Submitted Surnames Starting with B

usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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.
Bregar Slovene, Croatian
Derived from breg meaning ''hill''.
Bréhant Breton
Refers to a place of the same name in Côtes-d'Armor.
Brehme German
Variant form of Bremer. German former soccer player Andreas Brehme (1960-) bears this name.
Breidegam German
"bridegroom"
Breiding German
From the name of a place in the Lippe area in northwestern Germany.
Breiding German
South German; shortened form of the given name Breide.
Breines Yiddish
From the German braun "brown".
Breit German
From Middle High German breit meaning "broad". a nickname for a stout or fat person.
Breithaupt German
Nickname for someone with a broad head, from Middle High German breit "broad" and houbet or houpt "head".
Breitkreutz German
probably a nickname for a person with a broad butt. Breitkreutz replaced an earlier more transparent form of the surname Breitarsch the use of kreuz (literally "cross") as a euphemism for "buttocks" first occurring in the 17th century... [more]
Breitwieser German
Derived from German breit "broad" and wisa "meadow".
Breitzmann German
Eastern German topographic name for someone who lived by a birch wood, ultimately derived from the Slavic stem bres "birch".
Brekke Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse brekka meaning "hill, slope".
Breland English
Americanized form of Breler.
Bremer German
Indicated a person from Bremen in the State of Bremen, Germany.
Bremner Scottish
Derived from the Scottish Gaelic name MacGillebhàin which means "son of the fair-haired one." It is associated with the Clan Bremner, which has roots in the northern parts of Scotland.
Bremont French
A variant of Bremond.
Brenari Jewish, Italian
Jewish family and possible place-name in N.E.Italy in 1500's.
Brenden Norwegian
Derived from Old Norse brenna "land cleared for cultivation by burning" (also known as svedjebruk "slash-and-burn agriculture").
Brenn German
Variant of Brenner.
Brenna Norwegian
Variant of Brenden, a Norwegian surname derived from brenna "land cleared for cultivation by burning" (also known as svedjebruk "slash-and-burn agriculture").
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.
Brentley English
Late variant of Brenkley.
Brenton English
habitational name primarily from Brenton near Exminster possibly named in Old English as Bryningtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Bryni" (a personal name from Old English bryne "fire flame") or "Bryni's town".
Breon English (American)
Americanized form of French Brion.
Breon French
Variant of Bréant.
Brereton English
From the name of locations in Cheshire and Staffordshire, England. The name is derived from Old English brér "briar" + tún "enclosure, farmstead".
Breslin Irish
Irish (Sligo and Donegal): Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Breisláin "descendant of Breisleán", a diminutive of the personal name Breasal (see Brazil).
Bresnahan Irish (Anglicized)
Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Brosnacháin (See Brosnan). Roger Bresnahan (1879-1944) was an American player and manager in Major League Baseball.
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.
Bresson French
From a pet form of the personal name Brès (see Brice).
Breton French, English
French and English: ethnic name for a Breton, from Old French bret (oblique case breton) (see Brett).
Breuer German, Jewish
occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale from Middle High German briuwer "brewer". Cognitive of Brewer.
Breunig German, German (Austrian), American
Origin probably in Frankfurt am Main... [more]
Brevard French
French: nickname from Old French bref ‘small’ + the derogatory suffix -ard.... [more]
Brevik Norwegian
Habitational name from any of several farms named Brevik, from Norwegian bred "broad" and vik "bay".
Brewton English
Variant spelling of the habitational name Bruton, from a place in Somerset, so named with a Celtic river name meaning 'brisk' + Old English tun 'farmstead'.
Breyer German (Americanized)
Americanized variant of Brauer.
Breyette English (American)
Of uncertain origin and meaning. First found in the United States around 1880. Self-taught artist Michael Breyette is a bearer of this surname
Brezhnev Russian, Ukrainian
Denoted a person from Brezhnevo, a rural village in the Kursky District, Kursk Oblast, Russia. The most notable bearer was Leonid Brezhnev (1906-1982), a leader of the Soviet Union.
Brezhneva Russian, Ukrainian
Feminine transcription of Russian Брежнев and Ukrainian Брежнэв (see Brezhnev).
Br Ginting f Batak
Feminine form of Ginting. The Br (short form of beru, pronounced BUH-roo) part is a nickname for women in Bataknese, specifically in the Karo tribe.
Brian Irish, English, French
1) Variant spelling of Bryan. ... [more]
Briand French
Variant of Brian.
Briar German
From the given name Briar.
Briatore Italian
This surname originates from the province of Cuneo in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is probably derived from Piedmontese brijador meaning "postilion, coachman", which itself is ultimately derived from Piedmontese bria meaning "bridles, reins".... [more]
Brick Irish (Anglicized), English, German, Jewish
Irish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bruic "descendant of Broc", i.e. "badger" (sometimes so translated) or Ó Bric "descendant of Breac", a personal name meaning "freckled"... [more]
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.
Bride Irish, Scottish, English
Further Anglicized from Scottish/Irish MacBride, from the root for Brigid.
Bridge English
Indicating one who lived near a bridge.
Bridgeford English
Meaning "bridge ford".
Bridgford English
Meaning "bridge ford".
Bridon French (Rare)
Patronymic surname derived from French bride "bridle, harness", this name used to denote a maker or merchant of bridle, harness or horse-gear and more generally a saddler.
Bridson English
Anglicization of Mac Giolla-Bríghhde, contracted to Mac Bríghde.
Brie French
Variant of Labrie.
Brier English
Derived from Old English brer "briar, bramble", a topographic name for someone who lived near a briar patch, or a nickname for a prickly, irritable person.
Briet French, Picard
Of uncertain origin and meaning.
Briette French
Variant of Briet.
Brigance English (American)
Americanized form of Alsatian Bergantz: unexplained.
Bright English
From a Middle English nickname or personal name, meaning "bright, fair, pretty", from Old English beorht "bright, shining".
Brightwen English
From either of the two Old English given names Beohrtwine (a masculine name which meant "bright friend") or Beohrtwynn (a feminine name which meant "bright joy").
Brignac French Creole
Came from numerous French territories such as Corrèze and Hérault.
Brinck German
Means "home on or near a hill".... [more]
Brindisi Italian
habitational name from Brindisi a port of southern Italy named in Latin as Brundisium.
Brindle English
From the name of a town in Lancashire, England, derived from Old English burna "stream, spring, brook" and hyll "hill".
Brindley English
Habitational name from a place in England so named. From Old English berned "burnt" and leah "woodland clearing".
Briner German (Swiss)
Habitational name for someone from Brin in Grison canton (Graubünden) or from the Brin valley.
Bringas Basque, Spanish
Etymology unknown.
Brink Low German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish
Means "village green" or "hill, slope, edge of a field or steep place". As a Swedish name, it’s ornamental.
Brinker German, Dutch
Derived from brink "edge, slope" or "village green", indicating that the bearer of the surname lived near a prominent slope of land or next to the centre of a village.
Brinkley English
"From Brinca's Field" or "Field in the forest"
Brinsley English
From a place meaning "brun's clearing" or "brown clearing" with the elements brun "brown" and leah "meadow, clearing".
Brinson English
Habitational name from Briençun in northern France.
Brinton English
English locational surname, taken from the town of the same name in Norfolk. The name means "settlement belonging to Brun" - the personal name coming from the Old English word for "fire, flame".
Brion French
Refers to any of several places of the same name. Derived from Gaulish briga "height, hill" and the suffix -one.
Brion French
Short form of the given name Abrion, a pet form of Aubrey.... [more]
Brion French
Variant of Breon.
Brion Irish
Variant of Brian or O'Brien.
Brion Galician
Refers to a place of the same name from the province A Coruña in pre-Roman Galicia.
Briones Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Briones Galician
Castilinized plural version of Brion.
Brisbane Scottish
Nickname derived from Old French bris(er) meaning "to break" and Old English ban meaning "bone". The sense of this hybrid name is not clear; it may have been used for someone crippled by a broken bone or for a violent man who broke other people’s bones.
Brisse French
Derived from the given name Brictius.
Brissenden English
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)".
Brisset French
Variant of Brisse by way of adding the diminutive suffix -et.
Brister English
From old English to break stone.
Britaev Ossetian (Russified)
Russified form of an Ossetian surname of unknown meaning.
Britnell English
Habitational name from a place called Brinton in Norfolk, England. See Brinton.
Brito Portuguese
The Brito family has its original roots in the village of Brito, around 1033 of the Christian era, where Dom Hero de Brito, lord of many estates in Oliveira, Carrazelo and Subilhães, all located between the Ave River and Portela dos Leitões, a very rich region and where the Solar dos Brito was located.
Brizendine French, 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.
Brizuela Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Merindad de Valdeporres.
Br Maharaja f Batak
Feminine form of Maharaja. The Br (short form of boru, pronounced BOH-roo) part is a nickname for women in Bataknese (except Karo tribe).
Brnčić Croatian
Meaning unknown.
Broadhead English
Likely originated from someone with a broad or wide head.
Broadhead English (British)
From Middle Eglish brod "wide, broad" and heved, hed "head, headland". Name for someone who lived by a broad headland.
Broccoli Italian, Sicilian
From the Italian plural for “The flowering crest of a cabbage”. Best known as the surname of the (Calabrian-originated) Sicilian American family who made James Bond internationally famous, by making movies (loosely) based on the books where the titular antihero himself appeared.
Brochtrup German
Possibly indicated someone who was from a farm called Brochtrup in the town of Lüdinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A famous bearer is American actor Bill Brochtrup (1963-).
Brocker German
North German topographic name for someone who lived by a swamp, from Middle Low German brook bog + the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.
Brockett English
From the Old French words broque and brocke.
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.
Brockman German
German in origin, in heraldry a "brock" is represented by a badger. It could mean wet/water and man. It also has been said to mean broker.
Brockmann Low German
Denoted someone who lived in or by a marsh, from Middle Low German brok "swamp, marsh" (see brōkaz) and man "person, man".
Brocos Galician
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous parish of the municipality of Agolada in the Comarca of O Deza.
Brod Jewish
Either derived from German Brot "bread" or taken from one of the various towns named Brod in Bosnia, Croatia and Macedonia or from one of the towns named Brody in Ukraine and Poland.
Brodén Swedish
Likely composed of Swedish bro "bridge" and the common surname suffix -én (ultimately derived from Latin -enius).
Broderick Irish, Welsh, English
Surname which comes from two distinct sources. As a Welsh surname it is derived from ap Rhydderch meaning "son of Rhydderch". As an Irish surname it is an Anglicized form of Ó Bruadair meaning "descendent of Bruadar"... [more]
Brodsky Czech
Habitational name derived from a number of places, including Bohemia.
Brody Ukrainian, Jewish
Town in Ukraine at one time 90% Jewish... [more]
Brodziński Polish
Habitational name for someone from a place called for example Brudzyń (formerly Brodzino) in Konin voivodeship, or Brodna in Piła voivodeship.
Broeders Dutch
From Middle Dutch broeder "brother, colleague" or "friar, monk, clergyman". Compare the German surname Bruder.
Broek Dutch
Means "marsh, wetland" in Dutch.
Broflovski Popular Culture
Kyle Broflovski (sometimes spelled Kyle Broflovski, Broslovski, Broslofski, Brovlofski or Broflofski) is a main character in the animated television series South Park.
Brogden English
From the name of a place in West Yorkshire meaning "valley brook", from Old English broc "brook" and denu "valley".
Brogdon English
Variant of Brogden The valley of the brook a rural place now in Lancanshire, England.
Broglin English
Corruption of Brogden.
Brogna Italian
From Sicilian brogna "conch, shell".
Brogni Italian
Possibly from the dialectical term brogneau meaning "wild plum", or figuratively "foreigner".
Brogno Italian
Possibly from the given name Bronius.
Broin Italian
Italian and French form of or comes from Brown.
Broker English
Name given to someone who worked as a broker, an agent for the sale and purchase of goods and services. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Anglo-French word brocour, which has the same meaning as the English word broker
Brolin Swedish
Composed of Swedish bro "bridge" and the common surname suffix -in.
Brolin English (Anglicized, Rare)
In the case of American actors James and Josh Brolin, it seems to be derived form Burderlin, an anglicized form of Brüderlin.
Bromley English
Habitational name from any of the many places so called in England. Most of them derived from Old English brom "broom" and leah "woodland clearing".
Bromwell English
Habitational name from Broomwell in Herefordshire named in Old English with brom ‘broom’ + wella ‘spring’, ‘stream’.
Bron English
Variant of Brown (See also Bronson).
Bronikowska f Polish
Feminine form of Bronikowski.
Bronikowski Polish
Habitational name from any of several places called Broniki or Bronikowo, in Konin, Leszczno, Piła, and Sieradz provinces.
Bronni English (British)
The name Bronni means 'bronze', 'love heart' or 'cat lover'.... [more]
Brook German
From Low German brook meaning "marsh, swamp".
Brook German, Jewish
Americanized spelling of German Bruch and Jewish Bruck.
Brooker English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream, a variant of Brook.
Brookhouse English
Means 'house by the brook'.
Brookman English, American
English: variant of Brook. ... [more]
Brooksby English
Means "farm by a brook". From Old English broc "brook, small stream" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement"
Broomby English
A surname well represented in Cheshire, and Nottinghamshire.