Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Valaulta RomanshDerived from Romansh
val "valley" and
aulta, the feminine form of the adjective
ault, "high".
Valbuena SpanishHabitational name from any of the places called Valbuena for example in Valladolid Cáceres and Salamanca.
Valderrama SpanishHabitational name from any of the places named Valderrama, as for example in Burgos province.
Valderrama SpanishThis surname is made up of the prefix "bal-" from latin "vallis," the equivalent of prefix "-valle" meaning a vale or a valley plus the Spanish "derramare" - to scatter or to spread. Hence, implies valley which is spread out.
Valdivia SpanishTopographic or habitational name based on Spanish
val,
valle meaning "valley". A notable bearer was Pedro de Valdivia (died 1553), a Spanish conquistador who conquered Chile with a small expedition corps after he served under Francisco Pizarro in Peru... [
more]
Valdivieso SpanishThis place-name is derived from the Asturian word val-di-vieso, which means old man's-valley.
Valdovinos SpanishSpanish: from a personal name of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements bald 'bold brave' + win 'friend'.
Valdre EstonianValdre is an Estonian surname possibly derived from the masculine given name "Valter", or relating to a "parish" or "borough" ("vald").
Vale EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Middle English
vale (Old French
val, from Latin
vallis). The surname is now also common in Ireland, where it has been Gaelicized as de Bhál.
Valee GermanFrom French origin, denoting someone who lives or comes from a valley.
Valen English, ScottishEnglish and Scottish: from a medieval personal name, Latin
Valentinus, a derivative of
Valens (see also
Valente), which was never common in England, but is occasionally found from the end of the 12th century, probably as the result of French influence... [
more]
Valenciano SpanishA Spanish surname. It is a regional name denoting someone from Valencia.
Valera SpanishHabitational name from either of two places in Spain named Valera.
Valette FrenchTopographic name for someone who lived in a small valley, from a diminutive of Old French
valee meaning "valley".
Valez SpanishI think it is of Spanish Background possibly meaning 'Soldier' or 'Guard'. ... [
more]
Valgañón SpanishThis indicates familial within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Vali Spanish, Italian (Swiss), ArabicThis Spanish and Italian surname of VALI was a locational name for someone OR A family who lived in a valley. In valle quiescit ( In the valley of our home, we find peace.)... [
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Välja EstonianVälja is an Estonian surname meaning "outside" and "afield".
Väljaots EstonianVäljaots is an Estonian surname meaning "out/afield (of the) cusp/tip".
Väljas EstonianVäljas is an Estonian surname meaning "afield" or "out in the open".
Väljataga EstonianVäljataga is an Estonian surname meaning "outside behind/at the back of".
Välk EstonianVälk is an Estonian surname meaning "lightning".
Valk DutchMeans "falcon" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a falconer, or possibly derived from the given name
Falk. Compare
Falco.
Valkeapää FinnishFrom the Finnish
valkea meaning "white", and
pää meaning "head" or "tip".
Valkonen FinnishFrom Finnish
valkoinen meaning "white" and the suffix
-nen.
Vall EstonianVall is an Estonian surname meaning "wall" or "berm".
Vallad OjibweName given to dozens of a First Nations Anishinaabek at residential schools.
Vallance EnglishMeans "person from Valence", southeastern France (probably "place of the brave").
Valle Spanish, Filipino, ItalianHabitational name from any of the many places named with
valle "valley", or topographic name for someone who lived in a valley (Latin
vallis).
Vallée Frenchtopographic name for someone who lived in a valley from Old French
valee "valley" (from Latin
vallis) or a habitational name from (La) Vallée the name of several places in various parts of France... [
more]
Vallera FrenchFrench: habitational name from Vallery in Yonne, once a Romano-Gallic estate, recorded in 1218 as Valerianus. The surname is also found in the British Isles and may be of Norman origin, from the same place.
Vallet French, EnglishFrench topographic name from a diminutive of Old French
val "valley" (see
Val ) or a habitational name from (Le) Vallet the name of several places mainly in the northern part of France and French and English occupational name for a manservant from Old French and Middle English
vallet "manservant groom".
Valley EnglishTopographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Middle English
valeye.
Vallie GermanProbably an altered spelling of German
Valee, a fairly common surname of French origin denoting someone who lived in a valley. The name in Germany is also spelled
Wallee.
Vallin SwedishDerived from either Latin
vallis "valley" or Swedish
vall "wall, pasture, field of grass".
Vallmitjana CatalanFrom the name of a valley near the town of Taradell in Catalonia, Spain, composed of Catalan
vall meaning "valley" and
mitjana "middle, middle-sized".
Vällo EstonianVällo is an Estonian surname, possibly a corruption of "väli" meaning "field" and "plain".
Valmorida Filipino, CebuanoMeans "valley of the forest field" derived from Spanish
val, a contraction of
valle meaning "valley", combined with Japanese 森
(mori) meaning "forest, woods" and 田
(ta) "paddy, field" (see
Morita).
Valois Frenchtopographic name for someone who lived in a valley, or a habitational name from any of the various places called Val(l)ois, or regional name from the district in northern France so called, which was once an independent duchy... [
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Valsecchi ItalianDenoting someone from the former municipality of Valsecca in Lombardy.
Valverde SpanishRefers to a place name which suggests a landscape, agreeable with herbs, flowers and water.
Vammus EstonianVammus is an Estonian surname meaning "jacket" and "doublet".
Van Aanholt DutchMeans "from Anholt", a small village in the northeast of the province of Drenthe in the Netherlands, itself meaning "hold, rest" in Dutch (a place where people could rest for the night). A famous bearer is the Dutch soccer player Patrick van Aanholt (1990-).
Van Agt DutchMeans "from Acht", a small village within the city of Eindhoven in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Middle Dutch
acht,
achte meaning either "eight" or "preserve, lordly possession, legal district"... [
more]
Van Ark DutchHabitational name from a place called Ark in Gelderland.
van Beethoven FlemishMeans "from the beet fields", a variant of
Beethoven. A famous bearer of this name was German Clasical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).
Van Berkel DutchMeans "from
Berkel", the name of several villages derived from
berk "birch tree" and
lo "forest clearing".
Van Bijsterveldt DutchMeans "from the waste land", derived from Middle Dutch
bijstervelt meaning "waste land, chaffing and infertile land". Dutch politician Marja van Bijsterveldt (1961-) bears this name.
Van Blankenberg German, Belgian, DutchMeans "from Blankenberg", a toponym from any of various places so called, in particular in Hennef and Gelderland, or from Blankenberge in West Flanders, Belgium. Probably derived from
blanken "white, pale, bright" or "bare, blank" and
berg "mountain, hill".
Van Bommel DutchMeans "from Bommel", a city now called Zaltbommel, in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. A famous bearer is the former Dutch soccer player Mark van Bommel (1977-).
Van Boxtel DutchMeans "from
Boxtel" in Dutch, the name of a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch
buk "buck, roebuck, hart" and
stelle "stable, safe residence".
Van Breukelen DutchMeans "from Breukelen", a town in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands, itself derived from Old Dutch
bruoc meaning "marsh, marshland, wetland" and
lētha meaning "excavated, canalised watercourse"... [
more]
Van Brink DutchMeans "from the village green", from Dutch
brink "village green, town square, edge of a field or hill".
Van Bronckhorst DutchMeans "from Bronckhorst", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, itself derived from Dutch
brink meaning "edge, slope, village green" and
horst meaning "overgrown hillock" or "higher located brushwood"... [
more]
Van Coevorden DutchMeans "from
Coevorden", the name of a city in the Netherlands derived from Middle Dutch
coe "cow" and
voorde "ford, crossing".
Vandal English (Rare)A English word meaning "someone who willfully destroys or defaces property",and a member of ancient Germanic tribes.
Van De Kerkhof DutchMeans "from the churchyard", derived from Middle Dutch
kerke meaning "church" and
hof meaning "court, garden, yard". Famous bearers of this surname include twin brothers René and Willy Van De Kerkhof (1951-), both retired Dutch soccer players.
Van De Leest Dutch, FlemishDerived from Dutch
leest meaning "last, boottree", a tool used by shoemakers to shape boots. This can be either an occupational name for cobblers, or a habitational name from the settlement of
Leest, itself possibly named for a field in the shape of a boot.
Van Delft DutchMeans "from
Delft" in Dutch, a city in South Holland, Netherlands, named for the nearby
Delf canal, which derives from Middle Dutch
delven "to dig, delve, excavate; to bury".
Van De Mark DutchTopographic name for someone who lived by a border or boundary, from Middle Dutch
marke meaning "boundary, borderland". Could also derive from the river Mark, likely originating from the same etymology.
Van den Bogaard DutchMeans "from the orchard", derived from Dutch
boomgaard literally meaning "orchard".
Van Den Bosch DutchMeans "from De Bosch" or "from the woods", derived from Middle Dutch
bosch "forest, wood".
Van den Hurk DutchFrom any of several place names derived from the element
hornik "corner".
Van Den Oever DutchMeans "from the riverbank" in Dutch, derived from
oever "bank, riverbank, shore".
Den Oever is also the name of a village in North Holland.
Van Den Vondel DutchMeans "from the small wooden bridge", derived from a dialectal variant of Dutch
vonder meaning either "narrow bridge" or "plank bridge". This name was borne by the Dutch playwright, poet, literary translator and writer Joost van den Vondel (1587-1679).
Vandeputte FlemishMeans "from the pit, of the well", from Middle Dutch
putte "pit, well".
Van Der DutchPossibly a clipping of a longer surname beginning with
van der meaning "of the, from the". Alternatively, could be a variant spelling of
van Deur.
Van Der Aa Dutch, FlemishMeans "from the
Aa" in Dutch, a common name for rivers and streams derived from Old Germanic
*ahwō "stream, river; water".
Van Der Bilt DutchMeans "from De Bilt", the name of a town derived from Middle Dutch
belt "mound, heap, hill".
Van Der Burg DutchA toponymic surname meaning "from the fortress, stronghold" in Dutch.
Van Der Geer DutchMeans "from the headland", derived from Dutch
geer "pointed piece of land, headland; spear".
Van Der Graaf DutchMeans "from the canal", derived from Dutch
graaf "canal, excavated watercourse", itself related to
graven "to dig".
Van Der Kleij DutchMeans "from Klei" (literally "from the clay"), the toponym of a settlement in the Netherlands built on clay ground.
Van Der Klok DutchMeans "from the bell", from Middle Dutch
clocke "bell; bell-shaped", a habitational name for someone who lived near a bell tower, or perhaps a sign depicting a bell.
Van Der Kooi DutchMeans "from the pen", derived from Dutch
kooi "cage", given to someone who owned a duck decoy field for hunting, or who came from a place named after one.
Vanderlei BrazilianIt derives from the Dutch surname Van der Leij/Ley. The surname arrived in Brazil by Kaspar Nieuwhoff Van Der Leij by 1630, a cavalry captain from the Dutch army.
Van Der Leij DutchDerived from Dutch
lei meaning "slate" (effectively meaning "from the slate"), indicating that the original bearer of this name may have come from a place where slate was produced.
Van Der Loop DutchFrom Dutch
loop "course, duration; river course", a topographical name for someone who lived by a waterway, in particular a waterway called
De Loop in North Brabant.
Vandermast DutchTopographic name for someone from a place rich in animal fodder, for example acorns.
Vanderpan DutchFrom Dutch
van der Pan meaning "from the pan", possibly referring to a location that resembled the shape of a pan.
Vanderplaats DutchA surname given to someone living near a plaats (open space), or someone from De Plaats in North Brabant.
Van der Plas DutchMeans "from the pool" in Dutch, derived from
plas "pool, puddle, pond; body of stagnant water".
Van der Ploeg DutchMeans "of the plough" in Dutch, an occupational name for a farmer or a bookbinder (a
ploeg also being a tool used in binding books), or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a plough.
Van Der Pol DutchHabitational name probably derived from Dutch
pol "tussock, grassy hill" (see
Pol).
Van Der Sluijs DutchMeans "from the sluice", from Dutch
sluis "sluice, lock", a habitational name for someone who lived by a sluice gate.
Van Der Spek DutchHabitational name derived from Middle Dutch
specke "log dam, bridge of tree trunks, road through a marshy area".
Van Der Steen Dutch, FlemishMeans "from the stone", a habitational name for someone from any of various minor places called Steen or Ten Stene, for example in the Belgian provinces of East Flanders and Brabant.
Van Der Vest Dutch (Archaic)Means "from the city wall, of the fort", derived from Middle Dutch
veste "fortification, stronghold, castle; reliability".
Van Der Waal DutchToponymic or habitational name derived from Middle Dutch
wael "dike breach pool, eddy, vortex, mud flat" or "reservoir, well".
Van der Weide DutchMeans "from the pasture" in Dutch, either a topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, or a metonymic occupational name for a butcher.
Van der Werf DutchMeans "from the wharf" or "from the shipyard" in Dutch, derived from
werf meaning "quay, wharf, shipyard", or from the older form
werve "dyke, quay, bank". Can be a topographic name for someone who lived near such a place, or an occupational name for someone who worked at a shipyard, such as a carpenter.
Van Der Zanden DutchMeans "from the sand", most likely given to someone who lived near sandy grounds. It originated in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.
Van Deusen Dutch (Americanized)Most likely an altered form of
Van Deursen. Alternatively, could be a habitational name for someone from the German town of Deusen, north of Dortmund, in North Rhine-Westphalia near the Dutch border... [
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Van De Wetering DutchMeans "from the drainage channel", from Dutch
wetering "canal, waterway, drainage channel" or the name of a town using it as an element.
Van De Zandschulp DutchMeans "from the sandy seashell" in Dutch. A famous bearer is the Dutch tennis player Botic van de Zandschulp (1995-).
Van Dongen DutchMeans "from
Dongen", a village in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from
donk "sandy hill (in marshy area)".
Van Doorn DutchMeans "of the thorns", a topographic name for someone who lived near thorn bushes, or in a settlement named after them.
Van Driel DutchMeans "from Driel" in Dutch, referring to either the village
Driel or any of several other settlements containing
driel as an element... [
more]
Van Eck DutchMeans "from Eck", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Derived from
hek "fence".
Van Eden DutchRefers to someone from the town Ede in Gelderland province.
Van Egmond DutchMeans "from
Egmond" in Dutch, the name of a town and former municipality in North Holland. The toponym is possibly derived from
heeg-munde (or
hecmunda) meaning "enclosed fortress".
Van Erp DutchMeans "from
Erp" in Dutch, a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Dutch
*apa "watercourse" and an unclear first element.
Van Es DutchMeans "from the ash tree", denoting someone who lived by an ash tree or who came from a place named for them, such as
Esch.
van Essen DutchMeans "from
Essen" in Dutch, the name of a German city possibly derived from Old High German
asc "ash tree".
Van Etter DutchA habitational name for someone from Etten in North Brabant
Van Eyck DutchIt means "of the oak", Eyck is a different, more archaic spelling of the word "eik" which means oak.
Vang HmongFrom the clan name
Vaj or
Vaaj associated with the Chinese character 王
(wáng) (see
Wang 1).
Van Geelkerken Dutch, FlemishMeans "from the yellow churches", derived from Dutch
geel meaning "yellow" and
kerken, the plural of
kerk meaning "church". A notable bearer was the infamous fascist political leader Cornelis van Geelkerken (1901-1976), who founded the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB) during World War II, alongside Anton Mussert.
Van Gelder DutchDutch toponymic surname meaning "from/of Guelders", a county and later duchy in the Low Countries.
Van Gemert DutchMeans "from
Gemert" in Dutch, the name of a village in North Brabant, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Germanic
mari "lake" (compare Old Dutch
meri) combined with the collectivising prefix
ga-.
Van Gent DutchMeans "from
Ghent" in Dutch, the name of a city in Belgium possibly derived from Celtic
ganda "confluence; place where two rivers meet", or from the name of the Celtic goddess
Gontia, tutelary deity of the river
Günz#.
Van Gestel DutchMeans "from
Gestel" in Dutch, a settlement in North Brabant, Netherlands derived from either
gestel "height between two river valleys" or
gestel "guest house, inn" (compare
Gastel).
Van Gils DutchMeans "from
Gilze" in Dutch, a village in North Brabant, Netherlands. Possibly derived from a cognate of Old Norse
gil "gap, ravine, gully".
Van Ginkel DutchMeans "from
Ginkel" in Dutch, the name of a settlement in Gelderland, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Dutch
gengi "accessible, passable" and
lo "light forest, forest clearing".
Van Gool DutchMeans "from
Goirle" in Dutch, the name of a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch
goor "filth, dirty; swampy forest floor" and
lo "forest clearing, light forest".
Van Haitsma DutchHabitational name for someone from Haitsma, a place in Friesland.
Van Halen DutchHabitational name for a person from the villages
Hoog en Laaghalen in the Dutch province of Drenthe or
Halen near Hasselt in Belgian Limburg. Famous bearers include Dutch-born American musicians Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020) and his brother Alex Van Halen (1953-) of the rock band Van Halen... [
more]
Van Hanegem Dutch, FlemishMeans "from Hanegem", possibly from a place name in Flanders, Belgium; one theory suggests that it may be associated with
Danegem, a town near Beernem, West Flanders. Other theories connect it to
Hunnegem, the name of an old settlement in Geraardsbergen, East Flanders, or a place called
Huinegem in Asse, Flemish Brabant... [
more]
Van Haren DutchMeans "from
Haren" in Dutch, the name of several settlements derived from
haar "sandy ridge".
Van Helden DutchMeans "from
Helden" in Dutch, the name of a village in Limburg, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch
helde "slope, incline".
Van Helmond DutchMeans "from Helmond" in Dutch, a municipality in Southern Netherlands, of unknown etymology. It could derived from the Dutch dialectal
hel "low-lying" and Old Dutch
munte "hill, place of refuge during flooding".
Van Helmont Belgian, DutchPossibly a variant of
Van Helmond. Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580-1644) was a Belgian chemist, physiologist, and physician, considered as the founder of pneumatic chemistry.
Van Helsing Dutch (Rare)Habitational name that can derive from any of several locations. It is most famously used by the fictional character Abraham Van Helsing in Bram Stoker’s novel
Dracula, in which case it may be invented.
Van Hertrooij DutchMeans "from Hertrooij", most likely a place name in the Netherlands. It could possibly derive from Middle Dutch
hert meaning "deer" and
rood meaning "red".
Van Heusen DutchHeusen is derived from the town Husum in Holland. The town was on the Zuyder Zee, Holstein, Holland.
Van Heutsz Dutch (Archaic)A bearer of this name is J.B. van Heutsz, also known as the Pacificator of Aceh, former governor general of the Dutch East Indies.