Aarden DutchFrom Dutch
aarden meaning
"earthen, clay". It denoted a person who worked with clay.
Abadzhiev m BulgarianDerived from Bulgarian
абаджия (abadzhiya) meaning
"weaver, tailor" (of Turkish origin, ultimately from Arabic
عباءة (ʿabāʾa) meaning "cloak").
Abarca SpanishFrom the name of a type of leather-soled shoe or sandal made on the Balearic Islands. It originally indicated a person who made or sold this item.
Abate ItalianFrom Italian
abate meaning
"abbot, priest", derived via Latin and Greek from an Aramaic word meaning "father". This was used either as a nickname or an occupational name for a worker in a priest's house.
Abbadelli ItalianMeans
"little abbot" from Italian
abate and the diminutive suffix
-elli.
Abbaticchio ItalianMeans
"little abbot" from Italian
abate and the diminutive suffix
-icchio, from Latin
-iculus.
Abbey EnglishIndicated a person who lived near an abbey or worked in an abbey, from Middle English
abbeye.
Acciai ItalianDerived from medieval Italian
accia meaning
"axe", ultimately from Latin
ascia.
Ackerman EnglishMeans
"ploughman", derived from Middle English
aker "field" and
man.
Acqua ItalianMeans
"water" in Italian, indicating one who dwelt by or transported water.
Acquarone ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from a place name or an occupation derived from Italian
acqua "water".
Agua SpanishMeans
"water" in Spanish, indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.
Aguado SpanishDerived from Spanish
agua "water", indicating a person who lived near water or worked with water.
Albero ItalianFrom Italian
albero meaning
"tree", ultimately from Latin
arbor, referring to someone who lived in the woods or worked as a woodcutter.
Al-Mufti ArabicRefers to a
mufti, a Muslim legal advisor consulted in applying a religious law.
Archer EnglishOccupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin
arcus "bow" (via Old French).
Arkwright EnglishOccupational name meaning
"chest maker", from Middle English
arc meaning "chest, coffer" and
wyrhta meaning "maker, craftsman".
Armbruster GermanMeans
"crossbow maker" from German
armbrust "crossbow". The word
armbrust was originally from Latin
arcuballista meaning "bow ballista", but was modified under the influence of German
arm "arm" and
brust "breast".
Arzt DutchMeans
"doctor, physician" in German, ultimately from Latin
archiater.
Attar PersianFrom Persian
عطر (ʿaṭr) meaning
"fragrance, perfume", ultimately from Arabic. It probably denoted a seller of perfume.
Azzarà ItalianSicilian name, derived from Greek dialects of southern Italy. It is from Greek
ψαράς (psaras) meaning
"fisherman".
Bachmeier GermanOriginally referred to a farmer whose farm was beside a stream, from Middle High German
bach "stream" and
meier "steward, tenant farmer".
Backus EnglishMeans
"bakery", an occupational name for a baker, from Old English
bæchus literally "bake house".
Bader GermanDerived from Old High German
bad "bath", most likely referring to a bath attendant.
Bagni ItalianFrom Italian
bagno "bath", derived from Latin
balneum, referring to a person who worked as a bath house attendant.
Bailey EnglishFrom Middle English
baili meaning
"bailiff", which comes via Old French from Latin
baiulus "porter".
Baker EnglishOccupational name meaning
"baker", derived from Middle English
bakere.
Bakhuizen DutchMeans
"bakery" from Dutch
bak "bake" and
huis "house", an occupational name for a baker.
Ballerini ItalianFrom Italian
ballerino meaning
"dancer", an occupational name or nickname for someone who liked to dance.
Bandyopadhyay BengaliFrom the name of the village of
Bandoghat combined with
upadhaya "instructor, priest".
Banner EnglishOccupational name for a flag carrier, derived from Old French
baniere meaning
"banner", ultimately of Germanic origin.
Bannister EnglishFrom Norman French
banastre meaning
"basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.
Barker EnglishFrom Middle English
bark meaning
"to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.
Baron English, FrenchFrom the title of nobility, derived from Latin
baro (genitive
baronis) meaning "man, freeman", possibly from Frankish
barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or acted like a baron.
Barros Portuguese, SpanishFrom the Portuguese and Spanish word
barro meaning
"clay, mud". This could either be an occupational name for a person who worked with clay or mud such as a builder or artisan, or a topographic name for someone living near clay or mud.
Bašić Croatian, SerbianMeans
"son of the chief", derived from Serbo-Croatian
baša meaning "chief, boss" (of Turkish origin).
Bauer GermanFrom Old High German
bur meaning
"peasant, farmer".
Baumgartner GermanOccupational name for a person who worked or lived at an orchard, from German
Baumgarten "orchard" (derived from
Baum "tree" and
Garten "garden").
Baumhauer GermanOccupational name meaning
"woodcutter", derived from German
Baum "tree" and
hauen "to chop".
Beck 4 EnglishFrom Old English
becca meaning
"pickaxe", an occupational surname.
Becker GermanDerived from Middle High German
becker meaning
"baker".
Beiler GermanDerived from Middle High German
beile meaning
"measuring stick".
Bell 1 EnglishFrom Middle English
belle meaning
"bell". It originated as a nickname for a person who lived near the town bell, or who had a job as a bell-ringer.
Beltz GermanOccupational name for a tanner of hides, derived from Middle High German
belz meaning
"fur".
Berger 1 FrenchOccupational name meaning
"shepherd", from Old French
bergier.
Best 1 EnglishDerived from Middle English
beste meaning
"beast", an occupational name for a keeper of animals or a nickname for someone who acted like a beast. A famous bearer of this surname was soccer legend George Best (1946-2005).
Beutel GermanFrom Middle High German
biutel meaning
"bag", originally belonging to a person who made or sold bags.
Bhattacharya BengaliFrom a Bengali title composed of the Sanskrit words
भट्ट (bhaṭṭa) meaning "scholar, lord" and
आचार्य (ācārya) meaning "teacher".
Bicchieri ItalianMeans
"drinking glasses" in Italian, referring originally to a person who made or sold them.
Biermann GermanDerived from German
bier "beer" and
mann "man". The name may have referred to a brewer or a tavern owner.
Binici TurkishFrom the Turkish word
binici meaning
"rider, horseman".
Bird EnglishOccupational name for a person who raised or hunted birds.
Bishop EnglishMeans simply
"bishop", ultimately from Greek
ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer". It probably originally referred to a person who served a bishop.
Blecher GermanOccupational name for someone who worked with tin or sheet metal, from German
blech "tin".
Bleier GermanOccupational name for a worker of lead, derived from German
blei "lead".
Bobal m CzechDerived from Czech
bob meaning
"bean".
Boerefijn DutchPossibly an adaptation of French
beurre fin meaning
"good butter".
Bohn GermanOccupational name for a bean grower, derived from Middle High German
bone "bean".
Bond EnglishOccupational name for a peasant farmer, from Middle English
bonde. A famous bearer is the fictional spy James Bond, created by Ian Flemming in 1953.
Bootsma FrisianOccupational name meaning
"boatman", derived from Dutch
boot "boat".
Boros HungarianDerived from Hungarian
bor "wine". Originally it could have indicated someone who made or sold wine.
Botello GalicianOccupational name for a maker of bottles, from Galician
bottela meaning
"bottle".
Böttcher GermanOccupational name meaning
"cooper, barrel maker" in German.
Bourreau 2 FrenchOccupational name for an executioner or torturer, derived from
bourrer "to hit, to stuff with cloth" (derived from French
boure "stuffing").
Bouvier FrenchMeans
"cowherd" in French, from Latin
boviarus, a derivative of
bos "cow".
Bowman EnglishOccupational name for an archer, derived from Middle English
bowe, Old English
boga meaning "bow".
Brasher EnglishMeans
"brass worker", derived from Old English
bræs "brass".
Bridges EnglishOriginally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English
brigge, Old English
brycg.
Brisbois FrenchReferred to a person who cleared land, from Old French
briser "to cut" and
bois "forest".
Brodbeck GermanMeans
"bread baker" from Middle High German
brot "bread" and
becke "baker".
Brogan IrishOccupational name derived from Irish
bróg meaning
"shoe".
Brouwer DutchOccupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch
brouwer.
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.
Butcher EnglishOccupational name for a butcher, derived from Old French
bouchier.
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).
Caito ItalianOccupational name from Sicilian
càjitu meaning
"official, leader", ultimately from Arabic
قاضي (qāḍī) meaning "judge".
Calderón SpanishOccupational name for a person who made, repaired or sold cauldrons or kettles, from Spanish
calderón "cauldron", from Late Latin
caldaria.
Campana Italian, SpanishOccupational name from Late Latin
campana meaning
"bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.
Cannon EnglishFrom the ecclesiastical usage of
canon, referring to a church official or servant who worked in a clergy house.
Capello 1 ItalianFrom Late Latin
cappa meaning
"cloak, cape, hood". This was a name for one who made or wore cloaks.
Capitani ItalianOccupational name meaning
"captain" in Italian, ultimately from Latin
caput "head".
Carman 1 EnglishOccupational name for a carter, from Middle English
carre "cart" (of Latin origin) and
man "man".
Carpenter EnglishFrom the occupation, derived from Middle English
carpentier (ultimately from Latin
carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").
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-).
Carver EnglishOccupational surname for a carver, from Middle English
kerve "cut".
Case EnglishFrom Norman French
casse meaning
"box, case", ultimately from Latin
capsa. This was an occupational name for a box maker.
Causer EnglishOccupational name for one who made leggings, derived from Old French
chausse "leggings".
Cavallo ItalianMeans
"horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.
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).
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.
Charmchi PersianMeans
"leather worker" in Persian, from
چرم (charm) meaning "leather" combined with
چی (chī), 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".
Chevrolet FrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning
"goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
Chmela m CzechDerived from Czech
chmel "hops", referring to a person who grew hops, a plant used in brewing beer.
Clark EnglishMeans
"cleric" or
"scribe", from Old English
clerec meaning "priest", ultimately from Latin
clericus. A famous bearer was William Clark (1770-1838), an explorer of the west of North America.
Clay EnglishMeans simply
"clay", originally referring to a person who lived near or worked with of clay.
Cloutier FrenchDerived from French
clou meaning
"nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.
Coelho PortugueseFrom the Portuguese word for
"rabbit", either a nickname or an occupational name referring to a hunter or seller of rabbits.
Cohen JewishMeans
"priest" from Hebrew
כֹּהֵן (kohen). It originally denoted one of the priestly tribe of Levi.
Coiro ItalianFrom Italian
cuoio meaning
"leather", ultimately from Latin
corium. This was an occupational surname for a leather worker or tanner.
Cojocaru RomanianFrom Romanian
cojoc meaning
"sheepskin coat". This was an occupational name for a maker of these coats.
Colombo ItalianEither from Italian
colomba "dove" indicating a dove keeper, or from the given name
Colombo, which is derived from the same word. This was the Italian surname of the 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus.
Colt EnglishOccupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English
colt.
Conner EnglishFrom Middle English
connere meaning
"inspector", an occupational name for an inspector of weights and measures.
Constable EnglishFrom Old French
conestable, ultimately from Latin
comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".
Conti ItalianFrom the Italian noble title
conte meaning
"count", derived from Latin
comes (genitive
comitis) meaning "companion, attendant". It denoted a person who worked for a count or behaved like one.
Cook EnglishDerived from Old English
coc meaning
"cook", ultimately from Latin
coquus. It was an occupational name for a cook, a man who sold cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house.
Coppola ItalianFrom the name of a type of hat characteristic of Sicily and southern Italy. This surname indicated a person who wore or made these hats. A famous bearer is the filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (1939-), as well as other members of his extended family also in show business.
Cornett EnglishDerived from Old French
cornet meaning
"horn", referring to one who worked as a horn blower.
Correia PortugueseMeans
"leather strap, belt" in Portuguese, denoting a person who worked with leather products.
Corwin EnglishDerived from Old French
cordoan "leather", ultimately from the name of the Spanish city of Cordova.
Cotterill EnglishDerived from Middle English
cotter meaning
"cottager", referring to a small tenant farmer.
Coupe EnglishFrom Middle English
coupe meaning
"barrel", a name for a barrel maker or cooper.
Cropper EnglishOccupational name derived from Middle English
croppe "crop", referring to a fruit picker or a crop reaper.
Čtvrtník m CzechDerived from Czech
čtvrtlán meaning
"one quarter of a lán", where a
lán is a medieval Czech measure of land (approximately 18 hectares). The name denoted someone who owned this much land.
Curie FrenchOccupational name for a farm hand, from Old French
éscuerie "stable". Famous bearers were the married scientists Marie (1867-1934) and Pierre Curie (1859-1906), who studied radioactivity.
Dean 2 EnglishOccupational surname meaning
"dean", referring to a person who either was a dean or worked for one. It is from Middle English
deen (ultimately from Latin
decanus meaning "chief of ten").