Surnames from Nicknames

Szép Hungarian
Means "beautiful, lovely" in Hungarian.

Szőke Hungarian
Means "blond, fair haired" in Hungarian.

Szwarc Polish
Polish phonetic spelling of German Schwarz.

Tafani Italian
From the nickname tafano meaning "gadfly", indicating an annoying person.

Tähtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".

Tanzer German
Means "dancer" in German, derived from Middle High German tanzen "to dance".

Tar Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian tar meaning "bald".

Targaryen Literature
Created by author George R. R. Martin for his series A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019). The Targaryens were the rulers of Westeros for almost 300 years until shortly before the beginning of the first novel. The name is presumably from the Valyrian language, though Martin provides no explanation of the meaning.

Tarr Hungarian
Variant of Tar.

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

Tchaikovskaya f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковская (see Chaykovskaya).

Tchaikovsky m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковский (see Chaykovsky).

Teague 2 Cornish
From Cornish tek meaning "fair, beautiful".

Tedesco Italian
From Italian tedesco meaning "German".

Teel English
From Middle English tele meaning "teal, duck".

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

Testa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "head".

Teufel German
From a nickname meaning "devil" in German, given to a mischievous person or one who was devil-like.

Thrussell English
From Old English þrostle meaning "song thrush", referring to a cheerful person.

Tichá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Tichý.

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

Tilki Turkish
From a nickname meaning "fox" in Turkish.

Tirrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tiryaki Turkish
Possibly from a nickname meaning "addict, opium user" in Turkish.

Tjäder Swedish
Means "wood grouse" in Swedish.

Tod English
Variant of Todd.

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

Toivonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish toivo meaning "hope".

Tolkien German
Possibly from a Low German byname Tolk meaning "interpreter" (of Slavic origin). A famous bearer was the English author J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973). According to him, the surname was derived from German tollkühn meaning "foolhardy".

Tornincasa Italian
From a medieval Italian name given to a boy born after the death of a previous one, derived from Italian ritorna in casa "come back home".

Török Hungarian
Means "Turkish" in Hungarian.

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".

Tosto Italian
From a nickname for a tough, stubborn person, from Italian tosto "hard, tough".

Tót Hungarian
Variant of Tóth.

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

Tóthová f Slovak
Slovak feminine form of Tóth.

Triggs English
From a byname derived from Old Norse tryggr meaning "true, loyal".

Trudu Sardinian
Means "thrush" in Sardinian (from Latin turdus).

Trueman English
Variant of Truman.

Truman English
Means "trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).

Trumbauer German
Possibly from Middle High German trame "rafter, frame" and bauer "peasant, neighbour".

Tuominen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tuomi meaning "bird cherry".

Turchi Italian
Means "Turkish" in Italian.

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

Turnbull English, Scottish
Nickname for someone thought to be strong enough to turn around a bull.

Tyrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tyrrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tyson 1 English
Derived from a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from Old French tison meaning "firebrand".

Uccello Italian
Means "bird" in Italian, either a nickname for a person who resembled a bird or an occupational name for a birdcatcher.

Ungureanu Romanian
From Romanian ungur meaning "Hungarian".

Unruh German
Refers to a restless, fidgety, nervous person, from German unruhe meaning "unrest".

Utkin m Russian
Derived from Russian утка (utka) meaning "duck".

Utkina f Russian
Feminine form of Utkin.

Uzun Turkish
Means "long, tall" in Turkish.

Vadas Hungarian
From Hungarian vad meaning "wild", either a nickname or an occupational name for a hunter of wild game.

Văduva Romanian
From Romanian văduvă meaning "widow".

Valiente Spanish
From a nickname derived from Spanish valiente meaning "brave".

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

Vanaga f Latvian
Feminine form of Vanags.

Vanags m Latvian
Means "hawk" in Latvian.

Vanhanen Finnish
From Finnish vanha meaning "old".

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.

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.

Venäläinen Finnish
Means "Russian" in Finnish. This name was originally used by the ethnic Finns who lived on the Russian side of the border.

Veres Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Vörös.

Verity English
From a nickname meaning "truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.

Veselá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Veselý.

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

Vespa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wasp".

Vinter Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian variant of Winter.

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.

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).

Vlachou f Greek
Feminine form of Vlachos.

Vlahos m Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βλάχος (see Vlachos).

Vlahou f Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βλάχου (see Vlachou).

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".

Vlčková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Vlček.

Võ Vietnamese
Variant of Vũ 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.

Volkov m Russian
Derived from Russian волк (volk) meaning "wolf".

Volkova f Russian
Feminine form of Volkov.

Voronin m Russian
Derived from Russian ворона (vorona) meaning "crow".

Voronina f Russian
Feminine form of Voronin.

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.

Vrabcová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Vrabec.

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".

Vrublová f Czech
Feminine form of Vrubel.

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

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.

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".

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.

Ware 2 English
From the Middle English nickname ware meaning "wary, astute, prudent".

Wattana Thai
From Thai วัฒน (wathan) meaning "culture".

Weasley Literature
Used by J. K. Rowling for the character of Ron Weasley (and other members of his family) in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. Rowling presumably derived it from the English word weasel, perhaps in combination with the common place name/surname suffix -ley, which is derived from Old English leah meaning "woodland, clearing".

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.

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

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".

Wiater Polish
Derived from Polish wiatr "wind", a nickname for a quick person.

Wieczorek Polish
From a nickname meaning "bat" in Polish, ultimately from wieczór meaning "evening".

Wilbur English
From the nickname Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.

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.

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.

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.

Wong 1 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wang 1.

Wong 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Huang.

Woodcock English
Nickname referring to the woodcock bird.

Woolf English
Variant of Wolf.

Wright 2 French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Droit.

Wróbel Polish
Means "sparrow" in Polish.

Wrona Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".

Wrońska f Polish
Feminine form of Wroński.

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

Wruck German
From Middle Low German wrok meaning "cantankerous".

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

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

Yap English
From a nickname for a clever or cunning person, from Middle English yap meaning "devious, deceitful, shrewd".

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

Yi Korean
Variant of Lee 2.

Yıldız Turkish
Means "star" in Turkish.

Yong English
Variant of Young.

Yoon Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 윤 (see Yun).

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

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

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

Yuen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Ruan.

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

Ząbek Polish
From Polish zab "tooth" and a diminutive suffix.

Zając Polish
Means "hare" in Polish.

Zajac m Slovak
Means "hare" in Slovak.

Zajacová f Slovak
Feminine form of Zajac.

Zajec Slovene
Means "hare" in Slovene.

Zajíc m Czech
Means "hare" in Czech.

Zajícová f Czech
Feminine form of Zajíc.

Zariņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Zariņš.

Zariņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian zars meaning "branch".

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

Zaytseva f Russian
Feminine form of Zaytsev.

Zelenka m Czech
Czech cognate of Zieliński.

Zelenko Ukrainian
Ukrainian cognate of Zieliński.

Zelenková f Czech
Feminine form of Zelenka.

Zhuk Belarusian
Means "beetle" in Belarusian.

Zhukov m Russian
Derived from Russian жук (zhuk) meaning "beetle".

Zhukova f Russian
Feminine form of Zhukov.

Zielińska f Polish
Feminine form of Zieliński.

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

Zientek Polish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Ziętek.

Ziętek Polish
Possibly from a diminutive of Polish zięć meaning "son-in-law".

Žilinskaitė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Žilinskas. This form is used by unmarried women.

Žilinskas m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Zieliński.

Žilinskienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Žilinskas. This form is used by married women.

Zima mu Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian
From an Old Slavic word meaning "winter". This may have been a nickname for a person with a chilly personality.

Zimová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Zima.

Żuraw Polish
Means "crane" in Polish, a nickname for a tall person.

Zvirbule f Latvian
Feminine form of Zvirbulis.

Zvirbulis m Latvian
Means "sparrow" in Latvian.

Zyma Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Zima.