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Unique last names: 120+ rare surnames with meanings

123 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest

Unique last names are real surnames you rarely hear, like Golightly, Pettigrew and Featherstone. Most began as medieval nicknames, forgotten job titles or small place names, so each one carries a story.

Below are 120+ rare and interesting last names grouped by origin: English nicknames and holiday names, old occupations, Scottish, Irish, French, German and Dutch, Italian and Spanish, Welsh and Japanese surnames. Every note gives the most widely accepted meaning, plus a pronunciation tip where the spelling is tricky.

Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks

  • Prothero

    From ap Rhydderch, son of Rhydderch, from words for ruler and exalted

  • Chaucer

    Old French chaucier, a maker of hose or footwear

  • Farquharson

    Son of Farquhar, Gaelic for dear man; say FAR-ker-son

  • Bongiorno

    Italian for good day, from a greeting

  • Bevilacqua

    Italian for drink water; a nickname for a teetotaler

  • Lajoie

    The joy; a nickname for a cheerful person

Find a unique last name on this page

Narrow 123 surnames by how common they are in the 2020 US Census, by section, length or first letter, or search the meanings.

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Unique English last names

Medieval nicknames that stuck. These surnames describe how someone walked or behaved, where they lived or when they were born.

  1. Fairweather 1,783 in the US: Nickname for a cheerful, sunny-natured person
  2. Golightly 2,155 in the US: Nickname for a messenger, someone light on their feet
  3. Lightfoot 8,214 in the US: Nickname for a fast runner
  4. Pettigrew 7,461 in the US: Old French petit cru, little growth; for a small person
  5. Shakespeare 1,295 in the US: Nickname for a spearman, one who brandished a spear
  6. Goodfellow 2,385 in the US: Nickname for a good companion or neighbor
  7. Truelove 3,010 in the US: Nickname for a faithful sweetheart
  8. Proudfoot 1,166 in the US: Nickname for someone with a proud, haughty walk
  9. Nightingale 4,212 in the US: Nickname for a sweet singer, from the bird
  10. Sparrowhawk Under 100 in the US: Nickname from the small bird of prey
  11. Featherstone 3,089 in the US: From places named for four standing stones
  12. Applegarth 921 in the US: Old Norse for an apple orchard; a Yorkshire place
  13. Loveday 2,524 in the US: From Old English Leofdæg, beloved day; a loveday was also a day for settling disputes
  14. Midwinter Under 100 in the US: For a child born in the depths of winter, around Christmas
  15. Christmas 5,655 in the US: For a child born or baptized on December 25
  16. Halliday 4,396 in the US: Old English haligdæg, holy day; for someone born on one
  17. Pentecost 2,284 in the US: For someone born or baptized at Whitsun
  18. Yule 1,107 in the US: For someone born at the midwinter festival, Old English geol
  19. Paschal 5,581 in the US: Latin paschalis, of Easter; for a child born then

Rare occupational surnames

Jobs that vanished centuries ago but survive as family names. Each one tells you what an ancestor did all day.

  1. Chaucer Under 100 in the US: Old French chaucier, a maker of hose or footwear
  2. Pargeter Under 100 in the US: A plasterer who did decorative plasterwork
  3. Lorimer 1,054 in the US: A maker of bits, spurs and harness metalwork
  4. Lister 7,985 in the US: A dyer of cloth
  5. Kember 103 in the US: A comber of wool before spinning
  6. Tozer 1,264 in the US: A teaser of wool, raising the nap of cloth
  7. Lavender 7,312 in the US: Old French lavandier, a washer of linen
  8. Napier 18,535 in the US: The servant in charge of a household's table linen
  9. Jenner 2,388 in the US: Middle English ginour, an engineer of siege machines
  10. Hayward 15,321 in the US: A manor officer who guarded hedges and fences
  11. Reeve 5,173 in the US: A manor's overseer or chief magistrate
  12. Spicer 17,682 in the US: A seller of spices
  13. Plowright Under 100 in the US: A maker of plows
  14. Arkwright 389 in the US: A maker of chests, called arks
  15. Bowyer 4,029 in the US: A maker or seller of bows
  16. Spurrier 1,595 in the US: A maker of spurs
  17. Sumner 17,669 in the US: A summoner who called people to church courts
  18. Wainwright 6,593 in the US: A builder of wagons, called wains
  19. Honeyman 984 in the US: A beekeeper or a seller of honey
  20. Wakeman 2,371 in the US: A watchman who kept guard at night

Uncommon Scottish last names

Scottish surnames are famous for spellings that do not match their sounds. Pronunciations are in the notes.

  1. Menzies 1,983 in the US: From Mesnières in Normandy; say MING-iss
  2. Dalziel 609 in the US: From a Lanarkshire barony; say dee-EL
  3. Colquhoun 755 in the US: From lands near Loch Lomond; say ka-HOON
  4. Urquhart 4,345 in the US: From the lands by Loch Ness; say UR-kurt
  5. Farquharson 1,912 in the US: Son of Farquhar, Gaelic for dear man; say FAR-ker-son
  6. Galbraith 8,664 in the US: Gaelic Gall Breatnach, a stranger Briton
  7. Ogilvy 196 in the US: From a Brittonic place name meaning high plain
  8. Moncrieff 320 in the US: Gaelic monadh craoibhe, hill of the tree
  9. Lamont 6,359 in the US: From Old Norse lögmaðr, lawman
  10. Blackadder Under 100 in the US: From a river in the Scottish Borders
  11. Auchinleck Under 100 in the US: Gaelic for field of flat stones; often said AF-leck
  12. Strachan 4,134 in the US: From a Kincardineshire place; often said STRAWN
  13. Gilchrist 12,077 in the US: Gaelic Gille Chrìosd, servant of Christ
  14. Fairbairn 1,330 in the US: Lowland Scots for fair or beautiful child

Rare Irish last names

Irish surnames often hide an animal, a color or a personal trait in their Gaelic roots. The Irish form is in each note.

  1. Keogh 2,799 in the US: Mac Eochaidh, from each, horse; say KYOH or KEE-oh
  2. Tierney 13,238 in the US: Ó Tighearnaigh, from tighearna, lord
  3. Whelan 11,139 in the US: Ó Faoláin, from faol, wolf
  4. Madigan 5,419 in the US: Ó Madagáin, from a name meaning little dog
  5. Mahony 1,938 in the US: Ó Mathúna, from mathúin, bear; say MAH-ha-nee
  6. Hennessy 9,053 in the US: Ó hAonghusa, descendant of Aonghus, or Angus
  7. Moriarty 9,750 in the US: Ó Muircheartaigh, a skilled navigator of the sea
  8. Garvey 11,057 in the US: Ó Gairbhith, from garbh, rough, and síth, peace
  9. Gilhooly 599 in the US: Mac Giolla Ghuala, son of the follower of the shoulder; say gil-HOO-lee
  10. Mulrooney 1,156 in the US: Ó Maolruanaidh, descendant of a follower of Saint Ruan

Unusual French last names

Many rare French surnames are whole words: the raspberry, the joy, the luck. Several began as soldiers' nicknames in New France.

  1. Toussaint 8,143 in the US: For a child born on All Saints' Day; say too-SAN
  2. Laframboise 1,045 in the US: French for the raspberry; a soldier's nickname
  3. Desrosiers 5,446 in the US: Of the rose bushes; say day-ro-ZYAY
  4. Lachance 5,434 in the US: French for the luck; a nickname for a lucky person
  5. Courtois 1,243 in the US: Old French for courteous and refined
  6. Beaulieu 10,296 in the US: Beautiful place; say bo-LYUH
  7. Lavigne 6,896 in the US: For a family living by a vineyard
  8. Chevalier 6,553 in the US: French for knight, or a horseman
  9. Boisvert 4,488 in the US: Green wood; say bwah-VAIR
  10. Bonenfant 730 in the US: Good child; an affectionate old nickname
  11. Larue 11,116 in the US: For a family living on the street
  12. Delorme 1,853 in the US: Of the elm; for a family by an elm tree
  13. Dupuis 8,094 in the US: Of the well; for someone living by one
  14. Lajoie 3,027 in the US: The joy; a nickname for a cheerful person
  15. Desjardins 4,298 in the US: Of the gardens; say day-zhar-DAN

Interesting German and Dutch last names

Mountains, gems, stars and lakes. German and Dutch surnames often read like tiny poems.

  1. Morgenstern 2,408 in the US: German for morning star
  2. Wunderlich 3,556 in the US: Nickname for an odd or whimsical person
  3. Fröhlich 1,194 in the US: Nickname meaning cheerful; say FRUR-likh
  4. Rosenthal 15,700 in the US: German for rose valley
  5. Lichtenberg 1,382 in the US: Bright mountain; from several German place names
  6. Eisenberg 6,222 in the US: German for iron mountain
  7. Edelstein 2,717 in the US: German for gemstone, an ornamental name
  8. Kirschbaum 1,796 in the US: Cherry tree; for a family living near one
  9. Zimmermann 7,223 in the US: German for carpenter, from zimber, timber
  10. Vandermeer 1,733 in the US: Dutch, from the lake
  11. Vandenberg 6,732 in the US: Dutch, from the hill or mountain
  12. Terpstra 2,597 in the US: Frisian, for someone living on a terp, a raised dwelling mound
  13. Hoogland 608 in the US: Dutch for high land
  14. Hollander 5,355 in the US: Someone from Holland, the historic coastal region of the Netherlands

Rare Italian and Spanish last names

Greetings, wishes and Basque landscapes. These surnames are real, uncommon and fun to say.

  1. Bongiorno 1,856 in the US: Italian for good day, from a greeting
  2. Benvenuto 1,127 in the US: Italian for welcome, given to a long-awaited child
  3. Malatesta 1,363 in the US: Italian for headstrong, literally bad head
  4. Bevilacqua 2,480 in the US: Italian for drink water; a nickname for a teetotaler
  5. Diotallevi Under 100 in the US: Italian for may God raise you; often given to foundlings
  6. Buonocore 918 in the US: Italian for good heart
  7. Echeverría 9,617 in the US: Basque etxe berri, new house; say eh-cheh-veh-REE-ah
  8. Zubizarreta 220 in the US: Basque for the old bridge
  9. Arriaga 17,928 in the US: Basque for stony place
  10. Iglesias 10,519 in the US: Spanish for churches; for a family living near one
  11. Montenegro 10,827 in the US: Spanish and Italian for black mountain

Uncommon Welsh last names

Many Welsh surnames began with ap or ab, son of. Over time the ap fused onto the father's name. The best-known, like Powell and Bowen, are too common in the US to count as rare, so these are the rarer ones.

  1. Prichard 6,115 in the US: From ap Richard, son of Richard
  2. Bevan 3,967 in the US: From ab Evan, son of Evan
  3. Probert 1,151 in the US: From ap Robert, son of Robert
  4. Pumphrey 3,508 in the US: From ap Humphrey, son of Humphrey
  5. Parry 10,373 in the US: From ap Harry, son of Harry
  6. Bellis 2,319 in the US: From ab Elis, son of Elis
  7. Cadwalader 305 in the US: From Cadwaladr, battle leader; say kad-WOL-a-der
  8. Bithell 291 in the US: Most likely from ab Ithel, son of Ithel, a name meaning bountiful lord
  9. Prothero 794 in the US: From ap Rhydderch, son of Rhydderch, from words for ruler and exalted
  10. Pryce 2,798 in the US: From ap Rhys, son of Rhys; or an official who fixed market prices

Japanese last names rarely heard in the US

Japanese surnames are written in kanji, and the meaning depends on the characters. Some, like Hoshino, are common in Japan but rare in the US.

  1. Takanashi Under 100 in the US: Usually written 高梨, high pear tree; the rare spelling 小鳥遊, little birds play, puns on no hawks
  2. Hoshino 505 in the US: Written 星野, meaning star field
  3. Kurosawa 174 in the US: Written 黒沢, meaning black marsh or mountain stream
  4. Amano 658 in the US: Written 天野, meaning heavenly field
  5. Tachibana 359 in the US: Written 橘, a wild mandarin orange tree
  6. Shiratori Under 100 in the US: Written 白鳥, white bird, the Japanese word for swan
  7. Wakatsuki Under 100 in the US: Written 若月, meaning young moon
  8. Hanazawa Under 100 in the US: Written 花沢, meaning flower marsh
  9. Kamiya 437 in the US: Often written 神谷, valley of the gods
  10. Kagami Under 100 in the US: Can be written 鏡, meaning mirror

How to pick the right name

Say it and spell it

Some names are rare because they are hard to spell. Try the surname with a first name, then imagine spelling it over the phone.

Learn the real pronunciation

Menzies is said MING-iss and Colquhoun is ka-HOON. If you choose a Scottish, Irish or Welsh name, decide early whether to use the traditional sound.

Pick a story you like

A rare surname is a conversation starter. Golightly, Fairweather and Toussaint all come with a meaning you will enjoy explaining.

Remember they are living names

Real families carry these names today. They add realism to a character; for a pen name or a brand, a quick search avoids borrowing someone's identity.

Unique last names: 123 ideas from Nomezo

Save this list for later

Pin it to a naming board, or tap the heart next to any name to keep it in your favorites on this device.

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Unique last names in the 2020 Census: how rare these really are, and the ones that only sound rare

By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names

The 2020 Census found 7.8 million different last names in the US. Eleven were reported more than a million times each, while more than 7 million, 98% of them, were reported fewer than 100 times. The tags beside the names on this page show how many people in the US had each one in 2020.

Thirteen names here, like Chaucer, Sparrowhawk and Takanashi, are held by fewer than 100 people, too few for the Census Bureau's public list. The finder above narrows the list by section, length and how common each name is.

  1. Step 1Pick an originEnglish nicknames, Scottish places, Welsh ap names.
  2. Step 2Check how rare it isKember: 103 people in the US.
  3. Step 3Make sure it isn't commonPowell has 216,911 bearers.
  4. Step 4Say it rightMenzies is MING-iss.

The rarest names on this page

People in the US with these last names, 2020 Census
Last namePeople in the US
Chaucer, Pargeter, Sparrowhawk, Takanashi and 9 moreFewer than 100
Kember103
Kurosawa174
Ogilvy196
Zubizarreta220
Bithell291
Cadwalader305
Moncrieff320
Tachibana359

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 surnames. Shiratori was on the 2010 list but fell below 100 people by 2020.

Sounds rare, isn't

Names often listed as rare that are common in the US
Last namePeople in the US, 2020US rank
Powell216,911#105
Bowen75,672#423
Lloyd62,010#531
Ventura41,204#819
Gillespie40,456#836
Villalobos37,166#923
Flanagan29,609#1,166
Cassidy25,508#1,347

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 surnames. These names were on this page until October 2026; we replaced them with rarer ones like Bithell and Gilhooly.

How the Census counts last names

  • One name, many forms. The Census Bureau removes punctuation, numbers, spaces and suffixes, so SMITH, S M I T H, SMITHJR and SMITH III all count as Smith (Census Brief C2020BR-14). Its list also has no accents, so Fröhlich counts as Frohlich (1,194 people), separately from Froehlich (4,318).
  • The public list stops at 100. It includes more than 156,000 last names held by 100 or more people (Census Brief C2020BR-14). A name missing from it is not extinct, just rarer than that.
  • Some names are puzzles. The rare Japanese spelling 小鳥遊, little birds play, is read Takanashi as a pun on taka nashi, no hawks (Wiktionary); the name is usually written 高梨.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What is the most unique last name?

There is no single one: about 7 million last names were reported fewer than 100 times in the 2020 US Census. Golightly, Takanashi, Colquhoun and Diotallevi are rare in the US and have memorable meanings; Takanashi's rare spelling 小鳥遊 reads little birds play.

What are some rare last names with meanings?

Pettigrew means little growth, Fairweather was a nickname for a cheerful person, Morgenstern means morning star and Zubizarreta is Basque for the old bridge. Only 220 people in the US were named Zubizarreta in the 2020 Census.

What are uncommon last names that sound good?

Try Featherstone, Lightfoot, Beaulieu, Lichtenberg or Tierney. They are easy to say, rarely heard and have clear, pleasant meanings.

Where do unusual surnames come from?

Most come from medieval nicknames, forgotten jobs or small places. A Lorimer made bits and spurs, a Pargeter did decorative plaster, and Loveday comes from an Old English name meaning beloved day.

Can I use a unique last name for a character?

Yes. A real but rare surname makes a character feel grounded and specific. Check the meaning and pronunciation in the notes so the name suits the person you are writing.

How many last names are there in the US?

The 2020 Census recorded 7.8 million different last names after editing. Only about 156,000 were held by 100 or more people, the cutoff for the Census Bureau's public list, and more than 7 million were reported fewer than 100 times.

Why isn't my last name in the Census list?

The public list only includes names held by 100 or more people. A name can also be split across spellings, because the list has no spaces, punctuation or accents: Fröhlich and Froehlich are counted separately.

More last names and generators

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