BirdeeEnglish Probably a variant spelling of English Burden .
BirdsonAfrican American It means son of Bird and most likely came from someone who was given the name Bird. The word bird is found in all English language dictionaries and was not intended to be a name.
BirdsongEnglish From the English words bird and song. Possibly an English translation of the German surname Vogelsang.
BirgeHungarian Occupational name for a shepherd, from birga, a variant spelling of birka 'sheep'.
BirindelliItalian Of uncertain etymology, originating in Tuscany, Italy. Possibly related to the word brindelli "rags, tatters, shreds", indicating a person who wore old, ragged clothes, or who looked worn-out in some way.
BirkelandNorwegian Derived from Old Norse birki "birch" and land "farm, land". This was the name of several farms in Norway.
BirkenfeldGerman From the name of various places in Germany, like the one in Rhineland-Palatinate, all derived from Old High German birka "birch tree" and feld "field"... [more]
BirketEnglish It's a locational surname taken from the village of Birket Houses in Lancashire.
BirkinEnglish The surname "Birkin" comes from a village in Yorkshire of the same name, first recorded as "Byrcene" in the Yorkshire charters of 1030, and as "Berchine" and "Berchinge" in the Domesday Book. The first known person with the surname "Birkin" was Jon de Birkin, a baron who lived in the late-11th century.
BirneEnglish, German, Jewish Means "pear" in German, making it the German equivalent of Perry 1, perhaps originally referring to a person who harvested or sold pears... [more]
BirnieScottish Part of the clan MacInnes from the Scottish highlands. It was originally the name of a church (Burn-nigh) which became Birnie or Birney.
BisbeeEnglish Named after the city of Bisbee which is in Arizona.... [more]
BiscornetLiterature Derived from the Latin words bis, meaning "two" and cornet, meaning "horn". According to French urban legend, this was the last name of the architect who built the doorways in the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral... [more]
BisleyEnglish (British) Bisley is a locational surname from the village of Bisley in Surrey. It comes from the words biss meaning “brown” or "ashy" and leah meaning “clearing” denoting a wide area of untilled land such as a meadow or woodland.
BissonnetteFrench (Quebec) North American spelling of French Bissonet, a topographic name from a diminutive of Old French buisson meaning "bush, scrub".
BistolfoItalian Bistolfi has a lineage between Alessandria Casale Monferrato, Acqui Terme and Prasco, Genoa and Savona. Bistolfo may derive from a modified form of the medieval name Guisulfus. In an act of 1327 Gui-sulfus Cottalorda (Mayor of Breil) signed an important peace agreement with Tenda, probably passing by the name Wisulfus, and therefore by common substitution of W with B.
BitencourtBrazilian, Portuguese (Brazilian), French (Rare), English BITENCOURT, derives from Bittencourt, Bettencourt and Bethencourt; They are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element -court (courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm) is typical of the French provinces, where the Frankish settlements formed an important part of the local population... [more]
BitoJapanese From 美 (bi) meaning "beauty" or 尾 (bi) meaning "end, tail, foot of a mountain" combined with 藤 (to) meaning "wisteria".
BitsuieNavajo From bitsóí meaning "his grandchild", a commonly adopted surname when the BIA required Native Americans to take surnames for the purpose of official records.
BittakerEnglish Possibly an altered spelling of Whitaker. An infamous bearer was the American serial killer and rapist Lawrence Bittaker (1940-2019).
BittenbinderGerman Occupational name for a cooper, from Middle High German büte(n) "cask", "(wine) barrel" + binder "binder" (agent derivative of binden "to bind").
BjeljacSerbian, Croatian, Bosnian From the Croation Area of Kordun specifically Koranski Lug. Possibly also Bosnia. A large migration of Serbs were enticed by the Austrian government to move from Bosnia to Croatia to act as a buffer militia between the Ottoman Empire of Bosnia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Croatia... [more]
BlaauwDutch, South African Archaic spelling of Dutch blauw "blue", a nickname referring to the bearer’s eye colour, clothes, or possibly a pale and sickly complexion. It could also be an occupational name for someone who made blue dye, or bluing for laundry.
BlacherFrench Mainly used in Southern France. Topographic name for someone who lived by an oak grove, originating in the southeastern French dialect word blache ‘oak plantation’ (said to be of Gaulish origin), originally a plantation of young trees of any kind.
BlacksmithEnglish Occupational name for a blacksmith, a smith who work with iron. The name is rare in England and mostly found in North America, suggesting that it's a translation of a non-English name meaning "blacksmith" (see Kowalski, Raudsepp and Lefèvre for example).
BlagdenEnglish Derived from any of several places across England called Blagden, Blackden, or Blagdon, which can varyingly derive from Old English blæcdun ("black hill") or blæcdenu ("black valley").
BlakewayEnglish Literally means "black way", thus referring to a black road near which the original bearer must have lived. A famous bearer of this surname was Jacob Blakeway (b. 1583-?), the biological father of Mayflower passenger Richard More (1614-1696).
BlanchflowerEnglish From a complimentary nickname for a woman or a pejorative term for an effeminate man, from Old French meaning blanc "white" and flor "flower". A famous bearer of the name was Northern Irish footballer Robert Dennis Blanchflower (1926-1993).
BlandEnglish Bland is a habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire called Bland, the origin of which is uncertain. Possibly it is from Old English (ge)bland ‘storm’, ‘commotion’ (from blandan ‘to blend or mingle’), with reference to its exposed situation... [more]
BlaneyIrish Topographic name from Welsh blaenau, plural of blaen "point, tip, end", i.e. uplands, or remote region, or upper reaches of a river.
BlankenshipEnglish Variant of Blenkinsop, a surname derived from a place in Northumberland called Blenkinsopp. The place name possibly derives from Cumbric blaen "top" and kein "back, ridge", i.e. "top of the ridge", combined with Old English hōp "valley" (compare Hope).
BlantonScottish (Americanized, Modern) An americanized version of the old Scottish name Ballantine (other forms being Ballantyne, Bannatyne, Ballanden).
BlaseyFrench The name may have been associated with a 4th century (316) French saint Blasius of Armenie (Armienes,) and later introduced into and adopted by Yorkshire people as their saint of wool-combers from a Norman noble.
BlasioliItalian Ancient and illustrious Benevento family, called Blasi or Di Blasi, of clear and avita nobility.
BlasiusGerman, French From the Latin personal name Blasius. This was a Roman family name, originating as a byname for someone with some defect, either of speech or gait, from Latin blaesus "stammering, lisping", itself from Ancient Greek βλαισός (blaisos) "bent, crooked; bow-legged".
BlaumGerman German last name, likely a variant of the last name Blom or Blum, referring to the word flower/blooming.
BlaxtonEnglish There are two possible origins for this surname; one- from the name of the village in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster (part of South Yorkshire, England) on the border of Lincolnshire, or two- from the Old English personal name Blaecstan, meaning "black stone"
BlaylockEnglish The surname of James P. Blaylock (1950-), an early steampunk author. His surname may mean "black lock" from Middle English blakelok, originally referring to a person with dark hair.
BlazerDutch From Middle Dutch blaser "blower", from blâsen "to blow, to sound (a wind instrument); to brag", hence an occupational name for a player of the trumpet or other wind instrument, or a nickname for a braggart or boaster.
BleeckerDutch Old form of Dutch bleker "bleacher", an occupational name for a bleacher of textiles, a launderer, or the owner of a public bleaching ground.
BleekerDutch Occupational name for a bleacher of textiles, from Middle Dutch ble(e)kere.
BlemkerDutch (Americanized) Possibly an Americanized form of an occupational name for a bleacher of textiles, derived from Middle Dutch bleker.
BlennerhassettEnglish The Blennerhassett surname comes from someone having lived in Cumberland, on the Borderlands between Scotland and England. ... [more]
BłeńskiPolish This indicates familial origin anywhere within a cluster of 3 Kuyavian villages in Gmina Izbica Kujawska: Błenna, Błenna A, or Błenna B.
BlesseEnglish (British), Filipino, Indian, French The last name Blesse was first discovered in Oxfordshire and held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. In the Philippines, Blesse means "a blessing in the family." In India, Blesse means "bless you."
BlessingGerman, English Either a German patronymic from a variant of the personal name Blasius or a nickname for a bald person from Middle High German blas "bald bare"... [more]
BleulerGerman (Swiss) From an agent derivative of Middle High German bliuwen meaning "to pound". Hence an occupational name for the owner of a pounding mill.
BlissMedieval English, Medieval English (Anglicized) Originally a nickname for a cheerful person, derived from the Old English blisse, meaning "gladness" or "joy." Another origin of the surname is habitional, coming from from the village of Blay in Calvados (modern-day Normandy), spelled as Bleis in 1077, or from the village of Stoke Bliss in Worcestershire, first known as Stoke de Blez, named after the Norman family de Blez.... [more]
BlissettEnglish A different form of Blessed. A bearer of this surname is Luther Blissett (1958-), a Jamaican-born English footballer ("Luther Blissett" has been used since 1994 as a cover name for activists engaging in anti-cultural establishment polemics and spoofs on the internet and elsewhere).
BlochJewish, German, French Regional name for someone in Central Europe originating from Italy or France, from Polish "Włoch" meaning "Italian" (originally "stranger / of foreign stock"), ultimately derived – like many names and words in various European languages – from the Germanic Walhaz.
BloemDutch Means "flower, bloom" or "flour (of wheat, corn)" in Dutch. Could be a nickname for a pretty or cheerful person, a metonymic occupational name for a florist, gardener, baker or miller, or a habitational name for a person who lived near flowers or a sign depicting them... [more]
BloemendaalDutch Means "valley of flowers", the name of several places in the Netherlands, derived from bloem "flower" and dal "valley, dale". Cognate to German Blumenthal.
BloggEnglish The name is most likely Anglo-Saxon or early medieval English in origin. ... [more]
BlokDutch Means "block" in Dutch. This could be a nickname for someone with a heavy build, a metonymic occupational name for someone who used a block of wood in their work, such as a shoemaker, a milliner, or an executioner, or a toponymic surname for someone living on an enclosed piece of land.
BloomfieldEnglish This interesting surname is of early medieval English origin, and is a locational name from either of the two places thus called in England, one in Staffordshire, and the other in Somerset, or it may be a dialectal variant of Blonville (-sur-Mer) in Calvados, Normandy, and hence a Norman habitation name... [more]
BlowEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone with a pale complexion (from Middle English blowe "pale"). This surname was borne by English composer John Blow (1649-1708) and British fashion editor Isabella Blow (original name Isabella Delves Broughton; 1958-2007); additionally, "Joe Blow" is a name used colloquially (in US, Canadian and Australian English) as representative of the ordinary uncomplicated unsophisticated man, the average man in the street (of which the equivalent in British English is "Joe Bloggs").
BlueberryEnglish English surname of unexplained origin, probably from the name of a lost or unidentified place.
BluemelGerman Diminutive of the Middle High German bluome meaning "flower." The name is believed to be an occupational name.
BlufordEnglish, American (South) Possibly an English habitational name from a lost or unidentified place. The name occurs in records of the 19th century but is now very rare if not extinct in the British Isles. In the U.S. it is found chiefly in TX and TN.
BluhmGerman German alternate spelling of the Italian surname, Blum meaning flower.
BlumeGerman, English Could be from the Jewish surname Blum of from Swedish Blom. It could also be from the English word bloom.
BlumenbergJewish Ornamental name composed of German Blume "flower" and Berg "mountain, hill".
BlumenscheinGerman from Middle High German bluomenschin "flower splendor" from the elements bluomo "bloom" and sconi "beautiful" probably a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by a sign depicting a bunch of flowers or decorated with flower designs or noted for its flower garden.
BluntEnglish Nickname for a person with fair hair or a light complexion from Old French blunt meaning "blond". It was also used as a nickname for a stupid person from Middle English blunt or blont meaning "dull".
BlylevenDutch (Anglicized) Americanized form of Blijleven. Dutch-American former baseball player Bert Blyleven (1951-), born Blijleven, is a famous bearer of this surname.
BlythinWelsh Recorded as Blethin, Bleythin, Bleything, Blythin, and others, this is a surname which has Welsh royal connections. It derives from the Ancient British personal name "Bleddyn," translating as the son of Little Wolf... [more]
BoatengWestern African, Akan Means "someone who is humble to God" in Akan. This is among the most common surnames in Ghana. Famous bearers include half-brothers Jérôme (1988-) and Kevin-Prince Boateng (1987-), both of whom are German soccer players.
BoatfieldEnglish Occupational name for a person who worked on the deck of a ship.
BobberEnglish From the ancient Anglo-Saxon name Baber, a town in the county of Suffolk. A famous bearer of the last name is actor, director, animator, voice actor, and musician Troy Bobber.
BobeckSwedish, German, Jewish, Slavic A respelling of the Swedish Bobäck, an ornamental name composed of the elements bo meaning "farm" and bäck meaning "stream".... [more]
BoccadifuocoItalian Means "mouth of fire", a nickname for someone known for picking fights, or perhaps given to foundlings.
BoccafuscaItalian Possibly means "dark mouth", from bocco "mouth" and fosco "dark, gloomy", a nickname for someone who often spoke ill of others, or perhaps given to foundlings.
BoccalettiItalian Possibly related to boccale, a kind of jug often used for wine. An occupational name for an innkeeper.
BoccalupoItalian Possibly from an Italian saying, in bocca al lupo, literally "in the mouth of the wolf", a way of wishing good luck.
BocchinfusoItalian Possibly derived from a diminutive form of Italian bocca "mouth" combined with fuso "melted", from Latin fusus "poured (out)", perhaps a nickname for a talkative or gossipy person.
BocchinoItalian Means "small mouth" in Italian, either referring to a physical attribute of the bearer, or given as a nickname to a talkative person or someone prone to gossiping.
BoćwińskiPolish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Masurian villages.
BodemanGerman Bodeman is an occupational name meaning "adherent of the royal messenger".
BodénSwedish Probably a combination of Swedish bod meaning either "small shop, boutique" or "shed, shack", and the common surname suffix -én.
BodenGerman, Low German Patronymic from the personal name Bode or a topographic name for someone living in a valley bottom or the low-lying area of a field. From Middle High German boden "ground, bottom".
BodinGerman (Rare) Likely derived from various Germanic personal names containing the name element Bod meaning "messenger". Another theory is that the name could be derived from any of the several places named Boddin in Germany.
BodkinEnglish From the medieval male personal name Bowdekyn, a pet-form of Baldwin.
BoebertEnglish (American) A notable bearer of this surname is Lauren Opal Boebert (Born on December 15, 1986) who is an American (U.S.A.) politician, businesswoman, and gun rights activist, serving as the U.S. Representative for Colorado’s 3rd congressional district since 2021... [more]
BoeingEnglish (Anglicized) Anglicized form of German Böing. This was the surname of American industrialist William Boeing (1881-1956) who founded The Boeing Company, a manufacturer of airplanes.
BoettcherGerman Occupational name for a cooper, from Middle High German botecher, bötticher, bütticher, an agent derivative of botech(e), bottich, bütte "vat", "barrel".
BoffiItalian Possibly from buffare "to blow, to be short of breath", or a related term meaning "bloated".
BogleScottish, Northern Irish From a medieval Scottish and Northern Irish nickname for someone of scary appearance (from Middle Scots bogill "hobgoblin").
BohneGerman Habitational name for someone form the town of Bone in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
BohnerGerman Occupational name from an agent derivative of Middle Low German bönen meaning "to board, to lay a floor", and a topographic name for someone who lived in a loft, derived from a variant of Bohne combined with the suffix -er, denoting an inhabitant.
BoholFilipino, Tagalog, Cebuano Habitational for someone from the province of Bohol in the Philippines. It is derived from bo-ol, a kind of tree that flourished on the island
BohórquezSpanish Denoted a person from Bohorques, a minor place in the Spanish province of Santander.
BoiardiItalian Variant of Boiardo. Ettore Boiardi (1897-1985) also known by the Anglicized name Hector Boyardee, was an Italian-American chef known for his food brand Chef Boyardee.
BojaxhiuAlbanian Derived from Albanian bojaxhi meaning "painter". This was the surname of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, better known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997), who was born AnjezëGonxhe Bojiaxhiu.