BaardaFrisian From the name of the town of Baard in the Netherlands, possibly derived from a given name that was a variant of Bert.
BaardwijkDutch From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly from Baard, a variant of Bert, and wijk meaning "neighbourhood, district".
Bach 1German Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream, from Middle High German bach meaning "stream". This name was borne by members of the Bach musical family, notably the composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
BachmannGerman Denoted a person who lived near a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and man "man".
BachmeierGerman Originally referred to a farmer whose farm was beside a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and meier "steward, tenant farmer".
BardolphLiterature The name of a drunken thief and frequent companion of John Falstaff in four of William Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare probably adapted it from the aristocratic English surname Bardolf, now rare, which was itself derived from the Germanic given name Bardulf.
BaumgartnerGerman Occupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German Baumgarten"orchard" (derived from Baum "tree" and Garten "garden").
BaumhauerGerman Occupational name meaning "woodcutter", derived from German Baum "tree" and hauen "to chop".
Brand 2German, Dutch From Old High German brant or Old Dutch brand meaning "fire", originally a name for a person who lived near an area that had been cleared by fire.
BrändleGerman Derived from a diminutive of the Old German given name Brando.
BrunFrench, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish Means "brown" in French, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. It was originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin.
DerrickEnglish Derived from the given name Derrick (see Derek). A famous bearer of this surname is the character Stephan Derrick from the German television series Derrick (1974-1998).
DickensEnglish From the medieval given name Dicun, a medieval diminutive of Dick 1. A famous bearer of this surname was the British author Charles Dickens (1812-1870).
DreherGerman Means "turner" from Middle High German drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.
DreschnerGerman Derived from Middle High German dreschen"to thresh". A thresher was a person who separated the grains from a cereal plant by beating it.
DresslerGerman Means "turner" from Middle High German dreseler, an agent derivative of drehen "to turn". A turner was a person who used a lathe to create small objects from wood or bone.