Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Ben Arabic (Maghrebi)Maghrebi variant of Arabic بْن
(bn), a form of اِبْن
(ibn) meaning "son (of), offspring". It is often used as a prefix for other Maghrebi patronymic names (such as
Benali "son of
Ali 1" or
Ben Amor "son of
Amor").
Ben Ali Arabic (Maghrebi), ComorianMaghrebi transcription of Arabic بن علي
(bin Ali) meaning "son of
Ali 1". A notable bearer was Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (1936-2019), who served as the president of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011.
Benally NavajoFrom Navajo
binálí meaning "his grandchild", derived from
análí meaning "(paternal) grandchild". It was commonly adopted when Native Americans were required to take surnames for record purposes.
Benanti ItalianFrom a derivative of Bene, a short form of the various omen names formed with this element (from Latin bene ‘well’), such as Benedetto, Benvenuto, etc.
Benatar JewishPossibly from Hebrew בֵּן (
ben) meaning "son" and עתר (
'atar) meaning "petitioner".
Benavides SpanishPatronymic name from the Medieval personal name
Ben Avid, of Arabic origin, derived from
ibn Abd meaning "son of the servant of God".
Benda CzechBenda is short form from names Benjamin or Benedikt.
Bender German, German (East Prussian)As a German surname, Bender is a regional occupational surname from the Rhineland area denoting a "barrel-maker" (the Standard German
Fassbinder became "Fassbender" in the local dialects and ultimately was shortened to Bender).... [
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Benedict EnglishOf Latin origin. Due to an early association as a saint's name and a papal name, often said to mean "blessed." Originally the Latin elements are 'bene-' meaning "good" or as an adverb "well" plus '-dict,' meaning "spoken." Thus, the literal meaning is "well spoken." ... [
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Benelli ItalianThe distinguished surname Benelli originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent... [
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Ben Hadj Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "son of the pilgrim"; the title
Hadj refers to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This surname is mainly found in Tunisia.
Benício Portuguese (Brazilian)Spanish form of Benedict, from the Late Latin name Benedictus, which meant "blessed". A notable bearer is Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro (born 1967).
Benigni ItalianPatronymic form of
Benigno. A notable bearer is the Italian actor and comedian Roberto Benigni (1952-).
Benkirane Arabic (Maghrebi)From Arabic بْن
(bn) meaning "son" combined with كِيرَان
(kīrān) meaning "forges, furnaces", possibly denoting descent of a blacksmith or metalworker (chiefly Moroccan).
Bennani Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "my son" in Hebrew, from בן
(ben) meaning "son" and אני
(ani) meaning "I, me". This is the name of a Moroccan family of Jewish origin that converted to Islam.
Benner GermanOccupational name for a basket and bassinet maker, from an agent derivative of Middle High German benne 'work basket', 'bassinet', 'cradle'.
Bennouna Arabic (Maghrebi)Most likely from Arabic بن
(bin) meaning "son" and the given name
Nouna, which may have been derived from an Arabic word meaning "whale, big fish" or "sabre, sword". Alternately, it may be from an Arabic name for a variety of melon... [
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Ben Nun HebrewJoshua or Yehoshua Ben Nun functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Exodus and Numbers, and later succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelite tribes in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua
Bentham EnglishHabitational name from any of various places named Bentham, from Old English
beonet "bent grass" +
ham "homestead" or
hamm "enclosure hemmed in by water".
Benz GermanSouth German: (in Alemannic areas) from a short form of the Germanic personal name Berthold, or to a lesser extent of Bernhard
Ben Zaken HebrewMeans "son of the old man" or "son of the elder" in Hebrew.
Benzema Arabic (Maghrebi)This is the surname of French professional footballer Karim Benzema who is of Algerian descent.
Beranová CzechMeaning is likely derived from a Slavic word meaning "ram", probably a variant of the same one
Baranov is derived from.
Berastegi BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Berber GermanPossibly a habitational name from a place called Berber near Kevelaer.
Berberić BosnianOccupational name for a barber, from berber(in) meaning "barber", from Turkish.
Beres HungarianOccupational name for a farm laborer or casual harvest hand, béres, a derivative of bér 'wage', 'payment'.
Beresford EnglishEnglish: habitational name from a place in the parish of Alstonfield, Staffordshire named Beresford, from Old English beofor ‘beaver’ (or possibly from a byname from this word) + Old English ford ‘ford’... [
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Berethnet LiteratureUsed by Samantha Shannon in her book The Priory Of The Orange Tree as the surname of the queens of Inys, a fictional queendom in the book.... [
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Bergamin ItalianTraced to 1437, Bergamo. A 'bergamini' was known as a person famrmed and sold milk cows
Bergara BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
Bergdahl SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain, hill" and
dal "valley".
Bergdorf GermanOrigin unidentified. Possibly a German habitational name from places in Hamburg and Lower Saxony called Bergedorf, Bargdorf in Lower Saxony, or Bergsdorf in Brandenburg.
Bergen German, Dutch, Flemish, JewishOriginally denoted a person from any of the various places named
Bergen in Germany and the Netherlands. It is also a variant of
Berg. Famous bearers include the Americans Candice Bergen (1946-), an actress, and Polly Bergen (1930-2014), an actress, singer and television host.
Berghorst GermanTopographical name for someone who lived by a wilderness area on a mountain, from Berg 'mountain', 'hill' + Horst 'wilderness' (see
Horst).
Bergin SwedishDerived from Swedish
berg "mountain" and the common surname suffix
-in.
Bergkamp Dutch, GermanFrom the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, derived from Dutch
berg meaning "mountain" and
kamp meaning "field". This name is borne by Dutch former soccer player Dennis Bergkamp (1969-).
Berglin SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain" and the surname suffix
-in.
Berglind SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain, hill" and
lind "linden tree".
Bergling SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain" and the common surname suffix
-ing "belonging to, coming from". It has also been found as a spelling variant of similarly spelled names, such as
Berlin... [
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Bergmark SwedishCombination of Swedish
berg "mountain, hill" and
mark "land, ground, field".
Bergoglio ItalianFrom the name of a village in Piedmont, Italy. A notable bearer is
Jorge Mario Bergoglio (1936-), better known as Pope Francis, the current head of the Catholic Church.
Bergschneider Germantopographic name for someone living by a mountain trail (as in cut into the hillside) from
Berg "mountain hill" and
Schneit "trail path running on a border" (Old High German
sneita).
Bergsma DutchThe surname Bergsma had orinally been German. It was then taken over to Holland possibly in the sixteenth century.... [
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Berki HungarianFrom a placename in Hungary derived from Hungarian "berek" meaning "grove".
Berlanga SpanishDerived from
Berlain which comes from the name of a precious stone derived from the Greek.
Berlin SwedishOf uncertain origin. The name could be a shortened form of
Berglin. It could also be a habitational name from the city in Germany or from a place in Sweden named with
ber or
berg "mountain"... [
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Berlin German, EnglishHabitational name from the city in Germany, the name of which is of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from an Old Slavic stem
berl- meaning
swamp or from a West Slavic word meaning "river lake".
Berlinerblau German, JewishMeans “Prussian blue” in German. A notable bearer of this surname is Jacques Berlinerblau, a professor of Jewish civilization, and Stefania Berlinerblau, an American anatomist and physician.
Bermejo SpanishNickname for a man with red hair or a ruddy complexion from Spanish
bermejo "red ruddy" (from Late Latin
vermiculus from
vermis "worm" since a red dye was obtained from the bodies of worms).
Bermingham English (Modern, Rare)Bermingham is the Gaelicised version of 'De Birmingham' and is descended from the family of Warwickshire, England. The Irish version of the name MacFeorais/MacPheorais is derived from Pierce de Bermingham.
Bern German, Scandinavian, German (Swiss)German and Scandinavian: from the personal name Berno, a pet form of
Bernhard. In South German it comes from the habitational name from Bern, Switzerland, notably in the south; in other parts from the personal name
Berno.
Bernadotte French, SwedishPossibly from the name of a historical province in Southern France named
Béarn. This was originally a French non-noble surname. French general Jean Baptise Bernadotte (1763-1844) became the king of Sweden as Charles XIV John (Swedish: Karl XIV Johan) in 1818 and founded the current royal house in Sweden, House of Bernadotte.
Bernasconi ItalianThe surname of BERNASCONI is of Italian origin, a locational name meaning the dweller on or near a small hill. The names of habitation are derived from pre-existing names denoting towns, villages, farmsteads or other named habitations... [
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Berner German, Low GermanGerman habitational name, in Silesia denoting someone from a place called Berna (of which there are two examples); in southern Germany and Switzerland denoting someone from the Swiss city of Berne. ... [
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Bernfield GermanAn Americanized variant of the German surname, "Bergfeld", meaning "mountain field".
Bernini ItalianBernini was the surname of famous sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680).
Bernitt German (Rare)Derived from the name of
Bernitt, a municipality in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Berrada MoroccanMeaning unknown. A famous bearer is novelist/literary critic/translator Mohammed Berrada.
Berretta ItalianFrom
berretta, originally meaning ‘hooded cloak’ (Latin
birrus), later ‘headdress’, ‘bonnet’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of such headgear or a nickname for an habitual wearer.
Berroa BasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Baigorri in the French canton of Euskal Mendialdea.