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.
Barbe FrenchNickname for someone with a beard, Old French
barbe (Latin barba).
Barbe GermanFrom Middle High German
barbe, the name of a species of fish resembling the carp; hence by metonymy an occupational name for a fisherman or fish dealer, or possibly a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish in some way.
Barbeau FrenchDerived from
barbeau meaning "barbel", a type of fish, hence a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or a nickname for a man with a sparse beard, the fish being distinguished by beardlike growths on either side of its mouth... [
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Barbera ItalianFeminine form of
Barbero, perhaps denoting a barber’s wife. Alternatively, it could derive from the name of a kind of grape from the Piemonte region.
Bareilles French, OccitanDerived from the place name
Bareilles, a village in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitania region of France. A famous bearer is the American musician and actress Sara Bareilles (1979-).
Baresi ItalianVariant of
Barrese. A famous bearer is Franchino "Franco" Baresi (1960-), as well as his brother Giuseppe Baresi (1958-), both former Italian soccer players.
Baril FrenchDuring the middle ages, when people were named after their given job, Baril was what winemakers and brewers were named. Baril simply means "Barrel" or "Keg"
Barile ItalianFrom Italian
barile "barrel" either an occupational name for a Cooper or a nickname for a fat man.
Barilla ItalianOccupational name from medieval Greek
barellas "cooper" from Italian
barella "barrel" with the suffix (e)as.
Barno Italian, Ukrainian, French, Ancient Aramaic, RussianThe surname Barno was first found in the north of Italy, especially in Tuscany. The name occasionally appears in the south, usually in forms which end in "o," but the northern forms ending in "i" are much more common... [
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Barraco ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from Arabic
بَرَّاق (
barraq) "shining, lustrous".
Barreau FrenchPossibly a variant of
Barreur, an agent derivative of barrer ‘to bar’, ‘to close or block off’, hence possibly an occupational name for a jailer or doorkeeper.
Barrese Italian, SicilianDenoted a person from any of the various minor places named
Barra in southern Italy (for example the large district in the eastern part of Naples), derived from Italian
barra meaning "barrier, bar, obstacle".
Barriere FrenchOccupational name for a gatekeeper, from Old French
barier.
Barrineau FrenchThe history of the Barrineau family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northern France, to that coastal region known as Normandy. Barrineau is a habitation name, derived from the place name Barrault, in Normandy.... [
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Bartek Polish, Czech, Slovak, GermanPolish, Czech, Slovak, and eastern German: from a pet form of a vernacular form of the personal name Bartolomaeus (Czech Bartoloměj, Polish Bartłomiej, German Bartolomäus)
Bartolotta ItalianBartolotta was the name taken by the followers of Saint Bartholomew. Bartholomew was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. He is credited as bringing Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century.
Barwick English, GermanEnglish: habitational name from any of various places called Barwick, for example in Norfolk, Somerset, and West Yorkshire, from Old English
bere ‘barley’ +
wic ‘outlying farm’, i.e. a granary lying some distance away from the main village.... [
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Barzagli ItalianProbably from
barezzo, an old word of Germanic origin used to denote people who bred pigs or sold ham.
Basciani ItalianThe surname Basciani derives from a nickname probably given to the family of origin (from the Latin "Bassus"), for the probable short stature of some components, although the derivation from the Campania family "Bassus" is not excluded.
Bascöurt FrenchThe Bascourt or Bascur surname is from France, from that place dates the beginning of the surname, however the French of previous centuries had no records of that surname. ... [
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Basel GermanHabitational name denoting someone from the city of Basel, Switzerland.
Basler GermanHabitational name denoting someone from the city of Basel, Switzerland.
Basque FrenchOriginally denoted a Basque person or someone from the Basque Country in Spain.
Bastiat FrenchMeaning of this name is unknown. Possibly derived from
Sebastian The surname Bastiat was first found in Poitou, where this family held a family seat since ancient times.
Bataille Frenchnickname for a bellicose man from
bataille "battle" (from Latin
battalia) or a habitational name from (La) Bataille the name of several places in France all named as the site of a battle in former times... [
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Batistuta ItalianPossibly from a diminutive of the given name
Battista. A famous bearer is the former Argentinian soccer player Gabriel Batistuta (1969-).
Battello ItalianThough it coincides with Italian
battello "boat, dinghy", it probably derives from the given name
Bathyllus, a latinized form of a Greek name... [
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Battiloro ItalianMeans "goldworker", specifically an artisan who applied gold foil to other material, from Italian
batti "to beat, to strike" and
'l oro "the gold".
Batz Upper GermanDerived from Alemannic Swabian
Batz "pile; large quantity", possibly applied as a nickname either for a man of large physical proportions or for a man of wealth. The term also denoted a coin and may have been used metonymically for a coiner... [
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Baudelaire FrenchA French surname, coming from the word "baudelaire", which is a short, broad, and curved sword used in heraldry.
Baudric French (Rare)Derived from the medieval French given name
Baudric, which was a variant form of
Baldéric, the French form of
Baldric.
Baudry FrenchDerived from the medieval French given name
Baudry, which was a variant form of
Baudric, a given name that itself was a variant form of
Baldéric (see
Baldric)... [
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Bauerdick GermanA surname originating from the Rhineland region of Germany. It is derived from German
Bauer (
Bur in the locals dialects) "farmer" and
Deich (
Diek and
Dick in the local dialects) "levee" or
Teich "pond"... [
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Bauersack GermanSemi-Germanized form of the Polish surname
Burczak, originally derived from Polish
burczec "growl; shout".... [
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Bäumchen GermanSurname of German origin meaning "little tree". It could have been used to describe someone who lived near a tree or forest.
Baumeister GermanOccupational name for a "builder" in German; from Middle High German 'buwen' 'to build' + meister 'master'.... [
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Baumkötter German (Modern)From the German words 'Baum' meaning 'tree' and 'Kötter' a type of villager who dwelt in a cottage, similar to the Scottish Cotter. "Presumably a 'Baumkötter' earned money from a small orchard on their property."
Bavaro ItalianEthnic name from
bavaro "Bavarian" someone from Bavaria, now part of Germany, but formerly an independent kingdom.
Bay English, French, DutchDerived from Middle English and Old French
bay,
bai and Middle Dutch
bay, all meaning "reddish brown". It was originally a nickname for someone with a hair color similar to that.
Bazin FrenchDerivative of the ancient Germanic personal name
Bazo a shortened form of
Badizo a name based on the element
bad (from
badhuo) "battle".
Beau FrenchNickname for a handsome man (perhaps also ironically for an ugly one) from Old French
beu bel "beautiful, handsome" (from Late Latin
bellus)... [
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Beauchamp English, FrenchFrom the name of various places in France, for example in Manche and Somme, which was derived from Old French
beu,
bel meaning "fair, lovely" and
champ,
champs "field, plain".
Beaufay French (Rare)In most cases, this surname is a locational surname that most likely took its name from the village of
Beaufay, which is nowadays located in the Sarthe department of France. The village was called
Bello Faeto,
Bellofaido and
Belfaidus during the Early Middle Ages, ultimately deriving its name from Latin
bellus fagus (or
bellum fagetum) meaning "beautiful beech tree(s)" or "beautiful beech woodland"... [
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Beauregard FrenchHabitational name from any of various places in France named Beauregard for their fine view or fine aspect, for example in Ain, Dordogne, Drôme, Lot, and Puy-de-Dôme, from
beau "fair, lovely" and
regard "aspect, outlook".
Beauregarde FrenchVariant of
Beauregard used by one of the main characters in Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as well as its film and broadway adaptations.
Beauséjour French (Rare)Literally means "beautiful sojourn", derived from French
beau "beautiful, nice, fine" and French
séjour "sojourn, short stay". As such, this surname is most likely a locational surname, in that it originally referred to a scenic place to sojourn in... [
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Beauvais FrenchFrom French place names derived from "beautiful sight".
Becci ItalianPossibly derived from a dialectic form of
vecchio "old", or from Celtic
becci "beaks", perhaps indicating someone with a large nose.
Becher GermanShortened form of
Becherer as well as a surname given to for someone who distilled or worked with pitch, in which case it is derived from Middle High German
bech / pech "pitch".
Bechmann German (Rare)Surname denoting someone who worked with pitch, from Middle High German
bech / pech "pitch" and
man, a suffix which can mean "man" or simply be used as a name suffix.
Bechtle GermanThe surname Bechtle was first found in Hessen, where the family contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation. The earliest bearers of this name to be mentioned in ancient chronicles were
Bechtold of Fulda in 1387,
Bechtold Suleffel of Frankfurt in 1442, and
Tibertius Bechtolf of Frankfurt in 1568... [
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Beckemeyer GermanBeckemeyer is a surname of German origin. The name likely traces back to a place named Beckum, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The "-eyer" suffix could potentially mean "from" or "of" in this context, so " Beckemeyer " could translate to "from Beckum".
Becquerel FrenchA notable bearer was French scientist Henri Becquerel (1852-1908) who discovered radioactivity. A becquerel (Bq), the SI unit for radioactivity, is named after him.
Bedogni ItalianProbably from the archaic term
bedogna, a kind of polenta (a dish of boiled cornmeal), or a rosary.
Bedoni ItalianProbably of French origin, from
betun "mud" or
bedon "paunch, pot belly".
Beer German, DutchFrom Middle Low German
bare, Middle Dutch
bere "bear". Given as a nickname to someone who was thought to resemble a bear, a metonymic occupational name for someone who kept a performing bear, or a habitational name for someone who lived near a sign depicting a bear... [
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Beffa ItalianNickname for a practical joker, from Italian
beffa "trick, prank".
Bégon FrenchProbably from French
béguin "(male) Beguin", referring to a member of a particular religious order active in the 13th century, and derived from the surname of Lambert le Bègue, the mid-12th-century priest responsible for starting it... [
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Bègue FrenchMeans "stutterer, stammerer" in French, used as a nickname for someone with a stutter.
Béguin FrenchNickname from
beguin, a member of a medieval Christian male religious community (ultimately named after a priest called Lambert le
Bègue) that followed a monastic rule without making perpetual vows and was quickly considered heretic; by extension the term came to mean "sanctimonious person".
Behn GermanFrom the German male personal name
Behn, a shortened form of
Bernhard. A famous bearer was the English novelist and dramatist Aphra Behn (1640-1689).
Behringer GermanHabitational name for someone from either of two places called Behringen, near Soltau and in Thuringia, or from Böhringen in Württemberg.
Beil GermanMeans "axe, hatchet" in German, an occupational name for someone who made or used axes, such as a carpenter.
Beilke GermanFrom ancient Germanic
bīl "sword" or
bīhel "axe".
Beining GermanThis famous surname, one of the earliest recorded in history, and recorded in over two hundred spellings from Benedicte, Benech and Bennet, to Banish, Beinosovitch and Vedyasov, derives from the Roman personal name "Benedictus", meaning blessed.
Belfiore ItalianMeans "beautiful (as a) flower", derived from Italian
bel "beautiful" combined with Italian
fiore "flower". Two Italian sources claim that this surname was derived from the medieval masculine given name
Belfiore (which has of course the same meaning), but I can find no evidence that this was an actual given name in medieval Italy... [
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Béliveau French (Rare), French (Quebec)Derived from Old French
besliver meaning "to stagger along", originally a nickname referring to a drunkard. It could also denote a person who lived in a beautiful, lovely valley, derived from French
beau "beautiful" or Old French
beu,
bel "fair, lovely", combined with
val meaning "valley"... [
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Bellaria ItalianFrom the place name Bellaria, in Milan, Veneto, Piedmont and Sicily, these homonyms widespread throughout Italy.
Bellefleur French, LiteratureMeans "beautiful flower" in French. This is the surname of the notable family in the 2001 to 2013 novel series
The Southern Vampire Mysteries and the 2008-2014 TV series that inspired it,
True Blood.
Bellegarde FrenchDerived from a toponym meaning "beautiful watch-tower, look-out".
Belleisle FrenchName for someone from an island named Belle Isle, French for "beautiful island".
Bellmann GermanHabitational name derived from places in Germany named either Bell, Belle, or Bellen.
Belloc FrenchHabitational name for a person from the commune of Belloc in southwestern France, of unknown etymology.
Bellocchio ItalianMeans "beautiful eyes", from
bello "beautiful" and
occhio "eyes", or perhaps from
belloccio "good-looking, attractive".
Belmondo ItalianName of Italian origin meaning "beautiful world". Famous bearers of the name are the French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933-) and the Italian cross-country skier, twice Olympic champion and four times World champion Stefania Belmondo (1969-).
Belotto ItalianLikely comes from the words "bello" which means "beautiful" or "handsome", "otto" may be a diminutive form of the given name "
Otto".
Belzer GermanOccupational name for a furrier, from an agent derivative of Middle High German
bel(li)z "fur"
Benanti ItalianFrom a derivative of Bene, a short form of the various omen names formed with this element (from Latin bene ‘well’), such as Benedetto, Benvenuto, etc.
Bender German, German (East Prussian)As a German surname, Bender is a regional occupational surname from the Rhineland area denoting a "barrel-maker" (the Standard German
Fassbinder became "Fassbender" in the local dialects and ultimately was shortened to Bender).... [
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Benelli ItalianThe distinguished surname Benelli originated in an area of Italy, known as the Papal States. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adapt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent... [
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Benigni ItalianPatronymic form of
Benigno. A notable bearer is the Italian actor and comedian Roberto Benigni (1952-).
Benner GermanOccupational name for a basket and bassinet maker, from an agent derivative of Middle High German benne 'work basket', 'bassinet', 'cradle'.
Benz GermanSouth German: (in Alemannic areas) from a short form of the Germanic personal name Berthold, or to a lesser extent of Bernhard
Berber GermanPossibly a habitational name from a place called Berber near Kevelaer.