Browse Submitted Surnames

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the usage is English or American.
usage
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Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Whiting English
Derived from a patronymic surname, created from the Old English personal name Hwit, meaning "the white one."
Whitlam English
From a medieval nickname for a mild-mannered person (from Middle English whit "white" + lam "lamb"). This surname is borne by Australian Labour politician Gough Whitlam (1916-), prime minister 1972-75.
Whitley English
This surname is derived from a place name composed of Old English elements hwit meaning "white" and leah meaning "clearing, grove."
Whitlock English
Nickname for someone with white or fair hair, from Middle English whit ‘white’ + lock ‘tress’, ‘curl’. Compare Sherlock. ... [more]
Whitlow English
white hill” place name from east side of country in lower Northumbria perhaps? Or perhaps next lower shire.
Whitman English
From Middle English whit ‘white’ + man ‘man’, either a nickname with the same sense as White, or else an occupational name for a servant of a bearer of the nickname White.... [more]
Whitmarsh English
English habitational name from Whitemarsh, a place in the parish of Sedgehill, Wiltshire, named from Old English hwit ‘white’ (i.e. ‘phosphorescent’) + mersc ‘marsh’. Compare Whitmore.
Whitside English (Rare, ?)
Possibly a variant of Whiteside.
Whittington English
From a place name, meaning "Hwita’s settlement".
Whittlesey English
A habitational surname for someone from Whittlesey, an ancient market town in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire in England. The town's name is derived from an unattested Old English personal name Wittel (or Witil), an occupational name given to a moneyer, and the Old English eg, meaning "island", also used to describe a piece of firm land in a fen... [more]
Whybrow English
From the medieval female personal name Wyburgh, literally "war-fortress". (Cf. Germanic cognate Wigburg.)
Wiatt English (American)
Americanized variant of Wyatt.
Wicherek Polish, English
Means "a light, gentle breeze", or figuratively, "an unruly strand of hair". It is a diminutive of the Polish word wicher, "strong wind".
Wichorek Polish (Anglicized), English (American)
Americanized form of Wieczorek. Alternatively, it may be a variant of Wicherek.
Wick English, German
English: topographic name for someone who lived in an outlying settlement dependent on a larger village, Old English wic (Latin vicus), or a habitational name from a place named with this word, of which there are examples in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Worcestershire... [more]
Wickersham English
A habitational surname that originates from a lost medieval site or village of Norse origins.... [more]
Wicks English
Variant of Weeks.
Wicksey English
Two separate surnames, joined together to form Wicksey, when the Vikings invaded England. The name means "Dairy Farmer on the Marsh".
Wideman English (American)
Americanized from of German Widemann or Weidmann.
Widger English
From the Old English male personal name Wihtgār, literally "elf-spear".
Wiflin English (Rare)
Possibly derived from the elements wefa and land.
Wigger English
Derived from the word wicga "bug"
Wiggin English
Either (i) from the Germanic male personal name Wīgant, literally "warrior", introduced into England by the Normans; or (ii) from the Breton male personal name Wiucon, literally "worthy-noble", introduced into England by the Normans.
Wiggins English
Patronymic form of Wiggin.
Wiggs English (British)
The surname Wiggs was first found in Leicestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, at Lennerlyde. This interesting name has two possible origins. The first being a metonymic occupational name for a maker of wedge-shaped bread, from the Medieval English "Wigge" meaning "wedge-shaped"... [more]
Wight Scottish, English
Nickname from Middle English wiht, wight "nimble, strong".
Wightman English
"Wight" in Anglo-saxon could refer to a "soul," a "being," or to "courage." It is similar to the different meanings of the words "spirit" and "spirited." ... [more]
Wigley English
Derived from the words wicga "bug" and leah "woodland, clearing"
Wigmore English
habitational name from Wigmore in Herefordshire so named from Old English wicga in the sense "something moving quaking unstable ground" and mor "marsh".
Wilberforce English
Means "person from Wilberfoss", Yorkshire ("Wilburh's ditch"). This is borne by Wilberforce University, a university in Xenia, Ohio, USA, founded in 1856 and named in honour of the British philanthropist and anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce (1759-1833)... [more]
Wilbers English (American)
from the given name Wilbur
Wilbert English, German
From the given name Wilbert.
Wilbraham English
Denoted a person hailing from Wilbraham in Cambridgeshire, England. The place name itself means "Wilburg's homestead or estate" in Old English, Wilburg or Wilburga allegedly referring to a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon princess who was given the lands later called Wilbraham by her father, King Penda of Mercia.
Wilburn English
A habitation name of uncertain origin found in the East Midlands. Speculation includes the possibility of the meaning "well" and "burn, borne" therefore meaning one who lived near a well or spring by a waterway crossing.
Wilcoxson English
Patronymic form of Wilcox which is derived from a diminutive of the given name William
Wildblood English
From a medieval nickname for a rakish or hot-headed person.
Wilders English, Dutch
Variant of Wilder. Dutch politician Geert Wilders (1963-) bears this name.
Wildin English
The former placename is composed of the Olde English pre 7th Century words "wilg", willow, and "denu", a valley; while the latter place in Worcestershire is derived from the Olde English personal name "Winela", plus the Olde English "dun", a hill or mountain.
Wildrick English
From German Wildreich, a medieval personal name, from Old High German wildi "wild".
Wildsmith English
Probably means "maker of wheels, wheelwright".
Wiles English
Occupational name for a trapper or hunter, from Middle English wile "trap, snare". It could also be a nickname for a devious person.
Wilkes English, Frisian
English: patronymic from Wilk.... [more]
Wilkings English
It means Will to the king
Wilks English
Variant of Wilkes.
Will Scottish, English, German
Scottish and northern English from the medieval personal name Will, a short form of William, or from some other medieval personal names with this first element, for example Wilbert or Willard... [more]
Willets English
Occasionally a Habitational name from Willet in Elworthy. Probably a compound of Old English wiell will 'spring' + an unrecorded gīete 'stream'.(Ancestory.com) Or is a varation of the given name William.
Willett English
From a pet form of Will, or an Americanized form of French Ouellette.
Willing English
Patronymic from the Old English personal name Willa.
Willingham English
Habitational name from a place named Willingham, notably one in Cambridgeshire and one in Suffolk. The first is recorded in Domesday Book as Wivelingham "homestead (Old English hām) of the people of a man called Wifel".
Willman English
Occupational name for someone who was the servant of a man called Will.
Willock English
From the medieval male personal name Willoc, a pet-form based on the first syllable of any of a range of Old English compound names beginning with willa "will, desire".
Willow English
topographic name from Middle English wilwe wilghe willowe "willow" (Old English wilig welig) for a person who lived at or near a willow tree or in an area where willow trees grew... [more]
Willows English (British)
This is an English residential or perhaps occupational surname. It may originate from one of the various places in England called 'The Willows', or even a place such as Newton le Willows in Lancashire, or it may describe a supplier of willow.
Wills English
Patronymic from Will.
Wiltshire English
Habitational name from the county of Wiltshire in England.
Wimp English
The surname has at least two origins. The first is occupational and describes a maker of 'wimplels', an Old English veil later much associated with nuns. Second, it may also be locational from the village of Whimple in Devonshire, or Wimpole in Cambridge.
Wimpey English
Perhaps a deliberate alteration of Impey. It is borne by George Wimpey, a British construction company, founded in Hammersmith, London in 1880 by George Wimpey (1855-1913)... [more]
Win English
Variant spelling of Wynn.
Winchel English
from Old English wencel ‘child’, perhaps used to distinguish a son from his father with the same forename or perhaps a nickname for a person with a baby face or childlike manner
Wind English, German, Danish
Nickname for a swift runner, from Middle English wind "wind", Middle High German wint "wind", also "greyhound".
Wind English
Topographic name for someone who lived near a pathway, alleyway, or road, Old English (ge)wind (from windan "to go").
Windham English, Irish (Anglicized)
English habitational name from Wyndham in West Sussex, near West Grinstead, probably named from an unattested Old English personal name Winda + Old English hamm ‘water meadow’; or from Wymondham in Leicestershire and Norfolk, named from the Old English personal name Wigmund (see Wyman) + Old English ham ‘homestead’... [more]
Windmiller English
Name for a person that works at a windmill.
Windus English
Variant of Wingers. The name is a metonymic occupational name for a textile worker or weaver, derived from the Middle English wyndhows ("winding house").
Winegardner English (American)
Anglicized form of the German occupational surname Weingartner. A known bearer of this surname is the American writer Mark Winegardner (b. 1961).
Winford English
English location name meaning "from a white ford or water crossing" or "from a meadow ford".
Winfred English
From the given name Winfred.
Winfrey English
From the Old English personal name Winfrith, literally "friend-peace". A famous bearer of this surname is Oprah Winfrey (1954-), a US television talk-show presenter.
Winkie English
For someone who came from Winkley.
Winkle English
it's said to originate from the village of Wincle, near the town of Macclesfield in the county of Cheshire.
Winks English
Variant of Winch
Winky English
For someone who came from Winkley.
Winne English
Variant spelling of Wynn.
Winney English
Derived from an unattested Old English given name, *Wyngeofu, composed of the elements wyn "joy" and geofu "battle".... [more]
Winnick English (Rare)
Habitational name for someone from a place called Winwick, for example in Northamptonshire or Cambridgeshire, both of which are named from the Old English personal name Wina + wic 'outlying dairy farm or settlement'.
Winsett English
From an English surname of unexplained origin, perhaps related to Winslow, Winston or Windsor.
Winslet English
A notable bearer is the actress Kate Winslet.
Winstanley English
From the name of a place in Lancashire, England, which means "Wynnstan's field" from the Old English masculine given name Wynnstan and leah meaning "woodland, clearing"... [more]
Winstead English
Perhaps derived from the town of Wanstead in Greater London, England (recorded in the Domesday Book as Wenesteda), named with Old English wænn meaning "wagon" and stede meaning "place, site", but it is more likely derived from the village of Winestead in East Yorkshire, England, named from Old English wefa meaning "wife" and hamstede meaning "homestead"... [more]
Winterbourn English
A variant spelling of the surname Winterbourne, means "winter stream", a stream or river that is dry through the summer months.
Winterbourne English (British)
Probably meaning "winter stream". A large village in Gloucestershire, From the Thomas Hardy novel "The Woodlanders".
Winterburn English
habitational name from any of various places called with Old English winter "winter" and burna "stream" meaning "winter stream" for a stream which only flows or flows at a faster rate during the winter and more or less dries up in summer such as Winterburn in Gargrave (Yorkshire) Winterbourne (Berkshire Gloucestershire) Winterbourne Bassett (Wiltshire) or one of thirteen parishes named Winterborne in Dorset including Winterborne Abbas Winterborne Monkton and Winterborne Zelstone... [more]
Winterfield English
Meaning "winter field".
Winters English, German
Patronymic form of Winter.
Winterson English
Patronymic form of Winter.
Wise English
Nickname for a wise or learned person, or in some cases a nickname for someone suspected of being acquainted with the occult arts, from Middle English wys "wise, thoughtful, knowledgeable; alert, aware"... [more]
Wiseau English (American, Rare)
Meaning unknown, believed to be derived from French oiseau, meaning bird. As a surname, it is born by American Director Tommy Wiseau.
Wish English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a water meadow or marsh, Middle English wyshe (Old English wisc). Americanized spelling of Wisch.
Wisp English
The surname of the author of Quidditch Through The Ages in the Harry Potter Universe, Kennilworthy Whisp. Probably referring to the wind, or a family of people who usually were nearly bald.
Witek Polish, English (Rare)
From the personal name Wit, a short form of Witold, a derivative of Lithuanian Vytautas, a compound of vyti 'to guide' + tauta 'the people'... [more]
Withall English
"Withall" comes from the village of "Cornwall" called "Withiel." There is also a connection to an aristocratic level, in the 15th at Henry VII court a noble man and knight went under the family name "Wit-hall"... [more]
Witham English
habitational name from any of various places so called particularly those in Essex Lincolnshire and Somerset though most often from Essex. The Essex placename may derive from Old English wiht "curve bend" and ham "village homestead"... [more]
Withycombe English
Willow Valley. ... [more]
Witly English
Variant of Whitley, a habitational name from any of various places named with Old English hwit ‘white’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’.
Witt English
Variant of White.
Witte German, Dutch, English
Cognate to and variant of White, a nickname for someone with white or blonde hair or an unusually pale complexion
Wodehouse English
The name "de Wodehouse" is attested as early as in the 11th century, of one Bertram, of Wodehouse-tower, Yorkshire, who lived at the time of the Norman conquest.
Wolfenden English
derived from the place called Wolfenden in the parish of Newchurch-in-Rossendale, Lancashire. The placename means "Wulfhelm's valley", or "the valley of Wulfhelm" derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name Wulfhelm, composed of the elements wulf "wolf" and helm "helmet, protection" and denu "valley".
Wolfit English
From the medieval male personal name Wolfet or Wolfat (from Old English Wulfgēat, literally "wolf-Geat" (the name of a Germanic people)). This surname was borne by Sir Donald Wolfit (1902-1968), a British actor and manager.
Wolfram English, German
From the given name Wolfram.
Wolfson English
Means "son of Wolf" in English.
Wolk German, American
Surname derived from a northern German short form of the given name Walter.
Wollstonecraft English (Rare)
Habitational name derived from any of several towns called Woolstone or Woolston, meaning "Wulfric’s town", combined with an altered form of Old English croft "enclosed field".
Wolsey English
From the medieval male personal name Wulsi (from Old English Wulfsige, literally "wolf-victory"). A famous bearer of the surname was English churchman and statesman Thomas Wolsey (Cardinal Wolsey), ?1475-1530.
Wolstenholme English (British, Rare)
A famous bearer is Chris Wolstenholme, bassist and sometimes vocalist of British alternative rock band Muse.
Wolston English
From the Middle English personal name Wolfstan or Wolstan, Old English Wulfstan, composed of the elements wulf ‘wolf’ + stan stone or a habitational name from any of a large number of places called Woolston(e) or Wollston, all of which are named with Old English personal names containing the first element Wulf (Wulfheah, Wulfhelm, Wulfric, Wulfsige, and Wulfweard) + Old English tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’.
Wolveridge English (British)
Derived from the personal name Wulfric.
Woodbine English (Rare)
From the English word "woodbine" that means "honeysuckle(plant)"in English.It seems uncommon in the English-speak culture for a surname.Also some American place names,too.
Woodbridge English
Originated in old England and likely linked to the town of Woodbridge in Suffolk, East Anglia, United Kingdom. Well known Woodbridge's include the Australian Tennis player Todd Woodbridge. There was a famous lineage of six English John Woodbridge's in the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, all Church ministers... [more]
Woodcraft English (British)
Occupational name for a woodworker.
Woodfall English
English surname used as a first name. The name means "dweller by a fold in the woods" - in this case, "fold" means "sheep-pen".... [more]
Woodfork English
"fork in the road in woodland"
Woodger English (British)
Woodger comes from the occupation of wood cutter in old english
Woodhull English
Meaning "wood hill".
Woodland English
A habitational name for a person who lives in or by a woodland.
Woodley English (American)
"From the wooded meadow". The actress Shailene Woodley's last surname
Woodlock Irish, French, English
From an Old English personal name, Wudlac, composed of the elements wudu ‘wood’ + lac ‘play’, ‘sport’.
Woodman English
Occupational name for a woodcutter or a forester (compare Woodward), or topographic name for someone who lived in the woods. Possibly from the Old English personal name Wudumann.
Woodnut English
From a rare Anglo-Saxon personal name meaning "bold as Wade" and meant to honor the legendary Germanic sea-giant named Wade.
Woodruff English, Caribbean
Topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of land where woodruff grew, Anglo-Saxon wudurofe composed of wudu "wood" with a second element of unknown origin.
Woodson English
From a location in Yorkshire, England earlier spelled Woodsome and meaning "from the houses in the wood" or possibly a patronymic meaning "descendant of a wood cutter or forester."
Woodwin English (British)
Mix of words "Wood" and "Win".
Woolard English
from the Middle English personal name Wolfward (Old English Wulfweard from wulf "wolf" and weard "guard").
Wooldridge English
From the medieval personal name Wolrich (from Old English Wulfric, literally "wolf-power").
Woolgar English
From the medieval male personal name Wolgar (from Old English Wulfgār, literally "wolf-spear").
Woolley English
A habitational name from any of various places so-called. Most, including those in Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, and West Yorkshire in England, are derived from the Old English wulf, meaning "wolf", and leah, meaning "wood" or "clearing"... [more]
Woolnough English
From the medieval male personal name Wolnoth or Wolnaugh (from Old English Wulfnōth, literally "wolf-daring").
Wooten English
Habitational name from any of the extremely numerous places named with Old English wudu "wood" + tun "enclosure", "settlement",
Worden English
Guardian
Workman English
Ostensibly an occupational name for a laborer, derived from Middle English work and man. According to a gloss, the term was used in the Middle Ages to denote an ambidextrous person, and the surname may also be a nickname in this sense.
Worley English
mostly found in Lancashire and Sussex. very old english surname. something to do with a hill near a stream.
Wormwood Popular Culture, English
The surname is used in the novel Matilda (1988).
Worship English (British)
Registered with the Guild of One Name Studies... [more]
Worsley English
Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational surname from either of the places called Worsley in Lancashire and in Worcestershire. The place in Lancashire was recorded as "Werkesleia" in 1196, and means Weorchaeth's wood or glade, derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Weorchaeth", from weorc, work, fortification, and leah, a wood, or clearing in a wood... [more]
Worth English
From the Old English WORÞ, meaning "enclosure".
Worthington English
Habitational name from places in Lancashire and Leicestershire named Worthington; both may have originally been named in Old English as Wurðingtun "settlement (Old English tun) associated with Wurð", but it is also possible that the first element was Old English worðign, a derivative of worð ‘enclosure’.
Woulfe English, Irish
English: variant spelling of Wolf. ... [more]
Wrangler English
Given to a person who worked as a wrangler.
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