Browse Submitted Surnames

Thorsby English
habitational name from North and South Thoresby (Lincolnshire) Thoresby in Carperby (North Yorkshire) or Thoresby in Perlethorpe cum Budby (Nottinghamshire). The Lincolnshire and Yorkshire placenames derive from the Old Norse personal name Thorir (genitive Thoris) + Old Norse býr "farmstead village"... [more]

Threepwood English
The last name of the main pirate character in Lucaart's Monkey Island.

Thunberg Swedish
Combination of Swedish tun (from Old Norse tún) "enclosure, courtyard, plot, fence" and berg "mountain".

Tilga Estonian
Possibly derived from the name of either of two villages in Estonia.

Timsit Judeo-Spanish
From the name of the village of Temzit located in the Nafusa region in western Libya.

Tinworth English (New Zealand)
Tinworth, a fictional Cornish village, the location of Shell Cottage in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Also a rare surname, mostly found in New Zealand.

Tisgaonkar Marathi
It is derived from the words “tis” meaning “three” and “gaonkar” meaning “landlord or village headman.” The surname’s meaning is “the headman of three villages.”

Tiwana Indian, Pakistani, Punjabi
Habitational name from the village of Tiwana in present-day Pakistan.

Tlemsani Arabic (Maghrebi)
Derived from Tlemcen, the name of a city in north-western Algeria.

Tofte Norwegian
Named after the village of Tofte in the Halstoy district of Norway. The town of Tofte, Minnesota, United States, was founded by Norwegian immigrants with the surname.

Togo Japanese
From Japanese 東 (to, tou, tō) meaning "east" and 郷 (go, gou, gō) meaning "village"

Tokuyama Japanese
Combination of Kanji Characters 徳 meaning "Virtue" and 山 meaning "Mountain".

Toledo Spanish
Habitational name from the city of Toledo in Spain, derived from Latin Toletum of uncertain meaning.

Tõll Estonian
Tõll is an Estonian surname derived from the mythological Estonian hero giant Suur Tõll ("Big Tõll" or "Tõll the Great") who lived on the island of Saaremaa.

Tołwiński Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Podlachian village of Tołwin.

Tomiyama Japanese
From Japanese 富 or 冨 (tomi) meaning "abundant, rich, wealthy" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Toomey Irish
from ancient Gaelic personal name 'Tuama', probably derived from 'tuaim', meaning a hill or a small mountain

Toommägi Estonian
Toommägi is an Estonian surname meaning "prunus (fruit bearing) mountain".

Toran Galician, Irish
Galician (Torán): habitational name from the village of Santa María de Torán in Ourense province.... [more]

Toriyama Japanese
From Japanese 鳥 (tori) meaning "bird" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill". A notable bearer of this surname is Akira Toriyama (1955–), a manga artist best known for creating the Dragon Ball manga series.

Torshkhoev Ingush (Russified)
Russified form of an Ingush family name derived the name of an Ingush teip (clan). The clan's name itself is derived from ТӀаьрши (Tarsh), a village in Ingushetia, of unknown meaning.

Toscano Italian, Spanish
Originally indicated someone who came from the region of Tuscany in central Italy.

Totani Japanese
From 戸 (do) meaning "door", and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Touati Arabic (Maghrebi), Judeo-Spanish
Habitational name denoting someone who originally came from the region of Touat (or Tuat) in Algeria.

Toulouse French, French (African)
Derived from the name of the city of Toulouse.

Toulza Occitan
Originally indicated a person from the city of Toulouse, of uncertain etymology.

Tounsi Arabic (Maghrebi)
Derived from Arabic تُونِسِيّ (tūnisiyy) meaning “Tunisian”, ultimately from تُونِس (tūnis) meaning "Tunisia, Tunis". It can refer to a native of the country of Tunisia, someone from the city of Tunis (in Tunisia), or the Tunisian Tounsi dialect of Arabic.

Town English
topographic name from Middle English toun(e) th one tun(e) "town village settlement" (Old English tun) often in the senses "primary settlement within an area" "manor estate" and "hamlet farm" for someone who lived in such a place.

Townley English
Habitational name for a person from Towneley near Burnley in Lancashire, itself from the Old English elements tun "enclosure, settlement" and leah "wood, clearing"... [more]

Toyama Japanese
From 当 (tou) meaning "this, correct" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain."

Trabelsi Arabic (Maghrebi)
Habitational name for someone originally from the city of Tripoli in Libya from Arabic طَرَابُلُس (ṭarābulus). The city's name ultimately comes from Ancient Greek Τρίπολις (Trípolis) meaning "three cities", from τρι- (tri-) meaning "three" and πόλις (pólis) meaning "city".

Trachtenberg German, Jewish
Could mean either mean "mountain of thoughts", from Yiddish trakhtn (טראַכטן) "to think" and berg "mountain" or "mountain of costumes", from German tracht "to wear, carry" and berg "mountain"... [more]

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).

Transfiguracion Spanish (Philippines)
Derived from Spanish transfiguración meaning "transfiguration," referring to an event where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain.

Trapanese Italian
Habitational name meaning "Trapanese", "from the city of Trapani or "from the province of Trapani". Variant of Trapani.

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.

Tregurtha Cornish
A rare Cornish surname that derives its name from either the manor of Tregurtha in the parish of St. Hilary (located in west Cornwall) or from the hamlet of Tregurtha Barton in the parish of St. Wenn (located in central Cornwall)... [more]

Trentadue Italian
Trentadue, Joseph, Trentadue Irene, Trentadue Leo, Trentadue Evelyn, Trentadue Victor, Trentadue Cindy, Trentadue Steven, Trentadue Tyler, Trentadue Winery... [more]

Trevelyan Welsh, Cornish
Derived from Welsh tref "village, settlement" or Cornish trev "farmstead, town" combined with the given name Elyan.

Trevisan Italian
From the city of Treviso, in Veneto.

Trigiani Italian
Adriana Trigiani (1969-) is an Italian-American best-selling author, award-winning playwright, television writer/producer, film director/screenwriter/producer, and entrepreneur based in New York City.

Trimboli Medieval Italian
Trimboli: Means: "prince of three valleys." Land or (spoils) were given to worthy soldiers for there efforts after conquest. Three valleys in Calabria were given to a soldier who will become known as Francesco Guytano Trimboli, the new perprieitor in an area near Plati, Italy, Calabria.

Tripoli Italian
Habitational name from Tripoli in Libya, a place name of Greek origin meaning "triple city", from the elements τρι- (tri-) "three, thrice" and πόλις (polis) "city".

Troise Italian
Possibly a regional name from Turgisius, Latin name of a Norman province of Sicily

Trollope English
Locational surname derived from Trolhop, the original name of Troughburn, a place in Northumberland, England. The place name means "troll valley" from Old Norse troll "troll, supernatural being" and hop "enclosed valley, enclosed land"... [more]

Trotsky Russian
This surname means the Lithuanian city of "Trakai", a notable bearer of this surname was Leon Trotsky.

Troxel German
Roots of the German surname Troxel can be found in the region of Hesse, where the name originated. Troxel may be an occupational name, derived from the Middle High German word "truhsaesee," meaning "leader." In this case, Troxel would be a variation of the German surname Truchsess.

Trzciński Polish
From the name of numerous Polish places called Trzcin, for example the village of Trzcin in northern Poland. It is derived from Polish trzcina meaning "reed".

Trzonowski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Trzonów.

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".

Tsechoev Ingush (Russified)
Russified form of the Ingush clan name Цӏечой (Tsechoy), derived from the name of the ancient village of Tsecha-Akhki in present-day Chechnya.

Tsubame Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 燕 (Tsubame) meaning "Tsubame", the name of a city in the prefecture of Niigata in Japan.

Tsuburaya Japanese
From Japanese 円 (tsubura) meaning "circle, round" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Tsuchiya Japanese
From Japanese 土 (tsuchi) meaning "earth, soil, ground" and 屋 (ya) meaning "roof, dwelling" or 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Tsuchiyama Japanese
From Japanese 土 (tsuchi) meaning "earth, soil, ground" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill". Other Kanji combinations are possible.

Tsujimura Japanese
From Japanese 辻 (tsuji) meaning "crossroad" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Tsukishima Japanese
The character 月 means moon or month, and is pronounced “tsuki.” The character 島 means island and is pronounced either “shima” or “jima.”

Tsukiyama Japanese
From Japanese 築 (tsuki) meaning "fabricate, build, construct" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

Tsumura Japanese
From Japanese 津 (tsu) meaning "port, harbour" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Tsumuraya Japanese
From Japanese 津 (tsu) meaning "port, harbour", 村 (mura) meaning "town, village", and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Tsunashima Japanese
From Japanese 綱 (tsuna) meaning "rope, cable, cord" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

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]

Tu Chinese
From the ancient city of Zoutu.

Tumgoev Ingush (Russified)
Russified form of an Ingush surname, which is from the name of an Ingush teip (clan). The clan's name itself is derived from Tumag (ТIумагI), the name of a village in Ingushetia, possibly meaning "to see with the heart" in Ingush.

Turan Turkish
Refers to Turan, an historical region in Central Asia inhabited by the nomadic Iranian Turanian people. The name itself means "land of the Tur" and is derived from the name of a Persian mythological figure, Tur (تور).

Turkstra Frisian
TURKSTRA - Meaning: From the town of "Turkeye". Turkeye is a small town within Zeelandic Flanders in the western part of Netherlands. This family names was given to persons originating from the village.

Turku Finnish
Derived from "Turku" a city in Finland.

Turrubiartes Basque, Spanish
History:... [more]

Tuzla Turkish
From a city in Bosnia named "Tuzla" or "salt mine". Formally occupied by the Ottoman Empire.

Twardowski Polish
This indicates familial origin within any of 3 Greater Polish villages: 2 named Twardowo or 1 named Twardów.

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

Uba Japanese
From Japanese 姥 (Uba) meaning "Uba", a division in the division of Akougi in the area of Kasasa in the city of Minamisatsuma in the prefecture of Kagoshima in Japan.

Uemura Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" or 植 (ue) meaning "plant" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Ueyama Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Ugumori Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 鵜久森 (Ugumori) meaning "Ugumori", a division in the area of Miyakubo in the city of Imabari in the prefecture of Ehime in Japan.... [more]

Ugushiro Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 天宮城 (Ugushiro) meaning "Ugu Castle", a castle that was possibly somewhere in the present-day city of Fukuyama in the prefecture of Hiroshima in Japan.

Üksküla Estonian
Üksküla is an Estonian surname meaning "one village".

Ülevain Estonian
Ülevain is an Estonian surname meaning "above/across village green".

Ullmann German
Variant spelling of Uhlmann, associated with Jewish Europeans, meaning "man from Ulm". It is derived from the name of the city of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Ulmer German
German surname meaning "from the city of Ulm".

Ulvaeus Swedish (Rare)
Allegedly a latinization of Ulfsäter, a combination of Swedish ulv "wolf" and säter "mountain pasture". Björn Ulvaeus (b. 1945) is a Swedish songwriter, composer and former member of ABBA.

Umemura Japanese
Ume means "plum" and mura means "village".

Umemura Japanese
From Japanese 梅 (ume) meaning "apricot, plum" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Umiastowski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Umiastów.

Umlauf German
German: occupational name for a policeman in a town or city, from Middle High German umbe laufen ‘to make the rounds’.

Umpleby English
Originally given to people from the village of Anlaby in East Yorkshire, UK. Written as Umlouebi in the Domesday Book, the place name is from Old Norse given name Óláfr + býr, "farmstead" or "village".

Unagi Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 鰻 (Unagi) meaning "Unagi", a division in the area of Yamagawanarikawa in the city of Ibusuki in the prefecture of Kagoshima in Japan.

Underberg Norwegian
Habitational name from a place named with Old Norse undir meaning "under" and berg meaning "mountain, hill".

Unterreiner German
Topographic name for someone who lived below a mountain ridge, from Middle High German under meaning ‘under’ + rein meaning ‘ridge’.

Upchurch English
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]

Urduña Basque
This indicates familial origin within the eponymous city.

Urtsua Basque
This indicates familial origin near the eponymous mountain in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Usai Italian
Possibly from the name of the former village Usani, or alternately, from Sardinian uscare "to burn, to scorch".

Ushijima Japanese
From Japanese 牛 (ushi) meaning "cow, bull, ox" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

Ushishima Japanese
Ushi means "cow, bull, ox, second sign of the Chinese zodiac" and shima means "island".

Ushiyama Japanese
From Japanese 牛 (ushi) meaning "cow" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain", referring to a mountain with many cows.

Ushiyama Japanese
From Japanese 牛山 (Ushiyama) meaning "Ushiyama", an area in the city of Kasugai in the prefecture of Aichi in Japan.

Ushiyama Japanese
From Japanese 牛山 (Ushiyama), replacing 屎 (kuso) meaning "something unclean" with 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" in 牛屎 (Ushikuso), a clipping of 牛屎院 (Ushikusoin), a nickname for the former city of Ōkuchi in the prefecture of Kagoshima in Japan.

Utamura Japanese
Uta means "song, poem" and mura means "village, hamlet".

Utsunomiya Japanese
From Japanese 宇 (u) meaning "house, eaves, universe", 都 (tsu) meaning "city", and 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace".

Uudmäe Estonian
Uudmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "virgin/unspoiled hill/mountain".

Uusmägi Estonian
Uusmägi is an Estonian surname meaning "new mountain/hill".

Uusorg Estonian
Uusorg is an Estonian surname meaning "new valley".

Uussaar Estonian
Uussaar is an Estonian surname meaning "new island".

Uytdehaage Dutch
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]

Vaara Finnish, Sami
Means "forested hill" in Finnish, derived from Northern Sami várri "mountain".

Vabamäe Estonian
Vabamäe is an Estonian surname meaning "unoccupied/vacant hill/mountain".

Værnes Norwegian
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]

Vaglia Italian
From the commune in the city of Florence.

Vagula Estonian
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.

Vahesaar Estonian
Vahesaar is an Estonian surname meaning "middle island".

Vahtramäe Estonian
Vahtramäe is an Estonian surname meaning "maple hill/mountain".

Vaiksaar Estonian
Vaiksaar is an Estonian surname meaing "quiet/still ("vaikus") island ("saar")". May also come from "väike saar", meaning "little island".

Vain Estonian
Vain is an Estonian surname meaning "village common", or "village green".

Vainküla Estonian
Vainküla is an Estonian surname meaning "(village) green/common village"

Vainmäe Estonian
Vainmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "(village) green/common hill/mountain".

Val Spanish, French
It means valley. It comes from Britain and then moved to Aragón (Spain).

Valaulta Romansh
Derived from Romansh val "valley" and aulta, the feminine form of the adjective ault, "high".

Valderrama Spanish
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.

Valdivia Spanish
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]

Valdivieso Spanish
This place-name is derived from the Asturian word val-di-vieso, which means old man's-valley.

Vale English
Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Middle English vale (Old French val, from Latin vallis). The surname is now also common in Ireland, where it has been Gaelicized as de Bhál.

Valee German
From French origin, denoting someone who lives or comes from a valley.

Valenciano Spanish
A Spanish surname. It is a regional name denoting someone from Valencia.

Valensi Judeo-Spanish
From the name of the city of Valencia in Spain.

Valette French
Topographic name for someone who lived in a small valley, from a diminutive of Old French valee meaning "valley".

Vali Spanish, 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]

Valladolid Spanish
Habitational name from the city of this name.

Valle Spanish, 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).

Vallée French
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]

Vallejo Spanish
Denoted someone who lived in a small valley.

Vallet French, 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".

Valley English
Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Middle English valeye.

Vallie German
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.

Vallin Swedish
Derived from either Latin vallis "valley" or Swedish vall "wall, pasture, field of grass".

Vallmitjana Catalan
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".

Valmorida Filipino, 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).

Valois French
topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, or a habitational name from any of the various places called Val(l)ois, or regional name from the district in northern France so called, which was once an independent duchy... [more]

Valtierra Basque (Hispanicized)
From the name of the city of Valtierra in Navarre, Spain.

Van Agt Dutch
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 Berkel Dutch
Means "from Berkel", the name of several villages derived from berk "birch tree" and lo "forest clearing".

Van Blankenberg German, 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 Brink Dutch
Means "from the village green", from Dutch brink "village green, town square, edge of a field or hill".

Van Bronckhorst Dutch
Means "from Bronckhorst", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, itself derived from Dutch brink meaning "edge, slope, village green" and horst meaning "overgrown hillock" or "higher located brushwood"... [more]

Van Burgen Dutch (Rare, Archaic, ?)
Possibly means "from Burgen", the name of several villages in Germany.

Van Coevorden Dutch
Means "from Coevorden", the name of a city in the Netherlands derived from Middle Dutch coe "cow" and voorde "ford, crossing".

Van Delft Dutch
Means "from Delft" in Dutch, a city in South Holland, Netherlands, named for the nearby Delf canal, which derives from Middle Dutch delven "to dig, delve, excavate; to bury".

Van Den Oever Dutch
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 Der Vest Dutch (Archaic)
Means "from the city wall, of the fort", derived from Middle Dutch veste "fortification, stronghold, castle; reliability".

Van Deventer Dutch, South African
Means "from Deventer", a city in the Netherlands.

Van Dongen Dutch
Means "from Dongen", a village in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from donk "sandy hill (in marshy area)".

Van Driel Dutch
Means "from Driel" in Dutch, referring to either the village Driel or any of several other settlements containing driel as an element... [more]

van Essen Dutch
Means "from Essen" in Dutch, the name of a German city possibly derived from Old High German asc "ash tree".

Van Gemert Dutch
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 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 Gils Dutch
Means "from Gilze" in Dutch, a village in North Brabant, Netherlands. Possibly derived from a cognate of Old Norse gil "gap, ravine, gully".

Van Halen Dutch
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 Helden Dutch
Means "from Helden" in Dutch, the name of a village in Limburg, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch helde "slope, incline".

Van Honsté Flemish
Means "from Honsté", Honsté possibly being the name of a village in Belgium.

Van Ingen Dutch
Means "from Ingen" in Dutch, the name of a village in Gelderland, Netherlands, of uncertain etymology.

Van Keulen Dutch
Means "from Cologne" in Dutch, the name of a city in western Germany.

van Lieren Dutch
Means "from Lier", the name of the Dutch village De Lier or Belgian province Lier.

van Lierop Dutch
Means "from Lierop", a village in the Netherlands.

van Maarschalkerweerd Dutch
Habitational name denoting someone from Maarschalkerweerd, a place near Utrecht in the Netherlands. Derived from Dutch maarschalk "marshal" and weerd "land next to water, riverine island".

Van Mierlo Dutch
Means "from Mierlo", a village in the Netherlands. Likely derived from a compound of Old Dutch *mier "swamp" and lo "light forest".

Van Nistelrooij Dutch
Means "from Nistelrode", a small village in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Middle Dutch nest meaning "nest, burrow, resting place" and lo meaning "light forest", combined with rode meaning "land cleared of trees"... [more]

Van Nuys Dutch
Probably denotes someone from Neuss, a city in Germany.

Van Ommen Dutch
Means "from Ommen" in Dutch, a city and municipality in northeastern Netherland, historically attested as de Vmme or Ummen, of unknown etymology. It could derived from a prehistoric hydronym.

Van Ommeren Dutch
Means "from Ommeren", a small village in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.

Van Oort Dutch
Means "from the edge (of town)", derived from Middle Dutch ort "edge, corner, outermost point of a region". Sometimes altered to or from the surname Van Noort.

Van Otterloo Dutch
Means "from Otterlo", a village and former municipality in Gelderland, possibly derived from Dutch otter "otter" and lo "pool".

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 Rensselaer Dutch
From Soleur, one of the areas or regions of Switzerland.

Van Schaik Dutch
Derived from any of several places called Schaik, Schaijk, or Schadijk, derived from the original form Schadewijk possibly meaning "shaded place" or "inhospitable place" from Middle Dutch scade meaning either "shadow, shade" or "damage" combined with wijk "village, settlement".

Van Schijndel Dutch
Means "from Schijndel" in Dutch, the name of a village in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from lo "forest clearing, light forest" and an uncertain first element.

Van Tienhoven Dutch
Means "from Tienhoven", the name of several villages in the Netherlands. Their names are derived from Middle Dutch tien meaning "ten" and a plural form of huue meaning "piece of land of a certain size"... [more]

Van Tilburg Dutch
Means "from Tilburg" in Dutch, the name of a city in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch tilli "newly cultivated land" and burg "fortress, fortified settlement, citadel".

Van Wijngaarden Dutch
Means "from Wijngaarden", a village in South Holland, Netherlands, meaning "vineyards" in Dutch. It’s uncertain if there was ever actually a vineyard in or near the village.

Varadkar Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Derived from the name of the village of Varad in the Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, India. A famous bearer is the Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar (1979-).

Vatanabe Japanese (Russified)
Alternate transcription of Watanabe more commonly used by ethnic Japanese living in parts of the former Soviet Union and Sakhalin Japanese residing on Sakhalin Island in Russia.

Vaux French
French, English, and Scottish habitational name from any of various places in northern France called Vaux, from the Old French plural of val ‘valley’.

Veeorg Estonian
Veeorg is an Estonian surname meaning "water valley/gully".

Veermäe Estonian
Veermäe is an Estonian surname meaning "border hill/mountain".

Veesaar Estonian
Veesaar is an Estonian surname meaning "water island".

Venezia Italian, Judeo-Italian
Habitational name from the city of Venice or from the region of Venetia, both of which are called Venezia in Italian.

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

Vermont French (Rare)
Derived from french, meaning "green mountain" (Vert, "green"; mont, "mountain").

Viengsavanh Lao
From Lao ວຽງ (vieng) meaning "town, city" and ສະຫວັນ (savanh) meaning "heaven".

Viengvilay Lao
From Lao ວຽງ (vieng) meaning "town, city" and ວິໄລ (vilay) meaning "splendid, beautiful".

Viengxay Lao
From Lao ວຽງ (vieng) meaning "town, city" and ໄຊ (xay) meaning "victory".

Vienneau French
Denoted a person from Vienne, a commune in the Isère department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France, or perhaps derived from the given name Vivien 1.

Vieu French
From a place called Vieu in Ain from Latin vicus "village". French cognitive of Vico.

Viikmäe Estonian
Viikmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "crease hill/mountain".

Villafañe Spanish
Derived from the village of Villafañe in Leon, Spain. His hierarch, perhaps, is the Burgos hidalgo Alvar Fañez.

Villagran Spanish
From a lost village called Villa Grande, meaning 'large farmstead or settlement'.

Villalpando Spanish
It first came from a Spanish village town.

Villani Italian
Derives from Latin villa "village, farm, settlement", related to Italian villano "peasant" or "rude, bad-mannered".

Villoslada Spanish
From the village of Villoslada in Spain.

Viramontes Spanish
Viramontes is composed of the elements "mira" and "montes," two Spanish words with the combined meaning of "place with a view of the mountains."

Visconti Italian
Derived from visconte, itself from the Medieval vice comes, a title of rank meaning "deputy of a count". The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist... [more]

Vitebsky Belarusian
Refers to a region named "Vitebsk" in Belarus.

Vivar Spanish, History
From the village of Vivar, later renamed Vivar del Cid, nowadays part of Quintanilla Vivar located near Burgos, Castile and León, Spain.... [more]

Võlumägi Estonian
Võlumägi is an Estonian surname meaning "magic mountain".

Von Aachen German
Means "from Aachen", a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, ultimately derived from Latin acquae "water, water sources", referring to the sacred springs associated with the Celtic god Grannus.

Von Westphalen German
Denoted a person from Westphalia, a region of northwestern Germany, borrowed from Medieval Latin Westphalia, derived from Middle Low German Westvâlen "west field".

Vosberg German
Means "foxhole" or "fox hill", from vos "fox" and berg "hill, mountain".

Vreeswijk Dutch
Habitational name from a former village and municipality in the province Utrecht, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch Frieso "Frisian" and wic "village, town"... [more]

Wachowski m Polish
Habitational name for a person from the village of Wachów

Wadia Indian (Parsi)
Parsi surname possibly derived from Wadia, the name of a village in Gujarat.

Wager German
An occupational name for an official in charge of the city scales.

Wahlberg German, Swedish, Norwegian (Rare)
Composed of German wal "field, meadow" or Swedish vall "grassy bank" and berg "mountain, hill".

Wäite Luxembourgish (Germanized, Rare)
The name originates from Luxembourg and the surrounding Germanic regions most notably the Rhenish Palatinate from around the 1800s. The word wäite is Luxembourgish for wide and also broad, the word wäit which is an alternative spelling of the Surname Wäite is Luxembourgish for far or distant.... [more]

Wakatani Japanese
Waka means "young" and tani means "valley".

Wakayama Japanese
From Japanese 若 (waka) meaning "young" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Wakiyama Japanese
From Japanese 脇 (waki) meaning "armpit, the other way" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Wakuri Japanese (Rare)
This surname is used as 和久利, 和久理, 和久里 or 和栗 with 和 (o, ka, wa, nago.mu, nago.yaka, yawa.ragu, yawa.rageru) meaning "harmony, Japan, Japanese style, peace, soften", 久 (kyuu, ku, hisa.shii) meaning "long time, old story", 利 (ri, ki.ku) meaning "advantage, benefit, profit", 理 (ri, kotowari) meaning "arrangement, justice, logic, reason, truth", 里 (ri, sato) meaning "league, parent's home, ri (unit of distance - equal to 3.927 km), village" and 栗 (ritsu, ri, kuri, ononoku) meaning "chestnut."... [more]

Walbrzychiak Polish
Means a person who is from the city of Walbrzych in Poland.

Waldorf German
Habitational name from any of at least three places so called, derived from Old High German wald "forest" and dorf "village, settlement"... [more]

Waldron Medieval German, Old Norman, Scottish Gaelic, English (British)
Derived from the German compound wala-hran, literally "wall raven", but originally meaning "strong bird". Also derived from the Gaelic wealdærn, meaning "forest dwelling", thought to be derived from the Sussex village of Waldron... [more]

Wallee German
Of French origin, denoting a person who lives in or is from a valley.

Walliser German
Denoting somebody from Valais (German form Wallis), a canton in Switzerland, or someone who immigrated from Valais, ultimately from Latin vallis "valley, vale".

Wan Chinese
From Chinese 万 (wàn) referring to a city that existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province.

Wannell English
English surname which was derived from a medieval nickname, from Middle English wann "wan, pale" (see Wann) and a diminutive suffix.... [more]

Warabi Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 蕨 (Warabi) meaning "Warabi", a former village in the former district of Namegata in the former Japanese province of Hitachi in parts of present-day Ibaraki, Japan.

Warabi Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 蕨 (Warabi) meaning "Warabi", an area in the city of Yotsukaido in the prefecture of Chiba in Japan.

Warabi Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 蕨 (Warabi) meaning "Warabi", the former name of the area of Mitani in the city of Wajima in the prefecture of Ishikawa in Japan.

Warburton English
From the village and civil parish of Warburton in Greater Manchester (formerly in Cheshire), England, derived from the Old English feminine given name Werburg (itself derived from wǣr meaning "pledge" and burh "fortress") and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Warden English
Occupational name for a watchman or guard, from Old French wardein meaning "protector, guard". It was also used as a habbitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Warden... [more]

Warder English
Weard ora. Place name in Wilshire. Became Wardour ( see castle & village). Became Warder.

Warnapura Sinhalese
Derived from Sanskrit वर्ण (varna) meaning "colour" or "caste" and पुर (pura) meaning "city".

Watayō Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 濟陽 (Watayō), a variant reading of Japanese 濟陽 (Saiyō), from Chinese 濟陽 (Jìyáng) meaning "Jiyang", a town in the county of Xiayi in the city of Shangqiu in the province of Henan in China.... [more]

Watney English
Probably means "person from Watney", an unidentified place in England (the second syllable means "island, area of dry land in a marsh"; cf. Rodney, Whitney)... [more]

Wawrzyszewski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Wawrzyszew.

Wędrogowski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Wędrogów.

Weidemann Medieval German, German (Austrian), Norwegian
Weidemann is a German family name and comes from the Middle High German terms for hunter or woad farmer.... [more]

Weiher German
Meaning:... [more]

Weldon English
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]

Westbury English
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]

Westendorf German
A habitational surname that means 'West Village' in German.

Wester German
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.

Westermann Low 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]

Westgate English
Topographic name for someone who lived near a west gate in a city, or a habitual surname for someone from Westgate. It is derived from Middle English west meaning "west" and gate "gate" (or "street" in northern and eastern areas; from Old Norse gata).

Westrop English (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".

Whaley English
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".

Wheeldon English
Habitational name from a place in Derbyshire named Wheeldon, from Old English hweol ‘wheel’ (referring perhaps to a rounded shape) + dun ‘hill’, or from Whielden in Buckinghamshire, which is named with hweol + denu ‘valley’.

Whitcomb English (British)
means wide valley

Whitfield English
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.

Whittlesey English
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]

Wiberg Swedish
Combination of Old Norse víðr "forest, wood" (probably taken from a place name) and Swedish berg "mountain".

Wick English, 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]

Wickersham English
A habitational surname that originates from a lost medieval site or village of Norse origins.... [more]

Wien German, Jewish
Habitational name from the city of Vienna (German Wien Yiddish Vin)... [more]

Wiesenthal Jewish
Ornamental name from German Wiese "meadow" + Tal "valley".

Wightman English
"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]

Wijayapura Sinhalese
Derived from Sanskrit विजय (vijaya) meaning "victory" and पुर (pura) meaning "city".

Wijnaldum Frisian, 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]

Wildin English
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.

Wilewski Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Wilewo.

Wimp English
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.

Winkel German, Jewish
Derived from Middle High German winkel "corner, angle", a topographic name for someone who lived on a corner of land in the country or a street corner in a town or city. This word also came to denote a corner shop (see Winkelmann)... [more]

Winkle English
it's said to originate from the village of Wincle, near the town of Macclesfield in the county of Cheshire.

Winstead English
Perhaps derived from the town of Wanstead in Greater London, England (recorded in the Domesday Book as Wenesteda), named with Old English wænn meaning "wagon" and stede meaning "place, site", but it is more likely derived from the village of Winestead in East Yorkshire, England, named from Old English wefa meaning "wife" and hamstede meaning "homestead"... [more]

Winterberg German
Habitational name from any of several places named with Middle High German winter "winter" and berg "mountain".

Winterbourne English (British)
Probably meaning "winter stream". A large village in Gloucestershire, From the Thomas Hardy novel "The Woodlanders".

Withall English
"Withall" comes from the village of "Cornwall" called "Withiel." There is also a connection to an aristocratic level, in the 15th at Henry VII court a noble man and knight went under the family name "Wit-hall"... [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]

Withycombe English
Willow Valley. ... [more]

Wittman German
Wittman was first found in the Palatinate in the Rhineland valley. The surname Wittman was given to someone who lived in the area that was referred to as widem which was originally derived from the German word denoting church property.

Wlodawski Jewish
Habitual surname from Włodawa, Poland. First seen in a 1806 revision list of the city Kobryn (Grodno Guberniya), now Kobryn Belarus. ... [more]

Włoszczowski Polish
This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Lesser Polish localities: the town of Włoszczowa or the village of Włoszczowice.

Wójciński Polish
Habitational name for someone from any of the many places called Wójcin, or from Wójcina in Tarnów voivodeship, named with wójt meaning "village headman".

Wolfenden English
derived from the place called Wolfenden in the parish of Newchurch-in-Rossendale, Lancashire. The placename means "Wulfhelm's valley", or "the valley of Wulfhelm" derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name Wulfhelm, composed of the elements wulf "wolf" and helm "helmet, protection" and denu "valley".

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

Wujek Polish
It literally means "uncle" in Polish but it could possibly refer to the Polesian village of the same name.

Wünsche German
Probably denoted a person from Wendland, a region in Germany on the borders of the states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Wendling, a municipality in the Grieskirchen District, Upper Austria, Austria.

Wuori Finnish
"mountain"

Wurzburger Jewish
"The Wurzburger surname is derived from the German city of Wurzburg, Bavaria, where Jews first settled in the 11th century. The German and Yiddish ending -er means 'of', 'from'." - from https://forebears.io/surnames/wurzburger

Wysokiński Polish
This indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Wysokin.

Wyspiański m Polish
Derived from the Polish word wyspa meaning "island."

Wyszyński Polish
It indicates familial origin within any of several Podlachian villages named ''Wyszonki''.

Yabe Japanese
From the Japanese 矢 (ya) "arrow" and 部 (be) "region," "division," "part."

Yago Japanese
Possibly from 谷 (ya, tani) meaning "valley" and 戸 (go, to) meaning "door".

Yahaba Japanese
From Japanese 矢幅 (Yahaba) meaning "Yahaba", a former village in the district of Shiwa in the former Japanese province of Rikuchū in parts of present-day Iwate and Akita in Japan.... [more]

Yajima Japanese
Derived from Japanese 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow" or 谷 (ya) meaning "valley, lowland, plain" combined with 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".... [more]

Yakushiji Japanese
From Japanese 薬師寺 (Yakushiji) meaning "Yakushiji", a former village in the district of Kawachi in the former Japanese province of Shimotsuke in present-day Tochigi, Japan.

Yama Japanese
Yama means "Mountain".

Yamabe Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".

Yamabi Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 火 (bi), the joining form of 火 (hi) meaning "fire". It is a reference to an event when the leader of the Morioka Domain came to the mountains and the residents warmed him up by starting a fire using flint... [more]

Yamabushi Japanese
Yama means "mountain, hill" and bushi means "warrior, samurai".

Yamadera Japanese
Yama means "mountain, hill" and dera comes from tera meaning "temple".

Yamagata Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 形 (gata) meaning "shape, form" or 縣 (gata) meaning "county, district".

Yamahashi Japanese
Yama means "mountain" and hashi means "bridge".... [more]

Yamai Japanese
Yama means "mountain" and i means "well, mineshaft, pit".

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

Yamakuri Japanese
Yama means "mountain" and kuri means "chestnut".

Yamamae Japanese
Yama means "mountain, hill" and mae means "front".

Yamamichi Japanese
Yama means "mountain" and michi means "path".

Yamamizu Japanese
山 (Yama) means "mountain" and 水 (mizu) means "water".

Yamamori Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill" and 森 (mori) meaning "forest".