Browse Surnames

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.

Vann English
From Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp", indicating a person who lived near such a place.

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 Rijn Dutch
Means "from the Rhine". A famous bearer was the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669).

Van Rompa Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Van Rompaey Flemish, Dutch
Means "from the wide path", derived from Middle Dutch ruum "roomy, spacious" combined with pat "path".

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 Tonder Dutch
Means "from Tønder", a town in Denmark near the German border.

Van Veen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van Veenen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van Vliet Dutch
Means "from the stream" in Dutch.

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".

Van Wijk Dutch
Means "from the settlement", from Dutch wijk meaning "neighbourhood, district, settlement".

Van Willigen Dutch
Means "from the willows", from Old Dutch wilga "willow".

Varley English
Originally denoted a person from Verly, France, itself derived from the Roman name Virilius.

Varnham English
Variant of Farnham.

Veenstra Dutch
Derived from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat".

Venner Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Verboom Dutch
Means "from the tree" in Dutch.

Vergoossen Dutch
Means "son of Goswin".

Verhoeven Dutch
Means "from the farm" in Dutch, derived from hoeve "farm", and so indicated a person who lived on a farm.

Verity English
From a nickname meaning "truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.

Vermeulen Flemish
Means "from the mill" in Dutch.

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

Ververs Dutch
Occupational name derived from Dutch verver meaning "dyer, painter".

Vervloet Flemish
Means "from the stream" in Dutch.

Victor French, English
Derived from the male given name Victor.

Victors English
Derived from the given name Victor.

Vieth German
From the given name Veit.

Vincent 1 English, French
From the given name Vincent.

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

Virgo English
Possibly from Latin virgo "virgin, maiden". It may have been a nickname for an actor who played the Virgin Mary in mystery plays, or for a shy man or a lecher.

Visscher Dutch
Variant of Visser.

Visser Dutch
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in Dutch.

Vogel German, Dutch
From Old High German and Old Dutch fogal meaning "bird". It was originally an occupational name for a bird catcher, or a nickname for a person who liked to sing.

Vogels Dutch
Variant of Vogel.

Vogt German
Occupational name from Middle High German voget meaning "bailiff, administrator, steward", ultimately from Latin advocatus.

Vogts German
Patronymic variant of Vogt.

Voigt German
Variant of Vogt.

Voigts German
Patronymic variant of Vogt.

Volk German
Derived from given names beginning with the Old High German element folk meaning "people".

Voll 2 German
Variant of Volk.

Von Brandt German
Means "from the area cleared by fire", from Middle High German brant.

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).

Von Ingersleben German
Means "from Ingersleben", a town in Germany, which means "Inge's village".

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).

Vos Dutch
Dutch cognate of Voss.

Voss German
From Middle Low German vos meaning "fox". It was originally a nickname for a clever person or a person with red hair.

Voß German
Variant of Voss.

Vossen Dutch
From the given name Vos, which comes from the Frisian name Fos, which is from Old German given names beginning with the element folk meaning "people".

Vroom Dutch, Flemish
From a nickname derived from Dutch vroom meaning "pious, devout".

Vroomen Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Vroom.

Wade 1 English
Derived from the Old English place name wæd meaning "a ford".

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

Wägner German
Variant of Wagner.

Wagner German
From Middle High German wagener meaning "wagon maker, cartwright". This name was borne by the German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883).

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".

Waldo English
From the Anglo-Scandinavian given name Waltheof.

Waldroup English
Variant of Wardrobe.

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".

Walker English
Occupational name for a person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. It is derived from Middle English walkere, Old English wealcan meaning "to move".

Wall English
Originally denoted a person who lived near a prominent wall, from Old English weall.

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.

Wallach Yiddish
From Middle High German walch meaning "foreigner (from a Romance country)".

Waller 1 English
Derived from Old French gallier meaning "person with a pleasant temper".

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".

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

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

Walsh English, Irish
From Old English wælisc meaning "foreigner, stranger, Celt".

Walter English, German
Derived from the given name Walter.

Walters English
Derived from the given name Walter.

Walterson English
Means "son of Walter".

Walther German
From the given name Walther.

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.

Wang 2 German, Dutch
From Middle High German and Middle Dutch wange meaning "cheek", possibly a nickname for someone with round or rosy cheeks.

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".

Ward 1 English
Derived from Old English weard meaning "guard, guardian".

Wardrobe English
From Old French warder "to guard" and robe "garment", an occupational name for a servant responsible for the clothing in a household.

Ware 1 English
From Old English wer meaning "dam, weir", indicating someone who lived near such a structure.

Ware 2 English
From the Middle English nickname ware meaning "wary, astute, prudent".

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.

Warwick English
From the name of an English town, itself derived from Old English wer "weir, dam" and wic "village, town".

Wash English
Derived from the Norman name Wazo.

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.

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.

Waters 2 English
Derived from the given name Walter.

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".

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

Way English
From Old English weg meaning "way, road, path".

Wayne English
Occupational name meaning "wagon maker, cartwright", derived from Old English wægn "wagon". A famous bearer was the American actor John Wayne (1907-1979).

Weaver 1 English
Occupational name for a weaver, derived from Old English wefan "to weave".

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".

Wechsler German, Jewish
Means "money changer, banker", from German wechseln "to exchange".

Wedekind German
From the given name Widukind.

Weeber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.

Weekes English
Variant of Weeks.

Weeks English
Derived from Old English wic meaning "village, town".

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

Whittaker English
Variant of Whitaker.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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".

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".

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".

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.

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

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.

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.

Yancy Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jansen.

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

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

Yong English
Variant of Young.

Yonker Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jonker.

Yonkers Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized spelling of Jonkers.

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.

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".

Zaal Dutch
Means "hall" in Dutch.

Zeegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Zeelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Ceel.

Zegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

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-).

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

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".

Zuiderduin Dutch
Means "southern dune" in Dutch.