This is a list of submitted surnames in which the number of syllables is 1.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
YanChinese From Chinese 阎 (yán) meaning "gate", also referring to a fief that existed in the ancient state of Jin in what is now Shanxi province.
YanChinese From Chinese 颜 (yán) meaning "face, countenance", also referring to the ancient fief of Yan that existed during the Western Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province.
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.
YimKhmer Meaning uncertain, probably of Chinese origin.
YinChinese From Chinese 殷 (yīn) referring to the ancient city of Yin, which existed in what is now Henan province and served as the capital of the Shang dynasty (which reigned from 1600 to 1045 BC and was also called Yin).
YinChinese From Chinese 尹 (yǐn), a title for a ministerial position in ancient China. It may also refer to the ancient fief of Yin, which existed in what is now either Shanxi or Henan province.
YinChinese From Chinese 印 (yìn) meaning "stamp, seal".
YingChinese From Chinese 应 (yīng) referring to the ancient state of Ying, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
YongKorean Korean form of Long from Sino-Korean 龍 (yong).
YongChinese From Chinese 雍 (yōng) either referring the ancient state of Yong, located in what is now Henan province, or the ancient fief of Yong, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province.
YueChinese From Chinese 岳 (yuè) referring to the ancient title Tai Yue (太岳), which was used by officials in charge of sacrificial rituals on mountain sites.
YuehTaiwanese Alternate romanization of Yue chiefly used in Taiwan.
YukKorean From Sino-Korean 陸 (yuk/ryuk) meaning "dry land; land".
ZahmMedieval German Zahm is a nickname from Middle High German Zam meaning "tame".
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.
ZeitzGerman From a town called Zeitz in Germany. Might be Germanized from Zajec.
ZhaChinese From Chinese 查 (zhā) referring to the ancient fief of Zha, which was part of the state of Qi during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shandong province. Alternately it may come from the name of a fief that was part of the state of Chu during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Anhui province.
ZhaiChinese From Chinese 翟 (zhái) referring to the ancient state of Zhai, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Shanxi province. The character 翟 was originally read as Di but was later changed to Zhai due to dialectal differences.
ZhanChinese From Chinese 詹 (zhān) referring to the ancient state of Zhan, which existed during the Zhou dynasty (present-day location uncertain).
ZhanChinese From Chinese 展 (zhǎn) meaning "open, unfold, stretch, extend".
ZhangChinese From Chinese 章 (zhāng) referring to the ancient fiefdom of Zhang (spelled as 鄣), which existed in what is now Shandong province.
ZhongChinese From Chinese 钟 (zhōng) referring to the ancient fief of Zhong Li that existed in the state of Chu in what is now Anhui or Hubei province.
ZhuanChinese (Russified) Russified form of Ruan used by ethnic Chinese living in parts of the former Soviet Union.
ZhuangChinese From Chinese 莊 (zhuāng), the posthumous name of king Xiong Lü of the state of Chu (which existed during the Zhou dynasty).
ZhuoChinese From Chinese 卓 (zhuó) meaning "outstanding, lofty".
ZinnGerman From the German for word for tin "tin." The name indicated someone who worked with the metal. A famous bearer is Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botanist. Carl Linnaeus named the flower Zinnia in his honor.
ZuoChinese From Chinese 左 (zuǒ) meaning "left, left-hand side".
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.
ZwartDutch Means "black, dark, swarthy" in Dutch, a nickname for someone with dark hair or skin.