EinhornGerman, Jewish Derived from German Einhorn (Middle High German einhorn) "unicorn", denoting someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a unicorn.
EiseleGerman Either from a diminutive of any of the Germanic given names formed with the element isarn meaning "iron" (such as Isanhard) or from Isenlin, a nickname for a blacksmith, ironworker or dealer in iron, composed of Middle High German īsen "iron" and the diminutive suffix -līn.
EisenGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for an ironworker or smith, or an ironmonger, from Middle High German isen ‘iron’, German Eisen. It may also have been used as a nickname, with reference to the strength and hardness of iron or to its color, while as a Jewish name it was also adopted as an ornamental name from modern German Eisen ‘iron’ or the Yiddish cognate ayzn.
EisenbergGerman, Jewish Means "iron hill" from German isen meaning "iron" and berg meaning "hill".
EisenbergerGerman, Jewish Habitational name for someone from any of the several places called Eisenberg. As a Jewish name it is also an ornamental name.
EisenhauerGerman Occupational name meaning "iron cutter" where Eisen- means "iron" and -hauer means "hewer". The verb 'hew' being less well used in English than in earlier times, but still understood to mean cut, such as in hewing tree limbs... [more]
EisensteinGerman, Jewish topographic name for someone who lived by a place where iron ore was extracted or perhaps a habitational name from a place called for its iron works. Jewish artificial compound of German isarn "iron" and stein "stone".
EisnerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for an ironworker, smith, or ironmonger, from an agent derivative of Middle High German īsen and German Eisen, meaning ‘iron’ (see Eisen).
ElbeGerman habitational name from any of various places called Elbe, Elben or from the river name.
ElichGerman, American Surname meaning "noble" from edelik or edelich. Notable bearer is professional ice hockey player Matt Elich.
EllenbergGerman, Jewish, German (Swiss) Derived from two municipalities and a village called Ellenberg in Germany. As an ornamental name, it is derived from German ölenberg, literally meaning "olive mountain".
EllenderGerman Respelling of German Elender, a nickname for a stranger or newcomer, from Middle High German ellende ‘strange’, ‘foreign’, or a habitational name for someone from any of twenty places named Elend, denoting a remote settlement, as for example in the Harz Mountains or in Carinthia, Austria.
EllerGerman Habitational name from places in the North Rhine and Mosel areas
EllerhoffGerman This name means "Black Alder Tree Courtyard" and was inspired by a tree in a yard at the family farm in Nettelstedt, Germany.
EllermeyerGerman It is a combination of the German words “Eller,” which means “alder,” and “Meyer,” which means “steward” or farmer”. So, it is thought to refer to someone who was either a steward or farmer who lived near an alder grove.
ElmendorfGerman Derived from a village with the same name in the district of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.
ElsassAlsatian A geographical surname based on a region named "Alsace" in France.
EmelGerman From a short form of any of the various Germanic personal names beginning with the element amal, which means ‘strength’ or ‘vigor’.
EmerinGerman (Portuguese-style) Brazilian adaptation of the German surname Emmerich; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil.
EmmerGerman A topographic name for someone who lived by land where grain was grown, a status name for someone who owned such land, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or dealt in grain.
EngelbertGerman, English, French From a Germanic personal name composed of engel (see Engel) + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’. The widespread popularity of the name in France during the Middle Ages was largely a result of the fact that it had been borne by a son-in-law of Charlemagne; in the Rhineland it was more often given in memory of a bishop of Cologne (1216–25) of this name, who was martyred.
EngländerGerman, Jewish German ethnic name from Engländer "Englishman" and Jewish artificial name distributed at random by Austrian clerks.
EnglanderGerman, Jewish Ethnic name derived from German Engländer, meaning 'Englishman', thus denoting an incomer from England. In some cases, the Jewish name may be an ornamental adoption.
EpshteynGerman, Jewish This surname may be derived from a German town known as Eppstein in Hesse. Epp probably came from Gaulish apa which means water or river and stein translates into English as stone.
EpsteinGerman, Jewish A habitational name for someone from a place named Eppstein, which is from Old High German ebur meaning ‘wild boar’ and stein meaning ‘stone’.
ErberJewish, German Meaning uncertain. Either a habitational name for someone living in a place named Erb or Erp, a name for a owner of a farm named Erbhof (derived from MIddle High German erbære "honorable, noble"), or derived from the given name Erpo.
ErmanGerman (Modern), French (Modern) Erman is a shortened French adaption of the Swiss-German surname Ermendinger, itself derived from the older surname Ermatinger, a name connected to the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance, and came into existence during the early or middle 18th century when Jean-Georges Ermendinger (1710-1767), a Swiss fur trader from Geneva, married into a French speaking Huguenotte family... [more]
ErmatingerGerman (Swiss) The surname Ermatinger derives from the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance. It simply means "from Ermatingen".... [more]
ErmendingerGerman The surname Ermendinger was derived from the older surname Ermatinger, a name connected to the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance, and came into existence at some point during the early 17th or late 16th century when a branch of the Ermatinger family relocated from Schaffhausen, Switzerland, to Mulhouse, Alsace... [more]
ErnsbergerGerman (Anglicized, Modern) Also spelled (Ehrnsberger) has been said that a Christian Ernsberger or Ehrnsberger came to the U.S. in 1710 from Germany but i dont know from where in Germany.
ErtelGerman South German: from a pet form of a personal name beginning with Ort-, from Old High German ort "point" (of a sword or lance)
ErwinEnglish, German, Irish, Scottish From the given name Erwin. From the Middle English personal name EverwinErwin perhaps from Old English Eoforwine (eofor "boar" and wine "friend") but mostly from an Old French form of the cognate ancient Germanic name Everwin or from a different ancient Germanic name Herewin with loss of initial H- (first element hariheri "army")... [more]
EsauWelsh, German From the Biblical personal name Esau, meaning ‘hairy’ in Hebrew (Genesis 25:25).
EschenbachGerman Eschenbach, from the root words Esch and Bach, is a surname that has origins in Germany and/or Switzerland. Esch is German for ash tree, and bach is German for brook, a small stream. Popular use of the surname includes the poet knight Wolfram von Eschenbach, and the name is used for multiple locations in Germany and Switzerland, or even more locations if you include spelling variations such as Eschbach, as this surname has undergone multiple mutations throughout history... [more]
EscherGerman Derived from German Esche meaning "ash (tree)", a habitational name for someone who lived near an ash tree, or came from a place named after it. This name was borne by the Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher, known for making works inspired by mathematics.
EschonbachGerman (Japanized, Modern, Rare) A misspelling of the surname Eschenbach from the science-fiction series Mobile Suit Gundam with the characters Icelina Eschonbach and Joseph Eschonbach, which is possibly in reference to the poet knight Wolfram von Eschenbach given the military themes in the series such as German-based armored robotic vehicles.
EslerGerman German: byname or occupational name for someone who drove donkeys, from Middle High German esel ‘donkey’ + the agent suffix -er.
EssLow German, German (Swiss) North German: topographic name for someone living on or owning land that was waterlogged or partly surrounded by water, from Middle Low German es ‘swamp’, ‘water’. ... [more]
EssenDutch, German From any of several places called Essen, probably derived from asc "ash tree".
EulerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a potter, most common in the Rhineland and Hesse, from Middle High German ul(n)ære (an agent derivative of the dialect word ul, aul "pot", from Latin olla).
FaberGerman, Dutch, French, Danish An occupational name for a blacksmith or ironworker, ultimately derived from Latin faber "artisan, creator, craftsman, smith".
FahrGerman, German (Swiss) A topographic name for someone who lived near a crossing point on a river, from Middle High German vare, meaning ferry.
FahrenheitGerman Derived from German fahren, meaning, "to ride", and Heit, which is the equivalent to the suffix "-ness". A famous bearer was Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686- 1736), a Polish physicist who invented the Fahrenheit temperature measuring system.
FalkenhagenGerman Habitational name from any of several places named from Old High German falke meaning "falcon" + hag meaning "hedge", "fencing". A place so named is documented west of Berlin in the 14th century.
FassGerman From Middle High German faz, German Fass 'cask', 'keg', hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of casks and kegs, or a nickname for someone as rotund as a barrel. German: variant of Fasse, Faas.
FassbinderGerman Variant of Kiefer 2, from German Fass "barrel, keg, cask" and binder "girder, tie". Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945-1982) was a German filmmaker, dramatist and actor, considered as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement.
FastGerman, Swedish Either a short form of a name starting with the element fast meaning "steadfast, firm", or a nickname for a reliable steadfast person.
FattigGerman (Americanized) Coming from the name “attig” meaning German royalty or nobles. It is also thought to come from Sweden meaning “poor”.
FechterGerman Occupational name derived from Middle High German vehten "to fence", denoting a fencer. Notable bearers include German bricklayer Peter Fechter (1944–1962), and American engineer and inventor Aaron Fechter (1953-), creator of the band Rock-afire Explosion.
FechtmeisterGerman Means "fencing master" in German, this is a nickname for a show fighter or organizer who are a begging and thieving journeyman at fairs in 17th century Germany, from German fechten "to fence" and meister "master".
FeckGerman, Frisian From a short form of the Frisian personal name Feddeke, a pet form of Fre(de)rik (see Friederich).
FederGerman, Jewish metonymic occupational name for a trader in feathers or in quill pens from Middle High German vedere German feder "feather quill pen"... [more]
FederspielGerman (Swiss) Derived from Middle High German vederspil "bird of prey (trained for hunting)", this was an occupational name for a falconer.
FeilerGerman Occupational name for a filemaker, from Feil + the agent suffix -er.
FeinmanGerman, Jewish Nickname for a fine person, derived from either Middle High German fīn meaning "fine, elegant, cultivated" or German fein and Yiddish fayn meaning "fine, excellent", combined with man.
FeldhausGerman habitational name from a place called Feldhaus after a "house standing in open country", derived from the elements feld "field" and hus "house"... [more]
FeldsteinGerman, Jewish Ornamental name meaning "field stone" in German. A famous bearer is American actor and filmmaker Jonah Hill (1983-), born Jonah Hill Feldstein. Another famous bearer is Hill's sister, actress Beanie Feldstein (1993-).
FellEnglish, German, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a furrier, from Middle English fell, Middle High German vel, or German Fell or Yiddish fel, all of which mean "skin, hide, pelt". Yiddish fel refers to untanned hide, in contrast to pelts "tanned hide" (see Pilcher).
FellerEnglish, German, Jewish Occupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle English fell, Middle Low German, Middle High German vel, or German Fell or Yiddish fel "hide, pelt". See also Fell.
FellerGerman Habitational name for someone from a place called Feld(e) or Feld(a) in Hesse.
FendrichGerman From German Fähndrich (older form Fähndrich) meaning "ensign, flag-bearer".
Fenrich De GjurgjenovacGerman Fenrich is a German family name, derived from a military title 'fenrich'/'fähn(d)rich' meaning "ensign" or "standard bearer" (bannerman), from early New High German fenrich. The term was formed and came into use around 1500, replacing Middle High German form vener, an agent derivative of Alemannic substantive van (flag).... [more]
FensterGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a window maker from Middle High German venster German fenster "window".
FettGerman Nickname for a fat man, from Middle Low German vett meaning "fat".
FeuchtwangerGerman Denoted a person from the town of Feuchtwangen in Germany. The name of the town is probably from German feucht "wet, humid, dank" and possibly wangen "cheek".
FeuerGerman Metonymic occupational name for a stoker in a smithy or public baths, or nickname for someone with red hair or a fiery temper, from Middle High German viur "fire".
FeuerbacherGerman Habitational name for someone from any of the places called Feuerbach.
FeuerhahnGerman Feuerhahn comes from the Old High German words (fivr) meaning "fire" & (hano) meaning "cock".
FeuerschütteGerman (Modern) comes from the combination of the words "Feuer" and "Schütte", which form the word "flamethrower". Surname of a Brazilian Celebrity with German Origin "Lucas Feuerschütte"
FeuersteinGerman This name comes from the German feuer meaning fire, and stein meaning stone. This was a name commonly given to a blacksmith.
FeulnerGerman Franconian dialect form of Feilner (see Feiler), or derived from Feuln, a town near the district of Kulmbach, Bavaria, Germany. A notable bearer is the American academic Edwin Feulner (1941-).
FichterGerman Topographic name for someone who lived near pine trees (originally bei den Fichten, Feichten, or Feuchten), from Old High German fiohta. The vowel of the first syllable underwent a variety of changes in different dialects.
FichterGerman (Austrian) Habitational name deriving from places named with this word in Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, or Austria.
FichtnerGerman The Fichtner family name first began to be used in the German state of Bavaria. After the 12th century, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules, and names that were derived from locations became particularly common
FieneGerman, Low German A nickname for an elegant person, from Middle Low German fin, meaning ‘fine’. Can also be a locational name from several fields and places named Fiene.
FightmasterGerman (Americanized) Americanized form of Fechtmeister. Emmett Rogers Fightmaster (1992-), known professionally as E. R. Fightmaster, is an American non-binary actor, producer and writer.
FingerEnglish, German, Jewish Probably applied as a nickname for a man who had some peculiarity of the fingers, such as possessing a supernumerary one or having lost one or more of them through injury, or for someone who was small in stature or considered insignificant... [more]
FinkGerman, Slovene, English, Jewish Nickname for a lively or cheerful person, Jewish ornamental name derived from the Germanic word for "finch", and German translation of Slovene Šinkovec which is from šcinkovec or šcinkavec meaning "finch".
FinsterGerman, Jewish Nickname from German finster "dark, gloomy" or Yiddish fintster (Middle High German vinster). The name may have referred to a person's habitual character or it may have been acquired as a result of some now irrecoverable anecdote... [more]
FischmannGerman, Jewish Cognate of Fishman. occupational name for a fish seller from Middle High German visch Yiddish fish (German fisch) "fish" and Middle High German and Yiddish man (German mann) "man".
FiscusGerman From Latin fiscus "basket", a humanistic Latinization of the German surname Korb. This is a metonymic occupational name for a basketmaker or a peddler, or a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a basket.
FlatowGerman Derived from the name of a district that existed in Prussia from 1818 to 1945. Today the territory of the Flatow district lies in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Poland.
FlaugherGerman (Anglicized) Americanized spelling of German Flacher, itself a variant of Flach, or of Flaucher, a nickname derived from an agent derivative of Middle High German vluochen meaning "to swear".
FleischhackerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a butcher from German fleisch "flesh meat", and an agent derivative of hacken "to chop or cut".
FleischhauerGerman Occupational name for a butcher from Middle High German fleisch or vleisch "flesh meat" and an agent derivative of Middle High German houwen "to cut". Variant of Fleischauer.
FleischmanGerman (Austrian) Fleischman translates in English to Meat Man, or Butcher It is most often used with a single "n" for those who were persecuted as Jews. Other Germanic spellings for Christians and others not deemed Jewish are Fleischmann, or Fleishmann... [more]
FleischmannGerman, Jewish occupational name for a butcher literally "meatman, butcher" from Middle High German fleisch "flesh, meat" and man "man".
FlerchingerGerman Flerchinger is a name with origins from the city of Flörschingen or Flörange in the Saarland region on the French and German border.
FleschGerman, German (Austrian) Possibly from the Middle High German fleisch, itself from the Old High German word fleisk meaning "flesh, meat".
FlickGerman Nickname for a quick and lively person. From Middle High German vlücke meaning "awake, bright, energetic".
FlintEnglish, German Topographic name for someone who lived near a significant outcrop of flint, Old English, Low German flint, or a nickname for a hard-hearted or physically tough individual.
FloerchingerGerman Habitational name for someone from Flörchingen in the Saar region.
FloerkeGerman Floerke Name Meaning German (Flörke): from a pet form of the personal names Florian or Florentinus, from Latin Florus (from florere ‘to bloom’).Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4... [more]
FoltzGerman It is from Germany and it is based on the personal name Volz, which was popular in former times. It means son or descendant of a Volz or Folz
FrankenbergGerman, Jewish habitational name from a place in northern Hesse named as "fort (Old High German burg) of the Franks". From German franken and berg "mountain hill mountain"... [more]
FreidhofGerman Topographical name from the German Fredihof 'graveyard', 'cemetery' (from Middle Low German, Middle High German vrithof 'enclosed farmstead or courtyard', later 'cemetery').
FreierGerman Status name of the feudal system denoting a free man, as opposed to a bondsman, from an inflected form of Middle High German vri "free".
FreierGerman Archaic occupational name, from Middle High German, Middle Low German vrier, vriger, denoting a man who had the ceremonial duty of asking guests to a wedding.
FreimannGerman German cognate of Freeman. from Middle High German vriman "free man" status name in the feudal system for a free man as opposed to a bondman or serf derived from the elements fri "free" and man "man".
FrickerGerman, German (Swiss) Habitational name for someone from the Frick valley in Baden, Germany, or from Frick in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland.
FridmanYiddish, German (Anglicized) Derived from the Yiddish "Frid" (see fridu) meaning "peace," combined with "man" meaning "man" or "person." Originally derived from a vernacular form of Shalom, it is also an anglicized spelling of the German name Friedmann.
FriedbergGerman, Jewish Combination of either German vride "security, protection" or Friede "peace", with berg "hill, mountain". The name is most often locational, but may in some cases be ornamental.
FroschGerman Nickname for someone thought to resemble a frog.
FrühlingGerman (Rare) Nickname from Middle High German vrüelinc German frühling "spring" in some cases for an early-born child from früh "early" and the suffix -ling denoting affiliation.
FruthGerman nickname from Middle High German vruot ‘clever’, ‘astute’