Dictionary of American Family Names

The Dictionary of American Family Names contains more than 70,000 of the most commonly occurring surnames in the United States, giving their comparative frequencies, linguistic and historical explanations, selected associated forenames and occasional genealogical notes. It explains the meanings—some intuitive, some amusing and some quite surprising—of the family names for more than 90 percent of the U.S. population.

It is also available through the Oxford Reference portal.

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