AboutFrench It is a french surname that comes from the french word 'about', meaning "an extremity of a metallic or wooden element or piece." This surname is notably born by the French novelist Edmond François Valentin About... [more]
AbreoFrench, Italian Abreo or its variant Abreu comes from the French Alfred (alf = Elf; fred = conseil). The meaning is wise counselor.... [more]
AlbinetFrench Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Albinet, which was a diminutive (as the -et suffix indicates) of the given name Albin.... [more]
AlblasDutch From the name of a river in the Netherlands, or a nearby town.
AmarantheFrench Amaranthe is a rare French surname. While it might not be a common last name, it certainly stands out. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available about its historical or familial context, except that it has been used in France (515), Switzerland (1), Sweden (1), Senegal (1), United States (1) and Vietnam (1).
AnouilhFrench From Catalan anull, meaning "slow worm". It is originally a nickname given to a spineless and slow person. The French author Jean Anouilh is a famous bearer of this surname.
AppelGerman, Dutch, Jewish, Yiddish From Low German Appel, Middle Dutch appel, or Yiddish epl "apple", an occupational name for a grower or seller of the fruit. As a Jewish surname, it is generally ornamental rather than occupational.
AppelGerman, Dutch From the personal name Appel, a pet form of Apprecht (common especially in Thuringia and Franconia), itself a variant of Albrecht... [more]
AppelmanDutch Occupational name from Middle Dutch apelmanger "apple seller".
ArcheambeauFrench The name Archambeau is derived from the Latin personal name 'Arcambaldus'. In turn the name 'Arcambaldus', is derived from the Germanic word 'Ercan', which means precious in Germanic, and 'bald', meaning bold and daring.... [more]
Armand PilonFrench Armand is the original surname, and it is a French modification from a German surname. The original being Hartmann, that spelled by a francophone becomes Armand.... [more]
ArouetFrench A famous bearer was French philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778), whose birth name was François-Marie Arouet.
ArquetteFrench From arquet meaning "little bow" or "little arch" (diminutive of arche, from Latin arcus). It was originally an occupational name for an archer, but the French word arquet(te) is also found in the sense 'market trader' (originally, perhaps, one with a stall underneath an arch)... [more]
AubineFrench (Rare) Derived from the medieval French feminine given name Aubine, which was the French form of Albina. But in other words, you could also say that Aubine was the feminine form of Aubin.
AubinetFrench (Rare) Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Aubinet, which was a diminutive (as the -et suffix indicates) of the given name Aubin.... [more]
AubuchonFrench (Modern, ?) The Aubuchon name is French, but of uncertain origin. It is probably from the patronymic prefix au + buchon, a dialect term for a woodcutter (Standard French bûcheron).
AubutFrench The surname "Aubut" is Old French and was first found in the Burgundy region of France. It is derived from the Germanic name "Alberic" which is from the Latin name "Albericus."
AuclairFrench Patronymic from the personal name Clair or the nickname Leclair (‘the cheerful one’): (fils) à Leclair ‘(son) of Leclair’. It has also absorbed cases of Auclerc (from LeClerc).
AudelinFrench Variant of Odelin, which is not to be confused with Odelín as it is Spanish while the other one is French, though they could have similar origins in name.
AudetFrench Southern French nickname from Gascon dialect audet "bird", variant of standard Occitan ausèl (modern French oiseau).
AuricFrench Meaning unknown. Georges Auric (15 February 1899 – 23 July 1983) was a French composer, considered one of Les Six, a group of artists informally associated with Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie.
AuriolOccitan, French Possibly derived from Occitan oriol, meaning "oriole". Alternatively, it may be derived from the given name Aurelius.
AutryEnglish, French A habitational name from any of the places in France named Autrey or Autry. French: from the Old French personal name Audry, from Germanic Aldric ‘ancient power’.
AverneFrench, English Possibly from the French place name Auvergne. In some cases, might be derived from Middle English at ther vern, meaning "at the fern".
AxelDutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare) Habitational name for someone from either of two places, Aksel in East Flanders or Axel in Zeeland, both possibly derived from a relative of Old High German ahsala "shoulder", referring to an elevated piece of land.
BabelFrench Either (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".
BaconEnglish, French, Norman An 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]
BacotFrench Derived from the root bac-, which is of unknown meaning.
BaglinFrench, English English (of Norman origin) and French: from the Old French personal name Baguelin, Baglin, a diminutive of ancient Germanic Bago (Baco). Compare Bagg , Bacon.
BailFrench, Walloon Nickname from Old French bail for "governor, regent, bailiff".
BaillyFrench, English French cognate of Bailey, as well as an English variant; derived from Old French baillif "bailiff" (from Latin baiulus).
BainFrench Habitational name probably derived from Old French bain "bath". In some cases, the toponym might instead be derived from the Ancient Roman given name Baenus or Balnus.
BakkumDutch Habitational name from a village in North Holland province, Netherlands, derived from Old Germanic *baka "back, curve, elevated place" and Old Dutch hēm "home, house; settlement, hamlet".
BalDutch Diminutive form of the given name Baldwin, or perhaps another name beginning with bald "bold, brave".
BalDutch Means "ball, sphere" in Dutch, a nickname for a ball player or someone who made balls, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a landmark shaped like a ball. Cognate to English Ball.
BalkenendeDutch Possibly from a place name derived from Middle Dutch balke meaning "timber, beam" and einde meaning "end". A famous bearer is the former Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende (1956-).
BallouHaitian Creole, French (Caribbean), French The Ballou name comes from that Medieval landscape of northwestern France known as Brittany. The name Ballou was originally derived from the family having lived in Brittany, where this distinguished family was established from ancient times... [more]
BallutFrench Derived from Old Occitan baluter, cognate of French bluter (via Middle French beluter), meaning "to sift, to sieve, especially the flour from the bran", this name used to denote a miller.
BarbeauFrench Derived from barbeau meaning "barbel", a type of fish, hence a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or a nickname for a man with a sparse beard, the fish being distinguished by beardlike growths on either side of its mouth... [more]
BareillesFrench, Occitan Derived from the place name Bareilles, a village in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitania region of France. A famous bearer is the American musician and actress Sara Bareilles (1979-).
BarilFrench During 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"
BarnoItalian, Ukrainian, French, Ancient Aramaic, Russian The 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]
BarreauFrench Possibly 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.
BarriereFrench Occupational name for a gatekeeper, from Old French barier.
BarrineauFrench The 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]
BarzilaijDutch, Jewish Dutch 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.
BascöurtFrench The Bascourt or Bascur surname is from France, from that place dates the beginning of the surname, however the French of previous centuries had no records of that surname. ... [more]
BastiatFrench Meaning of this name is unknown. Possibly derived from Sebastian The surname Bastiat was first found in Poitou, where this family held a family seat since ancient times.
BatailleFrench nickname for a bellicose man from bataille "battle" (from Latin battalia) or a habitational name from (La) Bataille the name of several places in France all named as the site of a battle in former times... [more]
BaudelaireFrench Possibly from French baudelaire, a type of short sword with a curved blade and S-shaped quillons. A famous bearer of the name was French poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867).
BaudryFrench Derived from the medieval French given name Baudry, which was a variant form of Baudric, a given name that itself was a variant form of Baldéric (see Baldric)... [more]
BaumfreeDutch, American, African American This name is clearly derived from Sojourner Truth, a former African-American slave who was born as Isabella Bomefree (but at some point the surname was changed to the more German-looking Baumfree). Although Sojourner's original owners - James and Elizabeth Bomefree/Baumfree - were apparently of Dutch descent, it is questionable whether the surname is really of Dutch origin... [more]
BayEnglish, French, Dutch Derived from Middle English and Old French bay, bai and Middle Dutch bay, all meaning "reddish brown". It was originally a nickname for someone with a hair color similar to that.
BeauFrench Nickname for a handsome man (perhaps also ironically for an ugly one) from Old French beubel "beautiful, handsome" (from Late Latin bellus)... [more]
BeauchampEnglish, French Habitational name for a person for any of the various places named Beauchamp in Northern France, derived from Old French beau "beautiful" and champ "field".
BeaucheminFrench (Quebec), French Means "good road" in French, from French beau "beautiful" and chemin "path, road". This name is more common in the French-speaking parts of Canada than in France.
BeaufayFrench (Rare) In most cases, this surname is a locational surname that most likely took its name from the village of Beaufay, which is nowadays located in the Sarthe department of France. The village was called Bello Faeto, Bellofaido and Belfaidus during the Early Middle Ages, ultimately deriving its name from Latin bellus fagus (or bellum fagetum) meaning "beautiful beech tree(s)" or "beautiful beech woodland"... [more]
BeaufoyFrench (Anglicized, Rare), English (Rare) Anglicized form of Beaufay. Known bearers of this surname include the English astronomer and physicist Mark Beaufoy (1764-1827) and the British screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (b... [more]
BeauregardFrench From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and regard "look, glance".
BeauregardeFrench Variant of Beauregard used by one of the main characters in Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as well as its film and broadway adaptations.
BeauséjourFrench (Rare) Literally means "beautiful sojourn", derived from French beau "beautiful, nice, fine" and French séjour "sojourn, short stay". As such, this surname is most likely a locational surname, in that it originally referred to a scenic place to sojourn in... [more]
BeausoleilFrench (Quebec), French Topographic name for a person who lived in a place that was exposed to the sun, or from minor French place names, both derived from French beau "beautiful" and soleil "sun".
BeauvaisFrench From French place names derived from "beautiful sight".
BecquerelFrench A notable bearer was French scientist Henri Becquerel (1852-1908) who discovered radioactivity. A becquerel (Bq), the SI unit for radioactivity, is named after him.
BeekmanDutch, German (Americanized) Means "creek man" in Dutch, a topographic name for a person who lived by a creek, or an Americanized form of the German cognate Beekmann.
BeeksDutch From Dutch beek meaning "brook, stream".
BeendersDutch Possibly an occupational name for a bookbinder or barrel maker, from Middle Dutch binden "to bind, to tie". Alternatively, could be related to been "bone".
BeerGerman, Dutch From Middle Low German bare, Middle Dutch bere "bear". Given as a nickname to someone who was thought to resemble a bear, a metonymic occupational name for someone who kept a performing bear, or a habitational name for someone who lived near a sign depicting a bear... [more]
BeersDutch Could be a habitational name from either of two Dutch villages called Beers, or derived from a short form of the personal name Bernhard.
BégonFrench Probably from French béguin "(male) Beguin", referring to a member of a particular religious order active in the 13th century, and derived from the surname of Lambert le Bègue, the mid-12th-century priest responsible for starting it... [more]
BègueFrench Means "stutterer, stammerer" in French, used as a nickname for someone with a stutter.
BéguinFrench Nickname from beguin, a member of a medieval Christian male religious community (ultimately named after a priest called Lambert le Bègue) that followed a monastic rule without making perpetual vows and was quickly considered heretic; by extension the term came to mean "sanctimonious person".
BéliveauFrench (Rare), French (Quebec) Derived from Old French besliver meaning "to stagger along", originally a nickname referring to a drunkard. It could also denote a person who lived in a beautiful, lovely valley, derived from French beau "beautiful" or Old French beu, bel "fair, lovely", combined with val meaning "valley"... [more]
BellefleurFrench, Literature Means "beautiful flower" in French. This is the surname of the notable family in the 2001 to 2013 novel series The Southern Vampire Mysteries and the 2008-2014 TV series that inspired it, True Blood.
BellegardeFrench Derived from a toponym meaning "beautiful watch-tower, look-out".
BelleisleFrench Name for someone from an island named Belle Isle, French for "beautiful island".
BelletFrench Comes from a derivative of bel ‘handsome’.