Submitted Surnames on the List of Notable Scientists and Inventors

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the name appears on the list of Notable Scientists and Inventors.
usage
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Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Akasaki Japanese
From Japanese 赤 (aka) meaning "red" and 崎 or 﨑 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".
Alfvén Swedish (Rare)
Perhaps derived from Swedish älv "river".
Amano Japanese (Rare)
Variant of Ama, added Japanese 野 (no) meaning "field; plain".
Anderson Scottish, Irish
Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Ghille Andrais meaning 'Son of the devotee of St. Andrew'. ... [more]
Arrhenius Swedish (Rare)
The name of two separate family linages with no relation between each other. One family originates from Linköping, Östergötland and probably got its name from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́ρρην (árrhēn) "male" (taken from the last syllable of ancestor's last name, Kapfelman)... [more]
Asperger German
Denoting a person who lived in Asperg, a town in Southwest Germany, derived from a cadet named Asperg who lived in the ruling house... [more]
Attenborough English
Habitational name for a person from the village of Attenborough in Nottinghamshire, England, derived from the Old English given name Adda and burh meaning "fortified place". A famous bearer of this name was the English actor and filmmaker Richard Attenborough (1923-2014)... [more]
Avogadro Italian
An occupational name for a lawyer or public official with administrative duties. Ultimately from Latin advocator, "advocate".
Barbeau French
Derived from barbeau meaning "barbel", a type of fish, hence a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or a nickname for a man with a sparse beard, the fish being distinguished by beardlike growths on either side of its mouth... [more]
Bastían Spanish
From the given name Bastían.
Bastian German
From the given name Bastian.
Becquerel French
A notable bearer was French scientist Henri Becquerel (1852-1908) who discovered radioactivity. A becquerel (Bq), the SI unit for radioactivity, is named after him.
Benedict English
Of Latin origin. Due to an early association as a saint's name and a papal name, often said to mean "blessed." Originally the Latin elements are 'bene-' meaning "good" or as an adverb "well" plus '-dict,' meaning "spoken." Thus, the literal meaning is "well spoken." ... [more]
Benz German
South German: (in Alemannic areas) from a short form of the Germanic personal name Berthold, or to a lesser extent of Bernhard
Bernoulli French
French patronymic surname that was derived from the first name Bernoul (which was probably derived from Bernold or Bernolf).
Berzelius Swedish
Derived from the name of an estate named Bergsätter located near Motala, Östergötland, Sweden. Bergsätter is composed of Swedish berg "mountain" and säter "outlying meadow"... [more]
Bessel German
Of uncertain origin; possibly from the name of a place or river.
Blaauw Dutch, South African
Archaic spelling of Dutch blauw "blue", a nickname referring to the bearer’s eye colour, clothes, or possibly a pale and sickly complexion. It could also be an occupational name for someone who made blue dye, or bluing for laundry.
Bloch Jewish, German, French
Regional name for someone in Central Europe originating from Italy or France, from Polish "Włoch" meaning "Italian" (originally "stranger / of foreign stock"), ultimately derived – like many names and words in various European languages – from the Germanic Walhaz.
Bohr Danish (Rare)
Variant of Bähr or Baar. A notable bearer was Danish physicist Niels Bohr (1885-1962).
Borlaug Norwegian
From a farm Borlaug in Sogn.... [more]
Born Maltese
Not to be confused with the German surname Born.
Born German, English
A topographical name indicating someone who lived near a stream, from the Old English "burna, burne". Alternatively, it could be contemporarily derived from the modern English word "born". Possible variants include Bourne, Burns 1 and Boren.
Bosch American
The surname Bosch originates from the Old Norse word "buski," meaning "bush," or "woods” thus it is classed at a toponymic surname and was most likely used by a man who lived near a prominent bush... [more]
Bose Indian, Bengali
Variant of Basu.
Boys English
From the Old French word bois, which means "wood," indicates that the original bearer lived near a wooded area, such as a forest.
Bragg English, Welsh
From a nickname for a cheerful or lively person, derived from Middle English bragge meaning "lively, cheerful, active", also "brave, proud, arrogant".
Brahe Danish (Rare), Swedish (Rare)
Danish and Swedish noble family with roots in Scania and Halland, southern Sweden (both provinces belonged to Denmark when the family was founded). A notable bearer was Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601).
Braille French
Braille is a writing system used by people with vision impairment. It was named after its inventor Louis Braille (1809-1852).
Brenner German, German (Austrian), Jewish
Derived from Middle High German brennen "to burn". Both as a German and a Jewish name, this was an occupational name for a distiller of spirits. As a German surname, however, it also occasionally referred to a charcoal or lime burner or to someone who cleared forests by burning.
Browning English
English: from the Middle English and Old English personal name Bruning, originally a patronymic from the byname Brun (see Brown).
Bruno Portuguese
From a Germanic personal name, Brun.
Buck English
From the given name Buck.
Buis Dutch
Means "buss, fishing vessel" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman. Alternatively, a variant of the patronymic surname Buijs.
Burnell English
Derived from an Anglo-Norman personal name composed of a diminutive form of brun "brown", likely originating as a nickname for someone with a brown complexion or brown hair... [more]
Buys Afrikaans (Modern)
South Africa, Pretoria
Cacciatore Italian
Derived from Italian cacciatore meaning "hunter, huntsman", ultimately derived from cacciare meaning "to hunt".
Cái Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Gai, from Sino-Vietnamese 蓋 (cái).
Cai Hui
From the Arabic name Osman.
Carrel French
French: from Old French quar(r)el ‘bolt (for a crossbow)’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of crossbow bolts or a nickname for a short, stout man. The word also meant ‘paving slab’, and so it could also have been a metonymic occupational name for a street layer... [more]
Carrier English
An occupational name meaning someone who transports goods.
Carrier French
From carrier, "quarrier, someone who works in a quarry". cf Carrara.
Celsius Swedish (Archaic), History
Latinized form of Högen "the mound" (Latin: celsus), the name of a vicarage in Ovanåker parish, Sweden. Celsius is a unit of measurement for temperature named for Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744).
Cherenkov m Russian
Derived from Russian черенок (čerenók) "handle, hilt", denoting a tall, thin person or a maker of such handles. Pavel Alekseyevich Cherenkov (1904-1990) was a Soviet physicist who shared the Nobel Prize in physics in 1958 with Ilya Frank and Igor Tamm for the discovery of Cherenkov radiation, made in 1934.
Chu Japanese
Variant transcription of Japanese Kanji 中 or 仲 (see Chū).
Chu Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Zhou, from Sino-Vietnamese 周 (chu).
Chu Chinese
From Chinese 褚 (chǔ) referring to the ancient fief of Chu, which existed in the state of Song in what is now Henan province.
Chu Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Zhu, from Sino-Vietnamese 朱 (chu).
Chū Japanese
Variant reading of Japanese Kanji 中 or 仲 (see Naka).
Cohen Irish
Either a version of Cowan or Coyne, not related with the jewish surname.
Compton English
Habitational name from any of the numerous places throughout England (but especially in the south) named Compton, from Old English cumb meaning "short, straight valley" + tūn meaning "enclosure", "settlement".
Copernicus History
Nicolaus Copernicus is a mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe... [more]
Corliss English
Derived from Old English carleas "free from anxiety; unconcerned", cognate to Old Norse kærulauss. This was a nickname given to a carefree person.
Dawkins English, Welsh
A derivitive of the Hebrew name David which translates to “beloved”. (see Daw)
Dawkins English, Popular Culture
English patronymic from a pet form of Daw. ... [more]
Debye Dutch
Variant of De Bie. A notable bearer of the surname was the Dutch-American physicist and physical chemist Peter Debye (1884-1966), born Petrus Debije.
Deere Irish
Reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Duibhidhir (see Dwyer).
Diesel German
From the pet form of Matthias or from any Germanic compound name beginning with diota meaning "people"
Down English
Derived from Old English dun meaning "down, low hill".
Eastman English
Derived from the Old English given name Eastmund, or a variant of East.
Ehrlich Yiddish
From the German meaning "honest" or "honorable"
Eigen German
Either a status name from Middle High German aigen "unfree; serf" denoting (in the Middle Ages) someone with service obligations to a secular or ecclesiastical authority (also in Switzerland); or from eigen "inherited property" denoting a free landowner (without feudal obligations)... [more]
Esaki Japanese
E means "river, inlet" and saki means "cape, peninsula".
Fahrenheit German
Derived from German fahren, meaning, "to ride", and Heit, which is the equivalent to the suffix "-ness". A famous bearer was Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686- 1736), a Polish physicist who invented the Fahrenheit temperature measuring system.
Faraday Irish
From Irish Gaelic Ó Fearadaigh "descendant of Fearadach", a personal name probably based on fear "man", perhaps meaning literally "man of the wood". A famous bearer was British chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867).
Feynman Russian, Yiddish
Russian and Yiddish form of Feinman. This name was borne by the American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988).
Fick German
Derived from the given name Friedrich.
Fitch Scottish
The name fitch is of anglo-saxon decent, it refers to a person of iron point inrefrence to a soldier or worrior it is derived from an english word (Fiche) which means iron point the name started in county suffolk
Foucault French
Derived from the Germanic given name Folcwald, which was composed of the elements folk "people" and walt "power, leader, ruler"... [more]
Franck English, French
From the given name Franck.
Friedman English (American), Jewish
Americanized form of Friedmann as well as a Jewish cognate of this name.
Gay English, French
Nickname for a lighthearted or cheerful person, from Middle English and Old French gai "happy, cheerful, joyous".
Gay English
Habitational name from a settlement in Normandy called Gaye, possibly derived from a Germanic person name cognate with Wade 2, or perhaps related to Old French gayere "wet ground" or goille "puddle, quagmire".
Gay Catalan
Probably from the Catalan personal name Gai, a variant of Gaius.
Glauber Jewish (Ashkenazi)
Derived from German glauben "to believe" and the suffix -er. It was originally given either to an elder of the tribe, one renowned for his counsel, or to a layman who kept 'the faith'.
Goodall English
Habitational name from Gowdall in East Yorkshire, named from Old English golde "marigold" and Old English halh "nook, recess".
Goodall English
From Middle English gode "good" and ale "ale, malt liquor", hence a metonymic occupational name for a brewer or an innkeeper.
Goodenough English
From a medieval nickname probably applied either to someone of average abilities or to an easily satisfied person; also, perhaps from a medieval nickname meaning "good servant".
Goodyear English
Probably a nickname from Middle English expression gode ‘good’ (Old English gōd) + year, yere ‘year’ commonly used as an intensifier in questions e.g. ‘What the good year?’... [more]
Haber Maltese
Not to be confused with the German surname of the same spelling.
Haldane English, Scottish
From an old personal name, Old Norse Halfdanr, Old Danish Halfdan, Anglo-Scandinavian Healfdene, meaning ‘half-Dane’.
Häll Estonian
Häll is an Estonian surname meaning "cradle" and "birthplace".
Hall Estonian
Hall is an Estonian surname meaning both "grey" and "frost".
Halley English
Location name combining the elements hall as in "large house" and lee meaning "field or clearing."
Heimlich German
Nickname for a secretive person from Middle High German heimelich German heimlich "confidential secret".
Heisenberg German
Made up of German words heis and berg, ultimately meaning “hot mountain.” This was the name of theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg and the alias of Walter White in Breaking Bad.
Hess German
Habitational name from Hesse, a German state. It can also derive from the personal name Hesso, a short form of Matthäus, Hendrick, or a name containing the element hadu "battle, strife".
Heß German, Jewish
Variant spelling of Hess.
Hodgkin English
From Hodge, a diminutive of the given name Roger.
Hofstadter Jewish
Derived from the German towns of Hofstetten, Franconia and Hofstaedt, Pomerania. In German, the suffix -er means "from".... [more]
Horner English
1 English, Scottish, German, and Dutch: from Horn 1 with the agent suffix -er; an occupational name for someone who made or sold small articles made of horn, a metonymic occupational name for someone who played a musical instrument made from the horn of an animal, or a topographic name for someone who lived at a ‘horn’ of land.... [more]
Hubble English
From the Norman personal name Hubald, composed of the Germanic elements hug "heart, mind, spirit" and bald "bold, brave".
Hulse German
derived from Holtz, means "a wood"
Huntington English
English: habitational name from any of several places so called, named with the genitive plural huntena of Old English hunta ‘hunter’ + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’ or dun ‘hill’ (the forms in -ton and -don having become inextricably confused)... [more]
Huygens Dutch, Belgian
Means "son of Hugo". A notable bearer was Dutch mathematician, physicist and astronomer Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695).
Jenner English
Occupational name for an engineer.
Jenner German
Derived from the name Januarius.
Joule English
Variant of Joel.
Jump English
Perhaps from the English word jump. A notable namesake was American scientist Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941).
Kajita Japanese
From Japanese 梶 (kaji) meaning "mulberry" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Kaku Japanese
From Japanese 角 (kaku) meaning "corner".
Kalashnikov m Russian
Means "son of the kalach-maker", derived from Russian калашник (kalashnik), a variant of калачник (kalachnik) "maker of kalaches" - kalach being a type of bread - combined with ‎the patronymic suffix -ов (-ov)... [more]
Käo Estonian
Käo is an Estonian surname meaning "cuckoo".
Keeling Irish, English
Irish: see Keeley. ... [more]
Kelvin Scottish, English
See the given name Kelvin.
Kepler German
From Middle High German kappe meaning "hooded cloak". This was an occupational name for someone who made these kind of garments. A notable bearer was German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler (1571–1630).
Kirchhoff German
An old Norse origin surname. Combination of Norse word Kirkr and Hoff means 'garden'.
Klinefelter German
Americanized form of Kleinfelder.
Koch Jewish
Koch - which also has the meaning of Cook in German's origin was however not from that meaning. It origins are to be traced in the Jewish ancestory. The original meaning came from the word Star. Amongst the related surnames (with or without bar in front or a ba or similar appended) are: Koch, Kochba, Kok, Kock, Kuk, Coq, Coqui, Cook (as a translation from the perceived meaning of cook) and a host of others... [more]
Köcher German
It literally means "quiver".
Köhn German
From the given name Köhn.
Kohn Jewish
Variant of Cohen.
Korolev Russian
From korol, meaning "king".
Korsakov m Russian
From Russian корсак (korsak), meaning "corsac (fox)". Probably to a sly person. A variant of Korsak.
Koshiba Japanese
From 小 (ko) meaning "small, little" and 柴 (shiba) meaning "firewood".
Laveran French
The surname Laveran probably became popular as a first name thanks to the French Nobel Prize in Medicine Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran. Laveran discovered that protozoan parasites were the causative agent of malaria.
Leibniz German
The German surname Leibnitz emerged in the lands that form the modern state of Lower Saxony, which is presently bordered by the North Sea, the Hartz mountains and the Elbe and Ems rivers. Lower Saxony was previously a medieval dukedom... [more]
Lemaître French
Means "the master" in French, either used as a nickname for someone who behaved in a masterful manner or an occupational name for someone who was a master of their craft.
Libby English
From the given name Libby.
Linnaeus Swedish (Rare)
Latinized form of Lind. A famous bearer was Swedish botanist Carl Linneaus (b. 1707 - d. 1778). His father adopted the name Linnaeus after a big lime tree (lind in Swedish) that grew on the family homestead in Vittaryd parish, Småland.
Lyell English
English
Mann Sanskrit (Anglicized)
Originally Sanskrit, now in Punjabi and Hindi - used by Jats predominantly in Punjab area of NW India. Well represented in Sikhs. Also spelled as {!Maan} when anglicized. Belonged to landholding nobility of warrior caste (knights) that at one time held a strong and established kingdom.... [more]
Mather English
Means Mower or Reaper.
Maury French, Occitan, English
As a French name, it derives from a short form of the given name Amaury (see Emery)... [more]
Mayor English, Spanish, Catalan
English variant of Mayer 3 and Catalan variant of Major. Either a nickname for an older man or a distinguishing epithet for the elder of two bearers of the same personal name, from mayor "older", from Latin maior (natus), literally "greater (by birth)"... [more]
Mcclintock Scottish, Irish, Scottish Gaelic
Deriving from an Anglicization of a Gaelic name variously recorded as M'Ilandick, M'Illandag, M'Illandick, M'Lentick, McGellentak, Macilluntud, McClintoun, Mac Illiuntaig from the 14th century onward... [more]
Mead English, English (New Zealand)
topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, from Middle English mede ‘meadow’ (Old English m?d). metonymic occupational name for a brewer or seller of mead (Old English meodu), an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey
Mendeleev Russian
Meaning uncertain. A famous bearer was Dimitri Mendeleev (1834-1907), a Russian chemist who developed an early model of the periodic table.
Messier French
Occupational name for someone who kept watch over harvested crops, Old French messier 'harvest master' (Late Latin messicarius, agent derivative of messis 'harvest').
Michelson French
This surname means son of Michelle.
Mott English
The surname Mott was first found in Essex, where the family held a family seat from very early times, having been granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Moate (Irish: An Móta) is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland... [more]
Naismith English
Means either "nail-maker" (from Old English nægelsmith) or "knife-maker" (from Old English cnīfsmith).
Neel English
A variant of Neal
Nobel Swedish
Habitational name from Östra Nöbbelöv in Scania, Southern Sweden. The name was originally spelled Nobelius but was later shortened to Nobel. A famous bearer was Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), a Swedish engineer, chemist, and inventor.
Novoselov m Russian
From Russian новый (novyy), meaning "new", and село (selo), meaning "village".
Ohm German
Variant of Ohme
Oort Dutch
From Middle Dutch oort "edge, corner".
Ørsted Danish
A notable bearer was Hans Christian Ørsted (1777-1851), a Danish physicist and chemist.
Ostwald German
from the ancient Germanic personal name Ostold composed of the elements ōst "east" (see Oest ) and Old High German walt(an) "to rule". Variant of Oswald.
Osumi Japanese
From 大 (o) meaning "big, great" and 隅 (sumi) meaning "corner, nook".
Pannekoek Dutch
Means "pancake" in Dutch, possibly a nickname for someone who made or liked to eat pancake. Alternatively, it could derive from a place name, such as an inn or field named for pancakes.
Papin French
Either from Old French papin "pap (for kids)" a noun derivative of paper "to munch or eat" (from Late Latin pappare in origin a nursery word) as a nickname probably referring to a glutton... [more]
Pasteur French
French for "shepherd" or "preacher, pastor". Famous bearer Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), French chemist who created the first rabies vaccine, gave his name to the process of 'pasteurization'.
Peebles Scottish, Spanish (?)
Habitational name from places so named in Scotland. The place names are cognate with Welsh pebyll "tent, pavilion".
Penrose Cornish, Welsh
Originally meant "person from Penrose", Cornwall, Herefordshire and Wales ("highest part of the heath or moorland"). It is borne by the British mathematician Sir Roger Penrose (1931-).... [more]
Perlmutter Jewish
Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name from German Perlmutter ‘mother-of-pearl'.
Politzer Hungarian, German, Jewish
Habitational name derived from any one of several places called Police (known as Pölitz in German) in the Czech Republic. Hugh David Politzer (1949-) is an American theoretical physicist who, along with David Gross and Frank Wilczek, discovered asymptotic freedom.
Rainwater English (American)
Americanized form of the German family name Reinwasser, possibly a topographic name for someone who lived by a source of fresh water, from Middle High German reine ‘pure’ + wazzer ‘water’.
Ramakrishnan Indian, Tamil
From the given name Ramakrishna. A notable bearer is Tamil-American structural biologist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (1952-).
Ramón Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
From the given name Ramón.
Reichstein German
Habitational name from places named Reichstein (in Saxony) or Reichenstein (in Rhineland, Schleswig-Holstein, and Württemberg).
Riess Germanic
A name after the word 'reis' meaning twig or stick.
Röntgen German
Meaning uncertain. This was the name of German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) who discovered and studied x-rays. Röntgen called the radiation "X" because it was an unknown type of radiation.
Rubin Jewish
From the given name Reuben.
Rubin French, German, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak
Metonymic occupational name for a jeweler, from Middle High German rubn Old French rubi Slovenian and Croatian rubin Czech and Slovak rubín "ruby"... [more]
Runge German
From the old word "runga", meaning stick or whip
Ryle English
Habitational name from Royle in Lancashire (see Royle).
Sabatier French
Meaning "cobbler, shoemaker".
Salam Arabic, Urdu, Bengali
From the given name Salam.
Salk English (American)
Likely the English form of Schalk, which means "dweller near a willow tree".
Sax English, Norwegian
From the Old Norse personal name Saxi meaning "knife, sword".
Sax Jewish
Jewish (Ashkenazic) variant spelling of Sachs.
Sax English
From Middle English sax meaning "knife", an occupational name for a knife maker, or perhaps a nickname for someone skilled with a knife.
Sax Upper German, Dutch, Flemish
South German variant of Sachs and Dutch variant of Sas.
Scheele German, Dutch, Swedish (Rare)
From Middle Low German schele and Dutch scheel meaning "squinting, cross-eyed". A notable bearer was German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786) who discovered oxygen and identified several other elements.
Schrödinger German
Denoted a person from Schröding, a old placename in Bavaria.
Seaborg English, Swedish (Americanized)
English cognate of Sjöberg, as well as the Americanized form. Glenn T. Seaborg (1912-1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements.
Semyonov m Russian
Means "son of Semyon".
Shockley English
(i) perhaps "person from Shocklach", Cheshire ("boggy stream infested with evil spirits"); (ii) perhaps an anglicization of Swiss German Schoechli, literally "person who lives by the little barn"
Siemens German
Derived from the given name Siem.
Singer German
variant of Sänger, in the sense of ‘poet’
Smoot Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized form of Smout.
Snellius Dutch (Latinized)
Latinized form of Snel. A notable bearer was the Dutch astronomer and mathematician Willebrord Snellius (1580-1626; real name Willebrord Snel van Royen), commonly called Snell, for whom the formula Snell's law is named.
Snow English, Jewish (Anglicized)
Nickname denoting someone with very white hair or an exceptionally pale complexion, from Old English snaw "snow".... [more]
Strömgren Swedish
Combination of Swedish ström "stream" and gren "branch".
Sussman German, Jewish
In German, this is an elaborated form of Süß, meaning "sweet man".... [more]
Svedberg Swedish
Combination of Swedish svedja "to burn off, to swidden" (referring to slash-and-burn agriculture (in Swedish: svedjebruk)) and berg "mountain". This name can be both locational (surname derived from a place named with Sved-... [more]
Tharp American
it is a last name
Ting Chinese (Min Dong)
Min Dong romanization of Chen.
Ting Chinese
Alternate transcription of Chinese 丁 (see Ding).
Tombaugh German
topographic name from to dem bach ‘at the creek’, perhaps a hybrid form as Bach is standard German, bek(e) being the Low German form. habitational name from places in Hesse, Baden, and Bavaria called Dombach (earlier Tunbach, from tun, tan ‘mud’).
Tomonaga Japanese
From Japanese 朝 (tomo) meaning "morning, epoch, period" and 長 (naga) meaning "long" or 永 (naga) meaning "eternity".
Tomonaga Japanese
From Japanese 友 (tomo) meaning "friend" and 永 (naga) meaning "eternity".
Torvalds Finland Swedish
From the given name Torvald. A notable bearer is Finnish software engineer Linus Torvalds (b. 1969), inventor of the Linux kernel.
Trevithick Cornish
Means "person from Trevithick", the name of various places in Cornwall ("farmstead" with a range of personal names). It was borne by British engineer Richard Trevithick (1771-1833), developer of the steam engine.
Tsai Taiwanese
Alternate romanization of Cai chiefly used in Taiwan.
Tu Chinese
From the ancient city of Zoutu.
Tu Chinese
From Chinese 屠 (tú) referring either to Zou Tu, an ancient country that may have existed in what is now Shandong province, or the ancient fief of Tu, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province.
Tu Chinese
From Chinese 涂 (tú), the old name for the Chu River that runs through the present-day provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu.
Tylor English
Variant of Tyler.
Vaillant French
From a medieval nickname for a brave person (from Old French vaillant "brave, sturdy").
Van Wezel Dutch
Means "from Wezel", the name of several locations in the Netherlands.
Veltman Dutch
Variant of Veldman.
Wallach Scottish
Variant of Wallace, meaning 'foreigner' that is found chiefly in Dumfries.
Weinberg German, Jewish
Weinberg means "Vineyard" in german.
Wesson English
Variant of Weston.
Whiting English
Derived from a patronymic surname, created from the Old English personal name Hwit, meaning "the white one."
Wien German, Jewish
Habitational name from the city of Vienna (German Wien Yiddish Vin)... [more]
Wilczek Polish
Diminutive form of Wilk, which means "wolf" in Polish.
Witten Low German
North German patronymic from Witte.
Wozniak Polish (Expatriate)
Unaccented form of Woźniak primarily used outside of Poland.
Yang Korean
Korean form of Liang, from Sino-Korean 梁 (yang).
Yukawa Japanese
From Japanese 湯 (yu) meaning "hot spring" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
Zeeman Dutch
Dutch cognate of Seaman. It was notably borne by the Dutch physicist Pieter Zeeman (1865-1943).
Zsigmondy Hungarian
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]
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