Is this your surname? Why not share this page on Facebook

Surname Etymology and Meaning of NESS

New! Discuss the origin and etymology of NESS at the British Surnames Forum - contribute your own knowledge and information about where NESS comes from.

Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

1. Scandinavian (especially Norwegian), Scottish, and northern English: topographic name for someone who lived on a headland or promontory, Old Norse nes, or a habitational name from any of the numerous places named with this word; there are over a hundred farms in Norway and many settlements in Scotland and northern England so named
2. English: according to Reaney and Wilson, a variant of Nash.
3. German: habitational name from places called Nesse in Oldenburg and Friesland.
4. German: from a short form of the female personal name Agnes (see Agnes 1).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)