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.
Blasioli ItalianAncient and illustrious Benevento family, called Blasi or Di Blasi, of clear and avita nobility.
Blasius German, Dutch, ScandinavianFrom the Latin personal name
Blasius. This was a Roman family name, originating as a byname for someone with some defect, either of speech or gait, from Latin
blaesus "stammering" (compare Greek
blaisos "bow-legged")... [
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Blatt German, JewishOrnamental name derived from German
blatt and Yiddish
blat meaning "leaf", or a topographic name for someone who lived at a farm on a ledge on a mountainside, derived from Middle High German
blate meaning "flat surface, ledge, plateau".
Blaum GermanGerman last name, likely a variant of the last name Blom or Blum, referring to the word flower/blooming.
Bleibaum German"Lead tree" possibly changed at Ellis Island from Blumenbaum meaning "flowering tree"
Blesse English (British), Filipino, Indian, FrenchThe last name Blesse was first discovered in Oxfordshire and held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. In the Philippines, Blesse means "a blessing in the family." In India, Blesse means "bless you."
Blitz GermanThis surname is presumed to be coming from a nickname for a fast runner or a quick tempered person, from German
blitz(er) meaning "lightning" (ultimately from Middle High German
blicze.)
Blond FrenchNickname from old French
blund blond "fair-haired" a word of ancient Germanic origin.
Blondel FrenchFrom old French
blondel a diminutive of
blond "blond, fair" variant of
Blond.
Bluemel GermanDiminutive of the Middle High German
bluome meaning "flower." The name is believed to be an occupational name.
Bluestein GermanThe surname Bluestein is an Anglicized surname and translates as blue stone.
Bluhm GermanGerman alternate spelling of the Italian surname,
Blum meaning flower.
Bluth German, JewishGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name from Middle High German bluot, German Blüte ‘bloom’, ‘flower head’. ... [
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Boccadamo ItalianMeaning uncertain, first element probably comes from
bocca "mouth".
Boccadifuoco ItalianMeans "mouth of fire", a nickname for someone known for picking fights, or perhaps given to foundlings.
Boccafusca ItalianPossibly means "dark mouth", from
bocco "mouth" and
fosco "dark, gloomy", a nickname for someone who often spoke ill of others, or perhaps given to foundlings.
Boccaletti ItalianPossibly related to
boccale, a kind of jug often used for wine. An occupational name for an innkeeper.
Boccalupo ItalianPossibly from an Italian saying,
in bocca al lupo, literally "in the mouth of the wolf", a way of wishing good luck.
Boccasavia ItalianMeans "sensible mouth", given to someone known for being wise, or giving good advice.
Bocchino ItalianThe Italian family name is classified as being of nickname origin. The most obvious are those names which are based on a physical characteristic or personal attribute of the initial bearer. In this particular instance, according to the author Emedio De Felice, the family name Bocchino derives from "bocca", meaning "mouth", in turn derived from the Latin word "bucca".De Felice states that this family name may not only have arisen from a nickname which described the mouth in a literal sense, since "bocca" in a figurative sense designated such things such things as intelligence and veracity.... [
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Bockelmann GermanPossibly derived from the name Bockel, a place in Germany. A famous bearer is Udo Jürgens (1934-2014), an Austrian musician, born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann.
Bodeman GermanBodeman is an occupational name meaning "adherent of the royal messenger".
Boden German, Low GermanPatronymic from the personal name
Bode or a topographic name for someone living in a valley bottom or the low-lying area of a field. From Middle High German
boden "ground, bottom".
Bodi FrenchThe United State Version of Bodi is an alteration of the French name Baudin. The name also has roots from Hungary.
Bodin German (Rare)Likely derived from various Germanic personal names containing the name element
Bod meaning "messenger". Another theory is that the name could be derived from any of the several places named
Boddin in Germany.
Bodine FrenchPossibly derived from the Germanic root
bald meaning "bold".
Boettcher GermanOccupational name for a cooper, from Middle High German
botecher,
bötticher,
bütticher, an agent derivative of
botech(e),
bottich,
bütte "vat", "barrel".
Boffi ItalianPossibly from
buffare "to blow, to be short of breath", or a related term meaning "bloated".
Bohne GermanHabitational name for someone form the town of
Bone in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Bohner GermanOccupational name from an agent derivative of Middle Low German
bönen meaning "to board, to lay a floor", and a topographic name for someone who lived in a loft, derived from a variant of
Bohne combined with the suffix
-er, denoting an inhabitant.
Bois French, French (Quebec)Derived from French
bois "wood, forest", this name used to denote someone who lived near a forest.
Boisvert FrenchMeans "green wood" in French, from
bois "wood" and
vert "green".
Bold German, EnglishEnglish: nickname from Middle English bold ‘courageous’, ‘daring’ (Old English b(e)ald, cognate with Old High German bald). In some cases it may derive from an Old English personal name (see Bald)... [
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Boldt GermanFrom the Germanic personal name
Baldo, a short form of the various compound names with the first element
bald ‘bold’.
Bolland French, German, EnglishFrom the Ancient Germanic name
Bolland. Alternatively it derive from the place name
Bowland from the Old English
boga meaning "bow" and
land meaning "land".
Bollard FrenchFrom a personal name composed of the Germanic elements boll "friend", "brother" +
hard "hardy", "strong".
Bolle ItalianMeans "bubbles" in Italian, derived from the singular
bolla.... [
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Bolling English, Germannickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling 'pollard', or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling 'excessive drinking'. German (Bölling): from a personal name
Baldwin Bollinger German (Swiss)Habitational name for someone from any of three places called Bollingen, in Schwyz, Württemberg, and Oldenburg, or from Bohlingen near Lake Constance (which is pronounced and was formerly written as Bollingen).
Boltz GermanMay designate a creator of bolts for crossbows or bowmen. May also be a short form of
Baldwin.
Bolzonaro ItalianOccupational name for a person who operated a battering ram, derived from Italian
bolzone literally meaning "battering ram".
Bompadre ItalianFrom a medieval given name Bonuspater, meaning "good father", given in hopes that the "eternal father (god)" would look kindly on the child. Was often given to abandoned infants as a surname.
Bon French, HungarianAs a French surname, it is derived from Old French
bon meaning "good", or occasionally from the Latin given name
Bonus (borne by a minor 3rd-century Christian saint martyred at Rome with eleven companions under the Emperor Vespasian... [
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Bonacci Italian"Bona" comes from the Italian for good, "Buona" and "cci" is ancient Latin form for "man." Thus, "the good man." A derivation of FiBonacci, or "son of Bonacci." Was the name of the famous mathematician, Leondardo de Pisa: Leonardo of Pisa is now known as Fibonacci short for filius Bonacci... [
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Bonaduce ItalianFrom the Latin phrase
bona duce fortuna, "with good luck as your guide".
Bonal FrenchThis is a surname formed from the Latin root "bonus" (= good) and the Germanic "wald" (waldan = govern). Bonwald meaning good governor.
Bonamici ItalianMeans "good friend", originating as a nickname or from a given name of the same meaning.
Bonanno ItalianFrom the medieval personal name
Bonanno, an omen name meaning "good year". Mainly found throughout southern Italy.
Bonatti ItalianComes from the pesonal name '
Bona' which is derived from Latin '
bonus', which means
'great'.
Bongiorno ItalianItalian from the medieval personal name
Bongiorno (composed of
bono ‘good’ +
giorno ‘day’), bestowed on a child as an expression of the parents’ satisfaction at the birth (‘it was a good day when you were born’).
Bongiovanni ItalianComes from the personal name
Giovanni composed of the elements
bon ‘good’ +
Giovanni, Italian equivalent of John
Bonnefoy FrenchThe name is derived from the French words
bonne, meaning good, and
foi meaning faith.
Bonnemaison FrenchLiterally means "good house", derived from French
bonne "good" and French
maison "house". As such, this surname is most likely a locational surname, in that it originally either referred to someone who lived in a good house (probably more like a mansion) or to someone who was born in (or lived in) the place Bonnemaison, which is nowadays located in the Calvados department of France... [
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Bonnin FrenchDerived from a diminutive of
Bon, it is also found in the island of Mallorca and Turin, Italy.
Bonsor FrenchBonsor is from French origin mean good day
Bon soir Bontrager GermanComing from the Old German, Bonträger or Bornträger, meaning 'water carrier'.
Bonus French, German, DutchHumanistic Latinization of vernacular names meaning ‘good’, for example French Lebon or Dutch de Goede
Boomgarden German, Dutch (?)Either an occupational name for an orchard worker or a topographic name for someone who lives in or by an orchard.
Boomhouwer German, DutchBoomhouwer, means "Cutter of Trees", or "The one who hews trees", having Boom translating into "tree", houw meaning to "hew" or to "cut", and er meaning "the one who".... [
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Boot English, Dutch, GermanEnglish: metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of boots, from Middle English, Old French bote (of unknown origin).... [
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Bordner GermanA variant spelling of Bartner, a job name for a battle axe maker.
Boren GermanOf unclear origin, most likely a variant of the German surname
Born.
Borgo ItalianBorgo is an Italian surname, which means 'village' or 'borough'.
Bormann GermanThis surname is presumed to be a variant of
Bornemann, which is made up of Middle Low German
born meaning "spring" and
man meaning "man," denoting someone who lived by a spring or a well.
Born German, EnglishA topographical name indicating someone who lived near a stream, from the Old English "burna, burne". Alternatively, it could be contemporarily derived from the modern English word "born". Possible variants include
Bourne,
Burns and
Boren.
Borrelli ItalianThere are three possible origins of this surname. It could derive from some place names located in Catania and Campania -two Italian southern regions. Another hypothesis is that it derives from the Celtic word
borro, meaning "proud" or maybe "ditch"... [
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Boscolo ItalianHabitational name for someone who lived by a forest, derived from Italian
bosco meaning "woods, forest".
Boso ItalianFrom the medieval personal name Boso, from a Germanic personal name derived from a pejorative nickname meaning ‘leader’, ‘nobleman’, or ‘arrogant person’. Compare Dutch Boos.
Bossier FrenchOccupational name for a cooper, from an agent derivative of Old French
bosse 'barrel'.
Bosso ItalianDerived from Italian
bosso "box tree", probably applied as a topographic name but possibly also as a metonymic occupational name for a wood carver or turner.
Boswell French (Anglicized)The name Boswell is an Anglicization of the name of a French village: Boseville (Beuzeville). This was a village of 1400 inhabitants near Yvetot, in Normandy. (from 'A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames', by Charles W. Bardsley, New York, 1901)... [
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Botticelli ItalianEtymology uncertain. It can derive from the Italian word
botte meaning "barrel" and from the occupation
bottaio meaning "cooper". In the case of Sandro Botticelli it has probably another origin... [
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Boudreaux FrenchVariant of
Beaudreau. Originated in ancient area known as Languedoc, where the family was established. Comes from having lived in Languedoc, where the name was found since the early Middle Ages.
Boulier FrenchOccupational name for a maker of balls or the organizer of a game of boules, from French
boule meaning "ball".
Bourbon FrenchThe Bourbons were one of the most important ruling houses of Europe . Its members were descended from Louis I, duc de Bourbon from 1327 to 1342, the grandson of the French king Louis IX (ruled 1226-70)... [
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Bourguignon FrenchDerived from
Bourgogne, the French word for
Burgundy, a historical territory and a former administrative region of east-central France. It originally denoted a person from
Burgundy.
Bousquet FrenchOriginally a name for someone living or working in a wooded area.
Bovary FrenchIt is the surname of the famous fictional character Emma Bovary protagonist of Gustave Flaubert's novel.
Boyer FrenchMeans "Ox Gaurd," "Ox Leader", and/or "Boy". Origin is French.
Bracco ItalianEither a nickname derived from Calabrian
braccu meaning "small, chubby", or probably for someone thought to resemble a hunting dog, from Italian
bracco literally meaning "hunting dog, bloodhound"... [
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Bräger GermanHabitational name for someone from Bräg in Bavaria.
Braille FrenchBraille is a writing system used by people with vision impairment. It was named after its inventor
Louis Braille (1809-1852).
Brancaccia Italian (Rare)Derived from the medieval Italian given name
Brancazia, which is the feminine form of the masculine given name
Brancazio. For more information, please see the entry for the patronymic surname
Brancazio... [
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Brancaccio ItalianVariant form of
Brancazio. There are a few sources that claim that the surname is derived from a place name (which would make it a locational surname), but that claim is incorrect, as all Italian geographical places carrying the name
Brancaccio were either established long after the Middle Ages (by which time virtually all Italians already had a hereditary surname) or were named after a person who had Brancaccio for a surname... [
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Brancaleone ItalianDerived from the medieval Italian masculine given name
Brancaleone, which means either "a lion's paw" or "he who captures the lion". In the case of the former meaning, the name is derived from Italian
branca meaning "paw, claw" combined with Italian
leone meaning "lion"... [
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Brancatella Italian (Rare)Derived from the feminine given name
Brancatella, which is a diminutive of the medieval Italian given name
Brancazia, the feminine form of the masculine given name
Brancazio. For more information about this, please see the entry for the patronymic surname of
Brancazio... [
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Brancatello Italian (Rare)Derived from the masculine given name
Brancatello, which is a diminutive of the medieval Italian given name
Brancazio, itself ultimately derived from the late Latin given name
Brancatius... [
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Brancato ItalianThis surname can be derived from a given name (thus making it a patronymic surname) as well as from a place name (thus making it a locational surname). In the case of a patronymic surname, the surname is derived from the medieval Italian given name
Brancato, which is a variant form of the given name
Brancazio, itself ultimately derived from the late Latin given name
Brancatius... [
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Brancazio Italian (Rare)Derived from the medieval Italian masculine given name
Brancazio, which itself is derived from
Brancatius (also found spelled as
Brancaccius and
Brancatus), a late Latin corruption of the given name
Pancratius... [
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Branche FrenchFrom Old French
branche meaning ‘branch’ (which is from Late Latin
branca meaning ‘foot’, ‘paw’), the application of which as a surname is not clear. Compare
Branch.
Brandis German, Jewish, SwissGerman & Swiss: Habitational name from a former Brandis castle in Emmental near Bern, Switzerland, or from any of the places so named in Saxony, Germany. A famous bearer of the name is
Jonathan Brandis (1976-2003).... [
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Brasseur FrenchFrench and English (of both Norman and Huguenot origin): occupational name for a brewer, from Old French
brasser ‘to brew’. See also
Brasher.
Brau ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from the dialectical term
brau, meaning "wild, untamed" in Sardinian and "brave, fierce" or "bull" in Catalan, or from
blau "blue, turquoise".
Braunershrither German, Dutch, EnglishThis name mean Leather (Tanned) Knight, or a fighter of leather armor, or in Dutch, Leather writer, one who branded print on leather
Bräunlich GermanOriginally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin, meaning "brownish" in German.
Brecht GermanFrom a short form of any of various personal names formed with Germanic element
berth " bright" "famous".
Breit GermanFrom Middle High German
breit meaning "broad". a nickname for a stout or fat person.
Breitzmann GermanEastern German topographic name for someone who lived by a birch wood, ultimately derived from the Slavic stem
bres "birch".
Bremer GermanIndicated a person from
Bremen in the State of Bremen, Germany.
Brenner German, German (Austrian), JewishDerived from Middle High German
brennen "to burn". Both as a German and a Jewish name, this was an occupational name for a distiller of spirits. As a German surname, however, it also occasionally referred to a charcoal or lime burner or to someone who cleared forests by burning.
Breton French, EnglishFrench and English: ethnic name for a Breton, from Old French
bret (oblique case
breton) (see
Brett).
Breuer German, Jewishoccupational name for a brewer of beer or ale from Middle High German
briuwer "brewer".
Brevard FrenchFrench: nickname from Old French bref ‘small’ + the derogatory suffix -ard.... [
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Briatore ItalianThis surname originates from the province of Cuneo in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is probably derived from Piedmontese
brijador meaning "postilion, coachman", which itself is ultimately derived from Piedmontese
bria meaning "bridles, reins".... [
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Bridon French (Rare)Patronymic surname derived from French
bride "bridle, harness", this name used to denote a maker or merchant of bridle, harness or horse-gear and more generally a saddler.