Surnames on the List of Nobel Prize Winners

Ahmed Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Indian (Muslim)
Derived from the given name Ahmad.

Allison English
Means "son of Alan" or "son of Alexander" (as well as other given names beginning with Al).

Álvarez Spanish
Means "son of Álvaro".

Alvarez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Álvarez.

Amano Japanese
From Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Anderson English
Means "son of Andrew".

Appleton English
From the name of several English towns, meaning "orchard" in Old English (a compound of æppel "apple" and tun "enclosure, yard").

Arias Spanish
Possibly derived from a medieval given name of Germanic origin.

Arnold English
Derived from the given name Arnold.

Aston 1 English
From a place name meaning "east town" in Old English.

Aston 2 English
From the Old English given name Æðelstan.

Asturias Spanish
From the name of a region in Spain, formerly a medieval kingdom. It is possibly derived from Basque asta "rock" and ur "water".

Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.

Banerjee Bengali
Variant of Bandyopadhyay.

Bárány Hungarian
Means "lamb" in Hungarian.

Barre French
French cognate of Barr.

Barton English
From a place name meaning "barley town" in Old English.

Becker German
Derived from Middle High German becker meaning "baker".

Beckett English
Originally a diminutive of Beck 1 or Beck 3.

Belo Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bello.

Berg German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Old High German, Old Dutch and Old Norse berg meaning "mountain".

Bergström Swedish
Derived from Swedish berg meaning "mountain" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Bishop English
Means simply "bishop", ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer". It probably originally referred to a person who served a bishop.

Black English
Means either "black" (from Old English blæc) or "pale" (from Old English blac). It could refer to a person with a pale or a dark complexion, or a person who worked with black dye.

Blackburn English
From the name of a city in Lancashire, meaning "black stream" in Old English.

Bösch 1 German
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Sebastian.

Bösch 2 Low German
Variant of Bosch 1.

Bosch 1 Dutch, Low German
Derived from Middle Dutch bosch meaning "wood, forest".

Bosch 2 Catalan
Catalan cognate of Bosco.

Bothe Dutch
Variant of Both.

Boyd Scottish
From the name of the Scottish island of Bute (Bód in Gaelic), which is of unknown meaning.

Boyer Occitan
Occitan cognate of Bouvier.

Boyle Irish
From Irish Ó Baoighill meaning "descendant of Baoigheall". The meaning of the given name Baoigheall is uncertain, but it is thought to be connected to Irish geall meaning "pledge".

Brandt German
Variant of Brand 1 or Brand 2.

Braun German
Means "brown" in German.

Brown English
Originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin. A notable bearer is Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.

Buchanan Scottish
From the name of a region in Stirlingshire, Scotland, which means "house of the canon" in Gaelic.

Butler English, Irish
Occupational name derived from Norman French butiller "wine steward", ultimately from Late Latin butticula "bottle". A famous bearer of this surname is the fictional character Rhett Butler, created by Margaret Mitchell for her novel Gone with the Wind (1936).

Calvin French (Latinized)
Latinized form of Chauvin, used to refer to the French theologian Jean Cauvin (1509-1564).

Campbell Scottish
From a Gaelic nickname cam beul meaning "wry or crooked mouth". The surname was later represented in Latin documents as de bello campo meaning "of the fair field".

Carlsson Swedish
Means "son of Carl".

Carter English
Occupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).

Čech Czech
Means "Czech". The name was used to differentiate a native of Bohemia from the natives of Silesia, Moravia and other regions that are now part of the Czech Republic.

Cecil Welsh
From the Welsh given name Seisyll, which was derived from the Roman name Sextilius, a derivative of Sextus.

Chadwick English
From the name of English towns meaning "settlement belonging to Chad" in Old English.

Chamberlain English
Occupational name for one who looked after the inner rooms of a mansion, from Norman French chambrelain.

Charpentier French
French cognate of Carpenter, derived from Old French charpentier.

Chauvin French
From a diminutive of French chauve "bald".

Chu Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 朱 (see Zhu).

Cohen Jewish
Means "priest" from Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohen). It originally denoted one of the priestly tribe of Levi.

Cooper English
Means "barrel maker", from Middle English couper.

Corey English
Derived from the Old Norse given name Kóri, of unknown meaning.

Dale English
From Old English dæl meaning "valley", originally indicating a person who lived there.

Dam Dutch, Danish
Means "dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".

Davis English, Scottish
Means "son of David". This was the surname of the revolutionary jazz trumpet player Miles Davis (1926-1991).

De Klerk Dutch
From Dutch klerk meaning "clerk", making this a cognate of Clark.

Doherty Irish
From the Irish Ó Dochartaigh meaning "descendant of Dochartach". The byname Dochartach means "obstructive".

Edwards English
Means "son of Edward".

Eliot English
Variant of Elliott.

Ernst German, Dutch, Danish
From the given name Ernst.

Evans Welsh
Means "son of Evan".

Faulkner English, Scottish
Occupational name meaning "keeper of falcons", from Middle English and Scots faulcon, from Late Latin falco, of Germanic origin.

Fenn English
From a name for someone who dwelt near a marsh, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp, bog".

Fermi Italian
Originally indicated a person from the town of Fermo in the Marche region of Italy, originally called Firmum in Latin meaning "strong, steady, firm".

Fischer German
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in German.

Fleming English
Given to a person who was a Fleming, that is a person who was from Flanders in the Netherlands.

Fowler English
Occupational name for a fowler or birdcatcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".

Frank 1 English
Derived from the given name Frank.

Frank 2 English
From Old English franc meaning "free".

Frank 3 German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Name for a person from Franconia in Germany, so called because it was settled by the Frankish people.

Fried German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.

Fukui Japanese
Denoted a person who was from Fukui prefecture in Japan.

Gábor Hungarian
From the given name Gábor.

Gabor Hungarian
Variant of Gábor.

Gao Chinese
From Chinese 高 (gāo) meaning "tall, high".

García Spanish
From a medieval given name of unknown meaning, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This is the most common surname in Spain.

Garcia Portuguese, Spanish
Portuguese form of García. It is also an unaccented form of the Spanish name used commonly in America and the Philippines.

Gilbert English, French
Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Gore English
From the Old English word gara meaning "triangular plot of land".

Granger English, French
Means "farm bailiff" from Old French grangier, ultimately from Latin granum meaning "grain". It is borne in the Harry Potter novels by Harry's friend Hermione Granger.

Gross German
Variant of Groß.

Groß German
From Old High German groz meaning "tall, big".

Grünberg German, Jewish
From German grün meaning "green" and Berg meaning "mountain". This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.

Guan Chinese
From Chinese 关 (guān) meaning "frontier pass".

Guillaume French
From the given name Guillaume.

Haber German, Jewish
Occupational name for one who grew or sold oats, derived from Old High German habaro "oat". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.

Hahn German
From a nickname for a proud or pugnacious person, from Old High German hano meaning "rooster, cock".

Hall English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

Hansen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Hans". This is the most common surname in Norway, and the third most common in Denmark.

Harden English
From a place name meaning "hare valley" in Old English.

Hart English
Means "male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.

Henderson Scottish, English
Means "son of Hendry".

Hershey English
Originally denoted a person from Hercé in Normandy.

Hertz German
Derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.

Heymans Dutch
Variant of Heijman.

Hicks English
Derived from the medieval given name Hicke, a diminutive of Richard.

Hill English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a hill, derived from Old English hyll.

Hoffmann German
From Middle High German hofmann meaning "farmer".

Holmström Swedish
From Swedish holme (Old Norse holmr) meaning "small island" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Hopkins English
Patronymic formed from a diminutive of Hob.

Hüber German
Variant of Huber.

Huber German
Occupational name for a farmer, derived from Old High German huoba "plot of land, farm".

Hull English
Variant of Hill.

Hume Scottish, English
Variant of Holme. A famous bearer was the philosopher David Hume (1711-1776).

Hunt English
Variant of Hunter.

Huxley English
From the name of a town in Cheshire. The final element is Old English leah "woodland, clearing", while the first element might be hux "insult, scorn". A famous bearer was the British author Aldous Huxley (1894-1963).

Jelínek Czech
Diminutive of Jelen.

Jensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jens". This is the most common surname in Denmark.

Jiménez Spanish
Means "son of Jimeno".

Johnson English
Means "son of John". Famous bearers include American presidents Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).

Josephson English
Means "son of Joseph".

Katz Jewish
Derived from Hebrew כֹּהֵן צֶדֶק (kohen tzedek) meaning "priest of justice", indicating a descendant of Aaron.

Kellogg English
Occupational name for a pig butcher, from Middle English killen "to kill" and hog "pig, swine, hog".

Kendall English
Derived from the town of Kendal in England, so-called from the river Kent, on which it is situated, and Old English dæl meaning "valley, dale".

Kertész Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "gardener" in Hungarian.

Kim Korean
Korean form of Jin, from Sino-Korean 金 (gim) meaning "gold". This is the most common surname in Korea.

King English
From Old English cyning "king", originally a nickname for someone who either acted in a kingly manner or who worked for or was otherwise associated with a king. A famous bearer was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

Kipling English
From the name of a town in Yorkshire, of Old English origin meaning "Cyppel's people", from a given name Cyppel of unknown meaning. A famous bearer of this name was the author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936).

Klein German, Dutch, Jewish
Means "small, little" from German klein or Yiddish kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).

Knowles English
From Middle English knoll, Old English cnoll meaning "small hill, knoll". A famous bearer is American singer Beyoncé Knowles (1981-).

Kobayashi Japanese
From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" and 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest".

Koch German
German cognate of Cook.

Köhler German
Variant of Kohler.

Kohler German
From Middle High German koler meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal seller".

Krebs German
Means "crab" in German, perhaps a nickname for a person with a crab-like walk.

Kuhn German
Derived from a diminutive of the German given name Konrad.

Lamb English
From the name of the animal, perhaps a nickname for a shy person.

Landau German, Jewish
Derived from the town of Landau in the Palatinate region of Germany, of Old High German origin meaning "land valley".

Lange German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian cognate of Long.

Lawrence English
Derived from the given name Laurence 1. Famous bearers include revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) and author D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930).

Lê Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Li 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 黎 (lê). This is the third most common surname in Vietnam.

Lee 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".

Lee 2 Korean, Chinese
Korean form of Li 1, from Sino-Korean 李 (i). It is also a variant Chinese romanization of Li 1.

Levi Jewish
From the given name Levi.

Levitt English
Variant of Leavitt.

Lewis 1 English
Derived from the given name Lewis. The author C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) was a bearer of this surname.

Lewis 2 Welsh
Anglicized form of Llywelyn.

Liu Chinese
From Chinese 刘 (liú) meaning "kill, destroy". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Han dynasty.

Lorentz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lorenz German
Derived from the given name Lorenz.

Lucas English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch
Derived from the given name Lucas. A famous bearer of this surname is George Lucas (1944-), the creator of the Star Wars movies.

MacBride Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Giolla Bhrighde.

MacLeod Scottish
Variant of McLeod.

Maguire Irish
Variant of McGuire.

Mann German, English
From a nickname meaning "man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.

Marconi Italian
Derived from the given name Marco.

Márquez Spanish
Means "son of Marcos".

Marshall English
Derived from Middle English mareschal "marshal", from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German marah "horse" and scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.

Martín Spanish
Derived from the given name Martín.

Martin English, French, German, Swedish
Derived from the given name Martin. This is the most common surname in France.

Martinson English
Means "son of Martin".

Mayer 1 German
Variant of Meyer 1.

Mayer 2 Jewish
Variant of Meyer 2.

Mayer 3 English
Occupational name for a mayor, from Middle English mair, derived via Old French from Latin maior.

Mayer 4 English
Variant of Myer.

McDonald Scottish
Variant of MacDonald.

McMillan Scottish
Anglicized form of Gaelic MacMhaoilein meaning "son of Maolan", itself meaning "devotee, servant, tonsured one".

Michel French, German, Dutch, Basque
Derived from the given name Michel, Michiel or Mitxel.

Miller English
Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Mitchell 1 English, Scottish
Derived from the given name Michael.

Mitchell 2 English
Originally a nickname for a large person, from Old English micel "big".

Molina Spanish
Means "mill" in Spanish.

Moore 1 English
Originally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English mor meaning "open land, bog".

Moore 2 English
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Moore 3 English
Nickname for a person of dark complexion, from Old French more, Latin maurus, meaning "Moorish".

Morgan Welsh
Derived from the given name Morgan 1.

Morrison English
Means "son of Morris".

Mortensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Morten".

Moser German
Name for someone who lived near a peat bog, from Middle High German mos.

Müller German
German equivalent of Miller, derived from Middle High German mülnære or müller.

Muller German
Variant of Müller.

Munro Scottish
Designated a person who had originally lived near the mouth of the Roe River in Derry, Ireland. It is derived from Gaelic bun meaning "root, base" combined with the river's name.

Murphy Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Murchadha meaning "descendant of Murchadh". This is the most common Irish surname.

Murray 1 Scottish
Derived from the region in Scotland called Moray (Gaelic Moireabh), possibly of Pictish origin, meaning "seashore, coast". A notable bearer of this surname was General James Murray (1721-1794), who was the first British Governor-General of Canada.

Murray 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Muireadhaigh meaning "descendant of Muireadhach".

Nakamura Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Nash English
Derived from the Middle English phrase atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).

Nathans Jewish
Derived from the given name Nathan.

Noel French, English
Either from the given name Noël, or else derived directly from Old French noel "Christmas" and given to a person who had a particular connection with the holiday.

North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.

Northrop English
Originally denoted one who came from a town of this name England, meaning "north farm".

Obama Eastern African, Luo
From a rare Luo given name meaning "crooked, bent". It was possibly originally given to a baby who had an arm or leg that looked slightly bent immediately after birth or who was born in the breech position.

Ochoa Spanish
Spanish form of Otxoa.

O'Keefe Irish
Variant of Keefe.

Oláh Hungarian
Means "Romanian" in Hungarian, from old Slavic volhu "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).

O'Neill Irish
Variant of O'Neal.

Ó Néill Irish
Irish Gaelic form of O'Neal.

Pasternak Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Yiddish
Means "parsnip" in various Slavic languages, ultimately from Latin pastinaca. A famous bearer was Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), author of Doctor Zhivago.

Paul English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Pavlov Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Pavel". A famous bearer of this surname was the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), known for his discovery of the conditioned reflex.

Paz Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.

Pearson English
Variant of Pierson.

Pedersen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Peder".

Pérez Spanish
Means "son of Pedro".

Perez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Pérez.

Perrin French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Phelps English
Means "son of Philip".

Phillips English
Means "son of Philip".

Pintér Hungarian
Means "cooper, barrel maker" in Hungarian.

Planck German
German variant of Plank.

Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Powell Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Hywel meaning "son of Hywel".

Prescott English
From the name of various English places meaning "priest's cottage" in Old English.

Purcell English
From Old French pourcel "piglet", from Latin porcellus, a derivative of porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.

Ramos Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin ramus meaning "branch".

Ramsay Scottish
Variant of Ramsey.

Ramsey English, Scottish
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.

Renault French
Derived from the given name Renaud.

Rice Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.

Richards English
Derived from the given name Richard.

Richardson English
Means "son of Richard".

Richter German
Means "judge" in German, from Middle High German rihtære.

Robbins English
Derived from the given name Robin.

Roberts English
Means "son of Robert".

Robinson English
Means "son of Robin".

Robles Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived near an oak tree or forest, from Spanish roble "oak", from Latin robur.

Rolland French
From the given name Roland.

Roosevelt Dutch
Means "rose field" from Dutch roos "rose" and veld "field". This was the surname of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).

Rose 2 English
Derived from the feminine given name Rose.

Ross English, Scottish
From various place names (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), which are derived from Scottish Gaelic ros meaning "promontory, headland".

Roth German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.

Rowland English
Derived from the given name Roland.

Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.

Rutherford Scottish
From the name of places in southern Scotland and northern England, derived from Old English hriðer meaning "cattle, ox" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Růžička Czech
Means "little rose" in Czech.

Sachs German
Originally indicated a person from Saxony (German Sachsen). The region was named for the Germanic tribe of the Saxons, ultimately derived from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife".

Samuelson English
Means "son of Samuel".

Samuelsson Swedish
Means "son of Samuel".

Sánchez Spanish
Means "son of Sancho".

Sanchez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Sánchez.

Santos Portuguese, Spanish
Means "saint" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin sanctus. This was a nickname for a pious person.

Sargent English
Variant of Sergeant.

Sartre French
French cognate of Sarto.

Sato Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see Satō).

Satō Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character might indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan. This is the most common surname in Japan.

Sauvage French
French form of Savage.

Schmidt German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker", a cognate of Smith.

Schultz German
Variant of Schultheiß.

Schwartz German, Jewish
Variant of Schwarz.

Schweitzer German
Indicated a person from Switzerland (see Schweiz).

Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".

Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.

Shaw 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived near a prominent thicket, from Old English sceaga meaning "thicket, copse".

Shaw 2 Scottish
From a given name or byname that was derived from Gaelic sitheach meaning "wolf" (Old Irish sídach).

Shirakawa Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Sienkiewicz Polish
Patronymic from the given name Sienko, an old diminutive of Szymon. This was the surname of the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916).

Šimon Czech, Slovak
Derived from the given name Šimon.

Simón Spanish
From the given name Simón.

Simon English, French, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Sims English
Variant of Simms.

Smith English
Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).

Snell English
From Old English snel meaning "fast, quick, nimble".

Spence English
Variant of Spencer.

Stanley English
From various place names meaning "stone clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer was the British-American explorer and journalist Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904).

Stark English, German
From a nickname meaning "strong, rigid", from Old English stearc or Old High German stark.

Stein German, Jewish
From Old High German stein meaning "stone". It might indicate the original bearer lived near a prominent stone or worked as a stonecutter. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Stern 1 English
From Old English styrne meaning "stern, severe". This was used as a nickname for someone who was stern, harsh, or severe in manner or character.

Stern 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.

Stone English
Name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English stan.

Strickland English
From the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from Old English stirc "calf, young bullock" and land "cultivated land".

Sumner English
Occupational name for a summoner, an official who was responsible for ensuring the appearance of witnesses in court, from Middle English sumner, ultimately from Latin submonere "to advise".

Sutherland Scottish
Regional name for a person who came from the former county by this name in Scotland. It is derived from Old Norse suðr "south" and land "land", because it was south of the Norse colony of Orkney.

Suzuki Japanese
From Japanese 鈴 (suzu) meaning "bell" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood". This is the second most common surname in Japan.

Tamm Estonian
Means "oak" in Estonian. This is among the most common surnames in Estonia.

Tanaka Japanese
Means "dweller in the rice fields", from Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Tatum English
Variant of Tatham.

Taube German
From a nickname meaning "dove" in German.

Taylor English
Derived from Old French tailleur meaning "tailor", ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut".

Thomas English, Welsh, French, German
Derived from the given name Thomas.

Thomson English
Variant of Thompson.

Thorne English
Variant of Thorn.

Tobin English
From a diminutive of the given name Tobias.

Todd English
Means "fox", derived from Middle English todde.

Tsui Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xu 1.

Van der Meer Dutch
Means "from the lake" in Dutch.

Vargas Spanish, Portuguese
Means "slope, flooded field, pastureland" or "hut", from the Spanish and Portuguese dialectal word varga.

Virtanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish virta meaning "stream". This is the second most common surname in Finland.

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).

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".

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

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".

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".

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

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.

Werner German
From the given name Werner.

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

Wilkins English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Wilkinson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Williams English
Means "son of William".

Williamson English
Means "son of William".

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

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.

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

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

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

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