Old Germanic Origin Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the origin is Old Germanic.

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Aafjes Dutch
Means "son of Aafje".

Aalders Dutch
Means "son of Aldert".

Aalfs Dutch
Means "son of Aalf", a short form of Adolf.

Aalmers Dutch (Rare)
Means "son of Aalmar", a Dutch form of Adelmar.

Aaltink Dutch
Variant of Alting.

Aarden Dutch
From Dutch aarden meaning "earthen, clay". It denoted a person who worked with clay.

Aarens Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Aarse Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Aarts Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Aartsen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Aartsma Frisian
Means "son of Arend", the suffix -ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.

Abbes Dutch
Means "son of Abbe".

Abbing Dutch
Variant of Abbink.

Abbingh Dutch
Variant of Abbink.

Abbink Dutch
From various Dutch places meaning "(farm) belonging to Abbe".

Abel 2 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Albert.

Abelen Dutch
Patronymic surname derived from Abel or a diminutive of Albert.

Abeln German
Patronymic derived from a diminutive of Albert.

Aben Dutch
Means "son of Abe 2".

Åberg Swedish
From Swedish å meaning "river, stream" and berg meaning "mountain".

Acardi Italian
Derived from the Norman name Achard, a form of Ekkehard.

Accardi Italian
Variant of Acardi.

Accardo Italian
Variant of Acardi.

Acker German, English
Denoted a person who lived near a field, derived from Middle English aker or Middle High German acker meaning "field".

Ackerman English
Means "ploughman", derived from Middle English aker "field" and man.

Ackermann German
Denoted a person who lived near a field, from Middle High German acker "field" and man "man".

Adair English
Derived from the given name Edgar.

Addens Dutch
Means "son of Adde".

Addicks Dutch
Means "son of Addik", a diminutive of Adde.

Adelardi Italian
Means "son of Adelardo".

Adema Frisian
Means "son of Ade 2".

Adimari Italian
Means "son of Ademaro".

Adolfs Dutch
Means "son of Adolf".

Adolfsson Swedish
Means "son of Adolf".

Adolvsson Swedish (Rare)
Variant of Adolfsson.

Aerssens Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Aerts Dutch, Flemish
From a diminutive of the given name Arnout.

Agema Frisian
Means "son of Age 1".

Aggio Italian
Possibly from the name Aggius, probably related to the Germanic name Agi.

Agnarsson Icelandic
Means "son of Agnar".

Ahlberg Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish al (Old Norse ǫlr) meaning "alder" and berg meaning "mountain".

Ahlers Low German
Means "son of Alard".

Ahlgren Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish al (Old Norse ǫlr) meaning "alder" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Ahlström Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish al (Old Norse ǫlr) meaning "alder" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Aikema Frisian
Means "son of Aike".

Ainsley Scottish
From a place name: either Annesley in Nottinghamshire or Ansley in Warwickshire. The place names themselves derive from Old English anne "alone, solitary" or ansetl "hermitage" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Aiolfi Italian
Means "son of Aiolfo", which is derived from the Germanic name Agilulf.

Airaldi Italian
Means "son of Aroldo".

Airò Italian
From the given name Aroldo.

Åkerman Swedish
Swedish form of Ackermann.

Akerman English
Variant of Ackerman.

Akers English
Variant of Acker.

Åkesson Swedish
Means "son of Åke".

Akker Dutch
Dutch form of Acker.

Akkerman Dutch
Dutch form of Ackermann.

Akkermans Dutch
Dutch form of Ackermann.

Alberda Dutch
Derived from the given name Albert.

Alberdingk Dutch
Variant of Alberink.

Alberghi Italian
Variant of Alberici.

Alberghini Italian
Diminutive of Alberghi.

Alberici Italian
Means "son of Alberico".

Alberighi Italian
Variant of Alberici.

Alberink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Albert" in Dutch.

Albers Dutch
Means "son of Albert".

Albert English, French, Catalan, Hungarian, Romanian, German
Derived from the given name Albert.

Alberto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
From the given name Alberto.

Alberts English, Dutch
Means "son of Albert".

Albertsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Albert".

Albertson English
Means "son of Albert".

Albertsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Albert".

Albrecht German
From the given name Albrecht.

Albrechtsson Swedish
Means "son of Albrecht".

Albrecktsson Swedish
Variant of Albrechtsson.

Albrektson Swedish
Variant of Albrechtsson.

Albrektsson Swedish
Variant of Albrechtsson.

Albricci Italian
Variant of Alberici.

Albrici Italian
Variant of Alberici.

Albring Dutch
Variant of Alberink.

Aldebrandi Italian
Means "son of Aldebrando", an Italian form of Aldebrand.

Alden English
Derived from the Old English given name Ealdwine.

Alders Dutch
Means "son of Aldert".

Aldershof Dutch
Means "Aldert's courtyard" from the given name Aldert combined with Dutch hof "yard, court".

Alduino Italian
Derived from the Italian given name Alduino, derived from the Germanic name Aldwin.

Aleshire German
Anglicized form of Alscher.

Alferink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Alfhard" in Dutch.

Alfero Italian
From the given name Adalfarus.

Alfons Dutch
From the given name Alfons.

Alfonso Spanish
From the given name Alfonso.

Alfredson English
Means "son of Alfred".

Alfredsson Swedish
Means "son of Alfred".

Alfson Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Alfsson.

Alfsson Swedish
Means "son of Alf 1".

Alger English
From the given name Algar.

Aliberti Italian
Means "son of Alberto".

Alinari Italian
Means "son of Alinario", which is from the Germanic name Ellanher.

Aling Dutch
Variant of Alink.

Alink Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Ale 2" in Dutch.

Aliprandi Italian
Means "son of Alibrand".

Alkema Frisian
Means "son of Alke".

Allard French, English
Derived from the given name Adalhard (or the Old English cognate Æðelræd).

Alles Dutch
Means "son of Alle".

Alma Frisian
Means "son of Ale 2", the suffix -ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.

Almstedt Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish alm (Old Norse almr) meaning "elm" and stad (Old Norse staðr) meaning "town, city".

Alò Italian
Variant of Aloi.

Aloi Italian
From a dialectal form of the name Aloisio.

Aloia Italian
Variant of Aloi.

Aloisi Italian
From the given name Aloisio.

Alonso Spanish
From the given name Alonso.

Alscher German
Means "son of Adalheidis".

Althaus German
Name for a person dwelled in or by an old house, from German alt "old" and haus "house".

Althuis Dutch
Dutch cognate of Althaus.

Altimari Italian
Derived from the given name Altimaro, an alteration of Adelmar.

Alting Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Alte 2" in Dutch.

Altink Dutch
Variant of Alting.

Altoviti Italian (Rare)
Derived from the Lombard given name Altwidus.

Álvarez Spanish
Means "son of Álvaro".

Alvarez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Álvarez.

Alvarsson Swedish
Means "son of Alvar".

Alves Portuguese
Means "son of Álvaro".

Alvey English
Derived from the given name Ælfwig.

Alvin English
Variant of Elwyn.

Amalberti Italian
Means "son of Amalberto", from the Germanic name Amalbert.

Amerighi Italian
Means "son of Amerigo".

Amsel 1 Jewish
Derived from the given name Anshel.

Amsing Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Amse" in Dutch.

Amundsen Norwegian
Means "son of Amund". This name was borne by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (1872-1928).

Andringa Dutch
Means "(farm) belonging to Andries" in Dutch.

Anema Frisian
Means "son of Ane 2".

Anker Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Metonymic surname for a sailor, meaning "anchor" in Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.

Annema Frisian
Means "son of Anne 2".

Ansaldi Italian
Means "son of Ansaldo".

Ansel English
Derived from the given name Anselm.

Anselmetti Italian
Means "son of Anselmetto", a diminutive of Anselmo.

Anselmi Italian
Means "son of Anselmo".

Anselmo Portuguese, Italian
From the given name Anselmo.

Antema Frisian
Means "son of Ante 2".

Antuma Frisian
Variant of Antema.

Appelhof Dutch
Indicated a person who lived by or at an apple garden, from Dutch appel "apple" and hof "yard, court".

Appelo Dutch
Indicated a person who was from a farm called Aperloo, probably a derivative of appel meaning "apple".

Apperlo Dutch
Variant of Appelo.

Appleby English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English æppel "apple" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".

Appleton English
From the name of several English towns, meaning "orchard" in Old English (a compound of æppel "apple" and tun "enclosure, yard").

Arbeid Dutch
From Dutch arbeid meaning "work".

Arbeider Dutch
From Dutch arbeider meaning "worker".

Arbeit German
From German arbeit meaning "work".

Archambault French
From the archaic French given name Archambault, which is related to Archibald.

Ardovini Italian
Means "son of Arduino".

Arends Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arendse Afrikaans
Variant of Arends.

Arendsen Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Arents Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Arentz Dutch
Variant of Arends.

Arkema Frisian
Means "son of Arke 2".

Arkes Dutch
Means "son of Arke 2".

Arkwright English
Occupational name meaning "chest maker", from Middle English arc meaning "chest, coffer" and wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".

Armando Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Derived from the given name Armando.

Armani Italian
Means "son of Ermanno".

Ármannsson Icelandic
Means "son of Ármann".

Arnaud French
From the given name Arnaud.

Arnesen Norwegian
Means "son of Arne 1".

Arnold English, German
Derived from the given name Arnold.

Arnolfi Italian
Means "son of Arnolfo".

Arntz Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arntzen Dutch
Means "son of Arend".

Arntzenius Dutch
Latinized form of Arntzen.

Arrighetti Italian
Means "son of Arrighetto", a diminutive of the given name Arrigo.

Arrighi Italian
Means "son of Arrigo".

Arrigucci Italian
Means "son of Arriguccio", a diminutive of the given name Arrigo.

Arterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Arterbury English
Variant of Atteberry.

Arts 1 Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Artz Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Årud Norwegian
From Norwegian å meaning "river, stream" and the archaic word rud meaning "cleared land".

Arvidsson Swedish
Means "son of Arvid".

Ash English
From Old English æsc meaning "ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.

Ashley English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in England that bear this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Ashton English
Denoted a person from one of the towns in England that bear this name, itself derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Ashworth English
From an English place name meaning "ash enclosure" in Old English.

Asjes Dutch
Variant of Askes.

Askes Dutch
Means "son of Aske", a diminutive of Asse.

Assenberg Dutch
From Dutch es meaning "ash tree" (plural essen) and berg meaning "mountain".

Assendorp Dutch
From the name of a place called Assendorp, composed of Dutch essen and dorp, meaning "ash tree village".

Assies Dutch
Means "son of Asse".

Assink Dutch
From a place name meaning "(farm) belonging to Asse".

Aston 1 English
From a place name meaning "east town" in Old English.

Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.

Åström Swedish
From Swedish å meaning "river, stream" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream, current, flow".

Atsma Frisian
Means "son of Atse".

Atteberry English
Means "dweller at the fortified town" from Middle English at and burh "fortified place".

Atterberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Attwater English
Variant of Atwater.

Attwood English
Variant of Atwood.

Atwater English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the water".

Atwood English
From Middle English meaning "dweller at the wood".

Aubert French
From the given name Aubert.

Audley English
From a place name meaning "Ealdgyð's clearing" in Old English.

Aue German
From German meaning "meadow by a river, wetland". There are many places with this name in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Auer German
From German Aue, Old High German ouwa, meaning "meadow by a river, wetland".

Auteberry English
Variant of Atteberry.

Avery English
Derived from a Norman French form of the given names Alberich or Alfred.

Ayers 2 English
Derived from the given name Ealhhere.

Aylmer English
Derived from the Old English name Æðelmær.

Ayton English
From the name of towns in Berwickshire and North Yorkshire. They are derived from Old English ea "river" or ieg "island" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Baaiman Dutch
Means "son of Baaij", the given name Baaij being a diminutive of names like Baugulf, Boudewijn or Bernard.

Baarda Frisian
From the name of the town of Baard in the Netherlands, possibly derived from a given name that was a variant of Bert.

Baardsen Norwegian
Means "son of Bård".

Baardwijk Dutch
From the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly from Baard, a variant of Bert, and wijk meaning "neighbourhood, district".

Baart Dutch
Means "beard" in Dutch, originally describing a person who wore a beard.

Baas Dutch
Means "boss, overseer" in Dutch.

Baasch Low German
From Middle Low German bas meaning "boss".

Bach 1 German
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).

Bach 2 Danish
Variant of Bak.

Bachman German
Anglicized form of Bachmann.

Bachmann German
Denoted a person who lived near a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and man "man".

Bachmeier German
Originally referred to a farmer whose farm was beside a stream, from Middle High German bach "stream" and meier "steward, tenant farmer".

Bäcker German
Variant of Becker, mostly found in northern Germany.

Badcock English
From a diminutive of the medieval given name Bada.

Bager Danish
Danish cognate of Baker.

Baggins Literature
Created by J. R. R. Tolkien for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the hero of The Hobbit (1937), and also for his cousin Frodo Baggins, the hero of The Lord of the Rings (1954). He probably derived it from the English word bag. The Baggins family home was called Bag End, and Tolkien himself had an aunt who owned a farm by this name, so that may have been his inspiration. Tolkien used English-like translations of many hobbit names; according to his notes the real hobbit-language form of the surname was Labingi.

Bain English
Variant of Baines 2.

Baines 2 English
From a nickname derived from Old English ban "bones", probably for a thin person.

Bak Danish
Means "slope, hillside" in Danish, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.

Bakke Norwegian
Means "slope, hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Bakken Norwegian
Means "the slope, the hillside" in Norwegian, from Old Norse bakki "bank".

Bakker Dutch
Dutch cognate of Baker, from Middle Dutch backere.

Baldi Italian
Derived from the given name Baldo.

Baldini Italian
Derived from the given name Baldino, a diminutive of Baldo.

Baldinotti Italian
Derived from the given name Baldinotto, from the Latin name Baldinoctus, a diminutive of Baldo.

Baldovini Italian
Derived from the given name Baldovino.

Baldwin English
Derived from the given name Baldwin.

Ball English
From Middle English bal, Old English beall meaning "ball". This was either a nickname for a rotund or bald person, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a ball-shaped feature.

Ballard English
Variant of Ball using a pejorative suffix.

Bambach German
Variant of Baumbach.

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

Barclay English, Scottish
From the English place name Berkeley, derived from Old English beorc "birch" and leah "woodland, clearing". The surname was imported to Scotland in the 12th century.

Bardolph Literature
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.

Bardsley English
From the name a village near Manchester, from the Old English given name Beornræd and leah "woodland, clearing".

Barends Dutch
Means "son of Barend".

Barnet English
Variant of Barnett.

Barnett English
Derived from Old English bærnet meaning "place cleared by burning".

Barton English
From a place name meaning "barley town" in Old English.

Bartram English
From the given name Bertram.

Baudin French
From the given name Baud, French form of Baldo.

Bauer German
From Old High German bur meaning "peasant, farmer".

Bauers German
Variant of Bauer.

Baum German, Jewish
Means "tree" in German. A famous bearer was the American author L. Frank Baum (1856-1919).

Baumann German, Jewish
From Middle High German bumann meaning "farmer, builder".

Baumbach German
From a place name meaning "tree stream" in German.

Baumer German
Variant of Baum.

Baumgarten German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Baumgärtner German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Baumgartner German
Occupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German Baumgarten "orchard" (derived from Baum "tree" and Garten "garden").

Baumhauer German
Occupational name meaning "woodcutter", derived from German Baum "tree" and hauen "to chop".

Baxter English
Variant (in origin a feminine form) of Baker.

Bean English
English cognate of Bohn.

Beasley English
From the name of a place in Lancashire, from Old English beos "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Beck 1 English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
From Middle English bekke (from Old Norse), Low German beke or Old Norse bekkr all meaning "stream".

Beck 2 German
Variant of Becker, from southern German beck.

Becke German
Variant of Beck 1 or Beck 2.

Beckenbauer German
Means "farmer living by a stream" in German.

Becker German
Derived from Middle High German becker meaning "baker".

Beckert German
Variant of Becker.

Becket English
Variant of Beckett.

Beckett English
Originally a diminutive of Beck 1 or Beck 3.

Beech 1 English
English cognate of Bach 1.

Beech 2 English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a beech tree, from Old English bece.

Beethoven Dutch (Archaic)
From a place name derived from Dutch beet "beet, beetroot" and hoven "farms". This name was borne by the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), whose family was of Flemish origin. The surname is now mostly extinct.

Begbie Scottish
From the name of a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse given name Baggi and býr "farm, settlement".

Behrend German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Behrends German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Behringer German
From the given name Berengar.

Beitel German
Variant of Beutel.

Bélanger French
From the given name Bérenger.

Belanger English
From the given name Berengar.

Bentley English
From a place name derived from Old English beonet "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing". Various towns in England bear this name.

Benton English
Denoted someone who came from Benton, England, which is derived from Old English beonet "bent grass" and tun "enclosure".

Béranger French
From the given name Bérenger.

Berardi Italian
From the given name Berardo.

Berg German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Old High German, Old Dutch and Old Norse berg meaning "mountain".

Berge Norwegian, German, Swedish
Variant of Berg.

Berger 2 German, Dutch
Variant of Berg.

Bergfalk Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and falk (Old Norse falki) meaning "falcon".

Berggren Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Berglund Swedish
Ornamental name from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Bergman Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man", originally a name for a person living on a mountain.

Bergmann German
From Old High German berg meaning "mountain" and man meaning "man", originally denoting someone who lived on a mountain.

Bergqvist Swedish
From Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Bergström Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Béringer French
From the given name Bérenger.

Beringer German, English
From the given name Berengar.

Berkovich Jewish
Means "son of Berko" in Yiddish, Berko being a derivative of Ber.

Berkowicz Jewish
Variant of Berkovich.

Berkowitz Jewish
Variant of Berkovich.

Bermúdez Spanish
Means "son of Bermudo".

Bernard um French, English, Dutch, German, Czech, Slovene
From the given name Bernard.

Bernardi Italian
From the given name Bernardo.

Bernardino Portuguese, Spanish
From the given name Bernardino.

Bernardo Portuguese
From the given name Bernardo.

Bernardová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Bernard.