YaredArabic, Ethiopian Gabriel Yared is a Lebanese-French composer, best known for his work in French and American cinema. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Yared scored the French films Betty Blue and Camille Claudel... [more]
YasuhikoJapanese Yasu means "peace, even, level, cheap, inexpensive, relax" and hiko means "prince".
YasuhiroJapanese From Japanese 安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet" combined with 央 (hiro) meaning "centre, middle". Other Kanji combinations are possible.... [more]
YasuraJapanese Yasu means "cheap, relax, peace" and ra means "good".
YasuraokaJapanese (Rare) 安 (Yasu) means "Cheap, Low, Inexpensive, Rested, Peaceful, Relax".良 (Ra) means "Good, Excellent", and 岡 (Oka) means "Ridge, Hill". A notable bearer is Akio Yasuraoka, he was a composer in his earlier days.
YelleyEnglish (British) The surname Yelley was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed... [more]
YellmanEnglish Yellman comes from the English words yell and man creating Yellman. The last name Yellman was also given to a person who consistently yelled a lot.
YelnatsLiterature Invented by Louis Sacher for his novel "Holes". The name was created because it is Stanley spelled backwards. Stanley Yelnats IV is the main character in the novel.
YlvisåkerNorwegian (Rare) Meaning unknown. Famous bearers of this name are the Norwegian comedy duo "Ylvis" consisting of brothers Vegard (b. 1979) and Bård Ylvisåker (b. 1982).
YoichiJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 与市 with 与 (yo, ata.eru, azuka.ru, kumi.suru, tomoni) meaning "bestow, participate in, give, award, impart, provide, cause, gift, godsend" and 市 (shi, ichi) meaning "city, market, town."... [more]
YokomuraJapanese 横 (Yoko) means "Beside" and 村 (Mura) means "Village, Hamlet". Check the source if needed.
YokotaniJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "next to, beside" combined with 谷 (tani) "valley".
YokoteJapanese Yoko ("Beside") + Te , this is the Japanese word for hand. This surname means "Beside a Hand". Michiko Yokote is an example. She wrote the Pichi Pichi Pitch manga and did screenwriting for Masamune-kun's Revenge.
YomohiroJapanese (Rare) This is a very rare surname with the kanji of all four directions: (東西北南) "east, west, north, south", in that order. Yomo literally means "four directions" and hiro means "extension".
YomtovHebrew (Modern) Means "good day", derived from Hebrew יום (yom) means "day" and טוב (tov) means "good".
YonagaJapanese From Japanese 夜長 (yonaga) meaning "a long night".
YoshitomiJapanese From 吉 (yoshi, kichi, kitsu) meaning "good luck, fortunate" and 富 (tomi) meaning "wealth, abundance".
YoshiyasuJapanese From Japanese 吉 (yoshi), an alternative spelling of 吉し (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 安 (yasu) meaning "peaceful, tranquil, safe, simple, ammonium".
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]
ZahaviHebrew, Jewish From Hebrew זהב (zahav) meaning "gold", commonly used as a replacement for Ashkenazi surnames containing the element gold, such as Goldman, Goldstein or Goldberg.
ZahraniArabic From the Arabic زهراني (zahran) meaning "flowering, blossoming"; ultimately from زَهْرَة (zahra) meaning "flower, blossom" (see Zahrah)... [more]
ZaleEnglish, Polish (Anglicized) Possibly from a Polish surname, the meaning of which is uncertain (it may have been a variant of the surname Zalas which originally indicated one who lived "on the other side of the wood", from za "beyond" and las "forest").
ZangaraItalian Southern Italian: from a feminine form of Zangaro ( see Zangari ).
ZangievOssetian, Soviet, Russian, Popular Culture The Russified Soviet and Modern Russian form of the Ossetian surname Зæнджиаты Zændžiaty. A famous user of it is wrestler Victor Zangiev, himself the inspiration for Zangief of Street Fighter fame.
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.
ZayasuJapanese From Japanese 座 (Za) meaning "squat; seat; cushion; gathering; sit" and 安 (Yasu) meaning "relax; cheap; low; quiet; rested; contented; peaceful".
ZeitounArabic Derived from the Arabic زَيْتُون (zaytūn) meaning "olive", a cognate of the Maghrebi Zitouni. It could also be linked to the famous El-Zeitoun district in Cairo, Egypt.
ZelgowskiPolish Originally, surname Zelegowski was misheard as Zelgowski when Polish immigrants were first coming to the United States through Ellis Island... [more]