Stanley EnglishFrom various place names meaning
"stone clearing" in Old English. A notable bearer was the British-American explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904).
Stanton EnglishFrom one of the many places named Stanton or Staunton in England, derived from Old English
stan meaning "stone" and
tun meaning "enclosure, town".
Stárek m CzechFrom a nickname derived from Czech
starý meaning
"old".
Starek PolishFrom a nickname derived from Polish
stary meaning
"old".
Stark English, GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"strong, rigid", from Old English
stearc or Old High German
stark.
Starr EnglishFrom 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.
Starrett ScottishOriginally indicated a person from Stairaird, an estate in Scotland.
Statham EnglishFrom the name of a village in the English county of Cheshire, derived from Old English
stæð meaning "wharf, landing place" and
ham "home, settlement".
Steed EnglishOccupational name for one who tended horses, derived from Middle English
steed, in turn derived from Old English
steda meaning "stallion".
Steele EnglishOccupational name for a steelworker, from Old English
stele meaning
"steel".
Steen Low GermanLow German variant of
Stein. A famous bearer was the 17th-century Dutch painter Jan Steen.
Stein German, JewishFrom Old High German
stein meaning
"stone". It might indicate the original bearer lived near a prominent stone or worked as a stonecutter. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Steinmann GermanMeans
"stone man" in German, used as a habitational name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or an occupational name for a stone worker.
Stendahl SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
sten (Old Norse
steinn) meaning "stone" and
dal (Old Norse
dalr) meaning "valley".
Stenger GermanOccupational name for a post maker, from Old High German
stanga "pole".
Stępień PolishPossibly an occupational name for a herbalist, from Polish
stępa "mortar".
Sterling ScottishDerived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning.
Stern 1 EnglishFrom Old English
styrne meaning
"stern, severe". This was used as a nickname for someone who was stern, harsh, or severe in manner or character.
Sternberg JewishOrnamental name derived from old German
stern "star" and
berg "mountain".
Stetson EnglishPossibly from the name of the village of Stidston in Devon, meaning
"Stithweard's town".
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".