American Submitted Surnames

American names are used in the United States. See also about American names.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Brentley English
Late variant of Brenkley.
Brereton English
From the name of locations in Cheshire and Staffordshire, England. The name is derived from Old English brér "briar" + tún "enclosure, farmstead".
Bresser English
The surname is derived from the old English word brasian, meaning to make out of brass. This would indicate that the original bearer of the name was a brass founder by trade. The name is also derived from the old English Broesian which means to cast in brass and is the occupational name for a worker in brass.
Breton French, English
French and English: ethnic name for a Breton, from Old French bret (oblique case breton) (see Brett).
Breunig German, German (Austrian), American
Origin probably in Frankfurt am Main... [more]
Brewton English
Variant spelling of the habitational name Bruton, from a place in Somerset, so named with a Celtic river name meaning 'brisk' + Old English tun 'farmstead'.
Breyette English (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
Brian Irish, English, French
1) Variant spelling of Bryan. ... [more]
Brick Irish (Anglicized), English, German, Jewish
Irish Anglicized form of Gaelic $Ó Bruic] "descendant of Broc", i.e. "badger" (sometimes so translated) or Ó Bric "descendant of Breac", a personal name meaning "freckled"... [more]
Bride Irish, Scottish, English
Further Anglicized from Scottish/Irish MacBride, from the root for Brigid.
Bridge English
Indicating one who lived near a bridge.
Bridgeford English
Meaning "bridge ford".
Bridgford English
Meaning "bridge ford".
Bright English
From a Middle English nickname or personal name, meaning "bright, fair, pretty", from Old English beorht "bright, shining".
Brightwen English
From either of the two Old English given names Beohrtwine (a masculine name which meant "bright friend") or Beohrtwynn (a feminine name which meant "bright joy").
Brindley English
Habitational name from a place in England so named. From Old English berned "burnt" and leah "woodland clearing".
Brinkley English
"From Brinca's Field" or "Field in the forest"
Brinsley English
From a place meaning "brun's clearing" or "brown clearing" with the elements brun "brown" and leah "meadow, clearing".
Brinson English
Habitational name from Briençun in northern France.
Brinton English
English locational surname, taken from the town of the same name in Norfolk. The name means "settlement belonging to Brun" - the personal name coming from the Old English word for "fire, flame".
Brissenden English
Derived from either of two places in Kent, England called Brissenden (one near Frittenden and the other near Tenterden), both named with the Old English given name Breosa (a byname derived from bresa meaning "gadfly") and Old English denn meaning "woodland pasture (for swine)".
Britnell English
Habitational name from a place called Brinton in Norfolk, England. See Brinton.
Brizendine French, English, Jewish
Derived from a personal name, probably of Celtic origin (Latinized as Britus), which was borne by a 5th century saint, who succeeded St. Martin as bishop of Tours.
Broadhead English
Likely originated from someone with a broad or wide head.
Brockett English
From the Old French words broque and brocke.
Broderick Irish, Welsh, English
Surname which comes from two distinct sources. As a Welsh surname it is derived from ap Rhydderch meaning "son of Rhydderch". As an Irish surname it is an Anglicized form of Ó Bruadair meaning "descendent of Bruadar"... [more]
Brogden English
From the name of a place in West Yorkshire meaning "valley brook", from Old English broc "brook" and denu "valley".
Brogdon English
Variant of Brogden The valley of the brook a rural place now in Lancanshire, England.
Broglin English
Corruption of Brogden.
Broker English
Name given to someone who worked as a broker, an agent for the sale and purchase of goods and services. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Anglo-French word brocour, which has the same meaning as the English word broker
Brolin English (Anglicized, Rare)
In the case of American actors James and Josh Brolin, it seems to be derived form Burderlin, an anglicized form of Brüderlin.
Bromley English
Habitational name from any of the many places so called in England. Most of them derived from Old English brom "broom" and leah "woodland clearing".
Bromwell English
Habitational name from Broomwell in Herefordshire named in Old English with brom ‘broom’ + wella ‘spring’, ‘stream’.
Bron English
Variant of Brown (See also Bronson).
Brooker English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream, a variant of Brook.
Brookhouse English
Means 'house by the brook'.
Brookman English, American
English: variant of Brook. ... [more]
Brooksby English
Means "farm by a brook". From Old English broc "brook, small stream" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement"
Broomby English
A surname well represented in Cheshire, and Nottinghamshire.
Broomfield English
From a place name meaning "gorse field", from Old English brom "gorse" and feld "field, open country".
Brough English
Habitational name derived from any place called Brough, named with Old English burh "fortress" (compare English and Irish Burke).
Brougham English
From the parish of Brougham in Westmoreland, derived from Old English burg "stronghold" + ham "piece of land".
Broughton English
Habitational name from any of the many places so called in England. The first name element is derived from Old English broc "brook", burh "fortress", or beorg "castle". The second element is derived from Old English tun "settlement, dwelling".
Broward English
Probably a variant of Brower.
Brower English (American)
English variant of Brewer. Respelling of Brauer or Brouwer.
Browning English
English: from the Middle English and Old English personal name Bruning, originally a patronymic from the byname Brun (see Brown).
Brownlee Scottish, Scottish Gaelic, Northern Irish, English
"Brown field" in Old English.
Brownley English, Scottish
Variant spelling of "Brownlee". Brown field in Old English.
Brubaker American
American form of Brubacher
Brucker English
Variant spelling of Brooker.
Bruckman German, English
German (Bruckmann): variant of Bruck, with the addition of the suffix -mann ‘man’. ... [more]
Brugger German, American
South German variant or Americanized spelling of North German Brügger (see Bruegger). habitational name for someone from any of various (southern) places called Bruck or Brugg in Bavaria and Austria.
Brumby English
English habitational name from a place in Lincolnshire named Brumby, from the Old Norse personal name Brúni or from Old Norse brunnr "well" + býr "farmstead, village".
Bruney English
First found in Languedoc, France, possibly meaning "brown."
Brunswick English, German
English habitational name from the city in Saxony now known in German as Braunschweig. ... [more]
Brunton English (Rare)
From Old English burna meaning "stream" and tun, settlement; hence, "settlement by a stream".
Bryley English
Variant of Briley.
Brynn English
Derived from the given name Brynn.
Buck English
From the given name Buck.
Bucke English
Variant of Buck
Buckingham English
Habitational name from the former county seat of the county of Buckinghamshire, Old English Buccingahamm "water meadow (Old English hamm) of the people of (-inga-) Bucc(a)".
Buckland English
Habitational name from any of the many places in southern England (including nine in Devon) named Buckland, from Old English bōc "book" and land "land", i.e. land held by right of a written charter, as opposed to folcland, land held by right of custom.
Buckman English
Occupational name for a goatherd (Middle English bukkeman) or scholar (Old English bucman "book man"). It could also be a shortened form of Buckingham or a variant of BUCKNAM.
Bucknell English
From locations in Oxfordshire and Shropshire, England.
Bucks English
Variant of "Buck"; a deer.
Buckson English
Either a patronymic from Buck, or possibly an altered form of Buxton.
Buckwalter English (American)
Americanized spelling of German Buchwalder.
Budd English
Originated from the Old English personal name Budda, from the word budda, which means "beetle" or "to swell." Specifically of Celtic Welsh origin.
Budge English
Nickname from Norman French buge "mouth" (Late Latin bucca), applied either to someone with a large or misshapen mouth or to someone who made excessive use of his mouth, i.e. a garrulous, indiscreet, or gluttonous person... [more]
Buelter German, English
Middle European variant of Butler, also meaning "a vat or large trough used to contain wine." The name originated in southern Germany in the mid-seventeenth century.
Buffett French (Anglicized), English
Americanised form or a variant of French Buffet, or probably an English variant of Bufford. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Warren Buffett (1930-), a businessman, investor and philanthropist, and Jimmy Buffett (1946-), a musician.
Bufford English
Meaning unknown.
Buford English, French (Anglicized)
English: most probably a variant of Beaufort.... [more]
Bugg English
From the Old Norse nickname Buggi, literally "fat man", or from a medieval nickname for an eccentric or strangely behaved person (from Middle English bugge "bogeyman, scarecrow").
Buggly English
Variant of Bugg.
Buggs African American (Anglicized, Modern)
I do not know much about this surname except to say that an employee at my job has Buggs as their surname.
Buglass English
Possibly from the Booklawes region near Melrose, Roxburgshire, originally spelt "Buke-Lawes" (lit. "buck/stag" combined with "low ground"); otherwise from the Gaelic words buidhe - "yellow" and glas - "green".
Bulkeley English
From the place name of Bulkeley in Cheshire, related to Buckley.
Bullivant English
From a medieval nickname for a "good chap" or amiable companion (from Old French bon enfant, literally "good child").
Bulstrode English
Locational surname referring to the medieval village of Bulstrode in Berkshire. ... [more]
Bumpus English
(i) from a medieval nickname for a vigorous walker (from Old French bon "good" + pas "pace"); (ii) perhaps "person who lives by a place through which travel is easy" (from Old French bon "good" + pas "passage")
Bunch English
English: nickname for a hunchback, from Middle English bunche ‘hump’, ‘swelling’ (of unknown origin).
Bundy English
Variant of Bond and Bandy.
Bunting English
Nickname derived from the name of the bird bunting (Emberiza).
Burbage English
English: habitational name from places in Wiltshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire, so named with Old English burh ‘fort’ + bæc ‘hill’, ‘ridge’ (dative bece).
Burbridge English
English: perhaps a variant of Burbage, altered by folk etymology, or possibly a habitational name from a lost place so named.
Burch English
Variant of Birch.
Burchell English
An English surname derived from the village of Birkehill (also known as Biekel or Birtle). It means "birch hill".
Burdock English
Meaning unknown.
Burdon English
From 'bur' meaning "fort" and 'don' meaning "hill"
Burger English, German, Dutch
Status name for a freeman of a borough. From Middle English burg, Middle High German burc and Middle Dutch burch "fortified town". Also a German habitational name for someone from a place called Burg.
Burghersh English
The surname of the burghersh family. Several people had it, Including Bartholomew Burghersh the Elder and Younger, and Henry Burghersh. They also married into the Badlesmere bloodline. It seems to have descended from the village of Burghersh, now known as Burwash
Burk English, Irish
Variant of Burke
Burken English
English variant of Birkin (see Burkins).
Burkett English
English: from an Old English personal name, Burgheard, composed of the elements burh, burg ‘fort’ (see Burke) + heard ‘hardy’, ‘brave’, ‘strong’... [more]
Burkins English
English variant of Birkin, Burkin, a habitational name from the parish of Birkin in West Yorkshire, so named with Old English bircen ‘birch grove’, a derivative of birce (see Birch).
Burks English
English variant spelling of Birks.
Burl English
Old English occupational name originally meaning "cup bearer" or "butler" for one who dispensed wine and had charge of the cellar. Eventually the name came to mean the chief servant of a royal or noble household and was replaced by the French language inspired named 'Butler,' akin to the world "bottler".
Burley English
English habitation name from the elements burh meaning "stronghold or fortified settlement" and leah meaning "field or clearing".
Burlingame English
means "Burling's homestead".
Burlington English
Habitational name from Bridlington in East Yorkshire, from Old English Bretlintun meaning Berhtel's town.
Burn English
Variant of Burns.
Burney English, Irish
Form of the French place name of 'Bernay' or adapted from the personal name Bjorn, ultimately meaning "bear".
Burnley English
English (Lancashire and Yorkshire): habitational name from Burnley in Lancashire, so named with the Old English river name Brun (from brun ‘brown’ or burna ‘stream’) + leah ‘woodland clearing’... [more]
Burr English, Scottish, German
Nickname for a person who is difficult to shake off, derived from Middle English burr meaning "bur" (a seedhead that sticks to clothing). It could also be a derivation from Old English bur meaning "small dwelling, building", or a German topographic name derived from burre meaning "mound, hill"... [more]
Burridge English
Derived from an English place name, derived from Old English burg "fortress, fortification, castle" and Old English hrycg, Old Norse hryggr "ridge" or from the name Burgric.
Burris English
Variant of English Burrows or German BÖRRIES.
Burroughs English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a hill or tumulus, Old English "beorg", a cognate of Old High German berg "hill", ‘mountain’ (see Berg). This name has become confused with derivatives of Old English burh ‘fort’ (see Burke)... [more]
Burrow English
Used to describe someone who lives in a burrow, which makes this surname’s meaning “he whom lives in a burrow.”
Burrows English
Variant of Burroughs. A name for someone who lived by a hill or tumulus, also may be a further derivation from Old English bur "bower" and hus "house".
Burt English
From the given name, which is a short form of Burton.
Burtram English (American)
American form of the German surname Bertram.
Burtsell English (American)
Habitational name from Burshill in East Yorkshire, so named with Old English bryst ‘landslip’, ‘rough ground’ + hyll ‘hill’.
Busbee English
Variant of Busby.
Busby English
Habitational name from a place in North Yorkshire, recorded in Domesday Book as Buschebi, from Old Norse buskr "bush, shrub" or an Old Norse personal name Buski and býr "homestead, village", or from some other place so called.
Busfield English
This is a locational surname and originates from the hamlet of 'Bousfield', eight miles from the town of Appleby in Cumberland. This hamlet was controlled by Norse Vikings for several centuries until the Norman invasion of 1066... [more]
Bushe English
Variant of Bush.
Busse German, English
German: variant of Buss. ... [more]
Butter English, German
1. English: nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a bittern, perhaps in the booming quality of the voice, from Middle English, Old French butor ‘bittern’ (a word of obscure etymology)... [more]
Butterfield English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a pasture for cattle or at a dairy farm, or a habitational name from a place named Butterfield (for example in West Yorkshire), from Old English butere ‘butter’ + feld ‘open country’.
Butterfly English
From the insect Butterfly this Surname is borne by Star Butterfly from Star Vs. the forces of evil.
Buttram English (American, Rare), English (British, Rare)
Possibly derived from the German cognate Bertram, from the Germanic elements beraht (meaning "bright"), and hrabn (meaning "raven")... [more]
Buxton English
1. A habitational name for someone from Buxton in Derbyshire, from the Middle English Buchestanes or Bucstones (meaning "bowing stones"), from Old English būgan meaning "to bow" and stanes, meaning "stones".... [more]
Byam English
Probably means "person from Bytham", Lincolnshire ("homestead in a valley bottom"). Glen Byam Shaw (1904-1986) was a British theatre director.
Bycraft English (American, Rare, ?)
Found mostly in the American Great Lakes region and Canada, likely a singular extended family. Likely of 6th century English descent, though there are very few English natives who bear the name. Name either refers to the occupation running some sort of mill machine, the original holder living near a croft (enclosed pasture or tillage) or implies "craftiness" of its original holder.
Byers Scottish, English
Scottish and northern English topographic name for someone who lived by a cattleshed, Middle English byre, or a habitational name with the same meaning, from any of several places named with Old English b¯re, for example Byers Green in County Durham or Byres near Edinburgh.
Byfield English
Either a habitational name from a place named Byfield, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a field.
Byre English
Probably derived from Old English bȳre "farm, barn".
Byron English
An English place name, earlier Byram, from byre, meaning "farm" and the suffix -ham meaning "homestead". Famously borne by the aristocratic poet, Lord Byron.
Byrum English
Variant of Byron.
Bywater English
The surname Bywater came from the Anglo-Saxon origin and means ’dweller by the water‘
Cabell Catalan, English, German
As a Catalan name, a nickname for "bald" from the Spanish word cabello. The English name, found primarily in Norfolk and Devon, is occupational for a "maker or seller of nautical rope" that comes from a Norman French word... [more]
Cable English
English: metonymic occupational name for a maker of rope, especially the type of stout rope used in maritime applications, from Anglo-Norman French cable ‘cable’ (Late Latin capulum ‘halter’, of Arabic origin, but associated by folk etymology with Latin capere ‘to seize’).... [more]
Cabucos English
Decended from Old English meaning "leader."
Cadbury English
Derived from Norman French
Caesar Ancient Roman, English
An Ancient Roman political title that indicated a military leader. A famous bearer was Julius Caesar, Roman general, dictator, and politician. In modern times, the surname is used to refer to an individual with a tyrannical attitude, which references the connotative meaning of the word "caesar", meaning "a dictator".
Cain English
Most likely from the given name Cain.
Caine French, English
Originally from a French derogatory nickname for someone with a bad temper.
Cake English
From the Middle English cake denoting a flat loaf made from fine flour (Old Norse kaka), hence a metonymic occupational name for a baker who specialized in fancy breads. It was first attested as a surname in the 13th century (Norfolk, Northamptonshire).
Cal English
Possibly from the given name Cal.
Calaway English
Variant spelling of Callaway.