200+ Southern Last Names 2026 (With Meanings)
Southern last names are steeped in tradition, culture, and ancestry.
From the grand plantations of the Deep South to the Appalachian hills, these surnames tell stories of resilience, legacy, and heritage.
Passed down from English, Scottish, Irish, or French ancestors, many Southern last names are effectively tied down to the region’s agrarian past and an incredible sense of family and pride.
In this article, we will explore some of the enduring Southern surnames, their meanings, and their history.
Southern Last names
Adkins – English; “son of Adam.”
Anderson – Scandinavian/Scottish; “son of Andrew.”
Atkinson – English/Scottish; “son of Atkin (a form of Adam).”
Barnes – English; “someone who lived near a barn.”
Beauchamp – French; “beautiful field” or “fair valley.”
Beauregard – French; “beautiful gaze” or “fine view.”
Bellamy – French; “fine friend” or “good-looking companion.”
Bennett – Latin/English; “blessed” or “little Benedict.”
Blackwell – English; “dark stream” or “black well.”
Boudreaux – French; derived from “boudier,” meaning “stout person.”
Bradshaw – English; “broad wood” or “spacious thicket.”
Bridges – English; for someone living near a bridge.
Callahan – Irish; “bright-headed” or “descendant of Ceallachán.”
Carrington – English; “settlement of the people of Cara.”
Carver – English; occupational name for a wood or stone carver.
Chambers – French/English; occupational name for a chamberlain.
Chapman – English; “merchant” or “trader.”
Clayton – English; “settlement near clay soil.”
Clements – Latin/English; “merciful” or “gentle.”
Crockett – French; “crochet” meaning “hook” (possibly for a hooked weapon or tool).
Dalton – English; “valley town” or “settlement in the dale.”
Davenport – English; “port or market town of the Dane.”
Delaney – Irish/French; “descendant of Dubhshláine” or “from the alder grove.”
Dillard – French; “brave” or “bold.”
Duke – English/Norman; “leader” or “noble title.”
Ellington – English; “Ellis’s town” or “town of Ealdhelm.”
Ellis – Hebrew/English; derived from Elijah, meaning “Yahweh is my God.”
Emerson – English; “son of Emery,” meaning “brave power.”
Fairchild – English; “beautiful child” or “fair offspring.”
Ferguson – Scottish/Irish; “son of Fergus,” meaning “man of strength.”
Gaines – English; “crafty” or “ingenious.”
Garrison – English/French; “stronghold” or “fortified place.”
Goodwin – English; “friend of God” or “good-hearted.”
Graves – English; “grove of trees” or “steward of land.”
Hampton – English; “home settlement” or “homestead by the river.”
Harper – English/Scottish; occupational name for a harp player.
Hawthorne – English; “near a hawthorn bush or hedge.”
Hollis – English; “dweller near holly trees.”
Houston – Scottish; “Hugh’s town” or “settlement on the hill.”
Jefferson – English; “son of Geoffrey” or “son of peace.”
Kendall – English; “valley of the River Kent.”
Langston – English; “long stone” or “long settlement.”
Lovelace – French/English; “lovely and charming.”
Montgomery – French/Scottish; “mountain of the hunter.”
Nash – English; “by the ash tree.”
Preston – English; “priest’s town” or “settlement of the clergy.”
Reeves – English; “bailiff” or “steward.”
Sinclair – French/Scottish; “holy light” or “St. Clair.”
Truitt – English; “little troop” or “small army.”
Whitaker – English; “white field” or “dweller near a wheat field.”
Abbott – English; “father” or “priest.”
Armstrong – Scottish; “strong arms” or “powerful warrior.”
Ashford – English; “ford near ash trees.”
Barksdale – English; “valley of the birch trees.”
Bassett – French; “low” or “short,” possibly indicating stature.
Baxter – English/Scottish; “baker.”
Benton – English; “settlement near bent grass.”
Blalock – English; “dark-haired” or “pale-haired.”
Boone – French; “good” or “fortunate.”
Brantley – English; “fiery torch” or “proud fire.”
Buchanan – Scottish; “house of the canon” or “place of the cannon.”
Burke – Irish; “fortified hill” or “stronghold.”
Calhoun – Scottish/Irish; “narrow woods” or “from Colquhoun.”
Carson – Scottish/Irish; “son of the marsh-dweller.”
Chandler – French/English; “candle maker or seller.”
Clemons – Latin/English; “merciful” or “gentle.”
Colton – English; “coal town” or “charcoal settlement.”
Covington – English; “settlement of Cofa’s people.”
Crawford – Scottish/English; “ford of the crows.”
Crenshaw – English; “settlement in the limestone area.”
Crowder – English; “fiddler” or “player of a crowde (stringed instrument).”
Daugherty – Irish; “descendant of Dochartach,” meaning “hurtful.”
Delmar – Spanish; “of the sea” or “from the sea.”
Devlin – Irish; “descendant of the fierce one.”
Dugger – English; occupational name for a ditch digger.
Eldridge – English; “old ruler” or “wise leader.”
Faulkner – English; “falconer” or “keeper of falcons.”
Fitzgerald – Irish/Norman; “son of Gerald,” meaning “rule of the spear.”
Fontenot – French; “little fountain” or “spring.”
Forrest – French/English; “dweller near a forest.”
Gentry – French/English; “noble” or “of high birth.”
Guthrie – Scottish; “windy place” or “place of streams.”
Hardin – English; “valley of the hares” or “brave warrior.”
Hensley – English; “woodland clearing of Henne.”
Hollingsworth – English; “Holly’s farmstead” or “dweller near holly trees.”
Huckabee – English; possibly “dweller by the bend in the river.”
Jarrett – English; “spear strong” or “brave with a spear.”
Kimbrough – English; “from the royal field.”
Lafayette – French; “faithful” or “little beech tree.”
Lamar – French; “the pool” or “dweller by the pond.”
Lawson – English/Scottish; “son of Lawrence.”
McAlister – Scottish; “son of Alistair,” meaning “defender of men.”
McCoy – Irish/Scottish; “fire” or “son of Hugh.”
McGraw – Irish; “son of the gray-haired one.”
Meredith – Welsh; “great ruler” or “protector.”
Patterson – Scottish/English; “son of Patrick.”
Redmond – Irish; “wise protector” or “counsel protector.”
Sorrell – French; “reddish-brown” or “fox-colored.”
Thornton – English; “town near thorns” or “thorny settlement.”
Vaughn – Welsh; “small” or “little one.”
Adair – oak tree ford
Ainsworth – estate associated with a person named Ains
Atwood – dweller near a wood
Ayers – jealous or watchful
Baird – poet or storyteller
Baldwin – bold friend
Banks – riverbank dweller
Benton – burnt settlement
Blackburn – black stream
Blackwell – dark spring
Blount – plump or round
Boone – good, beneficial
Bowie – yellow or fair-haired
Boyce – woodland dweller
Branch – offshoot of a family
Bray – marsh or meadow
Bridges – near a bridge
Briscoe – brushwood marsh
Calhoun – narrow bend in a river
Carmichael – devoted to Michael
Chambers – dweller by the room or chamber
Childers – youthful one
Clanton – land by the meadow
Clayton – clay settlement
Coker – dweller near a small lake
Coleman – servant of Cole or charcoal burner
Collins – son of Colin
Connelly – brave, valorous
Crawley – clearing by the stream
Crenshaw – valley of reeds
Crosby – village with a cross
Crossett – small crossing or crossroads
Dabney – from Abney; high island
Dalton – valley town
Davenport – market town
Dawkins – son of Daw (David)
Decker – roof tiler
Dewitt – the white one
Dillard – from the meadow
Dobson – son of Dob (Robert)
Dorsey – from the gorse place
Doyle – dark stranger
Drake – dragon or male duck
Dudley – people’s field
Dunbar – fort on the summit
Easley – from the east meadow
Edwards – wealthy guardian
Elam – elevated land
Ellington – elf town
Evans – son of Evan
Farrar – blacksmith
Faulkner – falconer
Fayette – little fairy or from Fayette
Ferris – ironworker
Finch – small songbird
Flynn – red-haired
Forbes – from the field
Ford – shallow river crossing
Foster – forest dweller
Franks – free man
Gaines – hill or enclosure
Galloway – foreigner or stranger
Gibson – son of Gib
Gilmer – servant of the king
Glover – glove maker
Goodwin – good friend
Graham – gravelly homestead
Granger – farm bailiff
Graves – from the grove
Greenwood – green forest
Griffin – strong lord
Hagan – little fire
Hale – nook or recess
Haley – hay meadow
Hamilton – beautiful mountain
Harding – strong or brave
Harmon – soldier
Harrelson – son of Harold
Hartley – stag meadow
Hawthorne – thorny hedge
Hendrix – son of Hendrik
Herman – army man
Hicks – son of Hick (Richard)
Higgins – son of Hugh
Hobbs – son of Robert
Holcomb – deep valley
Holland – land of holly
Horton – enclosure on the hill
Houston – Hugh’s town
Howell – eminent
Justice – just or righteous person
Kendrick – royal ruler
Kerr – dark or swarthy
Kincaid – head of the battle
Larkin – little fierce one
Lawson – son of Lawrence
Lindsay – island of linden trees
Lloyd – grey or sacred
Longstreet – dweller on the long road
Loring – laurel crowned
Maddox – fortunate or beneficent
