Browse Surnames

Banner English
Occupational name for a flag carrier, derived from Old French baniere meaning "banner", ultimately of Germanic origin.

Bannerman English
Variant of Banner.

Bannister English
From Norman French banastre meaning "basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.

Barber English, Scottish
Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living, ultimately from Latin barba "beard".

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.

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".

Barker English
Means "tanner", derived from the Middle English word bark meaning "tree bark". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner, who often used tree bark in the tanning process.

Barlow English
Derived from a number of English place names that variously mean "barley hill", "barn hill", "boar clearing" or "barley clearing".

Barnes English
Denoted a person who worked or lived in a barn. The word barn is derived from Old English bere "barley" and ærn "dwelling".

Barnet English
Variant of Barnett.

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

Baron English, French
From 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.

Barr English
Indicated a person who lived near a barrier, from Old French barre.

Barret English
Variant of Barrett.

Barrett English
Probably derived from the Middle English word barat meaning "trouble, deception", originally given to a quarrelsome person.

Barron English
Variant of Baron.

Bartlett English
From a diminutive form of Bartholomew.

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

Bartram English
From the given name Bertram.

Bass English
English cognate of Basso.

Bates English
Means "son of Bate".

Bateson English
Means "son of Bate".

Battle English
From a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.

Batts English
Means "son of Bate".

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.

Bayer German
Originally denoted a person from Bavaria, from its German name Bayern.

Baylor German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Beiler.

Beake English
Variant of Beck 3.

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".

Beaumont French, English
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and mont "mountain".

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.

Beck 3 English
From a nickname for a person with a big nose, from Middle English bec meaning "beak".

Beck 4 English
From Old English becca meaning "pickaxe", an occupational surname.

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.

Beckham English
From an English place name meaning "Becca's homestead" in Old English (with Becca being a masculine byname meaning "pickaxe"). A famous bearer is retired English soccer player David Beckham (1975-).

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.

Behrend German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Behrends German
Derived from the given name Bernd.

Behringer German
From the given name Berengar.

Beiler German
Derived from Middle High German beile meaning "measuring stick".

Beitel German
Variant of Beutel.

Belanger English
From the given name Berengar.

Belcher English
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.

Bell 1 English
From 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.

Bell 2 English
Derived from the given name Bel, a medieval short form of Isabel.

Bellamy French, English
From Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".

Belmont French, English
French and English form of Belmonte.

Beltz German
Occupational name for a tanner of hides, derived from Middle High German belz meaning "fur".

Benbow English
From a nickname "bend the bow" given to an archer.

Bendtsen Danish
Means "son of Bendt".

Bengtsdotter Swedish
Means "daughter of Bengt".

Bengtsson Swedish
Means "son of Bengt".

Benjaminson English
Means "son of Benjamin".

Benn English
From a short form of Benedict.

Bennet English
Derived from the medieval English given name Bennett.

Bennett English
Derived from the medieval English given name Bennett.

Bennington English
From the English town name Benington, which can mean either "settlement belonging to Beonna's people" or "settlement by the River Beane".

Benscoter Dutch (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Bunschoten.

Benson English
Means "son of Benedict".

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".

Bentsen Danish
Means "son of Bent 1".

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".

Beringer German, English
From the given name Berengar.

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

Bernhard German
From the given name Bernhard.

Bernhardsson Swedish
Means "son of Bernhard".

Berntsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Bernt".

Berntsson Swedish
Means "son of Bernt".

Berry English
Derived from a place name, which was derived from Old English burh "fortification".

Best 1 English
Derived 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).

Best 2 German
Derived from the name of the river Beste, meaning unknown.

Beulen Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Beulens Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Beumer Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Beumers Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Baumer or Böhmer.

Beutel German
From Middle High German biutel meaning "bag", originally belonging to a person who made or sold bags.

Beverley English
From the name of an English city, derived from Old English beofor "beaver" and (possibly) licc "stream".

Beverly English
Variant of Beverley.

Beyer German
Variant of Bayer.

Beyersdorf German
Means "farmers village", from German Bauer meaning "farmer" and Dorf meaning "village".

Bezuidenhout Dutch
From Dutch zuid "south" and hout "forest". It refers to the south of the forest in The Hague.

Bieber German, Jewish
From Middle High German biber meaning "beaver", possibly a nickname for a hard worker.

Biermann German
Derived from German bier "beer" and mann "man". The name may have referred to a brewer or a tavern owner.

Bird English
Occupational name for a person who raised or hunted birds.

Bischoffs German
German cognate of Bishop.

Bishop English
Means simply "bishop", ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer". It probably originally referred to a person who served a bishop.

Bisset English
From Old French bis meaning "drab, dingy", a nickname for someone who looked drab.

Bissette English
Variant of Bisset.

Bjarnesen Danish
Means "son of Bjarne".

Björk Swedish
From Swedish björk meaning "birch tree", Old Norse bjǫrk.

Björklund Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and lund (Old Norse lundr) meaning "grove".

Björkman Swedish
From Swedish björk (Old Norse bjǫrk) meaning "birch tree" and man (Old Norse maðr) meaning "person, man".

Björnsson Swedish, Icelandic
Means "son of Björn".

Black English
Means either "black" (from Old English blæc) or "pale" (from Old English blac). It could refer to a person with a pale or a dark complexion, or a person who worked with black dye.

Blackbourne English
Variant of Blackburn.

Blackburn English
From the name of a city in Lancashire, meaning "black stream" in Old English.

Blackman English
From a nickname, a variant of Black.

Blackwood English, Scottish
From an English place name meaning "black wood".

Blake English
Variant of Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).

Blakeley English
From name of various English places, derived from Old English blæc "black" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Blakely English
Variant of Blakeley.

Blakeslee English
Variant of Blakesley.

Blakesley English
From the name of a town in Northamptonshire, itself meaning "Blæcwulf's meadow" in Old English. Blæcwulf is a byname meaning "black wolf".

Blanchard French, English
Derived from the given name Blanchard.

Blau German
Means "blue" in German, most likely used to refer to a person who wore blue clothes.

Blecher German
Occupational name for someone who worked with tin or sheet metal, from German blech "tin".

Bleier German
Occupational name for a worker of lead, derived from German blei "lead".

Blom Swedish
Means "bloom, flower" in Swedish.

Blomgren Swedish
From Swedish blomma (Old Norse blóm) meaning "flower" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Blomqvist Swedish
From Swedish blomma (Old Norse blóm) meaning "flower" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Bloodworth English
Originally indicated someone from the town of Blidworth in Nottinghamshire, which was derived from the Old English byname Blīþa (meaning "happy, blithe") combined with worð "enclosure".

Bloxam English
Variant of Bloxham.

Bloxham English
From a place name meaning "Blocca's homestead". The Old English byname Blocca is of uncertain origin.

Blue English
From a nickname for a person with blue eyes or blue clothing.

Blum German, Jewish
Means "flower" in German and Yiddish.

Blumenthal German, Jewish
Derived from German Blumen "flowers" and Thal "valley".

Blythe English
From Old English meaning "happy, joyous, blithe".

Boatwright English
Occupational name meaning "maker of boats".

Böcker German
Variant of Böttcher.

Bodilsen Danish
Means "son of Bodil".

Boehler German
Variant of Böhler.

Boelens Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Boels Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Boer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bauer.

Boerefijn Dutch
Possibly an adaptation of French beurre fin meaning "good butter".

Boesch German, Low German
Variant of Bösch 1 or Bösch 2.

Böhler German
Derived from the name of several German towns called Boll or Böhl, meaning "hill".

Böhm German
Originally indicated a person from the region of Bohemia (Böhmen in German).

Böhme German
Variant of Böhm.

Böhmer German, Jewish
Variant of Böhm.

Bohn German
Occupational name for a bean grower, derived from Middle High German bone "bean".

Bolton English
From any of the many places in England called Bolton, derived from Old English bold "house" and tun "enclosure".

Bond English
Occupational name for a peasant farmer, from Middle English bonde. A famous bearer is the fictional spy James Bond, created by Ian Flemming in 1953.

Bone 1 English
Derived from Old French bon meaning "good".

Bone 2 English
Variant of Baines 2.

Bonham English
English form of Bonhomme.

Bonner English
From Middle English boneire "kind, courteous", derived from Norman French bon aire "good bloodline".

Bonney English
From northern Middle English boni meaning "pretty, attractive".

Booker English
Occupational name meaning "book maker", derived from Old English boc "book".

Boon 1 English
Variant of Bone 1.

Boon 2 English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Bohon, in Manche in France. The town's name is of unknown origin.

Boon 3 Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bohn.

Boone English
Variant of Boon 1 or Boon 2.

Booth English
Topographic name derived from Middle English both meaning "hut, stall".

Boothman English
Variant of Booth.

Borchard German
Derived from the given name Burkhard.

Borchardt German
Derived from the given name Burkhard.

Borg Swedish
From Swedish borg meaning "fortification, castle".

Borst Dutch
From a nickname derived from Dutch borst "chest".

Bos Dutch
Variant of Bosch 1.

Bösch 1 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Sebastian.

Bosch 1 Dutch, Low German
Derived from Middle Dutch bosch meaning "wood, forest".

Both Dutch
From the Low German given name Bode.

Bothe Dutch
Variant of Both.

Böttcher German
Occupational name meaning "cooper, barrel maker" in German.

Botterill English
Probably indicated someone from the town of Les Bottereaux in Normandy, itself derived from Old French bot "toad".

Botwright English
Variant of Boatwright.

Bourke English
Variant of Burke.

Bourne English
Derived from Old English burna "stream, spring".

Bouwmeester Dutch
Means "architect, builder" in Dutch.

Bower English
From Old English bur meaning "dwelling, room".

Bowers English
Variant of Bower.

Bowman English
Occupational name for an archer, derived from Middle English bowe, Old English boga meaning "bow".

Boyce English
From Old French bois meaning "wood", originally given to someone who lived by or in a wood.

Braam Dutch
Derived from the given name Bram.

Braband German
Derived from the name of the region of Brabant in the Netherlands and Belgium. It possibly means "ploughed region" or "marshy region" in Old High German.

Braddock English
From various locations derived from Old English meaning "broad oak".

Bradford English
Derived from the name of the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire, which meant "broad ford" in Old English. This is also the name of other smaller towns in England.

Bradley English
From a common English place name, derived from brad "broad" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Bradshaw English
From any of the places by this name in England, derived from Old English brad "broad" and sceaga "thicket".

Brahms German
Derived from the given name Abraham. A famous bearer of this surname was the German composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).

Brams Danish
Derived from the given name Bram.

Brand 1 German, Dutch, English
Derived from the Old German given name Brando or its Old Norse cognate Brandr.

Brand 2 German, 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.

Brändle German
Derived from a diminutive of the Old German given name Brando.

Brandon English
From the name of various places in England meaning "hill covered with broom" in Old English.

Brandt German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch
Variant of Brand 1 or Brand 2.

Branson English
Means "son of Brandr".

Brant German, English
Variant of Brand 1 and Brand 2.

Brantley German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Brändle.

Brasher English
Means "brass worker", derived from Old English bræs "brass".

Brassington English
From a place name, which is derived from Old English meaning "settlement by a steep path".

Braun German
Means "brown" in German.

Braune German
Variant of Braun.

Braxton English
From an English place name place name meaning "Bracca's town" in Old English.

Bray English
From a place name derived from Cornish bre "hill".

Breckenridge Scottish, English
Originally indicated someone from Brackenrig in Lanarkshire, derived from northern Middle English braken meaning "bracken" (via Old Norse brækni) and rigg meaning "ridge" (via Old Norse hryggr).

Breckinridge Scottish, English
Variant of Breckenridge.

Breiner German, Swedish
Occupational name derived from Middle High German brie "porridge".

Breisacher German
Originally denoted one who came from the town of Breisach, in Germany. The town's name is possibly from a Celtic word meaning "breakwater".

Breitbarth German
From Old High German breit "broad" and bart "beard", originally a nickname for someone with a full beard.

Brent English
Originally derived from the name of a hill (or the village nearby) in Somerset, perhaps derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".

Brett English
Originally a name given to someone who was a Breton or a person from Brittany.

Bretz German
Indicated a person from the town of Breetz in Brandenburg, Germany. The meaning of the town's name is unknown.

Brewer English
Occupational name for a maker of ale or beer.

Brewster English
Variant of Brewer, originally a feminine form of the occupational term.

Brice English
From the given name Brice.

Bridges English
Originally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English brigge, Old English brycg.

Brierley English
From an English place name, derived from brer "briar" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Briggs English
Variant of Bridges.

Brigham English
Originally referred to one who came from a town called Brigham, meaning "homestead by the bridge" in Old English. This is the name of towns in Cumberland and Yorkshire.

Briley English
Possibly a variant of Brierley.

Brinkerhoff German
From a German place name meaning "farm near a slope".

Brinley English
Possibly from English places named Brindley, derived from Old English berned "burned" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Bristol English
From the name of a city in England meaning "the site of the bridge".

Bristow English
From the name of the city of Bristol, originally Brycgstow in Old English, meaning "the site of the bridge".

Brittain English
Variant of Britton.

Britton English
Originally given to a person who was a Briton (a Celt of England) or a Breton (an inhabitant of Brittany).

Broadbent English
From a place name derived from Old English brad "broad" and beonet "bent grass".

Brock English
Derived from Old English brocc meaning "badger", ultimately of Celtic origin.

Brodbeck German
Means "bread baker" from Middle High German brot "bread" and becke "baker".

Bronson English
Patronymic form of Brown.

Brook English
Denoted a person who lived near a brook, a word derived from Old English broc.

Brooke English
Variant of Brook.

Brooks English
Variant of Brook.

Brose German
Derived from the given name Ambrose.

Brotz German
Variant of Protz.

Brouwer Dutch
Occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch brouwer.

Brown English
Originally 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.

Browne English
Variant of Brown.

Brownlow English
From 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.

Bruhn German
Variant of Braun.

Bruin Dutch
Dutch cognate of Brown.

Brun French, 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.

Brune German
Variant of Braun.

Bryan English
From the given name Brian.

Bryant English
From the given name Brian.

Bryce English
From the given name Brice.

Bryson English
Means "son of Brice".

Buchholz German
From Middle High German buoche "beech" and holz "wood".

Buckholtz German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Buchholz.

Buckley 1 English
From an English place name derived from bucc "buck, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Bul Dutch
Dutch cognate of Bull.

Bull English
From a nickname for a person who acted like a bull.

Bullard English
Possibly a nickname derived from Middle English bole "fraud, deceit".

Bulle Dutch
From the given name Boele.

Bullens Dutch
Means "son of Boele".

Bullock English
From a nickname meaning "young bull".

Bumgarner German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Bunker English
Derived from Old French bon cuer meaning "good heart".

Bunschoten Dutch
Originally indicated a person from the Dutch town of Bunschoten, which might mean "raised, enclosed land".

Burgess English
From Middle English and Old French burgeis meaning "city-dweller", ultimately from Frankish burg "fortress".

Burgstaller German
From 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, Irish
Derived 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 English
Means "brown" in Middle English, from Old French brunet, a diminutive of brun.

Burnham English
From the name of various towns in England, typically derived from Old English burna "stream, spring" and ham "home, settlement".

Burns 1 English, Scottish
Derived from Old English burna "stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).

Burrell English
English form of Bureau.

Burroughs English
Variant of Burrows.

Burrows English
Topographic name derived from Old English beorg meaning "hill, mountain" or burg meaning "fort". Alternatively, it could come from a compound of bur "room, cottage, dwelling" and hus "house".

Burton English
From a common English place name, derived from Old English meaning "fortified town".

Busch German
Means "bush" in German, a name for someone who lived close to a thicket.

Bush English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a prominent bush or thicket.

Butcher English
Occupational name for a butcher, derived from Old French bouchier.

Butler English, 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).

Butts English
From a nickname meaning "thick, stumpy", from Middle English butt.

Byquist Swedish
Variant of Byqvist.

Byqvist Swedish
Derived from Swedish by (Old Norse býr) meaning "village" and qvist (Old Norse kvistr) meaning "twig, branch".

Byrd English
Variant of Bird.

Byström Swedish
From Swedish by (Old Norse býr) meaning "village" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Caldwell English
From various English place names derived from Old English ceald "cold" and wille "spring, stream, well".

Cannon English
From the ecclesiastical usage of canon, referring to a church official or servant who worked in a clergy house.

Cantrell English
Originally a name for someone from Cantrell in Devon, from an unknown first element and Old English hyll meaning "hill".

Carl English, German
From the given name Carl.

Carlisle English
From 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.

Carlsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Carl".

Carlson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Carlsson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Carlyle English
Variant of Carlisle.

Carman 1 English
Occupational name for a carter, from Middle English carre "cart" (of Latin origin) and man "man".