Aarden DutchFrom Dutch
aarden meaning
"earthen, clay". It denoted a person who worked with clay.
Abate ItalianFrom Italian
abate meaning
"abbot, priest", derived via Latin and Greek from an Aramaic word meaning "father". This was used either as a nickname or an occupational name for a worker in a priest's house.
Abbadelli ItalianMeans
"little abbot" from Italian
abate and the diminutive suffix
-elli.
Abbaticchio ItalianMeans
"little abbot" from Italian
abate and the diminutive suffix
-icchio, from Latin
-iculus.
Acciai ItalianDerived from medieval Italian
accia meaning
"axe", ultimately from Latin
ascia.
Acker German, EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English
aker or Middle High German
acker meaning "field".
Ackerman EnglishMeans
"ploughman", derived from Middle English
aker "field" and
man.
Agua SpanishMeans
"water" in Spanish, indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.
Aguado SpanishDerived from Spanish
agua "water", indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.
Aguilar SpanishFrom a place name that was derived from Spanish
águila meaning
"eagle", ultimately from Latin
aquila.
Aiello ItalianFrom various place names in Italy, such as Aiello del Friuli, Aiello del Sabato and others. They are derived from Latin
agellus meaning "little field".
Albero ItalianFrom Italian
albero meaning
"tree", ultimately from Latin
arbor, referring to someone who lived in the woods or worked as a woodcutter.
Allegri ItalianFrom an Italian nickname derived from
allegro meaning
"quick, lively".
Appelo DutchIndicated a person who was from a farm called Aperloo, probably a derivative of
appel meaning "apple".
Arenas SpanishFrom various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish
arena meaning
"sand".
Arzt DutchMeans
"doctor, physician" in German, ultimately from Latin
archiater.
Ash EnglishFrom Old English
æsc meaning
"ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.
Atteberry EnglishMeans
"dweller at the fortified town" from Middle English
at and
burh "fortified place".
Aue GermanFrom German meaning
"meadow by a river, wetland". There are many places with this name in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Auer GermanFrom German
Aue, Old High German
ouwa, meaning
"meadow by a river, wetland".
Averill EnglishFrom Middle English
aueril, Old French
avrill meaning
"April", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.
Baart DutchMeans
"beard" in Dutch, originally describing a person who wore a beard.
Bach GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a stream, from Middle High German
bach meaning
"stream". This name was borne by members of the Bach musical family, notably the composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
Baggins LiteratureCreated by J. R. R. Tolkien for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the hero of
The Hobbit (1937), and also for his cousin Frodo Baggins, the hero of
The Lord of the Rings (1954). He probably derived it from the English word
bag. The Baggins family home was called Bag End, and Tolkien himself had an aunt who owned a farm by this name, so that may have been his inspiration. Tolkien used English-like translations of many hobbit names; according to his notes the real hobbit-language form of the surname was
Labingi.
Bailey EnglishFrom Middle English
baili meaning
"bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin
baiulus "porter".
Baines 2 EnglishFrom a nickname derived from Old English
ban "bones", probably for a thin person.
Baker EnglishOccupational name meaning
"baker", derived from Middle English
bakere.
Bakke NorwegianMeans
"slope, hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse
bakki "bank".
Bakken NorwegianMeans
"the slope, the hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse
bakki "bank".
Banner EnglishOccupational name for a flag carrier, derived from Old French
baniere meaning
"banner", ultimately of Germanic origin.
Bannister EnglishFrom Norman French
banastre meaning
"basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.
Barnett EnglishDerived from Old English
bærnet meaning "place cleared by burning".
Barr EnglishIndicated a person who lived near a barrier, from Old French
barre.
Barrett EnglishProbably derived from the Middle English word
barat meaning
"trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.
Barros Portuguese, SpanishFrom the Portuguese and Spanish word
barro meaning
"clay, mud". This could either be an occupational name for a person who worked with clay or mud such as a builder or artisan, or a topographic name for someone living near clay or mud.
Barsotti ItalianProbably from the medieval Latin word
baro meaning
"man, freeman" (of Frankish origin).
Basso ItalianOriginally a nickname for a short person, from Latin
bassus "thick, low".
Battle EnglishFrom a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called
Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.
Bauer GermanFrom Old High German
bur meaning
"peasant, farmer".
Beck 3 EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with a big nose, from Middle English
bec meaning
"beak".
Becker GermanDerived from Middle High German
becker meaning
"baker".
Begum Indian (Muslim), Bengali (Muslim), Urdu, PunjabiFrom a title traditionally used as an honorific for Muslim women in India and other parts of southern Asia. It is derived from a feminine form of the Turkic title
beg meaning "chieftain" (modern Turkish
bey).
Bello Spanish, ItalianMeans
"beautiful" in Spanish and Italian, originally a nickname for an attractive person.
Beran CzechDerived from Czech
beran meaning
"ram, male sheep".
Berry EnglishDerived from a place name, which was derived from Old English
burh "fortification".
Beutel GermanFrom Middle High German
biutel meaning
"bag", originally belonging to a person who made or sold bags.
Bianchi ItalianFrom Italian
bianco meaning
"white", originally given to a person who was white-haired or extremely pale.
Bieber German, JewishFrom Middle High German
biber meaning
"beaver", possibly a nickname for a hard worker.
Biondi ItalianMeans
"fair-haired, blond" in Italian. This name was borne by the American swimmer Matt Biondi (1965-).
Bird EnglishOccupational name for a person who raised or hunted birds.
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.
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.
Blake EnglishVariant of
Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).
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.
Blue EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with blue eyes or blue clothing.
Bohn GermanOccupational name for a bean grower, derived from Middle High German
bone "bean".
Bokor HungarianTopographic name derived from Hungarian
bokor "bush". This is also the name of a village in Hungary.
Booth EnglishTopographic name derived from Middle English
both meaning
"hut, stall".
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".
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).
Böttcher GermanOccupational name meaning
"cooper, barrel maker" in German.
Bouvier FrenchMeans
"cowherd" in French, from Latin
boviarus, a derivative of
bos "cow".
Bove ItalianDerived from an Italian nickname meaning
"bull, ox".
Boyce EnglishFrom Old French
bois meaning
"wood", originally given to someone who lived by or in a wood.
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.
Brett EnglishOriginally a name given to someone who was a Breton or a person from Brittany.
Bridges EnglishOriginally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English
brigge, Old English
brycg.
Britton EnglishOriginally given to a person who was a Briton (a Celt of England) or a Breton (an inhabitant of Brittany).
Brook EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a brook, a word derived from Old English
broc.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Burgess EnglishFrom Middle English and Old French
burgeis meaning
"city-dweller", ultimately from Frankish
burg "fortress".
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.
Burns 1 English, ScottishDerived from Old English
burna "stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).
Busch GermanMeans
"bush" in German, a name for someone who lived close to a thicket.
Bush EnglishOriginally a name for a person who lived near a prominent bush or thicket.
Butcher EnglishOccupational name for a butcher, derived from Old French
bouchier.
Butler English, IrishOccupational name derived from Norman French
butiller "wine steward", ultimately from Late Latin
butticula "bottle". A famous bearer of this surname is the fictional character Rhett Butler, created by Margaret Mitchell for her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936).
Cabral PortugueseFrom places named from Late Latin
capralis meaning
"place of goats", derived from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
Cabrera SpanishFrom various place names derived from Late Latin
capraria meaning
"place of goats", from Latin
capra meaning "goat".
Cai ChineseFrom Chinese
蔡 (cài) referring to the ancient state of Cai that existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Campana Italian, SpanishOccupational name from Late Latin
campana meaning
"bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.
Cao ChineseFrom Chinese
曹 (cáo) referring to the ancient state of Cao, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
Capello 1 ItalianFrom Late Latin
cappa meaning
"cloak, cape, hood". This was a name for one who made or wore cloaks.
Capitani ItalianOccupational name meaning
"captain" in Italian, ultimately from Latin
caput "head".
Carbone ItalianFrom a nickname for a person with dark features, from Italian
carbone meaning
"coal".
Carnevale ItalianFrom an Italian nickname meaning
"carnival", perhaps given to a festive person.
Carpenter EnglishFrom the occupation, derived from Middle English
carpentier (ultimately from Latin
carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").
Casal SpanishFrom the Spanish word
casal meaning
"house", ultimately from Late Late
casalis and Latin
casa.
Case EnglishFrom Norman French
casse meaning
"box, case", ultimately from Latin
capsa. This was an occupational name for a box maker.
Castle EnglishFrom Middle English
castel meaning
"castle", from Late Latin
castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.
Castro Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"castle" in Spanish and Portuguese, referring to one who lived near a castle. A famous bearer was Fidel Castro (1926-2016), revolutionary and president of Cuba.
Cavallo ItalianMeans
"horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.
Çelik TurkishOccupational name for a metalworker, meaning
"steel" in Turkish.
Chaplin English, FrenchOccupational name for a chaplin, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French
chapelain. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977).
Chaput FrenchFrom a diminutive of the Old French word
chape meaning
"cloak, hood". The name referred to a person who made, sold or often wore cloaks.
Charbonneau FrenchDerived from a diminutive form of French
charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
Charron FrenchMeans
"cart" in Old French, used to denote a carter or a cartwright.
Chen ChineseFrom Chinese
陈 (chén) meaning
"exhibit, display, old, ancient" and also referring to the former state of Chen, which existed in what is now Henan province from the 11th to 5th centuries BC.
Cheng 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
程 (chéng) meaning
"rule, order, regulations", also referring to the territory of Cheng (in present-day Henan province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Chevalier FrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
chevalier meaning
"knight", from Late Latin
caballarius "horseman", Latin
caballus "horse".
Chevrolet FrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning
"goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
Chey KhmerMeans
"victory" in Khmer, from Sanskrit
जय (jaya).
Chmela CzechDerived from Czech
chmel "hops", referring to a person who grew hops, a plant used in brewing beer.
Church EnglishFrom the English word, derived from Old English
cirice, ultimately from Greek
κυριακόν (kyriakon) meaning "(house) of the lord". It probably referred to a person who lived close to a church.
Čížek CzechMeans
"siskin" in Czech, referring to a type of bird in the finch family.
Clark EnglishMeans
"cleric" or
"scribe", from Old English
clerec meaning "priest", ultimately from Latin
clericus. A famous bearer was William Clark (1770-1838), an explorer of the west of North America.