Is this your surname? Why not share this page on Facebook

Surname Etymology and Meaning of BACK

New! Discuss the origin and etymology of BACK at the British Surnames Forum - contribute your own knowledge and information about where BACK comes from.

Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

1. English: from Middle English bakke ‘back’ (Old English bæc), hence a nickname for someone with a hunched back or some other noticeable peculiarity of the back or spine, or a topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or ridge, or at the rear of a settlement.
2. English: from the Old English personal name Bacca, which was still in use in the 12th century. It is of uncertain origin, but may have been a byname in the same sense as 1.
3. English: nickname from Middle English bakke ‘bat’ (apparently of Scandinavian origin), from some fancied resemblance to the animal.
4. Altered spelling of Bach 1, 2, or 6.
5. North German: from Middle Low German back ‘kneading trough’, hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or used such vessels.
6. Americanized spelling of Norwegian Bakk(e) (see Bakke).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)