Browse Surnames

Vaněk m Czech
From an old diminutive of the given name Václav.

Vanev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Vane", a diminutive of Ivan.

Vaneva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Vanev.

Vång Swedish
Swedish variant of Wang 3.

Vang 1 Norwegian, Danish
Variant of Wang 3.

Vang 2 Yiddish
Variant of Wang 4.

Van Hautum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Heel Dutch
Means "from Heel", a small town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Van Herten Dutch
Means "from Herten", a small town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The town's name comes from Dutch herten, the plural of hert meaning "deer".

Van Hofwegen Dutch
Means "from Hofwegen", a town in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands, itself derived from Dutch hof "garden, courtyard" and weg "way, path, road".

Van Hoorn Dutch
Dutch form of Horn.

Van Horn Dutch
Dutch form of Horn.

Van Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houte Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houtem Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houttum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houtum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Kan Dutch
Means "from Kanne", a town in the province of Limburg in Belgium. The meaning of the town's name is unknown.

Van Kann Dutch
Variant of Van Kan.

Vankov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Vanko", a diminutive of Ivan.

Vaňková f Czech
Feminine form of Vaněk.

Vankova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Vankov.

Van Laren Dutch
Variant of Van Laar.

Van Leeuwen Dutch
Means "from Leeuwen", the name of towns in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Limburd. The place names may be from the Old Dutch word leo meaning "hill, burial mound".

Van Leeuwenhoek Dutch
Variant of Leeuwenhoek. A famous bearer of this surname is Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), a pioneer in the field of microscopy.

Van Middelburg Dutch (Rare)
Means "from Middelburg", the name of a city in Zeeland in the Netherlands, itself meaning "middle fortress" in Dutch.

Van Middlesworth Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Van Middelburg.

Van Nifterick Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Van Nifterik Dutch
Variant of Van Niftrik.

Van Niftrik Dutch
Means "from Niftrik", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.

Van Ogtrop Dutch
Variant of Ogtrop.

Van Oirschot Dutch
Means "from Oirschot", a town in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is possibly from Dutch oeros meaning "aurochs" and schoot meaning "projection (of land)".

Van Oorschot Dutch
Variant of Van Oirschot.

Van Ophoven Dutch
Means "from Ophoven", the name of towns in the Netherlands. Their names mean "upper gardens, upper courtyards" in Dutch.

Van Peij Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Van Pey.

Van Pey Dutch (Rare)
Means "from Pey", a town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Van Rompa Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Van Rompay Flemish, Dutch
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Van Rompaye Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Van Rompu Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Van Rompuy Flemish
Variant of Van Rompaey. A famous bearer is the Flemish politician Herman Van Rompuy (1947-), a Prime Minister of Belgium.

Van Rossem Dutch
Variant of Van Rossum.

Van Rossum Dutch
Means "from Rossum", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It is derived from Dutch rothe "cleared area in a forest" and heim "home".

Van Schoorl Dutch
Variant of Schoorl.

Van 't Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Veen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van Veenen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van Wegberg Dutch
Means "from Wegberg", a small town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, close to the Dutch border. It is derived from old German weg "way, path, road" and berg "mountain".

Van Wieren Frisian, Dutch
Means "from Wieren". This is the name of towns in Frisia and other parts of the Netherlands, which mean "seaweed".

Varano Italian
Derived from one of the many towns of this name in Italy.

Vardanyan Armenian
Means "son of Vardan".

Varela Spanish
Derived from Spanish vara "stick". It may have originally been given to one who used a stick in his line of work, for example an animal herder.

Vargha Hungarian
Variant of Varga.

Vargová f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Varga.

Varnham English
Variant of Farnham.

Vartanian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Վարդանյան (see Vardanyan).

Vašek m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Václav.

Vasić Serbian
Means "son of Vaso 1".

Vasileiou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βασιλείου (see Vasiliou).

Vasilescu Romanian
Means "son of Vasile".

Vasilev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Vasil".

Vasileva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Vasilev.

Vasiliauskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Vasiliauskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Vasiliauskas m Lithuanian
Means "son of Vasilijus".

Vasiliauskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Vasiliauskas. This form is used by married women.

Vasiliev m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Васильев (see Vasilyev).

Vasilieva f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Васильева (see Vasilyeva).

Vasiliou Greek
Means "son of Vasilios".

Vasilyev m Russian
Means "son of Vasil".

Vasilyeva f Russian
Feminine form of Vasilyev.

Vaško m Slovak
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Václav.

Vašková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Vašek or Vaško.

Vásquez Spanish
Means "son of Vasco".

Vass Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian vas meaning "iron", referring to a worker in iron, a miner of iron ore or a vendor of iron goods. Alternatively, from the same root word, it may have been a nickname referring to one with a distinctively strong constitution.

Vassiliou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βασιλείου (see Vasiliou).

Vastagh Hungarian
Variant of Vastag.

Vasylyshyn Ukrainian
Means "son of Vasyl".

Vaughn Welsh
Variant of Vaughan.

Vávra m Czech, Slovak
Derived from the given name Vávra, a diminutive of Vavřinec.

Vávrová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Vávra.

Vázquez Spanish
Variant of Vásquez.

Vega Spanish
From Spanish vega meaning "meadow, plain", of Basque origin.

Velichkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Velichko".

Velichkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Velichkov.

Velitchkov m Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Величков (see Velichkov).

Velitchkova f Bulgarian
Alternate transcription of Bulgarian Величкова (see Velichkova).

Vemulakonda Telugu
Indicated a person from the city of Vemula in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Venäläinen Finnish
Means "Russian" in Finnish. This name was originally used by the ethnic Finns who lived on the Russian side of the border.

Venner Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Ventimiglia Italian
From the name of the historical Italian city Ventimiglia, now near the French border, ultimately from Latin Albintimilium.

Vera Spanish
Means "shore, bank" in Spanish. This was a name for a person who lived near such a feature, or who came from any of the various locations in Spain named Vera or La Vera.

Veres Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Vörös.

Vergoossen Dutch
Means "son of Goswin".

Vernersen Danish
Means "son of Verner".

Vernon English
Locational name in the Eure region of Normandy, from the Gaulish element vern "alder (tree)" with the genitive case maker onis.

Verona Italian
From the name of the city of Verona, one of the most important historical cities of northern Italy. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain.

Veronesi Italian
Variant of Verona.

Veselá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Veselý.

Vicario Spanish, Italian
Means "vicar" in Spanish and Italian, an ecclesiastic title used to denote a representative of a bishop. It is derived from Latin vicarius meaning "substitute, deputy".

Victorsson Swedish
Means "son of Victor".

Vidović Croatian
Means "son of Vid".

Vieira Portuguese
Denoted a person who came from a Portuguese town by this name, derived from vieria meaning "scallop". The scallop was a symbol of Saint James, and was traditionally worn by pilgrims to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.

Vigo Italian, Spanish
Variant of Vico.

Viktorov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Viktor".

Viktorova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Viktorov.

Vila Catalan
Catalan form of Villa.

Vilar Portuguese, Galician, Catalan
Means "hamlet, farm" in Portuguese, Galician and Catalan, from Late Latin villare, a derivative of Latin villa.

Vilaró Catalan
Catalan variant of Vilar.

Vilhjálmsson Icelandic
Means "son of Vilhjálmur".

Villalba Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various Spanish places by this name. It is derived from Spanish villa "town" and alba "white".

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.

Vincent 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac Dhuibhinse meaning "son of Duibhinse", a given name meaning "black island".

Vinci 2 Italian
Originally indicated a person from Vinci near Florence, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci.

Vinković Croatian
Means "son of Vinko".

Vinogradova f Russian
Feminine form of Vinogradov.

Vinter Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian variant of Winter.

Vipond English
From Vieux-Pont, the name of various places in Normandy, derived from French vieux "old" and pont "bridge".

Visscher Dutch
Variant of Visser.

Vives Catalan
Variant of Vivas.

Vlachos m Greek
Means "Romanian, Wallachian" in Greek, from Old Slavic volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).

Vlachou f Greek
Feminine form of Vlachos.

Vladimirescu Romanian
Means "son of Vladimir".

Vlahos m Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βλάχος (see Vlachos).

Vlahou f Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βλάχου (see Vlachou).

Vlasáková f Czech
Feminine form of Vlasák.

Vlček m Czech, Slovak
Diminutive form of Czech and Slovak vlk meaning "wolf".

Vlčková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Vlček.

Võ Vietnamese
Variant of Vũ used more often in southern Vietnam.

Vodenicharova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Vodenicharov.

Vogels Dutch
Variant of Vogel.

Vogts German
Patronymic variant of Vogt.

Voigt German
Variant of Vogt.

Voigts German
Patronymic variant of Vogt.

Volkova f Russian
Feminine form of Volkov.

Voll 2 German
Variant of Volk.

Vollan Norwegian
Variant of Voll 1.

Voltolini Italian
From the name of the alpine valley of Valtellina in Lombardy, northern Italy.

Von Essen German
Means "from Essen", a city in Germany, possibly a derivative of Old High German asc meaning "ash tree".

Von Grimmelshausen German
Means "from Grimmelshausen", a town in Germany. It is itself derived from Grimmel, of uncertain meaning, and hausen meaning "houses". A famous bearer was the German author Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen (1621-1676).

Vonnegut German
Possibly from the German words von meaning "from, of, by" and gut meaning "good". A famous bearer was the American author Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007).

Voronina f Russian
Feminine form of Voronin.

Vos Dutch
Dutch cognate of Voss.

Voß German
Variant of Voss.

Vrabcová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Vrabec.

Vroomen Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Vroom.

Vrubel m Czech
From a dialectal variant of Czech vrabec "sparrow".

Vrublová f Czech
Feminine form of Vrubel.

Vũ Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 武 (vũ).

Wade 2 English
From the Old English given name Wada, a derivative of the word wadan "to go".

Wägner German
Variant of Wagner.

Wähner German
Variant of Wagner.

Wahner German
Variant of Wagner.

Wakefield English
Originally indicated a person who came from the English city of Wakefield, derived from Old English wacu "wake, vigil" and feld "field".

Walczak Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Walenty.

Waldfogel Jewish
Variant of Waldvogel.

Waldroup English
Variant of Wardrobe.

Walentowicz Polish
Means "son of Walenty".

Wallace Scottish, English, Irish
Means "foreigner, stranger, Celt" from Norman French waleis (of Germanic origin). It was often used to denote native Welsh and Bretons. A famous bearer was the 13th-century Scottish hero William Wallace.

Waller 2 English
Derived from Old English weall meaning "wall", denoting a builder of walls or someone who lived near a prominent wall.

Waller 3 English
From Old English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".

Wallin Swedish
From Swedish vall meaning "wall, bank" (ultimately of Latin origin).

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

Walmsley English
Originally denoted a person from the English town of Walmersley.

Walterson English
Means "son of Walter".

Waltersson Swedish
Variant of Walterson.

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".

Waltz German
From a diminutive of the given name Walther.

Ward 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac an Bhaird, which means "son of the bard".

Warner German, English
Variant of Werner.

Warren 1 English
Denoted a person who lived near a warren, from Norman French warrene meaning "animal enclosure" (of Germanic origin).

Warren 2 English
Originally denoted a person from the town of La Varenne in Normandy, which may derive from a Gaulish word meaning "sandy soil".

Warrick English
Variant of Warwick.

Warshawsky Jewish
Variant of Warszawski.

Warszawska f Polish
Feminine form of Warszawski.

Warszawski mu 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.

Wasilewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wasilewski.

Wasilewski m Polish
Means "son of Wasyl".

Waterman 1 English
Means "servant of Walter".

Waterman 2 English, Dutch
Occupational name for a boatman or a water carrier. It could also describe a person who lived by water.

Waters 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived near the water.

Watkins English
Derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, which was a diminutive of the name Walter.

Watson English, Scottish
Patronymic derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter.

Watt English
Derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter. A noteworthy bearer was the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819).

Watts English
Patronymic derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter.

Wauters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Wawrzaszek Polish
Means "son of Wawrzyniec".

Waxweiler German
Denoted a person from Waxweiler, a village in the Eifel region of Germany.

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".

Weaver 2 English
From the name of the River Weaver, derived from Old English wefer meaning "winding stream".

Webb English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".

Weber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.

Webster English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".

Weeber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.

Weekes English
Variant of Weeks.

Wegener Low German
Low German variant of Wagner.

Wegner Low German
Low German variant of Wagner.

Wehner German
Variant of Wagner.

Wehnert German
Variant of Wagner.

Wehunt German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of German Wiegand.

Wei Chinese
From Chinese 魏 (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.

Weiner German
Variant of Wagner.

Weiß German
Variant of Weiss.

Welch English
Variant of Walsh.

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.

Wendell German
Variant of Wendel (typically American).

Wescott English
Variant of Westcott.

Wesley English
Variant of Westley.

West English, German
Denoted a person who lived to the west of something, or who came from the west.

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.

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".

Wexler Jewish
Variant of Wechsler.

Whalen Irish
Variant of Whelan.

Wheatley English
From any of the various places in England with this name, meaning "wheat clearing" in Old English.

Wheeler English
Occupational name for a maker of wagon wheels, derived from Middle English whele "wheel".

Wheelock English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Wheelock, England. It was named for the nearby River Wheelock, which is derived from Welsh chwylog meaning "winding".

Whelan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Faoláin meaning "descendant of Faolán".

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.

Whittaker English
Variant of Whitaker.

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".

Wilcox English
From a diminutive of the given name William.

Wilder English, German
Variant of Wild.

Wildgrube German
From the name of a German town, derived from German wild "wild, untamed" and Grube "hollow, pit".

Wiley English
From any of the various English towns named Willey or from the River Wylye.

Wilkerson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Wilkie English
Double diminutive of the given name William.

Wilkins English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Wilkinson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Willemsen Dutch
Means "son of Willem".

Willey English
Variant of Wiley.

Williams English
Means "son of William".

Williamson English
Means "son of William".

Willis English
Derived from the given name William. A famous bearer of this surname is actor Bruce Willis (1955-).

Willoughby English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English welig "willow" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement".

Wilson English
Means "son of Will". A famous bearer was the American president Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924).

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.

Winograd Jewish
Jewish form of Vinogradov.

Winogrodzka f Polish
Feminine form of Winogrodzki.

Winogrodzki m Polish
Polish cognate of Vinogradov.

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.

Winther Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish variant of Winter.

Winton English
Derived from the name of several English villages. Their names derive from Old English meaning "enclosure belonging to Wine".

Wirt German
Variant of Wirth.

Wiśniewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wiśniewski.

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".

Witkowska f Polish
Feminine form of Witkowski.

Witkowski m Polish
From the name of various Polish places called Witkowo, Witków or Witkowice, all derived from the given name Witek.

Wojciechowska f Polish
Feminine form of Wojciechowski.

Wojda Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

Wojewódka Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

Wojewódzka f Polish
Feminine form of Wojewódzki.

Wojewódzki m Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

Wolańska f Polish
Feminine form of Wolański.

Wolański m Polish
Denoted a person who came from one of the places in Poland called Wola or Wolany, derived from the given name Wolan meaning "to want".

Wolfe English
Variant of Wolf.

Wolff German, Danish, Norwegian, Jewish
Variant of Wolf.

Wolters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Womack English
Of uncertain origin. One theory suggests that it indicated a dweller by a hollow oak tree, derived from Old English womb "hollow" and ac "oak".

Wong 1 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wang 1.

Wong 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Huang.

Woodhams English
Variant of Woodham.

Woodrow English
From a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English.

Woods English, Scottish
Variant of Wood.

Woodward English
Occupational name for a forester, meaning "ward of the wood" in Old English.

Woolf English
Variant of Wolf.

Wortham English
Derived from the name of a town in Suffolk, England meaning "enclosed homestead".

Wouters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Wragge English
Derived from the Old Danish given name Wraghi, a variant of Vragi.

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".

Wright 1 English
From Old English wyrhta meaning "wright, maker", an occupational name for someone who was a craftsman. Famous bearers were Orville and Wilbur Wright, the inventors of the first successful airplane.

Wright 2 French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Droit.

Wróblewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wróblewski.

Wrońska f Polish
Feminine form of Wroński.

Wu 1 Chinese
From Chinese 吴 (wú) referring to the ancient state of Wu, which was located in present-day Jiangsu province.

Wu 3 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Hu.

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".

Wyrick Polish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Wyrzyk.

Wyrzyk Polish
Variant of Wyrzykowski.

Wyrzykowska f Polish
Feminine form of Wyrzykowski.

Wyrzykowski m Polish
Possibly from the Polish place name Wyrzyki, of uncertain meaning, maybe "away from the river".

Xanthopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Xanthos".

Xanthopoulou f Greek
Feminine form of Xanthopoulos.

Xiao Chinese
From Chinese 蕭 (xiāo) referring to the fiefdom or territory of Xiao (in present-day Anhui province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.

Xie Chinese
From Chinese 谢 (xiè) referring to the minor state of Xie, which existed in what is now Hubei province.

Xu 1 Chinese
From Chinese 徐 (xú) referring to the ancient state of Xu, which existed to the 6th century BC in what is now Jiangsu and Anhui. The character 徐 means "slowly, calmly".

Xu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 许 (xǔ) referring to the minor state of Xu, which existed to the 4th century BC in what is now Henan province. The character 许 means "allow, permit".