Browse Surnames

Bischoffs is a German surname, a cognate of the English name Bishop. Like its English counterpart, Bischoffs derives from the German word for a bishop, ultimately tracing back through Latin to Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos)...

Blau is a German surname derived from the adjective blau, meaning "blue." The name most likely referred to a person who habitually wore blue clothing, a common practice in occupational and descriptive surnames in German-...

Blecher is a German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word blech, meaning "tin" or "sheet metal." The name was originally given to a tinsmith or a worker who fashioned objects from tin or other she...

Bleier is a German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word blei, meaning "lead" (the metal). The name originally referred to a worker who handled lead, such as a plumber, a miner, or a craftsman who...

Blum is a German and Yiddish surname meaning "flower". It derives from the Middle High German word bluome (flower), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *blōmō. In both German and Yiddish contexts, the name originally ref...

Blumenthal is a German surname meaning “flower valley,” derived from the German words Blumen (“flowers”) and Thal (“valle y”). The name was originally taken from the German village named Blumenthal in Brandenburg, but it...

Böcker is a German-language surname, primarily found in German-speaking regions. It is a variant of the more common surname Böttcher, which in turn derives from an occupational name meaning a cooper or barrel maker.Etymo...

Etymology and OriginBoehler is a German surname, a variant spelling of Böhler, which is derived from the name of several German towns called Boll or Böhl, meaning "hill." The name therefore originally denoted someone who...

Boesch is a German and Low German surname, a variant of Bösch 1 or Bösch 2. The first form, Bösch 1, originated as a diminutive of the given name Sebastian, which itself comes from the Latin name Sebastianus meaning "fro...

Böhler is a German and Austrian surname of topographic origin, derived from the name of several German towns called Boll or Böhl, meaning "hill". As a toponymic surname, it indicates that the original bearer lived near o...

Böhm is a German surname that originally denoted a person from the region of Bohemia (Böhmen in German). The name is a toponymic, referring to the historical region now comprising the Czech Republic. It falls into a comm...

Böhme is a German surname, a variant of Böhm. The root name Böhm originally indicated a person from the region of Bohemia (Böhmen in German), derived from the ethnonym for the historical inhabitants of Bohemia, a land no...

Böhmer (also spelled Boehmer or Bohmer) is a German surname that originated as a variant of Böhm. The root name Böhm, from the German word Böhme meaning 'Bohemian,' originally referred to a person from the region of Bohe...

Bohn is a German occupational surname, referring to a grower or seller of beans. The name derives from Middle High German bone, meaning 'bean'. It is related to the English surname Bean and the Dutch Boon 3, which share...

Borchard is a German-language surname that originated as a patronymic or derivative of the given name Burkhard. The name Burkhard itself is composed of Old German elements burg meaning "fortress" and hart meaning "hard,...

Borchardt is a German surname derived from the given name Burkhard. The name Burkhard itself originates from the Old German elements burg, meaning "fortress," and hart, meaning "hard, firm, brave, or hardy." This composi...

EtymologyBösch 1 is a German surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Sebastian. The diminutive suffix -sch is characteristic of southern German and Alemannic dialects, where it often transforms personal names...

Etymology and OriginBöttcher is a German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word böttcher, meaning "cooper" or "barrel maker.” The name belongs to the class of occupational surnames that identified...

Braband is a German surname derived from the historical region of Brabant, which is located in present-day Netherlands and Belgium. The regional name Brabant has uncertain origins, with possible meanings including "ploug...

Brahms is a German surname derived from the given name Abraham. The name's most famous bearer was the German composer Johannes Brahms (1833–1897), a towering figure of the mid-Romantic period whose works—including four s...

Brand is a surname of Dutch and German origin, derived from the Old High German word brant or the Old Dutch brand, both meaning "fire." The name originally referred to a person who lived near an area that had been cleare...

Brand 1 is a surname of Dutch, English, and German origin, derived from the Old German given name Brando or its Old Norse cognate Brandr. These names trace back to the Germanic element brant, meaning "fire, torch, sword,...

Brändle is a German surname derived from a diminutive of the Old German given name Brando. The root name Brando comes from the Germanic element brant meaning "fire, torch, sword," or more broadly, a weapon or flame. As a...

Braun is a German surname derived from the Middle High German word brūn meaning "brown". The name originally functioned as a nickname for someone with brown hair, a brown complexion, brown clothing, or perhaps a preferen...

Braune is a German surname, functioning as a variant of the more common Braun. The name derives from the German word for the color "brown," which served as a nickname for someone with brown hair, a brown complexion, or b...

Breiner is a German occupational surname. It derives from Middle High German brie, meaning "porridge," and was likely used to denote a maker or seller of porridge or a cook. Occupational surnames were common in medieval...

Breisacher is a German surname, originally denoting a person who came from the town of Breisach in southwestern Germany, near the Rhine River. The town's name itself is possibly derived from a Celtic word meaning "breakw...

Breitbarth is a German surname of descriptive origin. It derives from the Old High German elements breit, meaning "broad," and bart, meaning "beard." The name was originally a nickname for a man with a notably full or br...

Bretz is a German surname of toponymic origin, indicating a person from the town of Breetz in Brandenburg, Germany. The etymology of the town's name is uncertain, though it may derive from a Slavic or Old German root. Th...

Etymology and OriginBrinkerhoff (also spelled Brinckerhoff) is a surname of German origin. It is derived from a place name meaning "farm near a slope". The first element Brinken relates to a slope or brink, and Hoff mean...

Brodbeck is a German occupational surname meaning "bread baker" from Middle High German brot "bread" and becke "baker".EtymologyThe name combines two elements: the base brot (from Old High German brot, cognate with Engli...

Brose is a German surname derived from the given name Ambrose. The name Ambrose originates from the Late Latin name Ambrosius, which in turn comes from the Greek Ἀμβρόσιος (Ambrosios), meaning "immortal." Saint Ambrose,...

Brotz is a German surname originating as a variant of Protz. The name Protz itself derives from a nickname meaning "showy, pompous," which comes from an old southern German word for "toad." The toad, often associated wit...

Bruhn is a German surname, a variant of the more common Braun, meaning "brown" in German. Like its root form, it originated as a nickname for someone with brown hair, complexion, or brown clothing. The spelling with "hn"...

Buchholz is a German surname meaning "beech wood," derived from Middle High German buoche ("beech") and holz ("wood"). It is a topographic name originally given to someone who lived near a beech forest or a habitation na...

Buckholtz is an Anglicized German surname, originating as a variant of Buchholz. The name Buchholz itself derives from the Middle High German words buoche "beech" and holz "wood", thus meaning "beech wood" as a toponymic...

Bumgarner is a surname of German origin. It is a variant of Baumgartner, an occupational name for someone who worked or lived at an orchard. The root name Baumgartner is derived from the German words Baum 'tree' and Gart...

Burgstaller is a German surname, composed of elements Burg (meaning "fortress, castle") and Stelle ("place, position"). It originally referred to a person living at or near a fortified site, likely a castle or hill fort,...

Busch is a German surname meaning "bush" — a name for someone who lived near a thicket or dense woodland area. Derived from Middle High German busch/bosch and Old High German busk, it ultimately traces to Proto-West Germ...

Cline is an Anglicized spelling of the German surname Klein, which means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. The name originated as a nickname for a person of small stature, or sometimes used ironically f...

Daube is a German surname, most commonly recognized as a variant of Taube.EtymologyThe root name Taube derives from a German nickname meaning "dove." The surname Daube likely originated as a regional or phonetic variant,...

Decker is a German surname, and it is a variant or German form of the Dutch surname Dekker, which means "roofer" or "thatcher" in Dutch. The name thus originates from the occupation of a person who roofed buildings, ofte...

Derichs is a German patrynomic surname meaning "son of Dirk." The suffix -s is a common patronymic ending in German and Dutch surnames, indicating possession or descent. As a family name, Derichs traces its roots to the...

Diefenbach is a German surname derived from a place name composed of the Middle High German elements tief (deep) and bach (creek, brook), meaning "deep creek." The toponymic origin suggests the name was originally given...

Dirks is a Dutch and German patronymic surname meaning "son of Dirk". The name Dirk itself is a short form of Diederik, the Dutch version of Theodoric, which derives from the Gothic *Þiudareiks, composed of the elements...

Dirksen is a Dutch and German patronymic surname meaning "son of Dirk". Etymology The name derives from the given name Dirk, a Dutch and Low German short form of Diederik, which itself comes from Theodoric. Theodoric is...

Dittmar is a German surname, derived from the given name Dietmar, which itself is a German form of the ancient Germanic name Theudemer. Theudemer traces back to the Old German Theudemir and ultimately to the Gothic name...

Etymology and OriginDohman is a German surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Thomas. The name Thomas itself comes from the Aramaic word meaning “twin,” and was popularized across Europe through early Christ...

Drechsler is a German surname, denoting an occupational name for a woodturner or lathe operator. It is a variant of Dressler, which itself derives from Middle High German dreseler, an agent noun from drehen "to turn". Th...

Etymology & Meaning Dreher is a German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German verb drehen, meaning "to turn." The surname referred to a turner or lathe operator — a craftsperson who used a lathe to shap...

Dreier is a German occupational surname, typically understood as a variant of Dreher. The root name Dreher comes from Middle High German drehen meaning "to turn," referring to a turner—a craftsman who used a lathe to sha...

Dreschner is a German occupational surname derived from Middle High German dreschen, meaning "to thresh." A thresher (German: Drescher) was responsible for separating grains from cereal plants like wheat, rye, or barley...

Dresdner is a German toponymic surname indicating a person who came from the city of Dresden in Saxony. The name, meaning “from Dresden” at its most basic, belongs to a common Germanic naming pattern where derived forms...

Dressler is a German occupational surname that originated from the Middle High German dreseler, an agent noun derived from drehen ("to turn"). Thus, the name means "turner" — a craftsman who used a lathe to fashion small...

Dreyer is a German surname that originated as a variant of Dreher, which means "turner" — a craftsman who operated a lathe to shape wood or bone into small objects. The name thus belongs to the occupational surname tradi...

Duerr is a German surname. It is primarily a variant of Dürr, a surname meaning "thin" in German. Like its root form, Duerr may have originated as a nickname for a lean or slender person.The name Duerr appears with some...

Dunkel is a German surname meaning "dark" in the German language. It derives from an adjective describing color or absence of light, and as a surname, it may have originated as a nickname for someone with dark hair, comp...

Dunst is a German surname derived from the Middle High German word dunst, meaning "haze" or "mist." The term itself has a long linguistic lineage, tracing back to Old High German tunst and further to Proto-Germanic *duns...

Dürr is a German surname that literally means "thin" in German, often used as a descriptive nickname for a slender person. The name can also appear in the variant Duerr, which reflects an alternate spelling without the u...

Eberhardt is a German surname derived from the given name Eberhard.The root name Eberhard comes from Old German elements ebur meaning "wild boar" and hart meaning "hard, firm, brave, hardy". Combined, the name signifies...