Submitted Surnames with "river" in Description

Luoma Finnish
A name derived from the Finnish topographic word luomi, meaning "creek" or "small river". Common in central and western Finland.

Maegawa Japanese
A variant of Maekawa.... [more]

Maizles Polish
A polish-jewish name with german origins.... [more]

Mampuzha Malayalam, Indian (Christian)
Meaning: "Mango Tree River"; based on location in India.

Mansfield English
Means "open land by the River Maun", from the Celtic river name combined with the Old English word feld "field".

Marbach German
habitational name from Marbach on the Neckar river named with Old High German marca "boundary" and bah "stream creek".

Matsugawa Japanese
Variant of Matsukawa, meaning "pine tree river".

Matsukawa Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Melas Greek
Possibly from the names of several characters in Greek mythology, including a son of Poseidon who the Nile River was originally named after.

Messam English (British)
originates from a place called Measham in the county of Leicestershire. The placename is first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, as Messeham, and in the Pipe Rolls of the county of 1182 as Meisham... [more]

Michikawa Japanese
From 道 (michi) meaning "path, road" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Midorikawa Japanese
From Japanese 緑 (midori) meaning "green" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Mikawa Japanese
From Japanese 三 (mi) meaning "three" or 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Minakawa Japanese
From Japanese 皆 (mina) meaning "all, every" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Minamoto Japanese
From 源 (minamoto) meaning "fountainhead, river source; source, origin," derived from a combination of 水 (mi), the combining form of mizu meaning "water," and 元/本 (moto) meaning "source, origin" with the addition of the Old Japanese possessive particle na.... [more]

Mitford English
From the name of a village in Northumberland, England, derived from either Old English midd "middle" or (ge)myþe "confluence, stream junction, river mouth" combined with ford "ford, river crossing".

Mizoe Japanese
From 溝 (mizo) meaning "gully, drain, ditch, trench, gap, gutter" and 江 (e) meaning "river, inlet, bay".

Mizukawa Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Monteith Scottish
From the name of the district of Menteith in south Perthshire, Scotland, derived from Gaelic monadh meaning "hill pasture" combined with the Scottish river name Teith. A famous bearer was the Canadian actor and musician Cory Monteith (1982-2013), who played Finn Hudson on the American television series Glee (2009-2015).

Mosel German
Habitational name from any of several places so named. topographic name from the Mosel river in western Germany a tributary of the Rhine that rises in the Vosges and flows through Lorraine and then a deep winding valley from Trier to Koblenz.

Mulcaster English (Modern)
The surname Mulcaster was first found in Cumberland where they trace their lineage back to the place name Muncaster, home of Muncaster Castle, a privately owned castle overlooking the Esk river, near the west-coastal town of Ravenglass in Cumbria which dates back at least 800 years. 

Munekawa Japanese
From 宗 (mune) meaning "origin, religion, sect" and 川 (kawa) means "stream, river".

Murakawa Japanese
From Japanese 村 (mura) meaning "town, village" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Muravyov-Amursky Russian (Rare)
Combination of surname Muravyov and Amursky. The famous bearer of this surname is Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky, who played a major role in the expansion of the Russian Empire into the Amur River basin and to the shores of the Sea of Japan.

Mycroft English
From Old English ġemȳþ "mouth (of a river)" + croft meaning "enclosed field", originally denoting somebody who lives at the mouth of a river.... [more]

Nabrotzky German (East Prussian)
The story I was told was:... [more]

Nagae Japanese
From Japanese 長 (naga 3) meaning "long, chief" or 永 (naga) meaning "perpetual, eternal" and 江 (e) meaning "bay, river, inlet".

Nagakawa Japanese
Naga means "long, chief" and kawa means "river, stream".

Nahar Arabic
Means “river” or “canal”. It is likely that individuals with this last name come from a family with a history or connection to water or irrigation systems.

Nairn Scottish
Means "person from Nairn", Highland region ("(place at the mouth of the river) Nairn", a Celtic river-name perhaps meaning "penetrating one").

Nakatsutsumi Japanese
Naka means "middle" and tsutsumi means "enbankment, river, bank, dike".

Namikawa Japanese
From Japanese 波 (nami) meaning "wave" and 川 (kawa) or 河 (kawa) both meaning "river, stream".

Narewski Polish
Possibly derived from the name of the river Narew. Surname associated with the Wieniawa coat of arms which dates back as early as the XIV century.

Nasukawa Japanese
From 那 (na) meaning "what", 須 (su) meaning "mandatory, necessary, moment", and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Natsugawa Japanese
Variant of Natsukawa, meaning "summer river".

Natsukawa Japanese
This name means Summer River. From natsu "summer" and kawa "river".

N’dri Western African (Rare)
The meaning behind N’Dri is “ Nearby the river “

Necker German
Denoted a person who lives near the Neckar River, a major tributary of the Rhine.

Neisser German
German demonym of the town of Neisse (nowadays Nysa, in Poland), itself from the name of the river Neisse (Nysa) which runs through the city.

Niu Chinese
1 Chinese 牛: this name probably arose during the Zhou dynasty ( 1122–221 bc ) in the area of Gansu province; the details are unclear. It was borne by a person named Niu Wen, who was a descendant of the eldest brother of the last king of the Shang dynasty, Zhou Xin ( 1154–1123 bc ).... [more]

Niva Sami, Finnish
From Finnish niva "small rapid in a river", ultimately derived from Northern Sami njavvi "small river, small rapid".

Nokawa Japanese
From 野 (no) meaning "plain, field" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream."

Odland Norwegian
Habitational name from any of several farmsteads in Rogaland and Hordaland named Odland, from Old Norse Árland, a compound of á ‘small river’ (or another first element of uncertain origin) + land ‘land’, ‘farm’.

Ōga Japanese (Rare)
This surname is used as 淡河, 王賀 or 相賀 with 淡 (tan, awa.i) meaning "faint, fleeting, pale, thin," 河 (ka, kawa) meaning "river," 王 (ou, -nou) meaning "king, magnate, rule," 相 (shou, sou, ai-, ou) meaning "aspect, councillor, each other, inter-, minister of state, mutual, phase, physiognomy, together" and 賀 (ga) meaning "congratulations, joy."... [more]

Oikawa Japanese
From Japanese 及 (oi) meaning "reach out, exert, cause" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Ōkawa Japanese
From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Okawa Japanese
From the Japanese 大 (o) "big" and 川 or 河 (kawa) "river."

Ōkawara Japanese
From Japanese 大 (o) meaning "big, great", 河 (ka) meaning "river, stream" and 原 (wara) meaning "field, plain".

Okie Japanese
Oki means "open sea" and e means "inlet, river".

Okise Japanese
Oki means "open sea" and se means "river".

Ōkōchi Japanese
From Japanese 大 (ō) meaning "big, great" and 河内 (kōchi) meaning "plain in a river basin".

Okukawa Japanese (Rare)
Oku means "interior,secluded,further out" and kawa means "river". Minako Okukawa is a fictional character from Yuri!!! On Ice and it's also the name of a company.

Olabarria Basque
It indicates familial origin near the eponymous river in the municipality of Markina-Xemein.

O'Mulvenna Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Maoilmheana, meaning "descendant of Maoilmheana" a personal name meaning "chieftain of the main river."

Ookouchi Japanese
From Japanese 大 (oo) meaning "big", 河 (kou) meaning "river" and 内 (chi) meaning "inside".

Oregon English (American, Rare)
From the state of Oregon. Meaning “River of the west”

Öström Swedish
Combination of Swedish ö "island" and ström "stream, river".

Oudshoorn Dutch
From the name of a former village in South Holland, Netherlands, derived from Out, a Middle Dutch diminutive of the given name Otgar, and hoorn "horn; corner, protruding bend (of a river)"... [more]

Overson English
Derived from the Old French name Overson, meaning "dweller by the river-banks". The name was probably brought to England in the wake of the Norman conquest of 1066.

Owsley English
Habitational name form a now lost place name in Southern England. Possibly derived from the name of the river name Ouse and Old English -leah meaning "wood".

Oxford English
Habitational name from the city of Oxford in Oxfordshire. The placename derives from Old English oxa "ox" and ford "ford, river crossing".

Oyakawa Japanese
From the Japanese 親 (oya) "parent" and 川 (kawa) "river."

Ọyáwálé Yoruba, Nigerian
Means "the river goddess came home" in Yoruba.

Paiva Portuguese
From the Portuguese word "paiva," which refers to a type of river or stream

Panaro Italian
From old Italian panaro meaning "bread basket" or "wooden basket, hamper", an occupational name for a baker, or perhaps a basket maker. Alternatively, could be a habitational name from the Panaro river.

Passafiume Italian
From Italian passa fiume meaning "(one who) crosses the river", an occupational name for a ferryman.

Penda Wolof
Penda stems from the Swahili “kupenda” = to love/like/be pleasant. Notable bearer was Fara Penda, a Waalo noble of the Wolof people in West Africa. Waalo was a kingdom on the lower Senegal River in in what is now Senegal and Mauritania.

Pickenpaugh German
The surname Pickenpaugh is an Americanized version of the German name Beckenbach, meaning "from the river basin"... [more]

Piu Chinese
1 Chinese 牛: this name probably arose during the Zhou dynasty ( 1122–221 bc ) in the area of Gansu province; the details are unclear. It was borne by a person named Niu Wen, who was a descendant of the eldest brother of the last king of the Shang dynasty, Zhou Xin ( 1154–1123 bc ).... [more]

Po Italian
Derived from Po the longest river in Italy (651,8 km). It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps across the regions: Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto... [more]

Poortvliet Dutch
From the name of the village and former municipality called Poortvliet in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch port meaning "port, harbour, storage yard, city" and vliet meaning "brook, stream, river, creek, inlet"... [more]

Posavec Croatian
Denotes a person living in Posavina, an area that is adjacent or near the Sava river in Croatia.

Pottier French
A variant of the french word for potter, potier.... [more]

Presley Scottish
From Persley, a small Scottish hamlet on the River Don, Aberdeenshire, now a suburb of the much larger city of Aberdeen, named perhaps with the Pictish word *pres-, meaning 'bushes' or 'undergrowth'.... [more]

Pridonov Russian
The surname Pridonov is derived from a nickname. It contains an indication of the place of residence of the ancestor: "at the Don, i.e. on the Don River". The river named Don flows not only in the European part of Russia, but also in Scotland (the city of Aberdon is located on it) and in France (a tributary of the Vilena).

Rafford Scottish, English
From a village called Rafford in Moray, Scotland. The surname itself is derived from Gaelic rath meaning "fort, dwelling", and ford reffering to a river crossing.

Raisbeck English
Raisbeck is a hamlet in the civil parish of Orton, in the Eden district, in the county of Cumbria, England. The surname Raisbeck originates from the hamlet. The name of the hamlet derives from Hrridarr, a personal name and beck, a stream or river.

Regueiro Galician, Portuguese
The name originated in Ourense (Galicia) in the 14th Century. It´s literal meaning in Portuguese is river. It is a surname referring to a person who lived near a river or water source.

Reisner German
A habitational name for someone from a place called Reisen (for example in Bavaria), Reissen in Thuringia, or Reussen on the Saale river. A variant of Reiser Also from an agent derivative of Middle High German, Middle Low German rise ‘veil’; perhaps an occupational name for someone who made veils.

Rekov Russian
From Russian река (reka) meaning "river".

Revere English, French, Judeo-Italian
French: variant of Rivière, Rivoire, or Rivier, topographic name for someone living on the banks of a river, French rivier ‘bank’, or habitational name from any of the many places in France named with this word.... [more]

Revord French (Quebec)
Comes from the French surname of Rivard, a geographical name for someone who lived on a river bank. The -ard ending is changed to -ord in Canadian and American French.

Reznor German
May be a variant of the German surname Reisner, a habitational name for someone from a place called Reisen (for example in Bavaria), Reissen in Thuringia, or Reussen on the Saale river.

Rhein German
From the German name for the River Rhine, denoting somebody whom lived within close proximity to the river. The river name itself comes from a Celtic word meaning 'to flow' (Welsh redan, 'run, flow').

Rhine German, French, English, Irish
A habitational name for an individual whom lived within close proximity of the River Rhine (see Rhein). The river name is derived from a Celtic word meaning 'to flow' (Welsh redan, 'flow').... [more]

Riel French
French variant of Riehl. Most notable bearer is Canadian Métis political leader Louis Riel, best known for his Red River Rebellion.

Ripple English
From the word ripple. Could mean that they live near a river, lake, brook, stream, or ocean.

Rivadeneira Spanish
habitational name from a parish named Riba de Neira in Lugo province meaning 'bank of the river Neira' Neira being a tributary of the Miño.

Rivard French
Geographical name for someone who lived on a river bank.

River English

Rives French, Jewish
Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish female personal name Rive a back-formation from Rivke (see Rifkin).... [more]

Rivet French, English
French: from a diminutive of Old French rive ‘(river) bank’, ‘shore’ (see Rives).... [more]

Rivett English, French
English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a metalworker, from Middle English, Old French rivet ‘small nail or bolt’ (from Old French river ‘to fix or secure’, of unknown origin).... [more]

Rivette French, English (American, Rare), English (Canadian, Rare)
Topographic name derived from a diminutive of Old French rive, meaning "(river) bank, shore"; see also Rivet.

Riviere French, French (Quebec), French (Acadian)
Possibly from the French word meaning "river"

Romney English
English: habitational name from a place in Kent, so called from an obscure first element, rumen, + Old English ea ‘river’ (see Rye).

Ru Chinese
From Chinese 汝 (rǔ) referring to the ancient fief of Ru Chuan (汝川) or the Ru river, both located in what is now Henan province.

Ruhr German
Name given to a person who lived near the Ruhr River in Germany.

Rule Scottish, English
Scottish name from the lands of Rule in the parish of Hobkirk, Roxburghshire. The derivation is from the River Rule which flows through the area, and is so called from the ancient Welsh word "rhull" meaning "hasty or rushing".... [more]

Runds Germanic (Rare)
The Runds surname most likely originated near the Rhine river. It comes from the Proto-Celtic word, rūnā, meaning mystery/mystic. The coat of arms dates back to the middle ages and consists of a black shield with three gold crescent moons... [more]

Rurikawa Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 瑠璃 (ruri) meaning "lapis lazuli" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river".

Ryne German (Swiss)
Respelling of Swiss German Rhyn, a topographic name for someone living on the Rhine river, Middle High German Rin.

Rynearson German, German (Swiss)
Derived from the Rhine River.

Saarejõe Estonian
Saarejõe is an Estonian surname meaning "island river".

Sagawa Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Sakagawa Japanese
From Japanese 坂 or 阪 (saka) meaning "slope" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Sakakawa Japanese
Saka means "slope, hill" and kawa means "river, stream".

Sandhu Indian, Punjabi
From Sindhu, the Sanskrit name for the Indus River.

Sankey English, Irish
Habitational name from a place in Lancashire, which derived from the name of an ancient British river, perhaps meaning "sacred, holy." ... [more]

Santerre French
Habitational name from a place to the southeast of the Somme river, named with Latin sana terra "healthy, wholesome land".

Saratxaga Basque
It indicates familial origin near the eponymous river.

Sasakawa Japanese
From Japanese 笹 (sasa) meaning "bamboo grass" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Schley German
Name for someone living by the Schlei river.

Sekawa Japanese
From Japanese 瀬 (se) meaning "rapids, current" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Sekewael Indonesian
The last name Sekewael is an original name from one of the island in Maluku. That one island name is "Negeri Oma." The meaning of Sekewael is "The Guardian of the River" because in "Negeri Oma" any body want to use the river of the water they have to ask for permission by Sekewael family... [more]

Sekikawa Japanese
From Japanese 関 (seki) meaning "frontier pass" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Selander Swedish
Combination of Swedish sel "stretch of calm water in a river or stream" and the common surname suffix -ander (originally from Greek aner "man"). The first element, sel, is also a common place name element in Northern Sweden and it's possible that this name is both ornamental and locational in origin.

Selz German
The Selz is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and a left hand tributary of the Rhine. It flows through the largest German wine region, Rheinhessen or Rhenish Hesse. Also, Seltz (German: Selz) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department of the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine region in north-eastern France.... [more]

Severn English
From the name of the River Severn, which is of unknown meaning. The Severn is Great Britain's longest river, flowing from Wales through much of western England to the Bristol Channel. It is one of Britain’s most ancient river names, recorded as early as the 2nd century AD in the form Sabrina; its original meaning may have been "slow-moving" or "boundary".

Sheffield English, English (British)
A surname which named after an city in England.... [more]

Shereshevsky Russian, Jewish
Name for someone originally from the city of Sharashova in Belarus, probably derived Russian шерешь (sheresh) meaning "frozen mud, ice (on a river)".

Shibakawa Japanese
From Japanese 芝 (shiba) meaning "turf, lawn, sod" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river".

Shimokawa Japanese
From Japanese 下 (shimo) meaning "below, down, under" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Shinakawa Japanese
Shina means "family, department, section" and kawa means "river, stream".

Shinazugawa Japanese (Rare)
Means "immortal river; never dying river; river with no deaths" in Japanese.

Shioe Japanese
From 潮 (shio) meaning "salt" and 江 (e) meaning "inlet, river".

Shiokawa Japanese
From Japanese 塩 (shio) meaning "salt" combined with 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Shore English
From the Old English word scora meaning "the land along the edge of an ocean, sea, lake, or river; a coast."

Sillajõe Estonian
Sillajõe is an Estonian surname meaning "river bridge".

Sjöström Swedish
Ornamental name composed of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and ström "stream, small river".

Southwark English (British)
A near-extinct surname. It is derived from the name of a borough in London located on the south bank of the River Thames.

Springer German, English, Dutch, Jewish
Nickname for a lively person or for a traveling entertainer, from springen "to jump, to leap". A famous bearer was Ludwig der Springer (AKA Louis the Springer), a medieval Franconian count who, according to legend, escaped from a second or third-story prison cell by jumping into a river after being arrested for trying to seize County Saxony in Germany.

Stather English
Habitational name derived from a place in England by the River Trent 1, derived from Old Norse stǫðvar "jetties, wharfs, landing stage".

Stoehr German
From Middle Low German store ‘sturgeon’, hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who caught or sold sturgeon, or a nickname for someone with some supposed resemblance to the fish... [more]

Strathairn Scottish
From Strathearn, the name of a large valley of the River Earn in Scotland, derived from Gaelic srath meaning "river valley, grassland" combined with the river's name. A famous bearer is American actor David Strathairn (1949-).

Strohm Upper German
From the noble name Strohmeier. Great river and electricity.

Suekawa Japanese
Sue means "posterity, close, end, powder, tip" and kawa means "river, stream".

Sullenberger German (Swiss)
Derived from an unknown place called Sullenberg or from Schallenberg in Baden, Switzerland. A famous bearer is Sully Sullenberger (1951-), an American retired Air Force fighter pilot and airline captain who is best known for saving all 155 people aboard in the 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan, after both engines were disabled by a bird strike.

Sunagawa Japanese
From Japanese 砂 (suna) meaning "sand" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Suzukawa Japanese
Suzu means "bell, chime" and kawa means "river, stream".

Swaile English
Recorded in the spellings of Swaile, Swale and Swales, this is an English surname. It is locational, and according to the famous Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley, originates from either a hamlet called Swallow Hill, near Barnsley in Yorkshire, with Swale being the local dialectal pronunciation and spelling... [more]

Tachikawa Japanese
Tachi means "stand" and kawa means "river, stream".

Tagalog Filipino
Of uncertain etymology. It could be from Filipino prefix taga- "native of" combined either from alog "ford" or ilog "river". It could also be from Tagal, a name of some tribes in Borneo or Sumatra... [more]

Tagawa Japanese (Rare)
Tagawa means "ricefield river"

Takatsutsumi Japanese
Taka means "high, tall, expensive" and tsutsumi means "river, bank, enbankment, dike".

Takekawa Japanese
Take means "bamboo" and kawa means "stream, river".

Takigawa Japanese
From Japanese 滝 or 瀧 (taki) meaning "waterfall, rapids" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Takikawa Japanese
Taki means "waterfall" and kawa means "river, stream".

Tamagawa Japanese
From Japanese 玉 (tama) meaning "gem, jewel, ball" and 川 (kawa) or 河 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Tamakawa Japanese
Tama means "jewel square" and kawa means "river".

Tanie Japanese
Tani means "valley" and e means "inlet, river".

Tanigawa Japanese
From Japanese 谷 (tani) meaning "valley" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Tanikawa Japanese
From the Japanese 谷 (tani) meaning "valley" and 川 or 河 (kawa) meaning "stream, river."

Taunton English
Habitational name from Taunton in Somerset, Taunton Farm in Coulsdon, Surrey, or Tanton in North Yorkshire. The Somerset place name was originally a combination of a Celtic river name (now the Tone, possibly meaning ‘roaring stream’) + Old English tūn ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’... [more]

Teasdale English
From Teesdale, the name of a valley of the River Tees in northern England, derived from the river's name (meaning "warmth" in Old English) combined with dæl meaning "valley".

Telford English
From the words taelf meaning "plateau" and ford meaning "river crossing"... [more]

Teshigawara Japanese
From Japanese 勅 (te) meaning "imperial order", 使 (shi) meaning "messenger, envoy", 河 (ga) meaning "river", and 原 (wara) meaning "field".

Thames English
Derived from the name of the River Thames, a major river in England. It is thought to have derived from Celtic Tamesis, which may have meant "dark, cloudy" or "turbid, turbulent".

Tokugawa Japanese
From 徳 (toku) meaning "virtue" and 川 (kawa) meaning "stream, river".

Tomikawa Japanese
From 富/冨 (tomi) meaning "riches, wealth, fortune" combined with 川/河 (kawa) meaning "river."

Torriente Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
Cuban name likely meaning "river".

Toyokawa Japanese
From Japanese 豊 (toyo) meaning "bountiful, luxuriant" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Trafford English
Habitational name derived from either Trafford, Lancashire (an Anglo-French variant of Stratford), from Bridge Mickle and Wimbolds Trafford, Cheshire (derived from Old English trog "trough, valley" and ford "river crossing"), or from the now-lost settlement of Trafford in Northamptonshire (derived from Old English traeppe "trap, fish trap" and ford).

Traun German
Derived from the Celtic word dru meaning "river". Traun is a river in the Austrian state of Upper Austria as well as a city located on the north bank of that river and borders Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, to the east.

Trueba Spanish
This indicates familial origin within the vicinity of the eponymous Castilian river.

Truett English
English habitational name from Trewhitt in Northumbria, named from Old Norse tyri ‘dry resinous wood’ + possibly an Old English wiht ‘river bend’.

Tsaritsyn Russian
From a former name of the Russian city of Volgograd that was used from 1589 to 1925. The name is from Царица (Tsaritsa), a small river and a tributary of the Volga, which was probably derived from Tatar сары су (sary su) meaning "yellow water".

Tsugawa Japanese
From 津 (tsu) meaning "ferry, port, harbor" and 川 (kawa) meaning "stream, river".

Tsunekawa Japanese
From Japanese 恒 (tsune) meaning "constant, persistent" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Tsurubami Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 鶴喰 (Tsurubami) meaning "Tsurubami", an area in the city of Rokunohe in the district of Kamikita in the prefecture of Aomori in Japan.... [more]

Tsutsumi Japanese
From the Japanese 堤 (tsutsumi) "river, embankment, riverbank."

Tu Chinese
From Chinese 涂 (tú), the old name for the Chu River that runs through the present-day provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu.

Tumber English
English: habitational name from any of the various places so called from their situation on a stream with this name. Humber is a common prehistoric river name, of uncertain origin and meaning.

Tuna Turkish
From the Turkish name for the Danube River, which flows through parts of Central and Southeastern Europe.

Twain American
Most famously borne in the pen name of American author and one time Mississippi riverboat pilot Mark Twain (1835-1910), whose real name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens... [more]

Tweedel English
Tweedel is Scottish for "the dell on the tweed river"

Twiddy English
Possibly derived from Tweedy perhaps originating from the area around the River Tweed... [more]

Twining English
From the name of the village of Twyning in Gloucestershire, derived from Old English betweonan meaning "between" and eam meaning "river".

Udagawa Japanese
From Japanese 宇 (u) meaning "eaves, roof, house", 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Uekawa Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Ugalde Basque
Habitational name meaning "waterside, by the river" or "flood, deluge" in Basque, derived from ur "water" and -alde "side, near".

Ülejõe Estonian
Ülejõe is an Estonian surname meaning "across the river".

Umekawa Japanese
Ume means "plum" and kawa means "stream, river".

Ungvári Hungarian
Originally denoted a person from the city of Uzhhorod in Ukraine (formerly part of Hungary), meaning "castle on the River Uzh". In Hungarian it is called Ungvár.

Utagawa Japanese
Uta means "song" and Gawa comes from Kawa, meaning "river".

Utakawa Japanese
Uta means "song" and kawa means "river, stream".

Uwem Ibibio, 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"

Vahejõe Estonian
Vahejõe is an Estonian surname meaning "mid/dividing river".

Van De Mark Dutch
Topographic name for someone who lived by a border or boundary, from Middle Dutch marke meaning "boundary, borderland". Could also derive from the river Mark, likely originating from the same etymology.

Van Der Aa Dutch, Flemish
Means "from the Aa" in Dutch, a common name for rivers and streams derived from Old Germanic *ahwō "stream, river; water".

Van Der Loop Dutch
From Dutch loop "course, duration; river course", a topographical name for someone who lived by a waterway, in particular a waterway called De Loop in North Brabant.

Van Der Merwe Dutch, 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]

Van Gent Dutch
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 Gestel Dutch
Means "from Gestel" in Dutch, a settlement in North Brabant, Netherlands derived from either gestel "height between two river valleys" or gestel "guest house, inn" (compare Gastel).

Van Maastricht Dutch
Means "from Maastricht", a city in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands, itself derived from the name of the Maas (Meuse) river combined with Dutch tricht meaning "ford, passage, crossing, ferry".

Van Ooijen Dutch
Means "from Ooijen" in Dutch, the name of a hamlet in Limburg, Netherlands, as well as several other settlements derived from Middle Dutch ooy "floodplain, wetland, meadow in the bend of a river".

Van Reenen Dutch, South African
Means "from Rhenen", the name of a city in Utrecht, Netherlands. Possibly derived from Proto-Germanic *hraini "clean, pure", or from Rijn "the Rhine (river)" combined with Old Dutch hem "home, settlement".

Van Schie Dutch
Means "from Schie" in Dutch, the name of a canalised river that lends its name to several nearby toponyms. Possibly related to Middle Dutch scheiden "to separate, to part".

Verkhoturov Russian (Modern, Rare)
Arrived from Verkhoturye (city in the Urals, on the river Tura)

Vesper German
Either a nickname from Latin vesper "6 o’clock in the evening evening time" originally the second to last canonical hour or a habitational name from a place so called on the Ruhr river.

Volga Russian
From the river Volga (Волга).

Volkonsky Russian
This indicates familial origin within the vicinity of the Volkona river south of Moscow. This was the name of a Russian family of nobility.

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.

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]

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]

Weir Scottish, English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a dam or weir on a river.

Wharton English
Derived from an Olde English pre 7th Century river name Woefer.

Wiederspahn German
Carpenter or roofer who applied wooden shingles from Wied, Wieden, or Wieda. Associated with the German-speaking minority that lived along the Volga River in Russia from 1764 to 1941.

Winterbourn English
A variant spelling of the surname Winterbourne, means "winter stream", a stream or river that is dry through the summer months.

Withak English
Habitational name from any of various places so called, particularly those in Essex, Lincolnshire, and Somerset, though most often from Essex. The Essex placename may derive from Old English wiht ‘curve, bend’ + hām ‘village, homestead’... [more]

Witham English
habitational name from any of various places so called particularly those in Essex Lincolnshire and Somerset though most often from Essex. The Essex placename may derive from Old English wiht "curve bend" and ham "village homestead"... [more]

Wolford German
Means where the wolves cross the river/stream. Wolf meaning the animal and Ford meaning crossing a body of shallow water.... [more]

Yamakawa Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Yamikawa Japanese
From Japanese 闇 (Yami) meaning "darkness" 川(Kawa) meaning "river", the name basically means "Dark river"

Yanagawa Japanese
From Japanese 柳 (yana) meaning "willow" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Yarden Hebrew (Rare)
From the given name Yarden, which is named after the Jordan 2 River. ... [more]

Ybiricu Basque (Hispanicized, Rare)
Derived from Basque ibi "ford, river crossing".

Yohe Medieval English
The Yohe surname comes from the Old English word "ea," or "yo," in Somerset and Devon dialects, which meant "river" or "stream." It was likely originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a stream.

Yokokawa Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Yonekawa Japanese
From Japanese 米 (yone) meaning "rice" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Yoshikawa Japanese
From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Yukawa Japanese
From Japanese 湯 (yu) meaning "hot spring" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Yumekawa Japanese
Yumekawa means yume (夢) means "dream" and kawa (川) means "river", so this means "dream river".

Zadravec Croatian, Slovene
Denotes a person living near the Drava river.