Swiss Surnames

Blanchard French, English
Derived from the given name Blanchard.

Blanchet French
From a diminutive of the name Blanc.

Blanchett French (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Blanchet or Blanchette.

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".

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

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

Böcker German
Variant of Böttcher.

Boehler German
Variant of Böhler.

Boerio Italian
From Italian boaro meaning "cowherd".

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".

Boivin French
Nickname for a wine drinker, from Old French boi "to drink" and vin "wine".

Bologna Italian
From the name of the city of Bologna in northern Italy. It may derive from a Celtic word meaning "settlement".

Bonaccorsi Italian
From the medieval given name Bonaccorso.

Bonaccorso Italian
From the medieval given name Bonaccorso.

Bonaventura Italian
From the given name Bonaventura.

Bondesan Italian
Venetian name derived from the name of the town of Bondeno in northern Italy.

Bonfils French
Derived from Old French bon fils meaning "good son".

Bonheur French
From Old French bonne heure meaning "good time" or "lucky".

Bonhomme French
Derived from Old French bon homme meaning "good man".

Bonnaire French
French form of Bonner.

Bonnay French
Variant of Bonnet.

Bonnet French
From the given name Bonitus.

Bonomo Italian
Italian cognate of Bonhomme.

Borchard German
Derived from the given name Burkhard.

Borchardt German
Derived from the given name Burkhard.

Borde French
From Old French bord meaning "board, plank", derived from Frankish *bord. This name belonged to a person who lived in a house made of planks.

Borghi Italian
Locative origin, from the common place name Borgo meaning "village".

Borgia Italian
Italian form of Borja. This was the name of an Italian noble family who were influential during the Renaissance period.

Borgnino Italian
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).

Borgogni Italian
From the name of the French region of Burgundy (called Bourgogne in French), which is named after the Germanic tribe the Burgundians, meaning "people from the high land".

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

Bosco Italian
Means "forest" in Italian.

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

Bouchard French
From the Old German given name Burkhard.

Boucher French
Means "butcher" in French.

Bourdillon French
Diminutive form of Borde.

Bourreau 1 French
Variant of Bureau.

Bourreau 2 French
Occupational name for an executioner or torturer, derived from bourrer "to hit, to stuff with cloth" (derived from French boure "stuffing").

Bouvier French
Means "cowherd" in French, from Latin boviarus, a derivative of bos "cow".

Bove Italian
Derived from an Italian nickname meaning "bull, ox".

Boveri Italian
Variant of Bove.

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.

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

Brambilla Italian
Derived from the Italian town of Brembilla in Lombardy, itself named after the Brembo river.

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.

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

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

Brantley German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Brändle.

Braun German
Means "brown" in German.

Braune German
Variant of Braun.

Breda Italian
From the name of a town near Venice, possibly derived from a Lombardic word meaning "field".

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.

Bret French
French form of Brett.

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

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

Brioschi Italian
Derived from the town of Briosco, near Milan. It may be of Lombardic origin.

Brisbois French
Referred to a person who cleared land, from Old French briser "to cut" and bois "forest".

Brivio Italian
From the name of the town of Brivio in Lombardy. Supposed it derives from a Celtic word meaning "bridge".

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

Brodeur French
Means "embroiderer" in French.

Brose German
Derived from the given name Ambrose.

Brotz German
Variant of Protz.

Bruhn German
Variant of Braun.

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.

Brunet French
From a diminutive of French brun meaning "brown".

Brunetti Italian
Diminutive of Bruno.

Bruno Italian, Portuguese
Means "brown" in Italian and Portuguese, a nickname for a person with brown hair or brown clothes. A famous bearer was the cosmologist Giordano Bruno (1548-1600).

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

Buckholtz German (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Buchholz.

Buffone Italian
Means "jester, joker" in Italian.

Bulgarelli Italian
Diminutive of Bulgari.

Bulgari Italian
Originally denoted a person who came from Bulgaria, which is named after the Turkic tribe of the Bulgars, itself possibly from a Turkic root meaning "mixed".

Bumgarner German
Variant of Baumgartner.

Buonarroti Italian
From the medieval Italian given name Buonarroto meaning "good increase". This was the surname of the Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo (1475-1564).

Buono Italian
From a nickname meaning "good" in Italian.

Bureau French
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.

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.

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

Busto Spanish, Italian
From the name of towns in Spain and Italy, derived from Late Latin bustum meaning "ox pasture".

Caiazzo Italian
From the name of a city near Naples, originally Caiatia in Latin, a derivative of the given name Caius.

Caito Italian
Occupational name from Sicilian càjitu meaning "official, leader", ultimately from Arabic قاضي (qāḍī) meaning "judge".

Caivano Italian
From the name of the town of Caivano near Naples, derived from Latin Calvianum, derived from the Roman cognomen Calvus.

Calabrese Italian
Originally given to a person who came from the region of Calabria in southern Italy.

Calligaris Italian
From Late Latin caligarius meaning "shoemaker".

Calvin French (Latinized)
Latinized form of Chauvin, used to refer to the French theologian Jean Cauvin (1509-1564).

Calvo Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Means "bald" in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, from Latin calvus.

Campana Italian, Spanish
Occupational name from Late Latin campana meaning "bell", ultimately derived from the Italian region of Campania, where bells were produced.

Campo Spanish, Italian
Means "field" in Spanish and Italian.

Camus French
Means "flat-nosed" in French. A notable bearer was the French philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960).

Cantù Italian
From Cantù, an Italian town located in Lombardy, itself of uncertain origin.

Capello 1 Italian
From Late Latin cappa meaning "cloak, cape, hood". This was a name for one who made or wore cloaks.

Capello 2 Italian
Nickname for a thin person, from Italian capello meaning "a hair", ultimately derived from Latin capillus.

Capitani Italian
Occupational name meaning "captain" in Italian, ultimately from Latin caput "head".

Carbone Italian
From a nickname for a person with dark features, from Italian carbone meaning "coal".

Carboni Italian
Variant of Carbone.

Carideo Italian
Originally denoted someone from San Pietro di Caridà, a town in Calabria. The town's name may be derived from Greek χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness".

Carl English, German
From the given name Carl.

Carlevaro Italian
Northern Italian variant of Carnevale.

Carnevale Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "carnival", perhaps given to a festive person.

Caro Spanish, Italian
From Spanish and Italian caro meaning "beloved".

Caron French
Variant of Charron.

Carpentier French
French form of Carpenter.

Carrara Italian
From the name of a city in Tuscany famous for its marble quarries. It is probably derived from Late Latin quadreria meaning "quarry".

Carré French
Means "square" in French, derived from Latin quadratus. It was used as a nickname for a squat person.

Caruso Italian
Means "close-cropped hair" in Italian, also having the secondary sense "boy, young man".

Casale Italian
Italian cognate of Casal.

Cassano Italian
Indicated a person from any of the various towns named Cassano in Italy.

Catalano Italian
Italian form of Catalán.

Cattaneo Italian
Variant of Capitani used in Lombardy.

Cavalcante Italian
Derived from Italian cavalcare "to ride".

Cavallo Italian
Means "horse" in Italian, an occupational name for a horseman.

Chaplin English, French
Occupational 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).

Chaput French
From a diminutive of the Old French word chape meaning "cloak, hood". The name referred to a person who made, sold or often wore cloaks.

Charbonneau French
Derived from a diminutive form of French charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.

Charles French
From the given name Charles.

Charpentier French
French cognate of Carpenter, derived from Old French charpentier.

Charron French
Means "cart" in Old French, used to denote a carter or a cartwright.

Chastain French
From Old French castan "chestnut tree" (Latin castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair.

Chauvin French
From a diminutive of French chauve "bald".

Chevalier French
From a nickname derived from French chevalier meaning "knight", from Late Latin caballarius "horseman", Latin caballus "horse".

Chevrolet French
From a diminutive of chèvre meaning "goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.

Christian English, French, German
Derived from the given name Christian.

Cingolani Italian
From Cingoli, a town in the Marche region of Italy. It is derived from Latin cingo "surround, ring".

Cino Italian
From the given name Cino, a short form of names ending in cino.

Cipriani Italian
From the given name Cipriano.

Cisternino Italian
From the name of the town of Cisternino, near the city of Bari in southern Italy.

Clément French
Derived from the given name Clément.

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

Cline German, Jewish
Anglicized spelling of Klein.

Cloutier French
Derived from French clou meaning "nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.

Coiro Italian
From Italian cuoio meaning "leather", ultimately from Latin corium. This was an occupational surname for a leather worker or tanner.

Cola Italian
From the given name Nicola 1.

Colbert English, French
Derived from the given name Colobert.

Colin French
From a diminutive of the given name Nicolas.

Colombera Italian
From a derivative of Italian colomba "dove" indicating a house where doves were held.

Colombo Italian
Either 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.

Columbo Italian
Variant of Colombo.

Como 1 Italian
From the given name Giacomo.

Como 2 Italian
From the name of the city of Como in Lombardy, the rival city of Milan during the Middle Ages. Its name may come from a Celtic root meaning "valley".

Comtois French
Indicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".

Confortola Italian
From the old Italian given name Conforto meaning "comfort".

Constantin Romanian, French
From the given name Constantin.

Conti Italian
From 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.

Coppola Italian
From 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.

Corna Italian
Derived from the names of places in northern Italy, especially Lombardy, from a word that means "crag, cliff" in the Lombard dialect.

Corrà Italian
From a short form of the given name Corrado.

Corti Italian
From Italian corte meaning "court, yard".

Corvi Italian
Nickname derived from Italian corvo meaning "crow".

Costa Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "riverbank, slope, coast" in Portuguese, Italian and Catalan, ultimately from Latin meaning "side, edge".

Costantini Italian
From the given name Costantino.

Costanzo Italian
From the given name Costanzo.

Coste French
French form of Costa.

Côté French
French form of Costa.

Courtemanche French
Means "short sleeve" in French.

Courtois French
French form of Curtis.

Cousineau French
Derived from Old French cosin meaning "cousin".

Couture French
Means "tailor" in Old French.

Cracchiolo Italian
Derived from Italian cracchiola, referring to a chicory-like vegetable.

Cremaschi Italian
From the name of the city of Crema in Lombardy, northern Italy.

Cremona Italian
From the Italian city of Cremona, south of Milan, in Lombardy.

Cremonesi Italian
From the name of the Italian city of Cremona in Lombardy.

Crespi Italian
Variant of Crespo.

Crespo Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Referred to a person with curly hair, from Latin crispus meaning "curly".

Croce Italian
Italian form of Cross.

Crocetti Italian
Italian diminutive form of Croce.

Cucinotta Italian
Derived from a diminutive of Italian cucina meaning "kitchen".

Cuocco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.

Cuoco Italian
Italian cognate of Cook.

Curie French
Occupational 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.

D'Agostino Italian
From the given name Agostino.

D'Ambrosio Italian
From the given name Ambrogio.

Damiani Italian
Derived from the given name Damiano.

D'Amore Italian
From the given name Amore.

D'Angelo Italian
Means "son of Angelo".

Daniau French
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Daniel um English, French, German, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian
Derived from the given name Daniel.

D'Antonio Italian
Means "son of Antonio".

D'Aramitz French
Originally denoted one who came from Aramits, the name of a town in the French Pyrenees that is possibly derived from Basque haran meaning "valley".

Daube German
Variant of Taube.

Daviau French
From a diminutive form of David.

David um English, French, German, Welsh, Czech, Portuguese, Romanian, Jewish
From the given name David.

Da Vinci Italian (Rare)
Means "from Vinci", a town near Florence. A famous bearer was the Italian artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).

De Angelis Italian
Means "son of Angelo".

De Campo Italian
Locative surname derived from place names called Campo (meaning "field").

De Felice Italian
Means "son of Felice".

De Filippis Italian
Means "son of Filippo".

De Fiore Italian
Means "son of Fiore".

Deforest French
Means "from the forest" in French.

DeGarmo French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of French de Garmeaux, which may derive from a place called Garmeaux in Normandy.

Delacroix French
Means "of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads. A notable bearer was the French painter Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863).

De La Fontaine French
French cognate of De la Fuente.

De Laurentis Italian
Means "son of Lorenzo", a Latinized form of the given name.

De Lorenzo Italian
Means "son of Lorenzo".

De Luca Italian
Means "son of Luca 1".

Deniau French
Variant of Daniel.

Deniaud French
Variant of Daniel.

Deniel French
Variant of Daniel.

Denis French
From the given name Denis.

Dennel French
Variant of Daniel.

Denzel German
Variant of Tanzer.

De Palma Italian
Means "from the palm tree" in Italian.

De Rege Italian (Rare)
Italian variant of Rey 1.

Derichs German
Means "son of Dirk".

De Santis Italian
Italian form of Santos.

Deschamps French
Means "from the fields", from French champ "field".

Descoteaux French
Means "from the hillside", from French coteau "hillside".

Desjardins French
Means "from the gardens", from French jardin "garden".

Desroches French
Means "from the rocks", from French roche "rock".

Desrosiers French
Means "from the rose bushes", from French rosier "rose bush". It probably referred to a person who lived close to, or cared for a rose garden.

Devin 2 French, English
Nickname for a person who acted divinely or prophetically, from Old French devin meaning "divine" or "seer, fortune teller", ultimately from Latin divinus.

De Vitis Italian
Means "son of Vito 1", using a Latinized form of the given name.

De Vito Italian
Means "son of Vito 1".

Di Antonio Italian
Variant of D'Antonio.

Di Caprio Italian
From the name of the island of Capri near Naples, itself possibly derived from Latin capra meaning "goat" or Greek κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar".

Diefenbach German
From a German place name meaning "deep creek".

Dieter German
Derived from the given name Dieter.

Dietrich German
Derived from the given name Dietrich.

Di Mercurio Italian
Means "son of Mercurio".

Di Napoli Italian
Means "from Naples" in Italian.

Dinapoli Italian
Variant of Di Napoli.

Dioli Italian
Meaning unknown.

Dior French
Possibly from French doré meaning "golden". A famous bearer was the French fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957).

Di Pasqua Italian
Means "of Easter" in Italian.

Di Pietro Italian
Means "son of Pietro" in Italian.

Dirks Dutch, German
Means "son of Dirk".

Dirksen Dutch, German
Means "son of Dirk".

Di Stefano Italian
Means "son of Stefano".

Dittmar German
Derived from the given name Dietmar.

Dohman German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Thomas.

Donati Italian
From the given name Donato.

D'Onofrio Italian
Means "son of Onofrio".

D'Ovidio Italian
From the given name Ovidio.

Drago Italian
From a nickname meaning "dragon" in Italian.

Drechsler German
Variant of Dressler.

Dreher German
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.

Dreier German
Variant of Dreher.

Dreschner German
Derived from Middle High German dreschen "to thresh". A thresher was a person who separated the grains from a cereal plant by beating it.

Dresdner German
Originally indicated a person who came from the city of Dresden in German.

Dressler German
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.

Dreyer German
Variant of Dreher.

Droit French
Means "right, straight" in French, a nickname for an upright person.

Dubois French
Means "from the forest", from French bois "forest".

Duchamp French
Variant of Deschamps. A famous bearer was the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).

Duchamps French
Variant of Deschamps.

Duerr German
Variant of Dürr.

Dufort French
Means "from the fort", from French fort "stronghold".

Dufour French
Occupational name for a baker, from French four "oven".

Duguay French
Means "from the ford", from French gué "ford".

Dumas French
Means "from the farm", from Occitan mas "farmhouse", from Latin mansus "dwelling". A famous bearer was the French author Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870).

Dumont French
Means "from the mountain", from French mont "mountain".

Dunkel German
Means "dark" in German.

Dunst German
Derived from Middle High German dunst "haze".

Dupond French
Variant of Dupont.

Dupont French
Means "from the bridge", from French pont "bridge".

Dupuis French
Means "from the well", from Old French puts, Latin puteus "well".

Dupuy French
Means "from the hill", from Occitan puy "hill", from Latin podium "platform".

Durand French, English
From Old French durant meaning "enduring", ultimately from Latin durans. This was a nickname for a stubborn person.

Durant English, French
Variation of Durand.

Durante Italian
Italian cognate of Durand.

Dürr German
Means "thin" in German.

Duval French
Means "from the valley" in French.

Eberhardt German
Derived from the given name Eberhard.

Ebner 1 German
Originally indicated a dweller on a flat piece of land, derived from Middle High German ebene "plateau".

Ebner 2 German
Means "judge, arbiter" from Middle High German ebenære.

Eckstein German
From Old High German ekka meaning "edge, corner" and stein meaning "stone".

Egger German
South German occupational name meaning "plowman" or "farmer", derived from German eggen "to harrow, to plow".

Eichel German
Means "acorn" in German, indicating a person who lived near an oak tree.

Eilerts German
Derived from the given name Eilert.

Elena Italian
Derived from the given name Elena.

Émile French
Derived from the given name Émile.

Engel German
Derived from German given names beginning with Engel, such as Engelbert.

Enns German
Derived from a short form of the German given name Anselm.

Episcopo Italian
Means "bishop" in Italian, ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos).

Ermacora Italian
From the given name Ermacora.

Ernst German, Dutch, Danish
From the given name Ernst.

Esposito Italian
Means "exposed" in Italian and denoted a child who was rescued after being abandoned by its parents.

Esser German
Means "cartwright", related to Old High German ahsa "axle".

Essert German
Variant of Esser.

Étienne French
From the given name Étienne.

Evangelista Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Means "evangelist" in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Everhart German
Variant of Eberhardt.

Évrard French
From the given name Évrard.

Fabbri Italian
From Italian fabbro meaning "blacksmith", ultimately from Latin faber.

Fabbro Italian
Variant of Fabbri.

Fabel German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Fabian.

Fabian German, English, Polish
Derived from the given name Fabian.

Fabien French
Derived from the given name Fabien.

Fabre Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.