Swiss Submitted Surnames

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Swiss names are used in the country of Switzerland in central Europe.
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Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AACKER German
Variant spelling of the surname Acker.
ABBRUZZESE Italian
From 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 French
It 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, Italian
Abreo or its variant Abreu comes from the French Alfred (alf = Elf; fred = conseil). The meaning is wise counselor.... [more]
ABRESCH German, Dutch, Jewish
From a pet form of the Biblical name Abraham.
ABRUZZESE Italian
Regional name for someone from the Abruzzi, a mountainous region of Italy east of Rome (cf. ABRUZZO).
ABRUZZO Italian
Regional name for someone from the Abruzzi, a mountainous region of Italy east of Rome (cf. ABRUZZESE).
ABSHER German
Absher comes from either the German surname Habich, which comes from the surname hawk. Literally meaning someone who had hawk-like features.
ACAMPORA Italian, Medieval Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Acampora is a variant of Acanfora, from the medieval personal name Canfora, from canfora ‘camphor’ (from Arabic kāfūr).
ACCOLA Romansh
From 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 German
Topographic name for someone who lived by a spring or stream, from Old High German aha meaning "running water".
ACHARD French
From the given name Achard.
ACHENBACH German
Habitational 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".
ACORN German
Origin uncertain; most probably an Americanized form of German Eichhorn.
ACQUAVIVA Italian
From an Italian place name meaning "running water, spring", literally "living water".
ACRI Italian
Habitational name from a place in Cosenza province named Acri.
ADIPIETRO Italian
meaning "to tell Peter"; "to appear before Peter"... [more]
ADORNO Italian
Southern Italian: from the personal name Adorno, meaning ‘adorned’.... [more]
AEBIG German (Archaic)
Short form of Adalbert, used in the 16th century.
AERNI German (Swiss)
Variant spelling of Ärni.
AGASSI Armenian, Persian, Italian
The surname Agassi most likely evolved from a nickname for someone resembling a mappie, perhaps jokingly referred to as chattering or nagging person. ... [more]
AGIRMO Italian
two 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 Italian
The 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]
AGUZZI Italian
Comes from an ancient Roman cognomen, Acutus.
AHLBORN German
From the old personal name Albern, from Germanic adal meaning "noble" and boran meaning "born".
ALARIE French, French (Quebec)
French: reflex of the Visigothic personal name Alaric, which is composed of Germanic elements meaning ‘all power’. This form was established in Quebec from 1681.
ALBANESE Italian
Southern 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 Italian
From given name Alberto, the Latin translation of Germanic Albert.
ALBINET French
Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Albinet, which was a diminutive (as the -et suffix indicates) of the given name Albin.... [more]
ALBO Spanish, Italian, Jewish
It is derived from the name Albert, Alberto, Albino, and Alberico.... [more]
ALDINGER German
Habitational 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), German
From 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]
ALLEMAND French
Means "Germany" in French.
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]
ALLENBACH German, German (Swiss)
Habitational name from any of several places called Allenbach.
ALLENDORF German
Habitational name from any of ten or more places called Allendorf.
ALLEY English, French (Anglicized)
From a Middle English personal name, Alli, Alleye, as forms such as Johannes filius Alli (Norfolk, 1205) make clear. This is of Scandinavian origin, cognate with Old Danish Alli, Old Swedish Alle... [more]
ALLGEIER German
The 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, Dutch
A 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 German
Probably 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, Jewish
From German alt ‘old’, typically applied as a distinguishing epithet to the older of two bearers of the same personal name.
ALTERS German
Shortened form of Alterstein.
ALTERSTEIN German
Means "old stone" in German.
ALTHOFF German
A 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".
ALTMAN German
Said to mean "Wise man" of German origin
ALTMEYER German
Status 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 German
Habitational name for someone from a place called Altringen or Aldingen, of which there are two in Württemberg.
ALWARDT German
From the personal name Adelward, composed of the Germanic elements adal ‘noble’ + ward ‘keeper’, ‘protector’.
AMAURY French
From the given name Amaury... [more]
AMBERG German, Jewish
German 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 Italian
There 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, German
English: 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]
AMICO Italian
Means "friend".
AMISTADI Italian
From the Renaissance term amistade ("friendship").
AMMANN German
A contraction of Ambetmann, for a court official. If there is a double "M", the origin might be Swiss.
AMMAZZALORSO Italian
From 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]
AMREIN German (Swiss)
Topographic name from am ‘at’ + Rain ‘edge of plowed land’.
AMSLER American, German (Swiss)
As a Swiss German surname it is from the Swiss place name Amslen.
AMSPACHER German
Habitational name for someone from a place called Amsbach
AMSTUTZ German (Swiss), German (Austrian)
Topographic name for someone living near or at the foot of a steep mountainside, German am Stutz ‘at the escarpment’.
ANACKER German
Nickname for a day laborer, as opposed to someone who owned fields, from Middle High German āne meaning "without" + acker meaning "field".
ANDERS German, Scottish, Czech
Derived from the given name Anders.
ANDES German
Variant spelling of Anthes.
ANDREOZZI Italian, Sicilian
From a pet form of the personal name Andrea.
ANDROS German (Swiss), Hungarian
Derivative of the personal name Andreas. Perhaps a reduced form of Greek Andronikos, Andronidis, or some other similar surname, all patronymics from Andreas.
ANGELLOTTI Italian
Comes from a pet form of Angelo, variant of Angelotti.
ANGELO Italian
From a popular medieval personal name, Angelo, Latin Angelus, from Greek angelos "messenger, angel" (considered as a messenger sent from God).
ANGELOTTI Italian
Comes from a pet form of Angelo.
ANGELUCCI Italian
From a pet form of the personal name Angelo.
ANGERHOFER German
Habitational name for someone from Angerhof in Bavaria.
ANGOTT Italian (Anglicized)
The origin of this surname is unknown but is most likely an anglicized version of the Italian surname 'Angotti'.... [more]
ANGRISANI Italian
From Angrisano, a habitational name for someone from Angri in Salerno province.
ANHEUSER German
Last name of Eberhard Anheuser, founder of the Anheuser-Busch company.
ANNA English, Irish, Italian, Hungarian
Probably derived from the female first name ANNA.
ANOUILH French
From 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 German
Occupational name for someone whose job was to keep a dam or pool filled with water. (Anschützen "to fill up")
ANSELMO Italian, Spanish
Comes 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.
ANTOINE French
From the given name Antoine.
APICELLA Italian
Southern 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, Spanish
From 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".
APOLLONI Italian
From the given name Apollonia, which is the Latin feminine form of Apollonios, which in turn was derived from the name of the Greek god Apollo.
APPEL German, Dutch, Jewish, Low German, Medieval Dutch, Yiddish
1. German: from the personal name Appel, a pet form of Apprecht (common especially in Thuringia and Franconia), itself a variant of Albrecht. ... [more]
APPLER German
Variant of Eppler.
APT German, Yiddish
German: variant of Abt.... [more]
AQUILA Italian
Habitational name from L'Aquila in Abruzzo or from any of various smaller places called Aquila.
ARÀBIA Italian, Spanish
Ethnic 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 French
Ethnic name denoting someone from Arabia or an Arabic-speaking person.
ARAGON Spanish, Catalan, French
A surname and an autonomous community of Spain.
ARBEITER German
Occupational name from Middle High German arbeiter ‘laborer’.
ARCANGELI Italian
Meaning "archangel" in Italian.
ARCHEAMBEAU French
The 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]
ARENSBERG German
From Old High German arn 'eagle' and berg, 'mountain'.
ARFORD German
Derived from town of Erfurt, Germany
ARGENTI Italian
Patronymic or plural form of Argento.
ARGENTO Italian
From 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 German
Perhaps a habitational name from Oerlinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia.
ARMUIER French
French for "armorer."
ARNDT German
Derived from the personal name Arndt.
ÄRNI German (Swiss)
From a much altered pet form of the personal name Arnold.
AROUET French
A famous bearer was French philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778), whose birth name was François-Marie Arouet.
ARQUETTE French
From 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 Italian
Italian: from the medieval personal name Arrigo, a variant of Enrico.
ASCENCIO Spanish, Italian
From 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 German
Derived from German asche meaning "ash" (tanners worked with ash)
ASPERGES Italian
It means "you bless", and it is also the device used by priests to spread holy water over people or places
AßMAN German
Derived from the given name Erasmus + the... [more]
ASTONI Italian
It is the surname of the Home and Away family, The Astoni family, consisting of 4 members, Ben, Maggie, Coco and Ziggy.
ASTORE Italian
Derived 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.
AU Upper German, Swiss, German (Swiss), German (Austrian)
South German, Swiss, and Austrian topographic name from dialect Au ‘water meadow’, ‘stream’ (see Aue).
AUBIN French
From the French given name Aubin.
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 French
Patronymic 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 French
Variant 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 French
Southern French nickname from Gascon dialect audet "bird", variant of standard Occitan ausèl (modern French oiseau).
AUDINO Italian
Derived from first name 'Alda' which means 'wise and experienced.'
AUERBACH German, Jewish
Topographical name for someone who lived by a stream (Middle High German bach) that was near a swamp or marsh (auer).
AUGELLO Italian
Italian (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 German
Originated in Germany. Means "Out of the Village". First used in the year 1135.
AUT Czech, German (Swiss), Russian, Catalan
Means "Hard Worker" in Czech.... [more]
AVALLONE Italian
Topographic name for someone who lived in a deep valley.
AVAMILANO Spanish, Italian
Of Spanish origin, but probably has its roots in Italy due to the word "milano" which means Milan in Italian.
AVARA Italian
Italian feminine form of Avaro.
AVENA Spanish, Italian
A 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'.
AZUAJE-FIDALGO Portuguese (Rare), Spanish, Italian
Fidalgo from Galician and Portuguese filho de algo — equivalent to nobleman, but sometimes literally translated into English as "son of somebody" or "son of some (important family)"—is a traditional title of Portuguese nobility that refers to a member of the titled or untitled nobility... [more]
BABEL French
Either (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".
BACHECHI Italian
Comes from the Tuscan-Italian personal name Baccio.
BACKMAN English, 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]
BACON English, 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]
BAER German
Derived from Old High German bero "bear".
BAERTSCH German
Means "loyalty".
BAFFA Italian
The 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.
BAIN Scottish, French, English
Nickname for a hospitable person from northern Middle English beyn, bayn meaning "welcoming", "friendly".... [more]
BALDACCHINO Maltese, Italian
Derived from Italian baldacchino meaning "baldaquin", a type of canopy used in cathedrals.
BALLERINI Italian
Occupational name or nickname for a dancer, Italian ballerino, an agent derivative of ballare "to dance".
BALMA Italian
Perhaps a topographic name from the dialect word balma meaning ‘grotto’, ‘cave’, ‘jutting rock’.
BALSAM German
Occupational name for a seller of spices and perfumes.
BALSAN German
Variant of Balsam.
BALSANO German (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]
BALSON German
Variant of Balsam.
BALZAK French
Variant of Balzac.
BANDY German
This 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 French
Nickname for someone with a beard, Old French barbe (Latin barba).
BARBE French
From the given name BARBE.
BARBE German
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.
BARBERA Italian
Derogatory 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]
BARBIN French
Diminutive of BARBE.
BÄRG German
Variant of Berg.
BARIL French
During 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"
BARISICH German
Likely a German version of Baruch.
BARNETTE English, French (?)
Variant of Bernet and perhaps also a variant of English Barnett, under French influence.
BARNO Italian, Ukrainian, French, Ancient Aramaic, Russian
The 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, French
From 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 French
Possibly 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 French
Occupational name for a gatekeeper, from Old French barier.
BARRINEAU French
The 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, German
Polish, 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, German
English: 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 French
Meaning 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 Italian
From 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 French
A 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 French
Derived 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 German
A 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]
BAUERSACK German
Semi-Germanized form of the Polish surname Burczak, originally derived from Polish burczec "growl; shout".... [more]
BAUGHER German
Means peasant farmer in German.
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 Italian
Ethnic name from bavaro "Bavarian" someone from Bavaria, now part of Germany, but formerly an independent kingdom.
BAVIERA Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan
Means "Bavaria" in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Catalan. Indicating for someone from Bavaria a state in Germany.
BAY English, French, Dutch
Derived 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.
BAY German
From the given name Baio.
BAYERS German
Variant of Bayer.
BEAS German
Possibly also a variant spelling of German Bies.
BEAUCHAMP English, French
From the Old French "beau, bel" meaning "fair" and "lovely" and "champ(s)" meaning "field" or "plain." It is the name of several places in France. It is also the surname of the Beauchamp Family in the hit series Witches of East End.
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]
BEAUFOY French (Anglicized, Rare), English (Rare)
Anglicized form of Beaufay. Known bearers of this surname include the English astronomer and physicist Mark Beaufoy (1764-1827) and the British screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (b. 1967).
BEAUNE French
Refers to Beaune, France.... [more]
BEAUREGARD French
Habitational 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".
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 French
From French place names derived from "beautiful sight".
BECHER German
Shortened 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 French
A notable bearer was French scientist Henri Becquerel (1852-1908) who discovered radioactivity. A becquerel (Bq), the SI unit for radioactivity, is named after him.
BEDSAUL German
Americanized form of the German surname Petzold, which comes from a Slavic pet form of the name Peter.
BEEKMAN German, Anglo-Saxon
This 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 Italian
Nickname for a practical joker, from Italian beffa "trick, prank".
BÉGON French
Probably 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 German
From the German male personal name Behn, a shortened form of Bernhard. A famous bearer was the English novelist and dramatist Aphra Behn (1640-1689).
BEHNEN German
Derived from the given name Bernhard.
BEHR German, Dutch
German and Dutch variant of the personal name Bähr (see Baer).
BEHRENDT German
Dutch and North German surname which is a variant of Behrend.
BEHRINGER German
Habitational name for someone from either of two places called Behringen, near Soltau and in Thuringia, or from Böhringen in Württemberg.
BEIHL English, German
Variant of BIEHL, a short form of BIEHLER.
BEILSCHMIDT German
means "Axe Smith" in german
BEINING German
This 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.
BELFIORE Italian
Means "beautiful (as a) flower", derived from Italian bel "beautiful" combined with Italian fiore "flower". Two Italian sources claim that this surname was derived from the medieval masculine given name Belfiore (which has of course the same meaning), but I can find no evidence that this was an actual given name in medieval Italy... [more]
BELLARIA Italian
From the place name Bellaria, in Milan, Veneto, Piedmont and Sicily, these homonyms widespread throughout Italy.
BELLET French
Comes from a derivative of bel ‘handsome’.
BELLUOMINI Italian
Variant and plural of Belluomo
BELZER German
Occupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle High German bel(li)z "fur"
BENA Italian
From a reduced form of the medieval personal name Benenato.
BENANTI Italian
From a derivative of Bene, a short form of the various omen names formed with this element (from Latin bene ‘well’), such as Benedetto, Benvenuto, etc.
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]
BENEFIEL French (Modern, Rare)
Meaning: Bean field
BENELLI Italian
The distinguished surname Benelli originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent... [more]
BENNI Italian
"son of Benno". From Bennus.
BENNING German
From the Germanic name Berno, which was derived from Old German "bero", meaning bear.
BENOIT French
From the given name BENOIT.
BENS Dutch, German
Patronymic from a short form of Bernhard.
BENTS German
Variant of Benz.
BENWARE French
Americanized spelling of BENOIT.
BENZ German
South German: (in Alemannic areas) from a short form of the Germanic personal name Berthold, or to a lesser extent of Bernhard
BERBER German
Possibly a habitational name from a place called Berber near Kevelaer.
BERENTZEN German
The surname is derived from the given name Bernd and was formerly written "Bernd sin Sohn" which meant "son of Bernd". The spelling Berentzen developped through the years.
BERETTA Italian
Northern Italian variant spelling of Berretta.
BERGAMIN Italian
Traced to 1437, Bergamo. A 'bergamini' was known as a person famrmed and sold milk cows
BERGDORF German
Origin unidentified. Possibly a German habitational name from places in Hamburg and Lower Saxony called Bergedorf, Bargdorf in Lower Saxony, or Bergsdorf in Brandenburg.
BERGHOLD German
Surname that denoted the owner of a vineyard.
BERGMANN German, Swedish (Rare)
German variant of BERG combined with the suffix mann "man".
BERGOGLIO Italian
From the name of a village located in the Piedmont province in Italy. A notable bearer is Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio), the current Pope of the Catholic Church.
BERLIN German, English
Habitational 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.
BERNADOTTE French, Swedish
Possibly from the name of a historical province in Southern France named Béarn. This was originally a French non-noble surname. French general Jean Baptise Bernadotte (1763-1844) became the king of Sweden as Charles XIV John (Swedish: Karl XIV Johan) in 1818 and founded the current royal house in Sweden, House of Bernadotte.