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.
Lockhart Scottish, GermanScottish: of uncertain origin, probably from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements loc ‘lock’, ‘bolt’ + hard ‘hardy’, ‘brave’, ‘strong’. English: occupational name for a herdsman in charge of a sheep or cattlefold, from Old English loc ‘enclosure’, ‘fold’ + hierde ‘herd(er)’.
Loesch GermanGerman metonymic occupational name from Middle High German
lösch ‘fine leather’.
Löffler GermanDerived from German
löffel, it denotes a person who produces or trades spoons.
Loglisci ItalianMy grandfather's family name who were from Gravina di Puglia
Lo Guasta ItalianVariant of
Guasti, literally "the broken". Probably used as a nickname for someone with a twisted or deformed limb, used in at least one case for a foundling.
Loia ItalianMost likely a variant of
Aloia. May alternately be related to Italian
loggia "atrium, open-roofed gallery", Greek
λεώς (
leos) "the people", or Tuscan
loia "dirt, filth on clothes or skin", perhaps a nickname for someone with a profession that often made them dirty, such as mining.
Loisel FrenchDerived from Old French
oisel "bird" with fused definite article
l' used as a nickname for a flighty individual or perhaps for a small birdlike person but possibly also as a metonymic occupational name for a bird-catcher.
Lo Màglio ItalianLiterally means "the hammer." However, "the" would normally be represented as "il" in Italian, in this case.
Lorain FrenchOccupational name for a saddler, derived from the Old French word
lorain, meaning "a leather strap used on a horse's breastplate".
Lord FrenchNickname from Old French
l'ord "the dirty one".
Lorenzi Italian“Laurel tree” or “decorated with laurel.” The English equivalent is Lawrence.
Lo Ricco ItalianOriginally Spanish but of Italian origin for at least 7 generations. My branch of the family are residing in Australia but many remain in Italy and quite a few in the USA
Lotfi ItalianItalian: patronymic or plural form of the personal name Lotto .
Lott FrenchFrom the Department (Region/State)in France, "Lot" and "Lot-et-Garrone"; also a river in France (Lot). Brought to the British Isles, Holland (Netherlands) and later the United States, Canada and South Africa, by French Huguenots.
Loudermilk GermanIn German the word “lauter” translates into English as “pure” and the German word “milch” translates into English as “milk”. This surname belonged to those who worked in the dairy industry.
Loup FrenchFrom the French word
loup meaning "wolf."
Lovato Spanish (Latin American), ItalianNorthern Italian from the Late Latin personal name
Lupatus, derivative of Latin
lupus "wolf". This is one of several medieval personal names which became popular under the influence of Germanic compound personal names formed with
wolf-.
Lovera Italian, SpanishEither a topographic name from
lovera "wolf pack" or "wolves’ lair" or a habitational name from a place called Lovera. Spanish variant of
Lobera.
Löwenhaar GermanMeaning "lion hair", from German
löwe "lion" and
haar "hair".
Löwenstein GermanHabitational name from any of several places called Löwenstein.
Löwenthal GermanHabitational name from any of various places called Löwenthal.
Lubahn GermanGermanized form of a Slavic or Old Prussian name formed with
lub- "love", "dear".
Lubeck GermanHabitational name from the city of Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein.... [
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Lucca ItalianA habitational name from Lucca Sicula in Agrigento province, Sicily, which was called simply Lucca until 1863. It was probably originally named with a Celtic element meaning ‘marshy.’
Lucchese ItalianDenoted someone from
Lucca, a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy.
Lucci ItalianPatronymic or plural form of
Luccio, a reduced form of a personal name formed with this suffix.
Luce Norman, FrenchForm of Lucius, meaning "light". A notable bearer of this surname is French singer-songwriter Renan Luce (1980-).
Luchs GermanMeans "lynx" in German, a nickname possibly given to someone with good eyesight. Alternatively, a variant form of
Lux.
Lucht German, DutchTopographic name from
Lucht "cleared area, garden", ultimately from Old German
leuhtą "light".
Luciano ItalianIt is derived from Latin Lucianus, patronymic of Lucius ("Light"). The French form is Lucien.
Lucier FrenchDerived from old French
lucière meaning "light".
Ludenberg GermanFrom Latin
ludere meaning "to play" and German
berg meaning "mountain".
Luker GermanLuker see also Lucher or Luchre, meaning money more specifically money obtained by nefarious means.
Lüll GermanFrom a short form of any of the Germanic personal names formed with liut- ‘people’ as the first element.
Lunatici ItalianA nickname for a quirky or temperamental person, ultimately from Latin
lunaticus "of the moon, moonstruck".
Lunz GermanNickname for a careless or slovenly person, from Middle High German
lunzen 'to doze'. Can also be a habitational name for someone from Lunz in Tyrol.
Lupin FrenchLupin is a variant on the Latin word "lupus", meaning "wolf". Two important literary characters, Arsène Lupin, the famous French gentleman-burglar, and Professor Remus Lupin, from the world of Harry Potter, have this name... [
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Lusa ItalianUsed by people from Lusa, Italy, a town named after the Roman 'gens lusia'.
Lussier FrenchOccupational name from old French
ussier "usher, doorkeeper".
Lustig Swedish, German, Jewish, DutchA nickname for a cheerful person, derived from Swedish and German
lustig "humorous, funny, enjoyable" or Middle High German
lustig "merry, carefree". Usually ornamental as a Jewish surname.
Lyé FrenchA habitational name from places named Lié located in Deux-Sèvres and Vendée.
Lyman GermanAmericanized form of German
Leimann, Americanized form of
Leinemann, habitational name for someone from Leine in Pomerania, or for someone who lived by either of two rivers called Leine, near Hannover and in Saxony.
Maag GermanComes from the Middle High German “mage”, meaning “relative” or “kinsman”.
Macaluso ItalianPossibly from Arabic
مخلوص (
maklus) "freed, liberated", indicating a freedman or slave who had been liberated, which may be related to Sicilian
macaluscio, "cleaned and prepared cotton".
Maccarone Italianfrom
maccaroni "macaroni" (or in northern Italy "gnocco") perhaps applied as a metonymic occupational name for a maker of pasta or in the North as a nickname for a silly or foolish person.
Macchia ItalianTopographic name from Italian
macchia "thicket", "scrub" (from Latin
macula) and Habitational name from any of various places named Macchia, as for example Macchia in Trapani province, Sicily.
Macchione ItalianOriginally from the south of italy (Calabria or Sicily), from an augmentative of Macchia (stain), in some cases, a habitational name from various places so named in Campania and Puglia.
Macis ItalianFrom Sardinian
maccia "shrub, thick bush, brush", or possibly denoting someone from the village Simax.
Macon French, GermanFrench: See
Maçon. An occupational name for a mason, French
maçon. Habitational name from places so called in Saône-et-Loire, Allier, Aube, the Côte d’Or, Gers, and Deux-Sères... [
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Macorig ItalianAn italian surname that in fact comes from slovene minority near Udine, it should be written Macoric'... [
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Macri ItalianItalian variant of
Magro. It could also be a southern Italian nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall, derived from Greek μακρύς (
makrýs) literally meaning "long, tall" (see
Makris)... [
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Madau ItalianFrom Sardinian
madau "fold, enclosure for sheep".
Maddaloni ItalianIt should came from the toponym Maddaloni (Campany, South Italy) which name originates from the Arabic term "magdhal" meaning fortress, stronghold. The last name Maddaloni is typical of the area that includes the provinces of Naples, Caserta and Benevento.
Madeddu ItalianPossibly a variant of
Madau "sheepfold". Alternately, may derive from a Sardinian variant of
Amato "beloved", or from the Latin cognomen
Metellus "hired servant".
Madonia ItalianHabitational name from any of numerous places named Madonia, or a regional name for someone from Madonie in Sicily.
Madonna ItalianFrom the person name
Madonna, from donna meaning "lady", bestowed in honor of the Virgin Mary.
Maffessanti ItalianMeaning is overall unknown, but might come from Saint of Matthew. In Italian the name “Maffeo” is an Italian spelling of Matthew and “Santi” means saints, so combined it would be Maffessanti... [
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Maffione ItalianPossibly a derivative of the given name
Maffeo. This surname is from the Puglia region of Barletta, southern Italy.
Maffret Frenchbeleived to originated in{ NICE, france} in the late 19th century, emmigration from france to london,{stepney}, where the surname was mistakenly added an extra letter "T" resulting in the surname MAFFRETT
Magaldi Italian, South AmericanPatronymic or plural form of the Old German personal name
Magoald (from the elements
megin,
magan "strength, might, power" and
wald "power"), or else a nickname from
magaldo meaning "evil, wicked", which was derived from the personal name... [
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Magdalena Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Occitan, Italian, Sicilian, Romanian, Greek, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Croatian, SloveneFrom the given name
Magdalena.
Maggio ItalianFrom a nickname or personal name from the month of May,
maggio, from Latin
Maius (
mensis), from
Maia, a rather obscure goddess of fertility, whose name is derived from the same root as
maius "larger" and
maiestas "greatness"... [
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Magnesi ItalianDerived from the word "magnesia," which is an ancient term for a region in present-day Greece that was known for its deposits of magnesium and other minerals. The surname may have been given to someone who originated from this region or was associated with it.
Mahler GermanVariant of
Maler, a German occupational surname meaning "painter", particularly a stained glass painter.... [
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Mai GermanDerived from German
der Mai meaning "May", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.
Maimeri ItalianSurname of italian painter and entrepreneur Giovanni (Gianni) Maimeri.
Maine FrenchFrench topographic name from Old French
maine ‘dwelling’, ‘residence’, ‘abode’, or a habitational name from any of numerous places so named.
Maisel Yiddish, German, FrenchPredominantly seems to be a matronymic surname from the Yiddish feminine name
Mayzl. Although it is believed that it derived from the Hebrew name
Meïser, which means “representative of God”... [
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Maison French, WalloonDerived from Old French
maison "residence", this name used to be given to someone who lived by an important house.
Maitre Frenchoccupational name for one who was the head of a craft or trade guild, from Old French maistre ‘master’ (Latin magister).
Malandra ItalianPossibly related to Italian
malandrino "dishonest, mischievous; rascal".
Malatesta ItalianMeans "bad head" in Italian, a nickname for a stubborn or perhaps malicious person. It could have also indicated the bearer had a misshapen head. ... [
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Malebranche French (Rare)Means "bad branch" in French, denoting a person who is on the bad side of a family tree. It could also possibly be a variant of
Malherbe. Nicolas Malebranche was a French Oratorian Catholic priest and rationalist philosopher.
Malfait FrenchDerived from French
mal fait, which literally means "poorly done, badly done". In the context of the surname, it refers to the first bearer being "malformed" or "deformed" (as it was in the eyes of people from older times), which means that he either was physically disabled or able-bodied but with a physical trait that deviated from the norm.
Malfatto ItalianMeans "badly made, shoddy; deformed" in Italian, possibly originating with the nickname Malefactus "ugly, injured". Cognate to French
Malfait.
Malfoy FrenchMalfoy is a French name roughly translating to "bad faith"
Malin French, FlemishFrom the masculine given name
Madalin, a short form of names composed of the Germanic element
mahal "council, assembly, meeting" such as
Madalbert.
Maller GermanAn occupational name given to a painter of stained glass.
Mallet Anglo-Norman, Medieval English, French, CatalanOriginated in Norman France and spread to England following the Norman conquest of 1066. The surname comes from the given name
Malle, an Old English diminutive of
Mary or from the given name
Malo, a popular form of the name of Saint
Maclovius, a 6th-century Welsh monk who the church of Saint Maclou in Rouen is named for.... [
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Mallow GermanVariant spelling of
Malow, a habitational name from Malow in Mecklenburg.
Malo ItalianPossibly from Italian
mano "hand", a nickname for a skillful person, or a short form of a given name such as
Romano.
Maloret FrenchThis surname comes from the French and means 'unfortunate' or 'luckless'.
Malpass English, Scottish, FrenchHabitational name from any of various places named Malpas, because of the difficulty of the terrain, from Old French
mal pas "bad passage" (Latin
malus passus). It is a common French minor place name, and places in Cheshire, Cornwall, Gwent, and elsewhere in England were given this name by Norman settlers... [
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Malta Italian, Spanish, Portuguesehabitational or ethnic name for someone from the Mediterranean island of Malta (from Latin
Melita Greek
Melitē).
Maltese Italianhabitational or ethnic name for someone from the island of Malta.
Malvestio ItalianFrom Venetian
malvestio "poorly-dressed, shabby", given to foundlings turned into an orphanage with shabby clothes.
Mameli ItalianPossibly from latin surname Mamelius. A famous bearer was Goffredo Mameli, author of the italian national anthem.
Manacorda ItalianPossibly means "bad heart", from Latin
malus "bad" and
cordis "heart".
Managniello ItalianThe name likely comes from the Italian word mangano, meaning "mangle" or "machine for pressing," referring to tools used in fabric and textile production, which were common in medieval Italy. The suffix "-ello" is a diminutive, which could imply that the name originally referred to a person who worked with or operated one of these machines, such as a cloth presser or laundry worker... [
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Manai ItalianFrom Sardinian
mannai "grandfather, grandmother".
Mancio FrenchMancio derives from the surname Venâncio and Amâncio, being an unusual French variation.