Surnames with 1 Syllable

Koch German
German cognate of Cook.

Kohl German
Derived from Middle High German kol "cabbage".

Král m Czech
Czech form of Król.

Kráľ m Slovak
Slovak form of Król.

Kralj Slovene, Croatian, Serbian
Slovene, Croatian and Serbian form of Król.

Król Polish
Means "king" in Polish. The name referred to one who acted like a king or was connected in some way with a king's household.

Kuang Chinese
From Chinese 邝 (kuàng), which refers to the clan of the same name.

Kwan Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Guan.

Kwok Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Guo.

Lam Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Lin.

Lamb English
From the name of the animal, perhaps a nickname for a shy person.

Lane 1 English
Originally designated one who lived by a lane, a narrow way between fences or hedges, later used of any narrow pathway, including one between houses in a town.

Lång Swedish
Swedish cognate of Long.

Lau Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Liu.

Law English
Derived from Old English hlaw "hill".

Lê Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Li 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 黎 (lê). This is the third most common surname in Vietnam.

Leach English
Originally indicated a person who was a physician, from the medieval practice of using leeches to bleed people of ills.

Lee 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".

Lee 2 Korean, Chinese
Korean form of Li 1, from Sino-Korean 李 (i). This is the second most common surname in South Korea. It is also a variant Chinese romanization of Li 1.

Leigh English
Variant of Lee 1.

Leong Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Liang.

Leung Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Liang.

Li 1 Chinese
From Chinese 李 (lǐ) meaning "plum, plum tree". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Tang dynasty.

Li 2 Chinese
From Chinese 黎 (lí) meaning "black".

Liang Chinese
From Chinese 梁 (liáng) referring to the ancient state of Liang, which existed from the 8th to 7th centuries BC in what is now Shaanxi province.

Liao Chinese
From Chinese 廖 (liào) referring to the ancient state of Liao, which was located in present-day Henan province.

Lim Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Lin.

Lin Chinese
From Chinese 林 (lín) meaning "forest".

Lis Polish
Means "fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.

Liu Chinese
From Chinese 刘 (liú) meaning "kill, destroy". This was the surname of Chinese emperors of the Han dynasty.

Ljung Swedish
Means "heather" in Swedish.

Lloyd Welsh, English
Originally a nickname from the Welsh word llwyd meaning "grey".

Lo Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Luo.

Long English
Originally a nickname for a person who had long limbs or who was tall.

Louis French
From the given name Louis.

Love English
From the Old English given name Lufu meaning "love".

Low English
Variant of Law.

Lowe 1 Jewish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Löwe.

Lowe 2 English
Variant of Law.

Lu 1 Chinese
From Chinese 吕 (lǚ) meaning "musical note" and also referring to the former state of Lu, which was situated in what is now Henan province.

Lu 2 Chinese
From Chinese 卢 (lú) meaning "rice bowl, black", also referring to an ancient minor territory in what is now Shandong province.

Lund Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Indicated a person who lived near a grove of trees, from Old Norse lundr meaning "grove". There are towns in Sweden named Lund.

Luo Chinese
From Chinese 罗 (luó) referring to the minor state of Luo, which existed from the 11th to 7th centuries BC in what is now Hubei province.

Lynn English
From the name of a town in Norfolk (King's Lynn), derived from Welsh llyn meaning "lake".

Ma Chinese
From Chinese 马 (mǎ) meaning "horse".

Maas Dutch, Low German
From the given name Maas.

Mach mu Czech, Polish
From a diminutive of the given names Matěj or Maciej.

Mah Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 马 (see Ma).

Mai Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Mei, from Sino-Vietnamese 梅 (mai).

Man Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wen.

Mann German, English
From a nickname meaning "man". This may have originally been given in order to distinguish the bearer from a younger person with the same name.

Mårdh Swedish
From Swedish mård meaning "pine marten".

Mark English
Derived from the given name Mark.

Marsh English
Originally denoted one who lived near a marsh or bog, derived from Old English mersc "marsh".

Mas 1 Catalan
Means "farmhouse" in Catalan.

Maus German
From a nickname meaning "mouse", from Old High German mus.

May English
Derived from the given name Matthew.

Mayes English
Patronymic form of May.

Mei Chinese
From Chinese 梅 (méi) meaning "plum, apricot".

Metz 1 German
Occupational name for maker of knives, from Middle High German metze "knife".

Metz 2 German
Derived from Mätz, a diminutive of the given name Matthias.

Miles English
From the given name Miles.

Mills English
Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.

Milne Scottish
From Scots and Middle English milne (a variant of mille) meaning "mill".

Moon 2 English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Moyon in Normandy.

Moore 1 English
Originally indicated a person who lived on a moor, from Middle English mor meaning "open land, bog".

Moore 2 English
Derived from the given name Maurus.

Moore 3 English
Nickname for a person of dark complexion, from Old French more, Latin maurus, meaning "Moorish".

Morse English
Variant of Morriss.

Moss 1 English
From Middle English mos meaning "bog, moss".

Moss 2 English
From the given name Moses.

Myles English
From the given name Miles.

Nagy um Hungarian, Slovak
From a nickname meaning "big, great" in Hungarian, referring to one's characteristics. This is the most common Hungarian surname. In Slovakia this spelling is only used for men, with Nagyová being the feminine form.

Najm Arabic
From the given name Najm.

Nash English
Derived from the Middle English phrase atten ash "at the ash tree". A famous bearer was the mathematician John Nash (1928-2015).

Neal English
Derived from the given name Neil.

Neil Scottish, English, Irish
Derived from the given name Neil.

Ness English, Scottish, Norwegian
From English ness and Norwegian nes meaning "headland, promontory", of Old Norse origin, originally referring to a person who lived there.

Ng 1 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wu 1.

Ng 2 Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Huang.

Ngô Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 1, from Sino-Vietnamese 吳 (ngô).

Nguyễn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Ruan, from Sino-Vietnamese 阮 (nguyễn). This is the most common Vietnamese surname, accounting for over a third of the population.

Nguyen Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Nguyễn.

Niles English
Means "son of Neil".

Noel French, English
Either from the given name Noël, or else derived directly from Old French noel "Christmas" and given to a person who had a particular connection with the holiday.

North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.

Nye English
Originally indicated a person who lived near a river, from Middle English atten eye meaning "at the river".

O Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 오 (see Oh).

Oh Korean
Korean form of Wu 1, from Sino-Korean 吳 (o).

Ong Chinese (Hokkien)
Min Nan romanization of Wang 1.

Orr Scottish
From a nickname derived from Gaelic odhar meaning "dun-coloured, greyish brown, tan".

Ott English, German
From the given name Otto.

Page English, French
Occupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".

Paige English
Variant of Page.

Pain English
Variant of Payne.

Pál Hungarian
Derived from the given name Pál.

Pan 2 Chinese
From Chinese 潘 (pān) meaning "water in which rice has been rinsed", and also referring to a river that flows into the Han River.

Pap Hungarian
Variant of Papp 1.

Papp 1 Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "priest, cleric" in Hungarian.

Papp 2 German
Nickname perhaps related to Late Latin pappare meaning "to eat".

Park 2 English
From Middle English park, from Latin parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.

Park 3 English
From the medieval name Perkin, a diminutive of Peter.

Parks English
Patronymic form of Park 3.

Paul English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Payne English
From a medieval given name or nickname derived from Latin paganus meaning "heathen, pagan" (from an earlier sense "rural, rustic"), which was given to children whose baptism had been postponed or adults who were not overly religious.

Paz Spanish
Means "peace" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a calm person.

Peak English
Originally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.

Pearce English
From the given name Piers.

Peck 1 English
Variant of Peak.

Peck 2 English
Occupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English pekke.

Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).

Pei Chinese
From Chinese 裴 (péi), possibly referring to an ancient city.

Pék Hungarian
Means "baker" in Hungarian.

Peng Chinese
From Chinese 彭 (péng) referring to the ancient state of Peng, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Jiangsu province.

Penn 1 English
Derived from various place names that were named using the Brythonic word penn meaning "hilltop, head".

Penn 2 English
Occupational name for a person who kept penned animals, from Old English penn.

Phạm Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Fan, from Sino-Vietnamese 范 (phạm). This is the fourth most common surname in Vietnam.

Phan Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Pan 2, from Sino-Vietnamese 潘 (phan).

Phelps English
Means "son of Philip".

Pierce English
From the given name Piers.

Pierre French
From the given name Pierre.

Pitt English
Originally given to a person who lived near a pit or a hole, derived from Old English pytt "pit".

Pitts English
Indicated a person who lived by a pit or hollow, from Old English pytt. It could also indicate a person from Pitt (Hants) or Pett (East Sussex) in England.

Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.

Platt English
From Old French plat meaning "flat, thin", from Late Latin plattus, from Greek πλατύς (platys) meaning "wide, broad, flat". This may have been a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a flat feature.

Pond English
Originally referred to one who lived near a pond.

Poole English
From Old English pol meaning "pool", referring to a person who lived by a small body of water.

Pop Romanian
Variant of Popa.

Pope English
From a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin papa, ultimately from Greek πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".

Post Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person who lived near a post, ultimately from Latin postis.

Pound English
Occupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English pund "animal enclosure".

Pratt English
From Old English prætt meaning "trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.

Prinz German, Jewish
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.

Protz German
From a nickname meaning "showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".

Puig Catalan
Catalan cognate of Poggio.

Queen English
From a given name that was derived from Old English cwen meaning "queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.

Quick English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".

Quinn Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuinn meaning "descendant of Conn".

Rácz Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian rác meaning "Rascian", a former name for Serbians who lived in the Habsburg Empire.

Rae Scottish
Variant of McRae.

Raine 1 English
From a nickname derived from Old French reine meaning "queen".

Raine 2 English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".

Raines English
Originally denoted a person from Rayne, Essex, England (possibly from an Old English word meaning "shelter") or from Rennes, Brittany, France (from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones).

Rains English
Variant of Raines.

Rake English
Originally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English hrace meaning "throat, gorge".

Rakes English
Variant of Rake.

Rapp 1 Swedish
From Swedish rapp meaning "quick, prompt", one of the names adopted by soldiers in the 17th century.

Ravn Danish
Means "raven" in Danish, from Old Norse hrafn.

Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.

Rayne English, French
Variant of Raine 1 or Raine 2.

Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.

Read 2 English
From Old English ryd, an unattested form of rod meaning "cleared land". It is also derived from various English place names with various meanings, including "roe headland", "reeds" and "brushwood".

Reed English
Variant of Read 1.

Reeve English
Occupational name derived from Middle English reeve, Old English (ge)refa meaning "sheriff, prefect, local official".

Reeves English
Variant of Reeve.

Reich German, Jewish
Nickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German rihhi "rich, powerful".

Reid Scottish, English
Scots variant of Read 1.

Reis German, Jewish
From Middle High German ris meaning "twig, branch, bush", denoting a person who lived in an overgrown area. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Ren Chinese
From Chinese 任 (rén), of uncertain meaning.

Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.

Rhodes English
Topographic name derived from Old English rod meaning "cleared land", or a locational name from any of the locations named with this word.

Ridge English
Denoted a person who lived near a ridge, from Old English hrycg.

Roach English
From Middle English and Old French roche meaning "rock", from Late Latin rocca, a word that may be of Celtic origin. It indicated a person who lived near a prominent rock, or who came from a town by this name (such as Les Roches in Normandy).

Róg Polish
Means "animal horn" in Polish.

Roig Catalan
Means "red" in Catalan, from Latin rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.

Rome French, English
English and French form of Romano 2.

Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).

Rose 2 English
Derived from the feminine given name Rose.

Ross English, Scottish
From various place names (such as the region of Ross in northern Scotland), which are derived from Scottish Gaelic ros meaning "promontory, headland".

Rot German, Jewish
Variant of Roth.

Rounds English
Patronymic derived from Middle English rond meaning "round, plump", ultimately from Latin rotundus.

Rowe 1 English
Means "row" in Middle English, indicating a dweller by a row of hedges or houses.

Rowe 2 English
From the medieval name Row, which is either a variant of Roul or short form of Roland.

Roy 1 French, English
Variant of Rey 1.

Royce English
Originally derived from the medieval given name Royse, a variant of Rose.

Ruan Chinese
From Chinese 阮 (ruǎn), which refers to a type of musical instrument, similar to a lute.

Ruiz Spanish
Means "son of Ruy" in Spanish.

Rush English
Indicated a person who lived near rushes, the grasslike plant that grows in a marsh, from Old English rysc.

Rye English
Topographic name. It could be a misdivision of the Middle English phrases atter ye meaning "at the island" or atter eye meaning "at the river". In some cases it merely indicated a person who lived where rye was grown or worked with rye (from Old English ryge).

Saad Arabic, Malay
From the given name Sa'd.

Sams English
Derived from the given name Samuel.

Sands English
From Old English, indicated the original nearer lived on sandy ground.

Sanz Spanish
From the given name Sancho.

Sas Hungarian
Means "eagle" in Hungarian.

Sass Hungarian
Variant of Sas.

Schmid German
Variant of Schmidt.

Schmidt German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker", a cognate of Smith.

Schmitt German
Variant of Schmidt.

Schultz German
Variant of Schulz.

Schulz German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German schultheiße meaning "mayor, judge".

Schwartz German, Jewish
Variant of Schwarz.

Schwarz German, Jewish
Means "black" in German, from Old High German swarz. It originally described a person with black hair or a dark complexion.

Scott English, Scottish
Originally given to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic.

Shah Persian, Urdu
Derived from Persian شاه (shāh) meaning "king".

Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".

Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.

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

Shaw 2 Scottish
From a given name or byname that was derived from Gaelic sitheach meaning "wolf" (Old Irish sídach).

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

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

Shine 1 English
Means "beautiful, attractive" from Old English sciene.

Short English
From a nickname for a short person, from Middle English schort.

Simms English
Derived from the medieval given name Sim, a short form of Simon 1.

Sims English
Variant of Simms.

Singh Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)
From Sanskrit सिंह (siṃha) meaning "lion". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh male followers the surname Singh and all females Kaur. It is among the most common surnames in India.

Sitz 1 German
Derived from a given name beginning with the Old High German element sigu meaning "victory".

Sitz 2 German
Means "house owner", derived from Old High German siz "seat, domicile".

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

Small English
From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.

Smalls English
Variant of Small.

Smith English
Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).

Smythe English
Variant of Smith.

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

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.

Sparks English
From an Old Norse nickname or byname derived from sparkr meaning "sprightly".

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.

Spears English
Patronymic form of Spear.

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.

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

Stan Romanian
Derived from the given name Stan 2.

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.

Steed English
Occupational name for one who tended horses, derived from Middle English steed, in turn derived from Old English steda meaning "stallion".

Steele English
Occupational name for a steelworker, from Old English stele meaning "steel".

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 1 English
From Old English styrne meaning "stern, severe". This was used as a nickname for someone who was stern, harsh, or severe in manner or character.

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.

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

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.

Ström Swedish
Means "stream" in Swedish.

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

Strong English
Nickname derived from Middle English strong or strang meaning "strong".

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

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.

Suen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Sun.

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.

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

Svéd Hungarian
Means "Swedish" in Hungarian.

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

Swift English
Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.

Szép Hungarian
Means "beautiful, lovely" in Hungarian.

Szewc Polish
Means "shoemaker" in Polish.

Szűcs Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "furrier" in Hungarian.

Szulc Polish
Polish form of Schulz.

Szwarc Polish
Polish phonetic spelling of German Schwarz.

Szwed Polish
Variant of Szweda.

Taft English
Variant of Toft.

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.

Tar Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian tar meaning "bald".

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

Tate English
Derived from the Old English given name Tata.

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

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

Thorne English
Variant of Thorn.

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

Tod English
Variant of Todd.

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

Tong Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Tang 1.

Tos Spanish
Spanish form of Tosi.

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.

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

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

Tripp English
From Middle English trippen meaning "to dance", an occupational name for a dancer.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Vång Swedish
Swedish variant of Wang 3.

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

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.

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.

Vik Norwegian
Means "cove, inlet" in Norwegian.

Võ Vietnamese
Variant of Vũ used more often in southern Vietnam.

Vogt German
Occupational name from Middle High German voget meaning "bailiff, administrator, steward", ultimately from Latin advocatus.

Volk German
Derived from given names beginning with the Old High German element folk meaning "people".

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

Wade 1 English
Derived from the Old English place name wæd meaning "a ford".

Wade 2 English
From the Old English given name Wada, a derivative of the word wadan "to go".

Wall English
Originally denoted a person who lived near a prominent wall, from Old English weall.

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).

Ward 1 English
Derived from Old English weard meaning "guard, guardian".

Ware 1 English
From Old English wer meaning "dam, weir", indicating someone who lived near such a structure.

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