Surnames with Relationship "from word"

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 u & m 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.

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.

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 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 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
Means "from the creek" in Dutch.

Van der Berg Dutch
Variant of Van den Berg.

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.

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

Varga u & m 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.

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.

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 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".

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
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".

Wibawa Indonesian
Variant of Wibowo.

Wibowo Indonesian
From Indonesian wibawa meaning "authority, power", ultimately from Sanskrit विभव (vibhava).

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).

Wojda Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

Wojewoda Polish
From the Polish title wojewoda meaning "governor, voivode" (originally meaning "warlord").

Wojewódka Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

Wojewódzki m Polish
Variant of Wojewoda.

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.

Wolff German, Danish, Norwegian, Jewish
Variant of Wolf.

Wood English, Scottish
Originally denoted one who lived in or worked in a forest, derived from Old English wudu "wood".

Woods English, Scottish
Variant of Wood.

Woolf English
Variant of Wolf.

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".

Wroński m Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".

Wu 1 Chinese
From Chinese 吴 (wú) referring to the ancient state of Wu, which was located in present-day Jiangsu province.

Wu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 武 (wǔ) meaning "military, martial".

Xiao Chinese
From Chinese 蕭 (xiāo) referring to the fiefdom or territory of Xiao (in present-day Anhui province) that existed during the Zhou dynasty.

Xie Chinese
From Chinese 谢 (xiè) referring to the minor state of Xie, which existed in what is now Hubei province.

Xu 1 Chinese
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 2 Chinese
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".

Xun Chinese
From Chinese 荀 (xún) meaning "plant, ancient state".

Yang Chinese
From Chinese 杨 (yáng) meaning "willow, poplar, aspen".

Ye Chinese
From Chinese 叶 (yè) meaning "leaf".

Yıldız Turkish
Means "star" in Turkish.

Yong English
Variant of Young.

Young English
Derived from Old English geong meaning "young". This was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.

Younge English
Variant of Young.

Yu 1 Chinese
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 2 Chinese
From Chinese 余 (yú) meaning "surplus".

Yu 3 Chinese
From Chinese 俞 (yú) meaning "consent, approve".

Yu 4 Chinese
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.

Yuan Chinese
From Chinese 源 (yuán), 原 (yuán) or 元 (yuán), which mean "origin, source".

Yun Korean
From Sino-Korean 尹 (yun) meaning "govern, oversee".

Zając Polish
Means "hare" in Polish.

Zaytsev m Russian
Derived from Russian заяц (zayats) meaning "hare".

Zelenka m Czech
Czech cognate of Zieliński.

Zelenko Ukrainian
Ukrainian cognate of Zieliński.

Zeman m Czech, Slovak
Means "landowner", ultimately from Old Slavic zemľa meaning "land".

Zeng Chinese
From Chinese 曾 (zēng) referring to the former state of Zeng, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hubei province.

Zhang Chinese
From Chinese 张 (zhāng) meaning "stretch, extend". It may have denoted a bowmaker whose job it was to stretch bow wood.

Zhao Chinese
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]

Zheng Chinese
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.

Zhou Chinese
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.

Zhu Chinese
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.

Zhuk Belarusian
Means "beetle" in Belarusian.

Zieliński m Polish
From Polish zieleń meaning "green". It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing.

Žilinskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Zieliński.

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.

Žitnik Slovene
From the Slavic root žito meaning "rye, grain". This was an occupational name for a dealer in rye or a baker.

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".

Zyma Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Zima.