European history and civilization, in general, are more closely related to the Medieval period (late 5th to 15th centuries). Medieval surnames had a far more valuable meaning attached to them in Medieval England, so they now effectively derive our surnames. Medieval names usually have something in common, and below are some of the most common surnames and their meanings found in Medieval England.
Medieval Last Names and Meanings
These are the most popular medieval family names, arranged alphabetically. Some of you may be interested in noble, fantasy, or royal medieval surnames, so I’ve included these categories at the end of this post.
Medieval Names Start with A
| Anderson – Son of Andrew | Aimar – A famous or noble individual |
| Atkinson/ Atkins – Son of Atkin | Abbey – someone who works in an abbey |
| Abbey – someone that works in an abbey |
Last Names Start with B
| Bryson – Son of Brice | Bennett – A blessed individual |
| Bridge – Someone lives by a bridge | Bigge – A significant and robust individual |
| Bell – An individual that lives near a town bell | Brewster – Someone who works in a brewery |
| Brown– Someone with dark-colored hair | Brown– Someone with dark-colored hair |
| Bonner – kind or courteous | Bauer – peasant |
| Blythe – Happy or joyous | Baker/ Baxter – A bread maker |
Medieval Last Names Start with C
| Cruikshank – One with bent legs | Clarke – teacher, a scholar, or a priest |
| Curtis – An elegant person | Chapman – Shopkeeper |
| Chance – A lucky person | Chandler – A candle maker |
| Cooper – Someone that made wooden buckets | Chamberlain – One that looked after mansions |
| Collier – coal miner |
Last Names Start with D
| Dunn – Someone with dark-colored skin | Dear– One that is loved |
| Daft – Someone with a mild | Dempster – Judge |
| Devine – One that behaved in a divine manner |
Last Names Start with E
| Erickson – Son of Erick | Everett – Brave |
Old English Last Names Start with F
| Forest – Someone lives by a forest | Fish/ Fisher – Fisherman or a fish seller |
| Fox – An individual with red hair | Fish – Good swimmer |
| Fox – Crafty person |
Old English Last Names Start with G
| Grant – Someone great | Gardner/ Gardiner – A person that owned a garden |
| Grey – Someone with grey clothes |
Medieval Surnames Start with H
| Hill – One who lives by a hill | Hawk – Someone with a fierce temper |
| Hughes – Son of Hugh | Harper – Individual who made harps |
| Hindman – A courteous person | Hardy – Bold |
Names Start with I
| Inman – An innkeeper |
Medieval Surnames Start with J
| Johnson – Son of John | Jenner – Engineer |
| Jameson – Son of John |
Top Surnames Start with K
| Keen – Brave | Kemp – A jouster |
| Koch – A cook | Kitchener – A person that works in the kitchen |
| Knight – knight | |
| Kocher – A cook | |
| Kennedy – Someone with an ugly face | |
| Knapp – One that lives at the top of a hill |
Top Surnames Start with L
| London – One that comes from London | Lister – Dyer |
| Lancaster – One that comes from Lancaster | Lightfoot – Someone that walks rapidly |
Best Surnames Start with M
Many medieval names can be used for females. Some of them are starting with M.
| Morrison – Son of Morris | Moody – Brave person |
| Mundy – A person born on Monday | Mannering – A manly person |
| Meredith – Descended from Maredudd | Miller – A person who works in a mill |
| Morrell – Short person with a dark complexion |
Best Last Names Start with N
| Norton – One that lives north of a town |
Best Surnames Start with P
Here are popular medieval English surnames starting with P. Some of these names are still common in England.
| Power – Poor person | Payne – A pagan |
| Puttock – A greedy person | Palmer – A pilgrim |
| Packard – A person who sells stolen goods | Page – A young servant |
| Park – One who lives by the park | Porter – The doorkeeper |
| Pratt – The nickname for a trickster | Parker – The keeper of the park |
| Pruitt – A brave and fearless individual | Packard – A person that sells stolen goods |
| Peacock – The nickname for an arrogant person |
Best Last Names Start with Q
| Quick – An agile person |
Top Last Names Start with R
Here are the medieval time’s names that start with the letter R. Some of these old surnames are still popular in the world.
| Russell – One with red hair | Ryder – A warrior |
| Robertson – Son of Robert | Rolfe – A peasant |
| Russ – a person with red hair | Rey – Acts like a king |
| Root – One that is cheerful and happy | Rose – A person with a rosy complexion |
| Rose – One who lives in an area where there are many roses |
List of Medieval Surnames Start with S
| Scrivens – A writer | Simson – Son of Simon |
| Spear – Thin person | Sullivan – One with a good eyesight |
| Swift – A messenger | Shaw – One who lives by the woods |
| Smith – Metalworker | Sommer – One that lives in a sunny area |
| Sharp – An intelligent | Swann/ Swan – People are known for their purity |
| Short – the short person | Steele – A person who works steel |
| Sparks – a lively individual | Sweet – a nickname for a friendly and pleasant person |
| Stoddard – A horse keeper | |
| Selly – a blessed individual | |
| Sommer – a cheerful person | |
| Saylor – An acrobat or a dancer | |
| Spinner – A person who spins wool | |
| Sommer – Farmer who had to pay taxes in the summer | |
| Sommer – Farmer that had to pay taxes in the summer |
Last Names Start with T
| Terrell – a suborn individual | Taylor – A tailor |
| Truman – a trustworthy person | Tait – someone cheerful, happy |
| Tracey – One individual that comes from France | Toller – A person that collected taxes |
| Tuft – One that lives near many trees and bushes | Tinker – A person that mends kitchen utensils |
| Townsend – One who lives on the outskirts of the town | |
Surnames Start with W
- Walker:
- Meaning: Occupational name for a fuller of cloth.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Williams:
- Meaning: Son of William (William itself means “will” or “desire” + “helmet” or “protection”).
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Wilson:
- Meaning: Son of Will (a short form of William).
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Wright:
- Meaning: Worker or craftsman.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- White:
- Meaning: Fair or light in color.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Watson:
- Meaning: Son of Walter (Walter means “ruler of the army”).
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Wood:
- Meaning: Forest or woodland.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Walters:
- Meaning: Son of Walter.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Wallace:
- Meaning: Welsh or foreigner.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Wheeler:
- Meaning: Wheel maker or user.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Webb:
- Meaning: Weaver.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- West:
- Meaning: Dweller in the west.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Welch:
- Meaning: Foreigner or stranger.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Warren:
- Meaning: Gamekeeper or warren-keeper.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
- Weaver:
- Meaning: One who weaves fabric.
- No direct link to a zodiac sign.
Last Names Start with Y
| York – One that comes from York | Yohe – One who lives near a stream |
Medieval Last Names for Nobles
These are the top nobles’ last names and some of these names belong to kings who lived in the Medival age. So, most of these last names are also treated as royal last names.
| Henry | Dacre |
| Harold | Courteney |
| Guideville | Clinchamps |
| Gilpin | Confessor |
| Flambard | Boleyn |
| Faucon | Beauchamp |
| Evelyn | Baudry |
| Damours | Arden |
| De Braose | Altard |
Medieval Last Names of Kings and Queens
Medieval Last Names of Kings and Queens – This is another interesting list you may like to see. Maybe you have a family name that comes from these kings or queens.
| Lackland |
| Plantagenet |
| Matilda |
| Beauclerc |
| Rufus |
| Godwinson |
These are the most famous medieval kings’ surnames and you can check more details from here.
Medieval Arabic Surnames
Arabic surnames can be traced back to the medieval period, and many of them have deep meanings related to personal qualities, occupations, or geographic origins. Here are some examples of medieval Arabic surnames with their meanings:
Al-Farouq: meaning “the one who distinguishes between right and wrong” or “the one who separates truth from falsehood.”
Al-Qadi: meaning “the judge,” indicating that the family had members who held positions of legal authority.
Al-Masri: meaning “the Egyptian,” indicating that the family had roots or connections to Egypt.
Al-Hakim: meaning “the wise,” indicating that the family had members who were known for their wisdom or intelligence.
Al-Razi: meaning “the meticulous” or “the careful,” indicating that the family had members who were known for their attention to detail.
Al-Zahrawi: meaning “the golden one,” indicating that the family had members who were esteemed or admired.
Al-Andalusi: meaning “the Andalusian,” indicating that the family had roots or connections to Andalusia, a region in present-day Spain.
Al-Khazraji: meaning “the green one,” indicating that the family had connections to a green landscape or agricultural region.
Al-Turki: meaning “the Turk,” indicating that the family had roots or connections to the Turkish people or culture.
Al-Jaziri: meaning “the Algerian,” indicating that the family had roots or connections to Algeria.
Al-Azm: meaning “the determined” or “the resolute,” indicating that the family had members who were known for their strong willpower.
Al-Din: meaning “the religion” or “the faith,” indicating that the family had members who were religiously devout.
Al-Jarrah: meaning “the surgeon,” indicating that the family had members who were skilled in the practice of medicine.
Al-Ajami: meaning “the non-Arab” or “the foreigner,” indicating that the family had roots or connections to non-Arab peoples or cultures.
Al-Ash’ari: meaning “the Ash’arite,” indicating that the family adhered to the theological teachings of the Ash’arite school of Islamic thought.
Al-Farsi: meaning “the Persian,” indicating that the family had roots or connections to Persia (modern-day Iran).
Al-Qurashi: meaning “the Qurayshi,” indicating that the family claimed descent from the Quraysh tribe, to which the Prophet Muhammad belonged.
Al-Sufi: meaning “the Sufi,” indicating that the family had members who followed the mystical path of Sufism.
Al-Sharif: meaning “the noble” or “the honorable,” indicating that the family had members who were highly respected or held positions of honor.
Al-Tayyib: meaning “the good” or “the pure,” indicating that the family had members who were known for their virtuous qualities.
It’s important to note that Arabic surnames can have variations in spelling and pronunciation, depending on the region and dialect.
Medieval Arabic Last Names
During the Medival era, there was a similar cultural approach in Arabian countries around 900–1300 CE. There were popular Muslim family names used during that period.
- Auriya
- Aban
- Bazzu
- Dhayl
- Gamama
- Halhal
- Jasib
- Jalib
- Mahua
- Narjis
There are many online sources you can refer to find medieval Arabic last names. You can get more details from the above link if you are interested.
