American Surnames
Presidential Surnames
Investigate the meaning and origin of the country's first citizen surnames!
George Washington
April 30, 1789 - March 4, 1797
In a neat twist of etymological fate, the man who gave his name to a state and a city had a surname derived from a location. A wash is a coastal creek or marsh, and "ton" is an older spelling of town. So, literally, "marsh town", and the surname Washington almost certainly originates in the town of Washington, England.
John Adams
March 4, 1797 - March 4, 1801
Adams, a variant of Adamson, meaning "son of Adam", is an early surname derived from a parental name.
Thomas Jefferson
March 4, 1801 - March 4, 1809
As with the previous office holder, this surname comes from a parental name: "son of Jeffrey".
James Madison
March 4, 1809 - March 4, 1817
A hat-trick of three sons in a row, Madison, but this differs in coming from a mother rather than a father: "son of Maddie".
James Monroe
March 4, 1817 - March 4, 1825
Much disagreement over the origins of this name; some authorities claim the source is "Mount Roe" in Ireland, others assert that it is a variant of the Scottish Munro, while yet others place it in England.
Martin Van Buren
March 4, 1837 - March 4, 1841
The first president with a surname originating outside the British Isles. Buren is a city in the Netherlands, and the surname literally means "of Buren".
William Henry Harrison
March 4, 1841 - April 4, 1841
Another son, this time of Harry or Harold. Although the surname originated in England, the first name from which it derives is Norse: Harald.
John Tyler
April 4, 1841 - March 4, 1845
The first president with a name derived from an occupation, Tyler is a variant spelling of "Tiler" - someone who lays tiles.
James K. Polk
March 4, 1845 - March 4, 1849
A little misleading, this one. There is a German surname of "Polk", but in this case we happen to know that President Polk was of Scottish stock and his grandfather spelled the name "Pollock". That's a Scottish slang phrase for a small pool or pit, and also the name of a town near Glasgow. Polk, in this context, is just an abbreviated version. This etymology is completely different from the German origin of Polk.
Zachary Taylor
March 4, 1849 - July 9, 1850
A second occupational surname, this time being the fairly obvious variant spelling of "tailor".
Millard Fillmore
July 9, 1850 - March 4, 1853
At first glance, this name appears to be the wrong way round - Millard is a relatively common surname, while Fillmore was once a common forename. As a surname, Fillmore is derived from its use as a forname.
Franklin Pierce
March 4, 1853 - March 4, 1857
Pierce is the Welsh spelling of the surname based on the forename "Peter", found elsewhere as Peterson, Peters and Piers.
James Buchanan
March 4, 1857 - March 4, 1861
A long-standing Scottish surname, this has its origins in local geography.
Ulysses S. Grant
March 4, 1869 - March 4, 1877
Originally a given name, Grant seems to have mutated into a surname in Scotland.
Rutherford B. Hayes
March 4, 1877 - March 4, 1881
A geographical surname, from any one of several towns and villages of this name in Southern England.
James A. Garfield
March 4, 1881 - September 19, 1881
From the Scottish: "irritating orange cat". No, seriously, this is an Anglo-Saxon place name - "field of gar", or "field of garments".
Chester A. Arthur
September 19, 1881 - March 4, 1885
Here a surname, once a given name of the legendary king.
Grover Cleveland
March 4, 1885 - March 4, 1889
Another geographical name, this time from Yorkshire: "cliff lane".
William McKinley
March 4, 1897 - September 14, 1901
The "Mc" is a clear giveaway that this is a Scottish surname, it's derived from the Gaelic for "son of Kinley".
Theodore Roosevelt
September 14, 1901 - March 4, 1909
The second presidential name to originate in the Netherlands, from the Dutch for "rose field".
William Howard Taft
March 4, 1909 - March 4, 1913
A variant spelling of "Toft", a common village name in eastern England.
Calvin Coolidge
August 2, 1923 - March 4, 1929
One of the more obscure presidential surnames, this is probably from "coll edge", "coll" being a word for hill.
Harry S. Truman
April 12, 1945 - January 20, 1953
Variant of "true man", possibly either a nickname or a description of a servant.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
January 20, 1953 - January 20, 1961
A German occupational name, meaing "iron worker".
John F. Kennedy
January 20, 1961 - November 22, 1963
A Scottish name meaning "head of the household" or "head of the clan".
Gerald Ford
August 9, 1974 - January 20, 1977
From the word "ford", meaning a type of river crossing.
Jimmy Carter
January 20, 1977 - January 20, 1981
Another occupational name, someone who drives a cart.
Ronald Reagan
January 20, 1981 - January 20, 1989
A variant spelling of "Riagan", a common Irish given name.
George H. W. Bush
January 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993
As a surname, means someone who lives near a bush.
George W. Bush
January 20, 2001 - January 20, 2009
Can also mean someone who lives near the sign of a bush - that is, a wineseller.
Barack Obama
January 20, 2009 - Incumbent
The first president with a surname originating outside Europe, and the first with a surname originating in a non-Christian culture.
