ZervasGreek Meaning unknown. The surname is borne by American rapper, singer and composer Arizona Zervas.
ZervosGreek Nickname for a left-handed person from Greek ζερβός (zervos) meaning "left, left-handed".
ZetterbergSwedish Combination of Swedish säter "outlying meadow" and berg "mountain, hill".
ZettergrenSwedish Combination of Swedish säter "outlying meadow" and gren "branch".
ZetterlundSwedish Combination of Swedish säter "outlying meadow" and lund "grove".
ZhaChinese From Chinese 查 (zhā) referring to the ancient fief of Zha, which was part of the state of Qi during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province. Alternately it may come from the name of a fief that was part of the state of Chu during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Anhui province.
ZhaiChinese From Chinese 翟 (zhái) referring to the ancient state of Zhai, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shanxi province. The character 翟 was originally read as Di but was later changed to Zhai due to dialectal differences.
ZhamkochyanArmenian Means "son of the bell ringer" from Armenian ժամկոչ (zhamkoch) meaning "beadle, sexton, bell ringer".
ZiębaPolish From ‘finch’; a nickname for someone thought to resemble the bird or maybe because a person lived in an area with many finches. Perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a birdcatcher or dealer.
ZiegenhagenGerman Derived from Middle High German zige "goat" and hag "enclosure, hedge, pasture". Could be an occupational name for someone who kept goats, or be derived from any of several places with the name.
ZimbalistJewish Occupational name for a cymbalist or a dulcimer player, particularly the cimbalom, derived from Yiddish tsimbl meaning "dulcimer, cimbalom, cymbal". The American actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (1918-2014) was a famous bearer of this surname.
ZinderGerman A mostly Ashkenazi Jewish surname, while specific documentation linking "Zinder" to the German word "Zünder" (meaning "tinder" or "firestarter") is limited, the surname "Zinder" is believed to have German origins, possibly derived from the word "Zindel," which refers to a "bundle of wood shavings." This term is associated with materials used to start fires, suggesting a potential connection to the "firestarter" occupation... [more]
ZingerGerman The surname Zinger was first found in Saxony, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. ... In Old German the name meant "lively" and "spritely," or more literally, "a biting, sharp taste."
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.
ZolaItalian Italian: habitational name from any of various minor places named with Zol(l)a, from a dialect term for a mound or bank of earth, as for example Zola Predosa (Bologna) or Zolla in Monrupino (Trieste)... [more]
ZopfGerman Nickname for someone who wore his hair in a pigtail or plait, Middle High German zopf, zoph, or from a field name from same word in the sense ‘tail’, ‘end’, ‘narrow point’.
ZoppiItalian Nickname from zoppo "lame, unsteady".
ZouChinese An ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty.
ZouChinese From Chinese 邹 (zōu) referring to the ancient state of Zou, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
ZoubekCzech According to my translator, it means "tooth", so my guess is that it's an occupational surname for someone who's a dentist; the word for dentist is 'zubař.'
ZuberGerman, German (Swiss) German: Metonymic occupational name for a cooper or tubmaker, from Middle High German zuber ‘(two-handled) tub’, or a habitational name from a house distinguished by the sign of a tub. ... [more]
ZubillagaBasque It indicates familial origin within the eponymous council of the municipality of Lantaron.
ZubkovRussian From Russian зубок (zubok), meaning "little tooth". A notable bearer is Viktor Zubkov, the Russian prime minister 2007-2008.
ZuckerJewish Occupational name for a confectioner or a nickname for someone with a sweet tooth, from German zucker or Yiddish צוקער (tsuker) both meaning "sugar". It is also used as an ornamental name.
ZuckerbergJewish Means "sugar mountain" from German zucker meaning "sugar" and Old High German berg meaning "mountain".
ZuckermanGerman, Yiddish As a German surname, it is an occupational name for a merchant who sold sugar or nickname for a sweet tooth.... [more]
ZufallMedieval German A German name from the Middle High German "zuoval," meaning "benefit," "coincidence" or "windfall." It was a nickname for a lucky person, most likely a person to whom a plot of land had been given. It could also be an occupational name for a tax collector.
ZugGerman (Swiss) Denotes somebody from either the Canton of Zug or town of Zug.
ZuidemaDutch, West Frisian Either derived from a toponym containing the element zuid "south, southern" (from Middle Dutch suid), or a patronymic form of a name beginning with the element swith "strong".
ZukinJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 頭巾 (zukin) meaning "headscarf, hood, handkerchief".
ZuletaSpanish, Basque Variant of Zulueta, which comes from the Basque topographic name 'zulo' meaning ‘hole hollow’ + the collective suffix '-eta' meaning "place or group of."
ZuloagaBasque From the name of a settlement in Biscay, Spain, meaning "place of holes" in Basque, derived from zulo "hole, pit, burrow, opening" and -aga "place of, abundance of".
ZumpanoItalian Comes from the town Zumpano in the province Cosenza in Calabria, Italy. The meaning is unknown but it possibly comes from a Greek-Calabrese surname.
ZumwaltGerman German spelling Zum-Wald (to the forest) older german
ŽunaCroatian Derived from žuna meaning ''woodpecker''.
ZwaanDutch Means "swan" in Dutch. Could be a nickname for a person who resembled a swan in some way, an occupational name for a swan keeper, or a patronymic derived from a given name containing the element swan... [more]
ZwackPolish Comes from the Polish name "Czwak." Possible German roots as well.
ZwagermanDutch Possibly a compound of Dutch zwager "brother-in-law" and man "man, person".
ZwartDutch Means "black, dark, swarthy" in Dutch, a nickname for someone with dark hair or skin.
ŻywickiPolish A habitational name that was given to someone from a place named ̣Zywy, or possibly from a nickname from the Polish word ̣'zywy', which means ‘live wire’.