the etymology and history of surnames
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| Zaal |
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Usage: Dutch
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| Dutch surname meaning "Hall". |
| Zabala |
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Usage: Basque
Extra: Statistics |
| A name for someone who lived in any of the various places in Biscay and Araba called Zabala, which is derived from the Basque zabal, meaning "large" or "broad" and a, the definite article. |
| Zabat |
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Usage: Greek
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| Probably means "dweller by the shallow water" from the Greek zabatos, diabatos meaning "fordable, crossable". |
| Zabek |
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Usage: Polish
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "little tooth" from the Polish zab and the diminutive suffix -ek. |
| Zahariev |
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Usage: Bulgarian
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| Means "son of Zahari". |
| Zahradnik |
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Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from Czech zahrada "garden". A Zahradnik was a person who owned less land than a Sedlak or a Dvorak, but more land than a Chalupnik. |
| Zaman |
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Usage: Muslim
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the Arabic given name Zaman. |
| Zambrano |
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Usage: Spanish
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from a habitational name for someone "from Zamora", or a habitational name for someone of Zambrana, a town in the Araba province in Basque Country. |
| Zamorano |
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Usage: Spanish
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| Means "a person from Zamora", Zamora being the name of both a province in Spain and its capital city. |
| Zanetti |
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Usage: Italian
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "little Giovanni. This surname is well known in Europe because of the Argentinian footballer Javier Zanetti. |
| Zangari |
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Usage: Italian
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "(son of) a shoemaker" from the Medieval Greek tsangaris meaning "bootmaker". |
| Zapatero |
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Usage: Spanish
Extra: Statistics |
| Cognate of Zangari. |
| Zappa |
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Usage: Italian
Extra: Statistics |
| Means “hoe, mattock” from the Italian zappa, probably denoting an agricultural worker. Two composers of Italian origin have bore this name: Francesco Zappa (18th Century) and Frank Vincent Zappa Jr. (1940-1993). |
| Zavala |
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Usage: Spanish
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| A variant of Zabala. |
| Zawisza |
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Usage: Polish
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| Derived from the Old Polish given name Zawisza which may mean "jealous". |
| Zdravkov |
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Usage: Bulgarian
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| Means "son of Zdravko". |
| Zdunowski (1) |
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Usage: Polish
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| Means "person from Zduny, Poland". |
| Zdunowski (2) |
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Usage: Polish
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| Means "worker or dweller at the potters" from the Polish zdun. |
| Zeeger |
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Usage: Dutch
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| Variant of Segher. |
| Zeegers |
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Usage: Dutch
Extra: Statistics |
| Variant of Segher. |
| Zeelen |
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Usage: Dutch
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| Variant of Ceelen. |
| Zegers |
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Usage: Dutch
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| Variant of Segher. |
| Zegher |
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Usage: Dutch
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| Variant of Segher. |
| Zeghers |
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Usage: Dutch
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| Variant of Segher. |
| Zelenka |
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Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| A cognate of Zielinski. |
| Zelenko |
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Usage: Ukrainian
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the Slavic word zeleny "green". The name is a cognate of Zielinski and Zelenka. |
| Zellweger |
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Usage: German
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| Means “from Zellweg,” a location in Germany. The place name Zellweg means “path to a small monatery, chamber” from the German zelle “small chamber, monastery” and weg “path, way”. A famous bearer of this name is actress Renee Zellweger. |
| Zeman |
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Usage: Czech
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "landholder" from the Czech zem "land". The surname is well known in Europe because of the football trainer Zdenek Zeman. |
| Zeni |
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Usage: Italian
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "son of Zeno". |
| Zentai |
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Usage: Hungarian
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| Means "from Zenta, Serbia". |
| Zhang |
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Usage: Chinese
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "bow that grows" in Chinese. It may denote a bowmaker whose job it was to stretch the bow wood. |
| Zheng |
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Usage: Chinese
Extra: Statistics |
| From the name of a state of Zheng. Xuan Wang, penultimate king (827–781 BC) of the Western Zhou Dynasty, granted the fief of Zheng to his younger brother, along with the title Duke Xuan of Zheng. In the time of Duke Xuan’s son, Duke Gong, the capital of the Zhou dynasty was destroyed and the king was killed, bringing to an end the Western Zhou dynasty. The new Zhou king moved the capital eastward, beginning the Eastern Zhou dynasty. Duke Gong of Zheng moved eastward as well, to an area in present-day Henan province in central China, establishing a new state of Zheng. His descendants later adopted Zheng as their surname. |
| Zheung |
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Usage: Chinese
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| Variant of Zhang. |
| Zhivkov |
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Usage: Bulgarian
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| Means "son of Zhivko". |
| Zhou |
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Usage: Chinese
Extra: Statistics |
| From the name of the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 BC). An extremely old Chinese surname. |
| Zhu |
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Usage: Chinese
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| Variant of the Chinese surname Chu. |
| Zielinski |
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Usage: Polish
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "green" from the Polish zielen. It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing. |
| Ziemniak |
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Usage: Polish
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| Means "potato" in Polish. |
| Zientek |
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Usage: Polish
Extra: Statistics |
| From a diminutive of Polish ziec which means "son-in-law". Pronounced roughly ZHEN-tek. |
| Zilberschlag |
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Usage: German, Jewish
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| An occupational surname for a silversmith from Yiddish zilber "silver" and schlag "strike". |
| Zíma |
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Usage: Czech
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| From the word zima, which means "winter" in Czech. |
| Zimman |
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Usage: Jewish
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| Assigned to families migrating via Ellis Island in the early part of the 20th century. May be a variation of Zimmermann. |
| Zimmerman |
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Usage: German
Extra: Statistics |
| Variant of Zimmermann. |
| Zimmermann |
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Usage: German, Jewish
Extra: Statistics |
| From the German word for "carpenter", derived from Middle High German zimber "timber, wood" and mann "man". |
| Zingel |
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Usage: Jewish
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| From Middle High German zingel "defensive wall". This name was originally applied to a person who lived near the outermost wall of a castle. |
| Zini |
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Usage: Italian
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| It derives from a diminutive form of names like Lorenzo - Lorenzino. |
| Zivkovic |
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Usage: Serbian
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| Means "son of Zivko", Zivko being the Serbian form of Zhivko. |
| Zlatkov |
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Usage: Bulgarian
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| Means "son of Zlatko". |
| Zolnerowich |
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Usage: Russian
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| Means "son of the soldier" from zolner "soldier". |
| Zoltánfi |
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Usage: Hungarian
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| Means "son of Zoltán" in Hungarian. |
| Zoric |
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Usage: Serbian, Croatian
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| Means "son of Zora". |
| Zsoldos |
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Usage: Hungarian
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| Means "mercenary" in Hungarian. |
| Zubizarreta |
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Usage: Spanish
Extra: Statistics |
| It is a Spanish surname of Basque origin. It comes from the Basque word zubia that means "bridge". It is well known in Europe because of the Spanish football player Andoni Zubizarreta Urreta. |
| Zuiderduin |
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Usage: Dutch
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| Denoted a person who lived by the Zuider bay or the river. |
| Zuñiga |
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Usage: Basque
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| Derived from Basque zuin "cultivated field", iga "slope". |
| Zunino |
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Usage: Italian
Extra: Statistics |
| Derived from the given name Giovanni. |
| Zupan |
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Usage: Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Extra: Statistics |
| Means "village, community leader" from the Slavic župan. |
| Zuraw |
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Usage: Polish
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| Means "crane" in Polish. |
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