Submitted Surnames with "occupational" in Description

Abad Judeo-Spanish
Nickname from abad ‘priest’ (from Late Latin abbas ‘priest’, genitive abbatis, from the Aramaic word meaning ‘father’). The application is uncertain: it could be a nickname, an occupational name for the servant of a priest, or denote an (illegitimate) son of a priest.

Abagnale Italian
Either an occupational name for a shepherd or a person who lived near a sheepfold (derived from Italian abbagnale meaning "good shepherd, good sheepfold"), or a topographic name for someone who lived in a wet or swampy area (from abagnato meaning "drenched, soaked")... [more]

Abella Catalan, Galician
Means "bee" in Catalan and Galician, used as a nickname for a small, active person or an occupational name for a beekeeper.

Abelleira Galician
Means "beehive, apiary" in Galician, either used as an occupational name for a beekeeper or a habitational name for someone from any of various places in Galicia called Abelleira (derived from the same word).

Acero Spanish
From acero "steel, steelworker" (from Late Latin aciarium), an occupational name for a metal worker or an armorer.

Adorno Italian
Southern Italian: from the personal name Adorno, meaning ‘adorned’.... [more]

Agpaoa Ilocano
From the archaic Ilocano word agpaoa meaning "to cook", used as an occupational name.

Agraz Spanish
Refers to an ancient type of grape. In Spanish, agraz means "sour grape, unripe grape, verjuice" Possibly an occupational name for someone who worked on a vineyard or in the wine-making industry... [more]

Albritton English
An occupational name for a nutritionist.

Alcaide Spanish, Portuguese
Ancient occupational or status name from alcaide from Arabic al-qāʾid "the leader, the commander" (see Kaid)... [more]

Alemdar Turkish
Occupational name for a carrier of flags, banners or ensigns, from Turkish alem meaning "banner, flag".

Alhadeff Judeo-Spanish
Possibly an occupational name for a weaver from Arabic الهداف (al-̣haddāf) meaning "the weaver's shuttle". Alternately, it may be from Arabic الهدى (al-hadā) meaning "the guided one".

Almira Spanish, Spanish (Philippines)
Occupational surname meaning "admiral", referring to the highest rank in the navy, derived from the Spanish almirante meaning "admiral"

Amsler German (Swiss)
Derived from German Amsel "(European) blackbird", this was an occupational name for a fowler (bird catcher).

Anschütz German
Occupational name for someone whose job was to keep a dam or pool filled with water. (Anschützen "to fill up")

Apicella Italian
Southern Italian: from a diminutive of apa ‘bee’, probably applied as a nickname for an industrious person, or possibly as a metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper.

Appel German, Dutch, Jewish, Yiddish
From Low German Appel, Middle Dutch appel, or Yiddish epl "apple", an occupational name for a grower or seller of the fruit. As a Jewish surname, it is generally ornamental rather than occupational.

Appelman Dutch
Occupational name from Middle Dutch apelmanger "apple seller".

Apple English
From Middle English appel meaning "apple" (Old English æppel). An occupational name for a grower or seller of apples.

Arabacı Turkish
Occupational name for a driver, maker or seller of carts and wagons, from Turkish araba meaning "cart, carriage".

Arable Popular Culture
An occupational surname for people who are capable of being farmed productively. Also used in the novel Charlotte's Web (1952).

Aranyos Hungarian
Occupational name for a goldsmith.

Arbeiter German
Occupational name from Middle High German arbeiter ‘laborer’.

Arcaro Late Roman
Occupational name for a maker or seller of bows.

Argentis Greek
Means "silver" in Italian, originally used as an occupational name for a silversmith or a nickname for a person with gray hair. Greek version of the Italian surname Argenti.

Argento Italian
Means "silver" in Italian, originally used as an occupational name for a silversmith or a nickname for a person with gray hair.

Armas Spanish
Occupational name for an arms maker or soldier, from Spanish armas meaning "arms, weapons".

Armour Scottish, Northern Irish
From Middle English, Old French armure, blended with the agent noun armer (see Armer), hence an occupational name for a maker of arms and armor. The collective noun armure denoted offensive weapons as well as the more recently specialized sense of protective gear.

Arquette French
From arquet meaning "little bow" or "little arch" (diminutive of arche, from Latin arcus). It was originally an occupational name for an archer, but the French word arquet(te) is also found in the sense 'market trader' (originally, perhaps, one with a stall underneath an arch)... [more]

Arrotino Italian
Occupational name meaning "knife-sharpener, knife-grinder" in Italian.

Arsenault French (Acadian)
From French arsenal meaning "workshop". This is the occupational surname for someone who worked at an arsenal.

Asa Japanese
Variously written, sometimes with characters used phonetically. It can mean ‘morning’, but the most likely meaning is ‘hemp’, making it a topographic or occupational name. Both forms are found mostly in Amami, one of the Ryūkyū Islands.

Ast German
German and Ashkenazic Jewish: from German Ast ‘knot (in wood)’ hence a nickname for a tough or awkward individual or a metonymic occupational name for a lumberjack. ... [more]

Augello Italian
Italian (Campania) dialect variant of Uccello ‘bird’, hence either a nickname for a diminutive, birdlike person or an occupational name for a fowler. Compare Auciello.

Avena Spanish, Italian
A traditionally Spanish and Italian occupational surname for a "grain grower or merchant", or the Italian habitation surname for Avena, Calabria. Means "oats". From the Latin avēna meaning 'oats, wild oats, straw'.

Avogadro Italian
An occupational name for a lawyer or public official with administrative duties. Ultimately from Latin advocator, "advocate".

Awad Arabic
Occupational name for a player or maker of lutes, ultimately derived from Arabic عود ('ud) meaning "oud, lute".

Ayler English
occupational name from Old French aillier ‘garlic seller’, from ail ‘garlic’ (from Latin allium).... [more]

Azoulay Judeo-Spanish
Meaning uncertain. It may derived from Spanish azul or French azur meaning "blue" (both ultimately derived from Persian via Arabic), possibly used as a nickname for someone with blue eyes or an occupational name for a maker of blue ceramic ware... [more]

Baack German, North Frisian
Either from a reduced form of the Germanic personal name Baldeke (a short form of any of the compound names with the first element bald "bold, brave ", for example Baldewin), or from Middle Low German baec, bake "pork, bacon", hence a metonymic occupational name for a butcher or pig farmer.

Bacigalupo Italian
From Ligurian bacigare "to beat with a stick" and lupo "wolf", or from Genoese basigâ "to swing, to tease" and lupo "wolf". Possibly a nickname for someone considered courageous or cowardly, or an occupational name for a hunter.

Bacon English, French, Norman
An occupational surname for someone who sold pork, from Middle English and Old French bacun or bacon, meaning 'bacon', which is ultimately of Germanic origin. Can also be derived from the Germanic given names Baco, Bacco, or Bahho, from the root bag-, meaning 'to fight'... [more]

Bacri Judeo-Spanish
Possibly derived from Arabic بكر (bikr) meaning "firstborn, eldest". Alternately it may be an occupational name for a cowherd or cattle merchant from بقر (baqar) meaning "cattle".

Bade English
From the Old English personal name Bada which possibly a short form of various names with the first element being the Old English beadu "battle"... [more]

Bajaj Indian, Punjabi, Hindi
Occupational name for a clothier from Punjabi ਬਜਾਜ (bajaj) meaning "cloth merchant", ultimately derived from Arabic بزاز (bazzaz).

Bake English
Probably an occupational name for a baker.

Bakisto Esperanto
Occupational surname for a baker. Comes from baki, meaning "to bake" and -isto, a suffix used for professions.

Baldacchino Maltese
Derived from Italian baldacchino meaning "baldachin (or baldaquin)", referring to a type of canopy placed over a throne. It was originally used as an occupational name for a maker of baldachins.

Balsam German
Occupational name for a seller of spices and perfumes.

Baltacı Turkish
Occupational name for a maker or seller of axes, derived from Turkish balta meaning "axe, hatchet".

Barbaro Italian
Occupational name for a barbarian.

Barbe German
From Middle High German barbe, the name of a species of fish resembling the carp; hence by metonymy an occupational name for a fisherman or fish dealer, or possibly a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish in some way.

Barbeau French
Derived from barbeau meaning "barbel", a type of fish, hence a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or a nickname for a man with a sparse beard, the fish being distinguished by beardlike growths on either side of its mouth... [more]

Barbero Spanish
Spanish occupational name for a barber-surgeon (see Barber), Spanish barbero, from Late Latin barbarius, a derivative of barba ‘beard’ (Latin barba).

Barbour English, Scottish, Northern Irish
Occupational name for a barber, one who cuts hair for a living.

Barile Italian
From Italian barile "barrel" either an occupational name for a Cooper or a nickname for a fat man.

Barilla Italian
Occupational name from medieval Greek barellas "cooper" from Italian barella "barrel" with the suffix (e)as.

Barkus English
Probably a reduced form of Barkhouse, a topographic name for someone who lived by a tannery, Middle English barkhous, or an occupational name for someone who worked in one.

Barón Spanish
nickname from the title barón "baron" applied as a nickname or as an occupational name for a member of the household of a baron; or from an old personal name of the same origin in the sense "free man"... [more]

Barreau French
Possibly a variant of Barreur, an agent derivative of barrer ‘to bar’, ‘to close or block off’, hence possibly an occupational name for a jailer or doorkeeper.

Barreto Portuguese
Occupational name for a cap maker. Comes from barreto which means ‘cap’.

Barriere French
Occupational name for a gatekeeper, from Old French barier.

Basista Polish, Czech, Slovak
Occupational name for a double-bass player.

Batchelor English, Scottish
Occupational name for an unmarried man, a young knight or a novice, derived from Middle English and Old French bacheler literally meaning "bachelor", ultimately from medieval Latin baccalarius.

Bateman English, Scottish
Occupational name meaning ‘servant of Bartholomew.’

Bauknecht German, Upper German
Occupational name for a farm worker from Middle High German buknecht "plowboy, farmhand" derived from the elements bu "farm" and kneht "servant, apprentice".

Baumeister German
Occupational name for a "builder" in German; from Middle High German 'buwen' 'to build' + meister 'master'.... [more]

Bayle French
Occupational name for a Bailiff from Old French Bailli "bailiff" (from Latin baiulus)... [more]

Beam English
From Old English beam "beam" or "post". It could be a topographic name from someone living near a post or tree, or it could be a metonymic occupational name for a weaver.... [more]

Becerra Spanish, Galician
Nickname probably for a high-spirited person from becerra "young cow, heifer". It may also have been a metonymic occupational name for a cowherd.

Becker English
Occupational name for a maker or user of mattocks or pickaxes, from an agent derivative of Old English becca "mattock".

Bednarz Polish
Occupational name for a cooper in Polish.

Bee English
From 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.

Beenders Dutch
Possibly 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 German, Dutch
From 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... [more]

Beil German
Means "axe, hatchet" in German, an occupational name for someone who made or used axes, such as a carpenter.

Belfer Jewish
Occupational name from Yiddish be(he)lfer, ba(he)lfer "teacher’s assistant".

Bellman English
Occupational name for someone who worked as a bell-ringer.

Bellringer English (British, Rare)
Occupational name for a person who rung bells (usually a church bell).

Belzer German
Occupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle High German bel(li)z "fur"

Bender German, German (East Prussian)
As a German surname, Bender is a regional occupational surname from the Rhineland area denoting a "barrel-maker" (the Standard German Fassbinder became "Fassbender" in the local dialects and ultimately was shortened to Bender).... [more]

Benner German
Occupational name for a basket and bassinet maker, from an agent derivative of Middle High German benne 'work basket', 'bassinet', 'cradle'.

Berberić Bosnian
Occupational name for a barber, from berber(in) meaning "barber", from Turkish.

Beres Hungarian
Occupational name for a farm laborer or casual harvest hand, béres, a derivative of bér 'wage', 'payment'.

Berner English, Norman
From the Norman personal name Bernier from Old English beornan ‘to burn’, hence an occupational name for a burner of lime (compare German Kalkbrenner) or charcoal... [more]

Berner German, Low German
German habitational name, in Silesia denoting someone from a place called Berna (of which there are two examples); in southern Germany and Switzerland denoting someone from the Swiss city of Berne. ... [more]

Bernius German (Latinized), Lithuanian
German-Latinized form of Berner.... [more]

Berretta Italian
From berretta, originally meaning ‘hooded cloak’ (Latin birrus), later ‘headdress’, ‘bonnet’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of such headgear or a nickname for an habitual wearer.

Besemer German
Occupational name meaning "broom maker".

Beste French, English
Nickname from Middle English beste Old French beste "beast animal" (especially those used for food or work) applied either as a metonymic occupational name for someone who looked after beasts such as a herdsman or as a nickname for someone thought to resemble an animal... [more]

Bickel German, German (Swiss), Jewish
German: from bickel ‘pickaxe’ or ‘chisel’, hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made pickaxes or worked with a pickaxe or for a stonemason. South German: from a pet form of Burkhart... [more]

Bieler German, Jewish
Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of the many places in eastern Europe whose name incorporates the Slavic element byel- ‘white’.... [more]

Bier German, Jewish
from Middle High German bier "beer" German bier Yiddish bir a metonymic occupational name for a brewer of beer or a tavern owner or in some cases perhaps a nickname for a beer drinker.

Bierbrauer German
occupational name for a brewer German bierbrauer. Derived from the elements bier "beer" and brauen "to brew".

Bijlsma West Frisian
Occupational name from Dutch bijl "axe" (see Bijl) combined with the Frisian suffix -ma. Could also be a patronym.

Bikić Croatian
Occupational name for someone who raised bulls.

Bindschädler German (Swiss)
Derived from German binden "to bind" and Swiss German schädlen "to make wood vessels", this is an occupational surname referring to a cooper, a barrel maker.

Birge Hungarian
Occupational name for a shepherd, from birga, a variant spelling of birka 'sheep'.

Biscotti Italian
An occupational surname for someone who sells or bakes biscotti.

Bittenbinder German
Occupational name for a cooper, from Middle High German büte(n) "cask", "(wine) barrel" + binder "binder" (agent derivative of binden "to bind").

Blaauw Dutch, 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.

Blach Polish
Alternatively perhaps a metonymic occupational name from Old Polish blach ‘skeet iron’, ‘metal fittings’.

Blacksmith English
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).

Blade English
Metonymic occupational name for a cutler, from Middle English blade "cutting edge, sword".

Blankenbijl Dutch
Means "white axe", from blanken "white, pale; bare" and bijl "axe". Possibly a toponymic name, or perhaps an occupational name for a woodcutter or carpenter.

Blazer Dutch
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.

Bleecker Dutch
Old form of Dutch bleker "bleacher", an occupational name for a bleacher of textiles, a launderer, or the owner of a public bleaching ground.

Bleeker Dutch
Occupational name for a bleacher of textiles, from Middle Dutch ble(e)kere.

Blemker Dutch (Americanized)
Possibly an Americanized form of an occupational name for a bleacher of textiles, derived from Middle Dutch bleker.

Bleuler German (Swiss)
From an agent derivative of Middle High German bliuwen meaning "to pound". Hence an occupational name for the owner of a pounding mill.

Blöcker German
Occupational name for a jailer.

Bloem Dutch
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]

Bloemen Dutch, Flemish
Means "flowers, blooms" or "flour" in Dutch. Can be a nickname denoting beauty or a cheerful disposition, an occupational name for a gardener, miller, or baker, or a habitational name for someone who lived near flowers, or a sign depicting them... [more]

Blogg English
The name is most likely Anglo-Saxon or early medieval English in origin. ... [more]

Blok Dutch
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.

Blood English
Evidently from Old English blod ‘blood’, but with what significance is not clear. In Middle English the word was in use as a metonymic occupational term for a physician, i.e. one who lets blood, and also as an affectionate term of address for a blood relative.

Bloom English
Metonymic occupational name for an iron worker, from Middle English blome ‘ingot (of iron)’.

Bluemel German
Diminutive of the Middle High German bluome meaning "flower." The name is believed to be an occupational name.

Boatfield English
Occupational name for a person who worked on the deck of a ship.

Boccaletti Italian
Possibly related to boccale, a kind of jug often used for wine. An occupational name for an innkeeper.

Bode German, Dutch, English, Danish
Means "messenger, deliverer, herald; prophet, omen", ultimately from Old Germanic budą. This can be an occupational name, or a patronymic derived from a given name containing the element (see Bothe).

Bodeman German
Bodeman is an occupational name meaning "adherent of the royal messenger".

Boettcher German
Occupational name for a cooper, from Middle High German botecher, bötticher, bütticher, an agent derivative of botech(e), bottich, bütte "vat", "barrel".

Bohner German
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.

Bol Dutch
From Dutch bol "ball, sphere" or "bun, roll, round piece of bread or pastry", possibly an occupational name for a baker, a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a ball or globe, or a nickname for a bald man, or perhaps a ball player.

Bolt English
From Middle English bolt meaning "bolt", "bar" (Old English bolt meaning "arrow"). In part this may have originated as a nickname or byname for a short but powerfully built person, in part as a metonymic occupational name for a maker of bolts... [more]

Bolzonaro Italian
Occupational name for a person who operated a battering ram, derived from Italian bolzone literally meaning "battering ram".

Bomba Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech, Slovak
From bomba "bomb", (Latin bombus), hence probably a nickname for someone with an explosive temperament, or a metonymic occupational name for an artilleryman.

Bonba Basque, Spanish
From Basque bonba meaning "bomb", (Latin bombus), hence probably a nickname for someone with an explosive temperament, or a metonymic occupational name for an artilleryman.

Boom Dutch
From Old Dutch bom "tree", a nickname for someone tall or robust, or a toponymic surname for someone who lived by a notable tree. It could also be an occupational name for someone who operated a boom barrier

Boomgaarden East Frisian, Dutch
From Dutch boomgaard "orchard", literally "tree garden", an occupational name for an orchard worker or a topographic name for someone who lived in or by an orchard.

Boomhouwer Dutch
Occupational name meaning "woodcutter", from boom "tree" and houwen "to hew, chop". Compare German Baumhauer.

Boot English
Metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of boots, ultimately from Old French bote "boot, high-sided leather shoe".

Boot German, Dutch
Metonymic occupational name for a boat builder, sailor, or a ship’s carpenter, from Dutch boot "boat, ship".

Borrero Spanish
Occupational name from borrero 'executioner'.

Bortnik Russian
Means "beekeeper" in Russian, used as an occupational name.

Bossier French
Occupational name for a cooper, from an agent derivative of Old French bosse 'barrel'.

Bosso Italian
Derived from Italian bosso "box tree", probably applied as a topographic name but possibly also as a metonymic occupational name for a wood carver or turner.

Botelho Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian)
From the Portuguese word botelho, which can denote a measure of grain, a grain sack, or seaweed, and was probably applied as an occupational name for a grain dealer or a gatherer of kelp or seaweed.

Boulier French
Occupational name for a maker of balls or the organizer of a game of boules, from French boule meaning "ball".

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]

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.

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]

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]

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.

Bowyer English
English: occupational name for a maker or seller of bows (see Bow), as opposed to an archer. Compare Bowman.

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]

Brasseur French
French and English (of both Norman and Huguenot origin): occupational name for a brewer, from Old French brasser ‘to brew’. See also Brasher.

Braunsteiner German (Austrian)
This surname means brown stone in German and it may be an ornamental surname or an occupational surname for someone who may have been a miner.

Breitner German
Derived from Middle High German breit meaning "broad, fat, wide". This was either a nickname for a stout or fat person, a topographic name for someone who lived on fertile and flat land, or an occupational name for a farmer who owned such land... [more]

Brenner German, German (Austrian), Jewish
Derived 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.

Bresser English
The 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.

Breuer German, Jewish
occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale from Middle High German briuwer "brewer". Cognate of Brewer.

Brickner German
Derived 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.

Brockhaus German
Occupational 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.

Brownsmith English
Occupational name for a worker in copper or bronze.

Brück German
Topographic 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 Jewish
From Polish, Belorussian, or Yiddish bruk "pavement", possibly an occupational name for a paver.

Brucker Jewish
From Polish brukarz or Yiddish bruk "pavement", possibly an occupational name for a paver.

Bruckner German
Topographic 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.

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... [more]

Brueggemann Low German, German
North 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).

Bruegger Low German
North German (Brügger): occupational name for a bridge keeper, paver, or road builder, Middle Low German brügger. Compare Brueggemann.

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... [more]

Bruggeman Dutch, Flemish
Means "bridgeman" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who operated, guarded, or otherwise worked on a bridge. It could also denote someone who lived near a bridge, or who came from the Flemish city of Bruges, which also derives from Old Dutch brugga "bridge".

Brusse French
Topographic 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".

Büchler German
Habitional name for someone from Büchle or Büchel, or who lived near beech trees, ultimately from Büche "beech (tree)". Alternatively, could be an occupational name for someone who pressed oil from beechnuts.

Buckler English
Occupational name for a maker of buckles, derived from Old French bouclier. Could also be a name for someone who used a buckle, a kind of small shield.

Buckman English
Occupational 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.

Budge English
Nickname 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... [more]

Buffet French
Occupational name for a maker of furniture, derived from Old French buffet meaning "table, cupboard". It could also be a nickname for an angry and violent man, from Old French buffet meaning "slap in the face"... [more]

Bugayong Pangasinan
From Pangasinan bugayong meaning referring to a type of flowering plant (genus Abrus). It was perhaps used as an occupational name for someone who practiced folk medicine with this plant.

Buis Dutch
Means "buss, fishing vessel" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman. Alternatively, a variant of the patronymic surname Buijs.

Buonopane Italian
Nickname for a person who is "as good as bread", or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a baker, derived from buono meaning "good" and pane meaning "bread".

Burel French
metonymic occupational name for a worker in the wool trade or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in brown from Old French burel borel a diminutive of boure "frieze" a type of coarse reddish brown woolen cloth with long hairs (from Late Latin burra "coarse untreated wool").

Burgmeier German
Occupational name for the tenant farmer of an estate belonging to a castle or fortified town, from Middle High German burc "(fortified) town, castle" and meier "tenant farmer" (see Meyer 1).

Burl English
Old English occupational name originally meaning "cup bearer" or "butler" for one who dispensed wine and had charge of the cellar. Eventually the name came to mean the chief servant of a royal or noble household and was replaced by the French language inspired named 'Butler,' akin to the world "bottler".

Bus Dutch
Possibly derived from Middle Dutch busse meaning "firelock" or "round box, tin", an occupational name for someone who made containers or firearms.

Busse German, English
German: variant of Buss. ... [more]

Bussemaker Dutch
Occupational name for a maker of boxes, tins or firearms, from Dutch bus "box, tin, container, firearm" and maker "maker".

Butter English, German
1. English: nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a bittern, perhaps in the booming quality of the voice, from Middle English, Old French butor ‘bittern’ (a word of obscure etymology)... [more]

Butterman Dutch
Occupational name for someone who made or sold butter.

Buttermann German
An occupational name for a dairyman or seller of dairy produce. See Butter.

Büttner German
Occupational name for a cooper or barrel-maker, an agent derivative of Middle High German büte(n) "cask", "wine barrel". This name occurs chiefly in eastern German-speaking regions.

Cabell Catalan, English, German
As a Catalan name, a nickname for "bald" from the Spanish word cabello. The English name, found primarily in Norfolk and Devon, is occupational for a "maker or seller of nautical rope" that comes from a Norman French word... [more]

Cabeza De Vaca Spanish
Literally translates to "cow's head" or "head of a cow". It is likely an occupational name for someone who was associated with cows or cattle, perhaps as a rancher or butcher. Alternatively, it could also have been used to describe someone with a thick-headed or stubborn personality.

Cable English
English: metonymic occupational name for a maker of rope, especially the type of stout rope used in maritime applications, from Anglo-Norman French cable ‘cable’ (Late Latin capulum ‘halter’, of Arabic origin, but associated by folk etymology with Latin capere ‘to seize’).... [more]

Cake English
From the Middle English cake denoting a flat loaf made from fine flour (Old Norse kaka), hence a metonymic occupational name for a baker who specialized in fancy breads. It was first attested as a surname in the 13th century (Norfolk, Northamptonshire).

Calero Spanish
Metonymic occupational name for a burner or seller of lime, from calero ‘lime’.

Callender English
Occupational name for a person who finished freshly woven cloth by passing it between heavy rollers to compress the weave. From Old Franch calandrier, calandreur.

Cámara Spanish
Occupational name for a courtier or servant who could access the private quarters of a king or noble, from Spanish cámara meaning "room, chamber".

Cambareri Italian
Variant of Cammareri, an occupational name from Sicilian cammareri meaning "servant".

Campanano Italian
Southern Italian:... [more]

Cancro Italian
Derived from Italian cancro "cancer". Probably an occupational name for a person who catches, cooks, sells crabs.

Candela Spanish, Italian, Sicilian, Catalan
Either an occupational name for a chandler (a candle maker or candle seller) or a nickname for a tall thin person, derived from candela meaning "candle" (from Latin candela).

Candy English
perhaps from Middle English candi "crystallized cane sugar" (via French from Persian qand "sugar") and used as a metonymic occupational name for a sugar merchant... [more]

Cane English
From the English word meaning "cane, reed", a nickname for someone tall and thin, or perhaps an occupational name for someone who gathered reeds.

Cantor Spanish
Occupational name for a singer.

Caparas Pampangan
Derived from Pampangan para's meaning "hot, spicy", possibly used as an occupational name for a cook.

Cape French, English (British)
French and English: metonymic occupational name for a maker of capes and cloaks, or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore a cloak or cape, from Middle English and Old Norman French cape ‘cape’, ‘cloak’, ‘hooded cloak’ (in French also ‘hood’ or ‘hat’), from Late Latin cappa, capa, probably a derivative of caput ‘head’ (see Capp)... [more]

Capraro Italian
Occupational name for a goatherd, derived from Italian capra meaning "goat".

Caprio Italian
from Latin caprae ‘goats’ or possibly from Greek kapros "(wild) boar" and so a metonymic occupational name for a goatherd or swineherd or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a goat or boar.

Caraballo Spanish
Occupational name for a knight or a knight's servant.

Carandang Filipino, Tagalog
Occupational name for someone who dried things using fire, derived from Tagalog dangdang meaning "heating, toasting, drying through exposure to fire or glowing coals".

Card English
English: metonymic occupational name for someone who carded wool (i.e. disentangled it), preparatory to spinning, from Middle English, Old French card(e) ‘carder’, an implement used for this purpose... [more]

Cardamone Italian
Occupational name for a spicer.

Cardo Spanish, Italian
From cardo "thistle, cardoon" (from Latin carduus) either a topographic or occupational name for using wool carder thistles, or from the given name Cardo a short form of given names Accardo, Biancardo, or Riccardo.

Cardon French
from the name of several places in southern France called (Le) Cardon. Or from Old Norman French cardon "thistle" (a diminutive of carde from Latin carduus) hence a topographic name for someone who lived on land overgrown with thistles an occupational name for someone who carded wool (originally a process carried out with thistles and teasels) or perhaps a nickname for a prickly and unapproachable person... [more]

Care English
Occupational name for a locksmith, Middle English keyere, kayer, an agent derivative of keye.

Ĉaristo Esperanto
Occupational name for a charioteer, from ĉaro, meaning "a chariot, wagon, or cart", and -isto, a suffix used for professions.

Carneiro Portuguese, Galician
Means "ram" in Portuguese and Galician, either used as an occupational name for a shepherd or a habitational name for someone from any of various places called Carneiro.

Carrel French
French: from Old French quar(r)el ‘bolt (for a crossbow)’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of crossbow bolts or a nickname for a short, stout man. The word also meant ‘paving slab’, and so it could also have been a metonymic occupational name for a street layer... [more]

Carrell English
English: from Old French carrel, ‘pillow’, ‘bolster’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of these. In some cases perhaps an altered spelling of Irish Carroll... [more]

Carrier English
An occupational name meaning someone who transports goods.

Cauchon French, Norman, Picard
Metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of slippers, derived from French chausson literally meaning "slipper".

Cava Italian, Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese
From cava ‘cave’, ‘cellar’ (from Latin cavea), hence a metonymic occupational name for someone employed in the wine cellars of a great house, a topographic name for someone who lived in or near a cave, or a habitational name from any of numerous places named with this word.

Cavadenti Italian
From Italian cava ("to extract, to pull out") and denti ("teeth"), an occupational name for a dentist.

Cavalcanti Italian
Means "riding" in Italian. An occupational surname for people who worked with horses.

Cavaleri Italian, Sicilian
occupational name from Sicilian cavaleri "rider mounted soldier knight". It was also used as a patrician title. See Cavaliere.

Cavallaro Italian, Sicilian
either a variant under Spanish influence of Cavaliere or an occupational name for a keeper or dealer in horses Sicilian cavaddaru.

Cena Italian
Derived from Latin meaning "dinner, meal, supper". Possibly an occupational name for a cook or a waiter. In an alternative representation, it could be given to someone who's known for hosting or being involved in meals or dinners, or may have given this surname to an illegitimate child who was not welcomed at the dinner table.

Cena Polish
From Polish meaning "price". Possibly an occupational name for a trader or dealer.

Cera Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Sicilian
Metonymic occupational name for a wax seller, derived from Latin cera meaning "wax". A famous bearer of this surname is Canadian actor and musician Michael Cera (1988-).

Cerise French, Italian
Italian habitational name from La Cerise or Torrent-La Cerise placenames in Valle d'Aosta from French cerise "cherry"; and French occupational name from cerise "cherry" (from Latin cerasus) applied as a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or sold cherries.

Cerrajero Spanish
Occupational name for a locksmith.

Cespedes Spanish
From the plural of cesped "peat", "turf" (Latin caespes, genitive caespitis), applied as a habitational name from a place named Céspedes (for example in Burgos province) or named with this word, or a topographic name for someone who lived by an area of peat, or possibly as a metonymic occupational name for someone who cut and sold turf.

Cestaro Italian
From cesta "basket" and the suffix -aro, an occupational name for a basket maker.

Chait Jewish
Jewish occupational name derived from the Hebrew word חייט‎ meaning "tailor".

Chalamet French
Nickname for someone who played the reed or an occupational name for seller of torches, from a regional form of Old French chalemel meaning "reed" or "blowtorch". A notable bearer is American actor Timothée Chalamet (1995-).

Challinor English
Occupational name for a blanket maker, derived from Middle English chaloun "blanket", itself derived from the French city of Châlons-sur-Marne (now Châlons-en-Champagne), where blankets were made in the Middle Ages.

Chamanara Persian
Occupational name for a gardener, derived from Persian چمن (chaman) meaning "lawn, meadow" and آرا (ara) meaning "arrange, decorate".

Chamberlin French
French cognate of Chamberlain. Occupational name for an official in charge of the private chambers of his master from Old French chamberlenc "chamberlain".

Chapa Spanish
An occupational name for a metalworker meaning "metal sheet", amongst other things. It may also come from the name of a place in Galicia, Spain, or the Basque word and oak bush, "chaparro".

Chapdelaine French
Compound name derived from Old French chape meaning "hooded cloak, cape, hat" and de laine meaning "of wool", probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for a maker of such apparel, or as a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive cloak or hat.

Chapel French
Occupational name for a maker of cloaks or a nickname for a person who wore a distinctive cloak, from a diminutive of Old French chape meaning "cape, cloak".

Chapin French, Spanish
From a reduced form of French eschapin or Spanish chapín, a term for a light (woman's) shoe; perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore this type of footwear or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker.

Chapuis French
Occupational name from Old French chapuis "carpenter joiner" a derivative of chapuiser "to cut" (from Late Latin cappulare)... [more]

Chariot French
Means "cart" in French. Perhaps an occupational name for a cartwright or a carter.

Charlier French, Walloon
Occupational name for a cartwright wheelwright from Old French charrelier a derivative of charrel "cart" a diminutive of char "cart carriage".

Chartier French
An occupational name for a carter from an agent derivative of Old French charette "cart".

Cheeseman English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of cheese.

Cherry English
From Middle English chirie, cherye "cherry", hence a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of cherries, or possibly a nickname for someone with rosy cheeks.... [more]

Cherryman English
It is topographical or perhaps occupational and describes a person who lived or worked at a cherry orchard, or who lived by a house known by the sign of the cherry. In the days before house numbering, it was the tradition in almost all western countries to give the house a sign... [more]

Chevrier French
Occupational name for a goatherd from an agent derivative of chèvre "goat" (from Latin capra "nanny goat").

Chiesa Italian
Means "church" in Italian, originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a church, a habitational name from any of various places named Chiesa or perhaps an occupational name for someone who worked in a church.

Chopin French
French and English: nickname for a heavy drinker, from Old French chopine, a large liquid measure (from Middle Low German schopen "ladle"). The derived Old French verb chopiner has the sense 'to tipple’, ‘to drink to excess’... [more]

Choquette French
Altered spelling of French Choquet, a Picard form of Old French soquet, which was the term for a tax on wines and foodstuffs, hence a metonymic occupational name for a collector of such taxes.

Christmas English
Either an occupational name for someone who was responsible for arrangement of festivities for Christmas day, or it might a nickname for someone who was born on Christmas.

Chuckler Indian, Telugu
Telugu occupational name for a leather worker, a job historically considered spiritually polluting and impure in India, where the surname belongs to Dalit, or "Untouchables" - members of the lowest caste.

Churchward English
Occupational name for a churchwarden, someone who handled the secular affairs of a parish.

Ciavarella Italian
From Sicilian ciavaredda "goat kid", an occupational name for a goatherd, or perhaps a nickname based on the bearer's appearance or behaviour.

Cidro Spanish (Philippines)
From Spanish meaning "citrus fruit". Possibly an occupational name for someone who sells or raise citrus fruits.

Ciminera Italian
from a dialect variant of ciminiera "chimney" hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who built chimneys or worked a furnace oven or kiln with a chimney or a nickname for a tall thin person.

Cimino Italian
Occupational name for a spice dealer, from cimino "cumin", Sicilian ciminu.

Citarella Neapolitan
Occupational name for someone who made or played a guitar, derived from chitarra or catarra "guitar".

Citro Italian
From Italian meaning "citrus fruit". Possibly an occupational name for someone who sells or raise any citrus fruit.

Citron French, Venetian
Ultimately from Latin citrum meaning "lemon, citrus fruit". Possibly an occupational name for someone who sells or raise lemons or any citrus fruit.

Citrone English, Italian
Ultimately from Latin citrum meaning "lemon, citrus fruit". Possibly an occupational name for someone who sells or raise lemons or any citrus fruit.

Clavel Spanish
Metonymic occupational name for a spice trader or a nail maker, derived from Spanish clavel or Catalan clavell meaning "nail", later also "clove", itself a derivative of Latin clavellus "nail".

Clavel French
Metonymic occupational name for a nail maker, ultimately from Latin clavellus "nail", but in some cases possibly from the same word in the sense "smallpox, rash". A fictional bearer is Miss Clavel, a nun and teacher in Ludwig Bemelmans's 'Madeline' series of children's books (introduced in 1939).

Claver English, Catalan
occupational name from Old French clavier Catalan claver "keeper of the keys doorkeeper" (from Latin clavarius from clavis "key").

Clavero English, Catalan
1 English: occupational name from Old French clavier ‘doorkeeper’ (from Latin clavis ‘key’).... [more]

Clerc French
Occupational or status name for a member of a minor religious order or for a scholar Old French clerc from Late Latin clericus from Greek klerikos a derivative of kleros "inheritance legacy" with reference to the priestly tribe of Levites (see Levy ) "whose inheritance was the Lord"... [more]

Clerico Italian
Occupational or status name for a member of a minor religious order or for a scholar from Late Latin clericus (see Clerc ). Italian cognitive of Clark.

Clevenger English
Occupational name for a keyholder derived from the word claviger, itself from Latin claviger meaning "key-bearer".

Clinger English (American)
Americanized spelling of German Klinger.Possibly a variant of Clinker. an English occupational name for a maker or fixer of bolts and rivets.

Coach French
Possibly an altered spelling of French Coache, from the Norman and Picard term for a damson, probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of plums.

Coard English, Northern Irish
Derived from Old French corde "string", a metonymic occupational name for a maker of cord or string, or a nickname for an habitual wearer of decorative ties and ribbons.

Coccia Italian
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Sicilian cocciu "grain, berry", denoting a kind of gruel; an occupational name for a farmer from Greek κόκκος (kokkos) "grain, seed"; or from Italian coccia "head, shell", referring to someone with a large head, or who was stubborn.

Coco Italian, Sicilian
occupational name for a cook a seller of cooked meats or a keeper of an eating house from southern Italian coco "cook" (from Latin cocus coquus)... [more]

Cocuzza Italian
From cocuzza "gourd", "pumpkin", applied either as an occupational name for a grower or seller of gourds or a nickname for a rotund individual.

Coletta Italian
Derived from the given name Nicola 1. ... [more]

Colomb French
from Old French colomb "pigeon" (from Latin columbus) applied as a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of pigeons or doves... [more]

Comegys Dutch (Americanized)
from a combination of the stems of two Dutch surnames: the occupational name Komen and the patronymic Gijsen... [more]

Comer English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of combs, or to someone who used them to prepare wool or flax for spinning, derived from Middle English combere, an agent derivative of Old English camb meaning "comb"... [more]

Commander English
From Middle English comander "commander, leader, director", derived from Old French comandeor "military commander". This may have been either an occupational name or a nickname.

Conejo Spanish
from conejo "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus), presumably applied as a nickname with various possible connotations (big ears, timidity, etc.) or otherwise as a metonymic occupational name for a rabbit catcher or dealer... [more]

Confalone Italian
from gonfalone "standard banner" from Old French gonfalon (of ancient Germanic origin) a metonymic occupational name for a standard bearer either in a military context or as the officer of a guild responsible for carrying the banner in religious processions... [more]

Coniglio Italian, Sicilian
From coniglio "rabbit" (from Latin cuniculus ) applied as a nickname for a timid person or a metonymic occupational name for a dealer in rabbits... [more]

Contractor Indian (Parsi)
Parsi occupational surname for a contractor, or someone who works on the basis of a contract. As the British rule of India demanded for all Parsees to adopt a surname, many adopted English vocabulary based on their occupation (i.e. Engineer or Merchant).

Converse English
Originally a nickname for a Jew converted to Christianity or an occupational name for someone converted to the religious way of life, a lay member of a convent, from Middle English and Old French convers "convert".

Coolidge English
Probably an occupational name for a college servant or someone with some other association with a university college, for example a tenant farmer who farmed one of the many farms in England known as College Farm, most of which are or were owned by university colleges.

Cope English
From Middle English cope "cape, cloak", an occupational name for a maker of cloaks, or a nickname for someone known for wearing one.

Cordeiro Portuguese, Galician
Means "young lamb" in Portuguese and Galician (Latin cordarius, a derivative of cordus "young", "new")... [more]

Corder French (Anglicized, Archaic), English (American)
Linked to both English, French and Spanish origin. Cordier, Cordero, Corder- one who makes cord. Can refer to both the act of making cords (rope), cores of fire wood, or actual location names.... [more]

Cordero Spanish
Means "lamb" in Spanish, either used as an occupational name for a shepherd or a religious name referring to Jesus as the Lamb of God.

Cordonnier French
An occupational surname for a cordwainer or shoemaker, and derived from Old French cordouanier, literally meaning "cobbler".

Cork English
Metonymic occupational name for a supplier of red or purple dye or for a dyer of cloth, Middle English cork (of Celtic origin; compare Corkery).

Cornet French, Walloon
Either a topographic name for someone who lived on a street corner, from a derivative of corne "corner". From cornet, denoting either a rustic horn or an object made of horn, hence a metonymic occupational name for a hornblower or for a worker in horn... [more]

Coronel Spanish, Portuguese
Means "colonel" in Spanish and Portuguese, used as an occupational name for someone in command of a regiment.

Corte Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese
From corte "court", applied as an occupational name for someone who worked at a manorial court or a topographic name for someone who lived in or by one.

Coster English
Metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of costards (Anglo-Norman French, from coste 'rib'), a variety of large apples, so called for their prominent ribs.

Cott English
From the Old English personal name Cotta. Possibly an altered spelling of French Cotte, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of chain mail, from Old French cot(t)e ‘coat of mail’, ‘surcoat’... [more]

Cotto Italian
From Italian meaning "baked, cooked". Perhaps an occupational name for someone who worked as a cook or baker.

Coulon French
From Old French colomb "pigeon" (from Latin columba) used as a metonymic occupational name for a breeder.

Council English, German
1 English: nickname for a wise or thoughtful man, from Anglo-Norman French counseil ‘consultation’, ‘deliberation’, also ‘counsel’, ‘advice’ (Latin consilium, from consulere ‘to consult’)... [more]

Court English, French, Irish
A topographic name from Middle English, Old French court(e) and curt, meaning ‘court’. This word was used primarily with reference to the residence of the lord of a manor, and the surname is usually an occupational name for someone employed at a manorial court.... [more]

Courtier French, Medieval French, Medieval English
French: habitational name from places called Courtier (Seine-et-Marne, Aples-de-Haute-Provence), Courtié (Tarn), or Courtière (Loir-et-Cher). ... [more]

Couturier French
occupational name for a tailor Old French cousturier from an agent derivative of cousture "seam". status name from Old French couturier "farmer husbandman" an agent derivative of couture "small plot kitchen garden".