English Origin Surnames

This is a list of surnames in which the origin is English. English is a West Germanic language spoken in Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other places.

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

Victors English
Derived from the given name Victor.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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".

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".

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.

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".

Webster English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".

Weekes English
Variant of Weeks.

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

Welch English
Variant of Walsh.

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

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

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".

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".

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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".

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".

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.

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".

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".