100 Last Names That Start With O With Meanings And History

Georgia Stone
Dec 12, 2023 By Georgia Stone
Originally Published on Nov 18, 2020
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Family names or surnames are also often used as given names.

Family names, surnames, or last names were first used in the Middle Age and commonly referred to an individual's profession. Other ordinary surnames originated or start from the father's first name to which son was included, such as Robertson, Stevenson, Richardson, or Davidson.

Last names or surnames were given or created in many countries using distinct arrangements. A few countries used occupations. Others made use of family names. The use of 'O' at the start of names usually means "grandson of" (and not, as is commonly accepted, son of ).

For example, the name O'Ryan would usually mean 'Grandson of Ryan.' The O prefix has an Irish base. Some popular Irish last names are O'Sullivan, Murphy, McCarthy, Byrne, O'Connor, Walsh, Ryan, and Kelly.

Read on for surnames beginning with letter O. For more surnames inspiration, to help you in your search, take a look at Surnames Starting With J and Surnames Starting With D.

Popular Last Names That Start With O

There are many popular last names that start with O, so we have made a list of those for you to choose from.

1. Oakden, (Anglo-Saxon origin) means "oak" and "valley".

2. Oakerson, (English origin) is a name for a person who lived in Berwickshire.

3. Oakey, (English origin) means "oak tree".

4. Oalmann, (German origin) thought to be derived from the word 'Ohlmann' meaning "seller of oil".

5. Oasay, (English origin) one of the English surnames beginning with O and means "open-mindedness".

6. Oates, (Flemish origin) means "riches".

7. Oatney, (Old English origin) it is held by 178 persons in the U.S. is a popular choice of last names starting with O.

8. Oaxaca, (Spanish origin) in the United States, 534 census records are obtainable for the surname Oaxaca. It is the name of a city in Mexico.

9. Obaker, (English origin) there are many people with the surname Obaker in America.

10. Obana, (Filipino origin)  means "heavenly flower".

11. Obanner, (Non-Hispanic) means "perseverance, patience, and strong will".

12. Obannon, (Gaelic origin) means "white".

13. Obara,  (Japanese origin)means "small plain" and in Polish means "indecisive person".

14. Obarski this is quite a rare family name and a few people in Uruguay and Poland have it as their surnames.

15. Obasi the meaning of this name is "in honor of the Supreme God".

16. Obaya those with the last name Obaya are mostly Latino, White or Hispanic. This is a popular choice for surnames with the letter O.

17. Obear, (Irish origin) this is one of the Irish surnames.

18. Obeid, (Arabic origin)  means "inferior servant" in Arabic.

19. Obeng, this last name is ranked #63632 when discussing the most common surnames in 2000 or surnames beginning with O.

20. Obenhaus, (US origin) this last name is more frequently found in the United States.

21. Obenour, (US origin) this is among the last names which mean you are a humanitarian and desire peace and harmony in every area of your life.

22. Oberfeld this last name or one of the surnames beginning with O was the 129,047th most famous name in 2010.

23. Oberg, (French origin)this distinguished surname emerged in France.

24. Oberley, (US origin)a variant of Ober.

25. Oberlin this last name means "above man" and is one of the popular last names starting with O.

26. Oberloh in the U.S., this last name is essentially concentrated in Minnesota, Washington, and Illinois.

27. Obermark this can be a favorable choice for surnames beginning with O.

28. Obermeyer one of the early settlers in the U.S. in the 18th century was Georg Obermeyer.

29. Obermiller, (German origin) derived from one oftheGerman last names Obermuller.

30. Obermier, (US origin) itis an apt choice for surnames beginning with O.

31. Oberndorfer this last name means you are "candid" and is one of the famous surnames which start with O.

32.Oberer in the U.S., there are 1000 census search records available for this surname.

33. Oberheir this is one of the rare last names that start with O and only 281 people have been found with this family name.

34. Obermueller, (German origin) meaning the "occupation of miller" in German language.

35. Obernesser, (Irish origin)one of the O last names and one of the famous Irish surnames that mean "strong-willed".

36.Oberoi those with this last name or such surnames are most often Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian.

37. Oberry, (Latin origin) this surname was derived from a Latin word Albericus and is an excellent choice for surnames beginning with O.

38. Oberschlake means "wisdom".

39. Oberschmidt in the U.S., 258 census records can be obtained for this last name, and it comes up on search lists too.

40. Oberski in 2010, Oberski, as the last name was the 78,040th most popular in the U.S. Surnames starting with O are a hit with the crowds.

41. Oberson the U.S. Census Bureau in 2010, surveyed 149 persons with this last name or surnames beginning with O.

42. Oberst, (German origin) refers to military rank.

43. Oberstein this is an example of last names or surnames found in high numbers in the Americas, North America, and Anglo-North America

44. Oberti eminent personalities with this last name are Giuliano Oberti, Daniel Oberti, and Paolo Oberti.

45. Oberton in 1940, a few less common professions for American women and men were operator and clerk.

46. Obeso (Spanish origin) those with this last name or surnames starting with O are majorly Latino or Hispanic.

47. Obeido (Spanish origin) this last name is most frequently used in the Philippines and is also common in United States and Argentina.

48. Obioha this last name means "heart of the people" and is one of the favorite O surnames.

49. Obitz means perseverance.

50. Oblack this last name is used at least 129 times in 7 countries and is one of the favored surnames starting with O.

51. Oblea people with this last name are mostly Hispanic, Asian or Latino.

52. O'Blenis this is a rare name with unknown meaning but is still found among certain people.

53. Obley in the U.S., the number of persons with this last name went up 279% between 1880 and 2014.

54. Oblinger, (French origin)means "offering".

55.Oblish this last name is found in high numbers in the U.S., where it is used by 133 persons.

56. Obney in 2010, this last name was the 102,197th most sought-after name and came up in many search lists.

57. Oborne (Norse origin) means "Bjorn" the bear.

58. Oborny one of the surnames highly favored today.

59. Oborski (Polish origin) means perfect beginning.

60. OBoyle this last name is one of the most common last names that start with O.

61. Obradovic, (Serbian origin)an excellent choice for surnames beginning with O.

62. Obranovich, (Hungarian origin) it is a great choice for surnames beginning with O.

63. Obray, (Latin origin) this last name is drawn from the Latin word Albericus.

64. Obregon, (Galician Origin)this last name is derived from the Galician term that means "work".

65. Obremski, (Jewish origin) one of the habitational surnames starting with O.  

66. Obrian a favored choice of surnames beginning with O.

67. Obright it is one of the most common surnames in the United States and is held by 209 persons.

68. Obrion in the U.S., 11,000 demographic records are obtainable for this last name.

69. Obrochta, (Polish origin) one of the high-ranked options for surnames beginning with O.

70. Obrock the U.S. Census Bureau reviewed 202 persons with this last name.

71. Obryant one of the most common surnames that start with O in the United States 2000.

72. Obrzut, (Polish origin) this last name is a nickname for a person who is discontented and another option for surnames beginning with O.

73. Obusek most recurrent in New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas and a good example of surnames beginning with O.

74. Ocacio one of the most common surnames beginning with O.

75. Occhino, (Italian origin) meaning "eyes".

76. Ocello ranked #79394 in the search list of most common last names in the U.S. for 2000.

Famous Last Names That Start With O

Some of the famous surnames beginning with O are listed below for you to pick from.

77. Oakleaf oneof the famous last names that start with O.

78. Oakle, (English origin)means "oak tree field". It is one of the favored surnames to start with O.

79. Obuch, (Polish origin) means "a weapon".

80. Ocean, (Greek origin) means "sea".

Short Last Names That Start With O

most liked names that start with o

Listed below is a number of short surnames beginning with O

81. Oak, (English origin) means "someone who lived near a oak tree".

82. Oare, (English origin) means "riverbank or shore" and is a good example of last names starting with O.

83. Obal, (English origin) meaning "heart".

84. Obel, it is a good option for surnames beginning with O.

85. Obetz, means "bravery" and is one of the sought-after surnames on search lists.

86. Obezo, (Mexican origin) one of the Mexican last names that start with O meaning "patience".

87. Obier, (French origin) a form of French name Aubier.

Long Last Names That Start With O

Here is a list of long  surnames starting with O which are sure to be memorable.

88. Obenauer, top-rated on the list of last names that start with or beginning with O.

89. Obenchain, in 2010, Obenchain was the 43,285th most sought-after name among the popular last names that start with O.

90. Obendorf, (German origin) means "strong-willed, patient, and persevering".

91. Oberacker, the last name Oberacker is held by people in Germany.

92. Oberdick, means that you are "strong-willed and patient".

93. Oberding, one of the most individually unique last names or surnames beginning with O

94. Oberender, there are 114 immigration records available for this last name.

95. Oberhausen, (German origin) means "upper house".

96. Oberheim, very rare surnames starting with O as less than 1 person out of 1.3 million persons have this name.

97. Oberhelman, means "leadership".

98. Oberhofer, means "king of the field".

99. Oberholzer, another rare surname. Less than 1 person in 588k individuals have this last name which start from O.

100. Oberlander, (Prussian origin)means "highland".

Kidadl has lots of great names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for Last Names That Start With O then why not take a look at Last Names Beginning With M, or for something different take a look at Greek Last Names.

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Written by Georgia Stone

Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

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Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.

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