WildinEnglish The former placename is composed of the Olde English pre 7th Century words "wilg", willow, and "denu", a valley; while the latter place in Worcestershire is derived from the Olde English personal name "Winela", plus the Olde English "dun", a hill or mountain.
WilgarIrish An ancient surname of Olde English and Scottish origins. It is usually occupational for a textile fuller, deriving from the pre 7th century word wealcere, meaning to walk or tread.
WillowEnglish topographic name from Middle English wilwewilghewillowe "willow" (Old English wiligwelig) for a person who lived at or near a willow tree or in an area where willow trees grew... [more]
WimmerGerman Occupational last name, meaning "wine maker," using a derivation of the element Wein (meaning "wine") and likely another derivation from -macher (meaning "maker"). It's possible as well that it is derived from Weimann.
WimpeyEnglish Perhaps a deliberate alteration of Impey. It is borne by George Wimpey, a British construction company, founded in Hammersmith, London in 1880 by George Wimpey (1855-1913)... [more]
WindusEnglish Variant of Wingers. The name is a metonymic occupational name for a textile worker or weaver, derived from the Middle English wyndhows ("winding house").
WinkelGerman, Jewish Derived from Middle High German winkel "corner, angle", a topographic name for someone who lived on a corner of land in the country or a street corner in a town or city. This word also came to denote a corner shop (see Winkelmann)... [more]
WinkelDutch, Belgian Habitational name from any of numerous minor places named using the element winkel "corner".
WiseauEnglish (American, Rare) Meaning unknown, believed to be derived from French oiseau, meaning bird. As a surname, it is born by American Director Tommy Wiseau.
WiselyScottish Likely from a lost place called Wisely or Whistley.
WithakEnglish Habitational name from any of various places so called, particularly those in Essex, Lincolnshire, and Somerset, though most often from Essex. The Essex placename may derive from Old English wiht ‘curve, bend’ + hām ‘village, homestead’... [more]
WithamEnglish habitational name from any of various places so called particularly those in Essex Lincolnshire and Somerset though most often from Essex. The Essex placename may derive from Old English wiht "curve bend" and ham "village homestead"... [more]
WolferGerman Either from a shortened form of the ancient Germanic personal names Wolfher or Wolfhart composed of the elements wolf "wolf" and hari "army" or hard "hardy, brave"... [more]
WolfitEnglish From the medieval male personal name Wolfet or Wolfat (from Old English Wulfgēat, literally "wolf-Geat" (the name of a Germanic people)). This surname was borne by Sir Donald Wolfit (1902-1968), a British actor and manager.
WolkenGerman Surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Wolter, a Low German form of Walter.... [more]
WolseyEnglish From the medieval male personal name Wulsi (from Old English Wulfsige, literally "wolf-victory"). A famous bearer of the surname was English churchman and statesman Thomas Wolsey (Cardinal Wolsey), ?1475-1530.
WortonEnglish habitational name from Nether and Over Worton (Oxfordshire), Worton (Wiltshire), Worton in Aysgarth (North Yorkshire), Worton Hall in Isleworth (Middlesex), or Worton in Cassington (Oxfordshire). The placenames derive from Old English wyrt "plant, vegetable" and tun "farmstead, estate" (i.e. a kitchen garden), except for Nether and Over Worton (Oxfordshire), which derives from Old English ōra "edge, ridge" and tun.
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.
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.
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.
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.
XuerebMaltese Possibly means "noble", of Semitic origin transmitted to Central Europe. Alternatively, it may be derived from Arabic شَارِب (šārib) meaning "drinker, drinking" or "moustache", used as a nickname for an alcoholic or someone with distinctive facial hair.
XūwángChinese A Chinese surname taken from combining 須 (xū) meaning "must, necessary" with 王 (wáng) meaning "king, monarch". It is the Chinese reading of the Japanese surname Suō.
YabukiJapanese (Rare) Derived from the Japanese kanji 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow" and 吹 (buki), from 吹き (buki), the joining continuative form of 吹く (fuku) meaning "to blow". It can also derive from 藪 (yabu) meaning "thicket; grove; copse" and 亀 (ki) meaning "tortoise, turtle"... [more]
YabunoJapanese From 薮 (yabu) meaning "thicket, bush, underbrush, grove", combined with 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness"..
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.
YagiraJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yagi) meaning "willow" combined with 楽 (ra) meaning "music, comfort, ease".
YagnikIndian/Gujarati/Sanskrit (Modern) Means "one who performs sacrifices". Derived from the Sanskrit word yajña (pronounced yagna or yagya) meaning "sacrifice" or "sacraficial fire".
YagodaJewish (Russified) Russified form of Iyeguda. It also means "berry" in Russian. This was the surname of Genrikh Yagoda, the head of the NKVD (1934-1936).
YahabaJapanese From Japanese 矢幅 (Yahaba) meaning "Yahaba", a former village in the district of Shiwa in the former Japanese province of Rikuchū in parts of present-day Iwate and Akita in Japan.... [more]
YaicheArabic (Maghrebi) From Arabic يعيش (ya'ish) meaning "he will live", ultimately derived from the word عاش ('asha) meaning "to live".
YajimaJapanese Derived from Japanese 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow" or 谷 (ya) meaning "valley, lowland, plain" combined with 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".... [more]
YakenoJapanese From 焼 (yake) meaning "grill, burn" and 野 (no) meaning "field, plan".
YakumoJapanese (Rare) This surname combines 八 (hachi, ya, ya'.tsu, ya.tsu, you) meaning "eight", 耶 (ja, ya, ka) meaning "question mark" or 家 (ka, ke, ie, uchi, ya) meaning "expert, family, home, house, performer, professional" with 雲 (un, kumo, -gumo) meaning "cloud."... [more]
YamabeJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".
YamabiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 火 (bi), the joining form of 火 (hi) meaning "fire". It is a reference to an event when the leader of the Morioka Domain came to the mountains and the residents warmed him up by starting a fire using flint... [more]
YamahaJapanese (Rare) This Japanese surname is more found in Brazil than Japan, because of Japanese immigrants who immigrated from Japan to Brazil. Notable bearer of this surname: Torakusu Yamaha (Japanese entrepreneur who was the founder of the Yamaha Corporation).
YanaseJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yana) meaning "willow" or 簗 (yana) meaning "fish trap" combines with 瀬 (se) meaning "torrent, ripple, rapids, current".... [more]
YasukiJapanese Yasu means "Relax, Cheap" and Ki mean "Tree". Yasuki is also a first name.
YasumiJapanese Yasu meaning 安 (yasu) meaning "rest, peace, cheap, relax" and 己 (mi) meaning "oneself".
YasuraJapanese Yasu means "cheap, relax, peace" and ra means "good".
YasuraJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 安良 (Yasura) meaning "Yasura", a former village in the former district of Izushi in the former Japanese province of Tajima in parts of present-day Hyōgo, Japan.
YatabeJapanese From 谷 (ya) meaning "valley" or 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow", 田 (ta) meaning "rice paddy, field", and 部 (be) meaning "section, bureau, division".
YelkinmRussian From Russian елка (yelka), meaning "christmas tree".
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]
YellowEnglish Nickname for someone who has yellow hair; wore yellow clothing or has a yellow complexion
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.
YeukaiShona Yeukai means "Remember". This name is given as a call to remember a particular event or to remember one's origins.
YezhovmRussian Derived from Russian word "ёж (yozh)" meaning hedgehog. Yezhov was the last name of Nikolay Yezhov, the leader of the Soviet NKVD from 1936-38 who is known for Yezhovshchina.
YoichiJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 与市 with 与 (yo, ata.eru, azuka.ru, kumi.suru, tomoni) meaning "bestow, participate in, give, award, impart, provide, cause, gift, godsend" and 市 (shi, ichi) meaning "city, market, town."... [more]
YokobeJapanese From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".
YokonoJapanese Yoko means "beside" and no means "field, plain, wilderness".
YokoseJapanese Yoko means "beside next to" and se means "current, ripple".
YokoteJapanese Yoko ("Beside") + Te , this is the Japanese word for hand. This surname means "Beside a Hand". Michiko Yokote is an example. She wrote the Pichi Pichi Pitch manga and did screenwriting for Masamune-kun's Revenge.
YouensScottish comes from the Gaelic personal name Eógan, which comes from the Latin name, Eugenius, which means well born. Youens is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames.