Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Banas PolishThe town of Bana, in Hungary, is said to have given birth to this family name. The name appears to have traveled northward, within eastern Europe, ending up in Poland where it is most recognized.
Banchieri ItalianFrom
banchiere "banker" or the related Genoese
bancherus "shopkeeper, street vendor".
Bandara SinhaleseFrom a title used for political and military leaders in the Sinhala Kingdom, which was derived from the name of a group of guardian deities in Sinhalese Buddhist belief.
Bandaranayake SinhaleseDerived from the Sinhalese royal title බණ්ඩාර
(bandara) meaning "prince" and Sanskrit नायक
(nayaka) meaning "hero, leader".
Bandasack LaoFrom Lao ບັນດາ
(banda) meaning "all, entire, whole" and ສັກ
(sack) meaning "power, authority".
Bandera Spanish, ItalianStatus name for a bearer of flags or standards, from Spanish
bandera meaning "flag, banner". It is also a variant of Italian
Bandiera, a cognate of the Spanish name.
Bandi ItalianDerived from Late Latin
Bandus itself from the Germanic
band and the Latin
banda, all meaning "sign, emblem, banner". It can also derive from the Italian word
bando meaning "announcement" from the Germanic
bann.
Bando JapaneseIt means "east of the slope", referring to eastern provinces of Osaka. The surname originates from there, and that is where it is most common.
Banegas SpanishSpanish: variant of Benegas a patronymic composed of Arabic or Jewish ben 'son' + the medieval personal name Egas .
Bang DanishOriginally a nickname denoting a loud or brash person, from Old Danish
bang "noise" (from Old Norse
banga "to pound, hammer" of echoic origin). A literary bearer was Danish author Herman Bang (1857-1912).... [
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Bang KoreanBang is derived from the Korean word ‘sarangbang’ referring to a ‘room’.
Bangla BengaliFrom বাংলা
(Bangla), the endonym of the Bengali people, the region of Bengal (including Bangladesh), and the Bengali language. The word itself is derived either from
Vanga, the name of an ancient kingdom on the Indian subcontinent, or from an Austric word meaning "sun god".
Banik IndianHindi word for "farmer, merchant" & Bengali word for "the merchant"
Banjar Indonesian, ArabicFrom the name of the Banjar people, itself derived from Javanese
mbanjarke meaning "separate, rearrange, organize". This surname is common among people of Indonesian ancestry in Saudi Arabia.
Bankhead Scottish, Northern IrishTopographic name for someone who lived at the top or end of a bank or hill, derived from Middle English
bank meaning "bank" and
hed meaning "head". There are several minor places in Scotland so called, but the most likely source of the surname is one on the border between the parishes of Kilmarnock and Dreghorn in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Bankoku Japanese (Rare)From Japanese 万国 meaning "all nations; the whole world; universal". The fact that it is homophonous as Japanese バンコク (
Bankoku) meaning "Bangkok", the city in Thailand, is coincidental.
Bankova f RussianBankova (Банкова) and its male counterpart Bankov (Банкова) is a Russian surname that came from the Russian word Банковское which means directly translates to Banking. It is a common surname in Russia, Ukraine and Belorussia.
Bankston EnglishDerived from the old English world "Banke" usually given to a family who lived near a hill or a slope.
Banksy English, Popular CultureThis is pseudonyms Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. Banksy's real name might be Robin Gunningham. How Banksy got his pseudonym is unknown... [
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Bannai JapaneseFrom Japanese 坂
(ban) meaning "slope" and 内
(nai) meaning "inside".
Banović Serbian, Croatian"Son of a Ban", the
-ić "son of" suffix with
ban, the title of class of Croatian nobility beginning in the 7th century approximately equivalent to viceroy, lord or duke, stemming potentially from the Turkic
bajan ("rich, wealthy").
Bantadtan ThaiFrom Thai บรรทัด (
banthat) meaning "ruler; straight line" and ฐาน (
than) meaning "base; location".
Banuelos SpanishSpanish (Bañuelos): habitational name from any of various places, primarily Bañuelos de Bureba in Burgos, named for their public baths, from a diminutive of baños ‘baths’ (see Banos)
Banwell EnglishMeans "person from Banwell", Somerset ("killer spring (perhaps alluding to a contaminated water source)").
Banzon FilipinoFrom Hokkien 萬
(bān) meaning "ten thousand, innumerable" and 孫
(sun) meaning "grandchild".
Bao ChineseFrom Chinese 鲍
(bào) referring to an area called Bao that existed in the Qi state during the Zhou dynasty.
Bao ChineseFrom Chinese 包
(bāo) referring to Shen Baoxu, an official from the Chu state that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Bar HebrewFrom Aramaic בְּרָא
(b'rā) meaning "son, child" or Hebrew בָּר
(bar) meaning "grain, cereal".
Barad Biblical Hebrew (Rare)It's the Hebrew name of one the biblical plagues in the Hebrew bible that God cast on Egypt. It means Hail as in the Ice storm.
Baraga SloveneA Slovene surname of unknown origin. A notable bearer was Slovene-American Roman Catholic bishop Frederic Baraga (1797-1868), who was the bishop of Marquette, a town in Upper Michigan, USA. There is also a village in Upper Michigan named Baraga, which was named after the bishop.
Barandun RomanshOf debated origin and meaning; theories include a derivation from Italian
baraonda "chaos; uproar".
Barasch HebrewAcronym of the first two letters for the Hebrew phrase "son of the Rabbi Samuel." Bar Rabbi Schmul
Baratto ItalianFrom Italian
baratto "barter, exchange, swap", likely used for a merchant.
Barba SpanishSpanish: nickname for a man noted for his beard, from barba ‘beard’ (Latin barba).
Barbagelata ItalianNamed after the hamlet of Barbagelata, located in the commune of Lorsica, Genoa, Liguria, Italy. The name possibly means "cold beard", as it derives from "barba" (beard) and "gelata" (female form of cold).
Barbe FrenchNickname for someone with a beard, Old French
barbe (Latin barba).
Barbe GermanFrom Middle High German
barbe, the name of a species of fish resembling the carp; hence by metonymy an occupational name for a fisherman or fish dealer, or possibly a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish in some way.
Barbeau FrenchDerived from
barbeau meaning "barbel", a type of fish, hence a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or a nickname for a man with a sparse beard, the fish being distinguished by beardlike growths on either side of its mouth... [
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Barbeito GalicianMeans "fallow, farmland" in Galician, likely a habitational name from any of various places called Barbeito.
Barbera ItalianDerogatory nickname from barbera ‘barber’s wife’, a term also used to denote a prostitute or dishonest woman. Catalan (Barberà): habitational name from a place in Tarragona province, named with Late Latin Barbarianum ‘place of Barbarius’, a derivative of Barbarus (see Barbaro)... [
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Barbero SpanishSpanish occupational name for a barber-surgeon (see
Barber), Spanish
barbero, from Late Latin
barbarius, a derivative of
barba ‘beard’ (Latin
barba).
Barbon French (Quebec)Derived from the nickname
barbon meaning "old codger" as well as referring to a "confirmed bachelor".
Barbosa Portuguesedenoting a person who lived by land that contained overgrown leafy vegetation from the portuguese word
barba "leaf" +
oso/osa (adjective suffix); variant of
Barboza Barceló CatalanApparently from a personal name Barcelonus (feminine Barcelona), originally denoting someone from the city of Barcelona.
Barcelona Catalan, SpanishHabitational name from Barcelona, the principal city of Catalonia. The place name is of uncertain, certainly pre-Roman, origin. The settlement was established by the Carthaginians, and according to tradition it was named for the Carthaginian ruling house of Barca; the Latin form was Barcino or Barcilo.
Bárcenas SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Espinosa de los Monteros.
Barchard EnglishThe name is derived from when the family resided in Cheshire, where they held a family seat near Birkenhead at the estuary of the River Birket. It is from the name of the river that their name is derived.
Barcho CircassianPossibly derived from an Adyghe word meaning "band, lace", referring to someone who made ropes or binding tapes, or from a Chechen word referring to a tailor.
Barcroft EnglishEnglish habitational name from for example Barcroft in Haworth, West Yorkshire, so named with Old English
bere (barley) and
croft (smallholding).
Bardell EnglishOriginally meant "person from Bardwell", Suffolk ("Bearda's spring"). A fictional bearer of the surname is Mrs Bardell, Mr Pickwick's widowed landlady in Charles Dickens's 'Pickwick Papers' (1837), who misconstrues an innocent remark about having a companion as a marriage proposal, which leads to her suing Pickwick for breach of promise.
Barden EnglishEnglish: habitational name from places in North and West Yorkshire named Barden, from Old English
bere ‘barley’ (or the derived adjective
beren) +
denu ‘valley’.
Bardwell DutchOriginates from the word "Bard" meaning beard, and "Well" meaning water sorce.
Barefoot EnglishEnglish: nickname for someone who was in the habit of going about his business unshod, from Old English bær ‘bare’, ‘naked’ + fot ‘foot’. It may have referred to a peasant unable to afford even the simplest type of footwear, or to someone who went barefoot as a religious penance.In some instances, probably a translation of German Barfuss, the northern form Barfoth, or the Danish cognate Barfo(e)d.
Bareilles French, OccitanDerived from the place name
Bareilles, a village in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitania region of France. A famous bearer is the American musician and actress Sara Bareilles (1979-).
Baresi ItalianVariant of
Barrese. A famous bearer is Franchino "Franco" Baresi (1960-), as well as his brother Giuseppe Baresi (1958-), both former Italian soccer players.
Bargy Anglo-SaxonThe surname Bargy was first found in Gloucestershire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
Barham EnglishEnglish: habitational name from any of the various places so called. Most, for example those in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, are named with Old English beorg ‘hill’ + ham ‘homestead’. The one in Kent, however, is from an unattested Old English byname Biora, Beora (a derivative of bera ‘bear’) + ham.
Baril FrenchDuring the middle ages, when people were named after their given job, Baril was what winemakers and brewers were named. Baril simply means "Barrel" or "Keg"
Barile ItalianFrom Italian
barile "barrel" either an occupational name for a Cooper or a nickname for a fat man.
Barilla ItalianOccupational name from medieval Greek
barellas "cooper" from Italian
barella "barrel" with the suffix (e)as.
Barinov RussianMeans "son of the boyar" from Russian барин
(barin) meaning "boyar, nobleman".
Bark SwedishPerhaps derived from a place name containing either Old Swedish
*barke "throat", Old Swedish
biork "birch tree" or Swedish
bark "bark (covering of the trunk of a tree)"
Barker EnglishSURNAME Town cryer, or someone who shouts out notices
Barkis EnglishMeant "person who works in a tannery" (from Middle English
barkhous "tannery" - bark was used in the tanning process). A fictional bearer is Barkis, a carrier in Charles Dickens's 'David Copperfield' (1849) who sends a message via David to Clara Peggotty that "Barkis is willin'" (i.e. to marry her).
Barkus EnglishProbably a reduced form of Barkhouse, a topographic name for someone who lived by a tannery, Middle English barkhous, or an occupational name for someone who worked in one.
Barnaby EnglishEither (i) means "person from Barnaby", Yorkshire ("Beornwald's settlement"); or (ii) from the medieval male personal name
Barnaby, the English form of
Barnabas, a biblical name ultimately from Aramaic
Barnabia "son of Nabia".
Barner EnglishSouthern English habitational name for someone who lived by a barn.
Barnewall Anglo-Norman, IrishA locational surname given to those who lived by a stream in either Cambridgeshire, which derives its name from the Olde English
beorna meaning "warrior" and
wella meaning "stream", or from one in Northamptonshire, which got its name from the Olde English
byrge meaning "burial mound" and
well, which also means "stream." a burial mound and 'well(a)'... [
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Barno Italian, Ukrainian, French, Ancient Aramaic, RussianThe surname Barno was first found in the north of Italy, especially in Tuscany. The name occasionally appears in the south, usually in forms which end in "o," but the northern forms ending in "i" are much more common... [
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Baron English, FrenchFrom a title of nobility derived from Old French
baron of uncertain origin and meaning, possibly from Frankish
barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or for a peasant with ideas above their station.
Baron JewishFrom German or Polish
baron or Russian барон
(baron) meaning "baron". In Israel the name is often interpreted to mean "son of strength" from Hebrew בר און
(bar on).
Barr Scottish, Northern IrishHabitational name from any of various places in southwestern Scotland, in particular Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, named with Gaelic
barr "height, hill" or a British cognate of this.
Barraco ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from Arabic
بَرَّاق (
barraq) "shining, lustrous".
Barreau FrenchPossibly a variant of
Barreur, an agent derivative of barrer ‘to bar’, ‘to close or block off’, hence possibly an occupational name for a jailer or doorkeeper.
Barreiro Galician, PortugueseBarreiro is a habitational name from any of numerous places in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal named with a derivative of
barro 'clay loam'.
Barreiros Portuguese, GalicianHabitational name from any of various places in Galicia called Barreiros, from Portuguese and Galician
barreiro meaning "slough, clay".
Barrenetxe BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Larrabetzu.
Barrera Spanish, CatalanEither a topographic name for someone who lived near a gate or fence, from Spanish and Catalan
barrera meaning "barrier", or a topographic name for someone who lived by a clay pit, from Spanish
barrero, derived from the Spanish word
barro meaning "mud, clay".
Barrese Italian, SicilianDenoted a person from any of the various minor places named
Barra in southern Italy (for example the large district in the eastern part of Naples), derived from Italian
barra meaning "barrier, bar, obstacle".
Barreto PortugueseOccupational name for a cap maker. Comes from
barreto which means ‘cap’.