Was

Was Meaning & Origin

About Was
The surname Was is of German origin and is derived from the Middle High German word "was," meaning "what." It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who was inquisitive or curious. The name may have been given to individuals who asked a lot of questions or had a tendency to ponder and contemplate. Over time, this nickname evolved into a hereditary surname, passed down through generations.

🌍 Origin
📏 Surname Length
💬 Number of Syllables
🔠 Starting Letter
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Popularity

Surname Popularity by Ethnicity

The surname Was is a unique entry in our records. Discover more about its distribution and characteristics:

  • Number of People with the name Was: 353
  • Overall Popularity: Less than 0.01% (a rare surname)
  • Ranking: 57,639
  • Frequency per 100k people: 0.12

Below is the ethnic distribution of the surname Was based on recent US Census records. This is a brief glimpse into the diverse backgrounds of people carrying this surname.

Ranking information for the surname Was is not currently available.

Pronunciation

📇 Metaphone
AS
🗽 NYSIIS
WA
🔊 Soundex
W020
🎵 Syllabic Pronunciation
W AA1 Z
🌐 IPA
/wɑz/
🔊 Double Metaphone
('AS', 'FS')
🈯 Cross-Lingual Phonetic
W200

Accessibility & Communication

How to write the name Was in Braille

Here's how to represent Was in Braille, each pattern of raised dots corresponds to a letter in the name.

The name Was in braille

How to sign the name Was using Sign Language

The image below shows how you can spell Was using American Sign Language (ASL). In sign language, each hand shape corresponds to a specific a letter of the name.

The name Was in sign language

Numerology