Surnames from Locations

Sharrow English
Originally a name for someone from Sharrow, England, derived from Old English scearu "boundary" and hoh "point of land, heel".

Shaw 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived near a prominent thicket, from Old English sceaga meaning "thicket, copse".

Shelby English
Variant of Selby.

Shelton English
From the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.

Shen Chinese
From Chinese 申 (shēn) referring to the ancient state of Shen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty.

Sherazi Urdu
Urdu form of Shirazi.

Sherburn English
Denoted a person hailing from any of the various places called Sherborne or Sherburn in England, derived from Old English scir "bright" and burna "spring, fountain, stream".

Sherburne English
Variant of Sherburn.

Shibuya Japanese
From Japanese 渋 (shibu) meaning "astringent, rough" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Shimada Japanese
From Japanese 島 (shima) meaning "island" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Shimamura Japanese
From Japanese 島 (shima) meaning "island" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Shimizu Japanese
From Japanese 清 (shi) meaning "clear, pure, clean" and 水 (mizu) meaning "water".

Shin Korean
Korean form of Shen, from Sino-Korean 申 (sin).

Shinkawa Japanese
From Japanese 新 (shin) meaning "fresh, new" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Shinoda Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Shinohara Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Shinozaki Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Shirai Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Shiraishi Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 石 (ishi) meaning "stone".

Shirakawa Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Shirazi Persian
Originally denoted someone who came from the city of Shiraz, located in southern Iran. The city's name is possibly of Elamite origin.

Shirley English
From an English place name, derived from Old English scir "bright" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Siddall English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English sid "wide" and halh "nook, recess".

Sidney English
Originally derived from various place names in England meaning "wide island", from Old English sid "wide" and eg "island". Another theory holds that it comes from the name of a town in Normandy called "Saint Denis", though evidence for this is lacking.

Siena Italian
Indicated a person from Siena in Italy, which was named after the Gaulish tribe of the Senones.

Sierra Spanish
Originally indicated a dweller on a hill range or ridge, from Spanish sierra "mountain range", derived from Latin serra "saw".

Sigourney English
From the name of the commune of Sigournais in western France, called Segurniacum in medieval Latin, itself of unknown meaning.

Silva Portuguese, Spanish
From Spanish or Portuguese silva meaning "forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.

Silveira Portuguese
Means "forests" in Portuguese.

Sinagra 1 Italian
Originally denoted a person from Sinagra on Sicily, possibly derived from Latin sinus "inlet" and ager "field".

Sinclair English
Derived from a Norman French town called "Saint Clair".

Skála m Czech
Means "rock" in Czech, indicating that the original bearer lived near a prominent rock.

Skała Polish
Polish cognate of Skála.

Skalická f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Skalický.

Skalický m Czech, Slovak
Indicated the original bearer came from a place named Skalice, Skalica or Skalička in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, derived from the Slavic root skala meaning "rock".

Skálová f Czech
Feminine form of Skála.

Skjeggestad Norwegian
From a place name, derived from Norwegian skjegg "beard" and stad "town, place".

Skov Danish
Topographic name meaning "forest, wood" in Danish, from Old Norse skógr.

Skovgaard Danish
From a place name, derived from Danish skov "forest, wood" and gård "farm, yard".

Skywalker Popular Culture
From the English words sky and walker, created by George Lucas as the surname for several characters in his Star Wars movie series, notably the hero Luke Skywalker from the original trilogy (beginning 1977). Early drafts of the script had the name as Starkiller.

Slade English
Derived from Old English slæd meaning "valley".

Slane Irish
Originally indicated a person from Slane, County Meath, Ireland, which is derived from the given name Sláine.

Śląska f Polish
Feminine form of Śląski.

Śląski m Polish
Polish cognate of Slezák.

Ślązak Polish
Polish cognate of Slezák.

Slezák m Czech, Slovak
Originally a name for a person from Silesia, a historical region that is nowadays split between Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Slezáková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Slezák.

Slováček m Czech
Variant of Slovák.

Slováčková f Czech
Feminine form of Slováček.

Slovák m Slovak, Czech
Originally described one who was from Slovakia.

Slováková f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Slovák.

Smedley English
From an unidentified place name probably meaning "smooth clearing" in Old English.

Sokołowska f Polish
Feminine form of Sokołowski.

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

Solberg Norwegian, Swedish
From a place name, derived from Old Norse sól meaning "sun" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it may be ornamental.

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".

Solheim Norwegian
From the name various of various villages in Norway, derived from Old Norse sól meaning "sun" and heimr meaning "home".

Solís Spanish
From the name of a village in Asturias, Spain, derived from Spanish sol "sun".

Solo Basque
Means "rural estate" in Basque.

Solos Basque
Possibly a variant of Solo.

Somma Italian
From the names of Italian places like Somma Lombardo or Somma Vesuviana, derived from Latin summa meaning "summit".

Somogyi Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from Somogy, a region within Hungary. It may be derived from Hungarian som meaning "cornel tree".

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

Soriano Italian
From place names such as Soriano Calabro and Soriano nel Cimino. It is typical of southern Italy.

Sorrentino Italian
Derived from the town of Sorrento near Naples, called Surrentum in Latin, of unknown meaning.

Sosa Spanish
Spanish form of Sousa.

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

Souček m Czech
From Czech suk meaning "tree knot". This could either be a topographic name or a nickname for a stubborn person.

Součková f Czech
Feminine form of Souček.

Soucy French
Originally denoted someone from French towns by this name in Aisne or Yonne, both derived from the Latin name Suciacum.

Soun Khmer
Means "garden" in Khmer.

Sousa Portuguese
Originally indicated someone who lived near the River Sousa in Portugal, possibly derived from Latin salsus "salty" or saxa "rocks".

Southgate English
Name for a person who lived near the southern gate of a town or in a town named Southgate, from Old English suþ and gæt.

Souza Portuguese
Variant of Sousa.

Spalding English
From the name of the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire, derived from the Anglo-Saxon tribe of the Spaldingas.

Spijker 1 Dutch
Denoted a dweller by or worker at a granary, from Dutch spijker "granary".

Spiker Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Spijker 1 or Spijker 2.

Spillum Norwegian
Originally denoted a person from Spillum, Norway.

Spini Italian
Denoted a person who lived near thorn bushes, from Italian spina "thorn, spine", from Latin.

Spitz German
Means "sharp" in German, indicating the original bearer lived near a pointed hill.

Stablum Italian
Northern Italian name derived from Latin stabulum meaning "stable".

Stafford English
From the name of the English city of Stafford, Staffordshire, derived from Old English stæð meaning "wharf, landing place" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Stainthorpe English
Originally indicated a person from Staindrop, County Durham, England, derived from Old English stæner meaning "stony ground" and hop meaning "valley".

Stalin History
Surname adopted by the Russian leader Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) during his revolutionary years. He was an ethnic Georgian, born as Ioseb Jughashvili. He derived it from Russian сталь (stal) meaning "steel".

Stamp English
Originally denoted a person from Étampes near Paris. It was called Stampae in Latin, but the ultimate origin is uncertain.

Stanciu Romanian
Derived from Romanian stânci meaning "rocks".

Stanford English
Derived from various English place names meaning "stone ford" in Old English.

Stanley English
From various place names meaning "stone clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer was the British-American explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904).

Stanton English
From one of the many places named Stanton or Staunton in England, derived from Old English stan meaning "stone" and tun meaning "enclosure, town".

Starrett Scottish
Originally indicated a person from Stairaird, an estate in Scotland.

Statham English
From the name of a village in the English county of Cheshire, derived from Old English stæð meaning "wharf, landing place" and ham "home, settlement".

Stawska f Polish
Feminine form of Stawski.

Stawski m Polish
Derived from Polish staw meaning "pond".

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.

Steiner German
Variant of Stein.

Steinmann German
Means "stone man" in German, used as a habitational name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or an occupational name for a stone worker.

Stenberg Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Derived from Scandinavian sten (Old Norse steinn) meaning "stone" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it is ornamental.

Sterling Scottish
Derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning.

Stetson English
Possibly from the name of the village of Stidston in Devon, meaning "Stithweard's town".

Steube German
Variant of Steuben.

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

Stilo Italian
Derived from the name of the town of Stilo in southern Italy. It is possibly derived from Greek στῦλος (stylos) meaning "column, pillar".

Stirling Scottish
Variant of Sterling.

St John English
From a place named for Saint John.

St Martin French
From a place named for Saint Martin.

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.

Storstrand Norwegian
Originally denoted someone from Storstrand farm in Norway, derived from stor meaning "big" and strand meaning "beach".

St Pierre French
From a French place named for Saint Peter.

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.

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.

Strickland English
From the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from Old English stirc "calf, young bullock" and land "cultivated land".

Strohkirch German
Means "straw church" in German.

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

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

Strudwick English
From an English place name derived from Old English strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood" and wic meaning "village, town".

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

Stueck German, Jewish
Variant of Stück.

Stumpf German
Nickname for a short person or a topographic name someone who lived near a prominent stump, from Middle High German stumpf.

Styles English
Locational name for one who lived near a steep hill, from Old English stigol "stile, set of steps".

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

Sudworth English
From an English place name composed of Old English suþ "south" and worþ "enclosure".

Suggitt English
Variant of Southgate.

Sugimoto Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

Sugimura Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Sugita Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Sugiura Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet".

Sugiyama Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Sulzbach German
Toponymic name from German places named Sulzbach meaning "salty stream", derived from Old High German sulza "salty water" and bah "stream".

Summerfield English
Originally indicated the bearer was from a town of this name, derived from Old English sumor "summer" and feld "field".

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

Sung Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 宋 (see Song).

Sutherland Scottish
Regional name for a person who came from the former county by this name in Scotland. It is derived from Old Norse suðr "south" and land "land", because it was south of the Norse colony of Orkney.

Sutton English
From various English place names meaning "south town".

Suzuki Japanese
From Japanese 鈴 (suzu) meaning "bell" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood". This is the second most common surname in Japan. A notable bearer was the artist Suzuki Harunobu (1725-1770).

Svéd Hungarian
Means "Swedish" in Hungarian.

Swango German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Schwangau.

Swindlehurst English
From the place name Swinglehurst in the Forest of Bowland in central Lancashire, derived from Old English swin "swine, pig", hyll "hill" and hyrst "wood, grove".

Switzer German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Schweitzer.

Sydney English
Variant of Sidney.

Szabolcsi Hungarian
From the name of the Szabolcs region in Hungary, derived from the given name Szabolcs.

Szalai Hungarian
Possibly denoted a person from the region of Zala in western Hungary, itself named for the Zala River.

Szilágyi Hungarian
Denoted one from the region of Szilágy in Hungary, derived from Hungarian szil meaning "elm" and ágy meaning "bed".

Szombathy Hungarian
From Hungarian szombat meaning "Saturday".

Szwed Polish
Variant of Szweda.

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

Szwedko Polish
Variant of Szweda.

Taft English
Variant of Toft.

Takahashi Japanese
From Japanese 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high" and 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge".

Takala Finnish
Means "(dweller in the) back", probably denoting someone who lived in a remote area, from Finnish taka.

Takeda Japanese
From Japanese 武 (take) meaning "military, martial" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Takenaka Japanese
Means "dweller amongst bamboo", from Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Takeuchi Japanese
From Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

Tamm Estonian
Means "oak" in Estonian. This is among the most common surnames in Estonia.

Tamura Japanese
From Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Tan Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Chen.

Tanaka Japanese
Means "dweller in the rice fields", from Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

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

Tang 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Deng.

Tangeman German
Originally indicated a person from a place named Tange in northern Germany.

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

Taniguchi Japanese
From Japanese 谷 (tani) meaning "valley" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

Tapia Spanish
Means "mud wall" in Spanish.

Tarantino Italian
Locational name that originally designated a person who came from Taranto, a city in southeastern Italy, which was originally called Τάρας (Taras) by Greek colonists. A famous bearer of this name is the American director Quentin Tarantino (1963-).

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

Tatham English
From the name of the town of Tatham in Lancashire, itself from the Old English given name Tata combined with ham meaning "home, settlement".

Tatton English
Originally indicated a person from a town by this name, derived from the Old English given name Tata combined with tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Tatum English
Variant of Tatham.

Tavares Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Tavares, likely of pre-Roman origin.

Taverna Italian
From the place name Taverna, common in different parts of Italy. It means "inn, tavern" in Italian.

Tehrani Persian
Indicated a person from the Iranian city of Tehran, of unknown meaning.

Teixeira Portuguese
From Portuguese teixo meaning "yew tree".

Teke 1 Turkish
Originally denoted someone from Teke, Turkey.

Tenley English
Possibly from the name of an English town derived from Old English tind "point" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Tennfjord Norwegian
Originally denoted a person from Tennfjord, Norway.

Ter Avest Dutch
Means "at the edge, eave" indicating a person who lived at the edge of a forest or under a covered shelter.

Terranova Italian
Means "new land" in Italian.

Terrazas Spanish
Originally a name for a person from Terrazas in the Spanish city of Burgos, a place name meaning "terraces".

Thorley English
From any of the various places in England called Thornley or Thorley, meaning "thorn clearing" in Old English.

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

Thorne English
Variant of Thorn.

Thornton English
From any of the various places in England by this name, meaning "thorn town" in Old English.

Thorpe English
From Old Norse þorp meaning "village".

Thwaite English
Indicated a dweller in a forest clearing or pasture, from Old Norse þveit "clearing, pasture".

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

Tifft English
Variant of Toft.

Timberlake English
From an English place name, derived from Old English timber "timber, wood" and lacu "lake, pool, stream".

Tindall English
From Tindale, the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from the name of the river Tyne combined with Old English dæl "dale, valley".

Tipton English
Originally given to one who came from the town of Tipton, derived from the Old English given name Tippa combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Tisza Hungarian
From the river name Tisza, Hungary's second largest river.

Tittensor English
Indicated a person from Tittensor, England, which means "Titten's ridge".

Tivoli Italian
Derived from the resort town of Tivoli, near Rome, originally called Tibur in Latin, of uncertain origin.

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

Toledano Spanish
Derived from the name of the city of Toledo in Spain, which was from Latin Toletum, which may have been derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".

Tomaszewska f Polish
Feminine form of Tomaszewski.

Tomaszewski m Polish
From the name of various Polish places called Tomaszew or Tomaszewo, derived from the given name Tomasz.

Tomioka Japanese
From Japanese 富 (tomi) meaning "wealth, abundance" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Tong Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Tang 1.

Tordai Hungarian
From Torda, the Hungarian name of the city of Turda in Romania (formerly within the Kingdom of Hungary).

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

Townsend English
Indicated a person who lived at the town's edge, from Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town" and ende "end, limit".

Toyoda Japanese
From Japanese 豊 (toyo) meaning "bountiful, luxuriant" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy". A famous bearer was Kiichiro Toyoda (1894-1952), founder of Toyota Motor Corporation.

Tracey 1 English
From the village of Tracy-sur-mer on the Normandy coast in France. It was brought to England with William the Conqueror.

Tracy English, Irish
Variant of Tracey 1 or Tracey 2.

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

Tran Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Trần.

Trapani Italian
From the name of the Sicilian city of Trapani, derived from Greek δρεπάνη (drepane) meaning "sickle".

Trask English
Originally indicated a person from Thirsk, North Yorkshire, derived from Old Norse þresk meaning "fen, marsh".

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.

Treloar English
Originally denoted a person from a place of this name in Cornwall, England.

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

Tremble French
Variant of Tremblay.

Trengove English
Originally indicated a person from Trengove in Cornwall, England.

Trent English
Denoted one who lived near the River Trent in England.

Trevis English
English variant of Travers.

Trevor Welsh
Originally from the name of various Welsh towns meaning "big village", derived from Middle Welsh tref "village" and maur "large".

Tritten German
Originally denoted someone who lived by a set of steps, from Middle High German trit "step".

Troy English
Originally denoted a person from the city of Troyes in France.

Trucco Italian
Denoted a person coming from a place of this name in northern Italy.

Trujillo Spanish
Originally denoted a person from Trujillo, Spain, originally called Turgalium in Latin.

Tsang Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Zeng.

Tse Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xie.

Tso Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Cao.

Tsui Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Xu 1.

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

Tsunoda Japanese
From Japanese 角 (tsuno) meaning "point, corner" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

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.

Turati Italian
From the name of the town of Turate near Como in Lombardy.

Turunen Finnish
From Finnish turku meaning "marketplace" or the Finnish city of Turku (derived from the same word).

Tveit Norwegian
Habitational name derived from Old Norse þveit meaning "clearing".

Twist English, Literature
Probably from the name of towns in England and Wales called Twist or Twiss. This surname was used by Charles Dickens for the hero of his novel Oliver Twist (1838), about an orphan surviving the streets of London. Dickens probably had the vocabulary word twist in mind when naming the character.

Ubiña Basque
Possibly a variant of Urbina.

Uchimura Japanese
From Japanese 内 (uchi) meaning "inside" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Uchiyama Japanese
From Japanese 内 (uchi) meaning "inside" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Ueda Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Uehara Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Ueno Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Uesugi Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar".

Underhill English
Means "dweller at the foot of a hill", from Old English under and hyll.

Underwood English
Means "dweller at the edge of the woods", from Old English under and wudu.

Ungaretti Italian
Diminutive of Ungaro.

Ungaro Italian
Means "Hungarian" in Italian.

Ungur Romanian
Variant of Ungureanu.

Unkle German
Possibly denoted a person from the town of Unkel in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Unterbrink Low German
Means "dweller under the slope" from Old Saxon undar "under" and brink "edge, slope".

Upton English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many towns in England bearing this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English upp "up" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Urano Japanese
From Japanese 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Urbańska f Polish
Feminine form of Urbański.

Urbański m Polish
Habitational name for a person from towns called Urbanowo or Urbanowice, derived from the given name Urban.

Urbina Basque
Derived from Basque ur "water" and bi "two", indicating a place where two waterways met.

Ureña Spanish
Probably derived from the name of Urueña, a town in the province of Valladolid, Spain, which is of unknown meaning.

Urquhart Scottish
Derived from Brythonic ar "by" and cardden "thicket". This is the name of several places, the most famous being north of Loch Ness.

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

Valencia Spanish
From the name of the Spanish city of Valencia.

Van Aalsburg Dutch
Means "from Aalsburg", which is possibly Adelsburg, composed of adal "noble" and burg "fortress".

Van Aalst Dutch
Variant of Van Alst.

Van Aarle Dutch
Variant of Aarle.

Van Achteren Dutch
Variant of Van Agteren.

Van Achthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

Van Adrichem Dutch
Variant of Adrichem.

Van Aggelen Dutch
Denoted someone from Aggelen, which could refer to Achel in the Belgian province of Limburg or Egchel in the Dutch province of Limburg.

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 Agthoven Dutch
Variant of Achthoven.

Van Akkeren Dutch
Variant of Van den Akker.

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 Altena Dutch
Variant of Altena.

Van Althuis Dutch
Dutch cognate of Althaus.

Van Amelsvoort Dutch
Means "from Amersfoort", a city in the Netherlands. It means "ford of the Amer (Eem) River" in Dutch.

Van Amersvoort Dutch
Variant of Van Amelsvoort.

Van Amstel Dutch
Means "from Amstel", a Dutch river that means "water area".

Van Andel Dutch
Means "from Andel", a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "upper forest" in Old Dutch.

Van Ankeren Dutch
Means "from the anchor" in Dutch.

Van Antwerp Dutch
Means "from Antwerp", a city in Belgium.

Van Antwerpen Dutch
Variant of Van Antwerp.

Van Apeldoorn Dutch
Variant of Apeldoorn.

Van Arendonk Dutch
Variant of Arendonk.

Van As Dutch
Means "from Asch", a town in the Netherlands, meaning "ash tree".

Van Asch Dutch
Variant of Van As.

Van Assen Dutch
Means "from Assen", a city in the Netherlands, which is possibly from essen meaning "ash trees".

Van Baarle Dutch
Means "from Baarle", a town in both the Netherlands and Belgium.

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

Van Bokhoven Dutch
Means "from Bokhoven", a small town in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It means "goat yards" in Dutch.

Van Breda Dutch
Means "from Breda", a city in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Dutch breed meaning "wide" and Aa, the name of a river.