Origin
Agg : 1: perhaps from the Middle English personal name Agg(e) Hagg(e) (Old Scandinavian Aggi of uncertain origin) although this is more usually found in N and E England in counties settled by Vikings; see Hagg. Some of the bearers cited here may belong to (2). 2: of uncertain origin. Middle English hagg (Old Scandinavian hǫgg) ‘woodland set aside for cutting’ seems unlikely in SW England for the term is recorded only in northern counties (see Hagg). Old English haga ‘hedge enclosure’ normally becomes Middle English haw not hag and Old English *hagga ‘haw fruit of the hawthorn’ is unlikely to form a simplex place-name or locative surname though it might lie behind Hag Hill in Great Hinton (Wilts) recorded as Hagg Hill 1625 in Place-Names of Wilts p. 142. The loss of initial H- in Agg for Hagg is commonplace in SW dialects.
Barnett : 1: English: habitational name from various places for example Chipping (High) Barnet East Barnet and Friern Barnet in Greater London named with Old English bærnet ‘place cleared by burning’ (a derivative of bærnan ‘to burn to set light to’).2: English (of Norman origin): from a medieval personal name a variant of Bernard.3: Jewish (Ashkenazic): this surname has been adopted by Ashkenazic Jews in the English-speaking world perhaps as an Anglicized form of a vaguely similar Jewish name such as Baruch.
Borseth : Norwegian (mainly Børseth): habitational name from any of various farms in central Norway named Børset(h) or Borseth from Old Norse borg ‘stronghold fortification’ Old Norse birki ‘birch’ or the river name Bera + set ‘dwelling’ ‘farmstead’.
Bremseth : Norwegian: habitational name from a farm in Trøndelag so named from an uncertain first element + set ‘dwelling farmstead’.
Caleb : 1: English (Yorkshire) and Welsh (Monmouthshire): from the Biblical personal name Caleb which is derived from ancient Hebrew kaleb ‘dog’. It was the name of one of the only two men who set out with Moses from Egypt to live long enough to enter the promised land (Numbers 26:65). This name was popular among the Puritans in the 17th century and was brought by them as a personal name to America.2: Possibly also an Americanized form of Croatian Kaleb: nickname from an old spelling of galeb ‘seagull’.
Camenzind : Swiss German: perhaps an occupational name for a builder of fireplaces and chimneys or a nickname for someone allowed his chimney to catch fire (for which the owner was fined) from Middle High German kamen ‘chimney fireplace’ + the base of the agent noun derived from zünden ‘to set on fire to burn’.
Castle : English: topographic name from Anglo-Norman French Middle English castel ‘castle fortified building or set of buildings’ especially the residence of a feudal lord (from Late Latin castellum a diminutive of castrum ‘fort Roman walled city’). The name would also have denoted a servant who lived and worked at such a place or someone who had an obligation to provide services or rent to a castle.
Chess : English (Gloucestershire): of uncertain origin. Formally it might derive from Middle English ches chesse (Old French esches) ‘chess’ (referring to the game a set of chess pieces or a chess board) or from Middle English chesse ‘(poppy) seed pod’. This surname is now rare in Britain.
Close : 1: English: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure of some sort such as a courtyard set back from the main street or a farmyard from Middle English clos(e) (Old French clos from Late Latin clausum past participle of claudere ‘to close’). Possibly also a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked in such a place.2: English: from Middle English clos(e) ‘secret’ applied as a nickname for a reserved or secretive person.3: Dutch: variant of Cloos.4: German: variant of Klose and in North America (also) an altered form of this. It is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine).
Coxeter : from Middle English cok ‘cock’ + setter(e) ‘one who sets something out’ for someone who set the cocks in a cock fight.
Cross : 1: English: topographic name for someone who lived near a cross such as one set up by the roadside or in a marketplace from Middle English cros (Old English cros and Old Norse kross ultimately from Latin crux crucem). It is commonly Latinized in medieval records as ad crucem and de Cruce but examples of this can just as well belong to the synonymous but less common name Crouch. In a few cases the surname may have been given originally to someone who lived by a crossroads but this sense of the word seems to have been a comparatively late development. In other cases the surname (and its European cognates; see 3 below) may have denoted someone who carried the cross in processions of the Christian Church but in English at least the usual word for this sense was Crozier.2: Irish: shortened form of McCrossen.3: Americanized form (translation into English) of various European surnames meaning ‘cross’ or ‘the cross’ such as French Lacroix German Kreutz and Slovenian and Croatian Križ (see Kriz).4: Americanized form of German Kross.
Dotseth : Norwegian: habitational name from a farm name in Toten first element a female name Dotter ‘daughter’ second element set ‘dwelling farmstead'.
Espeseth : Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads so named from espe ‘aspen’ + set ‘dwelling farmstead’.
Fang : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 方 meaning ‘square’ in Chinese: (i) from Fang (方) the name of a hill which according to legend was a fief (thought to be in present-day Yuzhou or Songshan in Henan province) granted to Lei (known as Fang Lei Shi 方雷氏) son of the legendary king Yu Wang (traditional dates: 4561–4494 BC). (ii) from the first element of the personal name Fang Shu (方叔) style name of an official during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC).2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 房 meaning ‘house’ in Chinese: (i) from the placename Fang (房) the name of a fief (located in present-day Suiping in Henan province) granted to Danzhu son of the legendary Emperor Yao (c. 24th century BC). (ii) adopted as a surname by the Wu Yin (屋引) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 AD).3: Southeast Asian (Hmong): from the name of the Fang clan of the Hmong people in Laos China and Vietnam; in Chinese characters it is written 黃 (see Huang).4: German: from Middle High German vanc ‘catch enclosure’ hence a topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosed plot of land a hunting ground a place where traps were set (for game or fish) or a pit; or a byname meaning ‘the catch’ for a foreigner who had been forced into bondage.
Finseth : Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farms so named especially in the north from finnr ‘Finn Lapp’ or the personal name Finnr (of the same etymology) + set ‘farmstead’.
Forseth : Norwegian: habitational name from any of the seven farmsteads notably in Trøndelag so named either from Old Norse fors ‘waterfall’ or fura ‘pine’ + set ‘farmstead’.
Fritter : English: variant of Fretter an occupational name for a maker of ornaments (especially for the hair) consisting of jewels set in a lattice network from an agent derivative of Middle English frette Old French frete ‘interlaced work’.
Froseth : Norwegian (Frøseth): habitational name from the farm name Frøset found in five places from Freyja the name of the Old Norse goddess of love + set ‘dwelling farmstead’.
Gates : 1: English: variant of Gate with plural or excrescent -s. The English surname Gate has three possible origins: (i) a topographic name from Middle English gate ‘gate’ (Old English geat dative plural gatum) denoting someone who lived by a gate or set of gates (possibly sometimes an occupational name for a gate keeper; compre Yates); (ii) in northern England the East Midlands and East Anglia a topographic name from Middle English gate ‘street road path’ (Old Norse gata) for someone who lived by a road (compare Street); (iii) a nickname meaning ‘goat’ from northern Middle English gate gait (Old English gāt Old Norse geitr).2: Americanized form of German Götz (see Goetz).3: Americanized form (translation into English) of French Barrière (see Barriere).
Gleave : English (Lancashire and Cheshire): nickname from Middle English gleyve gleve ‘lance’ (Old French glaive gleive) used for a spearman or for the winner in a race in which the lance set up as a winning post was given as a prize. See Gleaves.
Gronseth : Norwegian (Grønseth): habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads notably in central Norway named Grønset from grøn ‘green’ + set ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Grose : 1: Cornish: topographic name for someone who lived near a stone cross set up by the roadside or in a marketplace Cornish crous (from Latin crux crucis). Compare Cross.2: English (of Norman origin): variant of Gross.
Gulseth : Norwegian: habitational name from a farm in Telemark named with the Old Norse personal name Guli + set ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Hagg : 1: Swedish (Hägg): ornamental name from hägg ‘bird cherry’ (Prunus padus) or a habitational name from placenames beginning with Hägg- an element with various possible meanings. Compare Hegg.2: English: variant of Agg which is perhaps from the Middle English personal name Agg(e) Hagg(e) (Old Norse Aggi of uncertain origin) or a topographic name perhaps from Middle English hagg (Old Norse hǫgg) ‘woodland clearing woodland set aside for cutting’.3: South German: variant of Haack.
Halseth : Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads notably in the Trøndelag region named Halseth from a combination of either Old Norse hallr ‘sloping’ or the personal name Halli + set ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Harm : 1: English: nickname apparently for an evildoer from Middle English harm ‘evil hurt injury’. This word could also appear in the plural in set phrases like don harmes to ‘to do harm to to wrong (somebody)’.2: English: nickname from Middle English arm ‘arm’ for someone with a noteworthy for example damaged arm. Compare Legg.3: North German: from a short form of Harman Hermann.4: South German: nickname from Middle High German harm ‘ermine’.5: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 譚 see Tan 1.
Huster : German:: 1: habitational name for someone from any of several places called Husten in Westphalia.2: nickname for someone with a cough from Middle High German huosten ‘to cough’.3: occupational name for a harvester of grass or grain from Middle High German hūsten ‘to set up sheaves of hay or grain’.
Keough : Irish (Clare and Tipperary): Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Eochaidh ‘son of Eochaidh’ a personal name based on each ‘horse’. Compare McCaughey. In another set of variants Mac has become Mag see McGough.
Kozak : 1: Ukrainian Rusyn and Polish; Czech Slovak and Hungarian (Kozák): ethnic name for a Cossack a member of a Slavic people descended from a group of runaway serfs who set up a semi-independent military republic in Ukraine in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Cossacks became noted for their military prowess. The name Cossack is of Turkic origin (from quzzaq ‘adventurer guerilla’; compare Turkish Kazak) but most European languages borrowed it from East Slavic. Compare Kosack Kosak 5 and Kozack.2: Polish; Czech (Kozák): occupational name for a goatherd from a derivative of Koza ‘nanny goat’. The homonymous Sorbian cognates Kózak and Kozak (from Lower Sorbian kóza Upper Sorbian koza) are apparently found in Germanized and Americanized forms only (see Kosack and Kosak).3: Slovak and Czech (Kozák): possibly also from kozák a kind of mushroom from the genus Leccinum.4: Slovenian Croatian and Serbian: nickname or occupational name from a derivative of koza ‘nanny goat’ or perhaps in some cases a nickname from kozak ‘light horseman of the Cossack military unit’ (compare 1 above and 5 below).5: Turkish: ornamental name from kozak ‘cone’ or from a homonymous word meaning ‘shady place’.6: Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname from Yiddish kozak ‘warrior Cossack’ (a loanword from Ukrainian or a cognate in some other Slavic language; see 1 above). Compare Kazak Kosak 5 and Kozack.
Kreutz : German: topographic name for someone who lived near a cross set up by the roadside in a marketplace or as a field or boundary marker from Middle High German kriuz(e) ‘cross’. Compare Cross.
Kreutzer : 1: German and Swiss German: topographic name for someone who lived near a cross set up by the roadside or in a marketplace from Middle High German kriuz(e) ‘cross’ + the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.2: German: habitational name for someone from a place called Krögis (recorded as Creuz in 1186) or from some other place similarly named.3: German: in some cases possibly from Middle High German kriuzære kriuzer a term denoting a crusader or Teutonic Knight an allusion to the symbol of the cross worn on the tunic by such knights.4: German: possibly also a metonymic occupational name for a coiner from the same word denoting a small coin marked with the symbol of a cross (in full kriuzerpfenninc).5: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from Kreutzer the name of the coin (see 4 above).
Kriz : 1: Czech (Kříž) and Slovak (Kríž Križ): from the old personal name Kříž Kríž (literally ‘cross’) or a short form of Kristián (see Christian). Slovak name can also be a habitational name for someone from a place called Kríž named with the word kríž ‘cross’.2: Slovenian and Croatian (Križ): topographic name from križ ‘cross’ applied to someone who lived near a cross set up by the roadside or in the marketplace. Compare Cross Kris Krisch and Krish.
Lacroix : 1: French and Walloon: topographic name from la croix ‘the cross’ for someone who lived near a cross set up by the roadside or in the marketplace or a habitational name for someone from any of several places in various parts of France and in Belgium (Wallonia) named La Croix or Lacroix.2: French and Walloon: from la croix ‘the cross’ used as a soldier's name or as a nickname for someone who carried the cross in church processions. Compare Cross Lacross Lacrosse and Lecroy.3: French Canadian: altered form of French Lagroix a habitational name from La Groye the name of several places in the northwestern part of France. The surname Lagroix is no longer found in France where only a variant without definite article la is registered.
Lampi : Finnish: ornamental name from lampi ‘pond’ adopted as a hereditary surname in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (following the trend set by Lampinen) in western and southern Finland (compare Laine 4). In the US it is also found as a shortened form of other Finnish surnames containing the element lampi such as Sankilampi.
Langseth : Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads named Langset from lang ‘long’ + set ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Lindseth : Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads in central Norway so named from lind ‘lime tree linden’ + set ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Loveday : English:: 1: from the Middle English female personal name Loveday Old English Lēofdæg composed of the elements lēof ‘dear beloved’ + dæg ‘day’.2: nickname for someone who had some particular association with a ‘loveday’. According to medieval custom this was a day set aside for the reconciliation of enemies and amicable settlement of disputes.
Manlapaz : Filipino: from a Hispanicized form of the Tagalog manlapas ‘to set free’ probably an occupational name for a Tagalog warrior.
Mauseth : Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farms named with an uncertain first element possibly maur ‘ant’ or maure ‘bedstraw’ (Galium). The second element is set ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Mew : 1: English: nickname from Middle English mew ‘seagull’ (Old English mǣw mēaw). Compare Maw 3.2: English (of Norman origin): metonymic occupational name or nickname from Old French mue ‘mew’ possibly denoting someone employed at a mew i.e. a cage or set of cages for hawks.3: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 苗 and 繆 (see Miao 1 and 2).
Nesset : Norwegian:: 2: habitational name from a farmstead named Nesset possibly from Old Norse neyti ‘herd of cattle’ + set ‘farm’. Compare [[[Nesseth]]].1: variant of [[[Neset]]] and in North America probably also an altered form of this.
Nwosu : West African (Nigeria): from the Igbo personal name Nwosu meaning ‘child of a person dedicated to a god’. In Things fall apart Chinua Achebe defines an òsu as “a person dedicated to a god a thing set apart – a taboo forever and his children after him”.
Osuji : West African (Nigeria): from the Igbo personal name Osuji meaning ‘servant of the yam god’. Yam (ji in Igbo) is a staple of life in Nigeria while an òsu is “a person dedicated to a god a thing set apart – a taboo forever and his children after him” as defined in the novel Things fall apart written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe.
Palos : 1: Spanish: habitational name from Palos de la Frontera the port in Huelva from which it is said Columbus’ ships set sail.2: Hungarian (Pálos): from the personal name Pál Hungarian form of Paul. The surname Pálos is also found in Slovakia.3: Croatian (Paloš): from a derivative of the Hungarian form of the personal name Paul (see 2 above) or from paloš a word of Hungarian and ultimately of Turkish origin denoting a kind of sabre.
Parlor : Altered form of English Parlour:: 1: of Norman origin from Anglo-Norman French parler(e) ‘speaker talker’ either an occupational name in the sense ‘advocate lawyer’ (i.e. ‘one who speaks on behalf of another’) or a nickname in the colloquial sense ‘chatterbox’.2: occupational name from Middle English parlour ‘parlour separate chamber’ (Anglo-Norman French parl(o)ur) probably denoting a servant who attended the parlour this being originally a room in a monastery set aside for conversation and interviews.
Parlour : 1: from Anglo-Norman French parler(e) ‘speaker talker’ either in the sense ‘advocate lawyer’ (i.e. ‘one who speaks on behalf of another’) or in the colloquial sense ‘chatterbox’. 2: from Middle English parlour ‘parlour separate chamber’ (Anglo-Norman French parl(o)ur) probably denoting a servant who attended the parlour this being originally a room in a monastery set aside for conversation and interviews.
Poniatowski : Polish: habitational name for someone from any of various places called Poniatowo Poniatowa or Poniatów named with the nickname Poniat ultimately derived from Old Slavic po(dъ)gnětiti ‘to set light to to kindle’.
Potteiger : Americanized form of German Pfattheicher: occupational name for an official who checked or set the rent owed by (feudal) tenants from Middle High German pfaht(e) ‘(royal) law legal status’ later ‘contract tax rent’ (from Late Latin pactum) + īcher ‘calibrator’.
Rosario : 1: Spanish and Portuguese: short form of a surname such as Spanish Del Rosario or from a short form of the Marian name María del Rosario given in particular to a girl who was born on the festival of Our Lady of the Rosary celebrated on the first Sunday in October. The word rosario ‘rosary’ derives from Late Latin rosarium ‘rose garden’ and was transferred to a set of devotions dedicated to the Virgin Mary as the result of the medieval symbolism which constantly compared her to a rose. Compare Rozario.2: Italian: from the male personal name Rosario of the same origin as 1 (above) or a habitational name from a minor place so named.
Roseth : Norwegian:: 1: habitational name from any of several farmsteads named Roset probably from a personal name (Old Norse Rói modern Norwegian Roe) + set ‘farmstead dwelling’.2: (Røseth): habitational name from any of several farmsteads named Røset or Rødset from Old Norse ross ‘mare’ or rauthr ‘red’ + set ‘farmstead dwelling’.
Seki : Japanese: written 関 ‘barrier’. It is a topographic name apparently taken from the many checkpoints set up throughout Japan by the Shogunate for the purpose of checking travelers’ passes. The surname occurs mostly in the Tokyo area and the Ryūkyūan island of Amami. It may also be less commonly written 尺 ‘measure’ 石 ‘rock’ or other ways.
Sekiguchi : Japanese: written 関口 ‘barrier opening’ referring to barriers set up by the Shogunate at highway checkpoints. This name is found mostly in eastern Japan.
Seth : 1: Indian (northern states): variant of Sheth.2: English: topographic name for someone who lived by a pit from Middle English sethe ‘pit hole’ (Old English sēath).3: English: perhaps also from the Old Testament Biblical personal name Seth from a word meaning ‘appointed’ in Hebrew.4: Scottish (Fife): Anglicized form of any of several surnames based on the Gaelic personal name Sitheach (see Shaw 2).5: Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farms named Set from Old Norse setr ‘farmstead dwelling’. In North America this surname may also be an altered form of the variant Sæth.
Seto : 1: Japanese: written 瀬戸 ‘strait’. The name is probably connected with the Seto Naikai called the ‘Inland Sea’ in English. It is found mostly in the island of Kyūshū which bounds the Inland Sea on the west.2: Chinese: variant of Situ based on its Cantonese pronunciation.3: Catalan (Setó): perhaps a nickname derived from set ‘seven’.
Setzer : 1: German: occupational name for a market inspector or a tax official Middle High German setzer an agent derivative of Middle High German setzen ‘to set (prices)’.2: Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name from German Setzer Yiddish zetser ‘typesetter compositor of typography’.
Song : 1: Korean: written 송 in Chinese characters 宋 denoting the Song kingdom. There are actually two Chinese characters for this surname covering sixteen clans. The smaller clan is the only clan to use another one of the two Chinese characters and it has only one or two households. The remaining clans all descend from a common ancestor Song Chu-ŭn (宋 株殷) who seems to have migrated from Tang China to Korea sometime during the Shilla period. Sixty percent of the Songs live in southern Korea.2: Korean (Sŏng): written 성 in Chinese characters 成 meaning ‘success’. There are actually two Chinese characters for the surname Sŏng but one of them is registered for just a single household. Only the common Sŏng clan the Ch’angnyŏng clan is treated here. This was founded by Sŏng In-bo (成 仁輔) just prior to the establishment of the Koryŏ kingdom in 918. According to legend Sŏng In-bo died in Seoul. His son set out to transport his father's body back to Ch’angnyŏng but the weather being poor he decided to stop for the night and finish the journey in the morning. When he awoke he discovered that his father's body was missing. Upon investigation he found that a tiger had dragged the body to a secluded grave site in the mountains near Ch’angnyŏng. It was there that the son buried his father and established his home. Many of the members of the Sŏng clan today live in the Ch’angnyŏng area of Kyŏngsang province. Compare Sung 5.3: Chinese: Mandarin form and Cantonese variant of the surname 宋: (i) from Song (宋) the name of a state (located in Shangqiu in Henan province) granted to Wei Ziqi by King Wu of Zhou (c. 1087–1043 BC). After the state was annexed by the state of Qi (located mainly in present-day Shandong province) in 286 BC some descendants of the royal family from the state adopted 宋 the name of the state as their surname. (ii) said to be traced back to the personal name Song (宋) personal name of a prince in the state of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).4: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 松 meaning ‘pine tree’ in Chinese: It was said that Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC) the first emperor of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) once took shelter from the rain under a giant pine tree on his way back to the palace after a ceremony. He later honored the tree and the local residents nearby adopted Song (松) as a surname.5: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 桑 see Sang 4.6: Chinese: Hakka form of the surname 常 see Chang 1.7: Southeast Asian (Hmong): variant of Xiong 2.8: Cambodian: written សុង of Chinese origin but unexplained etymology (probably corresponding to one of the surnames above). The surname សុង also corresponds to the archaic Khmer word meaning ‘(to be) black as night’.
Steiner : 1: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): agent derivative of Stein. It is both an occupational name for someone who worked with stone (a quarryman stonecutter or stonemason) and a topographic name for someone who lived on stony ground or near a prominent outcrop of rock. As a Jewish surname it can also be artificial distributed at random by Austrian clerks. This surname is also found elsewhere in Europe e.g. in France (Alsace and Lorraine) Czechia Croatia and Slovenia (see also 4 below).2: German: occupational name from Middle High German steinen ‘to set in precious stones gems boundary stones’ for a goldsmith paver or a land surveyor.3: German: habitational name for someone from any of the places called Steinau.4: Germanized form of various Slavic adaptations of the German surname (see 1 above) such as Czech and Slovenian Šteiner Štajnar and Štajner (see Stainer and Stayner). Compare Stiner.
Stenseth : Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads notably in eastern Norway named Steinset from either the noun stein ‘stone’ or the same word as a personal name + set ‘farmstead’.
Stocks : 1: German: variant of Stock.2: English (Yorkshire): variant of Stock with plural or post-medieval excrescent -s. In the plural form the surname may also be topographic for someone who lived near tree stumps or habitational from a place so named such as Stocks in Thurstonland (Yorkshire). It may also denote someone who lived by or operated the obsolete instrument of punishment known as the stocks (Middle English stokkes) owing to its construction from two wooden planks set edgewise one over the other.
Sunderland : English: habitational name primarily from High Sunderland in Northowram Halifax (Yorkshire) but occasionally from other places so called for example in Durham Cumberland Lancashire and Northumberland. The placenames derive from Old English sundor-land ‘land set apart for some special purpose private land detached land’ (sundor ‘asunder apart’ + land ‘land’). Compare Sunderlin.
Taing : Cambodian:: 1: written តាំង derived from the Chinese surname 陳 see Chen 1.2: written តាំង corresponding to the Khmer word with various meanings including ‘to set up’ and ‘small hill in a forest’.
Trainer : 1: English (northern): occupational name for a trapper from Middle English trainer ‘trapper of wild animals’ an agent derivative of trainen ‘to set a trap or snare’. See Train and compare Trapp.2: Irish (Armagh): variant of Trainor.3: Altered form of German Trainer a habitational name for someone from Train in Bavaria or Trainau in Upper Franconia.
Tu : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 塗 (or 涂) meaning ‘paint smear’ in Chinese: (i) from Tu (涂) the ancient name of the Chu river (located in present-day Anhui province and Jiangsu province). (ii) borne by descendants of Tu Qin (塗欽 or 涂欽) (246–337 AD) an official during the Western and Eastern Jin dynasty (265–420 AD) who migrated to southern China.（iii) shortened form of the compound surname Tu-Shan (塗山 or 涂山).2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 屠 meaning ‘slaughter’ in Chinese: (i) shortened form of the compound surname Zou-Tu (鄒屠) the name of an ancient place (possibly located in Shandong province). (ii) simplified form of the placename Tu (屠阝) the name of a fief (located in Shaanxi province) which was said to be one of the families surnames also written as Tu (荼) during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). (iii) from Tu Peng (屠剻) post name of officials in charge of slaughtering animals in the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).3: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 徒 meaning ‘disciple’ in ancient Chinese: probably shortened form of a set of Chinese compound surnames such as Si-Tu (司徒 see Situ) Tu-Ren (徒人) or Tu-He (徒河 or 徒何 a surname from the Xianbei ethnic group in ancient northern China).4: Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 杜 都 and 堵 see Du 1-3.5: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 朱 see Zhu 1.6: Vietnamese (Từ): from the Chinese surname 徐 see Xu 1.
Winspear : Weekley suggests that the name is for a person who won a race and was awarded the spear which was used as a winning post (from the Middle English verb winnen win ‘to win’ + spere ‘spear lance’). This is supported by a known sense of Middle English glaive ‘spear lance’ (Old French glaive) defined in MED as ‘a lance set up as a winning-post in a race (sometimes given as a prize to the winner); also the prize so won’.
Yate : for someone who lived by a gate (Middle English yat Old English geat) in some cases because they acted as the gatekeeper or porter to a hall a monastery or some other important building. Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames mentions a witness to a set of deeds who is variously named as John ad portam John le Porter and John atteyate 1322–6 in Yorks Deeds (Wadworth WR Yorks). Compare Yeatman Gate.for someone who lived at or came from Yate (Gloucs) which is recorded as Gete in 1182. The place-name derives from Old English geat ‘gate’.
Zahn : 1: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for someone with a large or peculiar tooth or a remarkable or defective set of teeth from Middle High German zan(t) ‘tooth’ German Zahn.2: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 臧 possibly based on its Mandarin pronunciation see Zang 2.
Zapalac : Czech (Zapalač): nickname for someone believed to be an arsonist or incendiary from zapalovat ‘to set fire to’.
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Source : FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
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