TshuvaHebrew Means "answer" or "returning" in Hebrew. The term חוזר בתשובה which means "returning to the faith", reffers to a person who becomes more religious person in Judaism.
TsikalasGreek The Greek version of the Italian surname Cikala.
TsikunibCircassian (Russified) Derived from Adyghe цӏыкӏу (c̣əḳ°) meaning "little" and ныбэ (nəbă) meaning "stomach, belly".
TsinaridzeGeorgian The surname Tsinaridze carries the meanings of 'Light Bringer,' 'Sun Bringer,' or 'Sunshine.'... [more]
TsoKorean (Russified) Russified form of Cho used by ethnic Koreans living in former Soviet territories.
TsosieNavajo From the Navajo suffix -tsʼósí meaning "slender, slim", originally a short form of a longer name such as kiitsʼósí "slender boy", hashkétsʼósí "slender warrior", cháalatsʼósí "slim Charlie", dághaatsʼósí "the one with a slender mustache", dinétsʼósí "slender man", or hastiintsʼósí "slender man".
TsoyKorean (Russified) Russified form of Choi used by ethnic Koreans living in former Soviet territories.
TuđmanCroatian Derived from Croatian tuđin meaning "foreigner, stranger". This was the surname of the first president of Croatia, Franjo Tuđman (1922-1999). He was also the ninth and last president of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, which was part of the former state of Yugoslavia.
TugolukovmRussian From the nickname тугой лук (tugoy luk) meaning "tight bow".
TullyIrish Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Taithligh "descendant of Taithleach", a byname meaning "quiet", "peaceable".
TumbrellEnglish (Rare, Archaic) Etymology uncertain. Possibly derived from Old English tumbrel, a kind of small, two-wheeled cart designed to be easily tipped over, or from a variant form of timbrel, a percussion instrument similar to a tambourine.
TumibayTagalog Means "to become strong, to become firm" in Tagalog.
TurbaItalian Possibly from Italian turbare, "to disturb, to trouble", itself from Latin turba, "turmoil, disturbance; mob, crowd". Alternately, it could be from the German surname Turba, of uncertain meaning.
TurbinRussian From the nickname Турба (Turba) which was probably derived from an old dialectal word meaning "face, snout, muzzle (of an animal)", used as a name for a person with an unpleasant or ugly appearance... [more]
TurcoItalian Means "Turkish" in Italian, an ethnic name for someone from Turkey, or a nickname from the same word in the sense of a non-Christian or, following the medieval ethnic stereotype, a cruel, ferocious, or short-tempered person.
TürkmenTurkish, Turkmen Refers to a Turkmen person (someone from the present-day nation of Turkmenistan). The ethnonym itself is believed to be derived from Türk combined with the Sogdian suffix -man (thus meaning "almost Turk") or from Türk combined with Arabic إِيمَان (ʾīmān) meaning "faith, belief, religion".
TurkuAlbanian Derived from Albanian "turk" meaning Turkish.
TwocockEnglish Twocock literally translates to "twin cocks" and was likely given to someone who was perceived to have a fierce or aggressive personality, like a rooster.
TyagiIndian, Hindi Derived from Sanskrit त्यागिन् (tyagin) meaning "leaving, abandoning, sacrificing", so named because some members of this caste may have chosen to leave their traditional practice of agriculture in favor of learning and teaching-based occupations (or vice versa).
TyskSwedish Means "German" in Swedish. It probably started out as a nickname for someone who had immigrated from Germany or for someone who had German ancestry. It could also be a 'soldier name' and refer to the military unit someone belonged to... [more]
UçanTurkish Means "flying" or "fugitive, volatile" in Turkish.
UhkeEstonian Uhke is an Estonian surname meaning "proud" or "vain".
UhlGerman Uhl begins in the German province of Bavaria. Uhl is a nickname surname, a class of German names derived from eke-names, or added names, that described people by a personal characteristic or other attribute... [more]
ÜitsEstonian Üits is an Estonian surname meaning "nicest".
UkaiJapanese From Japanese 鵜 (u) meaning "cormorant (a type of bird)" and 飼 (kai) meaning "domesticate, raise".
UlehlaCzech, Slovak, Polish Derives from Slovak word uhla meaning "angle, corner". Could also derive from the Polish word ulehla meaning "to be subdued, to be defeated". This is the surname of the famous youtuber Nicholas Ulehla, pseudonymously known as SocksFor1.
UlenspegelLow German, Literature This is the name of Dyl Ulenspegel is a trickster figure originating in Middle Low German folklore, possibly meaning "owl mirror".
ÜlgerTurkish Means "villus, fine hair" in Turkish.
UmKorean Transliteration of the Korean reading of hanja 嚴 from Chinese meaning “stern”
UmKhmer Means "uncle, aunt" (literally "elder sibling of one's parents") in Khmer.
UmanetsRussian From the Russian term уманец (umanets), meaning "smart person".
ÜmarikEstonian Ümarik is an Estonian surname meaning "round", "chubby" and "plump".
UmnovmRussian From Russian умный (umnyy), meaning "smart".
UngarGerman, Jewish ethnic name for a Hungarian or a nickname for someone who had trade relations with Hungary. Cognate of Ungaro and variant of Unger.
UngerGerman German, Jewish (Ashkenazic), and Slovenian: ethnic name for a Hungarian or a nickname for someone who had trade relations with Hungary, from the ethnic term Unger ‘Hungarian’ ... [more]
UpsEstonian Ups is an Estonian surname derived from "upsakas" meaning "proud" and "conceited". "Ups" also also means "whoops" in Estonian.
UrbinoSicilian, Italian Possibly from the name of an Italian town. Could also be from Sicilian urbu or orbu, meaning "blind", in which case it may refer to literal blindness, or a more metaphorical "blind to one's sins", especially in the case of foundlings.
UyKhmer, Lao Khmer and Lao form of Huang (based on the Hokkien romanization of the name).
UyanıkTurkish Means "awake, watchful, vigilant" in Turkish.
UyarTurkish Means "notify, alert, caution" in Turkish.
UygunTurkish Means "available, suitable, fitting" in Turkish.
UysalTurkish Means "docile, easygoing, peaceful" in Turkish.
UzTurkish Means "beautiful, good, skillful" in Turkish.
UzhakhovIngush (Russified) Russified form of an Ingush surname derived the name of an Ingush teip (clan). The clan's name is possibly derived from a given name, in turn possibly from an Ingush word meaning "bold, strong".
VaderGerman (Rare) From Middle Low German vader meaning ‘father’, ‘senior’; in the Middle Ages this was used a term of address for someone who was senior in rank or age.
VähiEstonian Vähi is an Estonian surname, derived from "vähim", meaning "smallest" or "lightest".
VaillantFrench From a medieval nickname for a brave person (from Old French vaillant "brave, sturdy").
VangHmong From the clan name Vaj or Vaaj associated with the Chinese character 王 (wáng) (see Wang 1).
Van MolDutch, Flemish Derived from Middle Dutch mol, meaning "mole." This surname can either derive from the nickname mol, meaning "mole", perhaps given to someone with dark hair or blindness, or from a house with the sign of a mole.
VannaKhmer Means "golden" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit.
VascoSpanish Originally denoted a Basque person or someone from the Basque Country in Spain, from Latin Vascones of uncertain etymology.
VaseyEnglish Derived from the Norman french word enveisie "playful, merry"
VasseurFrench From Old French vavasour meaning "subvassal", a historical term used to refer to a tenant of a baron or lord who also had tenants under him.
VatatzisGreek This surname is a diminutive form of the word βάτος, "bramble, briar", perhaps signifying a harsh character. Another possible origin is βατάκι, "ray fish".
VecchioItalian Means "old, aged" in Italian, originally used as a nickname for an older or oldest son or for someone who was prematurely grey or wrinkled.
VeitchScottish Derived from the Latin word vacca which means "cow". This was either an occupational name for a cowherd or a nickname for a gentle person.
VelichkoRussian Derived from Russian великий (velikiy), meaning "great, large".
VengerovmRussian From Russian венгерский (vengerskiy), meaning "Hungarian".
VenierisGreek The Greek version of the Venetian surname Venier attested in Kythera, where the Venier family ruled on behalf of the Republic of Venice. Originally is thought that the surname derives from Venus.
VenkateshIndian, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada Means "lord of Venkata", from Venkata, the name of a hill in southern India (see Venkata), combined with Sanskrit ईश (īśa) meaning "lord, master, husband" (see Isha).
VentrellaItalian Derived from a diminutive form of ventre "belly, midriff, stomach". Can also be an altered form of Venturella (see Ventura).
VentrisEnglish Probably from a medieval nickname for a bold or slightly reckless person (from a reduced form of Middle English aventurous "venturesome"). It was borne by British architect and scholar Michael Ventris (1922-1956), decipherer of the Mycenaean Greek Linear B script.
VerdeItalian, Spanish, Portuguese From Spanish verde "green" (Latin viridis), presumably a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in this color or had green eyes, etc. This is also a common element of place names.
VergeCatalan Nickname from Catalan meaning "virgin, maiden".
VernikovmRussian From Russian верник (vernik), meaning "believer", usually in the context of religion due to the term вера (vera) "faith, belief, trust" which is often associated with religion.
VerroneItalian Italian: probably a nickname from an augmentative form of verro ‘boar’.
VeselovmRussian Derived from Russian word "весело (veselo)" meaning fun.
VesperGerman Either a nickname from Latin vesper "6 o’clock in the evening evening time" originally the second to last canonical hour or a habitational name from a place so called on the Ruhr river.
VetterGerman from a nickname from Middle High German veter(e) ‘uncle’, ‘nephew’. The word is from Old High German fetiro (a derivative of fater ‘father’), which was used more generally to denote various male relatives; the meaning of modern German Vetter is ‘cousin’.
VidlerEnglish Either (i) from a medieval nickname based on Anglo-Norman vis de leu, literally "wolf-face"; or (ii) "violinist, fiddle player" (cf. Fiedler).
VierlingGerman Derived from Middle High German vierlinc meaning "one-fourth of a measure", hence a status name or nickname for someone who had an annual tax liability of this amount.
VigHungarian Derived from Hungarian víg "happy, cheerful".
VighHungarian Variant of Vig, a surname derived from Hungarian víg "happy, cheerful".
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.
VirtueEnglish Used as a name for someone who had played the part of Virtue in a medieval mystery play, or as a nickname for someone noted for their virtuousness or (sarcastically) for someone who parades their supposed moral superiority.
VirtuosoItalian Means "virtuous, upright" or "skilful" in Italian, as well as "virtuoso, master (of a musical instrument)".
ViscusoItalian From Sicilian viscusu "tough, tenacious, vicious".
VisitorEnglish Likely from someone who was a stranger in a place.
VislaEstonian Visla is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "visa" meaning "tough" and "tenacious".
VitryanyukUkrainian Derived from Ukrainian вітряний (vitryanyy), meaning "windy".
VõigemastEstonian Võigemast is an Estonian surname meaning "ghastly/horrid structure".
VoisinFrench From Old French voisin "neighbor" (Anglo-Norman French veisin) . The application is uncertain; it may either be a nickname for a "good neighbor", or for someone who used this word as a frequent term of address, or it might be a topographic name for someone who lived on a neighboring property... [more]
VolevakhaRussian Derived from dialectal Russian волеваха (volevakha) meaning "wilful, stubborn person".
VolkmannGerman Probably denoted for a speaker or a people's person, derived from German volk "people" and mann "man". Alfred Wilhelm Volkmann (1801-1877) was a German physiologist, anatomist, and philosopher... [more]
VrátilCzech Derived from the past participle of the verb vrátit "to return". The name was perhaps used to denote a person who came back to his home following a long absence.
VrielinkDutch Etymology uncertain. Possibly from the name of a farmstead, itself perhaps derived from a given name such as Frigilo or Friedel... [more]
VriezeDutch From Middle Dutch Vrieze "Frisian", an ethnic name for a someone from Friesland.
VtorakUkrainian, Russian Derived either from Russian второй (vtoroy) meaning "second, other" or directly from dialectal Ukrainian вторак (vtorak) meaning "secondborn".
VybornovmRussian From Russian выборный (vybornyy), meaning "elective, electoral".
WackerGerman From a nickname for a bold or energetic person, from Middle High German wacker meaning ‘fresh’, ‘lively’, ‘brave’, or ‘valiant’.
WackermanEnglish (American), German From the Americanized spelling of German Wackermann, a variant of Wacker, with the addition of Middle High German man, meaning ‘man’.
WacoIndigenous American, Comanche Is believed to have a Native American origin and may mean "the chosen ones" in the language of a tribe. However, the exact meaning of the name and the tribe's connection to the modern-day surname is not entirely clear.
WaffelDutch (Anglicized, ?) Possibly an Anglicized form of a hypothetical Dutch surname derived from wafel "waffle, wafer".
WagameseOjibwe Comes from an Ojibway phrase meaning ‘man walking by the crooked water.’
WaghmareIndian, Marathi Means "tiger killer" from Marathi वाघ (vagh) meaning "tiger" and मारणे (marne) meaning "to kill".
WahbaArabic Means "gift" in Arabic, derived from the word وَهَبَ (wahaba) meaning "to grant, to gift".
WahlGerman, Jewish From Middle High German Walhe, Walch "foreigner from a Romance country", hence a nickname for someone from Italy or France, etc. This surname is also established in Sweden.
WaititiMaori Meaning uncertain. It could derive from Maori waitī both meaning "sweet, melodious", denoting a sweet person, or "sap of the cabbage tree", possibly denoting an occupation. Taika David Cohen, known professionally as Taika Waititi (1975-), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian.
WaldronMedieval German, Old Norman, Scottish Gaelic, English (British) Derived from the German compound wala-hran, literally "wall raven", but originally meaning "strong bird". Also derived from the Gaelic wealdærn, meaning "forest dwelling", thought to be derived from the Sussex village of Waldron... [more]
WałęsaPolish From old Polish wałęsa, meaning "vagabond"
WaliUrdu, Pashto, Bengali, Arabic Derived from Arabic وَلِيّ (waliyy) meaning "helper, friend, protector", used in Islam to describe a saint.
WallachScottish Variant of Wallace, meaning 'foreigner' that is found chiefly in Dumfries.
WanhataloFinnish From the Finnish "vanha talo." With the "vanha" meaning old or aged and "talo" being a place of living mostly a house. The most common translation is "old house".
WanlessEnglish From a medieval nickname for an ineffectual person (from Middle English wanles "hopeless, luckless").
WannScottish WANN. Surname or Family name. Origin Scottish and English: nickname from Middle English wann ‘wan’, ‘pale’ (the meaning of the word in Old English was, conversely, ‘dark’).
WantonEnglish, Scottish From Middle English wanton, meaning "unruly", "thoughtless" or "promiscuous".
WelschGerman From Middle High German welsch, walsch "person from a Romance country (especially Italy), foreigner", hence an ethnic name or in some cases perhaps a nickname for someone who had trading or other connections with the Romance countries.
WendtGerman, Danish Ethnic name for a Wend, Middle High German wind(e). The Wends (also known as Sorbians) once occupied a large area of northeastern Germany (extending as far west as Lüneburg, with an area called Wendland), and many German place names and surnames are of Wendish origin... [more]
WengChinese From Chinese 翁 (wēng) meaning "elderly man".
WenigGerman From the German word “wenig”, meaning little.