Ross.
A surname
Meaning & usage
A surname A surname from placenames An English and Scottish habitational surname from Scottish Gaelic derived from any of several places of that name, from Scottish Gaelic ros (“headland”).
A surname A surname from placenames A surname from Cornish
A surname A surname from German
A male given name transferred from the surname, of early 19th century and later usage.
A placename A number of places in the United States: An unincorporated community in Pope County, Arkansas.
A placename A number of places in the United States: A town in Marin County, California.
A placename A number of places in the United States: An unincorporated community in Calumet Township, Lake County, Indiana.
A placename A number of places in the United States: An unincorporated community in Audubon County, Iowa.
A placename A number of places in the United States: An unincorporated community in Dieter Township, Roseau County, Minnesota.
A placename A number of places in the United States: A minor city in Mountrail County, North Dakota.
A placename A number of places in the United States: A township and census-designated place therein, in Butler County, Ohio.
A placename A number of places in the United States: A minor city in McLennan County, Texas.
A placename A number of places in the United States: A town in Forest County, Wisconsin.
A placename A number of places in the United States: An unincorporated community in the town of Liberty, Vernon County, Wisconsin.
A placename A number of places in the United States: A number of other townships in the United States, listed under Ross Township.
A placename A number of places in the United Kingdom A hamlet in Middleton parish, Northumberland, England (OS grid ref NU1336).
A placename A number of places in the United Kingdom A coastal hamlet south of Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NX6444).
A placename A number of places in the United Kingdom A coastal locality near Burnmouth, Scottish Borders council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT9660).
A placename A village in Northern Midlands council area, Tasmania, Australia.
A placename A small town in the West Coast region, South Island, New Zealand.
A placename Ellipsis of Ross Township
A placename Ellipsis of Ross County
Where this word comes from
* As a Scottish surname, from several places such as Roose in Cumbria or Roos in Yorkshire, both from Scottish Gaelic ros (“promontory”) or a Brythonic parallel of its source such as Welsh rhos (“moor, heath”). There were also several Norman families in Scotland who took their name from Rots in Calvados. Compare Rose, Rhodes. * As an English surname, from Wrose in Shipley, with loss of initial w. * As an English and German surname, from derivatives of the old Germanic root common in names *hrōþi (“fame”). Compare Rossell. * As a Cornish surname, from several places in Cornwall deriving from ros (“heathland”), related to the above Celtic word meaning "heath" or "promontory." See Rouse. * As a Jewish and German occupational surname for a breeder of horses, from the regional/poetic noun Ross (“horse”). Doublet of horse. * Also as a Jewish surname, Americanized from Rose.
Try it on your idea.
Ross has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.
These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.
Explore the name generatorA word with a source.
Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.