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.
Poh GermanFrom a dialect word for standard German Pfau ‘peacok’, a nickname for a vain person or for someone with a strutting gait.
Poilièvre French, French (Quebec)Meaning uncertain, possibly from French
pois aux lièvres "yellow pea, split pea" or a combination of French
poil "hair" and
lièvre "hare", denoting a furrier.
Pointe FrenchDerivation of the name is from the pre 10th century Old French "pointe" meaning a sharp or pointed end, and ultimately from the Latin "puncta", to pierce.
Poisson FrenchPoisson is the French word for fish, and was given to one who was a fishmonger, fisherman, or could be a nickname for one who had the appearance similar to a fish.
Poitier FrenchEvidently an altered spelling of
Pothier. A famous bearer of this surname was the Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier (1927-2022).
Poland English, German, French (Anglicized), Irish (Anglicized)English and German name is derived from the Middle High German
Polan, which means "Poland". The surname originally signified a person with Polish connections.This French surname originated from an occupational name of a poultry breeder, or from a fearful person; it is derived from the Old French
poule, which means "chicken".In other cases, particularly in Ireland, the English Poland is a variant of Polin,which is in turn an Anglicised form of the original Gaelic spelling of
Mac Póilín, which translated from Irish means "son of little Paul"... [
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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.
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.
Porchia ItalianMeans "young sow, female piglet", a metonymic name for a swineherd.
Port English, German, FrenchEither from Middle English
porte "gateway, entrance" (Old French
porte, from Latin
porta), hence a topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town or city, or for the gatekeeper... [
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Porte French, German, Englishfrom 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)... [
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Portera ItalianOccupational name for a female servant, from Spanish portera.
Portier Frenchoccupational name for the gatekeeper of a walled town or city, or the doorkeeper of a great house, Old French
portier (from Late Latin
portarius)... [
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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 Italian, CaribbeanSpanish: 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.
Potier FrenchAn occupational name for a maker of drinking and storage vessels, from
potier "potter", an agent derivative of Old French
pot "drinking vessel"... [
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Poverelli ItalianMeans "poor (person)" in Italian, given to foundlings and orphans.
Prati ItalianMeaning "meadows" in Italian, derived from Italian
prato "feild, meadow" (see
Prato 1)
Prato ItalianMeaning "feild, meadow" in Italian, likely detonating to someone who lived on a meadow.
Pregler GermanNickname for a chatterer or grumbler, from an agent derivative of Middle High German breglen ‘to chatter’, ‘complain’, ‘yell’, ‘roar’.
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
Prezioso ItalianMeans "precious, valuable" in Italian, derived from a nickname or from a medieval given name (masculine form of
Preziosa).
Prieskorn GermanPossibly either a derisive nickname for a grain merchant from pries a variant of Middle High German
brüsch or Middle Low German
bross "brittle crumbly" and
korn "grain" or alternatively for a grain seller from
prisekorn "(I) determine the price of grain".
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. Derived from Ancient Greek Προχύτη
(Prokhútē) via Latin
Prochyta, of uncertain etymology.
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 ItalianPossibly derived from Venetian
Pùgia, referring to the region of
Puglia (see
Pugliese), or
pugia meaning "abundance, plenty" as well as referring to the
cuccagna pole festivities... [
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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.
Pulcini ItalianCould derive from Italian
pulcino "young chicken, chick", a nickname for a poultry farmer or someone thought to resemble a chicken, or from a diminutive of
pulce "flea".
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.
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".
Quant Dutch, GermanFrom Middle Dutch
quant meaning "companion, comrade" or "trickster, prankster, rogue", ultimately from an older term meaning "journeyman, tradesman, small merchant". Compare
Quandt.
Quasimodo Italian (Rare)From the name of the Sunday that follows Easter, called Quasimodo Sunday, which gets its name from the opening words of the Latin chant
quasi modo meaning "like the way" (see
Quasimodo as a first name), possibly denoted somebody who was born or baptized in the first Sunday after Easter... [
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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".
Questel French, Medieval French (?)The surname Questel was first found in Normandy. Currently, Questel is the most commonly occurring last name in Saint-Barthélemy, a French island in the Caribbean Sea.... [
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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.
Radica ItalianPossibly derived from Italian
radica meaning "root vegetable, carrot; briar root (wood)", or figuratively "uncultured person, unintelligent person", ultimately from Latin
radix "root".
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).
Ragusea Italian (Americanized)Possibly an Americanized form of
Ragusa. Adam Ragusea (1982-) is an American internet personality who makes videos about food recipes, food science, and culinary culture.
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.
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.
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).
Ranz GermanThe surname that can have one of two origins. In some cases, it is derived from the ancient German given name,
Rando, whose origins lie in the word
rand, meaning "rim of shield"... [
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Rapino ItalianFrom the name of two municipalities in Abruzzo, Italy. It could also be a nickname for a barber, derived from Italian
rapare meaning "to crop, to shave, to scalp".