VillardGerman Altered form of German Hilgard, from the female personal name Hildegard, composed of the Germanic elements hild "strife, battle" and gard "fortress, stronghold".
VimbaiShona Vimbai means "Have hope, trust". It is a call to have hope or to trust in
VinkDutch Means "finch, chaffinch" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for someone who caught finches and other small birds. It could also be a nickname for someone cheerful, or who was known for whistling.
ViscardiItalian patronymic or plural form of Viscardo a variant of the personal name Guiscardo itself from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements wisa "wise" and hard "hardy strong"... [more]
VistaItalian Probably from a short form of a medieval personal name such as Bellavista, an omen or well-wishing name literally meaning ‘fine view’.
VittoneItalian Probably an augmentative form of the given name Vitto, which can be a variant of Vito 1 (from Latin vita "life"), derive from the Germanic name Wido, or be a shortened form of names ending with -vitto, such as Salvitto or Iacovitto.
VollbrechtGerman From a German personal name composed of the elements folk ‘people’ + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’. In the U.S. this name is often Americanized as Fulbright and Fullbright.
VollmarGerman, Germanic, Low German This name is a variant form of Volkmar and the Low German form of Waldemar. It is of Germanic and Slavic origin and comes from the following roots: (VOLKMAR) and (VOLODIMĚRŬ).
WackermanEnglish (American), German From the Americanized spelling of German Wackermann, a variant of Wacker, with the addition of Middle High German man, meaning ‘man’.
WaddellEnglish Possibly derived from Woodhill in Wiltshire, England, derived from Old English wad "woad" and hyll "hill". Alternatively, could be from the Middle English given name Wadel.
WadzanaiShona Wadzanai means "Have fellowship, visit each other, be on good terms". The name may be given as a call to family to come together in fellowship, visiting and being on good terms
WäiteLuxembourgish (Germanized, Rare) The name originates from Luxembourg and the surrounding Germanic regions most notably the Rhenish Palatinate from around the 1800s. The word wäite is Luxembourgish for wide and also broad, the word wäit which is an alternative spelling of the Surname Wäite is Luxembourgish for far or distant.... [more]
WajoliAfrican Swahili Word mjoli. Swahili Plural wajoli. English Word fellow servant.
WakeEnglish, Scottish From the Old Norse byname Vakr meaning "wakeful", "vigilant" (from vaka meaning "to remain awake"), or perhaps from a cognate Old English Waca (attested in place names such as Wakeford, Wakeham, and Wakeley).
WakelinEnglish From the Anglo-Norman male personal name Walquelin, literally "little Walho", a Germanic nickname meaning literally "foreigner".
WallingAnglo-Norman From the Anglo-Norman personal name Walweyn, the Old German forename Waldwin, or the Old English personal name Wealdwine, which means "power-friend".
WaltripGerman Derived from the name of the father of the original bearer, indicating the "son of Waldrap." The Germanic personal name Waldrap, is a short form of Walraven, a name used mostly among nobles, knights, and patricians.
WalwynEnglish Either (i) from the Old English personal name Wealdwine, literally "power-friend"; or (ii) perhaps from the medieval personal name Walwain, the Anglo-Norman form of Old French Gauvain (cf... [more]
WarnsGerman, Dutch Patronymic form of the Germanic given name Warn (see Warin). Alternatively, a habitational name from various Frisian places likely named using the same or similar elements.
WarriorEnglish From the given name “warrior” from Old Frenchwerreieor, werrieur ‘warrior’.
WeinGerman, Yiddish, Hungarian Means "grape, vine, wine" in German and Yiddish (װײַנ). According to Nelly Weiss, Wein-style family names originated from signboards (house sign, house shield) in Jewish communities. Wein may also be related the German verb weinen meaning "to cry"... [more]
WeltyGerman (Swiss) From a Swiss German diminutive of the German given name Walther. A literary bearer was the American writer Eudora Welty (1909-2001).
WencesSlavic Based on Wenceslaus or Wenceslas, latinized forms of name of Slavic rulers in various forms such as Václav, Wacław, Więcesław, Vyacheslav, Vjenceslav, etc. Derived from the Slavic words veli/vyache/więce/više ("great(er), large(r)"), and slava ("glory, fame")... [more]
WickEnglish, German English: topographic name for someone who lived in an outlying settlement dependent on a larger village, Old English wic (Latin vicus), or a habitational name from a place named with this word, of which there are examples in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Worcestershire... [more]
WidgerEnglish From the Old English male personal name Wihtgār, literally "elf-spear".
WiemannLow German Variant of Weinmann, from Middle Low German, Middle High German winman ‘viticulturalist’, ‘wine merchant’. Variant of Wiedemann... [more]
WiensGerman Patronymic from a short form of an ancient Germanic compound personal name beginning with wini "friend".
WiersmaWest Frisian Can be a patronymic form of the given name Wier, a contracted form of Wieger (see also Wiro), or a toponymic surname from West Frisian wier "artificial hill, dwelling mound", a cognate of English weir and Dutch wierde.
WigginEnglish Either (i) from the Germanic male personal name Wīgant, literally "warrior", introduced into England by the Normans; or (ii) from the Breton male personal name Wiucon, literally "worthy-noble", introduced into England by the Normans.
WillScottish, English, German Scottish and northern English from the medieval personal name Will, a short form of William, or from some other medieval personal names with this first element, for example Wilbert or Willard... [more]
WilleGerman From a short form of any of the Germanic personal names beginning Willi-, as for example, Willibrant, Willihart.
WillertGerman German cognate and variant of Willard. From a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements willo "will, desire" and hard "hardy, brave, strong".
WilletsEnglish Occasionally a Habitational name from Willet in Elworthy. Probably a compound of Old English wiell will 'spring' + an unrecorded gīete 'stream'.(Ancestory.com) Or is a varation of the given name William.
WillingEnglish Patronymic from the Old English personal name Willa.
WillockEnglish From the medieval male personal name Willoc, a pet-form based on the first syllable of any of a range of Old English compound names beginning with willa "will, desire".
WindhamEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) English habitational name from Wyndham in West Sussex, near West Grinstead, probably named from an unattested Old English personal name Winda + Old English hamm ‘water meadow’; or from Wymondham in Leicestershire and Norfolk, named from the Old English personal name Wigmund (see Wyman) + Old English ham ‘homestead’... [more]
WinfreyEnglish From the Old English personal name Winfrith, literally "friend-peace". A famous bearer of this surname is Oprah Winfrey (1954-), a US television talk-show presenter.
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]
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.