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.
Itzstein GermanTopographic surname that originated from broad regions around the river Itz in Thuringia, Germany. The word "Stein" (German word for stone) historically was also used to describe castles on a hill or at a river, thus a possible meaning of the name is "castle at the river Itz".
Jacaruso ItalianAn Italian surname from a compound of Ia- (from the personal name
Ianni) and the southern Italian word
caruso, which means ‘lad’ or ‘boy’.
Jacobi Jewish, English, Dutch, GermanFrom the Latin genitive Jacobi ‘(son) of Jacob’, Latinized form of English Jacobs and Jacobson or North German Jakobs(en) and Jacobs(en).
Jägermeisterssen GermanMeans son of the "Master-Hunter". Originally given to the son of the master-hunter in hunting camps.
Janett RomanshDerived from a short form of the given name
Johannes in combination with the diminutive suffix
-ett.
Janisse FrenchPossibly a respelling of French Janisset, from a pet form of Jan, a variant spelling of Jean, French equivalent of John.
Jardel FrenchOf debated origin and meaning; theories include a derivation from Old French
jardel, a diminutive of
jard (
jardin in Modern French), meaning "garden".
Jardin French, EnglishDerived from Old French
jardin meaning "enclosure, garden", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a garden or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked as a gardener.
Jarsdel GermanAre you near extinct or possibly extend last name, referring to the opening part of a jar.
Jay English, FrenchNickname from Middle English, Old French
jay(e),
gai "jay (the bird)", probably referring to an idle chatterer or a showy person, although the jay was also noted for its thieving habits.
Jeanpetit FrenchMeans "little Jean" from Old French
petit "small" and the given name
Jean, originally a nickname for a small man called Jean (or applied ironically to a large man), or a distinguishing epithet for the younger of two men named Jean.... [
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Jere FrenchDerived from the personal name Jerome, which is derived from the Greek name Hieronymos, meaning “sacred name.” Jerome was a saint who was known for translating the Bible into Latin.
Jeter French (Huguenot), GermanJeter is a French and German surname. It is the last name of former New York Yankees baseball player, Derek Jeter. It's also the last name of Carmelita Jeter, an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 meter sprint.
Job English, French, German, HungarianEnglish, French, German, and Hungarian from the personal name
Iyov or
Job, borne by a Biblical character, the central figure in the Book of Job, who was tormented by God and yet refused to forswear Him... [
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Joliet FrenchFrom French
Jolie "pretty one" and the popular suffix
-et "little" meaning "pretty little one."
Jost Dutch, GermanDutch and German: from a personal name, a derivative of the Breton personal name
Iodoc (see
Joyce), or from the personal name
Just.
Juin FrenchDerived from French
juin meaning "June", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.
Jules FrenchFrom a personal name (Latin
Julius). The name was borne in the Middle Ages in honor of various minor Christian saints.
Jünger German, JewishGerman (
Jünger) distinguishing name, from Middle High German
jünger ‘younger’, for the younger of two bearers of the same personal name, usually a son who bore the same name as his father... [
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Jupin Frenchfrom a diminutive of Old French
jupe a term denoting a long woolen garment hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller (or a nickname for a wearer) of such garments. This word ultimately derives from Arabic.
Kachel GermanOccupational name for a potter, from Middle High German
kachel "pot", "earthenware vessel".
Kad German1 German: habitational name for someone from a place called Kade near Magdeburg, Kaaden (German name of Kadeň in North Bohemia), or Kaden in Westerwald.... [
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Kaden GermanHabitational name for someone from Kaaden in North Bohemia, or any of several other places called Kaden.
Kaeser German, German (Swiss)Occupational name for a cheesemaker or a cheese merchant from an agent derivative of Middle High German
kæse "cheese". Variant of
Käser.
Kahn GermanDerived from German
Kahn "small boat" as well as a Germanized form of the Jewish surname
Cohen.
Kahr GermanShort form of the medieval personal name Makarius.
Kalander GermanStatus name for the chairman or a member fraternity that held meetings on the first of each month, from Latin
ad calendas.
Kalk German, DutchOccupational name for a lime burner from Middle High German
kalc and Middle Dutch
calk "lime" (both a loanword from Latin
calx).
Kalkbrenner GermanOccupational name for a lime burner from Middle High German
kalc "chalk lime" and
brenner "burner".
Kallmeyer Germanfrom a Germanized form of Slavic
kal "marshland bog" or from Middle High German Middle Low German
kalc "lime" and Middle High German
meier "tenant farmer" (see
Meyer ) hence a distinguishing nickname for a farmer whose farm lay on marshy land or near a lime pit.
Kalp German, JewishFrom Middle High German kalp ‘calf’, German Kalb, probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for someone who reared calves.
Kalt German, German (Swiss)From Middle High German
kalt "cold" probably applied as a nickname for someone who felt the cold or for someone with an unfriendly disposition.
Kalthoff GermanGerman (Westphalian): habitational name from a place named as 'the cold farm', from Middle High German
kalt "cold" +
hof "farmstead", "manor farm’, "court".
Kaltmann GermanFrom a nickname for a cool, unfriendly person from middle high German
kalt "cold" and
mann "man".
Kämmerer Germanfrom Middle High German
kamerære "chamberlain" (from
kamere "chamber") a status name for the treasurer of a court monastery a great household or a city and in Switzerland for the manager of a church property a so-called Widem.
Kampf German, JewishFrom middle high German
kampf, German
kamf "fight, struggle" occupation for a fighter.
Kandt GermanProbably from Middle High German kant meaning "jug" (from Latin olla cannata meaning "pot with one spout") and hence an occupational name for a maker or seller of jugs.
Karlsberg GermanMeans "Carl's Mountain" in German language, it is also used in other Germanic languages
Käsemann GermanOccupational name for someone who makes or sells cheese.
Käser German, German (Swiss)occupational name for a cheesemaker or a cheese merchant (see
Kaeser ). topographic name for someone who lived by a summer dairy in the Alps from a Tyrolean dialect word derived from Ladin
casura... [
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Kassel Germanhabitational name mainly from a place of this name in northeastern Hesse so named from Frankish
castella cassela "fortification" a military term from Late Latin
castellum "fortified position fort" or a topographic name from the same word.
Kasselmann GermanCombination of the German place name
Kassel (or
Cassel) and German
Mann "man".
Kastl GermanFrom a pet form of the saint's name Castulus, itself a diminutive of the Latin adjective castus 'chaste'.
Kau GermanFrom Middle High German
gehau "(mountain) clearing" hence a topographic name for a mountain dweller or possibly an occupational name for a logger.
Kau GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a mineshaft, from Middle High German
kouw(e) "mining hut".
Kauk Germanprobably a variant of
Kauke from Middle Low German
koke "cake" (dialect
kauke) hence a metonymic occupational name for a baker or confectioner or a nickname for a cake lover.
Kauke GermanVariant of
Kauk from Middle high German
kauke "cake" hence a metonymic occupational name for a baker or confectioner or a nickname for a cake lover.
Kaus GermanFrom a regional (Hessian) variant of the habitational name Kues, from a place on the Mosel river, probably so named from Late Latin
covis "field barn", "rack" and earlier recorded as Couese, Cobesa.
Kausch GermanPet name derived from the Old High German personal name Gozwin, of uncertain origin.
Kaut GermanNetonymic occupational name for a flax grower or dealer, from Middle High German
kute, from
Kaut(e) "male dove", hence a metonymic occupational name for the owner or keeper of a dovecote.
Kaut GermanTopographic name from the Franconian dialect word
Kaut(e) "hollow", "pit", "den".
Kautz GermanNickname for a shy or strange person, from Middle High German
kuz "screech owl".
Kegler GermanNickname for a skilled or enthusiastic skittles player, from an agent derivative of Middle High German kegel meaning "skittle", "pin".
Kehler GermanHabitational name from various places called
Kehl, notably the town across the Rhine from Strasbourg. In some cases it may be a variant of
Köhler.
Keicher Germanfrom the East Prussian dialect word
keicher "small cake, pastry" hence a metonymic occupational name for a pastry chef or cook.
Keiner GermanReduced form of the personal name Kagenher, from Old High German gagan 'against' + heri 'army'.
Keiper GermanSimilar to the origins of Kuiper (Dutch) and Cooper (English), Keiper was an occupation which means "cooper" or "barrelmaker".
Kelch Germannickname from Middle High German kelch "double chin", "goiter". from another meaning of Middle High German kelch "glass", "chalice", hence a metonymic occupational name for a chalice maker or a habitational name for someone living at a house distinguished by the sign of a chalice.
Kellen GermanFrom the name of a place in Rhineland, which is derived from Middle Low German
kel (a field name denoting swampy land) or from the dialect word
kelle meaning "steep path, ravine".
Kellner German, Dutch, Jewish, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, FrenchGerman, Dutch and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational or status name from the Middle Low German
kelner, the Middle High German
kelnære, the Middle Dutch kel(le)nare
and the German kellner#, all meaning "cellarman"... [
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Kelm GermanGermanized form of Polish
Chelm ‘peak’, ‘hill’, a topographic name for someone who lived by a hill with a pointed summit, or habitational name from a city in eastern Poland or any of various other places named with this word.
Kemerer GermanFrom the Old German word "kämmerer," which means "chamberlain." A chamberlain was the person in charge of the noble household; to him would fall the duty of ensuring that the castle and court of the noble ran smoothly.
Kemmer GermanKemmer is a surname. The surname Kemmer is an occupational surname. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old German word "kämmerer," which means "chamberlain." A chamberlain was the person in charge of the noble household; to him would fall the duty of ensuring that the castle and court of the noble ran smoothly... [
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Kemper German, DutchGerman: status name denoting a peasant farmer or serf, an agent noun derivative of
Kamp ... [
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Kempes German, DutchGerman and Dutch variant of
Kemp or
Kamp. It could also be a habitational name for a person from any of the various places named
Kempen on the border between Germany and the Netherlands (for example the town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the Dutch border), a status name for a peasant farmer or serf, or an occupational name for an official calibrator who marked the correct weight and measures for verification, derived from Middle Low German
kempen... [
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Kepler GermanFrom Middle High German
kappe meaning "hooded cloak". This was an occupational name for someone who made these kind of garments. A notable bearer was German astronomer and mathematician
Johannes Kepler (1571–1630).
Kerbel English, German, Russian (Rare)Means "chervil" in German, a parsley-related herb. The surname probably came into England via Germanic relations between the two languages, hence it being most common in German & English countries.
Kerbow FrenchPossibly derived from the French word 'corbeau', meaning "raven".
Kern German, Dutch, Jewishfrom Middle High German
kerne "kernel, seed pip"; Middle Dutch
kern(e) keerne; German
Kern or Yiddish
kern "grain" hence a metonymic occupational name for a farmer or a nickname for a physically small person... [
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Kesler German, Dutch, JewishIt is an occupational name that means coppersmith. In alpine countries the name derived from the definition: the one living in the basin of a valley.
Kessel GermanOccupational name for a maker of cooking vessels from Middle High German
kezzel meaning "kettle, cauldron, boiler".
Kesselberg GermanHabitational name for someone from any of various places in Rhineland, Bavaria and Baden called Kesselberg.
Kessler German, JewishDenotes a coppersmith or maker of copper cooking vessels, derived from Middle High German
kezzel meaning “kettle, cauldron”.
Kiebler GermanComes from the Middle High German word "kübel" meaning a "vat," or "barrel." As such it was an occupational name for a cooper, or barrel maker.
Kiel GermanGerman surname of several possible origins and meanings.... [
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Kiesler GermanTopographic name for someone who lived on a patch of gravelly land, derived from Middle High German
kisel or Old High German
kisil meaning "pebble, gravel".
Kiff GermanTopographic name from a Westphalian dialect
Kiff "outhouse, tied cottage, shack".
Kilburg German, Luxembourgish"Kyll castle," from German
burg (castle) near the Kyll river in Germany. Also "wedge mountain" in Swedish:
kil (wedge) and
berg (mountain).
Kilmester GermanKilmester is attested as a surname near Rostock in the 13th century.
Kimmel German, JewishDerived from Middle High German
kumin and German
kümmel meaning "caraway" (related to Latin
cuminum, a word of Oriental origin, like the plant itself), hence a metonymic occupational name for a spicer, literally a supplier of caraway seeds... [
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Kimmich GermanThe surname hence a metonymic occupational name for a spicer.
Kind English, German, Jewish, DutchGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic) from Middle High German
kint, German
Kind ‘child’, hence a nickname for someone with a childish or naive disposition, or an epithet used to distinguish between a father and his son... [
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Kinderknecht GermanOccupational name for a servant in charge of the children at a manor, derived from
kinder (plural of
kind) meaning "child" and
knecht meaning "servant".
Kinkle GermanDerived from the Middle High German word "kunkel," which meant "spindle." It is thus supposed that the first bearers of this surname were spindle makers in occupation.