Bishop EnglishMeans simply
"bishop", ultimately from Greek
ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer". It probably originally referred to a person who served a bishop.
Bisset EnglishFrom Old French
bis meaning
"drab, dingy", a nickname for someone who looked drab.
Björkman SwedishFrom Swedish
björk (Old Norse
bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and
man (Old Norse
maðr) meaning "person, man".
Black EnglishMeans either
"black" (from Old English
blæc) or
"pale" (from Old English
blac). It could refer to a person with a pale or a dark complexion, or a person who worked with black dye.
Blackburn EnglishFrom the name of a city in Lancashire, meaning "black stream" in Old English.
Blair ScottishFrom any one of several places of this name in Scotland, which derive from Gaelic
blàr meaning "plain, field, battlefield".
Blake EnglishVariant of
Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).
Blakeley EnglishFrom name of various English places, derived from Old English
blæc "black" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Blakesley EnglishFrom the name of a town in Northamptonshire, itself meaning "Blæcwulf's meadow" in Old English.
Blæcwulf is a byname meaning "black wolf".
Blanc FrenchMeans
"white" in French. The name referred to a person who was pale, or whose hair was blond.
Blanco SpanishMeans
"white" in Spanish. The name most likely referred to a person who was pale or had blond hair.
Blau GermanMeans
"blue" in German, most likely used to refer to a person who wore blue clothes.
Blecher GermanOccupational name for someone who worked with tin or sheet metal, from German
blech "tin".
Bleier GermanOccupational name for a worker of lead, derived from German
blei "lead".
Bloodworth EnglishOriginally indicated someone from the town of Blidworth in Nottinghamshire, which was derived from the Old English byname
Blīþa (meaning "happy, blithe") combined with
worð "enclosure".
Bloxham EnglishFrom a place name meaning "Blocca's homestead". The Old English byname
Blocca is of uncertain origin.
Blue EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with blue eyes or blue clothing.
Bodrogi HungarianOriginally denoted someone living near the Bodrog, a river in northeastern of Hungary.
Boerefijn DutchPossibly an adaptation of French
beurre fin meaning
"good butter".
Böhler GermanDerived from the name of several German towns called
Boll or
Böhl, meaning "hill".
Böhm GermanOriginally indicated a person from the region of
Bohemia (
Böhmen in German).
Bohn GermanOccupational name for a bean grower, derived from Middle High German
bone "bean".
Boivin FrenchNickname for a wine drinker, from Old French
boi "to drink" and
vin "wine".
Bokor HungarianTopographic name derived from Hungarian
bokor "bush". This is also the name of a village in Hungary.
Bolívar SpanishFrom
Bolibar, the name of a small Basque village, derived from Basque
bolu "mill" and
ibar "meadow". This name was borne by the revolutionary Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).
Bologna ItalianFrom the name of the city of Bologna in northern Italy. It may derive from a Celtic word meaning "settlement".
Bolton EnglishFrom any of the many places in England called Bolton, derived from Old English
bold "house" and
tun "enclosure".
Bond EnglishOccupational name for a peasant farmer, from Middle English
bonde. A famous bearer is the fictional spy James Bond, created by Ian Flemming in 1953.
Bondesan ItalianVenetian name derived from the name of the town of Bondeno in northern Italy.
Bonfils FrenchDerived from Old French
bon fils meaning
"good son".
Bonheur FrenchFrom Old French
bonne heure meaning
"good time" or
"lucky".
Bonner EnglishFrom Middle English
boneire "kind, courteous", derived from Norman French
bon aire "good bloodline".
Bonney EnglishFrom northern Middle English
boni meaning
"pretty, attractive".
Boon 2 EnglishOriginally indicated a person from the town of Bohon, in Manche in France. The town's name is of unknown origin.
Booth EnglishTopographic name derived from Middle English
both meaning
"hut, stall".
Bootsma FrisianOccupational name meaning
"boatman", derived from Dutch
boot "boat".
Borde FrenchFrom Old French
bord meaning
"board, plank", derived from Frankish *
bord. This name belonged to a person who lived in a house made of planks.
Borg SwedishFrom Swedish
borg meaning
"fortification, castle".
Borghi ItalianLocative origin, from the common place name
Borgo meaning "village".
Borgia ItalianItalian form of
Borja. This was the name of an Italian noble family who were influential during the Renaissance period.
Borgnino ItalianFrom nickname derived from the Piedmontese dialect word
borgno meaning
"one-eyed". This was the real surname of American actor Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012).
Borgogni ItalianFrom the name of the French region of Burgundy (called Bourgogne in French), which is named after the Germanic tribe the Burgundians, meaning "people from the high land".
Borja SpanishOriginally indicated a person from the Spanish town of Borja in Aragon, derived from Arabic
بُرْج (burj) meaning "tower".
Boros HungarianDerived from Hungarian
bor "wine". Originally it could have indicated someone who made or sold wine.
Borst DutchFrom a nickname derived from Dutch
borst "chest".
Botello GalicianOccupational name for a maker of bottles, from Galician
bottela meaning
"bottle".
Böttcher GermanOccupational name meaning
"cooper, barrel maker" in German.
Botterill EnglishProbably indicated someone from the town of Les Bottereaux in Normandy, itself derived from Old French
bot "toad".
Bouvier FrenchMeans
"cowherd" in French, from Latin
boviarus, a derivative of
bos "cow".
Bove ItalianDerived from an Italian nickname meaning
"bull, ox".
Bowie ScottishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Buidheach, derived from
buidhe meaning
"yellow". A famous bearer was the American pioneer James Bowie (1796-1836), for whom the bowie knife is named. The British musician David Bowie (1947-2016), born David Robert Jones, took his stage name from the American pioneer (and the knife).
Bowman EnglishOccupational name for an archer, derived from Middle English
bowe, Old English
boga meaning "bow".
Boyce EnglishFrom Old French
bois meaning
"wood", originally given to someone who lived by or in a wood.
Boyd ScottishFrom the name of the Scottish island of Bute (
Bód in Gaelic), which is of unknown meaning.
Boyko UkrainianOriginally indicated a member of the Boykos, an ethnic group of western Ukraine.
Boyle IrishFrom Irish
Ó Baoighill meaning
"descendant of Baoigheall". The meaning of the given name
Baoigheall is uncertain, but it is thought to be connected to Irish
geall meaning "pledge".
Božić CroatianMeans
"Christmas" in Croatian, a diminutive of
bog meaning "god".
Braband GermanDerived from the name of the region of Brabant in the Netherlands and Belgium. It possibly means "ploughed region" or "marshy region" in Old High German.
Braddock EnglishFrom various locations derived from Old English meaning
"broad oak".
Bradford EnglishDerived from the name of the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire, which meant "broad ford" in Old English. This is also the name of other smaller towns in England.
Brady IrishAnglicized form of the Irish name
Ó Brádaigh meaning
"descendant of Brádach". A famous bearer is the American football quarterback Tom Brady (1977-).
Brahms GermanDerived from the given name
Abraham. A famous bearer of this surname was the German composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).
Brambilla ItalianDerived from the Italian town of Brembilla in Lombardy, itself named after the Brembo river.
Brand 2 GermanFrom Old High German
brant "fire", originally a name for a person who lived near an area that had been cleared by fire.
Brandon EnglishFrom the name of various places in England meaning
"hill covered with broom" in Old English.
Brasher EnglishMeans
"brass worker", derived from Old English
bræs "brass".
Brassington EnglishFrom a place name, which is derived from Old English meaning "settlement by a steep path".
Braxton EnglishFrom an English place name place name meaning "Bracca's town" in Old English.
Bray EnglishFrom a place name derived from Cornish
bre "hill".
Breckenridge Scottish, EnglishOriginally indicated someone from Brackenrig in Lanarkshire, derived from northern Middle English
braken meaning "bracken" (via Old Norse
brækni) and
rigg meaning "ridge" (via Old Norse
hryggr).
Breda ItalianFrom the name of a town near Venice, possibly derived from a Lombardic word meaning "field".
Breen IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Braoin meaning
"descendant of Braon", a byname meaning "rain, moisture, drop".
Breisacher GermanOriginally denoted one who came from the town of Breisach, in Germany. The town's name is possibly from a Celtic word meaning "breakwater".
Breitbarth GermanFrom Old High German
breit "broad" and
bart "beard", originally a nickname for someone with a full beard.
Brennan IrishFrom Irish
Ó Braonáin meaning
"descendant of Braonán", a byname meaning "rain, moisture, drop" (with a diminutive suffix).
Brent EnglishOriginally derived from the name of a hill (or the village nearby) in Somerset, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".
Brett EnglishOriginally a name given to someone who was a Breton or a person from Brittany.
Bretz GermanIndicated a person from the town of Breetz in Brandenburg, Germany. The meaning of the town's name is unknown.
Bridges EnglishOriginally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English
brigge, Old English
brycg.
Brigham EnglishOriginally referred to one who came from a town called Brigham, meaning "homestead by the bridge" in Old English. This is the name of towns in Cumberland and Yorkshire.
Brinley EnglishPossibly from English places named
Brindley, derived from Old English
berned "burned" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Brioschi ItalianDerived from the town of Briosco, near Milan. It may be of Lombardic origin.
Brisbois FrenchReferred to a person who cleared land, from Old French
briser "to cut" and
bois "forest".
Bristol EnglishFrom the name of a city in England meaning "the site of the bridge".
Bristow EnglishFrom the name of the city of Bristol, originally
Brycgstow in Old English, meaning "the site of the bridge".
Britton EnglishOriginally given to a person who was a Briton (a Celt of England) or a Breton (an inhabitant of Brittany).
Brivio ItalianFrom the name of the town of Brivio in Lombardy. Supposed it derives from a Celtic word meaning "bridge".
Brock EnglishDerived from Old English
brocc meaning
"badger", ultimately of Celtic origin.
Brodbeck GermanMeans
"bread baker" from Middle High German
brot "bread" and
becke "baker".
Brodie ScottishOriginally derived from a place in Moray, Scotland. It is probably from Gaelic
broth meaning "ditch, mire".
Brogan IrishOccupational name derived from Irish
bróg meaning
"shoe".
Brontë IrishVariant of
Brunty adopted by the Irish-born Englishman Patrick Brunty (1777-1861) as an adult. He was the father of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, each prominent authors.
Brook EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a brook, a word derived from Old English
broc.
Brouwer DutchOccupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch
brouwer.
Brown EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin. A notable bearer is Charlie Brown from the
Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.
Brownlow EnglishFrom Old English
brun meaning "brown" and
hlaw meaning "mound, small hill". The name was probably given to a family living on a small hill covered with bracken.
Broz CroatianDerived from
Broz, a diminutive of
Ambrozije. This was the birth surname of the Yugoslavian dictator Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980).
Bruce ScottishPossibly from the name of the town of Brix in Normandy, which is of unknown meaning. It was brought to Scotland in the 12th century by the Anglo-Norman baron Robert de Brus. It was later borne by his descendant Robert the Bruce, a hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland.
Brun French, Danish, Norwegian, SwedishMeans
"brown" in French, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. It was originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin.
Brunet FrenchFrom a diminutive of French
brun meaning
"brown".
Bruno Italian, PortugueseMeans
"brown" in Italian and Portuguese, a nickname for a person with brown hair or brown clothes.
Buchanan ScottishFrom the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.
Buchholz GermanFrom Middle High German
buoche "beech" and
holz "wood".
Buckley 2 IrishFrom Irish
Ó Buachalla meaning
"descendant of Buachaill", a nickname meaning "cowherd, servant".
Budai HungarianOriginally indicated a person from the Hungarian city of
Buda (one of the two cities that were joined to make Budapest in 1873).
Budny PolishPossibly from Polish
buda meaning
"hut, cabin".
Büki HungarianDerived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).
Bukowski PolishOriginally denoted someone who came from a place called
Bukowo or
Bukowiec, which derive from Polish
buk "beech".
Bulgari ItalianOriginally denoted a person who came from Bulgaria, which is named after the Turkic tribe of the Bulgars, itself possibly from a Turkic root meaning "mixed".
Bull EnglishFrom a nickname for a person who acted like a bull.
Bullard EnglishPossibly a nickname derived from Middle English
bole "fraud, deceit".
Bunker EnglishDerived from Old French
bon cuer meaning
"good heart".
Bunnag ThaiFrom the name of Bunnag, an 18th-century general of Persian heritage.
Bunschoten DutchOriginally indicated a person from the Dutch town of Bunschoten, which might mean "raised, enclosed land".
Buonarroti ItalianFrom the medieval Italian given name
Buonarroto meaning "good increase". This was the surname of the Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo (1475-1564).
Bureau FrenchFrom Old French
burel, diminutive of
bure, a type of woolen cloth. It may have originated as a nickname for a person who dressed in the material or as an occupational name for someone who worked with it.
Bureš CzechDerived from a diminutive of the old Slavic given name
Burian, of uncertain meaning.
Burgess EnglishFrom Middle English and Old French
burgeis meaning
"city-dweller", ultimately from Frankish
burg "fortress".
Burgstaller GermanFrom German
Burg "fortress, castle" and
Stelle "place, position". This was a name given to a person dwelling at or near such a site.
Burke English, IrishDerived from Middle English
burgh meaning
"fortress, fortification, castle". It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William de Burgh.
Burnett EnglishMeans
"brown" in Middle English, from Old French
brunet, a diminutive of
brun.
Burnham EnglishFrom the name of various towns in England, typically derived from Old English
burna "stream, spring" and
ham "home, settlement".
Burns 1 English, ScottishDerived from Old English
burna "stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).