Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
WelschGerman From Middle High German welsch, walsch "person from a Romance country (especially Italy), foreigner", hence an ethnic name or in some cases perhaps a nickname for someone who had trading or other connections with the Romance countries.
WemyssScottish From the lands of Wemyss in Fife, which is derived from Gaelic uaimheis "cave place".
WennerströmSwedish Combination of the place name element wenner, which is probably derived from the name of Lake Vänern, and Swedish ström "stream".
WestropEnglish (British) Viking name local to Somerset and several counties in the North East of England. Approximate meaning "place to the west of the village with the church".
WestwoodEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from any of numerous places named Westwood, from Old English west "west" and wudu "wood".
WhaleyEnglish From the name of the village of Whaley and the town of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, or the village of Whalley in Lancashire, England. It is derived from Old English wælla meaning "spring, stream" and leah meaning "woodland clearing".
WhatelyEnglish Old English location or occupational surname meaning "from the wheat meadow".
WhatleyEnglish From any of the various places in England named with Old English hwæte "wheat" and leah "woodland clearing".
WhinerayEnglish Means "person from Whinneray", Cumbria, or "person who lives in a nook of land growing with gorse" (in either case from Old Norse hvin "whin, gorse" + vrá "nook of land"). It was borne by New Zealand rugby player Sir Wilson Whineray (1935-2012).
WhitbyEnglish English surname which was from either of two place names, that of a port in North Yorkshire (which comes from the Old Norse elements hvítr "white" (or Hvíti, a byname derived from it) combined with býr "farm") or a place in Cheshire (from Old English hwit "white" (i.e., "stone-built") and burh "fortress").
WhitleyEnglish This surname is derived from a place name composed of Old English elements hwit meaning "white" and leah meaning "clearing, grove."
WhittleseyEnglish A habitational surname for someone from Whittlesey, an ancient market town in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire in England. The town's name is derived from an unattested Old English personal name Wittel (or Witil), an occupational name given to a moneyer, and the Old English eg, meaning "island", also used to describe a piece of firm land in a fen... [more]
WibergSwedish Combination of Old Norse víðr "forest, wood" (probably taken from a place name) and Swedish berg "mountain".
WickramasekaraSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit विक्रम (vikrama) meaning "stride, pace" or "valour" and शेखर (shekhara) meaning "crest, peak, top".
WickseyEnglish Two separate surnames, joined together to form Wicksey, when the Vikings invaded England. The name means "Dairy Farmer on the Marsh".
WidemannGerman Derived from the given name Widiman, composed of Old High German witu "wood" or wit "wide" and man "man".
WidmanSwedish Meaning uncertain. Perhaps a combination of Old Swedish viþr "wood, forest" or vid "wide" and man "man". It is also possible, though less likely, that it is a re-spelling of Vikman, where the first element is Swedish vik "bay".
WieKorean Means “top” in Korean. Most known for Korean American golfer Michelle Wie West
WiesenthalJewish Ornamental name from German Wiese "meadow" + Tal "valley".
WigleyEnglish Derived from the words wicga "bug" and leah "woodland, clearing"
WigmoreEnglish habitational name from Wigmore in Herefordshire so named from Old English wicga in the sense "something moving quaking unstable ground" and mor "marsh".
WiibaruOkinawan The Okinawan language reading of its kanji, 上原 meaning "upper plain" or 植原 meaning "planted plain".
WijayapuraSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit विजय (vijaya) meaning "victory" and पुर (pura) meaning "city".
WijayasekaraSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit विजय (vijaya) meaning "victory" and शेखर (shekhara) meaning "crest, peak, top".
WijayathungaSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit विजय (vijaya) meaning "victory" and तुङ्ग (tunga) meaning "high, lofty, tall".
WijesekaraSinhalese From Sanskrit विजय (vijaya) meaning "victory" and शेखर (shekhara) meaning "crest, peak, top".
WijethungaSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit विजय (vijaya) meaning "victory" and तुङ्ग (tunga) meaning "high, lofty, tall".
WijnaldumFrisian, Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese) From Wijnaldum, the name of a village within the city of Harlingen in northwest Friesland in the Netherlands, derived from the given name Winald combined with Old Frisian hēm meaning "home, settlement"... [more]
WikénSwedish (Rare) Combination of Swedish vik "bay" and the common surname suffix -én.
WikströmSwedish Composed of the elements vik "bay" and ström "stream"
WilbrahamEnglish Denoted a person hailing from Wilbraham in Cambridgeshire, England. The place name itself means "Wilburg's homestead or estate" in Old English, Wilburg or Wilburga allegedly referring to a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon princess who was given the lands later called Wilbraham by her father, King Penda of Mercia.
WinfordEnglish English location name meaning "from a white ford or water crossing" or "from a meadow ford".
WinstanleyEnglish From the name of a place in Lancashire, England, which means "Wynnstan's field" from the Old English masculine given name Wynnstan and leah meaning "woodland, clearing"... [more]
WinsteadEnglish Perhaps derived from the town of Wanstead in Greater London, England (recorded in the Domesday Book as Wenesteda), named with Old English wænn meaning "wagon" and stede meaning "place, site", but it is more likely derived from the village of Winestead in East Yorkshire, England, named from Old English wefa meaning "wife" and hamstede meaning "homestead"... [more]
WinterbergGerman Habitational name from any of several places named with Middle High German winter "winter" and berg "mountain".
WinterbournEnglish A variant spelling of the surname Winterbourne, means "winter stream", a stream or river that is dry through the summer months.
WinterbourneEnglish (British) Probably meaning "winter stream". A large village in Gloucestershire, From the Thomas Hardy novel "The Woodlanders".
WinterburnEnglish habitational name from any of various places called with Old English winter "winter" and burna "stream" meaning "winter stream" for a stream which only flows or flows at a faster rate during the winter and more or less dries up in summer such as Winterburn in Gargrave (Yorkshire) Winterbourne (Berkshire Gloucestershire) Winterbourne Bassett (Wiltshire) or one of thirteen parishes named Winterborne in Dorset including Winterborne Abbas Winterborne Monkton and Winterborne Zelstone... [more]
WithamEnglish habitational name from any of various places so called particularly those in Essex Lincolnshire and Somerset though most often from Essex. The Essex placename may derive from Old English wiht "curve bend" and ham "village homestead"... [more]
WitterGerman From a Germanic personal name, composed of the elements widu "wood" and hari "army".
WójcińskiPolish Habitational name for someone from any of the many places called Wójcin, or from Wójcina in Tarnów voivodeship, named with wójt meaning "village headman".
WolfendenEnglish derived from the place called Wolfenden in the parish of Newchurch-in-Rossendale, Lancashire. The placename means "Wulfhelm's valley", or "the valley of Wulfhelm" derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name Wulfhelm, composed of the elements wulf "wolf" and helm "helmet, protection" and denu "valley".
WolfordGerman Means where the wolves cross the river/stream. Wolf meaning the animal and Ford meaning crossing a body of shallow water.... [more]
WondergemDutch Habitational name from Wondelgem or Wontergem in East Flanders, Belgium, using the suffix -gem which is related to Old Germanic haimaz meaning "home".
WoodfallEnglish English surname used as a first name. The name means "dweller by a fold in the woods" - in this case, "fold" means "sheep-pen".... [more]
WoodruffEnglish, Caribbean Topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of land where woodruff grew, Anglo-Saxon wudurofe composed of wudu "wood" with a second element of unknown origin.
WoodsonEnglish From a location in Yorkshire, England earlier spelled Woodsome and meaning "from the houses in the wood" or possibly a patronymic meaning "descendant of a wood cutter or forester."
WoolleyEnglish A habitational name from any of various places so-called. Most, including those in Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, and West Yorkshire in England, are derived from the Old English wulf, meaning "wolf", and leah, meaning "wood" or "clearing"... [more]
WootenEnglish Habitational name from any of the extremely numerous places named with Old English wudu "wood" + tun "enclosure", "settlement",
WorsleyEnglish Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational surname from either of the places called Worsley in Lancashire and in Worcestershire. The place in Lancashire was recorded as "Werkesleia" in 1196, and means Weorchaeth's wood or glade, derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Weorchaeth", from weorc, work, fortification, and leah, a wood, or clearing in a wood... [more]
WorthingtonEnglish Habitational name from places in Lancashire and Leicestershire named Worthington; both may have originally been named in Old English as Wurðingtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Wurð", but it is also possible that the first element was Old English worðign, a derivative of worð ‘enclosure’.
WretmanSwedish Combination of Swedish vret "remote small field situated some distance away from a bigger field" and man "man".
WriothesleyEnglish (British) Name is of unknown origin, deriving from older Wrotteslega, who were a family that held estates in Staffordshire in the late 1100s. Possibly a combination of wrot "snout" and leah "meadow, cleaning", suggesting it's origin as a pig farm.
WurðingtunEnglish Habitational name from places in Lancashire and Leicestershire named Worthington; both may have originally been named in Old English as Wurðingtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Wurð", but it is also possible that the first element was Old English worðign, a derivative of worð ‘enclosure’.
WurzburgerJewish "The Wurzburger surname is derived from the German city of Wurzburg, Bavaria, where Jews first settled in the 11th century. The German and Yiddish ending -er means 'of', 'from'." - from https://forebears.io/surnames/wurzburger
WycherleyEnglish Derived from a place name apparently meaning "elm-wood clearing" from Old English wice and leah. A famous bearer was the dramatist William Wycherley (1640-1715).
WyckoffEast Frisian (Rare) Means "settlement on a bay", from Old Frisian wik "bay, inlet" and hof "courtyard, farmstead".
WykesAnglo-Saxon From the Old English wic, roughly meaning "farm." The plural form is a patronymic of which is "son of Wic."... [more]
WynnmanEnglish (British) as Wimbledon is said to be rooted in words that mean "Wynnman's Hill," I searched and the closest results indicated that 'Wynnman' must mean 'Heir of Wynn'
WyspiańskimPolish Derived from the Polish word wyspa meaning "island."
YabeJapanese From the Japanese 矢 (ya) "arrow" and 部 (be) "region," "division," "part."
YabuJapanese Possibly from 薮 (yabu) meaning "thicket, bush, underbrush, grove".
YabukiJapanese (Rare) Derived from the Japanese kanji 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow" and 吹 (buki), from 吹き (buki), the joining continuative form of 吹く (fuku) meaning "to blow". It can also derive from 藪 (yabu) meaning "thicket; grove; copse" and 亀 (ki) meaning "tortoise, turtle"... [more]
YabunakaJapanese From 薮 (yabu) meaning "thicket, bush, underbrush, grove" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle, in between".
YabunoJapanese From 薮 (yabu) meaning "thicket, bush, underbrush, grove", combined with 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness"..
YabusakiJapanese From the Japanese 八 (ya) meaning "eight", 武 (bu) which was a traditional unit of measurement approximately equal to 90 centimeters, and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".
YadaJapanese From the Japanese 矢 (ya) "arrow" and 田 (da or ta) "rice paddy."
YagiJapanese From Japanese 八 (ya) meaning "eight" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
YaginumaJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yagi) meaning "willow" and 沼 (numa) meaning "swamp, marsh".
YagoJapanese Possibly from 谷 (ya, tani) meaning "valley" and 戸 (go, to) meaning "door".
YajimaJapanese Derived from Japanese 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow" or 谷 (ya) meaning "valley, lowland, plain" combined with 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".... [more]
YakumoJapanese (Rare) This surname combines 八 (hachi, ya, ya'.tsu, ya.tsu, you) meaning "eight", 耶 (ja, ya, ka) meaning "question mark" or 家 (ka, ke, ie, uchi, ya) meaning "expert, family, home, house, performer, professional" with 雲 (un, kumo, -gumo) meaning "cloud."... [more]
YalaouiArabic (Maghrebi) Algerian family name possibly derived from Arabic يَعْلَى (yaʿlā) or يَعْلَ (yaʿla) both meaning "exalted, high".
YalçınkayaTurkish Means "steep rock", derived from Turkish yalçın meaning "steep" and kaya meaning "rock, cliff".
YamabeJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".
YamabiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 火 (bi), the joining form of 火 (hi) meaning "fire". It is a reference to an event when the leader of the Morioka Domain came to the mountains and the residents warmed him up by starting a fire using flint... [more]
YamabushiJapanese Yama means "mountain, hill" and bushi means "warrior, samurai".
YamaderaJapanese Yama means "mountain, hill" and dera comes from tera meaning "temple".
YamagataJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 形 (gata) meaning "shape, form" or 縣 (gata) meaning "county, district".
YamaneJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 根 (ne) meaning "root".
YamanoJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
YamanobeJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain", 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 辺 (be) meaning "area, place, vicinity".
YamanoueJapanese Yama means "mountain", no is a possessive article, and ue means "above, top, upper".
YamaokaJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
YamasatoJapanese This surname combines 山 (san, sen, yama) meaning "mountain" and 里 (ri, sato) meaning "league, parent's home, ri (unit of distance - equal to 3.927 km), village," 県 or 縣 - outdated variant of 県 - (ken, ka.keru) meaning "county, district, subdivision, prefecture," the last meaning reserved for 県.... [more]
YamasawaJapanese Yama means "hill, mountain" and sawa means "swamp, marsh".
YamaseJapanese Yama means "mountain" and se means "ripple".
YamaubaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 山姥 (yamauba/yamamba) meaning "mountain hag", referring to someone with mountain hag-like traits.
YamawakiJapanese From 山 (yama, sen) meaning "mountain, hill", and 脇 (waki) meaning "armpit, side, flank, underarm".
YamayaJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".
YamikawaJapanese From Japanese 闇 (Yami) meaning "darkness" 川(Kawa) meaning "river", the name basically means "Dark river"
YanagawaJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yana) meaning "willow" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
YanagidaJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yanagi) meaning "willow" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
YanagiharaJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yanagi) meaning "willow" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".
YanagisawaJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yanagi) meaning "willow" and 沢 (sawa) meaning "marsh".
YanagiyaJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yanagi) meaning "willow" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".
YanoJapanese From Japanese 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
YarbroughAnglo-Saxon The ancient roots of the Yarbrough family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Yarbrough comes from when the family lived in either the parish or the hamlet called Yarborough in the county of Lincolnshire... [more]
YardleyEnglish Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Yardley, derived from Old English gierd meaning "branch, twig, pole, stick" and leah meaning "wood, clearing".
YarwoodEnglish habitational name from Yarwood Heath in Rostherne Cheshire earlier Yarwode. The placename derives from Old English earn "eagle" or gear "yair enclosure for catching fish" and wudu "wood".
YashimaJapanese From Japanese 八 (ya) meaning "eight" and 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".
YasueJapanese From Japanese 安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet" and 江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet".
YasuraokaJapanese (Rare) 安 (Yasu) means "Cheap, Low, Inexpensive, Rested, Peaceful, Relax".良 (Ra) means "Good, Excellent", and 岡 (Oka) means "Ridge, Hill". A notable bearer is Akio Yasuraoka, he was a composer in his earlier days.
YasuyamaJapanese 安 (Yasu) means "peaceful, rested, relax, cheap, low" and 山 (yama) means "mountain".
YaylaTurkish Means "mountain pasture, highland, plateau" in Turkish.
YazawaJapanese From Japanese 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".
YazawaJapanese From Japanese 谷 (ya) meaning "valley" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".
YeardleyEnglish Means "enclosed meadow" in Old English, from Old English g(e)ard (“fence, enclosure”) + lēah (“woodland, clearing”).
YewdaleEnglish Derived from Yewdale, which is the name of a village near the town of Skelmersdale in Lancashire. Its name means "valley of yew trees", as it is derived from Middle English ew meaning "yew tree" combined with Middle English dale meaning "dale, valley".... [more]
YoheMedieval English The Yohe surname comes from the Old English word "ea," or "yo," in Somerset and Devon dialects, which meant "river" or "stream." It was likely originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a stream.
YoichiJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 与市 with 与 (yo, ata.eru, azuka.ru, kumi.suru, tomoni) meaning "bestow, participate in, give, award, impart, provide, cause, gift, godsend" and 市 (shi, ichi) meaning "city, market, town."... [more]
YoichienJapanese (Rare) 与 (Yo) meaning "give, award, participate", 市 (ichi) means "in the city, market" or "town" and 園 (en) means "garden".
YoichimaeJapanese (Rare) 与 (Yo) means "provide, give, award, participate", 市 (ichi) means "town, market, city" and 前 (mae) "front, forward".
YokohamaJapanese Yoko means "beside" and hama means "beach, seashore".
YokokawaJapanese From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
YokomoriJapanese Yoko means "beside, next to" and mori means "forest".
YokomuraJapanese 横 (Yoko) means "Beside" and 村 (Mura) means "Village, Hamlet". Check the source if needed.
YokonoJapanese Yoko means "beside" and no means "field, plain, wilderness".
YorunoJapanese From Japanese 夜 (yoru) meaning "night" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
YoshihamaJapanese From the Japanese 吉 (yoshi) "good luck" and 浜 or 濱 (hama) "beach."
YoshiharaJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "lucky, good" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".
YoshiizumiJapanese formed with 吉 (Yoshi, Kichi, Kitsu) meaning "good luck; joy; congratulations" and 泉 (Izumi, Sen) meaning "spring; fountain". So the meaning could be interpreted as “Fountain of Good Luck” or “Lucky Fountain”
YoshimuraJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "lucky, good" or 佳 (yoshi) meaning "beautiful, good, excellent" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".
YoshinumaJapanese Yoshi means "good luck, fortunate" and numa means "marsh, swamp".... [more]
YoshisawaJapanese Yoshi means "good luck, fortunate" and sawa means "marsh, swamp".
YukKorean From Sino-Korean 陸 (yuk/ryuk) meaning "dry land; land".
YukawaJapanese From Japanese 湯 (yu) meaning "hot spring" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
YukidaJapanese (Rare) Combination of Kanji Characters "雪" meaning "Snow", and "田" meaning "Rice Field".
YukimiyaJapanese From Japanese, 雪 (yuki) meaning "snow" combined with 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace".
YukinoJapanese Yuki means "snow" and no means "plain, field, wilderness".
YukitomoJapanese From 行 (yuki) meaning "going, journey, carry out, conduct, act, line, row, bank" and 友 (tomo) meaning "friend".
YukiyamaJapanese This surname combines 幸 (kou, saiwa.i, sachi, shiawa.se, yuki) meaning "blessing, fortune, happiness," 雪 (setsu, yuki) meaning "snow" or 行 (an, gyou, kou, -i.ki, -iki, i.ku, okona.u, oko.nau, -yu.ki, -yuki, yu.ku) meaning "going, journey" with 山 (san, sen, yama) meaning "mountain."... [more]
YüksekTurkish Means "high, lofty, great, noble" in Turkish.
YumeharaJapanese From Japanese 夢 (yume) means "dream" and 原 (hara) means "field".
YumekawaJapanese Yumekawa means yume (夢) means "dream" and kawa (川) means "river", so this means "dream river".
YumenoJapanese yumeno means "dream field" the kanji used for this name are 夢 (yume) meaning " dream" and 野 (no) meaning "field".
YuzukiJapanese From Japanese 柚 (yuzu) meaning "grapefruit, pomelo, citrus fruit" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
YuzuriharaJapanese Means "the field of the gentle Village". From the Japanese words Yasuri (gentle village) and Hara (plain, field).
ZaborowskimPolish Habitational name for a person from a town named Zaborowo or Zaborów named with Polish za "beyond" and bór "forest".
ZagurskiPolish Derived from the Polish places Zagórz and Zagórze. Also given to those who lived on the side of a hill opposite a main settlement - za means "beyond" and góra means "hill".
ZaldívarBasque, Spanish Derived from Basque zaldi meaning "horse" combined with ibar meaning "valley". This is also the name of a town in Biscay, Spain.
ZaleEnglish, Polish (Anglicized) Possibly from a Polish surname, the meaning of which is uncertain (it may have been a variant of the surname Zalas which originally indicated one who lived "on the other side of the wood", from za "beyond" and las "forest").
ZaluskyUkrainian Derives from the Slavic word zalew, meaning "bay" or "flooded area". Given to families who lived near water or areas that flooded often.
ZárateSpanish Habitational surname meaning "entrance to the grove coppice".
ZarateBasque Named after Zarate, a place in Araba province, Spain. Zarate comes from the Basque word zara, meaning "thicket".
ZdrojewskiPolish Habitational name for someone from any of several places called Zdroje or Zdrojewo, in particular in Bydgoszcz voivodeship, named with Polish zdroje meaning "springs","spa".
ZelayaBasque Basque surname related to the Euskara word for "field".
ZemlyanovmRussian Derived from word "земля (zemlya)" meaning "earth, land, soil".... [more]
ZendaJapanese (Rare) Combination of Kanji Characters 全 meaning "everything" and 田 meaning "rice paddy field".
ZetterbergSwedish Combination of Swedish säter "outlying meadow" and berg "mountain, hill".
ZettergrenSwedish Combination of Swedish säter "outlying meadow" and gren "branch".
ZetterlundSwedish Combination of Swedish säter "outlying meadow" and lund "grove".
ZetterströmSwedish Combination of Swedish säter "outlying meadow" and ström "stream".
ZhuoChinese From Chinese 卓 (zhuó) meaning "outstanding, lofty".
ZiegenhagenGerman Derived from Middle High German zige "goat" and hag "enclosure, hedge, pasture". Could be an occupational name for someone who kept goats, or be derived from any of several places with the name.
ZuletaSpanish, Basque Variant of Zulueta, which comes from the Basque topographic name 'zulo' meaning ‘hole hollow’ + the collective suffix '-eta' meaning "place or group of."