Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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.
Bedwell EnglishDerived from the town of Bidwell, Hertfordshire, England, from Old English words "Byde", which meant tub, and "Well", meaning fountain or spring. The surname is classified as a habitational name. The name Bedwell is most common in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, England, and the state of Indiana in the USA.
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 ItalianNickname for a practical joker, from Italian
beffa "trick, prank".
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.
Bei ChineseFrom Chinese 贝
(bèi) referring to the ancient fief of Bei, which was part of the state of Jin during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hebei province.
Beifong Popular CultureSurname of Toph from the American TV show "Avatar: The Last Airbender". Could be derived from the Chinese word "北方 (Běifāng)" meaning "north".
Beil GermanMeans "axe, hatchet" in German, an occupational name for someone who made or used axes, such as a carpenter.
Beilen DutchHabitational name from a village in Drenthe, Netherlands, possibly related to Old Germanic
*bagil- "swamp, marsh".
Beilke GermanFrom ancient Germanic
bīl "sword" or
bīhel "axe".
Beining GermanThis famous surname, one of the earliest recorded in history, and recorded in over two hundred spellings from Benedicte, Benech and Bennet, to Banish, Beinosovitch and Vedyasov, derives from the Roman personal name "Benedictus", meaning blessed.
Bekanowski PolishThis indicates familial origin within the Greater Polish village of Bekanówka.
Bektaş TurkishFrom the Turkic military title
beg meaning "chieftain, master" combined with Turkish
taş meaning "stone, rock".
Belalcázar SpanishIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous Andalusian municipality with the coordinates 38°34′31″N 5°10′02″W.
Belarbi Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "son of the Arab" from Arabic بْن
(bn) meaning "son (of)" and اَلعَرَبِيّ
(al-ʿarabiyy) meaning "the Arab".
Belfer JewishOccupational name from Yiddish
be(he)lfer,
ba(he)lfer "teacher’s assistant".
Belfiore ItalianMeans "beautiful (as a) flower", derived from Italian
bel "beautiful" combined with Italian
fiore "flower". Two Italian sources claim that this surname was derived from the medieval masculine given name
Belfiore (which has of course the same meaning), but I can find no evidence that this was an actual given name in medieval Italy... [
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Belgo BrazilianPossibly derived from Latin
belga "Belgian, person from Belgium".
Belgrave EnglishAristocratic surname from
French, meaning "beautiful grove"; comes from a place name in Leicestershire. A famous namesake is British polar explorer Belgrave Ninnis, who perished in Antarctica on a 1912 expedition.
Belhadj Arabic (Maghrebi)Means "son of the pilgrim" from Arabic بْن
(bn) meaning "son (of)" اَلحَاجّ
(al-ḥājj) meaning "the pilgrim".
Bělín CzechEither a nickname from Czech bílý ‘white’ or a derivative of the female personal name Běla (which also means ‘white’), denoting the son or husband of a woman so named.
Belin YiddishMetronymic from the Yiddish female personal name Beyle meaning ‘beautiful’ (related to French belle).
Béliveau French (Rare), French (Quebec)Derived from Old French
besliver meaning "to stagger along", originally a nickname referring to a drunkard. It could also denote a person who lived in a beautiful, lovely valley, derived from French
beau "beautiful" or Old French
beu,
bel "fair, lovely", combined with
val meaning "valley"... [
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Belkin RussianPatronymic from the nickname
Belka meaning "squirrel" (a derivative of
bely "white", referring to the animal's white stomach).
Belladonna English (Rare), Popular CultureNamed after an extremely poisonous plant (Atropa belladonna; also known as the deadly nightshade). One fictional bearer of this surname is Blake Belladonna, a main character from the popular web series RWBY.
Bellaïche Judeo-SpanishDerived from Arabic بن
(bin) meaning "son of" and عايش
('aysh) meaning "living, alive".
Bellaria ItalianFrom the place name Bellaria, in Milan, Veneto, Piedmont and Sicily, these homonyms widespread throughout Italy.
Bellefleur French, LiteratureMeans "beautiful flower" in French. This is the surname of the notable family in the 2001 to 2013 novel series
The Southern Vampire Mysteries and the 2008-2014 TV series that inspired it,
True Blood.
Bellegarde FrenchDerived from a toponym meaning "beautiful watch-tower, look-out".
Belleisle FrenchName for someone from an island named Belle Isle, French for "beautiful island".
Bellers EnglishName came from the son of a French Noble born in Leicestershire, England. Hamon Bellers took his last name after the Kirby Bellers (Bellars) which was the name of the land given to him by his father.