Surnames Starting with W

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Wada Japanese
From Japanese 和 (wa) meaning "harmony, peace" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

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".

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

Waldfogel Jewish
Variant of Waldvogel.

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.

Walentowicz Polish
Means "son of Walenty".

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".

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.

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".

Waltersson Swedish
Variant of Walterson.

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 1 Chinese
From Chinese 王 (wáng) meaning "king, monarch". This is the most common surname in China (and the world).

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".

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

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.

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".

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.

Wasilewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wasilewski.

Wasilewski m Polish
Means "son of Wasyl".

Watanabe Japanese
From Japanese 渡 (wata) meaning "cross, ferry" and 辺 (nabe) meaning "area, place".

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).

Wattana Thai
From Thai วัฒน (wathan) meaning "culture".

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.

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).

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 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.

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.

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".

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

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.

Winogrodzka f Polish
Feminine form of Winogrodzki.

Winogrodzki m Polish
Polish cognate 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".

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.

Wojciechowski m Polish
From the given name Wojciech.

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.

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".

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.

Wróblewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wróblewski.

Wróblewski m Polish
Originally indicated a person from Polish towns named Wróblewo or similar, derived from Polish wróbel meaning "sparrow".

Wrona Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".

Wrońska f Polish
Feminine form of Wroński.

Wroński m 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.

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".

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