ZelgowskiPolish Originally, surname Zelegowski was misheard as Zelgowski when Polish immigrants were first coming to the United States through Ellis Island... [more]
ZelieskaPolish Polish Ashkenazic surname, possibly derived from surname Zieliński what is a habitational name for someone from Zielona or Zielonka (places in Poland), deriving from the root word meaning "green".
ZelleGerman, Dutch Topographic name from Middle High German zelle "(hermit's) cell", or a habitational name from various places called Zelle or Celle.
ZellerGerman, Dutch, Jewish Originally denoted someone from Celle, Germany or someone living near a hermit's cell from German zelle "cell". It is also occupational for someone employed at a zelle, for example a small workshop.
ZelmerlöwSwedish (Rare) Rare Swedish surname composed of the name of the family's ancestor SelmaLöf. One bearer is Swedish artist Måns Zelmerlöw (b.1986) who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016.
ZelnickJewish Occupational name for a tax collecter, comes from Yiddish tselnik which means haberdashery.
ZelnickovaJewish Zelnickova is a Jewish (Eastern Ashkenazic) surname that can be found in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Slovenia. This surname is derived from the Yiddish word tselnick which in English means haberdashery... [more]
ZeltiņšLatvian Derived from the word zelts meaning "gold".
ZelyonkaRussian Derived from Russian зелёный (zelyonyy), meaning "green".
ŽemaitaitisLithuanian From Lithuanian Žemaitija or Samogitian Žemaitėjė, an region in Lithuania.
ŽemaitisLithuanian Derives from the Lithuanian ethnonym žemaitis "Samogitian", denoting someone who came from the Lithuanian region of Samogitia (Žemaitija). A notable bearer of this last name is Jonas Žemaitis, one of the leaders of the Lithuanian Partisans.... [more]
ZemmosaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 善 (zen) meaning "virtue, goodness", 茂 (mo) meaning "overgrown; luxuriant", and 砂 (sa) meaning "sand", referring to a place with lots of sand.
ZennerUpper German South German: unflattering nickname for a surly, snarling person, from an agent derivative of Middle High German zannen 'to growl or howl' or 'to bare one's teeth'.
ZgłobickiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Lesser Polish village of Zgłobice.
ZgłobieńiakPolish Habitational name for somebody who comes from the village of Zgłobień in Poland.
ZhaChinese From Chinese 查 (zhā) referring to the ancient fief of Zha, which was part of the state of Qi during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province. Alternately it may come from the name of a fief that was part of the state of Chu during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Anhui province.
ZhabaBelarusian, Russian Derived from Belarusian жаба (zhaba) meaning "toad, frog". This is an ancient Belarusian noble surname.
ZhaiChinese From Chinese 翟 (zhái) referring to the ancient state of Zhai, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shanxi province. The character 翟 was originally read as Di but was later changed to Zhai due to dialectal differences.
ZhugeChinese One of the rare Chinese double character surnames. It is ranked 314th in the Hundred Family Surnames. The first character 諸 can be read as "all, these, various" and the second character 葛 as meaning "vine, vines"... [more]
ZhytaryukUkrainian Means "child of the grain farmer". Derived from Ukrainian "житар (zhytar)", meaning "grain farmer" and the last name suffix -юк (-yuk).
ZianiItalian (Rare, Archaic) Habitual surname denoting someone from Ziano, a locality in Italy. Unrelated to the Maghrebi surname of the same spelling.
ZidarićCroatian From zidar meaning ''stonemason, bricklayer''.
ZidaruRomanian From Romanian zidar meaning "bricklayer".
ZiębaPolish From ‘finch’; a nickname for someone thought to resemble the bird or maybe because a person lived in an area with many finches. Perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a birdcatcher or dealer.
ZiebachHessian (Germanized) It indicates familial origin within the eponymous settlement in the municipality of Ronshausen.
ZiegenhagenGerman Derived from Middle High German zige "goat" and hag "enclosure, hedge, pasture". Could be an occupational name for someone who kept goats, or be derived from any of several places with the name.
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.
ZimbalistJewish Occupational name for a cymbalist or a dulcimer player, particularly the cimbalom, derived from Yiddish tsimbl meaning "dulcimer, cimbalom, cymbal". The American actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (1918-2014) was a famous bearer of this surname.
ZingerGerman The surname Zinger was first found in Saxony, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. ... In Old German the name meant "lively" and "spritely," or more literally, "a biting, sharp taste."
ZingeserJewish, Yiddish Comes from Yiddish "ציו" meaning "Tin" and "גייסער" meaning "Smith".
ZinnGerman From the German for word for tin "tin." The name indicated someone who worked with the metal. A famous bearer is Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botanist. Carl Linnaeus named the flower Zinnia in his honor.
ZivanaiShona Zivanai means "You must know each other". #This name is a call to family and relatives to get to know each other by visiting and fellowship - usually so that they do not drift apart"
ZloczowerPolish, Jewish Denoted a person from Zolochiv (known as Złoczów in Polish), a small city in the Lviv Oblast of Ukraine.
ZlodejSlovene (Rare) It is the euphemism (an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant) for the word "devil". Another variant of the surname is Slodej.