Samoan Last Names

These Samoan last names are real family names from Samoa and American Samoa, listed A to Z with meanings, from chiefly names such as Tuilagi and Leota to Samoan forms of biblical names like Ioane and Tavita.

151 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Afamasaga

Matai title adopted as a surname
Afoa

Matai title adopted as a surname
Ah Mu

Samoan family of Chinese descent
Aiolupotea

Samoan family name
Aiono

Matai title adopted as a surname
Ale

Matai title adopted as a surname
Alofa

Love, compassion
Amituana'i

Matai title adopted as a surname
Anae

Matai title adopted as a surname
Aoelua

Samoan family name
Asiata

Matai title adopted as a surname
Aumua

Matai title adopted as a surname

E

Elisaia

Samoan form of Elisha
Esera

Samoan form of Ezra

F

Fa'alogo

To listen
Fa'amatuainu

Matai title adopted as a surname
Fa'amausili

Matai title adopted as a surname
Faasavalu

Matai title adopted as a surname
Faleafa

Samoan family name
Faleolo

Matai title adopted as a surname; also a village name
Faleomavaega

Matai title of American Samoa
Fatialofa

Samoan family name
Fatu

Heart; seed, stone
Faumuina

Matai title adopted as a surname
Fili

To choose
Fiso

Samoan family name
Fonoti

Matai title adopted as a surname
Fruean

Samoan family of European descent
Fuimaono

Matai title adopted as a surname

G

Galuvao

Samoan family name

I

Iakopo

Samoan form of Jacob
Ieremia

Samoan form of Jeremiah
Ioane

Samoan form of John
Iosefa

Samoan form of Joseph
Iuli

Matai title adopted as a surname

L

Lafaele

Samoan form of Raphael
Lameko

Samoan form of Lamech
Lauina

Samoan family name
Lealaiauloto

Matai title adopted as a surname
Lealofi

Samoan family name
Leaupepe

Matai title adopted as a surname
Leavasa

Matai title adopted as a surname
Leiataua

Matai title adopted as a surname
Leilua

Matai title adopted as a surname
Lemalu

Matai title adopted as a surname
Lemanu

Matai title adopted as a surname
Leota

Matai (chiefly) title adopted as a surname
Letoa

Samoan family name; toa means brave, warrior
Leuluai

Matai title adopted as a surname
Lima

Hand; the number five
Lolo

Coconut cream; also a matai title
Lotu

Church, worship
Luamanu

Samoan family name
Luatua

Samoan family name
Lui

Samoan family name
Lutali

Samoan family name

M

Maiava

Matai title adopted as a surname
Malielegaoi

Samoan family name
Malietoa

Paramount royal title (tama-a-'aiga)
Mamea

Matai title adopted as a surname
Masoe

Matai title adopted as a surname
Mata

Eye, face
Mata'afa

Paramount royal title (tama-a-'aiga)
Matagi

Wind
Mauga

Mountain; also a matai title
Mealamu

Samoan family name
Meleisea

Matai title adopted as a surname
Mikaele

Samoan form of Michael
Moliga

Samoan family name
Muliaina

Samoan family name
Mulipola

Matai title adopted as a surname
Mulitalo

Matai title adopted as a surname

N

Nu'uali'itia

Samoan family name

P

Pa'u

Matai title adopted as a surname
Paulo

Samoan form of Paul
Pele

Beloved, dear
Petelo

Samoan form of Peter
Pisi

Samoan family name
Polamalu

Samoan family name
Pouesi

Samoan family name
Pouono

Samoan family name
Poutoa

Samoan family name; toa means brave, warrior
Pulu

Matai title adopted as a surname
Punivalu

Samoan family name

S

Sa'u

Samoan family name
Salave'a

Matai title adopted as a surname
Salele

Samoan family name
Salesa

Samoan family name
Samuelu

Samoan form of Samuel
Sapolu

Samoan family name
Savea

Matai title adopted as a surname
Schuster

Samoan family of German descent
Seau

Samoan family name
Sefo

Samoan family name
Seiuli

Matai title adopted as a surname
Seumalo

Matai title adopted as a surname
Seumanu

Matai title adopted as a surname
Seumanutafa

Matai title adopted as a surname
Sio

Samoan family name
So'o

Samoan family name
So'oialo

Matai title adopted as a surname
Soliai

Matai title adopted as a surname
Sopoaga

Matai title adopted as a surname
Su'a

Matai title adopted as a surname
Sua

Matai title adopted as a surname
Sua'ali'i

Matai title adopted as a surname
Sunia

Matai title adopted as a surname

T

Ta'amu

Samoan family name
Taefu

Samoan family name
Tafuna

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tagaloa

Name of the creator god; also a matai title
Le Tagaloa

Matai title referencing the god Tagaloa
Tago

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tamasese

Paramount royal title (tama-a-'aiga)
Tanielu

Samoan form of Daniel
Taotua

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tauasa

Samoan family name
Tauiliili

Matai title adopted as a surname
Taulupe

Samoan family name; lupe means pigeon
Tautua

Service rendered to one's family and matai
Tavita

Samoan form of David
Tialata

Samoan family name
Toala

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tofilau

Matai title adopted as a surname
Toleafoa

Matai title adopted as a surname
Toomata

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tuala

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tuatagaloa

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tufuga

Master craftsman or expert
Tuiali'i

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tuiasosopo

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tuiatua

Paramount title of the Atua district
Tuiavi'i

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tuilagi

Matai title; tui (paramount lord) and lagi (sky)
Tuiletufuga

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tuiloma

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tuimaleali'ifano

Paramount royal title (tama-a-'aiga)
Tuimaseve

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tuimavave

Matai title; possibly swift lord
Tuitama

Matai title; tui (lord) and tama (child)
Tulafono

Law, rule
Tupa'i

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tupuola

Matai title adopted as a surname
Tusi

To write; book

U

Ulugia

Samoan family name
Umaga

Samoan family name

V

Va'ai

Matai title adopted as a surname
Vaega

Samoan family name
Vaifale

Samoan family name
Vili

Samoan form of Willie
Viliamu

Samoan form of William

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Results (6)

Tanielu

Samoan form of Daniel
Fili

To choose
Lafaele

Samoan form of Raphael
Taulupe

Samoan family name; lupe means pigeon
Salave'a

Matai title adopted as a surname
Lima

Hand; the number five

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The Samoan last names you meet most often

Some names in the list are familiar far beyond the islands because of sport. Tuilagi, Sapolu, Tuiasosopo and Fonoti are well known to rugby and American football fans, since players of Samoan heritage are prominent in both games. Seeing a name on a team sheet often tells you about a family's village and title history, because many of these surnames began as matai names. Tui, as in Tuilagi, means paramount lord, and it opens many of the most respected names.

Four names carry special weight. Malietoa, Tamasese, Mata'afa and Tuimaleali'ifano are paramount titles known as the tama a 'aiga, the sons of the great families, and Samoa's heads of state have largely come from these lines. When they appear as surnames, they usually signal a real connection to those families. Samoans treat them with respect, so think carefully before giving one to a comic or villainous character, and choose a more everyday name instead.

Biblical names and everyday words in the list

A large group of names are Bible names reshaped to fit Samoan sounds. Native Samoan words avoid sounds like j, d and b, so John became Ioane, David Tavita, Daniel Tanielu, Joseph Iosefa, Peter Petelo and Michael Mikaele. Samuelu, Lafaele (Raphael), Ieremia (Jeremiah) and Esera (Ezra) follow the same pattern. If a name in the list looks like a familiar English name with extra vowels, it is probably one of these, often first a father's given name that his children took as a surname.

Other names are ordinary Samoan words. Lima means hand and also five, Fili means to choose, and Tautua means service given to one's family and matai. Toa means brave or warrior, and it appears inside names such as Poutoa. Some names are also places. Faleolo is a village on Upolu that gives its name to Samoa's international airport, and Tafuna is a village on Tutuila in American Samoa, home to the airport there.

Reading and pronouncing names from Samoa

The apostrophe in names like Fa'amausili, Mata'afa and Salave'a marks a glottal stop, a short catch in the throat like the break in uh-oh. Every vowel is pronounced, so Fa'amausili is fah-ah-mao-SEE-lee. Stress usually falls on the second to last syllable. Official records and sports rosters often drop the apostrophe, which turns Mata'afa into Mataafa. When searching the list, try the name both with and without it if the first attempt finds nothing.

A person's name can also change during their life. When someone is given a matai title, they may place it before their other names, and children of the same parents sometimes register different surnames, choosing a title or a father's name. For a modern character from Auckland, Honolulu, Salt Lake City or Southern California, a name such as Leota, Tavita or Faumuina fits naturally. Pair it with a Samoan or English first name, as many families do.

Frequently asked questions

Which Samoan last names are linked to the highest titles?

Malietoa, Tamasese, Mata'afa and Tuimaleali'ifano are the four paramount titles known as the tama a 'aiga. They are tied to Samoa's leading families and to the country's heads of state, so they carry more weight than most other names in the list.

Why do some names contain an apostrophe?

The apostrophe, called a koma liliu, marks a glottal stop, a brief pause between vowels. It changes meaning in Samoan, so careful writers keep it. Many passports, school records and team lists leave it out, which is why the same name appears in two forms.

Why do so many names look like Bible names?

Christian missionaries arrived in Samoa in the 1830s, and biblical names quickly became popular. Adapted to Samoan sounds, John became Ioane and David became Tavita. Many children later took their father's biblical first name as a surname, which fixed these forms in families.

Is Faleolo a person's name or a place?

Both. Faleolo is a village on the island of Upolu and the site of Samoa's main international airport. It is also a matai title, and many families use it as a surname. Several other names in the list share this link between title, village and family.