Polish surname meaning “someone from a place called Lipiny/Lipiń-,” ultimately tied to linden trees.

A German surname from an old personal name meaning roughly “people-bright” or “dear people.”

A surname that is usually local in origin, probably meaning someone from a place called Lipscomb or Liscombe.

A surname found chiefly in Iberian and Latin American contexts, often linked to the Spanish and Portuguese word for the lyre.

A surname with multiple possible roots, including an English place-name link and a likely descriptive sense related to “happy” in older Germanic forms.

A rare surname that may have begun as a nickname or as a reduced form of a fuller name, but its origin is not securely established from the excerpts here.

Usually a surname for a dyer or cloth-worker, though in some cases it may also come from place-name forms or older English religious usage.

Usually a surname from a place-name, especially the parish of Liston in Essex.

A surname taken from the English city of Lichfield, literally linked in older folk etymology to a place-name thought to mean “field of the dead.”

A very common English surname originally used as a nickname for a small person, or sometimes as a contrastive name for someone younger or shorter than another.

A surname most often understood as “little field,” from a place-name or a field with a small size or narrow extent.

A nickname-style surname meaning “little John,” likely first used to distinguish a smaller or younger man named John.

A nickname-based surname from the word for someone small, or from a house or family distinguished by that description.

A habitational surname meaning “from the little town,” or from one of several places called Littleton in England.

A surname taken from places called Litton, meaning someone who came from one of several English settlements of that name.

A surname most likely from a place-name or descriptive nickname, with roots in medieval English naming patterns.

A common Chinese surname, most often written with the character 刘/劉, and also found in other East Asian naming traditions.

A nickname-turned-surname for someone regarded as brisk, cheerful, or full of natural animation.

A surname that likely began as an Anglicized or altered spelling of a German family name, with a meaning now uncertain.

A surname most likely linked to a place-name or a variant of a similar English local surname, though the exact origin is not certain.

A Scottish place-name surname from Livingston in West Lothian, originally meaning “Leving’s town.”

A Basque surname meaning “at the ash tree place” or “place of ash trees.”

A Spanish surname most likely linked to the word for a flame or blaze, and in some cases to place-names with that form.

A surname with Spanish roots, most likely taken from the place name Llanes in Asturias.

A Spanish surname from the word for “plains,” originally used for someone who lived by or came from flat open land.

A Welsh surname from a traditional personal name once borne by princes and nobles.

A classic Welsh surname from the old personal name Llwyd, meaning “grey” or “brown.”

A short surname found in several cultures, most often linked to southern Chinese family names or, in some places, to shortened forms of other names.

A Spanish surname meaning “young wolf” or “wolf cub,” from a nickname based on the wolf.

A surname found in Spanish and Portuguese that usually means “wolf.”

A surname with several possible roots: most often from a hair lock or a nickname, but sometimes linked to a lock, sluice, or place-name.

A Scottish surname tied to the ancient Lockhart/Locard family, with a possible place-name sense from Loch Ard in Scotland.

An English and Scottish surname that may come from a place-name, a stream or dam, or—less certainly—from a nickname linked to Norse myth.

An English surname that was once explained as a shortened form of Lockhart, though that derivation is not certain.

A Scottish surname most often explained as meaning “strong lock” or “hardy, steadfast,” though some early sources linked it to a Norman name form.

An English-language surname of uncertain origin, most likely a local or descriptive name that developed in spelling variants in North America.

A likely locational surname meaning someone who lived by a locked or enclosed ridge, or near a ridge associated with a place-name element like “lock” or “loch.”

A habitational surname from places named for a “locked” or enclosed wood.

A surname usually from a lodge or small cottage, especially one near a forest or estate.

A German occupational surname meaning “spoon-maker.”

A Spanish surname likely tied to a place name or local geographic feature, especially in northern Mexico and the American Southwest.

An English-style surname most likely from a place name or old topographic term for a loft or upper storey.

A surname most likely linked to Loftus, especially the Irish place name or its local family forms.

Lofton is most likely a place-based English surname, originally meaning someone from a loft or high place, or from a local spot named Lofton.

A surname usually from Lofthouse, meaning “the house in the lofts” or a high/upper house, especially in Yorkshire.

A Scottish and Irish surname originally tied to a low, hollow, or meadow-like place.

A surname that likely began as a patronymic or nickname form of a short name such as Logan or Lough.

A English surname probably from a place-name meaning “Long stone,” with the spelling reduced over time from Longstone to Longsdon and then Logsdon.

An Irish surname usually linked to Gaelic names beginning with O’Le- or O’La- and sometimes treated as a shortened anglicized form.

A surname most likely tied to a German place-name or a name built from the old word for “grove” or “wooded land.”

A name that may be a shortened German form of older names such as Lothar or a related personal name.

An English surname probably tied to the parish-name Lomax/Lomas in Lancashire, later spreading widely with that local family name.

An old South Lancashire surname, probably from a now-lost place-name and long pronounced locally as Lomas.

A surname for someone from Lombardy, later also linked to moneylending and Italian merchant communities.

An Italian surname meaning “from Lombardy” or “a Lombard,” originally tied to the northern Italian region and its people.

A surname meaning “from Lombardy” or “the Lombard,” originally tied to the people of northern Italy.

A likely Hispanic surname with roots in a place-name or regional family name, probably from Spanish or Italian usage.

A surname taken from the great city of London, originally used to mean someone from the capital or its surrounding area.

A likely Spanish-language surname associated with the place name London or with an old London-related byname, though its exact lineage is not certain from the available evidence.

An Irish surname, likely from an old Gaelic byname or place-based form that later produced spellings like Londregan and Landregan.

An Irish surname usually linked to a family or place name connected with O'Looney/Looney, though some later English usage may reflect other surnames or forms.

Originally a nickname for a tall person, Long became a common English surname and later spread widely in the English-speaking world.

A northern English surname likely referring to someone who lived by a long marsh or boggy tract of land.

An Italian surname meaning “long,” originally used as a nickname or descriptive byname for a tall or lanky person.

A Spanish surname most likely tied to a place-name, especially one of the many Iberian toponyms built from a descriptive local feature.

A surname that may derive from a French place-name meaning “long field,” though some occurrences may be unrelated or differently explained.

An English surname that is most likely a nickname or a shortened form of a familiar personal name, rather than a word meaning “to look.”

A surname most likely tied to a place-name, with early writers connecting it to a Welsh phrase meaning “the open field.”

An Irish surname, usually from O'Luinigh, meaning a descendant of a name linked with being armed or equipped.

Likely an occupational surname, probably from an old term for a runner or messenger.

A surname with several possible roots, including a place-name, a Dutch/Flemish form, or a name tied to “praise” or even “louse.”

A surname of uncertain origin, most likely a nickname or occupational name built on an older word for a runner or one who leaps.

A Portuguese surname, originally a patronymic meaning “son of Lope.”

A very common Spanish surname originally meaning “son of Lope,” with Lope itself coming from the Latin word for “wolf.”

A rare surname with uncertain roots, probably tied to a personal name or regional spelling tradition rather than a common English occupation.

A surname that likely comes from the female given name Laura/Lora, used as a family name from a personal name tradition.

A surname that likely began as a nickname or status label for someone with lordly authority, manners, or appearance.

A rare surname with uncertain origins, probably arising from an old nickname, place-name, or shortened form of another name.

A Spanish surname usually linked to a place-name, especially the village of Loredo in Cantabria.

A German and Central European surname ultimately from the personal name Laurentius, meaning “from Laurentum” or “of Laurence.”

A German and Danish patronymic surname meaning “son of Lorenz” or “son of Laurence.”

A surname and given name that ultimately comes from the Roman name Laurentius, associated with the ancient Italian town of Laurentum.

Usually a surname taken from Lorraine, the old duchy and region in eastern France.

A surname of uncertain origin, most likely a variant of Losee or a shortened form built on a similar old name base.

A surname with several possible roots, including Old English words for a crafty person, a fortune-teller, or a caster of lots.

A German surname that is often a short form of Ludwig or other older personal names.

A surname of uncertain but likely Germanic or Dutch origin, often treated as a spelling variant of names built on the old name Luke/Lucas or a related regional form.

A surname of uncertain origin, probably a Scottish place-name form that later also appears as a spelling of Loudoun.

An English-style surname that likely began as a nickname or altered place-name based on an older word for “loud.”

A surname that can arise from a place-name or from Irish/Gaelic names built on lough, meaning “lake” or “inlet.”

An Irish surname from an old Gaelic personal name tied to the idea of a Norseman, Viking, or Scandinavian raider.

A surname that usually comes from the French name Louis or Louise, ultimately meaning “famous in battle.”

A surname taken from the French personal name Louis, ultimately meaning “famous warrior.”

A chiefly Italian surname that likely began as a nickname or personal name built from a word for “wolf” or “love,” depending on local medieval usage.

An English surname that may come from an old word for “wolf,” though it was later also associated with the familiar word love.

An English surname that likely began as a cheerful nickname or phrase-name built on “love” + “joy.”

An English surname probably developed from a place-name or personal-name form later reshaped by folk etymology, and often confused with Loveless.

A rare English surname that likely began as a descriptive phrase-name, literally “love lady” or “dear lady.”

An English surname that may come from a place-name with the element *land* and a first element that is either "love" or possibly an old word for "wolf."

An English surname that likely began as a nickname, originally meaning someone “without love” or, more probably, a form altered from Lovelace.

A surname of medieval nickname and pet-form origin, ultimately linked to “wolf” through old French and Latin forms.

A surname that may have begun as a nickname for a pleasant or attractive person, though it may also be locational in origin.

An English surname that may come from a Norman personal name or from a place-name connected with Elmley Lovett.

A surname with two likely roots: it may come from an old personal name meaning “dear/beloved,” or be a nickname for a loving or affectionate person.

A surname with several possible roots, including a topographic meaning “low-lying” and a possible Norman place-name source.

An English surname that appears to be a variant spelling of Lowther, probably from the place-name in Cumbria.

A surname from several sources, most often meaning “lion” from German or “the hill” from Old English.

A surname usually treated as a variant of Lovell, with some older writers also linking it to local English place-names.

A surname with at least two possible roots: in some families it may be a Cornish name, while in others it may go back to a medieval place-name or topographic by-name.

A surname with closely related Irish and English forms, often connected with the names Lowry and Lavery.

A surname most likely describing someone who lived by a low-lying place or hollow.

A surname usually treated as a variant of Lawrence, ultimately from the Roman name Laurentius, meaning “from Laurentum” or linked with laurel.

A spelling of Lowry, a surname with both Scottish nickname and Norman-place-name roots.

A surname with multiple roots: often from Lawrence, but also sometimes from Norman place-names or Scottish Laurie.

A surname of English locational origin, from Lowther in Cumbria, with many historical spelling variants.

A surname that may be a short form of a Hebrew personal name, though some bearers may come from other surname traditions too.

A surname most often connected with Spanish and Basque-language roots, though its exact origin can vary by family line.

An old surname with a few possible origins, including a shortened form of Lloyd and a historical connection to the Gaelic clan name Leod.

A Basque surname, best known from St. Ignatius of Loyola, probably originally tied to a place name in Spain.

A surname most likely tied to the Spanish word for earthenware or glazed pottery, or to a place associated with that craft.

A Spanish surname most likely taken from a place name, originally meaning someone who lived by or came from a raised place or road embankment.

A Spanish surname meaning “graceful,” “handsome,” or “spruce,” originally a nickname for a lively, well-groomed person.

A Spanish surname most likely taken from a place name, ultimately tied to a local geographic feature or settlement.

A Chinese surname that is also found in a few other cultures, usually traced to very short ancient family names or place-based origins.

A rare surname that may be a shortened or adapted form from several different linguistic backgrounds, but its exact origin is unclear.

A surname that likely began as a medieval saint’s name, ultimately tied to an old Germanic root meaning “dear” or “beloved.”

A surname from the given name Luke, ultimately linked to the evangelist and the Latin name Lucas.

A surname that can come from the medieval personal name Lucius or from the older surname Lucy/De Luci.

A Spanish surname meaning “bright star” or “Venus,” originally a poetic nickname for something or someone shining brightly.

A surname that often began as a medieval given name, ultimately tied to the Latin word for “light.”

A Romance-language surname and given-name derivative from the Latin root for “light.”

A surname from the Roman personal name Lucius, ultimately linked to light.

A name that may point to a place in Normandy, Belgium, or Italy, though in some cases it may also be a nickname for “luck” or “good fortune.”

A surname usually explained as a diminutive or family form of Luke, ultimately from the biblical name meaning “light.”

A surname with several possible roots, most likely a variant of Luck or a regional form tied to older names like Lucas or a place-name in Cornwall.

A locational surname taken from Ludlow, the historic market town in Shropshire, England.

A German surname from a Germanic personal name meaning “famous in battle.”

A German surname most likely from a pet form of a personal name such as Ludwig or Liut.

A Spanish-language surname most likely linked to a place name or regional name in the Iberian world, later carried to the Americas.

A surname often tied to the Galician city of Lugo, or to Spanish place-names and derivatives from it.

A surname found in several cultures, especially as a Chinese family name and as an older Gaelic name element in Ireland.

A Spanish and Portuguese surname from the given name Luis, ultimately from the old Germanic name Ludwig, meaning “famous battle.”

A Spanish surname most often linked to the place name Luján in Argentina, and ultimately to a local place-name tradition rather than a descriptive word.

A surname from the biblical name Luke, ultimately from a Latin form meaning “from Lucania” or possibly “light.”

A surname from the given name Luke, ultimately from the Latin name Lucas, meaning “from Lucania” or “light-bringer,” depending on the etymological tradition.

An English surname likely from an old word for a herdsman or watcher of animals.

A surname most often taken from a North English place-word meaning a woody valley or deep pool.

A surname likely formed as a diminutive of Lump or Lamb, though its exact origin is uncertain.

A surname that can mean “of the moon” in Romance languages, and is also tied to Spanish place and noble names.

A surname with multiple origins, most often from Scandinavian place names meaning a grove or small wood.

A Swedish habitational surname meaning “person from the grove hill” or “grove mountain.”

A surname most likely built from Scandinavian place-name elements, often interpreted as meaning someone from a meadow or grove with a “-een/-en” ending in North American form.

A Scandinavian surname meaning “grove branch” or “branch from the grove,” built from nature words that became a family name.

A Scottish surname tied to the Fife place-name Lundin, later borne by a landowning family of that ilk.

A Swedish surname meaning “Lund twig” or “grove branch,” built from a place-name element plus a common -quist ending.

A surname most likely tied to a place-name, especially the island of Lundy off the coast of Devon.

An English surname most likely used as a nickname for someone called “Long.”

Usually a shortened or altered form of Lund, a surname tied to places named Lund in northern England.

A habitational surname from Sussex, originally referring to a place called Lundresford or Lunsford.

A common Chinese surname, most often written Luo in pinyin and tied to several ancient Chinese lineages and place-based origins.

A Vietnamese surname and given-name element often associated with ideas of goodness, virtue, or proper conduct.

A surname from the Latin word for “wolf,” often used as a nickname or as a Latinized family name.

A surname that most likely comes from a place-name, especially the parish of Lusk in County Dublin.

A French surname most likely tied to an old word for a keeper or doorkeeper, though the exact origin is a little uncertain.

A surname that likely began as a nickname or occupation connected with brightness, polish, or shine.

A surname with several possible origins, most likely from a medieval nickname or an older personal name.

A surname most likely tied either to the old Germanic personal name Lothair/Lothar or, in some English cases, to Lowther.

An old Norman surname, probably from a French word for “otter.”

A German surname usually from a short form of names beginning with Liut-, meaning “people” or “folk.”

A surname found especially among Vietnamese families, with the exact root often depending on the family’s original language and spelling history.

Usually a surname from the biblical name Lucas, though the Latin word for “light” has also influenced its spelling and interpretation.

A surname found especially in East and Southeast Asia, often representing a short romanization of a Chinese, Vietnamese, or Khmer family name.

An Irish surname, usually understood as a variant form related to Lydane/Liddane-type names from Gaelic roots.

A surname most likely developed as an English patronymic or nickname form built from a personal name like Luke or a similar short form.

Usually a shortened or altered form of the French place-name de l’Isle, meaning “of the island.”

A surname that likely began as a regional or variant form of Miles, especially in northern English usage.

A surname that likely began as a place-based name from Lyneham/Lympne, later spreading especially in England and early New England.

An Irish surname traditionally linked to the Gaelic de Linsigh family of Galway, later widely spread in Ireland and the English-speaking world.

A surname that often points to the town of Lynn in Norfolk, or more broadly to a place-name origin meaning simply “from Lynn.”

A surname with several origins, including a Scottish noble line and a possible nickname or Welsh patronymic source.

A surname with several roots, most often either a name for someone from Lyon or Lyons in France, or a surname shaped by the lion emblem in Irish and continental traditions.

A spelling variant of Little, originally a nickname for a small person or the younger of two people with the same name.

A French surname probably meaning someone connected with a turner or with a bend/turn in the road.

A German surname that likely began as a nickname or short form, often linked to names like Lucas or to a German word for “luck” or “fortune.”