Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Zięba PolishFrom ‘finch’; a nickname for someone thought to resemble the bird or maybe because a person lived in an area with many finches. Perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a birdcatcher or dealer.
Ziegenhagen GermanDerived 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.
Zieja PolishDerived from Polish
ziajać meaning "to spontaneously/violently show negative feelings". This surname denoted someone who complained often.
Zielsdorf GermanHabitational name from an unidentified place, perhaps Ziersdorf in Lower Austria.
Zieminski PolishHabitational name for someone from Ziemin in Poznan voivodeship, named with ziemin ‘ground’.
Zigarroa Basque (Rare)Possibly derived from Basque
ziga "mallow", or an altered form of
zugar "elm (tree)". Coincides with
zigarro "cigar, cigarette".
Zijlstra DutchHabitational surname derived from Dutch
zijl "sluice, pump" and the West Frisian suffix
-stra.
Zilberman JewishFrom nickname meaning "silver man", from Yiddish זילבער (
zilber) and מאן (
man), possibly a nickname for a person with grey hair.
Zilčyan ArmenianMeans "cymbal-maker" in Armenian, from Ottoman Turkish
زلجی (
zilci) "cymbal-maker" with a surname forming suffix.
Zildjian Armenian (Anglicized)English form of Armenian
Զիլճյան (see
Zilčyan). The famous bearer of this name was Avedis Zildjian, founder of the oldest manufacturer of musical instruments in the world, the Avedis Zildjian Company.
Zimbalist JewishOccupational name for a cymbalist or a dulcimer player, particularly the cimbalom, derived from Yiddish
tsimbl meaning "dulcimer, cimbalom, cymbal". The American actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (1918-2014) was a famous bearer of this surname.
Zinder GermanA mostly Ashkenazi Jewish surname, while specific documentation linking "Zinder" to the German word "Zünder" (meaning "tinder" or "firestarter") is limited, the surname "Zinder" is believed to have German origins, possibly derived from the word "Zindel," which refers to a "bundle of wood shavings." This term is associated with materials used to start fires, suggesting a potential connection to the "firestarter" occupation... [
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Zinger GermanThe surname Zinger was first found in Saxony, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. ... In Old German the name meant "lively" and "spritely," or more literally, "a biting, sharp taste."
Zinn GermanFrom the German for word for tin "tin." The name indicated someone who worked with the metal. A famous bearer is Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botanist. Carl Linnaeus named the flower
Zinnia in his honor.
Zion HebrewMeans "monument" or "raised up" in Hebrew.
Zivanai ShonaZivanai means "You must know each other". #This name is a call to family and relatives to get to know each other by visiting and fellowship - usually so that they do not drift apart"
Zloczower Polish, JewishDenoted a person from
Zolochiv (known as
Złoczów in Polish), a small city in the Lviv Oblast of Ukraine.
Zlodej Slovene (Rare)It is the euphemism (an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant) for the word "devil". Another variant of the surname is Slodej.
Zlydnev m RussianMeans "a person who does evil, mean things", from Russian
злый (zlyy), meaning "angry, evil, mean".
Zoch GermanDerived from Middle High German
zoche meaning "cudgel, club".
Zohar HebrewDerived from the the given name
Zohar meaning "light, brilliance" in Hebrew.
Zola ItalianItalian: habitational name from any of various minor places named with Zol(l)a, from a dialect term for a mound or bank of earth, as for example Zola Predosa (Bologna) or Zolla in Monrupino (Trieste)... [
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Zoldan Italianfrom the name place Zoldo. Zoldan indicates also the name of a little valley North from Venice.
Zolotarev RussianMeans "son of the goldsmith" derived from Russian золотарь
(zolotar) meaning "goldsmith".
Zolotov m RussianFrom Russian
золотой (zolotoy), meaning "gold, golden". Denoted to a goldmaker.
Zolotukhin m RussianFrom Russian
золотуха (zolotukha), meaning "scrofula". Scrofula is a skin disease.
Zong ChineseFrom Chinese 宗 (
zōng) meaning "lineage, ancestry". Perhaps it originally denoted a person who was a geneaolgist.
Zopf GermanNickname for someone who wore his hair in a pigtail or plait, Middle High German zopf, zoph, or from a field name from same word in the sense ‘tail’, ‘end’, ‘narrow point’.
Zoref Biblical HebrewZoref, spelled צורף in Hebrew and pronounced Tzo-ref, though the typical American pronunciation is with a Z, means "Goldsmith" in both Biblical and Modern Hebrew, Zoref does not necessarily connote working only with gold; rather, it is a metalsmith that works with any kind of metallic substance.... [
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Zorkin m RussianFrom Russian
зоркий (zorkiy), meaning "sharp-sighted, perspicacious".
Zorn GermanFrom Middle High German
zorn "wrath, anger". A notable bearer was Swedish painter Anders Zorn (1860-1920) whose father was German.
Zororo ShonaZororo means "rest". It may be given to mean that the parent has rested after the birth of this child. Zimbabwean politician Zororo Duri was a well known bearer of this name.
Zou ChineseAn ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty.
Zou ChineseFrom Chinese 邹
(zōu) referring to the ancient state of Zou, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
Zouaoui Arabic (Maghrebi)Indicates a member of the Igawawen (called Zouaoua in French) Kabyle tribe, from Maghrebi Arabic زواوة
(zwāwa). The tribe's name is of uncertain meaning; it may be derived from the name of a massif in Kabylie, Algeria.
Zoubek CzechAccording to my translator, it means "tooth", so my guess is that it's an occupational surname for someone who's a dentist; the word for dentist is 'zubař.'
Zozaia Basque (Rare)From the name of a town in Navarre, Spain, possibly derived from Basque
zozo "blackbird, thrush (bird)".
Zrnčić CroatianPossibly derived from the Slavic element
zrn, of unknown meaning.... [
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Zrnić SerbianDerivative of Serbian tribal name located in Ozrinići, Montenegro.
Zrobok Ukrainian (Rare)Lvivan localised surname meaning "at work". Denoted to a hardworker or person who worked too hard.
Zsigmondy HungarianDerived from the given name
Zsigmond. The Austrian-born chemist Richard Adolf Zsigmondy (1865-1929), together with German physicist Henry Siedentopf, invented the ultramicroscope... [
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Zsiros HungarianHungarian surname derived from the Serbo-croation word
žȋr meaning "acorn".
Zuazo BasqueHabitational name derived from Basque
zu(h)haitz "(wild) tree" and the collective suffix
-zu.
Zubeldia BasqueDerived from Basque
zumel "holm oak" and the locative suffix
-di.
Zuber German, German (Swiss)German: Metonymic occupational name for a cooper or tubmaker, from Middle High German
zuber ‘(two-handled) tub’, or a habitational name from a house distinguished by the sign of a tub. ... [
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Zubiaga BasqueMeans "place of the bridge", from Basque
zubi "bridge" and the locative suffix
-aga.
Zubillaga BasqueIt indicates familial origin within the eponymous council of the municipality of Lantaron.
Zubkov RussianFrom Russian
зубок (zubok), meaning "little tooth". A notable bearer is Viktor Zubkov, the Russian prime minister 2007-2008.
Zucchino ItalianDerived from
zucchino meaning "zucchini, courgette" (
Cucurbita pepo). It is also related to those surnames derived from
zucca meaning "pumpkin" and to those derived from
zuccone meaning "dumb, stubborn".
Zuccoli ItalianDerived from the Italian word
zucca meaning "pumpkin", originally referred to someone who used to grow or trade pumpkins.
Zucker JewishOccupational name for a confectioner or a nickname for someone with a sweet tooth, from German
zucker or Yiddish צוקער
(tsuker) both meaning "sugar". It is also used as an ornamental name.
Zuckerberg JewishMeans "sugar mountain" from German
zucker meaning "sugar" and Old High German
berg meaning "mountain".
Zuckerman German, YiddishAs a German surname, it is an occupational name for a merchant who sold sugar or nickname for a sweet tooth.... [
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Zufall Medieval GermanA German name from the Middle High German "zuoval," meaning "benefit," "coincidence" or "windfall." It was a nickname for a lucky person, most likely a person to whom a plot of land had been given. It could also be an occupational name for a tax collector.
Zugrăvescu RomanianPatronymic surname of uncertain origin. It may be derived from the verb
a zugrăvi meaning "to paint, to describe figuratively" and therefore mean "The descendant of he who describes/paints".
Zuidema Dutch, West FrisianEither derived from a toponym containing the element
zuid "south, southern" (from Middle Dutch
suid), or a patronymic form of a name beginning with the element
swith "strong".
Zuill English, ScottishFrom the town of Zuill, Scotland. The "Z" pronounced as "Y" comes from ancient yogh representing a variety of sounds. The name itself is of unknown origin.
Zuleta Spanish, BasqueVariant of
Zulueta, which comes from the Basque topographic name 'zulo' meaning ‘hole hollow’ + the collective suffix '-eta' meaning "place or group of."
Zuloaga BasqueFrom the name of a settlement in Biscay, Spain, meaning "place of holes" in Basque, derived from
zulo "hole, pit, burrow, opening" and
-aga "place of, abundance of".
Zumaquero CastilianIt means someone who deals or works with sumac, either or the spice or the dye.
Zumarraga BasqueFrom the name of a town in Basque Country, Spain, derived from
zumar "elm (tree)" and
-aga "place of, group of".
Zumpano ItalianComes from the town
Zumpano in the province Cosenza in Calabria, Italy. The meaning is unknown but it possibly comes from a Greek-Calabrese surname.
Zumwalt GermanGerman spelling Zum-Wald (to the forest) older german
Zuo ChineseFrom Chinese 左
(zuǒ) meaning "left, left-hand side".
Županović CroatianDerived from
župan, a noble and administrative title, the leader of a territorial unit called
županija.
Zur JewishOrnamental name derived from Hebrew צור (
tsur) meaning "rock".
Zurbano Basque (Hispanicized)Castilianized form of Basque
Zurbao, a toponym of uncertain etymology. Possibly related to
zur "wood, timber" or
zurbeltz "holm oak, kermes oak".
Zürcher GermanHabitational name for someone from the Swiss city of Zurich.
Zurer YiddishPossibly a variant of
Zur or
Tzur. Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer (1969-) bears this name.
Zurita SpanishHabitational surname from either of two places called Zurita in Huesca and Cantabria named with a derivative of Basque zuri 'white'