Yazzie Family History

Native American (Navajo): from an American English shortened and altered form of a Navajo personal name based on (or just composed of) the word yázhí ‘little (one) small’ also ‘young’ such as Hastiin Yázhí ‘Little Man’ also ‘Short Man’ Anglicized as e.g. Hosteen Yazzie (see Hosteen).

Forming the last part of longer names this particular word was in many cases mistakenly understood by whites to be a surname (see Begay). Yazzie is the second most common surname of Native American origin in general.

Compare Little 4 and Shorty.