“Mac” or “Mc,” such as “MacDonald” or “McCloud. ” This means your surname is of Gaelic origin. “Fitz,” such as “Fitzpatrick” or “Fitzgerald. ” This means your surname is of English origin. “O,” such as “O’Brien” or “O’Shea. ” This means your surname is of Irish origin. “ap,” such as “Bedo ap Batho,” which becomes “Bedo Batho. ” This means your surname is of Welsh origin.

“-son,” such as “Johnson” or “Paulson. ” This means your ancestor was likely the son of someone named John or Paul. This likely means your surname is Scottish or British. “-sen,” such as “Andersen. ” This is the Scandinavian spelling of “son. ” “-ian” or “-yan,” as in “Simonian” or “Petrossyan. ” This means your surname is Armenian. “-ski,” such as “Petroffski. ” This means your surname is Polish. “-ez” or “-az,” such as “Fernandez” or “Diaz. " This means your surname is Spanish. “-es” or “os,” such as “Morales” or “Rolos. " This means your surname is Portuguese.

For example, in Uganda, people’s surnames derive from the clan their ancestors belonged to. So you may have many people with the surname “Buganda,” as their ancestors all belonged to the same clan. In Japan, it is also common for people to be named based on their clan, such as the Fujiwara clan or the Satōs clan. Depending on where your ancestors are from, you may need to trace back your surname to the clan, tribe, or kingdom your ancestors belonged to, rather than using a mother or father’s name as a guide.

“Miller,” a person who would grind flour from grain. It can also be spelt “Muller” if your ancestors were German. “Wainwright,” a person who built wagons. “Bishop,” a person who worked for a Bishop. “Taylor,” a person who made or repaired clothing. “Carter,” a person who made or drove carts. “Alderman,” a person who was an official clerk of the court. “Stewart,” a person who was a steward. “Alcaldo,” a person who was a mayor. “Zapatero,” a person who was a shoemaker. A list of surnames that relate to the names of occupations can be found here: https://surnames. behindthename. com/names/source/occupation.

“Parris,” which means your ancestor likely came from Paris, France. “London,” which means your ancestor came from London, England. “Medina,” which means your ancestor came from Medina, Mexico. “Chan,” which is a reference to an ancient region in China.

“Brooks,” which means your ancestor lived along a brook. “Churchill,” which means your ancestor lived near a church on a hill. “Vega,” or “meadow” in Spanish, which means your ancestor may have lived near a meadow. “Iglesias,” or “church” in Spanish, which means your ancestor may have lived near a church. “Takahashi,” a Japanese last name which translates to people who lived by or under a tall, high bridge. “Choi,” a Chinese last name which translates to people who lived on a pinnacle or peak. “Yamamoto,” a Japanese last name that refers to the base of a mountain. “Park,” a Korean surname that means “magnolia tree. "

“Northman,” which means your ancestor came from a Northern area. “Southgate,” which means your ancestor came from a location south of a gate. “Eastwood” and “Westwood,” which means your ancestor lived to the east or west of the woods.

“Broadhead,” if your ancestor had a large head. “Black” or “Brown,” if your ancestor had black or brown hair. “Baines,” meaning “bones,” so your ancestor may have appeared thin or bony. “Grande,” meaning “big” in Spanish, so your ancestor may have been a large person. “Rubio,” meaning “blonde” in Spanish, so your ancestor may have had blonde hair.

“Goodman,” which means your ancestor may have been considered a generous individual “Strong” or “Armstrong,” which means your ancestor may have been known to be strong. “Wildman,” which means your ancestor may have been considered a wild or rambunctious person. “Bravo,” which means “brave” in Spanish, so your ancestor may have been brave or courageous. “Wong” or “Wang” means “king” in Cantonese, so your ancestor may have appeared kingly or like royalty. “Sato” means “to assist” in Japanese, so your ancestor may have been very caring to others.

“Moon,” which means “wisdom” in Korean. “Saito,” which means “purity and divine worship” in Japanese. “Kim,” which means “gold” in Korean and may refer to being golden or good. “Nguyen,” which means “original” or “first” in Vietnamese.

For example, you may use Ancestry. com or GenealogyBank. com. You can also access free ancestry or genealogy databases online, though they may only give you general information. Usually, the paid services will uncover more detailed information about your last name.

Look for certified genealogists online or through your local university.

For example, you may ask your older relatives, “Can you tell me anything about the origin of my last name?” or “Would you have any information on where our family name came from and what it means?”