Browse Submitted Surnames

Aler English (Rare), German
From the alder tree, a tree found in the Americas, Europe and parts of Asia. The much less common given name Aler is possibly derived from it.

Apfelbaum German, Jewish
Means "apple tree" in German.

Asche German
From German meaning "ash, ash tree". Likely a habitational name for someone who lived by an ash tree.

Ast German
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]

Bäumchen German
Surname of German origin meaning "little tree". It could have been used to describe someone who lived near a tree or forest.

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."

Bergholtz Swedish, German (Rare)
Possibly a variant of German Bergholz which is either a derivative of Berchtold or from a topographic name meaning "birch wood"... [more]

Berwald German, Swedish (Rare), Danish (Rare)
Originally derived from the given name Bernwald, composed of Old High German bern, bero "bear" and wald "ruler"... [more]

Bierbaum German
German: topographic name for someone who lived by a pear tree, Middle Low German berbom. Compare Birnbaum.

Billard English, German, French
From a short form of the personal name Robillard, a derivative of Robert.... [more]

Bindschädler German (Swiss)
Derived from German binden "to bind" and Swiss German schädlen "to make wood vessels", this is an occupational surname referring to a cooper, a barrel maker.

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]

Bircher German (Swiss)
South German and Swiss German topographic name for someone who lived by a birch tree or in a birch wood, from Middle High German birche "birch" + the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.

Birnbaum German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a pear tree, from Middle High German bir "pear" and boum "tree".

Bleibaum German
"Lead tree" possibly changed at Ellis Island from Blumenbaum meaning "flowering tree"

Breitzmann German
Eastern German topographic name for someone who lived by a birch wood, ultimately derived from the Slavic stem bres "birch".

Brenner German, German (Austrian), Jewish
Derived from Middle High German brennen "to burn". Both as a German and a Jewish name, this was an occupational name for a distiller of spirits. As a German surname, however, it also occasionally referred to a charcoal or lime burner or to someone who cleared forests by burning.

Brick Irish (Anglicized), English, German, Jewish
Irish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bruic "descendant of Broc", i.e. "badger" (sometimes so translated) or Ó Bric "descendant of Breac", a personal name meaning "freckled"... [more]

Buch German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a beech tree or beech wood, from Middle High German buoche, or a habitational name from any of the numerous places so named with this word, notably in Bavaria and Württemberg... [more]

Bucher German
Upper German surname denoting someone who lived by a beech tree or beech wood, derived from Middle High German buoche "beech tree".

Büchler German
Habitional name for someone from Büchle or Büchel, or who lived near beech trees, ultimately from Büche "beech (tree)". Alternatively, could be an occupational name for someone who pressed oil from beechnuts.

Buschbaum German
Means "bush tree" in German.

Buxbaum German, Jewish
Means "box tree" in German.

Düsterwald German
Derived from Middle Low German düster "dark" combined with Old High German wald "forest".

Eich German
German from Middle High German eich(e) ‘oak’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived near an oak tree. In some cases, it may be a habitational name for someone from any of several places named with this word, for example Eiche or Eichen, or for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of an oak.

Eichenbaum German, Jewish
German cognate of Eikenboom, from Middle High German eich "oak" and boum "tree".

Eichenlaub German, Jewish
Derived from Eichenlau, a topographic name from Middle High German eichen "oaks" and loh "forest clearing", reinterpreted through folk etymology as Eichenlaub, meaning "oak leaf".

Eisenhauer German
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]

Ellerhoff German
This name means "Black Alder Tree Courtyard" and was inspired by a tree in a yard at the family farm in Nettelstedt, Germany.

Eschenbach German
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]

Escher German
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.

Essen Dutch, German
From any of several places called Essen, probably derived from asc "ash tree".

Fall English, German
English topographic name Middle English falle "fall descent" (from Old English gefeall or gefall "felling of trees" Old Norse fall "forest clearing") denoting a waterfall steep slope or (in northern England) a forest clearing... [more]

Feige German
Either a topographic name for someone who lived by a fig tree or metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of figs from Middle High German vīge (Old High German figa from Latin ficus)... [more]

Felber German
Middle High German residential name "velwer" meaning Willow Tree.

Fellenbaum German
nickname for a woodman literally "fell the tree" or possibly a topographic name for someone who lived by a fallen tree derived from fellen "fall" and boum "tree".

Fey German, English, French, Danish
English: variant of Fay. ... [more]

Finster German, 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]

Forster English (Anglicized), German, Jewish, Slovak
English: occupational and topographic name for someone who lived or worked in a forest (see Forrest). ... [more]

Gayer German
Derived from Slavic gaj "grove", this name denoted a forest warden.

Geipelhorst German
This rather rare surname is appears to be the combination of "Geipel", which is a variant of "Geibel" originating from a personal name or topographic name formed with Old High German gawi ‘fertile region’, ‘countryside’ (as opposed to a town), and "Horst" which came from of Old High German, meaning "man from the forest", "bosk" or "brushwood"... [more]

Gensmantel German
Derived from the German words gens meaning "people, race, stock" and mantle meaning "forest, woods".

Goldwater German (Anglicized), Jewish (Anglicized)
This name is an Anglicized form of the German or Ashkenazic ornamental surname 'Goldwasser', or 'Goldvasser'. The name derives from the German or Yiddish gold', gold, with 'wasser', water, and is one of the very many such compound ornamental names formed with 'gold', such as 'Goldbaum', golden tree, 'Goldbert', golden hill, 'Goldkind', golden child, 'Goldrosen', golden roses, and 'Goldstern', golden star.

Görlitz German
The name of a small town in Saxony. Derived from old Sorbian word "Zgorelc" meaning "settlement on a burned-out forest."

Greenberger German, Jewish
Anglicized form of the German surname Grünberger, which is formed from the words grün "green", Berg "mountain", and the habitational suffix -er. This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Grünbaum German, Jewish
from Middle High German gruoni "green" and boum "tree" probably a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a tree in leaf... [more]

Grünwald German, Jewish
Habitational name from any of various places called Grünewald from Middle High German gruoni "green" and wald "wood forest"... [more]

Grunwald German, German (Swiss), Jewish
German and Swiss German (Grünwald): habitational name from any of various places named Grün(e)wald, from Middle High German gruene ‘green’ + walt ‘wood’, ‘forest’. ... [more]

Hasslacher German
hass=hate; lacher=laughter... [more]

Hellenbrand German
Derived from germanic: hildtja = battle, brandt = sword, or prandt = burning wood/torch. Other view: Hilda is the Nordic Queen of the Underworld, Goddes of Death, so Sword/Torch of Hilda.... [more]

Henley English, Irish, German (Anglicized)
English: habitational name from any of the various places so called. Most, for example those in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and Warwickshire, are named with Old English héan (the weak dative case of heah ‘high’, originally used after a preposition and article) + Old English leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’... [more]

Heydlauff German (Americanized, Modern)
people lived in the Black Forest region of Germany. Many migrated to Michigan, USA

Holder German, Jewish, English
1. German: topographic name for someone who lived by an elder tree. Middle High German holder, or from a house named for its sign of an elder tree. In same areas, for example Alsace, the elder tree was believed to be the protector of a house... [more]

Holstein German
habitational name from the province of Holstein long disputed between Germany and Denmark. This gets its name from holsten the dative plural originally used after a preposition of holst from Middle Low German holt-sate "dweller in the woods" (from Middle Low German holt "wood" and sate sete "tenant")... [more]

Holter English, German, Norwegian, Dutch
Derived from Old English, Old Dutch, and Old Norse holt meaning "forest, small wood".

Holtey German
Old German name meaning "Wood Island". Holt means wood and ey means island. Family can be traced back to around 650 A.D. and is located in the Ruhr and Essen area of Germany.

Holthaus German
North German: topographic name for someone who lived by a copse (a small group of trees), from Middle Low German holt ‘small wood’ + haus ‘house’.

Holtzclaw German (Anglicized, Modern)
Americanized spelling of German Holzklau, which translates into modern German as "wood thief", but is probably a nickname for someone who gathered wood, from Middle High German holz "wood" + a derivative of kluben "to pick up", "gather", "steal".

Holtzmann Upper German, German
Derived from the Upper German word "holz," which means "forest." Thus many of the names that evolved from this root work have to do with living in the woods

Holzhauer German
Occupational name for a "lumberjack, woodsman" with the element holz "forest".

Holzheim German
The meaning of Holzheim is " wood home". Holz=wood and heim=home. ... [more]

Holzklau German
From Middle High German holz ‘wood’ + a derivative of klūben ‘to pick up, gather, steal’. It means "wood thief" but it was probably more likely used as nickname for someone who gathered wood

Holzschuh German
Occupational - from German holz "wood", and schuh "shoe".

Howald German
From any several places named, from the elements hoh "high" and wald "forest".

Hulse German
derived from Holtz, means "a wood"

Kestenbaum German, Jewish
from German dialect Kästenbaum (from Latin Castanea) a topographic name for someone living near a horse-chestnut tree... [more]

Kienbaum German, Jewish
from Low German kienbaum "Scots pine" originally denoting any species or variety of pine tree. Derived from kien "pine tree" and boum "tree".

Kiener German
Named after profession from Middle High German kien ‘pine chip, torch’ for someone who chips pine wood (wood from pine or spruce) and sells it (e.g. to smelters), a lumberjack or charcoal burner.... [more]

Kirschbaum German, Jewish
topographic name from kirschbaum "cherry tree" derived from the elements kirsch "cherry" and boum "tree"... [more]

Kirschenbaum German
From German means "cherry tree".

Kirshenbaum German
Means "cherry tree".

Kleiber German
Derived from an agent Middle High German kleben "to stick or bind" an occupational name for a builder working with clay or in Swabia for someone who applied whitewash. in Bavaria and Austria an occupational name for a shingle maker from Middle High German klieben "to split (wood or stone)".

Knapke German
A relative of mine has said this surname means “over the hill” and that it is of German origin.... [more]

Kries German
From Middle High German kriese "cherry" hence an occupation for someone who sold soft fruits or a locational surname for some who lived by a cherry tree.

Krumwiede German
Location-based name for people who lived by a gnarled old willow tree.... [more]

Krusch German (Silesian)
Derived from dialectal Polish krusza (gruszka in Standard Polish), Lower Sorbian ksusa and Upper Sorbian kruswa "pear, pear tree".

Lesnar German
Variant spelling of German Lessner, a habitational name from any of various places in eastern Germany called Lessen, all named with Slavic les 'forest'.

Limbach German
Derived from any of numerous places in Germany named with Germanic lindo meaning "lime tree" and bach meaning "stream". Several of these places are in areas such as the Palatinate, which contributed heavily to early German immigration to the United States.

Linde German, Dutch, Jewish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Derived from Middle Hugh German, Dutch linde or Scandinavian lind "lime tree". Almost exclusively ornamental in Swedish, otherwise probably habitational. There are also a number of feminine names containing the element lind, for example Linda, Dietlinde and Gerlinde, and it's possible that the surname is derived from any of those names.

Lindenbaum German, Jewish
topographic name for someone who lived by a lime tree Lindenbaum or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a lime tree. Derived from the elements linta "linden" and boum "tree".

Lindenberg German, Jewish, Dutch
As a German and Jewish name, it is derived from any of numerous places called Lindenberg in Germany, composed of Middle High German linde meaning "lime tree" and berg meaning "mountain, hill"... [more]

Lindenmeyer German
Habitational name for the tenant of a farm identified by a lime tree, derived from Middle High German linde meaning "lime tree" and meier meaning "tenant farmer".

Linder German
Derived from the German word linde, which means lime tree.

Lindhorst German
It means "linden forest" in German.

Lindley English, German
English habitational name from either of two places in West Yorkshire called Lindley, or from Linley in Shropshire and Wiltshire, all named from Old English lin ‘flax’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘glade’, with epenthetic -d-, or from another Lindley in West Yorkshire (near Otley), named in Old English as ‘lime wood’, from lind ‘lime tree’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’... [more]

Lindt German, Dutch
Derived from given names containing the elements lind "tender, mild, gentle hearted" or lind "linden tree, shield"... [more]

Lipschitz German, Jewish
The name is derived from the Slavic "lipa," meaning "linden tree" or "lime tree." The name may relate to a number of different place names: "Liebeschitz," the name of a town in Bohemia, "Leipzig," the name of a famous German city, or "Leobschutz," the name of a town in Upper Silesia.

Neubaum German
topographic name meaning "new tree" or a habitational name from a place so named. Derived from the elements niuwi "new" boum "tree".

Pink English, German
Nickname, possibly for a small person, from Middle English pink penkg ‘minnow’ (Old English pinc).English (southeastern): variant of Pinch .Variant spelling of German Pinck, an indirect occupational name for a blacksmith, an onomatopoeic word imitating the sound of hammering which was perceived as pink(e)pank... [more]

Pláňsker Czech (Rare, Archaic), Slovak (Rare, Archaic), German (Rare, Archaic)
Originating from Bohemia, a region between The Czech Republic and Germany. The name means "forest clearing", Pláň: forest, sker: clearing. It is a very rare last name with only about 20 holders of it.

Plum English, German
From Old Germanic *plūmā "plum", used as a topographic name for someone who lived by a plum tree, a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or sold plums, or perhaps a nickname referring to a plum-coloured birthmark.

Puschat German (East Prussian)
East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) surname derived from Lithuanian pušaite "(young) pine tree", which - allegedly - used to be a term of endearment for a young girl.

Riesen German
It is a name for a wood carver.

Rix German
given to a person who resided near a hill, stream, church, or tree

Rosenwald German, Jewish
Means "rose forest" in German. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Rottscheit German
Modernization of Rotscheidt, also a city in Germany (Rottscheidt) bearing another modern alternate spelling. When broken down it ultimately means "red" and "piece of wood", implying that the families of today descends from woodwrokers.

Rüster German
Means "elm (tree)" in German. Could alternatively derive from rüsten to "to equip, to arm", an occupational name for someone who provided weapons to an army.

Schnitzer German
From Upper German schnitz, referring to someone who cuts wood, ultimately from Middle High German snitzære "woodcutter, carver, crossbow maker".

Schottler German
Occupational name for a wood turner, Middle Low German scoteler (an agent derivative of scotel ‘wooden bowl’).

Schwandt German
Topographic name for someone who lived in a forest clearing, from Middle High German swant (from swenden "to thin out", "make disappear", causative from swinden "to disappear" modern German schwinden.

Seinfeld German, Jewish
From the German word sein "to be" and the word of German Jewish origin feld which means "field". It was a name given to areas of land that had been cleared of forest.

Shainwald German
German for "beautiful forest", probably (?) related to Sheinfeld

Shrout German
This surname is related to the German surname Schroder which means cut as in a wood cutter etc.

Storr German
Nickname for a crude man, from Middle High German storr 'tree stump', 'clod'.

Stump German
From Middle Low German stump ‘tree stump’ (borrowed into Middle English), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a prominent tree stump, or else a nickname for a short, stocky person.... [more]

Tannenbaum Jewish, German
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic name or Jewish ornamental name from German Tannenbaum ‘fir tree’, ‘pine tree’.

Thirring Upper German (Rare)
The name Thirring has many different forms/variant spellings. These include Thiering, Thiring, Thuring,Thuringer, Turinger, Duringer, Diringer, Diring and During. One of the reasons for all the variant spellings is that the church scribes in Hungary originally all recorded the name differently... [more]

Topp German
German: from Low German topp 'point', 'tree top', hence a topographic name; or alternatively a metonymic occupational name or nickname from the same word in the sense 'braid'.

Vorwald German
Topographic name for someone who lived "in front of (Middle High German vor) a forest (Middle High German wald)".

Wald German, English
Topographic name for someone who lived in or near a forest (Old High German wald, northern Middle English wald).

Waldmann German
topographic name for someone who lived in a forest or alternatively an occupational name for a forest warden from Middle High German waltman literally "forest man" derived from the elements wald "forest" and man "man"

Waldorf German
Habitational name from any of at least three places so called, derived from Old High German wald "forest" and dorf "village, settlement"... [more]

Waldstein German, Jewish
Habitational surname for a person from a place in Bohemia called Waldstein, which is derived from Middle High German walt "forest" + stein "stone".

Wallbaum German, Jewish
Either a topographic name from Low German walbom "walnut tree" derived from wal "walnut" and boum "tree"... [more]

Wallenstein German, Jewish
Variant of Waldstein a habitational name from Wallenstein (originally Waldenstein "forest rock" Czech Valdštejn) in Bohemia... [more]

Wehmann German
From Middle Low German wede, "wood forest" combined with man, "man"

Weidemann Medieval German, German (Austrian), Norwegian
Weidemann is a German family name and comes from the Middle High German terms for hunter or woad farmer.... [more]

Weixel German
German: variant spelling of Weichsel, a topographic name for someone who lived near a sour cherry tree (St. Luce cherry), from Middle High German wīhsel (modern German Weichsel(n), pronounced ‘Weiksel’.

Widemann German
Derived from the given name Widiman, composed of Old High German witu "wood" or wit "wide" and man "man".

Witter German
From a Germanic personal name, composed of the elements widu "wood" and hari "army".

Wowereit German (East Prussian)
East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) name meaning "squirrel", from Old Prussian wowere and Lithuanian voveraite (which, apart from "squirrel", also means "chanterelle").... [more]

Zinder German
A mostly Ashkenazi Jewish surname, while specific documentation linking "Zinder" to the German word "Zünder" (meaning "tinder" or "firestarter") is limited, the surname "Zinder" is believed to have German origins, possibly derived from the word "Zindel," which refers to a "bundle of wood shavings." This term is associated with materials used to start fires, suggesting a potential connection to the "firestarter" occupation... [more]

Zumwalt German
German spelling Zum-Wald (to the forest) older german