Ancient Origin Surnames

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 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 (sinha) 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.

Siskin Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Siskind Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Smeets Dutch
Variant of Smit.

Smets Dutch
Variant of Smit.

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.

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".

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
Usually refers to the city of Sokołów Podlaski in Poland. It may sometimes be derived from Polish sokół meaning "falcon".

Sokolsky Jewish
Means "son of Sokol".

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.

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".

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

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.

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.

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

Sourd French
French cognate of Sordi.

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.

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

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.

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

Spyrou Greek
Means "son of Spyros".

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.

Stan Romanian
Derived from the given name Stan 2.

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.

Staňková f Czech
Feminine form of Staněk.

Stanković Serbian
Means "son of Stanko".

Stanley English
From 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 English
From 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 Czech
From a nickname derived from Czech starý meaning "old".

Starek Polish
From a nickname derived from Polish stary meaning "old".

Stark English, German
From a nickname meaning "strong, rigid", from Old English stearc or Old High German stark.

Stárková f Czech
Feminine form of Stárek.

Starr English
From 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.

Stasiuk Ukrainian, Polish
From a diminutive of the given name Stanislav.

Steen Low German
Low German variant of Stein. A famous bearer was the 17th-century Dutch painter Jan Steen.

Steensen Danish
Means "son of Steen".

Stefanidi f Greek
Feminine form of Stefanidis.

Stefanidis m Greek
Means "son of Stefanos" in Greek.

Stefanidou f Greek
Feminine form of Stefanidis.

Stefanov m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Means "son of Stefan".

Stefanova f Bulgarian, Macedonian
Feminine form of Stefanov.

Stefanović Serbian
Means "son of Stefan".

Stefansen Danish
Means "son of Stefan".

Stefánsson Icelandic
Means "son of Stefán".

Stefansson Swedish
Means "son of Stefan".

Steffen Low German, English
Derived from the given name Stephen.

Steffensen Danish
Means "son of Steffen".

Stein German, Jewish
From 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.

Steiner German
Variant of Stein.

Steinmann German
Means "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.

Steinsson Icelandic
Means "son of Steinn".

Stenberg Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Derived from Scandinavian sten (Old Norse steinn) meaning "stone" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it is ornamental.

Stendahl Swedish
Ornamental name derived from Swedish sten (Old Norse steinn) meaning "stone" and dal (Old Norse dalr) meaning "valley".

Štěpánek m Czech
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Štěpán.

Štěpánková f Czech
Feminine form of Štěpánek.

Stepanov m Russian
Means "son of Stepan".

Stepanova f Russian
Feminine form of Stepanov.

Stephanidi f Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Στεφανίδη (see Stefanidi).

Stephanidis m Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Στεφανίδης (see Stefanidis).

Stephanidou f Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Στεφανίδου (see Stefanidou).

Stephens English
Derived from the given name Stephen.

Stephenson English
Means "son of Stephen".

Stern 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.

Sternberg Jewish
Ornamental name derived from old German stern "star" and berg "mountain".

Stevens English
Variant of Stephens.

Stevenson English
Variant of Stephenson.

Stewart Scottish
Occupational 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.

Stidolph English
From the Old English given name Stithulf.

Stigsson Swedish
Means "son of Stig".

Stjepanić Croatian
Means "son of Stjepan".

St John English
From a place named for Saint John.

St Martin French
From a place named for Saint Martin.

Stoddard English
Occupational name for a horse keeper, from Old English stod "stallion, stud" and hierde "herder".

Stojanov m Macedonian
Means "son of Stojan".

Stojanova f Macedonian
Feminine form of Stojanov.

Stojanović Serbian, Croatian
Means "son of Stojan".

Stojanovska f Macedonian
Feminine form of Stojanovski.

Stojanovski m Macedonian
Means "son of Stojan".

Stoke English
From the name of numerous places in England, derived from Old English stoc meaning "place, dwelling".

Stokes English
Variant of Stoke.

Stone English
Name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English stan.

Stoyanov m Bulgarian
Means "son of Stoyan".

Stoyanova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Stoyanov.

St Pierre French
From a French place named for Saint Peter.

Strand Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
From Old Norse strǫnd meaning "beach, sea shore". It was originally given to someone who lived on or near the sea.

Strange English
Derived from Middle English strange meaning "foreign", ultimately from Latin extraneus.

Straub German
From Old High German strub meaning "rough, unkempt".

Street English
Habitational 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.

Strnad mu Czech, Slovene
Means "bunting (bird)" in Czech and Slovene.

Strnadová f Czech
Czech feminine form of Strnad.

Strobel German
Diminutive form of Straub.

Ström Swedish
Means "stream" in Swedish.

Strøm Norwegian, Danish
Means "stream" in Norwegian and Danish.

Stroman German
Means "straw man" in German, an occupational name for a seller of straw.

Strömberg Swedish
From Swedish ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream" and berg meaning "mountain".

Stroud English
From Old English strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood".

Strudwick English
From an English place name derived from Old English strod meaning "marshy ground overgrown with brushwood" and wic meaning "village, town".

Struna Slovene
From Slovene struna meaning "string, cord", possibly denoting a maker of rope.

Stuart Scottish
Variant of Stewart.

Stuber German
Occupational name for the owner of an inn, derived from Old High German stuba "room".

Stück German, Jewish
From Old High German stucki meaning "piece, part".

Stueck German, Jewish
Variant of Stück.

Sturm German
Means "storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.

Suárez Spanish
Means "son of Suero".

Suchá f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Suchý.

Suchý m Czech, Slovak
Means "dry" in Czech and Slovak. This was a nickname for a thin person.

Sudworth English
From an English place name composed of Old English suþ "south" and worþ "enclosure".

Suero Spanish
Derived from the given name Suero.

Suess German
Variant of Süß. A famous bearer was the American children's author Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Suggitt English
Variant of Southgate.

Sulaymanov m Kyrgyz
Means "son of Sulayman".

Sulaymanova f Kyrgyz
Feminine form of Sulaymanov.

Šulc m Czech
Czech form of Schulz.

Šulcová f Czech
Feminine form of Šulc.

Suleimenov m Kazakh
Means "son of Suleimen".

Suleimenova f Kazakh
Feminine form of Suleimenov.

Summerfield English
Originally indicated the bearer was from a town of this name, derived from Old English sumor "summer" and feld "field".

Summers 1 English
Variant of Sumner.

Summers 2 English
Variant of Sommer 1.

Sumner English
Occupational 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".

Sundberg Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "strait" and berg meaning "mountain".

Sundén Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "sound, strait".

Sundström Swedish
From Swedish sund meaning "strait" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Süss German
Variant of Süß.

Süß German
From Old High German suozi meaning "sweet".

Susskind Jewish
Variant of Ziskind.

Sutton English
From various English place names meaning "south town".

Svéd Hungarian
Means "Swedish" in Hungarian.

Svendsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Svend".

Svensen Norwegian
Means "son of Sven".

Svenson Swedish
Variant of Svensson.

Svensson Swedish
Means "son of Sven".

Swanson English
Patronymic 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.

Sweeney Irish
Anglicized form of Mac Suibhne.

Sweet English
From a nickname meaning "sweet, pleasant", from Old English swete.

Sydney English
Variant of Sidney.

Sýkora m Czech, Slovak
Means "tit (bird)" in Czech and Slovak.

Sýkorová f Czech, Slovak
Feminine form of Sýkora.

Symonds English
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Symons English
Derived from the given name Simon 1.

Szczepańska f Polish
Feminine form of Szczepański.

Szczepański m Polish
Derived from the given name Szczepan.

Szewc Polish
Means "shoemaker" in Polish.

Szewczyk Polish
Diminutive form of Szewc.

Szulc Polish
Polish form of Schulz.

Szwarc Polish
Polish phonetic spelling of German Schwarz.

Szwed Polish
Variant of Szweda.

Szweda Polish
Derived from Polish Szwed meaning "Swede, person from Sweden".

Szwedko Polish
Variant of Szweda.

Szymańska f Polish
Feminine form of Szymański.

Szymański m Polish
From the given name Szymon.

Tadić Croatian, Serbian
Means "son of Tadija".

Taft English
Variant of Toft.

Tamaro Italian
Possibly from the Old German given name Thietmar. It is typical of the area around Trieste in northern Italy.

Tamás Hungarian
Derived from the given name Tamás.

Tanzi Italian
From a short form of the given name Costanzo.

Tash English
From Middle English at asche meaning "at the ash tree".

Tate English
Derived from the Old English given name Tata.

Tatham English
From the name of the town of Tatham in Lancashire, itself from the Old English given name Tata combined with ham meaning "home, settlement".

Tatton English
Originally indicated a person from a town by this name, derived from the Old English given name Tata combined with tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town".

Tatum English
Variant of Tatham.

Taube German
From a nickname meaning "dove" in German.

Tchaikovskaya f Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковская (see Chaykovskaya).

Tchaikovsky m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковский (see Chaykovsky).

Teague 1 Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Taidhg meaning "descendant of Tadhg".

Tehrani Persian
Indicated a person from the Iranian city of Tehran, of unknown meaning.

Tenley English
Possibly from the name of an English town derived from Old English tind "point" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Tennison English
Means "son of Denis".

Tennyson English
Means "son of Denis".

Teodoro Portuguese
Derived from the given name Teodoro.

Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.

Terry English
Derived from the medieval name Thierry, a Norman French form of Theodoric.

Terzi 1 Italian
From the given name Terzo, or a name for a third child.

Terzi 2 Turkish
Means "tailor" in Turkish, ultimately of Persian origin.

Terzić Bosnian
From Bosnian terzija meaning "tailor", ultimately of Persian origin.

Tesař m Czech
Means "carpenter" in Czech, ultimately from the Old Slavic word tesla meaning "adze".

Tesařík m Czech
Diminutive of Tesař.

Tesaříková f Czech
Feminine form of Tesařík.

Tesařová f Czech
Feminine form of Tesař.

Tesla Serbian
Occupational name for a carpenter, derived from Serbian tesla meaning "adze". This name was notably borne by the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).

Teunissen Dutch
Means "son of Teunis".

Thacker English
Northern Middle English variant of Thatcher.