Origin
Poland : 1: English: habitational name from a place in Hampshire called Poland which probably derives from Old English Pōling or Pulling ‘pool place’. Alternatively it may be a variant of any of the similar (like-sounding) English surnames such as Pulham and Pullen altered by folk etymology to conform to the name of the country in central Europe.2: Irish (County Offaly also Armagh and Down): variant of Polin. Compare Polan.3: German: ethnic name from Middle High German Polan ‘Poland’ + excrescent -d denoting an ethnic Pole or someone with Polish connections.4: Altered form of French Poulin or Poulain ‘young animal colt’.
Abramczyk : Polish and Jewish (from Poland): from a Polish pet form of the personal name Abram (see Abraham).
Abramowicz : Polish and Jewish (from Poland): patronymic from Abram a shortened form of the personal name Abraham.
Abramowski : Jewish (from Poland): patronymic from Abram a shortened form of the personal name Abraham.
Abt : 1: German and Dutch: from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch abt ‘abbot’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a servant of an abbot or a nickname for someone thought to resemble an abbot in some way. In some instances it may have been a topographic or habitational name referring to a house named with this word.2: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): variant of Abt a habitational name from Opatów in Poland.
Adamchak : 1: Ukrainian and Rusyn: patronymic from the personal name Adamko a pet form of Adam. The surname is formed with the diminutive suffix -ak.2: Americanized form of Rusyn (from Slovakia) and Slovak Adamčák or Adamčak and of Polish and Rusyn (from Poland) Adamczak cognates of 1 above.
Adamski : 1: Polish: from the personal name Adam + the suffix -ski.2: Polish and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from Adamy or Adamowo villages in Poland or from Adamki in Poland and Belarus.
Adas : 1: Turkish (Adaş): nickname or relationship name from adaş ‘namesake’ regionally or archaically also e.g. ‘companion’.2: Arabic: possibly a nickname or a metonymic occupational name from ʿadas ‘lentil’. This surname is found among both Muslims and Christians.3: Polish (Adaś): from a pet form of the personal name Adam. The vast majority of its bearers live in the region of Lesser Poland.
Adler : 1: German: from Adler ‘eagle’ in most cases a topographic or habitational name referring to a house identified by the sign of an eagle. The German noun is from Middle High German adelar itself a compound of adel ‘noble’ + ar ‘eagle’. This surname is also found in e.g. Czechia Poland and Slovenia often as a translation into German of the Slavic surname Orel in Hungary where it is spelled Ádler and in France (Alsace and Lorraine).2: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name meaning ‘eagle’.3: English: in a few cases a variant of Allard with loss of final -d.
Aksamit : Jewish (from Poland) Polish and Czech; Slovak (also Aksamít): nickname or metonymic occupational name from aksamit ‘velvet’ a word of Greek origin (from hexamitos ‘six-threaded’).
Anders : 1: German: from the personal name Anders a vernacular form of Andreas. This surname is also found in Poland Czechia and France (Alsace and Lorraine) where it is of German origin and in Sweden.2: English: variant of Andrews.
Apt : 1: German: variant of Abt.2: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name from Apt the Yiddish name of Opatów in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship Poland. The placename (in German Yiddish and Polish) is from a root meaning ‘abbot’ the place having been named for the local abbey. Compare Abt.
Babad : Jewish: acronymic surname from benei av beit din ‘children of the av bet din’. In 16th-century Poland and Lithuania the title av beit din designated the principal of the Orthodox Jewish college or seminary who promulgated Jewish legal rulings and took part in the communal administration; it was also used as the title of the district rabbi of a large community.
Babiak : 1: Polish Slovak and Rusyn (from Poland and Slovakia): metronymic patronymic or nickname from baba ‘(old) woman grandmother’ figuratively (for a man) ‘coward’ (see Baba compare Babic).2: In some cases this is also a variant transliteration of Ukrainian Babyak a cognate of 1 above.
Babinski : 1: Polish and Jewish (from Poland) (Babiński): habitational name for someone from any of numerous places called Babin or Babino.2: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from a place called Babino or Babinka (now in Belarus) or Babin (now in Ukraine). In some cases this may also be a variant transliteration of the Ukrainian cognate Babinsky.
Bac : 1: Polish (also Bać): perhaps a variant of Bacz from a pet form of the personal name Bartłomiej (see Bartholomew) occuring in southeastern Poland. Aternatively it may be a metonymic occupational name derived from baca ‘shepherd’. Compare Batz.2: French: from bac ‘tub trough’ probably applied as a metonymic occupational name or as a topographic name.3: Slovenian: nickname from bac ‘lambkin’. Compare Batz.4: Vietnamese (Bạc): from the Chinese surname 薄 see Bo 6.5: Amerindian (Guatemala): Mayan name from a Castilianized form of b’aq ‘bone’ also ‘thin’.
Baczkowski : Polish: habitational name for someone from either of two places called Baczków in Lesser Poland and Masovian voivodeships.
Baczynski : Polish (Baczyński): habitational name for someone from any of several places called Baczyn (in Lesser Poland Voivodeship) or Baczyna (in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship and in Lviv Oblast in Ukraine). Compare Bachinski.
Bagan : 1: Polish Ukrainian and Rusyn: possibly of the same origin as 2. As a Polish name it may alternatively be a nickname for a destructive person from baganić ‘to destroy’. Compare Bahan.2: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of several minor places called with Polish bagno or Ukrainian bahno (Russian-oriented transliteration bagno) ‘marsh’ e.g. Bagny and Bagno in Poland.3: Scottish (Lanarkshire and Angus): possibly a variant of Beggan from Ó Beagáin ‘descendant of Beagán’ a personal name from a diminutive of beag ‘small’ (see Began).
Bajus : 1: Slovak (also Bajús) and Rusyn (from Slovakia and Poland): nickname from a Slavicized form of Hungarian bajusz ‘a hair under the nose’. The surname Bajus is also found in Serbia (Vojvodina).2: Americanized form of Hungarian Bajusz: nickname from bajusz ‘a hair under the nose’.3: Lithuanian: unexplained. This surname is rare in Lithuania.
Bak : 1: Czech Slovak and Hungarian: from the old personal name Bak which can be a short form of the personal names beginning with Ba- or a Hungarian name probably from bak ‘billy goat he-goat’. It is also a nickname derived from this word denoting a womanizer a ladies’ man.2: Polish: nickname from Old Polish bakać ‘to scold or yell (at someone)’.3: Polish and Jewish (from Poland) (Bąk): nickname from Polish bąk ‘horse-fly’ ‘bittern’ or ‘eagle-owl’; in the first of these senses probably a nickname for an irritating person. Compare Bonk.4: Croatian and Slovenian: nickname from Croatian and dialectal Slovenian bak ‘bull’.5: Dutch: variant of Back 6.6: Korean: variant of Pak 1.7: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 麥 see Mai 2.8: Chinese: alternative Cantonese form of the surnames 白 and 柏 see Bai 1 and 2.
Bakowski : 1: Polish: habitational name for someone from Bakowce nowadays Bakivtsi in Ukraine in Lviv Oblast.2: Polish and Jewish (from Poland) (Bąkowski): habitational name for someone from any of a number of places called Bąkow Bąkowa or Bąkowo. Compare Bonkowski.
Balicki : Polish: habitational name for someone from any of the places called Balice in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie voivodeships.
Balinski : Polish (Baliński): habitational name for someone from any of the places called Balin in Łódź Kuyavian-Pomeranian and Lesser Poland voivodeships and also in Ukraine in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.
Banda : 1: Spanish: habitational name from any of various places called with banda probably in the sense ‘side edge part’. The name is found especially in southwestern Spain.2: Slovak Czech and Polish: nickname for a member of a banda ‘band gang’ colloquially also ‘gipsy music band’.3: Serbian and Croatian: nickname from banda ‘band gang’ denoting a bandit-turned border guard.4: Hungarian: possibly from the old personal name Bán (see Ban) or an adoption of the Croatian name (see above).5: West Frisian: elaboration with -a of Band 4. Compare Banta.6: Jewish (from Poland): metonymic occupational name from Polish banda ‘ribbon’.7: African: probably from the Bantu word banda denoting a type of large ant used as a totemic name and subsequently as a surname in various southeastern African countries (e.g. Malawi Zimbabwe Zambia).
Bando : 1: Japanese (Bandō): written 坂東 or 板東 ‘east of the slope’ referring to provinces east of Ōsaka (‘great slope’). The name is found mostly in western Japan.2: Spanish (mainly Andalusia): possibly a habitational name from any of the places called Bando in A Coruña (Galicia).3: Polish: unexplained. This surname is rare in Poland.
Banek : 1: Croatian: diminutive of Ban.2: Polish: from a diminutive of the personal name Ban. Alternatively it can be an adaptation of German Bang or since it is used mostly in the southern part of Poland of Czech or Slovak Baník ‘miner’ (see Banik).
Banet : 2: French: from a variant of the personal name Benet a regional form of Benoît (see Benoit).1: French: derivative of Bane ‘hamper large basket’.3: Jewish (from Poland): variant of Benet 2.
Banik : 1: Slovak Rusyn (from Slovakia) and Czech (Moravian) (mainly Baník Slovak also Bánik): occupational name for a miner from baník ‘miner’. For Rusyn name see also 3.2: Polish: derivative of the personal name Ban or since it is used almost exclusively in the southern part of Poland an adaptation of Czech or Slovak Baník ‘miner’ (see 1 above).3: Ukrainian and Rusyn (standard transliteration Banyk): nickname from banyk a term denoting a kind of curd tart. See also 1 above.4: Indian (Bengal Assam and Orissa) and Bangladeshi: Baishya occupational name from Sanskrit vaṇik ‘merchant’.
Bank : 1: German Dutch and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German or Middle Low German banc or Yiddish bank ‘bench table counter’ in any of various senses e.g. a metonymic occupational name for anyone whose work required a bench or counter for example a butcher baker court official or money changer. The surname of German is also found in Poland and in Czechia.2: Danish and Swedish: topographic name from bank ‘(sand)bank’ or a habitational name from a farm named with this word.3: Danish and Swedish: from bank ‘noise’ hence a nickname for a loud or noisy person. Compare Bang.4: Danish: habitational name from the German placename Bänkau.5: English: topographic name from Middle English banke (Old Norse banke) ‘bank hillside’ or a habitational name from any of the many places so called.6: Irish: adopted for Ó Bruacháin ‘descendant of Bruachán’ a byname apparently meaning ‘large-bellied’. This name has also been Anglicized as Banks as if from Irish bruach ‘bank’.7: Dutch: from the personal name Bank recorded in North Holland province a vernacular of Bancras from Pancratius (see Pankratz).8: Hungarian (Bánk): from a diminutive of Bán (see Ban).
Barnowski : Polish and Rusyn (from Poland): habitational name for someone from Barnowiec (Rusyn name Barnowec) a village in Nowy Sącz County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The vast majority of its bearers live in Nowy Sącz County and in Legnica County in Lower Silesian Voivodeship where Rusyns (Lemkos) where resettled after 1945.
Bart : 1: German: variant of Barth 1 ‘beard’. This name which can not be always distinguished from 3 below is also found in Poland Czechia Slovakia and Slovenia sometimes as a German translation of Slavic surnames meaning ‘beard’ or ‘bearded man’ e.g. Polish Broda Czech and Slovak Bradáč Slovenian Bradač (see Bradac).2: North German: from the personal name Bart a short form of ancient Germanic names based on the element bert ‘bright brilliant’ as for example Barthold.3: Dutch German English French Polish Sorbian and Slovak; Czech (Bárt): from the personal name Bart (Czech Bárt) a vernacular short form of local variants of Latin Bartholomaeus (see Bartholomew). This may also be the origin of a homonymous Slovenian surname (see 1 above).4: French: variant of Bard 1.
Barth : 1: German and Swiss German: nickname for a bearded man from Middle High German bart ‘beard’. This name which can not be always distinguished from 2 and 4 below is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine) Poland Czechia Slovakia and Slovenia in the last four countries sometimes as a German translation of Slavic surnames meaning ‘beard’ or ‘bearded man’ (see Bart 1). See also Beard 1.3: German: habitational name from a place so named in Pomerania.2: German and English (Worcestershire): variant of Bart 3.4: Germanized form of Polish Sorbian and Slovak Bart 3 and Czech Bárt.
Bartko : Slovak Polish and Rusyn (from Slovakia and Poland): from a pet form of the personal name Bartolomej (Slovak) Bartłomiej (Polish) from Latin Bartholomaeus (see Bartholomew).
Bartosh : 1: Americanized form of Hungarian Bartos Czech Slovak Sorbian and Croatian Bartoš Polish Bartoś Polish and Rusyn (from Poland) Bartosz and of their Germanized form Bartosch.2: Ukrainian: from a pet form of the personal name Bartolomiy Ukrainian form of Bartholomew.
Bartosz : Polish and Rusyn (from Poland): from a pet form of the personal name Bartłomiej (see Bartholomew).
Barut : 1: Polish: adaptation of German Baruth or from a pet form of the personal name Bartłomiej from Latin Bartholomaeus (see Bartholomew). It is mainly used in southern part of Poland especially in Bielsko-Biała and Żywiec counties in Silesian Voivodeship and Krosno County in Podkarpackie Voivodeship.2: Slovak: from a pet form of the personal name Bartolomej from Latin Bartholomaeus (see Bartholomew).3: Turkish: nickname from barut ‘gunpowder’ figuratively ‘hot-tempered man’.4: Filipino: unexplained.
Bator : Hungarian (Bátor) and Polish: nickname from Hungarian bátor ‘bold brave’. In some cases the Hungarian surname may be from the old personal name Bátor (which is from the same vocabulary word). The Transylvanian Báthori dynasty of the 16th–17th centuries was named for one of the family's estates the village of Bátor. One of its rulers István Báthori (Stefan Batory in Polish) became king of Poland hence the spread of the name into Poland.
Bauer : German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): status name for a peasant or nickname meaning ‘neighbor fellow citizen’ from Middle High German (ge)būr Middle Low German būr denoting an occupant of a būr a small dwelling or building. This word later fell together with Middle High German būwære an agent noun from Old High German būwan ‘to cultivate’ later also (at first in Low German dialects) ‘to build’. The precise meaning of the Jewish surname which is of later formation is unclear. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine) the Netherlands Denmark Hungary Poland Czechia Slovakia Croatia and Slovenia often as a translation into German of corresponding Slavic status names or surnames.
Baumann : German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): status name for a peasant or a nickname meaning ‘neighbor fellow citizen’ from Middle High German būman German Baumann ‘peasant’ (see Bauer). This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine) the Netherlands Denmark Poland and some other European countries. Compare Bauman and Bowman.
Bayer : 1: German Scandinavian and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from Bavaria (German Bayern). This region of southern Germany derives its name from that of the Celtic tribe of the Boii who once inhabited this area. They were displaced in the 6th century AD by an ancient Germanic people the Boioarii or Baiuarii whose name is derived from that of their Celtic predecessors. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine) Hungary Czechia Slovakia and Poland. Compare Beyer and Payer.2: English (Lincolnshire): occupational name for a maker of baize cloth from an agent derivative of Old French baies Middle English bayes (from the adjective bai ‘reddish-brown bay’) probably so called because of its original color. This material was said to have been introduced into Britain by immigrants from France and the Netherlands in the 16th century but the word certainly appears much earlier in English. The surname may also be topographic denoting a ‘dweller by the bend’ from an agent derivative of Old English bēag ‘bend’.3: Dutch: variant of Baijer a cognate of 1 above.
Bayus : 1: Rusyn and Ukrainian: nickname from a Slavicized form of Hungarian bajusz ‘a hair under the nose’.2: Americanized form of Hungarian Bajusz Slovak and Rusyn (from Slovakia and Poland) Bajus cognates of 1.3: Americanized form of Lithuanian Bajus.
Bednarski : 1: Polish and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name for someone from any of various places called Bednary Bednarze or Bednarskie.2: Jewish (from Poland): patronymic from Polish bednarz an occupational name for a cooper (see Bednarz).
Bednarz : Polish and Jewish (from Poland): occupational name for a cooper Polish bednarz.
Behrendt : North German: variant of Behrend. This surname is also found in Poland and Denmark.
Belot : 1: French: nickname from a derivative of Bel ‘beautiful’. This surname is also found in Haiti.2: Altered form of Polish Bilot unexplained. The surname Bilot is very rare in Poland.
Belsky : 1: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) Belorussian and Ukrainian: habitational name for someone from a place called Bel'sk in Ukraine and in Belarus or from any of the places in northern and eastern Poland called Bielsk. It is based on the Russian (belyy) or Belorussian (bely) form of the Slavic adjective meaning ‘white’. Compare Belski Bielski and Bilsky.2: Altered form of Polish Belski.
Berend : German: variant of Behrend. This surname is also found in Poland and Denmark.
Berendt : North German: variant of Behrendt. This surname is also found in Poland and Denmark.
Berg : 1: German and Dutch: topographic name for someone who lived on or by a hill or mountain from Middle High German berc Middle Dutch berghe. This surname is also found in some other parts of Europe e.g. in France (Alsace and Lorraine) and Poland. Compare Dutch Vandenberg.2: Norwegian and Danish: habitational name from a farmstead named with Old Norse bjarg ‘mountain hill’.3: Swedish: topographic or ornamental name from berg ‘mountain hill’ or a habitational name from a place called Berg or from a placename containing the word berg. The surname which is also found in Finland may also be of German origin (see 1 above).4: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Berg ‘mountain hill’ or a short form of any of the many artificial surnames containing this word as the final element for example Schönberg (see Schoenberg) and Goldberg.5: Germanized form of Sorbian Běrk (see Berk).
Berger : 1: German Dutch Swedish and Jewish (Ashkenazic): topographic name for someone who lived in the mountains or hills (see Berg). The surname of German origin is also found in many other European countries e.g. in France (Alsace and Lorraine) Russia Poland Czechia Hungary and Croatia and Slovenia often as a translation into German of corresponding Slavic topographic names or surnames. As a Jewish name it is mainly artificial. Compare Bargar Barger Barker Barrier and Barriger.2: French: occupational name from Old French bergier ‘shepherd’ (from Late Latin berbicarius from berbex ‘ram’). It is also found in England as a surname of Huguenot origin. Compare Shepard.3: Norwegian: habitational name from any of various farms so named with the plural of Berg ‘mountain’.4: French Canadian: shortened form of German Nürnberger (see Nurnberger).
Bergman : 1: Swedish: ornamental or topographic name from berg ‘mountain hill’ + man ‘man’ or a habitational name for someone from a place named with the word berg. The surname which is also found in Finland may also be of German (compare 3 below) or Dutch (see 2 below) origin.2: Dutch: topographic name denoting an upland dweller from berg (see Berg) ‘mountain hill’ + man ‘man’.3: Altered form of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Bergmann. This form of the surname is also found in Czechia Poland and some other European countries.
Bergson : Jewish (from Poland): variant of Berkson.
Berlinski : 1: Polish (Berliński): habitational name for someone from Berlin in Germany (see Berlin) or Berlinek (formerly Berlino) a village in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship.2: Jewish (from Poland and Ukraine; also Berliński): habitational name for someone from Berlin in Germany (see Berlin compare 1 above).
Bernik : 1: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from the village of Berniki (Polish Bierniki) today in western Belarus and eastern Poland.2: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): nickname based on the Polish adjective bierny ‘passive indifferent’.3: Slovenian: probably an archaic nickname derived from brati ‘to collect to pick’ denoting a beggar or an impoverished man. Alternatively perhaps a topographic name derived from brdo ‘rising ground’ (compare Vernik). Compare also Barnick Bernich and Bernick.
Bernstein : 1: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Bernstein ‘amber’ (from Middle Low German bernen ‘to burn’ + stēn ‘stone’; it was thought to be created by burning although it is in fact fossilized pine resin).2: German: habitational name from a place called Bernstein of which there is one example in Bavaria and another in what used to be East Prussia (now Pełczyce in northwestern Poland). Both of these probably get their German names from the notion of a ‘burnt stone’ for example in brick making rather than from the usual modern meaning ‘amber’. The name may also be derived from Bärenstein a common field and placename especially in Bavaria and Austria.3: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): in some cases perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a craftsman or dealer in amber.
Beyer : 1: German Scandinavian English and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Bayer. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine) and Poland.2: Dutch: variant of Beijer a cognate of 1 above.
Bialkowski : Polish (Białkowski): habitational name for someone from any of the places called Białkowo in Masovian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeships Białków in Greater Poland Voivodeship or Białkowice in Łódź Voivodeship. See also Bialek.
Biber : 1: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Bieber. This form of the surname is also found in Poland and Slovenia.2: Turkish Bosniak Croatian and Serbian: nickname from Turkish biber ‘pepper’ (also a loanword in Bosnian Croatian and Serbian) probably denoting a small person or a person with a hot temper. In Serbia the name may in part be of Romanian or Wallachian origin from biber ‘beaver’ a word of German origin (see Bieber compare 1 above).
Bielak : 1: Polish: patronymic from Biały (see Bialy).2: Polish and Jewish (from Poland): nickname for someone who was a fast runner from bielak ‘mountain hare’ (Lepus variabilis).
Bielecki : Polish: habitational name for someone from a place called Bielcza in Lesser Poland Bielki in Podlaskie and Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeships Biele in Masovian Greater Poland and Kuyavian Pomeranian voivodeships or Białka in Podlaskie Lublin Masovian and Podkarpackie voivodeships named with biały ‘white’.
Bielicki : Polish and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name for someone from a place called Bielice (in particular in Łódź Voivodeship).
Bielinski : Polish and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) (Bieliński): habitational name for someone from a place called Bielin in Volhynia or from any of various other similarly named places in Poland such as Bielina Bielino or Bieliny.
Bielski : Polish and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name for someone from Biała Białe Bielsk Bielsko or various other places in Poland (and in Ukraine) with a name based on the Polish adjective biały ‘white’. Compare Belski Belsky and Polish Bilski.
Biernacki : Polish: habitational name for someone from a place called Biernaty for example in Masovian Voivodeship or Biernatki for example in Greater Poland Voivodeship places called with the personal name Biernat Polish form of Bernard.
Bigos : Polish and Jewish (from Poland): from bigos formerly denoting anything that was chopped or slashed now a particular dish composed of hash and sauerkraut; also ‘confusion’; hence perhaps a nickname for someone who caused confusion.
Bik : 1: Polish and Rusyn: variant of Byk occuring mainly in Lesser Poland. As a Polish name it may in some cases also be an adaptation of German Bick 1 or 2.2: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from eastern Yiddish bik ‘ox bull’. This may be a translation of Shor ‘ox’. Compare Bick 4 and Byk 2.3: Burmese (Chin): from a name element originally forming part of a compound personal name meaning ‘most best’. — Note: Since Chins do not have hereditary surnames this name element was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.
Bilyk : Ukrainian and Rusyn (in Poland spelled Biłyk): from a derivative of bilyy ‘white’ hence a nickname for someone with white or fair hair or a pale complexion. Compare Bilik and Billick.
Binder : 1: South German Swiss German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for a cooper or barrel maker German (Fass)binder an agent derivative of binden ‘to bind’. Less often the same word was used to denote a bookbinder (compare English name below). This surname is also found in Denmark France (Alsace and Lorraine) Czechia Slovakia Poland and Slovenia. Compare Boettcher Buettner Pinter 1 and Schaeffler.2: German: variant of Bunde 2.3: English: occupational name from Middle English binder ‘binder’ (Old English bindere) probably for a bookbinder. Compare Bookbinder.
Binkowski : Polish (also Bińkowski):: 1: habitational name for someone from a place called Binkowo in Greater Poland Voivodeship Binków (formerly also Bińków) in Łódź Voivodeship Binkowice (formerly also Bińkowice) in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship all named with the personal name Bińko Bin(i)ek (see Bienek Bieniek).2: variant of Bieńkowski (see Bienkowski).
Bittner : German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Büttner (see Buettner). This surname is also found in Poland Czechia Slovakia and Hungary.
Bizub : Polish (mainly southeastern Poland): probably a nickname for a toothless person from a variant of bez ‘without’ + the dialect word zub ‘tooth’.
Blanda : 1: Italian: from the feminine form of Blando.2: Polish (Blańda): unexplained. It is found in southern Poland.
Blando : 1: Italian and Hispanic (Philippines): nickname from blando ‘flattering caressing smooth gentle mild’ (from Latin blandus) or from a personal name based on this adjective.2: Polish: unexplained. It is found in central Poland.
Bobeck : 1: Swedish: ornamental name composed of the elements bo ‘farm’ + beck a variant of bäck ‘stream’. In North America this surname may also be an altered form of the variant Bobäck (see Boback).2: German: habitational name from a place so named in Thuringia which is of Slavic origin; compare Bobak.3: Americanized form of Czech Slovenian and Croatian Bobek.4: Jewish (from Poland): variant of Bobek 1.
Bobek : 1: Polish and Jewish (from Poland): topographic name or Jewish artificial name from bobek ‘bayberry’.2: Czech and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): nickname for a small rotund person from bobek ‘goat droppings’.3: Slovenian and Croatian: nickname from a diminutive of bob ‘broad bean’. Compare Bobik and Bobic.4: German: habitational name from a place in Schleswig-Holstein named Bobek.
Bober : 1: Polish Ukrainian Rusyn and Jewish (from Ukraine and Poland): from Polish bóbr ‘beaver’ Ukrainian Rusyn and Yiddish bober applied as a nickname for someone thought to resemble the animal in some way. As a Jewish name it is mainly artificial. As a Rusyn name it is also found in Slovakia.2: Germanized form of Sorbian Bobr: nickname from bobr ‘beaver’ (see 1 above).
Bobinski : Polish (Bobiński): habitational name for someone from a place called Bobin or Bobino (both in Masovian Voivodeship; there is also village called Bobin in Lesser Poland Voivodeship but the vast majority of bearers of this surname live in the northern Masovia).
Bobowski : Polish: habitational name for someone from Bobowa in Lesser Poland Voivodeship Bobowo in Pomeranian Voivodeship or Bobowce (nowadays Bobivtsi) in moder Ukarine in Chernivtsi Oblast.
Bobrowski : Polish and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name for someone from any of various places called Bobrowa Bobrowo Bobrowce or Bobrowiec named with Polish bóbr ‘beaver’.
Bochner : Jewish (from Poland and Ukraine): habitational name for someone from a place called Bochnia.
Bochniak : Polish:: 1: nickname or perhaps an occupational name from bochen ‘loaf of bread’.2: habitational name for someone from the town of Bochnia in Lesser Poland Voivodeship.
Bocian : Polish and Jewish (from Poland): nickname for a tall gangly person from bocian ‘stork’. In some cases the Jewish surname is artificial.
Bodon : 1: Hungarian: probably from a derivative of a personal name like Boda or Bodó Hungarian pet forms of some Slavic name such as Budimir Budislav (see Buda 3).2: Polish (Bodoń); Slovak (rarely Bodoň): derivative of the Polish verb bość (1 sg. bodę) Slovak bodať ‘to gore to prick’ or from the German personal name Bodo. In Poland the bearers of this surname live almost exclusively in Czarnków-Trzcianka County in Greater Poland Voivodeship.3: Spanish (Bodón): topographic name from bodón ‘winter pond or pool’ or a habitational name from El Bodón (Salamanca) a place called with this word.
Bogda : Rusyn (from Slovakia) and Polish: from a short form of the personal name Bogdan. This surname which is very rare in Slovakia and Poland is also found in Germany.
Bogdan : 1: Polish Rusyn Croatian Serbian Slovenian and Romanian; Ukrainian (standard transliteration Bohdan): from the common Slavic personal name Bogdan composed of the elements Bog ‘God’ + dan ‘given’ and thus equivalent to Greek Theodōtos ‘given by God’. In North America this surname may also be a shortened form of any of Slavic patronymics from this personal name e.g. Serbian and Croatian Bogdanić and Bogdanović (see Bogdanovic). Compare Bogden and Bogdon.2: Hungarian (Bogdán): habitational name for someone from any of the places called Bogdány in Abaúj Pest Szabolcs and Veszprém counties or in Máramaros now in Romania. It is also found in Slovakia where it is also spelled Bogdáň and Bogdaň.3: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of numerous places in Belarus and Poland called Bogdany.
Bogdanovich : 1: Americanized form of Serbian and Croatian Bogdanović (see Bogdanovic).2: Ukrainian (standard transliteration Bohdanovych) and Belorussian (standard transliteration/spelling Bahdanovich): patronymic from the personal name Bogdan (Ukrainian Bohdan Belorussian Bahdan).3: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from Bogdany in Poland or from the various places in Belarus called Bogdanovo Bogdanovichi or Bogdany.
Bogdanski : Polish (Bogdański) and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone from any of various villages called Bogdany e.g. in Poland Belarus and Ukraine all named with the personal name Bogdan.
Boguslawski : 1: Polish and Jewish (from Poland) (Bogusławski): habitational name for someone from a place called Bogusław (part of the town of Jarocin in Greater Poland Voivodeship) or Bogusławice (several villages in particular in Łódź and Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeships) named with the personal name Bogusław composed of Slavic Bog ‘God’ + the element slav ‘glory’ or ‘famous’ (from Old Slavic slava ‘glory’).2: Jewish (from Ukraine): habitational name for someone from a place called Boguslav in Ukraine.
Bohland : German:: 1: variant of Bohlander.2: possibly in some cases an ethnic name for someone from Poland commonly known in the Middle Ages as Boland.3: (Böhland): from a Germanized Slavic nickname for a fair haired man derived from Old Slavic bělъ ‘white bright fair’ (compare Belan).
Boik : 1: North German: variant of Boike. The surname Boik is apparently no longer found in Germany.2: Probably also a Germanized form of Polish Bojko. It is found in central Poland.
Boike : North German: variant of Boyke a diminutive of Boye. This surname is also found in northern Poland.
Bojanowski : Polish: habitational name for someone from a place called with the personal name Bojan such as Bojano (formerly Bojan village in Pomeranian Voivodeship) Bojanowo (village in Masovian Voivodeship and town in Greater Poland Voivodeship) also Bojanów (village in Silesian Voivodeship).
Bojarski : 1: Polish and Jewish (from Poland and Belarus): habitational name for someone from Bojary in Poland or (in the case of the Jewish name) from Boyary in Belarus.2: Polish: nickname derived from bojar ‘boyar’ (see Bojar).3: Jewish (from Ukraine): habitational name for someone from Boyarka a place in Ukraine. Compare Boyarsky.
Bojko : 1: Polish Czech Slovak and Croatian: from a pet form of Slavic personal names containing the element boj ‘fight’ such as Old Polish Budziboj.2: Slovak: nickname from bojko ‘coward’.3: Polish and Rusyn (from Poland and Slovakia): ethnic name from Bojko denoting a member of a sub-group of the East Slavic Rusyn ethnicity (see Rusin 1). Compare Boiko and Boyko.
Bondar : Ukrainian and Jewish (from Ukraine and Belarus): occupational name for a cooper Ukrainian bondar. This surname is also found in Poland.
Bondy : 1: Jewish: variant of Bondi 5. This form of the surname was borne by a family from Italy that settled in Prague hence its occurrence in Bohemia and Poland.2: English (Dorset): variant of Bundy.3: French: habitational name from any of several places called Bondy. Compare Bondie.
Bonkowski : Polish and Jewish (from Poland): variant of Bąkowski (see Bakowski).
Borek : 1: Polish: from a derivative of Borzysław Bolebor or some other personal name formed with the element bor ‘to fight’ (from Old Slavic and South Slavic boriti se; see also Boris).2: Polish and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name from Borek so named with Polish bór ‘pine forest’ + the diminutive suffix -ek. As a Jewish name it could sometimes also be from a Polonized form of the Yiddish personal name Borukh.
Borenstein : Jewish (from Poland): variant of Bornstein.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
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