100 Last Names That Start With W With Meanings And History
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Our last name connects us to our family history and story.
Surnames starting with W are the closest you can get to your ancestors. As the population of various societies started to grow, the list of surnames, common and available, started to get longer and longer.
Though most common surnames were chosen a long time back and depict the larger picture of the family tree, different societies still use them differently today. Consider your search for a surname beginning with a W complete as we give you a list of the most famous surnames that start with W, based mostly on the United States.
To further help you in your search for last names, take a look at Austrian Last Names and Interesting Last Names.
Popular Last Names Starting With W
Though there are many choices for last names that start with W, some are always more popular. Let's look at a few W surnames that rank relatively high for their meanings.
1. Wack, (French Origin) meaning “a measure of weight”.
2. Wallace, (Scottish origin) was used to address a "foreigner" in Norman French.
3. Walker, (English Origin) originated from walkere, meaning "to move."
4. Wachs, (Jewish Origin) is a name for beeswax.
5. Watson, (English Origin) meaning "son of WAT." Among the most famous last names that start with W.
6. Wahba, (Arabic Origin) meaning “gift” or “present”.
7. White, (English Origin) derived from a term used for a person with white hair or pale complexion.
8. Williams, (English Origin) originated from Son of William. Among the most common last names.
9. Wilson, (England and Scottish Origin) originated from the patronymic form of Will.
10. Wood, (English Origin) derived from wudu, meaning "wood."
11. Woods, (Scottish Origin) derived as a variant of wood. A fairly common last name in the United States.
12. Wright, (English Origin) derived from wyrhta, meaning "wright, maker."
Long Last Names That Start With W
Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff. Does that name ring a bell? Hubert holds the record of the man with the longest name in the world between the mid-1970s to 1983 in the Guinness Book of World Records; however, not everyone has a surname as long as his. Below is a list of the relatively long yet common surnames beginning with W.
13. Waldvogel, (Jewish Origin) derived from common German surnames Wald meaning "forest", and Vogel meaning "bird."
14. Walterson, (English Origin) meaning the son of Walter, originally refers to "ruler of the army."
15. Watanabe, (Japanese Origin) derived from 2 Japanese words - Wata, meaning "cross", and Nabe meaning "area."
16. Whittemore, (English Origin) meaning "white". Among the unique W last names.
17. Wilcox, (English Origin) a derivative of William. A common last name starting with W.
18. Wilkerson, (English Origin) derived from William as a medieval diminutive.
19. Wilkinson, (English Origin) a medieval diminutive of "Wilkin" meaning "helmet."
20. Williamson, (English Origin) another derivate of "William." This surname has a #1 rank among W surnames.
21. Winterbottom, (English Origin) meaning "winter" and botm meaning "ground, soil, bottom."
22. Witherspoon, (English Origin) derived from wether "sheep" and spong "strip of land".
23. Woodcock, (English Origin) derived from a nickname referring to the woodcock bird.
24. Woodham, (English Origin) derived from wudu "wood" and ham "home, settlement".
Short Last Names That Start With W
Short last names can always balance out a long first name and not make it sound unnaturally long. They are simple and easy to pronounce. This list of last names that start with W is sure to wow you.
25. Wade, (English Origin) a common surname derived from the place wæd, meaning "a ford."
26. Wals, (English Origin) derived from wælisc meaning "foreigner, Celt."
27. Walter, (German Origin) derived from Walter, which means "ruler of the army."
28. Ware, (English Origin) derived from ware, which means "wary, astute, prudent."
29. Wash, (English Origin) derived from wad meaning "to go" or warin meaning "guard, protect."
30. Way, (English Origin) derived from weg meaning "way, path." Among simple last names that start with W.
31. Webb, (English Origin) derived from Weaver, from webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave."
32. West, (German Origin) denoting one who came from the West.
33. Wolf, (English Origin) meaning "wolf." Among the simpler last names with W.
34. Wray, (English Origin) derived from Old Norse vrá meaning "corner, nook."
35. Wyatt, (English Origin) one of the surnames beginning with W, derived from Wigheard meaning "brave, hardy."
36. Wynne, (English Origin) derivative of Old English wine meaning "friend." Great surname with w.
Last Names Starting With W Inspired By Places
Surnames being derived from places is not a new concept. Names derived from places often ended up in -ski, meaning "of" or "belonging to a place" and were reserved for nobility. Check out the below list of surnames starting with W derived from places.
37. Wakefield, (English Origin) derived from a person who came from the city of Wakefield.
38. Walkenhorst, (German Origin) derived from Falkenhorst, from Falken meaning "falcons" and Horst meaning "thicket."
39. Walmsley, (English Origin) denoting a person belonging to the town of WALMERSLEY.
40. Warszawski, (Polish Origin) the name for someone belonging to the city of Warsaw.
41. Warwick, (English Origin) derived from an English town, meaning, wer "weir, dam" and wíc "village, town."
42. Washington, (English Origin) derived from tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town."
43. Westbrook, (English Origin) derived from several places in England, west "west" and broc "brook, stream."
44. Westcott, (English Origin) derived from any English town of the same name meaning "west cottage."
45. Westley, (English Origin) derived from the names of various English towns, "west" and leah "woodland, clearing."
46.Wickham, derived from various towns in England, notably Hampshire. Among most distinguished last names that start with W.
47. Wiley, (English Origin) derived from names of English towns, Willey, or River Wyle.
48. Winchester, (English Origin) meaning "camp, fortress." A regal last name beginning with W.
49. Windsor, (English Origin) derived from the names of a few English towns, one being Windsor Castle.
50. Winslow, (English Origin) derived from English place names meaning "hill belonging to wine."
51. Winthrop, (English Origin) derived from places called Winthrope. Distinguished last names with W.
52. Winton, (English Origin) derived from the names of English villages. Their names mean "enclosure belonging to wine."
53. Wolansk, (Polish Origin) denoting a person from places in Poland that start with W named Wola or Wolany, and from the name Wolan meaning "to want."
Occupational Last Names Starting With W
Occupational last names are very easy to understand. It directly or closely relates to the occupation or the trade the person is in, or their family was in. Check out below a list of occupational surnames or last names that start with W.
54. Wagner, (English Origin) derived from Waganari, meaning "wagonmaker" or "wagon driver."
55. Wagoner, (English Origin) a variant of Wagner. Among unusual last names with W.
56. Wainwright, (English Origin) a derivative of waegnwyrhta refers to a "vehicle/wagon".
57. Warboys, (English Origin) is an occupational name for a forester.
58. Wardrobe, (French Origin) derived from warder "to guard" and robe "garment," is an occupational name for a servant caring for clothing in a household.
59. Weaver, (English Origin) derived from wefer, meaning "winding stream."
60. Wern, (Danish Origin) and is a short form of ‘Werner’.
61. Webber, (English Origin) is an occupational surname meaning "weaver."
62. Weiner, (English Origin) a variant of Wagner. Uncommon among surnames starting with w in the United States.
63. Weingartner, (German Origin) meaning "wine gardener".
64. Weinzierl, (German Origin) was used for someone who makes or sells wine (vintner).
65. Wheeler, (English Origin) a variant of Wheelright. Uncommon among surnames starting with W.
66. Wheedler, (English origin) a surname with w meaning "coaxer".
67. Wheelwright, (English Origin) is derived from waegnwyrhta, meaning vehicle or wagon.
68. Workman, (English Origin) derived from we(o)rcmann, meaning workman or laborer.
69. Wynn, (Welsh Origin) meaning “fair”.
Interesting Last Names Starting With W
Below is a list of some more last names that start with a W. You will notice that most of these last names originate from the United States.
70 . Waas, (German and Dutch Origin) meaning “marsh” or “wetland”.
71. Waldroup, (English Origin) is an English variant of WARDROBE.
72. Walentowicz, (Polish origin) meaning "son of WALENTY".
73. Wallach, (German Origin) derived from German walch meaning "foreigner (from a Romance country)."
74. Waller, (English Origin) last name meaning "person with a pleasant temper."
75. Walther, (English Origin) from the given last name with W, named WALTHER.
76. Wang, (Chinese origin) derived from Chinese wáng meaning "king, monarch." Among the common surnames beginning with 'W' in China.
77. Ward, (English Origin) comes from weard, meaning "guard, guardian." Among the simpler last names with W.
78. Waara, is a topographic name meaning “hill” or “range of hill”.
79. Warren, (English Origin) means "a person who lived near a warren". Common among last names that start with W in the United States.
80. Wasilewski, (Polish origin) means "son of WASYL." Uncommon among surnames starting with W.
81. Watkins, (English Origin) derived from Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name WALTER.
82. Wattana, (English Origin) from Thai วัฒน (wathan) meaning "culture." A unique last name that starts with W.
83. Waxweiler, (German Origin) denotes a person from Waxweiler, a village in Germany.
84. Wayne, (English Origin) derived from wægn "wagon" and meaning "wagon maker, cartwright."
85. Webster, (English Origin) an occupational last name meaning "weaver."
86. Wechsler, (English Origin) meaning "money changer, banker."
87. Weiss, (German origin) from Middle High German wiz meaning "white." A nickname for a person with white hair or skin.
88. Wells, (English Origin) derived from welle meaning "well, water hole."
89. Wen, (Chinese origin) from Chinese wen meaning "literature, writing." Among the endearing last names with W.
90. Westenberg, (English Origin) refers to a person who lived "west of the mountain."
91. Wheatley, (English Origin) meaning "wheat clearing" in Old English.
92. Whinery, (English Origin) made of two words -- whin "gorse bush" and wray "nook of land."
93. Whittle, (English Origin) English place name derived from "white" and "hill."
94. Wieck, (English Origin) derived from Latin vicus, meaning "village, town."
95. Winfield, (Old English origin) derived from winn for "meadow," and feld for"field".
96. Winkler, (Old German origin ) derived from the word winkil meaning "corner".
97. Winship, (Old English origin) meaning "wine market". An interesting surname with W.
98. Wisniewski, (Polish origin) derived from wiśnia meaning "sour cherry".
99. Wojcik, (Polish origin) derived from wójt meaning "chief". An interesting choice among last names that start with W.
100. Wortham, (English origin) meaning "enclosed homestead". Uncommon among last names that start with W in the United States.
Kidadl has lots of great names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for Last Names Beginning With W then why not take a look at Last Names Starting With P, or for something different take a look at Swiss Last Names.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.
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