WowereitGerman (East Prussian) East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) name meaning "squirrel", from Old Prussian wowere and Lithuanian voveraite (which, apart from "squirrel", also means "chanterelle").... [more]
WrangelGermanic The surname Wrangel was first found in Westphalia. The name is derived from the place name Warangale (now Wrangelshof) in Estonia.... [more]
WrayeEnglish Variant of the habitational name Wray or Ray, from any of various minor places in northern England named Wray, Wrea, or Wreay, from Old Norse vrá ‘nook’, ‘corner’, ‘recess’.
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, Middle English wrenne, probably in reference to its small size.
WriedtGerman, 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.
WriothesleyEnglish (British) Name is of unknown origin, deriving from older Wrotteslega, who were a family that held estates in Staffordshire in the late 1100s. Possibly a combination of wrot "snout" and leah "meadow, cleaning", suggesting it's origin as a pig farm.
WunderlichGerman A nickname for an eccentric or moody person, derived from the word wunderlich meaning "whimsical" in German.
WünscheGerman Probably denoted a person from Wendland, a region in Germany on the borders of the states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Wendling, a municipality in the Grieskirchen District, Upper Austria, Austria.
WürdemannGerman From the German "Würde"-honour or dignity, and "Mann"-man or person. "Man of Honour" or "Person of Dignity".
WurdemannGerman (Rare) This is a German surname, also spelled WÜRDEMANN (original) and often rendered as WUERDEMANN in English. It come from the German "würde", "dignity" or "honor" and "mann", meaning "man" or "person".... [more]
WurnigGerman German origin from the place name am Virgen originally meaning a person from the town of Virgen in Tyrol. Construed as a family name in 1501.
WursterGerman Derived from German Wurst (Middle High German wurst) "sausage" and thus either denoted a butcher who specialized in the production of sausages, or was used as a nickname for a plump person or someone who was particularly fond of sausages.
WurðingtunEnglish Habitational name from places in Lancashire and Leicestershire named Worthington; both may have originally been named in Old English as Wurðingtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Wurð", but it is also possible that the first element was Old English worðign, a derivative of worð ‘enclosure’.
WürttembergGerman Württemberg is an historical German territory. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, it now forms the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg.
WurtzGerman A metonymic occupational name for a greengrocer or grower or seller of herbs, from Middle High German würz, meaning ‘herb’.
WycherleyEnglish Derived from a place name apparently meaning "elm-wood clearing" from Old English wice and leah. A famous bearer was the dramatist William Wycherley (1640-1715).
WyckoffEast Frisian (Rare) Means "settlement on a bay", from Old Frisian wik "bay, inlet" and hof "courtyard, farmstead".
WyethEnglish May come either from the Old English word "withig" meaning "willow" or from Guyat, a pet form of the Old French given name Guy. Probably unrelated to Wyatt.
WyldeEnglish (British) It is a nickname for a person who was of wild or undisciplined character. Looking back even further, the name was originally derived from the Old English word "wilde," meaning "untamed" or "uncivilized."... [more]
WylieMedieval English It is of locational origin, and derives from the places called Willey in the counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Devonshire and Surrey.
WymerEnglish Either (i) from the medieval male personal name Wymer (from Old English Wīgmǣr, literally "war-famous"); or (ii) from the Old Breton male personal name Wiumarch, literally "worthy-horse".
WymoreEnglish From a town called Waymore in England, possibly abandoned. Combining Old English wic meaning "dwelling place," and mor meaning "moor."
WynWelsh, English English: from the Old English personal name and byname Wine meaning ‘friend’, in part a short form of various compound names with this first element. Welsh: variant of Gwynn.
XavierEnglish, French Derived from the Basque place name Etxaberri meaning "the new house". This was the surname of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552). He was a missionary to India, Japan, China, and other areas in East Asia, and he is the patron saint of the Orient and missionaries.
YabsleyEnglish It is believed to be a derived spelling of Abboldesi, a place now more commonly known as Abbotsley or Abbotsleigh. However, the original surname had nothing to do with "Abbots" in any spelling, and derives from to the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Eadbeald" meaning "Prosperity-bold".
YaegerGerman Yaeger is a relatively uncommon American surname, most likely a transcription of the common German surname "Jaeger/Jäger" (hunter). The spelling was changed to become phonetic because standard English does not utilize the umlaut.
YagerGerman Americanized form of JÄGER, meaning "hunter."
YappEnglish (British) Derives from Old English ġēap meaning "crooked, bent" and could either refer to a cunning person or someone with crooked features (e.g. curved nose). Famous bearers of this name include English botanist Richard Henry Yapp and Sir Stanley Graham Yapp, Labour politician and first leader of West Midlands County Council.
YarbroughEnglish Habitational name derived from Yarborough or Yarburgh in Lincolnshire, England, both composed of Old English eorþe "earth, ground, dirt" and burg "fortress, citadel, stronghold".
YardleyEnglish Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Yardley, derived from Old English gierd meaning "branch, twig, pole, stick" and leah meaning "wood, clearing".
YardyEnglish The most likely origin of this surname is that it was used to denote someone who held a piece of land known as a "yarde", from the Middle English word "yerd".
YarwoodEnglish habitational name from Yarwood Heath in Rostherne Cheshire earlier Yarwode. The placename derives from Old English earn "eagle" or gear "yair enclosure for catching fish" and wudu "wood".
YeatsEnglish Scottish and northern English variant spelling of Yates.
YelleyEnglish (British) The surname Yelley was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed... [more]
YellmanEnglish Yellman comes from the English words yell and man creating Yellman. The last name Yellman was also given to a person who consistently yelled a lot.
YellowEnglish Nickname for someone who has yellow hair; wore yellow clothing or has a yellow complexion
YetiHebrew (Rare), English (American) Most common during the 1800s to 1900s. It has seen a large drop off since, but is not extinct as a last name.... [more]
YewdaleEnglish Derived from Yewdale, which is the name of a village near the town of Skelmersdale in Lancashire. Its name means "valley of yew trees", as it is derived from Middle English ew meaning "yew tree" combined with Middle English dale meaning "dale, valley".... [more]
YoheMedieval English The Yohe surname comes from the Old English word "ea," or "yo," in Somerset and Devon dialects, which meant "river" or "stream." It was likely originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a stream.
YoungerEnglish, American English (mainly Borders) from Middle English yonger ‘younger’, hence a distinguishing name for, for example, the younger of two bearers of the same personal name. In one case, at least, however, the name is known to have been borne by an immigrant Fleming, and was probably an Americanized form of Middle Dutch jongheer ‘young nobleman’ (see Jonker)... [more]
YounghusbandEnglish Combination of Middle English yong ”young” and husbonda ”farmer”.
YuleMedieval English Nickname for someone who was born on Christmas Day or had some other connection with this time of year, from Middle English yule ‘Christmastide’ (Old English geol, reinforced by the cognate Old Norse term jól).
ZabelGerman The surname has multiple meanings. It may come from a Slavic given name, or the High German word zabel, meaning "board game" - given, perhaps, as a nickname to those who played many board games.
ZabkaGerman From Polish zaba meaning "frog", of Slavic origin.
ZacharyEnglish A reference to Sacheverell, a location in Normandy. May also refer to the given name Zacharias, meaning "to remember God," or "the Lord recalled."
ZacherEnglish A reference to Sacheverell, a location in Normandy. May also refer to the given name Zacharias, meaning "to remember God," or "the Lord recalled."
ZachowGerman Meaning unknown. A notable bearer of this name is Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, a organist, musician, and composer who lived from 1663 to 1712. Zachow, Wisconsin is an unincorporated community named after a local landowner, William Zachow.
ZachryEnglish A reference to Sacheverell, a location in Normandy. May also refer to the given name Zacharias, meaning "to remember God," or "the Lord recalled."
ZackertEnglish, German An Americanization of the German surnames Zacher and Zachert. It comes from a vernacular form of the personal name Zacharias.
ZackyGerman Americanized form of German Zacher . German: occupational name for a farmer, from dialect zackern 'to plow', from Middle High German ze acker gān 'to go to the field'.
ZagerGerman habitational name from ZAGER, a place near Wollin
ZahmMedieval German Zahm is a nickname from Middle High German Zam meaning "tame".
ZahnGerman Zahn was a nickname given to a person with a peculiar tooth or a strange or defective set of teeth. It comes from the Middle High German Zan(t), which means "tooth".
ZähneGerman The German surname Zähne is derived from the Middle High German word "zan," which means "tooth." It is believed that the surname takes its origin from a nickname, most likely bestowed on the original bearer due to either a prominent tooth or a missing tooth.
ZahnerGerman Name given to people who lived in Zahna, near Wittenberg.
ZähringGerman, German (East Prussian) referred to a person from a place called Zehring. Also could refer to a person connected to the Zähringer dynasty that ruled in Southwestern Germany in the 17th century.
ZaleEnglish (American), Polish (Anglicized) Possibly a habitational name derived from the Polish toponym Żale meaning "on the other side of the wood", from za "beyond" and las "forest".
ZalickEnglish Comes from the Greek surname Tsalikis.
ZamlochGerman (Austrian) Altered, likely Americanized or Germanized, version of the Czech surname Zemlicka. Zemlicka derives from žemle, meaning "bread roll," and was a name given to bakers.... [more]
ZechesEnglish The surname Zeches was first found in Silesia, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history. The name would later be associated with noble family with great influence, having many distinguished branches, and become noted for its involvement in social, economic and political affairs.
ZeemanDutch Dutch cognate of Seaman. It was notably borne by the Dutch physicist Pieter Zeeman (1865-1943).
ZehnerGerman (chiefly Bavaria, Austria, Switzerland, and Württemberg): occupational name for an official responsible for collecting, on behalf of the lord of the manor, tithes of agricultural produce owed as rent.... [more]
ZehrenGerman (Swiss) From a prepositional phrase from Middle High German ze hērren, an occupational name for someone was in service of a lord.
ZeilingerGerman Habitational name for someone from Zeiling in Bavaria.
ZeilstraDutch, West Frisian Derived from zijl "sluice" and the suffix -stra denoting an inhabitant of a place. The name has also been connected to zeil "sail; to sail", possibly a nickname for someone who made sails or spent a lot of time on a ship.
ZeimetGerman, Luxembourgish Western German and Luxembourgeois: probably a variant spelling of Zeimert, a variant of Zeumer, an occupational name for a harness maker, from an agent derivative of Middle High German zoum ‘bridle’.
ZeldesYiddish An eastern Ashkenazic matronymic surname derived from the Yiddish female personal name Zelde (from the Middle High German word sælde meaning either 'fortunate', 'blessed', or 'happiness'.)
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.
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'.
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.
ZinderGerman A mostly Ashkenazi Jewish surname, while specific documentation linking "Zinder" to the German word "Zünder" (meaning "tinder" or "firestarter") is limited, the surname "Zinder" is believed to have German origins, possibly derived from the word "Zindel," which refers to a "bundle of wood shavings." This term is associated with materials used to start fires, suggesting a potential connection to the "firestarter" occupation... [more]
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.
ZirkzeeDutch, German Could be potentially related to the German surname Zirkel or Zirkl. Another theory says that it has its historical roots in the Netherlands, particularly in the region of Zeeland, where it is believed to have originated... [more]
ZochGerman Derived from Middle High German zoche meaning "cudgel, club".
ZopfGerman Nickname for someone who wore his hair in a pigtail or plait, Middle High German zopf, zoph, or from a field name from same word in the sense ‘tail’, ‘end’, ‘narrow point’.
ZuberGerman, German (Swiss) German: Metonymic occupational name for a cooper or tubmaker, from Middle High German zuber ‘(two-handled) tub’, or a habitational name from a house distinguished by the sign of a tub. ... [more]
ZuckermanGerman, Yiddish As a German surname, it is an occupational name for a merchant who sold sugar or nickname for a sweet tooth.... [more]
ZufallMedieval German A German name from the Middle High German "zuoval," meaning "benefit," "coincidence" or "windfall." It was a nickname for a lucky person, most likely a person to whom a plot of land had been given. It could also be an occupational name for a tax collector.
ZugGerman (Swiss) Denotes somebody from either the Canton of Zug or town of Zug.
ZuhmLow German Name of a noble family from the island of Rügen.
ZuidemaDutch, West Frisian Either derived from a toponym containing the element zuid "south, southern" (from Middle Dutch suid), or a patronymic form of a name beginning with the element swith "strong".
ZuillEnglish, Scottish From the town of Zuill, Scotland. The "Z" pronounced as "Y" comes from ancient yogh representing a variety of sounds. The name itself is of unknown origin.
ZumwaltGerman German spelling Zum-Wald (to the forest) older german
ZürcherGerman Habitational name for someone from the Swiss city of Zurich.
ZurerYiddish Possibly a variant of Zur or Tzur. Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer (1969-) bears this name.
ZwaanDutch Means "swan" in Dutch. Could be a nickname for a person who resembled a swan in some way, an occupational name for a swan keeper, or a patronymic derived from a given name containing the element swan... [more]
ZwagermanDutch Possibly a compound of Dutch zwager "brother-in-law" and man "man, person".
ZwartDutch Means "black, dark, swarthy" in Dutch, a nickname for someone with dark hair or skin.