Surnames with 2 Syllables

This is a list of surnames in which the number of syllables is 2.
usage
syllables
Qasim Arabic
Derived from the given name Qasim.
Quincy English
Originally from various place names in Normandy that were derived from the given name Quintus.
Quinlan Irish
From Irish Ó Caoindealbháin, which means "descendant of Caoindealbhán", a given name meaning "handsome form" (using a diminutive suffix).
Quirós Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various places of this name in Spain, which may derive from Galician queiroa meaning "heather".
Radcliff English
From various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.
Radu Romanian
From the given name Radu.
Ragno Italian
From a nickname meaning "spider" in Italian.
Ramos Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin ramus meaning "branch".
Ramsey English, Scottish
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.
Rana Italian, Spanish
Means "frog" in Italian and Spanish.
Randal English
Derived from the given name Randel.
Randall English
Derived from the given name Randel.
Randell English
Derived from the given name Randel.
Randolph English
Derived from the given name Randolf.
Ranta Finnish
Originally indicated a person who lived near the shore, from Finnish ranta meaning "shore, beach".
Ratti Italian
From Italian ratto meaning "rat", originally denoting a sly individual.
Reagan Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó Riagáin meaning "descendant of Riagán". A famous bearer was the American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
Reiher German
Means "heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.
Reilly Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh.
Renard French
From the given name Renard.
Renaud French
From the given name Renaud.
Renault French
Derived from the given name Renaud.
Reyes Spanish
Spanish variant of Rey 1.
Reynaud French
From the given name Reynaud.
Reynolds English
Derived from the given name Reynold.
Rhydderch Welsh
From the given name Rhydderch.
Ricci Italian
From Italian riccio meaning "curly", a nickname for someone with curly hair. It is ultimately from Latin ericius meaning "hedgehog".
Richard English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Richard.
Richards English
Derived from the given name Richard.
Richter German
Means "judge" in German, from Middle High German rihtære.
Rico Spanish, Portuguese
From a nickname meaning "rich, wealthy" in Spanish and Portuguese.
Rider English
Variant of Ryder.
Ridley English
Denoted a person who hailed from one of the various places of this name in England. The places are derived from Old English geryd "channel" or hreod "reed" combined with leah "woodland, clearing".
Riese German, Jewish
Means "giant" in German, from Old High German risi.
Rigby English
Originally derived from the name of a town in Lancashire, itself from Old Norse hryggr "ridge" and býr "farm, settlement".
Rigó Hungarian
Means "thrush" in Hungarian.
Riley 1 English
From the name of the town of Ryley in Lancashire, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and leah "woodland, clearing".
Riley 2 Irish
Variant of Reilly.
Rimmer English
Occupational name meaning "poet", from Middle English rime meaning "rhyme".
Rinne 2 Finnish
Means "hillside" in Finnish.
Ríos Spanish
Spanish cognate of Rios.
Ripley English
From the name of various English towns, from Old English rippel "grove, thicket" and leah "woodland, clearing". A notable fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley from the movie Alien (1979) and its sequels.
Riva Italian
Means "bank, shore" in Italian, from Latin ripa, denoting one who lived by a river or a lake.
Rivas Spanish
Spanish form of Riva.
Rivers English
Denoted a person who lived near a river, from Middle English, from Old French riviere meaning "river", from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".
Rivière French
French cognate of Rivers.
Rizzi Italian
Variant of Ricci.
Rizzo Italian
Variant of Ricci.
Robbins English
Derived from the given name Robin.
Robert French, English
From the given name Robert.
Roberts English
Means "son of Robert".
Robin French
From the given name Robin.
Robles Spanish
Originally indicated a person who lived near an oak tree or forest, from Spanish roble "oak", from Latin robur.
Robson English
Means "son of Rob".
Rocca Italian
Italian cognate of Roach.
Rocco Italian
Derived from the given name Rocco.
Rocha Portuguese, Galician
Portuguese and Galician cognate of Roach.
Roderick English
Derived from the given name Roderick.
Rodgers English
Derived from the given name Rodger.
Rodney English
From a place name meaning "Hroda's island" in Old English (where Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame").
Roger French
From the given name Roger.
Rogers English
Derived from the given name Roger.
Rojas Spanish
Variant of Rojo.
Rojo Spanish
Means "red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.
Roldán Spanish
Derived from the given name Roldán.
Rolland French
From the given name Roland.
Roma Italian
Variant of Romano 2.
Romà Catalan
Catalan form of Romano 1 or Romano 2.
Román Spanish
From the given name Román.
Roman Romanian, Polish, Ukrainian
From the given name Roman.
Romão Portuguese
Portuguese form of Romano 1 or Romano 2.
Rosa Italian, Catalan
Italian and Catalan form of Rose 1.
Roscoe English
From the name of a town in Lancashire, derived from Old Norse "roebuck" and skógr "wood, forest".
Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German rose, all from Latin rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish רויז (roiz).
Rossi Italian
Derived from a nickname for a red-haired person, from Italian rosso, Latin russus meaning "red". This is the most common surname in Italy.
Rothschild Jewish
From Middle High German rot "red" and schilt "shield", or Yiddish רויט (roit) and שילד (shild). The famous Rothschild family of bankers took their name from a house with a red shield on it.
Roxas Filipino
Filipino form of the Spanish Rojas.
Roydon English
Originally derived from a place name meaning "rye hill", from Old English ryge "rye" and dun "hill".
Royston English
Originally taken from an Old English place name meaning "Royse's town". The given name Royse was a medieval variant of Rose.
Rózsa Hungarian
From the feminine given name Rózsa.
Rubio Spanish
Nickname for a person with red hair, from Latin rubeus "red".
Ruoho Finnish
Means "grass" in Finnish.
Russell English
From a Norman French nickname that meant "little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.
Russo Italian
Variant of Rossi.
Rusu Romanian
From Romanian rus meaning "Russian".
Ryba um Polish, Czech
Means "fish" in Polish and Czech, an occupational name for a fisher.
Ryder English
Occupational name for a mounted warrior, from Old English ridere meaning "rider".
Ryland English
From various English place names, derived from Old English ryge "rye" and land "land".
Ryley English
Variant of Riley 1.
Saab Arabic
Means "hard, difficult" in Arabic.
Saari Finnish
From Finnish saari meaning "island".
Sacco Italian
Occupational name for a maker of sacks, from Italian sacco, Latin saccus.
Sadler English
Occupational name for a maker of saddles, from Old English sadol "saddle".
Şahin Turkish
Means "hawk" in Turkish (of Persian origin), probably used to refer to someone who was a hawk tamer.
Sala Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian
Occupational name for a worker at a manor house, from the Romance word sala meaning "hall, large room", of Germanic origin.
Salah Arabic
Derived from the given name Salah 1.
Saleh Arabic
From the given name Salih.
Salem Arabic
From the given name Salim.
Salih Arabic
From the given name Salih.
Salim Arabic
From the given name Salim.
Salo Finnish
Means "forest" in Finnish.
Sampson English
Derived from a medieval form of the given name Samson.
Samson English, French
Derived from the given name Samson.
Samuel English, Welsh, French, Jewish
Derived from the given name Samuel.
Samuels English
Derived from the given name Samuel.
Sánchez Spanish
Means "son of Sancho".
Sanchez Spanish
Unaccented variant of Sánchez.
Sancho Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Sancho.
Sanders English
Patronymic of the given name Sander, a medieval form of Alexander.
Sandford English
Indicated a person from Sandford, England, which means simply "sand ford".
Sándor Hungarian
Derived from the given name Sándor.
Sandu Romanian
From the given name Sandu.
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. It is especially common on Sardinia.
Sano Japanese
From Japanese (sa) meaning "help, aid" and (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Santo Italian
Italian form of Santos.
Santos Portuguese, Spanish
Means "saint" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin sanctus. This was a nickname for a pious person.
Saqqaf Arabic
From Arabic سقف (saqaf) meaning "roof".
Šarić Croatian, Serbian
Patronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian šaren meaning "colourful, patterned".
Sarno Italian
Originally denoted a person from Sarno in Italy, named for the Sarno River (called Sarnus in Latin).
Sarti Italian
Variant of Sarto.
Sarto Italian
Occupational name meaning "tailor" in Italian, from Latin sartor, from sarcire meaning "to mend".
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).
Sauer German
Means "sour" in German, a nickname for an embittered or cantankerous person.
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".
Sawyer English
Occupational name meaning "sawer of wood, woodcutter" in Middle English, ultimately from Old English sagu meaning "saw". Mark Twain used it for the main character in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
Saylor English
Occupational name meaning "acrobat, dancer", derived from Old French sailleor, from Latin sallitor.
Scarlett English
Denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet, a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian سقرلاط (saqrelāṭ).
Scarpa Italian
Means "shoemaker" from Italian scarpa meaning "shoe".
Scarsi Italian
Nickname for a poor or miserly person, from Italian scarso "scarce, scant".
Scavo Italian
Means "serf, slave", from Old Sicilian scavu.
Schäfer German
From Old High German scaphare meaning "shepherd".
Schneider German, Jewish
From German schneider or Yiddish shnayder, making it a cognate of Snyder.
Schröder 1 Low German
Occupational name for a tailor, from Middle Low German schroden meaning "to cut".
Schulze German
Variant of Schulz.
Schuster German
Means "shoemaker, cobbler", from Middle High German schuoch "shoe" and suter, from Latin sutor "sewer, cobbler".
Sciarra Italian
From Sicilian sciarra meaning "quarrel, dispute", originally a nickname for a quarrelsome person.
Scola Italian
From Italian scuola meaning "school".
Scotti Italian
From the medieval given name Francescotto, a diminutive of Francesco.
Seki Japanese
From Japanese (seki) meaning "frontier pass".
Selby English
From the name of a village that meant "willow farm" in Old English.
Senior English
Originally a name for the elder of two brothers.
Seppä Finnish
Means "smith" in Finnish.
Șerban Romanian
Means "a Serb" in Romanian.
Sergeant English, French
Occupational name derived from Old French sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin servire "to serve".
Serra Italian, Portuguese, Catalan
Italian, Portuguese and Catalan cognate of Sierra.
Sessions English
From the name of the city of Soissons in northern France, itself derived from the name of the Celtic tribe of the Suessiones.
Séverin French
Derived from the given name Séverin.
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".
Sexton English
Occupational name for a sexton (Middle English sexteyn), a caretaker for a church or graveyard.
Seymour 1 English
From Saint Maur, a French place name, which commemorates Saint Maurus.
Seymour 2 English
From an English place name, derived from Old English "sea" and mere "lake".
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).
Sharma Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Nepali
Means "joy, shelter, comfort" in Sanskrit.
Shelby English
Variant of Selby.
Shelton English
From the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.
Shepherd English
Occupational name meaning "shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English sceaphyrde.
Sherman 1 English
Means "shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.
Shevchuk Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian швець (shvets) meaning "shoemaker".
Shirley English
From an English place name, derived from Old English scir "bright" and leah "woodland, clearing".
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.
Sieger German
From the given name Sieghard.
Siena Italian
Indicated a person from Siena in Italy, which was named after the Gaulish tribe of the Senones.
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.
Silva Portuguese, Spanish
From Spanish or Portuguese silva meaning "forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.
Silver English
From a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English seolfor "silver".
Simmons English
Derived from the given name 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.
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.
Sinclair English
Derived from a Norman French town called "Saint Clair".
Sipos Hungarian
Occupational name for a fife player or piper, from Hungarian síp "whistle, pipe".
Skała Polish
Polish cognate of Skála.
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.
Ślązak Polish
Polish cognate of Slezák.
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.
Snyder English
Means "tailor", derived from Middle English snithen "to cut", an occupational name for a person who stitched coats and clothing.
Soares Portuguese
Means "son of Suero".
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.
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.
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".
Solís Spanish
From the name of a village in Asturias, Spain, derived from Spanish sol "sun".
Sólyom Hungarian
Means "hawk, falcon" in Hungarian.
Sordi Italian
From Italian sordo meaning "deaf", from Latin surdus.
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.
Sousa Portuguese
Originally indicated someone who lived near the River Sousa in Portugal, possibly derived from Latin salsus "salty" or saxa "rocks".
Sovány Hungarian
Means "thin, lean" in Hungarian.
Sówka Polish
From a diminutive of Polish sowa meaning "owl".
Spada Italian
Occupational name for an armourer or swordsman, from Italian spada "sword", Latin spatha.
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".
Spini Italian
Denoted a person who lived near thorn bushes, from Italian spina "thorn, spine", from Latin.
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".
Stanek Polish
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Stanisław.
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".
Stawska f Polish
Feminine form of Stawski.
Stawski m Polish
Derived from Polish staw meaning "pond".
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".
Stępień Polish
Possibly an occupational name for a herbalist, from Polish stępa "mortar".
Stetson English
Possibly from the name of the village of Stidston in Devon, meaning "Stithweard's town".
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".
Stilo Italian
Derived from the name of the town of Stilo in southern Italy. It is possibly derived from Greek στῦλος (stylos) meaning "column, pillar".
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".
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.
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.
Szwedko Polish
Variant of Szweda.
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 (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.
Tanzi Italian
From a short form of the given name Costanzo.
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.
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.
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".
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".
Tisza Hungarian
From the river name Tisza, Hungary's second largest river.
Tjäder Swedish
Means "wood grouse" in Swedish.
Tkachuk Ukrainian
From Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".
Tobin English
From a diminutive of the given name Tobias.
Tolvaj Hungarian
Means "thief" in Hungarian.