Zhou ChineseFrom Chinese
周 (zhōu) referring to the Zhou dynasty, which held power from 1046 to 771 BC, continuing for a few more centuries as figureheads.
Zhu ChineseFrom Chinese
朱 (zhū) meaning
"vermilion red, cinnabar" and also referring to the ancient state of Zhu, which existed in what is now Shandong province. This was the surname of the emperors of the Ming dynasty.
Ziegler GermanMeans
"bricklayer" or
"brickmaker" in German, from Middle High German
ziegel "brick, tile".
Zieliński m PolishFrom Polish
zieleń meaning
"green". It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing.
Ziętek PolishPossibly from a diminutive of Polish
zięć meaning
"son-in-law".
Zilberschlag JewishOccupational name for a silversmith from Yiddish
zilber "silver" and
schlag "strike".
Zima m & u Czech, Slovak, Polish, RussianFrom an Old Slavic word meaning
"winter". This may have been a nickname for a person with a chilly personality.
Zimmermann German, JewishFrom the German word for
"carpenter", derived from Middle High German
zimber "timber, wood" and
mann "man".
Zingel JewishFrom Middle High German
zingel "defensive wall". This name was originally applied to a person who lived near the outermost wall of a castle.
Zino ItalianDerived from the given name
Zino, a short form of names ending with
-zino, such as
Lorenzino, a diminutive of
Lorenzo, or
Vincenzino, a diminutive of
Vincenzo.
Ziskind JewishOrnamental name meaning
"sweet child", from Yiddish
זיס (zis) meaning "sweet" and
קינד (kind) meaning "child", both words of Old High German origin.
Žitnik SloveneFrom the Slavic root
žito meaning
"rye, grain". This was an occupational name for a dealer in rye or a baker.
Zubizarreta BasqueMeans
"old bridge", from Basque
zubia "bridge" and
zahar "old". A famous bearer is the Spanish soccer player Andoni Zubizarreta (1961-).
Żukowski PolishFrom various Polish towns named
Żukowo or
Żuków, which are derived from
żuk "beetle".
Zuñiga BasqueFrom the name of a Spanish town, formerly named Estuniga in Basque, possibly derived from Basque
istuin "channel, strait".
Zupan SloveneFrom Old Slavic
županŭ meaning
"head of the district, community leader", a derivative of
župa meaning "district, region".
Żuraw PolishMeans
"crane" in Polish, a nickname for a tall person.