Surnames Starting with S

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.

Smola m Czech
Czech form of Smolak.

Smolak Polish
Occupational name for a distiller of pitch, derived from the Old Slavic word smola meaning "pitch, resin".

Smolarek Polish
Variant of Smolak.

Smolová f Czech
Feminine form of Smola.

Smythe English
Variant of Smith.

Snaaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Snaijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneiders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneijder Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneijders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneijer Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Sneijers Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Snel Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snell.

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

Snelling English
Variant of Snell.

Snider English
Variant of Snyder.

Sniders English
Variant of Snyder.

Śniegowska f Polish
Feminine form of Śniegowski.

Śniegowski m Polish
Derived from Polish śnieg meaning "snow".

Snijder Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Snijders Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snyder.

Snyder English
Means "tailor", derived from Middle English snithen "to cut", an occupational name for a person who stitched coats and clothing.

Snyders English
Variant of Snyder.

Soares Portuguese
Means "son of Suero".

Sobel Jewish
Variant of Sobol.

Soból Polish
Polish cognate of Sobol.

Sobol Ukrainian, Russian, Jewish
Occupational name for a fur trader, from the Slavic word sobolĭ meaning "sable, marten". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Söderberg Swedish
From Swedish söder (Old Norse suðr) meaning "south" and berg meaning "mountain".

Söderström Swedish
From Swedish söder (Old Norse suðr) meaning "south" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Sodiqov m Uzbek
Means "son of Sodiq".

Sodiqova f Uzbek
Feminine form of Sodiqov.

Sokal Polish
Polish cognate of Sokol.

Sokół Polish
Polish cognate of Sokol.

Sokol mu 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
From the name of Polish towns called Sokołów or similar, derived from Polish sokół meaning "falcon".

Sokolsky Jewish
Means "son of Sokol".

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

Solberg Norwegian, Swedish
From a place name, derived from Old Norse sól meaning "sun" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it may be ornamental.

Soldati Italian
From Italian soldato meaning "soldier", ultimately from Latin solidus, a type of Roman coin.

Soler Occitan, Catalan
Denoted a person from any of the numerous places in the area whose names derive from Occitan or Catalan soler meaning "ground, floor".

Solheim Norwegian
From the name various of various villages in Norway, derived from Old Norse sól meaning "sun" and heimr meaning "home".

Solís Spanish
From the name of a village in Asturias, Spain, derived from Spanish sol "sun".

Solo Basque
Means "rural estate" in Basque.

Solomon English, Romanian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Solomon.

Solos Basque
Possibly a variant of Solo.

Sólyom Hungarian
Means "hawk, falcon" in Hungarian.

Somma Italian
From the names of Italian places like Somma Lombardo or Somma Vesuviana, derived from Latin summa meaning "summit".

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.

Sommer 2 German
From Middle High German sumber or sommer meaning "basket, wickerwork, drum".

Somogyi Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from Somogy, a region within Hungary. It may be derived from Hungarian som meaning "cornel tree".

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

Song Chinese, Korean
From Chinese 宋 (sòng) referring to the Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1279.

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.

Sörensen Swedish
Swedish form of Sørensen.

Sørensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Søren".

Sorenson Danish (Anglicized), Swedish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Sørensen or Sörensson.

Sörensson Swedish
Swedish form of Sørensen.

Sorg German
Variant of Sorge.

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

Soriano Italian
From place names such as Soriano Calabro and Soriano nel Cimino. It is typical of southern Italy.

Sörös Hungarian
From Hungarian sör meaning "beer". Originally the name was given to beer brewers.

Sorrentino Italian
Derived from the town of Sorrento near Naples, called Surrentum in Latin, of unknown meaning.

Sosa Spanish
Spanish form of Sousa.

Soto Spanish
Means "grove of trees, small forest" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin saltus.

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.

Soucy French
Originally denoted someone from French towns by this name in Aisne or Yonne, both derived from the Latin name Suciacum.

Soukup m Czech
Means "co-buyer" in Czech, an occupational name for a merchant.

Soukupová f Czech
Feminine form of Soukup.

Soun Khmer
Means "garden" in Khmer.

Sourd French
French cognate of Sordi.

Sousa Portuguese
Originally indicated someone who lived near the River Sousa in Portugal, possibly derived from Latin salsus "salty" or saxa "rocks".

Southers German
Possibly an Americanized form of Sauter.

Southgate English
Name for a person who lived near the southern gate of a town or in a town named Southgate, from Old English suþ and gæt.

Souza Portuguese
Variant of Sousa.

Sovány Hungarian
Means "thin, lean" in Hungarian.

Sowards English, Irish
Possibly a variant of Seward 1 or Seward 3.

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

Spada Italian
Occupational name for an armourer or swordsman, from Italian spada "sword", Latin spatha.

Spalding English
From the name of the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire, derived from the Anglo-Saxon tribe of the Spaldingas.

Spannagel German
Occupational name for a nailsmith, from Middle High German span nagel "connecting bolt".

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.

Sparacello Italian
From Sicilian sparaciu meaning "asparagus", an occupational name for an asparagus seller or grower.

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.

Spearing English
Patronymic form of Spear.

Spears English
Patronymic form of Spear.

Specht German
Means "woodpecker" in German.

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

Spellmeyer German
Possibly from German spielen meaning "to play, to jest" combined with meyer meaning "village headman". Perhaps it referred to someone who was played or acted as the village headman.

Spence English
Variant of Spencer.

Spencer English
Occupational name for a person who dispensed provisions to those who worked at a manor, derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry".

Speziale Italian
Means "grocer" in Italian, derived from Latin speciarius "spice seller".

Spijker 1 Dutch
Denoted a dweller by or worker at a granary, from Dutch spijker "granary".

Spijker 2 Dutch
Occupational name for a nailsmith, from Dutch spijker "nail".

Spiker Dutch
Americanized form of Spijker 1 or Spijker 2.

Spillum Norwegian
Originally denoted a person from Spillum, Norway.

Spini Italian
Denoted a person who lived near thorn bushes, from Italian spina "thorn, spine", from Latin.

Spirou Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Σπύρου (see Spyrou).

Spitz German
Means "sharp" in German, indicating the original bearer lived near a pointed hill.

Spitznagel German
Means "sharp nail" in German, an occupational name for a nailsmith.

Spitznogle German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Spitznagel.

Sponaugle German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Spannagel.

Spooner English
Occupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".

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

Spyrou Greek
Means "son of Spyros".

Stabile Italian
From the medieval Italian given name Stabile meaning "stable, firm".

Stablum Italian
Northern Italian name derived from Latin stabulum meaning "stable".

Stacey English
Variant of Stacy.

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

Stacks English
Variant of Stack.

Stacy English
Derived from Stace, a medieval form of Eustace.

Stafford English
From the name of the English city of Stafford, Staffordshire, derived from Old English stæð meaning "wharf, landing place" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Stainthorpe English
Originally indicated a person from Staindrop, County Durham, England, derived from Old English stæner meaning "stony ground" and hop meaning "valley".

Stalin History
Surname adopted by the Russian leader Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) during his revolutionary years. He was an ethnic Georgian, born as Ioseb Jughashvili. He derived it from Russian сталь (stal) meaning "steel".

Stamp English
Originally denoted a person from Étampes near Paris. It was called Stampae in Latin, but the ultimate origin is uncertain.

Stan Romanian
Derived from the given name Stan 2.

Stanciu Romanian
Derived from Romanian stânci meaning "rocks".

Staněk m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Stanislav.

Stanek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Stanisław.

Stanev m Bulgarian
Means "son of Stane", Stane being a diminutive of Stanislav.

Staneva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Stanev.

Stanford English
Derived from various English place names meaning "stone ford" in Old English.

Stankevičienė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Stankevičius. This form is used by married women.

Stankevičius m Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Stankiewicz.

Stankevičiūtė f Lithuanian
Feminine form of Stankevičius. This form is used by unmarried women.

Stankić Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Stanko".

Stankiewicz Polish
From a diminutive of Stanisław.