WildfongGerman An Americanized form of German Wildfang. A nickname from Middle High German Wiltvanc "Wildman Stranger", denoting a person who was not a member of the community.
WildrickEnglish From German Wildreich, a medieval personal name, from Old High German wildi "wild".
WilewskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Wilewo.
WinsteadEnglish Perhaps derived from the town of Wanstead in Greater London, England (recorded in the Domesday Book as Wenesteda), named with Old English wænn meaning "wagon" and stede meaning "place, site", but it is more likely derived from the village of Winestead in East Yorkshire, England, named from Old English wefa meaning "wife" and hamstede meaning "homestead"... [more]
WolfhardGerman, Jewish This name derives from the Old High German name “Wolfhard”, composed of two elements: the “*-wulfaz” (wolf) plus “*harduz / *hardu-” (hard, strong, brave, valiant, powerful one). In turn the name means “the one who is strong like a wolf”.
WollmannGerman Occupational name for a wool worker or wool trader Middle High German Middle Low German wollman derived from German wolle "wool" and man "man".
WolowitzJewish This is the surname of the character Howard in the American television show "The Big Bang Theory".
WoodbineEnglish (Rare) From the English word "woodbine" that means "honeysuckle(plant)"in English.It seems uncommon in the English-speak culture for a surname.Also some American place names,too.
WoodfallEnglish English surname used as a first name. The name means "dweller by a fold in the woods" - in this case, "fold" means "sheep-pen".... [more]
WoodruffEnglish, Caribbean Topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of land where woodruff grew, Anglo-Saxon wudurofe composed of wudu "wood" with a second element of unknown origin.
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]
YabunakaJapanese From 薮 (yabu) meaning "thicket, bush, underbrush, grove" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle, in between".
YabusakiJapanese From the Japanese 八 (ya) meaning "eight", 武 (bu) which was a traditional unit of measurement approximately equal to 90 centimeters, and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".
YamanobeJapanese From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain", 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" and 辺 (be) meaning "area, place, vicinity".
YamanoueJapanese Yama means "mountain", no is a possessive article, and ue means "above, top, upper".
YamasatoJapanese This surname combines 山 (san, sen, yama) meaning "mountain" and 里 (ri, sato) meaning "league, parent's home, ri (unit of distance - equal to 3.927 km), village," 県 or 縣 - outdated variant of 県 - (ken, ka.keru) meaning "county, district, subdivision, prefecture," the last meaning reserved for 県.... [more]
YamasawaJapanese Yama means "hill, mountain" and sawa means "swamp, marsh".
YanagawaJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yana) meaning "willow" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
YanagidaJapanese Yanagi (柳) means "willow", ta/da (田) means "ricefield", ta changes to da because of rendaku. Mikio Yanagida (柳田幹雄) from Btooom! is a notable character bearing this surname.
YanagidaJapanese From Japanese 柳 (yanagi) meaning "willow" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
YanagimiJapanese Yanagi means "willow" and mi means "viewpoint, outlook".
YasuhikoJapanese Yasu means "peace, even, level, cheap, inexpensive, relax" and hiko means "prince".
YasuhiroJapanese From Japanese 安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet" combined with 央 (hiro) meaning "centre, middle". Other Kanji combinations are possible.... [more]
YokohamaJapanese Yoko means "beside" and hama means "beach, seashore".
YokohiraJapanese Yoko means "beside, next to" and hira means "peace, level, even".
YokohoriJapanese Yoko means "beside, next to" and hori means "moat, canal".
YokokawaJapanese From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
YokomizoJapanese 横 (Yoko) means "beside" and 溝 (mizo) means "groove, trench, gutter, gully, drain, ditch, gap". A notable bearer is Seishi Yokomizo, a Japanese novelist in the Showa Period.
YokomoriJapanese Yoko means "beside, next to" and mori means "forest".
YokomuraJapanese 横 (Yoko) means "Beside" and 村 (Mura) means "Village, Hamlet". Check the source if needed.
YomohiroJapanese (Rare) This is a very rare surname with the kanji of all four directions: (東西北南) "east, west, north, south", in that order. Yomo literally means "four directions" and hiro means "extension".
YonamineJapanese From the Japanese 與 or 与(yo) "together with," 那 (na) "what" and 嶺 (mine) "peak," "summit."
YoungkinScottish (?), Irish (?) Possibly derived from Younkin; A Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands was the first to use the surname Younkin. It is a name for a person who was very young, from the Old English word yong and yung... [more]
YoungmanEnglish From Middle English yunge man "young servant", ultimately from Old English geong mann "young man".
ZabaletaBasque This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the vicinity of the tower house in the Navarrese municipality of Lesaka or the neighborhood of the municipality of Nabarniz.
ZadzisaiShona Zadzisai means "you must fulfil - a pledge or promise". The name is given as a reminder to fulfil a pledge or promise.
ZaghloulArabic (Egyptian) Means "squab, young dove" in Egyptian Arabic. A notable bearer was the Egyptian statesman and revolutionary Saad Zaghloul (1857-1927).
ZagurskiPolish Derived from the Polish places Zagórz and Zagórze. Also given to those who lived on the side of a hill opposite a main settlement - za means "beyond" and góra means "hill".
ZakowskiPolish a Polish surname which is most frequent in the cities of Warszawa, Płońsk and Bydgoszcz in central Poland and is also to be found as Zakowski among the Polish diaspora.
ZalbideaBasque This indicates familial origin within either of 2 eponymous localities: the commune in the French canton of Bidaxunerria, Amikuze eta Oztibarre or the neighborhood of the municipality of Urduliz in the Spanish comarca of Uribe Kosta.
ZaldibarBasque This indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality in the comarca of Durangaldea. It’s Castilianized form is Zaldívar.
ZaldívarBasque, Spanish Derived from Basque zaldi meaning "horse" combined with ibar meaning "valley". This is also the name of a town in Biscay, Spain.
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.
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".
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]