Swiss Surnames

Kaiser German
From Middle High German keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name Caesar.

Kalb German
Occupational name meaning "calf (animal)" in German.

Kalbfleisch German
Occupational name for a butcher who dealt in veal, from German kalb meaning "calf" and fleisch meaning "meat".

Kappel German, Dutch
Name for a person who lived near or worked at a chapel, ultimately from Late Latin cappella, a diminutive of cappa "cape", arising from the holy relic of the torn cape of Saint Martin, which was kept in small churches.

Karl German
From the given name Karl.

Kaspar German
Derived from the given name Kaspar.

Kästner German
Means "cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German kaste "box".

Kaube German
From the name of the town of Kaub in Germany.

Käufer German
Variant of Kaufer.

Kaufer German
Means "trader" in German.

Kauffmann German, Jewish
Variant of Kaufmann.

Kaufman German, Jewish
Variant of Kaufmann.

Kaufmann German, Jewish
Means "trader, merchant" in German.

Keil German
Means "wedge shaped" in German. It was used to denote a person who owned a wedge-shaped piece of land.

Keller German
Means "cellar" in German, an occupational name for one in charge of the food and drink.

Kempf German
German cognate of Kemp.

Kerner German
Derived from Old High German kerno "seed", an occupational name for one who sold or planted seeds.

Kerper German
Variant of Gerber.

Kiefer 1 German
Means "pine tree" in German.

Kiefer 2 German
Occupational name for a barrel maker, derived from Old High German kuofa meaning "barrel".

Kirch German
German cognate of Church.

Kirchner German
Derived from Middle High German kirchenaere meaning "sexton".

Kistler German
Occupational name meaning "chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German kiste.

Kistner German
Variant of Kistler.

Klassen German
Means "son of Klaus".

Klein German, Dutch, Jewish
Means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).

Klossner German
Derived from German Klausner, Middle High German klosenære meaning "hermit".

Knef German
Occupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German knif meaning "shoemaker's knife".

Kneib German
Variant of Knef.

Kneller German
Originally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".

Knepp German
Variant of Knopf.

Knochenmus German
From German Knochen "bone" and Mus "sauce". It probably referred to someone who worked in the butcher trade.

Knopf German
Means "button" in German, originally belonging to a button maker or button seller.

Knopp German
Variant of Knopf.

Koch German
German cognate of Cook.

Koenig German
German cognate of King.

Koenigsmann German
Variant of Königsmann.

Köhl German
Variant of Kohl.

Kohl German
Derived from Middle High German kol "cabbage".

Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.

Kohler German
From Middle High German koler meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal seller".

Kolbe German
From Middle High German kolbe meaning "club".

König German
German cognate of King.

Königsmann German
Means "king's man", or someone who played a king in a play.

Kopp German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Jakob.

Kraemer German
Variant of Krämer.

Krämer German
Means "shopkeeper, merchant" in German, derived from Old High German kram meaning "tent, trading post".

Krantz German, Jewish
Variant of Kranz.

Kranz German, Jewish
Derived from Old High German kranz meaning "wreath", an occupational name for a maker of wreaths or an ornamental Jewish name.

Kraus German
From Middle High German krus meaning "curly", originally a nickname for a person with curly hair.

Krause German
Variant of Kraus.

Krauss German
Variant of Kraus.

Krauß German
Variant of Kraus.

Krebs German
Means "crab" in German, perhaps a nickname for a person with a crab-like walk.

Kröger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Kron German, Swedish
From German Krone and Swedish krona meaning "crown" (from Latin corona), perhaps a nickname for one who worked in a royal household.

Krückel German
Nickname for a crippled person or someone who walked with a cane, from Middle High German krücke meaning "cane".

Krüger 1 German
In northern Germany an occupational name for a tavern keeper, derived from Middle Low German kroch meaning "tavern".

Krüger 2 German
In southern Germany an occupational name for a potter, derived from Middle High German kruoc meaning "jug, pot".

Kruger German
Variant of Krüger 1 and Krüger 2.

Kruse German
Variant of Kraus.

Küchler German
Occupational surname for a baker who made small cakes or cookies, derived from Middle High German kuoche "cake, pastry".

Kuhn German
Derived from a diminutive of the German given name Konrad.

Kundert German
Derived from the given name Konrad.

Kunkel German
Occupational name for a maker of distaffs, from Middle High German kunkel "distaff, spindle", of Latin origin.

Kunkle German
Variant of Kunkel.

Kuntz German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.

Kunz German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.

Kunze German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Konrad.

Kurz German
Means "short" in German, ultimately from Latin curtus.

Kurzmann German
Means "short man" in German.

Labelle French
Means "fair, beautiful" in French.

Labriola Italian
Originally indicated a person from the town of Abriola in southern Italy.

Lachance French
Means "chance, luck" in French, a nickname for a lucky person.

Lachapelle French
Means "the chapel" in French, most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.

Lacroix French
Means "the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.

Lafrentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lafrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Laganà Italian
Occupational name for a greengrocer, meaning "vegetables" in southern Italian dialects, ultimately from Greek λάχανον (lachanon).

Lagomarsino Italian
Derived from the name of the village of Lagomarsino near Genoa.

Lagorio Italian
From a nickname derived from Ligurian lagö, referring to a type of lizard, the European green lizard. This little reptile is respected because it supposedly protects against vipers.

Laguardia Italian
Occupational name meaning "sentry, sentinel" in Italian, also a locative name referring to a person who lived near a watchtower. Fiorello Laguardia (1882-1947) was the first mayor of New York of Italian origin.

Lama Italian
Derived from the name place Lama, common in Italy.

Lamar French, English
Originally from a place name in Normandy, derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool".

Lamarre French
Variant of Lamar.

Lambert French
Derived from the given name Lambert.

Lamberti Italian
Derived from the given name Lamberto.

Lamon Italian
From the name of the village of Lamon near the city of Belluno in Veneto, Italy.

Landau German, Jewish
Derived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".

Landi Italian
Derived from the given name Lando.

Lando Italian
Derived from the given name Lando.

Landolfi Italian
From the given name Landolfo, Italian form of the Lombardic name Landulf.

Lane 2 French
Derived from a French word meaning "wool", designating one who worked in the wool trade.

Lang German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Lange German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Langenberg German, Dutch
From various place names meaning "long mountain" in German and Dutch.

Langer German, Jewish
German cognate of Long.

Langlais French
Means "the Englishman" in French.

Langley 2 French (Anglicized)
Americanized spelling of Langlais.

Langlois French
Variant of Langlais.

Lapointe French
Means "the point (of a lance)" in French, possibly a nickname for a soldier.

Laporte French
Means "the door, the gateway" in French, from Latin porta. This was a name for someone who lived near the town gates or who operated them.

Larue French
Means "the street" in French.

Laterza Italian
From the name of the town of Laterza near Taranto in Apulia. It is typical of southern Italy.

Laurent French
From the given name Laurent.

Laurenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Laurito Italian
From the name of the town of Laurito, near Salerno in the area of Naples.

Lavigne French
Means "the vineyard" in French, referring to a person who lived close to a vineyard, or was from the town of Lavigny.

Lavoie French
Means "the road, the lane" in French, a name for someone who lived close to a road.

Lawrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lazzari Italian
Means "son of Lazzaro".

Léandre French
Derived from the given name Léandre.

Lebeau French
Nickname for a handsome person, from French le "the" and beau "beautiful, handsome".

Leblanc French
Means "the white" in French, from blanc "white". The name referred to a person who was pale or whose hair was blond.

Lebrun French
From a nickname meaning "the brown" in French, from brun "brown".

Lecce Italian
Originally indicated a person from Lecce, southern Italy. The town was known as Licea or Litium in Latin, earlier Lupiae.

Leccese Italian
Variant of Lecce.

Leclair French
Either a variant of Leclerc or from French clair meaning "bright".

Leclerc French
Means "the clerk" in French.

Leclercq French
Variant of Leclerc.

Lecomte French
Means "the count" in French, a nickname for someone in the service of a count or for someone who behaved like one.

Lécuyer French
From French écuyer meaning "squire, shield-bearer".

Lefebvre French
Variant of Lefèvre.

Lefèvre French
Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.

Leggièri Italian
Means "light, thin" in Sicilian.

Legrand French
Means "the tall, the large" in French.

Lehmann German
From Middle High German lehenman meaning "vassal, liege man".

Lehr German
From Old High German loh meaning "meadow, clearing".

Leitner German
Referred to one who lived on a hillside, from Middle High German lite "slope".

Leitz German
Derived from the archaic given name Leutz, a variant of Lutz.

Leitzke German
Either from Leitzkau, the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt, or from a diminutive of the given name Leutz, a variant of Lutz.

Lejeune French
Means "the young" in French, from jeune "young".

Lemaire French
Means "the mayor" in French. It was a title given to a town official, or else a nickname for someone who was pompous and officious.

Lémieux French
Derived from the place name Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.

Lemmi Italian
From a short form of the given name Guglielmo. It is typical of Tuscany.

Lemoine French
Means "the monk" in French. This was typically a nickname or an occupational name for a person who worked in a monastery.

Lenz German
From a nickname meaning "springtime" in German.

Léon French
Variant of Lyon 1, Lyon 2 or Lyon 3.

Leonardi Italian
From the given name Leonardo.

Leone Italian
Derived from the given name Leone 1.

Leoni Italian
Derived from the given name Leone 1.

Leroux French
Means "the red", from Old French ros "red". This was a nickname for a person with red hair.

Leroy French
Variant of Rey 1, using the definite article.

Lesauvage French
French form of Savage.

Lestrange French
From Old French estrange, a cognate of Strange.

Lévêque French
Variant of Lévesque.

Leverenz German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Lewerenz.

Lévesque French
Derived from French évêque, a cognate of Bishop.

Lewerentz German
Variant of Lewerenz.

Lewerenz German
From a northern German form of the given name Lorenz.

Linden German, Dutch
Indicated a person who lived near a linden tree, derived from Old High German linta or Old Dutch linda.

Lindner German
Variant of Linden.

Lippi Italian
From the given name Filippo. It is common in the area of Florence.

Locatelli Italian
From Locatello, a town in Lombardy, northern Italy, near the city of Bergamo.

Loewe German
Variant of Löwe.

Lohrenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lombardi Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from the Lombardy region of northern Italy, which was named for the Lombards, a Germanic tribe who invaded in the 6th century. Their name is derived from the Old German roots lang "long" and bart "beard".

Lombardo Italian
Variant of Lombardi.

Longo Italian
Italian cognate of Long.

Lorentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lorenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Loris German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Loritz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Louis French
From the given name Louis.

Löwe German, Jewish
Means "lion" in German.

Lucas English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch
Derived from the given name Lucas. A famous bearer of this surname is George Lucas (1944-), the creator of the Star Wars movies.

Ludwig German
From the given name Ludwig.

Lupo Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wolf".

Luther German
From the old given name Leuthar. It was notably borne by the religious reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546).

Luzzatto Italian
From an Italian form of Lusatia, a region of eastern Germany.

Lyon 1 English, French
Originally denoted a person from the city of Lyon in central France, originally Latin Lugdunum, of Gaulish origin meaning "hill fort of Lugus". It could also denote a person from the small town of Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy.

Lyon 2 English, French
From a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English lion meaning "lion".

Lyon 3 French, English
From the given name Leon.

Maçon French
French cognate of Mason.

Maestri Italian
Means "master" in Italian.

Magro Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "thin, lean", ultimately from Latin macer.

Maiella Italian
From the name of the Maiella massif in Abruzzo, Italy.

Maier 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Mancini Italian
Diminutive of Manco.

Manco Italian
Means "left-handed" in Italian, derived from Latin mancus meaning "maimed".

Mandel German, Yiddish
Means "almond" in German, an occupational name for a grower or seller, or a topographic name for a person who lived near an almond tree. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Manfredi Italian
Derived from the given name Manfredo.

Manfredonia Italian
Originally indicated a person from Manfredonia, Italy. The city was named for the 13th-century King Manfred of Sicily.

Mangold German
From the given name Managold.

Mann German, English
From a nickname meaning "man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.

Mantovani Italian
From the name of the city of Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy (Mantova in Italian).

Manz German
From a diminutive of the given name Managold.

Marchand English, French
Occupational name meaning "merchant", ultimately from Latin mercari "to trade".

Marchegiano Italian
From the name of the Marche region in Italy, derived from Late Latin marca meaning "borderland". It was the real surname of the American boxer Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), who was born Rocco Marchegiano.

Marchesi Italian
From the Italian title marchese meaning "marquis". It was probably a nickname for a person who behaved like a marquis or worked in the household of a marquis.

Marchetti Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Marco.

Marchi Italian
Derived from the given name Marco.

Marchioni Italian
Possibly from the given name Melchiorre or the compound name Marco Giovanni.

Marco Spanish, Italian
From the given name Marco.

Marconi Italian
Derived from the given name Marco.

Mari Italian
Aphetic form of Altimari.

Maria Italian, Portuguese
From the given the name Maria.

Mariani Italian
From the given name Mariano.

Marie French
From the given name Marie.

Marin Romanian, French
From the given name Marin.

Marini Italian
Derived from the given name Marino.

Marino Italian, Spanish
Derived from the given name Marino.

Marion French
Derived from the given name Marion 1.

Markwardt German
Variant of Marquardt.

Marmo Italian
Means "marble" in Italian, possibly indicating a person who lived near a quarry or one who worked with marble.

Marquardt German
From Old High German marka "border, boundary" and wart "protector". This was an occupational name for a border guard.

Martel 1 English, French
Derived from the given name Martel, a medieval diminutive of Martin.

Martel 2 French, English
Nickname for a smith, derived from Old French martel "hammer", ultimately from Late Latin martellus.

Martelli Italian
Italian form of Martel 2.

Martin English, French, German, Swedish
Derived from the given name Martin. This is the most common surname in France.

Martinelli Italian
From a diminutive of the given name Martino.

Martini Italian
Derived from the given name Martino.

Martino Italian
From the given name Martino.

Martz German
Derived from an old diminutive of Martin.

Masi Italian
From the given name Maso a short form of Tommaso.

Masin Italian
Venetian variant of Masi.

Masson 1 French, Scottish
Variant of Mason.

Masson 2 French
From a short form of the given name Thomasson, itself a diminutive of Thomas.

Mathieu French
Derived from the given name Mathieu.

Maurer German
Occupational name meaning "wall builder" in German.

Maurice French
From the given name Maurice.

Maurin French
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

Maus German
From a nickname meaning "mouse", from Old High German mus.

Mayer 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Mazza Italian
From a nickname (perhaps occupational) meaning "maul, mallet" in Italian.

Meier 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Mein German
Derived from the given name Meino.

Meindl German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino.

Meinhardt German
Derived from the given name Meinhard.

Meisner German
Variant of Meissner.

Meissner German
Originally denoted a person from the German town of Meissen, which is probably of Slavic origin.

Melsbach German
From the name of a German town, possibly meaning "mill stream".

Mendel 2 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Meino. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.

Mercier French
French form of Mercer.

Merkel German
From a diminutive of the given name Markus. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).

Merle French
French form of Merlo.

Merlo Italian, Spanish
Means "blackbird", ultimately from Latin merula. The blackbird is a symbol of a naive person.

Messana Italian
Variant of Messina.

Messer German
Occupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German messer "knife".

Messerli German (Swiss)
Swiss diminutive form of Messer.

Messina Italian
From the name of the Sicilian city of Messina, founded by Greek colonists. The city was named after the Greek city Μεσσήνη (Messene).

Messmann German
Variant of Messer.

Messner German
Occupational name for a sexton or churchwarden, from Old High German mesinari.

Metz 1 German
Occupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German metze "knife".

Metz 2 German
Derived from Mätz, a diminutive of the given name Matthias.

Metzger German
Means "butcher" in German.

Meunier French
Means "miller" in French.

Meyer 1 German
From Middle High German meier meaning "bailiff, administrator", derived from Latin maior meaning "greater". Later it also denoted a tenant farmer. The spellings Meier and Meyer are more common in northern Germany while Maier and Mayer are more common in southern Germany.

Meyers German, English
Patronymic form of Meyer 1, Mayer 3 or Myer.

Michael English, German
From the given name Michael.

Michaelis German
Derived from the given name Michael.

Michaud French
Derived from the given name Michel.

Michel French, German, Dutch, Basque
Derived from the given name Michel, Michiel or Mitxel.

Micheli Italian
From the given name Michele 1.

Milani Italian
Variant of Milano.

Milano Italian
Originally indicated someone who came from Milan.

Modugno Italian
From the town of Modugno, in Apulia in southern Italy. It is the surname of the Italian actor and singer Domenico Modugno (1928-1994).

Mohren German
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Mondadori Italian
From Italian mondatore meaning "weeder". This was an occupational name for someone who kept fields clear of weeds.

Mondo Italian
From a given name, a short form of names such as Raimondo or Edmondo.

Monet French
Derived from either of the given names Hamon or Edmond. A famous bearer was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

Monette French
Variant of Monet.

Montagna Italian
Means "mountain" in Italian, from Latin montanus, indicating a person who lived on or near a mountain.

Montagne French
French cognate of Montagna.

Montana Italian
Variant of Montagna.

Montanari Italian
Means "from the mountain" in Italian.

Monte Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Italian variant of Monti, as well as a Portuguese and Spanish cognate.

Monti Italian
Means "mountain, hill" in Italian, from Latin mons.

Morand French
French form of Morandi.

Morandi Italian
From the medieval given name Morando, an Italian form of Morandus.

Moreau French
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

Morel French
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

Morelli Italian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Mauro.

Morello Italian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Mauro.

Moretti Italian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Mauro.

Morgenstern German, Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "morning star" in German.

Morin French
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Maurus.

Morra Italian
Locative name derived from Italian places such as Morra De Sanctis, Campania, or Morra del Villar, Piedmont.

Moschella Italian
From a diminutive of Italian mosca meaning "housefly", perhaps originally a nickname for an annoying person.

Mosconi Italian
Variant of Moschella.

Moser German
Name for someone who lived near a peat bog, from Middle High German mos.

Motta Italian
From various names of places around Italy. It is derived from a Gaulish word meaning "hill".

Moulin French
Means "mill" in French.

Mounce German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of German Manz.

Mueller German
Variant of Müller.

Muggia Italian
From the town of Muggia in northeastern Italy near the Slovenian border. It was called Muglae in Latin.

Muhlfeld German
Means "mill field" in German.

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Muller German
Variant of Müller.

Muraro Italian
Occupational name for a wall builder, from Italian murare meaning "to wall up".

Mussolini Italian
From Italian mussolina meaning "muslin", a type of cloth, itself derived from the city of Mosul in Iraq. This name was borne by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945).

Nagel German, Dutch
Means "nail" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a carpenter or nailsmith.

Naggi Italian
Originally denoted a person from the town of Naggio in Lombardy, Italy.

Naggia Italian
Variant of Naggi.

Naldi Italian
From given names like Arnaldo and Rinaldo.

Nana Italian
From a diminutive of Giovanni.

Nani Italian
Variant of Nana.

Nanni Italian
Variant of Nana.

Nannini Italian
From Nanni, a diminutive of the given name Giovanni.

Napoleoni Italian
From the medieval given name Napoleone.