200+ Rare Last Names 2026 (With Meanings)
Rare last names: Have you ever met someone who had such a unique last name that you could not resist inquiring about the origins?
While common surnames like Smith or Johnson are present, rare last names carry a shroud of mystery, history, and prestige with them.
Some are linked to ancient noble families, while others have nearly disappeared into oblivion.
This post will discuss some of the rarest last names, what they mean, and why they are so rare.
You never know—maybe you will finally find something excellent in your family tree!
Rare Last Names
Aisling (Irish) – “Dream” or “Vision”
Beauchamp (French) – “Beautiful field”
Caerleon (Welsh) – “Fortress of the legion”
Dempsey (Irish) – “Descendant of Diomasach” (proud, valiant)
Edevane (Welsh) – “Protector of prosperity”
Fane (English) – “Joyful” or “Glad”
Garrick (Norman) – “Spear king”
Hallowell (English) – “Holy spring”
Iver (Norse) – “Bow warrior”
Jessen (Danish) – “Son of Jes”
Kaestner (German) – “Cabinetmaker”
Lemoine (French) – “The monk”
Mireault (French) – “Wondrous” or “Admirable”
Nussbaum (German) – “Nut tree”
Orellana (Spanish) – “Golden”
Pellegrini (Italian) – “Pilgrim”
Quirke (Irish) – “Heart”
Roussel (French) – “Little red one”
Savelle (French) – “Wise” or “Knowledgeable”
Tremblay (French) – “Aspen tree”
Ulrich (German) – “Noble ruler”
Vanderpool (Dutch) – “From the pool”
Wickham (English) – “Settlement near a dairy farm”
Xylander (Greek) – “Forest dweller”
Yarrow (English) – “Healing herb”
Zephyr (Greek) – “West wind”
Almanza (Spanish) – “Victorious”
Briseño (Spanish) – “Bramble bush”
Corbeil (French) – “Little basket”
Deveraux (French) – “From Évreux” (a place in France)
Esmond (English) – “Graceful protector”
Fitzroy (Norman) – “Son of the king”
Galiano (Italian) – “Little rooster”
Haverford (English) – “Goat crossing”
Islington (English) – “Estate of Gisla’s people”
Jourdain (French) – “Flowing down” (from the River Jordan)
Kerfoot (Welsh) – “Dark and brave”
Luthra (Indian/Punjabi) – “Pearl”
Montavon (French) – “From the mountains”
Novak (Slavic) – “Newcomer”
Orsini (Italian) – “Little bear”
Prévost (French) – “Chief officer”
Quintero (Spanish) – “Fifth” (possibly referring to a family’s lineage)
Rutherford (Scottish) – “Cattle crossing”
Sokolov (Russian) – “Falcon-like”
Thorburn (Scottish) – “Thor’s warrior”
Urbanski (Polish) – “City dweller”
Verrill (French) – “Truthful”
Wrenley (English) – “Meadow of wrens”
Zeller (German) – “Cellar keeper”
Abernathy (Scottish) – “Mouth of the river Nethy”
Bonaventure (French) – “Good fortune”
Colburn (English) – “Cold stream”
Dalloway (English) – “Meadow of daisies”
Eddington (English) – “Settlement of Eadda’s people”
Fiorentino (Italian) – “From Florence”
Grimaldi (Italian) – “Helmeted soldier”
Huxley (English) – “Hugh’s meadow”
Isenhour (German) – “Iron worker”
Jolivet (French) – “Joyful”
Kershaw (English) – “Thicket near water”
Larkspur (English) – “Flowering plant”
Montclair (French) – “Clear mountain”
Norcross (English) – “Northern crossroad”
Oakheart (English) – “Strong as an oak”
Pendleton (English) – “Hill near a bend”
Quenby (Scandinavian) – “Woman’s settlement”
Rosethorne (English) – “Thorny rose bush”
Sable (French) – “Black” or “Dark”
Thistlewood (English) – “Forest of thistles”
Ufford (English) – “Ford near a hill”
Vespertine (Latin) – “Evening-like”
Wicklow (Irish) – “Viking meadow”
Xanthos (Greek) – “Golden-haired”
Yorke (English) – “Boar estate”
Zambrano (Spanish) – “Place with wild herbs”
Ackerley (English) – “Oak meadow”
Belrose (French) – “Beautiful rose”
Chamberlain (English) – “Chief officer of a household”
Dunmore (Scottish) – “Great fortress”
Everton (English) – “Wild boar settlement”
Fairbanks (English) – “Lovely hillside”
Gwydion (Welsh) – “Born of trees”
Halloway (English) – “Path through a hollow”
Ilchester (English) – “Roman settlement”
Jessenia (Spanish) – “Flowering tree”
Kingswell (English) – “King’s spring”
Lysander (Greek) – “Liberator”
Marwood (English) – “Wood near a lake”
Nightshade (English) – “Deadly plant”
Ormond (Irish) – “Descendant of Ruaidhrí” (red king)
Prescott (English) – “Priest’s cottage”
Quillon (French) – “Little sword”
Rowntree (English) – “Rowan tree”
Storme (English) – “Tempest”
Truitt (French) – “Little troop”
Valliere (French) – “Valley dweller”
Winthorpe (English) – “Friend’s village”
Yveline (French) – “Hazel tree”
Zeledon (Spanish) – “Serene”
Ainslea – ash meadow (nature locative)
Alverstone – old forest settlement
Ammerman – land by the water (Germanic)
Ardleigh – valley of the alder trees
Ashbourne – ash tree by the stream
Astbury – town with ash trees
Atherholt – farmstead on a ridge
Atterberry – fortified hill estate
Avalos – noble eagle (Spanish medieval)
Averin – noble friend (Old Germanic)
Bainbridge – beautiful bridge site
Beauford – fair river crossing
Beckworth – stream enclosure
Belvoir – “beautiful view” (Norman)
Blackthorne – dark thorny scrubland
Blethyn – proud, cleansing (Celtic)
Blythewood – cheerful forest place
Brackenridge – fern hillside
Branwick – black raven settlement
Breckenridge – broken hill landscape
Brindle – subdued brindle shade (animal-derived)
Brinley – hill of the ravine
Brocklehurst – badger creek fort
Bronnwell – brown spring water
Brougham – fortified homestead
Burnsley – forest clearing by fire site
Caldwell – cold spring valley
Camberwell – crooked hill town
Carroway – herb field estate
Cedarwood – cedar tree forest
Chandor – clear valley
Charnock – battle hill fort
Clavell – bell keeper’s family
Clentwell – hilltop spring
Cobblestone – old stone road heritage
Coldwater – icy stream dwelling
Cresswell – watercress stream site
Crowthorne – cross thorn patch
Curwood – forested land
Daxton – “day’s town” (bright settlement)
Deveraux – from the riverbank
Dinsmore – hill of the Danes
Doveridge – river crossing hill
Dreswick – town of cloth traders
Drury – man of deeds (old English)
Eastwood – woodlands to the east
Ebonhart – dark courage
Elmsworth – elm tree enclosure
Enderby – farmstead of endurance
Evercrest – everlasting high place
Falconridge – eagle hill fort
Fenwick – marsh by the stream
Fielding – dweller on open plains
Finchley – finch town
Flintwood – quartz/stone forest
Forsythe – grassy marshland heir
Foxglove – fox’s glove herb field
Gainsborough – gains hill fort
Galewood – windy wood
Glendale – valley filled with gleams
Grantham – grain village
Greenfall – lush landfalls
Greyhaven – safe grey harbor
Hallowell – hall near the well
Hawksmoor – hawk on the moor
Hearthwood – home by the woods
Highmarsh – elevated marshland
Hightower – lofty royal tower
Hollingworth – hollow estate
Ironwood – strong wood forest
Ivystone – ivy-covered stone
Kenwood – knight’s forest
Kerrington – hilltop estate
Larkspur – lark’s herb field
Lindenhall – linden tree manor
Lockridge – locked ridge crest
Longford – lengthy river crossing
Loxley – wolf meadow clearing
Marlowe – hill by still waters
Meadowcroft – field farm enclosure
Milnerwood – grain mill forest
Moonstone – mystical gem symbol
Northcliffe – cliff to the north
Oakhurst – oak tree grove
Ormskirk – snake hill church
Pemberton – town of the prioress
Quillen – spear wielder (old Gaelic)
Radcliff – red cliff homestead
Ravenshaw – raven’s wood
Redgrave – red tomb field
Sablewood – dark forest land
Saltmarsh – briny marshland
Silverstone – precious stone site
Skylark – free high songbird
Southwick – settlement to the south
Starling – star bird family
Stormrider – born for tempests
Thornfield – thorn bush meadow
Waverly – field of waves
Winterbourne – winter stream
Windermere – lake with breezes
