All Submitted Surnames

usage
​
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Botticelli Italian
Etymology uncertain. It can derive from the Italian word botte meaning "barrel" and from the occupation bottaio meaning "cooper". In the case of Sandro Botticelli it has probably another origin... [more]
Botting English, Dutch
Patronymic form of Bott, an Old English personal name of unknown origin, or of Baldwin.
Bottom English
Topographic name for someone who lived at the bottom of a valley, derived from Middle English botme "dell, valley".
Bottomley English
English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire named Bottomley, from Old English botm ‘broad valley’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.
Bottum English
Variant spelling of Bottom.
Botzis Greek
Greek version of the Italian surname Bocci.
Boualem Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Alam" (see Boualem); mainly found in Algeria.
Bouazizi Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Aziz" in Arabic (chiefly Maghrebi). A notable bearer was Mohamed Bouazizi (1984-2011), a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire... [more]
Boubacar Western African
From the given name Boubacar.
Bouchaib Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "son of Shoaib"; mainly found in Morocco and Algeria.
Bouchareb Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of the moustache" or "father of the drinker" from Arabic أَبُو (ʾabū) meaning "father" and شَارِب (šārib) meaning "moustache" or "drinker".
Bouchemlal Kabyle, Berber
Kabyle surname of unknown meaning.
Boudewijn Dutch
From the given name Boudewijn, a Dutch variant of Baldwin.
Boudjin Dutch
Shortened version of the given name Boudewijn.
Boudreaux French
Variant of Beaudreau. Originated in ancient area known as Languedoc, where the family was established. Comes from having lived in Languedoc, where the name was found since the early Middle Ages.
Bouhired Arabic (Maghrebi)
Meaning unknown. A notable bearer is Djamila Bouhired (1935-), an Algerian militant and nationalist who opposed the French rule over Algeria.
Bouhouche Berber, Northern African
Kabyle name possibly derived from Arabic أَبُو (ʾabū) meaning "father" and حَوْش (ḥawš) meaning "courtyard, enclosure, farm" (chiefly Algerian).
Boujettif Northern African (Archaic)
Meaning, "The family of the son of the Clever Head" or "One Whom Possess a Clever Head." Bou (normally used in the North African Regions of the Maghrib Countries) has 2 possible derivative meanings both originating from the Arabic language, "Son of..." or an Arabic word Tho meaning, "One Who Possess A Quality." Jettif is a variance of Jettef, Jeif or Ji'f which is derived from the ancient Tamazight or Imazighen (popularly known as Berber) and is pronounced "j-ixf" which means Clever, head, or brain."
Boukhalfa Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of the successor" in Arabic (see Khalaf or Khalifa).
Boukharouba Arabic (Maghrebi)
Meaning unknown, possibly of Kabyle origin. A notable bearer was Algerian revolutionary and President Houari Boumediene (1932-1978), who was born as Mohamed ben Brahim Boukharouba.
Boukouras Greek
Name of Dacian/Illyrian or Thracian origin. It means "happy". Also, see the Romanian surname Bukur
Boulahrouz Arabic (Maghrebi), Berber
Means "father of Lahrouz", possibly an Arabic given name of unknown meaning. It is chiefly used in Algeria and Morocco. The retired Dutch soccer player Khalid Boulahrouz (1981-) is a famous bearer of this name.
Boulakia Judeo-Spanish
From the name of the city of Boulaq in Egypt.
Boulanger French
Means "baker" in French.
Boulier French
Occupational name for a maker of balls or the organizer of a game of boules, from French boule meaning "ball".
Boulton English
Means "district" characterized by bends from the Old English words boga and land.
Bouma West Frisian
Shortened form of the now-extinct Frisian surname Bouwema, a patronymic form of the given name Bouwe (see Boudewijn)... [more]
Boumediene Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Midian" in Arabic (chiefly Algerian). A notable bearer was Houari Boumediene (1932-1978), born as Mohamed ben Brahim Boukharouba, an Algerian revolutionary who served as the second President of Algeria from 1976-1978.
Bounds English
Variant of Bond.
Bounpaseuth Lao
From Lao ບຸນ (boun) meaning "happiness, prosperity, goodness" and ປະເສີດ (pasoet) meaning "excellent, magnificent".
Bounpraseuth Lao
Alternate transcription of Lao ບຸນປະເສີດ (see Bounpaseuth).
Bounvilay Lao
From Lao ບຸນ (boun) meaning "happiness, prosperity, goodness" and ວິໄລ (vilay) meaning "splendid, beautiful".
Bounyavong Lao
From Lao ບຸນ (boun) meaning "happiness, prosperity, goodness" and ວົງ (vong) meaning "lineage, family".
Boupha Lao
Means "flower" in Lao, ultimately from Sanskrit पुष्प (pushpa).
Bouras Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of the head" from Arabic أبو (abu) meaning "father" and رأس (ras) meaning "head, leader, chief".
Bouras Greek
Derived from Albanian burrë meaning "man, husband".
Bourassa Indian
Seems to be an Indian name. I am in touch with a relative whose family were Pottawatomi Indians in Oklahoma. This name comes from that reservation.
Bourbon French
The Bourbons were one of the most important ruling houses of Europe . Its members were descended from Louis I, duc de Bourbon from 1327 to 1342, the grandson of the French king Louis IX (ruled 1226-70)... [more]
Bourbon French
habitational name from a village in Allier the site of the (now ruined) castle of Bourbon or from another place called (Le) Bourbon mainly in the southern part of France. The placename is derived from a Celtic and pre-Celtic element borb- denoting a hot spring.
Bourcard French, German (Gallicized)
From the given name Bourcard, variant of Bouchard, and frenchified form of Burckhardt.
Bourget French
Possibly meaning "from the city, town" or given to wealthy families, (from bourgeois)
Bourguignon French
Originally denoted a person from Burgundy (called Bourgogne in French), a historical region of east-central France.
Bourguin French
From the medieval name Bourguin the French form of Burgwin.
Bourn English
Variant of Bourne.
Bourque French (Quebec)
Unknown history. A famous bearer is Raymond Bourque (B.-1960), a Quebec born professional ice hockey player from 1979-2001.
Boushab Western African
Used in Mauritania.
Bousquet Occitan
Originally a name for someone living or working in a wooded area.
Boutaleb Arabic (Maghrebi)
Maghrebi transcription of Arabic أبو طالب (ʾabū ṭālib) meaning "father of Talib".
Boutayeb Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Tayeb" in Arabic (chiefly Moroccan).
Bouteflika Arabic (Maghrebi)
Possibly means "one who makes things explode" in Algerian Arabic. A famous bearer is Abdelaziz Bouteflika (1937-), who served as president of Algeria from 1999 to 2019.
Bouteiller French
occupational name for a wine steward or butler usually the chief servant of a medieval household or for a maker of bottles from bouteiller an agent derivative of bouteille "bottle"... [more]
Boutella Arabic (Maghrebi, Rare)
Means "father of the mountain" or "father of the hill", from Arabic أَبُو (ʾabū) meaning "father (of)" and تَلّ (tall) meaning "hill, foothill". Two notable bearers include father and daughter Safy (1950-) and Sofia (1982-) Boutella, an Algerian singer and an Algerian-French actress, respectively.
Boutet French
from a pet form of the ancient Germanic personal name Boto a short form of any of various names composed with the element bod "messenger"... [more]
Bouthillette French
Diminutive form of Boutilier.
Boutilier French
Name for a butler or sommelier of a medieval household.
Boutin French
Diminutive from the Germnic given name Bodo.
Boutros Arabic
From the given name Boutros.
Bouwens Dutch, Flemish
Patronymic from the given name Bouwe, a diminutive of Boudewijn.
Bouwhuis Dutch
From Middle Dutch bouhuus "farm, farmstead"; compare Bouwman.
Bouwman Dutch
Means "farmer" in Dutch. Alternatively, a patronymic form of Boudewijn.
Bouzaher Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Zaher" in Arabic (chiefly Algerian).
Bouzaid Arabic (Maghrebi)
Possibly a variant of Bouzid.
Bouziad Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Ziad" in Arabic.
Bouzid Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Zayd".
Bouzidi Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Zayd".
Bouzigat Medieval Occitan
Lengadocian (dialect of Occitan): meaning "fallow land" or "cleared, uncultivated land"
Bovary French
It is the surname of the famous fictional character Emma Bovary protagonist of Gustave Flaubert's novel.
Bovo Italian
Variant of Bove.
Bow English, Scottish
Habitational name from any of various minor places called with Old English boga, meaning "bow, arch, bend".
Bowden Irish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Buadáin.
Bowden English
Habitational name from any of several places called Bowden or Bowdon, most of them in England. From Old English boga "bow" and dun "hill", or from Old English personal names Buga or Bucge combined with dun.... [more]
Bowdler English
From Dutch de Boelare meaning "from Boelare", the name of a town in the Netherlands. Alternatively, it could derive from English buddler, an occupational name for someone who washes crushed ore.
Bowdoin French (Huguenot)
Americanized form of French Baudouin or Baudoin. Both the French form of Baldwin. A famous bearer of this surname was James Bowdoin II (1726-1790) Who was the second governor of Massachusetts and political rival of John Hancock.
Bowe Medieval English, English, Irish (Anglicized)
There are three possible sources of this surname, the first being that it is a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of bows, a vital trade in medieval times before the invention of gunpowder, and a derivative of the Old English boga "bow", from bugan "to bend"... [more]
Bowell English
Of Norman origin; habitational name from Bouelles, Seine-Maritime, France, which is from Old Norman French "boelle" meaning "enclosure, dwelling".
Bower English, Scottish
Scottish: occupational name for a bow maker, Older Scots bowar, equivalent to English Bowyer. ... [more]
Bowerman English, English (American)
1. English: occupational name for a house servant who attended his master in his private quarters (see Bower). ... [more]
Bowersock English
Likely an Americanized spelling of Bauersack.
Bowker English
A surname of French origin, from the occupational term for 'butcher' (boucher). Some theories have it that it derives from OE 'bocer', meaning a scribe, but the former is more likely and is more widely affirmed.
Bowland English
From any variety of places in England with this name. These places are likely from with Old English boga ‘bow’ (in the sense of a bend in a river) and land ‘land’.
Bowles English
Variant of Bowell with post-medieval excrescent -s.
Bowlly English
Variant of Bowley
Bowne Welsh
The Welsh name Bowne is a patronymic surname created from the Welsh personal name Owen 1 or Owain... [more]
Bowser English
Nickname from the Norman term of address beu sire ‘fine sir’, given either to a fine gentleman or to someone who made frequent use of this term of address.
Bowskill English
From the place name Bowscale.
Bowyer English
English: occupational name for a maker or seller of bows (see Bow), as opposed to an archer. Compare Bowman.
Boyacı Turkish
Means "painter" in Turkish.
Boyajian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Boyajyan.
Boyajyan Armenian
Means "son of the painter" from Armenian պոյաճի (poyači) meaning "dyer, painter".
Boychev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Boycho".
Boycheva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Boychev.
Boydston Scottish
Habitational name from a place called Boydston near Glasgow. This surname is no longer found in the British Isles.
Boye German, Dutch, Frisian, Danish
From the Frisian given name Boye. Also possibly a variant of Bothe.
Boykins English (American)
Americanized form of Dutch Boeijkens: patronymic from the personal name Boye with the diminutive element -ken and genitive -s. Compare the English cognate Boykin and North German Boyken.... [more]
Boykov Bulgarian, Russian
Means "son of Boyko".
Boykova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Boykov.
Boyne English, Irish, Scottish
English: variant of Boon.... [more]
Boynton English
Variant of Boyton, from a place in Lancashire, England.
Boys English
From the Old French word bois, which means "wood," indicates that the original bearer lived near a wooded area, such as a forest.
Boyter Scottish
Denoting a person from the island of Bute.
Boz Turkish
Means "grey" in Turkish.
Božak Croatian
Derived from the forename Božo.
Bozan Turkish
Means "witherer, expunger, spoiler" in Turkish.
Boziga Medieval Occitan
BOZIGA, House or dwelling. ... [more]
Božikov Croatian
From božikovina, meaning "holly".
Bozinovic Serbian
Son of Bozidar
Bozkurt Turkish
Means "grey wolf" from Turkish boz meaning "grey" and kurt meaning "wolf".
Braafheid Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)
Means "braveness" in Dutch, derived from braaf meaning "brave, well-behaved, obedient" and the suffix -heid denoting a condition or state of being. This was originally a nickname for a strong or brave person... [more]
Braaksma Frisian (Dutchified, Modern, Rare)
Topographic name for someone who lived by a piece of wasteland or newly cultivated land, from Frisian, Dutch braak ‘fallow’, ‘waste’ + Frisian ma ‘man’. The suffix -ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.
Bracamontes Spanish
Probably a habitational name from the French town of Bracquemont near Dieppe.
Bracco Italian
Either a nickname derived from Calabrian braccu meaning "small, chubby", or probably for someone thought to resemble a hunting dog, from Italian bracco literally meaning "hunting dog, bloodhound"... [more]
Bracha Hebrew
From the given name Bracha, means "blessing" in Hebrew.
Bracken Irish
From Irish Ó Breacáin meaning "descendant of Breacán", a personal name from a diminutive of breac 'speckled', 'spotted', which was borne by a 6th-century saint who lived at Ballyconnel, County Cavan, and was famous as a healer; St... [more]
Bradfield English
habitational name from any of the places in Berkshire Devon Essex Suffolk South Yorkshire and elsewhere named Bradfield from Old English brad "broad" and feld "open country" meaning "wide field".
Bradham English
Means "broad home". From brad "broad", and ham "home"
Bradstreet English
A notable bearer is Anne Bradstreet, essentially known as America's first famous poet.
Braegon Medieval Scottish (Americanized)
Meaning high noble, or he who shall rule.
Braff American
Jewish (from Poland): probably an ornamental name from German brav 'good', 'upright'. Swedish: an old spelling of Brav, possibly a soldier's name.
Braga Portuguese
The first man to own this name was a feudal lord on Portugal, near to the region of Coimbra. Could also come from the other surname "Bragança".
Bragado Portuguese, Spanish
This surname is a Spanish word which means "gritty", refering to a bull. ... [more]
Bragadóttir Icelandic
Patronymic used exclusively by women, meaning "daughter of Bragi". Bragason is the male equivalent.
Bragan Irish (Anglicized)
Anglicised form of Ó Bragáin, from the old Irish given name Breccán... [more]
Bragança Portuguese
From the city of Bragança in Portugal. It's also the name of the Royal House that ruled Portugal from 1640 to 1910.
Bragason Icelandic
Patronymic used exclusively by men, derived from the Old Norse name Bragi.
Bräger German
Habitational name for someone from Bräg in Bavaria.
Brager Norwegian (Rare)
From the name of any of the various farmsteads in eastern Norway, which may have derived their name from a river name meaning "roaring", "thundering".
Bragg English, Welsh
From a nickname for a cheerful or lively person, derived from Middle English bragge meaning "lively, cheerful, active", also "brave, proud, arrogant".
Brague English
Began being used in the 1700's
Braham English
From the name of a town called Braham, probably derived from Old English brom meaning "broom (a type of plant)" and ham meaning "home, settlement" or hamm meaning "river meadow".
Brahe Danish (Rare), Swedish (Rare)
Danish and Swedish noble family with roots in Scania and Halland, southern Sweden (both provinces belonged to Denmark when the family was founded). A notable bearer was Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).
Brahimaj Albanian
Means "descendant of Brahim" in Albanian.
Brahmi Arabic (Maghrebi)
From the given name Brahim.
Braid Scottish, English
From the Braid Hills.
Brailey English
Habitational name for a person from Brayley Barton in Devon, which is derived from the name of the Bray river (a back formation from High Bray which is from Celtic bre meaning "hill" or Old English brǣg "brow") combined with Old English leah "woodland, clearing".
Braille French
Braille is a writing system used by people with vision impairment. It was named after its inventor Louis Braille (1809-1852).
Brain Scottish Gaelic (Anglicized), Irish
Reduced Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac an Bhreitheamhan ‘son of the judge’, from breitheamh ‘judge’.
Brainin Jewish
Means "son of Brayne", Brayne being a short form of the Yiddish feminine name Brayndl, literally "little brown one" (cf. Breindel).
Braithwaite English
Northern English habitational name from any of the places in Cumbria and Yorkshire named Braithwaite, from Old Norse breiðr "broad" + þveit "clearing".
Brak Khmer
Means "silver, money" in Khmer.
Brakhage German
Possibly from the Old German word 'brak' meaning 'uncultivated field,' or from the Middle German word 'brachen' meaning 'to till the soil.' ... [more]
Braley English (American)
A New England variant spelling of Brailey. French: from a diminutive of Brael, from Old French braiel, a belt knotted at the waist to hold up breeches; presumably an occupational name for a maker of such belts... [more]
Bramah English
From a place called either Bramall, or Bramhall formerly Bromale. From old english brom "broom" and halh, "nook, recess"
Bramble English
This surname is taken from the word which refers to a common blackberry (British) or any of several closely related thorny plants in the Rubus genus (US). It also refers to any thorny shrub. The word is derived from Old English bræmbel with a euphonic -b- inserted from the earlier bræmel or brémel, which is then derived from Proto-Germanic *bræmaz meaning "thorny bush."
Branagan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Branagáin.
Branagh Irish
Anglicisation of Irish Ó Branduibh meaning "descendant of Breathnach", a given name meaning "Welshman". A famous bearer is British actor and filmmaker Sir Kenneth Branagh (1960-).
Brancaccia Italian (Rare)
Derived from the medieval Italian given name Brancazia, which is the feminine form of the masculine given name Brancazio. For more information, please see the entry for the patronymic surname Brancazio... [more]
Brancaccio Italian
Variant form of Brancazio. There are a few sources that claim that the surname is derived from a place name (which would make it a locational surname), but that claim is incorrect, as all Italian geographical places carrying the name Brancaccio were either established long after the Middle Ages (by which time virtually all Italians already had a hereditary surname) or were named after a person who had Brancaccio for a surname... [more]
Brancaleone Italian
Derived from the medieval Italian masculine given name Brancaleone, which means either "a lion's paw" or "he who captures the lion". In the case of the former meaning, the name is derived from Italian branca meaning "paw, claw" combined with Italian leone meaning "lion"... [more]
Brancatella Italian (Rare)
Derived from the feminine given name Brancatella, which is a diminutive of the medieval Italian given name Brancazia, the feminine form of the masculine given name Brancazio. For more information about this, please see the entry for the patronymic surname of Brancazio... [more]
Brancatello Italian (Rare)
Derived from the masculine given name Brancatello, which is a diminutive of the medieval Italian given name Brancazio, itself ultimately derived from the late Latin given name Brancatius... [more]
Brancato Italian
This surname can be derived from a given name (thus making it a patronymic surname) as well as from a place name (thus making it a locational surname). In the case of a patronymic surname, the surname is derived from the medieval Italian given name Brancato, which is a variant form of the given name Brancazio, itself ultimately derived from the late Latin given name Brancatius... [more]
Brancazio Italian (Rare)
Derived from the medieval Italian masculine given name Brancazio, which itself is derived from Brancatius (also found spelled as Brancaccius and Brancatus), a late Latin corruption of the given name Pancratius... [more]
Branche French
From Old French branche meaning ‘branch’ (which is from Late Latin branca meaning ‘foot’, ‘paw’), the application of which as a surname is not clear. Compare Branch.
Branciforte Italian, Sicilian
nickname from branchi "claws hands" (plural of branca) and forte "strong" meaning "strong claw".
Branco Portuguese, Central African
from the the portuguese word Branco meaning "white", referring to someone with light skin and/or hair
Brandão Portuguese
From the given name Brandão (see Brendan).
Brandeis Jewish
Derived from Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav (known as Brandeis-Altbunzlau or Brandeis an der Elbe in German), a town located in the Prague-East District, in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic... [more]
Brandenburg German (East Prussian, Rare)
From a state in eastern Germany, formerly known as Prussia, containing the capital city of Berlin. Ancient. Associated with the Margravate (Dukedom) of Brandenburg, the seat of power in the Holy Roman Empire... [more]
Brandenburg German
habitational name from Brandenburg the name of a province its principal city and numerous other places.
Brandhorst German, Dutch
Possibly derived from brant "fire, torch, sword" and horst "thicket, grove, heap, elevated land" or "nest of a bird of prey, eyrie".
Brandis German, Jewish, Swiss
German & Swiss: Habitational name from a former Brandis castle in Emmental near Bern, Switzerland, or from any of the places so named in Saxony, Germany. A famous bearer of the name is Jonathan Brandis (1976-2003).... [more]
Brando Italian, Portuguese
from the ancient Germanic (Langobardic) personal name Brando a short form of various compound personal names formed with brand "sword" particularly Aldobrando and Ildebrando... [more]
Brands Dutch, German
Patronymic from the given name Brand, derived from Old Dutch brand "fire, sword, torch" or a name containing the element.
Brandwajn Yiddish
Yiddish surname meaning Brandy
Brandybuck Literature
Brandybuck is the surname of Meriadoc, a young Hobbit in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." Possibly derived from the Brandywine River, which in turn is derived from Sindarin Baranduin, "Brown River"... [more]
Brannan Irish
Variant of Brennan.
Branner Danish, German, English
Danish variant of BRANDER and German variant of BRANTNER.
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