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 ItalianHabitational name for someone originally from Abruzzo, a region in southern Italy.
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... [
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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.... [
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Abruzzese ItalianRegional name for someone from the Abruzzi, a mountainous region of Italy east of Rome (cf.
Abruzzo).
Abruzzo ItalianName for a person originally from the region of Abruzzo in northern Italy.
Accetta ItalianFrom the female form of southern Italian Accetto, a medieval personal name from the Latin name Acceptus (from acceptus 'welcome', 'well-liked').
Accola RomanshDerived from Medieval Latin
accola "tenant; farmer", ultimately from Classical Latin
accola "one who lives near a place; a neighbor".
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".
Achenza ItalianA Sardinian name, possibly denoting someone from the former town of Aquensa or Acquesa.
Acquaviva ItalianFrom an Italian place name meaning "running water, spring", literally "living water".
Acquistapace ItalianMeans "buy peace" in Italian, from
acquista "to buy, to purchase" and
pace "peace".
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. ... [
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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.... [
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Agreste FrenchFrench cognate of
Agresta. This is also the French word for the grayling butterfly, Hipparchia semele.
Aguzzi ItalianComes from an ancient Roman cognomen,
Acutus, also possibly derived from Italian "aguzzo" meaning sharp, pointed.
Ahlborn GermanFrom the old personal name
Albern, from Germanic
adal meaning "noble" and
boran meaning "born".
Ahler German, Dutch, Danishfrom a Germanic personal name composed of the elements adal ‘noble’ + hari,heri ‘army’.
Ahlschläger GermanThe Ahlschlager family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Ahlschlager families were found in the USA in 1920. In 1880 there were 6 Ahlschlager families living in Iowa... [
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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.
Alber GermanAlber family name was first found in Alsace. The nickname given to someone fair in complexion or blond haired is derived from Latin word Albanus, which means white.
Albinet FrenchDerived from the medieval French masculine given name
Albinet, which was a diminutive (as the
-et suffix indicates) of the given name
Albin.... [
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Aldinger GermanHabitational name for someone from Aldingen in Württemberg.
Aler English (Rare), GermanFrom 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.
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.
Alfieri ItalianFrom Italian
alfiere "standard-bearer, ensign", ultimately from Arabic
فارس (
al-faris) "horseman, rider; knight, cavalier". May alternately derive from the Germanic given name
Adalfarus, meaning "noble journey".
Alig RomanshOf debated origin and meaning; theories include a derivation from the given name
Alexius.
Alighieri ItalianFrom the given name
Alighiero, Italian form of
Aldiger. A famous bearer of this surname is Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), author of the Divine Comedy.
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... [
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Allemann German (Swiss)Derived from German
Alemanne, originally "member of the Alemanni tribe", this word came to denote "of Germanic descent". It was used to refer to members of the German-speaking population of Switzerland (as opposed to those who spoke one of the Romance languages; compare
Welsch).
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. ... [
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Alpini Italian(or Alpino) possibly denoting a person from the Alpes.
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’.
Amanzi ItalianPossibly from
amate "to love". Alternately, may be from the dialectical word
manzu "tame, gentle, docile", or from the given name Mantius.
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... [
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Ameche Italian (Anglicized)Americanised form of
Amici. A famous bearer was American actor, comedian and vaudevillian Don Ameche (1908-1993). After portraying the title character in the movie
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), his surname led Americans to use the word
ameche as a juvenile slang for a telephone.
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".
Amendola ItalianSouthern Italian: habitational name from any of several places in southern Italy named Amendola or Mendola, named with the dialect word amendola 'almond', 'almond tree' (from Greek amygdalea), or a topographic name for someone who lived by an almond tree or trees.
Ammann Upper German, German (Swiss)Alemannic form of
Amtmann "official". Ultimately derived from Middle High German
ambet man "retinue man; retainer", this word came to denote various kinds of administrator including a tax farmer.
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.... [
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Amsler German (Swiss)Derived from German
Amsel "(European) blackbird", this was an occupational name for a fowler (bird catcher).
Amstad Germantopographic name from Middle Low German
am "at the" and
stade "bank shore".
Anacker GermanNickname for a day laborer, as opposed to someone who owned fields, from Middle High German āne meaning "without" + acker meaning "field".
Anardu ItalianFrom a dialectical variant of Italian
anatra "duck (bird)".
Anedda ItalianPossibly from Sardinian
anedda "ring", referring to a walled ring in which animals were tied. May alternately be a diminutive form of the given name
Ana.
Angelo ItalianFrom a popular medieval personal name,
Angelo, Latin
Angelus, from Greek
angelos "messenger, angel" (considered as a messenger sent from God).
Angeloni ItalianMeans "great angels" in Italian. It derives from Biblical Latin
angelus meaning "angel", ultimately from Ancient Greek
angelos, originally meaning "messenger", changing meaning in the Bible.
Angioni ItalianFrom Sardinian
angioni "lamb", denoting a shepherd, or perhaps a nickname.
Angius ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly linked to Sardinian
angioni "lamb", Ancient Greek
άγγος (
àngos) "vessel, jug" or
άγχω (
ankho) "to strangle; anguish, stress", or from a modification of Latin
balneum (see
Bagni) "bath", indicating a place with hot springs.
Angrisani ItalianFrom Angrisano, a habitational name for someone from Angri in Salerno province.
Anguissola ItalianSofonisba Aguissola was a celebrated artist of the Italian Renaissance.
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")
Antolini ItalianThe family originated from Sarnano (Macerata) and at the end of the century XVII transplanted to Montealbodo today Ostra (Ancona) where it was aggregated to that nobility.
Anzalone ItalianThe surname Anzalone was first found in Bolgna (Latin: Bononia).
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.
Aquinas ItalianAquinas indicates ancestral origins from the Italian county "Aquino." Aquino comes from the latin word "Aquinum" which itself probably comes from the latin word aqua. Aqua means water in English.
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.
Araldi ItalianMeans “heralds” in Italian. Famous bearers include Italian painters Alessandro Araldi (c. 1460 – c. 1529) and Paolo Araldi (18th century – after 1820).
Arbeiter GermanOccupational name from Middle High German arbeiter ‘laborer’.
Arceri ItalianFrom Italian
arciere "archer, bowman". May alternately be from a place name, such as Arcera.
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.... [
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Arcidiacono ItalianMeans "archdeacon", denoting someone who worked for or was related to an archdeacon.
Arditi ItalianThe heraldic tradition has it that this illustrious family, called Ardito or Arditi, is the same one that flourished in Lombardy with the name of Conti, and that, transplanted in the Neapolitan with the Lombard hostages taken by the emperor Federico II, left that name, changing it.