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At times, we may stumble upon unusual last names. However, that doesn’t mean they have a humorous story behind them. Funny last names could be funny because they could mean different things in different languages.
It is important to understand their meanings and roots and be respectful of any person’s last name, irrespective of how it sounds or means, as it is held with regard by the person owning it. Our post lists some of the names with their meanings to bust the wrongs.
Funniest Last Names In The World
Funny last names often capture the playful side of language and culture, turning ordinary surnames into delightful sources of humor. Dive into this diverse list of amusing surnames from around the world and discover unique stories behind them.
1. Assman
Assman, Assmann, or Aßmann is a German surname derived from Erasmus, which means “beloved” and mann meaning man in German.
2. Aycock
It is an Anglo-Saxon name used for people who lived in Heycock in Berkshire.
3. Baal
Baal has originated from the Old French baud, meaning “joyful.” It is also a common Indian and Arabic surname.
4. Bader
Bader is a German surname and an occupational name for an attendant or owner of a public bathhouse.
5. Ball
Ball or Balls is derived from the Middle English balle, which could mean someone who lives on or near a rounded hill.
6. Beaver
Beaver is an English surname that is derived from the Old French beu meaning “fair” or “lovely” and voir meaning “to see.”
7. Bellagamba
Bellagamba is a beautiful Italian surname. It means “beautiful leg.”
8. Berger
Berger is derived from the Old French word bergier, which means “shepherd.”
9. Bich
Bich is a common Vietnamese surname that means blue-green or jade.
10. Bierhals
Bierhals is a surname of German origin. It means “beer throat” in German.
11. Bodycomb
Bodycomb is an English surname that originated from Bodiam county in West Sussex, the Bodenham villages in Hereford and Wiltshire, or Bodham in Norfolk. Boddam, Bodiam, Bodicam, Bodicum, and Bodycombe are different variations of this surname.
12. Bonefat
Bonefat is an unusual variation of the well-known French surname, Bonenfrant. It means good child.
13. Bonner
Bonner is an English, Scottish, and Irish surname derived from the Middle English nickname bonere meaning “gentle” or “handsome.”
Did you know?14. Boob
Boob is an Indian surname.
15. Borgnino
Borgnino sounds extremely distinguished. It is an Italian surname meaning “blind in one eye.”
16. Bottom
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Bottom is a surname from the Old English botm, which means “valley bottom” and specifies someone who lives in a broad valley.
17. Bottum
Bottum is one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon names in Britain. It is the name of the families who lived in a broad valley or a hillside near Bootham near Yorkshire.
18. Bracegirdle
This is a surname of Anglo-Saxon origin and is the occupational name of “maker of breech-girdles” belts for holding up breeches in ancient times.
19. Brain
Brain is an English surname based on the family that lived in Brain in Normandy. The first Brain was found in Gloucestershire.
20. Broad
Broad is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name derived from the Old English brode, which means “stout person.”
21. Broadhurst
It is the name of the families who lived in a place called Broadhurst in Sussex. It came from the Old English brad, which means “broad” and hyrst means “wooded hill.”
22. Butts
Butt or Butts is an English surname derived from the French word but, which means “target.”
23. Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is a Spanish surname and means “a hundred fires.”
24. Chew
Chew is a Chinese, Korean, Cantonese, and Hokkien surname.
25. Clutterbuck
Clutterbuck is an ancient surname that is found mainly in Gloucestershire. It was first recorded in the 16th century.
26. Cobbledick
Cobbledick is an Anglo-Saxon name of the families that lived in Cobbledi in Lincolnshire.
27. Cock
Cock was a medieval nickname cok, which means “cock” or “rooster.”
28. Cockburn
Cockburn were people who originated from Cockburn, a place in Berwickshire. It originated from the Old English words cocc, which means “rooster” and burna means “stream.”
29. Cockett
Cockett has been derived from Middle English and is the occupational name for a baker. It could also have been derived from the Anglo-French cockette seal, which contained the seal of the King’s Custom House.
30. Cok
Cok is one of the most common Chinese surnames. It means “the wall that surrounds a city.”
31. Colon
Colon is a Spanish surname and is similar to the English surname Columbus.
32. Condom
It is the regional name for people who live in the French place called Condom. It could also be considered a variant of Condon.
33. Cornfoot
Cornfoot is an Anglo-Saxon name of the families that lived in Cornford in Durham.
34. Cox
Cox is a common English and Welsh surname. It is derived from cocke, which means “son of” or “servant of.”
35. Cummings
Cummings or Cumming is an English, Scottish, and Irish surname of Norman origin. It means “bent” or “crooked.”
36. Daft
Daft is derived from the Middle English daffle, which means “mild,” “gentle,” or “meek.”
37. Daniels
Daniels is not a funny surname per se until your name is Jack. However, it means “God has judged.”
38. Dankworth
Dankworth is the anglicized form of the German name Tancred, which means “a farmstead.”
39. Dick
Dick is a variant of Richard, which means “brave ruler.”
40. Dickinson
Dickinson means “son of Dickin.” It is derived from Richard.
41. Dickson
Dickson is a traditionally Scottish surname, and it means “son of Dick.”
42. Dikshit
Dikshit (sometimes spelled Dixit) is an Indian surname that means “provider of knowledge” in Sanskrit.
43. Dork
Dork is derived from the Germanic Tederich, which means “powerful people.”
44. Duck
Duck is a common English surname and a variant of the German name Duyck.
45. Everhard
Everhard is an English surname derived from Eberhard.
46. Faartz
Faartz conjures openness, prudence, and decisiveness.
47. Fagot
It is a surname; however, its meaning is unknown.
48. Fanny
Fanny is an Anglo-Saxon name for a family that lives near a marsh or swamp. It originated from the Old English fenn, which means “fen” or “wetlands.”
49. Fokker
It means “breeder” in Dutch.
50. Fuk
Fuk is the Cantonese translation of a Chinese surname meaning “to lean over” or “to fall.”
51. Fumagalli
Fumagalli is an Italian surname that means “blow smoke at chickens.”
52. Gay
Gay is an English and French surname derived from the Middle English and Old French gai, a nickname for a cheerful person.
53. Gaywood
Gaywood is an English surname given to families who live in Gaywood in Norfolk.
54. Glydenbollocks
This classy-sounding surname means “golden balls.”
55. Goff
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Goff is a Welsh surname derived from a nickname for a red-haired person. It is common in East Anglia.
56. Gopnik
Gopnik is a surname of Russian origin. It means “drunken hooligan.”
57. Gorey
Gorey is a surname derived from the anglicized version of the Gaelic Mac Gafraidh, which means “son of Gafradh.”
58. Gotobed
It might have originated in England that meant people who had a bed, a rare occurrence in the 12th century.
59. Greedy
Greedy is derived from the Old Irish surname “MacRiada” more commonly known as “Grady” or “Gready.” It is another word for “horseman.”
60. Grossweiner
Grossweiner is a common English surname but can be found in the Americas as well.
61. Hardick
Hardick is a habitational name for families residing in Hardwick in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
62. Hardman
Hardman is an Anglo-Saxon name that means “person with a tough character.” It could also mean a person who is stubborn and completes their tasks.
63. Hardmeat
This surname is derived from “Hardmead,” which is a Parish in Buckingham.
64. Hardy
Hardy is a common English and French surname that means “bold.”
65. Hickinbottom
Hickinbottom is the name of the families who hail from Hugg’s land in East Cheshire.
66. Ho
Ho is a Chinese and Korean surname.
67. Hooker
Hooker means “a person who lived near a river bend or corner of a natural feature” from the Old English hoc meaning “angle” or “hook.”
68. Horsedick
Horsedick is an English surname and means “brave horse rider.”
69. Hyman
Hyman is an ancient English surname derived from the Old English hegham meaning “enclosed dwelling.”
70. Kieksyte
Kieksyte is a Dutch surname that means “compassion.”
71. Kock
Kock means to cook in several languages, predominantly Dutch and German. It is derived from the Latin coquu,s which means “art of cooking.”
Quick fact72. Kok
Kok is a Dutch surname and means “cook” in Dutch.
73. Kuntz
Kuntz is a German surname that means “bold.”
74. Large
It is derived from Middle English and French and means “generous.”
75. Licker
Licker is a North German surname and a nickname for a gourmand. It is derived from the Middle Low German licken, which means “to lick.”
76. Light
Light is a Middle English nickname for a happy and cheerful person.
77. Longbottom
Longbottom is the name of a person who lives in a long valley.
78. Loser
Loser is a surname from Saxony and is derived from the Old English Loesar or Lesar, which comes from Lazarus.
79. Looney
Looney is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Luanaigh or “descendant of Luanach.”
80. Luckinbill
Luckinbill or Luckenbill is derived from the German word Luginbuhl, which means “to watch” or “lie in wait” (luogen) and “hillock” (buhel).
81. Mahboobeh
Mahboobeh is a surname of Arabic origin and means “beloved.”
82. Maldonado
Maldonado is a common Spanish surname that means “ill-favored.”
83. Mangina
Mangina is an Italian surname that means “wine maker” or “wine drinker.”
84. Medick
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Medick is an English name derived from a nickname for a physician.
85. Morehead
Morehead is an ancient English surname used by families who lived in Lanark.
86. Normous
Normous is of Swedish origin and means “trustworthy” and “loyal.”
87. Nutter
Nutter has originated from the Old English notere, which means “clerk” or nothard, which means “person who breeds oxen.”
88. Onions
Onions was popular in France and Ireland in the 13th century and was used to identify onion growers or sellers.
89. Or
Or is a phonetic translation of Chinese and means “light.”
90. Panda
It is an Indian surname common among priests of Odisha, India.
91. Pappalardo
This is an Italian surname that means “eats lard.”
92. Payne
It is derived from Latin paganus, which means “heathen” or “pagan.”
93. Peanisbreath
It is a rare American and Australian surname.
94. Pelagatti
Pelagatti is an Italian surname that means “skins cats.”
95. Pentti
Pentti is the Finnish form of Benedict.
96. Perv
This is an American surname, and it has nothing to do with the personality of the owner.
97. Peter
Peter is a perfectly innocent-sounding surname that is a slang word for penis.
98. Pigg
Pigg is an English name that derived from the Middle English pigge, meaning “young hog.” It is the occupational metonymic for a swineherd.
99. Player
Player is derived from the Middle English pleyen meaning “to play.”
100. Poo
Poo is an English translation of a Chinese surname and means “flower.”
101. Poop
Poop is a popular Taiwanese surname.
102. Poore
This surname has come from a nickname that means “power and pauper.”
103. Pound
Pound is a common English surname derived from the Middle English pund (later pound) meaning an enclosure for animals. Pounds, Pounder, Pund, Pond, and Ponds are variations.
104. Pusey
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Pusey is a locational surname for the families who lived in Pusey in Oxfordshire (previously Wiltshire) and is derived from the Old English peose meaning “island.”
105. Ramsbottom
Ramsbottom is the name of families who hail from a place called Ramsbottom in Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English ramm, which means “wild garlic” and bothm, which means “valley bottom.”
106. Rape
Rape is derived from the Irish O Reabaigh. It is a variant of the Irish reap or the German rappe.
107. Raper
Raper is a variant of Roper, which means “person who makes ropes.”
108. Recker
Recker or Reckker is a German and Dutch surname and is a variant of Richard or the Dutch name Rijker.
109. Register
Register is derived from the Middle English and Old French register meaning “register.” It might perhaps be a metonymic occupational name for a scribe.
110. Rhammar
It is a common surname, especially in Morocco.
111. Rollo-Koster
It is one of the most common German and Dutch family names.
112. Ruff
Ruff is an English name for a person who lives on or near rough uncultivated land.
113. Rump
Rump is an Estonian surname. It means “dugout” or “punt.”
114. Saap
Saap is a German surname formed from sabbe. It could also be derived from the Middle English sap meaning “spruce tree.”
115. Sackrider
Sackrider is the American spelling of the German sackreuter, which is a nickname for “plunderer.”
116. Saltaformaggio
It is an Italian surname that means “jump the cheese.”
117. Schmuck
Schmuck is a surname of German origin. It means “jewelry” or “cleanliness.”
118. Seeman
Seeman or Seaman is an Anglo-Saxon origin name that means “sailor.”
119. Seisdedos
Seisdedos is a Spanish surname that means “a person with six fingers.”
120. Sexwale
Sexwale is pronounced Sekgwale and is a Limponian surname.
121. Sharts
Sharts is an African surname and is possibly derived from the German schertz.
122. Shufflebottom
Shufflebottom first originated in Lancashire and has a variety of spellings such as Shovellbottom and Shoebottom. It describes families who have lands in a valley.
123. Shytles
It is derived from the Dutch occupational name for a bargemaster.
124. Silly
It is derived from the Old English saelig, which means “a person who is cheerful and happy.”
125. Smalley
Smalley is derived from the Old English smæl meaning “narrow” and leah meaning “wood” or “clearing.”
126. Smelly
This surname originated in Scotland for people with a nice smile or a happy personality.
127. Sporn
Sporn is a German surname derived from Middle High German sporn meaning “to spur.”
128. Squatpump
Squatpump is one of the most unconventional American surnames.
129. Stroker
The Stroker family lived in Pembrokeshire. Their name is derived from Stock in Normandy.
130. Suparman
Suparman is an Arabic surname that is quite popular in Indonesia.
131. Supersad
It is an American surname.
132. Swett
Swett is a variant of svet that means “world.”
133. Tickle
Tickle is an English surname that is given to families from Tickhill in South Yorkshire.
134. Tingle
Tingle is the occupational name for a person who makes nails or pins.
135. Titball
This is an American surname and is found mostly in Pennsylvania.
136. Titsworth
Titsworth is an ancient English surname for the people who lived in or near Tetsworth in Oxfordshire.
137. Twocock
Twocock is a common English surname.
138. Viejobueno
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Viejobueno is a distinguished Spanish surname that means “nice old man.”
139. Villalobos
Villalobos is a Spanish surname that means “wolf town.”
140. Wang
Wang is a common Chinese surname.
Trivia141. Wanket
Wanket is an American surname.
142. Wankum
Wankum is a German surname that means “imagination.”
143. Weed
Weed is a nickname for an irritable or irascible person from the Old English wed meaning “fury” or “rage.”
144. Weiner
Weiner is a German occupational name for a cartwright. It is a variant of Wagner.
145. Willy
Willy, Willie, or Willey is an English surname that is a derivative of William meaning “desire” and “helmet.”
146. Wiwi
Wiwi is a Nordic name and a variation of Vivi.
147. Woolfson
Woolfson means “son of a wolf.”
148. You
You is the English translation of a Chinese surname.
Discover More Names
When you have to choose a name for your baby, a few hundreds of names may not be just enough. Keep digging our mine of baby names until you find that one precious gem.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How did surnames come into existence?
In the Middle Ages, the population in Europe slowly started expanding as people began living in small villages. The need for ways to identify and differentiate people arose. Hence, surnames were used according to people’s place of stay, profession, and physical features (1).
2. What makes a surname funny?
Funny surnames often arise from a mix of puns, cultural nuances, or unexpected literal meanings that catch people off guard. Sometimes, the humor comes from translations; a surname that sounds ordinary in one language may mean something quirky in another. Additionally, historical contexts, where names have evolved or gained new meanings over time, can add a layer of humor. Ultimately, the playfulness of funny surnames makes them a delightful topic for conversation, blending language, culture, and history in unexpected ways.
3. What is the longest surname in the world?
The longest surname belongs to a German-American named Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff Sr.
4. What are some common traits among people with funny last names?
Each individual is different and has different personalities. That said, people with funny last names could have a developed sense of humor as they have been teased right from a young age. They could know how to deflect other people’s unwanted attention with the proper use of humor and lighthearted banter.
5. How do people with funny last names deal with teasing or jokes about their names?
People with funny last names could have different ways to deal with the teasing situation. While some people could use humor as a weapon, others could simply ignore the taunts and give no chance to others to use their reactions as bait. Yet others could take the opportunity to educate people about the uniqueness of their last names. Some people could answer with confidence while others could seek support from their family and friends.
6. What are some cultural differences in what constitutes a “funny” last name?
Cultural differences such as language differences, wordplay, taboos, or history could make a last name sound funny to other people. For instance, the Indian surname Boob or the English surname Bottom could seem funny to people as it means something else in their language.
7. Are there any professions or industries where funny last names are more common?
Funny last names are more common in fields where a person needs to market themselves. In fields such as film and television, book writing and publishing, advertising, social media influencing, and hospitality, funny names are employed to help people remember the name of the person or place easily.
8. How do funny last names affect first impressions or judgments of a person?
A funny name could indicate approachability and easy manner. Moreover, a funny name guarantees remembrance in most cases. Certain surnames could trigger preconceived notions and stereotypes that the bearer has to work hard to remove.
9. Do you think having a funny last name can be an advantage or disadvantage in certain situations?
Funny last names can have both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of having a funny last name are that it guarantees memorability, acts as an icebreaker and conversation starter, and develops a person’s sense of humor. On the other hand, the disadvantages of having a funny surname are that there is a greater chance of being bullied or teased, stereotypes and preconceptions could be created, and there could be misunderstandings.
10. Can a person change their last name if they find it too funny or embarrassing?
Yes, it is possible to change your last name if you find it funny or embarrassing. Every country has rules for legally changing your surname which include submitting an application and getting it changed.
Listening to some of these funny last names may have left you wondering whether they exist. However, though these surnames may sound funny to people from one part of the world, they could have some significance in other parts of the world. Hence, we aim to help you understand their meanings and the languages they are derived from. Also, the stories and origins of these surnames are pretty fascinating. So scroll through the list once more and shortlist any that catch your fancy!
Infographic: The Meaningful Origins Of Funny Names
Every name or surname has a history and significance important to its bearer. Even names that may sound funny have meaningful and historical origins. This infographic sheds light on such origins to help you understand that we shouldn’t make fun of someone’s name because it can have sentimental or honorable meanings. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Key Pointers
- Body-related last names such as Bottom, Cock, and Willy are often considered funny.
- Some last names such as Wanket and Pusey are similar to some slang words.
- Last names such as Suparman and Tickle evoke laughter due to their meanings.
- Though these last names are considered funny, they have ancient meanings and linguistic connections.
- It is often believed that people with funny last names have a great sense of humor.
Prepare yourself to laugh uncontrollably at the funniest and most awkward surnames from around the world with this lighthearted video.
References
- Lesson 1: How Did Surnames Come to Be?
https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/lesson-1-how-did-surnames-come-be - Last Name History
https://forebears.io/surnames/wang
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