UpchurchEnglish habitational name from a place called as "the high church" or possibly the higher of two churches from Middle English up "up high higher" and chirche "church" (Old English upp and cirice)... [more]
UppadathilMalayalam From Old Malayalam uppadam (sea), lit. "from over the Arabian sea," referring to the descendants of a group of Arab traders who settled in Kerala. Predominantly Muslim, although sizeable sections have branched away and practice Hinduism... [more]
UpshurEnglish Most probably an altered spelling of English Upshire, a habitational name from Upshire in Essex, named with Old English upp "up" and scir "district". Alternatively, it may be a variant of Upshaw.
UrainBasque It indicates familial origin in the vicinity of the eponymous tower house in the municipality of Oñati.
UrarakaPopular Culture In the case of the character Ochako (Ochaco) Uraraka (麗日 お茶子) from 'My Hero Academia', her surname is made up of the adjective 麗らか (uraraka) meaning "bright, clear, beautiful, glorious" and 日 (ka) meaning "day."
UrbinoSicilian, Italian Possibly from the name of an Italian town. Could also be from Sicilian urbu or orbu, meaning "blind", in which case it may refer to literal blindness, or a more metaphorical "blind to one's sins", especially in the case of foundlings.
UrdanegiBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the town of Gordexola in Biscay, Basque Country, probably related to Basque urdandegi "pigsty, pig pen".
UriondoBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Zeberio, Spain, derived from Basque uri "town, city" and -ondo "next to, adjacent".
UrkelEnglish (American) This is the surname of character Steven Quincy Urkel (referred to mononymously as Urkel) from the American sitcom Family Matters, where he is played by Jaleel White. In season 5, Urquelle is used as a variant spelling of Urkel and detonates Steven's less nerdy alter ego... [more]
UrkiagaBasque From the name of the northernmost hill and mountain pass in Navarre, derived from Basque urki "birch tree" and -aga "place of, group of".
UrritzolaBasque (Rare) From the names of either of two villages in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque urritz "hazel tree" combined with either ola "hut, cabin" or the suffix -ola "location, place of".
UrtiagaBasque It indicates familial origin near the eponymous cave in the municipality of Deba.
UrtsuaBasque (Rare, Archaic) From the name of a mountain in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, derived from Basque ur "water" and -tzu "plenty of".
UrusovRussian From Slavic urush which means "warrior". This was the surname of a noble family in Russia.
UrzędowskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish town of Urzędów.
UsSlovene (Rare) Us is a Slovene Surname which in itself is a shortened version of the House Name Ušič,Meaning Son of Us. The surname may be linked the the slovene word Oves, which translates to "Oats", and may have been an occupational surname referring to someone who farmed Oats and or grains.
UsaiItalian Possibly from the name of the former village Usani, or alternately, from Sardinian uscare "to burn, to scorch".
UsecheBasque Habitational name from Basque Usaetxe, composed of uso "dove, pigeon" and etxe "house, home, building".
UsɛidBerber Patronymic from the personal name Saïd; the name is of Arabic origin. Also a habitational name from various places with Sɛid in the name... [more]
UseltonEnglish Perhaps a variant of Osselton, a habitational name from a lost or unidentified place, probably in northeastern England, where this name is most common.
UshisawaJapanese From 牛 (ushi) meaning "cow, bull, ox, 2nd sign of the Chinese zodiac" and 澤 or 沢 (sawa) meaning "marsh, swamp".
UshishimaJapanese Ushi means "cow, bull, ox, second sign of the Chinese zodiac" and shima means "island".
UshiyamaJapanese From Japanese 牛 (ushi) meaning "cow" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill". Ushiyama is an area in the city of Kasugai, Japan.
UskoRusyn, Slovak Slovak-Rusyn (Suško): hypocoristic derivative of an adjective (see Suchý) meaning ‘dry’ (as a topographic name) or, when applied to people, ‘thin, lean, meager’.... [more]
UtechGerman From Middle Low German ūt-echtisch ‘outsider’, a term denoting someone who was not a member of a particular guild.
UtneNorwegian In Norwegian, probably has some pre-Germanic elements (i.e. before approx. 200 CE). Other place-names in the area also has an element of pre-Germanic and unknown origins. It has been suggested that it derives from "Út-tún", meaning the hamlet or farmstead that is "out"
UtsarEstonian Utsar is an Estonian surname, possibly a truncated variant of "Kutsar", meaning "coachman".
UtsugiJapanese Utsugi can be written in 15 ways, them being: 宇ツ木, 宇次, 宇津城, 宇津木, 宇都城, 宇都木, 卯都木, 卯木, 空木, 槍, 打木, 梼木, 楊盧木, 擣木, 棯. The 宇津木 and 打木 are also place names while 空木 is also a female given name... [more]
ÜttEstonian Ütt is an Estonian surname (loosely) meaning "vocative"; a "word of address'' or "exclamatory address".
UuehendrikEstonian Uuehendrik is an Estonian surname meaning "new Hendrik (a masculine given name)". Probably derived from the offspring of a Hendrik junior.
UwemIbibio, Efik, Anang Meaning "Life". It originates from the Efik, Ibibio and Anang tribes of Cross River state, Nigeria which has now been divided with the Ibibios and Anang people in the newly formed Akwa Ibom state. Other variations of the name are: Uwemedimo meaning "life is wealth" and Nkereuwem meaning "my name is life"
UysAfrikaans Of uncertain origin and meaning. Theories include an Afrikaans variant of Huijs which seems to have developed into Uijs and finally into Uys.
UytdehaageDutch Means "from The Hague", a city in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It could also mean "from the hedge". Both etymologies are derived from Dutch uit meaning "out, of, from" and Middle Dutch hage meaning "hedge, bush"... [more]
UzakiJapanese, Popular Culture From Japanese, 宇 (u) meaning "world, universe, space" combined with 崎 (zaki) meaning "cape, peninsula". A fictional bearer of this surname is Hana Uzaki (宇崎 花) from Uzaki~chan Wants to Hang Out! (宇崎ちゃんは遊びたい！).
UzarskiPolish Either means "nobility" or "servant of nobility"
UzhakhovIngush (Russified) Russified form of an Ingush surname derived the name of an Ingush teip (clan). The clan's name is possibly derived from a given name, in turn possibly from an Ingush word meaning "bold, strong".
UzzoItalian, Sicilian, Calabrian Some characteristic forenames: Italian Ignazio, Gasper, Nunzio, Salvatore, Santo, Vito.... [more]
VaamondeSpanish Variant of the habitational surname Bahamonde, from one of the Galician places called Baamonde (earlier written Bahamonde) in the province of Lugo most probably Santiago de Baamonde (Begonte).
VadelovIngush (Russified) Russified form of an Ingush family name, which is from the name of an Ingush teip (clan) which is of disputed origin, possibly derived from Ingush да (da) meaning "father", Arabic وَعْد (waʿd) meaning "promise" (through Turkish vaat), or from the hypothetical name Vadel derived from Lezgin вад (vad) meaning "five" (hypothetically given to the fifth-born child of a family).
VadénSwedish Combination of Swedish place name element vad which in most cases mean "ford, place for wading", and the common surname suffix -én.
VaderGerman (Rare) From Middle Low German vader meaning ‘father’, ‘senior’; in the Middle Ages this was used a term of address for someone who was senior in rank or age.
VærnesNorwegian Værnes is a village in the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county in Mid-Norway. The original spelling of the village's name was Vannes and it is a combination of var "calm, quiet" and nes "headland"... [more]
VagulaEstonian From the name of a village and a lake in Võru Parish, Võru County in southern Estonia. Possibly derived from vagu "furrow, groove" and the locative suffix -la.
ValderramaSpanish Habitational name from any of the places named Valderrama, as for example in Burgos province.
ValderramaSpanish This 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.
ValdiviaSpanish Topographic 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]
ValenEnglish, Scottish English 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]
ValenzuelaSpanish Habitational name from places named Valenzuela in Córdoba and Ciudad Real. The place name is a diminutive of Valencia, literally "little Valencia".
ValeraSpanish Habitational name from either of two places in Spain named Valera.
ValetteFrench Topographic name for someone who lived in a small valley, from a diminutive of Old French valee meaning "valley".
ValezSpanish I think it is of Spanish Background possibly meaning 'Soldier' or 'Guard'. ... [more]
ValiSpanish, Italian (Swiss), Arabic This 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.)... [more]
VallanceEnglish Means "person from Valence", southeastern France (probably "place of the brave").
ValleSpanish, Filipino, Italian Habitational name from any of the many places named with valle "valley", or topographic name for someone who lived in a valley (Latin vallis).
ValléeFrench topographic 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]
ValleraFrench French: 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.
ValletFrench, English French 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".
VallieGerman Probably 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.
VallinSwedish Derived from either Latin vallis "valley" or Swedish vall "wall, pasture, field of grass".
VallmitjanaCatalan From the name of a valley near the town of Taradell in Catalonia, Spain, composed of Catalan vall meaning "valley" and mitjana "middle, middle-sized".
VälloEstonian Vällo is an Estonian surname, possibly a corruption of "väli" meaning "field" and "plain".
ValmoridaFilipino, Cebuano Means "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).
ValoisFrench topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, or a habitational name from any of the various places called Vallois, or regional name from the district in northern France so called, which was once an independent duchy... [more]
ValsecchiItalian Denoting someone from the former municipality of Valsecca in Lombardy.
VanChinese (Russified) Russified form of Wang 1 used by ethnic Chinese living in parts of the former Soviet Union.
Van AanholtDutch Means "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 AgtDutch Means "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 BarneveldDutch Means "from Barneveld", a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland.
van BeethovenFlemish Means "from the beet fields", a variant of Beethoven. A famous bearer of this name was German Clasical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).
Van BlankenbergGerman, Belgian, Dutch Means "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 BommelDutch Means "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 BoxtelDutch Means "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 BreukelenDutch Means "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 BrinkDutch Means "from the village green", from Dutch brink "village green, town square, edge of a field or hill".
Van BrocklinDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of Van Breukelen. A notable bearer of this surname was the American football player, coach and executive Norman Mack Van Brocklin (1926-1983), also known as "The Dutchman".
Van BronckhorstDutch Means "from Bronckhorst", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, itself derived from Dutch brink meaning "village green, edge, slope" and horst meaning "overgrown elevated place" or "higher located brushwood"... [more]
VandalEnglish (Rare) A English word meaning "someone who willfully destroys or defaces property",and a member of ancient Germanic tribes.
Van De KerkhofDutch Means "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 LeestDutch, Flemish Derived 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 den HurkDutch From any of several place names derived from the element hornik "corner".
Van Den OeverDutch Means "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 VondelDutch Means "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).
VandeputteFlemish Means "from the pit, of the well", from Middle Dutch putte "pit, well".
Van DerDutch Possibly 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 LeijDutch Derived 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 MerweDutch, South African Means "from the Merwe", Merwe being an older form of Merwede, the name of a river in the Netherlands. It derives from meri "lake, sea" and widu "wood"... [more]
VanderpanDutch From Dutch van der Pan meaning "from the pan", possibly referring to a location that resembled the shape of a pan.
Van der PlasDutch Means "from the pool" in Dutch, derived from plas "pool, puddle, pond; body of stagnant water".
Van der PloegDutch Means "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 SpekDutch Habitational name derived from Middle Dutch specke "log dam, bridge of tree trunks, road through a marshy area".
Van Der SteenDutch, Flemish Means "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 ZandenDutch Means "from the sand", most likely given to someone who lived near sandy grounds. It originated in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.
Van DeusenDutch (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... [more]
Van De WeteringDutch Means "from the drainage channel", from Dutch wetering "canal, waterway, drainage channel" or the name of a town using it as an element.
Van DishoeckDutch Means "from Dishoek", the name of both a small village and a neighbourhood in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. Their names mean "corner of a levee, corner of the dike" in Dutch.
Van DoornDutch Means "of the thorns", a topographic name for someone who lived near thorn bushes, or in a settlement named after them.
Van DrielDutch Means "from Driel" in Dutch, referring to either the village Driel or any of several other settlements containing driel as an element... [more]
Van DyneDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of Dutch Van Duijne, a habitational name from any of several locations in the Netherlands name Duin or Duinen, derived from the element duin "dune".
Van EgmondDutch Means "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 EssenDutch Means "from Essen" in Dutch, the name of a German city possibly derived from Old High German asc "ash tree".
Van EyckDutch It means "of the oak", Eyck is a different, more archaic spelling of the word "eik" which means oak.
VangardeFrench "(A soldier) in the leading edge of an army formation"
Van GeelkerkenDutch, Flemish Means "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 GelderDutch Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from/of Guelders", a county and later duchy in the Low Countries.
Van GemertDutch Means "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 GentDutch Means "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 GilsDutch Means "from Gilze" in Dutch, a village in North Brabant, Netherlands. Possibly derived from a cognate of Old Norse gil "gap, ravine, gully".
Van GinkelDutch Means "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 GoolDutch Means "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 GriekenDutch Means "of Greeks", derived from Dutch Griek "Greek (person)".
Van HalenDutch Habitational 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 HanegemDutch, Flemish Means "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 HarenDutch Means "from Haren" in Dutch, the name of several settlements derived from haar "sandy ridge".
Van HeijningenDutch Means "from Heijningen", a small village in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands, itself derived from Middle Dutch heyninge meaning "enclosure, fence, ditch".
Van HeldenDutch Means "from Helden" in Dutch, the name of a village in Limburg, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch helde "slope, incline".
Van HelmondDutch Means "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 HelmontBelgian, Dutch Possibly 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 HelsingDutch (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 HeukelomDutch, Belgian Denoted someone from any of several places Heukelom or similar, derived from Old Dutch *hukila "hill, elevated place" and hem "home, settlement".
Van HeutszDutch (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.
Van HonstéFlemish Means "from Honsté", Honsté possibly being the name of a village in Belgium.
Van HooijdonkDutch Means "from Hooidonk", a small village in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Dutch hoog meaning "high, elevated" and donk meaning "(sandy) hill". Dutch former soccer player Pierre van Hooijdonk (1969-) bears this name.
Van IerselDutch Habitational name from the town of Eersel in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from the Old Dutch personal name *Ari combined with lo "forest clearing, light forest".
Van IersselDutch Variant of Van Iersel. A famous bearer is the former Dutch soccer player Kees van Ierssel (1945-).
Van LaarhovenDutch Means "from Laarhoven", the name of towns in the Netherlands. The place names derive from Dutch laar meaning "open spot in the forest" and hoven meaning "farmstead".