Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Bayerstowe EnglishFrom a locational name from Bairstow in West Yorkshire, probably so-called from the Old English elements
beger "berry" and
stow place.
Baykalov RussianDerived from the name of Lake Baikal, derived from Turkish
baiköl meaning "rich lake".
Baylis EnglishDerived from the Middle English 'bail(l)i', a development of the Old French 'baillis'. In Scotland the word survives as 'bailie', the title of a chief magistrate for a part of a county or barony. The word survives in England as 'bailiff', an officer who serves writs and summonses for the court.
Bazhan UkrainianPossibly from Ukrainian
бажаний (bazhanyy) "wish, desire (adjective)".
Bazin FrenchDerivative of the ancient Germanic personal name
Bazo a shortened form of
Badizo a name based on the element
bad (from
badhuo) "battle".
Bazin m RussianFrom Russian
база (baza), meaning "base, foundation, storehouse". Denoted to a person who either lived near one or worked at one.
Baz-ool Tuvan (Rare)Means "another boy" from Tuvan база
(baza) meaning "also, too, another" combined with оол
(ool) "son, boy".
Bazzaty OssetianDerived from Georgian ბაზი
(bazi) meaning "falcon" or from a given name derived from Tatar базу
(bazu) meaning "to dare" (given in hopes that a son would become a warrior).
Bazzi ArabicPerhaps derived from an Arabic word meaning "foster brother(s)".
Bea SpanishHabitational name from a place of this name in Teruel.
Beaber English (American)Americanized spelling of German
Bieber or
Biber, from Middle High German biber ‘beaver’, hence a nickname for someone thought to resemble the animal in some way, a topographic name for someone who lived in a place frequented by beavers or by a field named with this word, or a habitational name from any of various place names in Hesse containing this element.
Beach EnglishName for someone living near a beach, stream, or beech tree.
Beakley EnglishThe surname Beakley is a nickname for a person with a prominent nose. Looking back further, we find the name Beakley was originally from the Old English word beke or the Old French word bec, each of which referred to the beak of a bird.
Beall ScottishDerived from the Gaelic word beal, which means "mouth" or "opening." It could have been a nickname for someone with a large or prominent mouth.
Beam EnglishFrom Old English
beam "beam" or "post". It could be a topographic name from someone living near a post or tree, or it could be a metonymic occupational name for a weaver.... [
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Beamish EnglishHabitational name for someone from Beaumais-sur-Dire in Calvados Beaumetz in Somme or one of three places called Beaumetz in Pas-de-Calais, all in northern France. In some cases it may be derived from a place called Beamish in County Durham... [
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Bear EnglishFrom the Middle English nickname Bere meaning "bear" (Old English bera, which is also found as a byname), or possibly from a personal name derived from a short form of the various Germanic compound names with this first element... [
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Bearden EnglishEnglish habitational name, a variant of
Barden, or from places in Devon and Cornwall called Beardon.
Beardmore EnglishA habitational name from a lost place (probably in the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands of England, where the surname is particularly common).
Beas Spanish (Mexican)Spanish (common in Mexico): habitational name from any of the places in Andalusia named Beas.
Beau FrenchNickname for a handsome man (perhaps also ironically for an ugly one) from Old French
beu bel "beautiful, handsome" (from Late Latin
bellus)... [
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Beaubien French (Quebec), EnglishFrom French
beau meaning "beautiful" and
bien meaning "well, good". The name referred to someone with physical beauty.
Beauchamp English, FrenchHabitational name for a person for any of the various places named Beauchamp in Northern France, derived from Old French
beau "beautiful" and
champ "field".
Beauchemin French (Quebec), FrenchMeans "good road" in French, from French
beau "beautiful" and
chemin "path, road". This name is more common in the French-speaking parts of Canada than in France.
Beaudelaire French (Quebec)Franco-American & French-Canadian variant of the French surname Baudelaire. Also seen in Louisiana French-Creole.
Beaufay French (Rare)In most cases, this surname is a locational surname that most likely took its name from the village of
Beaufay, which is nowadays located in the Sarthe department of France. The village was called
Bello Faeto,
Bellofaido and
Belfaidus during the Early Middle Ages, ultimately deriving its name from Latin
bellus fagus (or
bellum fagetum) meaning "beautiful beech tree(s)" or "beautiful beech woodland"... [
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Beauford EnglishVariation of
Buford. It is derived from the French word "
beau", meaning "beautiful", and "
ford", an Old English word meaning "river crossing".
Beauregarde FrenchVariant of
Beauregard used by one of the main characters in Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as well as its film and broadway adaptations.
Beauséjour French (Rare)Literally means "beautiful sojourn", derived from French
beau "beautiful, nice, fine" and French
séjour "sojourn, short stay". As such, this surname is most likely a locational surname, in that it originally referred to a scenic place to sojourn in... [
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Beausoleil French (Quebec), FrenchTopographic name for a person who lived in a place that was exposed to the sun, or from minor French place names, both derived from French
beau "beautiful" and
soleil "sun".
Beauvais FrenchFrom French place names derived from "beautiful sight".
Beauvoir EnglishFrom the surname of Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), a French feminist and philosopher.
Becci ItalianPossibly derived from a dialectic form of
vecchio "old", or from Celtic
becci "beaks", perhaps indicating someone with a large nose.
Becerra Spanish, GalicianNickname probably for a high-spirited person from
becerra "young cow, heifer". It may also have been a metonymic occupational name for a cowherd.
Becher GermanShortened form of
Becherer as well as a surname given to for someone who distilled or worked with pitch, in which case it is derived from Middle High German
bech / pech "pitch".
Bechet EnglishA famous bearer of this surname was Sidney Bechet (1897–1959), an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.
Bechmann German (Rare)Surname denoting someone who worked with pitch, from Middle High German
bech / pech "pitch" and
man, a suffix which can mean "man" or simply be used as a name suffix.
Bechtle GermanThe surname Bechtle was first found in Hessen, where the family contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation. The earliest bearers of this name to be mentioned in ancient chronicles were
Bechtold of Fulda in 1387,
Bechtold Suleffel of Frankfurt in 1442, and
Tibertius Bechtolf of Frankfurt in 1568... [
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Beckemeyer GermanBeckemeyer is a surname of German origin. The name likely traces back to a place named Beckum, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The "-eyer" suffix could potentially mean "from" or "of" in this context, so " Beckemeyer " could translate to "from Beckum".
Becker EnglishOccupational name for a maker or user of mattocks or pickaxes, from an agent derivative of Old English
becca "mattock".
Beckett EnglishHabitational name derived from the Old English given name
Bicca or from
beo "bee" combined with
cot "cottage, shelter, small house".
Beckingham EnglishFrom the name of two villages in England, one in Lincolnshire and one in Nottinghamshire.
Beckius SwedishCombination of Swedish
bäck "small stream, brook" and the common surname suffix
-ius.
Beckles EnglishFrom a place in Suffolk named "Beccles". From Old English
bæce meaning "stream" and
les meaning "meadow".
Beckley EnglishThis surname was taken from an English habitational name from any of the various places, in Kent, Oxfordshire, and Sussex, named Beckley whose name was derived from the Old English byname
Becca and the Old English
lēah "woodland clearing".... [
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Beckson English (British)The name comes from having lived in an enclosed place, means dweller at the old enclosure or dwelling. The surname Aldeman was first found in Essex, Suffolk and Yorkshire at Aldham. In all cases, the place name meant "the old homestead," or "homestead of a man called Ealda," from the Old English personal name + "ham."
Beckwith English (African)Habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire named Beckwith, from Old English bece "beech" + Old Norse viðr "wood" (replacing the cognate Old English wudu).
Becquerel FrenchA notable bearer was French scientist Henri Becquerel (1852-1908) who discovered radioactivity. A becquerel (Bq), the SI unit for radioactivity, is named after him.
Becraft English (American)English, variant of Beecroft. topographic name for someone who lived at a place where bees were kept, from Middle English bee ‘bee’ + croft ‘paddock’, ‘smallholding’.
Beddoes Welsh“This name derives from Old Welsh name and patronymic surname “Morgetuid / Margetiud”, composed of two elements: “mere” (great, splendid) plus “iudd” (lord). As a personal name the origins are lost in the mists of time but it is certainly pre Roman, however the modern use of the name is commonly taken from Merdydd ap Bleddyn, prince of Powys who died in 1132... [
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Bedell EnglishThis place name derives from the Old English words
byde, meaning "tub," and "well," meaning a "spring," or "stream." As such, Bedell is classed as a habitational name.
Bedenko UkrainianFrom Ukrainian
ведення (bedennya), meaning "management". Denoted to person who managed something.
Bedford EnglishFrom the English county Bedfordshire and its principal city or from a small community in Lancashire with the same name. The name comes from the Old English personal name
Beda, a form of the name
Bede and the location element
-ford meaning "a crossing at a waterway." Therefore the name indicates a water crossing once associated with a bearer of the medieval name.
Bedi IndianBased on the name of a clan in the Khatri community. The name is derived from Sanskrit vedī ‘one who knows the Vedas’. Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the founder of the Sikh religion, was from the Bedi clan... [
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Bedi Indian, Punjabi, HindiDerived from Sanskrit वेदिन्
(vedin) meaning "knowing, learned", used as a name for someone who was familiar with the Vedas.
Bedogni ItalianProbably from the archaic term
bedogna, a kind of polenta (a dish of boiled cornmeal), or a rosary.
Bedoni ItalianProbably of French origin, from
betun "mud" or
bedon "paunch, pot belly".
Bedoya SpanishCastilianized form of
Bedoia. Name for someone from Bedoña, in the Spanish province Gipuzkoa. Bedoña likely comes from Basque
bedi "pasture grazing" and
-oña, suffix for a place name.
Bedworth EnglishAn English habitational surname from a place so named near Nuneaton, in Warwickshire, derived most likely from the Old English personal name
Baeda (see
Bede), suffixed with
worþ, 'enclosure', denoting an enclosed area of land belonging to Baeda.
Bee EnglishFrom Middle English be meaning "bee", Old English beo, hence a nickname for an energetic or active person or a metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper.
Beeden English (British)Probably means "from Beeden", a village near Newbury in Berkshire. Ultimately coming from either Old English
byden, meaning "shallow valley", or from the pre 7th century personal name
Bucge with the suffix
dun, meaning "hill of Bucge".
Beeks DutchFrom Dutch
beek meaning "brook, stream".
Beeman EnglishOccupational name for a beekeeper, from Middle English
bee "bee" and
man.
Beenders DutchPossibly an occupational name for a bookbinder or barrel maker, from Middle Dutch
binden "to bind, to tie". Alternatively, could be related to
been "bone".
Beer EnglishHabitational name from any of the forty or so places in southwestern England called
Beer(e) or
Bear(e). Most of these derive their names from the West Saxon dative case,
beara, of Old English
bearu "grove, wood"... [
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Beer German, DutchFrom Middle Low German
bare, Middle Dutch
bere "bear". Given as a nickname to someone who was thought to resemble a bear, a metonymic occupational name for someone who kept a performing bear, or a habitational name for someone who lived near a sign depicting a bear... [
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Beerale SomaliThe surname "Beerale" in Somali means "farmer" or "agriculturist." It refers to someone involved in farming or agricultural activities.
Beers EnglishName for someone who lives in a grove of woods.
Beers DutchCould be a habitational name from either of two Dutch villages called
Beers, or derived from a short form of the personal name
Bernhard.
Beery IrishAnglicized form of
Ó Béara. This name was borne by brothers Noah (1882-1946) and Wallace Beery (1885-1949), and Noah's son Noah Beery Jr... [
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Beffa ItalianMeans "joke, prank, trick; mockery" in Italian, a nickname for a practical joker, or perhaps an unlucky person.
Begay NavajoDerived from the Navajo word
biyeʼ meaning "his son". This was frequently adopted as a surname among the Navajo when Native Americans were required by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to formally adopt surnames for the purpose of official records.
Begin Belarusian, JewishNickname for a runner, derived from Belarusian бегун (
begun) meaning "one who walks quickly". A noteworthy bearer was Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin (1913-1992), who is best remembered for signing a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, for which he and Anwar Sadat were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Bégon FrenchProbably from French
béguin "(male) Beguin", referring to a member of a particular religious order active in the 13th century, and derived from the surname of Lambert le Bègue, the mid-12th-century priest responsible for starting it... [
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Bègue FrenchMeans "stutterer, stammerer" in French, used as a nickname for someone with a stutter.
Béguin FrenchNickname from
beguin, a member of a medieval Christian male religious community (ultimately named after a priest called Lambert le
Bègue) that followed a monastic rule without making perpetual vows and was quickly considered heretic; by extension the term came to mean "sanctimonious person".
Behn GermanFrom the German male personal name
Behn, a shortened form of
Bernhard. A famous bearer was the English novelist and dramatist Aphra Behn (1640-1689).
Behringer GermanHabitational name for someone from either of two places called Behringen, near Soltau and in Thuringia, or from Böhringen in Württemberg.