Rare Last Names

These rare last names are real surnames that few families still carry, each shown with its meaning and origin. Browse them A to Z, search by letter, and discover names tied to old trades, lost villages and forgotten nicknames.

209 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Ackroyd

Oak clearing, Yorkshire

English
Alabaster

Crossbowman, from Old French arbalestier

English
Allardyce

From Allardice in Kincardineshire

Scottish
Allsop

Aelle's valley, from Alsop in Derbyshire

English
Angwin

The white or fair one, Cornish

English
Applewhite

Clearing with apple trees

English
Arkwright

Maker of chests

English
Arrowsmith

Maker of arrowheads

English
Attwater

Dweller at the water

English
Auchinleck

Field of the flagstones, pronounced Affleck

Scottish

B

Bagshaw

Badger thicket

English
Batthyany

From Battyán, a Hungarian noble family

Hungarian
Beauclerk

Fine scholar, Old French

English
Beaurepaire

Beautiful retreat

French
Beddoes

Son of Bedo, a Welsh pet form of Meredith

Welsh
Bellis

Son of Elis, Welsh ab Elis

Welsh
Bellringer

Bell ringer at a church

English
Bickerstaff

Landing place of the beekeepers

English
Birdwhistle

From Birtwisle, Lancashire, river fork where birds gathered

English
Bithell

Son of Ithel, Welsh ab Ithel

Welsh
Blackadder

From Blackadder Water, dark stream

Scottish
Blenkinsop

From Blenkinsopp in Northumberland

English
Blennerhassett

From Blennerhasset in Cumbria

English
Boisvert

Green wood

French
Boothroyd

Clearing with a herdsman's booth

English
Boscawen

Dwelling by the elder tree, Cornish

English
Bottomley

Clearing in a valley

English
Bowditch

Dweller by a curved ditch

English
Bracegirdle

Maker of belts for breeches

English
Brocklehurst

Wooded hill with badger setts

English
Bulstrode

Marshy land where bulls grazed

English
Bumpus

Good step, from Old French bon pas

English
Bythesea

Dweller by the sea or lake

English
Bythewood

Dweller by the wood

English
Bywater

Dweller by the water

English

C

Cakebread

Baker of fine bread or cakes

English
Cheesewright

Cheese maker

English
Chenoweth

New house, Cornish

English
Chevrolet

Little goat, goatherd

French
Cholmondeley

Ceolmund's clearing, pronounced Chumley

English
Chubb

Chub fish, a dull or plump fellow

English
Clavering

Place where clover grows, Essex

English
Clutterbuck

Possibly of Dutch origin, uncertain meaning

English
Cockshott

Glade where woodcock were netted

English
Colquhoun

Narrow nook, Gaelic, pronounced Cahoon

Scottish
Crabtree

Dweller by a wild apple tree

English
Crowninshield

Crown shield, from German Kronenschild

German
Cruickshank

Crooked legs, Scots

Scottish
Culpepper

Possibly a herb or spice dealer

English

D

Dalrymple

Field of the crooked pool, Gaelic

Scottish
Dalziel

White field, Gaelic, pronounced Dee-ell

Scottish
Dearlove

Dear love, a sweetheart

English
Death

Possibly from Ath in present-day Belgium, or a nickname; pronounced De-ath

English
Dieudonne

Given by God

French
Doolittle

Do little, a nickname for an idle person

English
Drinkwater

Water drinker, a poor or sober man

English

E

Esterhazy

Hungarian noble name, from Eszterháza

Hungarian

F

Fairclough

Beautiful ravine

English
Fairhurst

Fair wooded hill

English
Farquharson

Son of Fearchar, dear man

Scottish
Farthing

Quarter, a small holding of land

English
Featherstonehaugh

Four-stone river meadow, Northumberland; said Fanshaw

English
Fettiplace

One who makes place, an usher

English
Ffoulkes

Welsh form of Fulk, people

Welsh
Ffrench

French person, an Anglo-Irish family

Irish
Fiennes

From Fiennes in Pas-de-Calais

English
Fitzhugh

Son of Hugh

English
Foljambe

Useless leg, Old French fol jambe

English
Fothergill

Fodder ravine, Old Norse

English
Fouracre

Holder of four acres

English

G

Goldsworthy

Golde's enclosure, Cornish-English

English
Goodenough

Good enough, a humble nickname

English
Gotobed

Nickname possibly for a lazy person

English
Greenhalgh

Green hollow, Lancashire

English
Greville

From Gréville in Normandy

English
Grimshaw

Wood haunted by a spectre

English
Gwilliam

Welsh form of William

Welsh
Gyllenhaal

Golden plus Haal, a Swedish noble family name

Nordic

H

Halfacre

Holder of half an acre

English
Halfpenny

Rent of half a penny, or a nickname

English
Halliwell

Holy spring

English
Hardcastle

Strong castle, or a bleak place

English
Heathcote

Cottage on the heath

English
Heslop

Hazel valley

English
Higginbottom

Possibly valley of oaks, Lancashire

English
Hindmarsh

Marsh where hinds grazed

English
Hogarth

Hog enclosure or pig herd

English
Hollingworth

Holly enclosure

English
Hollinshead

Hill with holly trees

English
Holroyd

Hollow clearing

English
Honeychurch

Huna's church, Devon

English

K

Kettlewell

Spring in a narrow valley, Yorkshire

English
Kierkegaard

Churchyard or church farm, Danish

Nordic
Kinnersley

Cyneheard's clearing

English
Knickerbocker

Possibly a baker of clay marbles, Dutch

Dutch

L

Lamplugh

From Lamplugh in Cumbria

English
Lanyon

Cold pool, Cornish

English
Lickorish

Seller of liquorice

English
Lightbody

Cheerful, light-hearted person

Scottish
Littlechild

Little child, the youngest

English
Longbottom

Long valley

English
Longfellow

Tall fellow

English
Loosemore

Moor with a pigsty

English
Lovelock

Lovelock, a curl of hair worn as a token

English
Loxton

Farm on the Lox Yeo stream

English

M

Mainwaring

From Mesnil-Warin, Warin's domain, pronounced Mannering

English
Makepeace

Peacemaker

English
Marjoribanks

Marjorie's lands, pronounced Marchbanks

Scottish
Menzies

From Mesnières in Normandy, pronounced Mingis

Scottish
Micklethwaite

Large clearing, Old Norse

English
Moneypenny

Many pennies, a rich man

Scottish
Montmorency

From Montmorency near Paris, Maurentius's hill

French
Mountjoy

Hill of joy, from Montjoie

English
Mowbray

From Montbray in Normandy

English
Murgatroyd

Margaret's clearing, Yorkshire

English

N

Nancarrow

Valley of the stag, Cornish

English
Nethercott

Lower cottage

English

O

Oddie

From Old Norse Oddi, point of a blade

English
Ogilvy

High plain, from Brittonic

Scottish
Oldroyd

Old clearing

English
Ollerenshaw

Alder wood, Derbyshire

English
Onions

Son of Einion, anvil, Welsh

Welsh
Openshaw

Open wood

English
Ormerod

Ormr's clearing

English
Ormsby

Ormr's farm, Old Norse

English
Ouyang

South of Mount Ouyu, a compound Chinese surname

Chinese

P

Pankhurst

Possibly Panca's wooded hill

English
Pengelly

Top of the grove, Cornish

English
Penhaligon

Head of the willows, Cornish

English
Pennycuick

Hill of the cuckoo, from Penicuik

Scottish
Pennyfather

Penny father, a miser

English
Pettifer

Iron foot, Old French pied de fer

English
Pettigrew

Little growth, a small person

English
Plowright

Plough maker

English
Pocklington

Farm of Pocela's people, Yorkshire

English
Polglase

Blue-green pool, Cornish

English
Popplewell

Pebbly spring

English
Portwine

From Poitevin, a man from Poitou

English
Postlethwaite

Clearing of the apostle, Cumbrian

English
Prothero

Son of Rhydderch, Welsh

Welsh
Proudfoot

One who walked proudly

English

Q

Quartermaine

Four hands, Old French nickname for a strong grip

English

R

Ramsbottom

Ram's valley or wild garlic valley

English
Rattenbury

Possibly rat-infested fort, Devon

English
Roosevelt

Rose field

Dutch
Rosevear

Big heath, Cornish

English
Rosewarne

Heath of alders, Cornish

English

S

Satterthwaite

Clearing by the summer shieling, Cumbrian

English
Scarisbrick

Skar's wooded slope, Lancashire

English
Scattergood

One who scattered his goods, a spendthrift or giver

English
Scrimgeour

Fencer or swordsman, Old French eskirmisseor

Scottish
Shakeshaft

Shake shaft, a warrior nickname

English
Shakespeare

Spear shaker, a warrior nickname

English
Shangguan

Senior official, a compound Chinese surname

Chinese
Shufflebottom

From Shipperbottom in Lancashire, possibly valley with a sheep shelter

English
Shuttleworth

Enclosure with a gate bar

English
Sidebottom

Wide valley

English
Sillitoe

Rare Nottinghamshire surname of uncertain origin

English
Silverlock

Silver hair

English
Sima

Master of horses, an ancient official title

Chinese
Situ

Minister over the people, ancient title

Chinese
Sixsmith

Sickle smith

English
Slocombe

Sloe valley

English
Smallbones

Slender or small-boned person

English
Snodgrass

Smooth grassland, Scots

Scottish
Sowerbutts

Possibly sour, poor strips of land

English
Sparrowhawk

Nickname from the sparrowhawk

English
Spendlove

Spend love, a generous or amorous person

English
Stringfellow

Strong fellow

English
Stubblefield

Field of stubble

English
Swinburne

Pig stream

English

T

Takanashi

Written as little birds at play, no hawks

Japanese
Taliaferro

Iron cutter, Italian, pronounced Tolliver

Italian
Tattersall

Tathr's nook, Lincolnshire

English
Thistlethwaite

Clearing overgrown with thistles

English
Thoroughgood

Thoroughly good person

English
Threlfall

Thrall's clearing, Lancashire

English
Throckmorton

From Throckmorton in Worcestershire

English
Tolkien

Foolhardy, from German tollkühn

German
Tolliver

Iron cutter, from Italian Taliaferro

English
Treadwell

Possibly a fuller who trod cloth well

English
Tregear

Farm by the fort, Cornish

English
Tremayne

Farm by the stone, Cornish

English
Trethewey

David's farm, Cornish

English
Trevelyan

Farm of Elian, Cornish

English
Trewin

White farm, Cornish

English
Truelove

True love, faithful sweetheart

English
Twelvetrees

Dweller by a group of twelve trees

English
Twentyman

Herder of two-winter cattle, northern English

English

U

Urquhart

By the thicket, Pictish

Scottish

V

Vanderbilt

From De Bilt, a Dutch village

Dutch
Vavasour

Vassal of a vassal, a minor feudal tenant

English
Venables

From Venables in Normandy

English
Villiers

From Villiers, farmstead, in Normandy

English

W

Wagstaff

One who wags a staff, an official or show-off

English
Wakelin

Little Walo, Norman French

English
Weatherhead

Herder of wether sheep

English
Wedgwood

From Wedgwood in Staffordshire

English
Wetherell

Hill where wether sheep grazed

English
Wigglesworth

Wincel's enclosure, Yorkshire

English
Wildblood

Wild or hot-blooded person

English
Wildgoose

Nickname from the wild goose

English
Winstanley

Wynstan's clearing

English
Winterbottom

Valley used in winter

English
Witherspoon

Pasture for wether sheep

Scottish
Wolstenholme

Wulfstan's water meadow

English
Womersley

Wulfmaer's clearing, Yorkshire

English

Y

Yelverton

From Yelverton in Norfolk

English

Z

Zhuge

Compound surname from Zhu and Ge county

Chinese

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Results (6)

Bottomley

Clearing in a valley

English
Heslop

Hazel valley

English
Cheesewright

Cheese maker

English
Beauclerk

Fine scholar, Old French

English
Brocklehurst

Wooded hill with badger setts

English
Esterhazy

Hungarian noble name, from Eszterháza

Hungarian

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What counts as rare last names

A rare surname is one carried by relatively few people, usually a few hundred or a few thousand families rather than millions. Some are rare everywhere, while others are common in one country and almost unknown in another. The names above lean toward the first group: surnames that were never widespread, or that have slowly thinned out over generations. They are real names found in historical records and present-day families, not inventions.

Rarity is not the same as strangeness. Many rare surnames are easy to read and pronounce, and they only feel unusual because we rarely meet anyone who has them. That combination is what makes them attractive for characters and pen names. A rare name like Quartermaine or Fettiplace sounds like a real family, but it does not come with the associations that a common name carries from celebrities, brands or people we already know.

Least common last names and why they fade

Surnames can disappear for simple reasons. In cultures where names pass through the male line, a family with only daughters in one generation may lose its name entirely. Small villages produced place names that only a handful of families ever carried. Spelling reforms, clerical errors and deliberate anglicisation also merged rare variants into more common forms, so one unusual spelling could vanish into a familiar name within a century.

Occupational names show the pattern clearly. An Arrowsmith forged arrowheads, a Plowright made ploughs, a Cheesewright made cheese and an Arkwright made chests. When those trades declined, the names did not vanish overnight, but they never grew the way Smith or Miller did. Many rare surnames on the list above are survivors of that kind, and the meaning beside each name tells you which trade or place it came from.

Rare last names for girls and boys

Rare surnames are popular sources for first and middle names because they feel distinctive without being invented. For girls, names with soft endings such as Halliwell, Lovelock and Truelove have an old-fashioned charm. For boys, firmer names like Hardcastle, Blackadder or Swinburne sound grounded and serious. Use the letter filter to browse by initial, and read each meaning before you decide, because rare names sometimes describe surprising things.

For fiction, a rare surname can make a family feel specific and rooted in one place. A family called Fettiplace might have lived in the same English market town for centuries, while a character with a rare Scandinavian or Italian name suggests a particular valley or island. If you are naming a real child, remember that a rare surname may need spelling out often. Many families find that a small price for a name that is truly theirs.

Frequently asked questions

Are the rare last names on this list still in use?

Most of them are, though some are carried by very few families. They appear in historical records and in modern directories, and several survive mainly in one region or country. None of them are invented. Each entry shows its origin, so you can see where a name is most likely to be found today.

Why do surnames become rare?

The main causes are families with no sons to pass a name on in patrilineal cultures, names tied to tiny villages or obsolete trades, and spelling changes that merged rare forms into common ones. Emigration also scattered some small families so widely that the name became thin in its original home.

Can I legally adopt a rare surname?

In many countries you can change your surname through a legal process, and choosing a rare real surname is usually allowed as long as the change is not for fraud or to mislead. The exact rules and paperwork differ by country and state, so check with your local court or registry office first.

How can I find out how rare my own surname is?

National statistics offices and census bureaus publish surname frequency tables for some countries, including the United States. Genealogy sites and public-record directories also give a rough count. If your name does not appear in national surname tables at all, it is likely rare in that country.