Family name origins & meanings
- German : most probably a nickname from Middle Low German berve (bederve, modern bieder) ‘honest’, ‘trustworthy’ + knecht ‘vassal’, ‘man’, ‘servant’.
- German : alternatively perhaps a variant of Barbknecht, an occupational name or nickname for a barber’s assistant, from Barb(ier) ‘barber’ + knecht ‘servant’.