Swiss
names are used in the country of Switzerland in central Europe.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ABBRUZZESE ItalianFrom an Italian surname coming from the place name Abruzzi in eastern Italy (the modern name is Abruzzo). This place name may derive from the Praetutii, an ancient tribe inhabiting the region.
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".
ABOUT FrenchIt is a french surname that comes from the french word 'about', meaning "an extremity of a metallic or wooden element or piece." This surname is notably born by the French novelist Edmond François Valentin About...
[more] ABPLANALP German, German (Swiss)Topographic name for someone living high on a mountainside, from German
ab- "below", "off" +
Planalp "high, flat mountain-meadow".
ABREO French, ItalianAbreo or its variant Abreu comes from the French Alfred (alf = Elf; fred = conseil). The meaning is
wise counselor....
[more] ABRUZZESE ItalianRegional name for someone from the Abruzzi, a mountainous region of Italy east of Rome (cf.
ABRUZZO).
ABRUZZO ItalianRegional name for someone from the Abruzzi, a mountainous region of Italy east of Rome (cf.
ABRUZZESE).
ABSHER GermanAbsher comes from either the German surname
Habich, which comes from the surname
hawk. Literally meaning someone who had hawk-like features.
ACCOLA RomanshFrom Latin
accola ‘neighbor’, ‘inhabitant’ (from Latin
accolere 'to live near').
Accola also meant 'tenant' or 'farmer' in Medieval Latin, which is likely the definition of the word that this name comes from.
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".
ACQUAVIVA ItalianFrom an Italian place name meaning "running water, spring", literally "living water".
ACRI ItalianHabitational name from a place in Cosenza province named Acri.
AGASSI Armenian, Persian, ItalianThe surname Agassi most likely evolved from a nickname for someone resembling a mappie, perhaps jokingly referred to as chattering or nagging person. ...
[more] AGIRMO Italiantwo hypotheses: either from the Greek
agyrmos meaning "symposium, meeting" which was the name of the first day of the
Misteri Eleusini in Athens....
[more] AGOSTINELLI ItalianThe earliest known instance of this name AGOSTINELLI was St. Aurelius Augustinus, also known as Augustine of Hippo (354-430) the greatest of the Latin church fathers. He was born in Tagaste in Numidia which is modern Tunisia....
[more] AHLBORN GermanFrom the old personal name
Albern, from Germanic
adal meaning "noble" and
boran meaning "born".
ALBANESE ItalianSouthern Italian : ethnic name from albanese ‘(an) Albanian’, applied to someone from Albania or from one of the Albanian settlements in Abruzzo, Apulia, Campania, and Sicily.
ALBERTI ItalianFrom given name Alberto, the Latin translation of Germanic Albert.
ALBINET FrenchDerived from the medieval French masculine given name
Albinet, which was a diminutive (as the
-et suffix indicates) of the given name
Albin....
[more] ALDINGER GermanHabitational name for someone from Aldingen in Württemberg.
ALFANI Italian(or Alfano) three possibilities: from the German word
halfer ("helper"), from a place called Alfano, which is supposed to be from the Arab
al fannan ("wild donkey"), and Alfana is the name of a race (as in type) of Arab horses, so could be someone related to horses.
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.
ALPERT English, Jewish, German, DutchA variant of the Jewish surname Heilprin or
Halpern. In German and Dutch usage, it is derived from the given name
Albert. One famous bearer is Richard Alpert from the ABC TV show LOST.
ALPINI Italian(or Alpino) possibly denoting a person from the Alpes.
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] AMEGLIO ItalianThere are two hypotheses: the first is it derived from the Latin name Amelius which came from Amius, name of Etruscan origin; the other is it derived from Amali, name of a mighty Ostrogothic family, which means "virgin of the forest".
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.
AMMAZZALORSO ItalianFrom the profession of bear hunter, meaning literally "slaughter the bear".
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".
ANGELO ItalianFrom a popular medieval personal name,
Angelo, Latin
Angelus, from Greek
angelos "messenger, angel" (considered as a messenger sent from God).
ANGRISANI ItalianFrom Angrisano, a habitational name for someone from Angri in Salerno province.
ANOUILH FrenchFrom Catalan
anull, meaning "slow worm". It is originally a nickname given to a spineless and slow person. The French author Jean Anouilh is a famous bearer of this surname.
ANSCHÜTZ GermanOccupational name for someone whose job was to keep a dam or pool filled with water. (Anschützen "to fill up")
ANSELMO Italian, SpanishComes from the personal name
Anselmo, which is of Germanic origin (see Anselm). This was a distinctively Langobardic name, and was especially common in Lombardy in the Middle Ages.
APICELLA ItalianSouthern Italian: from a diminutive of apa ‘bee’, probably applied as a nickname for an industrious person, or possibly as a metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper.
APOLLO Italian, SpanishFrom the Greek personal name
Apollo. There are several saints Apollo in the Christian Church, including an Egyptian hermit and monastic leader who died in 395 ad. The personal name derives from the name in classical mythology of the sun god,
Apollo, an ancient Indo-European name, found for example in Hittite as
Apulana "god of the gate" (from
pula "gate", cognate with Greek
pylē), therefore "protector, patron".
AQUILA ItalianHabitational name from L'Aquila in Abruzzo or from any of various smaller places called Aquila.
ARÀBIA Italian, SpanishEthnic name for someone from Arabia or some other Arabic-speaking country or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with one of these countries.
ARABIE FrenchEthnic name denoting someone from Arabia or an Arabic-speaking person.
ARBEITER GermanOccupational name from Middle High German arbeiter ‘laborer’.
ARCHEAMBEAU FrenchThe 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] ARENALDI Italian (Rare)Originally found in the Campania, Foggia area. Derived from the medieval name of Germanic origin Arenaldus or Arinaldus
ARGENTO ItalianFrom
argento "silver", perhaps sometimes applied as a nickname for someone with silvery gray hair, but more often a metonymic occupational name for a silversmith.
ARLINGHAUS GermanPerhaps a habitational name from Oerlinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia.
AROUET FrenchA famous bearer was French philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778), whose birth name was François-Marie Arouet.
ARQUETTE FrenchFrom arquet meaning "little bow" or "little arch" (diminutive of arche, from Latin arcus). It was originally an occupational name for an archer, but the French word arquet(te) is also found in the sense 'market trader' (originally, perhaps, one with a stall underneath an arch)...
[more] ARRIGO ItalianItalian: from the medieval personal name Arrigo, a variant of Enrico.
ASCENCIO Spanish, ItalianFrom the personal name (Latin Ascensius), favored by the early Christians, by whom it was bestowed with reference to the ascension of Christ (Late Latin ascensio).
ASCHER GermanDerived from German
asche meaning "ash" (tanners worked with ash)
ASPERGES ItalianIt means "you bless", and it is also the device used by priests to spread holy water over people or places
ASTONI ItalianIt is the surname of the Home and Away family, The Astoni family, consisting of 4 members, Ben, Maggie, Coco and Ziggy.
ASTORE ItalianDerived from Italian
astore meaning "goshawk", which is a bird of prey that was used for hunting in the Middle Ages. The surname had first started out as a nickname: either for a falconer, or for a person who had aquiline features or who was cunning by nature.
AUBINE French (Rare)Derived from the medieval French feminine given name
Aubine, which was the French form of
Albina. But in other words, you could also say that Aubine was the feminine form of
Aubin.
AUBINET French (Rare)Derived from the medieval French masculine given name
Aubinet, which was a diminutive (as the
-et suffix indicates) of the given name
Aubin....
[more] AUBUCHON French (Modern, ?)The Aubuchon name is French, but of uncertain origin. It is probably from the patronymic prefix au + buchon, a dialect term for a woodcutter (Standard French bûcheron).
AUCLAIR FrenchPatronymic from the personal name
Clair or the nickname Leclair (‘the cheerful one’): (fils) à Leclair ‘(son) of Leclair’. It has also absorbed cases of Auclerc (from LeClerc).
AUDELIN FrenchVariant of
ODELIN, which is not to be confused with
ODELÍN as it is Spanish while the other one is French, though they could have similar origins in name.
AUDET FrenchSouthern French nickname from Gascon dialect audet "bird", variant of standard Occitan ausèl (modern French oiseau).
AUDINO ItalianDerived from first name 'Alda' which means 'wise and experienced.'
AUERBACH German, JewishTopographical name for someone who lived by a stream (Middle High German
bach) that was near a swamp or marsh (
auer).
AUGELLO ItalianItalian (Campania) dialect variant of
Uccello ‘bird’, hence either a nickname for a diminutive, birdlike person or an occupational name for a fowler. Compare
Auciello.
AUSSENDORF GermanOriginated in Germany. Means "Out of the Village". First used in the year 1135.
AUTRY English, FrenchA 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’.
AVAMILANO Spanish, ItalianOf Spanish origin, but probably has its roots in Italy due to the word "milano" which means Milan in Italian.
AVENA Spanish, ItalianA traditionally Spanish and Italian occupational surname for a "grain grower or merchant", or the Italian habitation surname for Avena, Calabria. Means "oats". From the Latin
avēna meaning 'oats, wild oats, straw'.
BABEL FrenchEither (i) from the medieval French personal name
Babel, apparently adopted from that of St
Babylas, a 3rd-century Christian patriarch of Antioch, the origins of which are uncertain; or (ii) an invented Jewish name based on German or Polish
Babel "Babylon".
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] BACON English, French, NormanAn 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] BAER GermanDerived from Old High German
bero "bear".
BAFFA ItalianThe origins of this surname are uncertain, but it may be from Italian
baffo "mustache", with the Latinate feminine suffix probably due to the influence of the word
famiglia "family". Alternatively it may be Albanian in origin, of unexplained meaning.
BAIO ItalianFrom a nickname for someone with light brown or reddish-brown hair or beard, from
baio meaning "bay horse", ultimately derived from Late Latin
badius meaning "red-brown".
BALDACCHINO Maltese, Italian, SicilianOccupational name for an artisan who made the baldachin, also spelled baldaquin, a type of canopy used in cathedrals, from Italian
baldacchino "baldachin". This word is derived from Italian
Baldacca, a doublet of
Bagdad "
Baghdad", the city where the material originally came from.
BALLERINI ItalianOccupational name or nickname for a dancer, Italian
ballerino, an agent derivative of
ballare "to dance".
BALLOU Haitian Creole, French (Caribbean), FrenchThe Ballou name comes from that Medieval landscape of northwestern France known as Brittany. The name Ballou was originally derived from the family having lived in Brittany, where this distinguished family was established from ancient times...
[more] BALMA ItalianPerhaps a topographic name from the dialect word
balma meaning ‘grotto’, ‘cave’, ‘jutting rock’.
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 FrenchNickname for someone with a beard, Old French
barbe (Latin barba).
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.
BARBERA ItalianDerogatory nickname from barbera ‘barber’s wife’, a term also used to denote a prostitute or dishonest woman. Catalan (Barberà): habitational name from a place in Tarragona province, named with Late Latin Barbarianum ‘place of Barbarius’, a derivative of Barbarus (see Barbaro)...
[more] BARIL FrenchDuring the middle ages, when people were named after their given job, Baril was what winemakers and brewers were named. Baril simply means "Barrel" or "Keg"
BARNO Italian, Ukrainian, French, Ancient Aramaic, RussianThe surname Barno was first found in the north of Italy, especially in Tuscany. The name occasionally appears in the south, usually in forms which end in "o," but the northern forms ending in "i" are much more common...
[more] BARON English, FrenchFrom the title of nobility, derived from Middle English & Old French
baron (ultimately of Germanic origin). Instead of referring to someone of rank, this surname referred to a service in a baronial household or a peasant with ideas above their station...
[more] BARREAU FrenchPossibly a variant of
Barreur, an agent derivative of barrer ‘to bar’, ‘to close or block off’, hence possibly an occupational name for a jailer or doorkeeper.
BARRIERE FrenchOccupational name for a gatekeeper, from Old French
barier.
BARRINEAU FrenchThe history of the Barrineau family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northern France, to that coastal region known as Normandy. Barrineau is a habitation name, derived from the place name Barrault, in Normandy....
[more] 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] BASTIAT FrenchMeaning 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.
BATTISTELLA ItalianFrom St. John the Baptist, the first bearers of this name were devoted to this saint. Another etymology would be a patronymic from the given name
Battista, anyway linked to the aforementioned saint.
BAUDELAIRE FrenchA French surname, coming from the word "baudelaire", which is a short, broad, and curved sword used in heraldry.
BAUDRIC French (Rare)Derived from the medieval French given name
Baudric, which was a variant form of
Baldéric, the French form of
Baldric.
BAUDRY FrenchDerived from the medieval French given name
Baudry, which was a variant form of
Baudric, a given name that itself was a variant form of
Baldéric (see
Baldric). A known bearer of this surname was the French painter Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry (1828-1886).
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."
BAVARO ItalianEthnic name from
bavaro "Bavarian" someone from Bavaria, now part of Germany, but formerly an independent kingdom.
BAY English, French, DutchDerived from Middle English and Old French
bay,
bai and Middle Dutch
bay, all meaning "reddish brown". It was originally a nickname for someone with a hair color similar to that.
BEAUCHAMP English, FrenchFrom the name of various places in France, for example in Manche and Somme, which was derived from Old French
beu,
bel meaning "fair, lovely" and
champ,
champs "field, plain".
BEAUFAY French (Rare)In most cases, this surname is a locational surname that most likely took its name from the village of
Beaufay, which is nowadays located in the Sarthe department of France. The village was called
Bello Faeto,
Bellofaido and
Belfaidus during the Early Middle Ages, ultimately deriving its name from Latin
bellus fagus (or
bellum fagetum) meaning "beautiful beech tree(s)" or "beautiful beech woodland"...
[more] BEAUREGARD FrenchHabitational name from any of various places in France named Beauregard for their fine view or fine aspect, for example in Ain, Dordogne, Drôme, Lot, and Puy-de-Dôme, from
beau "fair, lovely" and
regard "aspect, outlook".
BEAUREGARDE FrenchVariant 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.
BEAUSÉJOUR French (Rare)Literally means "beautiful sojourn", derived from French
beau "beautiful, nice, fine" and French
séjour "sojourn, short stay". As such, this surname is most likely a locational surname, in that it originally referred to a scenic place to sojourn in...
[more] BEAUVAIS FrenchFrom French place names derived from "beautiful sight".
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.
BECQUEREL FrenchA notable bearer was French scientist Henri Becquerel (1852-1908) who discovered radioactivity. A becquerel (Bq), the SI unit for radioactivity, is named after him.
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] BEFFA ItalianNickname for a practical joker, from Italian
beffa "trick, prank".
BÉGON FrenchProbably from French
béguin "(male) Beguin", referring to a member of a particular religious order active in the 13th century, and derived from the surname of Lambert le Bègue, the mid-12th-century priest responsible for starting it...
[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).