Steuben GermanName for a dweller by a stump of a large tree, from Middle Low German
stubbe "stub".
Stewart ScottishOccupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English
stig "house" and
weard "guard". The Stewart family (sometimes spelled
Stuart) held the Scottish crown for several centuries. One of the most famous members of the Stewart family was Mary, Queen of Scots.
Stieber GermanDerived from Middle High German
stiuben meaning
"to run away". It may have been given as a nickname to a cowardly person or a thief.
Stilo ItalianDerived from the name of the town of Stilo in southern Italy. It is possibly derived from Greek
στῦλος (stylos) meaning "column, pillar".
Stoddard EnglishOccupational name for a horse keeper, from Old English
stod "stallion, stud" and
hierde "herder".
Stoke EnglishFrom the name of numerous places in England, derived from Old English
stoc meaning
"place, dwelling".
Stolarz PolishOccupational name from Polish
stolarz meaning
"joiner, maker of furniture".
Stone EnglishName for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English
stan.
Stoppelbein GermanMeans
"stump leg" from Middle Low German
stoppel "stump" and
bein "leg".
Storstrand NorwegianOriginally denoted someone from Storstrand farm in Norway, derived from
stor meaning "big" and
strand meaning "beach".
Strand Norwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom Old Norse
strǫnd meaning
"beach, sea shore". It was originally given to someone who lived on or near the sea.
Strange EnglishDerived from Middle English
strange meaning
"foreign", ultimately from Latin
extraneus.
Straub GermanFrom Old High German
strub meaning
"rough, unkempt".
Street EnglishHabitational name for a person who lived in a place called Street, for example in Somerset. It is derived from Old English
stræt meaning
"Roman road", from Latin
strata.
Strickland EnglishFrom the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from Old English
stirc "calf, young bullock" and
land "cultivated land".
Stringer EnglishOccupational name for a maker of string or bow strings, from Old English
streng "string".
Stroman GermanMeans
"straw man" in German, an occupational name for a seller of straw.
Strong EnglishNickname derived from Middle English
strong or
strang meaning
"strong".
Stroud EnglishFrom Old English
strod meaning
"marshy ground overgrown with brushwood".
Strudwick EnglishFrom an English place name derived from Old English
strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood" and
wic meaning "village, town".
Struna SloveneFrom Slovene
struna meaning
"string, cord", possibly denoting a maker of rope.
Stuber GermanOccupational name for the owner of an inn, derived from Old High German
stuba "room".
Stumpf GermanNickname for a short person or a topographic name someone who lived near a prominent stump, from Middle High German
stumpf.
Sturm GermanMeans
"storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.
Styles EnglishLocational name for one who lived near a steep hill, from Old English
stigol "stile, set of steps".
Su ChineseFrom Chinese
苏 (sū) meaning
"perilla", also referring to an ancient minor state called Su.
Suchý m Czech, SlovakMeans
"dry" in Czech and Slovak. This was a nickname for a thin person.
Suess GermanVariant of
Süß. A famous bearer was the American children's author Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel.
Sullivan IrishAnglicized form of the Irish name
Ó Súileabháin meaning
"descendant of Súileabhán". The name
Súileabhán means "dark eye".
Sultan ArabicFrom a nickname meaning
"sultan, ruler" in Arabic.
Sulzbach GermanToponymic name from German places named Sulzbach meaning "salty stream", derived from Old High German
sulza "salty water" and
bah "stream".
Summerfield EnglishOriginally indicated the bearer was from a town of this name, derived from Old English
sumor "summer" and
feld "field".
Sumner EnglishOccupational name for a summoner, an official who was responsible for ensuring the appearance of witnesses in court, from Middle English
sumner, ultimately from Latin
submonere "to advise".
Sun ChineseFrom 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 GermanFrom Old High German
suozi meaning
"sweet".
Sutherland ScottishRegional name for a person who came from the former county by this name in Scotland. It is derived from Old Norse
suðr "south" and
land "land", because it was south of the Norse colony of Orkney.
Sutton EnglishFrom various English place names meaning
"south town".
Suzuki JapaneseFrom Japanese
鈴 (suzu) meaning "bell" and
木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood". This is the second most common surname in Japan. A notable bearer was the artist Suzuki Harunobu (1725-1770).
Svoboda m CzechMeans
"freedom" in Czech. This was a medieval name for a freeman, someone who was not a serf.
Swallow EnglishFrom the name of the bird, from Old English
swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.
Swanson EnglishPatronymic form of Middle English
swein meaning
"servant" (of Old Norse origin). This word was also used as a byname, and this surname could be a patronymic form of that.
Sweet EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"sweet, pleasant", from Old English
swete.
Swift EnglishNickname for a quick person, from Old English
swift.
Swindlehurst EnglishFrom the place name
Swinglehurst in the Forest of Bowland in central Lancashire, derived from Old English
swin "swine, pig",
hyll "hill" and
hyrst "wood, grove".
Szalai HungarianPossibly denoted a person from the region of Zala in western Hungary, itself named for the Zala River.
Szántó HungarianOccupational name for a ploughman or tiller, derived from Hungarian
szánt meaning "to plow".
Szarka HungarianFrom Hungarian
szarka meaning
"magpie", often used as a euphemistic term for a thief.
Székely HungarianDenoted a person of Székely ancestry. The Székelys are a population of Hungarians who live in central Romania.
Szekeres HungarianOccupational name for a cartman, derived from Hungarian
szekér meaning "cart, wagon".
Szilágyi HungarianDenoted one from the region of Szilágy in Hungary, derived from Hungarian
szil meaning "elm" and
ágy meaning "bed".
Szweda PolishDerived from Polish
Szwed meaning
"Swede, person from Sweden".
Tafani ItalianFrom the nickname
tafano meaning
"gadfly", indicating an annoying person.
Taggart Irish, ScottishAnglicized form of Irish
Mac an tSagairt meaning
"son of the priest". This name comes from a time when the rules of priestly celibacy were not strictly enforced.
Takala FinnishMeans
"(dweller in the) back", probably denoting someone who lived in a remote area, from Finnish
taka.
Takeda JapaneseFrom Japanese
武 (take) meaning "military, martial" and
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
Talbot EnglishOf Norman origin, possibly derived from an unattested Germanic given name composed of the elements
dala "to destroy" and
bod "message".
Tamaro ItalianPossibly from the Old German given name
Thietmar. It is typical of the area around Trieste in northern Italy.
Tamboia ItalianPossibly means
"drummer", from Italian
tamburo meaning "drum".
Tamboli MarathiFrom the Sanskrit word
ताम्बूल (tāmbūla) meaning
"betel leaves". These leaves are used in rituals and worship, and the name was originally given to a person who grew or sold them.
Tamm EstonianMeans
"oak" in Estonian. This is among the most common surnames in Estonia.
Tamura JapaneseFrom Japanese
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and
村 (mura) meaning "town, village".
Tanaka JapaneseMeans
"dweller in the rice fields", from Japanese
田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and
中 (naka) meaning "middle".
Tang 1 ChineseFrom Chinese
唐 (táng) referring to the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907.
Tangeman GermanOriginally indicated a person from a place named Tange in northern Germany.
Tanner EnglishOccupational name for a person who tanned animal hides, from Old English
tannian "to tan", itself from Late Latin and possibly ultimately of Celtic origin.
Tanzer GermanMeans
"dancer" in German, derived from Middle High German
tanzen "to dance".
Tarantino ItalianLocational name that originally designated a person who came from Taranto, a city in southeastern Italy, which was originally called
Τάρας (Taras) by Greek colonists. A famous bearer of this name is the American director Quentin Tarantino (1963-).
Targaryen LiteratureCreated 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.
Tash EnglishFrom Middle English
at asche meaning
"at the ash tree".
Tasker EnglishFrom Middle English
taske meaning
"task, assignment". A tasker was a person who had a fixed job to do, particularly a person who threshed grain with a flail.
Tasse FrenchFrom Old French
tasse "purse, bag", an occupational name for a maker or seller of purses.
Tatham EnglishFrom the name of the town of Tatham in Lancashire, itself from the Old English given name
Tata combined with
ham meaning "home, settlement".
Tatton EnglishOriginally indicated a person from a town by this name, derived from the Old English given name
Tata combined with
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".
Tavares PortugueseFrom any of the numerous places in Portugal called Tavares, likely of pre-Roman origin.
Taverna ItalianFrom the place name Taverna, common in different parts of Italy. It means "inn, tavern" in Italian.
Taylor EnglishDerived from Old French
tailleur meaning
"tailor", ultimately from Latin
taliare "to cut".
Teahan IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Téacháin meaning
"descendant of Téachán". The given name
Téachán possibly means "fugitive".
Teel EnglishFrom Middle English
tele meaning
"teal, duck".
Tehrani PersianIndicated a person from the Iranian city of Tehran, of unknown meaning.
Teke 2 TurkishOccupational name for a goat herder, from Turkish
teke "goat".
Tenley EnglishPossibly from the name of an English town derived from Old English
tind "point" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Ter Avest DutchMeans
"at the edge, eave" indicating a person who lived at the edge of a forest or under a covered shelter.
Terrazas SpanishOriginally a name for a person from Terrazas in the Spanish city of Burgos, a place name meaning "terraces".
Terrell EnglishProbably derived from the Norman French nickname
tirel meaning
"to pull", referring to a stubborn person.
Terzi 2 TurkishMeans
"tailor" in Turkish, ultimately of Persian origin.
Terzić BosnianFrom Bosnian
terzija meaning
"tailor", ultimately of Persian origin.
Tesař m CzechMeans
"carpenter" in Czech, ultimately from the Old Slavic word
tesla meaning "adze".
Tesla SerbianOccupational name for a carpenter, derived from Serbian
tesla meaning
"adze". This name was notably borne by the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).
Tessaro ItalianOccupational name meaning
"weaver", ultimately from Latin
texarius.
Teufel GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"devil" in German, given to a mischievous person or one who was devil-like.
Thälmann GermanFrom the given name
Thilo. It was borne by the German communist party leader Ernst Thälmann (1886-1944).
Thatcher EnglishReferred to a person who thatched roofs by attaching straw to them, derived from Old English
þæc meaning "thatch, roof". A famous bearer was the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).
Thorley EnglishFrom any of the various places in England called
Thornley or
Thorley, meaning "thorn clearing" in Old English.
Thornton EnglishFrom any of the various places in England by this name, meaning "thorn town" in Old English.
Thrussell EnglishFrom Old English
þrostle meaning
"song thrush", referring to a cheerful person.
Thwaite EnglishIndicated a dweller in a forest clearing or pasture, from Old Norse
þveit "clearing, pasture".
Timberlake EnglishFrom an English place name, derived from Old English
timber "timber, wood" and
lacu "lake, pool, stream".
Tindall EnglishFrom
Tindale, the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from the name of the river Tyne combined with Old English
dæl "dale, valley".
Tinker EnglishOccupational name for a mender of kettles, pots and pans. The name could derive from the tinking sound made by light hammering on metal. It is possible that the word comes from the word
tin, the material with which the tinker worked.
Tipton EnglishOriginally given to one who came from the town of Tipton, derived from the Old English given name
Tippa combined with
tun "enclosure, yard, town".
Tiraboschi ItalianPossibly of Lombardic origin meaning
"shepherd" (from Old German
tior "animal" and
bursa "boy"). This surname is typical of Lombardy.
Tiryaki TurkishPossibly from a nickname meaning
"addict, opium user" in Turkish.
Tisza HungarianFrom the river name Tisza, Hungary's second largest river.
Tittensor EnglishIndicated a person from Tittensor, England, which means "Titten's ridge".
Tivoli ItalianDerived from the resort town of Tivoli, near Rome, originally called
Tibur in Latin, of uncertain origin.
Todaro ItalianFrom a regional form of a given name
Todaro, a variant of
Teodoro. It is quite common in Sicily.
Todd EnglishMeans
"fox", derived from Middle English
todde.
Toft EnglishDenoted a person hailing from one of the many places in Britain of that name, derived from Old Norse
topt meaning
"homestead".
Tolbert EnglishPossibly from a Germanic given name of unknown meaning. The second element of the name is derived from
beraht meaning "bright, famous".
Toledano SpanishDerived from the name of the city of Toledo in Spain, which was from Latin
Toletum, which may have been derived from a Celtic word meaning "hill".
Tolkien GermanPossibly from a Low German byname
Tolk meaning
"interpreter" (of Slavic origin). A famous bearer was the English author J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973). According to him, the surname was derived from German
tollkühn meaning
"foolhardy".
Toller EnglishOccupational name meaning
"tax gatherer", derived from Old English
toln "toll, fee, tax".