BolkonskiymRussian, Literature Bolkonsky is the last name of Princess Marya Bolkonskaya from "War and Peace" by Lev Tolstoy. It is a real last name outside of literature as well.
BookbinderEnglish Occupational name for someone who binds pages to make a book, derived from Middle English bokebynder.
BookwalterEnglish (American) German: variant of Buchwalder, a habitational name for someone from any of various places called Buchwald or Buchwalde in Saxony and Pomerania, meaning 'beech forest'. The surname Buchwalter is very rare in Germany.... [more]
BotticelliItalian 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]
BoulahrouzArabic (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.
BoumedieneArabic (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.
BounyavongLao From Lao ບຸນ (boun) meaning "happiness, prosperity, goodness" and ວົງ (vong) meaning "lineage, family".
BouteflikaArabic (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.
BouteillerFrench 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]
BradstreetEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a Roman road, derived from Old English brad "broad" and strǣt "paved highway, street" (ultimately derived from Latin strata)... [more]
BrancacciaItalian (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]
BrancaccioItalian 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]
BrandhorstGerman, Dutch Possibly derived from brant "fire, torch, sword" and horst "thicket, grove, heap, elevated land" or "nest of a bird of prey, eyrie".
BrandybuckLiterature 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]
BrännströmSwedish Combination of Swedish bränna "to burn" and ström "stream".
BreakspearEnglish From 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.
BridgefordEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from any of the various places called Bridgford or Bridgeford in England or from a lost or unidentified place in Scotland, all possibly derived from Old English brycg "bridge" and ford "ford".
BridgwaterEnglish Habitational name from a town named Bridgwater in Somerset, derived from Old English brycg "bridge" and the given name Walter, after Norman knight Walter of Douai (1046-1107).
BrissendenEnglish Derived 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)".
BrizendineFrench, English, Jewish Derived 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.
Br MaharajafBatak Feminine form of Maharaja. The Br (short form of boru, pronounced BOH-roo) part is a nickname for women in Bataknese (except Karo tribe).
BrodzińskiPolish Habitational name for someone from a place called for example Brudzyń (formerly Brodzino) in Konin voivodeship, or Brodna in Piła voivodeship.
BroflovskiPopular Culture Kyle Broflovski (sometimes spelled Kyle Broflovski, Broslovski, Broslofski, Brovlofski or Broflofski) is a main character in the animated television series South Park.
BrüggemannGerman Name for someone who worked as a street paver or bridge keeper, or someone who lived near a bridge. From Middle Low German brügge "bridge" or brüggeman "street paver".
BrzozowskimPolish Habitational name for someone from a place named Brzozowa, Brzozowice, or Brzozowo, all derived from Polish brzoza, meaning "birch tree".
BrzumińskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Brzumin.
BuckinghamEnglish Habitational name from the former county seat of the county of Buckinghamshire, Old English Buccingahamm "water meadow (Old English hamm) of the people of (-inga-) Bucc(a)".
BuensucesoSpanish (Philippines) From a Spanish title of the Virgin Mary, Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso, meaning "Our Lady of the Good Event," referring to the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus.
BugenhagenPomeranian Haven on the Bugen river. Hagen coming from the German word haven, and there was once a river or small body of water in Pomerania near the border of modern day Poland and Germany called Bugen. The word Bugen, in German, means to bend or to yield... [more]
BugiardiniItalian Means "little liar" in Italian, from bugiardo "lying, false, deceitful; liar" and the diminutive suffix -ino.
BuitenhuisDutch Means "country house, building outside of the city" in Dutch, derived from buiten "outside, out of; in the country" and huis "house, home, residence".
BurchfieldEnglish From the name of various places in England called Birchfield, all derived from Old English bierce "birch tree" and feld "field". Essentially an English cognate of German Birkenfeld.
BurlingtonEnglish Habitational name from Bridlington in East Yorkshire, from Old English Bretlintun meaning Berhtel's town.
BurmeisterGerman North German: status name for the mayor or chief magistrate of a town, from Middle Low German bur ‘inhabitant, dweller’, ‘neighbor’, ‘peasant’, ‘citizen’ + mester ‘master’.
BurruchagaSpanish, Basque (Hispanicized) Altered form of Basque Burutxaga, a habitational name from a location in Navarre, Spain, possibly derived from buru "head; top, summit; leader, chief" or burutza "office of chief" combined with -aga "place of".
BusalacchiItalian Means "father of Zallaq", from Arabic أَبُو (abu) "father of" and الزلاق (zallaq) of unknown meaning, possibly related to the given name Salah 1 meaning "righteousness".
BuschiazzoItalian It's a surname in northern Italy (Piedmont). It emerges from the German spelling Bosch or Busch and this means "forest" or "wooded area".
BussemakerDutch Occupational name for a maker of boxes, tins or firearms, from Dutch bus "box, tin, container, firearm" and maker "maker".
BustamanteSpanish Habitational name for someone originally from the town of Bustamante in Cantabria, Spain, derived from Latin bustum Amantii meaning "pasture of Amantius".
ButragueñoSpanish Originally denoted someone from either the town of Buitrago del Lozoya in Madrid, or from the village of Buitrago in Soria, Castile and León in Spain, both derived Spanish buitre meaning "vulture" (see Buitrago)... [more]
ButtafuocoItalian Means "linstock (staff for lighting a cannon)" in Italian, composed of butta "to throw, toss" and fuoco "fire", perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a gunner, or a figurative nickname for someone with a hot temper... [more]
ButtermannGerman An occupational name for a dairyman or seller of dairy produce. See Butter.
CacciatoreItalian Derived from Italian cacciatore meaning "hunter, huntsman", ultimately derived from cacciare meaning "to hunt".
CaderousseFrench, Literature A character in the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. In the novel, Caderousse is a tailor and inkeeper who aids in the arrest of Dantès.
CalahatianTagalog From Tagalog kalahatian meaning "halfway, midway".
CalcaterraItalian Nickname from calcare meaning "to tread", "to stamp" + terra meaning "land", "earth", "ground", probably denoting a short person, someone who walked close to the ground, or an energetic walker.
CaliforniaSpanish (Latin American) It is thought that it might've been derived from Latin calida fornax meaning "hot furnace", or from Native American, kali forno meaning "high hill, native land". It is also thought to have derived from the given name Khalif or Khalifa.
CalingasanFilipino, Tagalog From Tagalog kalingasan meaning "lustre of a surface (which reflects light)".
CamoranesiItalian Originally indicated a person from Camerano, a small town near the city of Ancona in central Italy. A famous bearer of this name is the Argentine-born Italian former soccer player Mauro Camoranesi (1976-).
CannizzaroItalian Derived from Sicilian cannizzu "wattle", denoting a maker of reed matting. Stanislao Cannizzaro (1826-1910) was an Italian chemist. He is famous for the Cannizzaro reaction and his influential role in the atomic-weight deliberations of the Karlsruhe Congress in 1860.
CanomanuelSpanish The first part of this surname is possibly derived from Spanish cano "hoary, white-haired, grey-haired". The second part is derived from the given name Manuel... [more]
CanterburyEnglish Habitational name from Canterbury in Kent, named in Old English as Cantwaraburg "fortified town (burgh) of the people (wara) of Kent".
CardelliniItalian From a diminutive of Cardelli. A famous bearer of this surname is the American actress Linda Cardellini (1975-).
CarisbrookEnglish Carisbrooke is a village on the Isle of Wight; the name is thought to mean "Carey's brook". When in 1917 the British royal family changed its name from the "House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha" to the "House of Windsor" and renounced all German titles, the title of Marquess of Carisbrooke was created for the erstwhile German Prince Alexander of Battenberg.
CarmichaelScottish, English From the name of a village in Scotland meaning "fort of Michael", from Welsh caer meaning "fortress" and the given name Michael.
CarmiggeltDutch Dutch cognate of Carmichael. This was the surname of the Dutch writer, journalist and poet Simon Carmiggelt (1913-1987).
CarmignaniItalian Denoted a person from Carmignano, a municipality in Tuscany, Italy. In some cases, it could instead derive from the Latin nomen Carminianus (see Carminius).
CarononganTagalog From Tagalog karunungan meaning "wisdom, knowledge".
CarringtonEnglish, Scottish English: habitational name from a place in Greater Manchester (formerly in Cheshire) called Carrington, probably named with an unattested Old English personal name Cara + -ing- denoting association + tun ‘settlement’.... [more]
CarruthersScottish This old Scottish surname was first used by Strathclyde-Briton people. The Carruthers family in the land of Carruthers in the parish of Middlebie, Dumfriesshire. In that are it is pronounced 'Cridders'.... [more]
CasagrandeItalian Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations called Casagrande or Casa Grande, derived from Italian casa meaning "house" and grande meaning "big, large".
CasamonicaItalian (Rare) Derived from Italian casa meaning "house" with the suffix -monica which is taken from the name of Saint Monica. Casamonica is a relatively rare surname associated with a notorious Italian clan involved in organized crime and criminal activities... [more]
CasapietraItalian From Italian casa meaning "house" and pietra meaning "stone".
CasavantesFrench, Spanish, Basque Topographic name composed of casa "house" + avant "ahead of forward" + the suffix -es, denoting one who lived in the house located at the beginning of a village. This surname has died out in France.
CattermoleEnglish Found mainly in Norfolk and Suffolk. Meaning uncertain; possibly from an east Anglian term meaning “dweller at the dyke”, or from Old French quatre moles “four mills”.
CentofantiItalian Means "a hundred soldiers on foot" in Italian, derived from Italian cento meaning "(a) hundred" and Italian fanti, which is the plural form of fante meaning "soldier, infantryman"... [more]
ChabashiraJapanese (Rare) From 茶 (cha) literally meaning "green tea" and 柱 (hashira) meaning "pillar". A tea pillar is considered good luck in Japanese culture.
ChaiyasingThai From Thai ไชย (chai) meaning "victory" and สิงห์ (sing) meaning "lion".
ChallengerEnglish Probably from a medieval nickname for a touchy or quarrelsome person (from a derivative of Middle English chalangen "to challenge"). A fictional bearer is Professor George Challenger, irascible scientist and explorer, leader of the expedition to Amazonia in Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Lost World' (1912).
ChamberlinFrench, English French cognate and English variant of Chamberlain. Occupational name for an official in charge of the private chambers of his master from Old French chamberlenc "chamberlain".
ChijimatsuJapanese From 千 (chi, sen) meaning "thousand", 々 is a particle that indicates that the previous syllable should be repeated (chi becomes ji), and 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree".
ChikamatsuJapanese From 近 (chika) meaning "close, near" and 松 (matsu) meaning "pine, fir tree".
ChinchillaSpanish Originally denoted a person from the Spanish town of Chinchilla de Monte-Aragón in the province of Albacete. The place name is possibly of Arabic origin.
ChindavongLao From Lao ຈິນດາ (chinda) meaning "imagination, meditation, reflection" and ວົງ (vong) meaning "lineage, family".
ChinouririShona Believed to be from a local dialect, interpretations of the name could be resilience or strength.
ChronowskiPolish This indicates familial origin within either of 5 Lesser Polish villages: Chronów-Kolonia Dolna, Chronów-Kolonia Górna, Chronówek, Chronów in Gmina Orońsko, or Chronów in Gmina Nowy Wiśnicz.
ChrysantheFrench From the Greek Χρύσανθος (Chrysanthos), meaning "golden flower". This surname was first given to children found on October 25, the feast day of Saint Chrysanthos.