Surnames with 3 Syllables

Sapienti Italian
Means "wise, learned" in Italian.

Sasaki Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" (repeated, indicated by the iteration mark 々) and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".

Savchenko Ukrainian
From the given name Sava.

Savona Italian
From the name of the city of Savona in northern Italy, called Savo by the Romans, of uncertain meaning.

Scordato Italian
Means "forgotten, left behind" in Italian.

Segura Spanish, Catalan
From places with names derived from Spanish or Catalan segura meaning "safe, secure".

Semenyuk Ukrainian
From the given name Semen.

Seppänen Finnish
Variant of Seppä.

Serafim Portuguese
Derived from the given name Serafim.

Serafin Polish, Italian
Derived from the given name Serafin or Serafino.

Sergeev m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Сергеев (see Sergeyev).

Sergeyev m Russian
Means "son of Sergey".

Serrano Spanish
Variant of Sierra.

Sheridan Irish
From the Irish name Ó Sirideáin meaning "descendant of Sirideán". The given name Sirideán possibly means "searcher".

Shevchenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian швець (shvets) meaning "shoemaker".

Shibuya Japanese
From Japanese 渋 (shibu) meaning "astringent, rough" and 谷 (ya) meaning "valley".

Shimada Japanese
From Japanese 島 (shima) meaning "island" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Shimizu Japanese
From Japanese 清 (shi) meaning "clear, pure, clean" and 水 (mizu) meaning "water".

Shinkawa Japanese
From Japanese 新 (shin) meaning "fresh, new" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

Shinoda Japanese
From Japanese 篠 (shino) meaning "dwarf bamboo" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Shirai Japanese
From Japanese 白 (shira) meaning "white" and 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit".

Shirazi Persian
Originally denoted someone who came from the city of Shiraz, located in southern Iran. The city's name is possibly of Elamite origin.

Sienkiewicz Polish
Patronymic from the given name Sienko, an old diminutive of Szymon. This was the surname of the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916).

Sigourney English
From the name of the commune of Sigournais in western France, called Segurniacum in medieval Latin, itself of unknown meaning.

Sikora Polish
Means "tit (bird)" in Polish.

Silvestri Italian
Derived from the given name Silvester.

Simonsson Swedish
Swedish form of Simonson.

Skywalker Popular Culture
From the English words sky and walker, created by George Lucas as the surname for several characters in his Star Wars movie series, notably the hero Luke Skywalker from the original trilogy (beginning 1977). Early drafts of the script had the name as Starkiller.

Ślusarczyk Polish
Diminutive form of Ślusarski.

Ślusarska f Polish
Feminine form of Ślusarski.

Ślusarski m Polish
Occupational name for a locksmith, from Polish ślusarz, of Germanic origin.

Smirnova f Russian
Feminine form of Smirnov.

Smolarek Polish
Variant of Smolak.

Śniegowska f Polish
Feminine form of Śniegowski.

Śniegowski m Polish
Derived from Polish śnieg meaning "snow".

Söderström Swedish
From Swedish söder (Old Norse suðr) meaning "south" and ström (Old Norse straumr) meaning "stream".

Sokolov m Russian, Bulgarian
Patronymic form of Sokol.

Soldati Italian
From Italian soldato meaning "soldier", ultimately from Latin solidus, a type of Roman coin.

Solomon English, Romanian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Solomon.

Somogyi Hungarian
Originally indicated a person from Somogy, a region within Hungary. It may be derived from Hungarian som meaning "cornel tree".

Stankiewicz Polish
From a diminutive of Stanisław.

Starosta Polish
Means "mayor, leader, elder" in Polish.

Stefansson Swedish
Means "son of Stefan".

Stepanov m Russian
Means "son of Stepan".

Stevenson English
Variant of Stephenson.

Sugita Japanese
From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Sullivan Irish
Anglicized form of the Irish name Ó Súileabháin meaning "descendant of Súileabhán". The name Súileabhán means "dark eye".

Sultana Bengali, Urdu, Maltese
Bengali, Urdu and Maltese form of Sultan.

Suzuki Japanese
From Japanese 鈴 (suzu) meaning "bell" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood". This is the second most common surname in Japan. A notable bearer was the artist Suzuki Harunobu (1725-1770).

Svoboda m Czech
Means "freedom" in Czech. This was a medieval name for a freeman, someone who was not a serf.

Sýkora m Czech, Slovak
Means "tit (bird)" in Czech and Slovak.

Szalai Hungarian
Possibly denoted a person from the region of Zala in western Hungary, itself named for the Zala River.

Szekeres Hungarian
Occupational name for a carter, derived from Hungarian szekér meaning "cart, wagon".

Szilágyi Hungarian
Denoted one from the region of Szilágy in Hungary, derived from Hungarian szil meaning "elm" and ágy meaning "bed".

Szymańska f Polish
Feminine form of Szymański.

Szymański m Polish
From the given name Szymon.

Tähtinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tähti meaning "star".

Takala Finnish
Means "(dweller in the) back", probably denoting someone who lived in a remote area, from Finnish taka.

Takeda Japanese
From Japanese 武 (take) meaning "military, martial" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Tamaro Italian
Possibly from the Old German given name Thietmar. It is typical of the area around Trieste in northern Italy.

Tamura Japanese
From Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

Tanaka Japanese
Means "dweller in the rice fields", from Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

Tavares Portuguese
From any of the numerous places in Portugal called Tavares, likely of pre-Roman origin.

Taverna Italian
From the place name Taverna, common in different parts of Italy. It means "inn, tavern" in Italian.

Tchaikovsky m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Чайковский (see Chaykovsky).

Tedesco Italian
From Italian tedesco meaning "German".

Tehrani Persian
Indicated a person from the Iranian city of Tehran, of unknown meaning.

Teixeira Portuguese
From Portuguese teixo meaning "yew tree".

Tennison English
Means "son of Denis".

Tennyson English
Means "son of Denis".

Teodoro Portuguese
Derived from the given name Teodoro.

Tivoli Italian
Derived from the resort town of Tivoli, near Rome, originally called Tibur in Latin, of uncertain origin.

Tkachenko Ukrainian
Derived from Ukrainian ткач (tkach) meaning "weaver".

Tobias English, German, Jewish
From the given name Tobias.

Toivonen Finnish
Derived from Finnish toivo meaning "hope".

Tomasson Swedish
Means "son of Tomas".

Toyoda Japanese
From Japanese 豊 (toyo) meaning "bountiful, luxuriant" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy". A famous bearer was Kiichiro Toyoda (1894-1952), founder of Toyota Motor Corporation.

Trapani Italian
From the name of the Sicilian city of Trapani, derived from Greek δρεπάνη (drepane) meaning "sickle".

Traversa Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Traversi Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Traverso Italian
Italian form of Travers.

Treviño Spanish
From the name of a town in northern Spain, possibly derived from Latin trifinium meaning "place where three boundaries meet".

Trifonov m Bulgarian, Russian
Means "son of Trifon".

Tsukuda Japanese
From Japanese 佃 (tsukuda) meaning "cultivated rice field".

Tsunoda Japanese
From Japanese 角 (tsuno) meaning "point, corner" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Tsvetkova f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Tsvetkov.

Tuominen Finnish
Derived from Finnish tuomi meaning "bird cherry".

Turati Italian
From the name of the town of Turate near Como in Lombardy.

Turunen Finnish
From Finnish turku meaning "marketplace" or the Finnish city of Turku (derived from the same word).

Uberti Italian
Derived from the given name Uberto.

Uccello Italian
Means "bird" in Italian, either a nickname for a person who resembled a bird or an occupational name for a birdcatcher.

Ueda Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Ueno Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Ungaro Italian
Means "Hungarian" in Italian.

Urano Japanese
From Japanese 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Urbańska f Polish
Feminine form of Urbański.

Urbański m Polish
Habitational name for a person from towns called Urbanowo or Urbanowice, derived from the given name Urban.

Vaccaro Italian
Occupational name meaning "cowherd" in Italian.

Valentin French, German
From the given name Valentin.

Valentine English
From the given name Valentine 1.

Valerio Italian
From the given name Valerio.

Valero Spanish
From the given name Valero.

Vancheva f Bulgarian
Feminine form of Vanchev.

Van den Berg Dutch
Means "from the mountain", derived from Dutch berg meaning "mountain".

Vanhanen Finnish
From Finnish vanha meaning "old".

Varela Spanish
Derived from Spanish vara "stick". It may have originally been given to one who used a stick in his line of work, for example an animal herder.

Vasile Romanian
Derived from the given name Vasile.

Vasilyev m Russian
Means "son of Vasil".

Velasco Spanish
Derived from the given name Velasco.

Velásquez Spanish
Derived from the given name Velasco.

Velázquez Spanish
Derived from the given name Velasco. A famous bearer was the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660).

Ventura Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan
From the given name Bonaventura.

Verity English
From a nickname meaning "truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.

Verona Italian
From the name of the city of Verona, one of the most important historical cities of northern Italy. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain.

Vicario Spanish, Italian
Means "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".

Vicente Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Vicente.

Villalba Spanish
Denoted a person from one of the various Spanish places by this name. It is derived from Spanish villa "town" and alba "white".

Virtanen Finnish
Derived from Finnish virta meaning "stream". This is the second most common surname in Finland.

Vitale Italian
From the given name Vitale.

Vitali Italian
From the given name Vitale.

Volkova f Russian
Feminine form of Volkov.

Vuorinen Finnish
From Finnish vuori meaning "mountain".

Warszawska f Polish
Feminine form of Warszawski.

Warszawski mu Polish, Jewish
Place name for someone from the Polish city of Warsaw, itself derived from the given name Warsz, a short form of Warcisław.

Washington English
From a place name meaning "settlement belonging to Wassa's people", from the given name Wassa and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". A famous bearer was George Washington (1732-1799), the first president of the United States. This surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, resulting in a high proportion of African-American bearers.

Waterman 1 English
Means "servant of Walter".

Waterman 2 English, Dutch
Occupational name for a boatman or a water carrier. It could also describe a person who lived by water.

Wattana Thai
From Thai วัฒน (wathan) meaning "culture".

Wawrzaszek Polish
Means "son of Wawrzyniec".

Whitaker English
From a place name composed of Old English hwit "white" and æcer "field".

Whittaker English
Variant of Whitaker.

Wieczorek Polish
From a nickname meaning "bat" in Polish, ultimately from wieczór meaning "evening".

Wilkinson English
Means "son of Wilkin".

Williamson English
Means "son of William".

Winchester English
From an English place name, derived from Venta, of Celtic origin, and Latin castrum meaning "camp, fortress".

Wiśniewska f Polish
Feminine form of Wiśniewski.

Wiśniewski m Polish
From the name of various Polish towns called Wiśniewo, derived from Polish wiśnia meaning "sour cherry".

Witkowska f Polish
Feminine form of Witkowski.

Witkowski m Polish
From the name of various Polish places called Witkowo, Witków or Witkowice, all derived from the given name Witek.

Wuopio Swedish
Meaning uncertain, possibly referred to a dweller in a narrow bay with steep shores.

Yamada Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yamashita Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

Yasuda Japanese
From Japanese 安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet" or 保 (yasu) meaning "protect, maintain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yegorov m Russian
Means "son of Yegor".

Yokota Japanese
From Japanese 横 (yoko) meaning "beside, next to" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yoshida Japanese
From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

Yoshino Japanese
From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

Zahradník m Czech
Derived from Czech zahrada meaning "garden". It referred to someone who owned less land than a Sedlák or a Dvořák, but more land than a Chalupník.

Zakharov m Russian
Means "son of Zakhar".

Zambrano Spanish
Possibly a habitational name for someone from Zambrana, a town in the province of Álava in Spain.

Zanetti Italian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Giovanni. A famous bearer is Argentinian soccer player Javier Zanetti (1973-).

Zawisza Polish
Derived from the Old Polish given name Zawisza.

Zaytseva f Russian
Feminine form of Zaytsev.

Żbikowska f Polish
Feminine form of Żbikowski.

Żbikowski m Polish
From Polish towns named Żbikowice or Żbików, which are derived from żbik meaning "wildcat".

Zhukova f Russian
Feminine form of Zhukov.

Zielińska f Polish
Feminine form of Zieliński.

Zieliński m Polish
From Polish zieleń meaning "green". It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing.

Zimmerman German
Variant of Zimmermann.

Zimmermann German, Jewish
From the German word for "carpenter", derived from Middle High German zimber "timber, wood" and mann "man".

Żukowska f Polish
Feminine form of Żukowski.

Żukowski Polish
From various Polish towns named Żukowo or Żuków, which are derived from żuk meaning "beetle".