Van WertDutch (Americanized, Modern) From Dutch and Belgian: habitational name for someone from places in Belgium and the Netherlands called Weert, (De) Weerd, Weerde, or Waarde.
Van ZandtDutch, Belgian Habitational name for someone from any of the places called Zandt, in Gelderland, Friesland, South Holland, and Zeeland; or Zande in Belgium.
VassarFrench, English Name indicating the status of "a vassal or serf" in feudal society.
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.
VauxFrench French, English, and Scottish habitational name from any of various places in northern France called Vaux, from the Old French plural of val ‘valley’.
VerdierFrench, Norman, English Occupational name for a forester. Derived from Old French verdier (from Late Latin viridarius, a derivative of viridis "green"). Also an occupational name for someone working in a garden or orchard, or a topographic name for someone living near one... [more]
VerdonFrench Habitational name from a place so named, for example in Dordogne, Gironde, and Marne.
VerkuilenDutch, Belgian Reduced form of van der Kuylen, a topographic name for someone who lived by a pit or hole, or a habitational name for someone from Kuil in East Flanders or Kuilen in Limburg.
VermontFrench (Rare) Derived from french, meaning "green mountain" (Vert, "green"; mont, "mountain").
VerneFrench, English As a French surname refers to someone who lived where alder trees grew. While the English version can mean someone who lived where ferns grew, Verne can also mean a seller of ferns which in medieval times were used in bedding, as floor coverings and as animal feed.
VerneyEnglish, French The surname Verney was first found in Buckinghamshire, England, when they arrived from Vernai, a parish in the arrondissement of Bayeux in Normandy.
VernierFrench Surname for a person who lived near an alder tree. Also a variant of Garnier and Varnier and the eastern French form of Warner.
VeronFrench, Spanish Nickname for someone with bi-colored eyes. This surname is mostly frequent in Argentina.
VianneyFrench The surname in origin is a variant of Viennet, a diminutive of Vien, a short form of Vivien. A famous bearer is Jean-Marie Vianney (1786-1859), a French saint.
VienneauFrench Denoted a person from Vienne, a commune in the Isère department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France, or perhaps derived from the given name Vivien 1.
VioletteFrench Perhaps a topographic name from a diminutive of viol "path", itself a derivative of vie "way". It is more likely, however, that this name is from the secondary surname Laviolette "the violet (flower)", which was common among soldiers in French Canada.
VoisinFrench, English English (of Norman origin) and French: 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]
VoogdDutch Name for a bailiff, farm manager, or other personal with supervisory authority, Middle High German voget, Late Latin vocatus, from Latin advocatus, past participle of advocare ‘to call up (to help)’... [more]
VoorheesDutch Habitational name from a place in Drenthe called Voorhees.
VosDutch From the word vos meaning "fox", it may have been a nickname for someone with fox-like characteristics.
VosbergDutch, German Topographic name for someone who lived by a hill frequented by foxes, from Middle Low German vos "fox" and berg "hill", "mountain".
VreelandDutch Habitational name for a person from a place bearing the same name in the province of Utrecht, which is itself derived from the Middle Dutch word vrede, meaning "legal protection against armed violence".
VreeswijkDutch Possibly a habitational name from a former village and municipality in the province Utrecht, Netherlands. A notable bearer was Dutch-Swedish singer-songwriter and poet Cornelis Vreeswijk (1937-1987).
VuittonFrench Derived from the Old High German word "witu" and the Old English pre 7th century "widu" or "wudu", meaning a wood, and therefore occupational for one living by such a place.
WachterGerman, Dutch Occupational name for a watchman, from Middle High German wachtære, wehtære, Middle Dutch wacht(e)re. (cf. Waite).
WarnsDutch, German Dutch habitational name from places so named in Friesland and Overijssel. The one in Friesland was the site of a famous victory of Frisians over the Hollanders in the 14th century. ... [more]
WinkelGerman, Jewish, Dutch, Belgian German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): topographic name for someone who lived on a corner of land in the country or a street corner in a town or city, from Middle High German winkel, German Winkel ‘corner’... [more]
WinneDutch, English Dutch: occupational name for an agricultural worker, Middle Low German winne ‘peasant’. ... [more]
WoodlockIrish, French, English From an Old English personal name, Wudlac, composed of the elements wudu ‘wood’ + lac ‘play’, ‘sport’.
WriedtGerman, Dutch Nickname from Middle Low German wrēt, wrede meaning "fierce", "evil", "angry".
WyckoffDutch name for someone living at the main farm in a district, from Dutch wijk ‘district’ + hof ‘farmstead’, ‘manor farm’.
XavierEnglish, French Derived from the Basque place name Etxaberri meaning "the new house". This was the surname of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552). He was a missionary to India, Japan, China, and other areas in East Asia, and he is the patron saint of the Orient and missionaries.
ZellerGerman, Dutch, English, Jewish Originally denoted someone from Celle, Germany or someone living near a hermit's cell from German zelle "cell". It is also occupational for someone employed at a zelle, for example a small workshop.