Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Weininger German (Swiss), JewishDenoted a person from
Weiningen, a municipality in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. It is also a Jewish ornamental name derived from German
wein meaning "wine" and the suffix
-inger.
Weinland GermanTopographic name for someone who lived in a wine-producing area from Middle High German
win "wine" and
land "land" or a habitational name from a place so named.
Weinmann German, JewishGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational name for a viticulturalist or wine merchant, Middle High German
winman, German
Weinmann.
Weinstein JewishMeans "wine stone" from German
wein meaning "wine" and
stein meaning "stone". It originally referred to the potassium bitartrate crystals produced from the process of fermenting grape juice.
Weinstock German, JewishEnglish variant of the German surname
Wenstock, an occupational name for a producer or seller of wine, from German
Weinstock "grapevine" (also compare
Wein).... [
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Weintraub German, Jewishfrom Middle High German
wintrub "grape" derived from
wein "wine" and
traub "grape" hence either a metonymic occupational name for a vintner or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by a sign depicting a bunch of grapes.
Weir IrishAnglicized form of Gaelic
Mac an Mhaoir "son of the steward or keeper".
Weir IrishAnglicized form, based on an erroneous translation (as if from Gaelic
cora "weir", "stepping stones"), of various Gaelic names such as Ó Corra (see
Corr) and Ó Comhraidhe (see
Curry).
Weise GermanMeans "wise, prudent" in German. Notable bearers include Christian Weise (1642-1708), a German writer.
Weisenburger German, JewishHabitational name for someone from any of numerous places named Weissenburg "white fortress".
Weishuhn GermanDerived from Middle High German
wiz meaning "white" and
huon meaning "hen, fowl", hence a metonymic occupational name for a poultry farmer or dealer, or perhaps in some instances a nickname.
Weißmüller Germanfrom Middle High German
wiz "white" and
mulin "miller" an occupational name for a miller who produced white flour which was produced as early as the 14th century.
Weixel GermanGerman: variant spelling of Weichsel, a topographic name for someone who lived near a sour cherry tree (St. Luce cherry), from Middle High German wīhsel (modern German Weichsel(n), pronounced ‘Weiksel’.
Welborn EnglishHabitational name from Welborne in Norfolk, Welbourn in Lincolnshire, or Welburn in North Yorkshire, all named with Old English wella ‘spring’ + burna ‘stream’.
Weld EnglishMeant "one who lives in or near a forest (or in a deforested upland area)", from Middle English
wold "forest" or "cleared upland". A famous bearer is American actress Tuesday Weld (1943-).
Weldon EnglishWeldon is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Weldon family lived in Northamptonshire, at Weldon.... [
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Welfing GermanName given to our family by our relative, a German king.
Welford EnglishEnglish surname meaning "Lives by the spring by the ford"
Welk German (East Prussian)Nickname from Middle High German
welc, meaning "soft and mild". The name was first recorded in South Holland, however many of the bearers of the name trace its roots back to East Germany. A famous bearer of this name was Lawrence Welk, an American musician and host of the Lawrence Welk Show.
Well EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived near a spring or stream, Middle English
well(e) (Old English
well(a)).
Welle GermanTopographic name for someone who lived by a spring or stream, Middle Low German welle.
Weller English, GermanEither from the Olde English term for a person who extracted salt from seawater, or from the English and German "well(e)," meaning "someone who lived by a spring or stream."... [
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Wellington EnglishHabitational name from any of the three places named Wellington, in Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Somerset. All are most probably named with an unattested Old English personal name
Weola + -ing- (implying association with) +
tun ‘settlement’.
Wellman EnglishFrom German
Welle meaning "wave" and
man, meaning "man", referring to someone who lived by a stream.
Welsch GermanFrom Middle High German
welsch,
walsch "person from a Romance country (especially Italy), foreigner", hence an ethnic name or in some cases perhaps a nickname for someone who had trading or other connections with the Romance countries.
Welton EnglishHabitational name from any of various places named Welton, for example in Cumbria, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and East Yorkshire, from Old English
well(a) ‘spring’, ‘stream’ +
tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’.
Welty German (Swiss)From a Swiss German diminutive of the German given name
Walther. A literary bearer was the American writer Eudora Welty (1909-2001).
Wemyss ScottishFrom the lands of Wemyss in Fife, which is derived from Gaelic
uaimheis "cave place".
Wen ChineseFrom Chinese 温
(wēn) meaning "warm", also referring to any of several territories that were called Wen, namely an ancient state that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Wences SlavicBased on Wenceslaus or Wenceslas, latinized forms of name of Slavic rulers in various forms such as Václav, Wacław, Więcesław, Vyacheslav, Vjenceslav, etc. Derived from the Slavic words veli/vyache/więce/više ("great(er), large(r)"), and slava ("glory, fame")... [
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Wendover EnglishFrom a town in England, from Brittonic “winn”, meaning ‘white’, and “dwfr”, meaning ‘gate’.
Wendt German, DanishEthnic name for a Wend, Middle High German
wind(e). The Wends (also known as Sorbians) once occupied a large area of northeastern Germany (extending as far west as Lüneburg, with an area called Wendland), and many German place names and surnames are of Wendish origin... [
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Weng ChineseFrom Chinese 翁
(wēng) meaning "elderly man".
Wenig GermanFrom the German word “wenig”, meaning little.
Wennerström SwedishCombination of the place name element
wenner, which is probably derived from the name of Lake
Vänern, and Swedish
ström "stream".
Wentworth EnglishHabitational name from places in Cambridgeshire and South Yorkshire called Wentworth, probably from the Old English byname
Wintra meaning ‘winter’ + Old English
worð ‘enclosure’... [
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Werb GermanName for an artisan or craftsman, from Middle High German
werc(h), meaning "work, craft".
Werdum GermanWerdum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Wernik Polish (Rare)A diminutive surname created from the initial sound of a personal name, place or thing and diminutive ik suffix added to create a surname. The ik suffix may be commemorative also, meaning a significant event has occured regarding the person or family... [
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Weseloh GermanGerman habitational name from a place so named near Hannover.
Wesner GermanHabitational name for someone from any of several places named Wessen.
Westbury EnglishEnglish British surname originating as a place name. There are several Westbury villages, parishes and even Manors across England that have given the name Westbury to people who take up residence in or come from those places... [
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Westdyke EnglishName given to someone who lived on the west side of a dyke.
Westen English, ScottishHabitational name from any of numerous places named Weston, from Old English west 'west' + tun 'enclosure', 'settlement'. English: variant of Whetstone.
Wester GermanFrom Middle High German
wëster ‘westerly’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived to the west of a settlement, or a regional name for one who had migrated from further west.
Westerly EnglishThe name is originated from a term meaning 'winds from the West'. The name could be given to someone who is born in the west.
Westerman EnglishTopographical surname for someone who lived west of a settlement or someone who had moved to the west, from Old English
westerne meaning "western" and
mann meaning "man, person".
Westermann Low GermanFrom Middle Low German
wester meaning "westerly" and
man meaning "man", making it a topographic surname for someone who lived west of a settlement or a regional surname for someone who had moved to the west... [
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Westgate EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived near a west gate in a city, or a habitual surname for someone from Westgate. It is derived from Middle English
west meaning "west" and
gate "gate" (or "street" in northern and eastern areas; from Old Norse
gata).
Westling SwedishCombination of Swedish
väst "west" and the common surname suffix
-ling. A notable bearer is Prince
Daniel (b. 1973), husband of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
Westrop English (British)Viking name local to Somerset and several counties in the North East of England. Approximate meaning "place to the west of the village with the church".
Westwood English, ScottishHabitational name from any of numerous places named Westwood, from Old English
west "west" and
wudu "wood".
Wettläufer GermanDerived from Middle High German
wetteloufer meaning "runner", probably a nickname for a fast runner or someone who rushed around.
Wetzstein GermanEither a metonymic occupational name for a knife grinder from Middle High German wetzstein "whetstone", A habitational name from a lost place called Wetzstein near Emmendingen, or a topographic name from a field name for example Wezstein near Esslingen... [
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Whaley EnglishFrom the name of the village of
Whaley and the town of
Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, or the village of
Whalley in Lancashire, England. It is derived from Old English
wælla meaning "spring, stream" and
leah meaning "woodland clearing".
Whalley EnglishVariant form of
Whaley. A famous bearer is the English actress Joanne Whalley (1961-).
Wharton EnglishDerived from an Olde English pre 7th Century river name
Woefer.
Whately EnglishOld English location or occupational surname meaning "from the wheat meadow".
Whatley EnglishFrom any of the various places in England named with Old English
hwæte "wheat" and
leah "woodland clearing".
Wheeldon EnglishHabitational name from a place in Derbyshire named Wheeldon, from Old English hweol ‘wheel’ (referring perhaps to a rounded shape) + dun ‘hill’, or from Whielden in Buckinghamshire, which is named with hweol + denu ‘valley’.
Whent EnglishTopographical for someone who lived by a cross road, or perhaps a very sharp bend in the road. The derivation being from the Olde English pre 7th century word "wendan," meaning to wander.
Whineray EnglishMeans "person from Whinneray", Cumbria, or "person who lives in a nook of land growing with gorse" (in either case from Old Norse
hvin "whin, gorse" +
vrá "nook of land"). It was borne by New Zealand rugby player Sir Wilson Whineray (1935-2012).
Whippet EnglishPossibly used as a nickname from the early 17th century English word
whippet, meaning "to move briskly". A type of sighthound bears this name.
Whipple EnglishEnglish surname of uncertain meaning. It might be a shortened form of “whippletree”; an early name for the dogwood. It may also be a variation of Whipp – an early surname for someone who carried out judicial punishments.
Whistler EnglishAn English occupational surname, meaning "one who whistles."
Whitby EnglishEnglish surname which was from either of two place names, that of a port in North Yorkshire (which comes from the Old Norse elements
hvítr "white" (or
Hvíti, a byname derived from it) combined with
býr "farm") or a place in Cheshire (from Old English
hwit "white" (i.e., "stone-built") and
burh "fortress").
Whitehorn ScottishA locational name from Whithorn near Wigtown, from Old English
hwit "white" and
ærn "house".
Whitehouse Englishthe origin of this surname started in England where people were called Whitehouse when they painted their houses white.
Whitelaw ScottishScottish and northern English: habitational name from any of various places in the Scottish Borders called Whitelaw, from Old English hwit ‘white’ + hlaw ‘hill’.
Whitelock EnglishIt is believed to be a habitational surname derived from Whitlock in Shropshire, England.
Whitfield EnglishIt is locational from any or all of the places called Whitfield in the counties of Derbyshire, Kent, Northamptonshire and Northumberland, or from the villages called Whitefield in Lancashire, the Isle of Wight and Gloucestershire.
Whitgift EnglishMeans "person from Whitgift", Yorkshire ("Hvítr's dowry"). This surname was borne by Anglican churchman John Whitgift (?1530-1604), archbishop of Canterbury 1583-1604 (in addition, Whitgift School is an independent day school for boys in South Croydon, founded in 1595 by John Whitgift; and Whitgift Centre is a complex of shops and offices in the middle of Croydon, Greater London, on a site previously occupied by Whitgift School).
Whiting EnglishDerived from a patronymic surname, created from the Old English personal name
Hwit, meaning "the white one."
Whitlam EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for a mild-mannered person (from Middle English
whit "white" +
lam "lamb"). This surname is borne by Australian Labour politician Gough Whitlam (1916-), prime minister 1972-75.
Whitley EnglishThis surname is derived from a place name composed of Old English elements
hwit meaning "white" and
leah meaning "clearing, grove."
Whitlock EnglishNickname for someone with white or fair hair, from Middle English
whit ‘white’ +
lock ‘tress’, ‘curl’. Compare
Sherlock. ... [
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Whitlow Englishwhite hill” place name from east side of country in lower Northumbria perhaps? Or perhaps next lower shire.
Whitman EnglishFrom Middle English
whit ‘white’ +
man ‘man’, either a nickname with the same sense as
White, or else an occupational name for a servant of a bearer of the nickname
White.... [
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Whitmarsh EnglishEnglish habitational name from Whitemarsh, a place in the parish of Sedgehill, Wiltshire, named from Old English
hwit ‘white’ (i.e. ‘phosphorescent’) +
mersc ‘marsh’. Compare
Whitmore.
Whitson Scottish (Gallicized)This surname originated in Lanarkshire in Scotland. The family held a seat from King Malcolm IV in 1153 in Wicestun.
Whittlesey EnglishA habitational surname for someone from Whittlesey, an ancient market town in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire in England. The town's name is derived from an unattested Old English personal name
Wittel (or
Witil), an occupational name given to a moneyer, and the Old English
eg, meaning "island", also used to describe a piece of firm land in a fen... [
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Whybrow EnglishFrom the medieval female personal name
Wyburgh, literally "war-fortress". (Cf. Germanic cognate
Wigburg.)
Wi Korean (Rare)From Sino-Korean 魏 (
Wi) meaning "Wei", a former Chinese state.