ÅslundSwedish Combination of Swedish ås "ridge, esker" and lund "grove".
AsonEnglish The name Ason comes from Aythe where Aythe filius Thome received a charter of the lands of Fornochtis in Strathearn from Robert the Steward (later known as Robert II) around 1360. The next of the line was called Johem ayson iuuene... [more]
AspergerGerman Denoting a person who lived in Asperg, a town in Southwest Germany, derived from a cadet named Asperg who lived in the ruling house... [more]
AßmanGerman Derived from Middle Low German asse "axle", this name used to denote an axle maker. In some cases, however, it can also be a variant of Asmussen.
AstGerman German and Ashkenazic Jewish: from German Ast ‘knot (in wood)’ hence a nickname for a tough or awkward individual or a metonymic occupational name for a lumberjack. ... [more]
AstburyEnglish Habitational name for a person from a village named Astbury in Cheshire, from Old English east "east" and burg "fortress, fortification, citadel".
AstleyEnglish Habitational name for a person from any of several places in England called Astley, from Old English east "east" and leah "woodland, clearing"... [more]
AstridgeEnglish Perhaps a habitational surname from one or more places called Ashridge.
AthertonEnglish From the name of a town in Manchester, derived from the Old English given name Æðelhere and tun "enclosure, town." American writer Gertrude Atherton (1857-1948) and British journalist Terence Atherton (1902-1942) were famous bearers of the name.
AtleeEnglish English: topographic name for someone whose dwelling was ‘by the clearing or meadow’, Middle English atte lee. The word lea or lee (Old English leah) originally meant ‘wood’, thence ‘clearing in a wood’, and, by the Middle English period, ‘grassy meadow’.
AttenboroughEnglish Habitational name for a person from the village of Attenborough in Nottinghamshire, England, derived from the Old English given name Adda and burh meaning "fortified place". A famous bearer of this name was the English actor and filmmaker Richard Attenborough (1923-2014)... [more]
AudenEnglish This surname is derived from the Germanic given name Aldwin, of which the Old English equivalent is Ealdwine... [more]
AudishEnglish (British) Audish was first found in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire in the south of England, people who had the surname 'Audish' were wealthy landowners, thus held in high esteem.
AuerbachGerman, Jewish Topographical name for someone who lived by a stream (Middle High German bach) that was near a swamp or marsh (auer).
AuestadNorwegian A surname most commonly found in the Rogaland region of Norway. The most common theory for the meaning is that it originated from øde sted (or in older spellings, øde stad) meaning "abandoned/barren/solitary place"... [more]
AufderheideGerman Topographic name for someone who lived on a heath, derived from German auf der heide literally meaning "on the heath".
AugsburgerGerman habitational name for someone from the city of Augsburg in Bavaria named as the city (burg) of the Roman Emperor Augustus in whose reign it was founded.
AusländerGerman, Jewish Means "foreigner" in German, from Middle High German uzlender, denoting a person new to a district or a farmer who cultivated land outside a community's bounds.
AusleyEnglish (Modern) Rare surname which was from an English place name in which the second element is Old English leah "wood, clearing". The first element may be hors "horse" (in which case the name likely referred to a place where horses were put out to pasture) or the river name Ouse (ultimately from the ancient British root ud- "water").
AusterlitzGerman (Austrian), Jewish Derived from Slavkov u Brna (historically known as Austerlitz in German), a town located in Vyškov District, in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. This was real surname of the American actor and dancer Fred Astaire (1899-1987), as well as his sister Adele Astaire (1896-1981), an actress, singer and dancer.
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’.
AvenNorwegian From the name of a farm, itself derived from Norwegian ave "mud, pool, dam; ebb, eddy in a river".
AventEnglish From a shortened form of the Anglo-Norman personal name or nickname Avenant or Avaunt, derived from Old French avenant meaning "beautiful, agreeable, fitting".
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".
AwsumbNorwegian Norwegian habitation surname. Åsum/Aasum/Aasumb is a common place name in Scandinavia, generally referring to an ancient farm or homestead. Derived from Old Norse aas ‘hill’ + um ‘around’. Norwegian emigrants from the Åsum farm in the traditional district of Vinger (Hedmark, Norway) adopted the Anglicized spelling ‘Awsumb’ after arriving in North America in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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.
AxellSwedish Possibly a habitational name with the combination of ax, a Swedish word for the fruiting body of a grain plant, and the common surname suffix -ell.
AxénSwedish Combination of ax, a Swedish word for the fruiting body of a grain plant, and the common surname suffix -én.
AxfordEnglish Habitational name from a village named Axford either in Hampshire or Wiltshire, both derived from Old English æsc "ash tree" and Old English ford "ford", which gives their name the meaning of "ford by the ash trees" or "a ford with ash trees"... [more]
AxtGerman From a Middle High German ackes or axt, meaning "axe". Name for a woodcutter, carpenter, or axe maker.
AyerEnglish From the Middle English given name Aier, a form of Germanic Agihari, possibly derived from agaz "fear" and hari "army".
AykroydEnglish Variant of Ackroyd. A famous bearer is Canadian actor and comedian Dan Aykroyd (1952-).
AylenEnglish Either derived from the given name Alan or from the Old English word ætheling which were princes eligible to be king. The word ætheling was sometimes used as a given name
AylerEnglish occupational name from Old French aillier ‘garlic seller’, from ail ‘garlic’ (from Latin allium).... [more]
AylesworthEnglish It was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Kineton.... [more]
AyliffEnglish From the medieval female personal name Ayleve (from Old English Æthelgifu, literally "noble gift"), or from the Old Norse nickname Eilífr, literally "ever-life".
BaackGerman, North Frisian Either from a reduced form of the Germanic personal name Baldeke (a short form of any of the compound names with the first element bald "bold, brave ", for example Baldewin), or from Middle Low German baec, bake "pork, bacon", hence a metonymic occupational name for a butcher or pig farmer.
BacchusEnglish (i) Variant of Backus (meaning "one who lives in or works in a bakery", from Old English bǣchūs "bakehouse, bakery"), the spelling influenced by Bacchus (name of the Greek and Roman god of wine).... [more]
BacharachGerman, Jewish Derived from Bacharach, a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. This surname was borne by the American composer and pianist Burt Bacharach (1928-2023).
BackhausGerman from Middle High German backhūs "bakehouse" a word composed of Middle High German bah "something baked" and hus "house"... [more]
BackhouseEnglish (British), English (Australian) Denoted someone who worked in a bakery, from Old English bæchūs meaning "bakehouse, bakery", a word composed of Old English *bæc "something baked" and hus "house".
BäcklundSwedish Combination of Swedish bäck "brook, stream" and Lund "grove".
BacklundSwedish Combination of Swedish backe "hill, slope" and Lund "grove".
BäckmanSwedish Combination of Swedish bäck "small stream" and man "man".
BackmanEnglish, Swedish, German Combination of Old English bakke "spine, back" and man "man". In Swedish, the first element is more likely to be derived from Swedish backe "hill", and in German the first element can be derived from German backen "to bake"... [more]
BäckstrandSwedish Combination of Swedish bäck "stream" and strand "shore".
BäckströmSwedish Combination of Swedish bäck "brook, small stream" and ström "stream".
BackströmSwedish Combination of Swedish backe "slope, hill" and ström "stream".
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]
BaddeleyEnglish From place names in both Suffolk and Staffordshire derived from an Old English personal name, 'Badda,' possibly meaning "battle" and lee or leah for a "woodland clearing," therefore meaning someone from "Badda's woodland clearing."
BadeEnglish From the Old English personal name Bada, probably derived from Old English beadu "battle, war" or a name containing the element.
BadeGerman From a short form of a Germanic personal name containing the element badu "strife, battle".
BadeGerman Occupational name for a messenger, derived from an element related to Old Germanic budą "message, offer".
BadrinetteEnglish Apparently an extremely rare name of French origin, but isn't used as a first name in France. It might come from the rather uncommon French surname Bardinette, which apparently is a variant spelling of the surname Bardinet... [more]
BaechliGerman (Swiss) Derived from the word "Bächli," which means "small brook" in Swiss German.
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.
BagnallEnglish From a place in England, derived from the Old English name "Badeca", a short form of any name beginning from beadu "battle", and halh "nook, recess".
BainEnglish, Scottish Nickname for a hospitable person, derived from northern Middle English bayn meaning "welcoming, friendly" or "straight, direct".
BainbridgeEnglish Habitational name for a village called Bainbridge in North Yorkshire, derived from the River Bain of North Yorkshire (itself derived from Old Norse beinn meaning "straight") and Old English brycg "bridge".
BairnsfatherEnglish From a medieval nickname in Scotland and northern England for the (alleged) father of an illegitimate child (from northern Middle English bairnes "child's" + father). This surname was borne by British cartoonist and author Bruce Bairnsfather (1888-1959).
BakkedahlNorwegian From Norwegian bakke "slope, hillside" and dal "valley". Dan Bakkedahl (1969-) is an American actor and improvisational comedian.
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.
BalcomEnglish Altered spelling of English Balcombe, a habitational name from Balcombe in West Sussex, which is named with Old English bealu "evil, calamity" (or the Old English personal name Bealda) combined with cumb "valley".
BaldingerGerman German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from a place called Baldingen, either in Württemberg, Germany, or Aargau, Switzerland.
BaldockEnglish (Rare) Means "person from Baldock", Hertfordshire ("Baghdad": in the Middle Ages the lords of the manor were the Knights Templar, whose headquarters were in Jerusalem, and they named the town Baldac, the Old French name for Baghdad).
BaldyEnglish Possibly derived from an Old English feminine given name, *Bealdgýð, composed of the elements beald "bold" and guð "battle", first recorded c.1170 as Baldith, and in other cases from the Old Norse byname or given name Baldi.
BaleEnglish Variant of Bail. This is the surname of Welsh footballer Gareth Bale.
BaleEnglish Name for someone who lived by the outer wall of a castle.
BalenEnglish English surname, perhaps of Cornish British origin, from belen, meaning "mill."
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-).
BalkwillEnglish Possibly derived from the name of a lost settlement in Devon, composed of Old English balca "balk, beam; ridge, bank" and wella "spring, stream". Alternatively, can be a variant form of Bakewell.
BallasterEnglish Meant "person who makes or is armed with a crossbow" (from a derivative of Middle English baleste "crossbow", from Old French).
BalsanoGerman (Austrian), Italian The roots of the distinguished surname Balzano lie in Austria. The name derives itself from "Balthasar," the name of one of the three Magi who followed the star to Bethlehem, and was popular as both a first name and a family name during the 18th century.... [more]
BaltimoreEnglish (American) From the name of the American city of Baltimore, and an anglicisation of Irish Gaelic Baile an Tí Mhóir meaning "town of the big house".
BamboroughEnglish Bamborough name origin from early Northumberland early times other name know from the Bamborough is bamburgh as in bamburgh castle, ... [more]
BangDanish Originally a nickname denoting a loud or brash person, from Old Danish bang "noise" (from Old Norse banga "to pound, hammer" of echoic origin). A literary bearer was Danish author Herman Bang (1857-1912).... [more]
BankstonEnglish Derived from the old English world "Banke" usually given to a family who lived near a hill or a slope.
BanksyEnglish, Popular Culture This is pseudonyms Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. Banksy's real name might be Robin Gunningham. How Banksy got his pseudonym is unknown... [more]
BantamEnglish (African), South African Possibly a variant of Bentham. In an alternate interpretation, it could also be from the word "bantam" which denotes someone who's small but mighty.
BarbeGerman From Middle High German barbe, the name of a species of fish resembling the carp; hence by metonymy an occupational name for a fisherman or fish dealer, or possibly a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish in some way.
BarchardEnglish The name is derived from when the family resided in Cheshire, where they held a family seat near Birkenhead at the estuary of the River Birket. It is from the name of the river that their name is derived.
BarcroftEnglish English habitational name from for example Barcroft in Haworth, West Yorkshire, so named with Old English bere (barley) and croft (smallholding).
BardellEnglish Originally meant "person from Bardwell", Suffolk ("Bearda's spring"). A fictional bearer of the surname is Mrs Bardell, Mr Pickwick's widowed landlady in Charles Dickens's 'Pickwick Papers' (1837), who misconstrues an innocent remark about having a companion as a marriage proposal, which leads to her suing Pickwick for breach of promise.
BardenEnglish English: habitational name from places in North and West Yorkshire named Barden, from Old English bere ‘barley’ (or the derived adjective beren) + denu ‘valley’.
BardwellEnglish From the name of a town in Suffolk, derived from the Old English byname Bearda (derived from beard "beard") or brerd "rim, edge, bank" and wille "well, spring, stream".
BarefootEnglish From a nickname for someone who has a habit of going around with no footwear, or for someone looking for penance, derived from Middle English barefote.
BargyEnglish Possibly derived from the name of a barony in County Wexford, Ireland, itself derived from the Celtic tribe Uí Bairrche.
BarhamEnglish Habitational name for a person from the villages called Barham in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Kent, of different first elements. The one in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk comes from Old English beorg "mountain, hill", while the one in Kent comes from the Old English byname *Beora (derived from bera "bear (animal)"), all of them have the second element of ham "home, estate, settlement".
BarkSwedish Perhaps derived from a place name containing either Old Swedish *barke "throat", Old Swedish biork "birch tree" or Swedish bark "bark (covering of the trunk of a tree)"
BarkerEnglish SURNAME Town cryer, or someone who shouts out notices