Browse Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the meaning contains the keywords position or within.
usage
meaning
Villalobos Spanish
Habitational name for a person from the town of Villalobos, Spain, which is derived from Spanish villa "town" and lobo "wolf".
Villanueva Spanish
Originally denoted someone who came from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and nueva "new".
Villar Spanish
Spanish cognate of Vilar.
Villaverde Spanish
Originally denoted a person from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and verde "green".
Villeneuve French
French cognate of Villanueva.
Vinogradov m Russian
Means "vineyard" in Russian (ultimately from German), referring to a person who worked at a vineyard or lived near one.
Virtanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish virta meaning "stream". This is the second most common surname in Finland.
Voll 1 Norwegian
Originally indicated a person who lived in a meadow, from Old Norse vǫllr "meadow, field".
Von Brandt German
Means "from the area cleared by fire", from Middle High German brant.
Wada Japanese
From Japanese (wa) meaning "harmony, peace" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Wakefield English
Originally indicated a person who came from the English city of Wakefield, derived from Old English wacu "wake, vigil" and feld "field".
Waldvogel German, Jewish
From a nickname for a carefree person, derived from German Wald meaning "forest" and Vogel meaning "bird". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Walkenhorst German
Possibly derived from a German place name Falkenhorst, from Falken meaning "falcons" and Horst meaning "thicket".
Wallach Yiddish
From Middle High German walch meaning "foreigner (from a Romance country)".
Waller 3 English
From Old English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".
Wallin Swedish
From Swedish vall meaning "wall, bank" (ultimately of Latin origin).
Walmsley English
Originally denoted a person from the English town of Walmersley.
Walton English
From the name of any of several villages in England, derived from Old English wealh "foreigner, Celt", weald "forest", weall "wall", or wille "well, spring, water hole" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Wang 3 German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Old High German wang or Old Norse vangr meaning "grassy slope, meadow".
Wang 4 Yiddish
Name for a Jew from Hungary, ultimately from Russian Венгрия (Vengriya) meaning "Hungary".
Warszawski m & u Polish, Jewish
Place name for someone from the Polish city of Warsaw, itself derived from the given name Warsz, a short form of Warcisław.
Warwick English
From the name of an English town, itself derived from Old English wer "weir, dam" and wic "village, town".
Washington English
From a place name meaning "settlement belonging to Wassa's people", from the given name Wassa and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". A famous bearer was George Washington (1732-1799), the first president of the United States. This surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, resulting in a high proportion of African-American bearers.
Watanabe Japanese
From Japanese (wata) meaning "cross, ferry" and (nabe) meaning "area, place".
Weasley Literature
Used by J. K. Rowling for the character of Ron Weasley (and other members of his family) in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. Rowling presumably derived it from the English word weasel, perhaps in combination with the common place name/surname suffix -ley, which is derived from Old English leah meaning "woodland, clearing".
Weekes English
Derived from Old English wic meaning "village, town".
Wei Chinese
From Chinese (wèi) referring to the ancient state of Wei, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC in what is now Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong provinces.
Wells English
Derived from Middle English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".
Wembley English
From the name of a town, now part of Greater London, meaning "Wemba's clearing" in Old English.
Westbrook English
From the name of places in England, derived from Old English west "west" and broc "brook, stream".
Westcott English
From any of the several English towns by this name, derived from Old English meaning "west cottage".
Westenberg Dutch
Means "west of the mountain", originally referring to a person who lived there.
Westerberg Swedish
Derived from Swedish *väster (Old Norse vestr) meaning "west" and berg meaning "mountain".
Westley English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English west "west" and leah "woodland, clearing".
Weston English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English west "west" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Wheatley English
From any of the various places in England with this name, meaning "wheat clearing" in Old English.
Whinery English
From Middle English whin "gorse bush" and wray "nook of land".
Whitaker English
From a place name composed of Old English hwit "white" and æcer "field".
Whitney English
Originally from the name of an English town, meaning "white island" in Old English.
Whittemore English
From various English place names derived from Old English hwit "white" and mor "moor, heath, bog".
Whittle English
From various English place names derived from Old English hwit "white" and hyll "hill".
Wickham English
From any of various towns by this name in England, notably in Hampshire. They are derived from Old English wic "village, town" (of Latin origin) and ham "home, settlement".
Wieck German
Means "village, town", derived from Latin vicus.
Wiley English
From any of the various English towns named Willey or from the River Wylye.
Willey English
Variant of Wiley.
Willoughby English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English welig "willow" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".
Wilton English
From any of the English towns named Wilton.
Winchester English
From an English place name, derived from Venta, of Celtic origin, and Latin castrum meaning "camp, fortress".
Windsor English
From the name of a few English towns, one notably the site of Windsor Castle. Their names mean "riverbank with a windlass" in Old English, a windlass being a lifting apparatus. In 1917 the British royal family adopted this name (after Windsor Castle), replacing their previous name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Winfield English
From various English place names, derived from Old English winn "meadow, pasture" and feld "field".
Winograd Jewish
Jewish form of Vinogradov.
Winogrodzki m Polish
Polish cognate of Vinogradov.
Winslow English
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "hill belonging to Wine".
Winterbottom English
From Old English winter meaning "winter" and botm meaning "ground, soil, bottom". This name probably referred to a winter pasture at the bottom of a lowland valley.
Winthrop English
Habitational name from the place names Winthrope 1 or Winthrope 2.
Winton English
Derived from the name of several English villages. Their names derive from Old English meaning "enclosure belonging to Wine".
Wiśniewski m Polish
From the name of various Polish towns called Wiśniewo, derived from Polish wiśnia meaning "sour cherry".
Witherspoon English
Originally given to a person who dwelt near a sheep enclosure, from Middle English wether "sheep" and spong "strip of land".
Wood English, Scottish
Originally denoted one who lived in or worked in a forest, derived from Old English wudu "wood".
Woodcock English
Nickname referring to the woodcock bird.
Woodham English
Indicated a person who had a home near a wood, derived from Old English wudu "wood" and ham "home, settlement".
Woodrow English
From a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English.
Woodward English
Occupational name for a forester, meaning "ward of the wood" in Old English.
Wootton English
Derived from Old English wudu "wood" and tun "enclosure, town".
Wortham English
Derived from the name of a town in Suffolk, England meaning "enclosed homestead".
Wray English
Originally denoted someone who came from any of the various places of this name in northern England, from Old Norse vrá meaning "corner, nook".
Wu 1 Chinese
From Chinese () referring to the ancient state of Wu, which was located in present-day Jiangsu province.
Wyndham English
From the name of the town of Wymondham, meaning "home belonging to Wigmund", from the given name Wigmund combined with Old English ham meaning "home, settlement".
Wyrzykowski m Polish
Possibly from the Polish place name Wyrzyki, of uncertain meaning, maybe "away from the river".
Xiao Chinese
From Chinese (xiāo) referring to the fiefdom or territory of Xiao (in present-day Anhui province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Xie Chinese
From Chinese (xiè) referring to the minor state of Xie, which existed in what is now Hubei province.
Xu 1 Chinese
From Chinese () referring to the ancient state of Xu, which existed to the 6th century BC in what is now Jiangsu and Anhui. The character means "slowly, calmly".
Xu 2 Chinese
From Chinese () referring to the minor state of Xu, which existed to the 4th century BC in what is now Henan province. The character means "allow, permit".
Xun Chinese
From Chinese (xún) meaning "plant, ancient state".
Xylander German
From Greek ξύλον (xylon) meaning "wood, timber" and ἀνδρός (andros) meaning "man". This surname was a Greek translation of German surnames of the same meaning.
Yamada Japanese
From Japanese (yama) meaning "mountain" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Yamagishi Japanese
From Japanese (yama) meaning "mountain" and (kishi) meaning "beach, shore, bank".
Yamaguchi Japanese
From Japanese (yama) meaning "mountain" and (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance". Olympic figure-skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi (1971-) bears this name.
Yamamoto Japanese
From Japanese (yama) meaning "mountain" and (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Yamashita Japanese
From Japanese (yama) meaning "mountain" and (shita) meaning "under, below".
Yamauchi Japanese
From Japanese (yama) meaning "mountain" and (uchi) meaning "inside".
Yamazaki Japanese
From Japanese (yama) meaning "mountain" and (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".
Yasuda Japanese
From Japanese (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet" or (yasu) meaning "protect, maintain" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Yokota Japanese
From Japanese (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
York English
From the name of the English city of York, which was originally called Eburacon (Latinized as Eboracum), meaning "yew" in Brythonic. In the Anglo-Saxon period it was corrupted to Eoforwic, based on Old English eofor "boar" and wic "village". This was rendered as Jórvík by the Vikings and eventually reduced to York.
Yoshida Japanese
From Japanese (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Yoshino Japanese
From Japanese (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Yoshioka Japanese
From Japanese (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
Yoxall English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Yoxall in Staffordshire, itself derived from Old English geoc "oxen yoke" and halh "nook, recess".
Yūki Japanese
From Japanese () meaning "tie, bind" and (ki) meaning "castle".
Yukimura Japanese
From Japanese (yuki) meaning "snow" and (mura) meaning "town, village".
Zabala Basque
Originally denoted someone who lived in a place of this name in Biscay. It is derived from Basque zabal meaning "large, wide".
Zahradník m Czech
Derived from Czech zahrada meaning "garden". It referred to someone who owned less land than a Sedlák or a Dvořák, but more land than a Chalupník.
Zavala Spanish
Variant of Zabala.
Zellweger German (Swiss)
Originally denoted a person from the Appenzell region of Switzerland. The place name is derived from Latin abbatis cella meaning "estate of the abbot". A famous bearer is actress Renée Zellweger (1969-).
Zeng Chinese
From Chinese (zēng) referring to the former state of Zeng, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hubei province.
Zhao Chinese
From Chinese (zhào), which refers to an ancient city-state in what is now Shanxi province. According to legend, King Mu rewarded his chariot driver Zaofu with the city, at which time Zaofu adopted this surname. The later historic state of Zhao, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, was named after this city.... [more]
Zheng Chinese
From Chinese (zhèng), which refers to the ancient state of Zheng. Zheng existed between the 9th to 4th centuries BC in present-day Henan province. A famous bearer of this surname was the 15th-century explorer Zheng He.
Zuiderduin Dutch
Means "southern dune" in Dutch.
Župan Croatian
Croatian cognate of Zupan.
Zupan Slovene
From Old Slavic županŭ meaning "head of the district, community leader", a derivative of župa meaning "district, region".
Zupančič Slovene
Patronymic form of Zupan.