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.
Polidori ItalianMeans "son of
Polidoro". Famous bearers include John William Polidori (1795-1821), a physician to Lord Byron and author of 'The Vampyre' (1819), and his sister Frances Polidori (1800-1886), the mother of painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, poet Christina Rossetti, critic William Michael Rossetti, and author Maria Francesca Rossetti.
Politzer Hungarian, German, JewishHabitational name derived from any one of several places called
Police (known as
Pölitz in German) in the Czech Republic. Hugh David Politzer (1949-) is an American theoretical physicist who, along with David Gross and Frank Wilczek, discovered asymptotic freedom.
Polnareff FrenchMost known by famous French singer Michel Polnareff, and fictional Jojo's Bizarre Adventure character Jean-Pierre Polnareff (who is named after the singer).
Polombo ItalianDerived from Palombo literally meaning "Ring Dove" or Palombella meaning "Wood Pigeon" in the dialects of Southern Italy.
Pomante ItalianAn occupational name for someone who farms or sells fruit, from Italian
pomo "apple", descended from Latin
pomum "fruit, fruit tree".
Pomerantz GermanOccupational name for an importer or seller of bitter (Seville) oranges, Middle High German
pomeranz (medieval Latin
pomarancia, composed of the elements
arancia, the name imported with the fruit.
Pompei ItalianHabitational name from a place called Pompei in Naples province. Or a patronymic or plural form of
Pompeo.
Pontiff FrenchMeans "bridge builder". Comes from the French word
pont, which means bridge. ... [
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Porcelli ItalianFrom Italian
porcello, meaning "piglet". Used to denote someone who worked as a swineherd, or perhaps a nickname for someone who resembled a piglet in some way.
Porte Frenchfrom Old French
porte "gateway entrance" (from Latin
porta) hence a topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town (typically the man in charge of them).
Portera ItalianOccupational name for a female servant, from Spanish portera.
Portmann GermanOccupational name for a gatekeeper, derived from Middle Low German
port(e) meaning "gate" and
man, or a topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town.
Portugal Spanish, Portuguese, English, Catalan, French, JewishSpanish, Portuguese, Catalan, English, French, and Jewish surname meaning ethnic name or regional name for someone from Portugal or who had connections with Portugal. The name of the country derives from Late Latin Portucale, originally denoting the district around Oporto (Portus Cales, named with Latin portus ‘port’, ‘harbor’ + Cales, the ancient name of the city)... [
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Posada ItalianSpanish: habitational name from any of the numerous places named Posada, from posada ‘halt’, ‘resting place’. ... [
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Posey English, FrenchDerived from the Greek word "desposyni." The Desposyni is a term referring to a group of people that are allegedly direct blood relatives to Jesus. They are mentioned in Mark 3:21 and Mark 3:31. American actress Parker Posey is a famous bearer.
Poteet English, FrenchFrom the French name
Pottet, which is derived from
pot meaning "pot", originally a name for a potter.
Poverelli ItalianMeans "poor (person)" in Italian, given to foundlings and orphans.
Pregler GermanNickname for a chatterer or grumbler, from an agent derivative of Middle High German breglen ‘to chatter’, ‘complain’, ‘yell’, ‘roar’.
Preuss German, JewishFrom the German word
preussen meaning "Prussia". Indicating someone from Prussia.
Preve ItalianDerives from the Latin "presbyter" with the meaning of "Older". Abundant in the Piedmont region.
Preve ItalianFrom Greek "πρεσβύτερος" (presbyteros), via Latin "presbyter" with the meaning of "The Old One".... [
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Prévost FrenchFrom Old French
prevost meaning "provost", a status name for officials in a position of responsibility.
Prevot FrenchA prevot was a govenment position during the Ancient Régime
Prieur Frenchfrom
prieur Old French
prior "prior" a monastic official immediately subordinate to an abbot (from Latin
prior "superior") hence an occupational name for a servant of a prior or an ironic nickname... [
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Prince English, FrenchNickname from Middle English, Old French
prince (Latin
princeps), presumably denoting someone who behaved in a regal manner or who had won the title in some contest of skill.
Príncipe Italian, SpanishFrom
principe "prince, heir" (Latin
princeps, genitive
principis, from
primus "first" and
capere "to take"), applied probably as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces or for someone in the service of a prince.
Priore Italianfrom Italian
priore "prior" either a nickname or occupational name which probably most often originated as a metonymic occupational name for a servant of a prior or some important lay dignitary... [
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Privett French, English, Welsh (?)French, from the given name Privat (see
Privatus). Also an English habitational name from a place so named in Hampshire, derived from Old English
pryfet "privet".
Procida ItalianHabitational name from Procida, one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy.
Procopio ItalianItalian (Calabria) and Greek (Prokopios): from the personal name Procopio, Greek Prokopios, from pro ‘before’, ‘in front’ + kopē ‘cut’, actually an omen name meaning ‘success’, ‘prosperity’ but as a Church name taken to mean ‘pioneer’ as it was the name of the first victim of Diocletian's persecutions in Palestine in AD 303... [
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Proia ItalianFrom the name of a place in Italy. The meaning is uncertain, but it might be derived from Greek
πρωία (proía) "morning".
Proietti ItalianFrom Latin
proiecto "abandoned, thrown away", given to foundlings and children abandoned at orphanages. The name may have been taken from
la ruota dei proietti, or "foundling wheel", that some orphanages and religious institutes in Italy installed for infants to be anonymously abandoned in.
Prophet English, Scottish, French, GermanScottish, English, French, and German: nickname from Middle English and Old French
prophete, Middle High German
prophet ‘prophet’, ‘seer’, ultimately from Greek
prophetes ‘predictor’, from
pro ‘before’ +
a derivative of
phemi ‘to speak’... [
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Protzman GermanA habitational name for someone from any of various places in Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, and Luxembourg called Protz.
Proust FrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
preux meaning "valiant, brave". A famous bearer was Marcel Proust (1871-1922), a French writer.
Provencher FrenchFrom the French word for the flower periwinkle. (pervenche) Brought to Canada from France in 1660 by Sebastien Provencher.
Provost English, FrenchDerived from the Middle English
provost; referring to the person who heads a religious chapter in a cathedral or educational establishment. It was also used as a nickname for a self-important person and is a French variant of
Prevost.
Prudhomme French, English, Norman, Medieval FrenchFrench (Prud’homme) and English (of Norman origin): nickname from Old French prud’homme ‘wise’, ‘sensible man’, a cliché term of approbation from the chivalric romances. It is a compound of Old French proz, prod ‘good’, with the vowel influenced by crossing with prudent ‘wise’ + homme ‘man’... [
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Prue English, FrenchEnglish: nickname for a redoubtable warrior, from Middle English
prou(s) ‘brave’, ‘valiant’ (Old French
proux,
preux).... [
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Pudwill GermanOf Slavic origin, habitational name from Podewils in Pomerania.
Pugina ItalianMost likely derived from the feminine form of the Italian word
pugno which means "fist".
Pugno ItalianThe Italian family name Pugno is considered by scholars to be of nickname origin. While the majority of surnames that are derived from a sobriquet or nickname reveal to us some aspect of the physical appearance of the initial bearer of the name or may allude to a characteristic of this person, other nickname family names make reference to a particular piece of clothing or favorite article or indeed a favorite color of the bearer of the name... [
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Pujol Catalan, FrenchCatalan and French variant of
Puig. Spanish tennis player Marcel Granollers (1986-) bears this name.
Pulitzer Hungarian, German, JewishVariant form of
Politzer. A famous bearer was the Hungarian-American businessman, newspaper publisher and politician Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911). His family came from Hungary, but they were of Czech origin.
Pulow GermanPulow is the name of a small village in the northeast of Germany. There is also a lake with the same name.
Pulsipher Italian (Anglicized)from the nickname meaning "handsome man" of a member of the Italian Pulci family who settled in England around the time of the Norman conquest
Pulver Low German, French, EnglishI comes from the Latin verb meaning "to make powder." This name was given to either an alchemist or one who made gunpowder.
Punke GermanUnexplained; possibly an altered form of Bunke, from a Middle Low German personal name.
Purpura ItalianA nickname for someone associated with the color purple.
Pusch GermanName for someone who lived near bushes or a thicket. The distinguished name Pusch is derived from the Old German word busc, which means thicket or brush.
Pusey FrenchHabitational name form Pusey in Haute-Saône, so named from a Gallo-Roman personal name, Pusius, + the locative suffix -acum.
Pütt GermanHabitational name from any of several places so named in Rhineland, Westphalia, and Pomerania, but in most cases a topographic name from Middle Low German putte ‘pit’, ‘well’, ‘puddle’, ‘pond’.
Putz GermanGerman for "plaster". Likely used to denote someone who manufactured plaster
Pützstück German (Rare)Habitational name from a place so named near Königswinter, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Quaas GermanNickname for a big eater, from Middle Low German quās meaning "guzzling", "feasting".
Quaderer GermanNickname for someone stocky, from Middle High German quader meaning "building stone".
Quast Germanhabitational name from any of several places so named in northern Germany. metonymic occupational name for a barber or nickname for someone who wore a conspicuous tassel or feather, from Middle Low German, Middle High German quast(e) "tuft", "tassel", "brush", also "fool".
Quetz GermanGerman family name originating from the town of Quetz (today Quetzdölsdorf).... [
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Quinto Aragonese, Spanish, Catalan, ItalianHabitational surname for a person from a place called Quinto, for example in Zaragoza province. However, the high concentration of the surname in Alacant province suggests that, in some cases at least, it may derive from the personal name
Quinto (from Latin
Quintus denoting the fifth-born child or Catalan
quinto "young soldier").... [
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Raab GermanDerived from German
rabe "raven". As a surname, it was given to a person with black hair.
Rabenschlag GermanMeans "wing beat of a raven" in German, from German Rabe meaning "raven" and Schlag meaning "flap" or "wing beat" in this context.
Rabenstein GermanHabitational name from any of numerous places called Rabenstein.
Rabtoy FrenchUnknown history, most likely originated in the Americas in Quebec. A large percentage of Rabtoy families are from Vermont.
Racine FrenchMeans "(tree) root" in French, used as an occupational name for a grower or seller of root vegetables or as a nickname for a stubborn person.
Racioppi Italian, SicilianDerived from Sicilian
racioppu meaning "cluster of grapes", hence presumably a metonymic occupational name for someone who sold or produced grapes.
Rackers GermanGerman (Räckers): in the Lower Rhine-Westphalia area, from a reduced form of Rädeker, itself a reduced form of Rademaker.
Rader GermanVariation of Rademacher, meaning "maker of wheels" in German ("rat" meaning wheel), later shortened to Rader and other variations such as Redder, Raeder, Redler, etc.
Radler GermanOccupational name, which was derived from the kind of work done by the original bearer. It is a name for a wheelmaker or wheelwright. The name stems from the German noun rat, meaning wheel. The origin is more clear in the variant
Rademacher Rafaniello ItalianProbably from Italian
ravanello "radish", probably given to someone who grew or sold radishes, or perhaps resembled one in some way.
Raffensperger GermanAltered spelling of
Ravensburger or
Ravensberger, a habitational name for someone from Ravensburg in Württemberg, but there are a number of similar surnames, for example Raffenberg, a farm name near Hamm, and Raffsberger.
Ragettli RomanshDerived from a truncated form of
Anrig in combination with the diminutive suffix
-ett and the diminutive suffix
-li.
Ragosta Italianfrom
aragosta "lobster" used for a shell-fisherman or otherwise as a nickname for someone thought to resemble a lobster in some way.
Ragusa ItalianHabitational name from Ragusa in Sicily, or from the ancient city of Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia (Italian name Ragusa).
Rahe GermanNickname for a rough individual, from a North German variant of
Rauh.
Raia Italian, SicilianEither a topographic name from Sicilian
raia ‘smilax’ (a climbing shrub), or else derived from Sicilian
raja meaning ‘ray’, or ‘skate’ (the fish), presumably a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish or a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller.
Raisch German, German (Swiss)From Middle High German rīsch, rūsch ‘reed’, ‘rush’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived near a reed bed, or perhaps a metonymic occupational name for someone who used or harvested reeds... [
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Raiter GermanOccupational name for a taxman or accountant, from an agent derivative of Middle High German reiten ‘to reckon’, ‘to calculate’.
Ramage French, ScottishFrom a medieval Scottish nickname for a hot-tempered or unpredictable person (from Old French
ramage "wild, uncontrollable" (applied to birds of prey)).
Rambeau French (Rare), FrankishAltered spelling of the southern French family name
Rambaut, from an Old French personal name,
Rainbaut, composed of the Germanic elements
ragin "counsel" +
bald "bold", "brave", or alternatively from the Germanic personal name
Hrambehrt or
Hrambald, composed of the elements
hramn "crow" &
berht "bright" or
bald "bold", "brave".
Ramp German (Swiss)German and Swiss German: variant of Rampf, from Middle High German ramft, ranft ‘edge’, ‘wall’, ‘crust (of bread)’; applied as a topographic name for someone who lived at the limit or outer edge of some feature, for example a field, or possibly, in the sense ‘crust’, a nickname for a poor person.
Randazzo ItalianHabitational name from a place in Catania called Randazzo. Possibly from a derivative of the personal name Rando.
Randel French, GermanFrench: from a pet form of the Germanic personal name
Rando, a short form of various compound names formed with
rand ‘(shield) rim’ as the first element... [
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Randleman GermanDiminutive of the personal name
Rand, a short form of various German names with the first element rand meaning shield or wolf.
Randolph English, GermanClassicized spelling of
Randolf, a Germanic personal name composed of the elements
rand "rim (of a shield), shield" and
wolf "wolf". This was introduced into England by Scandinavian settlers in the Old Norse form
Rannúlfr, and was reinforced after the Norman Conquest by the Norman form
Randolf.
Range German, FrenchGerman: nickname for a ragamuffin, from Middle High German
range ‘naughty boy’, ‘urchin’.... [
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Ranger English, German, FrenchEnglish: occupational name for a gamekeeper or warden, from Middle English
ranger, an agent derivative of
range(n) ‘to arrange or dispose’.... [
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Rantzau German, TheatreThis is the surname used in 'I Rantzau' (The Rantzau Family), an opera in four acts by Pietro Mascagni (1892), based on a libretto by Guido Menasci and Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti, based on the play Les Rantzau (1873) by French writers Erckmann and Chatrian, after their novel (1882) Les Deux Frères (The Two Brothers).
Rappa Italian, Sicilianfrom Sicilian
rappa meaning ‘bunch, cluster’ or Italian
rappa meaning ‘lock, quiff’, which was presumably applied as a nickname with reference to someone’s hair.
Rappold GermanFrom a personal name composed of the Germanic elements
rad "counsel", "advice" +
bald "bold", "brave".
Rath German1 German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): descriptive epithet for a wise person or counselor, from Middle High German rāt ‘counsel’, ‘advice’, German Rat ‘counsel’, ‘advice’, also ‘stock’, ‘supply’.... [
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Rather German, Jewish1. Occupational name for a counsellor or nickname for a wise person, from Middle High German rater ‘adviser’. ... [
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Rathgeber GermanFrom Middle High German
ratgebe or Middle Low German
ratgever "giver of advice, counselor", an occupational name for an adviser or wise man.
Ratzinger GermanRatzinger means that someone has origins in the town of Ratzing. There are several German towns with this name. RATZ means ‘Serb’. Serbs were indigenous people in Germany, and many German cities originally had Serbian names (Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Brandenburg)... [
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Rau GermanNickname for a ruffian, earlier for a hairy person, from Middle High German
ruch,
ruhe,
rouch "hairy", "shaggy", "rough".
Rau ItalianFrom a local variant of the personal name Rao, an old form of
Ralph.
Räuber German, German (Swiss)German, Swiss German: derogatory nickname, from Middle High German
roubære ‘robber’, ‘bandit’, ‘highwayman’ (from
roub,
roup ‘booty’, ‘spoils’).
Rauch GermanPerhaps an occupational nickname for a blacksmith or charcoal burner, from Middle High German
rouch, German
Rauch ‘smoke’, or, in the case of the German name, a status name or nickname relating to a hearth tax (i.e. a tax that was calculated according to the number of fireplaces in each individual home).
Raudabaugh German (Americanized)Raudabaugh is a German-Americanized surname of Reidenbach. People include Dan Raudabaugh (American Football coach) and Dave Raudabaugh (Outlaw who was an acquaintance to Billy the kid).
Rausch GermanNickname for a noisy person, derived from
ruschen, meaning "to make a noise" in Middle High German. ... [
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Ravel French, French (African)Derived from either a place called Ravel in the district of Drome or Provence, or from the word 'rave' meaning a root vegetable, and hence a grower or seller of such items.
Raveling Germannickname or patronymic from Middle Low German rave(n) ‘raven’
Ravenel English, FrenchHabitational name from Ravenel in Oise or a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of horseradish, from a diminutive of Old French
ravene ‘horseradish’ (Latin
raphanus)... [
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Rayl GermanVariant of Rehl, which it's meaning is probably a habitational name from Rehl in Rhineland or Rehlen in East Prussia.
Raymond English, FrenchFrom the Norman personal name
Raimund, composed of the Germanic elements
ragin "advice, counsel" and
mund "protection".
Réal FrenchThis can derive from several different sources: southern French
réal "royal", a word which was applied to someone either as a nickname (presumably given to people perceived as being regal) or as an occupational name (given to a person in the service of the king); or the French place name
Réal, in which case this is a habitational name taken from any of various places which were named for having been part of a royal domain (also compare
Reau,
Reaux).
Reale ItalianFrom reale "royal", either an occupational name for someone in the service of a king or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal manner.
Reali ItalianVariant of the surname
Reale, which stems from
reale "royal", either a name for someone in the service of a royal or a nickname for someone who behaved in a regal, aristocratic manner.
Rebuffo ItalianPossibly from the medieval given names Rebuffo or Robufus. Alternately, may derive from a nickname based on
rabuffo "rebuke, scold".
Rechner GermanOccupational name from Middle High German
rechenære "reckoner keeper of accounts".
Recht GermanProbably a habitational name from a place so named in the Rhineland.
Recht German, JewishNickname for an upright person, from Middle High German
reht, German
recht "straight". As a Jewish name it is mainly of ornamental origin.
Reck GermanNickname from Middle High German recke ‘outlaw’ or ‘fighter’. North German and Westphalian: from Middle Low German recke ‘marsh’, ‘waterlogged ground’, hence a topographic name, or a habitational name from a place named with this term.
Redding English, German, DutchEnglish variant spelling of
Reading. In 1841 Redding was the most commonly used surname in all of Buckinghamshire. A famous bearer is Otis Redding.... [
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Redner GermanGerman: possibly a variant of
Redmer, or an occupational name for a spokesman, Middle High German rednære.
Régis FrenchOccupational name for a local dignitary, from a derivative of Old French
régir "to rule or manage".
Rehder GermanOccupational name, which was derived from the kind of work done by the original bearer. It is a name for a wheelmaker or wheelwright.
Reichenberg German, JewishHabitational name from various places named
Reichenberg in several different areas of Germany. As an ornamental name, it is composed of German
reich(en) meaning "rich" and
berg meaning "mountain, hill".
Reichstein GermanHabitational name from places named Reichstein (in Saxony) or Reichenstein (in Rhineland, Schleswig-Holstein, and Württemberg).