YakushijiJapanese From Japanese 薬師寺 (Yakushiji) meaning "Yakushiji", a former village in the district of Kawachi in the former Japanese province of Shimotsuke in present-day Tochigi, Japan.
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".
YellowmanIndigenous American Native American (also Yellow Man): translation into English of a personal name such as Navajo HastiinŁitso, based on hastiin ‘man’ and łitso ‘yellow’, referring to the color of the complexion or the hair (Juxtapose Yellowhair).
YlvisåkerNorwegian (Rare) Meaning unknown. Famous bearers of this name are the Norwegian comedy duo "Ylvis" consisting of brothers Vegard (b. 1979) and Bård Ylvisåker (b. 1982).
YoichimaeJapanese (Rare) 与 (Yo) means "provide, give, award, participate", 市 (ichi) means "town, market, city" and 前 (mae) "front, forward".
YoshidomeJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck, fortune, auspicious" combined with 留 (tome) meaning "detain, stop, remain, to stay still".
YoshimoriJapanese From 吉 (yoshi) meaning "fortune, good luck" and 森 (mori) meaning "forest".
YoshimotoJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
YoshimuraJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "lucky, good" or 佳 (yoshi) meaning "beautiful, good, excellent" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".
YoshinariJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "fortune, good luck" and 成 (nari) meaning "become".
YoshiyamaJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "fortune, good luck" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".
YoshiyasuJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi), an alternative spelling of 吉し (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 安 (yasu) meaning "peaceful, tranquil, safe, simple, ammonium".
YousafzaiPashto Alternate transcription of Pashto يوسفزی (see Yusufzai). A notable bearer is Pakistani education activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai (1997-).
YurovskiymRussian, Polish (Russified) Alternate transcription of Yurovsky. This was the last name of Yakov Yurovskiy, a notable Bolshevik. He led the execution of the Romanovs.
ZamarripaBasque Habitational name of the city and province of Zamora, which is located on the Duero in northwest Spain. Because of its strategic position, the city was disputed during the Middle Ages, first between the Christians and Moors, then between the kingdoms of Leon and Castille.
ZandvoortDutch From the name of any of several settlements in the Netherlands, derived from Dutch zand "sand" and voort "ford, crossing".
ZelgowskiPolish Originally, surname Zelegowski was misheard as Zelgowski when Polish immigrants were first coming to the United States through Ellis Island... [more]
ZelmerlöwSwedish (Rare) Rare Swedish surname composed of the name of the family's ancestor SelmaLöf. One bearer is Swedish artist Måns Zelmerlöw (b.1986) who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016.
ZhytaryukUkrainian Means "child of the grain farmer". Derived from Ukrainian "житар (zhytar)", meaning "grain farmer" and the last name suffix -юк (-yuk).
ZimbalistJewish Occupational name for a cymbalist or a dulcimer player, particularly the cimbalom, derived from Yiddish tsimbl meaning "dulcimer, cimbalom, cymbal". The American actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (1918-2014) was a famous bearer of this surname.
ZsigmondyHungarian Derived from the given name Zsigmond. The Austrian-born chemist Richard Adolf Zsigmondy (1865-1929), together with German physicist Henry Siedentopf, invented the ultramicroscope... [more]
ZuckermanGerman, Jewish Occupational name for someone who sold sugar or was a confectioner, or a nickname for someone with a sweet tooth, derived from Old High German zuckar "sugar" and man... [more]