Andersson
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders" — Anders being the Scandinavian form of Andrew, from the Greek for "manly, brave."
Surname Meanings & Family Traits
A living dictionary of surname meanings and family traits. Search any surname — if it isn't here yet, our AI will learn it and add it for everyone.
García
A surname of Basque origin, possibly meaning "bear" or "young one" — one of the most common surnames across the Spanish-speaking world.
Johnson
A patronymic surname meaning "son of John" — John itself deriving from the Hebrew for "God is gracious."
Müller
An occupational surname meaning "miller" — one who operates a mill, historically a vital and respected trade.
Rossi
Means "red-haired ones" — the plural of "rosso" (red), originally a nickname for red-haired or ruddy-complexioned ancestors.
Smith
An occupational surname meaning "blacksmith" or "metalworker" — historically one of the most essential trades in any town.
Family traits reflect traditional and cultural associations, shared for reflection and entertainment — not a scientific or genealogical assessment of any real family.
About Surname Analysis
What is surname analysis?
Surname analysis looks at a family name's linguistic origin and literal meaning, alongside the family traits that tradition and popular culture have come to associate with it over time.
How reliable are the family traits?
They reflect traditional, cultural and folk associations — a source of reflection and inspiration, not a scientific or genealogical assessment of any real family carrying the surname.
What happens if a surname isn't in the dictionary yet?
Search for it anyway. If it's missing, our AI researches its origin, meaning and traditionally associated family traits, then adds it to the dictionary for everyone.
Where does the origin and meaning information come from?
It draws on well-documented etymology and long-standing cultural and traditional sources for each surname's origin, meaning and associated family traits.