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.
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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Brickner GermanDerived from "brückenbauer," which means "bridge builder" in English. It was originally an occupational name for someone who built bridges. Over time, the name Brickner was likely shortened from Brückenbauer to its current form.
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.
Brieux FrenchFrom the name of the Brieux commune in the Orne department of northwestern France.
Briner German (Swiss)Habitational name for someone from Brin in Grison canton (Graubünden) or from the Brin valley.
Brinker German, DutchDerived from
brink "edge, slope" or "village green", indicating that the bearer of the surname lived near a prominent slope of land or next to the centre of a village.
Brion FrenchRefers to any of several places of the same name. Derived from Gaulish
briga "height, hill" and the suffix
-one.
Brizendine French, English, JewishDerived from a personal name, probably of Celtic origin (Latinized as Britus), which was borne by a 5th century saint, who succeeded St. Martin as bishop of Tours.
Broccoli Italian, SicilianFrom the Italian plural for “The flowering crest of a cabbage”. Best known as the surname of the (Calabrian-originated) Sicilian American family who made James
Bond internationally famous, by making movies (loosely) based on the books where the titular antihero himself appeared.
Brochtrup GermanPossibly indicated someone who was from a farm called
Brochtrup in the town of Lüdinghausen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A famous bearer is American actor Bill Brochtrup (1963-).
Brocker GermanNorth German topographic name for someone who lived by a swamp, from Middle Low German brook
bog + the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.
Brockhaus GermanOccupational hereditary surname for a person who was physically powerful, derived from Old German brock which may refer to persons with a stocky or strong build. Or derived from Old German "Brook" or "Brauk," for people near a marshy landscape, common in northern regions.
Brockman GermanGerman in origin, in heraldry a "brock" is represented by a badger. It could mean wet/water and man. It also has been said to mean broker.
Brogni ItalianPossibly from the dialectical term
brogneau meaning "wild plum", or figuratively "foreigner".
Brook GermanFrom Low German
brook meaning "marsh, swamp".
Bruch GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a marsh or a stream that frequently flooded, from Middle High German
bruoch "water meadow" or "marsh" (cognate to old English
broc "brook", "stream" cf... [
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Brück GermanTopographic name for someone who lived near a bridge, or an occupational name for a bridge keeper or toll collector on a bridge, from Middle High German
bruck(e) "bridge".
Bruckner GermanTopographic name for someone living by a bridge or an occupational name for a bridge toll collector; a variant of
Bruck with the addition of the suffix -ner.
Brucks GermanA variant of the German based surname 'Bruck', which roughly means 'bridge'.
Bruder GermanFrom a byname meaning "brother", occasionally used for a younger son, i.e. the brother of someone important, or for a guild member.
Brueckner German, German (Silesian)German (Brückner): from Middle Low German brugge, Middle High German brugge, brücke, brügge ‘bridge’ + the agent suffix -ner, hence a topographic name for someone living by a bridge, an occupational name for a bridge toll collector, or in the southeast (Silesia for example) a bridge keeper or repairer... [
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Brueggemann Low German, GermanNorth German (Brüggemann): topographic name for someone who lived near a bridge or a metonymic occupational name for a bridge keeper or street paver, Middle Low German brüggeman (see
Bruckman,
Brueckner).
Bruen GermanThis is my 2nd great uncle's wife's Surname of German ancestry.
Brüggemann GermanName for someone who worked as a street paver or bridge keeper, or someone who lived near a bridge. From Middle Low German
brügge "bridge" or
brüggeman "street paver".
Brugger German, AmericanSouth German variant or Americanized spelling of North German Brügger (see
Bruegger). habitational name for someone from any of various (southern) places called Bruck or Brugg in Bavaria and Austria.
Brühl German, JewishTopographic name for someone who lived by a swampy area, derived from Middle High German
brüel and Middle Low German
brul meaning "swampy land with brushwood". It may also be a habitational name from various places named
Brühl in Germany.
Bruneau FrenchDerived from a diminutive form of French
brun "brown", a nickname for a person with brown hair or skin.
Brunke GermanNickname for an ostentatious dresser, from Middle High German
brunke "splendor".
Bruns FrenchBruns was first found in Poitou where this noble family held a family seat since ancient times. The Bruns surname derives from the French word "brun," meaning "brown"; possibly a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in the color brown.
Brusse FrenchTopographic name for someone living in a scrubby area of country, from Old French
broce meaning "brushwood, scrub". It is also occupational name for a brush maker, from Old French
brusse meaning "brush".
Buch GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a beech tree or beech wood, from Middle High German
buoche, or a habitational name from any of the numerous places so named with this word, notably in Bavaria and Württemberg... [
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Buche GermanMeaning "beech" and denoting someone who lived near beech trees.
Bucher GermanUpper German surname denoting someone who lived by a beech tree or beech wood, derived from Middle High German
buoche "beech tree".
Büchler GermanHabitional name for someone from Büchle or Büchel, or who lived near beech trees, ultimately from
Büche "beech (tree)". Alternatively, could be an occupational name for someone who pressed oil from beechnuts.
Budrioli ItalianPossibly derived from the Greek
bòthros or Latin
butrium, both of which mean “moat”.... [
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Buechler GermanFrom the common field name Büchle 'beech stand', the -er suffix denoting an inhabitant. from buchel 'beech nut', hence a metonymic occupation name for someone who owned or worked in an oil mill producing oil from beech nuts.
Buehl GermanTopographic name for someone who lived on a hillside, from Middle High German
bühel meaning "hill", or a habitational name from a place called Bühl, for example in Baden. Compare
Buhl.
Buelter German, EnglishMiddle European variant of Butler, also meaning "a vat or large trough used to contain wine." The name originated in southern Germany in the mid-seventeenth century.
Buermeister GermanNorth German: status name for the mayor or chief magistrate of a town, from Middle Low German
bur ‘inhabitant, dweller’, ‘neighbor’, ‘peasant’, ‘citizen’ +
mester ‘master’.
Buffet FrenchOccupational name for a maker of furniture, derived from Old French
buffet meaning "table, cupboard". It could also be a nickname for an angry and violent man, from Old French
buffet meaning "slap in the face"... [
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Buffett French (Anglicized), EnglishAmericanised form or a variant of French
Buffet, or probably an English variant of
Bufford. Famous bearers of this name include the Americans Warren Buffett (1930-), a businessman, investor and philanthropist, and Jimmy Buffett (1946-), a musician.
Buffo ItalianCharacter in an Opera Buffa; clown, jester, comedian, buffoon.
Bugiardini ItalianMeans "little liar" in Italian, from
bugiardo "lying, false, deceitful; liar" and the diminutive suffix
-ino.
Buhl m GermanNickname for a male relative (i.e. a member of an important family who was not the head of it), from Middle High German buole ‘kinsman’ (Old High German buolo, also used as a personal name).... [
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Buisson French, Haitian Creole (Rare)Topographic name for someone who lived in an area of scrub land or by a prominent clump of bushes from (Old) French
buisson "bush scrub" (a diminutive of
bois "wood"); or a habitational name from (Le) Buisson the name of several places in various parts of France named with this word.
Bulgaria Italian, SpanishOriginally an ethnic name or regional name for someone from Bulgaria or a nickname for someone who had visited or traded with Bulgaria, which is named after the Turkic tribe of the Bulgars, itself possibly from a Turkic root meaning "mixed".
Bünting GermanDerived from an unknown given name or from Middle High German
binden "to bind".
Buonamico Italian (Anglicized)Di Martino Buffalmacco was a widely renouned painter in Italy cities in Florence, Bologna, Pisa although his work was not known to survived the Great Fire of Italy back in the late 1300 hundreds he was widlely known for asummed work as The Three Dead- Three Living, The Triump of Death, The Last Judgement, The Hell and the Thebasis.... [
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Buonocore ItalianNickname for a reliable or good-hearted person, derived from Italian
buono meaning "good" and
core meaning "heart" (ultimately from Latin cor).
Buonopane ItalianNickname for a person who is "as good as bread", or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a baker, derived from
buono meaning "good" and
pane meaning "bread".
Burel Frenchmetonymic occupational name for a worker in the wool trade or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in brown from Old French
burel borel a diminutive of
boure "frieze" a type of coarse reddish brown woolen cloth with long hairs (from Late Latin
burra "coarse untreated wool").
Burger English, German, DutchStatus name for a freeman of a borough. From Middle English
burg, Middle High German
burc and Middle Dutch
burch "fortified town". Also a German habitational name for someone from a place called
Burg.
Burgio ItalianDenoting someone from a town of the same name, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "high, lofty", possibly by way of Arabic
بُرْج (
burj) "tower", German
burg "castle, fortification; settlement", French
bourg "burg, market town", or Latin
burgus "watchtower, fortified town".
Burgmeier GermanOccupational name for the tenant farmer of an estate belonging to a castle or fortified town, from Middle High German
burc "(fortified) town, castle" and
meier "tenant farmer" (see
Meyer 1).
Burkhalter GermanTopographic name composed of the Middle High German elements
burc "castle" "protection" and
halter from
halde "slope".
Burkhardt GermanBurk is German for "Strong", and hardt is the "heart of a castle".
Burmeister GermanNorth German: status name for the mayor or chief magistrate of a town, from Middle Low German
bur ‘inhabitant, dweller’, ‘neighbor’, ‘peasant’, ‘citizen’ +
mester ‘master’.
Burnette FrenchDescriptive nickname from Old French
burnete ‘brown’ (see
Burnett). Possibly also a reduced form of
Buronet, from a diminutive of Old French
buron ‘hut’, ‘shack’.
Burr English, Scottish, GermanNickname for a person who is difficult to shake off, derived from Middle English
burr meaning "bur" (a seedhead that sticks to clothing). It could also be a derivation from Old English
bur meaning "small dwelling, building", or a German topographic name derived from
burre meaning "mound, hill"... [
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Busalacchi ItalianMeans "father of Zallaq", from Arabic
أَبُو (
abu) "father of" and
الزلاق (
zallaq) of unknown meaning, possibly related to the given name
Salah 1 meaning "righteousness".
Buschiazzo ItalianIt's a surname in northern Italy (Piedmont). It emerges from the German spelling Bosch or Busch and this means "forest" or "wooded area".
Butta ItalianItalian: from a short form of a compound name formed with butta- ‘throw’, as for example Buttacavoli.Italian: from an old German feminine personal name Butta.Italian: variant of Botta.
Buttafuoco ItalianMeans "linstock (staff for lighting a cannon)" in Italian, composed of
butta "to throw, toss" and
fuoco "fire", perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a gunner, or a figurative nickname for someone with a hot temper... [
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Butter English, German1. English: nickname for someone with some fancied resemblance to a bittern, perhaps in the booming quality of the voice, from Middle English, Old French butor ‘bittern’ (a word of obscure etymology)... [
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Büttner GermanOccupational name for a cooper or barrel-maker, an agent derivative of Middle High German
büte(n) "cask", "wine barrel". This name occurs chiefly in eastern German-speaking regions.
Buxtehude German, Low GermanFrom the name of the town of
Buxtehude in Lower Saxony, Germany. A famous bearer of this surname was the German-Danish Baroque composer and organist Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637-1707).
Caan Scottish, German, JewishAltered spelling of Jewish
Cohen, or probably denoted a person from the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Famous bearers of this surname include American actor James Caan (1940-2022), as well as his son Scott Caan (1976-), also a noted actor.
Cabalzar RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Balzer.
Cabaniss FrenchVariant spelling of
Cabanis, a habitational name from any of various places in Gard named Cabanis, from Late Latin capannis ‘at the huts’, ablative plural of capanna 'hut'... [
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Cabboi ItalianProbably from Sardinian
caboi "capon", a gelded cockerel, perhaps a nickname for a cowardly person.
Cabell Catalan, English, GermanAs a Catalan name, a nickname for "bald" from the Spanish word
cabello. The English name, found primarily in Norfolk and Devon, is occupational for a "maker or seller of nautical rope" that comes from a Norman French word... [
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Cabernard RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Bernard.
Cacciatore ItalianDerived from Italian
cacciatore meaning "hunter, huntsman", ultimately derived from
cacciare meaning "to hunt".
Cacioppo Italian, SicilianDerived from Sicilian
cacioppu meaning "dried tree trunk", presumably applied as a nickname for someone with wizened skin, or from
caciopu meaning "short-sighted" (derived from Greek
kakiopes, literally meaning "having bad eyes").
Cadalbert RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the German given name
Adalbert.
Cadeddu ItalianFrom Sardinian
cadeddu "puppy, whelp", ultimately from Latin
catellus.
Caderas RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and
dera "free area".
Caderousse French, LiteratureA character in the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. In the novel, Caderousse is a tailor and inkeeper who aids in the arrest of Dantès.
Cadetg RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Benedetg.
Cadieli RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Gieli.
Cadillac FrenchFrom the name of a city in France, of origin I am not sure of (anyone who knows the name's etymology edit this). This is most notably the name of the car company of the same name, named after Detroit, Michigan founder Antoine de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac.
Cadisch RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family", in combination with
Disch.
Cadonau RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Donatus.
Caduff RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Duff, itself a diminutive of
Rudolf.
Cadusch RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Dusch.
Caflisch RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family", in combination with
Flisch.
Cagianut RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and a diminutive of the given name
Gian.
Cagienard RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Gienard.
Cahannes RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the German given name
Hannes.
Cahans RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Hans.
Cahenzli RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the German given name
Hänsli.
Caillou FrenchMeans "pebble" in French. Perhaps a nickname for a bald person.
Cain FrenchFrom the biblical name
Cain, probably a nickname for someone considered to be treacherous.
Caine French, EnglishOriginally from a French derogatory nickname for someone with a bad temper.
Cajacob RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Jacob.
Cajochen RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the German given name
Jochen.
Cajöri RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Jöri.
Calafiore Italian, Sicilianaltered form of Calaciura from the Greek name
Kalokiourēs a variant of
Kalokyrēs Kalokyrios meaning "good man".
Calamari ItalianFrom Latin
calamarius "relating to a writing reed, ink pen", a name for a scribe, or perhaps a fisherman from the Italian descendant
calamaro "squid, calamari".
Calandra Italianfrom
calandra "skylark" (from Latin
calandra) probably a nickname for someone with a fine singing voice.
Calasso ItalianPossibly from the given name
Galasso, or from the dialectical word
cala "cove, inlet, creek".
Calcaterra ItalianNickname from calcare meaning "to tread", "to stamp" + terra meaning "land", "earth", "ground", probably denoting a short person, someone who walked close to the ground, or an energetic walker.
Calderone ItalianFrom the Latin word
Caldaria "cauldron". Given to someone who worked as a tinker or tinsmith. Italian cognitive of
Calderón.
Calice ItalianPossibly directly from the Italian word
calice "chalice, goblet", which derives from Latin
calix.
Caliesch RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Aliesch.
Caliezi RomanshDerived from Romansh
casa "house" and, by extension, "household, family" and the given name
Gliezi.
Caligiuri ItalianComes from the Greek words "kalos" meaning "beautiful" and "gheros" meaning "elderly," and was often given to children in the hopes that they would retain their beauty in their old age.