Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ReddyIndian, Telugu Derived from Telugu రెడ్డి (reddi) meaning "village headman".
RedenbacherEnglish (American) The name "Redenbacher" appears to be a combination of two parts: "Reden" and "Bacher". Here's what I found about the meanings of these parts:... [more]
RednerGerman German: possibly a variant of Redmer, or an occupational name for a spokesman, Middle High German rednære.
ReediEstonian Reedi is an Estonian surname, possibly derived from "reeder", meaning "ship owner".
RégisFrench Occupational name for a local dignitary, from a derivative of Old French régir "to rule or manage".
RehderGerman Occupational name, which was derived from the kind of work done by the original bearer. It is a name for a wheelmaker or wheelwright.
ReialEstonian Reial is an Estonian surname derived from "treial" meaning "lathe turner".
ReisserUpper German An occupational name for a woodcutter, Middle High German risser.
RellerGerman (Swiss) Occupational name for a miller, derived from the Swiss German dialect term relle meaning "grist mill".
RelyeaGerman, French (Anglicized) Altered spelling of southern German and French Rellier, or probably a regional variant of Swiss German Reller, especially in the western provinces of Austria... [more]
ReshetnikovRussian Occupational name for a maker of sieves or gratings, derived from Russian решетник (reshetnik) meaning "sheathing, grate, sieve".
ReusserSwiss, German, Upper German In Switzerland, an occupational name for a fisherman or maker of fish traps, from an agent derivative of Middle High German riuse ‘fish trap’, ‘weir basket’. A nickname from an agent noun based on Middle High German riusen ‘to moan or complain’... [more]
RideoutEnglish Means "outrider (a municipal or monastic official in the Middle Ages whose job was to ride around the country collecting dues and supervising manors)".
RipperEnglish Means "maker, seller or carrier of baskets" (from a derivative of Middle English rip "basket").
RittermanGerman From Middle High German riter meaning "rider, knight" and man literally meaning "man".
RivetFrench, English French: from a diminutive of Old French rive ‘(river) bank’, ‘shore’ (see Rives).... [more]
RivettEnglish, French English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a metalworker, from Middle English, Old French rivet ‘small nail or bolt’ (from Old French river ‘to fix or secure’, of unknown origin).... [more]
RobineauFrench derived from the Old French word robine, which was the word that was used for the communication channel of a salted fountain or barrel pond... [more]
RobotnikSlovak The masculine form of "labourer" or "worker". Most famously used for Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
RodmanEnglish The surname Rodman is an ancient English surname, derived from a trade name, "men who were by the tenure or customs of their lands to ride with or for the lord of the manor about his business". The most famous bearer of this name is the basketball player Dennis Rodman.
RoemerGerman Refers to a pilgrim or merchant visiting Rome.
RoheLow German The surname ROHE is from a short form of a Germanic formed with Middle High German Rouen 'to roar' or old High German ruin 'Care' , 'intent' (See roch).
RollUpper German, German, English German: from Middle High German rolle, rulle ‘roll’, ‘list’, possibly applied as a metonymic occupational name for a scribe.... [more]
RollsEnglish Possibly derived from the Latin word rotus, meaning "wheel". It would indicate one who built wheels as a living. A famous bearer was American inventor and entrepreneur Charles Rolls (1877-1910), founder of the Rolls-Royce Ltd along with Henry Royce (1863-1933).
RongChinese From Chinese 容 (róng) referring to a Zhou dynasty title used by officials who were in charge of managing rituals, music, and ceremonies. Alternately it may be derived from the name of the ancient state of Rong (location and time period unknown).
RoosEstonian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, German (Swiss), Low German Means "rose" in Estonian and Dutch. Swedish and Danish variant of Ros, also meaning "rose". This could be a locational name for someone living near roses, an occupational name for someone who grew roses, or a nickname for someone with reddish skin.
RootEnglish, Dutch English: nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle English rote ‘glad’ (Old English rot). ... [more]
RoperEnglish English: occupational name for a maker or seller of rope, from an agent derivative of Old English rāp ‘rope’. See also Roop.
RostGerman A metonymic occupational name for a limeburner or blacksmith, from Middle High German, Middle Low German rōst meaning ‘grate, grill’ or Middle High German rōst(e) meaning ‘fire, embers, pyre, grate’ (typically one for burning lime).
RotterGerman Variant spelling of Rother, an occupational name for the foreman or leader of a group or association of men, or a work gang, from an agent derivative of Middle High German rotte ‘team’, ‘gang’... [more]
RottscheitGerman Modernization of Rotscheidt, also a city in Germany (Rottscheidt) bearing another modern alternate spelling. When broken down it ultimately means "red" and "piece of wood", implying that the families of today descends from woodwrokers.
RouhaniPersian Means "cleric, clergyman" or "clean, pure, good" in Persian.
RoverEnglish, German (Anglicized) This surname is derived from Middle English roof (from Old English hrof) combined with the agent suffix (i)er, which denotes someone who does/works with something. Thus, the surname was originally used for a constructor or repairer of roofs.... [more]
RubinFrench, German, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak Metonymic occupational name for a jeweler, from Middle High German rubn Old French rubi Slovenian and Croatian rubin Czech and Slovak rubín "ruby"... [more]
RudererGerman Occupational name meaning "Rower" in German.
RuedaSpanish Derived from the Spanish word "rueda" meaning "wheel."
RügaEstonian Rüga is an Estonian surname derived from "rügama" meaning to "toil" and "rügaja" meaning "toiler".
RummeniggeGerman Meaning uncertain. It could possibly be an occupational name for a viticulturist who grew grapes to make wine, a seller or producer of Romanian wine, or a nickname for a person who preferred to drink Romanian wine... [more]
RuncieEnglish, Scottish Derived from Latin runcinus, and related to the Old French "roncin", for a horse of little value. Middle English, Rouncy, as in Chaucer's Cantebury Tales.... [more]
RuotinaItalian Means "wheel" in Italian. This meant that a bearer of this surname was a wheel maker.
RutterEnglish Either (i) "player of the rote (a medieval stringed instrument played by plucking)"; or (ii) from a medieval nickname for a dishonest or untrustworthy person (from Old French routier "robber, mugger")... [more]
RutzLow German Derived from Middle Low German rūtze or ruce "cobbler".
RüütelEstonian From the Estonian word rüütel, meaning "knight".
RüütliEstonian Rüütli is an Estonian surname, meaning "chivalric".
RybakPolish, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Jewish Means "fisherman" in some Slavic languages. Derived from the word ryba "fish". A famous bearer is Byelarusian-Norwegian artist Alexander Rybak (b. 1986) who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009.
RybakovRussian Means "son of the fisher" from Russian рыбак (rybak) meaning "fisherman".
RybalkaUkrainian Ukrainian surname meaning "fisherman". Derived from ryba "fish".
SaccàItalian From Arabic سقى (saqa) "to give water", a nickname for a water carrier.
SackhoffGerman Occupational name for a farmer who cultivated land to grow plants, particularly crops, derived from Middle High German sack meaning "sack, end of a valley, area of cultivation" and hof meaning "farmstead, manor, farm"... [more]
SacoItalian There are several possible derivations for the Saco surname: the Saco name evolved from an old Tuscan personal name, Saccus; it came from the word "sacco" meaning "a sack," and was an occupational name for a maker of sacks or bags; it was a habitational name taken on from the place named Sacco in Salerno province.
SaekiJapanese From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 伯 (eki) meaning "official, count, earl".
SaengerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a chorister or a nickname for someone who liked singing, from Middle High German senger, German Sänger meaning "singer".
SaetiaThai Form of Zhang (via the Teochew romanization) used by Thais of Chinese descent, formed with Thai แซ่ (sae) denoting Chinese family names.
SaetiaoThai Form of Zhang used by Chinese Thais (based on the Hokkien romanization of the name).
SahIndian, Hindi Means "merchant, banker" in Hindi, ultimately from Sanskrit साधु (sadhu).
SaharaJapanese From Japanese 左 (sa), a clipping of 左衛門尉 (saemon-no-jō) meaning "judge of senior gate guards" and 原 (hara) meaning "meadow; plain; field".
SakatokuJapanese From Japanese 酒 (saka), the combining form of 酒 (sake) meaning "alcoholic beverage, rice wine" and 徳 (toku) meaning "benevolence, virtue", referring to a wine server.
SakerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of sacks or bags, derived from an agent derivative of Old English sacc meaning "sack, bag".
SakuraiJapanese From the Japanese 桜 or 櫻 (sakura) "cherry blossom" or 桃 (sakura or momo) "peach" and 井 (i) "well."
SaleEnglish, French English: from Middle English sale ‘hall’, a topographic name for someone living at a hall or manor house, or a metonymic occupational name for someone employed at a hall or manor house. ... [more]
SaleSardinian Derived from Sardinian sale "salt", this name denoted a producer or seller of salt.
SalterEnglish Occupational name for an extractor or seller of salt (a precious commodity in medieval times), from Middle English salt 'salt' + the agent suffix -er.
SametGerman, Jewish, Yiddish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of velvet, from Yiddish samet ‘velvet’ (German Samt, ultimately from Greek hexamiton, a compound of hex ‘six’ + mitos ‘thread’).
SarangapaniHindi From the sanskrit words Sarangan "bow of Vishnu" and pani "hand".
SardaItalian From the feminine form of Sardo or from sarda "large sardine" either a nickname or occupational name for selling sardines.
SardellaItalian From sardella "sardine" used as either an occupational name for a fisher or seller of sardines or a nickname for a thin person.
SardinaItalian, Spanish, Galician From sardina Galician sardiña "sardine" used for someone as a catcher or seller of the fish or a nickname for a thin person.
SarverEnglish, Jewish English and Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) occupational name from Old French serveur (an agent derivative of server ‘to serve’), Yiddish sarver ‘servant’.
SattlerGerman An occupational name meaning "saddle maker".
SauerweinGerman Occupational nickname for someone who sold sour wine, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a sour disposition, from Middle High German sur "sour" + win "wine", i.e. vinegar.
ŠaulisLithuanian Occupational name from Lithuanian šaulys meaning "rifleman".
SaulnierFrench In Middle French (the form of French spoken from 1340 to 1610), it literally means "salt merchant".
ScanavaccaItalian Possibly an occupational name for a butcher, from scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and vacca "cow".
ScanavinoItalian Meaning uncertain, possibly related to scanalare "to cut a groove, to plough" and vino "wine".
ScannadinariItalian (Rare) Taken from the Italian scanna meaning "slaying" and dinari meaning "money" in the plural form. Therefore, killer of money.
ScannapiecoItalian Occupational name for a butcher, from scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and piecuro "sheep, lamb".
ScannellaItalian Possibly from Italian scannellare "to channel, to cut a groove", itself from Latin scamnum "ridge (of earth formed by plowing)".
ScarduzioItalian From the Italian verb scardare, meaning to husk a hazelnut or chestnut. Possibly a metaphor for a sculptor who 'husked' a sculpture from stone.
ScarlatoItalian Occupational name for a dyer, or as a nickname for someone who habitually wore scarlet or who had bright red hair, From Sicilian scarlatu "scarlet".
SchaafGerman Metonymic occupational name for a shepherd, from Middle High German schāf ‘sheep’. In some cases it may have been a nickname for someone thought to resemble a sheep, or a habitational name for someone living at a house distinguished by the sign of a sheep... [more]
SchaalGerman, Dutch, French, Spanish, Jewish Either a nickname for a braggart or a market crier, (derived from Middle High German schal meaning "noise, bragging"), an occupational name for someone who made dishes for scales and vessels for drinking, (from Middle Low German and Dutch schale "dish"), a habitational name from Schaala in Thuringia or the Schaalsee lake near Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, or a topographic name for someone living on marshy land, (from Dutch schald "shallow")... [more]
SchachtGerman, Dutch North German and Dutch: metonymic occupational name for someone who prepared shafts for tools or weapons, a turner, from Middle Low German schacht, Middle Dutch scacht ‘shaft’.
SchatzGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) metonymic occupational name for a treasurer, from German Schatz ‘treasure’, Middle High German scha(t)z. It may also have been a nickname for a rich man (or ironically for a miser), or else for a well-liked person or a ladies’ favorite, from the use of the vocabulary word as a term of endearment... [more]
SchauerGerman The Schauer surname comes from the Middle High German word "schouwen" meaning "to inspect;" as such, the name is thought to have originally been occupational, for some kind of inspector, perhaps an official of a market.
SchiffGerman, Jewish From Middle High German Schif "ship", indicating the bearer was either a sailor, or lived in a house distinguished by a ship sign.
SchirmacherGerman occupational name for someone who makes harnesses and bridles for horses from Middle High German geschirre "harness" and macher "maker".
SchmelzerGerman occupational name for a smelter from an agent derivative of Middle High German smelzen German schmelzen "to smelt metal" or "make glass".
SchmidlappGerman Derived from Middle High German smit "smith, metalworker" and lap(pe) meaning "cloth, patch, rag".
SchmidlkoferGerman, German (Austrian) Occupational name for a farmer who was also a blacksmith, derived from a diminutive of Middle High German smit meaning "smith" and the suffix -kofer (a variant of -hofer).
SchmuckGerman, German (Austrian) From Middle High German smuc meaning "jewel", "finery", hence a metonymic occupational name for a jeweler, or a nickname for someone who wore a prominent jewel or ornament.North German: nickname from Middle Low German smuck meaning "neat", "dainty".
SchoenGerman, Jewish, Dutch German (Schön) nickname for a handsome or pleasant man, from Middle High German schoene ‘fine’, ‘beautiful’; ‘refined’, ‘friendly’, ‘nice’. ... [more]
SchopenhauerGerman Derived from German schöpfen meaning "to scoop, ladle" and hauen meaning "to chop", referring to a maker of wooden and metal scoops and buckets. This name was borne by the German pessimist philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), the author of the 1818 book The World as Will and Representation among other works.
SchottlerGerman Occupational name for a wood turner, Middle Low German scoteler (an agent derivative of scotel ‘wooden bowl’).
SchreinerGerman Occupational surname for a joiner (maker of wooden furniture), ultimately from Middle High German schrīnære.
SchrepferGerman (Swiss), German Derived from from Middle High German schrepfer "barber-surgeon's assistant", ultimately from the verb schrepfen "to bleed someone".
SchuhGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a maker or repairer of shoes, derived from Middle High German schuoch meaning "shoe". In some cases, it may have denoted a person to a house distinguished by the sign of a shoe.
SchutzGerman Occupational surname for an archer or a watchman (from Middle High German schützen "to guard or protect"). Also a habitational name from Schutz, a place near Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
SchweinsteigerGerman Occupational name for a pig farmer, an overseer of pigs or a nickname for someone who rode a pig, derived from Middle High German swīn meaning "hog, swine" and stīger meaning "foreman, mine inspector"... [more]
SchwerdtfegerGerman occupational name for an armorer or specifically for a servant whose job was to polish swords Middle High German Middle Low German swertfeger (from swert "sword" and an agent derivative of fegen "to polish or clean").
SchwimerGerman, Jewish Occupational name meaning "swimmer" in German. As a Jewish name, it may be ornamental.
SchwingGerman Occupational name for someone whose job was to swingle flax, i.e. to beat the flax with a swingle in order to remove the woody parts of the plant prior to spinning, from Middle German swingen meaning "to swing" or swing meaning "swingle".
SciortinoItalian Occupational name from a diminutive of sciorta, sciurta "city guard, watchman, policeman" (Arabic ̣shuṛtī).
ScognamiglioItalian Literally "millet thresher", probably from the Neapolitan verb scugnà ("to thresh") and miglio ("millet"), denoting cereal threshers.
ScuderiSicilian Patronymic form of Scudero, a status name equivalent to English Squire, from scudero "shield-bearer", Latin scutarius, an agent derivative of scutum "shield"... [more]
SearsEnglish Version of Sayer. Used in the United States. Famous bearer of the name is Richard Warren Sears, one of the founders of Sears, Roebuck and Co.
SegaleEnglish, Italian Respelling of SEGAL. A famous bearer is Mario A. Segale, the inspiration for Nintendo's video game character Mario
ŠegrtSerbian Derived from šegrt (шегрт), meaning "apprentice".
SeidJewish Metonymic occupational name from German Seide and Yiddish zayd "silk"
SeideGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German side, German Seide ‘silk’ (from Late Latin seta, originally denoting animal hair), hence a metonymic occupational name for a manufacturer or seller of silk.
SeiderGerman Originating in the region of Saxony. Name of a silk merchant, from the German word for silk: seide
SeifGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a soap maker, from Middle High German seife, German Seife 'soap'.
SeilerGerman German and Jewish occupational surname for a rope maker.
SeimUpper German German: metonymic occupational name for a beekeeper, from Middle High German seim ‘honey’.
ŞekerciTurkish Means "confectioner, candy seller" in Turkish.
SellEstonian Sell is an Estonian surname meaning "apprentice".
SellmeyerGerman Occupational name for the steward of a hall or manor house from Middle High German sal "hall residence" and meier "steward" (see Meyer 1).
SelmerGerman Teutonic name meaning "hall master" for a steward or keeper of a large home or settlement.
SemenzaItalian From semenza ‘seeds’ possibly used for a seed merchant.
SenatoreItalian status name from senatore "senator" (from Latin senator) or a nickname for a stately or perhaps pompous man.
SénécalFrench status name for a seneschal an official in a large household who was responsible for overseeing day-to-day domestic arrangements from Old French seneschal (of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements sini "old" and scalc "servant")... [more]
SennGerman Derived from the Middle High German word senne meaning "dairy farmer".
SennaPortuguese Possibly coming from the surname "Sanna", it may mean "one with a big protruding tooth".... [more]
SenokosovRussian Derived from Russian сенокос (senokos) meaning "haymaking, hayfield".
SethIndian, Hindi, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi Means "merchant, banker" in Hindi, ultimately from Sanskrit श्रेष्ठ (shreshtha) meaning "best, chief, most excellent".