This is a list of surnames in which the number of syllables is 2.
Quincy EnglishOriginally from various place names in Normandy that were derived from the given name
Quintus.
Quinlan IrishFrom Irish
Ó Caoindealbháin, which means
"descendant of Caoindealbhán", a given name meaning "handsome form" (using a diminutive suffix).
Quirós SpanishDenoted a person from one of the various places of this name in Spain, which may derive from Galician
queiroa meaning
"heather".
Radcliff EnglishFrom various place names in England that mean "red cliff" in Old English.
Ramos SpanishOriginally indicated a person who lived in a thickly wooded area, from Latin
ramus meaning
"branch".
Ramsey English, ScottishMeans
"garlic island", derived from Old English
hramsa "garlic" and
eg "island". The surname was brought to Scotland by the Norman baron Simundus de Ramsay.
Ranta FinnishOriginally indicated a person who lived near the shore, from Finnish
ranta meaning
"shore, beach".
Ratti ItalianFrom Italian
ratto meaning
"rat", originally denoting a sly individual.
Reagan IrishAnglicized form of Irish
Ó Riagáin meaning
"descendant of Riagán". A famous bearer was the American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
Reiher GermanMeans
"heron" in German, a nickname for a person with long legs.
Ricci ItalianFrom Italian
riccio meaning
"curly", a nickname for someone with curly hair. It is ultimately from Latin
ericius meaning "hedgehog".
Richter GermanMeans
"judge" in German, from Middle High German
rihtære.
Ridley EnglishDenoted 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".
Rigby EnglishOriginally derived from the name of a town in Lancashire, itself from Old Norse
hryggr "ridge" and
býr "farm, settlement".
Riley 1 EnglishFrom the name of the town of Ryley in Lancashire, derived from Old English
ryge "rye" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Rimmer EnglishOccupational name meaning
"poet", from Middle English
rime meaning "rhyme".
Ripley EnglishFrom 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 ItalianMeans
"bank, shore" in Italian, from Latin
ripa, denoting one who lived by a river or a lake.
Rivers EnglishDenoted a person who lived near a river, from Middle English, from Old French
riviere meaning
"river", from Latin
riparius meaning "riverbank".
Robles SpanishOriginally indicated a person who lived near an oak tree or forest, from Spanish
roble "oak", from Latin
robur.
Rodney EnglishFrom a place name meaning
"Hroda's island" in Old English (where
Hroda is an Old English given name meaning "fame").
Rojo SpanishMeans
"red" in Spanish, referring to the colour of the hair or complexion.
Roscoe EnglishFrom the name of a town in Lancashire, derived from Old Norse
rá "roebuck" and
skógr "wood, forest".
Rose 1 English, French, German, JewishMeans
"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 ItalianDerived from a nickname for a red-haired person, from Italian
rosso, Latin
russus meaning "red". This is the most common surname in Italy.
Rothschild JewishFrom 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.
Roydon EnglishOriginally derived from a place name meaning
"rye hill", from Old English
ryge "rye" and
dun "hill".
Royston EnglishOriginally taken from an Old English place name meaning "Royse's town". The given name
Royse was a medieval variant of
Rose.
Rubio SpanishNickname for a person with red hair, from Latin
rubeus "red".
Russell EnglishFrom a Norman French nickname that meant
"little red one", perhaps originally describing a person with red hair.
Ryba um Polish, CzechMeans
"fish" in Polish and Czech, an occupational name for a fisher.
Ryder EnglishOccupational name for a mounted warrior, from Old English
ridere meaning
"rider".
Sacco ItalianOccupational name for a maker of sacks, from Italian
sacco, Latin
saccus.
Sadler EnglishOccupational name for a maker of saddles, from Old English
sadol "saddle".
Şahin TurkishMeans
"hawk" in Turkish (of Persian origin), probably used to refer to someone who was a hawk tamer.
Sandford EnglishIndicated a person from Sandford, England, which means simply "sand ford".
Sanna ItalianFrom Italian
sanna or
zanna meaning
"tusk, fang", a nickname for a person with a protruding tooth. It is especially common on Sardinia.
Sano JapaneseFrom Japanese
佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and
野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
Santos Portuguese, SpanishMeans
"saint" in Portuguese and Spanish, ultimately from Latin
sanctus. This was a nickname for a pious person.
Šarić Croatian, SerbianPatronymic of (possibly) Serbo-Croatian
šaren meaning
"colourful, patterned".
Sarno ItalianOriginally denoted a person from Sarno in Italy, named for the Sarno River (called
Sarnus in Latin).
Sarto ItalianOccupational name meaning
"tailor" in Italian, from Latin
sartor, from
sarcire meaning "to mend".
Satō JapaneseFrom Japanese
佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and
藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The final character might indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan. This is the most common surname in Japan.
Sauer GermanMeans
"sour" in German, a nickname for an embittered or cantankerous person.
Savage EnglishEnglish nickname meaning
"wild, uncouth", derived from Old French
salvage or
sauvage meaning "untamed", ultimately from Latin
silvaticus meaning "wild, from the woods".
Sawyer EnglishOccupational 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 EnglishOccupational name meaning
"acrobat, dancer", derived from Old French
sailleor, from Latin
sallitor.
Scarlett EnglishDenoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet, a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian
سقرلاط (saqrelāṭ).
Scarpa ItalianMeans
"shoemaker" from Italian
scarpa meaning
"shoe".
Scarsi ItalianNickname for a poor or miserly person, from Italian
scarso "scarce, scant".
Schröder 1 Low GermanOccupational name for a tailor, from Middle Low German
schroden meaning "to cut".
Schuster GermanMeans
"shoemaker, cobbler", from Middle High German
schuoch "shoe" and
suter, from Latin
sutor "sewer, cobbler".
Sciarra ItalianFrom Sicilian
sciarra meaning
"quarrel, dispute", originally a nickname for a quarrelsome person.
Selby EnglishFrom the name of a village that meant "willow farm" in Old English.
Sergeant English, FrenchOccupational name derived from Old French
sergent meaning
"servant", ultimately from Latin
servire "to serve".
Sessions EnglishFrom the name of the city of Soissons in northern France, itself derived from the name of the Celtic tribe of the Suessiones.
Seward 2 EnglishMeans
"swineherd" from Old English
su "sow, female pig" and
hierde "herdsman, guardian".
Sexton EnglishOccupational name for a sexton (Middle English
sexteyn), a caretaker for a church or graveyard.
Seymour 2 EnglishFrom an English place name, derived from Old English
sæ "sea" and
mere "lake".
Shakespeare EnglishFrom 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, NepaliMeans
"joy, shelter, comfort" in Sanskrit.
Shelton EnglishFrom the name of various English towns, meaning "shelf town" in Old English.
Shepherd EnglishOccupational name meaning
"shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English
sceaphyrde.
Sherman 1 EnglishMeans
"shear man", referring to someone who used shears in his line of work, such as a sheep-shearer.
Shirley EnglishFrom an English place name, derived from Old English
scir "bright" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Sidney EnglishOriginally 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.
Siena ItalianIndicated a person from Siena in Italy, which was named after the Gaulish tribe of the Senones.
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".
Simpson EnglishMeans
"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.
Sipos HungarianOccupational name for a fife player or piper, from Hungarian
síp "whistle, pipe".
Skinner EnglishOccupational name for a person who skinned animals, from Old Norse
skinn.
Slater EnglishOccupational name indicating that an early member worked covering roofs with slate, from Old French
esclat "shard", of Germanic origin.
Smirnov m RussianDerived from Russian
смирный (smirny) meaning "quiet, peaceful, timid". This is one of the most common surnames in Russia.
Snyder EnglishMeans
"tailor", derived from Middle English
snithen "to cut", an occupational name for a person who stitched coats and clothing.
Sokol mu Slovak, Czech, JewishFrom Czech and Slovak
sokol meaning
"falcon", a nickname or an occupational name for a falconer. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
Solberg Norwegian, SwedishFrom a place name, derived from Old Norse
sól meaning "sun" and
berg meaning "mountain". As a Swedish name it may be 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".
Solís SpanishFrom the name of a village in Asturias, Spain, derived from Spanish
sol "sun".
Sordi ItalianFrom Italian
sordo meaning
"deaf", from Latin
surdus.
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.
Sousa PortugueseOriginally indicated someone who lived near the River Sousa in Portugal, possibly derived from Latin
salsus "salty" or
saxa "rocks".
Sówka PolishFrom a diminutive of Polish
sowa meaning
"owl".
Spada ItalianOccupational name for an armourer or swordsman, from Italian
spada "sword", Latin
spatha.
Spanos m GreekMeans
"hairless, beardless" in Greek, ultimately from
σπάνιος (spanios) meaning "scarce, rare".
Spencer EnglishOccupational name for a person who dispensed provisions to those who worked at a manor, derived from Middle English
spense "larder, pantry".
Spini ItalianDenoted a person who lived near thorn bushes, from Italian
spina "thorn, spine", from Latin.
Spooner EnglishOccupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English
spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".
Stafford EnglishFrom 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 HistorySurname 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".
Stanford EnglishDerived from various English place names meaning
"stone ford" in Old English.
Stanley EnglishFrom 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 EnglishFrom one of the many places named Stanton or Staunton in England, derived from Old English
stan meaning "stone" and
tun meaning "enclosure, town".
Stendahl SwedishOrnamental name derived from Swedish
sten (Old Norse
steinn) meaning "stone" and
dal (Old Norse
dalr) meaning "valley".
Stępień PolishPossibly an occupational name for a herbalist, from Polish
stępa "mortar".
Stetson EnglishPossibly from the name of the village of Stidston in Devon, meaning
"Stithweard's town".
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.
Stilo ItalianDerived from the name of the town of Stilo in southern Italy. It is possibly derived from Greek
στῦλος (stylos) meaning "column, pillar".
Stolarz PolishOccupational name from Polish
stolarz meaning
"joiner, maker of furniture".
Stringer EnglishOccupational name for a maker of string or bow strings, from Old English
streng "string".
Suchý m Czech, SlovakMeans
"dry" in Czech and Slovak. This was a nickname for a thin person.
Sultan ArabicFrom a nickname meaning
"sultan, ruler" in Arabic.
Sutton EnglishFrom various English place names meaning
"south town".
Swallow EnglishFrom the name of the bird, from Old English
swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.
Swanson EnglishPatronymic 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.
Szántó HungarianOccupational name for a ploughman or tiller, derived from Hungarian
szánt meaning "to plow".
Szarka HungarianFrom Hungarian
szarka meaning
"magpie", often used as a euphemistic term for a thief.
Székely HungarianDenoted a person of Székely ancestry. The Székelys are a population of Hungarians who live in central Romania.
Taggart Irish, ScottishAnglicized 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.
Talbot EnglishOf Norman origin, possibly derived from an unattested Germanic given name composed of the elements
dala "to destroy" and
bod "message".
Tanner EnglishOccupational 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 EnglishFrom 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.
Taylor EnglishDerived from Old French
tailleur meaning
"tailor", ultimately from Latin
taliare "to cut".
Tenley EnglishPossibly from the name of an English town derived from Old English
tind "point" and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Terrell EnglishProbably derived from the Norman French nickname
tirel meaning
"to pull", referring to a stubborn person.
Teufel GermanFrom a nickname meaning
"devil" in German, given to a mischievous person or one who was devil-like.
Thatcher EnglishReferred 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).
Thorley EnglishFrom any of the various places in England called
Thornley or
Thorley, meaning "thorn clearing" in Old English.
Thornton EnglishFrom any of the various places in England by this name, meaning "thorn town" in Old English.
Tindall EnglishFrom
Tindale, the name of a town in Cumbria, derived from the name of the river Tyne combined with Old English
dæl "dale, valley".
Tinker EnglishOccupational 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 EnglishOriginally 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 HungarianFrom the river name Tisza, Hungary's second largest river.