ObstGerman, Jewish Means "fruit" in German, denoting someone who grows or sells fruit. As a Jewish name, it is ornamental.
OcasioSpanish (Latin American) Possibly from Spanish ocasión "time, occasion" or from ocaso "dusk, sunset", but the meaning as a surname is unexplained. A famous bearer of the name is American politician and activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (1989-).
OchsGerman, Jewish Means "ox" in German, derived from Middle High German ohse, possibly denoting a strong person or someone who worked with oxen. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
OchsenkopfGerman Habitational name for a person living in any of the mountains across Germany, Austria, or Liechtenstein, literally meaning "ox's head" in German.
OdhamEnglish Variant of Odom, altered by folk etymology as if derived from a place name formed with -ham.
OdomEnglish From a nickname for someone who married a daughter of a prominent figure in a community, derived from Middle English odam "son-in-law", from Old English aþum.
OrchardEnglish Derived from Middle English orchard, from Old English ortgeard. It denoted somebody who lived by or worked in an orchard or lived in a place named Orchard.
OrmerodEnglish Habitational name for a person from a minor place named Ormerod in Lancashire, from Old Norse given name Ormr and Old English rod "cleared land".
OsbaldestonEnglish Habitational name for a person from the village called Osbaldeston in Lancashire, derived from Old English given name Osbald and tun "enclosure, town".
OxfordEnglish Habitational name from the city of Oxford in Oxfordshire. The placename derives from Old English oxa "ox" and ford "ford, river crossing".
PacinoItalian Diminutive form of Pace. The American actor Al Pacino (1940-) is a well-known bearer of this surname.
PagdangananFilipino, Tagalog Means "to be respected" in Tagalog, from Tagalog dangan "respect, consideration" with object trigger prefix and suffix pag- -an. This surname is mostly found in Bulacan.
PainterEnglish Occupational name for a painter, derived from Middle English paynter.
PalfreyEnglish Occupational surname for a man who works with saddle-horses, from Middle English palfrey, a kind of small saddle horse used in the Middle Ages.
PapierFrench, German, Jewish Means "paper" in French and German, denoting a paper maker or merchant, both derived from Old French papier.
Pardo De TaveraSpanish (Rare, Archaic) In the case of Filipino physician Trinidad Pardo de Tavera (1857-1925), he came from a Portuguese aristocratic family of Pardo from Tavira (a town in Portugal). The family added the name de Tavera, meaning "of Tavira" to affix their place of origin, similar to Spanish noble customs... [more]
ParkzerEnglish (American, Modern, Rare) Variant of "Parker". Adam Parkzer, better known mononymously as Parkzer, formally known as Adam Park, renamed it to Parkzer because of 'how generic his surname was'
PastoriusGerman (Latinized) Derived from Latin pastor "shepherd", a Latinized form of German surname Schäfer. This surname is no longer found in Germany. Jaco Pastorius (1951-1987), full name John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, was the most influential American jazz bassist, composer, and producer... [more]
PeabodyEnglish, Popular Culture From a nickname for someone who was haughty or dressed ostentatiously, from Middle English po "peacock, peafowl", and bodi "body" (see Peacock). Famous bearers of the name were American banker and philanthropist George Foster Peabody (1852-1932) and Mr... [more]
PelsmakerDutch Occupational name for a pelt maker, from Dutch pels "pelt, fur" and maker "maker"
PendleEnglish Habitational name from a borough called Pendle in Lancashire, derived from Proto-Brythonic *penn "head, top" and hyll "hill".
PendleburyEnglish Habitational name from the town called Pendlebury in Greater Manchester, derived from Pendle Hill (see Pendle) and Old English burg "fortress, fortification, citadel".
PendletonEnglish Habitational name from any of the two villages in Lancashire called Pendleton, both derived from Pendle Hill (see Pendle) and Old English tun "enclosure, town".
PendragonWelsh, Arthurian Cycle From the title used by ancient British chiefs when called to lead other chiefs, derived from Old Welsh penn "head, chief" and dragon "dragon", used figuratively as "commander, war leader"... [more]
PenroseEnglish, Cornish, Welsh From the names of various towns in Cornwall and Wales, all derived from Cornish penn "head" and ros "moor, heathland".
PheonixEnglish, Scottish Variant of Fenwick re-spelled after the legendary bird Phoenix. A famous bearer of the name is American actor Joaquín Rafael Phoenix (1974-), although their family renamed themselves after the Phoenix after leaving the religious cult Children of God, symbolizing a new beginning.
PiccioneItalian Means "pigeon" in Italian, denoting someone who resembles the bird or an occupational name for a pigeon keeper.
PilkingtonEnglish Habitational name for a person from a minor place named Pilkington in Lancashire, from Old English given name Pileca or Piloc and tun "enclosure, town".
PiovascoItalian, Literature Means "shower, brief fall of rain" in Italian, from Italian piovere or piova, both meaning "rain" with an added suffix. Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò is the protagonist in the Italian novel The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino, who inherited this surname from his father, Arminio Piovasco.
PlantagenetMedieval French, French (Archaic), History From Old French plante genest, from Latin planta genesta "sprig of broom", which was originally a sobriquet from the dynasty's founder, Geoffrey V (1113-1151), who wore a yellow broom blossom in his hat, that Richard of York (1411-1460) adopted as a surname... [more]
PobedonostsevmRussian Derived from Russian победоносный (pobedonósnyj) meaning "victorious, triumphant". Konstantin Pobedonostsev (1827-1907) was a Russian jurist and statesman who served as an adviser to three Russian emperors.
PoilièvreFrench, French (Quebec) Meaning uncertain, possibly from French pois aux lièvres "yellow pea, split pea" or a combination of French poil "hair" and lièvre "hare", denoting a furrier.
PolańskimPolish, Rusyn, Jewish Topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing or a habitational name for someone from any of various places called Polana or Polany, all derived from Polish polana meaning "glade, clearing".
PolanskimPolish, Rusyn, Jewish Unaccented form of Polański. A famous bearer of the name is French film director Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (1933-), who was born to a Polish-Jewish father.
PortocarreroSpanish, Spanish (Latin American) Possibly a Spanish form of Porto Carreiro, an old municipality in Galicia, from Galician porto "port, harbour" and carreiro "path, pathway".
PozharskyRussian Possibly from Russian пожар (požár) meaning "fire, conflagration". A famous bearer of the name was Russian prince Dmitry Mikhaylovich Pozharsky (1577-1642) known for his military leadership during the Polish–Muscovite War.
PozsonyiHungarian Means "Bratislavan, relating to Bratislava" in Hungarian. Bratislava is now the capital city of Slovakia, which was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and was once called Pozsony (or Pressburg in German).
PreobrazhenskymRussian Derived from Russian преображение (preobrazenije) meaning "transformation, transfiguration", referring to the Transfiguration of Jesus. A famous bearer of the name was Russian revolutionary Yevgeni Preobrazhensky (1886-1937).
PresbiteroFilipino Borrowed from Spanish presbítero meaning "presbyter", an elder or priest in various Christian Churches. A notable bearer of this name is Filipino singer Thaddeus Presbitero Durano Jr... [more]
ProctorEnglish Occupational name for a legal practitioner in an ecclesiastical court or a person appointed to collect alms for those who could not go out to beg for themselves (i.e., lepers and the bedridden), from Middle English proctour "steward", ultimately a contracted form derived from Latin procurator "agent, manager"... [more]
ProudEnglish From a nickname for a vain or haughty person, derived from Middle English proud "haughty, arrogant".
PrudhommeFrench, English From Old French preudomme "noble man, valiant man, hero", denoting a brave person or an occupational name for a magistrate.
QuackenboschDutch Topographic name meaning "night heron woodlands" in Dutch, from Dutch kwak "night heron" and bosch "woodland wilderness". This surname is now extinct in the Netherlands.
QuasimodoItalian (Rare) From the name of the Sunday that follows Easter, called Quasimodo Sunday, which gets its name from the opening words of the Latin chant quasi modo meaning "like the way" (see Quasimodo as a first name), possibly denoted somebody who was born or baptized in the first Sunday after Easter... [more]
RaguseaItalian (Americanized) Possibly an Americanized form of Ragusa. Adam Ragusea (1982-) is an American internet personality who makes videos about food recipes, food science, and culinary culture.
RedenbachGerman Toponymic name possibly derived from Middle High German reden "to speak, to talk" and bach "stream". It could also be a variant of Wittenbach.
RibchesterEnglish From the name of a village in Lancashire, derived from the River Ribble and Old English ceaster "fortress, fort" (derived from Latin castrum).
RichEnglish From a nickname of a wealthy person, in some cases given ironically for a pauper, ultimately derived from Germanic ric "powerful". A notable fictional bearer is Richie Rich who first appeared as a comic book character in 1953.
RosenwaldGerman, Jewish Means "rose forest" in German. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
RouseEnglish From a nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, derived from Old French rous "red", from Latin russus "red, reddish-brown".
RuddEnglish From a nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion, ultimately derived from Old English rudu "redness, ruddy complexion". A famous bearer of the name is British-American actor Paul Rudd (1969-).
RushtonEnglish From the name of various places in England or similar, all derived from Old English risc "rush plant" and tun "enclosure, town".
RzhevskyRussian Derived from Russian Ржев "Rzhev", a historical town between Moscow and Minsk, itself of unknown origin. This was the surname of a Russian noble family as well as Poruchik Dmitry Rzhevsky, a fictional character in the 1962 Soviet musical Hussar Ballad, often used in Russian jokes.
SaakashviliGeorgian Derived from the Georgian name *saaḳi, a given name equivalent of Isaac. A famous bearer of this name is the third president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili (1967-).
SainsburyEnglish Habitational name from the village of Saintbury in Gloucestershire, from the Old English given name Sæwine and burg "fortress, fortification, citadel".
SaintEnglish, French From a nickname for a very pious or religious person, ultimately derived from Latin sanctus "holy, saintly". In some cases, it may be from the Medieval given name Saint, of the same origin.
SalmanzadehPersian From the given name Salman combined with Persian زاده (zadeh) meaning "offspring".
SaltEnglish From the name of a town in Staffordshire, derived from Old English sealt "salt" due to its historical mining for salt and alabaster. In some cases, an occupational name for a maker or seller of salt, of the same origin (see Salter).
SalterEnglish Occupational name for someone who worked with salt, derived from Middle English salter.
SalthouseEnglish From the name of any of the various places in England so-called or somebody who lived or worked in a salthouse, all derived from Old English sealthus "salt facility, storehouse for salt".
SalzmannGerman, Jewish Means "salt man" in German, denoting a maker or seller of salt, derived from Middle High German salz "salt" and man. A cognate of English Saltman.
SandlerJewish Occupational name for a sandalmaker, from Hebrew סנדל (sandal) "sandal", ultimately of Latin origin. A famous bearer of the name is American actor Adam Sandler (1966-).
SantostefanoSpanish Habitational name of numerous churches dedicated to Saint Stephen
SarkeesianArmenian Variant of Sarkisian. Anita Sarkeesian is a Canadian-American feminist media critic. She is the founder of Feminist Frequency, a website that hosts videos and commentary analyzing portrayals of women in popular culture.
SavorgnanItalian (Rare) From a small town near Udine named Savorgnano del Torre, of Friulian origin. This was the name of a Friulian aristocratic family, ascribed to the Venetian participate. The famous bearer of this surname was an Italian-French explorer Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza (1852-1905)
SawinEnglish From the Old English given name Sæwine, via Middle English Sawin.
SaxtonEnglish From the name of a village in West Yorkshire or Cambridgeshire, both derived from the Old Norse given name Saxi or Old English seaxa "Saxon" and tun "enclosure, settlement".
ScarboroughEnglish From the name of a town in North Yorkshire, derived from the Old Norse byname Skarði and borg "fortress, fortification, citadel".
ScheidemannGerman Denoted a person who is divorced or who lives in a valley, from Middle High German scheiden "to separate, to divorce (a couple)" and mann "man".
ScheuerGerman, Jewish Derived from Middle High German schiure meaning "barn, granary", denoting somebody who lived in a barn of some sort.
ScholesEnglish Habitational name from any of the places called Scholes or similar in England, all derived from Old Norse skáli "hut, shed".
SeaborgEnglish, Swedish (Americanized) English cognate of Sjöberg, as well as the Americanized form. Glenn T. Seaborg (1912-1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements.
SeamanEnglish Occupational name for a sailor, derived from Old English sǣ "sea" and man. In some cases, from the Old English given name Sǣmann, of the same origin.
SeminarioSpanish (Latin American) Means "seminar" in Spanish, likely denoting an academic person. Miguel Grau Seminario (1834-1879) was the most renowned Peruvian naval officer and hero of the naval battle of Angamos during the War of the Pacific
SerebrennikovmRussian Denoted somebody who engaged in silver mining or a silversmith, derived from Russian серебреник (serébrenik) "silver coin".
SevillaSpanish Habitational name from the city of Seville (or Sevilla) in Andalusia, Spain. The city's name is probably derived from Phoenician 𐤔𐤐𐤋𐤄 (šplh) meaning "valley, plain" through Arabic إشبيلية (ʔišbīliya).
SholokhovmRussian Derived from Russian шорох (šórox) "rustle, soft crackling sound", denoting a quiet person, or шерохий (šeróxij) "rough, rugged", denoting a person with a rough face.
SillanpääFinnish Means "bridgehead" in Finnish, an area around the end of a bridge. Frans Eemil Sillanpää (1888-1964) was a Finnish author and the first Finnish writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
SinapiusHistory Derived from Latin sināpi, meaning "white mustard". This was the latinized surname of a Bohemian pharmacist and possible maker of the Voynich Manuscript, Jacobus Horcicky.
SitarmakerIndian, Bengali, Pakistani Denoting someone who makes sitar, a stringed instrument that is popular in northern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
SobolewskimPolish Originally indicated a person from any of the Polish towns named Sobolew or Sobolewo, which derive from Polish soból "sable, marten".
SouterEnglish, Scottish Occupational name for a cobbler or shoemaker, derived from Middle English soutere, ultimately derived from Latin sutor "shoemaker, cobbler".
SoutomaiorGalician Habitational name from any of various places called Soutomaior, from Galician souto "chestnut grove" and maior "larger, bigger".
SowerEnglish Occupational name for someone who scatters seeds, derived from Middle English sowere.
SpearmanEnglish Occupational name for a soldier armed with a spear, from Middle English spere "spear, lance" and man. It could also be from Old English given name Spereman, of the same origin.
SpeedEnglish From a nickname for a fortunate or swift person, from Middle English speden "luck, success" or "swiftness, quickness".
SpiceEnglish Occupational name for a dealer in spices or an apothecary, derived from Middle English spice.
ŚpiewakPolish, Jewish Means "singer" in Polish, an occupational name for a chorister or a ballad singer. As a Jewish name, also an occupational name for a cantor in a synagogue.
StanburyEnglish From the name of various places in England or similar, all derived from Old Norse steinn or Old English stan, both meaning "stone", and burg "fortress, fortification, citadel".
StowellEnglish From multiple places so-called or similar, all derived from Old English stan "stone" and wille "well, spring, stream".
StratfordEnglish From the names of various places in England, all derived from Old English stræt "street, road" (from Latin strata) and ford "ford, river crossing".
SundayEnglish Denoted a person who was born on or is associated with Sunday, derived from Middle English Sonday. A famous bearer of the name was American evangelist and professional baseball outfielder Billy Sunday (1862-1935), full name William Ashley Sunday, which is an anglicized form of the surname Sonntag, as his parents were German immigrants.
SungenisItalian An Italian family name originally spelled San Genisi, referencing to Saint Genesius of Rome. It is not related to Greek συγγενής (sungenḗs) meaning "blood relative"... [more]
SuomalainenFinnish Means "Finn, person from Finland" in Finnish, From Finnish Suomi "Finland" and the suffix -lainen that combined with a place name, forms the noun for the inhabitant of a place.
SutcliffeEnglish Habitational name from any of the places in Yorkshire called Sutcliffe or similar, all derived from Old English suþ "south" and clif "cliff"... [more]
ŚwiętosławskimPolish Patronymic from given name Świętosław suffixed with -ski based on habitational names. It could also be a habitational name for a person from villages called Świętosław or similar.
TagalogFilipino Of uncertain etymology. It could be from Filipino prefix taga- "native of" combined either from alog "ford" or ilog "river". It could also be from Tagal, a name of some tribes in Borneo or Sumatra... [more]
TalonEnglish, French Derived from Old French talon "heel", denoting a person with a deformity or a swift person. It could also be a diminutive form of given names Talbot and Talleyrand.
TatarovmRussian From Russian татарин (tatarin) meaning "Tatar person". Tatars are an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups across Eastern Europe and Asia.
TauberGerman Occupational name for a pigeon breeder, from German Taube "pigeon, dove".
TennantEnglish, Scottish Occupational name for a farmer who holds a feudal tenure in a property, ultimately derived from Latin teneo "to hold, to keep".
ThackerayEnglish Habitational name for a person from the place named Thackray in Yorkshire, from Old Norse þak "thatch, roof" and rá "corner, nook".
ThalGerman, Jewish Topographic name for someone who lived in or near a valley, derived from Middle High German tal "valley". As a Jewish name, it is ornamental.
ThistlethwaiteEnglish Habitational name for a person from Thistlewood in Castle Sowerby, or from a lost place named Thistelthuait in Lancashire. The placenames derive from Old English þistel "thistle" and Old Norse þveit "clearing" (cf... [more]
ThornburyEnglish From the name of various places in England, derived from Old English þorn "thorn" and burg "fortress, fortification, citadel".
ThornhillEnglish Habitational name from any of various places named Thornhill in England, from Old English þorn "thorn" and hyll "hill".
ThreadgoldEnglish Occupational name for an embroiderer who used golden threads, derived from Middle English thred "thread" and gold "gold".
ThrockmortonEnglish From the name of a village in Worcestershire, derived from Old English þroc "beam bridge" with mere "lake, pool" and tun "enclosure, town"... [more]
TikkaFinnish Means "woodpecker" in Finnish. Alternatively, it could be from Karelian vernacular forms ending in -tikka, commonly seen in diminutives of many Orthodox names.
TischbeinGerman, Literature Means "table leg" in German, from German tisch "table" and bein "leg". This was the surname of a German family of master artists from Hesse which spanned three generations. This is also the surname of the main character of the 1929 novel Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner, Emil Tischbein.
TjeknavorianArmenian Derived from Armenian ճգնավոր (čgnavor) "hermit, anchorite, ascetic". The famous bearer of the name is Iranian Armenian composer and conductor Loris Tjeknavorian (1937-).
TodhunterEnglish Occupational name for a fox hunter, from Middle English tod "male fox" and hunter.
TonnelierFrench Means "cooper" in French, from Middle French tonnel "barrel".
ToyChinese From Chinese 彩 (coi), meaning "applause, cheer" or "luck, fortune"
TrafficanteItalian Derived from the archaic Calabrese term trafficante "trader", now meaning "trafficker, drug pusher". This was the name of a now-defunct Italian-American Mafia crime family based in Florida, named after Sicilian-born mobster Santo Trafficante Sr... [more]
TrapizonyanArmenian Originally denoted someone who came from the Turkish city of Trabzon, formerly a part of the Byzantine Empire, whose Armenian community stayed as the Ottoman Empire took over.
TreeEnglish Topographic name for someonje who lived in a prominent tree or someone who lived in places so named or similar, all derived from Old English treow. A famous bearer of the name was British politician Ronald Tree (1897-1976).
TrevathanEnglish, Cornish Habitational name from one or more places in Cornwall named Trevethan, from Middle Cornish tre "estate farmstead" with a second element of uncertain meaning. It could be an unrecorded Old Cornish personal name Buthen.
TripolinoItalian Locational name that originally designated a person who came from Tripoli, a common name of multiple places in Ancient Greece and Modern Greece, all derived from Greek prefix τρι- (tri-) "three" and πολις (polis) "city, city-state".
TrouillefouFrench, Literature From a compound of colloquial French trouille "fear" and fou "mad, crazy". Clopin Trouillefou is a fictional character in the 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo, depicted as a Romani Frenchman who is the King of Truands (the criminals and outcasts of Paris) disguises himself as a beggar begging the audience for money, disrupting Pierre Gringoire's play.
TsiolkovskyPolish (Russified) Russified form of Ziółkowski. Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935) was a Russian rocket scientist who pioneered astronautics, whose father was of Polish origin.
TudorEnglish, Welsh From the given name Tudur. It was borne by five monarchs of England beginning with Henry VII in the 15th century.
TulkkiFinnish Means "interpreter, translator" in Finnish.
TumulakFilipino, Cebuano Means "to push, to shove" in Tagalog, derived from Tagalog tulak "push, shove".
TürerGerman Means "doormaker" in German, from German Tür "door".
UdovićmCroatian Means "son of a widow" in Croatian, from Serbo-Croatian udova "widow".
ValkeapääFinnish From the Finnish valkea "white" and pää "head, tip".
Van BrocklinDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of Van Breukelen. A notable bearer of this surname was the American football player, coach and executive Norman Mack Van Brocklin (1926-1983), also known as "The Dutchman".
Van Der GrachtDutch Means "from the canal" in Dutch, from Dutch gracht "canal".
Van Der HoedenDutch Means "from the hatmaker" in Dutch, from Dutch hoede "hat".
Van Der SlootDutch Means "from the ditch" in Dutch, from Dutch sloot "ditch, trench".
Van HelmondDutch Means "from Helmond" in Dutch, a municipality in Southern Netherlands, of unknown etymology. It could derived from the Dutch dialectal hel "low-lying" and Old Dutch munte "hill, place of refuge during flooding".
Van HelmontBelgian, Dutch Possibly a variant of Van Helmond. Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580-1644) was a Belgian chemist, physiologist, and physician, considered as the founder of pneumatic chemistry.
Van MusschenbroekDutch Means "from Musschenbroek", a hamlet in Limburg, derived from plural form of Dutch mus "sparrow" and broek "marsh, wetland". Pieter van Musschenbroek (1692–1761) was a Dutch scientist credited with the invention of the first capacitor.
Van OmmenDutch 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 OtterlooDutch Means "from Otterlo", a village and former municipality in Gelderland, possibly derived from Dutch otter "otter" and lo "pool".
Van VelsenDutch 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 WageningenDutch Means "from Wandeningen" in Dutch, denoting a person from the municipality of Gelderland, Netherlands, from Dutch Wagano with collective suffix -ung-
Van ZwedenDutch Means "from Sweden" in Dutch. Jaap van Zweden (1960-) is a Dutch conductor and violinist.
VaqueroSpanish Means "cowherd, cowboy" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin vacca "cow". Essentially a cognate of Italian Vaccaro.
VerrierEnglish, French Means "glassmaker, glassblower, glazier" in French, derived from French verre "glass".
ViikiläFinnish From Swedish vik "bay, gulf" with the suffix -lä indicating a place.
VolkmannGerman Probably denoted for a speaker or a people's person, derived from German volk "people" and mann "man". Alfred Wilhelm Volkmann (1801-1877) was a German physiologist, anatomist, and philosopher... [more]
VoloshinmUkrainian, Russian, Jewish From Ukrainian волох (volox) meaning "Vlach, Wallachian", derived from Proto-Slavic *vòlxъ "Roman".
Von AachenGerman 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 EsmarchGerman Means "from Esmarch" in German, Esmarch being an unknown meaning. Friedrich von Esmarch (1823-1908) was a German surgeon who developed the Esmarch bandage and founded the Deutscher Samariter-Verein, the predecessor of the Deutscher Samariter-Bund.
Von LangenbeckGerman Means "from a long stream" in German, from Low German lange "long" and beke "stream". Bernhard Rudolf Konrad von Langenbeck (1810-1887) was a German surgeon known as the developer of Langenbeck's amputation and founder of Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery.
Von WestphalenGerman Denoted a person from Westphalia, a region of northwestern Germany, borrowed from Medieval Latin Westphalia, derived from Middle Low German Westvâlen "west field".
WaititiMaori Meaning uncertain. It could derive from Maori waitī both meaning "sweet, melodious", denoting a sweet person, or "sap of the cabbage tree", possibly denoting an occupation. Taika David Cohen, known professionally as Taika Waititi (1975-), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian.
WalliserGerman Denoting somebody from Valais (German form Wallis), a canton in Switzerland, or someone who immigrated from Valais, ultimately from Latin vallis "valley, vale".
WatteauFrench Possibly from French gâteau “cake”, denoting a baker.
WebleyEnglish Habitational name for a person from the civil parish of Weobley in Herefordshire, from the Old English personal name Wiobba and leah "woodland, clearing".
WentworthEnglish Habitational name from places in Cambridgeshire and South Yorkshire called Wentworth, both from the Old English byname Wintra or winter, both meaning "winter", and Old English worþ "enclosure".
WestmorelandEnglish Habitational name from the former county of Westmorland, from Old English folk name Westmoringas "people from the west of the moors" and land.
WhitehouseEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a white house or a habitational name for places in England so-called, all derived from Old English hwit "white" and hus "house".
WhitelawScottish Habitational name from any of various places in Scotland so-called, derived from Old English hwit "white" and hlaw "mound, small hill".
WhitterEnglish Occupational name for someone who painted structures white or a caulker or bleacher, from an agent derivative of Old English hwitian "to whiten", itself from hwit "white".
WilberforceEnglish Habitational name for a person from the village named Wilberfoss in East Yorkshire, from Old English given name Wilburg and foss "ditch".
WildbloodEnglish From a nickname for an untamed spirit or a rake, derived from Middle English wilde "wild, untamed" (from Old English wildi) and blood "blood".
WisemanEnglish Variant of Wise combined with the suffix man. It may have also been used ironically.
WolstenholmeEnglish From the name of a minor place in Lancashire so-called, derived from the Old English given name Wulfstan and Old Norse holmr "small island".
WoolstonEnglish From the name of multiple towns in England or similar. The town names are derived from Old English names starting with the element wulf meaning "wolf" (i.e., Wulfric or Wulfsige) and tun "enclosure, town".
WredenGerman, Jewish Habitational name for any place in Germany or Denmark, of uncertain meaning. Famous bearers include Davey Wreden (1988-) is an American game designer known for his work in The Stanley Parable and The Beginner's Guide as well as his brother, American internet personality, Douglas Scott Wreden (1991-), known by his pseudonym DougDoug.
WrenEnglish Nickname from the bird, derived from Middle English wrenne, possibly denoting a person of small stature. A famous bearer of the name was English architect Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723).
WysockimPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations named Wysocko, Wysoka or Wysokie, all derived from Polish wysoki meaning "tall, high".
XudoyberdiyevafUzbek Feminine form of Xudayberdiyev. Halima Xudoyberdiyeva (1947-2018) was an Uzbek poet whose themes at different times of her career have dealt with Uzbek nationhood and history, liberation movements, and feminism.
YappEnglish From a nickname for a clever or cunning person, derived from Middle English yap "deceitful, shrewd", from Old English geap "crooked, bent, curved".
YaxleyEnglish From the names of two places in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, both derived from Old English geac "cuckoo" and leah "woodland, clearing".
YeomanEnglish, Scottish Occupational name for an official providing duties in a royal household, ranking between a Sergeant and a Groom or between Squire and a Page, or for a freeholder, derived from Middle English yoman, of uncertain origin.
ZaragozaSpanish, Aragonese Habitational name from the province of Zaragoza in Aragon, from a Mozarabic form of Latin Caesaraugusta, named after Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus.
ZilčyanArmenian Means "cymbal-maker" in Armenian, from Ottoman Turkish زلجی (zilci) "cymbal-maker" with a surname forming suffix.
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.
ZuckermanGerman, Jewish Occupational name for someone who sold sugar or was a confectioner, or a nickname for someone with a sweet tooth, derived from Old High German zuckar "sugar" and man... [more]