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]
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-).
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.
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.
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]
BergeronFrench Diminutive of French berger meaning "shepherd".
BernoulliFrench French patronymic surname that was derived from the first name Bernoul (which was probably derived from Bernold or Bernolf).
BesançonFrench Habitational name for a person from the eponymous capital city of Doubs in France, ultimately from Latin Vesontiō, derived from Proto-Celtic *ves "mountain". Folk etymology states that it is associated with the place name with Old French bison "wisent".
BevierFrench (Germanized) From Old French bevier, meaning "a measure of land". This was probably a nickname for someone who owned or worked such a piece of land. This surname was first found in Austria, where the name Bevier came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging medieval society.
BiesheuvelDutch From Biesheuvel, the name of a small village in the north of the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Dutch bies meaning "bulrush, club rush" (a grasslike plant that grows in wetlands and damp locations) and heuvel meaning "hill"... [more]
BlijlevenDutch From a nickname meaning "happy life" in Dutch, indicating a cheerful person.
BloemendaalDutch Means "valley of flowers", the name of several places in the Netherlands, derived from bloem "flower" and dal "valley, dale". Cognate to German Blumenthal.
BlylevenDutch (Anglicized) Americanized form of Blijleven. Dutch-American former baseball player Bert Blyleven (1951-), born Blijleven, is a famous bearer of this surname.
BonaparteItalian (Rare), French (Rare), Judeo-Italian (Rare), American, Caribbean Variant and French form of Buonaparte, later adopted as a Jewish surname. It has also been adopted in parts of America and the Caribbean by admirers of the notable bearer Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1820), who ruled as Emperor of France from 1804 through 1814 and again briefly in 1815, who was of Italian (Tuscan) ancestry.
BourguignonFrench Originally denoted a person from Burgundy (called Bourgogne in French), a historical region of east-central France.
BouteillerFrench occupational name for a wine steward or butler usually the chief servant of a medieval household or for a maker of bottles from bouteiller an agent derivative of bouteille "bottle"... [more]
BruggemanDutch, Flemish Means "bridgeman" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who operated, guarded, or otherwise worked on a bridge. It could also denote someone who lived near a bridge, or who came from the Flemish city of Bruges, which also derives from Old Dutch brugga "bridge".
BuitenhuisDutch Means "country house, building outside of the city" in Dutch, derived from buiten "outside, out of; in the country" and huis "house, home, residence".
CapelleFrench, English, Dutch, Flemish French topographic name for someone living by a chapel, from a regional variant of chapelle "chapel" (compare Chapell 2), or a habitational name from any of several places named La Capelle... [more]
CardinalEnglish, French From the rank of the Catholic Church, derived from Latin cardinalis "pertaining to a door hinge", through the notion of the function of such priests as ‘pivots’ of church life. It was used as a nickname for someone who habitually wore red or acted like a cardinal.
CarmiggeltDutch Dutch cognate of Carmichael. This was the surname of the Dutch writer, journalist and poet Simon Carmiggelt (1913-1987).
CartierFrench, Norman Original Norman French form of Carter. A notable bearer was Breton-French explorer Jacques Cartier (1491-1557), who is known for discovering the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
ChalametFrench Nickname for someone who played the reed or an occupational name for seller of torches, from a regional form of Old French chalemel meaning "reed" or "blowtorch". A notable bearer is American actor Timothée Chalamet (1995-).
ClemenceauFrench Derived from the French given name Clément. A notable bearer was the French prime minister Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929), who successfully lead France through the end of World War I.
CornelieFrench Derived from a female baptismal name that is a scholarly version of the Latin name Cornelia.
CouturierFrench occupational name for a tailor Old French cousturier from an agent derivative of cousture "seam". status name from Old French couturier "farmer husbandman" an agent derivative of couture "small plot kitchen garden".
De BruyneDutch, French, Flemish Derived from Middle Dutch bruun meaning "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion. A famous bearer is Belgian soccer player Kevin De Bruyne (1991-).
DebyeDutch Variant of De Bie. A notable bearer of the surname was the Dutch-American physicist and physical chemist Peter Debye (1884-1966), born Petrus Debije.
DecaturDutch Variant spelling of De Caters. A notable bearer was Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), an American naval officer and commodore during the War of 1812, the Barbary Wars and the Quasi-War.
De GoeyDutch Variant of De Goeij. Famous bearers of this name include former Dutch soccer goalkeeper Ed de Goey (1966-) and Australian rules footballer Jordan De Goey (1996-).
De GroeveFlemish Etymology uncertain. Possibly a habitational name from any of several places called De Groeve, derived from groeve "quarry, pit; excavated watercourse"... [more]
De JagerDutch, South African Means "the hunter" in Dutch, an occupational name. In some cases, it could derive from the name of a house or ship.
DelahayeFrench, Walloon Variant with fused preposition de "from" of Lahaye. This surname is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium.
De LiniersFrench This indicates familial origin within the Poitevin commune of Liniers.
Den BestenDutch Means "the best" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch beste.
Den HartogDutch Derived from Dutch hertog "duke", a nickname for someone behaved in a haughty manner, or an occupational name for someone who worked for a duke’s household.
DepardieuFrench Means "of by God", derived from French pardieu meaning "by God", originally a nickname for someone who blasphemously uttered the name of God. It could also indicate a person who came from various places in France called Part-Dieu or Pardieu, for example the Lyon-Part-Dieu Business District in the city of Lyon... [more]
De RuiterDutch Means "the rider" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch ruter "freebooter, vagrant, robber", later meaning "cavalryman, soldier, armed horseman". It could also be a nickname based on an event, in one case deriving from an incident involving a ride on a runaway pig.
DesaillyFrench Originally denoted a person who came from any of the various places in northern or eastern France called Sailly, which is possibly derived from Old French saillir, salir meaning "to spring", ultimately from Latin saliō... [more]
DeschanelFrench Derived from French eschamel meaning "stepladder" or des chanels meaning "from the channels, from the little jugs". An occupational nickname for a trader, it supposedly originated in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France... [more]
De WinterDutch Means "the winter" in Dutch, a nickname for a cold or gloomy man, or perhaps for someone born in the winter. It could also be a habitational name referring to a house or tavern named for the season.
DijkhuizenDutch Means "houses in the dike" in Dutch, derived from dijk meaning "dike, ditch, levee" and huizen meaning "houses, settlement", and so indicated a person who lived in a house close to a dyke or embankment.
DoldersumDutch From the name of a village, derived from heim "home, settlement" and an uncertain first element.
DuvernayFrench Means "from the alder grove," from Gaulish vern meaning "alder" combined with Latin -etum, whence Modern French -aie, forming names of orchards or places where trees/plants are grown)... [more]
DuvillardFrench French surname, pronounced /dyvilaʁ/, whose bearers mainly live in Haute-Savoie. It means "from Le Villard", a village in the Rhône-Alpes region, whose name comes from the Latin 'villare' which means 'hamlet'... [more]
GerbrandyDutch, Frisian Variant of Gerbrandij. This name was borne by the Dutch prime minister Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (1885-1961; birth name Pieter Gerbrandij), who led the government-in-exile based in London, England following the Nazi German invasion of the Netherlands during World War II.
GroenewegDutch Dutch cognate of Greenway. habitational name from any of various minor places called Groeneweg a compound of groen "green" and weg "road path" for instance from the hamlets Groeneweg near Hoog Blokland in the province of South Holland and near Westbroek in the province of Utrecht.
GrotiusDutch (Latinized) Latinized form of De Groot. This name was used by the Dutch humanist, theologian and jurist Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), born as either Huig de Groot or Hugo de Groot... [more]
HoogendijkDutch Derived from Dutch hoog meaning "high, elevated" and dijk meaning "dike, ditch, levee", referring to someone who lived near a high dyke or embankment.
HuguenotFrench Meaning uncertain. It could be denoted as a French Protestant who held the Reformed tradition of Protestantism, possibly derived from Middle French eiguenot "Swiss confederate", from Swiss republican Besançon Hugues, or a diminutive form of Hugues, from the same person... [more]
HuitemaDutch Possibly a patronymic form of Hoite, a pet form of names containing the element hugu "mind, thought, spirit", using the Frisian suffix -ma "man of".
HuizingaWest Frisian, Dutch Habitational name from Huizinge, a town in Groningen, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Frisian hūs "house" and dinge "newly cultivated lands"... [more]
LambillotteFrench (Modern) Currently, a common name in Wallonia, Belgium with some descendants in USA. Believed to be derived from three terms..."lamb" "ill" "otte". The first term has remained unchanged from early Germanic term; the second is latin for "of the" and the third a dimiuative or feminine form suffix... [more]
LamoureauxFrench Means "the lover" in French. It would be the nickname of an amorous person.
LangerakDutch A habitational name from any of several places called Langerak, derived from lang "long" and rak "straight section of a waterway".
LardinoisFrench Originally denoted a person from the Ardennes, a forest-covered region situated in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. A notable bearer of this name was the Dutch politician and diplomat Pierre Lardinois (1924-1987).
LazalierFrench Comes directly from the last name "Larzelere"
LeeuwenkampDutch Possibly from an unknown place name meaning "lion's camp" in Dutch.
LefrançoisFrench From the given name François. It may also mean "the Frenchman", probably used to denote someone who came from the region of Île de France in France.
LétourneauFrench Nickname for a chatty, gregarious person or an occupational name for a birdcatcher, derived from French l'étourneau meaning "the starling".
MalecuitFrench Means "doughy," "soggy," or "undercooked" in French.
MandevilleFrench, English, Irish French habitational name from Mandeville the name of two places in Normandy derived from Latin magnavilla "large estate" or a variant of Manneville a habitational name from Manneville the name of several places in Normandy... [more]
MastenbroekDutch Originally indicated a person from the polder area of Mastenbroek in the Dutch province of Overijssel, as well as a small village built around a church in the middle of that polder area. The place names derive from Middle Dutch mast meaning "pole, mast" or "pig feed, fodder" combined with broek meaning "marsh, wetland".
MathenyFrench (Anglicized) Of French origin. According to Matheny family tradition, this surname comes from the name of a village in France named Mathenay. This may also have been a French Huguenot surname.
MeijerinkDutch Toponymic surname derived from meier "bailiff, steward, tenant farmer" (see Meijer) combined with the suffix -ink.
MeutstegeDutch Possibly from Dutch meute meaning "pack, crowd" and steeg meaning "alleyway, lane, narrow path". Dutch former soccer player Wim Meutstege (1952-) bears this name.
MondriaanDutch Meaning uncertain. It is a variant of the surname Mondriaal, which could possibly be a Dutch cognate of Monreal, meaning "royal mountain". This was the real surname of the Dutch-American painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944).
MondrianDutch Variant of Mondriaan. A notable bearer was the Dutch-American abstract painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), born Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan Jr. (He changed his name in 1912, dropping the extra a from his surname).
MontesquieuFrench From French montagne, meaning "mountain" and possibly also from queue, meaning "line". Charles Montesquieu was a 17th-century French aristocrat, philosopher and politician.
MontpellierFrench Means "woad mountain", derived from French mont (itself from Latin mōns) meaning "mountain" and pastel (Latin pastellus, pestellus) meaning "woad, dye", referring to someone who lived near a mountain that was covered with woad (a plant that produces a blue dye)... [more]
MoranvilleFrench Habitational name from a commune in France named Moranville, derived from French personal name Morand and ville "town, city".
NanningaFrisian, Dutch, German Derived from the given name Nanne, a short form of Germanic names containing the element nand meaning "daring, brave, courage"... [more]
NederhorstDutch From the name of the village of Nederhorst den Berg in North Holland, the Netherlands. It means "lower height, lower hill" in Dutch, derived from neder "lower" and horst "overgrown elevated place"... [more]
OudelandDutch Habitational name from places called Oudeland in the Netherlands, or perhaps the village of Oudelande in the Dutch province of Zeeland. Their names mean "old land" in Dutch.
OuwehandDutch Means "old hand" in Dutch, originally a nickname for a fisherman, associated with the phrase "old hands at sea". Another theory holds that it comes from a misdivision of the surname Oudeland... [more]
OvermarsDutch Means "over the marsh", derived from Middle Dutch over meaning "over, above" and marsch meaning "marsh". A famous bearer of this name is the former Dutch soccer player Marc Overmars (1973-).
OverpeltDutch From the name of a town in Limburg, Belgium, meaning "above the pelt" (see Van Pelt).
PetitjeanFrench Nickname for a small or little man, or ironically a large or tall man, derived from Old French petit meaning "small, little" combined with the given name Jean 1... [more]
PhilippartBelgian In the Medieval period, of Ancient Greek origin, derives from philippos, a compound made of philein meaning "to love", and hippos, a horse, hence "lover of horses".
PijnenburgDutch From the name of an estate or hamlet called Pijnenburg in the town of Soest in Utrecht, Holland, composed of Middle Dutch pijn meaning "pine tree" and burg meaning "fortress, manor, mansion".
PikettyFrench Perhaps related to the English surname Pickett. A notable bearer is French economist Thomas Piketty (1971-).
PinochetBasque, French, Spanish Derived from Basque pinoche meaning "pine cone". Alternately, it could be derived from the name of the hamlet of Pinouchet, located in the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France... [more]
PolnareffFrench Most known by famous French singer Michel Polnareff, and fictional Jojo's Bizarre Adventure character Jean-Pierre Polnareff (who is named after the singer).
RavenswaaijDutch From the name of a village in Gelderland, Netherlands, meaning "Raven’s ford", derived from the personal name Raven combined with Old Dutch wade "ford, shallows", later reinterpreted as Middle Dutch way "pool, kolk lake".
ReizigerDutch, Dutch (Surinamese) Derived from Middle Dutch reisiger meaning "traveller, voyager", ultimately from Middle High German meaning "soldier on horseback". It is notably borne by the Dutch former soccer player Michael Reiziger (1973-).
RibéryFrench Indicated a person from La Ribeyre, a town in the Auvergne region of France, which translates to "the riverbank". The former French soccer player Franck Ribéry (1983-) is a famous bearer of this name.
RijlaarsdamDutch Derived from Reguliersdam, a dam named for a nearby monastery from Old French reguler "ecclesiastical, subject to religious or monastic rule".
RochussenDutch Means "son of Rochus". Famous bearers of this name are the Dutch prime minister Jan Jacob Rochussen (1797-1871) and the 19th-century painter Charles Rochussen (1814-1894).
RondelliItalian, English, French From the medieval name "Rondello" derived from French "rondel" meaning "go around, round" or "rondel", a French old nickname for a round, plump man.
RossignolFrench Means "nightingale" in French, used as a nickname for person with a good singing voice, or ironically, for a raucous person.
SarrazinFrench Means "Saracen" in Old French, a name used to refer to Arab Muslims in the Middle Ages. It was probably used as a nickname for an unruly person, a person with a dark complexion, or for someone who had taken part in a Crusade.
SchermerhornDutch From Schermerhorn, the name of a village in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands, derived from Dutch schermer meaning "fencer" and hoorn meaning "horn". It was borne by the Dutch politician Willem "Wim" Schermerhorn (1894-1977), a Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
SénécalFrench status name for a seneschal an official in a large household who was responsible for overseeing day-to-day domestic arrangements from Old French seneschal (of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements sini "old" and scalc "servant")... [more]
SénéchalFrench Variant of Sénécal, a status name for a seneschal an official in a large household who was responsible for overseeing day-to-day domestic arrangements from Old French seneschal (of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements sini "old" and scalc "servant").
SnelliusDutch (Latinized) Latinized form of Snel. A notable bearer was the Dutch astronomer and mathematician Willebrord Snellius (1580-1626; real name Willebrord Snel van Royen), commonly called Snell, for whom the formula Snell's law is named.
StegerhoekDutch Derived from Old Dutch stega "lane, alleyway; steep path, slope" and huok "corner, angle, hook".
TocquevilleFrench From the names of various French communes in Normandy meaning "Tóki's town". As a title it was borne by the French political philosopher, aristocrat and historian Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, Count of Tocqueville (1805-1859), the author of Democracy in America.
TonnelierFrench Means "cooper" in French, from Middle French tonnel "barrel".
TrezeguetFrench Meaning uncertain, possibly an occupational name derived from Old French treize, treze meaning "thirteen" and guet (itself from Old French gué) meaning "look-out, watch, vigil"... [more]
VaandragerDutch Means "flag-bearer, ensign" in Dutch, from vaan "banner, vane, flag" and drager "carrier, bearer".
Van AanholtDutch Means "from Anholt", a small village in the northeast of the province of Drenthe in the Netherlands, itself meaning "hold, rest" in Dutch (a place where people could rest for the night). A famous bearer is the Dutch soccer player Patrick van Aanholt (1990-).
Van BerkelDutch Means "from Berkel", the name of several villages derived from berk "birch tree" and lo "forest clearing".
Van BommelDutch Means "from Bommel", a city now called Zaltbommel, in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. A famous bearer is the former Dutch soccer player Mark van Bommel (1977-).
Van BoxtelDutch Means "from Boxtel" in Dutch, the name of a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch buk "buck, roebuck, hart" and stelle "stable, safe residence".
Van BronckhorstDutch Means "from Bronckhorst", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, itself derived from Dutch brink meaning "village green, edge, slope" and horst meaning "overgrown elevated place" or "higher located brushwood"... [more]
Van Der KooiDutch Means "from the pen", derived from Dutch kooi "cage", given to someone who owned a duck decoy field for hunting, or who came from a place named after one.
Van der KuipDutch Means "from the cooper's vat", from Dutch kuip meaning "tub, vat, barrel".
Van Der LeijDutch Derived from Dutch lei meaning "slate" (effectively meaning "from the slate"), indicating that the original bearer of this name may have come from a place where slate was produced.
Van der PlasDutch Means "from the pool" in Dutch, derived from plas "pool, puddle, pond; body of stagnant water".
Van DishoeckDutch Means "from Dishoek", the name of both a small village and a neighbourhood in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. Their names mean "corner of a levee, corner of the dike" in Dutch.
Van DongenDutch Means "from Dongen", a village in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from donk "sandy hill (in marshy area)".
Van EgmondDutch Means "from Egmond" in Dutch, the name of a town and former municipality in North Holland. The toponym is possibly derived from heeg-munde (or hecmunda) meaning "enclosed fortress".
Van HalenDutch Habitational name for a person from the villages Hoog en Laaghalen in the Dutch province of Drenthe or Halen near Hasselt in Belgian Limburg. Famous bearers include Dutch-born American musicians Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020) and his brother Alex Van Halen (1953-) of the rock band Van Halen... [more]
Van HelmondDutch Means "from Helmond" in Dutch, a municipality in Southern Netherlands, of unknown etymology. It could derived from the Dutch dialectal hel "low-lying" and Old Dutch munte "hill, place of refuge during flooding".
Van HelsingDutch (Rare) Habitational name that can derive from any of several locations. It is most famously used by the fictional character Abraham Van Helsing in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, in which case it may be invented.
Van HertrooijDutch Means "from Hertrooij", most likely a place name in the Netherlands. It could possibly derive from Middle Dutch hert meaning "deer" and rood meaning "red".
Van HooijdonkDutch Means "from Hooidonk", a small village in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Dutch hoog meaning "high, elevated" and donk meaning "(sandy) hill". Dutch former soccer player Pierre van Hooijdonk (1969-) bears this name.
Van IersselDutch Variant of Van Iersel. A famous bearer is the former Dutch soccer player Kees van Ierssel (1945-).
Van MaastrichtDutch Means "from Maastricht", a city in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands, itself derived from the name of the Maas (Meuse) river combined with Dutch tricht meaning "ford, passage, crossing, ferry".
Van MierloDutch Means "from Mierlo", a village in the Netherlands. Likely derived from a compound of Old Dutch *mier "swamp" and lo "light forest".
Van PersieDutch Means "from Persia", most likely derived from the name of a house that traded in Persian goods. Alternatively, it might derive from Perche, a former province in France.
Van RuisdaelDutch Means "from Ruisdael", the name of a lost castle, also called Ruisschendaal, near the village of Blaricum in North Holland, the Netherlands. It means "noisy valley" in Dutch. This name was borne by members of the Van Ruisdael family of artists during the Dutch Golden Age, notably the landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael (c... [more]
Van SchalkwijkDutch Means "from Schalkwijk", the name of either a small village in the province of Utrecht, or a large neighbourhood in the city of Haarlem in North Holland, the Netherlands. The place names are derived from Old Dutch scalc meaning "servant" and wic meaning "village, town, farmstead, settlement".
Van TilburgDutch Means "from Tilburg" in Dutch, the name of a city in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch tilli "newly cultivated land" and burg "fortress, fortified settlement, citadel".
Van 't SchipDutch Means "from the ship", derived from Middle Dutch schip literally meaning "ship". It is borne by the Dutch-Canadian former soccer player John van 't Schip (1963-).
Van ZwedenDutch Means "from Sweden" in Dutch. Jaap van Zweden (1960-) is a Dutch conductor and violinist.
VerhagenDutch Contracted form of van der Hagen, derived from haag "hedge, undergrowth".
VerhofstadtDutch, Flemish Means "from the farmstead" or "from the homestead" in Dutch. A notable bearer is the Flemish politician Guy Verhofstadt (1953-), a Prime Minister of Belgium.