VadeboncœurFrench (Quebec) From the French phrase va de bon cœur meaning "go with a good (merry) heart". This was a secondary surname, common among soldiers in colonial French Canada, which has been adopted as a principal surname.
VadelovIngush (Russified) Russified form of an Ingush family name, which is from the name of an Ingush teip (clan) which is of disputed origin, possibly derived from Ingush да (da) meaning "father", Arabic وَعْد (waʿd) meaning "promise" (through Turkish vaat), or from the hypothetical name Vadel derived from Lezgin вад (vad) meaning "five" (hypothetically given to the fifth-born child of a family).
VadénSwedish Combination of Swedish place name element vad which in most cases mean "ford, place for wading", and the common surname suffix -én.
VaderGerman (Rare) From Middle Low German vader meaning ‘father’, ‘senior’; in the Middle Ages this was used a term of address for someone who was senior in rank or age.
VærnesNorwegian Værnes is a village in the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county in Mid-Norway. The original spelling of the village's name was Vannes and it is a combination of var "calm, quiet" and nes "headland"... [more]
VagaEstonian Vaga is an Estonian surname meaning "devout" and "pious".
VaikEstonian Vaik is an Estonian surname meaning both "quiet/still ("vaikus") and "resin/pitch", "tar".
VaikjärvEstonian Vaikjärv is an Estonian surname meaning "quiet/still lake".
VaiklaEstonian Vaikla is an Estonian surname meaning "quiet area".
VäikmeriEstonian Väikmeri is an Estonian surname meaning "small sea".
VaiksaarEstonian Vaiksaar is an Estonian surname meaing "quiet/still ("vaikus") island ("saar")". May also come from "väike saar", meaning "little island".
VaiksooEstonian Vaiksoo is an Estonian surname meaning "quiet/still swamp".
VaikveeEstonian Vaikvee is an Estonian surname meaning "quiet/still water".
ValdoviñoGalician This indicates familial origin within the eponymous municipality.
ValdovinosSpanish Spanish: from a personal name of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements bald 'bold brave' + win 'friend'.
ValdreEstonian Valdre is an Estonian surname possibly derived from the masculine given name "Valter", or relating to a "parish" or "borough" ("vald").
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.
ValeeGerman From French origin, denoting someone who lives or comes from a valley.
ValenEnglish, Scottish English and Scottish: from a medieval personal name, Latin Valentinus, a derivative of Valens (see also Valente), which was never common in England, but is occasionally found from the end of the 12th century, probably as the result of French influence... [more]
ValenzuelaSpanish Habitational name from places named Valenzuela in Córdoba and Ciudad Real. The place name is a diminutive of Valencia, literally "Little Valencia".
VallanceEnglish Means "person from Valence", southeastern France (probably "place of the brave").
ValleSpanish, Filipino, Italian Habitational name from any of the many places named with valle "valley", or topographic name for someone who lived in a valley (Latin vallis).
ValléeFrench topographic name for someone who lived in a valley from Old French valee "valley" (from Latin vallis) or a habitational name from (La) Vallée the name of several places in various parts of France... [more]
VallejoSpanish Denoted someone who lived in a small valley.
ValleraFrench French: habitational name from Vallery in Yonne, once a Romano-Gallic estate, recorded in 1218 as Valerianus. The surname is also found in the British Isles and may be of Norman origin, from the same place.
ValleyEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Middle English valeye.
VallieGerman Probably an altered spelling of German Valee, a fairly common surname of French origin denoting someone who lived in a valley. The name in Germany is also spelled Wallee.
ValmoridaFilipino, Cebuano Means "valley of the forest field" derived from Spanish val, a contraction of valle meaning "valley", combined with Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest, woods" and 田 (ta) "paddy, field" (see Morita).
Van BeekDutch Like Verbeek and Van de(r) Beek, the family name Van Beek can indicate a place of residence on a certain stream, the name for a narrow and shallow (clear and sometimes erratic) water stream, or in a village or hamlet that leads to a stream... [more]
Van BeethovenFlemish Means "from the beet fields". A famous bearer of this name was German Clasical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).
Van BlankenbergDutch, Belgian Habitational name from any of various places so called, in particular in Hennef and Gelderland, or from Blankenberge in West Flanders, Belgium.
Van BoxtelDutch The family name Van Boxtel indicates origin from the North Brabant place Boxtel, written around 1110 Buchestelle, and later in the Middle Ages, among others, Bucstelle and Boextel.... [more]
Van BurgenDutch Comes from the Middle Dutch word "burch," or "burg," meaning a fortified town. The prefixes "Van" and "den" mean "from" and "the" respectively. Thus this surname means "from the hill". As such, it may have been topographic name for someone who lived by a citadel or walled city; or, it may have been a habitational name
Van BuskirkDutch The name is made up of two Dutch words: "bos," meaning "woods," and "kerk," meaning "church." The characteristic Dutch prefix "van" literally means "from," and thus the surname indicates "one from the church in the woods."
Van DammeDutch, Belgian Means "from Damme", the name of towns in Belgium and Germany. A famous bearer is Belgian actor and former martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960-).
Van De LeestDutch Possibly an allusion to the shoemaker's profession, whether or not through a house name 'De Leest', which may have been the name of a shoemaker's building. A last is a (wooden) shape over which shoes are formed.
Van De MarkDutch Topographic name for someone who lived by a border or boundary, from Middle Dutch marke, merke meaning "boundary", "borderland".
Van Den BroekDutch The family name Van den Broek is derived from a toponym with the component Broek, for example a farm name that owes its name to its location near a Broek, a name for a swampy terrain.
Van Der GraafDutch Dutch toponymic surname. Although graaf is a Dutch noble title similar to "count", here it refers to an old term for a canal with the same origin in the verb graven ("to dig") as gracht and grave.
Van Der HeijdenDutch The family name Van der Heijden indicates that the original name bearers inhabited a settlement or a farm located near an area or a heathland that was known as 'de Heide'.
Van Der KooiDutch name for someone from either of two places, De Kooi in South Holland or De Kooy in North Holland.
VanderleiBrazilian It derives from the Dutch surname Van der Leij/Ley. The surname arrived in Brazil by Kaspar Nieuwhoff Van Der Leij by 1630, a cavalry captain from the Dutch army.
Van Der LeijDutch Derived from Dutch lei meaning "slate" (effectively meaning "from the slate"), indicating that the original bearer of this name may have come from a place where slate was produced.
Van Der LoopDutch Topographical name for someone who lived by a waterway, Middle Dutch lo(e)pe, in particular a waterway called De Loop in North Brabant.
VandermastDutch Topographic name for someone from a place rich in animal fodder, for example acorns.
Van Der MerweDutch, South African While the name is currently very common in South Africa, it originates in Holland, literally meaning "From the Merwe". The first van der Merwes hail from the Merwede river. The name went to South Africa with the Dutch settlers in 1652.
van der MostDutch Topographic name for someone who lived in a place where moss grew.
VanderpanDutch Means "of the bannner" meaning most likely indicates ancestry of high-ranking occupation.
VanderpoolDutch Means, from the pool. It was a topographic name for someone who lived by a pool or pond, derived from the Dutch word POL. The name is also spelt POHL, POL, POLL, POLS, Van den POLL and POLMAN.
Van Der SteenDutch, Belgian Habitational name for someone from any of various minor places called Steen or Ten Stene (from steen meaning "stone"), for example in the Belgian provinces of East Flanders and Brabant.
Van Der WaalDutch Toponymic surname of Dutch origin. The original bearer of the name may have lived or worked at or near a "wal": a river embankment, quay, or rampage.
Van Der ZandenDutch Literally means 'From the sand', most likely given to someone who lived near sand grounds. It originated in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.
VandykeDutch Topographic name for someone living near a dyke or levee. Dykes are common structures for keeping lands dry in the low lying Netherlands. ... [more]
Van DyneDutch Habitational name for someone from Duinen in Gelderland.