Browse Submitted Surnames

Urbino Sicilian, Italian
Possibly from the name of an Italian town. Could also be from Sicilian urbu or orbu, meaning "blind", in which case it may refer to literal blindness, or a more metaphorical "blind to one's sins", especially in the case of foundlings.

Urdanegi Basque
From the name of a neighborhood in the town of Gordexola in Biscay, Basque Country, probably related to Basque urdandegi "pigsty, pig pen".

Urdanegui Basque (Hispanicized)
Castilianized form of Urdanegi.

Urduña Basque (Rare)
From the name of a municipality in Basque Country, Spain, derived from Basque ortu "garden, orchard" and -une "place, location".

Urenda Basque
Probably a topographic name formed with Basque ur "water".

Urgu Italian
From an ancient toponym.

Uribarri Basque
Habitational name derived from Basque uri "town, city" and barri "new". Compare Ulibarri.

Uriondo Basque
From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Zeberio, Spain, derived from Basque uri "town, city" and -ondo "next to, adjacent".

Urizar Basque
Habitational name derived from Basque uri "town, city" and zahar "old, aged".

Urkiaga Basque
From the name of the northernmost hill and mountain pass in Navarre, derived from Basque urki "birch tree" and -aga "place of, group of".

Urritzola Basque (Rare)
From the names of either of two villages in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque urritz "hazel tree" combined with either ola "hut, cabin" or the suffix -ola "location, place of".

Urrutia Basque
Habitational name derived from Basque urruti "distant, far away".

Urrutigoiti Basque (Rare)
Habitational name derived from Basque urruti "far, distant" and goiti "above, upper (part)".

Urrutigoïty Basque (Gallicized)
Parisianized form of Urrutigoiti.

Ursúa Basque (Hispanicized), Spanish
Castilianized form of Urtsua.

Urtsua Basque (Rare, Archaic)
From the name of a mountain in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, derived from Basque ur "water" and -tzu "plenty of".

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

Useche Basque
Habitational name from Basque Usaetxe, composed of uso "dove, pigeon" and etxe "house, home, building".

Utterdyke Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized form of Uitterdijk.

Vaandrager Dutch
Means "flag-bearer, ensign" in Dutch, from vaan "banner, vane, flag" and drager "carrier, bearer".

Vadalà Italian
Derived from the Arabic given name Abd Allah, meaning "servant of God".

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.

Vaher Estonian
Means "maple (tree)" in Estonian.

Vahi Estonian
Means "watch" or "guard" in Estonian, derived from vahimees meaning "watchman".

Valden Dutch (Expatriate, ?)
Possibly an altered form of Velden.

Valenzuela Spanish
Habitational name from places named Valenzuela in Córdoba and Ciudad Real. The place name is a diminutive of Valencia, literally "little Valencia".

Valk Dutch
Means "falcon" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a falconer, or possibly derived from the given name Falk. Compare Falco.

Valmer Estonian
Possibly derived from a diminutive form of the personal name Valdemar.

Valsecchi Italian
Denoting someone from the former municipality of Valsecca in Lombardy.

Van Amerongen Dutch
Means "from Amerongen", a town in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

van Beethoven Flemish
Means "from the beet fields", a variant of Beethoven. A famous bearer of this name was German Clasical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).

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 Boxtel Dutch
Means "from Boxtel" in Dutch, the name of a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch buk "buck, roebuck, hart" and stelle "stable, safe residence".

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

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

Van Buskirk Dutch (Expatriate)
Habitational name denoting someone from Buiskerke, derived from Dutch bos "woods, forest" and kerk "church"... [more]

Van Buuren Dutch
Variant of Van Buren.

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

Vancouver Dutch (Anglicized)
Variant of Van Coevorden, meaning "from the cow ford".

Van De Leest Dutch, Flemish
Derived from Dutch leest meaning "last, boottree", a tool used by shoemakers to shape boots. This can be either an occupational name for cobblers, or a habitational name from the settlement of Leest, itself possibly named for a field in the shape of a boot.

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 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 den Bos Dutch
Means "from the forest" in Dutch, a variant form of Van Den Bosch.

Van Den Bosch Dutch
Means "from De Bosch" or "from the woods", derived from Middle Dutch bosch "forest, wood".

Van Den Geer Dutch (Rare)
Variant form of Van Der Geer.

Van den Hurk Dutch
From any of several place names derived from the element hornik "corner".

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.

Vandeputte Flemish
Means "from the pit, of the well", from Middle Dutch putte "pit, well".

Van Der Dutch
Possibly a clipping of a longer surname beginning with van der meaning "of the, from the". Alternatively, could be a variant spelling of van Deur.

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 Bilt Dutch
Means "from De Bilt", the name of a town derived from Middle Dutch belt "mound, heap, hill".

Vanderbilt Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized form of Van Der Bilt.

Van Der Boom Dutch
Means "from the tree", derived from Dutch boom "tree". Compare Verboom.

Van Der Bruggen Dutch
Means "from the bridges" in Dutch.

Van Der Eijk Dutch
Means "from the oak", derived from Middle Dutch eike "oak (tree)".

Van Der Geer Dutch
Means "from the headland", derived from Dutch geer "pointed piece of land, headland; spear".

Van Der Graaf Dutch
Means "from the canal", derived from Dutch graaf "canal, excavated watercourse", itself related to graven "to dig".

Van Der Heiden Dutch
Variant spelling of Van Der Heijden.

Van Der Hooning Dutch
Possibly related to Honig.

Van der Kerk Dutch
Means "from the church" in Dutch.

Van Der Kleij Dutch
Means "from Klei" (literally "from the clay"), the toponym of a settlement in the Netherlands built on clay ground.

Van Der Klok Dutch
Means "from the bell", from Middle Dutch clocke "bell; bell-shaped", a habitational name for someone who lived near a bell tower, or perhaps a sign depicting a bell.

Van Der Kolk Dutch
Means "of the kolk", a variant of Kolk.

Van Der Kooi Dutch
Means "from the pen", derived from Dutch kooi "cage", given to someone who owned a duck decoy field for hunting, or who came from a place named after one.

Van Der Laan Dutch
Means "from the lane" in Dutch.

Van Der Linde Dutch
Variant of Van der Linden.

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 Meijden Dutch

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]

Vanderpan Dutch
From Dutch van der Pan meaning "from the pan", possibly referring to a location that resembled the shape of a pan.

Van der Plas Dutch
Means "from the pool" in Dutch, derived from plas "pool, puddle, pond; body of stagnant water".

Van der Ploeg Dutch
Means "of the plough" in Dutch, an occupational name for a farmer or a bookbinder (a ploeg also being a tool used in binding books), or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a plough.

Van Der Poel Dutch
Means "from the pool".

Van Der Pol Dutch
Habitational name probably derived from Dutch pol "tussock, grassy hill" (see Pol).

Vanderpool Dutch (Americanized)
Variant form of Van Der Poel.

Van Der Sar Dutch
Derived from a patronymic form of Sander.

Van Der Sluijs Dutch
Means "from the sluice", from Dutch sluis "sluice, lock", a habitational name for someone who lived by a sluice gate.

Van Der Spek Dutch
Habitational name derived from Middle Dutch specke "log dam, bridge of tree trunks, road through a marshy area".

Van Der Steen Dutch, Flemish
Means "from the stone", a habitational name for someone from any of various minor places called Steen or Ten Stene, for example in the Belgian provinces of East Flanders and Brabant.

Van Der Valk Dutch
Means "of the falcon" or "from De Valk" in Dutch. Compare Valk.

Van Der Velde Dutch
Means "of the field, from the field", from Dutch veld "field".

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

Van Der Waal Dutch
Toponymic or habitational name derived from Middle Dutch wael "dike breach pool, eddy, vortex, mud flat" or "reservoir, well".

Van der Weide Dutch
Means "from the pasture" in Dutch, either a topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, or a metonymic occupational name for a butcher.

Van der Werf Dutch
Means "from the wharf" or "from the shipyard" in Dutch, derived from werf meaning "quay, wharf, shipyard", or from the older form werve "dyke, quay, bank". Can be a topographic name for someone who lived near such a place, or an occupational name for someone who worked at a shipyard, such as a carpenter.

Van Der Zanden Dutch
Means "from the sand", most likely given to someone who lived near sandy grounds. It originated in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.

Van Deursen Dutch
Toponymic surname derived from Deursen, Deurne (also Deurse) or Deurzen, all derived from Middle Dutch dorn "thorn, thornbush".

Van Deusen Dutch (Americanized)
Most likely an altered form of Van Deursen. Alternatively, could be a habitational name for someone from the German town of Deusen, north of Dortmund, in North Rhine-Westphalia near the Dutch border... [more]

Van de Velde Dutch, Flemish
Means "from the field" in Dutch.

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

Van De Wetering Dutch
Means "from the drainage channel", from Dutch wetering "canal, waterway, drainage channel" or the name of a town using it as an element.

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

Van Doorn Dutch
Means "of the thorns", a topographic name for someone who lived near thorn bushes, or in a settlement named after them.

Van Doren Dutch, Flemish
Variant form of Van Doorn.

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 Duijn Dutch
Means "from the dune" in Dutch.

Van Duijne Dutch
Variant of Van Duijn.

Vanduren Dutch
Means "from Deurne" or "from Düren"; compare Van Doorn.

Van Dyke Dutch
Variant form of Van Dijk.

Vandyke Dutch
Contracted form of Van Dyke.

Van Dyne Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized form of Dutch Van Duijne, a habitational name from any of several locations in the Netherlands name Duin or Duinen, derived from the element duin "dune".

Van Eck Dutch
Means "from Eck", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Derived from hek "fence".

Van Egmond Dutch
Means "from Egmond" in Dutch, the name of a town and former municipality in North Holland. The toponym is possibly derived from heeg-munde (or hecmunda) meaning "enclosed fortress".

Van Erdelen Dutch

Van Erp Dutch
Means "from Erp" in Dutch, a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Dutch *apa "watercourse" and an unclear first element.

Van Es Dutch
Means "from the ash tree", denoting someone who lived by an ash tree or who came from a place named for them, such as Esch.

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 Ginkel Dutch
Means "from Ginkel" in Dutch, the name of a settlement in Gelderland, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Dutch gengi "accessible, passable" and lo "light forest, forest clearing".

Van Ginneken Dutch
Means "from Ginneken", the name of a former municipality in the Netherlands.

Van Gool Dutch
Means "from Goirle" in Dutch, the name of a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch goor "filth, dirty; swampy forest floor" and lo "forest clearing, light forest".

Van Grieken Dutch
Means "of Greeks", derived from Dutch Griek "Greek (person)".

Vanhalen Dutch
Variant of Van Halen.

Vanhamel Flemish
Means "from Hamel".

Van Haren Dutch
Means "from Haren" in Dutch, the name of several settlements derived from haar "sandy ridge".

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

Van Helsing Dutch (Rare)
Habitational name that can derive from any of several locations. It is most famously used by the fictional character Abraham Van Helsing in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, in which case it may be invented.

Van Het Dutch (Rare)

Van Heukelom Dutch, Belgian
Denoted someone from any of several places Heukelom or similar, derived from Old Dutch *hukila "hill, elevated place" and hem "home, settlement".

Van Heutsz Dutch (Archaic)
A bearer of this name is J.B. van Heutsz, also known as the Pacificator of Aceh, former governor general of the Dutch East Indies.

Van Holt Dutch
Means "from the forest", a variant of Holt.

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

Van Hoorden Belgian (Rare)

Van Iersel Dutch
Habitational name from the town of Eersel in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from the Old Dutch personal name *Ari combined with lo "forest clearing, light forest".

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

Vanini Italian
Possibly from the given name Giovanni.

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

Van Kleef Dutch
Means "from Kleef", a toponym derived from Middle Dutch cleve "cliff".

Van Kooten Dutch
Habitational name from any of several places called Koten or Kooten, derived from Middle Dutch cote "cottage, hut, barn".

Van Krieken Dutch
Possibly an altered form of Van Grieken, influenced by kriek meaning "cherry" in Dutch.

Van Lier Dutch
More common form of van Lieren.

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 Lieshout Dutch
Variant of Lieshout.

Van Look Dutch
Topographic name from look "enclosure, fence", or habitational name from a place named with this word.

Van Loon Dutch
Means "from Loon", the name of several locations, derived from Middle Dutch lo "forest clearing, light forest".

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 Noort Dutch
Means "from the north", derived from Middle Dutch nort "north, northwards". Alternatively, can be an altered form of Van Oort.

Van Nuffelen Belgian, Flemish
Means "from Huffel", derived from Middle Dutch huffel "hill".

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

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 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 Oss Dutch
Means "from Oss", a town in the southern Netherlands.

Van Pelt Dutch, Flemish
Habitational name for someone from Pelt (formerly Pedele), Overpelt, or Neerpelt, possibly derived from a word meaning "marshy place".

Van Persie Dutch
Means "from Persia", most likely derived from the name of a house that traded in Persian goods. Alternatively, it might derive from Perche, a former province in France.

Van Putten Dutch
Means "from Putten" in Dutch, a toponym derived from Old Dutch putti "well (water)".

Van Quakebeke Belgian, Flemish
Possibly related to Dutch quaak "swamp" and beke "stream, brook".

Van Reenan Dutch (Anglicized)
Variant of Van Reenen.

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 Rees Dutch
Means "from Rees", a German town on the bank of the Rhine that probably derives its name from Kleverlandish rys "willow grove".

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

Van Riel Dutch
Means "from Riel" in Dutch, a toponym of uncertain origin.

Van Rooijen Dutch
Derived from any of several places named using the suffix rooien, denoting an area cleared of trees.

Vansant Dutch (Americanized), Flemish
Derivative of Van Zant.

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 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".

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.

Vansickle Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized form of a hypothetical Dutch surname, probably derived from either the given name Sikkel (see Siegel) or from sikkel meaning "sickle, scythe".

Van Sluytman Dutch (Archaic)
Etymology uncertain. Possibly related to Dutch sloot "ditch, trench", or to sluiten "to close, shut, lock" (compare Sluiter and Slootmaekers)... [more]

Van Soest Dutch
Means "from Soest" in Dutch, a town in Utrecht, Netherlands.

van Son Dutch
Means "from Son", a town in the Netherlands, possibly derived from an older term meaning "creek".

Van Staalduinen Dutch
Means "from the steel dunes", a toponym.

Van Steen Flemish, Dutch
Variant of Van Der Steen.

Van Straubenzee Dutch (Anglicized, Rare)
Etymology uncertain, most likely a habitational name.

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 Tol Dutch
Means "of (the) toll" or "from Tol" in Dutch, derived from tol "toll (fee); toll booth, toll house", a habitational name for someone who lived near or in a toll house or a place named for one, or a metonymic occupational name for a toll collector... [more]

Van Tongeren Dutch
Means "from Tongeren" in Dutch.

Van Tuijl Dutch
Means "from Tuil", the name of two different settlements, both derived from Old Dutch tiole or tiuli "agricultural land, pasture".

Van Uden Dutch
Means "from Uden" in Dutch, a town in North Brabant, Netherlands.

Van Velsen Dutch
Means "from Velsen" in Dutch, a municipality in North Holland, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pel "swamp, marsh" combined with the hydronymic suffix *isa.

Van Vucht Dutch
Means "from Vucht", a place name probably derived from Middle Dutch vucht "humid area, wetland".

Van Wanrooij Dutch
Means "from Wanroij" in Dutch, the name of a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, probably derived from Middle Dutch wan "bad, insufficient, lacking; un-" and rode "land cleared of trees".

Van Wert Dutch (Americanized, Archaic), Flemish
Habitational name for someone from places in Belgium and the Netherlands called Weert, (De) Weerd, Weerde, or Waarde, all derived from Middle Dutch wert "holm, area surrounded by rivers".

Van Wezel Dutch
Means "from Wezel", the name of several locations in the Netherlands.

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.

Van Wormer Dutch (Rare)
Means "from Wormer", a town in North Holland. Derived from Old Dutch wer "fishing weir" and mere "lake", or possibly from Proto-Germanic *werm "water".

Van Wyngarden Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized form of van Wijngaarden (see Wijngaard).

Van Zandt Dutch, Belgian
Means "from Zandt", a toponym derived from zand "sand".

Van Zant Dutch
Variant of Van Zandt.

Van Zon Dutch
Variant of van Son. In some cases, it could denote someone who lived or worked in a building named De Zon "the sun", probably named for a sign depicting the sun.

Vargiu Italian
From the name of a former settlement. Possibly from Latin varius, "many colours, variegated".

Veen Dutch
Means "peat bog, fen, swamp" in Dutch.

Veerman Dutch
Means "ferryman, skipper" in Dutch, from veer "ferry". Alternatively, it could be an occupational name for a feather merchant or fletcher, derived from veer "feather, plume", a contracted form of the archaic veder.

Velden Dutch
Means "fields" in Dutch.

Veldhuis Dutch
Means "field house" in Dutch.

Veldman Dutch
Means "field man" in Dutch, a name for a farmer, or someone who lived by a field.

Velten German, Dutch
From a vernacular form of the personal name Valentin or Valentijn.

Velten Norwegian
Norwegian habitational name from any of several farmsteads, mainly in Hedmark, derived from velte "log pile".

Veltman Dutch
Variant of Veldman.

Venema Dutch, West Frisian
From Dutch veen "peat, bog, fen" and the Frisian suffix -ema.

Venier Venetian
From the medieval name Venerius, meaning "of Venus, dedicated to Venus".

Venini Italian
Possibly a patronymic from the medieval name Bene, meaning "good".

Vennix Dutch
Patronymic from the given name Fenne, a short form of Ferdinand.

Verbruggen Dutch, Flemish
Contracted form of Van Der Bruggen, meaning "from the bridge".

Verdonk Dutch
Contraction of van der Donk meaning "from the donk", a donk being a kind of sandy hill found in a swamp.

Vergara Basque (Hispanicized)
Castilianized form of Bergara.

Verhagen Dutch
Contracted form of van der Hagen, derived from haag "hedge, undergrowth".

Verheij Dutch
Contracted form of Van Der Heijden.

Verheul Dutch
Contracted form of van der Heul, derived from Dutch heul "culvert, stone bridge, sewer, floodgate".

Verhoeff Dutch
Variant of Verhoeven.

Verhulst Dutch, Flemish
Shortened form of van der Hulst "from the holly".

Verkerk Dutch
Contracted form of Van der Kerk "from the church".

Verkuilen Dutch, Flemish
Reduced form of van der Kuylen, a topographic name derived from kuil "pit, quarry, hole in the ground", or a habitational name for someone from Kuil in East Flanders or Kuilen in Limburg.

Verlander Dutch (Anglicized)
Altered form of Van Der Linde.

Vermeer Dutch
Contracted form of Van der Meer.

Verschoor Dutch
Contracted form of Van der Schoor, roughly meaning "from the shore".

Verschuren Dutch
Contracted form of Van der Schuren meaning "from the barns".

Verstappen Dutch
Contracted form of Van der Stappen "from the steps". Coincides with a Dutch word meaning "to misstep".

Versteeg Dutch
Contracted form of Van der Steeg "from the lane".

Vértiz Basque (Hispanicized)
Castilianized form of Bertiz.

Verwest Dutch
Contracted form of Van Der Vest.

Verwey Dutch, Afrikaans, South African
Contracted form of van der Weij meaning "from the meadow".

Vesi Estonian
Means "water" in Estonian.

Vian Venetian
Derives from the given name Viviano, or perhaps Ottaviano.

Vicuña Basque (Hispanicized)
Castilianized form of Bikuña.

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

Villarreal Spanish
Habitational name from any of various places called Villarreal (or Villareal), derived from Spanish villa meaning "farm, town, settlement" and real meaning "royal".

Villerius Dutch
Villerius is a name of Dutch origin similar to the French DeVilliers

Vinagro Italian
Cognate to Vinagre, meaning "bitter wine, vinegar". Possibly given to foundlings.

Vink Dutch
Means "finch, chaffinch" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for someone who caught finches and other small birds. It could also be a nickname for someone cheerful, or who was known for whistling.

Vis Dutch
Means "fish" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fishmonger.

Viscarrat Basque (Hispanicized, Modern)
Variant of Bizkarra.

Viscuso Italian
From Sicilian viscusu "tough, tenacious, vicious".

Vissers Flemish, Dutch
Patronymic of Visser.

Vonk Dutch
Means "spark" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a smith, or possibly a nickname for a lively or fiery person.

Voogd Dutch
Means "guardian" in Dutch, an occupational name for a bailiff, farm manager, or someone appointed to look after the interests of other people. Ultimately from Latin advocatus "witness, advocate; one called upon to help"... [more]

Voorhees Dutch
Habitational name from a place in Drenthe called Voorhees.

Vorhees Dutch (Americanized)
Variant of Voorhees.

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

Vreeke Dutch
Either a variant form of the given name Freek, a diminutive of Frederik, or a contraction of Van Der Eijk "from the oak".

Vreeland Dutch
Habitational name for a person from a place bearing the same name in the province of Utrecht, which is itself derived from the Middle Dutch word vrede, meaning "peace; legal protection against armed violence".

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]

Vrielink Dutch
Etymology uncertain. Possibly from the name of a farmstead, itself perhaps derived from a given name such as Frigilo or Friedel... [more]

Vrieze Dutch
From Middle Dutch Vrieze "Frisian", an ethnic name for a someone from Friesland.

Vrolijk Dutch
Means "cheerful, merry" in Dutch.

Vuurman Dutch
Means "fire man" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who burned patches of forest land, or who worked in a fire brigade.

Wachter German, Dutch
Means "guard, sentinel", an occupational name for a watchman.

Waffel Dutch (Anglicized, ?)
Possibly an Anglicized form of a hypothetical Dutch surname derived from wafel "waffle, wafer".

Wagenaar Dutch
Occupational name for a cartwright, cognate to German Wagner.

Warns German, Dutch
Patronymic form of the Germanic given name Warn (see Warin). Alternatively, a habitational name from various Frisian places likely named using the same or similar elements.

Wassink Dutch
Derived from the personal name Wazo and the suffix -ink denoting origin from a family or place.

Weg Dutch, Jewish, German
Means "way, road, path".

Weghorst Dutch, German
Habitational name from a location near Hanover, possibly derived from weg "way, road" and horst "thicket, grove, heap, elevated land" or "nest of a bird of prey, eyrie".

Wehlburg German (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Possibly derived from German Wehl "pool of water (esp. behind a dyke)" (cognate to Dutch weil "vortex, maelstrom; dyke breach pool") and burg "fortress, citadel".

Wessels Dutch, South African
Patronymic from the given name Wessel.

Westbroek Dutch
From the name of several towns in the Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch west "west, western" and bruoc "marsh, wetland"... [more]

Westhouse Dutch (Anglicized, ?), English
Possibly an Anglicized form of Westhuis. Alternatively, from a place named Westhouse.

Westhuis Dutch
Means "west house" in Dutch.

Westra Dutch, West Frisian
Means "from the west", derived from Dutch west "west, western, westwards" combined with the Frisian habitational suffix -stra.

Wever Dutch, Low German
Dutch cognate of Weaver 1.

Wicks English
Variant of Weeks.

Wiersma West Frisian
Can be a patronymic form of the given name Wier, a contracted form of Wieger (see also Wiro), or a toponymic surname from West Frisian wier "artificial hill, dwelling mound", a cognate of English weir and Dutch wierde.

Wiggins English
Patronymic form of Wiggin.

Wijnands Dutch
Means "son of Wijnand".

Wijnen Dutch
Patronymic form of Wijn, a short form of personal names containing the element wini "friend", such as Boudewijn or Adalwin.

Wijngaard Dutch
Means "vineyard" in Dutch.

Wijs Dutch
Means "wise, learned, clever" in Dutch.

Wilm German
From a short form of the given name Wilhelm.

Win English
Variant spelling of Wynn.

Win Burmese (Americanized)
From the given name Win, taken as a surname after emigrating.

Win Dutch
Variant of Winne.

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]

Winkel Dutch, Belgian
Habitational name from any of numerous minor places named using the element winkel "corner".

Winne English
Variant spelling of Wynn.

Winne Flemish
Occupational name for an agricultural worker, from Middle Dutch winne "farmer, peasant, tenant".

Wise English
Nickname for a wise or learned person, or in some cases a nickname for someone suspected of being acquainted with the occult arts, from Middle English wys "wise, thoughtful, knowledgeable; alert, aware"... [more]

Wit Dutch
Means "white" in Dutch, a variant of De Wit.

Witte German, Dutch, English
Cognate to and variant of White, a nickname for someone with white or blonde hair or an unusually pale complexion

Witteveen Dutch
From Dutch witte "white" and veen "peat bog, marsh", derived from any of several place names.

Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff German (Rare)
The truncated form of the surname Wolfeschlegel­steinhausen­bergerdorff­welche­vor­altern­waren­gewissenhaft­schafers­wessen­schafe­waren­wohl­gepflege­und­sorgfaltigkeit­beschutzen­vor­angreifen­durch­ihr­raubgierig­feinde­welche­vor­altern­zwolfhundert­tausend­jahres­voran­die­erscheinen­von­der­erste­erdemensch­der­raumschiff­genacht­mit­tungstein­und­sieben­iridium­elektrisch­motors­gebrauch­licht­als­sein­ursprung­von­kraft­gestart­sein­lange­fahrt­hinzwischen­sternartig­raum­auf­der­suchen­nachbarschaft­der­stern­welche­gehabt­bewohnbar­planeten­kreise­drehen­sich­und­wohin­der­neue­rasse­von­verstandig­menschlichkeit­konnte­fortpflanzen­und­sich­erfreuen­an­lebenslanglich­freude­und­ruhe­mit­nicht­ein­furcht­vor­angreifen­vor­anderer­intelligent­geschopfs­von­hinzwischen­sternartig­raum... [more]

Wolkers Dutch
Patronymic form of the given names Wulfger "wolf spear" or Volker "people army".

Wollstonecraft English (Rare)
Habitational name derived from any of several towns called Woolstone or Woolston, meaning "Wulfric’s town", combined with an altered form of Old English croft "enclosed field".

Woltering German, Dutch
Patronymic from the given name Wolter.

Woltring Dutch
Variant of Woltering.

Wondergem Dutch
Habitational name from Wondelgem or Wontergem in East Flanders, Belgium, using the suffix -gem which is related to Old Germanic haimaz meaning "home".

Wriedt German, Danish
From Old Germanic *wraiþ meaning "twisted, bent, uneven" or "angry, furious; hostile, violent". Could be a habitational name from an area with rough terrain or overgrown roots, or a nickname for someone with a bad temper.

Wyckoff East Frisian (Rare)
Means "settlement on a bay", from Old Frisian wik "bay, inlet" and hof "courtyard, farmstead".

Wykes English
Variant of Weeks.

Wynn Welsh
Derived from the given name Gwynn, itself from Welsh gwyn meaning "white, fair; blessed".

Wynn English
From Old English wine "friend", which could be used as a byname or personal name (see Wine).

Xompero Italian
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Cimbrian somerousch "pack horse", indicating the bearer's strength or occupation. Alternately, may mean "son of Piero".

Xotlanihua Nahuatl
Means "owner of flowering" or "there will be growing" in Nahuatl, probably originating as a personal name.

Yaben Basque
Means "under the rushes, reed bed, bracken".

Yarbrough English
Habitational name derived from Yarborough or Yarburgh in Lincolnshire, England, both composed of Old English eorþe "earth, ground, dirt" and burg "fortress, citadel, stronghold".

Yard Dutch (Surinamese)

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

Yoder German (Swiss, Americanized)
Americanized form of the Swiss German surname Joder, derived from a dialectical short form of Theodor, Joder.

Yost American, Dutch (Americanized), German (Americanized)
Americanized spelling of Dutch Joost or German Jost.

Zabaleta Basque
Habitational name meaning "very wide place", derived from Basque zabal "wide, broad, open" and -eta "place of, abundance of".

Zago Italian
Probably from Venetian zago "alter boy", or someone preparing to become a priest. Alternately, may derive from a toponym, such as Massanzago, Lorenzago, Cazzago, Vanzago, or Sozzago.

Zalbidea Basque
Habitational name derived from Basque zalbide "horses’ road", ultimately composed of zaldi "horse" and bide "path, track, way; journey".

Zaldibar Basque
From the name of a town and municipality in Biscay, Basque Country, derived from Basque zaldi "horse" and ibar "valley". Alternatively, the first element could instead be zaldu "wood, copse, forest".

Zaldívar Basque (Hispanicized), Spanish
Castilianized form of Basque Zaldibar "horse valley".

Zamora Spanish
Habitational name from Zamora, a city in northwestern Spain, of uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Berber azemur "wild olive tree".

Zamudio Basque
From the name of a town and municipality in Biscay, Basque Country, derived from zama "gorge, ravine" and odi "ravine, channel, tube". Alternatively, the second element could instead be -di "place of, forest of".