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ABEGG German, German (Swiss)Topographic name for someone who lived near the corner of a mountain, from German
ab meaning "off" and
Egg, dialect form of
Eck(e) meaning "promontory", "corner".
ABPLANALP German, German (Swiss)Topographic name for someone living high on a mountainside, from German
ab- "below", "off" +
Planalp "high, flat mountain-meadow".
ACH GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a spring or stream, from Old High German aha meaning "running water".
ACHENBACH GermanHabitational name from places in Hesse and Westphalia named Achenbach, from the obsolete word Ach or Ache (from Middle High German ahe meaning "water", "stream") + Bach meaning "brook".
ADERS German (Silesian)Variation of Eders, a topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of bare, uncultivated land, from Middle High German (o)ed(e) 'wasteland'. It may also be a habitational name from any of the numerous places named with this element.
AHLBORN GermanFrom the old personal name
Albern, from Germanic
adal meaning "noble" and
boran meaning "born".
ALBAUGH German (Austrian)Albaugh is a surname of Austrian origin. It is an anglicized variation of the German language surname Albach.
ALBER GermanAlber family name was first found in Alsace. The nickname given to someone fair in complexion or blond haired is derived from Latin word Albanus, which means white.
ALDINGER GermanHabitational name for someone from Aldingen in Württemberg.
ALLEMAN French (Cajun), Spanish (Canarian), GermanFrom the French and Spanish word for "German". Believed to have originated in the Alsace-Lorraine region. Some holders of the name migrated to the Canary Islands and are part of the larger Isleños population that settled throughout the Americas...
[more] ALLEMANN German (Swiss)Allemann (also spelled
ALLEMAN,
ALLEMAND,
Aléman,
Allamont,
Allemagne,
Alemaye,
Alemán, and
Allamán) is a surname that can be found primarily in Switzerland deriving from the Latin surname, Alemannus, which refers to someone of Germanic descent, specifically from the Alamanni tribe...
[more] ALLENDORF GermanHabitational name from any of ten or more places called Allendorf.
ALLGEIER GermanThe harried officials at Ellis Island began to assign surnames based upon the pronunciation of the name by the immigrant, rather than attempting to ferret out the actual spelling. ...
[more] ALMENDINGER German, German (Swiss)Habitational name for someone from a place called Allmendingen, of which there are two examples in Switzerland, in Bern canton, and one in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
ALSCHEID GermanProbably originally a locational surname and a place name for a village which no longer exists. Alscheid (Luxembourgish: Alschent) is a village in the commune of Kiischpelt, in northern Luxembourg. As of 2001, the village had a population of 47....
[more] ALT German, JewishFrom German
alt ‘old’, typically applied as a distinguishing epithet to the older of two bearers of the same personal name.
ALTHOFF GermanA surname predominantly found in Westphalia and the Rhineland region of Germany which is derived from German
alt "old" and
Hof (
Hoff in the local dialects) "farmstead; farm; manor".
ALTMEYER GermanStatus name for an older steward, headman, or tenant farmer, as distinguished from a younger one, from Middle High German alt ‘old’ + meier ‘steward’, ‘headman’, ‘tenant farmer’
ALTRINGER GermanHabitational name for someone from a place called Altringen or Aldingen, of which there are two in Württemberg.
ALWARDT GermanFrom the personal name
ADELWARD, composed of the Germanic elements
adal ‘noble’ +
ward ‘keeper’, ‘protector’.
AMBERG German, JewishGerman and possibly Jewish (Ashkenazic) habitational name from any of several settlements called Amberg (literally ‘by the mountain’), including a city in Bavaria. It could also be a topographic name of identical etymology...
[more] AMES English, GermanEnglish: from the Old French and Middle English personal name
AMYS,
Amice, which is either directly from Latin
amicus ‘friend’, used as a personal name, or via a Late Latin derivative of this,
Amicius....
[more] AMMANN GermanA contraction of Ambetmann, for a court official. If there is a double "M", the origin might be Swiss.
AMMER German, English (Rare)This surname may be derived from Middle High German
amer which means "bunting (as in the bird)." As such, it is used as a nickname for someone with a fine voice or someone who is a flamboyant dresser....
[more] ANACKER GermanNickname for a day laborer, as opposed to someone who owned fields, from Middle High German āne meaning "without" + acker meaning "field".
ANSCHÜTZ GermanOccupational name for someone whose job was to keep a dam or pool filled with water. (Anschützen "to fill up")
ARBEITER GermanOccupational name from Middle High German arbeiter ‘laborer’.
ARLINGHAUS GermanPerhaps a habitational name from Oerlinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia.
ASCHER GermanDerived from German
asche meaning "ash" (tanners worked with ash)
ASHEN GermanThe medieval name originated from the German dukedom of Swabia. It denoted that the original bearer of the name probably held land in Swabia. Otherwise it could have been a name given to somebody who was from or born in Swabia.
ATZERODT English, GermanThis was the surname of George Atzerodt, a conspirator in a plot to kidnap Abraham Lincoln.
AUERBACH German, JewishTopographical name for someone who lived by a stream (Middle High German
bach) that was near a swamp or marsh (
auer).
AUSSENDORF GermanOriginated in Germany. Means "Out of the Village". First used in the year 1135.
BACKMAN English, Swedish, GermanCombination 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] BAEDER German (Austrian)Means something like "bath house" which historically was associated with health or medicine.
BAER GermanDerived from Old High German
bero "bear".
BALDINGER GermanGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from a place called Baldingen, either in Württemberg, Germany, or Aargau, Switzerland.
BALSAM GermanOccupational name for a seller of spices and perfumes.
BALSANO German (Austrian), ItalianThe 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] BANDY GermanThis interesting surname of German and Ashkenazic origin is a diminutive of the metonymic occupational name
Band, originally given to someone who made the wooden hoops with which wooden barrels were fastened together, deriving from the Germanic
band meaning "hoop", "band"...
[more] BARBE GermanFrom 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.
BARTEK Polish, Czech, Slovak, GermanPolish, Czech, Slovak, and eastern German: from a pet form of a vernacular form of the personal name Bartolomaeus (Czech Bartoloměj, Polish Bartłomiej, German Bartolomäus)
BARWICK English, GermanEnglish: habitational name from any of various places called Barwick, for example in Norfolk, Somerset, and West Yorkshire, from Old English
bere ‘barley’ +
wic ‘outlying farm’, i.e. a granary lying some distance away from the main village....
[more] BAUERDICK GermanA surname originating from the Rhineland region of Germany. It is derived from German
Bauer (
Bur in the locals dialects) "farmer" and
Deich (
Diek and
Dick in the local dialects) "levee" or
Teich "pond"...
[more] BAUMEISTER GermanOccupational name for a "builder" in German; from Middle High German 'buwen' 'to build' + meister 'master'. The surname has been used in the strategy series 'Chocolatier' by PlayFirst, one bearer of this is the grandmother of Alex Fletcher in the game, Evangeline Baumeister.
BAUMKÖTTER German (Modern)From the German words 'Baum' meaning 'tree' and 'Kötter' a type of villager who dwelt in a cottage, similar to the Scottish COTTER. "Presumably a 'Baumkötter' earned money from a small orchard on their property."
BECHER GermanShortened form of
Becherer as well as a surname given to for someone who distilled or worked with pitch, in which case it is derived from Middle High German
bech / pech "pitch".
BECHMANN German (Rare)Surname denoting someone who worked with pitch, from Middle High German
bech / pech "pitch" and
man, a suffix which can mean "man" or simply be used as a name suffix.
BEEKMAN German, Anglo-SaxonThis name derives from the pre 5th century Olde German and later Anglo-Saxon word "bah" or "baecc". This word describes a stream, or as a name specifically someone who lived or worked by a stream.
BEER English, German, Dutch, German (Swiss)Habitational name from any of the forty or so places in southwestern England called Beer(e) or Bear(e). Most of these derive their names from the West Saxon dative case, beara, of Old English bearu ‘grove’, ‘wood’ (the standard Old English dative bearwe being preserved in Barrow)...
[more] BEHN GermanFrom the German male personal name
Behn, a shortened form of
BERNHARD. A famous bearer was the English novelist and dramatist Aphra Behn (1640-1689).
BEHRINGER GermanHabitational name for someone from either of two places called Behringen, near Soltau and in Thuringia, or from Böhringen in Württemberg.
BEINING GermanThis famous surname, one of the earliest recorded in history, and recorded in over two hundred spellings from Benedicte, Benech and Bennet, to Banish, Beinosovitch and Vedyasov, derives from the Roman personal name "Benedictus", meaning blessed.
BELLMANN GermanHabitational name derived from places in Germany named either Bell, Belle, or Bellen.
BELZER GermanOccupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle High German
bel(li)z "fur"
BENDER German, German (East Prussian)As a German surname, Bender is a regional occupational surname from the Rhineland area denoting a "barrel-maker" (the Standard German
Fassbinder became "Fassbender" in the local dialects and ultimately was shortened to Bender)....
[more] BENNER GermanOccupational name for a basket and bassinet maker, from an agent derivative of Middle High German benne 'work basket', 'bassinet', 'cradle'.
BENNING GermanFrom the Germanic name Berno, which was derived from Old German "bero", meaning bear.
BENZ GermanSouth German: (in Alemannic areas) from a short form of the Germanic personal name Berthold, or to a lesser extent of Bernhard
BERBER GermanPossibly a habitational name from a place called Berber near Kevelaer.
BERGDORF GermanOrigin unidentified. Possibly a German habitational name from places in Hamburg and Lower Saxony called Bergedorf, Bargdorf in Lower Saxony, or Bergsdorf in Brandenburg.
BERGHORST GermanTopographical name for someone who lived by a wilderness area on a mountain, from Berg 'mountain', 'hill' + Horst 'wilderness' (see
Horst).
BERLIN German, EnglishHabitational name from the city in Germany, the name of which is of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from an Old Slavic stem
berl- meaning
swamp or from a West Slavic word meaning "river lake".
BERN German, Scandinavian, German (Swiss)German and Scandinavian: from the personal name Berno, a pet form of Bernhard. In South German it comes from the habitational name from Bern, Switzerland, notably in the south; in other parts from the personal name
Berno.
BERNER German, Low GermanGerman habitational name, in Silesia denoting someone from a place called Berna (of which there are two examples); in southern Germany and Switzerland denoting someone from the Swiss city of Berne. ...
[more] BERNFIELD GermanAn Americanized variant of the German surname, "Bergfeld", meaning "mountain field".
BESSEL GermanOf uncertain origin; possibly from the name of a place or river.
BEVER GermanNickname from bever ‘beaver’, possibly referring to a hard worker, or from some other fancied resemblance to the animal.
BHAER GermanLikely a variant of German
BAER, meaning "bear". A notable bearer is character Friedrich Bhaer, Jo's husband in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
BHOLE German1 North German: nickname for a male relative, colleague in a guild or fraternity, or lover, Middle Low German bōle....
[more] BICKEL German, German (Swiss), JewishGerman: from bickel ‘pickaxe’ or ‘chisel’, hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made pickaxes or worked with a pickaxe or for a stonemason. South German: from a pet form of Burkhart...
[more] BIELER German, JewishJewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of the many places in eastern Europe whose name incorporates the Slavic element
byel- ‘white’....
[more] BIERBAUM GermanGerman: topographic name for someone who lived by a pear tree, Middle Low German berbom. Compare
BIRNBAUM.
BILLIG GermanHabitational name from a place named Billig, near Cologne. Nickname from Middle High German billich ‘proper’, ‘appropriate’.
BIRCH English, German, Danish, Swedish (Rare)From Middle High German
birche, Old English
birce, Old Danish
birk, all meaning "birch". This was likely a topographic name for someone living by a birch tree or a birch forest...
[more] BIRK GermanEither a variant of
BUERK or a habitational name derived from places named Birk, Birke, or Birken.
BIRNBAUM GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a pear tree, from Middle High German
bir "pear" and
boum "tree".
BITTENBINDER GermanOccupational name for a cooper, from Middle High German
büte(n) "cask", "(wine) barrel" +
binder "binder" (agent derivative of
binden "to bind").
BLASIUS German, Dutch, ScandinavianFrom the Latin personal name
Blasius. This was a Roman family name, originating as a byname for someone with some defect, either of speech or gait, from Latin
blaesus "stammering" (compare Greek
blaisos "bow-legged")...
[more] BLAUM GermanGerman last name, likely a variant of the last name Blom or Blum, referring to the word flower/blooming.
BLEIBAUM German"Lead tree" possibly changed at Ellis Island from Blumenbaum meaning "flowering tree"
BLITZ GermanThis surname is presumed to be coming from a nickname for a fast runner or a quick tempered person, from German
blitz(er) meaning "lightning" (ultimately from Middle High German
blicze.)
BLUESTEIN GermanThe surname Bluestein is an Anglicized surname and translates as blue stone.
BLUHM GermanGerman alternate spelling of the Italian surname,
BLUM meaning flower.
BLUTH German, JewishGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name from Middle High German bluot, German Blüte ‘bloom’, ‘flower head’. ...
[more] BODEMAN GermanBodeman is an occupational name meaning "adherent of the royal messenger".
BODEN German, Low GermanPatronymic from the personal name
BODE or a topographic name for someone living in a valley bottom or the low-lying area of a field. From Middle High German
boden "ground, bottom".
BODIN GermanProbably derived from various Germanic personal names beginning with
Bod- "messenger", or from the habitational name Boddin, name of several places in Mecklenburg and Brandenburg.
BOETTCHER GermanOccupational name for a cooper, from Middle High German
botecher,
bötticher,
bütticher, an agent derivative of
botech(e),
bottich,
bütte "vat", "barrel".
BOLD German, EnglishEnglish: nickname from Middle English bold ‘courageous’, ‘daring’ (Old English b(e)ald, cognate with Old High German bald). In some cases it may derive from an Old English personal name (see Bald)...
[more] BOLDT GermanFrom the Germanic personal name
BALDO, a short form of the various compound names with the first element
bald ‘bold’.
BOLLAND French, German, EnglishFrom the Ancient Germanic name
BOLLAND. Alternatively it derive from the place name
Bowland from the Old English
boga meaning "bow" and
land meaning "land".
BOLLING English, Germannickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling 'pollard', or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling 'excessive drinking'. German (Bölling): from a personal name
BALDWIN BOLLINGER German (Swiss)Habitational name for someone from any of three places called Bollingen, in Schwyz, Württemberg, and Oldenburg, or from Bohlingen near Lake Constance (which is pronounced and was formerly written as Bollingen).
BOLTZ GermanMay designate a creator of bolts for crossbows or bowmen. May also be a short form of
BALDWIN.
BONUS French, German, DutchHumanistic Latinization of vernacular names meaning ‘good’, for example French Lebon or Dutch de Goede
BOOMGARDEN German, Dutch (?)Either an occupational name for an orchard worker or a topographic name for someone who lives in or by an orchard.
BOOMHOUWER German, DutchBoomhouwer, means "Cutter of Trees", or "The one who hews trees", having Boom translating into "tree", houw meaning to "hew" or to "cut", and er meaning "the one who"....
[more] BOOT English, Dutch, GermanEnglish: metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of boots, from Middle English, Old French bote (of unknown origin)....
[more] BORDNER GermanA variant spelling of Bartner, a job name for a battle axe maker.
BOREN GermanOf unclear origin, most likely a variant of the German surname
BORN.
BORMANN GermanThis surname is presumed to be a variant of
Bornemann, which is made up of Middle Low German
born meaning "spring" and
man meaning "man," denoting someone who lived by a spring or a well.
BORN German, EnglishA topographical name indicating someone who lived near a stream, from the Old English "burna, burne". Alternatively, it could be contemporarily derived from the modern English word "born". Possible variants include
BOURNE,
Burns and
BOREN.
BRÄGER GermanHabitational name for someone from Bräg in Bavaria.
BRANDENBURG German (East Prussian, Rare)From a state in eastern Germany, formerly known as Prussia, containing the capital city of Berlin. Ancient. Associated with the Margravate (Dukedom) of Brandenburg, the seat of power in the Holy Roman Empire...
[more] BRANDIS German, Jewish, SwissGerman & Swiss: Habitational name from a former Brandis castle in Emmental near Bern, Switzerland, or from any of the places so named in Saxony, Germany. A famous bearer of the name is
Jonathan Brandis (1976-2003)....
[more] BRAUNERSHRITHER German, Dutch, EnglishThis name mean Leather (Tanned) Knight, or a fighter of leather armor, or in Dutch, Leather writer, one who branded print on leather
BRÄUNLICH GermanOriginally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin, meaning "brownish" in German.
BRECHT GermanFrom a short form of any of various personal names formed with Germanic element
berth " bright" "famous".
BREIT GermanFrom Middle High German
breit meaning "broad". a nickname for a stout or fat person.
BREITZMANN GermanDerived from the name of a town called "Britz" in Germany + the suffix "mann" for man.
BREMER GermanIndicated a person from
Bremen in the State of Bremen, Germany.
BRINER German (Swiss)Habitational name for someone from Brin in Grison canton (Graubünden) or from the Brin valley.
BROCKER GermanNorth German topographic name for someone who lived by a swamp, from Middle Low German brook
bog + the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.
BROCKHAUS GermanOccupational hereditary surname for a person who was physically powerful, derived from Old German brock which may refer to persons with a stocky or strong build. Or derived from Old German "Brook" or "Brauk," for people near a marshy landscape, common in northern regions.
BROCKMAN GermanGerman in origin, in heraldry a "brock" is represented by a badger. It could mean wet/water and man. It also has been said to mean broker.
BROOK German, DutchTopographic name for someone who lived by a water meadow or marsh, from Low German
brook, Dutch
broek (cf.
BRUCH)....
[more] BRUCH GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a marsh or a stream that frequently flooded, from Middle High German
bruoch "water meadow" or "marsh" (cognate to old English
broc "brook", "stream" cf...
[more] BRÜCK GermanTopographic name for someone who lived near a bridge, or an occupational name for a bridge keeper or toll collector on a bridge, from Middle High German
bruck(e) "bridge".