Surnames with 2 Syllables

Skinner English
Occupational name for a person who skinned animals, from Old Norse skinn.

Śląska f Polish
Feminine form of Śląski.

Śląski m Polish
Polish cognate of Slezák.

Slater English
Occupational name indicating that an early member worked covering roofs with slate, from Old French esclat "shard", of Germanic origin.

Smirnov m Russian
Derived from Russian смирный (smirny) meaning "quiet, peaceful, timid". This is one of the most common surnames in Russia.

Snider English
Variant of Snyder.

Sniders English
Variant 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.

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.

Sokol m & u 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.

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.

Solís Spanish
From the name of a village in Asturias, Spain, derived from Spanish sol "sun".

Sólyom Hungarian
Means "hawk, falcon" in Hungarian.

Sörös Hungarian
From Hungarian sör meaning "beer". Originally the name was given to beer brewers.

Sosa Spanish
Spanish form of Sousa.

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

Sovány Hungarian
Means "thin, lean" in Hungarian.

Spanos m Greek
Means "hairless, beardless" in Greek, ultimately from σπάνιος (spanios) meaning "scarce, rare".

Spearing English
Patronymic form of Spear.

Spencer English
Occupational name for a person who dispensed provisions to those who worked at a manor, derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry".

Spooner English
Occupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".

Stacey English
Variant of Stacy.

Stacy English
Derived from Stace, a medieval form of Eustace.

Stafford English
From the name of the English city of Stafford, Staffordshire, derived from Old English stæð meaning "wharf, landing place" and ford meaning "ford, river crossing".

Stalin History
Surname adopted by the Russian leader Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) during his revolutionary years. He was an ethnic Georgian, born as Ioseb Jughashvili. He derived it from Russian сталь (stal) meaning "steel".

Stanciu Romanian
Derived from Romanian stânci meaning "rocks".

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".

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".

Stetson English
Possibly from the name of the village of Stidston in Devon, meaning "Stithweard's town".

Stevens English
Variant of Stephens.

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.

Stigsson Swedish
Means "son of Stig".

St John English
From a place named for Saint John.

Stoica Romanian
From Romanian stoic meaning "stoic, impassive".

Stolarz Polish
Occupational name from Polish stolarz meaning "joiner, maker of furniture".

Stringer English
Occupational name for a maker of string or bow strings, from Old English streng "string".

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

Stuart Scottish
Variant of Stewart.

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

Sultan Arabic
From a nickname meaning "sultan, ruler" in Arabic.

Summers 1 English
Variant of Sumner.

Summers 2 English
Variant of Sommer 1.

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

Swallow English
From the name of the bird, from Old English swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.

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.

Sydney English
Variant of Sidney.

Szabó Hungarian
Means "tailor" in Hungarian.

Szántó Hungarian
Occupational name for a ploughman or tiller, derived from Hungarian szánt meaning "to plow".

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.

Szewczyk Polish
Diminutive form of Szewc.

Szőke Hungarian
Means "blond, fair haired" in Hungarian.

Taggart Irish, Scottish
Anglicized form of Irish Mac an tSagairt meaning "son of the priest". This name comes from a time when the rules of priestly celibacy were not strictly enforced.

Tailor English
Variant of Taylor.

Takács Hungarian
Means "weaver" in Hungarian.

Talbot English
Of Norman origin, possibly derived from an unattested Germanic given name composed of the elements dala "to destroy" and bod "message".

Tamás Hungarian
Derived from the given name Tamás.

Tani Japanese
From Japanese 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".

Tanner English
Occupational name for a person who tanned animal hides, from Old English tannian "to tan", itself from Late Latin and possibly ultimately of Celtic origin.

Tasker English
From Middle English taske meaning "task, assignment". A tasker was a person who had a fixed job to do, particularly a person who threshed grain with a flail.

Tawfeek Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic توفيق (see Tawfiq).

Tawfiq Arabic
From the given name Tawfiq.

Taylor English
Derived from Old French tailleur meaning "tailor", ultimately from Latin taliare "to cut".

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

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.

Teufel German
From a nickname meaning "devil" in German, given to a mischievous person or one who was devil-like.

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.

Thomas English, Welsh, French, German
Derived from the given name Thomas.

Thompson English
Means "son of Thomas".

Thomson English
Variant of Thompson.

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

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

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

Thurstan English
Derived from the Old Norse name Þórsteinn.

Tímár Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "tanner" in Hungarian.

Tindall English
From Tindale, the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from the name of the river Tyne combined with Old English dæl "dale, valley".

Tinker English
Occupational name for a mender of kettles, pots and pans. The name could derive from the tinking sound made by light hammering on metal. It is possible that the word comes from the word tin, the material with which the tinker worked.

Tipton English
Originally given to one who came from the town of Tipton, derived from the Old English given name Tippa combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Tirrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tisza Hungarian
From the river name Tisza, Hungary's second largest river.

Tjäder Swedish
Means "wood grouse" in Swedish.

Tobin English
From a diminutive of the given name Tobias.

Tolvaj Hungarian
Means "thief" in Hungarian.

Toma Romanian
From the given name Toma 2.

Tomàs Catalan
Derived from the given name Tomàs.

Tomčić Serbian, Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Toma 2.

Tomczak Polish
From a diminutive of the given name Tomasz.

Török Hungarian
Means "Turkish" in Hungarian.

Torres Spanish, Portuguese
Name for a person who lived in or near a tower, ultimately from Latin turris.

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".

Tracey 1 English
From the village of Tracy-sur-mer on the Normandy coast in France. It was brought to England with William the Conqueror.

Tracy English, Irish
Variant of Tracey 1 or Tracey 2.

Travers English, French
From 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".

Travis English
English variant of Travers.

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).

Tucker English
Occupational name for a fuller of cloth, derived from Old English tucian meaning "offend, torment". A fuller was a person who cleaned and thickened raw cloth by pounding it.

Tupper English
Occupational name for a herdsman, derived from Middle English toupe "ram".

Turner English
Occupational name for one who worked with a lathe, derived from Old English turnian "to turn", of Latin origin. A famous bearer is the American musician Tina Turner (1939-2023), born Anna Mae Bullock.

Tyler English
Occupational name for a tiler of roofs, derived from Old English tigele "tile". A famous bearer of this name was American president John Tyler (1790-1862).

Tyrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tyrrell English
Variant of Terrell.

Tyson 1 English
Derived from a nickname for a quarrelsome person, from Old French tison meaning "firebrand".

Tyson 2 English
Variant of Dyson.

Umar Arabic, Urdu
From the given name Umar.

Ungur Romanian
Variant of Ungureanu.

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".

Utkin m Russian
Derived from Russian утка (utka) meaning "duck".

Vadas Hungarian
From Hungarian vad meaning "wild", either a nickname or an occupational name for a hunter of wild game.

Valdez Spanish
Means "son of Baldo".

Vámos Hungarian
Means "customs officer" in Hungarian, a derivative of vám "customs".

Van Dijk Dutch
Means "from the dike" in Dutch.

Van Gogh Dutch
Means "from Goch", a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. It may be derived from a Low German word meaning "meadow, floodplain". This name was borne by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).

Varga u & m Hungarian, Slovak
Occupational name meaning "cobbler" in Hungarian.

Vargas Spanish, Portuguese
Means "slope, flooded field, pastureland" or "hut", from the Spanish and Portuguese dialectal word varga.

Vásquez Spanish
Means "son of Vasco".

Vastag Hungarian
From a nickname meaning "stout, thick" in Hungarian.

Vázquez Spanish
Variant of Vásquez.

Vega Spanish
From Spanish vega meaning "meadow, plain", of Basque origin.

Vela Spanish
Occupational name for a guard, from Spanish vela meaning "watch, vigil".

Vencel Hungarian
Derived from the given name Vencel.

Vernon English
Locational name in the Eure region of Normandy, from the Gaulish element vern "alder (tree)" with the genitive case maker onis.

Vespa Italian
From an Italian nickname meaning "wasp".

Vico Italian, Spanish
Means "town, village", derived from Latin vicus.

Victor French, English
Derived from the male given name Victor.

Victors English
Derived from the given name Victor.

Vidal Spanish, Catalan, French
From the given name Vidal.

Villa Italian, Spanish
Means "town" in Italian and Spanish, from Latin. It was originally given to a person who came from a town, as opposed to the countryside.

Villar Spanish
Spanish cognate of Vilar.

Vincent 1 English, French
From the given name Vincent.

Viola Italian
From the given name Viola.

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.

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

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

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.

Volkov m Russian
Derived from Russian волк (volk) meaning "wolf".

Vörös Hungarian
Means "red" in Hungarian, referring to a person with red hair or face.

Wada Japanese
From Japanese 和 (wa) meaning "harmony, peace" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

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

Walczak Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Walenty.

Waldo English
From the Anglo-Scandinavian given name Waltheof.

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".

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.

Waller 1 English
Derived from Old French gallier meaning "person with a pleasant temper".

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".

Wallin Swedish
From Swedish vall meaning "wall, bank" (ultimately of Latin origin).

Wallis Scottish, English
Variant of Wallace.

Walter English, German
Derived from the given name Walter.

Walters English
Derived from the given name Walter.

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".

Wardrobe English
From Old French warder "to guard" and robe "garment", an occupational name for a servant responsible for the clothing in a household.

Warner German, English
Variant of Werner.

Warren 1 English
Denoted a person who lived near a warren, from Norman French warrene meaning "animal enclosure" (of Germanic origin).

Warren 2 English
Originally denoted a person from the town of La Varenne in Normandy, which may derive from a Gaulish word meaning "sandy soil".

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".

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.

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

Weaver 2 English
From the name of the River Weaver, derived from Old English wefer meaning "winding stream".

Weber German
German cognate of Weaver 1.

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

Werner German
From the given name Werner.

Wesley English
Variant of Westley.

Westbrook English
From the name of places in England, derived from Old English west "west" and broc "brook, stream".

Westley English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English west "west" and leah "woodland, clearing".

Weston English
From the name of various English towns, derived from Old English west "west" and tun "enclosure, yard, town".

Wheatley English
From any of the various places in England with this name, meaning "wheat clearing" in Old English.

Wheeler English
Occupational name for a maker of wagon wheels, derived from Middle English whele "wheel".

Whitney English
Originally from the name of an English town, meaning "white island" in Old English.

Whittle English
From various English place names derived from Old English hwit "white" and hyll "hill".

Wilbur English
From the nickname Wildbor meaning "wild boar" in Middle English.

Wiley English
From any of the various English towns named Willey or from the River Wylye.

Wilkie English
Double diminutive of the given name William.

Wilkins English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Willard English
From the given name Wilheard or Willihard.

Willey English
Variant of Wiley.

William English
Derived from the given name William.

Williams English
Means "son of William".

Willis English
Derived from the given name William. A famous bearer of this surname is actor Bruce Willis (1955-).

Wilmer German, English
Derived from the given name Willimar or Wilmǣr.

Wilson English
Means "son of Will". A famous bearer was the American president Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924).

Wilton English
From any of the English towns named Wilton.

Windsor English
From the name of a few English towns, one notably the site of Windsor Castle. Their names mean "riverbank with a windlass" in Old English, a windlass being a lifting apparatus. In 1917 the British royal family adopted this name (after Windsor Castle), replacing their previous name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Winfield English
From various English place names, derived from Old English winn "meadow, pasture" and feld "field".

Winkler German
Derived from Old High German winkil meaning "corner".

Winslow English
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "hill belonging to Wine".

Winston English
Derived from the given name Wynnstan.

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.

Winthrop English
Habitational name from the place names Winthrope 1 or Winthrope 2.

Winton English
Derived from the name of several English villages. Their names derive from Old English meaning "enclosure belonging to Wine".

Wójcik Polish
From the Polish word wójt meaning "chief, mayor" (related to German Vogt).

Woodcock English
Nickname referring to the woodcock bird.

Woodrow English
From a place name meaning "row of houses by a wood" in Old English.

Woodward English
Occupational name for a forester, meaning "ward of the wood" in Old English.

Woźniak Polish
From Polish woźny meaning "caretaker, clerk".

Wróbel Polish
Means "sparrow" in Polish.

Wyatt English
From the medieval given name Wyot.

Yıldız Turkish
Means "star" in Turkish.

Yılmaz Turkish
From the given name Yılmaz.

Yūki Japanese
From Japanese 結 (yū) meaning "tie, bind" and 城 (ki) meaning "castle".

Yuuki Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 結城 (see Yūki).

Zając Polish
Means "hare" in Polish.

Zaman Arabic, Urdu
Derived from the given name Zaman.

Zaytsev m Russian
Derived from Russian заяц (zayats) meaning "hare".

Zhukov m Russian
Derived from Russian жук (zhuk) meaning "beetle".

Ziemniak Polish
Means "potato" in Polish.

Zientek Polish (Anglicized)
Anglicized form of Ziętek.

Ziętek Polish
Possibly from a diminutive of Polish zięć meaning "son-in-law".

Zsoldos Hungarian
Means "mercenary" in Hungarian.