Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Belfer JewishOccupational name from Yiddish
be(he)lfer,
ba(he)lfer "teacher’s assistant".
Belfiore ItalianMeans "beautiful (as a) flower", derived from Italian
bel "beautiful" combined with Italian
fiore "flower". Two Italian sources claim that this surname was derived from the medieval masculine given name
Belfiore (which has of course the same meaning), but I can find no evidence that this was an actual given name in medieval Italy... [
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Belgrave EnglishAristocratic surname from
French, meaning "beautiful grove"; comes from a place name in Leicestershire. A famous namesake is British polar explorer Belgrave Ninnis, who perished in Antarctica on a 1912 expedition.
Belhadj Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "son of the pilgrim" from Arabic بْن
(bn) meaning "son (of)" اَلحَاجّ
(al-ḥājj) meaning "the pilgrim".
Bělín CzechEither a nickname from Czech bílý ‘white’ or a derivative of the female personal name Běla (which also means ‘white’), denoting the son or husband of a woman so named.
Belin YiddishMetronymic from the Yiddish female personal name Beyle meaning ‘beautiful’ (related to French belle).
Belinsky Russian, JewishHabitational surname for someone from
Belin (Bilyn) in Ukraine, which may be derived from Proto-Slavic *
bělъ "white".
Béliveau French (Rare), French (Quebec)Derived from Old French
besliver meaning "to stagger along", originally a nickname referring to a drunkard. It could also denote a person who lived in a beautiful, lovely valley, derived from French
beau "beautiful" or Old French
beu,
bel "fair, lovely", combined with
val meaning "valley"... [
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Belkin RussianPatronymic from the nickname
Belka meaning "squirrel" (a derivative of
bely "white", referring to the animal's white stomach).
Belladonna English (Rare), Popular CultureNamed after an extremely poisonous plant (Atropa belladonna; also known as the deadly nightshade). One fictional bearer of this surname is Blake Belladonna, a main character from the popular web series RWBY.
Bellaria ItalianFrom the place name Bellaria, in Milan, Veneto, Piedmont and Sicily, these homonyms widespread throughout Italy.
Bellegarde FrenchDerived from a toponym meaning "beautiful watch-tower, look-out".
Belleisle FrenchName for someone from an island named Belle Isle, French for "beautiful island".
Bellers EnglishName came from the son of a French Noble born in Leicestershire, England. Hamon Bellers took his last name after the Kirby Bellers (Bellars) which was the name of the land given to him by his father.
Bellew English, IrishOf Norman origin: habitational name from any of the various places in northern France, such as Belleu (Aisne), named in Old French with bel ‘beautiful’ + l(i)eu ‘place’, or from Belleau (Meurthe-et-Moselle), which is named with Old French bel ‘lovely’ + ewe ‘water’ (Latin aqua), or from Bellou (Calvados), which is probably named with a Gaulish word meaning ‘watercress’... [
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Bellman EnglishOccupational name for someone who worked as a bell-ringer.
Bellman Swedish, EnglishSwedish and English form of
Bellmann. A notable bearer was Swedish composer, poet and entertainer Carl Michael Bellman (1740-1795).
Bellmann GermanHabitational name derived from places in Germany named either Bell, Belle, or Bellen.
Bellocchio ItalianMeans "beautiful eyes", from
bello "beautiful" and
occhio "eyes", or perhaps from
belloccio "good-looking, attractive".
Bellock English, IrishMeaning "young bull". It was a nickname for energetic people, or those who owned bulls.
Bellumus Late RomanMeans "beautiful man" derived from the elements
bellus "beautiful" and
homo "man"
Belmondo ItalianName of Italian origin meaning "beautiful world". Famous bearers of the name are the French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933-) and the Italian cross-country skier, twice Olympic champion and four times World champion Stefania Belmondo (1969-).
Belmont EnglishEnglish surname of Norman origin, a variant of the surname
Beaumont, which was derived from place names meaning "lovely hill" in Old French (from
beu,
bel "fair, lovely" and
mont "hill").
Belzer GermanOccupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle High German
bel(li)z "fur"
Belzer JewishHabitational name for someone from Belz in Ukraine.
Bełzowski PolishThis indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Bełzów.
Ben Arabic (Maghrebi)Maghrebi variant of Arabic بْن
(bn), a form of اِبْن
(ibn) meaning "son (of), offspring". It is often used as a prefix for other Maghrebi patronymic names (such as
Benali "son of
Ali 1" or
Ben Amor "son of
Amor").
Ben Ali Arabic (Maghrebi), ComorianMaghrebi transcription of Arabic بن علي
(bin Ali) meaning "son of
Ali 1". A notable bearer was Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1936-2019), who served as the president of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011.
Benally NavajoFrom Navajo
binálí meaning "his grandchild", derived from
análí meaning "(paternal) grandchild". It was commonly adopted when Native Americans were required to take surnames for record purposes.
Benanti ItalianFrom a derivative of Bene, a short form of the various omen names formed with this element (from Latin bene ‘well’), such as Benedetto, Benvenuto, etc.
Benatar JewishPossibly from Hebrew בֵּן (
ben) meaning "son" and עתר (
'atar) meaning "petitioner".
Benavides SpanishPatronymic name from the Medieval personal name
Ben Avid, of Arabic origin, derived from
ibn Abd meaning "son of the servant of God".
Benda CzechBenda is short form from names Benjamin or Benedikt.
Bender German, German (East Prussian)As a German surname, Bender is a regional occupational surname from the Rhineland area denoting a "barrel-maker" (the Standard German
Fassbinder became "Fassbender" in the local dialects and ultimately was shortened to Bender).... [
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Bendul EnglishOf Anglo-Saxon origin, from the parish of Benthall in Shropshire.
Benedict EnglishOf Latin origin. Due to an early association as a saint's name and a papal name, often said to mean "blessed." Originally the Latin elements are 'bene-' meaning "good" or as an adverb "well" plus '-dict,' meaning "spoken." Thus, the literal meaning is "well spoken." ... [
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Benelli ItalianThe distinguished surname Benelli originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent... [
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Benfield Englishhabitational name from one or more of the numerous places in England called
Benfield or
Binfield which are named from Middle English
bent "bent-grass" and
feld "open country" or "land converted to arable use" (Old English
beonet and
feld).
Ben Hadj Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "son of the pilgrim"; the title
Hadj refers to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This surname is mainly found in Tunisia.
Benício Portuguese (Brazilian)Spanish form of Benedict, from the Late Latin name Benedictus, which meant "blessed". A notable bearer is Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro (born 1967).
Benigni ItalianPatronymic form of
Benigno. A notable bearer is the Italian actor and comedian Roberto Benigni (1952-).
Benkirane Arabic (Maghrebi)From Arabic بْن
(bn) meaning "son" combined with كِيرَان
(kīrān) meaning "forges, furnaces", possibly denoting descent of a blacksmith or metalworker (chiefly Moroccan).
Bennani Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "my son" in Hebrew, from בן
(ben) meaning "son" and אני
(ani) meaning "I, me". This is the name of a Moroccan family of Jewish origin that converted to Islam.
Benner GermanOccupational name for a basket and bassinet maker, from an agent derivative of Middle High German benne 'work basket', 'bassinet', 'cradle'.
Bennouna Arabic (Maghrebi)Most likely from Arabic بن
(bin) meaning "son" and the given name
Nouna, which may have been derived from an Arabic word meaning "whale, big fish" or "sabre, sword". Alternately, it may be from an Arabic name for a variety of melon... [
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Ben Nun HebrewJoshua or Yehoshua Ben Nun functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Exodus and Numbers, and later succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelite tribes in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua
Bentham EnglishHabitational name from any of various places named Bentham, from Old English
beonet "bent grass" +
ham "homestead" or
hamm "enclosure hemmed in by water".
Benz GermanSouth German: (in Alemannic areas) from a short form of the Germanic personal name Berthold, or to a lesser extent of Bernhard
Ben Zaken HebrewMeans "son of the old man" or "son of the elder" in Hebrew.
Benzema Arabic (Maghrebi)This is the surname of French professional footballer Karim Benzema who is of Algerian descent.
Beppu JapaneseFrom Japanese 別府 (
Beppu), the name of several Japanese towns and divisions. In some cases these places names are normally read Byū or Befu. In other cases Beppu is a clipping of longer names such as 別府門 (
Beppumon), 西別府 (
Nishibeppu) or 上別府 (
Kamibeppu).
Berastegi BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Berber GermanPossibly a habitational name from a place called Berber near Kevelaer.
Berberić BosnianOccupational name for a barber, from berber(in) meaning "barber", from Turkish.