Browse Submitted Surnames

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the description contains the keywords bringer or of or light.
usage
keyword
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Voschikov Russian
Russian occupational translation of Carter
Vosilius Lithuanian
Form of basil which means royalty
Vought German
The surname Vought originates in the Latin form "vocatus" or "advocatus," and referred to someone who appeared in court on another's behalf. As a surname, Vought is an occupational hereditary surname for a "bailiff" or "overseer of a nobleman's estate".
Voulgaropoulos Greek
Means "descendant of a Bulgarian" in Greek.
Vovchko Rusyn
Rusyn variant of Vovk.
Vovin Russian
Means "son of Vova".
Vowk Belarusian
Cognate of Vovk.
Vox English
Variant of Fox
Voynov m Russian
Variant of Voyna.
Voytek Polish, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian
Americanized spelling of the given names VOJTEK, Vojtech, Wojtek, all pet forms of the Polish given name Wojciech, or other Slavic cognates.
Voytenko Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Voytov.
Voytiv Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Voytov.
Voytsekhovsky Polish, Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Ukrainian
One of the most common Polish surnames goes back to toponyms which were named from the short form Voitsekh (Wojciech) of the male name Voitseslav (Wojciesław), consisting of two common Slavic roots «warrior» and «glory.» The popularity of the name arose with Bishop Wojciech, the baptist of Poland and the Western Slavic lands (10th century)... [more]
Vránová Czech
Famous bearer is Alena Vránová, Czech actress. Possible variant of Voronova.
Vrátil Czech
Derived from the past participle of the verb vrátit "to return". The name was perhaps used to denote a person who came back to his home following a long absence.
Vreeke Dutch
Either a variant form of the given name Freek, a diminutive of Frederik, or a contraction of Van Der Eijk "from the oak".
Vreeland Dutch
Habitational name for a person from a place bearing the same name in the province of Utrecht, which is itself derived from the Middle Dutch word vrede, meaning "peace; legal protection against armed violence".
Vrielink Dutch
Etymology uncertain. Possibly from the name of a farmstead, itself perhaps derived from a given name such as Frigilo or Friedel... [more]
Vu Vietnamese
Simplified variant of .
Vučić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Vuk".
Vujanić Serbian
Means "son of Vujan".
Vukićević Serbian
Means "son of Vuk".
Vukmanović Serbian, Montenegrin
Patronymic, meaning "son of Vukman".
Vulović Serbian
Vulović is the last name of Roki Vulović, a Serbian nationalist singer who lives in Bosnia.
Vuolo Italian
Southern variant of Volo, likely after the place name Bolo from Sicily.
Vương Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wang 1, from Sino-Vietnamese 王 (vương).
Vuong Vietnamese
Simplified variant of Vương.
Vurma Estonian
Vurma is an Estonian surname, possibly a corruption of "vurama" meaning to "rattle", "roll", and "whir".
Vưu Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of You, from Sino-Vietnamese 尤 (vưu).
Vuurman Dutch
Means "fire man" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who burned patches of forest land, or who worked in a fire brigade.
Vwj Hmong
Original Hmong form of Vue.
Vyarbitski m Belarusian
Belarusian form of Verbitskiy.
Vyas Hindi
Brahmin name from Sanskrit व्यास (vyāsa) meaning 'compiler'. This was the name of the Sanskrit sage said to have compiled the Mahabharata.
Vyborova f Russian
Feminine form of Vyborov.
Vyner English
Variant of Viner.
Vyodrov m Russian
Variant of Vedrov.
Vyskočil Czech, Slovak
Nickname from the past participle of the verb vyskočit meaning "to jump or leap".
Vysotskiy m Russian, Polish (Russified), Jewish
Derived from высота (vysota) meaning height, or a Russian form of Wysocki.
Vytebskyi Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Vitebsky.
Waage Norwegian
Variant of Våge.
Waara Finnish
Ornamental, from (vaara) meaning, “range of hills.”
Wachowska m Polish
Feminie form of Wachowski
Wachowski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from the village of Wachów
Wachsmann German, Jewish
Occupational name for a gatherer or seller of beeswax from Middle Low German was "wax" and man "man".
Wackerman English (American), German
From the Americanized spelling of German Wackermann, a variant of Wacker, with the addition of Middle High German man, meaning ‘man’.
Waco Indigenous American, Comanche
Is believed to have a Native American origin and may mean "the chosen ones" in the language of a tribe. However, the exact meaning of the name and the tribe's connection to the modern-day surname is not entirely clear.
Waddell English
Habitational name from Wadden Hall in Waltham, Kent, derived from either the Old English given name Wada or from wæden "made of woad, woaden, bluish" combined with halh "nook, recess".
Waddell English
Variant of Odell, derived from the toponym’s older spelling Wadehelle.
Waddington English
Habitational name from any of various places called Waddington. One near Clitheroe in Lancashire and another in Lincolnshire (Wadintune in Domesday Book) were originally named in Old English as the "settlement" (Old English tūn) associated with Wada.
Wadhwa Indian (Sikh)
Sikh name based on the name of an Arora clan.
Wadia Indian (Parsi)
Parsi surname possibly derived from Wadia, the name of a village in Gujarat.
Wadsworth English
Location name from Yorkshire meaning "Wæddi's enclosure or settlement" with Wæddi being an old English personal name of unknown meaning plus the location element -worth. Notable bearer is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) for whom the middle name was his mother's maiden name.
Waffel Dutch (Anglicized, ?)
Possibly an Anglicized form of a hypothetical Dutch surname derived from wafel "waffle, wafer".
Wagar German
Variant of Wager.
Wager German
An occupational name for an official in charge of the city scales.
Waggoner German
German name; variant of Wagner
Wahlberg German, Swedish, Norwegian (Rare)
Composed of German wal "field, meadow" or Swedish vall "grassy bank" and berg "mountain, hill".
Waidelich German
A variant of the surname Weidlich.
Wain English
Variant of Wayne.
Wainwright English
Occupational name for a maker or repairer of wagons.
Wait English
Variant spelling of Waite.
Wäite Luxembourgish (Germanized, Rare)
The name originates from Luxembourg and the surrounding Germanic regions most notably the Rhenish Palatinate from around the 1800s. The word wäite is Luxembourgish for wide and also broad, the word wäit which is an alternative spelling of the Surname Wäite is Luxembourgish for far or distant.... [more]
Waiter English
Variant of Waite.
Waititi Maori
Meaning uncertain. It could derive from Maori waitī both meaning "sweet, melodious", denoting a sweet person, or "sap of the cabbage tree", possibly denoting an occupation. Taika David Cohen, known professionally as Taika Waititi (1975-), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian.
Waitman English (American)
From the Old English given name Hwætmann, composed of hwæt, "active, quick, sharp, brave" and mann "person, man"
Waits English
Patronymic form of Waite.
Waitt English
Variant spelling of Waite.
Wajima Japanese
A variant of Washima.... [more]
Wakatsuki Japanese
Combination of the kanji 若 (waka) meaning "young" and 槻 (tsuki) meaning "Zelkova tree". A famous bearer of this surname was Japanese Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijirō (若槻 禮次郎; 1866–1949).
Wakebe Japanese (Rare)
Variant reading of Japanese Kanji 別部 (see Beppu).
Wakeham English, Cornish
A locational surname for someone who lived in one of three places called Wakeham in various parts of England, including Cornwall and/or Devon.
Wakim Muslim
Probably a variant of Hakim.
Wakuri Japanese (Rare)
This surname is used as 和久利, 和久理, 和久里 or 和栗 with 和 (o, ka, wa, nago.mu, nago.yaka, yawa.ragu, yawa.rageru) meaning "harmony, Japan, Japanese style, peace, soften", 久 (kyuu, ku, hisa.shii) meaning "long time, old story", 利 (ri, ki.ku) meaning "advantage, benefit, profit", 理 (ri, kotowari) meaning "arrangement, justice, logic, reason, truth", 里 (ri, sato) meaning "league, parent's home, ri (unit of distance - equal to 3.927 km), village" and 栗 (ritsu, ri, kuri, ononoku) meaning "chestnut."... [more]
Walbrzychiak Polish
Means a person who is from the city of Walbrzych in Poland.
Walch Irish
Variant of Walsh.
Walcott English
habitational name from any of several places called Walcott Walcot or Walcote for example in Lincolnshire Leicestershire Norfolk Oxfordshire and Wiltshire all named in Old English wealh "foreigner Briton serf" (genitive plural wala) and cot "cottage hut shelter" (plural cotu) meaning "the cottage where the (Welsh-speaking) Britons lived".
Waldie Scottish
Scottish: from the Older Scots personal name Walef or Waldef, from the Middle English personal name Walthef, Waldef, Walthew, Wallef (Old English Wælthēof, an Anglicized form of Old Norse Valthiófr), composed of the elements val ‘battle’ + thiofr ‘thief’, i.e. one who snatched victory out of defeat in battle... [more]
Waldorf German
Habitational name from any of at least three places so called, derived from Old High German wald "forest" and dorf "village, settlement"... [more]
Waldrip English, Scottish
The name is derived from the Old Norman warderobe, a name given to an official of the wardrobe, and was most likely first borne by someone who held this distinguished
Waldron Medieval German, Old Norman, Scottish Gaelic, English (British)
Derived from the German compound wala-hran, literally "wall raven", but originally meaning "strong bird". Also derived from the Gaelic wealdærn, meaning "forest dwelling", thought to be derived from the Sussex village of Waldron... [more]
Walenta Polish
From a derivative of the personal name Walenty.
Walia Indian, Punjabi
Punjabi name of unknown meaning.
Walin English (American)
Americanized form of the Swedish surname Wallin.
Walk English
Variant of Walker.
Walking Bear Indigenous American
A notable bearer is Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail, the first Crow individual to achieve a higher education, and one of the first Native American nurses to ever be accepted.
Wall Swedish
Derived from Swedish vall "pasture, field of grass". It may be either ornamental or habitational.
Wall Irish
Anglicized from of de Bhál, a Gaelicized form of de Valle (see Devall).
Wallach Scottish
Variant of Wallace, meaning 'foreigner' that is found chiefly in Dumfries.
Wallas English
A variant of Wallace.
Wallee German
Of French origin, denoting a person who lives in or is from a valley.
Wallenstein German, Jewish
Variant of Waldstein a habitational name from Wallenstein (originally Waldenstein "forest rock" Czech Valdštejn) in Bohemia... [more]
Wallgren Swedish
Composed of the Swedish elements vall "grassy bank, pasture" and gren "branch".
Walliams English
Very rare form of Williams.... [more]
Wallington American
From the surname of two girls from Rebel Starzz.
Wallman Swedish
Combination of Swedish vall "pasture, field of grass" and man "man".
Walmer English
Habitational name from Walmer in Kent, so named from Old English wala (plural of walh "Briton") + mere "pool", or from Walmore Common in Gloucestershire.
Walpole English
Originally indicated a person from either of two places by this name in Norfolk and Suffolk (see Walpole). Famous bearers of the surname include Robert Walpole (1676-1745), the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, and his youngest son, the writer Horace Walpole (1717-1797)... [more]
Walsch Irish
Variant of Walsh.
Walshe Irish
Variant spelling of Walsh.
Waltrip German
Derived from the name of the father of the original bearer, indicating the "son of Waldrap." The Germanic personal name Waldrap, is a short form of Walraven, a name used mostly among nobles, knights, and patricians.
Walwyn English
Either (i) from the Old English personal name Wealdwine, literally "power-friend"; or (ii) perhaps from the medieval personal name Walwain, the Anglo-Norman form of Old French Gauvain (cf... [more]
Walz German
Variant of Waltz.
Wan Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Yin.
Wan Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wen.
Wanamaker German (Anglicized), Dutch (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Wannemacher. A famous bearer is the British-American actress Zöe Wanamaker (1949-), as well as her father, actor and director Sam Wanamaker (1919-1993).
Wang Chinese
From Chinese 汪 (wāng) referring to the ancient state of Wang Mang (汪芒) or Wang Wang (汪罔) in present-day Zhejiang province.
Wang Korean
From Sino-Korean 王 (wang) meaning "king; monarch", referring to the royals of the former dynasty of Goryeo.
Wanhatalo Finnish
From the Finnish "vanha talo." With the "vanha" meaning old or aged and "talo" being a place of living mostly a house. The most common translation is "old house".
Wann Scottish
WANN. Surname or Family name. Origin Scottish and English: nickname from Middle English wann ‘wan’, ‘pale’ (the meaning of the word in Old English was, conversely, ‘dark’).
Wannebo Norwegian
An alternative spelling of the Norwegian surname Vannebo.
Wannell English
English surname which was derived from a medieval nickname, from Middle English wann "wan, pale" (see Wann) and a diminutive suffix.... [more]
Wannemacher German, Dutch
Occupational name for a maker or seller of baskets, particularly winnowing baskets or fans, derived from Middle High German wanne literally meaning "winnowing basket" and macher meaning "maker"... [more]
Wapelhorst Low German
"Wapel" (pronounced VA-pel) is a river in Northern Germany. "Horst" means 'eagle's nest' in modern German but also means 'man of the forest' in Old German.
Wappara Indian, Tamil
Another form of Oppara.
Waqa Fijian
The president of Nauru is called Baron Waqa.
Wara Finnish (Rare, Expatriate)
Variant of Vaara, mostly used outside of Finland.
Warburton English
From the village and civil parish of Warburton in Greater Manchester (formerly in Cheshire), England, derived from the Old English feminine given name Werburg (itself derived from wǣr meaning "pledge" and burh "fortress") and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Wardell English, Irish
A habitational name from Wardle in Lancashire and possibly Wardle in Cheshire, both named with Old English elements weard "guard, guardian" hyll "hill" meaning "watch hill"... [more]
Warden English
Occupational name for a watchman or guard, from Old French wardein meaning "protector, guard". It was also used as a habbitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Warden... [more]
Wardrop Scottish
Metonymic occupational name for someone who was in charge of the garments worn by a feudal lord and his household, from Norman French warde(r) meaning "to keep or guard" + robe meaning "garment".
Warfalli Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic الورفلي (see al-Warfalli).
Warhol Rusyn (Anglicized)
Anglicised form of Varhola.
Warisaya Japanese (Rare)
Variant reading of Japanese Kanji 割鞘 (see Warizaya).
Warizaya Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 割 (wari), from 割り (wari) meaning "breakage into separate pieces" and 鞘 (zaya), the joining form of 鞘 (saya) meaning "sheath", referring to a broken sheath.
Warkentin m Russian (Germanized)
Germanised form of Varkentin. In Germany, the gender specification does not apply to the last name.
Warming Danish
Probably originating near the town of Ribe in Southeast Denmark. It appears as both Warming and Varming.... [more]
Warnakulasooriya Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhalese වර්ණකුලසූරිය (see Warnakulasuriya).
Warnasooriya Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වර්ණසූරිය (see Warnasuriya).
Warnecke German
North German from a pet form of the personal name Warner, Low German form of Werner.
Warneke German
German variant spelling of Warnecke.
Warnke German
German variant of Warnecke.
Warns German, Dutch
Patronymic form of the Germanic given name Warn (see Warin). Alternatively, a habitational name from various Frisian places likely named using the same or similar elements.
Warrington English
habitational name from Warrington in Lancashire. The placename probably derives from Old English wering, wæring "dam" (a derivative of wer, wær "weir") and tun "farmstead, estate"... [more]
Warron English
Variant of Warren.
Warszawa Polish
Place name for a person from Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
Warthen German
German: from a short form of the personal name Wartold, from Old High German wart ‘guardian’.
Washburn English
Northern English topographic name for someone living on the banks of the Washburn river in West Yorkshire, so named from the Old English personal name Walc + Old English burna ‘stream’... [more]
Wasikowska Polish
It is the surname of Australian actress Mia Wasikowska.
Wason Scottish
Variant of Watson.
Wassermann German
German cognate of Waterman 2. occupational name for a water-carrier or a topographic name from Middle High German wazzar "water" and man "man"... [more]
Watabohshi Japanese (Rare)
Variant transcription of Japanese Kanji 綿帽子 (see Watabōshi).
Wataboshi Japanese (Rare)
Variant transcription of Japanese Kanji 綿帽子 (see Watabōshi).
Wataboushi Japanese (Rare)
Variant transcription of Japanese Kanji 綿帽子 (see Watabōshi).
Watanuki Japanese
This surname is used as 渡抜, 渡樌, 渡貫, 綿抜, 綿貫, 四月一日 or 四月朔日 with 渡 (to, wata.su, wata.ru) meaning "cross, deliver, diameter, ferry, ford, import, migrate, transit," 綿 (men, wata) meaning "cotton," 抜 (hai, hatsu, batsu, nu.kasu, nu.karu, nu.ki, nu.ku, -nu.ku, nu.keru) meaning "extract, omit, pilfer, pull out, quote, remove, slip out," 樌 (kan, nuki), an outdated kanji meaning "grove," 貫 (kan, tsuranu.ku, nuki, nu.ku) meaning "brace, penetrate, pierce, kan (obsolete unit of measuring weight - equal to 3.75 kg./8.33 lbs... [more]
Watariyo Japanese (Rare)
Variant transcription of Japanese Kanji 濟陽 (see Watariyō).
Watariyō Japanese (Rare)
Variant reading of Japanese Kanji 濟陽 (see Watayō).
Watayo Japanese (Rare)
Variant transcription of Japanese Kanji 済陽 or 濟陽 (see Watayō).
Watayō Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 濟陽 (Watayō), a variant reading of Japanese 濟陽 (Saiyō), from Chinese 濟陽 (Jìyáng) meaning "Jiyang", a town in the county of Xiayi in the city of Shangqiu in the province of Henan in China.... [more]
Waterson English
It is a patronymic of the male given name Water or Walter.
Waterworth English
Means "guard of the water".
Wathers Irish
The surname originated in Donegal, Ireland. MacConuisce was an Anglicized form of o'hUisce. Uisce translates to water in English. Wathers is a rather uncommon name because it is an untraditional way of spelling Waters... [more]
Watney English
Probably means "person from Watney", an unidentified place in England (the second syllable means "island, area of dry land in a marsh"; cf. Rodney, Whitney)... [more]
Watterson Scottish, Northern Irish
From an altered form of the given name Walter.
Watthana Thai
From Thai วัฒนา (watthana), a variant form of วัฒน (watthan) meaning "culture".
Wawrzyszewski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Wawrzyszew.
Wax German, Jewish, English
German and Jewish variant and English cognitive of Wachs, from Middle English wax "wax" (from Old English weax).
Waxman English, German (Americanized), Jewish (Americanized)
Occupational name for a seller or gatherer of beeswax from wax "wax" plus Middle English man "man". According to the Oxford English Dictionary wax-man is an obsolete term for an officer of a trade guild who collected contributions from members for wax candles to be used in processions... [more]
Wayman English
Variant of Wyman and Waitman. Could also be the Americanized version of Wehmann or Weidmann
Waynewright English
Variant spelling of Wainwright.
Waziri Muslim
"Prime minister, Advisor, leader of passion."
Wazowski Popular Culture
The name of the main character in Pixar’s Monster’s Inc. In Polish, it would be pronounced as vazz-OV-skee, instead now replacing all the letter W to make the V sound.
Weakly English
Variant spelling of Weekley.
Weaponsworth English
Means maker of weapons
Webbe English (Rare)
Variant of "Webb", meaning weaver.
Webley English
Habitational name for a person from the civil parish of Weobley in Herefordshire, from the Old English personal name Wiobba and leah "woodland, clearing".
Wechter German
Variant spelling of German Wächter
Weddell Scottish, English
Derived from Wedale, the original name of the parish of Stow in Scotland, possibly composed of Old English weoh "idol, image; temple, sacred place", weod "weed, herb", or wedd "pledge, contract" combined with dæl "dale, valley"... [more]
Wedderburn Scottish
From the name of a location in Berwickshire, Scotland, which is derived from wedder “wether” and Old English burn “stream”.
Wedon English
Variant of Weedon
Wędrogowski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Wędrogów.
Wee Chinese (Hokkien)
Hokkien romanization of Huang.
Weerakkodi Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරක්කොඩි (see Weerakkody).
Weerakkody Sinhalese
From Sanskrit वीर (vīra) meaning "hero, man, brave" combined with Sinhala කොඩිය (koḍiya) meaning "flag, banner" (of Tamil origin)... [more]
Weerakoon Sinhalese
Derived from Sanskrit वीर (vira) meaning "hero, man, brave" combined with Sinhala කෝන් (kon) meaning "king" (of Tamil origin).
Weerarathna Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරරත්න (see Weeraratne).
Weerarathne Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරරත්න (see Weeraratne).
Weeraratna Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරරත්න (see Weeraratne).
Weerasekare Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරසේකර (see Weerasekara).
Weerasekera Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරසේකර (see Weerasekara).
Weerasingha Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරසිංහ (see Weerasinghe).
Weerasooriya Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhalese වීරසූරිය (see Weerasuriya).
Weerawansha Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරවංශ (see Weerawansa).
Weerawardane Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරවර්ධන (see Weerawardana).
Weerawardena Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරවර්ධන (see Weerawardana).
Weerawardene Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරවර්ධන (see Weerawardana).
Weerawardhana Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරවර්ධන (see Weerawardana).
Weerawardhane Sinhalese
Alternate transcription of Sinhala වීරවර්ධන (see Weerawardana).
Weetman English
Older form of Waitman.
Weghorst Dutch, German
Habitational name from a location near Hanover, possibly derived from weg "way, road" and horst "thicket, grove, heap, elevated land" or "nest of a bird of prey, eyrie".
Węglarz Polish
Means "Charcoal burner". Uncommon, mostly popular in voivodship of Małopolska (Lesser Poland) in places like Szczawnica, Kraków or Mszana Dolna.
Wehlburg German (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Possibly derived from German Wehl "pool of water (esp. behind a dyke)" (cognate to Dutch weil "vortex, maelstrom; dyke breach pool") and burg "fortress, citadel".
Wei Chinese
From Chinese 韦 (wéi) referring to the ancient state of Wei that existed in the pre-Qin period in what is now Henan province.
Weide German
Either a topographic name for someone who lived by a conspicuous willow or by a group of willow trees from Middle High German wide "willow"... [more]
Weidemann Medieval German, German (Austrian), Norwegian
Weidemann is a German family name and comes from the Middle High German terms for hunter or woad farmer.... [more]
Weidling German (Austrian)
May refer to the district of Weidling, located in the municipality of Klosterneuburg, which is situated in Lower Austria, near Vienna. A notable person with this surname was Helmuth Weidling, a German general of the Wehrmacht during World War II.
Weil German, Jewish
South German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of various places so named in Baden, Bavaria, and Württemberg, from Latin villa ‘country house’, ‘estate’ (later used of a group of houses forming a settlement).
Weiler German, Jewish
Habitational name from any of several places so named in southern Germany. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Weil.
Weimar German
Habitational name from any of several places called Weimar in Hesse and Thuringia.... [more]
Wein German, Yiddish, Hungarian
Means "grape, vine, wine" in German and Yiddish (װײַנ). According to Nelly Weiss, Wein-style family names originated from signboards (house sign, house shield) in Jewish communities. Wein may also be related the German verb weinen meaning "to cry"... [more]
Weinbach German, Jewish
From the name of a commune in Hesse, Germany.
Weinbrenner German
Occupational name for a distiller of brandy, literally 'wine burner'.
Weingartner German
Derived from German weingärtner meaning "wine maker, vintner", which itself is derived from German weingarten meaning "vineyard". The latter is a composite word consisting of German wein "wine" combined with German garten "garden"... [more]
Weinheimer German
German: habitational name for someone from any of the places named Weinheim, for example in Baden and Hessen.
Weininger German (Swiss), Jewish
Denoted a person from Weiningen, a municipality in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. It is also a Jewish ornamental name derived from German wein meaning "wine" and the suffix -inger.
Weinstein Jewish
Means "wine stone" from German wein meaning "wine" and stein meaning "stone". It originally referred to the potassium bitartrate crystals produced from the process of fermenting grape juice.
Weinstock German, Jewish
English variant of the German surname Wenstock, an occupational name for a producer or seller of wine, from German Weinstock "grapevine" (also compare Wein).... [more]
Weintraub German, Jewish
from Middle High German wintrub "grape" derived from wein "wine" and traub "grape" hence either a metonymic occupational name for a vintner or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by a sign depicting a bunch of grapes.
Weir Irish
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Mhaoir "son of the steward or keeper".
Weir Irish
Anglicized form, based on an erroneous translation (as if from Gaelic cora "weir", "stepping stones"), of various Gaelic names such as Ó Corra (see Corr) and Ó Comhraidhe (see Curry).
Weis German
Variant of Weiss.
Weisenburger German, Jewish
Habitational name for someone from any of numerous places named Weissenburg "white fortress".
Weiser German
Variant of Weise.
Weisfeld German, Jewish
topographic name from a field name composed of Middle High German wiz "white" and feld "open country". Cognate of Whitfield.
Weishaupt German
Nickname for someone with white hair from Middle High German wiz "white" and houbit "head". German cognate of Whitehead.
Weissmann German, Jewish
Means "white man" in German, a variant of Weiss combined with the suffix man.
Weisz Jewish
Hungarian spelling of Weiss.
Weixel German
German: variant spelling of Weichsel, a topographic name for someone who lived near a sour cherry tree (St. Luce cherry), from Middle High German wīhsel (modern German Weichsel(n), pronounced ‘Weiksel’.
Weldin English
Variant of Weldon.
Weldon English
Weldon is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Weldon family lived in Northamptonshire, at Weldon.... [more]
Welk German (East Prussian)
Nickname from Middle High German welc, meaning "soft and mild". The name was first recorded in South Holland, however many of the bearers of the name trace its roots back to East Germany. A famous bearer of this name was Lawrence Welk, an American musician and host of the Lawrence Welk Show.
Welker German
Variant of Walker.
Welland English (British, Rare)
From the name of the place, derived from Old English wig - war and landa - territory, land.
Welles English
Variant of Wells.
Wellington English
Habitational name from any of the three places named Wellington, in Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Somerset. All are most probably named with an unattested Old English personal name Weola + -ing- (implying association with) + tun ‘settlement’.
Wellspeak French (Anglicized)
Anglicized version of Beauparlant.
Welsh Irish
Variant of Walsh.
Welsh Scottish, English
Ethnic name for someone from Wales or a speaker of the Welsh language. Compare Walsh and Wallace.
Welti German (Swiss)
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Walter.
Welton English
Habitational name from any of various places named Welton, for example in Cumbria, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and East Yorkshire, from Old English well(a) ‘spring’, ‘stream’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’.
Welty German (Swiss)
From a Swiss German diminutive of the German given name Walther. A literary bearer was the American writer Eudora Welty (1909-2001).
Wemyss Scottish
From the lands of Wemyss in Fife, which is derived from Gaelic uaimheis "cave place".
Wen Chinese
From Chinese 温 (wēn) meaning "warm", also referring to any of several territories that were called Wen, namely an ancient state that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Wences Slavic
Based on Wenceslaus or Wenceslas, latinized forms of name of Slavic rulers in various forms such as Václav, Wacław, Więcesław, Vyacheslav, Vjenceslav, etc. Derived from the Slavic words veli/vyache/więce/više ("great(er), large(r)"), and slava ("glory, fame")... [more]
Wend German
Variant of Wendt.
Wendt German, Danish
Ethnic name for a Wend, Middle High German wind(e). The Wends (also known as Sorbians) once occupied a large area of northeastern Germany (extending as far west as Lüneburg, with an area called Wendland), and many German place names and surnames are of Wendish origin... [more]
Wenger German, German (Swiss)
The surname Wenger is derived from the Middle High German word "wenger," "meaning "wagoner" or "cartwright."" It was an occupational name given to someone who worked as a wagon maker or driver. Another possible origin is that is derived from the German word, wenge, "meaning field of meadow"
Wennerström Swedish
Combination of the place name element wenner, which is probably derived from the name of Lake Vänern, and Swedish ström "stream".
Wentz German (Rare)
Originally a pet form of the given names Werner and Wenceslaw. Meaning "guard" or "army".
Wentzel German
Variant spelling of Wetzel.
Wenz German
Variant of Wentz
Wenzel German
Variant of Wentzel or from the given name Wenzel
Wepner German
Variant of Wepener.
Werdum German
Werdum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Werfalli Arabic (Maghrebi)
Alternate transcription of Arabic الورفلي (see al-Werfalli).
Wernersson Swedish
Means "son of Werner".
Wernik Polish (Rare)
A diminutive surname created from the initial sound of a personal name, place or thing and diminutive ik suffix added to create a surname. The ik suffix may be commemorative also, meaning a significant event has occured regarding the person or family... [more]
Wero Spanish (Latin American), Maori
Maori: Means "to cast a spear"... [more]
Wertz German
From a pet form of the personal name Werner.
Wesner German
Habitational name for someone from any of several places named Wessen.
Wesson English
Variant of Weston.
Westbroek Dutch
From the name of several towns in the Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch west "west, western" and bruoc "marsh, wetland"... [more]