WeldonEnglish 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]
WelfordEnglish From any of the various places in England, all derived from Old English wille "well, spring, stream" or welig "willow" and ford "ford".
WelkGerman (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.
WellingtonEnglish 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’.
WeltonEnglish 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’.
WeltyGerman (Swiss) From a Swiss German diminutive of the German given name Walther. A literary bearer was the American writer Eudora Welty (1909-2001).
WemyssScottish From the lands of Wemyss in Fife, which is derived from Gaelic uaimheis "cave place".
WenChinese 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.
WencesSlavic 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]
WendtGerman, 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]
WengerGerman, 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"
WennerströmSwedish Combination of the place name element wenner, which is probably derived from the name of Lake Vänern, and Swedish ström "stream".
WentzGerman (Rare) Originally a pet form of the given names Werner and Wenceslaw. Meaning "guard" or "army".
WernikPolish (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]
WestburyEnglish English British surname originating as a place name. There are several Westbury villages, parishes and even Manors across England that have given the name Westbury to people who take up residence in or come from those places... [more]
WestdykeEnglish Name given to someone who lived on the west side of a dyke.
WestenEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from any of numerous places named Weston, from Old English west 'west' + tun 'enclosure', 'settlement'. English: variant of Whetstone.
WestenraLiterature The name is originated from a term meaning 'Lights from the West'. The name could be given to someone who is born in the west. This was the surname of a character in the novel Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker.
WesterGerman From Middle High German wëster ‘westerly’, hence a topographic name for someone who lived to the west of a settlement, or a regional name for one who had migrated from further west.
WestergrenSwedish Combination of Swedish väster "western" and gren "branch".
WestermanEnglish Topographical surname for someone who lived west of a settlement or someone who had moved to the west, from Old English westerne meaning "western" and mann meaning "man, person".
WestermannLow German From Middle Low German wester meaning "westerly" and man meaning "man", making it a topographic surname for someone who lived west of a settlement or a regional surname for someone who had moved to the west... [more]
WestlingSwedish Combination of Swedish väst "west" and the common surname suffix -ling. A notable bearer is Prince Daniel (b. 1973), husband of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
WestmorelandEnglish Habitational name from the former county of Westmorland, from Old English folk name Westmoringas "people from the west of the moors" and land.
WestoverEnglish Habitational name from Westover in Somerset and the Isle of Wight or Westovers in Sussex. The former two are both named with Old English west "west" and ofer "ridge" or ōfer "bank"... [more]
WestropEnglish (British) Viking name local to Somerset and several counties in the North East of England. Approximate meaning "place to the west of the village with the church".
WestwoodEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from any of numerous places named Westwood, from Old English west "west" and wudu "wood".
WetzsteinGerman Either a metonymic occupational name for a knife grinder from Middle High German wetzstein "whetstone", A habitational name from a lost place called Wetzstein near Emmendingen, or a topographic name from a field name for example Wezstein near Esslingen... [more]
WhaleyEnglish From the name of the village of Whaley and the town of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, or the village of Whalley in Lancashire, England. It is derived from Old English wælla meaning "spring, stream" and leah meaning "woodland clearing".
WhalleyEnglish Variant form of Whaley. A famous bearer is the English actress Joanne Whalley (1961-).
WhangKorean Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 황 (see Hwang).
WhatleyEnglish From any of the various places in England named with Old English hwæte "wheat" and leah "woodland clearing".
WhinerayEnglish Means "person from Whinneray", Cumbria, or "person who lives in a nook of land growing with gorse" (in either case from Old Norse hvin "whin, gorse" + vrá "nook of land"). It was borne by New Zealand rugby player Sir Wilson Whineray (1935-2012).
WhippetEnglish Possibly used as a nickname from the early 17th century English word whippet, meaning "to move briskly". A type of sighthound bears this name.
WhippleEnglish English surname of uncertain meaning. It might be a shortened form of “whippletree”; an early name for the dogwood. It may also be a variation of Whipp – an early surname for someone who carried out judicial punishments.
WhitbreadEnglish Either a metonymic occupational name from Middle English whitbred "white bread" or whetebred "wheat bread" denoting someone who baked or sold bread of the best quality made from wheat... [more]
WhitbyEnglish English surname which was from either of two place names, that of a port in North Yorkshire (which comes from the Old Norse elements hvítr "white" (or Hvíti, a byname derived from it) combined with býr "farm") or a place in Cheshire (from Old English hwit "white" (i.e., "stone-built") and burh "fortress").
WhitehallEnglish From the name of any of several locations in England, derived from Old English hwit "white" and halh "nook, corner", or sometimes heall "hall, manor".
WhitelawScottish Habitational name from any of various places in Scotland so-called, derived from Old English hwit "white" and hlaw "mound, small hill".
WhitfieldEnglish It is locational from any or all of the places called Whitfield in the counties of Derbyshire, Kent, Northamptonshire and Northumberland, or from the villages called Whitefield in Lancashire, the Isle of Wight and Gloucestershire.
WhitgiftEnglish Means "person from Whitgift", Yorkshire ("Hvítr's dowry"). This surname was borne by Anglican churchman John Whitgift (?1530-1604), archbishop of Canterbury 1583-1604 (in addition, Whitgift School is an independent day school for boys in South Croydon, founded in 1595 by John Whitgift; and Whitgift Centre is a complex of shops and offices in the middle of Croydon, Greater London, on a site previously occupied by Whitgift School).
WhitleyEnglish This surname is derived from a place name composed of Old English elements hwit meaning "white" and leah meaning "clearing, grove."
WhitlockEnglish Nickname for someone with white or fair hair, from Middle English whit ‘white’ + lock ‘tress’, ‘curl’. Compare Sherlock. ... [more]
WhitmanEnglish From Middle English whit ‘white’ + man ‘man’, either a nickname with the same sense as White, or else an occupational name for a servant of a bearer of the nickname White.... [more]
WhitmarshEnglish English habitational name from Whitemarsh, a place in the parish of Sedgehill, Wiltshire, named from Old English hwit ‘white’ (i.e. ‘phosphorescent’) + mersc ‘marsh’. Compare Whitmore.
WhitterEnglish Occupational name for someone who painted structures white or a caulker or bleacher, from an agent derivative of Old English hwitian "to whiten", itself from hwit "white".
WhittleseyEnglish A habitational surname for someone from Whittlesey, an ancient market town in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire in England. The town's name is derived from an unattested Old English personal name Wittel (or Witil), an occupational name given to a moneyer, and the Old English eg, meaning "island", also used to describe a piece of firm land in a fen... [more]
WhittumFrench (Rare) Altered form of French Vieuxtemps: apparently a nickname meaning literally ‘old-time’. The surname Vieuxtemps is very rare in France; it is, however, also found in Belgium.
WibergSwedish Combination of Old Norse víðr "forest, wood" (probably taken from a place name) and Swedish berg "mountain".
WibowoChinese (Indonesian) Indonesianized form of Chinese surnames such as Huang (黃). Surnames like these were instituted during the New Order era (1966–1998) in Indonesia due to social and political pressure toward Chinese Indonesians.
WicherekPolish, English Means "a light, gentle breeze", or figuratively, "an unruly strand of hair". It is a diminutive of the Polish word wicher, "strong wind".
WickEnglish, German English: topographic name for someone who lived in an outlying settlement dependent on a larger village, Old English wic (Latin vicus), or a habitational name from a place named with this word, of which there are examples in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Worcestershire... [more]
WickershamEnglish A habitational surname that originates from a lost medieval site or village of Norse origins.... [more]
WidmanSwedish Meaning uncertain. Perhaps a combination of Old Swedish viþr "wood, forest" or vid "wide" and man "man". It is also possible, though less likely, that it is a re-spelling of Vikman, where the first element is Swedish vik "bay".
WiegelGerman From a pet form of any of the various Germanic personal names beginning with the element wig 'battle', 'war'.
WiemannLow German Variant of Weinmann, from Middle Low German, Middle High German winman ‘viticulturalist’, ‘wine merchant’. Variant of Wiedemann... [more]
WienerGerman Derived from German Wiener meaning "inhabitant of Vienna". The Austrian capital city is known as Wien in German.
WiensGerman Patronymic from a short form of an ancient Germanic compound personal name beginning with wini "friend".
WiersmaWest Frisian Can be a patronymic form of the given name Wier, a contracted form of Wieger (see also Wiro), or a toponymic surname from West Frisian wier "artificial hill, dwelling mound", a cognate of English weir and Dutch wierde.
WiesenthalGerman Habitational name from any of various places called Wiesent(h)al.
WieslanderSwedish Combination of an unexplained first element and the common surname suffix -lander.
WiesnerGerman German: habitational name for someone from a place called Wiesen, or topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, a derivative of Middle High German wise ‘meadow’.
WiggsEnglish (British) The surname Wiggs was first found in Leicestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, at Lennerlyde. This interesting name has two possible origins. The first being a metonymic occupational name for a maker of wedge-shaped bread, from the Medieval English "Wigge" meaning "wedge-shaped"... [more]
WightmanEnglish "Wight" in Anglo-saxon could refer to a "soul," a "being," or to "courage." It is similar to the different meanings of the words "spirit" and "spirited." ... [more]
WiibaruOkinawan The Okinawan language reading of its kanji, 上原 meaning "upper plain" or 植原 meaning "planted plain".
WijesiriSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit विजय (vijaya) meaning "victory" and श्री (shri) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty".
WijesiriwardanaSinhalese Derived from Sanskrit विजय (vijaya) meaning "victory" combined with श्री (shri) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty" and वर्धन (vardhana) meaning "increasing, strengthening, growing".
WijnaldumFrisian, Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese) From Wijnaldum, the name of a village within the city of Harlingen in northwest Friesland in the Netherlands, derived from the given name Winald combined with Old Frisian hēm meaning "home, settlement"... [more]
WilbrahamEnglish Denoted a person hailing from Wilbraham in Cambridgeshire, England. The place name itself means "Wilburg's homestead or estate" in Old English, Wilburg or Wilburga allegedly referring to a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon princess who was given the lands later called Wilbraham by her father, King Penda of Mercia.
WilburnEnglish A habitation name of uncertain origin found in the East Midlands. Speculation includes the possibility of the meaning "well" and "burn, borne" therefore meaning one who lived near a well or spring by a waterway crossing.
WildfongGerman An Americanized form of German Wildfang. A nickname from Middle High German Wiltvanc "Wildman Stranger", denoting a person who was not a member of the community.
WildinEnglish The former placename is composed of the Olde English pre 7th Century words "wilg", willow, and "denu", a valley; while the latter place in Worcestershire is derived from the Olde English personal name "Winela", plus the Olde English "dun", a hill or mountain.
WildingEnglish, German Either an English name from a Middle English survival of unattested Old English Wilding a derivative of wilde "wild" used both as a personal name and as a nickname; or a German patronymic name from Wilto a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name beginning with wildi "wild".
WilewskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Wilewo.
WilfordEnglish habitational name from either of two places called Wilford in Nottinghamshire and Suffolk both probably named with an Old English welig "willow" and Old English ford "ford".
WilgarIrish An ancient surname of Olde English and Scottish origins. It is usually occupational for a textile fuller, deriving from the pre 7th century word wealcere, meaning to walk or tread.
WillScottish, English, German Scottish and northern English from the medieval personal name Will, a short form of William, or from some other medieval personal names with this first element, for example Wilbert or Willard... [more]
WillertGerman German cognate and variant of Willard. From a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements willo "will, desire" and hard "hardy, brave, strong".
WilletsEnglish Occasionally a Habitational name from Willet in Elworthy. Probably a compound of Old English wiell will 'spring' + an unrecorded gīete 'stream'.(Ancestory.com) Or is a varation of the given name William.
WillinghamEnglish Habitational name from a place named Willingham, notably one in Cambridgeshire and one in Suffolk. The first is recorded in Domesday Book as Wivelingham "homestead (Old English hām) of the people of a man called Wifel".
WillmanEnglish Occupational name for someone who was the servant of a man called Will.
WillockEnglish From the medieval male personal name Willoc, a pet-form based on the first syllable of any of a range of Old English compound names beginning with willa "will, desire".
WillowEnglish topographic name from Middle English wilwewilghewillowe "willow" (Old English wiligwelig) for a person who lived at or near a willow tree or in an area where willow trees grew... [more]
WillowsEnglish (British) This is an English residential or perhaps occupational surname. It may originate from one of the various places in England called 'The Willows', or even a place such as Newton le Willows in Lancashire, or it may describe a supplier of willow.
WimmerGerman Occupational last name, meaning "wine maker," using a derivation of the element Wein (meaning "wine") and likely another derivation from -macher (meaning "maker"). It's possible as well that it is derived from Weimann.
WimpEnglish The surname has at least two origins. The first is occupational and describes a maker of 'wimplels', an Old English veil later much associated with nuns. Second, it may also be locational from the village of Whimple in Devonshire, or Wimpole in Cambridge.
WimpeyEnglish Perhaps a deliberate alteration of Impey. It is borne by George Wimpey, a British construction company, founded in Hammersmith, London in 1880 by George Wimpey (1855-1913)... [more]
WindhamEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) English habitational name from Wyndham in West Sussex, near West Grinstead, probably named from an unattested Old English personal name Winda + Old English hamm ‘water meadow’; or from Wymondham in Leicestershire and Norfolk, named from the Old English personal name Wigmund (see Wyman) + Old English ham ‘homestead’... [more]