The etymology of Liverpool surnames 2024/25

From German bakers to.. Jones

Are you really a nerd if you don’t know the etymology of the Liverpool surnames? Didn’t think so. But I’ll help you out.

Here they are:

1. Alisson Becker (Brazil)

   • Origin: "Becker" is a German surname meaning "baker," an occupational name for someone who baked bread. Presumably Alisson is one of many Brazilians with German heritage though I haven’t been arsed to find out.

2. Joe Gomez (England)

   • Origin: "Gomez" is a common Spanish surname, derived from the medieval personal name "Gomes," meaning "man" or "son" in Visigothic. It was often used to signify "man of God."

3. Wataru Endō (Japan)

   • Origin: "Endō" is a Japanese surname. The characters for "Endō" (遠藤) can be broken down as "En" (distant) and "dō" (wisteria), likely referring to a distant location with wisteria plants.

4. Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)

   • Origin: "Van Dijk" is a Dutch surname meaning "from the dike," referring to someone who lived by or worked on a dike, which is a structure built to prevent flooding.

5. Ibrahima Konaté (France)

   • Origin: "Konaté" is a surname of West African origin, particularly common among the Mandinka people. It doesn't have a widely recognized meaning in English but may be tied to a family or clan.

6. Luis Díaz (Colombia)

   • Origin: "Díaz" is a common Spanish surname, originally derived from "Diego," which in turn comes from the Latin "Didacus," meaning "teaching" or "instructive."

7. Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary)

   • Origin: "Szoboszlai" is a Hungarian surname likely originating from a place name, "Szoboszló," which is a town in Hungary. The suffix "-ai" denotes origin, so the name means "from Szoboszló."

8. Darwin Núñez (Uruguay)

   • Origin: "Núñez" is a Spanish surname meaning "son of Nuño," with "Nuño" being a medieval given name derived from the Latin "Nunnus," meaning "ninth-born" or "grandfather."

9. Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina)

   • Origin: "Mac Allister" is of Scottish origin, with "Mac" meaning "son of" and "Allister" derived from "Alasdair," the Gaelic form of "Alexander," meaning "defender of the people."

10. Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

    • Origin: "Salah" is an Arabic surname meaning "righteousness" or "virtue." It is often used as part of a longer name that signifies piety.

11. Federico Chiesa (Italy)

    • Origin: "Chiesa" is an Italian surname meaning "church," likely referring to someone who lived near or worked at a church. Why make it difficult?

12. Curtis Jones (England)

    • Origin: "Jones" is a common Welsh and English surname derived from "John's son," where "John" comes from the Hebrew "Yohanan," meaning "God is gracious." Its also a boring effing name.

13. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)

    • Origin: "Gakpo" is a surname of Togolese origin, likely from the Ewe people. It is not widely documented in English but may be tied to a family or tribal name. Or some other stuff - its difficult with African surnames.

14. Harvey Elliott (England)

    • Origin: "Elliott" is a surname of Scottish origin, derived from "Eliot," meaning "the Lord is my God" in Hebrew. It was also used as a diminutive form of "Elias."

15. Diogo Jota (Portugal)

    • Origin: "Jota" is not the player's original surname (which is Teixeira); "Jota" is a nickname derived from the Portuguese pronunciation of the letter "J," often used to simplify or personalize a name.

16. Kostas Tsimikas (Greece)

    • Origin: "Tsimikas" is a Greek surname that may be a diminutive or derivative of "Tsimos," which itself could relate to a regional or familial origin in Greece. You would have been hoping for something funnier, but no.

17. Andrew Robertson (Scotland)

    • Origin: "Robertson" is a Scottish surname meaning "son of Robert." "Robert" is a Germanic name meaning "bright fame." Its possibly one of the most boring surnames out there. Shame on him.

18. Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands)

    • Origin: "Gravenberch" is a Dutch surname, possibly of Germanic origin, meaning "grave hill" or "burial mound," indicating a geographic or topographic origin.

19. Vítězslav Jaroš (Czech Republic)

    • Origin: "Jaroš" is a Czech surname derived from the given name "Jaroslav," which means "fierce and glorious" or "spring glory."

20. Caoimhín Kelleher (Republic of Ireland)

    • Origin: "Kelleher" is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname "Ó Ceileachair," meaning "descendant of Ceileachar," with "Ceileachar" possibly meaning "companion" or "lordly."

21. Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)

    • Origin: "Alexander" is a Greek name meaning "defender of the people," while "Arnold" is a Germanic name meaning "eagle power." Some might argue that while TAA is certainly a great baller, he’s maybe not “defending the people with eagle power”.

22. Jarell Quansah (England)

    • Origin: "Quansah" is a Ghanaian surname, common among the Akan people. It often signifies a child born on a specific day of the week or has a spiritual meaning within the Akan culture. No one really knows and its interpreted in different ways depending on who you ask.

23. Conor Bradley (Northern Ireland)

    • Origin: "Bradley" is an English and Irish surname meaning "broad meadow," derived from Old English words "brad" (broad) and "leah" (wood, clearing, or meadow).