Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Westgate EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived near a west gate in a city, or a habitual surname for someone from Westgate. It is derived from Middle English
west meaning "west" and
gate "gate" (or "street" in northern and eastern areas; from Old Norse
gata).
Westling SwedishCombination of Swedish
väst "west" and the common surname suffix
-ling. A notable bearer is Prince
Daniel (b. 1973), husband of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
Westrop English (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".
Westwood English, ScottishHabitational name from any of numerous places named Westwood, from Old English
west "west" and
wudu "wood".
Wettläufer GermanDerived from Middle High German
wetteloufer meaning "runner", probably a nickname for a fast runner or someone who rushed around.
Wetzstein GermanEither a metonymic occupational name for a knife grinder from Middle High German wetzstein "whetstone", A habitational name from a lost place called Wetzstein near Emmendingen, or a topographic name from a field name for example Wezstein near Esslingen... [
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Whaley EnglishFrom 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".
Whalley EnglishVariant form of
Whaley. A famous bearer is the English actress Joanne Whalley (1961-).
Wharton EnglishDerived from an Olde English pre 7th Century river name
Woefer.
Whately EnglishOld English location or occupational surname meaning "from the wheat meadow".
Whatley EnglishFrom any of the various places in England named with Old English
hwæte "wheat" and
leah "woodland clearing".
Wheeldon EnglishHabitational name from a place in Derbyshire named Wheeldon, from Old English hweol ‘wheel’ (referring perhaps to a rounded shape) + dun ‘hill’, or from Whielden in Buckinghamshire, which is named with hweol + denu ‘valley’.
Whent EnglishTopographical for someone who lived by a cross road, or perhaps a very sharp bend in the road. The derivation being from the Olde English pre 7th century word "wendan," meaning to wander.
Whineray EnglishMeans "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).
Whippet EnglishPossibly used as a nickname from the early 17th century English word
whippet, meaning "to move briskly". A type of sighthound bears this name.
Whipple EnglishEnglish surname of uncertain meaning. It might be a shortened form of “whippletree”; an early name for the dogwood. It may also be a variation of Whipp – an early surname for someone who carried out judicial punishments.
Whistler EnglishAn English occupational surname, meaning "one who whistles."
Whitby EnglishEnglish 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").
Whitehorn ScottishA locational name from Whithorn near Wigtown, from Old English
hwit "white" and
ærn "house".
Whitehouse Englishthe origin of this surname started in England where people were called Whitehouse when they painted their houses white.
Whitelaw ScottishScottish and northern English: habitational name from any of various places in the Scottish Borders called Whitelaw, from Old English hwit ‘white’ + hlaw ‘hill’.
Whitelock EnglishIt is believed to be a habitational surname derived from Whitlock in Shropshire, England.
Whitfield EnglishIt is locational from any or all of the places called Whitfield in the counties of Derbyshire, Kent, Northamptonshire and Northumberland, or from the villages called Whitefield in Lancashire, the Isle of Wight and Gloucestershire.
Whitgift EnglishMeans "person from Whitgift", Yorkshire ("Hvítr's dowry"). This surname was borne by Anglican churchman John Whitgift (?1530-1604), archbishop of Canterbury 1583-1604 (in addition, Whitgift School is an independent day school for boys in South Croydon, founded in 1595 by John Whitgift; and Whitgift Centre is a complex of shops and offices in the middle of Croydon, Greater London, on a site previously occupied by Whitgift School).
Whiting EnglishDerived from a patronymic surname, created from the Old English personal name
Hwit, meaning "the white one."
Whitlam EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for a mild-mannered person (from Middle English
whit "white" +
lam "lamb"). This surname is borne by Australian Labour politician Gough Whitlam (1916-), prime minister 1972-75.
Whitley EnglishThis surname is derived from a place name composed of Old English elements
hwit meaning "white" and
leah meaning "clearing, grove."
Whitlock EnglishNickname for someone with white or fair hair, from Middle English
whit ‘white’ +
lock ‘tress’, ‘curl’. Compare
Sherlock. ... [
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Whitlow Englishwhite hill” place name from east side of country in lower Northumbria perhaps? Or perhaps next lower shire.
Whitman EnglishFrom Middle English
whit ‘white’ +
man ‘man’, either a nickname with the same sense as
White, or else an occupational name for a servant of a bearer of the nickname
White.... [
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Whitmarsh EnglishEnglish habitational name from Whitemarsh, a place in the parish of Sedgehill, Wiltshire, named from Old English
hwit ‘white’ (i.e. ‘phosphorescent’) +
mersc ‘marsh’. Compare
Whitmore.
Whitson Scottish (Gallicized)This surname originated in Lanarkshire in Scotland. The family held a seat from King Malcolm IV in 1153 in Wicestun.
Whittlesey EnglishA 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... [
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Whybrow EnglishFrom the medieval female personal name
Wyburgh, literally "war-fortress". (Cf. Germanic cognate
Wigburg.)
Wi Korean (Rare)From Sino-Korean 魏 (
Wi) meaning "Wei", a former Chinese state.
Wi Korean (Rare)From Sino-Korean 衛 (
wi) meaning "to block; to protect; to prevent", possibly referring to occupations related to defense.
Wiberg SwedishCombination of Old Norse
víðr "forest, wood" (probably taken from a place name) and Swedish
berg "mountain".
Wibisono JavaneseThe name ꦥꦶꦱ꧀ꦗꦶꦢꦺꦴꦏ (Wibisono) is a Javanese surname that is derived from two words: "wibi," which means "clarity" or "bright," and "sono," which means "essence" or "core." Together, the name represents someone who is bright and clear at their core, someone who is true to themselves and radiates positivity.
Wicherek Polish, EnglishMeans "a light, gentle breeze", or figuratively, "an unruly strand of hair". It is a diminutive of the Polish word
wicher, "strong wind".
Wick English, GermanEnglish: topographic name for someone who lived in an outlying settlement dependent on a larger village, Old English wic (Latin vicus), or a habitational name from a place named with this word, of which there are examples in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Worcestershire... [
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Wickersham EnglishA habitational surname that originates from a lost medieval site or village of Norse origins.... [
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Wickramanayake SinhaleseFrom Sanskrit विक्रम
(vikrama) meaning "stride, pace" or "valour" and नायक
(nayaka) meaning "hero, leader".
Wicksey EnglishTwo separate surnames, joined together to form Wicksey, when the Vikings invaded England. The name means "Dairy Farmer on the Marsh".
Widemann GermanDerived from the given name
Widiman, composed of Old High German
witu "wood" or
wit "wide" and
man "man".
Widger EnglishFrom the Old English male personal name
Wihtgār, literally "elf-spear".
Widman SwedishMeaning 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".
Wie KoreanMeans “top” in Korean. Most known for Korean American golfer Michelle Wie West
Wiebe GermanFrom a short form of any of various Germanic personal names beginning with
wig ‘battle’, ‘war.’
Wiederspahn GermanCarpenter or roofer who applied wooden shingles from Wied, Wieden, or Wieda. Associated with the German-speaking minority that lived along the Volga River in Russia from 1764 to 1941.
Wiegel GermanFrom a pet form of any of the various Germanic personal names beginning with the element wig 'battle', 'war'.
Wierzbowski PolishTaken from the word
wierzba meaning "willow", this name may have designated someone who lived near a willow tree.
Wiese GermanDerived from the Old German word wisa, which means meadow.
Wiesenthal GermanHabitational name from any of various places called Wiesent(h)al.
Wieslander SwedishCombination of an unexplained first element and the common surname suffix
-lander.
Wiesner GermanGerman: habitational name for someone from a place called
Wiesen, or topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, a derivative of Middle High German wise ‘meadow’.
Wiggin EnglishEither (i) from the Germanic male personal name
Wīgant, literally "warrior", introduced into England by the Normans; or (ii) from the Breton male personal name
Wiucon, literally "worthy-noble", introduced into England by the Normans.
Wiggs English (British)The surname Wiggs was first found in Leicestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, at Lennerlyde. This interesting name has two possible origins. The first being a metonymic occupational name for a maker of wedge-shaped bread, from the Medieval English "Wigge" meaning "wedge-shaped"... [
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Wightman English"Wight" in Anglo-saxon could refer to a "soul," a "being," or to "courage." It is similar to the different meanings of the words "spirit" and "spirited." ... [
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Wigmore Englishhabitational name from
Wigmore in Herefordshire so named from Old English
wicga in the sense "something moving quaking unstable ground" and
mor "marsh".
Wiibaru OkinawanThe Okinawan language reading of its kanji, 上原 meaning "upper plain" or 植原 meaning "planted plain".
Wijedasa SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit विजय
(vijaya) meaning "victory" and दास
(dasa) meaning "servant, slave".
Wijekoon SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit विजय
(vijaya) meaning "victory" combined with Sinhala කෝන්
(kon) meaning "king" (of Tamil origin).
Wijesiri SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit विजय
(vijaya) meaning "victory" and श्री
(shri) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty".
Wijesundara SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit विजय
(vijaya) meaning "victory" and सुन्दर
(sundara) meaning "beautiful".
Wijewardana SinhaleseDerived from Sanskrit विजय
(vijaya) meaning "victory" and वर्धन
(vardhana) meaning "increasing, growing".
Wijewickrama SinhaleseFrom Sanskrit विजय
(vijaya) meaning "victory" and विक्रम
(vikrama) meaning "stride, pace" or "valour".
Wijnaldum Frisian, 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"... [
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Wilberforce EnglishMeans "person from Wilberfoss", Yorkshire ("
Wilburh's ditch"). This is borne by Wilberforce University, a university in Xenia, Ohio, USA, founded in 1856 and named in honour of the British philanthropist and anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce (1759-1833)... [
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