UudmäeEstonian Uudmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "virgin/unspoiled hill/mountain".
UytdehaageDutch Means "from The Hague", a city in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It could also mean "from the hedge". Both etymologies are derived from Dutch uit meaning "out, of, from" and Middle Dutch hage meaning "hedge, bush"... [more]
VäliEstonian Väli is an Estonian surname meaning "field".
ValiSpanish, Italian (Swiss), Arabic This Spanish and Italian surname of VALI was a locational name for someone OR A family who lived in a valley. In valle quiescit ( In the valley of our home, we find peace.)... [more]
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).
VallinSwedish Derived from either Latin vallis "valley" or Swedish vall "wall, pasture, field of grass".
ValoisFrench topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, or a habitational name from any of the various places called Vallois, or regional name from the district in northern France so called, which was once an independent duchy... [more]
Van DoornDutch Means "of the thorns", a topographic name for someone who lived near thorn bushes, or in a settlement named after them.
Van DrielDutch Means "from Driel" in Dutch, referring to either the village Driel or any of several other settlements containing driel as an element... [more]
Van EgmondDutch Means "from Egmond" in Dutch, the name of a town and former municipality in North Holland. The toponym is possibly derived from heeg-munde (or hecmunda) meaning "enclosed fortress".
Van GestelDutch Means "from Gestel" in Dutch, a settlement in North Brabant, Netherlands derived from either gestel "height between two river valleys" or gestel "guest house, inn" (compare Gastel).
Van HeldenDutch Means "from Helden" in Dutch, the name of a village in Limburg, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch helde "slope, incline".
Van MerrienboerDutch Occupational name for a mare farmer, derived from Middle Dutch merrie meaning "mare (female horse)" and boer meaning "peasant, farmer".
van NiekerkAfrikaans Topographic name for any of the various locations named Nieuwerkerk in The Netherlands or Nieuwerkerken in Belgium. The name itself means "of the new church" from Dutch van meaning "of" combined with nieuw meaning "new" and kerk meaning "church".
Van RooijenDutch Derived from any of several places named using the suffix rooien, denoting an area cleared of trees.
Van VelsenDutch Means "from Velsen" in Dutch, a municipality in North Holland, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pel "swamp, marsh" combined with the hydronymic suffix *isa.
VasilakosGreek Patronymic from the Greek given name Vasilios and the suffix άκος (-akos) which is particularly associated with the Mani Peninsula in southwestern Peloponnese.
VasseurFrench From Old French vavasour meaning "subvassal", a historical term used to refer to a tenant of a baron or lord who also had tenants under him.
VetterGerman from a nickname from Middle High German veter(e) ‘uncle’, ‘nephew’. The word is from Old High German fetiro (a derivative of fater ‘father’), which was used more generally to denote various male relatives; the meaning of modern German Vetter is ‘cousin’.
ViardFrench from the ancient Germanic personal name Withard from the elements widu "wood forest" and hard "hard".
VickersEnglish Means "son of the vicar". It could also be the name of someone working as a servant of a vicar.
VieiraEnglish (Anglicized) A surname of British origin mainly from Ireland and Scotland but Anglicised into and english name when many Vieira's immigrated to England.
VirtueEnglish Used as a name for someone who had played the part of Virtue in a medieval mystery play, or as a nickname for someone noted for their virtuousness or (sarcastically) for someone who parades their supposed moral superiority.
VreelandDutch Habitational name for a person from a place bearing the same name in the province of Utrecht, which is itself derived from the Middle Dutch word vrede, meaning "peace; legal protection against armed violence".
WagleNorwegian A habitational name derived from farmsteads in Rogaland named Vagle, from the Old Norse vagl meaning a '‘perch’' or '‘roost'’, referring to a high ridge between two lakes.
WalcottEnglish habitational name from any of several places called Walcott Walcot or Walcote for example in Lincolnshire Leicestershire Norfolk Oxfordshire and Wiltshire all named in Old English wealh "foreigner Briton serf" (genitive plural wala) and cot "cottage hut shelter" (plural cotu) meaning "the cottage where the (Welsh-speaking) Britons lived".
WangChinese From Chinese 汪 (wāng) referring to the ancient state of Wang Mang (汪芒) or Wang Wang (汪罔) in present-day Zhejiang province.
WangKorean From Sino-Korean 王 (wang) meaning "king; monarch", referring to the royals of the former dynasty of Goryeo.
WardenEnglish Occupational name for a watchman or guard, from Old French wardein meaning "protector, guard". It was also used as a habbitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Warden... [more]
WashburnEnglish Northern English topographic name for someone living on the banks of the Washburn river in West Yorkshire, so named from the Old English personal name Walc + Old English burna ‘stream’... [more]
WeinsteinJewish Means "wine stone" from German wein meaning "wine" and stein meaning "stone". It originally referred to the potassium bitartrate crystals produced from the process of fermenting grape juice.
WeinstockGerman, Jewish English variant of the German surname Wenstock, an occupational name for a producer or seller of wine, from German Weinstock "grapevine" (also compare Wein).... [more]
WeirScottish, English Topographic name for someone who lived by a dam or weir on a river.
WeirIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Mhaoir "son of the steward or keeper".
WeirIrish Anglicized form, based on an erroneous translation (as if from Gaelic cora "weir", "stepping stones"), of various Gaelic names such as Ó Corra (see Corr) and Ó Comhraidhe (see Curry).
WeishauptGerman Nickname for someone with white hair from Middle High German wiz "white" and houbit "head". German cognate of Whitehead.
WeißmüllerGerman from Middle High German wiz "white" and mulin "miller" an occupational name for a miller who produced white flour which was produced as early as the 14th century.
WeldEnglish Meant "one who lives in or near a forest (or in a deforested upland area)", from Middle English wold "forest" or "cleared upland". A famous bearer is American actress Tuesday Weld (1943-).
WengChinese From Chinese 翁 (wēng) meaning "elderly man".
WengerGerman, German (Swiss) The surname Wenger is derived from the Middle High German word "wenger," "meaning "wagoner" or "cartwright."" It was an occupational name given to someone who worked as a wagon maker or driver.Another possible origin is that is derived from the German word, wenge, "meaning field of meadow"
WennerströmSwedish Combination of the place name element wenner, which is probably derived from the name of Lake Vänern, and Swedish ström "stream".
WentzGerman (Rare) Originally a pet form of the given names Werner and Wenceslaw. Meaning "guard" or "army".
WestermannLow German From Middle Low German wester meaning "westerly" and man meaning "man", making it a topographic surname for someone who lived west of a settlement or a regional surname for someone who had moved to the west... [more]
WhartonEnglish Derived from an Olde English pre 7th Century river name Woefer.
WhippleEnglish English surname of uncertain meaning. It might be a shortened form of “whippletree”; an early name for the dogwood. It may also be a variation of Whipp – an early surname for someone who carried out judicial punishments.
WhitfieldEnglish It is locational from any or all of the places called Whitfield in the counties of Derbyshire, Kent, Northamptonshire and Northumberland, or from the villages called Whitefield in Lancashire, the Isle of Wight and Gloucestershire.
WhitlockEnglish Nickname for someone with white or fair hair, from Middle English whit ‘white’ + lock ‘tress’, ‘curl’. Compare Sherlock. ... [more]
WieslanderSwedish Combination of an unexplained first element and the common surname suffix -lander.
WiesnerGerman German: habitational name for someone from a place called Wiesen, or topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, a derivative of Middle High German wise ‘meadow’.
WigmoreEnglish habitational name from Wigmore in Herefordshire so named from Old English wicga in the sense "something moving quaking unstable ground" and mor "marsh".
WijdekopDutch From a nickname for a person with a very wide head, derived from Dutch wijd meaning "wide, broad" and kop meaning "head".
WikénSwedish (Rare) Combination of Swedish vik "bay" and the common surname suffix -én.
WindSwedish (Rare) From Swedish vind "wind". It's either ornamental or a habitational name derived from a place named with this element.
WinkelGerman, Jewish Derived from Middle High German winkel "corner, angle", a topographic name for someone who lived on a corner of land in the country or a street corner in a town or city. This word also came to denote a corner shop (see Winkelmann)... [more]
WinkelDutch, Belgian Habitational name from any of numerous minor places named using the element winkel "corner".
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]
WittGerman Either from the given name Wittigo or from Middle Low German witte "white", a nickname for a pale person or someone with white hair.
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’).
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]
WoodhouseEnglish, Irish habitational name from any of various places (in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, and elsewhere) called Woodhouse, or a topographic name for someone who lived at a "house in the wood" (Middle English wode hous, Old English wuduhus).
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.
WorthEnglish Habitational name from any of several locations derived from Old English worþ "enclosure, enclosed homestead, settlement".
WylieMedieval English It is of locational origin, and derives from the places called Willey in the counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Devonshire and Surrey.
XiaChinese From Chinese 夏 (xià) referring to the Xia dynasty, the first dynasty in Chinese history that is believed to have existed from 2070 to 1600 BC. According to legend, this name was adopted by the descendants of Yu the Great (who was also known as Xia Yu), a legendary king who supposedly founded the Xia dynasty.
XingChinese From the name of an area called Xing, which existed during in the Zhou dynasty (1122–221 bc). Descendants of the ruling family of this area adopted Xing as their surname. Another account of the origin derives it from an area named Pingxing.
YoshimuraJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "lucky, good" or 佳 (yoshi) meaning "beautiful, good, excellent" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".
YuKorean Korean form of Liu, from Sino-Korean 劉 (yu).
YusaJapanese From Japanese 遊 (yu) meaning "play" and 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid".
ZacharJewish, Hungarian, Russian, Slovak, Belarusian Derived from the Hebrew word זָכַר (zakhar) meaning "to remember". As a surname it can also derive from the given name Zakhar (Zechariah) that shares this etymology.
ZellerGerman, Dutch, Jewish Originally denoted someone from Celle, Germany or someone living near a hermit's cell from German zelle "cell". It is also occupational for someone employed at a zelle, for example a small workshop.
ZetterbergSwedish Combination of Swedish säter "outlying meadow" and berg "mountain, hill".
ZetterlundSwedish Combination of Swedish säter "outlying meadow" and lund "grove".
ZhuangChinese From Chinese 莊 (zhuāng), the posthumous name of king Xiong Lü of the state of Chu (which existed during the Zhou dynasty).
ZinnGerman From the German for word for tin "tin." The name indicated someone who worked with the metal. A famous bearer is Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botanist. Carl Linnaeus named the flower Zinnia in his honor.