Submitted Surnames Starting with B
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
BAArabicArabic from a shortened form of
Aba, accusative case of
Abu ‘father’.
BAChineseChinese from the name of the kingdom of Ba, which existed in Sichuan during the
Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc). Descendants of some of the ruling class adopted the name of the kingdom as their surname...
[more] BAACKNorth Frisian, DutchEither 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’, for example Baldewin) or from Middle Low German baec, bake ‘pork’, ‘bacon’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a butcher or pig farmer.
BAAMONDEGalicianThis indicates familial origin within either of 5 eponymous parishes.
BABAJapaneseMeans "riding ground" in Japanese from 馬
(ba) "horse" combined with 場
(ba) "place, ground, field".
BABELFrenchEither (i) from the medieval French personal name
Babel, apparently adopted from that of St
Babylas, a 3rd-century Christian patriarch of Antioch, the origins of which are uncertain; or (ii) an invented Jewish name based on German or Polish
Babel "Babylon".
BABINECCzechNickname from Old Czech babinec meaning "coward".
BABINGTONEnglishHabitational name for someone from Babington in Somerset or Great or Little Bavington in Northumberland, named with the Old English personal name Babba + the connective particle -ing- meaning "associated with", "named after" + tūn meaning "settlement".
BACCHUSEnglish(i) Variant of
Backus (meaning "one who lives in or works in a bakery", from Old English
bǣchūs "bakehouse, bakery"), the spelling influenced by
Bacchus (name of the Greek and Roman god of wine)....
[more] BẠCHVietnameseMeans "white" from the Sino-Vietnamese character
白. It is a cognate of
Bai.
BACHARACHASJewishBacharachas is a derivate of the Bacharach that is a town in Germany.
BACIURomanianRomanian surname from the word "baci" (shepherd)or the capitan of the game "oina".
BÄCKMANSwedishCombination of Swedish
bäck "small stream" and
man "man".
BACKMANEnglish, Swedish, GermanCombination of Old English
bakke "spine, back" and
man "man". In Swedish, the first element is more likely to be derived from Swedish
backe "hill", and in German the first element can be derived from German
backen "to bake"...
[more] BACONEnglish, French, NormanAn 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] BACQUEBasqueIt's a Basque and Gascon surname whose meaning is cowboy, rancher (cattle rancher) or breeder.
BĄCZALSKIPolishThis indicates familial origin within either of a cluster of 3 Lesser Polish villages: Bączal Dolny, Bączal Górny, or Bączałka.
BADDELEYEnglishFrom place names in both Suffolk and Staffordshire derived from an Old English personal name, 'Badda,' possibly meaning "battle" and
lee or
leah for a "woodland clearing," therefore meaning someone from "Badda's woodland clearing."
BADILLOSpanishTopographic name from a diminutive of vado ‘ford’ (Latin vadum) or a habitational name from either of two places named with this word: Valillo de la Guarena in Zamora province or Vadillo de al Sierra in Ávila.
BADOWSKIPolishHabitational name for someone from a place called Badowo in Skierniewice voivodeship.
BADRINETTEEnglishApparently an extremely rare name of French origin, but isn't used as a first name in France. It might come from the rather uncommon French surname
Bardinette, which apparently is a variant spelling of the surname
Bardinet...
[more] BAEDERGerman (Austrian)Means something like "bath house" which historically was associated with health or medicine.
BAEKKoreanKorean form of
Bai, from Sino-Korean 白
(baek) meaning "white".
BAERGermanDerived from Old High German
bero "bear".
BAFFAItalianThe origins of this surname are uncertain, but it may be from Italian
baffo "mustache", with the Latinate feminine suffix probably due to the influence of the word
famiglia "family". Alternatively it may be Albanian in origin, of unexplained meaning.
BAGATSINGFilipino, HiligaynonIndian Filipino name derived from Sanskrit भगत
(bhagat) meaning "devotee, follower" combined with सिंह
(siṃhá) meaning "lion".
BAGCITurkish (Rare)Bagci translated into English means vigneron, a vigneron is a person who cultivates grapes for winemaking. Originated in the 1920s in Turkey after the Balkan wars
BAGDONASLithuanianPatronymic from the personal name Bagdon, Lithuanian form of Polish Bogdan.
BAGGINSLiteratureIn J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," the surname of
Frodo Baggins. Also the name of his relative Bilbo Baggins. The Bagginses are a well-to-do and respectable family of Hobbits living in Hobbiton of the Shire...
[more] BAHŞIŞCrimean TatarDerived from Persian بخشش
(baxšeš) meaning "forgiveness, amnesty" or بخشیش
(bakhšīš) meaning "present, gratuity, reward".
BAIGMuslimBaig Name Meaning Muslim (common in Pakistan): from the Turkish word beg ‘bey’, originally a title denoting a local administrator in the Ottoman Empire, but subsequently widely used as a title of respect...
[more] BAIGORRIBasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous commune in the arrondissement of Baiona.
BAINBRIDGEEnglishfrom Bainbridge in North Yorkshire, named for the Bain river on which it stands (which is named with Old Norse beinn ‘straight’) + bridge.
BAINEBRIDGEEnglish, IrishBridge over the Bain, An English town named for its place on the river Bain, now used as a surname. Lives near the bridge over the white water...
[more] BAIRNSFATHEREnglishFrom a medieval nickname in Scotland and northern England for the (alleged) father of an illegitimate child (from northern Middle English
bairnes "child's" +
father). This surname was borne by British cartoonist and author Bruce Bairnsfather (1888-1959).
BĄKOWSKIPolish, JewishHabitational name for someone from a place called Bąkowa, Bąkowice, Bąkowiec, or Bąkowo.
BALCOMEnglishAltered spelling of English
Balcombe, a habitational name from Balcombe in West Sussex, which is named with Old English
bealu "evil, calamity" (or the Old English personal name
Bealda) combined with
cumb "valley".
BALDOCKEnglish (Rare)Means "person from Baldock", Hertfordshire ("Baghdad": in the Middle Ages the lords of the manor were the Knights Templar, whose headquarters were in Jerusalem, and they named the town
Baldac, the Old French name for Baghdad).
BALDYEnglishPossibly from an Old English female personal name, Bealdḡ{dh}, meaning ‘bold combat’, first recorded c.1170 as Baldith, and in others from the Old Norse personal name Baldi.
BALEEnglishVariant of
Bail. This is the surname of Welsh footballer Gareth Bale.
BALENEnglishEnglish surname, perhaps of Cornish British origin, from belen, meaning "mill."
BALFAGERPortugueseName of a Visigoth noble family (around the 10th century) from the Iberian Peninsula (current northern Portugal), meaning "bold spear"; they descent from the Balti dynasty.
BALFOURScottishOriginating from several place names in Scotland. Derived from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "village pasture".
BALIANArmenianPatronymic of uncertain origin, perhaps from Turkish bal ‘lord’, ‘master’, a word of Arabic origin.
BALIJAIndian, TeluguIt is a Telugu name, denoting either "traders/merchants" or "agriculturists".
BALLARDEnglishEnglish and Scottish: derogatory nickname from a derivative of
bald ‘bald-headed’ (see also
Bald).
BALLASTEREnglishMeant "person who makes or is armed with a crossbow" (from a derivative of Middle English
baleste "crossbow", from Old French).
BALLERINIItalianOccupational name or nickname for a dancer, Italian
ballerino, an agent derivative of
ballare "to dance".
BALLONSpanishTheoretically it could be a variant of vallón, from valle ‘valley’, but neither form is attested as a vocabulary word or as a place name element. Alternatively, it could be a Castilian spelling of Catalan Batlló, Balló, nicknames from diminutives of batlle ‘dancing’.English: variant spelling of Balon.
BALMAItalianPerhaps a topographic name from the dialect word
balma meaning ‘grotto’, ‘cave’, ‘jutting rock’.
BALOKOVIĆCroatianMost of Croatian families with the surname (last name) Baloković originate from the town of Donji Miholjac located in Osijek-Baranja County on the border with Hungary. During the 1700s and 1800s most of the people bearing this family name were born either in Donji Miholjac and/or nearby Nasice...
[more] BALSAMGermanOccupational name for a seller of spices and perfumes.
BALSANOGerman (Austrian), ItalianThe roots of the distinguished surname Balzano lie in Austria. The name derives itself from "Balthasar," the name of one of the three Magi who followed the star to Bethlehem, and was popular as both a first name and a family name during the 18th century....
[more] BAMBOROUGHMedieval EnglishBamborough name origin from early Northumberland early times other name know from the Bamborough is bamburgh as in bamburgh castle, ...
[more] BANCroatianDerived from a noble title used in several states in Central and Southeastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.
BANASPolishThe town of Bana, in Hungary, is said to have given birth to this family name. The name appears to have traveled northward, within eastern Europe, ending up in Poland where it is most recognized.
BANDARASinhalesePossibly derived from Bandāra, a group of guardian deities in the Sinhala Buddhist faith. The term was also used to refer to high officials within the Sinhala Kingdom.
BANDOJapaneseThis may be inaccurate, but Family Education says it means " East of The Slope", referring to eastern provinces of Osaka (lit. "Great Slope"). It's most popular in eastern Japan, where it originates from.
BANGDanishOriginally a nickname denoting a loud or brash person, from Old Danish
bang "noise" (from Old Norse
banga "to pound, hammer" of echoic origin). A literary bearer was Danish author Herman Bang (1857-1912)....
[more] BANGLABengaliFrom বাংলা
(Bangla), the endonym of the Bengali people, the region of Bengal (including Bangladesh), and the Bengali language. The word itself is derived either from
Vanga, the name of an ancient kingdom on the Indian subcontinent, or from an Austric word meaning "sun god".
BANKSTONEnglishDerived from the old English world "Banke" usually given to a family who lived near a hill or a slope.
BANKSYEnglish, Popular CultureThis is pseudonyms Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. Banksy's real name might be Robin Gunningham. How Banksy got his pseudonym is unknown...
[more] BANWELLEnglishMeans "person from Banwell", Somerset ("killer spring (perhaps alluding to a contaminated water source)").
BAOChineseThere are three different surnames that are Romanized in pinyin as Bao. Other Romanizations include Bau, Pao, and Pau. This character also means "abalone", but the name comes from an old place name...
[more] BARHebrewFrom Aramaic בְּרָא
(b'rā) meaning "son, child" or Hebrew בָּר
(bar) meaning "grain, cereal".
BARADBiblical Hebrew (Rare)It's the Hebrew name of one the biblical plagues in the Hebrew bible that God cast on Egypt. It means Hail as in the Ice storm.
BARAGASloveneA Slovene surname of unknown origin. A notable bearer was Slovene-American Roman Catholic bishop Frederic Baraga (1797-1868), who was the bishop of Marquette, a town in Upper Michigan, USA. There is also a village in Upper Michigan named Baraga, which was named after the bishop.
BARAKZAIPashtoMeans "son of Barak", from the given name
Barak (2) combined with Pashto زوی
(zoy) meaning "son (of)". The Barakzai are a Pashtun tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
BARASCHHebrewAcronym of the first two letters for the Hebrew phrase "son of the Rabbi Samuel." Bar Rabbi Schmul
BARBEFrenchNickname for someone with a beard, Old French
barbe (Latin barba).
BARBEGermanFrom 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.
BARBERAItalianDerogatory nickname from barbera ‘barber’s wife’, a term also used to denote a prostitute or dishonest woman. Catalan (Barberà): habitational name from a place in Tarragona province, named with Late Latin Barbarianum ‘place of Barbarius’, a derivative of Barbarus (see Barbaro)...
[more] BARBEROSpanishSpanish occupational name for a barber-surgeon (see
Barber), Spanish
barbero, from Late Latin
barbarius, a derivative of
barba ‘beard’ (Latin
barba).
BARBONFrench (Quebec)Derived from the nickname
barbon meaning "old codger" as well as referring to a "confirmed bachelor".
BARBOSAPortuguesedenoting a person who lived by land that contained overgrown leafy vegetation from the portuguese word
barba "leaf" +
oso/osa (adjective suffix); variant of
Barboza BARCELÓCatalanApparently from a personal name Barcelonus (feminine Barcelona), originally denoting someone from the city of Barcelona.
BARCELONACatalan, SpanishHabitational name from Barcelona, the principal city of Catalonia. The place name is of uncertain, certainly pre-Roman, origin. The settlement was established by the Carthaginians, and according to tradition it was named for the Carthaginian ruling house of Barca; the Latin form was Barcino or Barcilo.
BÁRCENASSpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Espinosa de los Monteros.
BARCHOCircassianPossibly derived from an Adyghe word meaning "band, lace", referring to someone who made ropes or binding tapes, or from a Chechen word referring to a tailor.
BARDELLEnglishOriginally meant "person from Bardwell", Suffolk ("Bearda's spring"). A fictional bearer of the surname is Mrs Bardell, Mr Pickwick's widowed landlady in Charles Dickens's 'Pickwick Papers' (1837), who misconstrues an innocent remark about having a companion as a marriage proposal, which leads to her suing Pickwick for breach of promise.
BARDENEnglishEnglish: habitational name from places in North and West Yorkshire named Barden, from Old English
bere ‘barley’ (or the derived adjective
beren) +
denu ‘valley’.
BAREFOOTEnglishEnglish: nickname for someone who was in the habit of going about his business unshod, from Old English bær ‘bare’, ‘naked’ + fot ‘foot’. It may have referred to a peasant unable to afford even the simplest type of footwear, or to someone who went barefoot as a religious penance.In some instances, probably a translation of German Barfuss, the northern form Barfoth, or the Danish cognate Barfo(e)d.
BARGYAnglo-SaxonThe surname Bargy was first found in Gloucestershire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
BARHAMEnglishEnglish: habitational name from any of the various places so called. Most, for example those in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, are named with Old English beorg ‘hill’ + ham ‘homestead’. The one in Kent, however, is from an unattested Old English byname Biora, Beora (a derivative of bera ‘bear’) + ham.
BARILFrenchDuring the middle ages, when people were named after their given job, Baril was what winemakers and brewers were named. Baril simply means "Barrel" or "Keg"
BARINOVRussianMeans "son of the boyar", derived from Russian барин
(barin) "boyar, nobleman".
BARKEREnglishSURNAME Town cryer, or someone who shouts out notices
BARKISEnglishMeant "person who works in a tannery" (from Middle English
barkhous "tannery" - bark was used in the tanning process). A fictional bearer is Barkis, a carrier in Charles Dickens's 'David Copperfield' (1849) who sends a message via David to Clara Peggotty that "Barkis is willin'" (i.e. to marry her).
BARKUSEnglishProbably 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.
BARNABYEnglishEither (i) means "person from Barnaby", Yorkshire ("Beornwald's settlement"); or (ii) from the medieval male personal name
Barnaby, the English form of
Barnabas, a biblical name ultimately from Aramaic
Barnabia "son of Nabia".
BARNEREnglishSouthern English habitational name for someone who lived by a barn.
BARNOItalian, Ukrainian, French, Ancient Aramaic, RussianThe surname Barno was first found in the north of Italy, especially in Tuscany. The name occasionally appears in the south, usually in forms which end in "o," but the northern forms ending in "i" are much more common...
[more] BARONEnglish, FrenchFrom the title of nobility, derived from Middle English & Old French
baron (ultimately of Germanic origin). Instead of referring to someone of rank, this surname referred to a service in a baronial household or a peasant with ideas above their station...
[more] BARRScottish, Northern IrishHabitational name from any of various places in southwestern Scotland, in particular Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, named with Gaelic
barr "height, hill" or a British cognate of this.
BARREAUFrenchPossibly 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.
BARRENETXEBasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Larrabetzu.
BARRIEREFrenchOccupational name for a gatekeeper, from Old French
barier.
BARRINEAUFrenchThe history of the Barrineau family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northern France, to that coastal region known as Normandy. Barrineau is a habitation name, derived from the place name Barrault, in Normandy....
[more] BARRINGTONEnglish, IrishEnglish: habitational name from any of several places called Barrington. The one in Gloucestershire is named with the Old English personal name
Beorn + -ing- denoting association + tun ‘settlement’...
[more] BARRIOSSpanishHabitational name from any of the numerous places named with Spanish
barrio "outlying suburb (especially an impoverished one), slum", from Arabic
barr "suburb, dependent village". It may also be a topographic name for someone originating from a barrio.
BARROETABasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the municipality of Bedia.
BARROWEnglishHabitational name from any of the numerous places named with Old English
bearo,
bearu "grove" or from Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, which is named with an unattested Celtic word,
barr, here meaning "promontory", and Old Norse
ey "island"...
[more] BARROWMANEnglishA man employed in wheeling a barrow; specifically, in coal-mining, one who conveys the coal in a wheelbarrow from the point where it is mined to the trolleyway or tramway on which it is carried to the place where it is raised to the surface.
BARRUNDIABasqueThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
BARRYAfricanA Guinean surname meaning the family comes from the Peul, Fulani, or Foulbe ethnic groups of West Africa.
BARSIHungarianName for someone living in a village named Bars. This was the surname of American child actress Judith Barsi (June 6, 1978 - July 25, 1988).
BARSKIYUkrainianMeans "of Bar", referring to the city of Bar in the Vínnitsya Oblast.
BARTEKPolish, Czech, Slovak, GermanPolish, Czech, Slovak, and eastern German: from a pet form of a vernacular form of the personal name Bartolomaeus (Czech Bartoloměj, Polish Bartłomiej, German Bartolomäus)
BARTHORPEEnglishThis surname originates from the village of the same name in the East Riding of Yorkshire, likely combining the Old Norse personal name
Bǫrkr with Old Norse
þorp meaning "village."
BARTLEYEnglish, American1. English: habitational name from Bartley in Hampshire, or from Bartley Green in the West Midlands, both of which are named with Old English be(o)rc ‘birch’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’; compare
Barclay...
[more] BARTMANEnglishLast name Bartman is very rare but I believe it’s a English last name .Possibly variant of the last name BAUMAN
BARWICKEnglish, GermanEnglish: habitational name from any of various places called Barwick, for example in Norfolk, Somerset, and West Yorkshire, from Old English
bere ‘barley’ +
wic ‘outlying farm’, i.e. a granary lying some distance away from the main village....
[more] BARZELAIJDutch, JewishDutch form (or "dutchization", if you will) of
Barzilai via
Barzelay. Also compare
Barzilaij. This name is found exclusively in the Dutch-Jewish community, and is considered quite rare: there were only 6 bearers in 1947 and less than 5 bearers in 2007.
BARZILAIHebrewThought by some to be a patronymic surname meaning "son of Zilai", but this is actually incorrect. The surname actually derives from
Barzillai, the name of a character from the Talmud. His name meant "man of iron" or "iron-hearted", derived from Hebrew
barzel "iron"...
[more] BARZILAIJDutch, JewishDutch form (or "dutchization", if you will) of
Barzilai via
Barzilay. This name is found exclusively in the Dutch-Jewish community, and is considered quite rare: there were only 112 bearers in 1947 and only 51 bearers in 2007.