SIERRA SpanishOriginally indicated a dweller on a hill range or ridge, from Spanish
sierra "mountain range", derived from Latin
serra "saw".
SILVA Portuguese, SpanishFrom Spanish or Portuguese
silva meaning
"forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.
SILVER EnglishFrom a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English
seolfor "silver".
SKÁLA CzechMeans
"rock" in Czech, indicating that the original bearer lived near a prominent rock.
SKALICKÝ Czech, SlovakIndicated 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".
ŚLUSARSKI PolishOccupational name for a locksmith, from Polish
ślusarz, of Germanic origin.
SMALL EnglishFrom a nickname for a small person, from Middle English
smal.
SMIT DutchFrom Middle Dutch
smit "metalworker, blacksmith", a cognate of
SMITH.
SMITH EnglishMeans
"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).
SMOLAK Polish, CzechOccupational name for a distiller of pitch, derived from the Slavic word
smola meaning
"pitch, resin".
SNELL EnglishFrom Old English
snel meaning
"fast, quick, nimble".
SOBOL Russian, Ukrainian, JewishOccupational name for a fur trader, from the Slavic word
soboli meaning
"sable, marten". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
SOKOL Czech, JewishFrom Czech
sokol meaning
"falcon", a nickname or an occupational name for a falconer. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
SOLER Occitan, CatalanDenoted a person from any of the numerous places in the area whose names derive from Occitan or Catalan
soler meaning "ground, floor".
SOMMER (1) German, EnglishMeans
"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.
SONG Chinese, KoreanFrom Chinese
宋 (sòng) referring to the Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1279.
SORDI ItalianFrom Italian
sordo meaning
"deaf", from Latin
surdus.
SORGE GermanMeans
"worry, care, anxiety" in German, from Old High German
sorga.
SÖRÖS HungarianFrom Hungarian
sör meaning
"beer". Originally the name was given to beer brewers.
SOTO SpanishMeans
"grove of trees, small forest" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin
saltus.
SPEAR EnglishFrom Old English
spere "spear", an occupational name for a hunter or a maker of spears, or a nickname for a thin person.
STACK EnglishFrom a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English
stack "haystack", of Old Norse origin.
STAREK PolishFrom a nickname derived from Polish
stary "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.
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.
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.
STONE EnglishName for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English
stan.
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.
STROUD EnglishFrom Old English
strod meaning
"marshy ground overgrown with brushwood".
STRUNA Slovene, CzechFrom Slavic
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".
STURM GermanMeans
"storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.
SUESS GermanVariant of
SÜß. A famous bearer was the American children's author Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel.
SULTAN ArabicFrom a nickname meaning
"sultan, ruler" in Arabic.
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".
SWEET EnglishFrom a nickname meaning
"sweet, pleasant", from Old English
swete.
SZWEDA PolishDerived from Polish
Szwed meaning
"Swede, person from Sweden".
TANG ChineseFrom Chinese
唐 (táng) referring to the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907.
TASH EnglishFrom Middle English
at asche meaning
"at the ash tree".
TAUBE GermanFrom a nickname meaning meaning
"dove" in German.
TAYLOR EnglishDerived from Old French
tailleur meaning
"tailor", ultimately from Latin
taliare "to cut".
TERRELL EnglishProbably derived from the Norman French nickname
tirel meaning
"to pull", referring to a stubborn person.
TERZİ TurkishMeans
"tailor" in Turkish, ultimately of Persian origin.
TERZIĆ BosnianFrom Bosnian
terzija meaning
"tailor", ultimately of Persian origin.
THATCHER EnglishReferred to a person who thatched roofs by attaching straw to them, derived from Old English
þæc meaning "thatch".
TODD EnglishMeans
"fox", derived from Middle English
todde.
TOFT EnglishDenoted a person hailing from one of the many places in Britain of that name, derived from Old Norse
topt meaning
"homestead".
TOSI ItalianMeans
"clean-shaven", usually denoting a younger man, from Latin
tonsus "shaved".
TÓT HungarianDerived from Hungarian
tót, which means
"Slovak" or
"Slovene".
TRAVERS English, FrenchFrom an English and French place name that described a person who lived near a bridge or ford, or occasionally as an occupational name for the collector of tolls at such a location. The place name is derived from Old French
traverser (which comes from Late Latin
transversare), which means
"to cross".
TREMBLAY FrenchFrom French
tremble meaning
"aspen". It is especially widespread in Quebec, being the most common surname there.
TUFT EnglishDenoted one who lived near a clump of trees or bushes, from Middle English
tufte "tuft, clump", from Old French.
VACCA ItalianMeans
"cow" in Italian, originally denoting a person who worked with cattle.
VAN AGTEREN DutchMeans
"from behind", probably referring to a place behind something, such as a building or a place at the end of the road.
VANCE EnglishIndicated a dweller by a fen, from Old English
fenn meaning
"fen, marsh".
VAN DALEN DutchMeans
"from the valley", from Old Dutch
dal meaning "valley".
VAN DEN BERG DutchMeans
"from the mountain", derived from Dutch
berg meaning "mountain".
VAN DER VEEN DutchMeans
"from the swamp, from the peat", from Dutch
veen "fen, swamp, peat". It originally indicated a person who resided in a peat district or fen colony.
VAN LAAR DutchDerived from Dutch
laar (plural
laren), which means
"open spot in the forest". These areas were used to graze cattle for example.
VANN EnglishFrom Old English
fenn meaning
"fen, swamp, peat", indicating a person who lived near such a place.
VAUGHAN WelshFrom Welsh
bychan meaning
"little". It was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
VERHOEVEN DutchMeans
"from the farm" in Dutch, derived from
hoeve "farm", and so indicated a person who lived on a farm.
VESELÝ CzechFrom a nickname meaning
"cheerful" in Czech.
VICARIO Spanish, ItalianMeans
"vicar" in Spanish and Italian, an ecclesiastic title used to denote a representative of a bishop. It is derived from Latin
vicarius meaning "substitute, deputy".
VICO ItalianMeans
"town" in Italian, derived from Latin
vicus.
VILLA Italian, SpanishMeans
"town" in Italian and Spanish, from Latin. It was originally given to a person who came from a town, as opposed to the countryside.
VINOGRADOV RussianMeans
"vineyard" in Russian (ultimately from German), referring to a person who worked at a vineyard or lived near one.
VIVAS CatalanFrom the Catalan byname
vivas meaning
"may you live", which was bestowed upon children to bring good luck.
VLAŠIČ SlovenePatronymic from the nickname
Vlah meaning
"Romanian".
VLČEK CzechDiminutive form of Czech
vlk meaning
"wolf".
VOGEL German, DutchFrom 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.
VOGT GermanOccupational name from Middle High German
voget meaning
"bailiff, lawyer", ultimately from Latin
advocatus.
VOLL (1) NorwegianOriginally indicated a person who lived in a meadow, from Old Norse
vǫllr "meadow, field".
VON BRANDT GermanMeans
"from the area cleared by fire", from Middle High German
brant.
VÖRÖS HungarianMeans
"red" in Hungarian, referring to a person with red hair or face.
VOSS GermanFrom Middle Low German
vos meaning
"fox". It was originally a nickname for a clever person or a person with red hair.
VROOM Dutch, FlemishFrom a nickname derived from Dutch
vroom meaning
"pious, devout".
WAGNER GermanFrom Middle High German
wagener meaning
"wagon maker, cartwright". This name was borne by the German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883).
WALLACE Scottish, English, IrishMeans
"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 Sir William Wallace of Scotland.
WALLACH YiddishFrom Middle High German
walch meaning
"foreigner (from a Romance country)".
WALLER (2) EnglishDerived from Old English
weall meaning
"wall", denoting a builder of walls or someone who lived near a prominent wall.
WANG (1) ChineseFrom Chinese
王 (wáng) meaning
"king, monarch". This is the most common surname in China (and the world).
WANG (2) German, DutchFrom Middle High German and Middle Dutch
wange meaning
"cheek", possibly a nickname for someone with round or rosy cheeks.
WARDROBE EnglishFrom Old French
warder "to guard" and
robe "garment", an occupational name for a servant responsible for the clothing in a household.
WARE (1) EnglishFrom Old English
wer meaning
"dam, weir", indicating someone who lived near such a structure.
WAY EnglishFrom Old English
weg meaning
"way, road, path".
WAYNE EnglishOccupational name meaning
"wagon maker, cartwright", derived from Old English
wægn "wagon". A famous bearer was the American actor John Wayne (1907-1979).
WEIMANN GermanFrom German
Wein meaning
"wine", an occupational name for a wine seller or producer.
WEISS German, YiddishFrom Middle High German
wiz or Yiddish
װייַס (vais) meaning
"white". This was originally a nickname for a person with white hair or skin.
WELLS EnglishDerived from Middle English
welle meaning
"well, spring, water hole".
WEN ChineseFrom Chinese
文 (wén) meaning
"literature, culture, writing".
WEST English, GermanDenoted a person who lived to the west of something, or who came from the west.
WHITE EnglishOriginally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English
hwit "white".
WIECK GermanMeans
"village, town", derived from Latin
vicus.
WINTER English, German, SwedishFrom Old English
winter or Old High German
wintar meaning
"winter". This was a nickname for a person with a cold personality.
WIRTH German, JewishOccupational name for an innkeeper, derived from German
wirt meaning
"host".
WÓJCIK PolishFrom the Polish word
wójt meaning
"chief, mayor" (related to German
VOGT).
WOJEWODA PolishFrom the Polish title
wojewoda meaning
"governor, voivode" (originally meaning "warlord").
WOLF German, EnglishFrom Middle High German or Middle English
wolf meaning
"wolf", or else from a Germanic given name beginning with this element.
WOOD English, ScottishOriginally denoted one who lived in or worked in a forest, derived from Old English
wudu "wood".
WRAY EnglishOriginally denoted someone who came from any of the various places of this name in northern England, from Old Norse
vrá meaning
"corner, nook".
WRIGHT (1) EnglishFrom Old English
wyrhta meaning
"wright, maker", an occupational name for someone who was a craftsman. Famous bearers were Orville and Wilbur Wright, the inventors of the first successful airplane.
WU ChineseFrom Chinese
吴 (wú) referring to the ancient state of Wu, which was located in present-day Jiangsu province.
XU ChineseFrom Chinese
徐 (xú) meaning
"slowly, calmly".
YOUNG EnglishDerived from Old English
geong meaning
"young". This was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
YU (1) ChineseFrom Chinese
于 (yú) meaning
"in, on, at". According to legend, King Wu of Zhou bestowed the realm of Yu to his second son, who subsequently adopted this as his surname.