Surnames starting with V

A surname from the Spanish word for “cow,” often applied as a nickname or as part of a place-name-style family name.

An Italian surname meaning “cowherd” or “dairyman,” from a word for cattle work.

Usually a surname for someone who lived in a valley, though it can also reflect spelling variation from related names.

A French surname meaning, roughly, “valiant court” or “brave courtier,” though the exact origin is not fully certain.

A Spanish surname most likely tied to a place name or a family line from medieval Iberia.

A Spanish surname most often linked to a place name, probably meaning “from Valde(s)” or “of the valley.”

A Spanish surname from the place name Valdivia, most famously associated with the Chilean city of that name.

A Spanish surname most likely linked to a place name built from an old personal name, rather than a literal occupational meaning.

A surname of Spanish origin, most often linked to places beginning with Valde- or to the old toponymic form Valdés.

A topographic surname meaning someone who lived in or near a valley.

A surname taken from the Spanish city of Valencia, originally meaning someone from that place.

A Romance surname from the Latin for “healthy” or “strong,” originally a personal name nickname for someone robust.

An Italian surname ultimately built on the Latin personal name Valens, meaning “strong” or “healthy.”

A surname from the Latin name Valentinus, meaning “strong” or “healthy,” often associated with St. Valentine.

A surname from the personal name Valentine, ultimately from Latin for “strong” or “healthy.”

An Italian and Spanish surname ultimately from the Latin personal name Valentinus, meaning “strong” or “healthy.”

A Spanish toponymic surname from places named Valenzuela, literally meaning “small valley” or “little valley.”

A surname of Iberian origin, most likely from a place-name or local family name built on Latin roots connected with “valley” or a plain.

A Romance surname from the Latin name Valerius, originally meaning “healthy” or “strong.”

A Spanish surname likely rooted in Latin meaning “strong” or “healthy.”

A Spanish surname probably linked to places named from a defensive wall or enclosure.

A surname from the word for “valley,” often used for someone who lived near or came from a valley.

A Spanish surname meaning “little valley” or “from the valley,” often used as a place-based name.

A Spanish surname likely referring to people who came from a small valley or low-lying place.

A surname usually tied to the Spanish word for “valleys,” often marking someone who lived in or came from a valley area.

A topographic surname for someone who lived in or near a valley.

A Spanish surname likely referring to someone from, or associated with, a place named Valtierrra or a similar valley-land formation.

A Spanish surname meaning “green valley,” originally a place-name for someone from a verdant valley.

A Dutch and Flemish name element meaning “of” or “from,” originally used to mark where a family came from.

A Dutch habitational surname meaning “from Buren,” referring to someone who came from the town of Buren in the Netherlands.

A Dutch-American surname from a place name, meaning someone who came from or lived near a church village or church enclosure.

A Dutch surname meaning “from the camp,” usually marking someone who came from or lived by a camp-like settlement.

A Dutch-origin surname built from the particle Van plus a place-based name, originally meaning “from Dusen” or a similar locality.

A Dutch and Flemish surname meaning “of the dike” or “from the dike.”

A Dutch-style surname likely meaning "from Hoose," with the first element identifying geographic origin.

A Dutch-origin surname meaning “from Horn” or “of Horn,” referring to a place-name or local landmark.

A Dutch surname meaning “from Houten” or “of the woods/forest enclosure,” originally marking someone’s place of origin.

A Dutch-style surname meaning someone from or connected with a place called Meter.

A Dutch surname meaning “from Nes,” referring to someone from a place called Nes.

A surname most likely built from the Dutch/Flemish particle van, meaning “from,” plus a place-based name element.

A Dutch surname meaning “from Pelt,” originally pointing to someone who came from the place called Pelt.

A Dutch-style surname built from the prefix Van plus an older place name, likely meaning “from Sickel” or a similar locality.

A Dutch-style surname meaning “from the Winkle” or “from a place called Winkle,” later fixed in American spelling as Van Winkle.

A Dutch-style surname meaning “from Zandt,” most likely pointing to a place-name or sand-related locality.

A Dutch-style surname meaning “from Zand/Sant,” likely pointing to someone who came from a sandy place or a place named Zand.

A surname most often treated as a form of Vann or Vans, especially in English and Scottish usage.

A surname of Dutch-style form, likely built from a place or family-name element introduced into English-speaking countries by immigrant families.

A Dutch and Flemish surname meaning “from the mountain” or “from the hill.”

A Dutch-influenced surname meaning someone from a pool, pond, or water feature.

A surname most likely of Dutch or Flemish origin, probably formed from a place-name or from the old particle van, meaning “from” or “of.”

A Spanish surname most likely tied to a place name or to the old Iberian surname form Venegas.

A surname found in several languages, often a short form or spelling tied to names beginning with Van- or to Asian naming traditions.

A Dutch-origin surname meaning “from the corner” or “from the bend,” likely referring to a place-name or a topographic feature.

A likely Dutch-style surname built from a place-like name, probably meaning someone from or associated with a landed estate or region called Landingham/Van Landingham.

An English surname usually from a place by a threshing-floor or winnowing fan.

A Dutch or Flemish surname meaning “from Over-,” likely originally tied to a place-name such as Overbeek.

A surname with multiple possible roots, most likely from a word meaning “staff,” “rod,” or “measure,” and in some cases influenced by place-names or language contact.

A Spanish and Portuguese surname most often linked to a place name or a farm/field term, and widely found in the Iberian world and beyond.

A surname with several possible roots, most often linked to a place-name or to a word for a slope or hillside.

A very common Spanish and Portuguese surname most likely tied to a place-name or landscape term for steep ground or slopes.

A South Indian Christian surname derived from a form of the name George, especially associated with Kerala.

A surname most often linked to Central or Eastern European naming traditions, probably from a personal name rather than an English word.

A rare surname most likely connected to a French place-name or an older French personal name.

Varner is usually an English-language surname that likely began as a spelling variant of Verner, itself often tied to the personal name Werner or a related French form.

An English surname most likely from a place-name, often explained as a variant of Verney or Vernham.

A Welsh surname meaning “little” or “small,” originally from a nickname or personal name.

A Welsh surname meaning “little” or “small,” originally a nickname or personal name.

An English surname that was likely a regional or spelling variant tied to names like Vaux, Vause, or Vaughan.

An English and Scottish surname usually treated as a spelling variant of Veitch.

An English surname usually meaning “the calf,” with a possible second source from Old French for “the old.”

A Spanish surname meaning “meadow” or “fertile plain,” originally identifying someone who lived by such land.

A surname that can trace to a medieval personal name in Iberia, and in some cases to the Spanish word for a sail or candle.

A Spanish surname likely tied to a medieval personal name, with the form also appearing in older records as Belarde or Beraldo.

A Spanish surname most often explained as a Basque-language name, traditionally linked to a personal byname or place-name rather than a profession.

A Spanish surname from Velasco, ultimately tied to an old Basque personal name meaning “crow.”

A Hispanic surname most likely tied to the place name Velasco, ultimately pointing to a regional or locational origin.

A surname most likely linked to Spanish-language name forms, probably as a variant spelling of Velás/Velasco-type surnames rather than a single clear source word.

A surname found especially in Malta and the Mediterranean, often linked to an old word for a sail, veil, or similar cloth term, though the exact origin can vary by family.

A Spanish surname from the word for “swift” or “fast.”

A Spanish surname that originally meant “son of Velasco,” a name derived from a medieval personal name.

An English surname most likely derived from the Norman place-name Venables, linked to a family settled in England after the Conquest.

A surname usually linked to the personal name Vincent, ultimately from Latin for “conquering” or “prevailing.”

A Spanish surname most likely tied to a place-name in northwestern Spain, especially the area around Venegas in León.

A surname from a word meaning “good fortune” or “luck,” often tied to the given name Bonaventura.

A surname with several possible roots, most often understood as “true” or as a form of a personal name in Romance-language areas.

A surname with several likely roots, most often linked to Spanish- or Portuguese-language naming traditions.

A French surname meaning “little green” or “of Verdun,” depending on the family line.

A Spanish surname originally meaning “executioner” or “hangman,” probably first applied as a nickname or occupational label.

A Spanish surname likely tied to a place-name or topographic term, with roots in the Iberian Peninsula and later strong use in Mexico and the Hispanic Americas.

A surname of likely Dutch or place-name origin, probably tied to a word meaning “at” or “from” a specific location.

A Spanish habitational surname originally tied to places named Vergara, especially the town in Gipuzkoa, Spain.

A common North Indian surname, often associated with the Sanskrit word for “shield,” though its use as a family name has several historical lines.

A surname likely coined from the bright red pigment/vermilion, probably as a nickname or ornamental name.

A Norman locational surname meaning “from Vernon,” a place-name in northern France.

A surname that may be a short form or a corruption of other names, with one old source linking it to French place-names.

A surname that likely began as a nickname or ornamental name drawn from the Roman Vestal virgins.

A German surname meaning “cousin,” formed from the everyday kinship word for a relative.

A rare surname likely connected to roads or a place by the road, from Latin via, “way, road.”

Likely a nickname surname from the medieval stage villain called the Vice, or from an old word for a rogue or jester.

A surname taken from the given name Vicente, ultimately from Latin for “conquering” or “victorious.”

Likely an English surname from the French place-name Vic/Vicq, ultimately meaning “the village.”

Usually a surname from "vicar" or "vicar's son," with some forms also linked to residence at the vicarage.

A surname usually from Vicar, meaning “the vicar’s son” or a related form of the church office title.

A surname from the Latin personal name meaning “conqueror.”

A surname taken from the Latin word for victory, ultimately made famous by Queen Victoria’s name.

A surname most often linked to the old personal name Vitalis, meaning “life” or “vital,” especially in French and Spanish families.

A Spanish surname most likely connected to the personal name Vidal, ultimately from Latin roots meaning “life.”

A Portuguese surname that most often began as a place-name, especially for someone from a site marked by a holly or similar thorny tree.

A surname most likely from a place name or from the Iberian word for a pike-like fish, with Portuguese and Spanish roots.

A surname of likely Iberian origin, probably tied to a place-name or the Old Occitan/Portuguese word for a village or town area.

A surname that likely began as a name for someone associated with a vigil, watch, or wake.

A surname from Latin and Romance place-names meaning “farmstead” or “country estate,” often taken from a village or manor.

A Spanish surname meaning roughly “lord of the villa” or “master of the estate.”

A Spanish surname meaning “strong town” or “fortified village.”

A Spanish surname most likely meaning someone from a place called Villagrán, literally “big village” or “large town.”

A Spanish surname built from villa (“town”) plus the old personal name Gómez, literally meaning “Gómez’s town” or “estate.”

A Spanish surname originally referring to someone from one of several places called Villalba, literally “white town” or “bright village.”

A Spanish locational surname meaning “of Villalobos,” originally identifying someone from a place called Villalobos.

A Spanish habitational surname meaning someone from Villalpando, a town in northwestern Spain.

A Spanish surname meaning “high town” or “upper village,” built from villa and alta.

A Spanish surname meaning “new town” or “new village,” originally used for people from a place so named.

A Spanish surname usually meaning someone from a village or rural estate called a villar.

A Spanish surname originally referring to someone from a “royal town” or a place called Villareal.

A Spanish place-name surname meaning someone from a place called Villarreal, literally “royal village” or “royal town.”

A Spanish surname most likely from a place name meaning “village tower” or a village associated with a tower.

A Spanish surname from a place name, literally meaning someone from or connected with Villavicencio.

A Spanish surname most likely tied to a place-name or an older descriptive place term for a village or settlement.

A Spanish surname that began as a place-name identifier, ultimately tied to villages or a town called Villegas in Castile.

A Spanish surname most likely taken from a place-name meaning “small village” or “little villa.”

A classic given-name surname from Latin meaning “conquering” or “victorious.”

A surname that can mean either “vine-grower” or a family name built from Vine, with some cases also tied to French place-names.

A topographic surname for someone who lived by or worked in a vineyard.

A surname probably from Vince/Vincent or the word vine, with an old English spelling history that later settled into Vining.

Usually a surname from Vincent, though some early writers also linked it to “Vine’s son” or other local forms.

A surname from the Latin word for the violet flower, often used as a delicate personal name before becoming a family name.

A French surname and given name from the word for “violet,” often first used as a nickname for someone associated with the flower or color.

A Spanish-language surname likely meaning “from the green mountain” or “green mountain,” pointing to a place-name origin.

A Spanish surname that likely began as a devotional name referring to the Virgin Mary.

A Dutch and Frisian occupational surname meaning “fisherman.”

A surname from the Latin personal name Vitalis, meaning “of life” or “life-giving.”

An Italian surname from a personal name meaning “vital” or “full of life,” ultimately tied to Latin vita, “life.”

A Spanish surname meaning “nurseries” or “breeding grounds,” originally from a word for places where plants or animals are raised.

A Spanish surname likely tied to a place name, especially from the Basque-influenced north of Spain.

A short surname found especially in Vietnamese families, often reflecting a Chinese-style origin or an older family name element.

A German surname usually meaning “from a lowland or marshy place,” though it can also reflect a status nickname in some cases.

A German and Dutch surname meaning “bird” or “fowl,” originally a nickname or byname.

A German surname most often meaning “birdcatcher” or “fowler,” from Vogel “bird” plus an occupational ending.

A German occupational surname meaning an overseer, bailiff, or local official.

A German surname meaning “steward,” “bailiff,” or “reeve,” from the same root as Vogt.

A surname from the German word for “people” or “folk,” sometimes used as a nickname or in compounds.

A German surname from an old personal name meaning “famous” or “renowned.”

An Italian surname from the word for “fox,” originally a nickname for a sly, clever, or fox-like person.

A German surname most often explained as a shortened form of names built on the element Volk-, “people.”

A surname found mainly in Southeast Asian and Chinese diaspora communities, often representing a romanized Chinese name or a locally adapted family name.

A Dutch surname meaning “from the front room” or “fore-house,” originally a place-based name.

A Dutch and Low German surname meaning “fox,” usually a nickname for a sly or reddish-haired person.

A surname most often explained as meaning “fox,” especially from Dutch or Low German roots.

A rare surname probably going back to a place-name or an older personal name, with spellings that shifted over time.

A Vietnamese surname, most often linked to a historical title or honorific rather than a family trade or place name.

A surname that most likely comes from the French word for “view,” usually pointing to a scenic place or a descriptive nickname.

A Vietnamese surname, usually written with a diacritic as Vương, associated with the word for “king” or “monarch.”

A South Asian surname, often linked to Sanskrit learning and the name of the sage Vyasa.

A Spanish surname meaning “son of Vasco,” with Vasco originally a medieval personal name linked to the Basque people.

A Spanish surname meaning “son of Velasco” or, more broadly, a patronymic built from a personal name beginning with Vázquez/Velasco.

A surname of Spanish origin, most often a patronymic or regional name associated with medieval Iberia.