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.
ZlydnevmRussian Means "a person who does evil, mean things", from Russian злый (zlyy), meaning "angry, evil, mean".
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".
ZorkinmRussian From Russian зоркий (zorkiy), meaning "sharp-sighted, perspicacious".
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.
ZubkovRussian From Russian зубок (zubok), meaning "little tooth". A notable bearer is Viktor Zubkov, the Russian prime minister 2007-2008.
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.
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.