Surnames from Nicknames

Poindexter English
From the Jèrriais surname Poingdestre meaning "right fist".

Poingdestre Jèrriais
Jèrriais form of Poindexter.

Pokorná f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Pokorný.

Pokorni Hungarian
Hungarian form of Pokorný.

Pokorny Polish
Polish form of Pokorný.

Pokorný m Czech, Slovak
Means "humble" in Czech and Slovak.

Polley English
From Old French poli meaning "polite, courteous".

Pope English
From a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin papa, ultimately from Greek πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".

Poppins Literature
Used by P. L. Travers for the magical nanny in her Mary Poppins series of books, first published in 1934. It is not known how Travers devised the name. She may have had the English words pop or poppet (meaning "young woman") in mind.

Porra Catalan
Variant of Porras.

Porras Spanish, Catalan
From a nickname meaning "club" in Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin porrum meaning "leek".

Pospíšil m Czech
Nickname for a person in a hurry, from Czech pospíšit "hurry".

Pospíšilová f Czech
Feminine form of Pospíšil.

Power 2 English
From Middle English povre meaning "poor", via Old French from Latin pauper. It could have been a nickname for someone who had no money or a miser.

Powers English
Variant of Power 1 or Power 2.

Pratt English
From Old English prætt meaning "trick, prank". This was a nickname for a trickster.

Priede Latvian
Means "pine tree" in Latvian.

Prieto Spanish
From a nickname meaning "dark" in Spanish, referring to a person with dark hair or skin.

Prinsen Dutch
Means "son of the prince", the term prince would have denoted someone who acted in a regal manner.

Prinz German, Jewish
Means "prince", used as an ornamental name by Jews or as a nickname for someone who acted in a princely manner.

Profeta Italian
From Italian profeta meaning "prophet". It probably came from a nickname indicating a person who wanted to predict the future. It is typical of southern Italy.

Protz German
From a nickname meaning "showy, pompous", derived from an old southern German word meaning "toad".

Proudfoot English
Nickname for a person with a proud step.

Proulx French
Derived from Old French preu meaning "valiant, brave".

Puga Galician
Means "thorn, prickle" in Galician.

Purcell English
From Old French pourcel "piglet", from Latin porcellus, a derivative of porcus "pig". This was a nickname or an occupational name for a swineherd.

Quaranta Italian
Means "forty" in Italian.

Quattrocchi Italian
From Italian quattro meaning "four" and occhi meaning "eyes", a nickname for a person who wore glasses. It is usually found in Sicily.

Queen English
From a given name that was derived from Old English cwen meaning "queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.

Quick English
Nickname for a quick or agile person, ultimately from Old English cwic meaning "alive".

Quickley 1 English
Variant of Quick.

Quijada Spanish
Means "jaw" in Spanish, a nickname for someone with a large jaw.

Quixada Spanish (Archaic)
Old spelling of Quijada.

Rácz Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian rác meaning "Rascian", a former name for Serbians who lived in the Habsburg Empire.

Ragno Italian
From a nickname meaning "spider" in Italian.

Raine 1 English
From a nickname derived from Old French reine meaning "queen".

Rana Italian, Spanish
Means "frog" in Italian and Spanish.

Rao 1 Telugu, Kannada
From Sanskrit राज (raja) meaning "king".

Rapp 1 Swedish
From Swedish rapp meaning "quick, prompt", one of the names adopted by soldiers in the 17th century.

Rapp 2 German
From Middle High German raben meaning "raven", a nickname for a person with black hair.

Rasch German
German form of Rask.

Rask Danish, Swedish
Means "energetic, quick, healthy" in Danish and Swedish.

Raskob German
Variant of Raskopf.

Raskop German
Variant of Raskopf.

Raskopf German
Possibly from German rasch "quick" and Kopf "head".

Ratti Italian
From Italian ratto meaning "rat", originally denoting a sly individual.

Ravn Danish
Means "raven" in Danish, from Old Norse hrafn.

Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.

Rayne English, French
Variant of Raine 1 or Raine 2.

Ré Italian
Italian form of Rey 1.

Read 1 English
Means "red" from Middle English read, probably denoting a person with red hair or complexion.

Readdie English
Variant of Ready 1.

Ready 1 English
From Middle English redi meaning "prepared, prompt".

Rebane Estonian
Means "fox" in Estonian.

Redondo Spanish
Means "round" in Spanish, originally a nickname for a plump person, ultimately from Latin rotundus.

Reed English
Variant of Read 1.

Reese 2 Low German
Low German cognate of Riese.

Reich German, Jewish
Nickname for a wealthy or powerful person, from Old High German rihhi "rich, powerful".

Reid Scottish, English
Scots variant of Read 1.

Reier German
Variant of Reiher.

Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.

Rendón Spanish
Possibly derived from a variant of Spanish de rondón meaning "unexpectedly, rashly".

Reuter 2 German
From Middle High German riutœre meaning "highwayman, thief".

Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.

Rey 2 English
Means "female roe deer" from Old English ræge, probably denoting someone of a nervous temperament.

Reyer German
Variant of Reiher.

Reyes Spanish
Spanish variant of Rey 1.

Rhee Korean
North Korean form of Lee 2.

Ricchetti Italian
Diminutive form of Ricci.

Ricci Italian
From Italian riccio meaning "curly", a nickname for someone with curly hair. It is ultimately from Latin ericius meaning "hedgehog".

Rico Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "rich, wealthy" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Rieck Low German
Low German form of Reich.

Riese German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German, from Old High German risi.

Rigó Hungarian
Means "thrush" in Hungarian.

Riker German
Possibly a variant of Reich.

Rizzi Italian
Variant of Ricci.

Rizzo Italian
Variant of Ricci.

Robustelli Italian
From a nickname for a strong person, from Italian robusto "strong", from Latin robustus "firm, solid, oaken".

Róg Polish
Means "animal horn" in Polish.

Roig Catalan
Means "red" in Catalan, from Latin rubeus, originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a red complexion.

Rojas Spanish
Variant of Rojo.

Rojo Spanish
Means "red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.

Rosa Italian, Catalan
Italian and Catalan form of Rose 1.

Rosário Portuguese
Means "rosary" in Portuguese. This name was often given to people born on the day of the festival of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Rosario Spanish
Spanish form of Rosário.

Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).

Rosenberger German, Jewish
Variant of Rosenberg.

Rossi Italian
Derived from a nickname for a red-haired person, from Italian rosso, Latin russus meaning "red". This is the most common surname in Italy.

Rossini Italian
Diminutive form of Rossi. A famous bearer was the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868).

Rot German, Jewish
Variant of Roth.

Roth German, Jewish
From Middle High German rot meaning "red". It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair.

Rotolo Italian
From the Italian word for a measure of weight, from southern Italian dialects, derived from Greek via Arabic.

Rounds English
Patronymic derived from Middle English rond meaning "round, plump", ultimately from Latin rotundus.

Rousseau French
Diminutive of Roux. A famous bearer was the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) whose ideas influenced the French Revolution.

Roussel French
French form of Russell.

Roux French
Derived from Old French ros meaning "red", from Latin russus, a nickname for a red-haired person.

Roxas Filipino
Filipino form of the Spanish Rojas.

Roy 1 French, English
Variant of Rey 1.

Roy 2 Scottish
From Gaelic ruadh meaning "red-haired".

Ruan Chinese
From Chinese 阮 (ruǎn), which refers to a type of musical instrument, similar to a lute.

Rubio Spanish
Nickname for a person with red hair, from Latin rubeus "red".

Rudzīte f Latvian
Feminine form of Rudzītis.

Rudzītis m Latvian
Derived from Latvian rudzi meaning "rye".

Ruotsalainen Finnish
Means "Swede" in Finnish.

Russel English
Variant of Russell.

Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.

Russo Italian
Variant of Rossi.

Rustici Italian
From Italian rustico meaning "rustic, rural".

Rusu Romanian
From Romanian rus meaning "Russian".

Růžička m Czech
Means "little rose" in Czech.

Růžičková f Czech
Feminine form of Růžička.

Ryer German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Reiher.

Sabbadin Italian
From a nickname from Italian sabbato "Saturday", a name for one born on that day of the week.

Saito Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 斎藤 (see Saitō).

Saitō Japanese
From Japanese 斎 (sai) meaning "purification, worship" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

Saitou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 斎藤 (see Saitō).

Salvage English
Variant of Savage.

Salvaggi Italian
Italian form of Savage.

Salvatici Italian
Italian form of Savage.

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. It is especially common on Sardinia.

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.

Sapienti Italian
Means "wise, learned" in Italian.

Šarić Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian šaren meaning "colourful, patterned".

Sarka Hungarian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Szarka.

Sas Hungarian
Means "eagle" in Hungarian.

Sass Hungarian
Variant of Sas.

Sato Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see Satō).

Satō Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 藤 (tō) 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.

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.

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".

Savege English (Rare)
Variant of Savage.

Savidge English
Variant of Savage.

Scarsi Italian
Nickname for a poor or miserly person, from Italian scarso "scarce, scant".

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".

Schmeling German
From Middle Low German smal meaning "small, slender".

Schnell German
German cognate of Snell.

Schreck German
From Middle High German schrecken meaning "to frighten, to scare".

Schwartz German, Jewish
Variant of Schwarz.

Schwarz German, Jewish
Means "black" in German, from Old High German swarz. It originally described a person with black hair or a dark complexion.

Schwenke 1 German
Derived from Middle High German swenken meaning "to swing".

Sciarra Italian
From Sicilian sciarra meaning "quarrel, dispute", originally a nickname for a quarrelsome person.

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.

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".

Seelenfreund Jewish
From German Seele meaning "soul" and Freund meaning "friend".

Segreti Italian
From Italian segreto meaning "secret", a nickname for a confidant.

Selvaggio Italian
Italian form of Savage.

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.

Șerban Romanian
Means "a Serb" in Romanian.

Serpico Italian
From a nickname derived from Italian serpe "serpent, reptile".

Sgro Italian
Nickname for a curly-haired person, from Greek σγουρός (sgouros) meaning "curly".

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).

Shapiro Jewish
Means "pretty, lovely" in Hebrew, from Aramaic.

Sharma 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.

Shehu Albanian
From the Arabic title شيخ (shaykh) meaning "sheik".

Shine 1 English
Means "beautiful, attractive" from Old English sciene.

Short English
From a nickname for a short person, from Middle English schort.

Sikora Polish
Means "tit (bird)" in Polish.

Siliņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Siliņš.

Siliņš m Latvian
Derived from Latvian sils meaning "pine forest".

Silver English
From a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English seolfor "silver".

Silverstein Jewish
Variant of Zilberstein.

Singh Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)
From Sanskrit सिंह (sinha) meaning "lion". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh male followers the surname Singh and all females Kaur. It is among the most common surnames in India.

Siskin Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Siskind Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Sitz 2 German
Means "house owner", derived from Old High German siz "seat, domicile".

Skeates English
From the Old Norse nickname or byname skjótr meaning "swift".

Slávik m Slovak
Slovak cognate of Slavík.

Slavík m Czech
Means "nightingale" in Czech.

Sláviková f Slovak
Feminine form of Slávik.

Slavíková f Czech
Feminine form of Slavík.

Small English
From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.

Smalls English
Variant of Small.

Smirnov m Russian
Derived from Russian смирный (smirny) meaning "quiet, peaceful, timid". This is one of the most common surnames in Russia.

Smirnova f Russian
Feminine form of Smirnov.

Snel Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snell.

Snell English
From Old English snel meaning "fast, quick, nimble".

Snelling English
Variant of Snell.

Sobel Jewish
Variant of Sobol.

Sokal Polish
Polish cognate of Sokol.

Sokół Polish
Polish cognate of Sokol.

Sokol m & u Slovak, Czech, Jewish
From Czech and Slovak sokol meaning "falcon", a nickname or an occupational name for a falconer. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Sokoll Jewish
Variant of Sokol.

Sokolof Jewish
Means "son of Sokol".

Sokoloff Jewish
Means "son of Sokol".

Sokolov m Russian, Bulgarian
Means "son of Sokol".

Sokolova f Russian, Bulgarian
Feminine form of Sokolov.

Sokolová f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Sokol.

Sokolovskaya f Russian
Feminine form of Sokolovsky.

Sokolovsky m Russian
Means "son of Sokol".

Sokołowska f Polish
Feminine form of Sokołowski.

Sokołowski m Polish
Usually refers to the city of Sokołów Podlaski in Poland. It may sometimes be derived from Polish sokół meaning "falcon".

Sokolsky Jewish
Means "son of Sokol".

Solak Turkish
From the nickname solak meaning "left-handed".

Sólyom Hungarian
Means "hawk, falcon" in Hungarian.

Sommer 1 German, English
Means "summer", from Old High German sumar or Old English sumor. This was a nickname for a cheerful person, someone who lived in a sunny spot, or a farmer who had to pay taxes in the summer.

Son Korean
Korean form of Sun, from Sino-Korean 孫 (son).

Sonnen German
Means "sun" from Middle High German sunne. It probably denoted someone of cheerful temperament or a person who lived in a sunny area.

Sordi Italian
From Italian sordo meaning "deaf", from Latin surdus.

Sorg German
Variant of Sorge.

Sorge German
Means "worry, care, anxiety" in German, from Old High German sorga.

Souček m Czech
From Czech suk meaning "tree knot". This could either be a topographic name or a nickname for a stubborn person.

Součková f Czech
Feminine form of Souček.

Sourd French
French cognate of Sordi.

Sovány Hungarian
Means "thin, lean" in Hungarian.

Sówka Polish
From a diminutive of Polish sowa meaning "owl".

Spanò Sicilian
From Sicilian spanu meaning "sparse, thin hair", ultimately from Greek σπάνιος (spanios) meaning "scarce, rare".

Spanos m Greek
Means "hairless, beardless" in Greek, ultimately from σπάνιος (spanios) meaning "scarce, rare".

Spanou f Greek
Feminine form of Spanos.

Sparks English
From an Old Norse nickname or byname derived from sparkr meaning "sprightly".

Spear English
From Old English spere "spear", an occupational name for a hunter or a maker of spears, or a nickname for a thin person.

Specht German
Means "woodpecker" in German.

Speight English
English form of Specht, probably a loanword from German or Dutch.

Spurling English
From Middle English sparewe "sparrow" and the diminutive suffix -ling.

Stack English
From a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English stack "haystack", of Old Norse origin.

Stacks English
Variant of Stack.

Stárek m Czech
From a nickname derived from Czech starý meaning "old".

Starek Polish
From a nickname derived from Polish stary meaning "old".

Stark English, German
From a nickname meaning "strong, rigid", from Old English stearc or Old High German stark.

Stárková f Czech
Feminine form of Stárek.

Starr English
From Middle English sterre meaning "star". This was usually a nickname, but it could also occasionally be a sign name from the name of an inn called the Star.

Šťastná f Czech
Feminine form of Šťastný.

Šťastný m Czech
Means "happy" in Czech.

Stauss German
Means "buttocks" from Middle High German stuz.

Stern 1 English
From Old English styrne meaning "stern, severe". This was used as a nickname for someone who was stern, harsh, or severe in manner or character.

Stern 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.

Stieber German
Derived from Middle High German stiuben meaning "to run away". It may have been given as a nickname to a cowardly person or a thief.

Stoica Romanian
From Romanian stoic meaning "stoic, impassive".

Stoppelbein German
Means "stump leg" from Middle Low German stoppel "stump" and bein "leg".

Strange English
Derived from Middle English strange meaning "foreign", ultimately from Latin extraneus.

Straub German
From Old High German strub meaning "rough, unkempt".

Strnad m & u Czech, Slovene
Means "bunting (bird)" in Czech and Slovene.

Strnadová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Strnad.

Strobel German
Diminutive form of Straub.

Strong English
Nickname derived from Middle English strong or strang meaning "strong".

Stück German, Jewish
From Old High German stucki meaning "piece, part".

Stueck German, Jewish
Variant of Stück.

Stumpf German
Nickname for a short person or a topographic name someone who lived near a prominent stump, from Middle High German stumpf.

Sturm German
Means "storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.

Suchá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Suchý.

Suchý m Czech, Slovak
Means "dry" in Czech and Slovak. This was a nickname for a thin person.

Suen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Sun.

Suess German
Variant of Süß. A famous bearer was the American children's author Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Sultan Arabic
From a nickname meaning "sultan, ruler" in Arabic.

Sultana Bengali, Urdu, Maltese
Bengali, Urdu and Maltese form of Sultan.

Summers 2 English
Variant of Sommer 1.

Sun Chinese
From Chinese 孙 (sūn) meaning "grandchild, descendant". A famous bearer of the surname was Sun Tzu, the 6th-century BC author of The Art of War.

Süss German
Variant of Süß.

Süß German
From Old High German suozi meaning "sweet".

Susskind Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Svoboda m Czech
Means "freedom" in Czech. This was a medieval name for a freeman, someone who was not a serf.

Svobodová f Czech
Feminine form of Svoboda.

Swallow English
From the name of the bird, from Old English swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.

Sweet English
From a nickname meaning "sweet, pleasant", from Old English swete.

Swift English
Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.

Sýkora m Czech, Slovak
Means "tit (bird)" in Czech and Slovak.

Sýkorová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Sýkora.

Szarka Hungarian
From Hungarian szarka meaning "magpie", often used as a euphemistic term for a thief.

Szarvas Hungarian
Means "deer" in Hungarian.

Székely Hungarian
Denoted a person of Székely ancestry. The Székelys are a population of Hungarians who live in central Romania.

Szép Hungarian
Means "beautiful, lovely" in Hungarian.

Szőke Hungarian
Means "blond, fair haired" in Hungarian.

Szwarc Polish
Polish phonetic spelling of German Schwarz.

Tafani Italian
From the nickname tafano meaning "gadfly", indicating an annoying person.

Tähtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".

Tanzer German
Means "dancer" in German, derived from Middle High German tanzen "to dance".

Tar Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian tar meaning "bald".

Targaryen Literature
Created by author George R. R. Martin for his series A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019). The Targaryens were the rulers of Westeros for almost 300 years until shortly before the beginning of the first novel. The name is presumably from the Valyrian language, though Martin provides no explanation of the meaning.

Tarr Hungarian
Variant of Tar.

Taube German
From a nickname meaning "dove" in German.

Tchaikovskaya f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковская (see Chaykovskaya).

Tchaikovsky m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковский (see Chaykovsky).

Teague 2 Cornish
From Cornish tek meaning "fair, beautiful".

Tedesco Italian
From Italian tedesco meaning "German".

Teel English
From Middle English tele meaning "teal, duck".

Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.

Testa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "head".

Teufel German
From a nickname meaning "devil" in German, given to a mischievous person or one who was devil-like.

Thrussell English
From Old English þrostle meaning "song thrush", referring to a cheerful person.

Tichá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Tichý.

Tichý m Czech, Slovak
Means "quiet" in Czech and Slovak.

Tilki Turkish
From a nickname meaning "fox" in Turkish.

Tirrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tiryaki Turkish
Possibly from a nickname meaning "addict, opium user" in Turkish.