BongiornoItalian Italian from the medieval personal name Bongiorno (composed of bono ‘good’ + giorno ‘day’), bestowed on a child as an expression of the parents’ satisfaction at the birth (‘it was a good day when you were born’).
BorjiginMongolian This is the name of a Mongol sub-clan, of which Genghis Khan was part of. A suggested origin is a Turkic-language term borčïqïn meaning "man with dark blue eyes", though this is somewhat dubious... [more]
BorrelliItalian There are three possible origins of this surname. It could derive from some place names located in Catania and Campania -two Italian southern regions. Another hypothesis is that it derives from the Celtic word borro, meaning "proud" or maybe "ditch"... [more]
BosleyEnglish English habitation surname derived from the Old English personal name Bosa and the Old English leah "clearing, field". It's also possibly a variant of the French surname Beausoleil meaning "beautiful sun" from the French beau 'beautiful, fair' and soleil 'sun'... [more]
BossEnglish From an originally French term meaning "hunchback".
BosshartGerman (Swiss) Derived from Middle High German bōzen "to thrash" and hart "hard".
BossoItalian Derived from Italian bosso "box tree", probably applied as a topographic name but possibly also as a metonymic occupational name for a wood carver or turner.
BotelhoPortuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian) From the Portuguese word botelho, which can denote a measure of grain, a grain sack, or seaweed, and was probably applied as an occupational name for a grain dealer or a gatherer of kelp or seaweed.
BottomleyEnglish English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire named Bottomley, from Old English botm ‘broad valley’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.
BouhiredArabic (Maghrebi) Meaning unknown. A notable bearer is Djamila Bouhired (1935-), an Algerian militant and nationalist who opposed the French rule over Algeria.
BouhoucheBerber, Northern African Kabyle name possibly derived from Arabic أَبُو (ʾabū) meaning "father" and حَوْش (ḥawš) meaning "courtyard, enclosure, farm" (chiefly Algerian).
BoukharoubaArabic (Maghrebi) Meaning unknown, possibly of Kabyle origin. A notable bearer was Algerian revolutionary and President HouariBoumediene (1932-1978), who was born as Mohamed ben Brahim Boukharouba.
BoukourasGreek Name of Dacian/Illyrian or Thracian origin. It means "happy". Also, see the Romanian surname Bukur
BounvilayLao From Lao ບຸນ (boun) meaning "happiness, prosperity, goodness" and ວິໄລ (vilay) meaning "splendid, beautiful".
BounyavongLao From Lao ບຸນ (boun) meaning "happiness, prosperity, goodness" and ວົງ (vong) meaning "lineage, family".
BounyavongLao From Lao ບຸນ (boun) meaning "happiness, prosperity, goodness" and ວົງ (vong) meaning "lineage, family".
BourassaIndian Seems to be an Indian name. I am in touch with a relative whose family were Pottawatomi Indians in Oklahoma. This name comes from that reservation.
BourbonFrench The Bourbons were one of the most important ruling houses of Europe . Its members were descended from Louis I, duc de Bourbon from 1327 to 1342, the grandson of the French king Louis IX (ruled 1226-70)... [more]
BraheDanish (Rare), Swedish (Rare) Danish and Swedish noble family with roots in Scania and Halland, southern Sweden (both provinces belonged to Denmark when the family was founded). A notable bearer was Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).
BrailleFrench Braille is a writing system used by people with vision impairment. It was named after its inventor Louis Braille (1809-1852).
BrancheFrench From Old French branche meaning ‘branch’ (which is from Late Latin branca meaning ‘foot’, ‘paw’), the application of which as a surname is not clear. Compare Branch.
BrandybuckLiterature Brandybuck is the surname of Meriadoc, a young Hobbit in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." Possibly derived from the Brandywine River, which in turn is derived from Sindarin Baranduin, "Brown River"... [more]
BraunsteinerGerman (Austrian) This surname means brown stone in German and it may be an ornamental surname or an occupational surname for someone who may have been a miner.
BraxiatelPopular Culture Irving Braxiatel or Cardinal Braxiatel is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures—spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. He subsequently became a regular character in novels and audio dramas in the Bernice Summerfield series... [more]
BrayboyLumbee This name origin has roots in a court case in 1716 involving a slave named John. He was charged as "Jack Braveboy, a negro". The spelling Brayboy is scene in 1801 with Stephen Brayboy. It was identified as Native American in 1900 Indian Census Schedule of Robeson County, North Carolina.
BremnerScottish Derived from the Scottish Gaelic name MacGillebhàin which means "son of the fair-haired one." It is associated with the Clan Bremner, which has roots in the northern parts of Scotland.
BreyetteEnglish (American) Of uncertain origin and meaning. First found in the United States around 1880. Self-taught artist Michael Breyette is a bearer of this surname
Br GintingfBatak Feminine form of Ginting. The Br (short form of beru, pronounced BUH-roo) part is a nickname for women in Bataknese, specifically in the Karo tribe.
BricknerGerman Derived from "brückenbauer," which means "bridge builder" in English. It was originally an occupational name for someone who built bridges. Over time, the name Brickner was likely shortened from Brückenbauer to its current form.