Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Valenzuela SpanishHabitational name from places named Valenzuela in Córdoba and Ciudad Real. The place name is a diminutive of Valencia, literally "Little Valencia".
Valera SpanishHabitational name from either of two places in Spain named Valera.
Valez SpanishI think it is of Spanish Background possibly meaning 'Soldier' or 'Guard'. ... [
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Valgañón SpanishThis indicates familial within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Vali Spanish, Italian (Swiss), ArabicThis Spanish and Italian surname of VALI was a locational name for someone OR A family who lived in a valley. In valle quiescit ( In the valley of our home, we find peace.)... [
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Välja EstonianVälja is an Estonian surname meaning "outside" and "afield".
Väljaots EstonianVäljaots is an Estonian surname meaning "out/afield (of the) cusp/tip".
Väljas EstonianVäljas is an Estonian surname meaning "afield" or "out in the open".
Väljataga EstonianVäljataga is an Estonian surname meaning "outside behind/at the back of".
Välk EstonianVälk is an Estonian surname meaning "lightning".
Valkeapää FinnishFrom the Finnish
valkea meaning "white", and
pää meaning "head" or "tip".
Valkonen FinnishFrom Finnish
valkoinen meaning "white" and the suffix
-nen.
Vall EstonianVall is an Estonian surname meaning "wall" or "berm".
Vallad OjibweName given to dozens of a First Nations Anishinaabek at residential schools.
Vallance EnglishMeans "person from Valence", southeastern France (probably "place of the brave").
Valle Spanish, Filipino, ItalianHabitational name from any of the many places named with
valle "valley", or topographic name for someone who lived in a valley (Latin
vallis).
Vallée Frenchtopographic name for someone who lived in a valley from Old French
valee "valley" (from Latin
vallis) or a habitational name from (La) Vallée the name of several places in various parts of France... [
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Vallera FrenchFrench: habitational name from Vallery in Yonne, once a Romano-Gallic estate, recorded in 1218 as Valerianus. The surname is also found in the British Isles and may be of Norman origin, from the same place.
Vallet French, EnglishFrench topographic name from a diminutive of Old French
val "valley" (see
Val ) or a habitational name from (Le) Vallet the name of several places mainly in the northern part of France and French and English occupational name for a manservant from Old French and Middle English
vallet "manservant groom".
Valley EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Middle English
valeye.
Vallie GermanProbably an altered spelling of German
Valee, a fairly common surname of French origin denoting someone who lived in a valley. The name in Germany is also spelled
Wallee.
Vallin SwedishDerived from either Latin
vallis "valley" or Swedish
vall "wall, pasture, field of grass".
Vällo EstonianVällo is an Estonian surname, possibly a corruption of "väli" meaning "field" and "plain".
Valmer Estonian (?)Surname which is believed to have originated in Estonia, although its meaning is unknown.
Valmorida Filipino, CebuanoMeans "valley of the forest field" derived from Spanish
val, a contraction of
valle meaning "valley", combined with Japanese 森
(mori) meaning "forest, woods" and 田
(ta) "paddy, field" (see
Morita).
Valois Frenchtopographic name for someone who lived in a valley, or a habitational name from any of the various places called Val(l)ois, or regional name from the district in northern France so called, which was once an independent duchy... [
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Valsecchi ItalianDenoting someone from the former municipality of Valsecca in Lombardy.
Valverde SpanishRefers to a place name which suggests a landscape, agreeable with herbs, flowers and water.
Vammus EstonianVammus is an Estonian surname meaning "jacket" and "doublet".
Van Agt DutchMeans "from Acht", a small village within the city of Eindhoven in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Middle Dutch
acht,
achte meaning either "eight" or "preserve, lordly possession, legal district"... [
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Van Amerongen DutchMeans "from Amerongen", a town in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Van Ark DutchHabitational name from a place called Ark in Gelderland.
Van Beek DutchLike Verbeek and Van de(r) Beek, the family name Van Beek can indicate a place of residence on a certain stream, the name for a narrow and shallow (clear and sometimes erratic) water stream, or in a village or hamlet that leads to a stream... [
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Van Beethoven FlemishMeans "from the beet fields". A famous bearer of this name was German Clasical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).
Van Blankenberg Dutch, BelgianHabitational name from any of various places so called, in particular in Hennef and Gelderland, or from Blankenberge in West Flanders, Belgium.
Van Boxtel DutchThe family name Van Boxtel indicates origin from the North Brabant place Boxtel, written around 1110 Buchestelle, and later in the Middle Ages, among others, Bucstelle and Boextel.... [
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Van Breukelen DutchMeans "from Breukelen", a town in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands, itself derived from Old Dutch
bruoc meaning "marsh, marshland, wetland" and
lētha meaning "excavated, canalised watercourse"... [
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Van Bronckhorst DutchMeans "from Bronckhorst", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, itself derived from Dutch
brink meaning "edge, slope, village green" and
horst meaning "overgrown hillock" or "higher located brushwood"... [
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Van Burgen DutchComes from the Middle Dutch word "burch," or "burg," meaning a fortified town. The prefixes "Van" and "den" mean "from" and "the" respectively. Thus this surname means "from the hill". As such, it may have been topographic name for someone who lived by a citadel or walled city; or, it may have been a habitational name
Van Buskirk DutchThe name is made up of two Dutch words: "bos," meaning "woods," and "kerk," meaning "church." The characteristic Dutch prefix "van" literally means "from," and thus the surname indicates "one from the church in the woods."
Vancouver DutchDutch name meaning "someone from Coevorden", a city in the Netherlands.
Vandal English (Rare)A English word meaning "someone who willfully destroys or defaces property",and a member of ancient Germanic tribes.
Van De Kerkhof DutchMeans "from the churchyard", derived from Middle Dutch
kerke meaning "church" and
hof meaning "court, garden, yard". Famous bearers of this surname include twin brothers René and Willy Van De Kerkhof (1951-), both retired Dutch soccer players.
Van De Leest DutchPossibly an allusion to the shoemaker's profession, whether or not through a house name 'De Leest', which may have been the name of a shoemaker's building. A last is a (wooden) shape over which shoes are formed.
Van De Mark DutchTopographic name for someone who lived by a border or boundary, from Middle Dutch marke, merke meaning "boundary", "borderland".
Van den Bogaard DutchMeans "from the orchard", derived from Dutch
boomgaard literally meaning "orchard".
Van Den Broek DutchThe family name Van den Broek is derived from a toponym with the component Broek, for example a farm name that owes its name to its location near a Broek, a name for a swampy terrain.
Van Der Bilt Dutch (Rare)Topographic name for someone living by a low hill, from Middle Low German bulte "mound", "low hill"
Vanderbilt Dutch, GermanTopographic name for someone living by a low hill, from Middle Low German
bulte "mound", "low hill".
Van Der Graaf DutchDutch toponymic surname. Although graaf is a Dutch noble title similar to "count", here it refers to an old term for a canal with the same origin in the verb graven ("to dig") as gracht and grave.
Van Der Heijden DutchThe family name Van der Heijden indicates that the original name bearers inhabited a settlement or a farm located near an area or a heathland that was known as 'de Heide'.
Van Der Kooi Dutchname for someone from either of two places, De Kooi in South Holland or De Kooy in North Holland.
Vanderlei BrazilianIt derives from the Dutch surname Van der Leij/Ley. The surname arrived in Brazil by Kaspar Nieuwhoff Van Der Leij by 1630, a cavalry captain from the Dutch army.
Van Der Leij DutchDerived from Dutch
lei meaning "slate" (effectively meaning "from the slate"), indicating that the original bearer of this name may have come from a place where slate was produced.
Van Der Loop DutchTopographical name for someone who lived by a waterway, Middle Dutch lo(e)pe, in particular a waterway called De Loop in North Brabant.
Vandermast DutchTopographic name for someone from a place rich in animal fodder, for example acorns.
Van Der Merwe Dutch, South AfricanWhile the name is currently very common in South Africa, it originates in Holland, literally meaning "From the Merwe". The first van der Merwes hail from the Merwede river. The name went to South Africa with the Dutch settlers in 1652.
Vanderpan DutchMeans "of the bannner" meaning most likely indicates ancestry of high-ranking occupation.
Vanderplaats DutchA surname given to someone living near a plaats (open space), or someone from De Plaats in North Brabant.
Vanderpool DutchMeans, from the pool. It was a topographic name for someone who lived by a pool or pond, derived from the Dutch word POL. The name is also spelt POHL, POL, POLL, POLS, Van den POLL and POLMAN.
Van Der Steen Dutch, BelgianHabitational name for someone from any of various minor places called Steen or Ten Stene (from steen meaning "stone"), for example in the Belgian provinces of East Flanders and Brabant.
Van Der Velde DutchMeaning "of the field" from Dutch
van -"Of"-
der - "The"- and
veld - "field".
Van Der Waal DutchToponymic surname of Dutch origin. The original bearer of the name may have lived or worked at or near a "wal": a river embankment, quay, or rampage.
Van Der Zanden DutchLiterally means 'From the sand', most likely given to someone who lived near sand grounds. It originated in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.
Van Deusen DutchHabitational name for someone from the German town of Deusen, north of Dortmund, in North Rhine-Westphalia near the Dutch border.
Vandyke DutchTopographic name for someone living near a dyke or levee. Dykes are common structures for keeping lands dry in the low lying Netherlands. ... [
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Van Dyne DutchHabitational name for someone from Duinen in Gelderland.
Van Eck DutchMeans "from Eck", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.
Van Etter DutchA habitational name for someone from Etten in North Brabant
Vang HmongFrom the clan name
Vaj or
Vaaj associated with the Chinese character 王
(wáng) (see
Wang 1).
Van Gelder DutchDutch toponymic surname meaning "from/of Guelders", a county and later duchy in the Low Countries.
Van Haitsma DutchHabitational name for someone from Haitsma, a place in Friesland.
Van Halen DutchHabitational name for a person from the villages
Hoog en Laaghalen in the Dutch province of Drenthe or
Halen near Hasselt in Belgian Limburg. Famous bearers include Dutch-born American musicians Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020) and his brother Alex Van Halen (1953-) of the rock band Van Halen... [
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Van Hertrooij DutchMeans "from Hertrooij", most likely a place name in the Netherlands. It could possibly derive from Middle Dutch
hert meaning "deer" and
rood meaning "red".
Van Heusen DutchHeusen is derived from the town Husum in Holland. The town was on the Zuyder Zee, Holstein, Holland.
Van Heutsz DutchA bearer of this name is J.B. van Heutsz, also known as the Pacificator of Aceh, former governor general of the Dutch East Indies.
Vanik EstonianVanik is an Estonian surname meaning "wreath" and "garland".
Van Kleef DutchVan meaning 'of' Kleef is a variant spelling of Kleve: a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine.
Van Look DutchTopographic name from look ‘enclosure’ or habitational name from a place named with this word.
Van Maurik DutchMeans "from Maurik" in Dutch, which is a town in the east of the Netherlands.
Vann EstonianVann is an Estonian surname meaning "bath" and "tub".
Vanna KhmerMeans "golden" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit.
Vannas EstonianVannas is an Estonian surname derived from "vana", meaning "old".
Vannavong LaoFrom Lao ວັນນະ
(vanna) meaning "color, caste" and ວົງ
(vong) meaning "lineage, family".
Vannebo NorwegianTaken from the farm Vanebu, spelled Vannebo in pre-1950 records. From the Norwegian words
vann, meaning water, and
bo, meaning to live or reside.
van Niekerk AfrikaansTopographic name for any of the various locations named Nieuwerkerk in The Netherlands or Nieuwerkerken in Belgium. The name itself means "of the new church" from Dutch
van meaning "of" combined with
nieuw meaning "new" and
kerk meaning "church".
Van Nistelrooij DutchMeans "from Nistelrode", a small village in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Middle Dutch
nest meaning "nest, burrow, resting place" and
lo meaning "light forest", combined with
rode meaning "land cleared of trees"... [
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Van Ommeren DutchMeans "from Ommeren", a small village in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.
Van Oss DutchVan Oss is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from Oss", a town in North Brabant. Variant spellings are Van Osch and Van Os.
Van Reenan DutchToponymic surname meaning "from/of Rhenen", a city in the province of Utrecht.
Van Rijn DutchMeans "from the Rhine", the second-longest river in central and western Europe (after the Danube). This was the surname of the Dutch Baroque painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669), usually known simply as Rembrandt.
Van Rooyen Afrikaansvan Rooyen related to
van Rooijen, is an Afrikaans and Dutch toponymic surname. May be rooted from the Rhine area of the Netherlands, possibly having meant "from Rhine" originally... [
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Van Smoot DutchAmericanized spelling of Dutch Smout, a metonymic occupational name for someone who sold fat or lard, Dutch smout, or a nickname for someone who had a taste for, and could afford, rich foods.
Van 't Boveneind DutchMeans "from Boveneind", the name of various places in the Netherlands, itself meaning "from the top end" in Dutch. It is derived from
boven meaning "upper, upstream" and
eind meaning "edge, end".
Van Tienhoven DutchMeans "from Tienhoven", the name of several villages in the Netherlands. Their names are derived from Middle Dutch
tien meaning "ten" and a plural form of
huue meaning "piece of land of a certain size"... [
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Van Tristaan DutchFrom Julian Van Tristaan(1995-) professional footballer for Tottenham Hontspurs and Holland.
Van 't Schip DutchMeans "from the ship", derived from Middle Dutch
schip literally meaning "ship". It is borne by the Dutch-Canadian former soccer player John van 't Schip (1963-).
Van Zandt Dutch, BelgianHabitational name for someone from any of the places called Zandt, in Gelderland, Friesland, South Holland, and Zeeland; or Zande in Belgium.
Varadkar Indian, Hindi, MarathiDerived from the name of the village of
Varad in the Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, India. A famous bearer is the Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar (1979-).
Varandi EstonianVarandi is an Estonian surname derived from "varandus", meaning "property" and "belongings".
Värbu EstonianVärbu is an Estonian surname; a diminutive of "värb" meaning "sparrow".
Vardy EnglishVariant of
Verity. A name given to actors who played the part in the medieval travelling theatres.
Vargeid NorwegianInvented by Sverre Kristian (then) Olsen and his brother Willy Anfinn (also then) Olsen. They thought Olsen was boring, and invented the new Vargeid.