200+ European Last Names 2026 (With Meanings)
European last names are not mere appellations; rather, they carry significant cultural heritage and interesting tales drawn from various regions of the continent and peoples of Europe.
The ancient Gaelic surnames of Ireland, the patronymic traditions of Scandinavia, or others tell stories of ancestry, geography, occupation, and sometimes even personality traits.
This article will delve into the intriguing histories and meanings behind some of Europe’s most well-known family names, showing how they have changed throughout the centuries and paying homage to the cultures that gave rise to them.
So, if you are trying to trace your family history or are just interested in European linguistic history, join us as we examine time-tested surnames.
European Last names
Anderson (Scandinavian) – Son of Andrew.
Bauer (German) – Farmer.
Bernardi (Italian) – Derived from “Bernardo,” meaning “brave as a bear.”
Bianchi (Italian) – Fair-haired or white.
Dubois (French) – From the woods.
González (Spanish) – Son of Gonzalo, meaning “battle” or “war.”
Kovács (Hungarian) – Blacksmith.
Lund (Swedish) – Grove or small forest.
Martínez (Spanish) – Son of Martín, derived from “Mars,” the Roman god of war.
Müller (German) – Miller.
Nielsen (Danish) – Son of Niels.
O’Connor (Irish) – Descendant of Connor, meaning “lover of hounds.”
Papadopoulos (Greek) – Son of a priest.
Pérez (Spanish) – Son of Pedro (Peter).
Rossi (Italian) – Red-haired or from the red.
Schneider (German) – Tailor.
Smit (Dutch) – Blacksmith.
Taylor (English) – Tailor.
Vargas (Spanish) – From the plains or an old village.
Vasiliev (Russian) – Son of Vasily, meaning “royal.”
Wang (Chinese, common in Europe too) – King or monarch.
Vikingsson (Icelandic) – Son of a Viking.
Volkov (Russian) – Wolf.
Ziegler (German) – Brick maker.
Bertolini (Italian) – Son of Bertoldo, meaning “bright ruler.”
Jensen (Danish) – Son of Jens (John).
López (Spanish) – Son of Lope, meaning “wolf.”
Fischer (German) – Fisherman.
Caruso (Italian) – The name of a famous tenor, also “a young man” in Italian.
Christensen (Danish) – Son of Christen (Christian).
Dahl (Norwegian) – Valley.
Ferri (Italian) – Iron.
Hansen (Scandinavian) – Son of Hans (John).
Jankowski (Polish) – Son of Jan (John).
Kowalski (Polish) – A common surname related to a blacksmith or worker of metal.
Lange (German) – Tall or long.
Morales (Spanish) – From the mulberry tree.
Moretti (Italian) – Dark or swarthy.
Nielsen (Danish) – Son of Niels.
Olsson (Swedish) – Son of Ole.
Pavlov (Russian) – Son of Pavel, meaning “small.”
Ricci (Italian) – Curly-haired.
Roth (German) – Red, often referring to a red-haired person or the color.
Sánchez (Spanish) – Son of Sancho, meaning “saint.”
Simonsen (Danish) – Son of Simon.
Sørensen (Danish) – Son of Søren (Laurence).
Tóth (Hungarian) – A common surname meaning “Slovakian.”
Urbani (Italian) – From the city or urban area.
Varga (Hungarian) – A traditional Hungarian surname meaning “cobbler” or “shoemaker.”
Zanetti (Italian) – From “Zane,” meaning “God is gracious.”
Almeida (Portuguese) – From the oak grove.
Auer (German) – From the river bank.
Baldwin (English) – Bold friend.
Bauer (German) – Farmer or peasant.
Becker (German) – Baker.
Benitez (Spanish) – Blessed or fortunate.
Blanchard (French) – White, fair, or blond.
Bogliolo (Italian) – A type of plant or bush.
Bourbon (French) – Derived from a noble family name, linked to the region of Bourbonnais.
Bruckner (German) – Bridge builder.
Chavez (Spanish) – From the Spanish word for “vault” or “arched building.”
Costa (Italian/Portuguese) – From the coast or hillside.
Dawson (English) – Son of David.
De la Cruz (Spanish) – From the cross.
Delgado (Spanish) – Thin or slender.
Dubois (French) – From the woods.
Escobar (Spanish) – From a place of oak trees.
Fabian (Latin, widespread in Europe) – Derived from the Roman family name Fabius, meaning “bean grower.”
Ferrari (Italian) – Blacksmith.
Fischer (German) – Fisherman.
Fournier (French) – Baker.
Franco (Italian/Spanish) – Free or from France.
Gagliardi (Italian) – Brave, valiant.
García (Spanish) – Son of Garcia, meaning “bear.”
Giordano (Italian) – From Jordan, meaning “down-flowing.”
Goribald (Italian) – Derived from the words “gori” (brave) and “bald” (bold).
Grigori (Russian) – Derived from Gregory, meaning “watchful” or “vigilant.”
Hoffmann (German) – Steward or man of the farm.
Horváth (Hungarian) – A common surname meaning “Croat.”
Iacob (Romanian) – Derived from Jacob, meaning “supplanter.”
Ivanov (Russian) – Son of Ivan (John).
Jablonski (Polish) – Derived from the word “jabłko,” meaning “apple.”
Klein (German) – Small or little.
Kovacs (Hungarian) – Blacksmith.
Laskowski (Polish) – Derived from a place name.
Lefevre (French) – Smith (a metal worker).
López (Spanish) – Son of Lope (wolf).
MacDonald (Scottish) – Son of Donald, meaning “world ruler.”
Maher (Irish) – A descendant of the famous warrior.
Mancini (Italian) – A left-handed person.
Marchand (French) – Merchant.
Martel (French) – Hammer, or a person who uses a hammer (often a blacksmith).
Morozov (Russian) – Derived from the word “moroz,” meaning “frost.”
Nardi (Italian) – From a place name, possibly derived from the word “nardo” (laurel).
Neruda (Slovak/Czech) – Derived from “Nerud,” meaning “the one with the reddish complexion.”
Novak (Slavic) – New or newcomer.
Oliva (Italian/Spanish) – Olive tree or olive branch.
Pasquale (Italian) – From the word for Easter, “Pasqua.”
Radović (Serbian) – Son of Rad, meaning “happy” or “joyful.”
Sánchez (Spanish) – Son of Sancho, meaning “holy” or “saint.”
Armstrong – strong arms
Baker – one who bakes bread
Beaumont – beautiful hill
Bauer – farmer
Barrett – strong or bear-like
Becker – baker
Blackwood – dark forest
Blum – flower
Bonnet – small hood or cap
Brun – brown
Caldwell – cold spring
Carver – wood sculptor
Chamberlain – household steward
Chase – hunter
Clark – clerk or scribe
Clermont – clear mountain
Cooke – cook
Corbin – little crow
Coulson – son of Cole
Crane – tall person or bird name
Cross – one who lived near a cross
Cullen – handsome or good-looking
Díaz – son of Diego
Devereux – from the riverbank
Drummond – ridge or high ground
Duncan – dark warrior
Dupont – from the bridge
Falkner – falcon keeper
Fischer – fisherman
Forrest – dweller near a forest
Frey – free man
Gallo – rooster
Galvan – bright or shining
Giordano – from the Jordan river
Gruber – one who lived near a pit
Gunnarsson – son of Gunnar
Hansen – son of Hans
Harding – brave or resilient
Hartmann – strong man
Hayward – guardian of hedges
Herrera – iron worker
Hofer – farm owner
Hoffmann – estate manager
Holden – deep valley
Holmes – island or riverside meadow
Horvat – Croat
Huber – landowner
Iglesias – churches
Jensen – son of Jens
Kaiser – emperor
Kovács – blacksmith
Kraus – curly-haired
Lange – tall person
LaRue – from the street
Leclerc – clerk
Lloyd – grey-haired
Lozano – lively or vigorous
Madsen – son of Mads
Marin – of the sea
Marquez – son of Marco
Montague – pointed hill
Moreno – dark-haired
Moulin – mill
Nikolov – son of Nikola
Noir – black
Olsen – son of Ole
Pavlov – son of Pavel
Pereira – pear tree
Pimentel – pepper plant
Quinn – descendant of Conn
Rossi – red-haired
Roth – red
Ruiz – son of Ruy
Santos – saints
Schulz – village mayor
Silvestri – of the forest
Sokolov – falcon
Sorensen – son of Soren
Stefanov – son of Stefan
Thorne – thorn bush
Toro – bull
Urban – city dweller
Valente – brave or strong
Varga – fence maker
Vega – meadow
Verger – orchard keeper
Vidovic – son of Vido
Vincent – conquering
Voisin – neighbor
Wagner – wagon maker
Weber – weaver
Wolff – wolf
Yates – gatekeeper
Zaharia – remembered by God
Zanin – little John
Ziegler – tile maker
Zivkovic – son of Zivko
Zorzi – farmer or earth worker
Zubov – son of Zub
Zwiebel – onion
