Surnames Categorized "English nouns"

Abate Italian
From Italian abate meaning "abbot, priest", derived via Latin and Greek from an Aramaic word meaning "father". This was used either as a nickname or an occupational name for a worker in a priest's house.

Abbey English
Indicated a person who lived near an abbey or worked in an abbey, from Middle English abbeye.

Allegro Italian
Variant of Allegri.

Archer English
Occupational name for one who practiced archery, from Latin arcus "bow" (via Old French).

Arena Italian
Italian cognate of Arenas.

Arts 1 Dutch
Means "son of Aart".

Ash English
From Old English æsc meaning "ash tree", indicating a person who lived near ash trees.

Baker English
Occupational name meaning "baker", derived from Middle English bakere.

Ball English
From Middle English bal, Old English beall meaning "ball". This was either a nickname for a rotund or bald person, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a ball-shaped feature.

Banes Welsh
Variant of Baines 1.

Banister English
Variant of Bannister.

Banks English
Originally indicated someone who lived near a hillside or a bank of land.

Banner English
Occupational name for a flag carrier, derived from Old French baniere meaning "banner", ultimately of Germanic origin.

Bannister English
From Norman French banastre meaning "basket". This was originally a name for a maker of baskets.

Barber English, Scottish
Indicated a barber, one who cut hair for a living.

Barker English
From Middle English bark meaning "to tan". This was an occupational name for a leather tanner.

Bass English
English cognate of Basso.

Basso Italian
Originally a nickname for a short person, from Latin bassus "thick, low".

Battle English
From a nickname for a combative person. In some cases it may come from the name of English places called Battle, so named because they were sites of battles.

Bean English
English cognate of Bohn.

Beck 4 English
From Old English becca meaning "pickaxe", an occupational surname.

Belcher English
From a Middle English version of Old French bel chiere meaning "beautiful face". It later came to refer to a person who had a cheerful and pleasant temperament.

Bell 1 English
From Middle English belle meaning "bell". It originated as a nickname for a person who lived near the town bell, or who had a job as a bell-ringer.

Berry English
Derived from a place name, which was derived from Old English burh "fortification".

Bird English
Occupational name for a person who raised or hunted birds.

Bishop English
Means simply "bishop", ultimately from Greek ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) meaning "overseer". It probably originally referred to a person who served a bishop.

Boatwright English
Occupational name meaning "maker of boats".

Bologna Italian
From the name of the city of Bologna in northern Italy. It may derive from a Celtic word meaning "settlement".

Bond English
Occupational name for a peasant farmer, from Middle English bonde. A famous bearer is the fictional spy James Bond, created by Ian Flemming in 1953.

Bone 2 English
Variant of Baines 2.

Bonnet French
From the given name Bonitus.

Boon 1 English
Variant of Bone 1.

Booth English
Topographic name derived from Middle English both meaning "hut, stall".

Bower English
From Old English bur meaning "dwelling, room".

Bowman English
Occupational name for an archer, derived from Middle English bowe, Old English boga meaning "bow".

Brand 1 German, Dutch, English
Derived from the Old German given name Brando or its Old Norse cognate Brandr.

Bray English
From a place name derived from Cornish bre "hill".

Brewer English
Occupational name for a maker of ale or beer.

Brewster English
Variant of Brewer, originally a feminine form of the occupational term.

Bridges English
Originally denoted a person who lived near a bridge, or who worked as a bridgekeeper, derived from Middle English brigge, Old English brycg.

Brook English
Denoted a person who lived near a brook, a word derived from Old English broc.

Brown English
Originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin. A notable bearer is Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.

Brunet French
From a diminutive of French brun meaning "brown".

Bull English
From a nickname for a person who acted like a bull.

Bullock English
From a nickname meaning "young bull".

Bunker English
Derived from Old French bon cuer meaning "good heart".

Bureau French
From Old French burel, a diminutive of bure, a type of woollen cloth. It may have originated as a nickname for a person who dressed in the material or as an occupational name for someone who worked with it.

Burns 1 English, Scottish
Derived from Old English burna "stream, spring". A famous bearer was the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796).

Bush English
Originally a name for a person who lived near a prominent bush or thicket.

Butcher English
Occupational name for a butcher, derived from Old French bouchier.

Butler English, Irish
Occupational name derived from Norman French butiller "wine steward", ultimately from Late Latin butticula "bottle". A famous bearer of this surname is the fictional character Rhett Butler, created by Margaret Mitchell for her novel Gone with the Wind (1936).

Butts English
From a nickname meaning "thick, stumpy", from Middle English butt.

Cannon English
From the ecclesiastical usage of canon, referring to a church official or servant who worked in a clergy house.

Carpenter English
From the occupation, derived from Middle English carpentier (ultimately from Latin carpentarius meaning "carriage maker").

Carter English
Occupational name for a person who operated a cart to transport goods, from Norman French caretier. A famous bearer is the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).

Cartwright English
Occupational name indicating one who made carts.

Carver English
Occupational surname for a carver, from Middle English kerve "cut".

Case English
From Norman French casse meaning "box, case", ultimately from Latin capsa. This was an occupational name for a box maker.

Cash English
Variant of Case.

Castle English
From Middle English castel meaning "castle", from Late Latin castellum, originally indicating a person who lived near a castle.

Causer English
Occupational name for one who made leggings, derived from Old French chausse "leggings".

Chambers English
From Old French chambre meaning "chamber, room", an occupational name for a person who worked in the inner rooms of a mansion.

Chance English
From a nickname for a lucky person or a gambler.

Chase English
Occupational name for a hunter, from Middle English chase "hunt".

Chevalier French
From a nickname derived from French chevalier meaning "knight", from Late Latin caballarius "horseman", Latin caballus "horse".

Church English
From the English word, derived from Old English cirice, ultimately from Greek κυριακόν (kyriakon) meaning "(house) of the lord". It probably referred to a person who lived close to a church.

Clay English
Means simply "clay", originally referring to a person who lived near or worked with of clay.

Close English
From Middle English clos meaning "enclosure", a topographic name for someone who lived near a courtyard or farmyard.

Cock English
Derived from the medieval nickname cok meaning "rooster, cock". The nickname was commonly added to given names to create diminutives such as Hancock or Alcock.

Colt English
Occupational name for a keeper of horses, derived from Middle English colt.

Combs English
Variant of Coombs.

Constable English
From Old French conestable, ultimately from Latin comes stabuli meaning "officer of the stable".

Cook English
Derived from Old English coc meaning "cook", ultimately from Latin coquus. It was an occupational name for a cook, a man who sold cooked meats, or a keeper of an eating house.

Couch Cornish
From Cornish cough "red", indicating the original bearer had red hair.

Couture French
Means "tailor" in Old French.

Crisp English
English cognate of Crespo.

Cropper English
Occupational name derived from Middle English croppe "crop", referring to a fruit picker or a crop reaper.

Cross English
Locative name meaning "cross", ultimately from Latin crux. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.

Curry Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Comhraidhe or Ó Corra.

Dale English
From Old English dæl meaning "valley", originally indicating a person who lived there.

Dam Dutch, Danish
Means "dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".

Day English
From a diminutive form of David.

Deadman English
Variant of Debenham.

Dean 2 English
Occupational surname meaning "dean", referring to a person who either was a dean or worked for one. It is from Middle English deen (ultimately from Latin decanus meaning "chief of ten").

Derby English
Variant of Darby.

Dick English
From the given name Dick 1.

Doctor English
Originally denoted someone who was a doctor, ultimately from Latin doctor meaning "teacher".

Dodge English
From Dogge, a medieval diminutive of Roger.

Downer English
Name for someone who lived on or near a down, which is an English word meaning "hill".

Drake English
Derived from the Old Norse byname Draki or the Old English byname Draca both meaning "dragon", both via Latin from Greek δράκων (drakon) meaning "dragon, serpent".

Draper English
Occupational name for a maker or seller of woollen cloth, from Anglo-Norman French draper (Old French drapier, an agent derivative of drap "cloth").

Duke English
From the noble title, which was originally from Latin dux "leader". It was a nickname for a person who behaved like a duke, or who worked in a duke's household.

Durant English, French
Variation of Durand.

Dyer English
Occupational name meaning "cloth dyer", from Old English deah "dye".

Earl English
From the aristocratic title, which derives from Old English eorl meaning "nobleman, warrior". It was either a nickname for one who acted like an earl, or an occupational name for a person employed by an earl.

Egger German
South German occupational name meaning "plowman" or "farmer", derived from German eggen "to harrow, to plow".

Elder English
Derived from Old English ealdra meaning "older", used to distinguish two people who had the same name.

English English
Denoted a person who was of English heritage. It was used to distinguish people who lived in border areas (for example, near Wales or Scotland). It was also used to distinguish an Anglo-Saxon from a Norman.

Falconer English, Scottish
Variant of Faulkner.

Fan Chinese
From Chinese 范 (fàn) meaning "bee".

Farmer English
Occupational name for a tax collector, from Middle English ferme "rent, revenue, provision", from medieval Latin firma, ultimately from Old English feorm. This word did not acquire its modern meaning until the 17th century.

Farro Italian
Derived from the name of a place on Sicily, Italy, derived from Latin far meaning "wheat, spelt".

Fear English
Derived from Middle English feare meaning "friend, comrade".

Fiddler English
English form of Fiedler.

Field English
Variant of Fields.

Fields English
Name for a person who lived on or near a field or pasture, from Old English feld.

Finch English, Literature
From the name of the bird, from Old English finc. It was used by Harper Lee for the surname of lawyer Atticus Finch and his children in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).

Fisher English, Jewish
Cognate of Fischer.

Fishman English
Occupational name for a fisherman.

Fletcher English
Occupational name for a fletcher, someone who attached feathers to the shaft of an arrow. It is derived from Old French fleche meaning "arrow".

Flintstone Popular Culture
From the English words flint and stone, created by Hanna-Barbera Productions for the caveman family (Fred, Wilma and Pebbles) in their animated television show The Flintstones, which ran from 1960 to 1966.

Flower English
From Middle English flour meaning "flower, blossom", derived from Old French flur, Latin flos. This was a nickname given to a sweet person. In other cases it could be a metonymic occupational name for a maker of flour (a word derived from the same source).

Ford English
Name given to someone who lived by a ford, possibly the official who maintained it. A famous bearer was the American industrialist Henry Ford (1863-1947).

Forest English, French
Originally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French forest, from Latin forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".

Forester English
Denoted a keeper or one in charge of a forest, or one who has charge of growing timber in a forest (see Forest).

Fortune English
From Middle English, ultimately from Latin fortuna meaning "fortune, luck, chance". This was possibly a nickname for a gambler.

Foster 4 English
Nickname given to a person who was a foster child or foster parent.

Fowler English
Occupational name for a fowler or birdcatcher, ultimately derived from Old English fugol meaning "bird".

Fox English
From the name of the animal. It was originally a nickname for a person with red hair or a crafty person.

Frank 1 English
Derived from the given name Frank.

Frank 2 English
From Old English franc meaning "free".

Freeman English
Referred to a person who was born free, or in other words was not a serf.

French English
Originally denoted a French person, from Middle English Frensch, Old English Frencisc.

Fries German
Denoted someone from Frisia, an area along the coastal region of the North Sea stretching from Netherlands to Germany.

Frisk Swedish
From Swedish frisk "healthy", which was derived from the Middle Low German word vrisch "fresh, young, frisky".

Frost English, German
From Old English and Old High German meaning "frost", a nickname for a person who had a cold personality or a white beard.

Fry English
From Old English frig (a variant of freo) meaning "free".

Fuller English
Occupational name for a fuller, a person who thickened and cleaned coarse cloth by pounding it. It is derived via Middle English from Latin fullo.

Gale English
Derived from Middle English gaile meaning "jovial".

Gang Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul 강 (see Kang).

Garb German
Variant of Garber.

Gardener English
Occupational surname for one who was a gardener, from Old French jardin meaning "garden" (of Frankish origin).

Garland English
Means "triangle land" from Old English gara and land. It originally belonged to a person who owned a triangle-shaped piece of land.

Garner 1 English
From Old French gernier meaning "granary", a derivative of Latin granum meaning "grain". This name could refer to a person who worked at a granary or lived near one.

Gates English
Originally denoted a person who lived near the town gates.

Gentile Italian
From a nickname meaning "gentle, kind" in Italian.

Gill English
Originally indicated someone who lived near a ravine, from Middle English gil (of Old Norse origin).

Glass English, German
From Old English glæs or Old High German glas meaning "glass". This was an occupational name for a glass blower or glazier.

Glazier English
Means "glass worker, glazier", from Old English glæs meaning "glass".

Glover English
Occupational name for a person who made or sold gloves, from Middle English glovere.

Gold English, German, Jewish
From Old English and Old High German gold meaning "gold", an occupational name for someone who worked with gold or a nickname for someone with yellow hair. As a Jewish name it is ornamental.

Gore English
From the Old English word gara meaning "triangular plot of land".

Grant English, Scottish
Derived from Norman French meaning "grand, tall, large, great". A famous bearer was the American general and president Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885).

Graves English
Occupational name for a steward, derived from Middle English greyve, related to the German title Graf.

Gray English
From a nickname for a person who had grey hair or grey clothes.

Gross German
Variant of Groß.

Groves English
From Old English graf meaning "grove". This originally indicated a person who lived near a grove (a group of trees).

Gully English
Nickname for a big person, from Middle English golias meaning "giant" (ultimately from Goliath, the Philistine warrior who was slain by David in the Old Testament).

Hall English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Means simply "hall", given to one who either lived in or worked in a hall (the house of a medieval noble).

Harper English
Originally belonged to a person who played the harp or who made harps.

Hart English
Means "male deer". It was originally acquired by a person who lived in a place frequented by harts, or bore some resemblance to a hart.

Hawk English
Originally a nickname for a person who had a hawk-like appearance or who acted in a fierce manner, derived from Old English hafoc "hawk".

Heath English
Originally belonged to a person who was a dweller on the heath or open land.

Hertz German
Derived from Middle High German herze meaning "heart", a nickname for a big-hearted person.

Hickey Irish
Anglicized form of Irish Ó hÍcidhe meaning "descendant of the healer".

Hill English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a hill, derived from Old English hyll.

Holt English, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
From Old English, Old Dutch and Old Norse holt meaning "forest".

Hood English
Metonymic occupational name for a maker of hoods or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive hood, from Old English hod.

Hooker English
Originally applied to one who lived near a river bend or corner of some natural feature, from Old English hoc "angle, hook".

Hooper English
Occupational name for someone who put the metal hoops around wooden barrels.

Hope English
Derived from Middle English hop meaning "small valley".

Hopper English
Occupational name for an acrobat or a nickname for someone who was nervous or restless. A famous bearer was the American actor Dennis Hopper (1936-2010).

Horn English, German, Norwegian, Danish
From the Old English, Old High German and Old Norse word horn meaning "horn". This was an occupational name for one who carved objects out of horn or who played a horn, or a person who lived near a horn-shaped geographical feature, such as a mountain or a bend in a river.

House English
Referred to a person who lived or worked in a house, as opposed to a smaller hut.

Hull English
Variant of Hill.

Hunt English
Variant of Hunter.

Hunter English, Scottish
Occupational name that referred to someone who hunted for a living, from Old English hunta.

Jack English, Scottish
From the given name Jack.

Jewel English
Variant of Jewell.

Joiner English
Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).

Key 1 English
Variant of Kay 1 or Kay 2.

King English
From Old English cyning "king", originally a nickname for someone who either acted in a kingly manner or who worked for or was otherwise associated with a king. A famous bearer was the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

Kiss Hungarian
Nickname meaning "small" in Hungarian.

Kitchen English
Occupational name for a person who worked in a kitchen (of a monastery for example), derived from Old English cycene, ultimately from Latin coquina.

Knight English
From Old English cniht meaning "knight", a tenant serving as a mounted soldier.

Lager Swedish
Means "laurel" in Swedish.

Lam Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Lin.

Lamb English
From the name of the animal, perhaps a nickname for a shy person.

Lane 1 English
Originally designated one who lived by a lane, a narrow way between fences or hedges, later used of any narrow pathway, including one between houses in a town.

Law English
Derived from Old English hlaw "hill".

Leach English
Originally indicated a person who was a physician, from the medieval practice of using leeches to bleed people of ills.

Lee 1 English
Originally given to a person who lived on or near a leah, Old English meaning "woodland, clearing".

Lister Scottish
Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac an Fleisdeir meaning "son of the arrow maker".

Love English
From the Old English given name Lufu meaning "love".

Ma Chinese
From Chinese 马 (mǎ) meaning "horse".

Man Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese romanization of Wen.

Mark English
Derived from the given name Mark.

Marsh English
Originally denoted one who lived near a marsh or bog, derived from Old English mersc "marsh".

Marshall English
Derived from Middle English mareschal "marshal", from Latin mariscalcus, ultimately from Germanic roots akin to Old High German marah "horse" and scalc "servant". It originally referred to someone who took care of horses.

Martin English, French, German, Swedish
Derived from the given name Martin. This is the most common surname in France.

Mason English
Occupational name for a stoneworker or layer of bricks, from Old French masson, of Frankish origin (akin to Old English macian "to make").

Masters English
Variant of Masterson.

May English
Derived from the given name Matthew.

Meadows English
Referred to one who lived in a meadow, from Old English mædwe.

Merchant English
Variant of Marchand.

Messer German
Occupational name for a person who made knives, from Middle High German messer "knife".

Miles English
From the given name Miles.

Miller English
Occupational surname meaning "miller", referring to a person who owned or worked in a grain mill, derived from Middle English mille "mill".

Millhouse English
Name for someone whose house was in a mill or who worked in a mill.

Mills English
Originally given to one who lived near a mill or who worked in a mill, from Middle English mille.

Moles Catalan
From Catalan mola meaning "millstone".

Monday 2 English
Denoted a person for whom this was a significant day, often the day they would pay their feudal fees.

Monk English
Nickname or occupational name for a person who worked for monks. This word is derived from Latin monachus, from Greek μοναχός (monachos) meaning "alone".

Moon 2 English
Originally indicated a person from the town of Moyon in Normandy.

Moors English
Variant of Moore 1.

Moss 1 English
From Middle English mos meaning "bog, moss".

Mould English
From the given name Mauld, a medieval form of Matilda.

Mutton English
Referred to a shepherd or else someone who in some way resembled a sheep, derived from Norman French mouton "sheep".

Nana Italian
From a diminutive of Giovanni.

North English
Name for a person who lived to the north.

Outlaw English
Means simply "outlaw" from Middle English outlawe.

Pace Italian
Derived from the Italian given name Pace meaning "peace".

Page English, French
Occupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".

Pain English
Variant of Payne.

Palmer English
Means "pilgrim", ultimately from Latin palma "palm tree", since pilgrims to the Holy Land often brought back palm fronds as proof of their journey.

Pan 1 Provençal
Means "baker", from Latin panis meaning "bread".

Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pārēre meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin parere meaning "to produce, to give birth").

Park 2 English
From Middle English park, from Latin parricus, of Frankish origin. This was a name for someone who worked in or lived in a park.

Parry Welsh
Derived from ap Harry meaning "son of Harry".

Peacock English
From Middle English pecok meaning "peacock". It was originally a nickname for a proud or haughty person.

Peak English
Originally indicated a dweller by a pointed hill, from Old English peac "peak". It could also denote a person from the Peak District in Derbyshire, England.

Peck 2 English
Occupational name for a maker of pecks (vessels used as peck measures), derived from Middle English pekke.

Peel English
Nickname for a thin person, derived from Old French pel, Latin palus meaning "stake, post" (related to English pole).

Penner English
Variant of Penn 2.

Penny English
Nickname meaning "penny, coin" from Old English penning.

Petri Italian
Derived from the given name Pietro.

Piazza Italian
Means "plaza" in Italian, indicating that the residence of the original bearer was near the town square. It is derived from Latin platea.

Pickle English
Derived from Middle English pighel meaning "small field".

Pilgrim English, German
Nickname for a person who was a pilgrim, ultimately from Latin peregrinus.

Pinto Portuguese, Spanish, Italian
Means "mottled" in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, derived from Late Latin pinctus, Latin pictus "painted".

Planche French
French form of Plank.

Plank German, English
Means "plank", from Old French, itself from Late Latin planca. This could have referred to a person who lived by a plank bridge over a stream, someone who was thin, or a carpenter.

Plaza Spanish
Spanish cognate of Piazza.

Pond English
Originally referred to one who lived near a pond.

Pop Romanian
Variant of Popa.

Pope English
From a nickname that originally designated a person who played the part of the pope in a play or pageant. Otherwise the name could be used as a nickname for a man with a solemn, austere, or pious appearance. It is derived from Latin papa, ultimately from Greek πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".

Porter English
Occupational name meaning "doorkeeper", ultimately from Old French porte "door", from Latin porta.

Post Dutch, German, English
Indicated a person who lived near a post, ultimately from Latin postis.

Potter English
Occupational name for a potter, one who makes earthen vessels. This surname was used by J. K. Rowling for the hero in her Harry Potter series of books, first released in 1997.

Pound English
Occupational name for a person who kept animals, from Old English pund "animal enclosure".

Power 1 English, Irish
From Old French Poier, indicating a person who came from the town of Poix in Picardy, France.

Power 2 English
From Middle English povre meaning "poor", via Old French from Latin pauper. It could have been a nickname for someone who had no money or a miser.

Powers English
Variant of Power 1 or Power 2.

Price Welsh
Derived from Welsh ap Rhys, which means "son of Rhys".

Queen English
From a given name that was derived from Old English cwen meaning "queen, woman". In some occurrences it may have been a nickname.

Quirk Irish
Variant of Quirke.

Rains English
Variant of Raines.

Rake English
Originally a name for a dweller on a narrow pass or hillside, from Old English hrace meaning "throat, gorge".

Ray English
Variant of Rey 1, Rey 2, Rye or Wray.

Reed English
Variant of Read 1.

Rice Welsh
Derived from the given name Rhys.

Rider English
Variant of Ryder.

Ridge English
Denoted a person who lived near a ridge, from Old English hrycg.

Rivers English
Denoted a person who lived near a river, from Middle English, from Old French riviere meaning "river", from Latin riparius meaning "riverbank".

Roach English
From Middle English and Old French roche meaning "rock", from Late Latin rocca, a word that may be of Celtic origin. It indicated a person who lived near a prominent rock, or who came from a town by this name (such as Les Roches in Normandy).

Rome French, English
English and French form of Romano 2.

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).

Rot German, Jewish
Variant of Roth.

Rounds English
Patronymic derived from Middle English rond meaning "round, plump", ultimately from Latin rotundus.

Rowan Irish
Anglicized form of Ó Ruadháin.

Rush English
Indicated a person who lived near rushes, the grasslike plant that grows in a marsh, from Old English rysc.

Rye English
Topographic name. It could be a misdivision of the Middle English phrases atter ye meaning "at the island" or atter eye meaning "at the river". In some cases it merely indicated a person who lived where rye was grown or worked with rye (from Old English ryge).

Salmon English, French
Derived from the given name Solomon.

Salvage English
Variant of Savage.

Sander German, Danish
Derived from the given name Alexander.

Sands English
From Old English, indicated the original nearer lived on sandy ground.

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).

Sayer Welsh
From Welsh saer meaning "carpenter".

School Dutch
From Dutch school, ultimately from Latin schola meaning "school", indicating a person who worked at or lived near a school.

Senior English
Originally a name for the elder of two brothers.

Sergeant English, French
Occupational name derived from Old French sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin servire "to serve".

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.

Sharp English
Nickname for a keen person, from Old English scearp "sharp".

Shearer English
English cognate of Scherer.

Shepherd English
Occupational name meaning "shepherd, sheep herder", from Old English sceaphyrde.

Shine 1 English
Means "beautiful, attractive" from Old English sciene.

Sierra Spanish
Originally indicated a dweller on a hill range or ridge, from Spanish sierra "mountain range", derived from Latin serra "saw".

Silver English
From a nickname for a person with grey hair, from Old English seolfor "silver".

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

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

Smith English
Means "metalworker, blacksmith" from Old English smiþ, related to smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world. A famous bearer was the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790).

Solo Basque
Means "rural estate" in Basque.

Song Chinese, Korean
From Chinese 宋 (sòng) referring to the Song dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1279.

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.

Spiker Dutch
Americanized form of Spijker 1 or Spijker 2.

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

Stack English
From a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English stack "haystack", of Old Norse origin.

Stamp English
Originally denoted a person from Étampes near Paris. It was called Stampae in Latin, but the ultimate origin is uncertain.

Steed English
Occupational name for one who tended horses, derived from Middle English steed, in turn derived from Old English steda meaning "stallion".

Sterling Scottish
Derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning.

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.

Stone English
Name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English stan.

Strand Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
From Old Norse strǫnd meaning "beach, sea shore". It was originally given to someone who lived on or near the sea.

Street English
Habitational name for a person who lived in a place called Street, for example in Somerset. It is derived from Old English stræt meaning "Roman road", from Latin strata.

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

Styles English
Locational name for one who lived near a steep hill, from Old English stigol "stile, set of steps".

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

Summers 2 English
Variant of Sommer 1.