Surnames Starting with S

usage
Saab Arabic
Possibly from the Arabic given name Sabah.
Saad Arabic, Malay
From the given name Sa'd.
Saar Estonian
From Estonian saar meaning "island".
Saari Finnish
From Finnish saari meaning "island".
Saarinen Finnish
From Finnish saari meaning "island".
Sabbadin Italian
From a nickname from Italian sabbato "Saturday", a name for one born on that day of the week.
Sacco Italian
Occupational name for a maker of sacks, from Italian sacco, Latin saccus.
Sachs German
Originally indicated a person from Saxony (German Sachsen). The region was named for the Germanic tribe of the Saxons, ultimately derived from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife".
Sackville English
From the name of the Norman French town of Saqueneville.
Sadık Turkish
From the given name Sadık.
Sadıqov Azerbaijani
Means "son of Sadıq".
Sadler English
Occupational name for a maker of saddles, from Old English sadol "saddle".
Sadowski Polish
Denoted someone who lived in Sadowo, Sadowice or other places beginning with Polish sad "garden, orchard".
Şahin Turkish
Means "hawk" in Turkish (of Persian origin), probably used to refer to someone who was a hawk tamer.
Saito Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 斎藤 (see Saitō).
Saitō Japanese
From Japanese (sai) meaning "purification, worship" and () meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
Saitou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 斎藤 (see Saitō).
Sakamoto Japanese
From Japanese 坂 or 阪 (saka) meaning "slope" and (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
Sakurada Japanese
From Japanese (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Sala Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Romanian
Occupational name for a worker at a manor house, from the Romance word sala meaning "hall, large room", of Germanic origin.
Salamanca Spanish
Originally indicated a person from Salamanca, a city in western Spain that is of unknown meaning.
Salamon Hungarian, Polish
Derived from the given name Salamon or Salomon.
Salazar Basque
From Spanish sala meaning "hall" and Basque zahar meaning "old". It can also refer to the town of Salazar in Burgos, Spain, which is of the same origin.
Salcedo Spanish
Derived from Latin salix meaning "willow tree". The name was originally given to one who lived near a willow tree.
Salem Arabic
From the given name Salim.
Salih Arabic
From the given name Salih.
Salihović Bosnian
Means "son of Salih".
Salim Arabic
From the given name Salim.
Salinas Spanish
Occupational name for a salt worker or someone who lived bear a salt works, from Spanish salina "salt works, salt mine", ultimately from Latin sal "salt".
Saller 1 German
Originally denoted a person from the town of Sallern in Bavaria, possibly from a Celtic element meaning "stream".
Saller 2 German
Denoted a person who lived by a prominent sallow tree, from Middle High German salhe "sallow tree".
Salminen Finnish
From Finnish salmi meaning "strait".
Salmon English, French
Derived from the given name Solomon.
Salo Finnish
Means "forest" in Finnish.
Salomon French, German, Jewish
Derived from the given name Salomon or Salomo.
Salonen Finnish
From Finnish salo meaning "forest".
Salucci Italian
From Italian sale meaning "salt".
Salvador Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Salvador.
Salvaggi Italian
Italian form of Savage.
Salvatici Italian
Italian form of Savage.
Salvi Italian
From the given name Salvo or Salvio.
Salzwedel German
Originally denoted a person from Salzwedel, Germany, which is of Old Saxon origin meaning "salt ford".
Samara Arabic
Meaning unknown.
Samaras Greek
Means "saddle maker" in Greek.
Sampson English
Derived from a medieval form of the given name Samson.
Sams English
Derived from the given name Samuel.
Samsa Hungarian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Sámuel.
Samson English, French
Derived from the given name Samson.
Samuel English, Welsh, French, Jewish
Derived from the given name Samuel.
Samuels English
Derived from the given name Samuel.
Samuelson English
Means "son of Samuel".
Samuelsson Swedish
Means "son of Samuel".
Sanada Japanese
From Japanese (sana) meaning "real, genuine" and (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Sánchez Spanish
Means "son of Sancho".
Sanchez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Sánchez.
Sancho Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Sancho.
Sandberg Swedish, Norwegian, Jewish
From Swedish and Norwegian sand (Old Norse sandr) meaning "sand" and berg meaning "mountain" (or in the case of the Jewish surname, from the Yiddish or German cognates).
Sander German, Danish
Derived from the given name Alexander.
Sanders English
Patronymic of the given name Sander, a medieval form of Alexander.
Sanderson English
Means "son of Alexander".
Sandford English
Indicated a person from Sandford, England, which means simply "sand ford".
Sándor Hungarian
Derived from the given name Sándor.
Sandoval Spanish
Derived from the name of a town in Spain, ultimately from Latin saltus "forest, glade" and novalis "unploughed land".
Sands English
From Old English, indicated the original nearer lived on sandy ground.
Sandström Swedish
From Swedish sand (Old Norse sandr) meaning "sand" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".
Sandu Romanian
From the given name Sandu.
Sangster English, Scottish
Occupational name or nickname for a singer, from Old English singan "to sing, to chant".
Sanna Italian
From Italian sanna or zanna meaning "tusk, fang", a nickname for a person with a protruding tooth.
San Nicolás Spanish
Indicated the original bearer was from a place named after Saint Nicholas.
Sano Japanese
From Japanese (sa) meaning "help, aid" and (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Sansone Italian
Derived from the given name Sansone.
Santana Spanish, Portuguese
From any of the numerous places named after Saint Anna. A famous bearer is the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-).
Santiago Spanish, Portuguese
From various Spanish and Portuguese places called Santiago.
Santini Italian
Diminutive form of Santo.
Santo Italian
Italian form of Santos.
Santoro Italian
Means "all saint's day" in Italian, a nickname for one born on that day.
Santos Portuguese, Spanish
Means "saint" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin sanctus. This was a nickname for a pious person.
Sanz Spanish
From the given name Sancho.
Sapienti Italian
Means "wise, learned" in Italian.
Sappington English
Possibly from the city of Sapperton, England, derived from Old English sapere meaning "soap maker" and tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Saqqaf Arabic
From Arabic سقف (saqaf) meaning "roof".
Sargsyan Armenian
Means "son of Sargis" in Armenian.
Šarić Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian šaren meaning "colourful, patterned".
Sarka Hungarian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Szarka.
Sarkisian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Սարգսյան (see Sargsyan).
Sarkissian Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Սարգսյան (see Sargsyan).
Sarkisyan Armenian
Alternate transcription of Armenian Սարգսյան (see Sargsyan).
Sárközi Hungarian
Originally indicated someone from Sárköz, a region in Hungary, derived from sár "mud" and köz "margin, lane".
Sarno Italian
Originally denoted a person from Sarno in Italy, named for the Sarno River (called Sarnus in Latin).
Sarti Italian
Variant of Sarto.
Sartini Italian
Diminutive form of Sarto.
Sarto Italian
Occupational name meaning "tailor" in Italian, from Latin sartor, from sarcire meaning "to mend".
Sartor Italian
Variant of Sarto.
Sartore Italian
Variant of Sarto.
Sartre French
French cognate of Sarto.
Sas Hungarian
Means "eagle" in Hungarian.
Sasaki Japanese
From Japanese (sa) meaning "help, aid" (repeated, indicated by the iteration mark ) and (ki) meaning "tree, wood".
Sass Hungarian
Variant of Sas.
Sastre Spanish
Spanish cognate of Sarto.
Sato Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see Satō).
Satō Japanese
From Japanese (sa) meaning "help, aid" and () meaning "wisteria". The final character might indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan. This is the most common surname in Japan.
Satou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see Satō).
Sauber German
Means "clean, tidy" in German.
Sauer German
Means "sour" in German, a nickname for an embittered or cantankerous person.
Sault French
French cognate of Soto.
Sauter German
Occupational name for a cobbler, from Latin sutor "sewer, cobbler".
Sauvage French
French form of Savage.
Sauvageau French
French diminutive form of Savage.
Sauvageon French
French diminutive form of Savage.
Sauvageot French
French diminutive form of Savage.
Sauveterre French
From the name of various towns in France, derived from French sauve "safe" and terre "land".
Savage English
English nickname meaning "wild, uncouth", derived from Old French salvage or sauvage meaning "untamed", ultimately from Latin silvaticus meaning "wild, from the woods".
Savatier French
From Old French savatier "shoemaker", derived from savate "shoe", of uncertain ultimate origin.
Savona Italian
From the name of the city of Savona in northern Italy, called Savo by the Romans, of uncertain meaning.
Sawyer English
Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
Sayer Welsh
From Welsh saer meaning "carpenter".
Saylor English
Occupational name meaning "acrobat, dancer", derived from Old French sailleor, from Latin sallitor.
Scarlett English
Denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet, a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian سقرلاط (saqrelat).
Scarpa Italian
Means "shoemaker" from Italian scarpa meaning "shoe".
Scarsi Italian
Nickname for a poor or miserly person, from Italian scarso "scarce, scant".
Scavo Italian
Means "serf, slave", from Old Sicilian scavu.
Schäfer German
From Old High German scaphare meaning "shepherd".
Scheer German
Variant of Scherer.
Scheinberg Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "beautiful mountain" from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and berg "mountain".
Schenck German
Variant of Schenk.
Schenk German, Dutch
From Middle High German, Middle Dutch schenke meaning "wine server" (from Old High German scenken "to pour out").
Scherer German
Occupational name for a cutter of cloth or a sheep-shearer, from Old High German skeran "to cut".
Schermer Dutch, Low German
Dutch and Low German form of Schirmer.
Schindler German
Occupational name for a roof tiler, from Middle High German schindel "shingle". A famous bearer was Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), who saved over a thousand Polish Jews during World War II.
Schipper Dutch
Occupational name meaning "skipper, ship captain" in Dutch.
Schirmer German
Means "fencer, fencing master", from Old High German skirmen meaning "to defend".
Schlender German
From Middle High German slinderen "to dawdle" or Middle Low German slinden "to swallow, to eat".
Schlimme German
From German schlimm "bad, crooked, awry".
Schlosser German
Occupational name for a locksmith, derived from Old High German sloz meaning "lock".
Schmeling German
From Middle Low German smal meaning "small, slender".
Schmid German
Variant of Schmidt.
Schmidt German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker", a cognate of Smith.
Schmitz German
Variant of Schmidt, originating in the Rhine area in western Germany.
Schneider German, Jewish
From German schneider or Yiddish shnayder, making it a cognate of Snyder.
Schnell German
German cognate of Snell.
Schnoor German
Variant of Schnur.
Schnur German, Jewish
From Old High German snuor meaning "rope, cord", an occupational name for a maker of rope.
Schofield English
From various northern English place names, which were derived from Old Norse skáli "hut" and Old English feld "field".
School Dutch
From Dutch school, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school", indicating a person who worked at or lived near a school.
Schoorl Dutch
Originally indicated a person from the town of Schoorl in the province of Noord-Holland in the Netherlands. It means "forest by the shore" in Dutch.
Schorel Dutch
Variant of Schoorl.
Schöttmer German
Originally indicated a person from Schötmar, Germany (now part of the city of Bad Salzuflen in North Rhine-Westphalia).
Schouten Dutch
Occupational name derived from Middle Dutch schout meaning "sheriff, bailiff".
Schovajsa Czech
Means "hide yourself", of Moravian origin.
Schreck German
From Middle High German schrecken meaning "to frighten, to scare".
Schreiber German
German cognate of Scriven.
Schreier German, Jewish
Occupational name for a town crier, from Old High German scrian meaning "to shout, to yell".
Schrijnemakers Dutch
Occupational name for a cabinet maker, from Dutch schrijn "box, container" and maker "maker".
Schröder 1 Low German
Occupational name for a tailor, from Middle Low German schroden meaning "to cut".
Schröter German
Means "beer-porter, wine-porter" in German, an occupational name for a carrier of wine or beer barrels.
Schuchardt German
From Middle High German schuochwürte meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".
Schuhmacher German
From the Middle High German occupational name schuochmacher meaning "shoemaker".
Schuler German
Means "scholar, student" in German, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school".
Schult Low German
Low German variant of Schultheiß.
Schulte Low German
Low German variant of Schultheiß.
Schultheiß German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German schultheiße meaning "mayor, judge".
Schuster German
Means "shoemaker, cobbler", from Middle High German schuoch "shoe" and suter, from Latin sutor "sewer, cobbler".
Schüttmann German
Means "watchman, guard" from Middle High German schützen "to protect".
Schuyler Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Schuler.
Schwangau German
From the name of a town in southern Germany, possibly related to German Schwan meaning "swan".
Schwarz German, Jewish
Means "black" in German, from Old High German swarz. It originally described a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
Schwarzenberg German
Means "black mountain" in German.
Schwarzenegger German
From a place name, derived from Old High German swarz meaning "black" and ekka meaning "edge, corner". A famous bearer of this name is actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947-).
Schweitzer German
Indicated a person from Switzerland (see Schweiz).
Schwenke 1 German
Derived from Middle High German swenken meaning "to swing".
Schwenke 2 German
From a given name, a Low German diminutive of Swanhild.
Schwinghammer German
Occupational name for a blacksmith, literally meaning "swing hammer" in German.
Sciacca Italian
Originally denoted someone from Sciacca, Sicily, Italy, which is of uncertain origin.
Sciarra Italian
From Sicilian sciarra meaning "quarrel, dispute", originally a nickname for a quarrelsome person.
Scola Italian
From Italian scuola meaning "school".
Scordato Italian
Means "forgotten, left behind" in Italian.
Scott English, Scottish
Originally given to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic.
Scotti Italian
From the medieval given name Francescotto, a diminutive of Francesco.
Scriven English
Occupational name meaning "writer, clerk, scribe" in Old French, derived from Latin scriba.
Scrooge Literature
Created by Charles Dickens for the central character in his short novel A Christmas Carol (1843). He probably based it on the rare English word scrouge meaning "to squeeze". In the book Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old man who is visited by three spirits who show him visions of his past, present and future. Since the book's publication, scrooge has been used as a word to mean "miser, misanthrope".
Scully Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Scolaidhe.
Seabrook English
Denoted a person from a town by this name in Buckinghamshire, England. It is derived from that of a river combined with Old English broc "stream".
Seaver English
From the unattested Old English given name Sæfaru, derived from the Old English elements "sea, ocean" and faru "journey".
Sebastiani Italian
From the given name Sebastiano.
Sedláček Czech
Diminutive form of Sedlák.
Sedlák Czech
Means "farmer" in Czech. A sedlák had more land than a Zahradník or a Chalupník, but less land than a Dvořák.
Seeger German
From the given name Sieghard.
Seegers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".
Seelen Dutch
Variant of Ceelen.
Seelenfreund Jewish
From German Seele meaning "soul" and Freund meaning "friend".
Segal 1 Jewish
From the Hebrew phrase סגן לויה (segan Lewiyah) meaning "assistant Levite".
Segal 2 French
Occupational name for a grower or seller of rye, from Old French, from Latin secale "rye".
Segers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".
Seghers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".
Segreti Italian
From Italian segreto meaning "secret", a nickname for a confidant.
Seidel German
From a diminutive of the given name Siegfried.
Seki Japanese
From Japanese (seki) meaning "frontier pass".
Selby English
From the name of a village that meant "willow farm" in Old English.
Selvaggio Italian
Italian form of Savage.
Sempers English
From the name of various towns named Saint Pierre in Normandy, all of which commemorate Saint Peter.
Senft 1 German
Occupational name for a mustard seller, from German Senf "mustard".
Senft 2 German
Nickname for a helpful, kind person, from Old High German semfti meaning "soft, accommodating".
Senior English
Originally a name for the elder of two brothers.
Sepp Estonian
Means "smith" in Estonian.
Seppä Finnish
Means "smith" in Finnish.
Sepúlveda Spanish
Derived from the name of the Sepúlveda Valley in the mountains of Segovia, and was originally used to denote people from that region. It is possibly derived from Spanish sepultar "to bury".
Serafim Portuguese
Derived from the Latin given name Seraphinus.
Serafin Polish, Italian
Derived from the given name Serafin or Serafino.
Serafini Italian
Derived from the given name Serafino.
Șerban Romanian
Means "a Serb" in Romanian.
Sergeant English, French
Occupational name derived from Old French sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin servire "to serve".
Serizawa Japanese
From Japanese (seri) meaning "celery" and 沢 or 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh".
Serpico Italian
From a nickname derived from Italian serpe "serpent, reptile".
Serra Italian, Portuguese, Catalan
Italian, Portuguese and Catalan cognate of Sierra.
Sessa Italian
Originally indicated a person from from Sessa or Sessa Cilento, Italy (from Latin Suessa, of uncertain meaning).
Sessions English
From the name of the city of Soissons in northern France, itself derived from the name of the Celtic tribe of the Suessiones.
Ševčík Czech
Occupational name derived from Czech švec meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".
Severijns Dutch
Derived from the Latin given name Severinus.
Séverin French
Derived from the given name Séverin.
Severins Dutch
Derived from the Latin given name Severinus.
Sevriens Dutch
Derived from the Latin given name Severinus.
Seward 1 English
Derived from the given name Sigeweard.
Seward 2 English
Means "swineherd" from Old English su "sow, female pig" and hierde "herdsman, guardian".
Seward 3 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Suaird.
Sexton English
Occupational name for a sexton (Middle English sexteyn), a caretaker for a church or graveyard.
Seymour 1 English
From Saint Maur, a French place name, which commemorates Saint Maurus.
Seymour 2 English
From an English place name, derived from Old English "sea" and mere "lake".
Sgro Italian
Nickname for a curly-haired person, from Greek σγουρός (sgouros) meaning "curly".
Shafir Jewish
Ornamental name meaning "sapphire" in Yiddish.
Shah Persian, Urdu
Derived from Persian شاه (shah) meaning "king".
Shain Jewish
Means "beautiful, handsome" in Yiddish, from German schön.
Shakespeare English
From a nickname for a warlike person, from Old English scacan "to shake" and spere "spear". A famous bearer was the English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
Shannon Irish
From Irish Ó Seanáin meaning "descendant of Seanán".
Shapiro Jewish
Means "pretty, lovely" in Hebrew, from Aramaic.
Sharma Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Means "joy, shelter, comfort" in Sanskrit.
Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".
Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.
Sharrow English
Originally a name for someone from Sharrow, England, derived from Old English scearu "boundary" and hoh "point of land, heel".
Shaughnessy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Seachnasaigh.
Shaw 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived near a prominent thicket, from Old English sceaga meaning "thicket, copse".
Shaw 2 Scottish
From a given name or byname that was derived from Gaelic sitheach meaning "wolf" (Old Irish sídach).
Shea Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Séaghdha.
Shearer English
English cognate of Scherer.
Sheedy Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Síoda.
Sheehy Irish
Variant of McSheehy.
Sheenan Irish
Variant of Shannon.
Shehu Albanian
From the Arabic title شيخ (shaykh) meaning "sheik".
Sheinfeld Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and feld meaning "field".
Shelby English
Variant of Selby.
Shelton English
From the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.
Shen Chinese
From Chinese (shēn) referring to the ancient state of Shen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty.
Shepherd English
Occupational name meaning "shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English sceaphyrde.
Sherazi Urdu
Urdu form of Shirazi.
Sherburn English
Denoted a person hailing from any of the various places called Sherborne or Sherburn in England, derived from Old English scir "bright" and burna "spring, fountain, stream".