A History of Surnames

Pinterest Origin: French, Latin Meaning: Dumas is a French surname composed from the French definite article du (of the) and Occitan mas (rural homestead) derived from Latin mansum , so Dumas has the meaning "of the homestead" originally used to refer to someone who lived in an isolated home instead of in a village.

Pinterest Origin: Germanic, Hebrew Meaning: Dirksmeyer seems to be a combination of Dirks , a Dutch and German name meaning "son of Dirk", Dirk being a short form of Diederik, the Dutch form of Theodoric meaning "ruler of the people" from Germanic elements theud (people) and ric (power, ruler); and Meyer , which seems to come from German meier  via Latin maior (greater, superior)   meaning "higher, superior", used as a status name for a steward, bailiff, or overseer, which later came to be used for someone who was a tenant farmer and later came to be used as a compound name, usually as the second element; or it could be from Hebrew meir meaning "enlightened". Variants : Dirksmeier 

Pinterest Origin: Celtic, Latin Meaning: Davenport comes from a habitational surname, the name from a place in the town of Cheshire. The first part of the name is derived from the Dane river, apparently the Celtic cognate of Middle Welsh dafnu meaning "to drop, to trickle", while the second element of the name comes from Old English port via Latin portus  meaning "port, harbor". I've also seen Davenport as being an anglicized form of   Ó Donndubhartaigh , meaning "descendant of   Donndubhartach", a personal name made up of Irish donn meaning both "brown, brown-haired" and "chief, lord, noble", dubh meaning "black" and artach "nobleman" or "rock".  Variants : Devenport  Davenporte  Davinport  Devonport Devomporte 

Pinterest Origin: Hebrew Meaning: Davis is a patrynomic surname meaning "son of David", David coming from a Hebrew masculine name meaning "beloved". Variants : Davies (Welsh, English) Davie (Scottish, English) Davidson (English) Davison (English) Davidsen (Danish) McDevitt (Irish; Anglicized form of Mac Daibh éid) Mac Daibh éid (Irish) Dawson (English) Davidovi ć (Serbian)