There are lots of sites that list last name meanings and origins. Sometimes they differ, but the best thing to know is where the ancestors came from, so that you can use that info when searching.
Here is a list of results for web-pages that have last name meaning/origin info:
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&=&q=last+name+meanings +and+origins+glossary&aq=1&aqi=g6g-s1g3&aql=&oq=last+name+meanings&gs_rfai=CY92HGow4T L6vCJX6gAS684TmBwAAAKoEBU_Q9lDu
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