Some last names are showstoppers. They're cooler than ice, and they give off a creative and powerful vibe in just a few letters. If you're lucky enough to have a last name like one of these, stand taller, walk prouder, and wear yours with honor.
Cool Last Names Full of Main Character Energy
These last names are so cool you might expect your favorite heroine or hero to sport them as they run off to save the universe. While their meanings may be different, they all share that special cool factor.
- Balboa (Galician) - means "pleasant valley;" name of a character in the film Rocky
- Bond (English) - means "tied to the land;" famously worn by the film character James Bond
- Bourne (English) - means "spring" or "stream;" name of the main character in The Bourne Identity
- Callahan (Gaelic) - means "lover of church;" name of the main character in Dirty Harry
- Corleone (Italian) - means "lion heart;" made famous by the character Don Vito Corleone in the movie The Godfather
- Everdeen (Anglo-Saxon) - name of the heroine in Hunger Games
- Montana (Spanish) - means "wooded upland;" name of character in Scarface
- O'Hara (Irish) - name of character in Gone With the Wind
- Stark (German) - Avengers character Tony Stark and several Game of Thrones characters sported this name
- Starling (English) - name of a bird; last name of character in The Silence of the Lambs
- Vader (Dutch) - means "father;" last name of the villain in Star Wars
- Ventura (Italian) - means "fate;" last name of a character in Ace Ventura
Powerful Last Names That Mean No One Will Mess With You
There's something special about a last name that exudes power. These strong surnames won't make anyone feel like a wallflower, as they all have meanings based on strength and power.
- Allard (French) - means "noble friend"
- Almond (Middle Eastern) - means "noble protector"
- Bardin (German) - means "battle ax"
- Barrett (German) - means "mighty like a bear"
- Barron (Hebrew) - means "young warrior"
- Brando (German) - means "sword" or "fiery"
- Caddel (Welsh) - means " battle"
- Carnell (English) - means "castle defender"
- Chevalier (French) - means "knight"
- Curran (Irish) - means "hero"
- Ectorius (Latin) - means "defender"
- Finley (Scottish) - means "fair-haired hero"
- Guillaume (Norman) - means "protection" or "strength"
- Hassan (Arabic) - means "strong"
- Heroux (French) - means "wolf army"
- Landry (German) - means "powerful ruler of the land"
- Merrick (Welsh) - means "a serving ruler"
- Nwadike (Nigerian) - means "son of the brave"
- Xander (Greek) - means "mankind's protector"
- Valor (Greek) - means "bravery"
- Varon (German) - means "protection"
Last Names Inspired by Creativity & Artistry
Channel your inner artist with these creative last names. These special surnames will inspire anyone to go forth and create something amazing.
- Abara (West African) - means "spirit"
- Amaryllis (Greek) - means "new" and "fresh"
- Flammia (Latin) - means "little flame"
- Fulgencio (Latin) - means "brilliant" or "bright"
- Haku (Japanese) - means "poetic"
- Harper (English) - means "harp player"
- Hemingway - inspired by famed author, Ernest Hemingway
- Luna (Italian) - means "light"
- Nisim (Hebrew) - means "miracles"
- Paisley (Scottish) - means "church official;" the name of a popular textile design
- Piper (English) - means "player of the pipe"
Funky Last Names That Feel Like a Fantasy
Futuristic, whimsical, and made for a fantasy film or novel, these last names are fresh and cool, and make you feel like you're living in a fantasy world.
- Alstone (English) - means "elfstone"
- Alvar (German) - means "army of elves"
- Alvin (English) - means "elf friend"
- Akashiro (Japanese) - means "red castle"
- Burkhardt (German) - means "castle" or "fortress"
- Castellanos (Greek) - means "castle"
- D'Angelo (Greek) - means "angel"
- Dōjima (Japanese) - means "temple" or "shrine"
- Dracos (Greek) - means "ogre" or "dragon"
- Galdur (Icelandic) - means "magic"
- McKenna (Gaelic) - means "born of fire"
- Nanos (Greek) - means "dwarf"
- Nyx (German) - means "sprite"
- Pari (Persian) - means "fairy"
Unique Last Names Pulled From Famous Film Noirs
From the early detective novels that inspired noir classics to the neo-noirs that made a comeback in the 1990s, these are some of the most tantalizing last names plucked from the genre.
- Anderson - from The Killers; means "son of Andrew"
- Beragon - from Mildred Pierce; meaning unknown.
- Brown - from Jackie Brown; originates from the color
- Cady - from Cape Fear; derivative name that means "battle"
- Chambers - from The Postman Always Rings Twice; means "chamber, room"
- Dunne - from Gone Girl; means "dark"
- Diamond - from The Big Combo; derivative name that means "unconquerable"
- Dietrichson - from Double Indemnity; means "powerful person"
- Draper - from Witness to Murder; occupational name for a cloth maker
- Elms - from Mulholland Drive; originates from the elm tree
- Gittes - from Chinatown; means "of/from Gitting"
- Kojaku - from The Crimson Kimono; may be derived from the Japanese word kujaku, which means "peacock"
- Marlowe - from The Big Sleep; means "of/from Marlow"
- Racine - from Body Heat; means "tree/root"
- Rapf - from Dark Passage; meaning unknown
- Rawlins - from Devil in a Blue Dress; means "counsel, wolf"
- Roberts - from Detour; means "son of Robert"
- Sterling - from Out of the Past; means "from/of Stirling"
- Ward - from The Stranger on the Third Floor; means "to watch"
- White - from L.A. Confidential; originates from the color
Cool Last Names Inspired by Occupations
These cool last names don't just sound interesting and unique, they also give a glimpse into what your ancestors did for a living.
- Abarca (Spanish) - means "maker of leather shoes"
- Beck (Old Norse) - means "baker"
- Bieler (German) - means "maker of hatchets"
- Bichler (Ashkenazi) - means "seller of books"
- Bonetti (Italian) - means "hatmaker"
- Carbo (Roman) - means "someone who sells coal"
- Cooper (English) - means "a person who repairs wine barrels"
- Fletcher (Anglo-French) - means "a person who makes arrows"
- Fuller (English) - means a "person who engages in fulling cloth"
- Hasapis (Greek) - means "butcher"
- Suarez (Spanish) - means "a person who herds swine"
- Weaver (English) - means "to weave"
Inspiring Last Names That Give a Nod to Nature
So many cultures are inspired by the natural world when pondering the perfect last name. These au naturel surnames all have deep roots in Mother Nature's realm.
- Adair (Scottish) - means "shallow place in a river near the oak trees"
- Adler (German and Yiddish) - means "eagle"
- Arley (English) - means "hare meadow"
- Barlowe (English) - means "one who lives on a bare hill"
- Beckett (English) - means "one who lives near a beehive"
- Beckham (English) - means "location of the small stream"
- Beaumont (French) - means "beautiful hill"
- Brennan (Irish) - means "little raven"
- Channing (Asian) - means "young wolf"
- Cherith (Hebrew) - means "winter stream"
- Cox (Belgian) - means "rooster"
- Dagon (Arabic) - means "rain cloud"
- Laurier (French) - means "bay tree"
- Marsden (English) - means "swampy valley"
- Nishikawa (Japanese) - means "western river"
- Radley (English) - means "meadow of reeds"
- Ripley (English) - means "shouting man's meadow"
- Stone (English) - name for someone who lived on stony ground
- Ursus (Latin) - means "bear"
- Vandenberg (Dutch)- means "of the mountain"
Last Names So Cool They Only Need One Syllable
Sometimes, a last name is so cool it only needs a single syllable to stand on its own. These special surnames are short but jam-packed with panache.
- Ash (English) - means "ash tree"
- Benz (German) - means "brave like a bear"
- Birk (Latin) - means "light"
- Duke (American) - means "leader"
- Fox (English) - denotes the intelligent, sly animal of the same name
- Hyde(English) - means "one living on a hyde of land"
- Kade (Scottish) - means "of the wetlands"
- Krul (Dutch) - means "curly hair"
- Moss (English) - means "savior"
- Pierce (Welsh) - means "of the rock"
- Rush (English) - means "one who lives near the rushes"
- Sloan (Irish) - means "the raid"
- Zade (Persian) - means "the son of"
Strong Last Names From Around the World
Just like Atlas, these strong last names befit someone with great power. Inspired by the word itself, these surnames are so strong that they could hold up the weight of the world on their own.
- Armstrong (English) - means "strong arm"
- Atlas (Greek) - means "to endure"
- Atteberry (English) - means "dweller at the fortified town"
- Beaufort (French) - means "beautiful stronghold"
- Burke (English) - means "fortress, fortification"
- Durand (French) - means "enduring, stubborn"
- Erős (Hungarian) - means "strong"
- Gagliardi (Italian) - means "strong, vigorous"
- Hardie (Scottish) - means "hard, bold"
- Kemény (Hungarian) - means "hard, tough"
- Stabile (Italian) - means "stable, firm"
Last Names as Cool as the Stars Who Answer to Them
What could be cooler than a last name shared with one of the most famous people on the planet? These cool last names may sound familiar thanks to the famous faces who call them theirs.
- Cash (English) - inspired by the late musician Johnny Cash
- Cruz (Spanish) - means "cross;" made famous by actress Penelope Cruz
- Cyrus (Persian) - means "sun;" made notable by entertainers Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus.
- Dean (English) - means "church official;" no one was cooler than iconic heartthrob James Dean
- Dylan (Welsh) - means "son of the sea;" made famous by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and American singer Bob Dylan
- Franco (French) - means "Frenchman;" made notable by actor James Franco
- Harlow (English) - means "rock;" inspired by actress Jean Harlow
- Hendrix (Dutch) - means "estate keeper;" rocked by musical genius Jimi Hendrix
- Jagger (English) - means "peddler;" made famous by musical legend Mick Jagger
- Jolie (French) - means "beauty;" made famous by actress Angelina Jolie
- Lennon (Irish) - means "son of Lonan;" made famous by Beatles band member, John Lennon
- Lennox (Scottish) - means "elm grove;" made famous by boxing great Lennox Claudius Lewis and singer Annie Lennox
- Monroe (Scottish) - means "mouth of a river;" worn by the late and ever-stunning actress Marilyn Monroe
- Nash (English) - means "by the ash tree;" last name of basketball professional Steve Nash
- Presley (English) - means "priest's meadow;" last name of rock 'n roll legend Elvis Presley
These Surnames Absolutely Slay
Surnames often connect people to their roots, family heritage, and past. Some last names tell a person where in the world their ancestors lived, what they did for a living, or what character traits were associated with them, while others provide a connection to nature or the land. These cool last names may come from across the whole spectrum, but they have one thing in common: they're cooler than ice cold.
