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.
Hosner GermanOccupational name for a knitter of hose (garments for the legs), from the plural form of Middle High German hose + the agent suffix -er (see Hose 3).
Hostetler GermanThe name itself comes from the word Hostet or Hochstatt meaning "high place". Thus Hostetler is someone living in a high place or on high ground.
Hotz German (Swiss), GermanOf debated origin and meaning; theories include a habitional name for someone from the
Hotzenwald, a derivation from any given name containing the Germanic name element
hadu "battle, combat" and a derivation from the verb
hotzen "to swing, to sway, to tremble".
Houck GermanNickname from Middle Dutch houck, a marine fish, or from Middle Dutch hoec, houck ‘buck’. variant of Hoek.
Howald GermanFrom any several places named, from the elements
hoh "high" and
wald "forest".
Howdyshell American, GermanAmericanized (i.e., Anglicized) form of the Swiss German
Haudenschild, which originated as a nickname for a ferocious soldier, literally meaning "hack the shield" from Middle High German
houwen "to chop or hack" (imperative
houw) combined with
den (accusative form of the definite article) and
schilt "shield".
Huben GermanThe roots of the distinguished German surname Huben lie in the kingdom of Bavaria. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "huober," meaning "owner of a patch of farmland." The term "Hube" was used to denote a 40-acre hide of farmland... [
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Hübsch GermanNickname from Middle High German hübesch 'courtly', 'polite', 'refined', 'agreeable', German hübsch.
Huff GermanFrom the Germanic personal name
Hufo, a short form of a compound name formed with
hug "heart, mind, spirit" as the first element.
Hufnagel GermanMetonymic occupational name for a farrier from Middle High German
hufnagel "horseshoe nail" (literally "hoof nail"). Derived from
huof "hoof" and
nagal "nail".
Hugo FrenchVictor Hugo was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. He was also the writer of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and 'Les Misérables'.
Humbert German, Dutch, FrenchFrom a Germanic personal name composed of the elements
hun "Hun, giant" or
hun "bear cub" and
berht "bright, famous". This was particularly popular in the Netherlands and North Germany during the Middle Ages as a result of the fame of a 7th-century St... [
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Humboldt German (?)Derived from the Germanic given name
Hunibald. Notable bearers of this surname were Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a Prussian naturalist, geographer, explorer and polymath, and his brother Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835), a linguist, philosopher and diplomat.
Hummer German, EnglishHummer is the German word for 'Lobster' in English. It is also the name of a vehicle- the 'Hummer'!
Humperdinck German (?), LiteratureFrom the German surname Humperdinck. As a surname it was born by the composer Engelbert Humperdinck. As a first name it was used for the villain Prince Humperdinck in William Goldman's novel The Princess Bride.
Hundertmark GermanA nickname for a wealthy man, from Middle High German hundert meaning "hundred" + mark, a denomination of coin.
Hunsberger GermanHabitational name for someone from a place called Hunsberg or Huntsberg.
Huntzinger GermanHabitational name for someone from Hintschingen, earlier Huntzingen.
Hurban English, French, Dutch, German, Sorbian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Hungarian, Romanian, JewishVariant of
Urban.
Hurst GermanTopographic name from Middle High German
hurst "woodland, thicket".
Husemann GermanEpithet for a servant or an administrator who worked at a great house, from Middle Low German hus ‘house’ (see House 1, Huse) + man ‘man’.
Husted GermanThe name was originally spelled "Hustedt" and means "homestead." The family name originated in northern Germany. One branch of the family migrated to England, and a branch of that family to the United States.
Hütter GermanGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a hatter from an agent derivative of Middle High German huot ‘hat’; Yiddish hut, German Hut ‘hat’. German (Hütter): topographic name from Middle High German hütte ‘hut’... [
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Hux GermanProbably from a topographic name Huck or Hucks, of uncertain origin. It occurs in many place and field names.
Iannitello ItalianCould mean “Land of Gracious God”, from
Ianni, stemming from
Ioannes meaning “Yahweh is Gracious” and
Tello, meaning “Land”.
Iannucci ItalianFrom a pet form of the given name
Ianni. A famous bearer of the name is the Scottish filmmaker and satirist Armando Iannucci (1963-).
Iavarone ItalianPossibly from a shortened form of the personal name Ianni + varone, a variant of barone ‘baron’; literally ‘baron John’.
Ibba ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from Sardinian
v-ibba "settlement" (compare
Deidda), or from Latin
ibi "that place, there".
Ienca Italian (Rare)Allegedly derived from Italian
giovenca "heifer". A heifer is a young cow that has not yet had a calf. Mount Jenca and Jenca Valley are located near Gran Sasso d'Italia in the Abruzzo region in Italy.
Iles English (British), FrenchEnglish (mainly Somerset and Gloucestershire): topographic name from Anglo-Norman French isle ‘island’ (Latin insula) or a habitational name from a place in England or northern France named with this element.
Imberi German (Swiss)It comes from Stuttgart Germany from the late 1800s. Then the name moved to a small village outside of Odessa Ukraine, in my family at least.
Imbert FrenchFrom the medieval French personal name
Imbert, of Germanic origin and meaning literally "vast-bright".
Immer German, EnglishGerman: habitational name for someone from a place named Immer near Oldenburg in Lower Saxony. ... [
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Immermann GermanHabitational name for someone from a place named Immer near Oldenburg in Lower Saxony.
Imperato ItalianFrom the personal name Imperato from the past participle of
imperare "to rule to command".
Imperiale ItalianDerived from Latin
imperialis meaning "imperial", either denoting someone of aristocratic lineage or a nickname for a haughty person.
Infante ItalianNickname for someone with a childlike disposition, from
infante "child" (Latin
infans, literally "one who cannot speak").
Ingoglia ItalianMeans "belonging to the family of Goglia" in Italian, derived from the prefix
in- meaning "belonging to the family of" combined with the name
Goglia... [
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Inquieti Italian (Rare)would like to know if any one out there has heard of this name and what part of italy it comes from gt grand father corneluse inquiete/i came to england from parma italy in 1872/4 age 37/8 married in 1875... [
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Insalaco ItalianA surname in Sicily. Believed to come from the word Salaco an occupational name for a tanner in Arabic.
Invernizzi ItalianProbably denoted someone from Inverno e Monteleone, a municipality in Lombardy. Inverno itself is Italian for "winter".
Inzaghi ItalianProbably from the town of
Inzago, near Milan. This surname is most famously borne by brothers Filippo (1973–) and Simone Inzaghi (1976–).
Ippolito ItalianItalian: from the personal name Ippolito (classical Greek Hippolytos, composed of the elements hippos ‘horse’ + lyein ‘loose’, ‘release’). This was the name of various minor early Christian saints... [
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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 1, 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.
Jungbluth GermanMeans "young blossom" in German, from German
jung "young" and blüte "blossom, flower", possibly denoting a person who blossomed early in their life.
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".