Surnames with Relationship "from word"

Snel Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snell.

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

Śniegowski m Polish
Derived from Polish śnieg meaning "snow".

Sobel Jewish
Variant of Sobol.

Soból Polish
Polish cognate of Sobol.

Sobol Ukrainian, Russian, Jewish
Occupational name for a fur trader, from the Slavic word sobolĭ meaning "sable, marten". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Sokal Polish
Polish cognate of Sokol.

Sokół Polish
Polish cognate of Sokol.

Sokol mu Slovak, Czech, Jewish
From Czech and Slovak sokol meaning "falcon", a nickname or an occupational name for a falconer. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Sokoll Jewish
Variant of Sokol.

Sokołowski m Polish
From the name of Polish towns called Sokołów or similar, derived from Polish sokół meaning "falcon".

Soler Occitan, Catalan
Denoted a person from any of the numerous places in the area whose names derive from Occitan or Catalan soler meaning "ground, floor".

Sommer 1 German, English
Means "summer", from Old High German sumar or Old English sumor. This was a nickname for a cheerful person, someone who lived in a sunny spot, or a farmer who had to pay taxes in the summer.

Son Korean
Korean form of Sun, from Sino-Korean 孫 (son).

Song Chinese, Korean
From Chinese 宋 (sòng) referring to the Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1279.

Sordi Italian
From Italian sordo meaning "deaf", from Latin surdus.

Sorg German
Variant of Sorge.

Sorge German
Means "worry, care, anxiety" in German, from Old High German sorga.

Sörös Hungarian
From Hungarian sör meaning "beer". Originally the name was given to beer brewers.

Soto Spanish
Means "grove of trees, small forest" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin saltus.

Sourd French
French cognate of Sordi.

Spear English
From Old English spere "spear", an occupational name for a hunter or a maker of spears, or a nickname for a thin person.

Specht German
Means "woodpecker" in German.

Speight English
English form of Specht, probably a loanword from German or Dutch.

Spence English
Variant of Spencer.

Stack English
From a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English stack "haystack", of Old Norse origin.

Stacks English
Variant of Stack.

Stárek m Czech
From a nickname derived from Czech starý meaning "old".

Starek Polish
From a nickname derived from Polish stary meaning "old".

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

Starr English
From Middle English sterre meaning "star". This was usually a nickname, but it could also occasionally be a sign name from the name of an inn called the Star.

Steen Low German
Low German variant of Stein. A famous bearer was the 17th-century Dutch painter Jan Steen.

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 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.

Steube German
Variant of Steuben.

Steuben German
Name for a dweller by a stump of a large tree, from Middle Low German stubbe "stub".

Stewart Scottish
Occupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard". The Stewart family (sometimes spelled Stuart) held the Scottish crown for several centuries. One of the most famous members of the Stewart family was Mary, Queen of Scots.

Stoke English
From the name of numerous places in England, derived from Old English stoc meaning "place, dwelling".

Stokes English
Variant of Stoke.

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

Strand Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
From Old Norse strǫnd meaning "beach, sea shore". It was originally given to someone who lived on or near the sea.

Strange English
Derived from Middle English strange meaning "foreign", ultimately from Latin extraneus.

Straub German
From Old High German strub meaning "rough, unkempt".

Street English
Habitational name for a person who lived in a place called Street, for example in Somerset. It is derived from Old English stræt meaning "Roman road", from Latin strata.

Strnad mu Czech, Slovene
Means "bunting (bird)" in Czech and Slovene.

Strobel German
Diminutive form of Straub.

Ström Swedish
Means "stream" in Swedish.

Strøm Norwegian, Danish
Means "stream" in Norwegian and Danish.

Stroud English
From Old English strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood".

Struna Slovene
From Slovene struna meaning "string, cord", possibly denoting a maker of rope.

Stuart Scottish
Variant of Stewart.

Stuber German
Occupational name for the owner of an inn, derived from Old High German stuba "room".

Stück German, Jewish
From Old High German stucki meaning "piece, part".

Stueck German, Jewish
Variant of Stück.

Sturm German
Means "storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.

Su Chinese
From Chinese 苏 (sū) meaning "perilla", also referring to an ancient minor state called Su.

Suchý m Czech, Slovak
Means "dry" in Czech and Slovak. This was a nickname for a thin person.

Suess German
Variant of Süß. A famous bearer was the American children's author Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Šulc m Czech
Czech form of Schulz.

Sultan Arabic
From a nickname meaning "sultan, ruler" in Arabic.

Sultana Bengali, Urdu, Maltese
Bengali, Urdu and Maltese form of Sultan.

Summers 1 English
Variant of Sumner.

Summers 2 English
Variant of Sommer 1.

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".

Sun Chinese
From Chinese 孙 (sūn) meaning "grandchild, descendant". A famous bearer of the surname was Sun Tzu, the 6th-century BC author of The Art of War.

Sundén Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "sound, strait".

Süss German
Variant of Süß.

Süß German
From Old High German suozi meaning "sweet".

Svéd Hungarian
Means "Swedish" in Hungarian.

Sweet English
From a nickname meaning "sweet, pleasant", from Old English swete.

Sýkora m Czech, Slovak
Means "tit (bird)" in Czech and Slovak.

Szewc Polish
Means "shoemaker" in Polish.

Szewczyk Polish
Diminutive form of Szewc.

Szulc Polish
Polish form of Schulz.

Szwed Polish
Variant of Szweda.

Szweda Polish
Derived from Polish Szwed meaning "Swede, person from Sweden".

Szwedko Polish
Variant of Szweda.

Tachibana Japanese
From Japanese 橘 (tachibana) meaning "orange, tangerine".

Taft English
Variant of Toft.

Tähtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".

Tailler French
Means "tailor" from Old French tailleur.

Tailor English
Variant of Taylor.

Tang 1 Chinese
From Chinese 唐 (táng) referring to the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907.

Tani Japanese
From Japanese 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Tar Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian tar meaning "bald".

Tarr Hungarian
Variant of Tar.

Tash English
From Middle English at asche meaning "at the ash tree".

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

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

Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.

Terzi 2 Turkish
Means "tailor" in Turkish, ultimately of Persian origin.

Terzić Bosnian
From Bosnian terzija meaning "tailor", ultimately of Persian origin.

Tesla Serbian
Occupational name for a carpenter, derived from Serbian tesla meaning "adze". This name was notably borne by the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).

Thacker English
Northern Middle English variant of Thatcher.

Thatcher English
Referred to a person who thatched roofs by attaching straw to them, derived from Old English þæc meaning "thatch, roof". A famous bearer was the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).

Thorn English, Danish
Originally applied to a person who lived in or near a thorn bush.

Thorne English
Variant of Thorn.

Thorpe English
From Old Norse þorp meaning "village".

Tian Chinese
From Chinese 田 (tián) meaning "field".

Tichý m Czech, Slovak
Means "quiet" in Czech and Slovak.

Tifft English
Variant of Toft.

Tirrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tkachenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".

Tkachuk Ukrainian
From Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".

Tod English
Variant of Todd.

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

Toft English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in Britain of that name, derived from Old Norse topt meaning "homestead".

Toivonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish toivo meaning "hope".

Török Hungarian
Means "Turkish" in Hungarian.

Torres Spanish, Portuguese
Name for a person who lived in or near a tower, ultimately from Latin turris.

Tos Spanish
Spanish form of Tosi.

Tosell Catalan
Catalan form of Tosi.

Toselli Italian
Diminutive form of Tosi.

Toset Catalan
Catalan form of Tosi.

Tosetti Italian
Diminutive form of Tosi.

Tosi Italian
Means "clean-shaven", usually denoting a younger man, from Latin tonsus "shaved".

Tót Hungarian
Variant of Tóth.

Tóth um Hungarian, Slovak
Derived from Hungarian tót, which means "Slovak" or "Slovene".

Trần Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Chen, from Sino-Vietnamese 陳 (trần). This is the second most common surname in Vietnam.

Traver French
French variant of Travers.

Travere French
French variant of Travers.

Travers English, French
From an English and French place name that described a person who lived near a bridge or ford, or occasionally as an occupational name for the collector of tolls at such a location. The place name is derived from Old French traverser (which comes from Late Latin transversare), which means "to cross".

Traversa Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Traverse French
French variant of Travers.

Traversi Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Traversini Italian
Italian variant of Travers.

Traverso Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Travert French
French variant of Travers.

Traves English
English variant of Travers.

Travieso Spanish
Spanish form of Travers.

Travis English
English variant of Travers.

Traviss English
English variant of Travers.

Tremblay French
From French tremble meaning "aspen". It is especially widespread in Quebec, being the most common surname there.

Tremble French
Variant of Tremblay.

Trevis English
English variant of Travers.

Tsukuda Japanese
From Japanese 佃 (tsukuda) meaning "cultivated rice field".

Tuff English
Variant of Tuft.

Tuft English
Denoted one who lived near a clump of trees or bushes, from Middle English tufte "tuft, clump", from Old French.

Turchi Italian
Means "Turkish" in Italian.

Turk Slovene, Croatian
Means "Turkish" in Slovene and Croatian.

Tyrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tyrrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Vacca Italian
Means "cow" in Italian, originally denoting a person who worked with cattle.

Vale Portuguese
Means "valley" in Portuguese, ultimately from Latin vallis.

Văn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wen, from Sino-Vietnamese 文 (văn).

Van Achteren Dutch
Variant of Van Agteren.

Van Agteren Dutch
Means "from behind", probably referring to a place behind something, such as a building or a place at the end of the road.

Van Akkeren Dutch
Variant of Van den Akker.

Van Beek Dutch
Means "from the creek" in Dutch.

Vance English
Indicated a dweller by a fen, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, marsh".

Van Daal Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Daalen Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Dael Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Daele Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Dale Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Vandale Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Dalen Dutch
Means "from the valley", from Old Dutch dal meaning "valley".

Van Dam Dutch
Means "from the dam" in Dutch.

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 de Laar Dutch
Variant of Van Laar.

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 den Brink Dutch
Means "from the village center" in Dutch.

Van den Broek Dutch
Means "from the marsh" in Dutch.

Van der Aart Dutch
Means "from the earth", derived from Dutch aarde "earth". It perhaps referred to either an earth bank or to a farmer.

Van der Beek Dutch
Variant of Van Beek.

Van der Berg Dutch
Variant of Van den Berg.

Van Der Heijden Dutch
Means "from the heathland" in Dutch.

Van der Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van der Laar Dutch
Variant of Van Laar.

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 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 Ven Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van der Venne Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van der Vennen Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van der Wal Dutch
Means "from the wall" in Dutch.

Van de Ven Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Vång Swedish
Swedish variant of Wang 3.

Vang 1 Norwegian, Danish
Variant of Wang 3.

Van Hautum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Hoorn Dutch
Dutch form of Horn.

Van Horn Dutch
Dutch form of Horn.

Van Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houte Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houtem Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houten Dutch
Means "from forests", derived from Dutch hout "forest".

Van Houttum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houtum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

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 Laren Dutch
Variant of Van Laar.

Vann English
From Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp", indicating a person who lived near such a place.

Van 't Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Veen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van Veenen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van Vliet Dutch
Means "from the stream" in Dutch.

Van Wijk Dutch
Means "from the settlement", from Dutch wijk meaning "neighbourhood, district, settlement".

Van Willigen Dutch
Means "from the willows", from Old Dutch wilga "willow".

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.

Vargha Hungarian
Variant of Varga.

Vastag Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "stout, thick" in Hungarian.

Vastagh Hungarian
Variant of Vastag.

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.

Veenstra Dutch
Derived from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat".

Vega Spanish
From Spanish vega meaning "meadow, plain", of Basque origin.

Venner Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Verboom Dutch
Means "from the tree" in Dutch.

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.

Vermeulen Flemish
Means "from the mill" in Dutch.

Vervloet Flemish
Means "from the stream" in Dutch.

Veselý m Czech, Slovak
From a nickname meaning "cheerful" in Czech and Slovak.

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".

Vico Italian, Spanish
Means "town, village", derived from Latin vicus.

Vigo Italian, Spanish
Variant of Vico.

Vik Norwegian
Means "cove, inlet" in Norwegian.

Vila Catalan
Catalan form of Villa.

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.

Villar Spanish
Spanish cognate of Vilar.

Vinogradov m Russian
Means "vineyard" in Russian (ultimately from German), referring to a person who worked at a vineyard or lived near one.

Vinter Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian variant of Winter.

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).

Vlahović Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic from Serbo-Croatian Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".

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".

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.

Voigt German
Variant of Vogt.

Voll 1 Norwegian
Originally indicated a person who lived in a meadow, from Old Norse vǫllr "meadow, field".

Vollan Norwegian
Variant of Voll 1.

Von Brandt German
Means "from the area cleared by fire", from Middle High German brant.

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.

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".

Vroomen Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Vroom.

Vrubel m Czech
From a dialectal variant of Czech vrabec "sparrow".

Vũ Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 武 (vũ).

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.

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.

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).

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

Walsh English, Irish
From Old English wælisc meaning "foreigner, stranger, Celt".

Wang 1 Chinese
From Chinese 王 (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".

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.

Waters 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived near the water.

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).

Wechsler German, Jewish
Means "money changer, banker", from German wechseln "to exchange".

Weekes English
Variant of Weeks.

Weeks 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.

Wei Chinese
From Chinese 魏 (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.

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".

Wen Chinese
From Chinese 文 (wén) meaning "literature, culture, writing".

West English, German
Denoted a person who lived to the west of something, or who came from the west.

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

Wieck German
Means "village, town", derived from Latin vicus.

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.

Wilk Polish
Means "wolf" in Polish.

Winograd Jewish
Jewish form of Vinogradov.

Winogrodzki m Polish
Polish cognate of Vinogradov.

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.

Winther Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish variant of Winter.

Wirt German
Variant of Wirth.

Wirth German, Jewish
Occupational name for an innkeeper, derived from German wirt meaning "host".

Wójcik Polish
From the Polish word wójt meaning "chief, mayor" (related to German Vogt).