Surnames on the United States Popularity List

This is a list of surnames in which the name appears on the United States popularity list.
usage
Vacek m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Václav.
Vadas Hungarian
From Hungarian vad meaning "wild", either a nickname or an occupational name for a hunter of wild game.
Valdez Spanish
Means "son of Baldo".
Vale Portuguese
Means "valley" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin vallis.
Valencia Spanish
From the name of the Spanish city of Valencia.
Valent m Slovak
Derived from the given name Valentín.
Valenta m Czech
Derived from the given name Valentin.
Valenti Italian
Patronymic from the given name Valente, an Italian form of Valens. A famous bearer of the surname was Jack Valenti (1921-2007), advisor to American president Lyndon Johnson.
Valentini Italian
Means "son of Valentino".
Valerio Italian
From the given name Valerio.
Valero Spanish
From the given name Valero.
Valiente Spanish
From a nickname derived from Spanish valiente meaning "brave".
Vámos Hungarian
Means "customs officer" in Hungarian, a derivative of vám "customs".
Văn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wen, from Sino-Vietnamese (văn).
Vanags m Latvian
Means "hawk" in Latvian.
Van Aller Dutch
Means "from the Aller", a river in Germany, of uncertain meaning.
Van Alphen Dutch
Means "from Alphen", a town in the Netherlands. It is derived from the name of the Roman fort Albaniana, itself from Latin albus "white".
Van Alst Dutch
Means "from Aalst", the name of towns in Belgium and the Netherlands, which is possibly from Germanic *alhs meaning "temple, shelter".
Van Andel Dutch
Means "from Andel", a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "upper forest" in Old Dutch.
Van Antwerp Dutch
Means "from Antwerp", a city in Belgium.
Van As Dutch
Means "from Asch", a town in the Netherlands, meaning "ash tree".
Van Asch Dutch
Variant of Van As.
Van Buren Dutch
Means "from Buren", a small town on the island of Ameland in the north of the Netherlands, as well as a small city in the Dutch province Gelderland. The place names derive from Old Dutch bur meaning "house, dwelling". In the 16th century the countess Anna van Buren married William of Orange, the founder of the Dutch royal family. A famous bearer of this surname was Martin van Buren (1782-1862), the eighth President of the United States.
Vance English
Indicated a dweller by a fen, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, marsh".
Vančura m Czech
Derived from the given name Václav.
Van Dalen Dutch
Means "from the valley", from Old Dutch dal meaning "valley".
Van Damme Flemish
Means "from Damme", the name of a town in Belgium, derived from Dutch dam meaning "dam". A famous bearer is the Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960-), who was born with the surname Van Varenberg.
Van den Akker Dutch
Means "from the field" in Dutch.
Van den Berg Dutch
Means "from the mountain", derived from Dutch berg meaning "mountain".
Van der Beek Dutch
Means "from the creek" in Dutch.
Van der Linden Dutch
Means "from the linden trees", from Dutch linde meaning "linden tree".
Van der Meer Dutch
Means "from the lake" in Dutch.
Van der Stoep Dutch
Means "from the paved entrance", from Dutch stoep meaning "paved porch at the entrance to a house".
Van der Veen Dutch
Means "from the swamp", from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat". It originally indicated a person who resided in a peat district or fen colony.
Van der Zee Dutch
Means "from the sea" in Dutch. The original bearer may have been someone who lived on the coast.
Van Dijk Dutch
Means "from the dike" in Dutch.
Vaněk m Czech
From an old diminutive of the given name Václav.
Vång Swedish
Swedish variant of Wang 3.
Vang 2 Yiddish
Variant of Wang 4.
Van Hassel Dutch
Means "from Hassel", a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It may be derived from Old Dutch hasal meaning "hazel tree".
Van Heel Dutch
Means "from Heel", a small town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.
Van Hofwegen Dutch
Means "from Hofwegen", a town in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands, itself derived from Dutch hof "garden, courtyard" and weg "way, path, road".
Van Hoorn Dutch
Dutch form of Horn.
Van Horn Dutch
Dutch form of Horn.
Van Houten Dutch
Means "from forests", derived from Dutch hout "forest".
Van Laar Dutch
Derived from Dutch laar (plural laren), which means "open spot in the forest". These areas were used to graze cattle for example.
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".
Vann English
From Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp", indicating a person who lived near such a place.
Van Rossum Dutch
Means "from Rossum", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It is mentioned as Rotheheim in a 9th-century document, and is derived from Dutch rothe "cleared area in a forest" and heim "home".
Van Wieren Frisian, Dutch
Means "from Wieren". This is the name of towns in Frisia and other parts of the Netherlands, which mean "seaweed".
Varano Italian
Derived from one of the many towns of this name in Italy.
Vardanyan Armenian
Means "son of Vardan".
Varela Spanish
Derived from Spanish vara "stick". It may have originally been given to one who used a stick in his line of work, for example an animal herder.
Varga um Hungarian, Slovak
Occupational name meaning "cobbler" in Hungarian.
Vargas Spanish, Portuguese
Means "slope, flooded field, pastureland" or "hut", from the Spanish and Portuguese dialectal word varga.
Varley English
Originally denoted a person from Verly, France, itself derived from the Roman name Virilius.
Vartanian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Վարդանյան (see Vardanyan).
Vašek m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Václav.
Vasile Romanian
Derived from the given name Vasile.
Vasilescu Romanian
Means "son of Vasile".
Vasilev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Vasil".
Vasileva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Vasilev.
Vasiliou Greek
Means "son of Vasilios".
Vasilyev m Russian
Means "son of Vasil".
Vasilyeva f Russian
Feminine form of Vasilyev.
Vaško m Slovak
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Václav.
Vásquez Spanish
Means "son of Vasco".
Vass Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian vas meaning "iron", referring to a worker in iron, a miner of iron ore or a vendor of iron goods. Alternatively, from the same root word, it may have been a nickname referring to one with a distinctively strong constitution.
Vassiliou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βασιλείου (see Vasiliou).
Vastag Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "stout, thick" in Hungarian.
Vaughan Welsh
From Welsh bychan (mutated to fychan) meaning "little". It was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
Vaughn Welsh
Variant of Vaughan.
Vávra m Czech, Slovak
Derived from the given name Vávra, a diminutive of Vavřinec.
Vega Spanish
From Spanish vega meaning "meadow, plain", of Basque origin.
Vela Spanish
Occupational name for a guard, from Spanish vela meaning "watch, vigil".
Velasco Spanish
Derived from the given name Velasco.
Velásquez Spanish
Derived from the given name Velasco.
Velázquez Spanish
Derived from the given name Velasco. A famous bearer was the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660).
Vencel Hungarian
Derived from the given name Vencel.
Ventimiglia Italian
From the name of the historical Italian city Ventimiglia, now near the French border, ultimately from Latin Albintimilium.
Veres Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Vörös.
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.
Verona Italian
From the name of the city of Verona, one of the most important historical cities of northern Italy. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain.
Vescovi Italian
Derived from Italian vescovo meaning "bishop".
Veselý m Czech, Slovak
From a nickname meaning "cheerful" in Czech and Slovak.
Vespa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wasp".
Vicario Spanish, Italian
Means "vicar" in Spanish and Italian, an ecclesiastic title used to denote a representative of a bishop. It is derived from Latin vicarius meaning "substitute, deputy".
Vicente Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Vicente.
Vico Italian, Spanish
Means "town, village", derived from Latin vicus.
Victor French, English
Derived from the male given name Victor.
Vida Hungarian
From the given name Vid.
Vidal Spanish, Catalan, French
From the given name Vidal.
Vidović Croatian
Means "son of Vid".
Vieira Portuguese
Denoted a person who came from a Portuguese town by this name, derived from vieria meaning "scallop". The scallop was a symbol of Saint James, and was traditionally worn by pilgrims to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
Vieth German
From the given name Veit.
Vigo Italian, Spanish
Variant of Vico.
Vik Norwegian
Means "cove, inlet" in Norwegian.
Vilar Portuguese, Galician, Catalan
Means "hamlet, farm" in Portuguese, Galician and Catalan, from Late Latin villare, a derivative of Latin villa.
Vilaró Catalan
Catalan variant of Vilar.
Villa Italian, Spanish
Means "town" in Italian and Spanish, from Latin. It was originally given to a person who came from a town, as opposed to the countryside.
Villalba Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various Spanish places by this name. It is derived from Spanish villa "town" and alba "white".
Villalobos Spanish
Habitational name for a person from the town of Villalobos, Spain, which is derived from Spanish villa "town" and lobo "wolf".
Villanueva Spanish
Originally denoted someone who came from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and nueva "new".
Villar Spanish
Spanish cognate of Vilar.
Villaverde Spanish
Originally denoted a person from one of the various Spanish towns by this name, derived from villa "town" and verde "green".
Villeneuve French
French cognate of Villanueva.
Vincent 1 English, French
From the given name Vincent.
Vincent 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac Dhuibhinse meaning "son of Duibhinse", a given name meaning "black island".
Vinci 1 Italian
From the given name Vincenzo.
Vinci 2 Italian
Originally indicated a person from Vinci near Florence, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci.
Vincze Hungarian
From the given name Vince.
Vinogradov m Russian
Means "vineyard" in Russian (ultimately from German), referring to a person who worked at a vineyard or lived near one.
Viola Italian
From the given name Viola.
Vipond English
From Vieux-Pont, the name of various places in Normandy, derived from French vieux "old" and pont "bridge".
Virág Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "flower" in Hungarian.
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.
Vitale Italian
From the given name Vitale.
Vitali Italian
From the given name Vitale.
Viteri Spanish, Basque
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a Basque place name.
Vivas Catalan
From the Catalan byname vivas meaning "may you live", which was bestowed upon children to bring good luck.
Vives Catalan
Variant of Vivas.
Vlachos m Greek
Means "Romanian, Wallachian" in Greek, from Old Slavic volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).
Vlahos m Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βλάχος (see Vlachos).
Vlahović Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic from Serbo-Croatian Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".
Vlasák m Czech
Derived from Czech vlas "hair", probably referring to a barber or a person who bought and sold hair.
Vlašić Croatian
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".
Vlašič Slovene
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".
Vlček m Czech, Slovak
Diminutive form of Czech and Slovak vlk meaning "wolf".
Vietnamese
Variant of used more often in southern Vietnam.
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".
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 Essen German
Means "from Essen", a city in Germany, possibly a derivative of Old High German asc meaning "ash tree".
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).
Voronin m Russian
Derived from Russian ворона (vorona) meaning "crow".
Vörös Hungarian
Means "red" in Hungarian, referring to a person with red hair or face.
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".
Vrabec um 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".
Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 2, from Sino-Vietnamese ().
Vuković Serbian, Croatian
Derived from the given name Vuk.
Wada Japanese
From Japanese (wa) meaning "harmony, peace" and (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.
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.
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).
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 1 Chinese
From Chinese (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".
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".
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".
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.
Wasilewski m Polish
Means "son of Wasyl".
Watanabe Japanese
From Japanese (wata) meaning "cross, ferry" and (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).
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).
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
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 (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.
Wen Chinese
From Chinese (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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".