Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Breakspear EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for someone who had achieved notable success in jousts or in battle. Nicholas Breakspear (?1100-1159) was the original name of Pope Hadrian IV, the only English pope.
Brearley EnglishVariation of
Brierley possibly originating in Yorkshire, England. A well-known bearer is former English cricketer Mike Brearley.
Brecht GermanFrom a short form of any of various personal names formed with Germanic element
berth " bright" "famous".
Breed EnglishHabitational name from any of various minor places, for example Brede in Sussex, named with Old English
brǣdu "breadth, broad place" (a derivative of
brād "broad").
Breeding GermanFrom the Low German
brēde "open field". Denotes a person from such a place.
Breedlove EnglishProbably from a medieval nickname for a likable or popular person (from Middle English
breden "to produce" +
love). This surname is borne by Craig Breedlove (1937-), US land-speed record holder.
Bréhant BretonRefers to a place of the same name in Côtes-d'Armor.
Brehme GermanVariant form of
Bremer. German former soccer player Andreas Brehme (1960-) bears this name.
Breiding GermanFrom the name of a place in the Lippe area in northwestern Germany.
Breit GermanFrom Middle High German
breit meaning "broad". a nickname for a stout or fat person.
Breithaupt GermanNickname for someone with a broad head, from Middle High German
breit "broad" and
houbet or
houpt "head".
Breitkreutz Germanprobably a nickname for a person with a broad butt. Breitkreutz replaced an earlier more transparent form of the surname Breitarsch the use of
kreuz (literally "cross") as a euphemism for "buttocks" first occurring in the 17th century... [
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Breitzmann GermanEastern German topographic name for someone who lived by a birch wood, ultimately derived from the Slavic stem
bres "birch".
Bremer GermanIndicated a person from
Bremen in the State of Bremen, Germany.
Bremner ScottishDerived from the Scottish Gaelic name
MacGillebhàin which means "son of the fair-haired one." It is associated with the Clan Bremner, which has roots in the northern parts of Scotland.
Brenden NorwegianDerived from Old Norse
brenna "land cleared for cultivation by burning" (also known as
svedjebruk "slash-and-burn agriculture").
Brenna NorwegianVariant of Brenden, a Norwegian surname derived from
brenna "land cleared for cultivation by burning" (also known as
svedjebruk "slash-and-burn agriculture").
Brenner German, German (Austrian), JewishDerived from Middle High German
brennen "to burn". Both as a German and a Jewish name, this was an occupational name for a distiller of spirits. As a German surname, however, it also occasionally referred to a charcoal or lime burner or to someone who cleared forests by burning.
Brereton EnglishFrom the name of locations in Cheshire and Staffordshire, England. The name is derived from Old English
brér "briar" +
tún "enclosure, farmstead".
Bresnahan Irish (Anglicized)Reduced Anglicized form of Irish
Ó Brosnacháin (See
Brosnan). Roger Bresnahan (1879-1944) was an American player and manager in Major League Baseball.
Bresser EnglishThe surname is derived from the old English word brasian, meaning to make out of brass. This would indicate that the original bearer of the name was a brass founder by trade. The name is also derived from the old English Broesian which means to cast in brass and is the occupational name for a worker in brass.
Breton French, EnglishFrench and English: ethnic name for a Breton, from Old French
bret (oblique case
breton) (see
Brett).
Brevard FrenchFrench: nickname from Old French bref ‘small’ + the derogatory suffix -ard.... [
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Brevik NorwegianHabitational name from any of several farms named Brevik, from Norwegian
bred "broad" and
vik "bay".
Brewton EnglishVariant spelling of the habitational name Bruton, from a place in Somerset, so named with a Celtic river name meaning 'brisk' + Old English tun 'farmstead'.
Breyette English (American)Of uncertain origin and meaning. First found in the United States around 1880. Self-taught artist Michael Breyette is a bearer of this surname
Brezhnev Russian, UkrainianDenoted a person from
Brezhnevo, a rural village in the Kursky District, Kursk Oblast, Russia. The most notable bearer was Leonid Brezhnev (1906-1982), a leader of the Soviet Union.
Br Ginting f BatakFeminine form of
Ginting. The
Br (short form of
beru, pronounced BUH-roo) part is a nickname for women in Bataknese, specifically in the Karo tribe.
Briatore ItalianThis surname originates from the province of Cuneo in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is probably derived from Piedmontese
brijador meaning "postilion, coachman", which itself is ultimately derived from Piedmontese
bria meaning "bridles, reins".... [
more]
Brickner GermanDerived from "brückenbauer," which means "bridge builder" in English. It was originally an occupational name for someone who built bridges. Over time, the name Brickner was likely shortened from Brückenbauer to its current form.
Bridon French (Rare)Patronymic surname derived from French
bride "bridle, harness", this name used to denote a maker or merchant of bridle, harness or horse-gear and more generally a saddler.
Bridson EnglishAnglicization of Mac Giolla-Bríghhde, contracted to Mac Bríghde.
Brier EnglishDerived from Old English
brer "briar, bramble", a topographic name for someone who lived near a briar patch, or a nickname for a prickly, irritable person.
Bright EnglishFrom a Middle English nickname or personal name, meaning "bright, fair, pretty", from Old English
beorht "bright, shining".
Brindle EnglishFrom the name of a town in Lancashire, England, derived from Old English
burna "stream, spring, brook" and
hyll "hill".
Brindley EnglishHabitational name from a place in England so named. From Old English
berned "burnt" and
leah "woodland clearing".
Briner German (Swiss)Habitational name for someone from Brin in Grison canton (Graubünden) or from the Brin valley.
Brinker German, DutchDerived from
brink "edge, slope" or "village green", indicating that the bearer of the surname lived near a prominent slope of land or next to the centre of a village.
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".
Brion FrenchRefers to any of several places of the same name. Derived from Gaulish
briga "height, hill" and the suffix
-one.
Brion GalicianRefers to a place of the same name from the province A Coruña in pre-Roman Galicia.
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.
Br Maharaja f BatakFeminine form of
Maharaja. The
Br (short form of
boru, pronounced BOH-roo) part is a nickname for women in Bataknese (except Karo tribe).
Broadhead English (British)From Middle Eglish
brod "wide, broad" and
heved,
hed "head, headland". Name for someone who lived by a broad headland.
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.
Brockmann Low GermanDenoted someone who lived in or by a marsh, from Middle Low German
brok "swamp, marsh" (see
brōkaz) and
man "person, man".
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.
Broeders DutchFrom Middle Dutch
broeder "brother, colleague" or "friar, monk, clergyman". Compare the German surname
Bruder.
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.