This is a list of surnames in which the name appears on the United States popularity list.
Xu 1Chinese From Chinese 徐 (xú) referring to the ancient state of Xu, which existed to the 6th century BC in what is now Jiangsu and Anhui. The character 徐 means "slowly, calmly".
Xu 2Chinese From Chinese 许 (xǔ) referring to the minor state of Xu, which existed to the 4th century BC in what is now Henan province. The character 许 means "allow, permit".
YamaguchiJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance". Olympic figure-skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi (1971-) bears this name.
YamamotoJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
YorkEnglish 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.
YoshidaJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
YoshinagaJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 永 (naga) meaning "perpetual, eternal".
YoshinoJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
YoxallEnglish Originally indicated a person from the town of Yoxall in Staffordshire, itself derived from Old English geoc "oxen yoke" and halh "nook, recess".
Yu 1Chinese From Chinese 于 (yú) meaning "in, on, at". According to legend, King Wu of Zhou bestowed the realm of Yu to his second son, who subsequently adopted this as his surname.
Yu 3Chinese From Chinese 俞 (yú) meaning "consent, approve".
Yu 4Chinese From Chinese 虞 (yú) meaning "concerned, anxious" and also referring to the ancient state of Yu, which was situated in what is now Shanxi province.
ZabalaBasque Originally denoted someone who lived in a place of this name in Biscay. It is derived from Basque zabal meaning "large, wide".
ZąbekPolish From Polish zab"tooth" and a diminutive suffix.
ŽagarSlovene Occupational name for a woodcutter, from Slovene žaga meaning "saw".
ZahradníkmCzech Derived from Czech zahrada meaning "garden". It referred to someone who owned less land than a Sedlák or a Dvořák, but more land than a Chalupník.
ZappaItalian From Italian zappa meaning "hoe, mattock", probably denoting a farmer. Two musicians of Italian origin have bore this name: Francesco Zappa (1717-1803) and Frank Zappa (1940-1993).
ZariņšmLatvian Derived from Latvian zars meaning "branch".
ZellwegerGerman (Swiss) Originally denoted a person from the Appenzell region of Switzerland. The place name is derived from Latin abbatis cella meaning "estate of the abbot". A famous bearer is actress Renée Zellweger (1969-).
ZemanmCzech, Slovak Means "landowner", ultimately from Old Slavic zemľa meaning "land".
ZengChinese From Chinese 曾 (zēng) referring to the former state of Zeng, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hubei province.
ZhangChinese From Chinese 张 (zhāng) meaning "stretch, extend". It may have denoted a bowmaker whose job it was to stretch bow wood.
ZhaoChinese From Chinese 赵 (zhào), which refers to an ancient city-state in what is now Shanxi province. According to legend, King Mu rewarded his chariot driver Zaofu with the city, at which time Zaofu adopted this surname. The later historic state of Zhao, which existed from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, was named after this city.... [more]
ZhengChinese From Chinese 郑 (zhèng), which refers to the ancient state of Zheng. Zheng existed between the 9th to 4th centuries BC in present-day Henan province. A famous bearer of this surname was the 15th-century explorer Zheng He.
ZhouChinese From Chinese 周 (zhōu) referring to the Zhou dynasty, which held power from 1046 to 771 BC, continuing for a few more centuries as figureheads.
ZhuChinese From Chinese 朱 (zhū) meaning "vermilion red, cinnabar" and also referring to the ancient state of Zhu, which existed in what is now Shandong province. This was the surname of the emperors of the Ming dynasty.
ZimmermannGerman, Jewish From the German word for "carpenter", derived from Middle High German zimber "timber, wood" and mann "man".
ZiniItalian Derived from names such as Lorenzino, a diminutive of Lorenzo, or Vincenzino, a diminutive of Vincenzo.
ZinoItalian 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.
ZiskindJewish Ornamental name, or from a given name, meaning "sweet child", derived from Yiddish זיס (zis) meaning "sweet" and קינד (kind) meaning "child", both words of Old High German origin.
ŽitnikSlovene From the Slavic root žito meaning "rye, grain". This was an occupational name for a dealer in rye or a baker.
ZubizarretaBasque Means "old bridge", from Basque zubia "bridge" and zahar "old". A famous bearer is the Spanish soccer player Andoni Zubizarreta (1961-).