Navajo Last Names

These Navajo last names are surnames widely carried by Diné families today, listed A to Z with their Navajo word origins where known. Many came from Navajo words for son, little, slender or tall, while others were English or Spanish names given by outsiders.

105 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Ahkeah

From a Navajo personal name; borne by Chairman Sam Ahkeah

Navajo
Arviso

Spanish, possibly from Arbizu in Navarre; found among Diné families

Spanish
Atcitty

Variant of Etsitty, from atsidí, smith

Navajo

B

Bahe

Possibly from a Navajo personal name; common among Diné families

Navajo
Bedonie

Possibly from a Navajo personal name; found among Diné families

Navajo
Begay

From Navajo biye', his son

Navajo
Begaye

Variant of Begay, from Navajo biye', his son

Navajo
Bekis

Possibly from Navajo bik'is, his friend or sibling

Navajo
Benallie

Variant of Benally, his paternal grandchild

Navajo
Benally

From Navajo binálí, his paternal grandchild

Navajo
Bennett

English, from Benedict, blessed; common among Diné families

English
Benson

English, son of Ben or Benedict; common among Diné families

English
Beyale

Possibly from a Navajo personal name; found among Diné families

Navajo
Billie

English pet form of William; common among Diné families

English
Bitsilly

From Navajo bitsilí, his younger brother

Navajo
Bitsoi

Variant of Bitsui, from bitsóí, his grandchild

Navajo
Bitsui

From Navajo bitsóí, his grandchild through a daughter

Navajo
Bluehouse

Translation of a Navajo personal name, blue house

Navajo

C

Charley

English pet form of Charles; common among Diné families

English
Chavez

Spanish and Portuguese, from Chaves; common among Diné families

Spanish
Chee

From Navajo chii', red ochre or reddish

Navajo
Chischilly

From Navajo tsiishch'ilí, curly-haired

Navajo
Clah

From Navajo tł'ah, left-handed

Navajo
Cleveland

English place name, hilly district; found among Diné families

English
Cly

From Navajo tł'ah, left-handed

Navajo
Curley

English nickname for curly hair; common among Diné families

English

D

Denetclaw

From Navajo Diné tł'ah, left-handed man

Navajo
Denetdale

Possibly from Navajo Diné with a descriptive element

Navajo
Denetsosie

From Navajo Diné ts'ósí, slender man

Navajo
Descheenie

Variant of Deschenie, a Diné clan name

Navajo
Deschenie

From Deeshchii'nii, the Start of the Red Streak clan

Navajo
Dineyazhe

From Navajo Diné yázhí, little man

Navajo
Dodge

English, pet form of Roger; borne by Chee Dodge

English

E

Etcitty

Variant of Etsitty, from atsidí, smith

Navajo
Etsitty

From Navajo atsidí, smith or silversmith

Navajo

F

Francisco

Spanish given name, Frenchman; common among Diné families

Spanish
Frank

English and German, a Frank; common among Diné families

English

G

George

English given name, farmer; common among Diné families

English
Gorman

Irish, from Ó Gormáin; borne by artist R. C. Gorman

Irish

H

Harvey

English from Breton Haerveu, battle worthy; common among Diné families

English
Haskie

From Navajo hashkéh, fierce or warrior

Navajo
Hatathlie

From Navajo hataałii, singer or medicine man

Navajo
Henry

English from Germanic Heimirich, home ruler; common among Diné families

English
Holiday

English, born on a holy day; common among Diné families

English
Hoskie

Variant of Haskie, from hashkéh, fierce

Navajo
Hosteen

From Navajo hastiin, man or elder, a respectful title

Navajo

J

Jackson

English, son of Jack; common among Diné families

English
James

English from Latin Iacomus, Jacob; common among Diné families

English
Jim

English pet form of James; common among Diné families

English
Joe

English pet form of Joseph; common among Diné families

English
John

English given name John, God is gracious; common among Diné families

English
Johnson

English, son of John; common among Diné families

English
Jones

Welsh, son of John; found among Diné families

Welsh
Jumbo

English nickname, big; common among Diné families

English

K

Kee

Possibly from a Navajo personal name; common among Diné families

Navajo
Kinlicheenie

From Kinłichíi'nii, the Red House clan

Navajo

L

Largo

Spanish, long or tall; common among Diné families

Spanish
Lee

English, dweller by a clearing; very common among Diné families

English
Littleman

Translation of Navajo Diné yázhí, little man

Navajo

M

Manuelito

Spanish, little Manuel; name of the Diné leader Hastiin Ch'il Haajiní

Spanish
Manygoats

Translation of Navajo Tł'ízí łání, many goats

Navajo
Martin

English and French, from Mars; common among Diné families

English
Mitchell

English and Scottish, from Michael; common among Diné families

English
Morgan

Welsh, from Morcant, possibly sea-bright; common among Diné families

Welsh

N

Nakai

From Navajo Naakaii, Mexican; also a personal name

Navajo
Natani

From Navajo naat'áanii, leader or headman

Navajo
Nelson

English, son of Neil; common among Diné families

English
Nez

From Navajo nééz, tall

Navajo
Notah

Possibly from a Navajo personal name; found among Diné families

Navajo

P

Peshlakai

From Navajo béésh łigaii, silver or white metal

Navajo
Pinto

Spanish, spotted or painted; found among Diné families

Spanish

R

Redhouse

Translation of Kinłichíi'nii, the Red House clan

Navajo

S

Sam

English pet form of Samuel; common among Diné families

English
Sandoval

Spanish place name; common among Diné families

Spanish
Shirley

English place name, bright clearing; common among Diné families

English
Silversmith

Translation of Navajo atsidí, smith; honours metalworking

Navajo
Skeet

English nickname, swift; found among Diné families

English
Slim

English nickname, slender; found among Diné families

English
Smith

English, metalworker; common among Diné families

English

T

Tabaha

From Tábąąhá, the Water's Edge clan

Navajo
Tahe

Possibly from a Navajo personal name; found among Diné families

Navajo
Tapaha

Variant of Tabaha, the Water's Edge clan

Navajo
Tapahonso

Possibly from Tábąąhá, the Water's Edge clan

Navajo
Thompson

English, son of Thomas; common among Diné families

English
Todacheene

Variant of Todacheenie, the Bitter Water clan

Navajo
Todacheenie

From Tódích'íi'nii, the Bitter Water clan

Navajo
Tohtsoni

From Tótsohnii, the Big Water clan

Navajo
Tom

English pet form of Thomas; common among Diné families

English
Tracy

English from a Norman place name; found among Diné families

English
Tsinajinnie

From Tsi'naajinii, the Black Streak Wood People clan

Navajo
Tsinnie

Possibly from Navajo tsin, wood or tree

Navajo
Tsinnijinnie

Variant of Tsinajinnie, a Diné clan name

Navajo
Tso

From Navajo tsoh, big

Navajo
Tsosie

From Navajo ts'ósí, slender

Navajo

W

Watchman

English translation of a Navajo personal name, watchman

Navajo
Wauneka

From a Navajo personal name; borne by Annie Dodge Wauneka

Navajo
Whitehorse

Translation of a Navajo personal name, white horse

Navajo
Willie

English pet form of William; common among Diné families

English
Wilson

English, son of Will; common among Diné families

English
Woody

English, dweller by a wood; found among Diné families

English

Y

Yazzie

From Navajo yázhí, little

Navajo
Yellowhair

Translation of a Navajo personal name, yellow hair

Navajo
Yellowhorse

Translation of a Navajo personal name, yellow horse

Navajo
Yellowman

Translation of a Navajo personal name, yellow man

Navajo

Z

Zah

From a Navajo personal name; borne by President Peterson Zah

Navajo

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Results (6)

Mitchell

English and Scottish, from Michael; common among Diné families

English
Cly

From Navajo tł'ah, left-handed
Deschenie

From Deeshchii'nii, the Start of the Red Streak clan
Tso

From Navajo tsoh, big
Tsosie

From Navajo ts'ósí, slender
Dineyazhe

From Navajo Diné yázhí, little man

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How Navajo last names entered Diné families

Traditionally the Diné did not use inherited surnames. A person had personal names, some of them private or used only in ceremony, and identity was expressed through clan. When introducing themselves, people still name four clans: the mother's clan, the father's clan, the maternal grandfather's clan and the paternal grandfather's clan. This system ties a person to relatives across the Navajo Nation in a way no surname could.

Surnames arrived through contact with the United States government, schools, trading posts and missions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Officials recording names for rations, censuses and school enrolment often wrote down a descriptive term or a relationship word as if it were a surname. In other cases they assigned an English given name or surname. These names were then passed on to children, which is how families came to share them.

Navajo last names and their Diné meanings

Several of the most familiar names come directly from Navajo words. Begay, also spelled Begaye, comes from biye', meaning his son. Yazzie comes from yázhí, meaning little, and Tsosie from ts'ósí, meaning slender. Nez is from nééz, tall, and Tso from tsoh, big. Benally comes from binálí, a word for a paternal grandchild, and Bitsui from bitsóí, a maternal grandchild. Chee relates to chii', red ochre, and Etsitty to atsidí, a smith.

Many Navajo families carry English or Spanish surnames instead. Some came from traders, missionaries and teachers, others from an ancestor's English first name, which is why names like Jim, John, Joe, Charley and Tom are common Navajo surnames. Spanish names such as Largo, Sandoval and Manuelito reflect contact with Spanish speaking neighbours in New Mexico. The meanings in the list show which names come from Navajo words and which were adopted from other languages.

Clans, records and researching a family

Because the same names were recorded for many unrelated people, a surname like Begay or Yazzie is shared by a great many Diné who are not closely related. A surname alone does not prove Navajo ancestry, clan membership or tribal enrollment. Enrollment in the Navajo Nation rests on documented descent, and clan relationships are known through family, not through a last name that happens to match.

If you are researching a specific family, start with relatives and ask about clans, since clan identity often reveals connections that surnames hide. Indian census rolls from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, school records and Navajo Nation vital records can help trace individuals. Spellings in these records vary, so Begay, Begaye and Biye may all refer to one family. Treat each name as belonging to real living people.

Frequently asked questions

What does Begay mean?

Begay comes from the Navajo word biye', meaning his son. Officials recording names often wrote it down as a surname when a man was identified as the son of someone. It is now one of the most common surnames on the Navajo Nation, shared by many unrelated families.

Do Navajo last names show a person's clan?

No. Clan membership passes through the mother and is expressed by naming four clans in a traditional introduction. Surnames were introduced much later through government records and do not follow clan lines, so two people with the same surname may belong to different clans.

Does having one of these names mean Navajo ancestry?

Not on its own. Names like Begay and Yazzie are shared by many families, and some English surnames on the list are common everywhere. Ancestry and tribal enrollment are established through documented family records and community knowledge, not a surname.

Can writers use Navajo last names for characters?

Yes, but with care. These are names carried by real Diné families. Give a character a full identity, including clan and community, research everyday life on the Navajo Nation, and avoid stereotypes. Sensitivity readers from the community can help you get details right.