WowereitGerman (East Prussian) East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) name meaning "squirrel", from Old Prussian wowere and Lithuanian voveraite (which, apart from "squirrel", also means "chanterelle").... [more]
WrenEnglish Nickname from the bird, Middle English wrenne, probably in reference to its small size.
WriedtGerman, Danish From Old Germanic *wraiþ meaning "twisted, bent, uneven" or "angry, furious; hostile, violent". Could be a habitational name from an area with rough terrain or overgrown roots, or a nickname for someone with a bad temper.
WunderlichGerman A nickname for an eccentric or moody person, derived from the word wunderlich meaning "whimsical" in German.
WürdemannGerman From the German "Würde"-honour or dignity, and "Mann"-man or person. "Man of Honour" or "Person of Dignity".
WyldeEnglish (British) It is a nickname for a person who was of wild or undisciplined character. Looking back even further, the name was originally derived from the Old English word "wilde," meaning "untamed" or "uncivilized."... [more]
WynnEnglish From Old English wine "friend", which could be used as a byname or personal name (see Wine).
XenosAncient Greek From Greek xenos ‘stranger’, ‘newcomer’ (equivalent to English Newman), or short for a composite name such as Xenocostas ‘Costas the newcomer’.
XomperoItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly from Cimbrian somerousch "pack horse", indicating the bearer's strength or occupation. Alternately, may mean "son of Piero".
XuerebMaltese Possibly means "noble", of Semitic origin transmitted to Central Europe. Alternatively, it may be derived from Arabic شَارِب (šārib) meaning "drinker, drinking" or "moustache", used as a nickname for an alcoholic or someone with distinctive facial hair.
YaoChinese From Chinese 姚 (yáo) meaning "handsome, elegant".
YappEnglish (British) Derives from Old English ġēap meaning "crooked, bent" and could either refer to a cunning person or someone with crooked features (e.g. curved nose). Famous bearers of this name include English botanist Richard Henry Yapp and Sir Stanley Graham Yapp, Labour politician and first leader of West Midlands County Council.
YoshinariJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 成 (nari) meaning "become".
YouChinese From Chinese 尤 (yóu) meaning "especially, particularly".
YoungerEnglish, American English (mainly Borders) from Middle English yonger ‘younger’, hence a distinguishing name for, for example, the younger of two bearers of the same personal name. In one case, at least, however, the name is known to have been borne by an immigrant Fleming, and was probably an Americanized form of Middle Dutch jongheer ‘young nobleman’ (see Jonker)... [more]
YounghusbandEnglish Combination of Middle English yong ”young” and husbonda ”farmer”.
YoungkinScottish (?), Irish (?) Possibly derived from Younkin; A Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands was the first to use the surname Younkin. It is a name for a person who was very young, from the Old English word yong and yung... [more]
YoungmanEnglish From Middle English yunge man "young servant", ultimately from Old English geong mann "young man".
YüksekTurkish Means "high, lofty, great, noble" in Turkish.
YuleMedieval English Nickname for someone who was born on Christmas Day or had some other connection with this time of year, from Middle English yule ‘Christmastide’ (Old English geol, reinforced by the cognate Old Norse term jól).
YusonFilipino From Hokkien 楊孫 (iûⁿ-sun), derived from 楊 (iûⁿ) meaning "willow, poplar, aspen" and 孫 (sun) meaning "grandchild". It could also be from 余孫 (û-sun), derived from 余 (û) meaning "surplus" and 孫 (sun) meaning "grandchild".
YusovRussian Derived from Russian юс (yus) meaning "(either little or big) yus".
ZabelGerman The surname has multiple meanings. It may come from a Slavic given name, or the High German word zabel, meaning "board game" - given, perhaps, as a nickname to those who played many board games.
ŽabkaCzech, Slovak From Polish zaba meaning "frog", of Slavic origin.
ZabkaGerman From Polish zaba meaning "frog", of Slavic origin.
ZáčekCzech Žáček means "small school boy" in Czech. A famous bearer is Chicagoan writer Dennis Začek.
ZackertEnglish, German An Americanization of the German surnames Zacher and Zachert. It comes from a vernacular form of the personal name Zacharias.
ZadaPashto Derived from Persian زاده (zadeh) meaning "offspring".
ZadehPersian From Persian زاده (-zâde) meaning "offspring (of)", also often used as a suffix for patronymic-based Persian surnames.
ZaghloulArabic (Egyptian) Means "squab, young dove" in Egyptian Arabic. A notable bearer was the Egyptian statesman and revolutionary Saad Zaghloul (1857-1927).
ZahmMedieval German Zahm is a nickname from Middle High German Zam meaning "tame".
ZahnGerman Zahn was a nickname given to a person with a peculiar tooth or a strange or defective set of teeth. It comes from the Middle High German Zan(t), which means "tooth".
ZähneGerman The German surname Zähne is derived from the Middle High German word "zan," which means "tooth." It is believed that the surname takes its origin from a nickname, most likely bestowed on the original bearer due to either a prominent tooth or a missing tooth.
ZakPolish A nickname given to youthful or studious people. Comes from the Polish zak, meaning "student" or "schoolboy". It originally meant "novice" or "candidate for the priesthood", and so in some cases it is perhaps a nickname for someone who had been destined for holy orders.
ZanussiFriulian, Italian Zanussi is best known as the surname of an influential Italian inventor from Brugnera in Friulia. The name likely comes from zanuso meaning ‘sedge’ in Italian.
ZavosGreek Used for someone who has a weird character or is considered stupid, found as a surname in Greek, probably derives from the word ζαβολιά (zavolia)which means cheating.
ZenginTurkish Means "rich, wealthy" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian سنگين (sangin).
ZennerUpper German South German: unflattering nickname for a surly, snarling person, from an agent derivative of Middle High German zannen 'to growl or howl' or 'to bare one's teeth'.
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.
ZiejaPolish Derived from Polish ziajać meaning "to spontaneously/violently show negative feelings". This surname denoted someone who complained often.
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."
ŽižekSlovene Derived from žižek, meaning "black bug".
ZlodejSlovene (Rare) It is the euphemism (an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant) for the word "devil". Another variant of the surname is Slodej.
ZochGerman Derived from Middle High German zoche meaning "cudgel, club".
ZolotykhRussian Derived from Russian золотой (zolotoy) meaning "golden".
ZongChinese From Chinese 棕 (zōng) meaning "brown".
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".
ZornGerman From Middle High German zorn "wrath, anger". A notable bearer was Swedish painter Anders Zorn (1860-1920) whose father was German.
ZouaouiArabic (Maghrebi) Indicates a member of the Igawawen (called Zouaoua in French) Kabyle tribe, from Maghrebi Arabic زواوة (zwāwa). The tribe's name is of uncertain meaning; it may be derived from the name of a massif in Kabylie, Algeria.
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.
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.
ZweinstraGerman Zweinstra is a German, relatively unknown surname which is also sometimes used in Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.
ŽydovičBelarusian Derived from Belarusian жыд (žyd) meaning "Jew, Hebrew".
ŻyłaPolish Means "vein" (figuratively "bore") in Polish.
ZyrinRussian Derived from Russian зырянин (zyryanin) or зыря (zyrya) meaning "Komi, Zyrian". This may have been a nickname for someone who looked like a person of this ethnic group.