Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Wirta FinnishFrom virta ‘stream’, used as a topographic name, also as a soldier’s name in the 17th century. Also adopted as an ornamental name, especially in western and southern Finland.
Wise EnglishNickname for a wise or learned person, or in some cases a nickname for someone suspected of being acquainted with the occult arts, from Middle English
wise "wise" (Old English
wis). This name has also absorbed Dutch
Wijs, a nickname meaning "wise", and possibly cognates in other languages.
Wiseau English (American, Rare)Meaning unknown, believed to be derived from French oiseau, meaning bird. As a surname, it is born by American Director Tommy Wiseau.
Wish EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived by a water meadow or marsh, Middle English wyshe (Old English wisc). Americanized spelling of Wisch.
Wisp EnglishThe surname of the author of Quidditch Through The Ages in the Harry Potter Universe, Kennilworthy Whisp. Probably referring to the wind, or a family of people who usually were nearly bald.
Withall English"Withall" comes from the village of "Cornwall" called "Withiel." There is also a connection to an aristocratic level, in the 15th at Henry VII court a noble man and knight went under the family name "Wit-hall"... [
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Witham Englishhabitational 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"... [
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Witly EnglishVariant of
Whitley, a habitational name from any of various places named with Old English hwit ‘white’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’.
Witt GermanEither from the given name
Wittigo or from Middle Low German
witte "white", a nickname for a pale person or someone with white hair.
Witte DutchNickname for someone with white or blonde hair or an unusually pale complexion, from Middle Dutch
witte "white".
Wittenberg Low GermanHabitational name for someone from a place called Wittenberg, Wittenberge, or Wittenbergen.
Wittenborn Low GermanHabitational name from any of several places so named, for example near Bad Segeberg and near Neubrandenburg.
Witter GermanFrom a Germanic personal name, composed of the elements
widu "wood" and
hari "army".
Wittgenstein German, JewishDenoted one who came from the
Wittgenstein castle in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, derived from Old High German
witt meaning "white" and
stein meaning "stone"... [
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Wittlin JewishEastern Ashkenazic, from the Yiddish female personal name
Vitle, a pet form of
Vite combined with the eastern Slavic suffix -
in Wittman GermanWittman was first found in the Palatinate in the Rhineland valley. The surname Wittman was given to someone who lived in the area that was referred to as widem which was originally derived from the German word denoting church property.
Witz German, JewishFrom the medieval personal name
Witzo, a short form of any of several Germanic compound names beginning with wig ‘battle’... [
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Witzel GermanThe German surname is of patronymic origin, deriving from the name of the father of the original bearer.
Witzig GermanGerman: nickname from Middle High German witzic ‘clever’, ‘prudent’, ‘knowing’.
Wlodawski JewishHabitual surname from Włodawa, Poland. First seen in a 1806 revision list of the city Kobryn (Grodno Guberniya), now Kobryn Belarus. ... [
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Włoszczowski PolishThis indicates familial origin within either of 2 Lesser Polish localities: the town of Włoszczowa or the village of Włoszczowice.
Wodehouse EnglishThe name "de Wodehouse" is attested as early as in the 11th century, of one Bertram, of Wodehouse-tower, Yorkshire, who lived at the time of the Norman conquest.
Wodziński PolishHabitational name for someone from Wodzin in Piotrków voivodeship, named with Polish woda meaning "water".
Woehrle GothicOrigin from Ohio Known for
Farmers, less common occupation was
Baker Farmer, Gardener and
Bag Maker were the top 3 reported jobs.
Wogan IrishFrom the Old Welsh personal name
Gwgan or
Gwgon, originally probably a nickname meaning literally "little scowler". (Cf. the second element in
Cadogan.) This surname is borne by Irish radio and television presenter Terry Wogan (1938-).
Wójcicki PolishHabitational name for a person originally from a place called Wójcice.
Wójciński PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the many places called Wójcin, or from Wójcina in Tarnów voivodeship, named with wójt meaning "village headman".
Wójt Medieval PolishOccupational name and title from Medieval Polish meaning Lord Protector or Governor. Derived from Latin advocatus. German variant
Vogt, Swedish variant
Fogde... [
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Wojtczak PolishPolish: patronymic from Wojtek, a pet form of the personal name Wojciech ( see
Voytek ).
Wojtyła PolishDerived from a diminutive of the given name
Wojciech. It was the surname of Karol Józef Wojtyła (1920-2005), the pope John Paul II.
Wolfenden Englishderived 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".
Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorffvoralternwarengewissenhaftschaferswesenchafew German (Rare)Full name Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorffvoralternwarengewissenhaftschaferswesenchafewarenwholgepflegeundsorgfaltigkeitbeschutzenvonangereifenduchihrraubgiriigfeindewelchevorralternzwolftausendjahresvorandieerscheinenbanderersteerdeemmeshedrraumschiffgebrauchlichtalsseinursprungvonkraftgestartseinlangefahrthinzwischensternartigraumaufdersuchenachdiesternwelshegehabtbewohnbarplanetenkreisedrehensichundwohinderneurassevanverstandigmenshlichkeittkonntevortpflanzenundsicherfreunanlebenslamdlichfreudeundruhemitnichteinfurchtvorangreifenvonandererintlligentgeschopfsvonhinzwischensternartigraum... [
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Wolfhard German, JewishThis name derives from the Old High German name “Wolfhard”, composed of two elements: the “*-wulfaz” (wolf) plus “*harduz / *hardu-” (hard, strong, brave, valiant, powerful one). In turn the name means “the one who is strong like a wolf”.
Wolfit EnglishFrom the medieval male personal name
Wolfet or
Wolfat (from Old English
Wulfgēat, literally "wolf-Geat" (the name of a Germanic people)). This surname was borne by Sir Donald Wolfit (1902-1968), a British actor and manager.
Wolford GermanMeans where the wolves cross the river/stream. Wolf meaning the animal and Ford meaning crossing a body of shallow water.... [
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Wolk German, AmericanSurname derived from a northern German short form of the given name Walter.
Wolken GermanSurname derived from a diminutive of the given name Wolter, a Low German form of Walter.... [
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Wollmann GermanOccupational name for a wool worker or wool trader Middle High German Middle Low German
wollman derived from German
wolle "wool" and
man "man".
Wollschläger GermanOccupational name for someone who prepared wool for spinning by washing and combing or carding it, from Middle High German wolle(n)slaher, -sleger, Middle Low German wullensleger (literally ‘wool beater’).
Wollstonecraft Anglo-SaxonWollstonecraft derived originally from the Saxon name of Wulfstan which later developed into Wol(f)stan. The name means wolf stone and is one of a number of names based on Wolf.... [
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Wolowitz JewishThis is the surname of the character Howard in the American television show "The Big Bang Theory".
Wolsey EnglishFrom the medieval male personal name
Wulsi (from Old English
Wulfsige, literally "wolf-victory"). A famous bearer of the surname was English churchman and statesman Thomas Wolsey (Cardinal Wolsey), ?1475-1530.
Wolston EnglishFrom the Middle English personal name
Wolfstan or
Wolstan, Old English
Wulfstan, composed of the elements
wulf ‘wolf’ +
stan stone or a habitational name from any of a large number of places called Woolston(e) or Wollston, all of which are named with Old English personal names containing the first element
Wulf (Wulfheah, Wulfhelm, Wulfric, Wulfsige, and Wulfweard) + Old English
tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’.
Wongchai ThaiFrom Thai วงศ์
(wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and ไชย
(chai) meaning "victory".
Wongkaeo ThaiFrom Thai วงศ์ or วงษ์
(wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and แก้ว
(kaeo) meaning "crystal, glass, diamond".
Wongkham ThaiFrom Thai วงศ์
(wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and คำ
(kham) meaning "gold".
Wongphakdi ThaiFrom Thai วง
(wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and ภักดี
(phakdi) meaning "devotion, loyalty".
Wongsawat ThaiFrom Thai วงศ์
(wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and สวัสดิ์
(sawat) meaning "happiness".
Wongsuwan ThaiFrom Thai วงศ์
(wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and สุวรรณ
(suwan) meaning "gold".
Wongyai ThaiFrom Thai วงศ์
(wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and ใหญ่
(yai) meaning "big, large, great".
Woo KoreanWoo is a spelling variant of ‘Wu’ referring to an ancient state of ‘Wu’. It is located in the Jiangsu province.
Woodbine English (Rare)From the English word "woodbine" that means "honeysuckle(plant)"in English.It seems uncommon in the English-speak culture for a surname.Also some American place names,too.
Woodbridge EnglishOriginated in old England and likely linked to the town of Woodbridge in Suffolk, East Anglia, United Kingdom. Well known Woodbridge's include the Australian Tennis player Todd Woodbridge. There was a famous lineage of six English John Woodbridge's in the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, all Church ministers... [
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Woodfall EnglishEnglish surname used as a first name. The name means "dweller by a fold in the woods" - in this case, "fold" means "sheep-pen".... [
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Woodland EnglishA habitational name for a person who lives in or by a woodland.
Woodman EnglishOccupational name for a woodcutter or a forester (compare
Woodward), or topographic name for someone who lived in the woods. Possibly from the Old English personal name
Wudumann.
Woodnut EnglishFrom a rare Anglo-Saxon personal name meaning "bold as Wade" and meant to honor the legendary Germanic sea-giant named
Wade.
Woodruff English, CaribbeanTopographic 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.
Woodson EnglishFrom 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."
Woolever GermanMorphed from the German surname Wohleber which means well-liver
Woolgar EnglishFrom the medieval male personal name
Wolgar (from Old English
Wulfgār, literally "wolf-spear").
Woolley EnglishA 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"... [
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Woolnough EnglishFrom the medieval male personal name
Wolnoth or
Wolnaugh (from Old English
Wulfnōth, literally "wolf-daring").
Woosencraft Welshthough this surname has an exotic look & attracts legends, it has it's origins in the Lancashire place name Wolstencraft, from elements Wulfstan (personal name) + croft ("enclosure")
Wooten EnglishHabitational name from any of the extremely numerous places named with Old English
wudu "wood" +
tun "enclosure", "settlement",
Work ScottishScottish: habitational name from the lands of Work in the parish of St. Ola, Orkney.
Workman EnglishOstensibly an occupational name for a laborer, derived from Middle English
work and
man. According to a gloss, the term was used in the Middle Ages to denote an ambidextrous person, and the surname may also be a nickname in this sense.
Worley Englishmostly found in Lancashire and Sussex. very old english surname. something to do with a hill near a stream.
Worsley EnglishAnglo-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... [
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Worth EnglishFrom the Old English
WORÞ, meaning "enclosure".
Worthington EnglishHabitational 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’.
Wowereit German (East Prussian)East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) name meaning "squirrel", from Old Prussian
wowere and Lithuanian
voveraite (which, apart from "squirrel", also means "chanterelle").... [
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Wraye EnglishVariant of the habitational name Wray or Ray, from any of various minor places in northern England named Wray, Wrea, or Wreay, from Old Norse vrá ‘nook’, ‘corner’, ‘recess’.
Wrbanek PolishPolish, Czech (Urbánek), and Sorbian: from a pet form of the personal name Urban . The surname is also established in Germany.
Wren EnglishNickname from the bird, Middle English
wrenne, probably in reference to its small size.
Wretman SwedishCombination of Swedish
vret "remote small field situated some distance away from a bigger field" and
man "man".
Wrieden JewishJewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Fried or a short form of any of the various compound names beginning Frieden of the same derivation.
Wriedt German, DutchNickname from Middle Low German wrēt, wrede meaning "fierce", "evil", "angry".
Wrinn Irish (Anglicized)From Irish Gaelic
Ó Rinn "descendant of
Rinn", a personal name perhaps based on
reann "spear".
Wriothesley English (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.
Wryta NormanOld Norse Men Normans Wryta brothers fought with William The Conqueror at Battle of Hastings onto King Henry VIII granting landed, gentry, coat of arms, baronetcy, and lord title to Sir John
Wright 1 of Kelvedon Hall ESsex on 6/20/1509
Wrzesiński PolishName for someone from a place called Września, Wrzesina or Wrzesiny, all derived from Polish
wrzos meaning "heather".
Wujek PolishIt literally means "uncle" in Polish but it could possibly refer to the Polesian village of the same name.
Wulfhart GermanCould mean "brave wolf" from the German elements "wulf" (variant of "wolf") and "hard" (meaning "brave, hardy").
Wulflam Low GermanName of the mayor of Stralsund Bertram Wulflam and his son Wulfhard Wulflam.
Wunderlich GermanA nickname for an eccentric or moody person, derived from the word
wunderlich meaning "whimsical" in German.
Wünsche GermanProbably denoted a person from Wendland, a region in Germany on the borders of the states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Wendling, a municipality in the Grieskirchen District, Upper Austria, Austria.
Würdemann GermanFrom the German "Würde"-honour or dignity, and "Mann"-man or person. "Man of Honour" or "Person of Dignity".
Wurdemann German (Rare)This is a German surname, also spelled WÜRDEMANN (original) and often rendered as WUERDEMANN in English. It come from the German "würde", "dignity" or "honor" and "mann", meaning "man" or "person".... [
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Wurnig GermanGerman origin from the place name am Virgen originally meaning a person from the town of Virgen in Tyrol. Construed as a family name in 1501.
Wurster GermanDerived from German
Wurst (Middle High German
wurst) "sausage" and thus either denoted a butcher who specialized in the production of sausages, or was used as a nickname for a plump person or someone who was particularly fond of sausages.
Wurðingtun EnglishHabitational 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’.
Württemberg GermanWürttemberg is an historical German territory. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, it now forms the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg.
Wurtz GermanA metonymic occupational name for a greengrocer or grower or seller of herbs, from Middle High German
würz, meaning ‘herb’.
Wuttke GermanOriginally denoted a person from
Wutike, a district near the town of Neuruppin in Brandenburg, Germany.
Wycherley EnglishDerived 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).
Wyckoff Dutchname for someone living at the main farm in a district, from Dutch wijk ‘district’ + hof ‘farmstead’, ‘manor farm’.
Wyckoff East Frisian (Rare)The North Germanic meaning is "settlement on a bay," as in the cognate Viking (Viking is derived from Old Norse
vík "bay").
Wyeth EnglishMay come either from the Old English word "withig" meaning "willow" or from Guyat, a pet form of the Old French given name
Guy. Probably unrelated to
Wyatt.
Wykes Anglo-SaxonFrom the Old English
wic, roughly meaning "farm." The plural form is a patronymic of which is "son of Wic."... [
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Wylde English (British)It is a nickname for a person who was of wild or undisciplined character. Looking back even further, the name was originally derived from the Old English word "wilde," meaning "untamed" or "uncivilized."... [
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Wylie Medieval EnglishIt is of locational origin, and derives from the places called Willey in the counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Devonshire and Surrey.
Wymer EnglishEither (i) from the medieval male personal name
Wymer (from Old English
Wīgmǣr, literally "war-famous"); or (ii) from the Old Breton male personal name
Wiumarch, literally "worthy-horse".
Wyn Welsh, EnglishEnglish: from the Old English personal name and byname Wine meaning ‘friend’, in part a short form of various compound names with this first element. Welsh: variant of
Gwynn.
Wynd Scottish, IrishScotland or Ireland not sure of original origin. There was a childe Wynd some type of royal who slayed a dragon type thing worm or something and a Henery Wynd who was a mercenary in a battle at north inch in Scotland
Wynn Welsh, EnglishThe surname Wynn ,(also spelled Winn, and Gwynn), is derived from the Welsh element,
Gwynn, which can loosely be translated as "white" or "fair". It features in the name of the North Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd, (meaning "white head" or "white land")... [
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Wynnman English (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'