WirtaFinnish From virta ‘stream’, used as a topographic name, also as a soldier’s name in the 17th century. Also adopted as an ornamental name, especially in western and southern Finland.
WiseEnglish Nickname for a wise or learned person, or in some cases a nickname for someone suspected of being acquainted with the occult arts, from Middle English wys "wise, thoughtful, knowledgeable; alert, aware"... [more]
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.
WishEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a water meadow or marsh, Middle English wyshe (Old English wisc). Americanized spelling of Wisch.
WispEnglish The surname of the author of Quidditch Through The Ages in the Harry Potter Universe, Kennilworthy Whisp. Probably referring to the wind, or a family of people who usually were nearly bald.
WitekPolish, English (Rare) From the personal name Wit, a short form of Witold, a derivative of Lithuanian Vytautas, a compound of vyti 'to guide' + tauta 'the people'... [more]
WithallEnglish "Withall" comes from the village of "Cornwall" called "Withiel." There is also a connection to an aristocratic level, in the 15th at Henry VII court a noble man and knight went under the family name "Wit-hall"... [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]
WitschgeDutch Dutch cognate of Witzke. Famous bearers of this surname include brothers Rob (1966-) and Richard Witschge (1969-), both of whom are former Dutch soccer players.
WitteveenDutch From Dutch witte "white" and veen "peat bog, marsh", derived from any of several place names.
WittgensteinGerman, Jewish Denoted one who came from the Wittgenstein castle in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, derived from Old High German witt meaning "white" and stein meaning "stone"... [more]
WittlinJewish Eastern Ashkenazic, from the Yiddish female personal name Vitle, a pet form of Vite combined with the eastern Slavic suffix -in
WittmanGerman Wittman was first found in the Palatinate in the Rhineland valley. The surname Wittman was given to someone who lived in the area that was referred to as widem which was originally derived from the German word denoting church property.
WlodawskiJewish Habitual surname from Włodawa, Poland. First seen in a 1806 revision list of the city Kobryn (Grodno Guberniya), now Kobryn Belarus. ... [more]
WłoszczowskiPolish This indicates familial origin within either of 2 Lesser Polish localities: the town of Włoszczowa or the village of Włoszczowice.
WodehouseEnglish The name "de Wodehouse" is attested as early as in the 11th century, of one Bertram, of Wodehouse-tower, Yorkshire, who lived at the time of the Norman conquest.
WodzińskiPolish Habitational name for someone from Wodzin in Piotrków voivodeship, named with Polish woda meaning "water".
WoehrleGothic Origin from Ohio Known for Farmers, less common occupation was Baker Farmer, Gardener and Bag Maker were the top 3 reported jobs.
WoganIrish From the Old Welsh personal name Gwgan or Gwgon, originally probably a nickname meaning literally "little scowler". (Cf. the second element in Cadogan.) This surname is borne by Irish radio and television presenter Terry Wogan (1938-).
WohlGerman, Yiddish Meaning "pleasant" in both Middle German and Ashkenazic Yiddish
WójcickiPolish Habitational name for a person originally from a place called Wójcice.
WójcińskiPolish Habitational name for someone from any of the many places called Wójcin, or from Wójcina in Tarnów voivodeship, named with wójt meaning "village headman".
WójtMedieval Polish Occupational name and title from Medieval Polish meaning Lord Protector or Governor. Derived from Latin advocatus. German variant Vogt, Swedish variant Fogde... [more]
WolfendenEnglish derived from the place called Wolfenden in the parish of Newchurch-in-Rossendale, Lancashire. The placename means "Wulfhelm's valley", or "the valley of Wulfhelm" derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name Wulfhelm, composed of the elements wulf "wolf" and helm "helmet, protection" and denu "valley".
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]
WolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorffGerman (Rare) The truncated form of the surname Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorffwelchevoralternwarengewissenhaftschaferswessenschafewarenwohlgepflegeundsorgfaltigkeitbeschutzenvorangreifendurchihrraubgierigfeindewelchevoralternzwolfhunderttausendjahresvorandieerscheinenvonderersteerdemenschderraumschiffgenachtmittungsteinundsiebeniridiumelektrischmotorsgebrauchlichtalsseinursprungvonkraftgestartseinlangefahrthinzwischensternartigraumaufdersuchennachbarschaftdersternwelchegehabtbewohnbarplanetenkreisedrehensichundwohinderneuerassevonverstandigmenschlichkeitkonntefortpflanzenundsicherfreuenanlebenslanglichfreudeundruhemitnichteinfurchtvorangreifenvorandererintelligentgeschopfsvonhinzwischensternartigraum... [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”.
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.
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".
WollschlägerGerman Occupational name for someone who prepared wool for spinning by washing and combing or carding it, from Middle High German wolle(n)slaher, -sleger, Middle Low German wullensleger (literally ‘wool beater’).
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.
WolstenholmeEnglish (British, Rare) A famous bearer is Chris Wolstenholme, bassist and sometimes vocalist of British alternative rock band Muse.
WolstonEnglish From the Middle English personal name Wolfstan or Wolstan, Old English Wulfstan, composed of the elements wulf ‘wolf’ + stan stone or a habitational name from any of a large number of places called Woolston(e) or Wollston, all of which are named with Old English personal names containing the first element Wulf (Wulfheah, Wulfhelm, Wulfric, Wulfsige, and Wulfweard) + Old English tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’.
WondergemDutch Habitational name from Wondelgem or Wontergem in East Flanders, Belgium, using the suffix -gem which is related to Old Germanic haimaz meaning "home".
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.
WoodbridgeEnglish Originated in old England and likely linked to the town of Woodbridge in Suffolk, East Anglia, United Kingdom. Well known Woodbridge's include the Australian Tennis player Todd Woodbridge. There was a famous lineage of six English John Woodbridge's in the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, all Church ministers... [more]
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]
WoodmanEnglish Occupational name for a woodcutter or a forester (compare Woodward), or topographic name for someone who lived in the woods. Possibly from the Old English personal name Wudumann.
WoodnutEnglish From a rare Anglo-Saxon personal name meaning "bold as Wade" and meant to honor the legendary Germanic sea-giant named Wade.
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.
WoodsonEnglish From a location in Yorkshire, England earlier spelled Woodsome and meaning "from the houses in the wood" or possibly a patronymic meaning "descendant of a wood cutter or forester."
WoolgarEnglish From the medieval male personal name Wolgar (from Old English Wulfgār, literally "wolf-spear").
WoolleyEnglish A habitational name from any of various places so-called. Most, including those in Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, and West Yorkshire in England, are derived from the Old English wulf, meaning "wolf", and leah, meaning "wood" or "clearing"... [more]
WoolnoughEnglish From the medieval male personal name Wolnoth or Wolnaugh (from Old English Wulfnōth, literally "wolf-daring").
WoosencraftWelsh though this surname has an exotic look & attracts legends, it has it's origins in the Lancashire place name Wolstencraft, from elements Wulfstan (personal name) + croft ("enclosure")
WootenEnglish Habitational name from any of the extremely numerous places named with Old English wudu "wood" + tun "enclosure", "settlement",
WorkScottish Scottish: habitational name from the lands of Work in the parish of St. Ola, Orkney.
WorkmanEnglish Ostensibly an occupational name for a laborer, derived from Middle English work and man. According to a gloss, the term was used in the Middle Ages to denote an ambidextrous person, and the surname may also be a nickname in this sense.
WorsleyEnglish Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational surname from either of the places called Worsley in Lancashire and in Worcestershire. The place in Lancashire was recorded as "Werkesleia" in 1196, and means Weorchaeth's wood or glade, derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Weorchaeth", from weorc, work, fortification, and leah, a wood, or clearing in a wood... [more]
WorthEnglish From the Old English WORÞ, meaning "enclosure".
WorthingtonEnglish Habitational name from places in Lancashire and Leicestershire named Worthington; both may have originally been named in Old English as Wurðingtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Wurð", but it is also possible that the first element was Old English worðign, a derivative of worð ‘enclosure’.
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]
WoytekCzech, Slovak, Polish Eastern European surname of unknown meaning. A variant of Vojtek.
WrangelGermanic The surname Wrangel was first found in Westphalia. The name is derived from the place name Warangale (now Wrangelshof) in Estonia.... [more]
WrayeEnglish Variant of the habitational name Wray or Ray, from any of various minor places in northern England named Wray, Wrea, or Wreay, from Old Norse vrá ‘nook’, ‘corner’, ‘recess’.
WrbanekPolish Polish, Czech (Urbánek), and Sorbian: from a pet form of the personal name Urban . The surname is also established in Germany.
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.
WrenEnglish Nickname from the bird, Middle English wrenne, probably in reference to its small size.
WretmanSwedish Combination of Swedish vret "remote small field situated some distance away from a bigger field" and man "man".
WriedenJewish Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Fried or a short form of any of the various compound names beginning Frieden of the same derivation.
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.
WrinnIrish (Anglicized) From Irish Gaelic Ó Rinn "descendant of Rinn", a personal name perhaps based on reann "spear".
WriothesleyEnglish (British) Name is of unknown origin, deriving from older Wrotteslega, who were a family that held estates in Staffordshire in the late 1100s. Possibly a combination of wrot "snout" and leah "meadow, cleaning", suggesting it's origin as a pig farm.
WrytaNorman Old Norse Men Normans Wryta brothers fought with William The Conqueror at Battle of Hastings onto King Henry VIII granting landed, gentry, coat of arms, baronetcy, and lord title to Sir John Wright 1 of Kelvedon Hall ESsex on 6/20/1509
WrzesieńPolish Derived from Polish wresień "September (month)".
WrzesińskiPolish Name for someone from a place called Września, Wrzesina or Wrzesiny, all derived from Polish wrzos meaning "heather".
WunderlichGerman A nickname for an eccentric or moody person, derived from the word wunderlich meaning "whimsical" in German.
WünscheGerman Probably denoted a person from Wendland, a region in Germany on the borders of the states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Wendling, a municipality in the Grieskirchen District, Upper Austria, Austria.
WürdemannGerman From the German "Würde"-honour or dignity, and "Mann"-man or person. "Man of Honour" or "Person of Dignity".
WurdemannGerman (Rare) This is a German surname, also spelled WÜRDEMANN (original) and often rendered as WUERDEMANN in English. It come from the German "würde", "dignity" or "honor" and "mann", meaning "man" or "person".... [more]
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.
WursterGerman Derived from German Wurst (Middle High German wurst) "sausage" and thus either denoted a butcher who specialized in the production of sausages, or was used as a nickname for a plump person or someone who was particularly fond of sausages.
WurðingtunEnglish Habitational name from places in Lancashire and Leicestershire named Worthington; both may have originally been named in Old English as Wurðingtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Wurð", but it is also possible that the first element was Old English worðign, a derivative of worð ‘enclosure’.
WürttembergGerman Württemberg is an historical German territory. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, it now forms the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg.
WurtzGerman A metonymic occupational name for a greengrocer or grower or seller of herbs, from Middle High German würz, meaning ‘herb’.
WurzburgerJewish "The Wurzburger surname is derived from the German city of Wurzburg, Bavaria, where Jews first settled in the 11th century. The German and Yiddish ending -er means 'of', 'from'." - from https://forebears.io/surnames/wurzburger
WuttkeGerman Originally denoted a person from Wutike, a district near the town of Neuruppin in Brandenburg, Germany.
WycherleyEnglish Derived from a place name apparently meaning "elm-wood clearing" from Old English wice and leah. A famous bearer was the dramatist William Wycherley (1640-1715).
WyckoffEast Frisian (Rare) Means "settlement on a bay", from Old Frisian wik "bay, inlet" and hof "courtyard, farmstead".