Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Brink Low German, Dutch, Swedish, DanishThe Dutch and Low German meaning is "village green". In Danish and Swedish, the name is thought to be a borrowing of Middle Dutch brinc / brink, meaning "grassy edge" or perhaps "slope",, and the Danish word now means "where the water runs deep".
Brinker German, DutchFrom the word
brink "edge, slope". This indicated that the bearer of the surname lived near a prominent slope of land
Brinsley EnglishFrom a place meaning "brun's clearing" or "brown clearing" with the elements
Brun
"brown" and
leah
"meadow, clearing".
Brinton EnglishEnglish locational surname, taken from the town of the same name in Norfolk. The name means "settlement belonging to Brun" - the personal name coming from the
Old English word for "fire, flame".
Briones SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Brisbane ScottishNickname derived from Old French
bris(er) meaning "to break" and Old English
ban meaning "bone". The sense of this hybrid name is not clear; it may have been used for someone crippled by a broken bone or for a violent man who broke other people’s bones.
Brissenden EnglishDerived from either of two places in Kent, England called
Brissenden (one near Frittenden and the other near Tenterden), both named with the Old English given name
Breosa (a byname derived from
bresa meaning "gadfly") and Old English
denn meaning "woodland pasture (for swine)".
Brito PortugueseThe Brito family has its original roots in the village of Brito, around 1033 of the Christian era, where Dom Hero de Brito, lord of many estates in Oliveira, Carrazelo and Subilhães, all located between the Ave River and Portela dos Leitões, a very rich region and where the Solar dos Brito was located.
Brizendine French, English, JewishDerived from a personal name, probably of Celtic origin (Latinized as Britus), which was borne by a 5th century saint, who succeeded St. Martin as bishop of Tours.
Brizuela SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Merindad de Valdeporres.
Broadhead English, German1 English (Yorkshire): topographic name for someone who lived by a broad headland, i.e. a spur of a mountain, from Middle English brode ‘broad’ + heved ‘head’.... [
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Broccoli Italian, SicilianFrom the Italian plural for “The flowering crest of a cabbage”. Best known as the surname of the (Calabrian-originated) Sicilian American family who made James
Bond internationally famous, by making movies (loosely) based on the books where the titular antihero himself appeared.
Brochtrup GermanPossibly indicated someone who was from a farm called
Brochtrup in the town of Lüdinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A famous bearer is American actor Bill Brochtrup (1963-).
Brocker GermanNorth German topographic name for someone who lived by a swamp, from Middle Low German brook
bog + the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.
Brockhaus GermanOccupational hereditary surname for a person who was physically powerful, derived from Old German brock which may refer to persons with a stocky or strong build. Or derived from Old German "Brook" or "Brauk," for people near a marshy landscape, common in northern regions.
Brockman GermanGerman in origin, in heraldry a "brock" is represented by a badger. It could mean wet/water and man. It also has been said to mean broker.
Brocos GalicianThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Agolada in the Comarca of O Deza.
Brod JewishEither derived from German
Brot "bread" or taken from one of the various towns named
Brod in Bosnia, Croatia and Macedonia or from one of the towns named
Brody in Ukraine and Poland.
Brodén SwedishLikely composed of Swedish
bro "bridge" and the common surname suffix
-én (ultimately derived from Latin
-enius).
Broderick Irish, Welsh, EnglishSurname which comes from two distinct sources. As a Welsh surname it is derived from
ap Rhydderch meaning "son of
Rhydderch". As an Irish surname it is an Anglicized form of
Ó Bruadair meaning "descendent of Bruadar"... [
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Brodsky CzechHabitational name derived from a number of places, including Bohemia.
Brodziński PolishHabitational name for someone from a place called for example Brudzyń (formerly Brodzino) in Konin voivodeship, or Brodna in Piła voivodeship.
Broflovski Popular CultureKyle Broflovski (sometimes spelled Kyle Broflovski, Broslovski, Broslofski, Brovlofski or Broflofski) is a main character in the animated television series South Park.
Brogden EnglishFrom the name of a place in West Yorkshire meaning "valley brook", from Old English
broc "brook" and
denu "valley".
Brogni ItalianPossibly from the dialectical term
brogneau meaning "wild plum", or figuratively "foreigner".
Broker EnglishName given to someone who worked as a broker, an agent for the sale and purchase of goods and services. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Anglo-French word brocour, which has the same meaning as the English word broker
Brolin SwedishComposed of Swedish
bro "bridge" and the common surname suffix
-in.
Bromley EnglishHabitational name from any of the many places so called in England. Most of them derived from Old English
brom "broom" and
leah "woodland clearing".
Bromwell EnglishHabitational name from Broomwell in Herefordshire named in Old English with brom ‘broom’ + wella ‘spring’, ‘stream’.
Bronikowski PolishHabitational name from any of several places called Broniki or Bronikowo, in Konin, Leszczno, Piła, and Sieradz provinces.
Brook German, DutchTopographic name for someone who lived by a water meadow or marsh, from Low German
brook, Dutch
broek (cf.
Bruch).... [
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Brooksby EnglishMeans "farm by a brook". From Old English
broc "brook, small stream" and Old Norse
býr "farm, settlement"
Broomby EnglishA surname well represented in Cheshire, and Nottinghamshire.
Broomfield EnglishFrom a place name meaning "gorse field", from Old English
brom "gorse" and
feld "field, open country".
Brophy Irish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bróithe ‘descendant of Bróth’, a personal name or byname of unknown origin. Also Anglicized as Broy.
Brosnan IrishAnglicized form of Irish Gaelic
Ó Brosnacháin meaning "descendant of Brosnachán", a given name derived from
Brosna, a small village and parish in County Kerry, Ireland. A well-known bearer is the Irish actor Pierce Brosnan (1953-).
Brot AlsatianDerived from German
Brot "bread", this surname was given to someone who sold or baked bread.
Brough EnglishHabitational name derived from any place called Brough, named with Old English
burh "fortress" (compare English and Irish
Burke).
Brougham EnglishFrom the parish of Brougham in Westmoreland, derived from Old English
burg "stronghold" +
ham "piece of land".
Broughton EnglishHabitational name from any of the many places so called in England. The first name element is derived from Old English
broc "brook",
burh "fortress", or
beorg "castle". The second element is derived from Old English
tun "settlement, dwelling".
Brouwer DutchDutch occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch
brouwer.
Brouwers DutchPossibly means "brewer; brewers" relating to one who brews beer.
Bruch GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a marsh or a stream that frequently flooded, from Middle High German
bruoch "water meadow" or "marsh" (cognate to old English
broc "brook", "stream" cf... [
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Brück GermanTopographic name for someone who lived near a bridge, or an occupational name for a bridge keeper or toll collector on a bridge, from Middle High German
bruck(e) "bridge".
Bruck JewishFrom Polish, Belorussian, or Yiddish
bruk "pavement", possibly an occupational name for a paver.
Brucker JewishFrom Polish
brukarz or Yiddish
bruk "pavement", possibly an occupational name for a paver.
Bruckner GermanTopographic name for someone living by a bridge or an occupational name for a bridge toll collector; a variant of
Bruck with the addition of the suffix -ner.
Bruder GermanFrom a byname meaning "brother", occasionally used for a younger son, i.e. the brother of someone important, or for a guild member.
Brueckner German, German (Silesian)German (Brückner): from Middle Low German brugge, Middle High German brugge, brücke, brügge ‘bridge’ + the agent suffix -ner, hence a topographic name for someone living by a bridge, an occupational name for a bridge toll collector, or in the southeast (Silesia for example) a bridge keeper or repairer... [
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Brueggemann Low German, GermanNorth German (Brüggemann): topographic name for someone who lived near a bridge or a metonymic occupational name for a bridge keeper or street paver, Middle Low German brüggeman (see
Bruckman,
Brueckner).
Brueggert Germanic (Anglicized)Translated literally, the name means "bridge-man," and referred to the occupation of taking toll at bridges. The name was found most frequently in Frankfurt in the 12th and 13th centuries. North German (Brügger) and South German: occupational name for a bridge keeper paver or road builder... [
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Bruen GermanThis is my 2nd great uncle's wife's Surname of German ancestry.
Brugger German, AmericanSouth German variant or Americanized spelling of North German Brügger (see
Bruegger). habitational name for someone from any of various (southern) places called Bruck or Brugg in Bavaria and Austria.
Brugman Dutch, SwissDutch: topographic name for someone who lived near a bridge or a metonymic occupational name for a bridge keeper, from Dutch brugge ‘bridge’ (see
Bridge); in some cases, it is a habitational name for someone from the Flemish city of
Bruges (or
Brugge), meaning ‘bridges’... [
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Brühl German, JewishTopographic name for someone who lived by a swampy area, derived from Middle High German
brüel and Middle Low German
brul meaning "swampy land with brushwood". It may also be a habitational name from various places named
Brühl in Germany.
Bruin DutchFrom a medieval Dutch nickname meaning "brown", from Middle Dutch
bruun "brown", making this a cognate of German
Braun, English
Brown and Italian
Bruno... [
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Brumbaugh GermanicBrumbaugh is derived from towns of the same name, located in various regions of Germany: from "in der Brumbach" a farm near Müsen, Germany, or in the town of Brombach, Swabia and or Switzerland.
Brumby EnglishEnglish habitational name from a place in Lincolnshire named Brumby, from the Old Norse personal name
Brúni or from Old Norse
brunnr "well" +
býr "farmstead, village".
Bruneau FrenchDerived from a diminutive form of French
brun "brown", a nickname for a person with brown hair or skin.
Brunette French (Quebec)Variant of Brunet, reflecting the French Canadian pattern of pronouncing the final -t, which is not pronounced in metropolitan French.
Bruney EnglishFirst found in Languedoc, France, possibly meaning "brown."
Bruns FrenchBruns was first found in Poitou where this noble family held a family seat since ancient times. The Bruns surname derives from the French word "brun," meaning "brown"; possibly a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in the color brown.
Brunton English (Rare)From Old English
burna meaning "stream" and
tun, settlement; hence, "settlement by a stream".
Brush Scottish (Rare)Quite literally means "brush". Might derive from the Scottish Gaelic word
bhrus which means "brush", or the Latin root
br which means "explained". Was a nickname for those described to 'look like a brush'(i.e. hair that sticks up, thin with a big head, etc.)
Bruski PolishHabitational surname for someone from a place called Brus.
Brusse FrenchTopographic name for someone living in a scrubby area of country, from Old French
broce meaning "brushwood, scrub". It is also occupational name for a brush maker, from Old French
brusse meaning "brush".
Bryer Anglo-SaxonThis unusual surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and was originally given either as a topographical name to someone who lived by a briar patch, deriving from the Olde English pre 7th Century "braer, brer", Middle English "brer", prickly thorn-bush, or as a nickname to a prickly individual, "sharp as brere" (Chaucer), from the same word applied in a transferred sense.
Brzeziński PolishDerived from any of the various places named with Polish
brzezina "birch forest".
Brzoza PolishTopographic name from brzoza meaning ‘birch tree’.
Brzozogajski PolishThis indicates familial origin within the Greater Polish village of Brzozogaj.
Brzozowski PolishHabitational name for someone from a place named with brzoza meaning "birch tree", for example Brzozowa, Brzozowice, or Brzozowo.
Brzumiński PolishThis indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Brzumin.
Bubien PolishThe name came originally from France. An officer of Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Russian war, in 1812 stayed in Poland and married. One of his sons, became a regional Judge and large land owner in the Belarus area of Poland... [
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Buch GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a beech tree or beech wood, from Middle High German
buoche, or a habitational name from any of the numerous places so named with this word, notably in Bavaria and Württemberg... [
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Buchcicki PolishThis indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Buchcice.
Buche GermanMeaning "beech" and denoting someone who lived near beech trees.
Bucher GermanUpper German surname denoting someone who lived by a beech tree or beech wood, derived from Middle High German
buoche "beech tree".
Buckingham EnglishHabitational name from the former county seat of the county of Buckinghamshire, Old English
Buccingahamm "water meadow (Old English
hamm) of the people of (
-inga-)
Bucc(a)".
Buckland EnglishHabitational name from any of the many places in southern England (including nine in Devon) named Buckland, from Old English
bōc "book" and
land "land", i.e. land held by right of a written charter, as opposed to
folcland, land held by right of custom.
Buckman EnglishOccupational name for a goatherd (Middle English
bukkeman) or scholar (Old English
bucman "book man"). It could also be a shortened form of
Buckingham or a variant of
BUCKNAM.
Bucur RomanianA ancient Romanian name of Dacian origin. It means "happy". A legendary Romanian shepherd named Bucur it is said to have founded Bucharest, the present capital or Romania, giving his name to it (The Romanian city name is Bucureşti).
Buczyński PolishName for a person from any of various towns named Buczyn or Buczyna, derived from Polish
buczyna meaning "beechwood, beech forest".
Budd EnglishOriginated from the Old English personal name Budda, from the word
budda, which means "beetle" or "to swell." Specifically of Celtic Welsh origin.
Budge EnglishNickname from Norman French
buge "mouth" (Late Latin
bucca), applied either to someone with a large or misshapen mouth or to someone who made excessive use of his mouth, i.e. a garrulous, indiscreet, or gluttonous person... [
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