Surnames via Nicknames

usage
source
Růžička Czech
Means "little rose" in Czech.
Ryer German (Anglicized)
Possibly an Americanized form of Reiher.
Sabbadin Italian
From a nickname from Italian sabbato "Saturday", a name for one born on that day of the week.
Saito Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 斎藤 (see Saitō).
Saitō Japanese
From Japanese (sai) meaning "purification, worship" and () meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
Saitou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 斎藤 (see Saitō).
Salvaggi Italian
Italian form of Savage.
Salvatici Italian
Italian form of Savage.
Sangster English, Scottish
Occupational name or nickname for a singer, from Old English singan "to sing, to chant".
Sanna Italian
From Italian sanna or zanna meaning "tusk, fang", a nickname for a person with a protruding tooth.
Santini Italian
Diminutive form of Santo.
Santo Italian
Italian form of Santos.
Santoro Italian
Means "all saint's day" in Italian, a nickname for one born on that day.
Santos Portuguese, Spanish
Means "saint" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin sanctus. This was a nickname for a pious person.
Sapienti Italian
Means "wise, learned" in Italian.
Šarić Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian šaren meaning "colourful, patterned".
Sarka Hungarian (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Szarka.
Sas Hungarian
Means "eagle" in Hungarian.
Sass Hungarian
Variant of Sas.
Sato Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see Satō).
Satō Japanese
From Japanese (sa) meaning "help, aid" and () meaning "wisteria". The final character might indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan. This is the most common surname in Japan.
Satou Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see Satō).
Sauber German
Means "clean, tidy" in German.
Sauer German
Means "sour" in German, a nickname for an embittered or cantankerous person.
Sauvage French
French form of Savage.
Sauvageau French
French diminutive form of Savage.
Sauvageon French
French diminutive form of Savage.
Sauvageot French
French diminutive form of Savage.
Savage English
English nickname meaning "wild, uncouth", derived from Old French salvage or sauvage meaning "untamed", ultimately from Latin silvaticus meaning "wild, from the woods".
Scarsi Italian
Nickname for a poor or miserly person, from Italian scarso "scarce, scant".
Schlender German
From Middle High German slinderen "to dawdle" or Middle Low German slinden "to swallow, to eat".
Schlimme German
From German schlimm "bad, crooked, awry".
Schmeling German
From Middle Low German smal meaning "small, slender".
Schnell German
German cognate of Snell.
Schreck German
From Middle High German schrecken meaning "to frighten, to scare".
Schwarz German, Jewish
Means "black" in German, from Old High German swarz. It originally described a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
Schwenke 1 German
Derived from Middle High German swenken meaning "to swing".
Sciarra Italian
From Sicilian sciarra meaning "quarrel, dispute", originally a nickname for a quarrelsome person.
Scordato Italian
Means "forgotten, left behind" in Italian.
Scott English, Scottish
Originally given to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic.
Scrooge Literature
Created by Charles Dickens for the central character in his short novel A Christmas Carol (1843). He probably based it on the rare English word scrouge meaning "to squeeze". In the book Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old man who is visited by three spirits who show him visions of his past, present and future. Since the book's publication, scrooge has been used as a word to mean "miser, misanthrope".
Seelenfreund Jewish
From German Seele meaning "soul" and Freund meaning "friend".
Segreti Italian
From Italian segreto meaning "secret", a nickname for a confidant.
Selvaggio Italian
Italian form of Savage.
Senft 2 German
Nickname for a helpful, kind person, from Old High German semfti meaning "soft, accommodating".
Senior English
Originally a name for the elder of two brothers.
Șerban Romanian
Means "a Serb" in Romanian.
Serpico Italian
From a nickname derived from Italian serpe "serpent, reptile".
Sgro Italian
Nickname for a curly-haired person, from Greek σγουρός (sgouros) meaning "curly".
Shah Persian, Urdu
Derived from Persian شاه (shah) meaning "king".
Shain Jewish
Means "beautiful, handsome" in Yiddish, from German schön.
Shakespeare English
From a nickname for a warlike person, from Old English scacan "to shake" and spere "spear". A famous bearer was the English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
Shapiro Jewish
Means "pretty, lovely" in Hebrew, from Aramaic.
Sharma Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Means "joy, shelter, comfort" in Sanskrit.
Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".
Sharpe English
Variant of Sharp.
Shehu Albanian
From the Arabic title شيخ (shaykh) meaning "sheik".
Shine 1 English
Means "beautiful, attractive" from Old English sciene.
Short English
From a nickname for a short person, from Middle English schort.
Sikora Polish
Means "tit (bird)" in Polish.
Silver English
From a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English seolfor "silver".
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.
Sitz 2 German
Means "house owner", derived from Old High German siz "seat, domicile".
Skeates English
From the Old Norse nickname or byname skjótr meaning "swift".
Slávik Slovak
Slovak cognate of Slavík.
Slavík Czech
Means "nightingale" in Czech.
Small English
From a nickname for a small person, from Middle English smal.
Smalls English
Variant of Small.
Smirnov Russian
Derived from Russian смирный (smirny) meaning "quiet, peaceful, timid". This is one of the most common surnames in Russia.
Snel Dutch
Dutch cognate of Snell.
Snell English
From Old English snel meaning "fast, quick, nimble".
Sobel Jewish
Variant of Sobol.
Sokal Polish
Polish cognate of Sokol.
Sokół Polish
Polish cognate of Sokol.
Sokol Czech, Slovak, 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".
Sokolovsky Russian
Means "son of Sokol".
Sokołowski 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".
Solak Turkish
From the nickname solak meaning "left-handed".
Sólyom Hungarian
Means "hawk, falcon" in Hungarian.
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.
Son Korean
Korean form of Sun, from Sino-Korean (son).
Sonnen German
Means "sun" from Middle High German sunne. It probably denoted someone of cheerful temperament or a person who lived in a sunny area.
Sordi Italian
From Italian sordo meaning "deaf", from Latin surdus.
Sorg German
Variant of Sorge.
Sorge German
Means "worry, care, anxiety" in German, from Old High German sorga.
Souček Czech
From Czech suk meaning "tree knot". This could either be a topographic name or a nickname for a stubborn person.
Sourd French
French cognate of Sordi.
Sovány Hungarian
Means "thin, lean" in Hungarian.
Sówka Polish
From a diminutive of Polish sowa meaning "owl".
Spanò Sicilian
From Sicilian spanu meaning "sparse, thin hair", ultimately from Greek σπάνιος (spanios) meaning "scarce, rare".
Sparks English
From an Old Norse nickname or byname derived from sparkr meaning "sprightly".
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.
Specht German
Means "woodpecker" in German.
Speight English
English form of Specht, probably a loanword from German or Dutch.
Spurling English
From Middle English sparewe "sparrow" and the diminutive suffix -ling.
Stack English
From a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English stack "haystack", of Old Norse origin.
Stacks English
Variant of Stack.
Stárek Czech
Czech cognate of Starek.
Starek Polish
From a nickname derived from Polish stary "old".
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.
Stauss German
Means "buttocks" from Middle High German stuz.
Stern 1 English
From Old English styrne meaning "stern, severe". This was used as a nickname for someone who was stern, harsh, or severe in manner or character.
Stern 2 German, Jewish
German cognate of Starr.
Stieber German
Derived from Middle High German stiuben meaning "to run away". It may have been given as a nickname to a cowardly person or a thief.
Stoica Romanian
From Romanian stoic meaning "stoic, impassive".
Stoppelbein German
Means "stump leg" from Middle Low German stoppel "stump" and bein "leg".
Strange English
Derived from Middle English strange meaning "foreign", ultimately from Latin extraneus.
Straub German
From Old High German strub meaning "rough, unkempt".
Strnad Czech, Slovene
Means "bunting" in Czech and Slovene.
Strobel German
Diminutive form of Straub.
Strong English
Nickname derived from Middle English strong or strang meaning "strong".
Stück German, Jewish
From Old High German stucki meaning "piece, part".
Stumpf German
Nickname for a short person or a topographic name someone who lived near a prominent stump, from Middle High German stumpf.
Sturm German
Means "storm" in German, originally a nickname for a volatile person.
Suchý Czech
Means "dry" in Czech. This was a nickname for a thin person.
Suen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Sun.
Suess German
Variant of Süß. A famous bearer was the American children's author Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel.
Sultan Arabic
From a nickname meaning "sultan, ruler" in Arabic.
Sultana Bengali, Urdu, Maltese
Bengali, Urdu and Maltese form of Sultan.
Sun Chinese
From Chinese (sūn) meaning "grandchild, descendant". A famous bearer of the surname was Sun Tzu, the 6th-century BC author of The Art of War.
Süss German
Variant of Süß.
Süß German
From Old High German suozi meaning "sweet".
Svoboda Czech
Means "freedom" in Czech. This was a medieval name for a freeman, someone who was not a serf.
Swallow English
From the name of the bird, from Old English swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.
Sweet English
From a nickname meaning "sweet, pleasant", from Old English swete.
Swift English
Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.
Sýkora Czech, Slovak
Means "tit (bird)" in Czech and Slovak.
Szarka Hungarian
From Hungarian szarka meaning "magpie", often used as a euphemistic term for a thief.
Szarvas Hungarian
Means "deer" in Hungarian.
Székely Hungarian
Denoted a person of Székely ancestry. The Székelys are a population of Hungarians who live in central Romania.
Szép Hungarian
Means "beautiful, lovely" in Hungarian.
Szőke Hungarian
Means "blond, fair haired" in Hungarian.
Szwarc Polish
Polish phonetic spelling of German Schwarz.
Tafani Italian
From the nickname tafano meaning "gadfly", indicating an annoying person.
Tähtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".
Tanzer German
Means "dancer" in German, derived from Middle High German tanzen "to dance".
Tar Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian tar meaning "bald".
Targaryen Literature
Created by author George R. R. Martin for his series A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019). The Targaryens were the rulers of Westeros for almost 300 years until shortly before the beginning of the first novel. The name is presumably from the Valyrian language, though Martin provides no explanation of the meaning.
Tarr Hungarian
Variant of Tar.
Taube German
From a nickname meaning "dove" in German.
Tchaikovsky Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковский (see Chaykovsky).
Teague 2 Cornish
From Cornish tek meaning "fair, beautiful".
Tedesco Italian
From Italian tedesco meaning "German".
Teel English
From Middle English tele meaning "teal, duck".
Terrell English
Probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel meaning "to pull", referring to a stubborn person.
Testa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "head".
Teufel German
From a nickname meaning "devil" in German, given to a mischievous person or one who was devil-like.
Thrussell English
From Old English þrostle meaning "song thrush", referring to a cheerful person.
Tilki Turkish
From a nickname meaning "fox" in Turkish.
Tiryaki Turkish
Possibly from a nickname meaning "addict, opium user" in Turkish.
Tjäder Swedish
Means "wood grouse" in Swedish.
Tod English
Variant of Todd.
Todd English
Means "fox", derived from Middle English todde.
Toivonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish toivo meaning "hope".
Tolkien German
Possibly from a Low German byname Tolk meaning "interpreter" (of Slavic origin). A famous bearer was the English author J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973). According to him, the surname was derived from German tollkühn meaning "foolhardy".
Tornincasa Italian
From a medieval Italian name given to a boy born after the death of a previous one, derived from Italian ritorna in casa "come back home".
Török Hungarian
Means "Turkish" in Hungarian.
Tos Spanish
Spanish form of Tosi.
Tosell Catalan
Catalan form of Tosi.
Toselli Italian
Diminutive form of Tosi.
Toset Catalan
Catalan form of Tosi.
Tosetti Italian
Diminutive form of Tosi.
Tosi Italian
Means "clean-shaven", usually denoting a younger man, from Latin tonsus "shaved".
Tosto Italian
From a nickname for a tough, stubborn person, from Italian tosto "hard, tough".
Tót Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian tót, which means "Slovak" or "Slovene".
Tóth Hungarian
Variant of Tót.
Triggs English
From a byname derived from Old Norse tryggr meaning "true, loyal".
Trudu Sardinian
Means "thrush" in Sardinian (from Latin turdus).
Truman English
Means "trusty man" in Middle English. A famous bearer of the surname was American president Harry S. Truman (1884-1972).
Trumbauer German
Possibly from Middle High German trame "rafter, frame" and bauer "peasant, neighbour".
Tuominen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tuomi meaning "bird cherry".
Turchi Italian
Means "Turkish" in Italian.
Turnbull English, Scottish
Nickname for someone thought to be strong enough to turn around a bull.
Tyson 1 English
Derived from a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from Old French tison meaning "firebrand".
Uccello Italian
Means "bird" in Italian, either a nickname for a person who resembled a bird or an occupational name for a birdcatcher.
Ungureanu Romanian
From Romanian ungur meaning "Hungarian".
Unruh German
Refers to a restless, fidgety, nervous person, from German unruhe meaning "unrest".
Utkin Russian
From the Russian word утка (utka) meaning "duck".
Uzun Turkish
Means "long, tall" in Turkish.
Vadas Hungarian
From Hungarian vad meaning "wild", either a nickname or an occupational name for a hunter of wild game.
Văduva Romanian
From Romanian văduvă meaning "widow".
Valiente Spanish
From a nickname derived from Spanish valiente meaning "brave".
Văn Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wen, from Sino-Vietnamese (văn).
Vanags Latvian
Means "hawk" in Latvian.
Vanhanen Finnish
From Finnish vanha meaning "old".
Vass Hungarian
Derived from Hungarian vas meaning "iron", referring to a worker in iron, a miner of iron ore or a vendor of iron goods. Alternatively, from the same root word, it may have been a nickname referring to one with a distinctively strong constitution.
Vastag Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "stout, thick" in Hungarian.
Vaughan Welsh
From Welsh bychan (mutated to fychan) meaning "little". It was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
Vaughn Welsh
Variant of Vaughan.
Vela Spanish
Derived from Spanish vela meaning "sail" or the homonym vela meaning "watchful".
Venäläinen Finnish
Means "Russian" in Finnish. This name was originally used by the ethnic Finns who lived on the Russian side of the border.
Veres Hungarian
Dialectical variant of Vörös.
Verity English
From a nickname meaning "truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.
Vesela Czech
Moravian Czech variant of Veselý.
Veselý Czech
From a nickname meaning "cheerful" in Czech.
Vespa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wasp".
Vinter Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Scandinavian variant of Winter.
Virág Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "flower" in Hungarian.
Virgo English
Possibly from Latin virgo "virgin, maiden". It may have been a nickname for an actor who played the Virgin Mary in mystery plays, or for a shy man or a lecher.
Vivas Catalan
From the Catalan byname vivas meaning "may you live", which was bestowed upon children to bring good luck.
Vives Catalan
Variant of Vivas.
Vlahović Serbian, Croatian
Patronymic from Serbo-Croatian Vlah meaning "Romanian".
Vlašić Croatian
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian".
Vlašič Slovene
Patronymic from the nickname Vlah meaning "Romanian".
Vlček Czech
Diminutive form of Czech vlk meaning "wolf".
Vietnamese
Variant of used more often in southern Vietnam.
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.
Volkov Russian
Patronymic derived from Russian волк (volk) meaning "wolf".
Voronin Russian
Derived from Russian ворона (vorona) meaning "crow".
Vörös Hungarian
Means "red" in Hungarian, referring to a person with red hair or face.
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".
Vrubel Czech
From a nickname derived from Czech vrabec meaning "sparrow".
Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Wu 2, from Sino-Vietnamese ().
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 Sir William Wallace of Scotland.
Wallach Yiddish
From Middle High German walch meaning "foreigner (from a Romance country)".
Waller 1 English
Derived from Old French gallier meaning "person with a pleasant temper".
Walsh English, Irish
From Old English wælisc meaning "foreigner, stranger, Celt".
Wang 1 Chinese
From Chinese (wáng) meaning "king, monarch". This is the most common surname in China (and the world).
Wang 2 German, Dutch
From Middle High German and Middle Dutch wange meaning "cheek", possibly a nickname for someone with round or rosy cheeks.
Ware 2 English
From the Middle English nickname ware meaning "wary, astute, prudent".
Wattana Thai
From Thai วัฒน (wathan) meaning "culture".
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".
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.
Wen Chinese
From Chinese (wén) meaning "literature, culture, writing".
White English
Originally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English hwit "white".
Whitehead English
Nickname for someone with white or light-coloured hair, from Old English hwit "white" and heafod "head".
Wiater Polish
Derived from Polish wiatr "wind", a nickname for a quick person.
Wibowo Indonesian
From Indonesian wibawa meaning "authority, power", ultimately from Sanskrit विभव (vibhava).
Wieczorek Polish
From a nickname meaning "bat" in Polish, ultimately from wieczór meaning "evening".
Wilbur English
From the nickname Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.
Wild English, German
Means "wild, untamed, uncontrolled", derived from Old English wilde. This was either a nickname for a person who behaved in a wild manner or a topographic name for someone who lived on overgrown land.
Wilk Polish
Means "wolf" in Polish.
Winter English, German, Swedish
From Old English winter or Old High German wintar meaning "winter". This was a nickname for a person with a cold personality.
Winther Danish, Swedish
Danish and Swedish variant of Winter.
Wolf German, English
From Middle High German or Middle English wolf meaning "wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.
Wolfe English
Variant of Wolf.
Wong 1 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wang 1.
Wong 2 Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Huang.
Woodcock English
Nickname referring to the woodcock bird.
Woolf English
Variant of Wolf.
Wright 2 French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Droit.
Wrona Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".
Wronski Polish
Derived from Polish wrona meaning "crow".
Wruck German
From Middle Low German wrok meaning "cantankerous".
Wu 2 Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "military, martial".
Xun Chinese
From Chinese (xún) meaning "plant, ancient state".
Yap English
From a nickname for a clever or cunning person, from Middle English yap meaning "devious, deceitful, shrewd".
Ye Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "leaf".
Yi Korean
Variant of Lee 2.
Yıldız Turkish
Means "star" in Turkish.
Yong English
Variant of Young.
Yoon Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Yun).
Young English
Derived from Old English geong meaning "young". This was a descriptive name to distinguish father from son.
Younge English
Variant of Young.
Yu 2 Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "surplus".
Yu 3 Chinese
From Chinese () meaning "consent, approve".
Yuan Chinese
From Chinese (yuán), (yuán) or (yuán), which mean "origin, source".
Yuen Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Ruan.
Yun Korean
From Sino-Korean (yun) meaning "govern, oversee".
Ząbek Polish
From Polish zab "tooth" and a diminutive suffix.
Zając Polish
Means "hare" in Polish.
Zariņš Latvian
From Latvian zars meaning "branch".
Zelenka Czech
Czech cognate of Zieliński.
Zelenko Ukrainian
Ukrainian cognate of Zieliński.
Zieliński Polish
From Polish zieleń meaning "green". It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing.