All Surnames

Schneijder Dutch
Variant 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".

Scholz German
Variant of Schulz.

School Dutch
From Dutch school, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school", indicating a person who worked at or lived near a school.

Schoorel Dutch
Variant of Schoorl.

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 m Czech
Means "hide yourself" in Czech, of Moravian origin.

Schovajsová f Czech
Feminine form of Schovajsa.

Schräder Low German (Rare)
Variant of Schröder 1.

Schrader Low German
Variant of Schröder 1.

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".

Schröder 2 German
Variant of Schröter.

Schroeder German
Variant of Schröder 1 and Schröder 2.

Schroeter German
Variant of Schröter.

Schröter German
Means "beer-porter, wine-porter" in German, an occupational name for a carrier of wine or beer barrels.

Schubert German
Variant of Schuchardt. This name was borne by the Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828).

Schuchard German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Schuchardt German
From Middle High German schuochwürte meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".

Schuchert German
Variant of Schuchardt.

Schuhart German
Variant of Schuchardt.

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 Schulz.

Schulte Low German
Low German variant of Schulz.

Schultes German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultheis German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultheiss German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultheiß German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultz German
Variant of Schulz.

Schultze German
Variant of Schulz.

Schulz German
Occupational name derived from Middle High German schultheiße meaning "mayor, judge".

Schulze German
Variant of Schulz.

Schumacher German
Variant of Schuhmacher.

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".

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.

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.

Sciacchitano Italian
Variant of Sciacca.

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.

Scrivener English
Variant of Scriven.

Scrivenor English
Variant of Scriven.

Scrivens English
Variant of Scriven.

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".

Seabrooke English
Variant of Seabrook.

Seaver English
From the unattested Old English given name Sæfaru, derived from the Old English elements sæ "sea, ocean" and faru "journey".

Sebastiani Italian
From the given name Sebastiano.

Sedláček m Czech, Slovak
Diminutive form of Sedlák.

Sedláčková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Sedláček.

Sedlák m Czech, Slovak
Means "farmer" in Czech and Slovak. A sedlák had more land than a Zahradník or a Chalupník, but less land than a Dvořák.

Sedláková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Sedlák.

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 (seḡan Lewiya) 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 関 (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.

Selvatici 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.

Seppänen Finnish
Variant of Seppä.

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 given name Serafim.

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.

Seres Hungarian
Variant of Sörös.

Sergeant English, French
Occupational name derived from Old French sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin servire "to serve".

Sergeev m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Сергеев (see Sergeyev).

Sergeeva f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Сергеева (see Sergeyeva).

Sergeyev m Russian
Means "son of Sergey".

Sergeyeva f Russian
Feminine form of Sergeyev.

Serizawa Japanese
From Japanese 芹 (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.

Serrano Spanish
Variant 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 m Czech, Slovak
Occupational name derived from Czech and Slovak švec meaning "shoemaker, cobbler".

Ševčíková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Ševčík.

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 sæ "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 (shāh) 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.

Sharipov m Uzbek, Tajik
Means "son of Sharif".

Sharipova f Uzbek, Tajik
Feminine form of Sharipov.

Sharma Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Means "joy, shelter, comfort" in Sanskrit.

Sharman English
Variant of Sherman 1.

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.

Sheach Scottish
Variant of Shaw 2.

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 "elder, chief, sheikh".

Sheinfeld Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and feld "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 申 (shēn) referring to the ancient state of Shen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty.

Shepard English
Variant of Shepherd.

Shepherd English
Occupational name meaning "shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English sceaphyrde.

Sheppard English
Variant of Shepherd.

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".

Sherburne English
Variant of Sherburn.

Sheridan Irish
From the Irish name Ó Sirideáin meaning "descendant of Sirideán". The given name Sirideán possibly means "searcher".

Sherman 1 English
Means "shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.

Sherman 2 Jewish
Means "tailor" in Yiddish, derived from שער (sher) meaning "scissors".

Shevchenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian швець (shvets) meaning "shoemaker".

Shevchuk Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian швець (shvets) meaning "shoemaker".

Shibuya Japanese
From Japanese 渋 (shibu) meaning "astringent, rough" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Shimada Japanese
From Japanese 島 (shima) meaning "island" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Shimamura Japanese
From Japanese 島 (shima) meaning "island" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Shimizu Japanese
From Japanese 清 (shi) meaning "clear, pure, clean" and 水 (mizu) meaning "water".

Shin Korean
Korean form of Shen, from Sino-Korean 申 (sin).

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

Shine 2 Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Seighin.

Shinkawa Japanese
From Japanese 新 (shin) meaning "fresh, new" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Shinoda Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Shinohara Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

Shinozaki Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

Shirai Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Shiraishi Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 石 (ishi) meaning "stone".

Shirakawa Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Shiratori Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 鳥 (tori) meaning "bird".

Shirazi Persian
Originally denoted someone who came from the city of Shiraz, located in southern Iran. The city's name is possibly of Elamite origin.

Shirley English
From an English place name, derived from Old English scir "bright" and leah "woodland, clearing".

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

Shriver German
German cognate of Scriven.

Shvets Ukrainian
Means "shoemaker" in Ukrainian.

Shwetz Ukrainian (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Shvets.

Siddall English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English sid "wide" and halh "nook, recess".

Sidney English
Originally derived from various place names in England meaning "wide island", from Old English sid "wide" and eg "island". Another theory holds that it comes from the name of a town in Normandy called "Saint Denis", though evidence for this is lacking.

Siebert German
Derived from the given name Siegbert.

Siegel 1 German
Occupational name for a maker of seals or signet rings, ultimately from Latin sigillum "seal".

Siegel 2 German
Derived from the diminutive of Old German given names beginning with the element sigu meaning "victory".

Siegel 3 Jewish
Variant of Segal 1.

Sieger German
From the given name Sieghard.

Siegert German
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

Siekert German (Rare)
Derived from the given name Sieghard.

Siemon German
Variant of Simon.

Siena Italian
Indicated a person from Siena in Italy, which was named after the Gaulish tribe of the Senones.

Sienkiewicz Polish
Patronymic from the given name Sienko, an old diminutive of Szymon. This was the surname of the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916).

Sierra Spanish
Originally indicated a dweller on a hill range or ridge, from Spanish sierra "mountain range", derived from Latin serra "saw".

Sierżant Polish
Polish cognate of Sergeant.

Sigourney English
From the name of the commune of Sigournais in western France, called Segurniacum in medieval Latin, itself of unknown meaning.

Sigurdsson Icelandic, Swedish
Means "son of Sigurður".

Sigurðsson Icelandic
Means "son of Sigurður".

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

Siliņa f Latvian
Feminine form of Siliņš.

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

Silje Norwegian
Derived from the given name Silje.

Silva Portuguese, Spanish
From Spanish or Portuguese silva meaning "forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.

Silveira Portuguese
Means "forests" in Portuguese.

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

Silverstein Jewish
Variant of Zilberstein.

Silvestri Italian
Derived from the given name Silvester.

Šimek m Czech
Derived from the name Šimek, a diminutive of Šimon.

Simen English (Rare)
From the given name Simon 1.

Simeonov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Simeon".

Simeonova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Simeonov.

Šimić Croatian
Means "son of Šime".

Šimko m Slovak
From a diminutive of the given name Šimon.

Šimková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Šimek or Šimko.

Simmon German
From the given name Simon 1.

Simmons English
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Simms English
Derived from the medieval given name Sim, a short form of Simon 1.

Simões Portuguese
Means "son of Simão" in Portuguese.

Šimon m Slovak, Czech
Derived from the given name Šimon.

Simón Spanish
From the given name Simón.

Simon English, French, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Simoneit German
From the given name Simon 1.

Šimonienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Šimonis. This form is used by married women.

Šimonis m Lithuanian
Means "son of Simonas".

Simonis Dutch
Means "son of Simon 1".

Šimonová f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Šimon.

Simons English, German
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Simonsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Simon 1".

Simonson English
Means "son of Simon 1".

Simonsson Swedish
Swedish form of Simonson.

Šimonytė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Šimonis. This form is used by unmarried women.

Simpkin English
From a diminutive of the given name Simon 1.

Simpson English
Means "son of Sim", Sim being a medieval short form of Simon 1. This is the name of a fictional American family on the animated television series The Simpsons, starting 1989.

Sims English
Variant of Simms.

Šimunović Croatian
Means "son of Šimun".

Sinagra 1 Italian
Originally denoted a person from Sinagra on Sicily, possibly derived from Latin sinus "inlet" and ager "field".

Sinagra 2 Italian
Derived from the given name Senagora, an Italian form of Xenagoras.

Sinclair English
Derived from a Norman French town called "Saint Clair".

Singh Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)
From Sanskrit सिंह (siṃha) 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.

Sipos Hungarian
Occupational name for a fife player or piper, from Hungarian síp "whistle, pipe".

Siskin Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Siskind Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Sitko Polish
Means "fine sieve" in Polish, a diminutive of the Polish word sito "sieve".

Sitz 1 German
Derived from a given name beginning with the Old High German element sigu meaning "victory".

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

Sjöberg Swedish
From Swedish sjö (Old Norse sær) meaning "lake, sea" and berg meaning "mountain".

Sjögren Swedish
From Swedish sjö (Old Norse sær) meaning "lake, sea" and gren (Old Norse grein) meaning "branch".

Skála m Czech
Means "rock" in Czech, indicating that the original bearer lived near a prominent rock.

Skała Polish
Polish cognate of Skála.

Skalická f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Skalický.

Skalický m Czech, Slovak
Indicated the original bearer came from a place named Skalice, Skalica or Skalička in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, derived from the Slavic root skala meaning "rock".

Skálová f Czech
Feminine form of Skála.

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

Skinner English
Occupational name for a person who skinned animals, from Old Norse skinn.

Skjeggestad Norwegian
From a place name, derived from Norwegian skjegg "beard" and stad "town, place".

Skov Danish
Topographic name meaning "forest, wood" in Danish, from Old Norse skógr.

Skovgaard Danish
From a place name, derived from Danish skov "forest, wood" and gård "farm, yard".

Skywalker Popular Culture
From the English words sky and walker, created by George Lucas as the surname for several characters in his Star Wars movie series, notably the hero Luke Skywalker from the original trilogy (beginning 1977). Early drafts of the script had the name as Starkiller.

Slade English
Derived from Old English slæd meaning "valley".

Slane Irish
Originally indicated a person from Slane, County Meath, Ireland, which is derived from the given name Sláine.

Śląska f Polish
Feminine form of Śląski.

Śląski m Polish
Polish cognate of Slezák.

Slater English
Occupational name indicating that an early member worked covering roofs with slate, from Old French esclat "shard", of Germanic origin.

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.

Slavkov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Slavko".

Slavkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Slavkov.

Ślązak Polish
Polish cognate of Slezák.

Slezák m Czech, Slovak
Originally a name for a person from Silesia, a historical region that is nowadays split between Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Slezáková f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Slezák.

Sloan Irish
From Irish Ó Sluaghadháin meaning "descendant of Sluaghadhán".

Sloane Irish
Variant of Sloan.

Slootmaekers Dutch, Flemish
Occupational name for a locksmith, from Dutch slot "lock" and maker "maker".

Slováček m Czech
Variant of Slovák.

Slováčková f Czech
Feminine form of Slováček.

Slovák m Slovak, Czech
Originally described one who was from Slovakia.

Slováková f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Slovák.

Ślusarczyk Polish
Diminutive form of Ślusarski.

Ślusarska f Polish
Feminine form of Ślusarski.

Ślusarski m Polish
Occupational name for a locksmith, from Polish ślusarz, of Germanic origin.

Slusser German
Variant of Schlosser.

Smagulov m Kazakh
Means "son of Smagul".

Smagulova f Kazakh
Feminine form of Smagulov.

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

Smalls English
Variant of Small.

Smedley English
From an unidentified place name probably meaning "smooth clearing" in Old English.

Smeets Dutch
Variant of Smit.

Smets Dutch
Variant of Smit.

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.

Smit Dutch
From Middle Dutch smit "metalworker, blacksmith", a cognate of Smith.

Smith English
Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).

Smits Dutch
Variant of Smit.