Cool, Unique & Rare Surnames (with Meanings)

You may know a number of Murphies, Smiths, and Joneses—but do you know any Ahearns? Moens? Naaktgeborens? If you're looking for a less common last name to give a fictional character you're designing, your child, or yourself, look no further. We've compiled a list of some of the most unique surnames from different cultures and countries, including the United States, Italy, Spain, and others, with tips from naming experts. Keep reading to find a truly one-of-a-kind surname!

Rare Surnames from Around the World

An illustration listing some of the most unique and rare surnames.

Cremoxanis (Italian, meaning unknown)
Hae (해) (Korean, sea)
Ahearn (Gaelic, descendent of the horse lord)
Moen (Norwegian, meadow)
Escarra (Spanish, left-handed)
Durchdenwald (German, through the forest)
Naaktgeboren (Dutch, born naked)

Section 1 of 8:

Rare American Last Names

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Some of these names may be common in the countries in which they originate, but you're unlikely to hear them in the United States. Others, like Bell, you may have heard before, but didn't realize how rare they actually are! Here are some of the most infrequent and unique last names in America:
- Afify (Arabic: chaste, virtuous, modest)^{[1]
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- Allaband (Old French: brace, noble)
- Amspoker (Hebrew: trade, craft)
- Bell (Old French: handsome)
- Chorro (Spanish: jet of water)
- Clyborne (English: stream by the cliff)
- Concord (Latin: harmony, agreement)
- Dallarosa (Italian: from the rose)
- Delatejera (Spanish: tile maker)
- Featheringham (Scottish, English: homestead with good grazing)
- Feyrer (German: free man)
- Luettgen (German: little people, little tribe)
- Maloles (Spanish: Mary of Sorrows)
- Owsinski (Polish: from a place named Sowiń)
- Rugger (German, English: renowned spear)
- Salotto (Italian: small room, parlor)
- Tartal (Scottish: meaning unknown)
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Maddy Ferguson is a Longview, WA-based baby name consultant and the founder of Birdie and Boyd. With over 10 years of experience in the childcare industry, she specialized in names for siblings, rare names, and modern classics.

Natalie Mulholland is a name consultant and content creator based in Athens, Georgia. She brings a linguistically focused approach to her content, sharing a name’s origin, meaning, category, notable bearers, and more.

Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson is a naming consultant and early childhood expert based in Liverpool, England. Dr. Wilson shares name meanings and naming tips on social media @little_name_library.

Section 2 of 8:

Rare Italian Last Names

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If you go to Italy, you're unlikely to run into someone with a surname like Crivello or Spatafora. Check out these other rare and interesting Italian last names:
- Bavga (meaning unknown)^{[2]
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- Bellucci (diminutive of Bello)
- Cremoxanis (meaning unknown)
- Crivello (occupational name for someone who makes sieves)
- De Scarzis (meaning unknown)
- De Zobis (meaning unknown)
- Farinelli (occupational name for someone who farmed the land)
- Grazioso (gracious)
- Roverbella (regionally derived name)
- Rovina (destruction, ruin)
- Smiraldi (derivative of Smeraldo)
- Spatafora (to bear, to carry)
- Spiriti (spirit or breath)
- Venzago (meaning unknown)
- Vitorio (victor, conqueror)
- Zafardi (meaning unknown)
- Zanosi (plural of Zanone)
- Zazarella (tuft of hair or a hairstyle)

Section 3 of 8:

Rare Korean Last Names

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Surnames like Bin (빈) or Jeo (저) belong to only a few families in Korea, or they stem from historical texts and are no longer used nowadays. Keep reading for more rare and unique Korean last names:
- Bin (빈) (refined, cultivated)
- Bu (부) (part, wealth, or fortune)
- Dae (대) (big)
- Dang (당) (party or “faction)
- Dongbang (동방) (east square)
- Eum (음) (sound or tone)
- Gae (개) (love or affection)
- Hae (해) (sea)
- Jeo (저) (padding, to store up, or pocket)
- Mok (목) (tree or wood)
- Myeong/Myung (명) (bright or clear)
- Pyo (표) (mark or sign)
- San (산) (mountain)
- Seon/Sun (선) (good or virtuous)
- Tae (태) (great or grand)
- Ya (야) (night or dark)

Section 4 of 8:

Rare Gaelic Last Names

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"Gaelic last names draw from both Irish and Scottish traditions, making them all the more fascinating," says baby name consultant Maddy Ferguson.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Maddy Ferguson
Baby Name Consultant

Expert Interview} Here are some of her favorite rare Gaelic surnames:
- Ahearn (descendent of the horse lord)
- Fagan (villager, peasant)
- Kavanagh (descendent of Caomhán)
- McDermott (free from envy, free man)
- O’Keefe (descendent of Caomh; gentle, kind, noble)
- Rowan (little red one, red-haired)
- Sweeney (son of Suibhne; pleasant)
- Tierney (descendant of Tighearnach)^{[4]
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  Maddy Ferguson
  Baby Name Consultant
  
  Expert Interview}

Section 5 of 8:

Rare Norwegian Last Names

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"While many Norwegian surnames are Patronymic [(that is, derived from the father's name)], others are geographically based or, more rarely, occupational," notes name consultant Natalie Mulholland. "Examples [of rare Norwegian surnames] include Bonde (farmer), Møller (miller), Dahl (valley), Lund (grove), and Moen (meadow)."^{[5]
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Expert Source

Natalie Mulholland
Name Consultant

Expert Interview} Here are other unique and rare Norwegian surnames:
- Beck (brook, stream)
- Bonde (farmer)
- Borg (town)
- Dahl (valley)
- Høiland (hay land, high land)
- Holme (islet, low flat land beside a river)
- Husebø (farmstead with houses)
- Lund (grove)
- Moen (meadow)
- Møller (miller)
- Storli (big hillside)
- Vikan (bay, inlet)

Section 6 of 8:

Rare Spanish Last Names

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You're less likely to run into someone with the last name Guerra or Tapia if you visit Spain than you are someone with the last name Martinez or Lopez. Here are some other rare Spanish surnames:
- Barato (inexpensive)
- Bigotes (mustaches)
- Cabezón (big head)
- Caldas (hot springs)
- Escarra (left-handed)
- Ladrón (thief)
- Lanzo (to throw)
- Escobar (broom)
- Feo (ugly)
- Guerra (quarrelsome person)
- Mesías (messiah)
- Padilla (small frying pan)
- Quijada (prominent jawline)
- Sosa (seaweed)
- Tapia (mud wall)
- Tenedor (fork)
- Zacatenco (place of grass or reeds)
- Zalas (valley or glade)

Section 7 of 8:

Rare German Last Names

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Even in the United States, German last names like Bauer or Glaser aren't unheard of, but last names like Altergott or Handschuh may be hard to find even in Germany! Other less common German surnames include the following:^{[6]
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- Achterberg (behind the mountain/hill)
- Abbas (lion)
- Altergott (old God)
- Bierhals (beer-throat)
- Durchdenwald (through the forest)
- Graf (count, earl)
- Handschuh (glove)
- Koch (cool)
- König (king)
- Krause (curly-haired)
- Lorenz (Laurentius)
- Nachtnebel (night fog)
- Sauer (sour)
- Trenkenschuh (drink-shoe)
- Vogel (bird)

Section 8 of 8:

Rare Dutch Last Names

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Naming expert Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson lists Naaktgeboren (“born naked”) and Zeldenthuis (“rarely at home”) as notable unique Dutch surnames.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson
Naming Expert

Expert Interview} Here are some of our other favorites:
- Naaktgeboren (born naked)
- Zeldenthuis (rarely at home)
- Bouma (Frisian status name for a land worker)^{[8]
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- De Vries (someone who lives in Friesland)
- Gerbrandy (West Frisian patronymic name for the Gerbrandy Tower)
- Heer (gentleman or lord)
- Hoekstra (someone who lives on a corner)
- Jansma (Frisian patronymic name derived from "Jan)