Submitted Surnames Starting with B

usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Bouzid Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Zayd".
Bouzidi Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "father of Zayd".
Bouzigat Medieval Occitan
Lengadocian (dialect of Occitan): meaning "fallow land" or "cleared, uncultivated land"
Bovary French
It is the surname of the famous fictional character Emma Bovary protagonist of Gustave Flaubert's novel.
Bovo Italian
Variant of Bove.
Bow English, Scottish
Habitational name from any of various minor places called with Old English boga, meaning "bow, arch, bend".
Bowden Irish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Buadáin.
Bowden English
Habitational name from any of several places called Bowden or Bowdon, most of them in England. From Old English boga "bow" and dun "hill", or from Old English personal names Buga or Bucge combined with dun.... [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.
Bowdoin French (Huguenot)
Americanized form of French Baudouin or Baudoin. Both the French form of Baldwin. A famous bearer of this surname was James Bowdoin II (1726-1790) Who was the second governor of Massachusetts and political rival of John Hancock.
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]
Bowell English
Of Norman origin; habitational name from Bouelles, Seine-Maritime, France, which is from Old Norman French "boelle" meaning "enclosure, dwelling".
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]
Bowersock English
Likely an Americanized spelling of Bauersack.
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.
Bowland English
From any variety of places in England with this name. These places are likely from with Old English boga ‘bow’ (in the sense of a bend in a river) and land ‘land’.
Bowles English
Variant of Bowell with post-medieval excrescent -s.
Bowlly English
Variant of Bowley
Bowne Welsh
The Welsh name Bowne is a patronymic surname created from the Welsh personal name Owen 1 or Owain... [more]
Bowser English
Nickname from the Norman term of address beu sire ‘fine sir’, given either to a fine gentleman or to someone who made frequent use of this term of address.
Bowskill English
From the place name Bowscale.
Bowyer English
English: occupational name for a maker or seller of bows (see Bow), as opposed to an archer. Compare Bowman.
Boyacı Turkish
Means "painter" in Turkish.
Boyajian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Boyajyan.
Boyajyan Armenian
Means "son of the painter" from Armenian պոյաճի (poyači) meaning "dyer, painter".
Boychev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Boycho".
Boycheva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Boychev.
Boydston Scottish
Habitational name from a place called Boydston near Glasgow. This surname is no longer found in the British Isles.
Boye German, Dutch, Frisian, Danish
From the Frisian given name Boye. Also possibly a variant of Bothe.
Boykins English (American)
Americanized form of Dutch Boeijkens: patronymic from the personal name Boye with the diminutive element -ken and genitive -s. Compare the English cognate Boykin and North German Boyken.... [more]
Boykov Bulgarian, Russian
Means "son of Boyko".
Boykova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Boykov.
Boyne English, Irish, Scottish
English: variant of Boon.... [more]
Boynton English
Variant of Boyton, from a place in Lancashire, England.
Boys English
From the Old French word bois, which means "wood," indicates that the original bearer lived near a wooded area, such as a forest.
Boyter Scottish
Denoting a person from the island of Bute.
Boz Turkish
Means "grey" in Turkish.
Božak Croatian
Derived from the forename Božo.
Bozan Turkish
Means "witherer, expunger, spoiler" in Turkish.
Boziga Medieval Occitan
BOZIGA, House or dwelling. ... [more]
Božikov Croatian
From božikovina, meaning "holly".
Bozinovic Serbian
Son of Bozidar
Bozkurt Turkish
Means "grey wolf" from Turkish boz meaning "grey" and kurt meaning "wolf".
Braafheid Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)
Means "braveness" in Dutch, derived from braaf meaning "brave, well-behaved, obedient" and the suffix -heid denoting a condition or state of being. This was originally a nickname for a strong or brave person... [more]
Braaksma Frisian (Dutchified, Modern, Rare)
Topographic name for someone who lived by a piece of wasteland or newly cultivated land, from Frisian, Dutch braak ‘fallow’, ‘waste’ + Frisian ma ‘man’. The suffix -ma indicating that it is of Frisian origin.
Bracamontes Spanish
Probably a habitational name from the French town of Bracquemont near Dieppe.
Bracco Italian
Either a nickname derived from Calabrian braccu meaning "small, chubby", or probably for someone thought to resemble a hunting dog, from Italian bracco literally meaning "hunting dog, bloodhound"... [more]
Bracha Hebrew
From the given name Bracha, means "blessing" in Hebrew.
Bracken Irish
From Irish Ó Breacáin meaning "descendant of Breacán", a personal name from a diminutive of breac 'speckled', 'spotted', which was borne by a 6th-century saint who lived at Ballyconnel, County Cavan, and was famous as a healer; St... [more]
Bradfield English
habitational name from any of the places in Berkshire Devon Essex Suffolk South Yorkshire and elsewhere named Bradfield from Old English brad "broad" and feld "open country" meaning "wide field".
Bradham English
Means "broad home". From brad "broad", and ham "home"
Bradstreet English
A notable bearer is Anne Bradstreet, essentially known as America's first famous poet.
Braegon Medieval Scottish (Americanized)
Meaning high noble, or he who shall rule.
Braff American
Jewish (from Poland): probably an ornamental name from German brav 'good', 'upright'. Swedish: an old spelling of Brav, possibly a soldier's name.
Braga Portuguese
The first man to own this name was a feudal lord on Portugal, near to the region of Coimbra. Could also come from the other surname "Bragança".
Bragado Portuguese, Spanish
This surname is a Spanish word which means "gritty", refering to a bull. ... [more]
Bragadóttir Icelandic
Patronymic used exclusively by women, meaning "daughter of Bragi". Bragason is the male equivalent.
Bragan Irish (Anglicized)
Anglicised form of Ó Bragáin, from the old Irish given name Breccán... [more]
Bragança Portuguese
From the city of Bragança in Portugal. It's also the name of the Royal House that ruled Portugal from 1640 to 1910.
Bragason Icelandic
Patronymic used exclusively by men, derived from the Old Norse name Bragi.
Bräger German
Habitational name for someone from Bräg in Bavaria.
Brager Norwegian (Rare)
From the name of any of the various farmsteads in eastern Norway, which may have derived their name from a river name meaning "roaring", "thundering".
Bragg English, Welsh
From a nickname for a cheerful or lively person, derived from Middle English bragge meaning "lively, cheerful, active", also "brave, proud, arrogant".
Brague English
Began being used in the 1700's
Braham English
From the name of a town called Braham, probably derived from Old English brom meaning "broom (a type of plant)" and ham meaning "home, settlement" or hamm meaning "river meadow".
Brahe Danish (Rare), Swedish (Rare)
Danish and Swedish noble family with roots in Scania and Halland, southern Sweden (both provinces belonged to Denmark when the family was founded). A notable bearer was Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).
Brahimaj Albanian
Means "descendant of Brahim" in Albanian.
Brahmi Arabic (Maghrebi)
From the given name Brahim.
Braid Scottish, English
From the Braid Hills.
Brailey English
Habitational name for a person from Brayley Barton in Devon, which is derived from the name of the Bray river (a back formation from High Bray which is from Celtic bre meaning "hill" or Old English brǣg "brow") combined with Old English leah "woodland, clearing".
Braille French
Braille is a writing system used by people with vision impairment. It was named after its inventor Louis Braille (1809-1852).
Brain Scottish Gaelic (Anglicized), Irish
Reduced Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac an Bhreitheamhan ‘son of the judge’, from breitheamh ‘judge’.
Brainin Jewish
Means "son of Brayne", Brayne being a short form of the Yiddish feminine name Brayndl, literally "little brown one" (cf. Breindel).
Braithwaite English
Northern English habitational name from any of the places in Cumbria and Yorkshire named Braithwaite, from Old Norse breiðr "broad" + þveit "clearing".
Brak Khmer
Means "silver, money" in Khmer.
Brakhage German
Possibly from the Old German word 'brak' meaning 'uncultivated field,' or from the Middle German word 'brachen' meaning 'to till the soil.' ... [more]
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]
Bramah English
From a place called either Bramall, or Bramhall formerly Bromale. From old english brom "broom" and halh, "nook, recess"
Bramble English
This surname is taken from the word which refers to a common blackberry (British) or any of several closely related thorny plants in the Rubus genus (US). It also refers to any thorny shrub. The word is derived from Old English bræmbel with a euphonic -b- inserted from the earlier bræmel or brémel, which is then derived from Proto-Germanic *bræmaz meaning "thorny bush."
Branagan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Branagáin.
Branagh Irish
Anglicisation of Irish Ó Branduibh meaning "descendant of Breathnach", a given name meaning "Welshman". A famous bearer is British actor and filmmaker Sir Kenneth Branagh (1960-).
Brancaccia Italian (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]
Brancaccio Italian
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]
Brancaleone Italian
Derived from the medieval Italian masculine given name Brancaleone, which means either "a lion's paw" or "he who captures the lion". In the case of the former meaning, the name is derived from Italian branca meaning "paw, claw" combined with Italian leone meaning "lion"... [more]
Brancatella Italian (Rare)
Derived from the feminine given name Brancatella, which is a diminutive of the medieval Italian given name Brancazia, the feminine form of the masculine given name Brancazio. For more information about this, please see the entry for the patronymic surname of Brancazio... [more]
Brancatello Italian (Rare)
Derived from the masculine given name Brancatello, which is a diminutive of the medieval Italian given name Brancazio, itself ultimately derived from the late Latin given name Brancatius... [more]
Brancato Italian
This surname can be derived from a given name (thus making it a patronymic surname) as well as from a place name (thus making it a locational surname). In the case of a patronymic surname, the surname is derived from the medieval Italian given name Brancato, which is a variant form of the given name Brancazio, itself ultimately derived from the late Latin given name Brancatius... [more]
Brancazio Italian (Rare)
Derived from the medieval Italian masculine given name Brancazio, which itself is derived from Brancatius (also found spelled as Brancaccius and Brancatus), a late Latin corruption of the given name Pancratius... [more]
Branche French
From Old French branche meaning ‘branch’ (which is from Late Latin branca meaning ‘foot’, ‘paw’), the application of which as a surname is not clear. Compare Branch.
Branciforte Italian, Sicilian
nickname from branchi "claws hands" (plural of branca) and forte "strong" meaning "strong claw".
Branco Portuguese, Central African
from the the portuguese word Branco meaning "white", referring to someone with light skin and/or hair
Brandão Portuguese
From the given name Brandão (see Brendan).
Brandeis Jewish
Derived from Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav (known as Brandeis-Altbunzlau or Brandeis an der Elbe in German), a town located in the Prague-East District, in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic... [more]
Brandenburg German (East Prussian, Rare)
From a state in eastern Germany, formerly known as Prussia, containing the capital city of Berlin. Ancient. Associated with the Margravate (Dukedom) of Brandenburg, the seat of power in the Holy Roman Empire... [more]
Brandenburg German
habitational name from Brandenburg the name of a province its principal city and numerous other places.
Brandhorst German, Dutch
Possibly derived from brant "fire, torch, sword" and horst "thicket, grove, heap, elevated land" or "nest of a bird of prey, eyrie".
Brandis German, Jewish, Swiss
German & Swiss: Habitational name from a former Brandis castle in Emmental near Bern, Switzerland, or from any of the places so named in Saxony, Germany. A famous bearer of the name is Jonathan Brandis (1976-2003).... [more]
Brando Italian, Portuguese
from the ancient Germanic (Langobardic) personal name Brando a short form of various compound personal names formed with brand "sword" particularly Aldobrando and Ildebrando... [more]
Brands Dutch, German
Patronymic from the given name Brand, derived from Old Dutch brand "fire, sword, torch" or a name containing the element.
Brandwajn Yiddish
Yiddish surname meaning Brandy
Brandybuck Literature
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]
Brannan Irish
Variant of Brennan.
Branner Danish, German, English
Danish variant of BRANDER and German variant of BRANTNER.
Brannock Irish
Originally taken from the Welsh place name Brecknock. Medieval settlers brought this name to Ireland.
Brännström Swedish
Combination of Swedish bränna "to burn" and ström "stream".
Bransby English (British)
English locational name from the village of Bransby in Lincolnshire. The place name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Branzbi' and later (1115) as 'Brandesby'. These recordings showing that the derivation is from the Old Norse personal name Brandr meaning "sword" and byr, the whole meaning being "Brand's village" or "homestead"... [more]
Branting Swedish
A combination of Swedish brant "steep hill" and the suffix -ing. A famous bearer was Hjalmar Branting (1860–1925), Prime Minister of Sweden in the 1920s.
Braque French
Surname of cubist artist Georges Braque.
Brar Indian (Sikh), Punjabi, Hindi
Based on the name of a tribe in the Jat community. From Punjabi meaning "brave and strong warriors".
Bras French, Dutch
From Old French and Middle Dutch bras "arm". This was probably a descriptive nickname for someone with some peculiarity of the arm, but the word was also used as a measure of length, and may also have denoted a surveyor.
Brase German
North German variation of Brass.
Brashear French (Anglicized)
Americanized spelling of French Brasseur or Brassier "brewer."
Brasil Portuguese
Ethnic name for an inhabitant of Brazil, a country in South America.
Brass English, German
English (Northumberland): variant of Brace.... [more]
Brassard French
Derivative of bras "arm" most likely applied as a nickname denoting a person with strong arms or perhaps a pugilist.
Brasse English
Likely derived from the name of the village of Brace in Shropshire, England. The name of the village likely came from the Old English word braec, which was used for small forests and thickets, or the later Old English word braec, which was used for ground broken up for cultivation.
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.
Bråthen Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse broti "land cleared for cultivation by burning". This was a common farm name in southeastern Norway.
Bratić Serbian
Means ''little brother''.
Bratov Russian
Derived either from Russian брат (brat) meaning "brother" or from a short form Brat of various Old Russian given names.
Brattén Swedish (Rare)
Composed of the personal name Bratt and the common surname suffix -én (ultimately from Latin -enius "descendant of").
Bratten Scottish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac an Bhreatnaich ‘son of the Briton’, originally denoting a Strathclyde Welsh-speaking Briton. It was applied in Ireland also to people from Brittany.
Bratu Romanian
Romanian surname; derives from "brat", the Slavic word for brother.
Brau Italian
Meaning uncertain, possibly from the dialectical term brau, meaning "wild, untamed" in Sardinian and "brave, fierce" or "bull" in Catalan, or from blau "blue, turquoise".
Brauch German
From Middle High German bruchen "to enjoy".
Brault French
Variant of Béraud.
Braundt German
Variant of Brandt.
Braunersreuther German
From a toponym meaning "Bruno’s clearing".
Bräunlich German
Originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin, meaning "brownish" in German.
Braunschweig German, Jewish
Denoted a person from the city of Braunschweig in Lower Saxony, Germany, which is of Old Saxon origin meaning "Bruno's settlement".
Braunstein German, Jewish
Ornamental name composed of German braun "brown" and stein "stone".
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.
Braxiatel Popular Culture
Irving Braxiatel or Cardinal Braxiatel is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures—spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. He subsequently became a regular character in novels and audio dramas in the Bernice Summerfield series... [more]
Brayboy Lumbee
This name origin has roots in a court case in 1716 involving a slave named John. He was charged as "Jack Braveboy, a negro". The spelling Brayboy is scene in 1801 with Stephen Brayboy. It was identified as Native American in 1900 Indian Census Schedule of Robeson County, North Carolina.
Braybrooke English
From the name of the Northamptonshire village of Braybrooke, meaning "the broad brook."
Brayson English
Patronymic form of the surname Bray.
Brayton English
Derived from the Old Norse name breithr meaning "broad", or the Old Norse personal name Breithi, combined with the Old English suffix tun meaning "town, farmstead".
Brazil English (Rare), Irish (Anglicized, Rare)
Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Breasail "descendant of Breasal", Breasal being a byname which meant "strife".
Brazos Filipino, English (American)
Means "arms" in Spanish.
Breakspear English
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.
Brean Irish
Variant of Breen or Brain.
Bréant French
Likely a variant of Bréhant.
Brearley English
Variation of Brierley possibly originating in Yorkshire, England. A well-known bearer is former English cricketer Mike Brearley.
Breath English, Scottish
From the La Bret family in Daveham. The Scottish variant is Braid.
Breathe English
English variant of Breath. It comes from the La Bret family in Daveham.
Breaux French (Cajun)
Originally from the region of Poitou.
Brecht German
From a short form of any of various personal names formed with Germanic element berth " bright" "famous".
Breece English
Variant of Breese or Preece.
Breed English
Habitational name from any of various minor places, for example Brede in Sussex, named with Old English brǣdu "breadth, broad place" (a derivative of brād "broad").
Breeding German
Likely from an ancient Germanic given name, now lost.
Breeding German
From the Low German brēde "open field". Denotes a person from such a place.
Breeding German
Americanized form of Breiding.
Breedlove English
Probably from a medieval nickname for a likable or popular person (from Middle English breden "to produce" + love). This surname is borne by Craig Breedlove (1937-), US land-speed record holder.
Breeze Welsh
Derived from the surname Breese, which came from the surname Rees.