Unisex Surnames

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.

Weigand German
From the given name Wiegand.

Weimann German
From German Wein meaning "wine", an occupational name for a wine seller or producer.

Weiner German
Variant of Wagner.

Weiss German, Yiddish
From Middle High German wiz or Yiddish װייַס (vais) meaning "white". This was originally a nickname for a person with white hair or skin.

Weiß German
Variant of Weiss.

Welch English
Variant of Walsh.

Wells English
Derived from Middle English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".

Welter German
Derived from the given name Walter.

Wembley English
From the name of a town, now part of Greater London, meaning "Wemba's clearing" in Old English.

Wen Chinese
From Chinese 文 (wén) meaning "literature, culture, writing".

Wendel German
Derived from the given name Wendel.

Wendell German
Variant of Wendel (typically American).

Werner German
From the given name Werner.

Wernher German
From the given name Werner.

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.

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".

Wetzel German
From the given name Wenzel.

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".

White English
Originally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English hwit "white".

Whitehead English
Nickname for someone with white or light-coloured hair, from Old English hwit "white" and heafod "head".

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".

Wiater Polish
Derived from Polish wiatr "wind", a nickname for a quick person.

Wibawa Indonesian
Variant of Wibowo.

Wibowo Indonesian
From Indonesian wibawa meaning "authority, power", ultimately from Sanskrit विभव (vibhava).

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.

Wieczorek Polish
From a nickname meaning "bat" in Polish, ultimately from wieczór meaning "evening".

Wiegand German
From the given name Wiegand.

Wilbur English
From the nickname Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.

Wilcox English
From a diminutive of the given name William.

Wild English, German
Means "wild, untamed, uncontrolled", derived from Old English wilde. This was either a nickname for a person who behaved in a wild manner or a topographic name for someone who lived on overgrown land.

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.

Wilk Polish
Means "wolf" in Polish.

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".

Willard English
From the given name Wilheard or Willihard.

Willems Dutch
Derived from the given name Willem.

Willemse Dutch
Derived from the given name Willem.

Willemsen Dutch
Means "son of Willem".

Willey English
Variant of Wiley.

William English
Derived from the given name William.

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".

Wilmer German, English
Derived from the given name Willimar or Wilmǣr.

Wilms Dutch
Derived from the given name Willem.

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.

Winfield English
From various English place names, derived from Old English winn "meadow, pasture" and feld "field".

Winkler German
Derived from Old High German winkil meaning "corner".

Winograd Jewish
Jewish form of Vinogradov.

Winship English
Possibly denoted a person who came from Wincheap Street in Canterbury, England. It is uncertain origin, possibly meaning "wine market" in Old English.

Winslow English
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "hill belonging to Wine".

Winston English
Derived from the given name Wynnstan.

Winter English, German, Swedish
From Old English winter or Old High German wintar meaning "winter". This was a nickname for a person with a cold personality.

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.

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".

Wirner German
From the given name Werner.

Wirnhier German
From the given name Werner.

Wirt German
Variant of Wirth.

Wirth German, Jewish
Occupational name for an innkeeper, derived from German wirt meaning "host".

Witherspoon English
Originally given to a person who dwelt near a sheep enclosure, from Middle English wether "sheep" and spong "strip of land".

Wójcik Polish
From the Polish word wójt meaning "chief, mayor" (related to German Vogt).

Wojda Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

Wojewoda Polish
From the Polish title wojewoda meaning "governor, voivode" (originally meaning "warlord").

Wojewódka Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

Wolf German, English
From Middle High German or Middle English wolf meaning "wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.

Wolfe English
Variant of Wolf.

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

Wolter German
From the given name Walter.

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.

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".

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.

Wootton English
Derived from Old English wudu "wood" and tun "enclosure, town".

Wörner German
From the given name Werner.

Wörnhör German
From the given name Werner.

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

Wouters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Woźniak Polish
From Polish woźny meaning "caretaker, clerk".

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.

Wróbel Polish
Means "sparrow" in Polish.

Wrona Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".

Wruck German
From Middle Low German wrok meaning "cantankerous".

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

Wu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 武 (wǔ) meaning "military, martial".

Wu 3 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Hu.

Wuopio Swedish
Meaning uncertain, possibly referred to a dweller in a narrow bay with steep shores.

Wyatt English
From the medieval given name Wyot.

Wyman English
From the Old English given name Wigmund.

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".

Wynne English
Derived from the given name Wine.

Wyrick Polish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Wyrzyk.

Wyrzyk Polish
Variant of Wyrzykowski.

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".

Xun Chinese
From Chinese 荀 (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 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yamagishi Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 岸 (kishi) meaning "beach, shore, bank".

Yamaguchi Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance". Olympic figure-skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi (1971-) bears this name.

Yamamoto Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Yamasaki Japanese
Variant of Yamazaki.

Yamashita Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

Yamauchi Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Yamazaki Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Yancy Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jansen.

Yang Chinese
From Chinese 杨 (yáng) meaning "willow, poplar, aspen".

Yap English
From a nickname for a clever or cunning person, from Middle English yap meaning "devious, deceitful, shrewd".

Yasuda Japanese
From Japanese 安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet" or 保 (yasu) meaning "protect, maintain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yates English
From Old English geat meaning "gate", a name for a gatekeeper or someone who lived near a gate.

Ybarra Spanish, Basque
Variant of Ibarra.

Ye Chinese
From Chinese 叶 (yè) meaning "leaf".

Yeung Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Yang.

Yi Korean
Variant of Lee 2.

Yıldız Turkish
Means "star" in Turkish.

Yılmaz Turkish
From the given name Yılmaz.

Yokota Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yong English
Variant of Young.

Yonker Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jonker.

Yonkers Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized spelling of Jonkers.

Yoon Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 윤 (see Yun).

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 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yoshinaga Japanese
From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 永 (naga) meaning "perpetual, eternal".

Yoshino Japanese
From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Yoshioka Japanese
From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Young English
Derived from Old English geong meaning "young". This was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.

Younge English
Variant of Young.

Yount German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jundt.

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".

Yu 1 Chinese
From Chinese 于 (yú) meaning "in, on, at". According to legend, King Wu of Zhou bestowed the realm of Yu to his second son, who subsequently adopted this as his surname.

Yu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 余 (yú) meaning "surplus".

Yu 3 Chinese
From Chinese 俞 (yú) meaning "consent, approve".

Yu 4 Chinese
From Chinese 虞 (yú) meaning "concerned, anxious" and also referring to the ancient state of Yu, which was situated in what is now Shanxi province.

Yuan Chinese
From Chinese 源 (yuán), 原 (yuán) or 元 (yuán), which mean "origin, source".

Yuen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Ruan.

Yūki Japanese
From Japanese 結 (yū) meaning "tie, bind" and 城 (ki) meaning "castle".

Yukimura Japanese
From Japanese 雪 (yuki) meaning "snow" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Yun Korean
From Sino-Korean 尹 (yun) meaning "govern, oversee".

Yuuki Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 結城 (see Yūki).

Zaal Dutch
Means "hall" in Dutch.

Zabala Basque
Originally denoted someone who lived in a place of this name in Biscay. It is derived from Basque zabal meaning "large, wide".

Ząbek Polish
From Polish zab "tooth" and a diminutive suffix.

Zając Polish
Means "hare" in Polish.

Zaman Arabic, Urdu
Derived from the given name Zaman.

Zambrano Spanish
Possibly a habitational name for someone from Zambrana, a town in the province of Álava in Spain.

Zamorano Spanish
Originally denoted a person from Zamora, the name of both a province in Spain and its capital city.

Zanetti Italian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Giovanni. A famous bearer is Argentinian soccer player Javier Zanetti (1973-).

Zangari Italian
Southern Italian name, derived from Greek τσαγκάρης (tsankaris) meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".

Zapatero Spanish
Spanish cognate of Savatier.

Zappa Italian
From Italian zappa meaning "hoe, mattock", probably denoting a farmer. Two musicians of Italian origin have bore this name: Francesco Zappa (1717-1803) and Frank Zappa (1940-1993).

Zavala Spanish
Variant of Zabala.

Zawisza Polish
Derived from the Old Polish given name Zawisza.

Zeegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Zeelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Ceel.

Zegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Zelenko Ukrainian
Ukrainian cognate of Zieliński.

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 曾 (zēng) referring to the former state of Zeng, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hubei province.

Zeni Italian
Means "son of Zeno".

Zentai Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from the city of Senta in Serbia (formerly a part of Hungary and called Zenta).

Zhang Chinese
From Chinese 张 (zhāng) meaning "stretch, extend". It may have denoted a bowmaker whose job it was to stretch bow wood.

Zhao Chinese
From Chinese 赵 (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 郑 (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.

Zhou Chinese
From 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 Chinese
From 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.

Zhuk Belarusian
Means "beetle" in Belarusian.

Ziegler German
Means "bricklayer" or "brickmaker" in German, from Middle High German ziegel "brick, tile".

Ziemniak Polish
Means "potato" in Polish.

Zientek Polish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Ziętek.

Ziętek Polish
Possibly from a diminutive of Polish zięć meaning "son-in-law".

Zilberschlag Jewish
Occupational name for a silversmith from Yiddish zilber "silver" and schlag "strike".

Zilberstein Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "silver stone", from Yiddish זילבער (zilber) and שטיין (tein), both of Old High German origin.

Zima mu Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian
From an Old Slavic word meaning "winter". This may have been a nickname for a person with a chilly personality.

Zimman Jewish
Possibly a variant of Zimmermann.

Zimmerman German
Variant of Zimmermann.

Zimmermann German, Jewish
From the German word for "carpenter", derived from Middle High German zimber "timber, wood" and mann "man".

Zingel Jewish
From Middle High German zingel "defensive wall". This name was originally applied to a person who lived near the outermost wall of a castle.

Zini Italian
Derived from names such as Lorenzino, a diminutive of Lorenzo, or Vincenzino, a diminutive of Vincenzo.

Zino Italian
Derived 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 Jewish
Ornamental name, or from a given name, meaning "sweet child", derived from Yiddish זיס (zis) meaning "sweet" and קינד (kind) meaning "child", both words of Old High German origin.

Žitnik Slovene
From the Slavic root žito meaning "rye, grain". This was an occupational name for a dealer in rye or a baker.

Živković Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Živko".

Zoltánfi Hungarian
Means "son of Zoltán".

Zorić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Zora".

Zsoldos Hungarian
Means "mercenary" in Hungarian.

Zubizarreta Basque
Means "old bridge", from Basque zubia "bridge" and zahar "old". A famous bearer is the Spanish soccer player Andoni Zubizarreta (1961-).

Zuiderduin Dutch
Means "southern dune" in Dutch.

Żukowski Polish
From various Polish towns named Żukowo or Żuków, which are derived from żuk meaning "beetle".

Zuñiga Basque
From the name of a Spanish town, formerly named Estuniga in Basque, possibly derived from Basque istuin "channel, strait".

Zunino Italian
Derived from the given name Giovanni.

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.

Żuraw Polish
Means "crane" in Polish, a nickname for a tall person.

Zyma Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Zima.