Last Names That Start With D [Popular, Rare & Unique]

Have you ever wondered where your family name came from? Many people ask this. Last names that start with D hold great stories. Some tell of old jobs. Some tell of homes and villages. Others tell of brave people.

This guide shares 315 surnames from many lands. Each one has a meaning and an origin. You can use them for family research, baby naming, or story writing. You can also read them just for fun.

English Last Names That Start With D

English and Welsh names are very common in the US, the UK, and Canada. Many come from first names. Others come from towns and jobs.

These popular surnames are easy to spell. They are also easy to say. If you want a classic family name, start here.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Davis	Son of David	Welsh/English
Dawson	Son of Daw (David)	English
Davidson	Son of David	Scottish/English
Daniels	Son of Daniel	English
Dixon	Son of Dick	English
Dean	Valley or church leader	English
Dennis	Follower of Dionysus	Greek/English
Day	Short form of David	English
Dale	Valley dweller	English
Dudley	Dudda’s clearing	English
Drake	Dragon or male duck	English
Dyer	Cloth dyer	English
Dodd	Round-headed one	English
Dickinson	Son of Dick	English
Dobson	Son of Robert	English
Durham	Hill island town	English
Dunham	Home on the hill	English
Dyson	Son of Dye	English
Darby	Deer farm	English
Dawkins	Little David	English
Dennison	Son of Dennis	English
Dickens	Son of Dick	English
Dutton	Farm of Dudda	English
Dyke	Ditch or bank	English
Dent	Hill or ridge	English
Dexter	Dyer or skilled one	English
Draper	Cloth seller	English
Dunning	Son of Dunn	English
Dobbs	Son of Robert	English
Dickerson	Son of Dick	English
Dodson	Son of Dodd	English
Dalby	Farm in the valley	English
Dewey	Welsh form of David	Welsh
Dafydd	Welsh form of David	Welsh
Dillon	Loyal or faithful	Irish/Englis

Gaelic Last Names That Start With D

Irish and Scottish names often start with “Mac,” “Mc,” or “O’.” Yet many D surnames from these lands do not. They came from Gaelic words. Many describe hair color or strength.

The word “dubh” means black or dark in Gaelic. It shows up in many names. That is why you see so many “dark” meanings below.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Doyle	Dark stranger	Irish
Donnelly	Brave dark man	Irish
Dunn	Dark or brown	Irish/Scottish
Duffy	Dark or black	Irish
Daley	Gathering or assembly	Irish
Driscoll	Interpreter or messenger	Irish
Devlin	Fierce courage	Irish
Delaney	Descendant of the challenger	Irish
Dorsey	Descendant of the dark one	Irish
Dunphy	Brown warrior	Irish
Dolan	Dark-haired one	Irish
Donovan	Dark brown chief	Irish
Dwyer	Dark wise one	Irish
Dempsey	Proud one	Irish
Dooley	Dark hero	Irish
Dowd	Dark one	Irish
Dowling	Dark, brave fighter	Irish
Doherty	Unlucky one	Irish
Dorgan	Dark, small one	Irish
Duggan	Little dark one	Irish
Dunne	Brown-haired	Irish
Duncan	Brown warrior	Scottish
Douglas	Dark water	Scottish
Drummond	Ridge	Scottish
Dunbar	Fort on the point	Scottish
Dalziel	White field	Scottish
Dewar	Keeper of a relic	Scottish
Donaldson	Son of Donald	Scottish
Dougall	Dark stranger	Scottish
Darroch	Oak place	Scottish
Drysdale	Valley of the River Dryfe	Scottish
Dunlop	Muddy hill	Scottish
Dalgleish	Green field	Scottish
Dinwiddie	Named for a Scottish village	Scottish
Dickie	Little Richard	Scottish

Italian Last Names That Start With D

Italian names sound musical. Many start with “De” or “Di.” Both words mean “of” or “from.” So “Di Marco” means “of Marco.”

Imagine a girl named Gianna Di Maio. She once found out her name meant “of May.” Her great-great-grandfather was born in that month. She smiled all day. A surname can hold a tiny piece of history.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
De Luca	Son of Luca	Italian
De Santis	Of the saints	Italian
De Angelis	Of the angels	Italian
De Rosa	Of the rose	Italian
De Simone	Son of Simone	Italian
De Filippo	Son of Filippo	Italian
De Martino	Son of Martino	Italian
De Gregorio	Son of Gregory	Italian
De Caro	Dear or beloved one	Italian
De Benedetti	Blessed family	Italian
De Marchi	From the Marchi family	Italian
De Vivo	Lively family	Italian
De Paoli	Son of Paolo	Italian
De Rossi	Red-haired one	Italian
De Lorenzo	Son of Lorenzo	Italian
Di Stefano	Son of Stefano	Italian
Di Giovanni	Son of Giovanni	Italian
Di Marco	Son of Marco	Italian
Di Pietro	Son of Pietro	Italian
Di Natale	Born at Christmas	Italian
Di Benedetto	Son of Benedetto	Italian
Di Francesco	Son of Francesco	Italian
Di Matteo	Son of Matteo	Italian
Di Gennaro	Born in January	Italian
Di Maio	Born in May	Italian
Di Paolo	Son of Paolo	Italian
Di Salvo	Son of Salvo (savior)	Italian
Di Bella	Of the beautiful one	Italian
D’Angelo	Of the angel	Italian
D’Amico	Of the friend	Italian
D’Alessandro	Son of Alexander	Italian
D’Agostino	Son of Agostino	Italian
Donati	Gift or given one	Italian
Dominici	Of the Lord	Italian
Dalla Valle	From the valley	Italian

Spanish Last Names That Start With D

Spanish surnames are very old. Many came from first names, such as Diego or Domingo. Others come from land, plants, or buildings.

Spain also uses a special naming habit. A child often takes two family names. One comes from the father. One comes from the mother. You can read about Spanish naming customs to learn more.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Díaz	Son of Diego	Spanish
Domínguez	Son of Domingo	Spanish
Delgado	Slim or slender	Spanish
Durán	Enduring or lasting	Spanish
Dávila	From Ávila	Spanish
Domenech	Of the Lord	Catalan
Duque	Duke	Spanish
Dueñas	Owners or masters	Spanish
Dorado	Golden	Spanish
Donoso	Witty or graceful	Spanish
Del Castillo	From the castle	Spanish
Del Campo	From the field	Spanish
Del Pino	From the pine tree	Spanish
Del Olmo	From the elm tree	Spanish
Del Bosque	From the forest	Spanish
Del Monte	From the mountain	Spanish
Del Carmen	Of Our Lady of Carmel	Spanish
Del Pozo	From the well	Spanish
Del Rey	Of the king	Spanish
Del Hierro	Of the iron	Spanish
Del Arco	From the arch	Spanish
Del Barrio	From the neighborhood	Spanish
Del Cerro	From the hill	Spanish
Del Corral	From the yard	Spanish
Del Prado	From the meadow	Spanish
Del Villar	From the small town	Spanish
Duarte	Wealthy guardian	Spanish/Portuguese
Dionisio	Follower of Dionysus	Spanish
Diéguez	Son of Diego	Spanish
Domingo	Born on Sunday	Spanish
Dámaso	Tamer or ruler	Spanish
Delfín	Dolphin	Spanish
Dolz	Sweet	Catalan
Dávalos	From Ávalos	Spanish
Díez	Son of Diego	Spanish

Mexican Last Names That Start With D

Many Mexican surnames came from Spain. Spanish settlers brought them to Mexico long ago. Today, they are common in homes across the country.

Many names start with “De la.” That means “of the.” The next word is often a place, a plant, or a faith symbol.

Carlos De la Cruz once visited his grandmother’s town. A neighbor told him, “Your name means ‘of the cross.’” Carlos learned his family may have lived near a village cross.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
De la Cruz	Of the cross	Mexican
De la Rosa	Of the rose	Mexican
De León	From León or the lion	Mexican
De la Torre	Of the tower	Mexican
De la Vega	From the meadow	Mexican
De la Garza	Of the heron	Mexican
De Anda	Noble family line	Mexican
De Jesús	Of Jesus	Mexican
De los Santos	Of the saints	Mexican
De la Fuente	From the fountain	Mexican
De la Luz	Of the light	Mexican
De Santiago	Of Saint James	Mexican
De la Mora	Of the mulberry tree	Mexican
De la Hoya	From the hollow	Mexican
De la Peña	Of the rock	Mexican
De Lara	From Lara	Mexican
De la Riva	From the riverbank	Mexican
De Luna	Of the moon	Mexican
De Medina	From the town of Medina	Mexican
De Haro	From Haro	Mexican
De Alba	Of the dawn	Mexican
De Dios	Of God	Mexican
De la Paz	Of peace	Mexican
De la Cerda	Of the bristle	Mexican
De la Barrera	Of the barrier	Mexican
De la Parra	Of the grapevine	Mexican
De la Colina	Of the hill	Mexican
De la Llave	Of the key	Mexican
De la Concha	Of the shell	Mexican
De la Portilla	Of the small gate	Mexican
De la Huerta	Of the orchard	Mexican
De la Selva	Of the jungle	Mexican
De Ávila	From Ávila	Mexican
De Córdova	From Córdoba	Mexican
De Salas	From Salas	Mexican

French Last Names That Start With

French surnames often sound soft and fancy. Many start with “Du,” “Des,” or “De la.” These small words mean “of the.” They link a person to land, trees, or water.

Many French names spread to England after the Norman conquest. Others traveled to Canada and the US. That is why you may see them in both places.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Dubois	Of the woods	French
Dufour	Of the oven	French
Dufresne	Of the ash tree	French
Duval	Of the valley	French
Delacroix	Of the cross	French
Devereux	From Évreux	French
Delaurier	Of the laurel tree	French
Desrosiers	Of the rose bushes	French
Dufault	Of the beech tree	French
Duvalier	Valley dweller	French
Danvers	From Anvers (Antwerp)	French
Dupont	Of the bridge	French
Dumont	Of the mountain	French
Dupuis	Of the well	French
Durand	Enduring one	French
Dubuisson	Of the bush	French
Dumas	Of the farmstead	French
Dupré	Of the meadow	French
Duchesne	Of the oak	French
Dufort	The strong one	French
Dumoulin	Of the mill	French
Delorme	Of the elm tree	French
Delisle	Of the island	French
Deschamps	Of the fields	French
Desjardins	Of the gardens	French
Desmarais	Of the marsh	French
Dion	Follower of Dionysus	French
Doucet	Sweet or gentle	French
Dubreuil	Of the thicket	French
Duclos	Of the enclosure	French
Dufosse	Of the ditch	French
Delacour	Of the court	French
Delmas	Of the farm	French
Dupin	Of the pine tree	French
Duvernay	Of the alder grove	French

German Last Names That Start With D

Now we move to central and eastern Europe. These D surnames often show jobs. Many also show nature, such as oaks and valleys.

Dutch names often start with “De.” That word means “the.” So “De Jong” means “the young one.” Polish names often end in “-ski.” That ending often points to a place.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Decker	Roofer	German
Dellinger	Valley land	German
Draxler	Cart driver	German
DeWitt	From the white town	Dutch
DeVries	From Friesland	Dutch
Dombrowski	Oak forest dweller	Polish
Dziuba	Beak or pointed feature	Polish
Dragomir	Precious peace	Slavic
Dietrich	Ruler of the people	German
Dressler	Wood turner	German
Dreher	Turner or lathe worker	German
Dorn	Thorn	German
Dahl	Valley	German/Scandinavian
Dietz	Short form of Dietrich	German
Drescher	Grain thresher	German
Dürr	Dry or thin	German
De Jong	The young one	Dutch
De Boer	The farmer	Dutch
De Groot	The large one	Dutch
De Bruijn	The brown one	Dutch
Dijkstra	From the dike	Dutch/Frisian
Dekker	Roofer	Dutch
De Haan	The rooster	Dutch
De Graaf	The count	Dutch
De Smet	The smith	Dutch/Belgian
Dudek	Hoopoe bird or piper	Polish
Dudziak	Bagpiper	Polish
Duda	Bagpipe player	Polish
Dobrowolski	From Dobrowola	Polish
Domański	From Domanie	Polish
Drozd	Thrush bird	Polish/Czech
Dymek	Little smoke	Polish
Dvořák	Courtyard keeper	Czech
Doležal	Important or valued one	Czech
Dimitrov	Son of Dimitar	Bulgarian

South Asian Last Names That Start With D

Surnames from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa tell rich stories. Some come from clan names. Some come from faith. Others come from the day a child was born.

In India, many names show a family’s role or town. For example, a Desai once led a village. You can read about Indian names to learn how they work.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Desai	Village headman	Indian
Deshpande	District accountant	Indian
Dixit	Scholar or learned person	Indian
Dutta	Given or gifted one	Indian
D’Souza	From Sousa	Goan/Portuguese
Deol	Village deity	Indian
Dhillon	A Jat clan name	Punjabi
Das	Servant or devotee	Indian
Dubey	Learned in two Vedas	Indian
Dave	Scholar of two Vedas	Gujarati
Doshi	Cloth merchant	Gujarati
Dalal	Broker or agent	Indian
Dhaliwal	A Jat clan name	Punjabi
Daoud	Form of David	Arabic
Darwish	Humble or modest one	Arabic
Dabbagh	Leather tanner	Arabic
Dib	Wolf	Arabic
Daher	Bright or clear	Arabic
Dayan	Judge	Hebrew
Dimashqi	From Damascus	Arabic
Dada	Curly-haired child	Yoruba
Danjuma	Born on Friday	Hausa
Dike	Strong or powerful	Igbo
Dogo	Tall one	Hausa
Danladi	Born on Sunday	Hausa
Dlamini	A royal clan name	Zulu/Swazi
Dube	Zebra	Zulu
Dela Cruz	Of the cross	Filipino
Date	A noble clan name	Japanese
Doi	Earthen embankment	Japanese
Deng	Name of an ancient state	Chinese
Ding	Strong man	Chinese
Du	Name of an ancient state	Chinese
Dhar	Holder or bearer	Indian
Dasgupta	Servant and protector	Bengali

Rare and Unique Last Names That Start With D

Do you want a name that stands out? Then look at rare surnames. These are less common. Some are old place names. Others come from lands far from home.

A unique last name can be great for a book hero. It can also suit a brand or a pen name. People remember it.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Darnell	Hidden nook	English
Dunmore	Great fort	Irish/Scottish
Dalrymple	Field by the bending stream	Scottish
Delvaux	Of the valleys	French/Belgian
Dedrick	Ruler of the people	German
Deverill	Named for a Wiltshire place	English
Dunstan	Hill stone	English
Dahlgren	Valley branch	Swedish
Dalgaard	Valley farm	Danish
Dreyfus	From Trier	German/Jewish
Dmitriev	Son of Dmitry	Russian
Danilov	Son of Daniel	Russian
Demidov	Son of Demid	Russian
Dobrynin	Kind one	Russian
Dolgorukov	Long-armed one	Russian
Delahaye	Of the hedge	French
Delamere	Of the lake	Norman
D’Arcy	From Arcy	Norman
D’Aubigny	From Aubigny	Norman
Dostoevsky	From Dostoevo	Russian/Polish
Dimitriou	Son of Dimitrios	Greek
Dragonetti	Little dragon	Italian
Dallas	Meadow dwelling	Scottish
Dacosta	From the coast	Portuguese
D’Cruz	Of the cross	Goan
D’Silva	Of the forest	Goan/Portuguese
Dubrovsky	From Dubrovka	Russian
Dziedzic	Heir	Polish
Dąbek	Little oak	Polish
Dellacroce	Of the cross	Italian
Dionne	Divine one	French
Dewhurst	Wooded hill	English
Dearborn	Dear stream	English
Duchovny	Spiritual one	Ukrainian
Dubinsky	From the oak place	Polish/Jewish

Conclusion

Last names that start with D come from every corner of the world. They tell of work, land, faith, and family. Some are common. Others are rare and special.

Now you have 315 names to explore. You also have a clear plan to trace your ancestry. Start with one name. Learn its meaning. Then follow the clues. You may be surprised by what you find.

Every family name is a small story. Yours is waiting to be told.

FAQs

What are some popular last names that start with D?
Davis, Dixon, Diaz, Duncan, and Douglas are very common. You can find them in many countries.

What does the surname Davis mean?
It means “son of David.” It began in Wales and England.

Why do many D surnames mean “dark”?
Many come from the Gaelic word “dubh.” It means black or dark. It often described hair or skin.

What do “De,” “Di,” and “Del” mean?
They mean “of” or “from.” You see them in Italian, Spanish, and French names.

Are there rare last names that start with D?
Yes. Names like Dalrymple, Delvaux, and Dziedzic are rare. They are perfect for stories and brands.

How can I find the origin of my D surname?
Check the tables above first. Then use free sites like FamilySearch. Ask older family members too.

Can a surname’s spelling change over time?
Yes. Clerks, moves, and new languages all changed spellings. Try other spellings when you search.

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