BelcherEnglish From a Middle English version of Old French bel chiere meaning "beautiful face". It later came to refer to a person who had a cheerful and pleasant temperament.
BorgninoItalian From a nickname derived from the Piedmontese dialect word borgno meaning "one-eyed". This was the real surname of American actor Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012).
BunkerEnglish Derived from Old French bon cuer meaning "good heart".
BureauFrench From 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.
ButcherEnglish Occupational name for a butcher, derived from Old French bouchier.
ButlerEnglish, Irish Occupational 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).
DesjardinsFrench Means "from the gardens", from French jardin "garden".
DufortFrench Means "from the fort", from French fort "stronghold".
Fay 2English From a nickname for a person who was thought to have magical qualities, from Middle English faie meaning "magical, enchanted".
ForestEnglish, French Originally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French forest, from Latin forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".
ForesterEnglish Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see Forest).
FranklinEnglish Derived from Middle English frankelin meaning "freeman". It denoted a landowner of free but not noble birth, from Old French franc meaning "free". Famous bearers include American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and American singer Aretha Franklin (1942-2018).
Garnett 1English Occupational name referring to a person who made hinges, from Old French carne"hinge".
GiffardFrench, English Possibly from Old French gifart meaning "chubby" or possibly from the Germanic name Gebhard. Walter Giffard was one of the Norman companions of William the Conqueror.
GrantEnglish, Scottish Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).
NormanEnglish Referred to a person who was originally from Scandinavia or Normandy. Even before the Norman Conquest, Scandinavians were settling the north and east of England. The Normans who participated in the Conquest were originally from Scandinavia, but had been living in Normandy, France for over a century and spoke French.
Norris 1English, Scottish Means "from the north" from Old French norreis. It either denoted someone who originated in the north or someone who lived in the northern part of a settlement.
PageEnglish, French Occupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".
WallaceScottish, English, Irish Means "foreigner, stranger, Celt" from Norman French waleis (of Germanic origin). It was often used to denote native Welsh and Bretons. A famous bearer was the 13th-century Scottish hero William Wallace.