Submitted Surnames Starting with Y

Ya Japanese
From Japanese ya, meaning "night". Note that other kanji interpretations and meanings could be possible.

Yabe Japanese
From the Japanese 矢 (ya) "arrow" and 部 (be) "region," "division," "part."

Yaben Basque
It means under the rushes or bracken.

Yablokov Russian
From Russian яблоко (yabloko) meaning "apple", used as a nickname for a ruddy person or a gardener who received a plentiful harvest.

Yabsley English
It is believed to be a derived spelling of Abboldesi, a place now more commonly known as Abbotsley or Abbotsleigh. However, the original surname had nothing to do with "Abbots" in any spelling, and derives from to the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Eadbeald" meaning "Prosperity-bold".

Yabuki Japanese
A famous bearier of this surname, Nako Yabuki from IZONE.

Yabusaki Japanese
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".

Yaca African

Yacob Amharic
From the given name Yacob.

Yacoob Arabic
From the given name Yaqub.

Yacoub Arabic
From the given name Yaqub.

Yada Japanese
From the Japanese 矢 (ya) "arrow" and 田 (da or ta) "rice paddy."

Yadav Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi, Nepali
From Sanskrit यादव (yadava) meaning "descendant of Yadu", Yadu being a legendary king in Hindu mythology who was believed to be an ancestor of Krishna.

Yaeger German
Yaeger is a relatively uncommon American surname, most likely a transcription of the common German surname "Jaeger/Jäger" (hunter). The spelling was changed to become phonetic because standard English does not utilize the umlaut.

Yafai Arabic
Meaning unknown.

Yaffo ?

Yagami Japanese
From Japanese 八 (ya) meaning "eight" and 神 (kami) meaning "god".

Yager German
Americanized form of JÄGER, meaning "hunter."

Yagi Japanese
This can also be read as Yanagi meaning "Willow".

Yagino Japanese

Yagira Japanese
From Japanese 柳 (yagi) meaning "willow" combined with 楽 (ra) meaning "music, comfort, ease".

Yaguchi Japanese
From Japanese 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth"

Yahia Arabic
From the given name Yahya.

Yahiaoui Arabic (Maghrebi)
From the given name Yahya.

Yahya Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Yahya.

Yahyaoui Arabic (Maghrebi)
From the given name Yahya.

Yəhyayev Azerbaijani
Means "son of Yəhya".

Yaida Japanese

Yaish Arabic, Hebrew

Yak Eastern African

Yakhin Bashkir, Tatar
From the given name Yakhya.

Yakimov Russian
Means "Son of Yakim".

Yakini African

Yakkola Karelian

Yakobashvili Georgian, Jewish
Alternate transcription of Iakobashvili chiefly used by Georgian Jews.

Yakovenko Ukrainian
Derived from the given name Yakov.

Yakovleva Russian
Feminine form of Yakovlev.

Yakubovich Russian, Belarusian
Derived from the given name Yakub.

Yakumo Japanese (Rare)
This surname combines 八 (hachi, ya, ya'.tsu, ya.tsu, you) meaning "eight", 耶 (ja, ya, ka) meaning "question mark" or 家 (ka, ke, ie, uchi, ya) meaning "expert, family, home, house, performer, professional" with 雲 (un, kumo, -gumo) meaning "cloud."... [more]

Yalaoui Arabic (Maghrebi)
Algerian family name possibly derived from Arabic يَعْلَى (yaʿlā) or يَعْلَ (yaʿla) both meaning "exalted, high".

Yalçın Turkish
From the given name Yalçın.

Yam Hebrew
From the given name Yam.

Yama Indian

Yama Japanese
Yama means "Mountain".

Yamabe Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".

Yamadaev Chechen
Means "son of Yamad", possibly from a form of the given name Ahmad.

Yamadera Japanese
"Mountain temple".

Yamagai Japanese

Yamagata Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 形 (gata) meaning "shape, form" or 縣 (gata) meaning "county, district".

Yamagaya Japanese

Yamagishi Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 岸 (kishi) meaning "beach, shore, bank".

Yamaha Japanese (Rare)
This Japanese surname is more found in Brazil than Japan, because of Japanese immigrants who immigrated from Japan to Brazil. Notable bearer of this surname: Torakusu Yamaha (Japanese entrepreneur who was the founder of the Yamaha Corporation).

Yamahashi Japanese
In basic words, this is Hashiyama backwards. A notable bearer is Masaomi Yamahashi ,he's a voice actor.

Yamakawa Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Yamamae Japanese

Yamamizu Japanese
山 (Yama) means "Mountain" and 水 (Mizu) means "Water". Check the notes if necessary.

Yamamura Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Yaman Turkish

Yamanaka Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Yamane Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 根 (ne) meaning "root".

Yamano Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Yamaoka Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".

Yamasato Japanese
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]

Yamashiro Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mounain, hill" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle".

Yamatani Japanese
Yama means "Mountain" and Tani means "Valley". Testuo Yamatani was film director.

Yamato Japanese
From the given name Yamato.

Yamaya Japanese

Yamba Kongo

Yambao Filipino
Possibly from Vietnamese iàm-báu meaning "treasure."

Yameen Urdu, Bengali, Dhivehi
Variant transcription of Yamin.

Yamikawa Japanese
From Japanese 闇 (Yami) meaning "darkness" 川(Kawa) meaning "river", the name basically means "Dark river"

Yampilskiy Ukrainian (Rare)
This was used by people originating from any of various Ukrainian settlements by the name of "Yampil".

Yan Chinese

Yan Chinese (Russified)
Russified form of Yang used by ethnic Chinese living in parts of the former Soviet Union.

Yanada Japanese

Yanagawa Japanese

Yanagi Japanese
From Japanese 柳 (yanagi) meaning "willow".

Yanagida Japanese
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.

Yanagihara Japanese
From Japanese 柳 (yanagi) meaning "willow" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Yanagimi Japanese

Yanagimoto Japanese
Yanagi means "Willow" and Moto means "Source, Root, Origin."

Yanagisawa Japanese
From Japanese 柳 (yanagi) meaning "willow" and 沢 (sawa) meaning "marsh".

Yanai Japanese
From the Japanese 矢 (ya) "arrow" and 内 (nai or uchi) "inside."

Yancey Dutch (Anglicized)
Variant of Yancy.

Yandarbiev Chechen
Means "son of Yandarbi".

Yandarbin Chechen
Variant of Yandarbiyev.

Yandarbiyeva Chechen
Feminine spelling of Yandarbiyev.

Yandarov Chechen
Possibly from the given name Yandar, which is of uncertain meaning, perhaps of Turkic or Iranian origin.

Yane Korean

Yáñez Spanish
Patronymic of JUAN.

Yang Korean
This surname originated in China and refers to ‘bridge’.

Yanga Filipino

Yaniv Hebrew
From the given name Yaniv.

Yankelovich Yiddish (Rare)
Means "son of Yankel".

Yankovic Slovene, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Polish
Americanized form of Janković, or perhaps Jankowicz.

Yanković Croatian, Serbian
means "son of Janko"

Yankovich Serbian, Croatian, Slovene
Americanized spelling of Janković or Jankovič.

Yankovoy Russian

Yannotta American
Possibly a variant of Iannotta.

Yano Japanese

Yanqi Chinese
Yanqi is/ was a county of China. It is also the surname of Mao Yanqi, also known as VAVA.

Yant American

Yantorno Italian
Derived from the word torno which in Italian means "around".

Yao Chinese
From Chinese 姚 (yáo) meaning "handsome, elegant".

Yaoyorozu Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 八 (ya) meaning "eight", 百 (o) meaning "one hundred", and 万 (yorozu) meaning "ten thousand"

Yap Chinese (Hakka), Chinese (Hokkien)
Hakka and Hokkien romanization of Ye.

Yaqoob Arabic
From the given name Yaqub.

Yaqub Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Yaqub.

Yara Japanese

Yarasavych Various (?)

Yarborough English

Yarbrough Anglo-Saxon
The ancient roots of the Yarbrough family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Yarbrough comes from when the family lived in either the parish or the hamlet called Yarborough in the county of Lincolnshire... [more]

Yarchi Hebrew
From Hebrew יָרֵחַ (yareach), meaning "moon".

Yard Dutch (Surinamese)

Yarden Hebrew (Rare)
From the given name Yarden, which is named after the Jordan 2 River. ... [more]

Yardeni Hebrew (Modern)
Means "of Jordan 2" in Hebrew.

Yardley English
Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Yardley, derived from Old English gierd meaning "branch, twig, pole, stick" and leah meaning "wood, clearing".

Yardly English
Variant of Yardley.

Yardy English
The most likely origin of this surname is that it was used to denote someone who held a piece of land known as a "yarde", from the Middle English word "yerd".

Yaremchuk Ukrainian

Yarish American
Anglicized form of Jaroš.

Yarmolenko Ukrainian
Regional name for someone from Yarmolyntsi, an urban-type settlement in Ukraine.

Yaroshevitz Jewish
Ashkenazi Jewish form of Yarrow.

Yarrow English (British, Modern, Rare)

Yaşar Turkish
From the given name Yaşar.

Yaseen Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Yasin.

Yasenov Bulgarian
Means "son of Yasen".

Yasin Arabic, Urdu, Bengali
From the given name Yasin.

Yasmin Bengali, Urdu
From the given name Yasmin.

Yassin Arabic
From the given name Yasin.

Yassman Russian

Yasuan Alaskan

Yasuhiro Japanese
From Japanese 安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet" combined with 央 (hiro) meaning "centre, middle". Other Kanji combinations are possible.... [more]

Yasui Japanese
Yasu (安) "Relaxed, Cheap" and I (井) "Well, Mineshaft ".

Yasuki Japanese
Yasu means "Relax, Cheap" and Ki mean "Tree". Yasuki is also a first name.

Yasukochi Japanese

Yasunishi Japanese
Yasu means "Peace,Quiet" and Nishi means "West". See Anzai for alternative,but similar meaning.

Yasura Japanese

Yasuraoka Japanese (Rare)
安 (Yasu) means "Cheap, Low, Inexpensive, Rested, Peaceful, Relax".良 (Ra) means "Good, Excellent", and 岡 (Oka) means "Ridge, Hill". A notable bearer is Akio Yasuraoka, he was a composer in his earlier days.

Yasuta Japanese

Yasutomi Japanese

Yasuyama Japanese
安 (Yasu) means "Peaceful, Rested, Relax, Cheap, Low" and 山 (Yama) means "Mountain". Check notes if necessary.

Yasuzato Japanese
See Asato.

Yatsko Ukrainian

Yatteau French (Acadian)
I was always told it was French

Ya'u Nigerian

Yaun Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized form of Jahn.

Yavorov Bulgarian
Means "son of Yavor".

Yavuz Turkish
Means "stern, tough" in Turkish.

Yaw Irish, English, Chinese
Irish: reduced and altered Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Eochadha Chinese : Cantonese variant of Qiu.

Yawana African

Yaxley English
Meant "person from Yaxley", Cambridgeshire and Suffolk ("glade where cuckoos are heard").

Yaylacıoğlu Turkish
Means "descendant of the nomad" from Turkish yaylacı meaning "nomad, highlander, transhumant".

Yazaki Japanese
Ya means "Arrow" and Zaki means "Peninsula, Promontory, Cape". A notable bearer is Tomonori Yazaki, a film actor.

Yazawa Japanese

Yazbeck Arabic
Variant transcription of Yazbek.

Yazıcı Turkish
Means "writer" or "clerk" in Turkish.

Yazzi Navajo

Yazzie Indigenous American, Navajo
Derived from the Navajo word yázhí meaning "little".

Ybañez Spanish (Philippines)
Filipino form of Ibáñez.

Ybanez Spanish (Philippines)
Unaccented variant of Ybañez.

Ybiricu Basque (Latinized, Modern)
It means ford the river (cross or pass the river).

Yde Danish

Ye Chinese
From Chinese 葉 (yè) meaning "leaf".

Yeager English, Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of German Jäger.

Yeardley English
Means "enclosed meadow" in Old English, from Old English g(e)ard (“fence, enclosure”) + lēah (“woodland, clearing”).

Yearley English

Yeats English
Scottish and northern English variant spelling of Yates.

Yeboah Western African, Akan

Yee Chinese (Taishanese)
Taishanese romanization of Yu 2.

Yefet Hebrew
From the given name Yefet. (see Japheth)

Yefimov Russian
Means "son of Yefim".

Yefimova Russian
Feminine form of Yefimov.

Yefimovich Russian
Grigori Yefimovich who is best known as "Rasputin" was a Russian peasant, mystic and private adviser to the Romanovs (Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Tsarina Alexandra in the early 20th century).

Yefremov Russian
Means "son of Yefrem"

Yeghiazaryan Armenian
Means "son of Yeghiazar".

Yegorov Russian
Means “son of Yegor”.

Yeh Chinese
Variant romanization of Ye.

Yehia Arabic
From the given name Yahya.

Yehya Arabic, Uyghur
From the given name Yehya.

Yeibi Nigerian

Yeien Malaysian (Rare, ?)

Yelich Serbian (Anglicized, Rare)
Yelich is an Anglicized spelling of the last name Jelić.

Yelley English (British)
The surname Yelley was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed... [more]

Yellman English
Yellman comes from the English words yell and man creating Yellman. The last name Yellman was also given to a person who consistently yelled a lot.

Yellow English
Nickname for someone who has yellow hair; wore yellow clothing or has a yellow complexion

Yellowtail Indigenous American

Yelly English

Yelnats Literature
Invented by Louis Sacher for his novel "Holes". The name was created because it is Stanley spelled backwards. Stanley Yelnats IV is the main character in the novel.

Yelverton English

Yemelyanov Russian
Means "son of Yemelyan".

Yemelyanova Russian
Feminine spelling of Yemelyanov.

Yemen Arabic
From the Given Name YEMEN.

Yemesi Papuan

Yen Khmer

Yende South African

Yeng Korean

Yeo Korean

Yeo Chinese (Hokkien)
Hokkien romanization of Yang.

Yeoh Chinese (Hokkien)
Hokkien romanization of Yang.

Yeoman English

Yeong Korean
Korean form of Yang, from Sino-Korean 楊 (yeong) meaning "willow".

Yepa ?

Yerba Spanish (Latin American)

Yerbabuena Spanish (Latin American)
From Spanish yerba buena meaning "good herb"

Yerka English (Rare)

Yerkes German (Americanized)
Americanized spelling of German and Dutch Jerkes, a patronymic from the personal name Jerke.

Yermolaev Russian
Variant transcription of Yermolayev.

Yermolayev Russian
Means "son of Yermolai".

Yerokhin Russian

Yesayan Armenian
Means "son of Yesay".

Yesca Spanish (Latin American)

Yesmin Bengali
Variant of Yasmin.

Yesua Indonesian
From the given name Yesua, a variant of Yeshua. This surname is found among Indonesian populations.

Yeta African

Yetarian Armenian

Yetman English
"gate keeper"

Yett English
Derived from the Old English word geat, meaning gate.

Yetts English
Variant of Yates

Yeukai Shona
Yeukai means "Remember". This name is given as a call to remember a particular event or to remember one's origins.

Yeung Korean

Yevdokimov Russian
Means "son of Yevdokim".

Yevdokimova Russian
Feminine spelling of Yevdokimov.

Yevstigneyev Russian
Means "son of Yevstigney".

Yevstigneyeva Russian
Feminine transcription of Yevstigneyev.

Yew Chinese (?)

Yewdale English
Derived from Yewdale, which is the name of a village near the town of Skelmersdale in Lancashire. Its name means "valley of yew trees", as it is derived from Middle English ew meaning "yew tree" combined with Middle English dale meaning "dale, valley".... [more]

Yglesias Spanish
Variant of Iglesias

Yia ?

Yiannopoulos Greek
Means son of Yianni, a famous bearer of this name is Milo Yiannopolous (1983-).

Yick Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Yi.

Yiğit Turkish
From the given name YİĞİT.

Yiğitoğlu Turkish
Means "son of Yiğit".

Yikoshu African, Central African

Yıldırım Turkish
From the given name Yıldırım.

Yıldız Turkish
Means "star" in Turkish.

Yimtatu Amharic

Yin Chinese
Transferred from the given name Yin.

Yíng Chinese (Rare)
From the name of the royal house of the Qin Dynasty from the ancient Chinese state also known as Qin.

Ying Chinese
From Chinese 应 (yīng) referring to the ancient state of Ying, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.

Yip Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Ye.

Yisselin Spanish (Latin American)

Yiu Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Yao.

Yldyrym Turkish (Ukrainianized), Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Yıldırım.

Ylvisåker Norwegian (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).

Ymeri Albanian

Ymffrostgar Medieval Welsh
A historic Welsh surname, meaning a brag or boastful person, later shortened to Ffrost and again to Frost.

Yñiguez Spanish
Variant of Íñiguez.

Yo Korean

Yoakam German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Joachim.

Yoakum English (American)
Americanized version of Jochim

Yoami Spanish (Mexican, Rare)

Yocum German (Anglicized), English
Americanized form of Jochum, a Low German form of the given name Joachim.

Yoder American

Yoder German (Swiss), American

Yoffe Hebrew, Jewish
Eastern Ashkenazic variant of Jaffe.

Yohanan Assyrian, Indian (Christian), Malayalam, Jewish
From the given name Yohanan, used by Malayalam-speaking Saint Thomas Christians and Cochin Jews.

Yohannan Assyrian, Indian (Christian)
From the given name Yohannan.

Yohe Medieval English
The Yohe surname comes from the Old English word "ea," or "yo," in Somerset and Devon dialects, which meant "river" or "stream." It was likely originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a stream.

Yoho American (Anglicized)
American Anglicized spelling of Swiss surname 'Joho'

Yoichi Japanese (Rare)
This surname is used as 与市 with 与 (yo, ata.eru, azuka.ru, kumi.suru, tomoni) meaning "bestow, participate in, give, award, impart, provide, cause, gift, godsend" and 市 (shi, ichi) meaning "city, market, town."... [more]

Yoichien Japanese (Rare)
Made up of 与 (Yo) "Give, Award, Participate", etc. 市 (Ichi) "In City, Market" or "Town". Anything along those lines. 園 (En) means "Garden". The source is in the notes.

Yoichimae Japanese (Rare)
与 (Yo) "Provide, Give, Award, Participate", 市 (Ichi) " Town, Market, City", etc. and 前 (Mae) "Front, Forward". The source is in the notes.

Yokohama Japanese
Yoko ("Beside") + Hama ("Beach, Seashore").

Yokohira Japanese

Yokoi Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "side, beside, next to" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Yokomizo Japanese
Check notes if needed. 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.

Yokomura Japanese
横 (Yoko) means "Beside" and 村 (Mura) means "Village, Hamlet". Check the source if needed.

Yokoshima Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "side, beside, next to" and 島 or 嶋 (shima) meaning "island".

Yokota Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "side, beside, next to" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yokotake Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "side, beside, next to" and 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo".

Yokotani Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "next to, beside" combined with 谷 (tani) "valley".

Yokote Japanese
Yoko ("Beside") + Te , this is the Japanese word for hand. This surname means "Beside a Hand". Michiko Yokote is an example. She wrote the Pichi Pichi Pitch manga and did screenwriting for Masamune-kun's Revenge.

Yokoya Japanese

Yokoyama Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "side, beside, next to" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain".

Yokoyama Japanese
A Japanese surname with a combination of Yoko and Yama

Yoʻldoshev Uzbek
Uzbek form of Yuldashev.

Yoldoshov Uzbek
Variant of Yoldoshev.

Yomanov Jewish (Russified, Modern)

Yomohiro Japanese (Rare)
This is a very rare surname with the kanji of all four directions: (東西北南) "East, West, North, and South", in that order. Yomo literally means "Four directions" and Hiro means "Extension".

Yomtov Hebrew (Modern)
Means "good day", derived from Hebrew יום (yom) means "day" and טוב (tov) means "good".

Yonaga Japanese
From Japanese 夜長 (yonaga) meaning "a long night".

Yonah Jewish
Hebrew for "dove" יונה

Yonamine Japanese
From the Japanese 與 or 与(yo) "together with," 那 (na) "what" and 嶺 (mine) "peak," "summit."

Yonce English

Yone Japanese
Yo (与) means together.... [more]

Yoneda Japanese
From the Japanese 米 (yone or kome) "rice" and 田 (ta or da) "rice paddy" or 多 (ta or da) "many."

Yonega Japanese

Yoneichi Japanese
Yone (米) means rice.... [more]

Yonekawa Japanese

Yonezawa Japanese
From the Japanese 米 (yone or kome) "rice" and 澤 or 沢 (zawa or sawa) "swamp."

Yong Chinese (Hakka)
Hakka romanization of Yang.

Yong Korean
Korean form of Long from Sino-Korean 龍 (yong).

Yonge English
Variant of Yong

Yonoda Japanese

Yonota Japanese

Yonover English (British)
The surname Yonover was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor.

Yoo Korean

Yoosuf Dhivehi
From the given name Yoosuf.

Yorath Welsh
Derived from the Welsh given name Iorwerth.