90+ Unique 3 Letter Last Names

When it comes to last names, shorter can be better. Three-letter last names are brief, easy to remember, and often have deep meanings.

These compact names have lasted through the ages in many cultures, whether they come from old traditions or modern simplicity.

From tough Anglo-Saxon roots to lyrical Asian and European family lines, 3-letter surnames strike the right balance between being short and having character.

In this post, we’ll look at a chosen list of strong, meaningful, and rich 3-letter last names that show you don’t need a long name to leave a mark.

3 Letter Last Names

Abe (Hebrew/Japanese) – In Hebrew, derived from Abraham, meaning “father of many.” In Japanese, means “peace” or “safe.”

Ash (English) – Topographic name for someone living near ash trees.

Axt (German) – Means “axe”; possibly occupational for a woodcutter.

Bay (French/Vietnamese) – In French, refers to a type of inlet; in Vietnamese, it means “fly” or “seven.”

Bee (English) – May come from “bee keeper” or a nickname for industriousness.

Beg (Turkic) – Title of nobility or honor, meaning “chieftain” or “lord.”

Ben (Hebrew) – Means “son of”; used in Hebrew patronymics.

Box (English) – Locational name for someone who lived near box trees or a box-shaped valley.

Bye (English/Norwegian) – English form may be locational; Norwegian from by, meaning “town.”

Car (Irish) – Short form of Carr, meaning “cart” or “wagon maker.”

Chi (Vietnamese/Chinese) – In Vietnamese, means “branch” or “will”; in Chinese, can mean “wisdom.”

Chu (Chinese/Vietnamese) – In Chinese, may mean “red” or “kitchen”; in Vietnamese, “uncle.”

Cox (English) – From “cock,” a nickname for a bold or proud man.

Day (English) – May derive from “David” or “day” (as a time name or cheerful nature).

Dee (Welsh/Irish) – From the River Dee or from Déaghaidh, meaning “good luck.”

Dye (English) – Derives from Dionysius or a nickname for a colorful person.

Ear (English) – Rare; possibly topographic or occupational relating to grain.

Eli (Hebrew) – Means “ascended” or “my God.”

Eng (Chinese) – Romanization of several surnames including Weng and Ying.

Fan (Chinese) – Means “ordinary” or “mortal.”

Fay (French/Irish) – From Old French fai, meaning “faith”; or Irish Ó Fiaich, meaning “raven.”

Fei (Chinese) – Means “to fly” or “luxury.”

Fox (English) – Nickname for a cunning person; from the animal.

Gee (English/Chinese) – English nickname or variant of Guy; Chinese surname meaning “righteous.”

Gil (Spanish/Hebrew) – In Spanish, from Egidius (young goat); in Hebrew, means “joy.”

Han (Korean/Chinese) – Korean for “country”; Chinese meaning “man” or from the Han dynasty.

Hay (Scottish) – From a hedge or enclosure; also a noble family name.

Hsu (Chinese) – Variant spelling of Xu; meanings include “slow,” “order,” or “gentle.”

Hue (Vietnamese) – Derived from the city Huế or meaning “color.”

Ivy (English) – From the plant; sometimes symbolic of fidelity or growth.

Jan (Slavic/Dutch) – From John, meaning “God is gracious.”

Joy (English) – From the Old French joie; given as a nickname for a cheerful person.

Kay (English) – From the Old Breton Cai; possibly meaning “keeper of the keys.”

Kip (Dutch) – From kippen, meaning “to chirp” or from a place name.

Koi (Japanese/Chinese) – In Japanese, means “carp,” symbolic of perseverance.

Lam (Vietnamese/Chinese) – In Vietnamese, means “forest”; in Cantonese, variant of Lin.

Lau (Chinese) – Cantonese for Liu; meaning varies, often “kill,” “flow,” or “willow.”

Law (English/Scottish) – From “hill” or short form of Lawrence.

Lea (English) – Means “meadow”; variant of Lee.

Lim (Chinese) – Hokkien form of Lin, meaning “forest.”

Liu (Chinese) – Means “kill,” “willow,” or “axe,” depending on the character.

Lou (Chinese/French) – Chinese variant of Lu; French diminutive of Louis.

Lye (English) – From Old English leah, meaning “clearing.”

Mac (Scottish) – Means “son of”; prefix for patronymic surnames.

Mai (Vietnamese/Chinese) – In Vietnamese, means “apricot blossom”; in Chinese, “wheat.”

Mak (Chinese) – Cantonese variant of Mo or Mai; meanings vary.

Man (Chinese) – Variant of Wen or Wán; meanings include “literature” or “gentle.”

Mao (Chinese) – Means “fur,” “feather,” or “appearance.”

Min (Chinese) – Means “people” or “quick.”

Nan (Chinese) – Means “south.”

Ali (Arabic) – Means “exalted” or “noble”; associated with Islamic heritage.

Ang (Chinese) – Hokkien variant of Wang or Hong; can mean “red.”

Arr (Basque) – Shortened form of Arrieta or Arribas, derived from “stone.”

Ari (Hebrew/Icelandic) – In Hebrew, means “lion”; in Icelandic, a common given and family name.

Aya (Japanese) – Depending on the kanji, can mean “color,” “design,” or “beautiful.”

Bar (Hebrew) – Means “son of”; used in names like Bar-David or Bar-Tal.

Beg (Persian/Turkic) – Means “chieftain” or “lord”; a historical title of honor.

Bic (Vietnamese) – From Bích, meaning “jade” or “green.”

Bin (Chinese) – Means “refined” or “cultured.”

Boa (Portuguese) – Means “good”; rare but seen in Brazil and Portugal.

Bok (Korean/Dutch) – In Korean, means “luck” or “blessing”; also a Dutch surname.

Bor (Slavic) – Means “pine forest”; seen in Slovenia, Russia, and Serbia.

Bos (Dutch) – Means “forest” or “woodland.”

Bui (Vietnamese) – Common Vietnamese surname; sometimes translated as “dust.”

Cai (Chinese) – Means “wealth” or “vegetable,” depending on the character.

Cam (Vietnamese/Scottish) – In Vietnamese, means “orange” (the fruit); Scottish origin refers to a crooked person.

Car (Scottish/Irish) – Variation of Carr, meaning “rock” or “swamp.”

Che (Korean) – Variant of Chae; may mean “wealth” or “abundance.”

Cin (Turkish/Burmese) – In Turkish, means “spirit” or “genie”; in Burmese, may refer to a tribal group.

Cue (Spanish/English) – Likely from Cuesta or Cuervo; also refers to a signal or prompt.

Dao (Vietnamese/Chinese) – Means “peach” in Vietnamese or “knife/path” in Chinese.

Del (Spanish/Italian) – Shortened from Della or Delgado, meaning “of the.”

Den (Vietnamese) – Means “black”; symbolic or literal.

Dev (Sanskrit) – Means “god” or “divine” in Indian contexts.

Dia (Spanish/Portuguese) – Root of Díaz or Dias, meaning “day” or “days.”

Dom (Latin) – Means “lord” or “master”; used in many Romance surnames.

Dos (Portuguese) – Part of compound names like Dos Santos, meaning “of the saints.”

Dow (Scottish) – Derived from dubh, meaning “dark” or “black.”

Duy (Vietnamese) – Means “maintain” or “preserve”; often given name turned surname.

Eke (Nigerian) – Igbo origin; refers to a market day in the traditional Igbo calendar.

Ely (English) – Locational surname from the town of Ely in Cambridgeshire.

Era (Basque/Spanish) – Related to “period” or “time”; also a poetic surname.

Ero (African/Greek) – In African contexts, a title; in Greek, related to “love.”

Fai (Chinese) – Means “brilliant” or “magnificent.”

Fok (Chinese) – Cantonese spelling of Fu, meaning “luck” or “blessing.”

Fun (Chinese) – Can mean “fragrance,” “grace,” or “style,” depending on character.

Gai (Chinese/Japanese) – Can mean “armor,” “outside,” or “joy.”

Gar (English) – Possibly from gar, meaning “spear”; found in Old English names.

Goh (Chinese) – Hokkien/Cantonese version of Wu; means “military” or “affairs.”

Gon (Korean) – May refer to “strength” or “perseverance.”

Gow (Scottish) – Means “smith” or “metal worker.”

Gui (Chinese) – Can mean “noble,” “precious,” or “ghost.”

Gya (Ghanaian) – Akan origin, possibly meaning “leave” or “depart.”

Has (Albanian) – Regional surname from northern Albania; sometimes topographic.

Hem (Cambodian/Thai) – Means “gold” or “glory.”

Hoa (Vietnamese) – Means “flower” or “harmony.”

Hon (Chinese) – Cantonese for Xian or Han; meanings vary like “kind” or “good.”

Hua (Chinese) – Means “flower” or “prosperity.”

Closing Remarks

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