Old Germanic Origin Surnames

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".

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".

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.

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

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.

Sorg German
Variant of Sorge.

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

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.

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

Stacks English
Variant of Stack.

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

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".

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

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.

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".

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".

Stern 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.

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

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".

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

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.

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.

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

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".

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".

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.

Šulc m Czech
Czech form of Schulz.

Šulcová f Czech
Feminine form of Šulc.

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

Summers 2 English
Variant of Sommer 1.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Thacker English
Northern Middle English variant of Thatcher.

Thälmann German
From the given name Thilo. It was borne by the German communist party leader Ernst Thälmann (1886-1944).

Thatcher English
Referred 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).

Thibault French
Derived from the given name Thibault.

Thorburn English, Scottish
Derived from the Old Norse given name Þórbjǫrn.

Þórirsson Icelandic
Means "son of Þórir".

Thorley English
From any of the various places in England called Thornley or Thorley, meaning "thorn clearing" in Old English.

Thorn English, Danish
Originally applied to a person who lived in or near a thorn bush.

Thorne English
Variant of Thorn.

Thornton English
From any of the various places in England by this name, meaning "thorn town" in Old English.

Thorpe English
From Old Norse þorp meaning "village".

Thorsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Thor".

Thurstan English
Derived from the Old Norse name Þórsteinn.

Tiedeman Low German
Variant of Tiedemann.

Tiedemann Low German
Derived from the given name Tiedemann.

Tifft English
Variant of Toft.

Tillens Flemish
From the old Dutch name Tiel, a medieval diminutive of Dietrich.

Toft English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many places in Britain of that name, derived from Old Norse topt meaning "homestead".

Toller English
Occupational name meaning "tax gatherer", derived from Old English toln "toll, fee, tax".

Towner English
Variant of Toller.

Townsend English
Indicated a person who lived at the town's edge, from Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town" and ende "end, limit".

Troelsen Danish
Means "son of Troels".

Trudeau French (Quebec)
From a diminutive of the given name Thouroude, a medieval French form of the Norse name Torvald. This name has been borne by two Canadian prime ministers, Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1919-2000) and his son Justin Trudeau (1971-).

Trueman English
Variant of Truman.

Truman English
Means "trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).

Turnbull English, Scottish
Nickname for someone thought to be strong enough to turn around a bull.

Uberti Italian
Derived from the given name Uberto.

Uggeri Italian
Derived from the given name Edgardo.

Ughi Italian
From the given name Ugo.

Ulfsson Swedish
Means "son of Ulf".

Underhill English
Means "dweller at the foot of a hill", from Old English under and hyll.

Underwood English
Means "dweller at the edge of the woods", from Old English under and wudu.

Unterbrink Low German
Means "dweller under the slope" from Old Saxon undar "under" and brink "edge, slope".

Upton English
Denoted a person hailing from one of the many towns in England bearing this name. The place name itself is derived from Old English upp "up" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Valdez Spanish
Means "son of Baldo".

Van Aalst Dutch
Variant of Van Alst.

Van Achteren Dutch
Variant of Van Agteren.

Van Agteren Dutch
Means "from behind", probably referring to a place behind something, such as a building or a place at the end of the road.

Van Akkeren Dutch
Variant of Van den Akker.

Van Alst Dutch
Means "from Aalst", the name of towns in Belgium and the Netherlands, which is possibly from Germanic *alhs meaning "temple, shelter".

Van Althuis Dutch
Dutch cognate of Althaus.

Van As Dutch
Means "from Asch", a town in the Netherlands, meaning "ash tree".

Van Asch Dutch
Variant of Van As.

Vance English
Indicated a dweller by a fen, from Old English fenn meaning "fen, marsh".

Van Daal Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Daalen Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Dael Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Daele Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Dale Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Vandale Dutch
Variant of Van Dalen.

Van Dalen Dutch
Means "from the valley", from Old Dutch dal meaning "valley".

Van Damme Flemish
Means "from Damme", the name of a town in Belgium, derived from Dutch dam meaning "dam". A famous bearer is the Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960-), who was born with the surname Van Varenberg.

Van den Akker Dutch
Means "from the field" in Dutch.

Van den Berg Dutch
Means "from the mountain", derived from Dutch berg meaning "mountain".

Van der Aart Dutch
Means "from the earth", derived from Dutch aarde "earth". It perhaps referred to either an earth bank or to a farmer.

Van der Beek Dutch
Means "from the creek" in Dutch.

Van der Berg Dutch
Variant of Van den Berg.

Van der Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van der Linden Dutch
Means "from the linden trees", from Dutch linde meaning "linden tree".

Van der Meer Dutch
Means "from the lake" in Dutch.

Van der Veen Dutch
Means "from the swamp", from Dutch veen meaning "fen, swamp, peat". It originally indicated a person who resided in a peat district or fen colony.

Van der Ven Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van der Venne Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van der Vennen Dutch (Rare)
Variant of Van der Veen.

Vång Swedish
Swedish variant of Wang 3.

Vang 1 Norwegian, Danish
Variant of Wang 3.

Van Hautum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Hofwegen Dutch
Means "from Hofwegen", a town in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands, itself derived from Dutch hof "garden, courtyard" and weg "way, path, road".

Van Hoorn Dutch
Dutch form of Horn.

Van Horn Dutch
Dutch form of Horn.

Van Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houte Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houtem Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houten Dutch
Means "from forests", derived from Dutch hout "forest".

Van Houttum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Houtum Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Leeuwenhoek Dutch
Variant of Leeuwenhoek. A famous bearer of this surname is Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), a pioneer in the field of microscopy.

Vann English
From Old English fenn meaning "fen, swamp", indicating a person who lived near such a place.

Van Rompa Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Van Rompaey Flemish, Dutch
Means "from the wide path", derived from Middle Dutch ruum "roomy, spacious" combined with pat "path".

Van Rompay Flemish, Dutch
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Van Rompaye Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Van Rompu Flemish (Rare)
Variant of Van Rompaey.

Van Rompuy Flemish
Variant of Van Rompaey. A famous bearer is the Flemish politician Herman Van Rompuy (1947-), a Prime Minister of Belgium.

Van 't Hout Dutch
Variant of Van Houten.

Van Veen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van Veenen Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Van Willigen Dutch
Means "from the willows", from Old Dutch wilga "willow".

Varnham English
Variant of Farnham.

Venner Dutch
Variant of Van der Veen.

Verboom Dutch
Means "from the tree" in Dutch.

Vergoossen Dutch
Means "son of Goswin".

Verhoeven Dutch
Means "from the farm" in Dutch, derived from hoeve "farm", and so indicated a person who lived on a farm.

Vernersen Danish
Means "son of Verner".

Vervloet Flemish
Means "from the stream" in Dutch.

Vestergaard Danish
From a place name, derived from Danish vest "west" and gård "farm, yard".

Vik Norwegian
Means "cove, inlet" in Norwegian.

Vilhjálmsson Icelandic
Means "son of Vilhjálmur".

Vinogradov m Russian
Means "vineyard" in Russian (ultimately from German), referring to a person who worked at a vineyard or lived near one.

Vinogradova f Russian
Feminine form of Vinogradov.

Vinter Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian variant of Winter.

Visscher Dutch
Variant of Visser.

Visser Dutch
Occupational name meaning "fisherman" in Dutch.

Vlachos m Greek
Means "Romanian, Wallachian" in Greek, from Old Slavic volxŭ "Romance-speaker" (of Germanic origin).

Vlachou f Greek
Feminine form of Vlachos.

Vlahos m Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βλάχος (see Vlachos).

Vlahou f Greek
Alternate transcription of Greek Βλάχου (see Vlachou).

Vlahović Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic from Serbo-Croatian Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".

Vlašić Croatian
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".

Vlašič Slovene
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian, Wallachian".

Voclain French
From the Old French given name Vauquelin.

Vogel German, Dutch
From Old High German and Old Dutch fogal meaning "bird". It was originally an occupational name for a bird catcher, or a nickname for a person who liked to sing.

Vogels Dutch
Variant of Vogel.

Volk German
Derived from given names beginning with the Old High German element folk meaning "people".

Voll 1 Norwegian
Originally indicated a person who lived in a meadow, from Old Norse vǫllr "meadow, field".

Voll 2 German
Variant of Volk.

Vollan Norwegian
Variant of Voll 1.

Von Brandt German
Means "from the area cleared by fire", from Middle High German brant.

Von Essen German
Means "from Essen", a city in Germany, possibly a derivative of Old High German asc meaning "ash tree".

Vos Dutch
Dutch cognate of Voss.

Voss German
From Middle Low German vos meaning "fox". It was originally a nickname for a clever person or a person with red hair.

Voß German
Variant of Voss.

Vroom Dutch, Flemish
From a nickname derived from Dutch vroom meaning "pious, devout".

Vroomen Dutch, Flemish
Variant of Vroom.

Wägner German
Variant of Wagner.

Wagner German
From Middle High German wagener meaning "wagon maker, cartwright". This name was borne by the German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883).

Wähner German
Variant of Wagner.

Wahner German
Variant of Wagner.

Wakefield English
Originally indicated a person who came from the English city of Wakefield, derived from Old English wacu "wake, vigil" and feld "field".

Waldfogel Jewish
Variant of Waldvogel.

Waldo English
From the Anglo-Scandinavian given name Waltheof.

Waldvogel German, Jewish
From a nickname for a carefree person, derived from German Wald meaning "forest" and Vogel meaning "bird". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Walkenhorst German
Possibly derived from a German place name Falkenhorst, from Falken meaning "falcons" and Horst meaning "thicket".

Walker English
Occupational name for a person who walked on damp raw cloth in order to thicken it. It is derived from Middle English walkere, Old English wealcan meaning "to move".

Wall English
Originally denoted a person who lived near a prominent wall, from Old English weall.

Wallace Scottish, English, Irish
Means "foreigner, stranger, Celt" from Norman French waleis (of Germanic origin). It was often used to denote native Welsh and Bretons. A famous bearer was the 13th-century Scottish hero William Wallace.

Wallach Yiddish
From Middle High German walch meaning "foreigner (from a Romance country)".

Waller 2 English
Derived from Old English weall meaning "wall", denoting a builder of walls or someone who lived near a prominent wall.

Waller 3 English
From Old English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

Walmsley English
Originally denoted a person from the English town of Walmersley.

Walsh English, Irish
From Old English wælisc meaning "foreigner, stranger, Celt".

Walter English, German
Derived from the given name Walter.

Walters English
Derived from the given name Walter.

Walterson English
Means "son of Walter".

Waltersson Swedish
Variant of Walterson.

Walther German
From the given name Walther.

Walton English
From the name of any of several villages in England, derived from Old English wealh "foreigner, Celt", weald "forest", weall "wall", or wille "well, spring, water hole" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Waltz German
From a diminutive of the given name Walther.

Wang 2 German, Dutch
From Middle High German and Middle Dutch wange meaning "cheek", possibly a nickname for someone with round or rosy cheeks.

Wang 3 German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Old High German wang or Old Norse vangr meaning "grassy slope, meadow".

Ward 1 English
Derived from Old English weard meaning "guard, guardian".

Ware 1 English
From Old English wer meaning "dam, weir", indicating someone who lived near such a structure.

Warner German, English
Variant of Werner.

Warrick English
Variant of Warwick.

Warwick English
From the name of an English town, itself derived from Old English wer "weir, dam" and wic "village, town".

Wash English
Derived from the Norman name Wazo.

Washington English
From a place name meaning "settlement belonging to Wassa's people", from the given name Wassa and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". A famous bearer was George Washington (1732-1799), the first president of the United States. This surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, resulting in a high proportion of African-American bearers.

Waterman 1 English
Means "servant of Walter".

Waterman 2 English, Dutch
Occupational name for a boatman or a water carrier. It could also describe a person who lived by water.

Waters 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived near the water.

Waters 2 English
Derived from the given name Walter.

Watkins English
Derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, which was a diminutive of the name Walter.

Watson English, Scottish
Patronymic derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter.

Watt English
Derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter. A noteworthy bearer was the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819).

Watts English
Patronymic derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter.

Wauters Dutch
Means "son of Wouter".

Way English
From Old English weg meaning "way, road, path".

Wayne English
Occupational name meaning "wagon maker, cartwright", derived from Old English wægn "wagon". A famous bearer was the American actor John Wayne (1907-1979).

Weasley Literature
Used by J. K. Rowling for the character of Ron Weasley (and other members of his family) in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997. Rowling presumably derived it from the English word weasel, perhaps in combination with the common place name/surname suffix -ley, which is derived from Old English leah meaning "woodland, clearing".

Weaver 1 English
Occupational name for a weaver, derived from Old English wefan "to weave".

Webb English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".

Weber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.

Webster English
Occupational name meaning "weaver", from Old English webba, a derivative of wefan "to weave".

Wechsler German, Jewish
Means "money changer, banker", from German wechseln "to exchange".

Wedekind German
From the given name Widukind.

Weeber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.

Weekes English
Derived from Old English wic meaning "village, town".

Wegener Low German
Low German variant of Wagner.

Wegner Low German
Low German variant of Wagner.

Wehner German
Variant of Wagner.

Wehnert German
Variant of Wagner.

Wehunt German (Anglicized)
Americanized form of German Wiegand.

Weigand German
From the given name Wiegand.

Weiner German
Variant of Wagner.

Weiss German, Yiddish
From Middle High German wiz or Yiddish װייַס (vais) meaning "white". This was originally a nickname for a person with white hair or skin.

Weiß German
Variant of Weiss.

Welch English
Variant of Walsh.

Wells English
Derived from Middle English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".

Welter German
Derived from the given name Walter.

Wembley English
From the name of a town, now part of Greater London, meaning "Wemba's clearing" in Old English.

Wendel German
Derived from the given name Wendel.

Wendell German
Variant of Wendel (typically American).

Werner German
From the given name Werner.

Wernher German
From the given name Werner.