VenierisGreek The Greek version of the Venetian surname Venier attested in Kythera, where the Venier family ruled on behalf of the Republic of Venice. Originally is thought that the surname derives from Venus.
VenizelosGreek From the baptismal name Benizelos, which is already in existence since the 16th century in Athens. Uncertain etymology, most likely to be of Italian origin, (Bene + angelo, the good angel, ie Evangelos)... [more]
VenkataramanIndian From Sanskrit venkạteša ‘lord of Venkata hill’, an epithet of the god Vishnu (from venkạta ‘name of the hill’ + īša‘lord’).
VenkateshIndian, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada Means "lord of Venkata", from Venkata, the name of a hill in southern India (see Venkata), combined with Sanskrit ईश (īśa) meaning "lord, master, husband" (see Isha).
VentrisEnglish Probably from a medieval nickname for a bold or slightly reckless person (from a reduced form of Middle English aventurous "venturesome"). It was borne by British architect and scholar Michael Ventris (1922-1956), decipherer of the Mycenaean Greek Linear B script.
VenzorMexican Northern Mexican surname, possibly of Native American origin.
VerdeItalian, Spanish, Portuguese From Spanish verde "green" (Latin viridis), presumably a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in this color or had green eyes, etc. This is also a common element of place names.
VerdéFrench Possibly a Gallicized form of the Italian and Spanish surname Verde.
VerdejoSpanish Habitational name from any of the places so called.
VerdierFrench, Norman, English Occupational name for a forester. Derived from Old French verdier (from Late Latin viridarius, a derivative of viridis "green"). Also an occupational name for someone working in a garden or orchard, or a topographic name for someone living near one... [more]
VerhofstadtDutch, Flemish Means "from the farmstead" or "from the homestead" in Dutch. A notable bearer is the Flemish politician Guy Verhofstadt (1953-), a Prime Minister of Belgium.
VerkuilenDutch, Flemish Reduced form of van der Kuylen, a topographic name derived from kuil "pit, quarry, hole in the ground", or a habitational name for someone from Kuil in East Flanders or Kuilen in Limburg.
VerlaineFrench, French (Belgian) Habitational name for someone from Verlaine in the province of Liège, Belgium. Paul Verlaine was a noted bearer.
VermilionScottish From the name of the bright red color that is halfway betweed red and orange.
VermillionEnglish Differential spelling of Vermilion. Meaning of the name is a red pigment derived from Mercury Sulfide (cinnabar). The name originally was developed because of the dyes similar color to the natural dye developed with the insect Kermes Vermilio.
VerneFrench, English As a French surname refers to someone who lived where alder trees grew. While the English version can mean someone who lived where ferns grew, Verne can also mean a seller of ferns which in medieval times were used in bedding, as floor coverings and as animal feed.
VernierFrench Surname for a person who lived near an alder tree. Also a variant of Garnier 1 and Varnier and the eastern French form of Warner.
VernikovmRussian From Russian верник (vernik), meaning "believer", usually in the context of religion due to the term вера (vera) "faith, belief, trust" which is often associated with religion.
VéronFrench There are three etymologies possible for this surname: which one applies, will vary per Véron family, as the meaning depends on the personal history of the original bearer of their surname.... [more]
VerranCornish Perhaps means "person from Treverran", Cornwall (from Cornish tre "farmstead" with an unknown second element), or "person from Veryan", Cornwall ("church of St Symphorian").
VerroneItalian Italian: probably a nickname from an augmentative form of verro ‘boar’.
VerwoerdDutch Means "from the man-made hill", derived from Dutch woerd meaning "man-made hill", indicating someone who lived near or on terps (artificial dwelling mounds created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides or flooding)... [more]
VesiloikEstonian Vesiloik is an Estonian surname meaning "water puddle/a small pool of water."
VestinSwedish Combination of Swedish väst "west" and the common surname suffix -in.
VetterGerman from a nickname from Middle High German veter(e) ‘uncle’, ‘nephew’. The word is from Old High German fetiro (a derivative of fater ‘father’), which was used more generally to denote various male relatives; the meaning of modern German Vetter is ‘cousin’.
VeyeraPortuguese (Modern) Originated in East Providence, RI about 1900 variation of the common Vieira portuguese surname.
ViVietnamese Vietnamese form of Wei, from Sino-Vietnamese 韋 (vi).
VianneyFrench The surname in origin is a variant of Viennet, a diminutive of Vien, a short form of Vivien 1. A famous bearer is Jean-Marie Vianney (1786-1859), a French saint.
VicaryEnglish (British) There are a number of theories as to the origins of the name, Spanish sailors shipwrecked after the Armada and French Huguenots fleeing the Revolution are two of the more romantic ones. It is more likely to have come as someone associated with the church - the vicar, who carried out the pastoral duties on behalf of the absentee holder of a benefice... [more]
ViceEnglish May come from "devise", an Old French word that means "dweller at the boundary". It may also derive a number of place names in England, or be a variant of Vise.
VidegainSpanish Videgain is a surname. It is of Basque origin language with the form Bidegain. Videgain is considered a Spanish surname because the letter V does not exist in the Basque alphabet. It extended through the Iberian peninsula following the Reconquista, where different forms of the name developed and houses were founded with the differentiation of Videgáin, Bidegain, Videgaín... [more]
VieiraEnglish (Anglicized) A surname of British origin mainly from Ireland and Scotland but Anglicised into and english name when many Vieira's immigrated to England.
VierlingGerman Derived from Middle High German vierlinc meaning "one-fourth of a measure", hence a status name or nickname for someone who had an annual tax liability of this amount.
VietmeyerGerman German: distinguishing name for a tenant farmer who was a tenant of or owed some obligation to an estate or monastery named for Saint Veith.
VieuFrench From a place called Vieu in Ain from Latin vicus "village". French cognitive of Vico.
VighHungarian Variant of Vig, a surname derived from Hungarian víg "happy, cheerful".
VignolaItalian habitational name from any of various minor places so named from vignola "small vineyard".
VignoneItalian Probably an augmented form of Vigna "vineyard", or derived from the name of a town in Piedmont, Italy, named with the same etymology. Alternatively, could be a nickname for someone from Avignon, a city in France.
VihurEstonian Vihur is an Estonian surname meaning "whirlwind" or "gust of wind".
ViimneEstonian Viimne is an Estonian surname meaning "the very last" and "the last of".
ViirmaaEstonian Viirmaa is an Estonian surname derived from "viir" meaning both "sea swallow" and "varved" (annual layer of sediment or sedimentary rock) and "maa" ("land").
VillaquiránSpanish It indicates familial origin within either of 2 municipalities: Villaquirán de los Infantes or Villaquirán de la Puebla.
VillardGalician, Portuguese A Galician and Portuguese surname in the north of Iberian Peninsula. It's a last name belonging to ancient Celtic tribes.
VillardGerman Altered form of German Hilgard, from the female personal name Hildegard, composed of the Germanic elements hild "strife, battle" and gard "fortress, stronghold".
VillardFrench French cognate of Vilar. A topographic name denoting an inhabitant of a hamlet; or a habitational name from (Le) Villard the name of several places in various parts of France... [more]
VillarrealSpanish Habitational name from any of various places called Villarreal (or Villareal), derived from Spanish villa meaning "farm, town, settlement" and real meaning "royal".
VillarrubiaSpanish Spanish: habitational name from Villarrubia (Córdoba) Villarrubia de los Ojos (Ciudad Real) or Villarrubia de Santiago (Toledo) so named from villa '(outlying) farmstead (dependent) settlement' (see Villa ) + rubia 'light red'.
VillarruelSpanish Cognate of Villa with the second element of unexplained etymology. Compare Villarroel.
VillasanteSpanish This indicates familial origin within the eponymous neighborhood of the Castilian municipality of Merindad de Montija.
VillaseñorGalician (Hispanicized) Habitational name, apparently a Castilianized spelling of Galician Vilseñor, from any of three places in Lugo province named Vilaseñor.
VillasurdaGerman Villasurda is a Germanic name dating back to the time of the Vikings. It, roughly translated from a Norse word, means, "the one who is fat."
VinhalEnglish Basically a character of a fictional story of my own creation before it ever gets published as I believe Vinhal should be pronounced as Vine-hall unlike what the idotic google translate says.
ViniegraSpanish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Riojan municipalities in the Comarca of Anguiano: Viniegra de Arriba or Viniegra de Abajo.
VioletteFrench Perhaps a topographic name from a diminutive of viol "path", itself a derivative of vie "way". It is more likely, however, that this name is from the secondary surname Laviolette "the violet (flower)", which was common among soldiers in French Canada.
ViramontesSpanish Viramontes is composed of the elements "mira" and "montes," two Spanish words with the combined meaning of "place with a view of the mountains."
VirayFilipino, Tagalog, Pampangan, Pangasinan Occupational name derived from Tagalog, Pampangan and Pangasinan biray referring to a type of small, flat-bottomed rowing boat.
VirkPunjabi From the name of the founder of the clan, a Rajput named Virak.
VirtueEnglish Used as a name for someone who had played the part of Virtue in a medieval mystery play, or as a nickname for someone noted for their virtuousness or (sarcastically) for someone who parades their supposed moral superiority.
VirtuosoItalian Means "virtuous, upright" or "skilful" in Italian, as well as "virtuoso, master (of a musical instrument)".
ViruEstonian Viru is an Estonian surname derived from Virumaa, a former county in Estonian now comprised of Ida-Viru and Lääne-Viru Counties.
ViscardiItalian patronymic or plural form of Viscardo a variant of the personal name Guiscardo itself from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements wisa "wise" and hard "hardy strong"... [more]
ViscontiItalian From the Italian noble title visconte "viscount", itself from medieval Latin vice comes, a title of rank meaning "deputy of a count; sheriff". In most cases it was a nickname for a servant or soldier employed by a viscount, or for someone who acted like a viscount, but unusually, in some cases it was used as a literal occupational name for someone with the title of viscount, with at least two Italian noble families bearing the name during the Middle Ages... [more]
VišneviškasLithuanian This indicates familial origin within the Belarusian agrotown of Víšneva, which was originally Lithuanian & under the name of ''Višnevas''.
VitkusLithuanian From a pet form of the personal name Vytautas (a compound of vyti ‘to guide’ + tauta ‘the people’).
VittoneItalian Probably an augmentative form of the given name Vitto, which can be a variant of Vito 1 (from Latin vita "life"), derive from the Germanic name Wido, or be a shortened form of names ending with -vitto, such as Salvitto or Iacovitto.
VivancoSpanish This indicates familial origin within the Castilian locality of Vivanco de Mena.
VivarSpanish, History From the village of Vivar, later renamed Vivar del Cid, nowadays part of Quintanilla Vivar located near Burgos, Castile and León, Spain.... [more]
ViveashEnglish English surname of uncertain origin. May be Anglo-Norman from French vivace meaning "lively, vigorous", however its pronunciation has led to its connection to various places in southern England called Five Ash Trees.
VladiCzech Czech, Slovak, and Romanian: from a short form of the personal name Vladislav, an old Slavic name composed of the elements volod ‘rule’ + slav ‘glory’, Latinized as Ladislaus and found in Hungarian as László ( see Laszlo ).
Vogt Von BremenMedieval German Toponymic variant of Vogt. Bearers of this surname descend from the Grafen von Katlenburg and Grafen von Lies und Rittigau.
Vogt Von FormbachMedieval German Toponymic variant of Vogt. Bearers of this surname descend from the Grafen von Reinhausen-Winzenburg and Grafen von Radelberg. Members of this comital family also use the surnames Vogt von Formbach und Stift and Vogt von Formbach und Göttweih.
Vogt Von FreisingMedieval German Toponymic variant of Vogt. Bearers of this surname descend from the Grafen von Scheyern and Grafen von Schweinfurt.
Vogt Von HachenburgMedieval German Toponymic variant of Vogt. Members of this noble family also used the surnames Vogt von Westerburg und Hachenburg, Vogt von Hachenburg und Blankenburg, and Vogt von Elsaff.
Vogt Von HeselholtMedieval German Toponymic variant of Vogt meaning Lord Protector of Hazelwood. Bearers of this surname descend from the Edelherren Vögte von Heselholt.
Vogt Von HunolsteinMedieval German Toponymic variant of Vogt. Members also use the surname Vogt de Hunolstein. This noble family split into several lines to include the older and younger lines and the Vogt de Hunolstein de Niederwiesen.
Vogt Von SumerauMedieval German Toponymic variant of Vogt. Members of this baronial family also use the surnames Vogt zu Sumerau, Vogt von Sumerau zu Leupolz, Vogt von Altensumerau und Prasberg, and Vogt von Alten-Summerau zu Prasberg.
Vogt Von WeidaMedieval German Toponymic variant of Vogt. This noble family split into several lines to include Weida, Gera, and Plauen. The Princes of Reuss descend from the Plauen line.