VakkEstonian Vakk is an Estonian surname meaning "granary bin".
ValeEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Middle English vale (Old French val, from Latin vallis). The surname is now also common in Ireland, where it has been Gaelicized as de Bhál.
VäliEstonian Väli is an Estonian surname meaning "field".
ValiSpanish, Italian (Swiss), Arabic This Spanish and Italian surname of VALI was a locational name for someone OR A family who lived in a valley. In valle quiescit ( In the valley of our home, we find peace.)... [more]
VälkEstonian Välk is an Estonian surname meaning "lightning".
ValkDutch Means "falcon" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a falconer, or possibly derived from the given name Falk. Compare Falco.
VallEstonian Vall is an Estonian surname meaning "wall" or "berm".
VannEstonian Vann is an Estonian surname meaning "bath" and "tub".
VarbEstonian Varb is an Estonian surname meaning "rod".
VärkEstonian Värk is an Estonian surname meaning both "celebration" and "hootenanny", as well as "thing", "stuff", or a "job".
VärvEstonian Värv is an Estonian surname meaning "color" and "paint".
VasaOld Swedish, Swedish (Archaic) Swedish noble and former royal family. Possibly from vase meaning "bundle" or "withy". The name is believed to be a reference to the family's coat of arms. The most notable member of the family was Gustav Eriksson Vasa (1496-1560), later known as Gustav I of Sweden (in modern times known exclusively as Gustav Vasa)... [more]
VaskEstonian Vask is an Estonian surname meaning "copper".
VassEnglish Status name denoting a serf, Middle English, Old French vass(e), from Late Latin vassus, of Celtic origin. Compare Welsh gwas "boy", Gaelic foss "servant".
VauxFrench French, English, and Scottish habitational name from any of various places in northern France called Vaux, from the Old French plural of val ‘valley’.
VecaItalian Southern Italian: possibly from vece ‘change’, ‘mutation’, ‘alternation’ (from Latin vix, vicis, plural vices), or from a pet form of a personal name formed with this element.
VialEnglish, French from a personal name derived from Latin Vitalis (see Vitale). The name became common in England after the Norman Conquest both in its learned form Vitalis and in the northern French form Viel.
ViceEnglish May come from "devise", an Old French word that means "dweller at the boundary". It may also derive a number of place names in England, or be a variant of Vise.
VinkDutch 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.
VintEnglish, Scottish Either an English habitational name from places so named, or a Scottish variant of Wint.
VintEstonian Vint is an Estonian surname meaning "finch".
VõrkEstonian Võrk is an Estonian surname meaning "net" or "web".
VõruEstonian Võru is an Estonian surname meaning "circle" and "ring". "Võru" is also the name a county in southeastern Estonia ("Võru maakond", or more traditionally, "Võrumaa") and the name of the capital town and municipality of Võru County.
VõsaEstonian Võsa is an Estonian surname meaning "brush/thicket".
VõsuEstonian Võsu is an Estonian surname meaning "sapling".
VõtiEstonian Võti is an Estonian surname meaning "key" and "cypher".
VovkUkrainian, Slovene Derived from Ukrainian вовк (vovk) meaning "wolf", also used in Slovenia.
WacoIndigenous American, Comanche Is believed to have a Native American origin and may mean "the chosen ones" in the language of a tribe. However, the exact meaning of the name and the tribe's connection to the modern-day surname is not entirely clear.
WahlGerman, Jewish From Middle High German Walhe, Walch "foreigner from a Romance country", hence a nickname for someone from Italy or France, etc. This surname is also established in Sweden.
WakeEnglish, Scottish From the Old Norse byname Vakr meaning "wakeful", "vigilant" (from vaka meaning "to remain awake"), or perhaps from a cognate Old English Waca (attested in place names such as Wakeford, Wakeham, and Wakeley).
WallSwedish Derived from Swedish vall "pasture, field of grass". It may be either ornamental or habitational.
WallIrish Anglicized from of de Bhál, a Gaelicized form of de Valle (see Devall).
WalzGerman The surname **Walz** has German origins and is derived from the personal name Walther, which means "ruler of the army"³. It is also thought to have originated from the Middle High German word "walz," meaning "to wander" or "to roam," likely describing someone who traveled frequently or was a wandering tradesman or merchant⁵.... [more]
WangChinese From Chinese 汪 (wāng) referring to the ancient state of Wang Mang (汪芒) or Wang Wang (汪罔) in present-day Zhejiang province.
WangKorean From Sino-Korean 王 (wang) meaning "king; monarch", referring to the royals of the former dynasty of Goryeo.
WannScottish WANN. Surname or Family name. Origin Scottish and English: nickname from Middle English wann ‘wan’, ‘pale’ (the meaning of the word in Old English was, conversely, ‘dark’).
WaqaFijian The president of Nauru is called Baron Waqa.
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).
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]
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).
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-).
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.
WellEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived near a spring or stream, Middle English well(e) (Old English well(a)).
WickEnglish, German English: topographic name for someone who lived in an outlying settlement dependent on a larger village, Old English wic (Latin vicus), or a habitational name from a place named with this word, of which there are examples in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Worcestershire... [more]
WileHungarian no particular meaning. the word wile means to trick though.
WillScottish, English, German Scottish and northern English from the medieval personal name Will, a short form of William, or from some other medieval personal names with this first element, for example Wilbert or Willard... [more]
WimpEnglish The surname has at least two origins. The first is occupational and describes a maker of 'wimplels', an Old English veil later much associated with nuns. Second, it may also be locational from the village of Whimple in Devonshire, or Wimpole in Cambridge.
WindEnglish, German, Danish Nickname for a swift runner, from Middle English wind "wind", Middle High German wint "wind", also "greyhound".
WindEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived near a pathway, alleyway, or road, Old English (ge)wind (from windan "to go").
WindSwedish (Rare) From Swedish vind "wind". It's either ornamental or a habitational name derived from a place named with this element.
WiseEnglish 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]
WishEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a water meadow or marsh, Middle English wyshe (Old English wisc). Americanized spelling of Wisch.
WispEnglish The surname of the author of Quidditch Through The Ages in the Harry Potter Universe, Kennilworthy Whisp. Probably referring to the wind, or a family of people who usually were nearly bald.
WohlGerman, Yiddish Meaning "pleasant" in both Middle German and Ashkenazic Yiddish
WójtMedieval Polish Occupational name and title from Medieval Polish meaning Lord Protector or Governor. Derived from Latin advocatus. German variant Vogt, Swedish variant Fogde... [more]
WolkGerman, American Surname derived from a northern German short form of the given name Walter.
WyndScottish, Irish Scotland or Ireland not sure of original origin. There was a childe Wynd some type of royal who slayed a dragon type thing worm or something and a Henery Wynd who was a mercenary in a battle at north inch in Scotland
WynnWelsh Derived from the given name Gwynn, itself from Welsh gwyn meaning "white, fair; blessed".
WynnEnglish From Old English wine "friend", which could be used as a byname or personal name (see Wine).
XingChinese From the name of an area called Xing, which existed during in the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc). Descendants of the ruling family of this area adopted Xing as their surname. Another account of the origin derives it from an area named Pingxing.
YabeJapanese From the Japanese 矢 (ya) "arrow" and 部 (be) "region," "division," "part."
YabuJapanese Possibly from 薮 (yabu) meaning "thicket, bush, underbrush, grove".
YakoJapanese From Japanese 椰 (ya) meaning "coconut palm" and 子 (ko) "child".
YakoAfrican, Swahili, Xhosa Derived from bantu yakho meaning "yours" or "yours alone" in Xhosa. It is implying a sense of possession or ownership. This surname may have an association with someone or something that belongs to them exclusively.
YakuJapanese From 夜 (ya) meaning "night, evening" and 久 (ku) meaning "long time, old story".
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.
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.
YongKorean Korean form of Long from Sino-Korean 龍 (yong).
YongChinese From Chinese 雍 (yōng) either referring the ancient state of Yong, located in what is now Henan province, or the ancient fief of Yong, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province.
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).
ZadaPashto Derived from Persian زاده (zadeh) meaning "offspring".
ZagoItalian 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.
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".
ZaimTurkish Zaim may be a representation of the male Arabic given name Za'im / Zaeim (Arabic: ضعیم / زاعِم/ زاعيم), meaning leader, chief. Correspondingly al-Za'im (Arabic: الزعيم) means "the leader".
ZaleEnglish, Polish (Anglicized) Possibly from a Polish surname, the meaning of which is uncertain (it may have been a variant of the surname Zalas which originally indicated one who lived "on the other side of the wood", from za "beyond" and las "forest").
ZaneEnglish Meaning unknown. It could be a Americanization of the German surname Zahn. Zane 1 is also used as a given name.
ZaniItalian Comes from the personal name Z(u)an(n)i, a northeastern (Venetian) form of Gianni (from Giovanni, Italian equivalent of John). Zani or Zanni is a comic figure in the Commedia del’Arte, and the surname may be a nickname derived from this use, which is also the origin of the English word zany.