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.
Dobberstein GermanMetonymic occupational name for a dice maker or a nickname for a dice player, from Middle High German topel ‘die’ + stein ‘stone’, ‘cube’.
Doepner GermanDerived from Middle Low German
top and
dop "pot". This is an occupational surname originally given to a potter.
Doerflinger GermanHabitational name for someone from any of several places in Bavaria named Dörfling.
Donadieu FrenchMeaning “given to God”, surname given to a child because they were given to a priest or monastery or either an orpan.
Donato ItalianFrom the medieval personal name
Donato (Latin
Donatus, past participle of
donare, frequentative of
dare "to give"). It was the name of a 4th-century Italian bishop martyred in c. 350 under Julian the Apostate, as well as various other early saints, and a 4th-century grammarian and commentator on Virgil, widely respected in the Middle Ages as a figure of great learning.
Dorn German, EnglishGerman cognitive and English variant of
Thorn from Middle High German
dorn "thorn" (from ancient Germanic
thurnaz).
d'Orves FrenchDenoted someone from
Orve, a commune in the Doubs department in eastern France.
Dosch GermanTopographic name for someone living near bushes or brush, from Middle High German doste, toste ‘leafy branch’, or a habitational name from a house with a sign depicting a bush. Also an altered spelling of
Dasch.
Doster German, BelgianA German surname, which is from an agent derivative of the Middle High German words 'doste' and 'toste' (meaning ‘wild thyme’, ‘shrub’, ‘bouquet’). It is a topographic surname which was given to someone whose land abutted an uncultivated piece of land, or possibly an occupational name for someone who dealt herbs.... [
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Dötter GermanFrom a Germanic personal name formed with theud ‘people’, ‘race’ + hard ‘hardy’, ‘strong’ or hari, heri ‘army’
Doucet FrenchNickname for a gentle minded person from French
doux "sweet" (from Latin
dulcis).
Douillard FrenchNickname for a softie, possibly derived from Old French
do(u)ille meaning "soft, tender".
Doux FrenchFrom French meaning "sweet". Probably a nickname for someone who's gentle and kind-hearted.
Dozier FrenchMeaning "lives near willow trees" or possibly someone who made goods, such as baskets, from willow wood.
Dragon French, EnglishNickname or occupational name for someone who carried a standard in battle or else in a pageant or procession, from Middle English, Old French
dragon "snake, monster" (Latin
draco, genitive
draconis, from Greek
drakōn, ultimately from
derkesthai "to flash")... [
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Draxler GermanDerived from the Middle High German "Drehseler," meaning "turner," and was most likely initially borne by a turner or lathe worker.
Dreik FrenchDerived from the Old Norse given name Draki or the Old English given name Draca both meaning "dragon".
Drewitt English, FrenchEnglish (Wiltshire Berkshire and Surrey): of Norman origin from the Old French personal name Druet a diminutive of Drue Dreu (from ancient Germanic Drogo); see Drew Alternatively the name may be from a diminutive of Old French dru ‘lover’
Drexel German, JewishIt originates from the pre 7th century word 'dreseler' meaning 'to turn', a verb which in medieval times had a wide range of meanings.
Dreyfuss German, JewishMeans "three feet" in German. This surname originates from the German city of Trier. The Latin name for the city was "Treveris," whose pronunciation eventually developed into Dreyfuss. The spelling variants tend to correspond to the country the family was living in at the time the spelling was standardized: the use of one "s" tends to be more common among people of French origin, while the use of two tends to be found among those of German descent
Drouillard FrenchProbably a derogatory nickname, from a derivative of the regional term
drouiller "to defecate", which also has various figurative senses.
Drury English, French, IrishOriginally a Norman French nickname, derived from
druerie "love, friendship" (itself a derivative of
dru "lover, favourite, friend" - originally an adjective, apparently from a Gaulish word meaning "strong, vigourous, lively", but influenced by the sense of the Old High German element
trut,
drut "dear, beloved").... [
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Drux GermanVariant of
Trux, which itself is a contracted form of
Truxes and derived from the German word
Truchsess, ultimately from Middle High German
truhsaeze and Old High German
truhtsazzo (from
truht "band; cohort; regiment" and
saza "seat; chair").... [
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Du Aimé FrenchThe Duaime surname comes from an Old French word "hamel," which meant "homestead." It was likely first used as a name to describe someone who lived at a farm on the outskirts of a main town, or for someone that lived in a small village.
Dual RomanshDerived from the preposition
de "of" and Romansh
ual "brook, creek".
Dubach German (Swiss)A surname describing a person from the town of Tübach in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Dubosque FrenchDuBosque means 'of the forest' in french and was a surname given typically to someone from a rural treed area.
Dubreuil FrenchTopographic name derived from Old French
breuil meaning "marshy woodland" (also derived from Late Latin
brogilum, of Gaulish origin). In French the term later came to mean "enclosed woodland" and then "cleared woodland", and both these senses may also be reflected in the surname.
Dubuisson FrenchA topographic name for someone who lived in an area of scrub land or by a prominent clump of bushes, derived from Old French
buisson meaning "small tree, bush, scrub".
Ducasse FrenchFrench: topographic name for someone who lived by an oak tree, from Old French casse ‘oak (tree)’ (Late Latin cassanos, a word of Celtic origin), with the fused preposition and article du ‘from the’... [
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Duchemin FrenchEither a topographic name with fused preposition and definite article
du "from the" for someone who lived beside a path from
chemin "path way" (from Late Latin
caminus a word of Gaulish origin); or a habitational name for someone from Le Chemin the name of several places in various parts of France.
Duchêne FrenchMeans "from the oak (tree)" in French, used to denote a person who lived near an oak tree or an oak forest.
Duclos Frenchdu 'from the' from Old French clos 'enclosure' (see Clos ) or a habitational name for someone from Le Clos the name of several places in various parts of France so it means "from the enclosure"
Duerre GermanTopographic name for a person who lived on a dry, barren land, derived from Old German
durri and German
dürre meaning "barren, infertile". It could also be a variant of
Dürr.
Duesler Upper GermanAndrew & brother Jacob were the Progenitors of Duesler, Duessler, Dueßler from 1752 Germany to America. ... [
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Dufau FrenchThe name DUFAU come from two French words DU which means « of the » and FAU which is old French for a beech tree. Surnames in France were given later so the person with this name meant he/she had a beech tree in his property... [
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Dufault FrenchAlternate spelling of Dufau, meaning "of the beech tree."
Dufresne FrenchTopographic name for someone who lived near a prominent ash tree from Old French
fraisne fresne "ash" from Latin
fraxinus "ash".
Duhamel FrenchTopographic name for someone who lived in a hamlet, from Old French hamel, a diminutive of ham "homestead", with fused preposition and definite article du.
Dulcamara Italiangiven to my great great grandfather who was left on the doorstep of a church in Chiavari Italy. The priest took inspiration from names of plants in the garden. This one came from the plant in English would mean 'bitter sweet nightshade'
Dulin FrenchThe surname Dulin is most common in France and is an occupational name meaning "from flax". Pronounced "du LIN" in English; however, in French it is pronounced "du LON". Anglicized in some cases as Duling, Dowling, or Dulong (a more common French surname brought to England, Ireland and Scotland from French Normans and later Huguenots).
Dumoulin French, WalloonVariant with fused preposition and definite article
du "from the" of
Moulin meaning "from the mill" and This surname is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium and in the Netherlands.
Dupain FrenchMeans "of the bread" in French, probably used as an occupational name for a baker.
Dupin FrenchMeans "of the pine tree" in French, referring to a person who lived near a pine tree or was from any of various locations named Le Pin.
Duplain Frenchtopographic name from Old French
plain an adjective meaning "flat" and a noun meaning "plain" with fused preposition and definite article
du "from the".
Durbin FrenchDerived from the place called D'urban or D'urbin in Languedoc
Duret FrenchDerived from French
dur meaning "hard, tough".
Durieux FrenchDerived from Old French
riu meaning "river, stream", originally used to indicate someone who lived by a stream.
Düsterwald GermanDerived from Middle Low German
düster "dark" combined with Old High German
wald "forest".
D'uva ItalianFrom Italian
uva "grape", meaning "of the grapes". An occupational name for someone who produced grapes, or possibly a nickname.
Duvernay FrenchMeans "from the alder grove," from Gaulish
vern meaning "alder" combined with Latin
-etum, whence Modern French
-aie, forming names of orchards or places where trees/plants are grown)... [
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Duvillard FrenchFrench surname, pronounced /dyvilaʁ/, whose bearers mainly live in Haute-Savoie. It means "from Le Villard", a village in the Rhône-Alpes region, whose name comes from the Latin 'villare' which means 'hamlet'... [
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Earley German, IrishThe surname Earley originally derived from the Old English word Eorlic which referred to one who displayed manly characteristics.... [
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Earnhardt GermanIt is a name for a courageous or honorable person. The surname Earnhardt is composed of two German words meaning honor and bravery.
Ecru French (?)It means "unbleached" in French, but is used in English to mean brown.
Egner GermanFrom a Germanic personal name formed with the element agi ‘point (of a sword)’.
Ehlert GermanFrom a Germanic personal name composed of the elements
agil "edge", "point (of a sword)" +
hard "brave", "hardy", "strong" or ward "guard".
Ehlinger GermanHabitational name for someone from Ehlingen in the Palatinate.
Ehrhardt GermanFrom a Germanic personal name composed of Old High German
ēra, meaning ‘honor’, and
hard, meaning ‘brave’, ‘hardy’, or ‘strong’.
Ehrmantraut GermanA Latinized joining of the German words irmin(world, all-encompassing) and trud(strength)
Eich GermanGerman 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.
Eichelberg GermanHabitational name from any of various places, notably one southeast of Heidelberg, named from Middle High German eichel meaning "acorn" + berc meaning "mountain", "hill", or topographic name for someone who lived on an oak-covered hill.
Eichelberger GermanHabitational name for someone from any of the various places called Eichelberg.
Eichhorn German, JewishGerman topographic name for someone who lived on or near an oak-covered promontory, from Middle High German
eich(e) ‘oak’ +
horn ‘horn’, ‘promontory’. German from Middle High German
eichhorn ‘squirrel’ (from Old High German
eihhurno, a compound of
eih ‘oak’ +
urno, from the ancient Germanic and Indo-European name of the animal, which was later wrongly associated with
hurno ‘horn’); probably a nickname for someone thought to resemble the animal, or alternatively a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a squirrel... [
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Eichhorst GermanDenoted someone from a town called
Eichhorn in either Brandenburg or Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Eiermann GermanOccupational name for an egg collector or dealer in eggs, from Middle High German ei 'egg' + man 'man'.
Eiland GermanTopographic name for someone who lived on or owned property surrounded by water, from Middle High German
eilant, "island"
Einhorn German, JewishDerived from German
Einhorn (Middle High German
einhorn) "unicorn", denoting someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a unicorn.
Einstein German, JewishFrom German
ein meaning “one” and
stein meaning “stone”; also a habitational name from any of the various locations from Middle High German
einsteinen meaning “to enclose or surround with stone”... [
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Eisele GermanFrom a short pet form of the personal name
Isenhart, from Old High German
isan ‘iron’ +
hart ‘hardy’, ‘strong’. From
Isenlin, a compound of Middle High German
isen ‘iron’ + the hypocoristic suffix
-lin, hence a nickname for a blacksmith, ironworker, or dealer in iron.
Eisen German, JewishGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for an ironworker or smith, or an ironmonger, from Middle High German
isen ‘iron’, German
Eisen. It may also have been used as a nickname, with reference to the strength and hardness of iron or to its color, while as a Jewish name it was also adopted as an ornamental name from modern German
Eisen ‘iron’ or the Yiddish cognate
ayzn.
Eisenberger German, JewishHabitational name for someone from any of the several places called Eisenberg. As a Jewish name it is also an ornamental name.
Eisenhauer GermanOccupational 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... [
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Eisner German, JewishOccupational name for an ironworker, smith, or ironmonger, from an agent derivative of Middle High German
īsen and German
Eisen, meaning ‘iron’ (see
Eisen).
Eleazar Jewish, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Greek, Filipino, Assyrian, Indian (Christian), MalayalamFrom the given name
Eleazar.
Elich German, AmericanSurname meaning "noble" from
edelik or
edelich. Notable bearer is professional ice hockey player Matt Elich.
Ellenberg German, Jewish, German (Swiss)Derived from two municipalities and a village called
Ellenberg in Germany. As an ornamental name, it is derived from German
ölenberg, literally meaning "olive mountain".
Ellender GermanRespelling of German
Elender, a nickname for a stranger or newcomer, from Middle High German
ellende ‘strange’, ‘foreign’, or a habitational name for someone from any of twenty places named Elend, denoting a remote settlement, as for example in the Harz Mountains or in Carinthia, Austria.
Eller GermanHabitational name from places in the North Rhine and Mosel areas
Ellerhoff GermanThis name means "Black Alder Tree Courtyard" and was inspired by a tree in a yard at the family farm in Nettelstedt, Germany.
Ellermeyer GermanIt is a combination of the German words “Eller,” which means “alder,” and “Meyer,” which means “steward” or farmer”. So, it is thought to refer to someone who was either a steward or farmer who lived near an alder grove.
Elmendorf GermanDerived from a village with the same name in the district of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Elsing GermanFrom a variant of the old personal name Elsung.
Emel GermanFrom a short form of any of the various Germanic personal names beginning with the element
amal, which means ‘strength’ or ‘vigor’.
Emerin German (Portuguese-style)Brazilian adaptation of the German surname Emmerich; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil.
Emmer GermanA topographic name for someone who lived by land where grain was grown, a status name for someone who owned such land, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who grew or dealt in grain.
Engelbert German, English, FrenchFrom a Germanic personal name composed of
engel (see
Engel) +
berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’. The widespread popularity of the name in France during the Middle Ages was largely a result of the fact that it had been borne by a son-in-law of
Charlemagne; in the Rhineland it was more often given in memory of a bishop of Cologne (1216–25) of this name, who was martyred.
Engelhardt GermanDerived from the Germanic given name
Engelhard, composed of German
engel meaning "angel" and
hard meaning "brave, hardy, strong".
Engelmann German1 German: variant of Engel 1, with the addition of the personal suffix -mann ‘man’, sometimes denoting a pet form.... [
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Englander German, JewishEthnic name derived from German
Engländer, meaning 'Englishman', thus denoting an incomer from England. In some cases, the Jewish name may be an ornamental adoption.
Eppler GermanOccupational name for a fruit grower or dealer, from Middle High German epfeler meaning "grower of or dealer in apples".
Epshteyn German, JewishThis surname may be derived from a German town known as Eppstein in Hesse. Epp probably came from Gaulish apa which means water or river and stein translates into English as stone.
Epstein German, JewishA habitational name for someone from a place named Eppstein, which is from Old High German
ebur meaning ‘wild boar’ and
stein meaning ‘stone’.
Erber Jewish, GermanMeaning uncertain. Either a habitational name for someone living in a place named Erb or Erp, a name for a owner of a farm named Erbhof (derived from MIddle High German
erbære "honorable, noble"), or derived from the given name
Erpo.
Erman German (Modern), French (Modern)Erman is a shortened French adaption of the Swiss-German surname
Ermendinger, itself derived from the older surname
Ermatinger, a name connected to the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance, and came into existence during the early or middle 18th century when Jean-Georges Ermendinger (1710-1767), a Swiss fur trader from Geneva, married into a French speaking Huguenotte family... [
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Ermatinger German (Swiss)The surname Ermatinger derives from the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance. It simply means "from Ermatingen".... [
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Ermendinger GermanThe surname Ermendinger was derived from the older surname
Ermatinger, a name connected to the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance, and came into existence at some point during the early 17th or late 16th century when a branch of the
Ermatinger family relocated from Schaffhausen, Switzerland, to Mulhouse, Alsace... [
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