Ancient Origin Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the origin is Ancient.
usage
origin
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".
Volkov m Russian
Derived from Russian волк (volk) meaning "wolf".
Volkova f Russian
Feminine form of Volkov.
Voll 1 Norwegian
Originally indicated a person who lived in a meadow, from Old Norse vǫllr "meadow, field".
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".
Voronin m Russian
Derived from Russian ворона (vorona) meaning "crow".
Voronina f Russian
Feminine form of Voronin.
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.
Vrabcová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Vrabec.
Vrabec u & m Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak
Means "sparrow" in several languages, from Old Slavic vorbĭ.
Vroom Dutch, Flemish
From a nickname derived from Dutch vroom meaning "pious, devout".
Vrubel m Czech
From a dialectal variant of Czech vrabec "sparrow".
Vrublová f Czech
Feminine form of Vrubel.
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.
Waldo English
From the Anglo-Scandinavian given name Waltheof.
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 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).
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".
Ware 1 English
From Old English wer meaning "dam, weir", indicating someone who lived near such a structure.
Warszawska f Polish
Feminine form of Warszawski.
Warszawski m & u 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".
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".
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".
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
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.
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.
Whalen Irish
Variant of Whelan.
Wheatley English
From any of the various places in England with this name, meaning "wheat clearing" in Old English.
Whelan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Faoláin meaning "descendant of Faolán".
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".
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.
Wiegand German
From the given name Wiegand.
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.
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.
Winfield English
From various English place names, derived from Old English winn "meadow, pasture" and feld "field".
Winograd Jewish
Jewish form of Vinogradov.
Winogrodzka f Polish
Feminine form of Winogrodzki.
Winogrodzki m Polish
Polish cognate of Vinogradov.
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".
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").
Wojewódzka f Polish
Feminine form of Wojewódzki.
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.
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".
Woodrow English
From a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English.
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.
Wróbel Polish
Means "sparrow" in Polish.
Wrona Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".
Wrońska f Polish
Feminine form of Wroński.
Wroński m Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".
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.
Xanthopoulos m Greek
Means "son of Xanthos".
Xanthopoulou f Greek
Feminine form of Xanthopoulos.
Yakovlev m Russian
Means "son of Yakov".
Yakovleva f Russian
Feminine form of Yakovlev.
Yancy Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jansen.
Yanev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Yane", a diminutive of Yoan 2.
Yaneva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Yanev.
Yankov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Yanko".
Yankova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Yankov.
Yegorov m Russian
Means "son of Yegor".
Yegorova f Russian
Feminine form of Yegorov.
Yong English
Variant of Young.
Yordanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Yordan".
Yordanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Yordanov.
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.
Yosipov m Tatar
Means "son of Yosif".
Yosipova f Tatar
Feminine form of Yosipov.
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".
Yusupov m Uzbek, Tajik, Tatar (Russified)
Means "son of Yusuf". This is the name of a Russian noble family, of Tatar origin (Йосыпов in Tatar).
Zahariev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Zahari".
Zaharieva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Zahariev.
Zając Polish
Means "hare" in Polish.
Zakharov m Russian
Means "son of Zakhar".
Zakharova f Russian
Feminine form of Zakharov.
Zanetti Italian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Giovanni. A famous bearer is Argentinian soccer player Javier Zanetti (1973-).
Zawisza Polish
Derived from the Old Polish given name Zawisza.
Zaytsev m Russian
Derived from Russian заяц (zayats) meaning "hare".
Zaytseva f Russian
Feminine form of Zaytsev.
Zeegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".
Zeelen Dutch
Derived from the given name Ceel.
Zegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".
Zelenka m Czech
Czech cognate of Zieliński.
Zelenko Ukrainian
Ukrainian cognate of Zieliński.
Zelenková f Czech
Feminine form of Zelenka.
Zeman m Czech, Slovak
Means "landowner", ultimately from Old Slavic zemľa meaning "land".
Zemanová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Zeman.
Zeni Italian
Means "son of Zeno".
Zhivkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Zhivko".
Zhivkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Zhivkov.
Zhuk Belarusian
Means "beetle" in Belarusian.
Zhukov m Russian
Derived from Russian жук (zhuk) meaning "beetle".
Zhukova f Russian
Feminine form of Zhukov.
Zielińska f Polish
Feminine form of Zieliński.
Zieliński m Polish
From Polish zieleń meaning "green". It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing.
Zilberstein Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "silver stone", from Yiddish זילבער (zilber) and שטיין (shtein), both of Old High German origin.
Žilinskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Žilinskas. This form is used by unmarried women.
Žilinskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Zieliński.
Žilinskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Žilinskas. This form is used by married women.
Zima m & u Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian
From an Old Slavic word meaning "winter". This may have been a nickname for a person with a chilly personality.
Zimová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Zima.
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 meaning "sweet child", 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.
Zlatkova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Zlatkov.
Zorić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Zora".
Zuiderduin Dutch
Means "southern dune" in Dutch.
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.
Zyma Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Zima.