WawrzyszewskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Wawrzyszew.
WaxGerman, Jewish, English German and Jewish variant and English cognitive of Wachs, from Middle English wax "wax" (from Old English weax).
WaxmanEnglish, German (Americanized), Jewish (Americanized) Occupational name for a seller or gatherer of beeswax from wax "wax" plus Middle English man "man". According to the Oxford English Dictionary wax-man is an obsolete term for an officer of a trade guild who collected contributions from members for wax candles to be used in processions... [more]
WaycasterEnglish The surname Waycaster is German in origin. It means "roll-eater," and was likely derived from a derisive nickname on a baker.
WazowskiPopular Culture The name of the main character in Pixar’s Monster’s Inc. In Polish, it would be pronounced as vazz-OV-skee, instead now replacing all the letter W to make the V sound.
WeareEnglish (British) Derived from the Old English wer, meaning a "weir, dam, fishing-trap". This was used as an occupational surname for fishermen. Originated in Devon, England.... [more]
WeddellScottish Derived from Wedale, the original name of the parish of Stow in Scotland. A famous bearer is James Weddell, a Scottish navigator and seal hunter who sailed a record 7.69 degrees south of the Antarctic Circle... [more]
WedderburnScottish From the name of a location in Berwickshire, Scotland, which is derived from wedder “wether” and Old English burn “stream”.
WedmoreEnglish (British) Habitational name from Wedmore in Somerset, recorded in the 9th century as Wethmor, possibly meaning ‘marsh (Old English mor) used for hunting (w?the)’.
WeekleyEnglish Originally meant "person from Weekley", Northamptonshire ("wood or clearing by a Romano-British settlement"). British philologist Ernest Weekley (1865-1954) bore this surname.
WeekuskCree Weekusk ( last name ) meaning “Sweetgrass” in cree.... [more]
WeerakkodySinhalese From Sanskrit वीर (vīra) meaning "hero, man, brave" combined with Sinhala කොඩිය (koḍiya) meaning "flag, banner" (of Tamil origin)... [more]
WeghorstDutch, 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".
WęglarzPolish Means "Charcoal burner". Uncommon, mostly popular in voivodship of Małopolska (Lesser Poland) in places like Szczawnica, Kraków or Mszana Dolna.
WehlburgGerman (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".
WehmannGerman From Middle Low German wede, "wood forest" combined with man, "man"
WeideGerman Either a topographic name for someone who lived by a conspicuous willow or by a group of willow trees from Middle High German wide "willow"... [more]
WeidlingGerman (Austrian) May refer to the district of Weidling, located in the municipality of Klosterneuburg, which is situated in Lower Austria, near Vienna. A notable person with this surname was Helmuth Weidling, a German general of the Wehrmacht during World War II.
WeilGerman, Jewish South German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from any of various places so named in Baden, Bavaria, and Württemberg, from Latin villa ‘country house’, ‘estate’ (later used of a group of houses forming a settlement).
WeimarGerman Habitational name from any of several places called Weimar in Hesse and Thuringia.... [more]
WeinGerman, Yiddish, Hungarian Means "grape, vine, wine" in German and Yiddish (װײַנ). According to Nelly Weiss, Wein-style family names originated from signboards (house sign, house shield) in Jewish communities. Wein may also be related the German verb weinen meaning "to cry"... [more]
WeingartnerGerman Derived from German weingärtner meaning "wine maker, vintner", which itself is derived from German weingarten meaning "vineyard". The latter is a composite word consisting of German wein "wine" combined with German garten "garden"... [more]
WeinheimerGerman German: habitational name for someone from any of the places named Weinheim, for example in Baden and Hessen.
WeiningerGerman (Swiss), Jewish Denoted a person from Weiningen, a municipality in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. It is also a Jewish ornamental name derived from German wein meaning "wine" and the suffix -inger.
WeinkaufGerman From "wein kaufen" meaning "buy wine" or "wine-buyer"
WeinlandGerman Topographic name for someone who lived in a wine-producing area from Middle High German win "wine" and land "land" or a habitational name from a place so named.
WeinmannGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational name for a viticulturalist or wine merchant, Middle High German winman, German Weinmann.
WeinsteinJewish Means "wine stone" from German wein meaning "wine" and stein meaning "stone". It originally referred to the potassium bitartrate crystals produced from the process of fermenting grape juice.
WeinstockGerman, Jewish English variant of the German surname Wenstock, an occupational name for a producer or seller of wine, from German Weinstock "grapevine" (also compare Wein).... [more]
WeintraubGerman, Jewish from Middle High German wintrub "grape" derived from wein "wine" and traub "grape" hence either a metonymic occupational name for a vintner or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by a sign depicting a bunch of grapes.
WeirScottish, English Topographic name for someone who lived by a dam or weir on a river.
WeirIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Mhaoir "son of the steward or keeper".
WeirIrish Anglicized form, based on an erroneous translation (as if from Gaelic cora "weir", "stepping stones"), of various Gaelic names such as Ó Corra (see Corr) and Ó Comhraidhe (see Curry).
WeisfeldGerman, Jewish topographic name from a field name composed of Middle High German wiz "white" and feld "open country". Cognate of Whitfield.
WeishauptGerman Nickname for someone with white hair from Middle High German wiz "white" and houbit "head". German cognate of Whitehead.
WeishuhnGerman Derived from Middle High German wiz meaning "white" and huon meaning "hen, fowl", hence a metonymic occupational name for a poultry farmer or dealer, or perhaps in some instances a nickname.
WeißmüllerGerman from Middle High German wiz "white" and mulin "miller" an occupational name for a miller who produced white flour which was produced as early as the 14th century.
WeixelGerman German: variant spelling of Weichsel, a topographic name for someone who lived near a sour cherry tree (St. Luce cherry), from Middle High German wīhsel (modern German Weichsel(n), pronounced ‘Weiksel’.
WelbornEnglish Habitational name from Welborne in Norfolk, Welbourn in Lincolnshire, or Welburn in North Yorkshire, all named with Old English wella ‘spring’ + burna ‘stream’.
WelburnEnglish English surname meaning "From the Spring brook"
WelcomeEnglish Derived from several places named Welcombe.
WeldEnglish Meant "one who lives in or near a forest (or in a deforested upland area)", from Middle English wold "forest" or "cleared upland". A famous bearer is American actress Tuesday Weld (1943-).
WeldonEnglish 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]
WelfingGerman Name given to our family by our relative, a German king.
WelfordEnglish English surname meaning "Lives by the spring by the ford"
WelkGerman (East Prussian) Nickname from Middle High German welc, meaning "soft and mild". The name was first recorded in South Holland, however many of the bearers of the name trace its roots back to East Germany. A famous bearer of this name was Lawrence Welk, an American musician and host of the Lawrence Welk Show.
WelleGerman Topographic name for someone who lived by a spring or stream, Middle Low German welle.
WellerEnglish, German Either from the Olde English term for a person who extracted salt from seawater, or from the English and German "well(e)," meaning "someone who lived by a spring or stream."... [more]
WellingtonEnglish Habitational name from any of the three places named Wellington, in Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Somerset. All are most probably named with an unattested Old English personal name Weola + -ing- (implying association with) + tun ‘settlement’.
WellmanEnglish From German Welle meaning "wave" and man, meaning "man", referring to someone who lived by a stream.
WelschGerman From Middle High German welsch, walsch "person from a Romance country (especially Italy), foreigner", hence an ethnic name or in some cases perhaps a nickname for someone who had trading or other connections with the Romance countries.
WeltonEnglish Habitational name from any of various places named Welton, for example in Cumbria, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and East Yorkshire, from Old English well(a) ‘spring’, ‘stream’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’.
WeltyGerman (Swiss) From a Swiss German diminutive of the German given name Walther. A literary bearer was the American writer Eudora Welty (1909-2001).
WemyssScottish From the lands of Wemyss in Fife, which is derived from Gaelic uaimheis "cave place".
WenChinese From Chinese 温 (wēn) meaning "warm", also referring to any of several territories that were called Wen, namely an ancient state that existed during the Zhou dynasty.
WencesSlavic Based on Wenceslaus or Wenceslas, latinized forms of name of Slavic rulers in various forms such as Václav, Wacław, Więcesław, Vyacheslav, Vjenceslav, etc. Derived from the Slavic words veli/vyache/więce/više ("great(er), large(r)"), and slava ("glory, fame")... [more]
WendoverEnglish From a town in England, from Brittonic “winn”, meaning ‘white’, and “dwfr”, meaning ‘gate’.
WendtGerman, Danish Ethnic name for a Wend, Middle High German wind(e). The Wends (also known as Sorbians) once occupied a large area of northeastern Germany (extending as far west as Lüneburg, with an area called Wendland), and many German place names and surnames are of Wendish origin... [more]
WengChinese From Chinese 翁 (wēng) meaning "elderly man".
WengerGerman, German (Swiss) The surname Wenger is derived from the Middle High German word "wenger," "meaning "wagoner" or "cartwright."" It was an occupational name given to someone who worked as a wagon maker or driver.Another possible origin is that is derived from the German word, wenge, "meaning field of meadow"
WentworthEnglish Habitational name from places in Cambridgeshire and South Yorkshire called Wentworth, probably from the Old English byname Wintra meaning ‘winter’ + Old English worð ‘enclosure’... [more]
WentzGerman (Rare) Originally a pet form of the given names Werner and Wenceslaw. Meaning "guard" or "army".
WernikPolish (Rare) A diminutive surname created from the initial sound of a personal name, place or thing and diminutive ik suffix added to create a surname. The ik suffix may be commemorative also, meaning a significant event has occured regarding the person or family... [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]
WestdykeEnglish Name given to someone who lived on the west side of a dyke.
WestenEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from any of numerous places named Weston, from Old English west 'west' + tun 'enclosure', 'settlement'. English: variant of Whetstone.
WestendorfGerman A habitational surname that means 'West Village' in German.
WesterGerman 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.
WestergårdSwedish, Finnish From Swedish väster meaning "west, western" combined with gård meaning "farm, yard, estate".
WestergrenSwedish Combination of Swedish väster "western" and gren "branch".
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.
WestermanEnglish Topographical surname for someone who lived west of a settlement or someone who had moved to the west, from Old English westerne meaning "western" and mann meaning "man, person".
WestermannLow 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]
WestgateEnglish 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).
WestlingSwedish Combination of Swedish väst "west" and the common surname suffix -ling. A notable bearer is Prince Daniel (b. 1973), husband of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
WestraDutch, West Frisian Means "from the west", derived from Dutch west "west, western, westwards" combined with the Frisian habitational suffix -stra.
WestropEnglish (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".
WestwoodEnglish, Scottish Habitational name from any of numerous places named Westwood, from Old English west "west" and wudu "wood".
WetzsteinGerman Either a metonymic occupational name for a knife grinder from Middle High German wetzstein "whetstone", A habitational name from a lost place called Wetzstein near Emmendingen, or a topographic name from a field name for example Wezstein near Esslingen... [more]
WhaleyEnglish 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".