ZhugeChinese One of the rare Chinese double character surnames. It is ranked 314th in the Hundred Family Surnames. The first character 諸 can be read as "all, these, various" and the second character 葛 as meaning "vine, vines"... [more]
ZhytaryukUkrainian Means "child of the grain farmer". Derived from Ukrainian "житар (zhytar)", meaning "grain farmer" and the last name suffix -юк (-yuk).
ZianiItalian (Rare, Archaic) Habitual surname denoting someone from Ziano, a locality in Italy. Unrelated to the Maghrebi surname of the same spelling.
ZiegenhagenGerman Derived from Middle High German zige "goat" and hag "enclosure, hedge, pasture". Could be an occupational name for someone who kept goats, or be derived from any of several places with the name.
ZildjianArmenian (Anglicized) English form of Armenian Զիլճյան (see Zilčyan). The famous bearer of this name was Avedis Zildjian, founder of the oldest manufacturer of musical instruments in the world, the Avedis Zildjian Company.
ZimbalistJewish Occupational name for a cymbalist or a dulcimer player, particularly the cimbalom, derived from Yiddish tsimbl meaning "dulcimer, cimbalom, cymbal". The American actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (1918-2014) was a famous bearer of this surname.
ZinderGerman A mostly Ashkenazi Jewish surname, while specific documentation linking "Zinder" to the German word "Zünder" (meaning "tinder" or "firestarter") is limited, the surname "Zinder" is believed to have German origins, possibly derived from the word "Zindel," which refers to a "bundle of wood shavings." This term is associated with materials used to start fires, suggesting a potential connection to the "firestarter" occupation... [more]
ZingerGerman The surname Zinger was first found in Saxony, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. ... In Old German the name meant "lively" and "spritely," or more literally, "a biting, sharp taste."
ZloczowerPolish, Jewish Denoted a person from Zolochiv (known as Złoczów in Polish), a small city in the Lviv Oblast of Ukraine.
ZlodejSlovene (Rare) It is the euphemism (an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant) for the word "devil". Another variant of the surname is Slodej.
ZolaItalian Italian: habitational name from any of various minor places named with Zol(l)a, from a dialect term for a mound or bank of earth, as for example Zola Predosa (Bologna) or Zolla in Monrupino (Trieste)... [more]
ZorefBiblical Hebrew Zoref, spelled צורף in Hebrew and pronounced Tzo-ref, though the typical American pronunciation is with a Z, means "Goldsmith" in both Biblical and Modern Hebrew, Zoref does not necessarily connote working only with gold; rather, it is a metalsmith that works with any kind of metallic substance.... [more]
ZororoShona Zororo means "rest". It may be given to mean that the parent has rested after the birth of this child. Zimbabwean politician Zororo Duri was a well known bearer of this name.
ZotovmRussian Variant of Zolotov, from Russian зотой (zotoy), meaning "gold, golden".
ZouChinese From Chinese 邹 (zōu) referring to the ancient state of Zou, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
ZouaouiArabic (Maghrebi) Indicates a member of the Igawawen (called Zouaoua in French) Kabyle tribe, from Maghrebi Arabic زواوة (zwāwa). The tribe's name is of uncertain meaning; it may be derived from the name of a massif in Kabylie, Algeria.
ZuberGerman, German (Swiss) German: Metonymic occupational name for a cooper or tubmaker, from Middle High German zuber ‘(two-handled) tub’, or a habitational name from a house distinguished by the sign of a tub. ... [more]
ZubiagaBasque Means "place of the bridge", from Basque zubi "bridge" and the locative suffix -aga.
ZufallMedieval German A German name from the Middle High German "zuoval," meaning "benefit," "coincidence" or "windfall." It was a nickname for a lucky person, most likely a person to whom a plot of land had been given. It could also be an occupational name for a tax collector.
ZugGerman (Swiss) Denotes somebody from either the Canton of Zug or town of Zug.
ZugrăvescuRomanian Patronymic surname of uncertain origin. It may be derived from the verb a zugrăvi meaning "to paint, to describe figuratively" and therefore mean "The descendant of he who describes/paints".
ZuhmLow German Name of a noble family from the island of Rügen.
ZuidemaDutch, West Frisian Either derived from a toponym containing the element zuid "south, southern" (from Middle Dutch suid), or a patronymic form of a name beginning with the element swith "strong".
ZuillEnglish, Scottish From the town of Zuill, Scotland. The "Z" pronounced as "Y" comes from ancient yogh representing a variety of sounds. The name itself is of unknown origin.
ZuletaSpanish, Basque Variant of Zulueta, which comes from the Basque topographic name 'zulo' meaning ‘hole hollow’ + the collective suffix '-eta' meaning "place or group of."
ZuloagaBasque From the name of a settlement in Biscay, Spain, meaning "place of holes" in Basque, derived from zulo "hole, pit, burrow, opening" and -aga "place of, abundance of".
ZumarragaBasque From the name of a town in Basque Country, Spain, derived from zumar "elm (tree)" and -aga "place of, group of".
ZurbanoBasque (Hispanicized) Castilianized form of Basque Zurbao, a toponym of uncertain etymology. Possibly related to zur "wood, timber" or zurbeltz "holm oak, kermes oak".
ZürcherGerman Habitational name for someone from the Swiss city of Zurich.
ZurerYiddish Possibly a variant of Zur or Tzur. Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer (1969-) bears this name.
ZuritaSpanish, Aragonese An Aragonese surname derived from the Stock Bird, a species of bird.
ZuritaSpanish Habitational surname from either of two places called Zurita in Huesca and Cantabria named with a derivative of Basque zuri 'white'
ŻurowskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Żurowa.
ZurruItalian From Sardinian "gush, spring (of water)".
ZurzoloItalian The last name of actor, Lorenzo Zurzolo, who is Niccolo in Baby and Theodore Nott in Harry Potter.
ZwingliSwiss Possibly derived from a place name in Toggenburg, Switzerland. A notable bearer was Huldrych Zwingli (1484 – 1531), leader of the protestant reformation in Switzerland, who was born in Wildhaus, Toggenburg... [more]
ZykRussian, Belarusian A Russian name now found in Belarus and other areas around "white Russia". Literally translates to the Russian word "beetle". It's pronounced "Z'ook" and has taken on other forms of spelling, such as; Zuck, Tzook, Shyk, etc.
ZyrinRussian Derived from Russian зырянин (zyryanin) or зыря (zyrya) meaning "Komi, Zyrian". This may have been a nickname for someone who looked like a person of this ethnic group.
ZyuganovmRussian Gennadiy Zyuganov is the leader of the Russian communist party.