RatzingerGerman Ratzinger means that someone has origins in the town of Ratzing. There are several German towns with this name. RATZ means ‘Serb’. Serbs were indigenous people in Germany, and many German cities originally had Serbian names (Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Brandenburg)... [more]
RäuberGerman, German (Swiss) German, Swiss German: derogatory nickname, from Middle High German roubære ‘robber’, ‘bandit’, ‘highwayman’ (from roub, roup ‘booty’, ‘spoils’).
RauchGerman Perhaps an occupational nickname for a blacksmith or charcoal burner, from Middle High German rouch, German Rauch ‘smoke’, or, in the case of the German name, a status name or nickname relating to a hearth tax (i.e. a tax that was calculated according to the number of fireplaces in each individual home).
RaudEstonian Raud is an Estonian surname meaning "iron".
RaudabaughGerman (Americanized) Raudabaugh is a German-Americanized surname of Reidenbach. People include Dan Raudabaugh (American Football coach) and Dave Raudabaugh (Outlaw who was an acquaintance to Billy the kid).
RaudkellEstonian Raudkell is an Estonian surname meaning "iron clock".
RaudseppEstonian Raudsepp is an Estonian name meaning "blacksmith" (the combination of "raud", meaning "iron" and "sepp", meaning "smith").
RavelFrench, French (African) Derived from either a place called Ravel in the district of Drome or Provence, or from the word 'rave' meaning a root vegetable, and hence a grower or seller of such items.
RavelingGerman nickname or patronymic from Middle Low German rave(n) ‘raven’
RavelinoOld Celtic (Latinized, Archaic) It means manufacturing of fine and expensive fabrics. Also means the tailor or weaver. It comes from Asti and Piedmont (noth of Italy).
RavellinoCeltic It means weaver or taylor. In the Gaelic languaje is wehydd or gwehydd.
RavenelEnglish, French Habitational name from Ravenel in Oise or a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of horseradish, from a diminutive of Old French ravene ‘horseradish’ (Latin raphanus)... [more]
RavenhillEnglish From Rauenilde or Ravenild, medieval English forms of the Old Norse given name Hrafnhildr.
RavenscroftEnglish, English (British) Habitational name from a minor place in Cheshire, England. The place name means "Hræfn's croft", from an Old English personal name Hræfn (itself from Old English hræfn meaning "raven", possibly a byname) and Old English croft meaning "enclosed field".
RawlsEnglish From the Olde German and Anglo-Saxon personal name Rolf. Originally derived from the Norse-Viking pre 7th Century 'Hrolfr' meaning "Fame-Wolf".
RayaGalician, Spanish Possibly a habitational name from Raya in Galicia or in Albacete and Murcia provinces. Possibly a topographic name from Spanish raya meaning "line", denoting the boundary between two countries or provinces.
RayamajhiNepali Probably a portmanteau of the Nepali words meaning 'Royal Fishmongers'. A member of the Rajput-Chhetri subcaste of Nepali family names.
ReachScottish, English Scottish: Nickname For Someone With Streaks Of Gray Or White Hair From Gaelic Riabhach ‘Brindled Grayish’. English And Scottish: Habitational Name From Either Of Two Places Called Reach In Bedfordshire And Cambridgeshire Recorded As Reche In Medieval Documents From Old English Rǣc ‘Raised Strip Of Land Or Other Linear Feature’ (In The Case Of The Cambridgeshire Name Specifically Referring To Devil's Dyke A Post-Roman Earthwork)... [more]
ReadingEnglish Habitational name from the county seat of Berkshire, which gets its name from Old English Readingas ‘people of Read(a)’, a byname meaning ‘red’. Topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing, an unattested Old English ryding.
RéalFrench This can derive from several different sources: southern French réal "royal", a word which was applied to someone either as a nickname (presumably given to people perceived as being regal) or as an occupational name (given to a person in the service of the king); or the French place name Réal, in which case this is a habitational name taken from any of various places which were named for having been part of a royal domain (also compare Reau, Reaux).
RealSpanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Galician Either a habitational name from any of numerous places called Real; those in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal being named from real "royal" or as variant of Rial while those in southern Spain and Catalonia are named in part from real meaning "encampment rural property" (Arabic raḥāl "farmhouse cabin")... [more]
RealeItalian From reale "royal", either an occupational name for someone in the service of a king or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal manner.
RealiItalian Variant of the surname Reale, which stems from reale "royal", either a name for someone in the service of a royal or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal, aristocratic manner.
ReamsPolish The last name Reams comes from Normandy, France.
RebolledoSpanish Habitational name from any of various places called Rebolledo for example Rebolledo de la Torre in Burgos from rebollo denoting a species of oak.
RechnerGerman Occupational name from Middle High German rechenære "reckoner keeper of accounts".
RechtGerman Probably a habitational name from a place so named in the Rhineland.
RechtGerman, Jewish Nickname for an upright person, from Middle High German reht, German recht "straight". As a Jewish name it is mainly of ornamental origin.
ReckGerman Nickname from Middle High German recke ‘outlaw’ or ‘fighter’. North German and Westphalian: from Middle Low German recke ‘marsh’, ‘waterlogged ground’, hence a topographic name, or a habitational name from a place named with this term.
RecktenwaldGerman habitational name from Recktenwald, near Saarbrücken.
RectorEnglish Status name for the director of an institution, in particular the head of a religious house or a college. Also an anglicized form of Richter.
ReddenEnglish Location name meaning "clearing or cleared woodland." Communities called Redden include one in Roxburghshire, Scotland and another in Somerset, England. A notable bearer is actor Billy Redden who played the dueling banjoist Lonnie in the 1972 film 'Deliverance.'
ReddickScottish, Northern Irish Habitational name from Rerrick or Rerwick in Kirkcudbrightshire, named with an unknown first element and wīc "outlying settlement". It is also possible that the first element was originally Old Norse rauðr "red".
ReddickEnglish Habitational name from Redwick in Gloucestershire, named in Old English with hrēod "reeds" and wīc "outlying settlement".
ReddingEnglish, German, Dutch English variant spelling of Reading. In 1841 Redding was the most commonly used surname in all of Buckinghamshire. A famous bearer is Otis Redding.... [more]
ReddishEnglish This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Reddish,' a village near Stockport, Cheshire.
ReddyIndian, Telugu Derived from Telugu రెడ్డి (reddi) meaning "village headman".
RedenbacherEnglish (American) The name "Redenbacher" appears to be a combination of two parts: "Reden" and "Bacher". Here's what I found about the meanings of these parts:... [more]
RedgraveEnglish From the name of a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England, derived from Old English hrēod meaning "reed" or rēad "red", and græf meaning "pit, ditch" or grāf "grove"... [more]
RedlingerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from Redling in Bavaria, Germany.
RedmanEnglish, Irish Variant of Raymond. Also a nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Middle English rudde "red" and man "man".
RedmayneEnglish, Irish Derived from Redmain, a small hamlet in Cumbria, England. It is named with Old English rēad meaning "red" and Welsh main meaning "rock, stone". The name could also be derived from the given name Réamonn, which is an Irish form of Raymond... [more]
RedmerFrisian North German: from the Frisian personal name, composed of the Germanic elements rad ‘advice’, ‘counsel’ + mari, meri ‘fame’.
RedpathScottish, English Habitational name from a place in Berwickshire, probably so called from Old English read ‘red’ + pæð ‘path’. This name is also common in northeastern England.
ReederMedieval English This surname was given to people in Medieval England who thatched houses using reed
ReediEstonian Reedi is an Estonian surname, possibly derived from "reeder", meaning "ship owner".
ReedusEnglish, Scottish An English and Scottish name of uncertain origin. Possibly a reduced form of English Redhouse, a habitational name from any of the numerous places named Redhouse, including over ninety farms.
ReekEstonian Reek is an Estonian surname, possibly a corruption of "kreek", meaning "damson".
ReekieScottish Perhaps "person from Reikie", Aberdeenshire, or from a different form of the Scottish male personal name Rikie, literally "little Richard".
RegueiroGalician, Portuguese The name originated in Ourense (Galicia) in the 14th Century. It´s literal meaning in Portuguese is river. It is a surname referring to a person who lived near a river or water source.
RehaEstonian Reha is an Estonian surname meaning "rake".
RehderGerman Occupational name, which was derived from the kind of work done by the original bearer. It is a name for a wheelmaker or wheelwright.
RehemaaEstonian Rehemaa is an Estonian surname meaning "threshing land".
RehiEstonian Rehi is an Estonian surname meaning "threshing barn".
ReialEstonian Reial is an Estonian surname derived from "treial" meaning "lathe turner".
ReichelGerman Derived from the Germanic root ric meaning "power".
ReichenbergGerman, Jewish Habitational name from various places named Reichenberg in several different areas of Germany. As an ornamental name, it is composed of German reich(en) meaning "rich" and berg meaning "mountain, hill".
ReidheadEnglish The origins of the Reidhead surname are uncertain. In some instances, it was no doubt derived from the Old English word "read," meaning "red," and was a nickname that came to be a surname. Either way, we may conclude that it meant "red-haired" or "ruddy complexioned."
ReifingerGerman 1 German: perhaps a habitational name for someone from any of several places called Reiting in Bavaria and Austria, or from a Germanic personal name, a variant of Rediger .... [more]
ReilleFrench, Occitan Topographic name derived from Old Occitan relha meaning "plowshare", or a habitational name from any of several places named Reille or La Reille in southern France. A notable bearer was Honoré Charles Reille (1775-1860), a Marshal of France during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
ReimannGerman From a pet form of a Germanic personal name formed with a first element from ragin 'advice', 'counsel' or ric 'power(ful)', 'rich'.
ReimerGerman From a Germanic personal name, a reduced form of Reinmar, composed of the elements ragin "counsel" + mari, meri "fame".
ReimetsEstonian Reimets is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "raie" ("cutting" and "felling trees") and "mets", meaning forest. Possibly a corruption of "reid" ("road" and "roadstead") and ""mets" ("forest").
ReinaSpanish, Portuguese Either a habitational name from any of the places called Reina. Or most likely from the female personal name Reina (from Latin Regina) otherwise a nickname from reina "queen".
ReinausEstonian Reinaus is an Estonian surname derived from the masculine given name "Rein" and "aus" meaning "honest".
ReinboldGerman From a Germanic personal name composed of the elements ragin "counsel" + bald "bold", "brave."
ReinertGerman North German: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements ragin ‘counsel’ + hard ‘hardy’, ‘brave’, ‘strong’, for example Reinhard ( see Reinhardt ).
ReiseGerman, Jewish German (Westphalia) topographic name, from Middle Low German ris, res ‘swamp’. ... [more]
ReisenauerGerman Probably denoted a person from a minor place called Reisenau, or a topographic name for someone living by an overgrown water meadow, derived from Middle High German ris meaning "undergrowth" and owe meaning "water meadow".
ReiserGerman, Upper German Habitational name for someone from Reis or Reissen in Bavaria (see Reis). An occupational name from Middle High German reisære ‘warrior’, ‘traveler’... [more]
ReisnerJewish Jewish (Ashkenazic) nickname for a traveler, from an agent derivative of German reisen ‘to travel’ (see Reise). Also a variant of Reis.
ReisnerGerman A habitational name for someone from a place called Reisen (for example in Bavaria), Reissen in Thuringia, or Reussen on the Saale river. A variant of Reiser Also from an agent derivative of Middle High German, Middle Low German rise ‘veil’; perhaps an occupational name for someone who made veils.
ReissGerman, Jewish, French (Huguenot) German: variant of Reis or from any of several Germanic personal names composed with ric ‘power(ful)’. Also from the French Huguenot forename Ris, rendered as Reis and Reiss.... [more]
ReisserUpper German An occupational name for a woodcutter, Middle High German risser.
ReiszDutch Patronymic from a pet form of one of the Germanic compound names formed with ragin "counsel" as the first element.
ReitaluEstonian Reitalu is an Estonian surname derived from "reid" meaning "road" and "talu" meaning "farm/farmstead".
ReiväliEstonian Reiväli is an Estonian surname meaning "road/roadstead field".
ReixachCatalan Habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Reixac in Catalonia, Spain, for example the municipality of Montcada i Reixac in the province of Barcelona.
RekdalNorwegian The name of people from the small town Rekdal in West-Norway. Former footballer Kjetil Rekdal (1968- ) is the most known person from there.
RelyeaGerman, French (Anglicized) Altered spelling of southern German and French Rellier, or probably a regional variant of Swiss German Reller, especially in the western provinces of Austria... [more]