Ancient Origin Surnames

Schmitt German
Variant of Schmidt.

Schmitz German
Variant of Schmidt, originating in the Rhine area in western Germany.

Schneider German, Jewish
From German schneider or Yiddish shnayder, making it a cognate of Snyder.

Schneiders Dutch
Variant of Snyder.

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".

Scholten Dutch
Variant of Schouten.

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.

Schouten Dutch
Occupational name derived from Middle Dutch schout meaning "sheriff, bailiff".

Schräder Low German (Rare)
Variant of Schröder 1.

Schrader Low German
Variant of Schröder 1.

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".

Schroeder German
Variant of Schröder 1 and Schröder 2.

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".

Schuyler Dutch
Possibly a Dutch form of Schuler.

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-).

Schwenke 2 German
From a given name, a Low German diminutive of Swanhild.

Scola Italian
From Italian scuola meaning "school".

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.

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.

Segal 1 Jewish
From the Hebrew phrase סגן לויה (seḡan Lewiya) meaning "assistant Levite".

Segers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Seghers Dutch
Means "son of Sieger".

Segura Spanish, Catalan
From places with names derived from Spanish or Catalan segura meaning "safe, secure".

Seidel German
From a diminutive of the given name Siegfried.

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.

Semenyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Semen.

Sempers English
From the name of various towns named Saint Pierre in Normandy, all of which commemorate Saint Peter.

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.

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.

Serra Italian, Portuguese, Catalan
Italian, Portuguese and Catalan cognate of Sierra.

Serrano Spanish
Variant of Sierra.

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.

Seymour 1 English
From Saint Maur, a French place name, which commemorates Saint Maurus.

Shah Persian, Urdu
Derived from Persian شاه (shāh) meaning "king".

Shain Jewish
Means "beautiful, handsome" in Yiddish, from German schön.

Shannon Irish
From Irish Ó Seanáin meaning "descendant of Seanán".

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.

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.

Sheehy Irish
Variant of McSheehy.

Sheenan Irish
Variant of Shannon.

Sheinfeld Jewish
Ornamental name derived from German schön "beautiful, good, nice" and feld "field".

Shelby English
Variant of Selby.

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.

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

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

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

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

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".

Shriver German
German cognate of Scriven.

Shvets Ukrainian
Means "shoemaker" in Ukrainian.

Shwetz Ukrainian (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Shvets.

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 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.

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.

Sigurdsson Icelandic, Swedish
Means "son of Sigurður".

Sigurðsson Icelandic
Means "son of Sigurður".

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

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, German
Means "son of Simon 1".

Šimonová f Slovak, Czech
Feminine form of Šimon.

Simons English, German, Dutch
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 (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.

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.

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".

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 Russian (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Sokolov.

Sokoloff Russian (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Sokolov.

Sokolov m Russian, Bulgarian
Patronymic form 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
Patronymic form 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".

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 (Anglicized)
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.