Brouwer DutchOccupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch
brouwer.
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.
Brownlow EnglishFrom Old English
brun meaning "brown" and
hlaw meaning "mound, small hill". The name was probably given to a family living on a small hill covered with bracken.
Broz CroatianDerived from
Broz, a diminutive of
Ambrozije. This was the birth surname of the Yugoslavian dictator Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980).
Bruce ScottishPossibly from the name of the town of Brix in Normandy, which is of unknown meaning. It was brought to Scotland in the 12th century by the Anglo-Norman baron Robert de Brus. It was later borne by his descendant Robert the Bruce, a hero of the 14th century who achieved independence from England and became the king of Scotland.
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. A famous bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).
Buchanan ScottishFrom the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.
Buchholz GermanFrom Middle High German
buoche "beech" and
holz "wood".
Buckley 2 IrishFrom Irish
Ó Buachalla meaning
"descendant of Buachaill", a nickname meaning "cowherd, servant".
Budai HungarianOriginally indicated a person from the Hungarian city of
Buda (one of the two cities that were joined to make Budapest in 1873).
Budny PolishPossibly from Polish
buda meaning
"hut, cabin".
Büki HungarianDerived from the name of the Bükk Mountains, which means "beech tree" in Hungarian (probably of Slavic origin).
Bukowski m PolishOriginally denoted someone who came from a place called
Bukowo or
Bukowiec, which derive from Polish
buk "beech".
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.
Bullard EnglishPossibly a nickname derived from Middle English
bole "fraud, deceit".
Bunker EnglishDerived from Old French
bon cuer meaning
"good heart".
Bunnag ThaiFrom the name of Bunnag, an 18th-century general of Persian heritage.
Bunschoten DutchOriginally indicated a person from the Dutch town of Bunschoten, which might mean "raised, enclosed land".
Buonarroti ItalianFrom the medieval Italian given name
Buonarroto meaning "good increase". This was the surname of the Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo (1475-1564).
Bureau FrenchFrom Old French
burel, a diminutive of
bure, a type of woollen 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.
Bureš m CzechDerived from a diminutive of the old Czech given name
Burjan, a derivative of
Jan 1.
Burgess EnglishFrom Middle English and Old French
burgeis meaning
"city-dweller", ultimately from Frankish
burg "fortress".
Burgstaller GermanFrom German
Burg "fortress, castle" and
Stelle "place, position". This was a name given to a person dwelling at or near such a site.
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.
Burnham EnglishFrom the name of various towns in England, typically derived from Old English
burna "stream, spring" and
ham "home, settlement".
Burns 1 English, ScottishDerived from Old English
burna "stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).
Burton EnglishFrom a common English place name, derived from Old English meaning "fortified town".
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.
Busto Spanish, ItalianFrom the name of towns in Spain and Italy, derived from Late Latin
bustum meaning "ox pasture".
Butcher EnglishOccupational name for a butcher, derived from Old French
bouchier.
Butkus m LithuanianPossibly from a given name that was derived from Lithuanian
būti meaning "to be, to exist".
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).
Butts EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"thick, stumpy", from Middle English
butt.
Byqvist SwedishDerived from Swedish
by (Old Norse
býr) meaning "village" and
qvist (Old Norse
kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".
Cabello SpanishMeans
"hair" in Spanish, used as a nickname for a person with a large amount of hair.
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".
Caden IrishFrom Irish
Mac Cadáin meaning
"descendant of Cadán", a given name of unknown meaning.
Cai ChineseFrom Chinese
蔡 (cài) referring to the ancient state of Cai that existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Caiazzo ItalianFrom the name of a city near Naples, originally
Caiatia in Latin, a derivative of the given name
Caius.
Caito ItalianOccupational name from Sicilian
càjitu meaning
"official, leader", ultimately from Arabic
قاضي (qadi) meaning "judge".
Caivano ItalianFrom the name of the town of Caivano near Naples, derived from Latin
Calvianum, derived from the Roman cognomen
Calvus.
Calabrese ItalianOriginally given to a person who came from the region of Calabria in southern Italy.
Calderón SpanishOccupational name for a person who made, repaired or sold cauldrons or kettles, from Spanish
calderón "cauldron", from Late Latin
caldaria.
Caldwell EnglishFrom various English place names derived from Old English
ceald "cold" and
wille "spring, stream, well".
Cameron ScottishMeans
"crooked nose" from Gaelic
cam "crooked" and
sròn "nose".
Campana Italian, SpanishOccupational name from Late Latin
campana meaning
"bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.
Campbell ScottishFrom a Gaelic nickname
cam beul meaning
"wry or crooked mouth". The surname was later represented in Latin documents as
de bello campo meaning "of the fair field".
Cannon EnglishFrom the ecclesiastical usage of
canon, referring to a church official or servant who worked in a clergy house.
Cano SpanishMeans
"white-haired, old" in Spanish, from Latin
canus.
Cantrell EnglishOriginally a name for someone from Cantrell in Devon, from an unknown first element and Old English
hyll meaning "hill".
Cantù ItalianFrom Cantù, an Italian town located in Lombardy, itself of uncertain origin.
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.
Capello 2 ItalianNickname for a thin person, from Italian
capello meaning
"a hair", ultimately derived from Latin
capillus.
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".
Cárdenas SpanishFrom the name of towns in the Spanish provinces of Almería and La Rioja. They are derived from Spanish
cárdeno "blue, purple".
Cardona CatalanFrom the name of a town in Catalonia, of uncertain meaning.
Carideo ItalianOriginally denoted someone from San Pietro di Caridà, a town in Calabria. The town's name may be derived from Greek
χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness".
Carlisle EnglishFrom the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans
Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of
Lugus". Later the Brythonic element
ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.
Carman 1 EnglishOccupational name for a carter, from Middle English
carre "cart" (of Latin origin) and
man "man".
Carman 2 EnglishFrom an Old Norse byname derived from
karlmann meaning
"male, man".
Carmody IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Cearmada meaning
"descendant of Cearmaid", a Gaelic given name.
Carmona SpanishFrom the name of the city of Carmona in Andalusia, Spain. It is possibly derived from Phoenician
𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤌𐤍 (Qart Ḥamun) meaning "city of Hammon" (the name of a Carthaginian god, see
Ba'al Hammon).
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").
Carrara ItalianFrom the name of a city in Tuscany famous for its marble quarries. It is probably derived from Late Latin
quadreria meaning "quarry".
Carrasco SpanishTopographic name derived from Spanish
carrasca meaning
"holm oak" (species Quercus ilex).
Carrillo SpanishMeans
"cheek, jaw" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a person with a distinctive cheek or jaw.
Carroll IrishFrom the given name
Cearbhall. A famous bearer was Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the author of
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Carson ScottishMeaning uncertain, possibly from the town of Courson in Normandy.
Carter EnglishOccupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French
caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).
Caruso ItalianMeans
"close-cropped hair" in Italian, also having the secondary sense "boy, young man".
Carvalho PortugueseMeans
"oak" in Portuguese, perhaps originally referring to a person who lived near such a tree.
Carver EnglishOccupational surname for a carver, from Middle English
kerve "cut".
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.
Cason EnglishFrom the English place name
Cawston, derived from the Old Norse given name
Kálfr combined with Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Cassano ItalianIndicated a person from any of the various towns named Cassano in Italy.
Cassidy IrishFrom Irish
Ó Caiside meaning
"descendant of Caiside".
Caiside is a given name meaning "curly haired".
Castilla SpanishOriginally indicated a person from Castile, a region (and medieval kingdom) in Spain. The name of the region is derived from Late Latin
castellum meaning "castle".
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.
Catalán SpanishOriginally indicated a person who came from Catalonia, a region of eastern Spain.
Caulfield EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"cold field", from Old English
ceald "cold" and
feld "pasture, field".
Causer EnglishOccupational name for one who made leggings, derived from Old French
chausse "leggings".
Causey EnglishIndicated a person who lived near a causeway, from Old French
caucie.
Cavallo ItalianMeans
"horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.
Čech m CzechMeans
"Czech". The name was used to differentiate a native of Bohemia from the natives of Silesia, Moravia and other regions that are now part of the Czech Republic.
Cecil WelshFrom the Welsh given name
Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name
Sextilius, a derivative of
Sextus.
Çelik TurkishOccupational name for a metalworker, meaning
"steel" in Turkish.
Cervantes SpanishPossibly from Old Spanish
servanto meaning
"servant" or
ciervo meaning
"stag". A famous bearer was the Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616).
Chadwick EnglishFrom the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to
Chad" in Old English.
Chalupník m CzechDerived from Czech
chalupa meaning
"cottage". The name referred to a peasant farmer who owned a very small piece of land.
Chamberlain EnglishOccupational name for one who looked after the inner rooms of a mansion, from Norman French
chambrelain.
Chambers EnglishFrom Old French
chambre meaning
"chamber, room", an occupational name for a person who worked in the inner rooms of a mansion.
Chancellor EnglishOccupational name for an administrator, a chancellor, from Norman French
chancelier.
Chandler EnglishOccupational name meaning
"candle seller" or
"candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately derived from Latin
candela via Old French.
Chaplin English, FrenchOccupational name for a chaplain, 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).
Chapman EnglishOccupational name derived from Old English
ceapmann meaning
"merchant, trader".
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.
Charmchi PersianMeans
"leather worker" in Persian, from
چرم (charm) meaning "leather" combined with
چی (chi), denoting an occupation.
Charron FrenchMeans
"cart" in Old French, used to denote a carter or a cartwright.
Chase EnglishOccupational name for a hunter, from Middle English
chase "hunt".
Chastain FrenchFrom Old French
castan "chestnut tree" (Latin
castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair.
Chaves Portuguese, SpanishFrom the name of a Portuguese city, derived from the Roman name
Flavius (being named for the emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius).
Chávez SpanishVariant of
Chaves. A famous bearer was the labour leader César Chávez (1927-1993).
Chaykovsky m RussianRussian form of
Chayka. A famous bearer was the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Chaykovsky (1840-1893), with the surname commonly Romanized as
Tchaikovsky.
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.
Cheshire EnglishOriginally indicated a person from the county of Cheshire in England. Cheshire is named for its city
Chester.
Chester EnglishFrom the name of a city in England, derived from Latin
castrum "camp, fortress".
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 m 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.
Churchill EnglishFrom an English place name meaning
"church hill". A famous bearer was Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the British prime minister during World War II.