VentrisEnglish Probably from a medieval nickname for a bold or slightly reckless person (from a reduced form of Middle English aventurous "venturesome"). It was borne by British architect and scholar Michael Ventris (1922-1956), decipherer of the Mycenaean Greek Linear B script.
VerdejoSpanish Habitational name from any of the places so called.
VerdierFrench, Norman, English Occupational name for a forester. Derived from Old French verdier (from Late Latin viridarius, a derivative of viridis "green"). Also an occupational name for someone working in a garden or orchard, or a topographic name for someone living near one... [more]
VerdonkDutch Contraction of van der Donk meaning "from the donk", a donk being a kind of sandy hill found in a swamp.
VerrierFrench An occupational French surname indicating a glassmaker or glassblower, from French verre "glass", derived from Middle French voirre "glass".
VeryardMedieval Spanish (Rare) Rumour has it that the surname De-Veryard represented a Spanish occupation, but unclear what that might be - have never been able to establish the origin.
VianneyFrench The surname in origin is a variant of Viennet, a diminutive of Vien, a short form of Vivien 1. A famous bearer is Jean-Marie Vianney (1786-1859), a French saint.
VidraruRomanian Derived from Romanian vidră meaning "otter".
VidrineFrench (Cajun) Vidrines are French Cajuns that live mostly around south central Louisiana, towns and cities like Mamou, Eunice and Ville Platte.
VihandiEstonian Vihandi is an Estonian surname derived from "vihane" meaning "wrathful" and "angry".
ViidingEstonian Viiding is an Estonian surname derived from "viide", meaning "reference", "indication" and "lag (delay)".
ViikmäeEstonian Viikmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "crease hill/mountain".
ViirmaaEstonian Viirmaa is an Estonian surname derived from "viir" meaning both "sea swallow" and "varved" (annual layer of sediment or sedimentary rock) and "maa" ("land").
ViirpuuEstonian Viirpuu is an Estonian surname meaning "hawthorn" (Crataegus).
VillaniItalian Derives from Latin villa "village, farm, settlement", related to Italian villano "peasant" or "rude, bad-mannered".
VillardGalician, Portuguese A Galician and Portuguese surname in the north of Iberian Peninsula. It's a last name belonging to ancient Celtic tribes.
VillardGerman Altered form of German Hilgard, from the female personal name Hildegard, composed of the Germanic elements hild "strife, battle" and gard "fortress, stronghold".
VivancoSpanish This indicates familial origin within the Castilian locality of Vivanco de Mena.
ViveashEnglish English surname of uncertain origin. May be Anglo-Norman from French vivace meaning "lively, vigorous", however its pronunciation has led to its connection to various places in southern England called Five Ash Trees.
VollachHebrew Hebrew variant of Wallach. Israeli former soccer player Yochanan Vollach (1945-) bears this name.
VollmarGerman, Germanic, Low German This name is a variant form of Volkmar and the Low German form of Waldemar. It is of Germanic and Slavic origin and comes from the following roots: (VOLKMAR) and (VOLODIMĚRŬ).
VongxayLao From Lao ວົງ (vong) meaning "lineage, family" and ໄຊ (xay) meaning "victory".
VonmoosRomansh Derived from German von "of" and Moos "moss". The name itself is a calque of Romansh da Palü which was Germanized after the Reformation.
VoogdesOld Dutch Occupational name and feminine title from Old Dutch meaning Lord Protector or Governor. Derived from Latin advocatus. Dutch masculine variant Voogd, German variant Vogt, Polish variant Wójt, Swedish variant Fogde... [more]
VoolaidEstonian Voolaid is an Estonian surname derived from "vool ("current/flow") and "laid" ("islet").
VoorandEstonian Voorand is an Estonia surname derived from "voor" meaning "drumlin" and "rand" meaning "beach/seashore".
VuittonFrench Derived from the Old High German word "witu" and the Old English pre 7th century "widu" or "wudu", meaning a wood, and therefore occupational for one living by such a place.
WaititiMaori Meaning uncertain. It could derive from Maori waitī both meaning "sweet, melodious", denoting a sweet person, or "sap of the cabbage tree", possibly denoting an occupation. Taika David Cohen, known professionally as Taika Waititi (1975-), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian.
WaitmanEnglish Possibly from Middle English hwæt, "active, bold, brave" and mann "man"
WakehamEnglish, Cornish A locational surname for someone who lived in one of three places called Wakeham in various parts of England, including Cornwall and/or Devon.
WakeleyEnglish Habitational name from Wakeley in Hertfordshire, named from the Old English byname Waca, meaning ‘watchful’ (see Wake) + Old English leah ‘woodland clearing’.
WakelinEnglish From the Anglo-Norman male personal name Walquelin, literally "little Walho", a Germanic nickname meaning literally "foreigner".
WalcottEnglish habitational name from any of several places called Walcott Walcot or Walcote for example in Lincolnshire Leicestershire Norfolk Oxfordshire and Wiltshire all named in Old English wealh "foreigner Briton serf" (genitive plural wala) and cot "cottage hut shelter" (plural cotu) meaning "the cottage where the (Welsh-speaking) Britons lived".
WaldorfGerman Habitational name from any of at least three places so called, derived from Old High German wald "forest" and dorf "village, settlement"... [more]
WaldripEnglish, Scottish The name is derived from the Old Norman warderobe, a name given to an official of the wardrobe, and was most likely first borne by someone who held this distinguished
WaldronMedieval German, Old Norman, Scottish Gaelic, English (British) Derived from the German compound wala-hran, literally "wall raven", but originally meaning "strong bird". Also derived from the Gaelic wealdærn, meaning "forest dwelling", thought to be derived from the Sussex village of Waldron... [more]
WallachScottish Variant of Wallace, meaning 'foreigner' that is found chiefly in Dumfries.
WallingAnglo-Norman From the Anglo-Norman personal name Walweyn, the Old German forename Waldwin, or the Old English personal name Wealdwine, which means "power-friend".
WallmanSwedish Combination of Swedish vall "pasture, field of grass" and man "man".
WalpoleEnglish Originally indicated a person from either of two places by this name in Norfolk and Suffolk (see Walpole). Famous bearers of the surname include Robert Walpole (1676-1745), the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, and his youngest son, the writer Horace Walpole (1717-1797)... [more]
WaltripGerman Derived from the name of the father of the original bearer, indicating the "son of Waldrap." The Germanic personal name Waldrap, is a short form of Walraven, a name used mostly among nobles, knights, and patricians.
WanlessEnglish From a medieval nickname for an ineffectual person (from Middle English wanles "hopeless, luckless").
WannellEnglish English surname which was derived from a medieval nickname, from Middle English wann "wan, pale" (see Wann) and a diminutive suffix.... [more]
WardropScottish Metonymic occupational name for someone who was in charge of the garments worn by a feudal lord and his household, from Norman French warde(r) meaning "to keep or guard" + robe meaning "garment".
WathersIrish The surname originated in Donegal, Ireland. MacConuisce was an Anglicized form of o'hUisce. Uisce translates to water in English. Wathers is a rather uncommon name because it is an untraditional way of spelling Waters... [more]
WaverlyEnglish Meaning, "from Waverley (Surrey)" or "from the brushwood meadow." From either waever meaning "brushwood" or waefre meaning "flickering, unstable, restless, wandering" combined with leah meaning "meadow, clearing."
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]
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]
WęglarzPolish Means "Charcoal burner". Uncommon, mostly popular in voivodship of Małopolska (Lesser Poland) in places like Szczawnica, Kraków or Mszana Dolna.
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"
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".