Port

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Hafen in BR Brazil, CH Switzerland, AO Angola and 3 more.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 8 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Port is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish surname6.6K records spelled Port26 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Mexico, Spain, Peru, Colombia

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese

  Also written Puerto, Pùerto, Pûêrtô, Püërtö, Püerto

• Russian surname1.3K records spelled Port34 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Türkiye

  Languages: Russian, Ukrainian, Polish

  Also written Порт, Портус, Portus, Portes, Порта

• a separate name599 records spelled Port2 spellings in the group

  Also written Pořt

• Turkish surname448 records spelled Port7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Türkiye, Finland

  Also written Pör, Por, Pört, Pòr

48 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Port is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In German, Toponymic surname from a place/dwelling term 'port, gate, ford'; variant base for Poort, Pohrt, Porte, Porde, Nieporte, Tornieporth, Rosport, Verpoort, van de Port, Port(h).

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 4: Familiennamen nach Herkunft und Wohnstätte

• In English, from Port-en-Bessin (Calvados), or from OE port ‘door, gate’/‘harbour, town’ or OFr porte ‘entrance, door’; earliest attested Hugo de Portu, de Port 1084 GeldR (D).

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In German, Toponymic surname from a dwelling/site name based on 'Pforte' ('gate/portal'); residence at a gate. Bearer count 1248.

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 4: Familiennamen nach Herkunft und Wohnstätte

• In English, A place on the coast at which ships can shelter, or dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Polish, port (a place on the coast at which ships can shelter, or dock to load and unload cargo or passengers)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

FR INSEE — Fichier des noms de famille (1891–2000) — 11 years between 1891–1991. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Arnold Dodel-Portb. 1843CHSwiss botanist (1843 – 1908)
• Mart Portb. 1922EEEstonian architect (1922–2012)
• Bernard Portb. 1925GBFootballer (1925-2007)
• Sidney C. Portb. 1935USmathematical statistics professor
• Gert Portb. 1968ATAustrian rower
• Whitney Portb. 1985USAmerican fashion designer
• Kristiina-Hortensia Portb. 1989EEEstonian actor (born 1989)
• George Portfilm producer
• Robert David Portscreenwriter
• Louise Portactress

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 39 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Port?

We estimate roughly 5.4 thousand people bear Port (counting its spellings and scripts) across 6 countries in our records.

In which country does Port have the most bearers?

Port is most frequently recorded in Canada, where it is most often spelled port.

How common is Port compared with other names?

In Turks & Caicos Islands, Port is the 106th most common surname of 2,587 surnames recorded there.

What does the name Port mean?

Recorded meaning: Person who lives by a market town or harbour, or by and in charge of the gates of a town; also a Jewish name of unknown origin.