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.
Ciaramitaro ItalianFrom Sicilian
ciaramidaru "roof tile maker, potter", ultimately from Ancient Greek
κέραμος (
keramos) "potter's clay, pottery, tile".
Ciavarella ItalianFrom Sicilian
ciavaredda "goat kid", an occupational name for a goatherd, or perhaps a nickname based on the bearer's appearance or behaviour.
Ciavatta ItalianFrom
ciabatta "slippers", a nickname for a cobbler, or someone known for dressing casually.
Cicero ItalianFrom the Italian
cicero "pea," "chickpea," or "lentil."
Ciechi ItalianMeans "blind (people)" in Italian, from Latin
caecus "devoid of light, blind; invisible; aimless".
Cifrino ItalianUncommon name originating in Italy. Legend says that it was used for the offspring of a king and one of his maids. Meaning is most likely something like "little nothing".
Cimarosa Italianfrom "Cima" Top, and "Rosa" A rose or the Color Pink. A famous Bearer of this surname is the Italian composer Domenico Cimarosa(1749-1801).
Ciminera Italianfrom a dialect variant of
ciminiera "chimney" hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who built chimneys or worked a furnace oven or kiln with a chimney or a nickname for a tall thin person.
Cimino ItalianOccupational name for a spice dealer, from
cimino "cumin", Sicilian
ciminu.
Cipolla ItalianMeans "onion" in Italian, given to someone who farmed onions, or perhaps a nickname for someone who resembled an onion in some way.
Claassen GermanThe name Claassen means "son of Klaus." It's primarily German, but it's also Dutch and Danish.
Clavel FrenchMetonymic occupational name for a nail maker, ultimately from Latin
clavellus "nail", but in some cases possibly from the same word in the sense "smallpox, rash". A fictional bearer is Miss Clavel, a nun and teacher in Ludwig Bemelmans's 'Madeline' series of children's books (introduced in 1939).
Clavell French, CatalanThe first documented records of the surname Clavell appear in Catalunya between 1291 and 1327. The word clavell traces back to the Indo-European words "kleu", later "klawo" meaning a metal tool. In Latin "clavus", it eventually became a surname "Clavell".
Clemenceau FrenchDerived from the French given name
Clément. A notable bearer was the French prime minister Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929), who successfully lead France through the end of World War I.
Clerc FrenchOccupational or status name for a member of a minor religious order or for a scholar Old French
clerc from Late Latin
clericus from Greek
klērikos a derivative of
klēros "inheritance legacy" with reference to the priestly tribe of Levites (see
Levy ) "whose inheritance was the Lord"... [
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Clerico ItalianOccupational or status name for a member of a minor religious order or for a scholar from Late Latin
clericus (see
Clerc ). Italian cognitive of
Clark.
Cloud FrenchFrom the Germanic personal name
Hlodald, composed of the elements
hlod "famous, clear" and
wald "rule", which was borne by a saint and bishop of the 6th century.
Coach FrenchPossibly an altered spelling of French Coache, from the Norman and Picard term for a damson, probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of plums.
Coccia ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from Sicilian
cocciu "grain, berry", denoting a kind of gruel; an occupational name for a farmer from Greek
κόκκος (
kokkos) "grain, seed"; or from Italian
coccia "head, shell", referring to someone with a large head, or who was stubborn.
Coccimiglio ItalianFrom Sicilian
cuccumeli, the name of several fruit-bearing deciduous trees or of the hackberry plant, itself borrowed from an Ancient Greek word; possibly
κοκκύμηλον (
kokkymelon) "plum", literally "cuckoo apple", or from
κόκκος (
kókkos) "grain, seed, kernel" and
μῆλον (
mêlon) "apple, any fruit from a tree".
Cocco ItalianPossibly from Italian
cocco, meaning "darling, favourite" or "hen's egg".
Cochet FrenchEither from
cochet a diminutive of
coq "rooster" used as a nickname for a vain conceited or womanizing individual. Or possibly also a habitational name from (Le) Cochet the name of several places in various parts of France.
Coco Italian, Sicilianoccupational name for a cook a seller of cooked meats or a keeper of an eating house from southern Italian
coco "cook" (from Latin
cocus coquus).
Cocuzza ItalianFrom
cocuzza "gourd", "pumpkin", applied either as an occupational name for a grower or seller of gourds or a nickname for a rotund individual.
Codino ItalianMeans "pigtail, plait" in Italian, literally "tail's end". Ultimately from Latin
cauda "tail (of an animal)". Perhaps given to someone who often wore their hair in such a style, possibly given to orphans or foundlings.
Codispoti ItalianA Calabrian surname from Greek
οικοδεσπότης (
oikodespótis) "host, master of the house".
Cois ItalianPossibly from the name of a lost town, Coni. Alternately, may be from dialectical words meaning "to cook" or "finch", referring to an occupation or nickname.
Coit Medieval Welsh, French, EnglishThe surname Coit was first found in Carnarvonshire, a former country in Northwest Wales, anciently part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and currently is divided between the unitary authorities of Gwynedd and Conwy, where they held a family seat... [
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Collu ItalianFrom a dialectical form of Italian
collo, meaning "neck" or "parcel, package".
Colo ItalianFrom the personal name Colo, a short form of Nicolo (see Nicholas). (Colò) nickname from medieval Greek kolos ‘lame’, classical Greek kylos.
Cologne FrenchHabitational name from a place in France called Cologne.
Colomb Frenchfrom Old French
colomb "pigeon" (from Latin
columbus) applied as a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of pigeons or doves... [
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Colonna Italiantopographic name from
colonna "column" (from Latin
columna).
Combe FrenchEither a topographic name for someone living in or near a ravine from
combe "narrow valley ravine" (from Latin
cumba a word of Gaulish origin); or a habitational name from Combe the name of several places in the southern part of France of the same etymology.
Combès FrenchEither a topographic name from
combe "narrow valley ravine" (see
Combe ) or a habitational name from any of various places in southern France for example in Hérault named Combes.
Comito ItalianFrom the medieval Latin
comitus, meaning "count", or the medieval Greek form of this word,
komitos, used as a nickname for someone who put on airs and graces or worked for a count.
Commander Anglo-Saxon, FrenchFrom Middle English
comander,
comandor and
comandour and also from Old French
comandeor, all meaning "commander", "leader" or "ruler". The first recorded use of the name is through a family seat held in Somerset.
Comte FrenchNickname for someone who worked for a count or for someone acting haughty from Old French
conte cunte "count". French cognitive of
Conte and variant of
Lecomte.
Condom FrenchRegional name for someone who lives in a French province named "Condom".
Confalone Italianfrom
gonfalone "standard banner" from Old French
gonfalon (of ancient Germanic origin) a metonymic occupational name for a standard bearer either in a military context or as the officer of a guild responsible for carrying the banner in religious processions... [
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Coniglio ItalianFrom
coniglio "rabbit" (from Latin
cuniculus ) applied as a nickname for a timid person or a metonymic occupational name for a dealer in rabbits. Italian cognitive of
Coelho.
Conte ItalianMeans "count (a title of nobility)" in Italian.
Contestabile ItalianMeans "debatable, questionable" in Italian, perhaps a nickname for an argumentative person, or for someone of dubious respectability.
Conzett RomanshDerived from
Conz, a variant of the given name
Kunz, in combination with the diminutive suffix
-ett.
Coppenhaver GermanAmericanized spelling, probably originally spelled Kopenhaver or Koppenhaver. Means "owner of a hill".
Corbin English, FrenchDerived from French
corbeau meaning "raven," originally denoting a person who had dark hair.
Cordasco ItalianFrom the given name
Corda or
Cordio (a short form of Accord(i)o, literally "agreement") + the suffix -
asco denoting kinship.
Corday FrenchEither from the French word
corde meaning "cord/rope/string", or from the Latin word
cor meaning "heart." This was the surname of Charlotte Corday, the assassin who killed Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat during the French revolution.
Cordier FrenchGiven to someone who worked or made with cord and or strings from old French
corde "string".
Cordisco ItalianPossibly from Italian
cordesco "second-born lamb, butchered calf".
Cordonnier FrenchAn occupational surname for a cordwainer or shoemaker, and derived from Old French
cordouanier, literally meaning "cobbler".
Cormier FrenchFrench topographic name for someone who lived near a sorb or service tree, Old French
cormier (from
corme, the name of the fruit for which the tree was cultivated, apparently of Gaulish origin).
Cornacchia ItalianNickname meaning "crow, jackdaw" in Italian, applied to someone who was talkative or thought to resemble a crow or jackdaw in some other way.
Corongiu ItalianPossibly from Sardinian
corongiu "rocky hill, boulder, large mass", denoting someone who lived near such a landmark, or perhaps a nickname based on the bearer's physical appearance.
Corrias ItalianProbably from Sardinian
corria "leather strap, lace, belt; narrow strip of land".
Corte Spanish, Catalan, Italian, PortugueseFrom
corte ‘court', applied as an occupational name for someone who worked at a manorial court or a topographic name for someone who lived in or by one.
Cosca ItalianTopographic name from the Calabrian dialect word
c(u)oscu "oak", also "wood".
Cossart English, FrenchFrom French, referring to "a dealer of horses" (related to the English word "courser"). This surname was brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066, and became one of the many Anglo-Norman words that made up Middle English.
Cossiga Italian, SardinianSardinian translation of the place name
Corsica. A famous bearer of the name is Francesco Cossiga (1928-2010), Italian politician who served as Prime Minister (1979-1980) and as President (1985-1992).
Cossu ItalianProbably from Sardinian
cossu "tub, trough, basin".
Cotton English, FrenchEnglish: habitational name from any of numerous places named from Old English
cotum (dative plural of
cot) ‘at the cottages or huts’ (or sometimes possibly from a Middle English plural,
coten)... [
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Cottrell English, FrenchFirst found in Derbyshire where the family "Cottrell" held a family seat and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege lord for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings, 1066CE... [
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Coulon FrenchFrom Old French
colomb "pigeon" (from Latin
columba) used as a metonymic occupational name for a breeder.
Council English, German1 English: nickname for a wise or thoughtful man, from Anglo-Norman French counseil ‘consultation’, ‘deliberation’, also ‘counsel’, ‘advice’ (Latin consilium, from consulere ‘to consult’)... [
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Courcelles FrenchThe name of several places in France, Belgium and Canada. In Middle French the word courcelle was used to describe a "small court" or a "small garden". The word is derived from the medieval Gallo-Romance and Gallo-Italian word
corticella, which was formed from the Latin word
cohors, meaning "court" or "enclosure", and the diminutive
–icella.... [
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Couric FrenchOriginally a nickname given to a short person, derived from Middle Breton
corr,
korr meaning "dwarf, midget". A well-known bearer of this surname is the American journalist, television host and author Katie Couric (1957-).
Court English, French, IrishA topographic name from Middle English, Old French
court(e) and
curt, meaning ‘court’. This word was used primarily with reference to the residence of the lord of a manor, and the surname is usually an occupational name for someone employed at a manorial court.... [
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Courville FrenchDerived from either of two communes in the departments of Marne and Eure-et-Loir in France. It is named with Latin
curba villa, denoting a settlement in the curve of a road.
Cousin English, FrenchNickname derived from Middle English
cousin and Old French
cosin,
cusin meaning "cousin".
Covert English, FrenchThe surname is probably topographical, for someone who either lived by a sheltered bay, or more likely an area sheltered by trees. The formation is similar to couvert, meaning a wood or covert, and originally from the Latin "cooperio", to cover... [
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Crabb English, Scottish, German, Dutch, DanishEnglish and Scottish, from Middle English crabbe, Old English
crabba ‘crab’ (the crustacean), a nickname for someone with a peculiar gait. English and Scottish from Middle English
crabbe ‘crabapple (tree)’ (probably of Old Norse origin), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a crabapple tree... [
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Crauwels Flemish, Dutch, GermanDerrives from the Middle Dutch (medieval Dutch) word "crauwel" and Middle High German word "kröuwel" which means "flesh hook", "curved fork" or "trident". The word is no longer used. The first person with this name was most likely a farmer, butcher or a person that runned an inn or a hostel that was named after this tool.
Crepeau FrenchFrom the Latin word,
crispus, meaning "curly hair".
Cress German, Jewish, BelarusianA variant of the German surname Kress. From the Middle High German "kresse" meaning "gudgeon" (a type of fish) or the Old High German "krassig", meaning "greedy". Can also be from an altered form of the names Erasmus or Christian, or the Latin spelling of the Cyrillic "КРЕСС".
Cresta Italian, RomanshDerived from Italian and Romansh
cresta "crest" (ultimately from Latin
crista). This name was perhaps applied as a topographic name for someone who lived by the crest of a mountain or as a nickname with reference to the comb of a rooster.