BryerAnglo-Saxon This unusual surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and was originally given either as a topographical name to someone who lived by a briar patch, deriving from the Olde English pre 7th Century "braer, brer", Middle English "brer", prickly thorn-bush, or as a nickname to a prickly individual, "sharp as brere" (Chaucer), from the same word applied in a transferred sense.
BuchGerman Topographic name for someone who lived by a beech tree or beech wood, from Middle High German buoche, or a habitational name from any of the numerous places so named with this word, notably in Bavaria and Württemberg... [more]
BucheGerman Meaning "beech" and denoting someone who lived near beech trees.
BucherGerman Upper German surname denoting someone who lived by a beech tree or beech wood, derived from Middle High German buoche "beech tree".
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)".
BucklandEnglish Habitational name from any of the many places in southern England (including nine in Devon) named Buckland, from Old English bōc "book" and land "land", i.e. land held by right of a written charter, as opposed to folcland, land held by right of custom.
BuckmanEnglish Occupational name for a goatherd (Middle English bukkeman) or scholar (Old English bucman "book man"). It could also be a shortened form of Buckingham or a variant of BUCKNAM.
BucurRomanian A ancient Romanian name of Dacian origin. It means "happy". A legendary Romanian shepherd named Bucur it is said to have founded Bucharest, the present capital or Romania, giving his name to it (The Romanian city name is Bucureşti).
BuczyńskiPolish Name for a person from any of various towns named Buczyn or Buczyna, derived from Polish buczyna meaning "beechwood, beech forest".
BudaHungarian (Rare) Habitational name from the name of the old capital of Hungary.
BudakTurkish Means "branch, shoot, knot" in Turkish.
BuddEnglish Originated from the Old English personal name Budda, from the word budda, which means "beetle" or "to swell." Specifically of Celtic Welsh origin.
BudgeEnglish Nickname from Norman French buge "mouth" (Late Latin bucca), applied either to someone with a large or misshapen mouth or to someone who made excessive use of his mouth, i.e. a garrulous, indiscreet, or gluttonous person... [more]
BudziszewskiPolish Habitational name for someone from places called Budziszewo.
BuechlerGerman From the common field name Büchle 'beech stand', the -er suffix denoting an inhabitant. from buchel 'beech nut', hence a metonymic occupation name for someone who owned or worked in an oil mill producing oil from beech nuts.
BuelnaAsturian Asturian-Leonese and Spanish: habitational name from any of the places called Buelna in Asturies and Cantabria.
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.
BuffettFrench (Anglicized), English Americanised form or a variant of French Buffet, or probably an English variant of Bufford. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Warren Buffett (1930-), a businessman, investor and philanthropist, and Jimmy Buffett (1946-), a musician.
BuffoItalian Character in an Opera Buffa; clown, jester, comedian, buffoon.
BugayongPangasinan From Pangasinan bugayong meaning referring to a type of flowering plant (genus Abrus). It was perhaps used as an occupational name for someone who practiced folk medicine with this plant.
BuġejaMaltese Possibly derived from Maltese abjad meaning "white", ultimately from Arabic أَبْيَض (ʾabyaḍ).
BuggEnglish From the Old Norse nickname Buggi, literally "fat man", or from a medieval nickname for an eccentric or strangely behaved person (from Middle English bugge "bogeyman, scarecrow").
BuissonFrench, Haitian Creole (Rare) Topographic name for someone who lived in an area of scrub land or by a prominent clump of bushes from (Old) French buisson "bush scrub" (a diminutive of bois "wood"); or a habitational name from (Le) Buisson the name of several places in various parts of France named with this word.
BuitragoSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous municipalities: the Castilian one in El Campo de Gómara or the Manchego municipality of Buitrago del Lozoya in Sierra Norte, Comunidad de Madrid.
BujalskiPolish Nickname for a storyteller, Polish bujała.
BujandaBasque It indicates familial origin within the eponymous council of the municipality of Kanpezu.
BujnowskiPolish Habitational name for someone from a place called Bujnowo or Bujnow, named with bujny ‘luxuriant’, ‘bushy’, ‘fertile’.
BukhariArabic, Urdu Indicated a person from the city of Bukhara in present-day Uzbekistan, itself possibly derived from Sogdian βuxārak meaning "place of good fortune".
BulataoPangasinan Hispanicized from Pangasinan bulataw meaning "lead astray, deceive".
BulićCroatian Derived from Ottoman Turkish bula meaning "a married woman or a Muslim woman in harem pants or covered with a headscarf" or from the forename Bule a hypocoristic of Budislav, Budimir, Budivoj, Budimil.
BulsaraIndian (Parsi) From the name of the city of Valsad (historically known as Bulsar) in Gujarat, India. A famous bearer was British singer Farrokh Bulsara (1946-1991), better known as Freddie Mercury.
BumpusEnglish (i) from a medieval nickname for a vigorous walker (from Old French bon "good" + pas "pace"); (ii) perhaps "person who lives by a place through which travel is easy" (from Old French bon "good" + pas "passage")
BunceNorman Meaning "good" person in old french. Also means "bain"(exeptionaly tall) in old english
BunchEnglish English: nickname for a hunchback, from Middle English bunche ‘hump’, ‘swelling’ (of unknown origin).
BundiRomansh Derived from Romansh bun "good" and di "day" (compare Bongiorno and Bonasera). Another theory, however, derives this name from the given name Abundius.
BuonocoreItalian Nickname for a reliable or good-hearted person, derived from Italian buono meaning "good" and core meaning "heart" (ultimately from Latin cor).
BuonopaneItalian Nickname for a person who is "as good as bread", or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a baker, derived from buono meaning "good" and pane meaning "bread".
BurbageEnglish English: habitational name from places in Wiltshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire, so named with Old English burh ‘fort’ + bæc ‘hill’, ‘ridge’ (dative bece).
BurbidgeAnglo-Saxon This interesting name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is a dialectal variant of the locational surname, deriving from any of the places called "Burbage", in the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Wiltshire... [more]
BurbridgeEnglish English: perhaps a variant of Burbage, altered by folk etymology, or possibly a habitational name from a lost place so named.
BureOld Swedish, Swedish This was the name of an influential family in 16th century Sweden. The name originated from the village Bure (now known as Bureå) in Skellefteå parish in Northern Sweden. The village got its name from the nearby Bure River (Swedish: Bure älv, Bureälven) whose name was derived from the Swedish dialectal word burra "buzz, rumble".
BurelFrench metonymic occupational name for a worker in the wool trade or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in brown from Old French burelborel a diminutive of boure "frieze" a type of coarse reddish brown woolen cloth with long hairs (from Late Latin burra "coarse untreated wool").
BurgerEnglish, German, Dutch Status name for a freeman of a borough. From Middle English burg, Middle High German burc and Middle Dutch burch "fortified town". Also a German habitational name for someone from a place called Burg.
BurgioItalian Denoting someone from a town of the same name, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "high, lofty", possibly by way of Arabic بُرْج (burj) "tower", German burg "castle, fortification; settlement", French bourg "burg, market town", or Latin burgus "watchtower, fortified town".
BurgmeierGerman Occupational name for the tenant farmer of an estate belonging to a castle or fortified town, from Middle High German burc "(fortified) town, castle" and meier "tenant farmer" (see Meyer 1).
BurgosSpanish Surname from a place named Burgos of Spain.
BurkettEnglish English: from an Old English personal name, Burgheard, composed of the elements burh, burg ‘fort’ (see Burke) + heard ‘hardy’, ‘brave’, ‘strong’... [more]
BurkhalterGerman Topographic name composed of the Middle High German elements burc "castle" "protection" and halter from halde "slope".
BurkhardtGerman Burk is German for "Strong", and hardt is the "heart of a castle".
BurkinsEnglish English variant of Birkin, Burkin, a habitational name from the parish of Birkin in West Yorkshire, so named with Old English bircen ‘birch grove’, a derivative of birce (see Birch).
BurkowskiPolish It is composed of buk (Common Slavic for "beech tree") and the Slavic suffixes -ov and -ski. In some cases, the name may originate from a toponym
BurlEnglish Old English occupational name originally meaning "cup bearer" or "butler" for one who dispensed wine and had charge of the cellar. Eventually the name came to mean the chief servant of a royal or noble household and was replaced by the French language inspired named 'Butler,' akin to the world "bottler".
BurlacuRomanian Probably means "bachelor" in Romanian, this is one of the most common surnames in Romania.
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’.
BurnellAnglo-Saxon, Medieval English A name for a person with a brown complexion or dark brown hair. From the Old English burnel via the French brunel a diminutive of the French brun, which means "brown". The suffix el-- a short form of "little" was added to brun to make Brunel... [more]
BurnetteFrench Descriptive nickname from Old French burnete ‘brown’ (see Burnett). Possibly also a reduced form of Buronet, from a diminutive of Old French buron ‘hut’, ‘shack’.
BurneyEnglish, Irish Form of the French place name of 'Bernay' or adapted from the personal name Bjorn, ultimately meaning "bear".
BurnleyEnglish English (Lancashire and Yorkshire): habitational name from Burnley in Lancashire, so named with the Old English river name Brun (from brun ‘brown’ or burna ‘stream’) + leah ‘woodland clearing’... [more]
BurrEnglish, Scottish, German Nickname for a person who is difficult to shake off, derived from Middle English burr meaning "bur" (a seedhead that sticks to clothing). It could also be a derivation from Old English bur meaning "small dwelling, building", or a German topographic name derived from burre meaning "mound, hill"... [more]
BurridgeEnglish Derived from an English place name, derived from Old English burg "fortress, fortification, castle" and Old English hrycg, Old Norse hryggr "ridge" or from the name Burgric.
BurroughsEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a hill or tumulus, Old English "beorg", a cognate of Old High German berg "hill", ‘mountain’ (see Berg). This name has become confused with derivatives of Old English burh ‘fort’ (see Burke)... [more]
BurrowEnglish Used to describe someone who lives in a burrow, which makes this surname’s meaning “he whom lives in a burrow.”
BurrowsEnglish Variant of Burroughs. A name for someone who lived by a hill or tumulus, also may be a further derivation from Old English bur "bower" and hus "house".
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".
BusbyEnglish Habitational name from a place in North Yorkshire, recorded in Domesday Book as Buschebi, from Old Norse buskr "bush, shrub" or an Old Norse personal name Buski and býr "homestead, village", or from some other place so called.
BuscemiSicilian Name for someone originally from the town of Buscemi in Sicily, derived from the Arabic toponym قلعة أبي شامة (qal'at 'abi shama) meaning "castle of the man with the mole" or "castle of (the family of) Abi Shama".
BusfieldEnglish This is a locational surname and originates from the hamlet of 'Bousfield', eight miles from the town of Appleby in Cumberland. This hamlet was controlled by Norse Vikings for several centuries until the Norman invasion of 1066... [more]
BustamanteSpanish Habitational name for someone originally from the town of Bustamante in Cantabria, Spain, derived from Latin bustum Amantii meaning "pasture of Amantius".
ButtaItalian Italian: from a short form of a compound name formed with butta- ‘throw’, as for example Buttacavoli.Italian: from an old German feminine personal name Butta.Italian: variant of Botta.
ButtacavoliItalian Nickname composed of the elements butta "throw" + cavoli "cabbages".
ButtafuocoItalian Nickname composed of the elements butta "throw" + fuoco "fire".
ButterEnglish, German 1. English: nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a bittern, perhaps in the booming quality of the voice, from Middle English, Old French butor ‘bittern’ (a word of obscure etymology)... [more]
ButterfieldEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a pasture for cattle or at a dairy farm, or a habitational name from a place named Butterfield (for example in West Yorkshire), from Old English butere ‘butter’ + feld ‘open country’.
ButterflyEnglish From the insect Butterfly this Surname is borne by Star Butterfly from Star Vs. the forces of evil.
BüttnerGerman Occupational name for a cooper or barrel-maker, an agent derivative of Middle High German büte(n) "cask", "wine barrel". This name occurs chiefly in eastern German-speaking regions.
BuxAnglo-Saxon From boc, meaning a beach, or beech. Sometimes used as an element of a place name e.g. Buxton, in Derbyshire, Buxhall, in Suffolk, or Buxted in Sussex; variant of "Buck", a deer.
BuxUrdu, Sindhi Derived from Persian بخش (bakhsh) meaning "fortune" or "section, portion, part".
BuxtonEnglish 1. A habitational name for someone from Buxton in Derbyshire, from the Middle English Buchestanes or Bucstones (meaning "bowing stones"), from Old English būgan meaning "to bow" and stanes, meaning "stones".... [more]
ByamEnglish Probably means "person from Bytham", Lincolnshire ("homestead in a valley bottom"). Glen Byam Shaw (1904-1986) was a British theatre director.
ByeonKorean (Modern) Variant romanization of Sino-Korean 邉 (Byun) meaning "Border".
ByerScottish The history of the Byer family begins in the Boernician tribes of ancient Scotland. The Byer family lived in or near the place named Byers in Scotland. The place-name, Byers, derives from the Old English word byre, which means cattle shed... [more]