Todd EnglishMeans
"fox", derived from Middle English
todde.
Tolkien GermanPossibly 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 ItalianFrom 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".
Tosi ItalianMeans
"clean-shaven", usually denoting a younger man, from Latin
tonsus "shaved".
Tosto ItalianFrom a nickname for a tough, stubborn person, from Italian
tosto "hard, tough".
Triggs EnglishFrom a byname derived from Old Norse
tryggr meaning
"true, loyal".
Truman EnglishMeans
"trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).
Trumbauer GermanPossibly from Middle High German
trame "rafter, frame" and
bauer "peasant, neighbour".
Tyson 1 EnglishDerived from a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from Old French
tison meaning
"firebrand".
Uccello ItalianMeans
"bird" in Italian, either a nickname for a person who resembled a bird or an occupational name for a birdcatcher.
Unruh GermanRefers to a restless, fidgety, nervous person, from German
unruhe meaning
"unrest".
Vadas HungarianFrom Hungarian
vad meaning
"wild", either a nickname or an occupational name for a hunter of wild game.
Valiente SpanishFrom a nickname derived from Spanish
valiente meaning
"brave".
Vass HungarianDerived 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.
Vaughan WelshFrom Welsh
bychan (mutated to
fychan) meaning
"little". It was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
Venäläinen FinnishMeans
"Russian" in Finnish. This name was originally used by the ethnic Finns who lived on the Russian side of the border.
Verity EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.
Virgo EnglishPossibly 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 CatalanFrom the Catalan byname
vivas meaning
"may you live", which was bestowed upon children to bring good luck.
Vlachos m GreekMeans
"Romanian, Wallachian" in Greek, from Old Slavic
volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).
Vlašić CroatianPatronymic from the nickname
Vlah meaning
"Romanian, Wallachian".
Vlašič SlovenePatronymic from the nickname
Vlah meaning
"Romanian, Wallachian".
Vogel German, DutchFrom 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.
Vörös HungarianMeans
"red" in Hungarian, referring to a person with red hair or face.
Voss GermanFrom Middle Low German
vos meaning
"fox". It was originally a nickname for a clever person or a person with red hair.
Vroom Dutch, FlemishFrom a nickname derived from Dutch
vroom meaning
"pious, devout".
Vrubel m CzechFrom a dialectal variant of Czech
vrabec "sparrow".
Waldvogel German, JewishFrom 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, IrishMeans
"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 YiddishFrom Middle High German
walch meaning
"foreigner (from a Romance country)".
Waller 1 EnglishDerived from Old French
gallier meaning
"person with a pleasant temper".
Wang 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
王 (wáng) meaning
"king, monarch". This is the most common surname in China (and the world).
Wang 2 German, DutchFrom Middle High German and Middle Dutch
wange meaning
"cheek", possibly a nickname for someone with round or rosy cheeks.
Ware 2 EnglishFrom the Middle English nickname
ware meaning
"wary, astute, prudent".
Weasley LiteratureUsed 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, YiddishFrom Middle High German
wiz or Yiddish
װייַס (vais) meaning
"white". This was originally a nickname for a person with white hair or skin.
Wen ChineseFrom Chinese
文 (wén) meaning
"literature, culture, writing".
White EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English
hwit "white".
Wiater PolishDerived from Polish
wiatr "wind", a nickname for a quick person.
Wibowo IndonesianFrom Indonesian
wibawa meaning
"authority, power", ultimately from Sanskrit
विभव (vibhava).
Wieczorek PolishFrom a nickname meaning
"bat" in Polish, ultimately from
wieczór meaning "evening".
Wilbur EnglishFrom the nickname
Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.
Wild English, GermanMeans
"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.
Winter English, German, SwedishFrom Old English
winter or Old High German
wintar meaning
"winter". This was a nickname for a person with a cold personality.
Wolf German, EnglishFrom Middle High German or Middle English
wolf meaning
"wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.
Wruck GermanFrom Middle Low German
wrok meaning
"cantankerous".
Yap EnglishFrom a nickname for a clever or cunning person, from Middle English
yap meaning
"devious, deceitful, shrewd".
Young EnglishDerived from Old English
geong meaning
"young". This was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
Yun KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
尹 (yun) meaning
"govern, oversee".
Ząbek PolishFrom Polish
zab "tooth" and a diminutive suffix.
Zieliński m PolishFrom Polish
zieleń meaning
"green". It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing.
Ziętek PolishPossibly from a diminutive of Polish
zięć meaning
"son-in-law".
Zima m & u Czech, Slovak, Polish, RussianFrom an Old Slavic word meaning
"winter". This may have been a nickname for a person with a chilly personality.
Żuraw PolishMeans
"crane" in Polish, a nickname for a tall person.