TerwilligerEnglish An anglicized version of the Dutch surname, Der Willikeur, meaning "a by-law; a statute". Also, Der willige-waar, means "serviceable ware", or "ware that sells well" and could be related as well.
ThielGerman Derived from Old High German thiot "people".
ThistleEnglish Derived from Middle English thistel "thistle", this was either a nickname or a topographic name for someone who lived near a place overgrown with thistles.
ThoreauEnglish Last name of famous American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, sage writer and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau.
TingleEnglish Derived from Middle English tingel, referring to a kind of very small nail (a word of North German origin); this was either an occupational name for a maker of pins or nails, or else a nickname for a small thin man.... [more]
TolandIrish The meaning of the name is unclear, but it seems to derive from the pre 13th century Gaelic O' Tuathalain suggesting that it was probably religious and may translate as "The male descendant of the follower of the lord".
TownleyEnglish 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]
TozziItalian Derived from the Italian adjective tozzo meaning "squat; stocky" and also "chunk; hunk", both from Latin túndere meaning "to dent" or from Slavic stotz meaning "stump".... [more]
UnwinEnglish From the Old English male personal name Hūnwine, literally "bearcub-friend" (later confused with Old English unwine "enemy"). Bearers include British publisher Sir Stanley Unwin (1885-1968) and "Professor" Stanley Unwin (1911-2002), South African-born British purveyor of comical nonsense language.
UysAfrikaans Of uncertain origin and meaning. Theories include an Afrikaans variant of Huijs which seems to have developed into Uijs and finally into Uys.
van NiekerkAfrikaans Topographic name for any of the various locations named Nieuwerkerk in The Netherlands or Nieuwerkerken in Belgium. The name itself means "of the new church" from Dutch van meaning "of" combined with nieuw meaning "new" and kerk meaning "church".
VarneyEnglish From the French place name Vernay, derived from Gaulish verno- "alder" and the locative suffix -acum. A fictional bearer is the vampire Sir Francis Varney, the title character of the mid-19th-century gothic horror story Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood.
VeraguthRomansh Derived from Latin ferrum acutum "cutting sword", this name was given to a blacksmith.
VerdeItalian, Spanish, Portuguese From Spanish verde "green" (Latin viridis), presumably a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in this color or had green eyes, etc. This is also a common element of place names.
ViveashEnglish English surname of uncertain origin. May be Anglo-Norman from French vivace meaning "lively, vigorous", however its pronunciation has led to its connection to various places in southern England called Five Ash Trees.
VonmoosRomansh Derived from German von "of" and Moos "moss". The name itself is a calque of Romansh da Palü which was Germanized after the Reformation.
WashburnEnglish 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]
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]
WesterlyEnglish The name is originated from a term meaning 'winds from the West'. The name could be given to someone who is born in the west.
WestwoodEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from any of numerous places named Westwood, from Old English west "west" and wudu "wood".
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.
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").
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.