Native American Last Names

This page lists Native American last names in use today, from translated names like Whitehorse and Tallbear to Navajo names like Begay and the English and Spanish names many tribal families carry, with meanings and history.

284 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Afraid of Bear

Lakota; English translation
Ahmaogak

Iñupiat family name
Aitson

Kiowa family name
Altaha

White Mountain Apache family name
American Horse

Oglala Lakota; from Wašíču Tȟašúŋke
Anoatubby

Chickasaw; ends in -tubbee, killer
Antone

Tohono O'odham family; from Spanish Antonio
Arneach

Eastern Band Cherokee family name
Asah

Kiowa family name
Atauvich

Comanche family name
Auchiah

Kiowa family name
Awonohopay

Menominee family name

B

Bad Heart Bull

Oglala Lakota; English translation
Battiest

Choctaw family name
Bearpaw

Cherokee; English translation
Begay

Diné (Navajo); from biye', his son
Begaye

Diné (Navajo); variant of Begay, his son
Bellecourt

Ojibwe family; French origin
Benally

Diné (Navajo); from binálí, his paternal grandchild
Big Day

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Billie

Seminole and Miccosukee family name
Bird In Ground

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Bird Rattler

Blackfeet; English translation
Bitsilly

Diné (Navajo); from bitsilí, his younger brother
Bitsoi

Diné (Navajo); variant of Bitsui, his grandchild
Bitsui

Diné (Navajo); from bitsóí, his grandchild
Black Elk

Oglala Lakota; from Heȟáka Sápa, Black Elk
Blackdeer

Ho-Chunk; English translation
Blackgoat

Diné (Navajo); English translation, black goat
Blackhorse

Diné (Navajo); English translation, black horse
Blue Legs

Oglala Lakota; English translation
Bluejacket

Shawnee; from the war leader Blue Jacket
Bomberry

Cayuga family name (Six Nations)
Bowlegs

Seminole; from leader Billy Bowlegs; possibly from Creek Bolek
Brave Heart

Lakota; English translation
Brayboy

Lumbee family name
Brings Plenty

Lakota; English translation
Buffalohead

Ponca; English translation

C

Calf Robe

Blackfeet; English translation
Cellicion

Zuni Pueblo family name
Chasing Horse

Sicangu Lakota; English translation
Checotah

Muscogee (Creek) family name, as borne by chief Samuel Checote
Chee

Diné (Navajo); possibly from łichíí', red
Chimoni

Zuni Pueblo family name
Chino

Acoma Pueblo; Spanish family name
Chischilly

Diné (Navajo); from a word for curly-haired
Chuculate

Cherokee family name
Chupco

Muscogee and Seminole; from cvpko, long or tall
Clah

Diné (Navajo); variant of Klah, left-handed
Climbingbear

Eastern Band Cherokee; English translation
Concha

Taos Pueblo; Spanish, shell
Coriz

Kewa (Santo Domingo) Pueblo family name
Cornsilk

Cherokee; English translation
Crow Dog

Sicangu Lakota; from Kȟaŋǧí Šúŋka
Crow Shoe

Blackfoot (Piikani); English translation
Cypress

Seminole and Miccosukee; English translation

D

Decorah

Ho-Chunk; from the French surname Decarrie
Deerinwater

Cherokee; English translation, deer in water
Deloria

Yankton Dakota; from French Des Lauriers
Denetdale

Diné (Navajo) family name
Denetsosie

Diné (Navajo); from Diné ts'ósí, slender Navajo
Descheenie

Diné (Navajo); from Deeshchii'nii, Start of the Red Streak clan
Dineyazhe

Diné (Navajo); from Diné yázhí, little Navajo
Doxtator

Oneida family name
Dreadfulwater

Cherokee; English translation

E

Echohawk

Pawnee; English translation
Emarthla

Muscogee (Creek); from a war title
Enjady

Mescalero Apache family name
Etcitty

Diné (Navajo); variant of Etsitty, smith
Etsitty

Diné (Navajo); from atsidí, smith or silversmith

F

Fast Horse

Lakota; English translation
Fixico

Muscogee (Creek); from fekseko, heartless or fearless
La Flesche

Omaha family; French origin, the arrow
Funmaker

Ho-Chunk; English translation

G

Gansworth

Onondaga and Tuscarora family name
Geronimo

Chiricahua Apache; Spanish name of Goyaałé
Goes Ahead

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Goggles

Northern Arapaho family name
Gopher

Seminole; English translation
Goseyun

Apache family name
Greendeer

Ho-Chunk; English translation
Grey Eagle

Lakota; English translation

H

Halfmoon

Nez Perce; English translation
Halftown

Seneca; English translation
Harjo

Muscogee (Creek); from hvco, recklessly brave
Heavy Runner

Blackfeet (Piegan); English translation
Hokeah

Kiowa family name
Hollow Horn Bear

Sicangu Lakota; from the 19th-century leader
Honanie

Hopi; possibly from honan, badger
Honyumptewa

Hopi family name
Horsechief

Pawnee; English translation
Hoskie

Diné (Navajo); possibly from hashkéh, fierce
Hosteen

Diné (Navajo); from hastiin, man or elder
Hulbutta

Muscogee (Creek); from a word for alligator
Hummingbird

Cherokee; English translation

I

Imotichey

Chickasaw family name
Impson

Choctaw family name
Iron Cloud

Oglala Lakota; English translation
Iron Shell

Sicangu Lakota; English translation
Ishcomer

Choctaw family name

J

Jemison

Seneca; descendants of Mary Jemison
Jimerson

Seneca family name
Journeycake

Lenape (Delaware) family name
Jumper

Seminole; English form of a leader's name

K

Kabotie

Hopi family name
Kassanavoid

Comanche family name
Kaywaykla

Chiricahua Apache family name
Kazhe

Mescalero Apache family name
Keahbone

Kiowa family name
Kekahbah

Kaw (Kanza) family name
Kessay

Apache family name
Ketcher

Cherokee family name
Kills Enemy

Lakota; English translation
Kingbird

Ojibwe (Red Lake); English translation
Kingfisher

Cherokee; English translation
Kinlicheenie

Diné (Navajo); from Kinłichíi'nii, Red House clan
Kitcheyan

San Carlos Apache family name
Klah

Diné (Navajo); from tł'ah, left-handed
Kodaseet

Kiowa family name
Kookesh

Tlingit family name
Kuwanwisiwma

Hopi family name

L

Laahty

Zuni Pueblo family name
Largo

Diné (Navajo); Spanish largo, long or tall
LeFlore

Choctaw family of French descent
Limpy

Northern Cheyenne; English translation
Little Plume

Blackfeet; English translation
Little Thunder

Sicangu Lakota; English translation
Little Wolf

Northern Cheyenne; English translation
Littlegeorge

Ho-Chunk family name
Locklear

Lumbee family name, probably of British origin
Loloma

Hopi; from lolma, good or beautiful
Lomahaftewa

Hopi; begins with loma, good or beautiful
Lomayestewa

Hopi; begins with loma, good or beautiful
Lone Wolf

Kiowa; from Guipago, Lone Wolf
Lonetree

Ho-Chunk; English translation
Long Soldier

Oglala Lakota; English translation
Looking Horse

Lakota; English translation
Lookout

Osage; from chief Fred Lookout
Lupe

White Mountain Apache family name

M

Mad Plume

Blackfeet; English translation
Mahsetky

Comanche family name
Mankiller

Cherokee; from a traditional military title
Manuelito

Diné (Navajo); Spanish name of the 19th-century leader
Manygoats

Diné (Navajo); English translation, many goats
Masayesva

Hopi family name
Mashunkashey

Osage family name
Medicine Crow

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Micco

Muscogee and Seminole; from mēkko, chief
Momaday

Kiowa; from the ancestor Mammedaty
Mopope

Kiowa family name
Morrisseau

Anishinaabe family; French origin
Motlow

Seminole family name
Mt. Pleasant

Tuscarora family name

N

Nageak

Iñupiat family name
Nahgahnub

Ojibwe (Fond du Lac) family name
Nahohai

Zuni Pueblo family name
Nahwooksy

Comanche family name
Naiche

Chiricahua Apache; from Naiche, son of Cochise
Nakai

Diné (Navajo); from Naakaii, Mexican
Namingha

Hopi-Tewa family name
Nampeyo

Hopi-Tewa; after the potter Nampeyo
Naranjo

Santa Clara Pueblo; Spanish, orange tree
Narcia

Akimel O'odham (Gila River) family name
Nequatewa

Hopi family name
Nez

Diné (Navajo); from nééz, tall
Nosie

San Carlos Apache family name
Not Afraid

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Nuvamsa

Hopi family name; possibly from nuva, snow

O

Ogema

Ojibwe; from ogimaa, leader or chief
Old Coyote

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Old Elk

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Old Person

Blackfeet; English translation
Oocumma

Eastern Band Cherokee family name
Oosahwee

Cherokee family name
Osceola

Seminole; from Asi-yahola, black drink singer
Oshkosh

Menominee; from chief Oshkosh, his hoof or claw
Owle

Eastern Band Cherokee family name
Oxendine

Lumbee; English origin

P

Paddlety

Kiowa family name
Pamanet

Menominee family name
Pewewardy

Comanche family name
Peynetsa

Zuni Pueblo family name
Pigeon

Cherokee; English translation
Pipestem

Osage and Otoe; English translation
Plainfeather

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Poolaw

Kiowa family name
Poor Bear

Oglala Lakota; English translation
Powless

Oneida and Onondaga family name
Pretty On Top

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Printup

Tuscarora family name

Q

Quam

Zuni Pueblo family name

R

Rattlingourd

Cherokee; English translation, rattling gourd
Real Bird

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Red Cloud

Oglala Lakota; from Maȟpíya Lúta, Red Cloud
Red Corn

Osage; English translation
Red Shirt

Oglala Lakota; English translation
Redbird

Cheyenne and Cherokee; English translation
Redeye

Seneca; English translation
Roe Cloud

Ho-Chunk; family of educator Henry Roe Cloud
Roman Nose

Cheyenne; English translation of a warrior's name
Running Crane

Blackfeet; English translation
Runs After

Lakota; English translation

S

Saunooke

Eastern Band Cherokee family name
Scraper

Cherokee; English translation
Secakuku

Hopi family name
Sekaquaptewa

Hopi family name
Sequoyah

Eastern Band Cherokee family name
Shenandoah

Oneida and Onondaga; linked to chief Skenandoa
Shije

Zia Pueblo family name
Silversmith

Diné (Navajo); English translation of a smith's name
Sixkiller

Cherokee; English translation of a warrior name
Skenandore

Oneida; from chief Skenandoa, possibly deer
Smoke

Cherokee; English translation
Soap

Cherokee; English translation
Sohappy

Yakama and Wanapum family name
Sourjohn

Cherokee family name
Spotted Elk

Northern Cheyenne; English translation
Spotted Tail

Sicangu Lakota; from Siŋté Glešká
Spybuck

Shawnee family name
Squirrel

Cherokee; English translation
Standing Bear

Ponca and Lakota; English translation
Standingwater

Cherokee; English translation
Sundown

Seneca; English translation
Supernaw

Quapaw family name
Swamp

Mohawk; English translation
Swimmer

Cherokee; English translation

T

Tabbytite

Comanche family name
Tachine

Diné (Navajo); from Táchii'nii, Red Running Into the Water clan
Tafoya

Santa Clara Pueblo; Spanish family name
Tahmahkera

Comanche family name
Takes The Gun

Apsáalooke (Crow); English translation
Talayumptewa

Hopi family name
Tall Bull

Cheyenne; English translation
Tallchief

Osage; English translation
Tantaquidgeon

Mohegan family name
Tapahonso

Diné (Navajo) family name
Tartsah

Kiowa family name
Tehee

Cherokee family name
Tenorio

Kewa Pueblo; Spanish family name
Thunder Hawk

Lakota; English translation
Thundercloud

Ho-Chunk; English translation
Tiger

Muscogee and Seminole; English form of a clan name
Tigertail

Seminole and Miccosukee; English translation
Todacheene

Diné (Navajo); from Tódích'íi'nii, Bitter Water clan
Tohee

Otoe-Missouria family name
Toineeta

Eastern Band Cherokee family name
Tommie

Seminole family name
Tonasket

Colville (Okanagan); from chief Tonasket
Tooni

Eastern Band Cherokee family name
Toyebo

Kiowa family name
Tsatoke

Kiowa; from Tsatoke, Hunting Horse
Tsinajinnie

Diné (Navajo); from Tsinaajinii, Black Streak Wood clan
Tso

Diné (Navajo); from tsoh, big
Tsoodle

Kiowa family name
Tsosie

Diné (Navajo); from ts'ósí, slender
Tubby

Choctaw; from -tubbee, killer, a name ending
Tushka

Choctaw and Chickasaw; from tvshka, warrior
Two Bulls

Oglala Lakota; English translation
Two Moons

Northern Cheyenne; English translation

W

Wachacha

Eastern Band Cherokee family name
Wadena

Ojibwe family name
Wahnee

Comanche family name
Wahnetah

Eastern Band Cherokee family name
Wahpepah

Kickapoo family name
Walkingstick

Cherokee; English translation
Wapato

Colville; from Chinook Jargon wapato, arrowhead plant
Waukau

Menominee family name
Wauneka

Diné (Navajo) family name
Weasel Head

Blackfeet; English translation
White Bull

Lakota; English translation
White Face

Oglala Lakota; English translation
White Plume

Oglala Lakota; English translation
Whitecloud

Iowa and Otoe; English translation
Whitehorse

Diné (Navajo) and other nations; English translation
Whiteman

Cheyenne and Arapaho; English translation
Whiterabbit

Ho-Chunk; English translation

Y

Yahola

Muscogee (Creek); from yvholv, a ceremonial title
Yargee

Muscogee (Creek) family name
Yazzie

Diné (Navajo); from yázhí, little
Yellow Horse

Lakota; English translation
Yellowhair

Diné (Navajo); English translation, yellow hair
Yellowman

Diné (Navajo); English translation, yellow man

Z

Zah

Diné (Navajo) family name
Zotigh

Kiowa family name

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Mopope

Kiowa family name
Lone Wolf

Kiowa; from Guipago, Lone Wolf
Fixico

Muscogee (Creek); from fekseko, heartless or fearless
Tonasket

Colville (Okanagan); from chief Tonasket
Echohawk

Pawnee; English translation
Loloma

Hopi; from lolma, good or beautiful

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How Native American last names came about

Traditional naming among Native nations did not use inherited surnames. A person might receive a name at birth, earn another through deeds, or take a new one at a turning point in life, and customs differed from nation to nation. Fixed surnames came largely from outside. Missionaries, traders, Indian agents and census takers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries wanted stable names for rolls, land allotments and school records, and they often assigned them.

The results fall into a few patterns. Some families received English surnames outright, often those of an agent, a missionary or a well known American, which is why Smith, Johnson and Jackson are common in many tribal communities. Others had a father's name translated into English, giving surnames such as Whitehorse, Littlebear or Tallchief. In the Southwest, Spanish colonial and mission records left names like Martinez, Chavez and Lucero among Pueblo families, while Navajo families carry names drawn from Navajo words.

Common Native American last names by region

The Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the United States, gives one of the clearest examples. Begay, from a Navajo word meaning his son, Yazzie (little), Tsosie (slender), Nez (tall) and Benally (grandson) are among the most frequent surnames there, and several rank among the most common names in Arizona and New Mexico overall. They began as descriptions or relationship terms written down by government clerks, and they are now fixed family names.

Elsewhere the picture is different. Among the Cherokee, Choctaw and other nations removed to Oklahoma, English surnames dominate, though names such as Sixkiller and Swimmer point to translated originals. Lakota and Dakota families carry names like Iron Cloud, Two Bulls, Red Cloud and Standing Elk. In Alaska, many Aleut and Alutiiq families have Russian surnames from the era of Orthodox missions. Each nation has its own history, so no single pattern fits them all.

Researching and using these names respectfully

If you are tracing your own family, start with tribal enrollment records, the Dawes Rolls for the Five Tribes, the Indian census rolls taken between 1885 and 1940, and church registers. Expect the same person to appear under several names, since clerks translated, shortened or misspelled them. A surname alone does not prove Native ancestry: Wolfe or Bird can be English as easily as Cherokee, and most Native families carry names shared with non-Native Americans.

If you are naming a fictional character, choose a specific nation and research it rather than inventing a generic Native name. Translated names such as Runningwater belong to real families, not to a pool of decorative words. Read about the nation's history, look at how its members name themselves today, and where possible ask people from that community. A present-day character is at least as likely to be called Martinez, Harjo or Johnson as anything that sounds like a translation.

Frequently asked questions

What are some common Native American last names?

Surnames linked to the Navajo Nation lead most counts, especially Begay, Yazzie, Benally, Tsosie and Nez. Beyond those, the most frequent names among Native Americans overall are English ones such as Smith, Johnson and Jackson, which reflects how surnames were assigned on rolls and in schools in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Did Native nations traditionally use family names?

Historically, most nations did not use inherited surnames. Names were personal and could change during a lifetime. Inherited surnames were introduced mainly through government rolls, boarding schools and missions. Many families today also hold personal or ceremonial names in their own language that do not appear on official documents.

Can Native American last names show that someone has tribal ancestry?

Rarely on their own. Most Native Americans carry English or Spanish surnames shared with millions of non-Native people, and translated names like Bird or Fox also exist in English families. Tribal enrollment and genealogical records, not a name, establish tribal ancestry, and each nation sets its own rules for citizenship.

How should I choose a name for a Native American character?

Pick a specific nation and read about its history and present-day community. Use names that real members of that nation carry, which will often be English or Spanish, and avoid inventing pseudo translations. If the character is central to the story, consider asking readers from that nation for feedback on the name and the portrayal.