Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Beres HungarianOccupational name for a farm laborer or casual harvest hand, béres, a derivative of bér 'wage', 'payment'.
Beresford EnglishEnglish: habitational name from a place in the parish of Alstonfield, Staffordshire named Beresford, from Old English beofor ‘beaver’ (or possibly from a byname from this word) + Old English ford ‘ford’... [
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Berethnet LiteratureUsed by Samantha Shannon in her book The Priory Of The Orange Tree as the surname of the queens of Inys, a fictional queendom in the book.... [
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Bergamin ItalianTraced to 1437, Bergamo. A 'bergamini' was known as a person famrmed and sold milk cows
Bergara BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Bergdahl SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain, hill" and
dal "valley".
Bergdorf GermanOrigin unidentified. Possibly a German habitational name from places in Hamburg and Lower Saxony called Bergedorf, Bargdorf in Lower Saxony, or Bergsdorf in Brandenburg.
Bergen German, Dutch, Flemish, JewishOriginally denoted a person from any of the various places named
Bergen in Germany and the Netherlands. It is also a variant of
Berg. Famous bearers include the Americans Candice Bergen (1946-), an actress, and Polly Bergen (1930-2014), an actress, singer and television host.
Berghorst GermanTopographical name for someone who lived by a wilderness area on a mountain, from Berg 'mountain', 'hill' + Horst 'wilderness' (see
Horst).
Bergin SwedishDerived from Swedish
berg "mountain" and the common surname suffix
-in.
Bergkamp Dutch, GermanFrom the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, derived from Old Dutch and Old High German
berg meaning "mountain" and
kamp meaning "field". This name is borne by Dutch former soccer player Dennis Bergkamp (1969-).
Berglin SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain" and the surname suffix
-in.
Berglind SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain, hill" and
lind "linden tree".
Bergling SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain" and the common surname suffix
-ing "belonging to, coming from". It has also been found as a spelling variant of similarly spelled names, such as
Berlin... [
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Bergmark SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain, hill" and
mark "land, ground, field".
Bergoglio ItalianFrom the name of a village in Piedmont, Italy. A notable bearer is
Jorge Mario Bergoglio (1936-), better known as Pope Francis, the current head of the Catholic Church.
Bergschneider Germantopographic name for someone living by a mountain trail (as in cut into the hillside) from
Berg "mountain hill" and
Schneit "trail path running on a border" (Old High German
sneita).
Bergsma DutchThe surname Bergsma had orinally been German. It was then taken over to Holland possibly in the sixteenth century.... [
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Berisha AlbanianFrom the name of a tribe and historical region in northern Albania, meaning uncertain.
Berki HungarianFrom a placename in Hungary derived from Hungarian "berek" meaning "grove".
Berlanga SpanishFrom the village or castle named "Berlanga de Duero" from Soria, Spain. Berlanga itself was derived from "berlain" which comes from the name of a precious stone derived from the Greek. So it could be related to stones.
Berlin SwedishOf uncertain origin. The name could be a shortened form of
Berglin. It could also be a habitational name from the city in Germany or from a place in Sweden named with
ber or
berg "mountain"... [
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Berlin German, EnglishHabitational name from the city in Germany, the name of which is of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from an Old Slavic stem
berl- meaning
swamp or from a West Slavic word meaning "river lake".
Berlinerblau German, JewishMeans “Prussian blue” in German. A notable bearer of this surname is Jacques Berlinerblau, a professor of Jewish civilization, and Stefania Berlinerblau, an American anatomist and physician.
Bermejo SpanishOriginally a nickname for a man with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Spanish
bermejo "reddish, ruddy" (itself from Latin
vermiculus "little worm", from
vermis "worm", since a crimson dye was obtained from the bodies of worms).
Bermeo BasqueFrom the town Bermeo in Biscay (Basque Country, Spain). Origin likely pre-Roman.
Bermingham English (Modern, Rare)Bermingham is the Gaelicised version of 'De Birmingham' and is descended from the family of Warwickshire, England. The Irish version of the name MacFeorais/MacPheorais is derived from Pierce de Bermingham.
Bern German, Scandinavian, German (Swiss)German and Scandinavian: from the personal name Berno, a pet form of
Bernhard. In South German it comes from the habitational name from Bern, Switzerland, notably in the south; in other parts from the personal name
Berno.
Bernabéu Catalan (Valencian)From the given name
Bernabé. A famous bearer was Santiago Bernabéu (1895-1978), a Spanish soccer player and the eleventh president of the soccer club Real Madrid CF.
Bernadotte French, SwedishPossibly from the name of a historical province in Southern France named
Béarn. This was originally a French non-noble surname. French general Jean Baptise Bernadotte (1763-1844) became the king of Sweden as Charles XIV John (Swedish: Karl XIV Johan) in 1818 and founded the current royal house in Sweden, House of Bernadotte.
Bernasconi ItalianThe surname of BERNASCONI is of Italian origin, a locational name meaning the dweller on or near a small hill. The names of habitation are derived from pre-existing names denoting towns, villages, farmsteads or other named habitations... [
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Berner German, Low GermanGerman habitational name, in Silesia denoting someone from a place called Berna (of which there are two examples); in southern Germany and Switzerland denoting someone from the Swiss city of Berne. ... [
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Bernfield GermanAn Americanized variant of the German surname, "Bergfeld", meaning "mountain field".
Bernini ItalianBernini was the surname of famous sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680).
Bernitt German (Rare)Derived from the name of
Bernitt, a municipality in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Bernthal JewishOrnamental name derived from the Yiddish given name
Ber meaning "bear" and German
thal meaning "valley". A famous bearer is American actor Jon Bernthal (1976-).
Berrada MoroccanMeaning unknown. A famous bearer is novelist/literary critic/translator Mohammed Berrada.
Berretta ItalianFrom
berretta, originally meaning ‘hooded cloak’ (Latin
birrus), later ‘headdress’, ‘bonnet’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of such headgear or a nickname for an habitual wearer.
Berroa BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Baigorri in the French canton of Euskal Mendialdea.
Berruti ItalianFrom Late Latin
berrutum "cart", indicating someone who drove or made carts.
Berryann Medieval English (Rare)The name is pre 7th century Olde English and later Olde French. It derives from the word
burri or
berri, translating as a fortress or castle and means 'one who dwelt at the castle'. The suffix 'man' also indicates that it was job descriptive for a guard or keeper of the castle... [
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Berrycloth English (Rare)This name is of English locational origin, from the place called
Barrowclough near Halifax in West Yorkshire.
Bertagni ItalianBertagni has a lineage in Genoa and one in Lucca. Possibly derives from Gothic, Lombard and Germanic names containing the root germanica bertha (bright) or the celtic bert (bearer).
Bertarelli ItalianProbably from a given name containing the Germanic root
behrat "bright" or Celtic
berta "to carry, to bear".
Berthiaume FrenchFrench: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’ + helm ‘helmet’.
Bertin FrenchFrom the given name
Bertin a diminutive of the ancient Germanic personal name
Berhto a short form of various compound names formed with
berht "bright famous".
Bertiz BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Navarrese municipality of Bertizarana.
Bérubé FrenchHabitational name from some minor place named with Old French
bel ru "beautiful stream", with the subsequent pleonastic addition of
bé, variant of
bel "beautiful".
Beruška CzechAllegedly derived from Czech
beruška "ladybird; ladybug".
Berzelius SwedishDerived from the name of an estate named
Bergsätter located near Motala, Östergötland, Sweden. Bergsätter is composed of Swedish
berg "mountain" and
säter "outlying meadow"... [
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Besalú CatalanThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Beshimov KyrgyzPossibly derived from the given name Beshim. A known bearer is Bakyt Beshimov, the deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan.
Beskow SwedishDerived from the name of the city Beeskow in Germany. A notable bearer was Swedish author and illustrator Elsa Beskow (1874-1953).
Bess EnglishPopularly grown surname from the diminuative form of "Elizabeth" during any time of a Queen Elizabeth
Bessel GermanOf uncertain origin; possibly from the name of a place or river.
Besson French, Provençal, OccitanSouthern French nickname from Occitan
besson "twin" (from Latin
bis) or from the various places (Le) Besson in southern France.
Bestauty OssetianDerived from Ossetian бистэ
(biste) meaning "village, suburb" or from Persian به
(beh) meaning "good, excellent, better". In the case of the former, it would have been used to indicate the place of residence of an ancestor.
Beste French, EnglishNickname from Middle English
beste Old French
beste "beast animal" (especially those used for food or work) applied either as a metonymic occupational name for someone who looked after beasts such as a herdsman or as a nickname for someone thought to resemble an animal... [
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Betanzos GalicianThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Beteta SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Manchego municipality.
Bethany EnglishPossibly a topographic name derived from the Old English plant name
betonice meaning "betony". The form of the name has been altered by folk association with the New Testament place name.
Bethea WelshPossible altered form of the Welch surname Bethel
Bethencourt French, English, Portuguese (Rare)Bettencourt and Bethencourt are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element -court (courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm) is typical of the French provinces, where the Frankish settlements formed an important part of the local population... [
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Betjeman DutchOne of the earliest surnames, it derives from the Roman personal name "Benedictus", meaning blessed.
Bettencourt French, English, Portuguese (Rare)Bettencourt and
Bethencourt are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element -court (courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm) is typical of the French provinces, where the Frankish settlements formed an important part of the local population... [
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Bever GermanNickname from bever ‘beaver’, possibly referring to a hard worker, or from some other fancied resemblance to the animal.
Beveridge EnglishDerived from the town of
Beverege or from the Old French
beivre "drink", a nickname for a person who sealed contracts with a drink
Bevetto CornishFrom
bo-veth, the dwelling by the grave or
bo-verth, the green house.
Bevier French (Germanized)From Old French
bevier, meaning "a measure of land". This was probably a nickname for someone who owned or worked such a piece of land. This surname was first found in Austria, where the name Bevier came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging medieval society.
Bevilacqua ItalianFrom Italian
bevi l'acqua "drinks water", a nickname likely applied ironically to an alcoholic.
Bexley EnglishHabitational name from Bexley (now Bexleyheath in Greater London), which was named from Old English
byxe ‘box tree’ +
leah ‘woodland clearing’.
Beynon WelshFrom Welsh
ab Einon meaning "son of Einon".
Einon is a variant of
Einion.
Beyoğlu TurkishMeans son of a bey. “Bey” (Ottoman Turkish: بك “Beik”, Albanian: bej, Bosnian: beg, Arabic: بيه “Beyeh”, Persian: بیگ “Beyg” or بگ “Beg”) is a Turkish title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders or rulers of various sized areas in the Ottoman Empire... [
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Bezos SpanishFrom
bezo meaning "thick lips" in Spanish, referring to a person with blubber or thick lips.
Bhaduri BengaliHabitational name from the village of Bhadur in present-day West Bengal, India.
Bhaer GermanLikely a variant of German
Baer, meaning "bear". A notable bearer is character Friedrich Bhaer, Jo's husband in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Bhalla IndianThis surname is derived from Sanskrit bhalla meaning (among other things) ‘auspicious’, ‘missile’, and ‘bear’.
Bhalli PunjabiMeaning uncertain. This is the name of a clan found in Punjab, Pakistan.
Bhardwaj IndianFrom Sanskrit bhāradvāja ‘descendant of bharadvāja’, bharadvāja meaning ‘one who has strength or vigor’ (a compound of bharat ‘bearing’ + vāja ‘vigor’). According to legend, Bharadvaja (bharadvāja) was the name of one of the great sages.
Bhargava IndianFrom Sanskrit bhārgava ‘(descendant) of Bhrigu’. Bhrigu is the name of one of the great sages of Hindu legend.
Bharucha Indian (Parsi)Refers to the city of Bharuch in Gujarat, India, which is thought to be derived from the name of a figure in Hindu mythology.
Bhatnagar Indian, Hindi, Marathi, OdiaDerived from the name of a subgroup of the Kayasth community, denoting association with
Hanumangarh (formerly named
Bhatner), a city in Rajasthan, India.
Bhattarai NepaliDerived from Sanskrit भट्ट
(bhatta) meaning "venerable, learned, philosopher".
Bhavaraju SanskritIt is a patronymic name, meaning it is from the father’s or ancestor’s name. It is derived from the Sanskrit words “bha,” which means “knowledge,” and “raja,” which means “king.” So, it means “king of knowledge” or “one who is knowledgeable.”
Bhawalkar IndianFrom the town of Bhawal in the NorthWest part of India, around the state of Jaipur.