200+ British Last Names 2026 (With Meanings)
British last names are an enthronement of history with influences cultivated through centuries, occupations, and geographical origin.
Noble surnames are linked to medieval aristocracy, and simple names are birthed through trades and regions; these names tell beautiful stories about bloodlines and societal evolution.
The guide provides insight into their meanings, history, and ongoing significance, whether in the course of assembling a family tree or mere curiosity about the more common British surnames.
British Last Names
Smith – Blacksmith or metalworker
Taylor – Tailor, someone who made or altered clothing
Clark – Clerk, scholar, or scribe
Cooper – Barrel maker
Miller – Someone who operated a grain mill
Baker – A bread maker
Fletcher – Maker of arrows
Thatcher – Someone who thatched roofs
Carter – A cart driver
Shepherd – A sheep herder
Hill – Someone who lived near a hill
Wood – Someone who lived near or worked in a forest
Brooks – From a place near a brook or stream
Green – Someone who lived near a village green
Marsh – Someone who lived near a marshland
Bailey – From “bailiff,” an officer of the law or keeper of a fortress
Knight – A knight or servant in a noble household
Chambers – Someone who worked in a lord’s private rooms
Palmer – A pilgrim who had been to the Holy Land
Webster – Weaver of cloth
Harrison – Son of Harry
Davidson – Son of David
Evans – Son of Evan (Welsh form of John)
Robinson – Son of Robin (a form of Robert)
Wilkinson – Son of Wilkin (a form of William)
Hudson – Son of Hugh
Bennett – From the medieval name “Benedict,” meaning “blessed”
Spencer – Steward of a household
Barrett – “Strong as a bear” (from Old German)
Sinclair – From the French “Saint-Clair,” a place name
Stanley – From “stone” and “leigh” (a rocky clearing)
Whitaker – “White acre,” a place with white fields
Hawkins – Derived from “Hawkin,” a diminutive of Henry or from “hawker” (bird trainer)
Gilbert – From the Old German name “Gislebert,” meaning “bright pledge”
Russell – From Old French meaning “red-haired”
Fox – A nickname for someone cunning or fox-like
Lamb – A nickname for a gentle person or a shepherd
Peacock – A nickname for someone proud or flamboyant
Little – A nickname for a small person
Armstrong – A strong-armed person, likely a warrior
Hardy – From the Old French “hardi,” meaning “bold” or “courageous”
Bell – Someone who lived near a bell tower or was a bell-ringer
Nash – From “atten ash,” meaning “at the ash tree”
Underwood – Someone who lived near a wooded area
Porter – Gatekeeper or doorkeeper
Gibson – Son of Gib (a form of Gilbert)
Drake – From the Old English “draca,” meaning “dragon”
Barlow – From a place name meaning “barley hill”
Radcliffe – From “red cliff,” a place with red-colored rock formations
Foster – A person who looked after children or a forest keeper
Abbott – Derived from “abbot,” meaning a priest or monk
Addison – Son of Adam
Baldwin – From Old German, meaning “brave friend”
Baxter – A baker (female form of Baker in Middle English)
Beaumont – From Old French, meaning “beautiful mountain”
Blake – From Old English, meaning either “black” or “pale”
Bolton – From a town name meaning “settlement with a hall”
Booth – Someone who lived in or worked in a small hut or booth
Bradley – From “broad lea,” meaning a wide meadow
Briggs – From Old Norse, meaning “bridge dweller”
Burton – From “burgh tun,” meaning a fortified farm
Cameron – From Gaelic, meaning “crooked nose”
Chapman – A merchant or trader
Charlton – From “ceorl tun,” meaning “settlement of free peasants”
Chester – From the Latin “castra,” meaning “fort”
Colby – From Old Norse, meaning “dark settlement”
Conway – From Welsh, meaning “holy river”
Cunningham – From Scottish Gaelic, meaning “milk pail land”
Dalton – From Old English, meaning “valley town”
Darcy – From the Norman French “d’Arcy,” meaning “of Arcy”
Dawson – Son of David
Dudley – From Old English, meaning “people’s field”
Dunlop – From Scottish Gaelic, meaning “fort on a muddy hill”
Eaton – From Old English, meaning “riverside settlement”
Ellis – Derived from “Elijah,” meaning “my God is Yahweh”
Fairchild – Meaning “beautiful child”
Farrell – From Irish, meaning “man of courage”
Fenwick – From Old English, meaning “marshy dairy farm”
Gale – From Old English, meaning “jovial” or “cheerful”
Garner – From Old French, meaning “granary keeper”
Glover – A maker of gloves
Graham – From Old English, meaning “gravelly homestead”
Haley – From Old English, meaning “hay clearing”
Hardwick – From Old English, meaning “hard farm”
Holloway – From Old English, meaning “hollow road”
Hutchinson – Son of Hugh
Ingram – From Old Norse, meaning “raven of Ing (a god)”
Jenkins – Son of Jenkin (a form of John)
Kendall – From Old English, meaning “valley of the River Kent”
Kirk – From Old Norse, meaning “church”
Lloyd – From Welsh, meaning “gray-haired”
Lockwood – From Old English, meaning “enclosed forest”
Mercer – From Old French, meaning “merchant”
Noble – From Latin, meaning “high-born” or “distinguished”
Ogden – From Old English, meaning “oak valley”
Pemberton – From Old English, meaning “hill farm”
Quinn – From Irish, meaning “descendant of Conn” (chief or leader)
Redman – From Old English, meaning “reed-covered marsh”
Thornton – From Old English, meaning “thorn bush settlement”
Wainwright – A maker of wagons or carts
Allerton – from the alder tree settlement
Ashby – ash tree farm or settlement
Astley – from the east meadow
Atwell – at the well or spring
Averill – boar battle (old personal name)
Baldwin – bold friend
Baxter – female baker
Beckett – little brook
Beauchamp – beautiful field (Norman)
Belford – beautiful ford
Berkeley – birch lea (clearing with birch)
Beveridge – beaver stream
Blackburn – dark stream
Blakemore – dark moorland
Blyth – cheerful, pleasant
Bolton – settlement on a bend
Bourne – small stream
Bradley – broad meadow
Bridger – dweller near a bridge
Bridlington – settlement by the bridge
Bromley – broom clearing meadow
Browne – brown-haired or brown-skinned
Bryce – speckled, freckled
Burke – fortified hill
Cadman – servant of the monastery
Caldwell – cold stream valley
Cameron – crooked nose (From Gaelic cam sròn)
Chester – from the Roman fort
Clarke – scholar, scribe
Cleveland – cliff land
Clifford – cliff by the ford
Colby – coal settlement (Old Norse root)
Conway – holy river
Cooke – cook (occupation)
Corbett – little crow
Coulter – hill slope tiller
Courtenay – short courtyard
Coventry – settlement in the hollow
Cranston – crane town
Crawley – crow clearing
Croft – small enclosed field
Cromwell – winding stream
Davenport – market town
Darby – deer town
Dawson – son of David
Devereux – from the riverbank
Dixon – son of Dick
Dudley – people’s meadow
Eastwood – wood to the east
Edmunds – protector of wealth
Ellis – benevolent
Elton – town by the old yew tree
Falkner – falcon keeper
Faraday – fern clearing valley
Farrington – warrior’s estate
Fenton – marsh town
Fielding – dweller on open land
Finchley – finch meadow
Fordham – settlement by the ford
Fortescue – strong fort
Fothergill – river where cattle ford
Gainsborough – fortified hill
Gale – jovial or storm wind
Garnett – guardian of grain
Gifford – chubby cheeks or ridge
Golightly – quick or agile
Goodwin – good friend
Hadley – heather meadow
Hale – hero or sheltered place
Halstead – a safe place
Hampton – home settlement
Harcourt – wood or rock court (Norman)
Hartford – stag’s ford
Hawkins – son of Hawk
Hemingway – home of the fish weir
Herne – old settlement
Hickman – son of Richard
Hollings – holly bushes
Holmes – dweller by the holly trees
Hopkins – son of Hob
Ingram – raven of peace
Islington – town of the iron workers
Keaton – place of hawks
Kendrick – royal ruler
Kingsley – king’s meadow
Langdon – long hill
Latham – land homestead
Laverick – wanderer
Leblanc – the bright one (Norman influence)
Llewellyn – lion-like leader (Welsh)
Lockhart – lake forest
Longford – long river crossing
Loxley – clearing of the wolves
Maddox – fortunate or blessed
Manning – brave, valiant
Marsh – dweller by swampy land
Merton – town by the pool
Morrison – son of Morris
Newton – new settlement
Pemberton – hill by the timber
Radcliffe – red cliff (river bank)
