This is a list of surnames in which the categories include English nouns.
SpoonerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of spoons or a maker of shingles, derived from Middle English spone meaning "chip of wood, spoon".
StackEnglish From a nickname for a big person, derived from Middle English stack"haystack", of Old Norse origin.
StampEnglish Originally denoted a person from Étampes near Paris. It was called Stampae in Latin, but the ultimate origin is uncertain.
SteedEnglish Occupational name for one who tended horses, derived from Middle English steed, in turn derived from Old English steda meaning "stallion".
SterlingScottish Derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning.
Stern 1English 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.
StoneEnglish Name for a person who lived near a prominent stone or worked with stone, derived from Old English stan.
StrandNorwegian, Swedish, Danish From Old Norse strǫnd meaning "beach, sea shore". It was originally given to someone who lived on or near the sea.
StreetEnglish 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.
StringerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of string or bow strings, from Old English streng"string".
StylesEnglish Locational name for one who lived near a steep hill, from Old English stigol"stile, set of steps".
SultanArabic From a nickname meaning "sultan, ruler" in Arabic.
SunChinese From Chinese 孙 (sūn) meaning "grandchild, descendant". A famous bearer of the surname was Sun Tzu, the 6th-century BC author of The Art of War.
SwallowEnglish From the name of the bird, from Old English swealwe, a nickname for someone who resembled or acted like a swallow.
SweetEnglish From a nickname meaning "sweet, pleasant", from Old English swete.
SwiftEnglish Nickname for a quick person, from Old English swift.
Tang 1Chinese From Chinese 唐 (táng) referring to the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907.
TannerEnglish 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.
TarHungarian Derived from Hungarian tar meaning "bald".
TaskerEnglish 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.
TeslaSerbian Occupational name for a carpenter, derived from Serbian tesla meaning "adze". This name was notably borne by the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).
ThatcherEnglish 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).
ThornEnglish, Danish Originally applied to a person who lived in or near a thorn bush.
TinkerEnglish 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.
TollerEnglish Occupational name meaning "tax gatherer", derived from Old English toln "toll, fee, tax".
TrumpGerman Derived from Middle High German trumbe meaning "drum". This surname is borne by the American president Donald Trump (1946-).
TuckerEnglish 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.
TuftEnglish Denoted one who lived near a clump of trees or bushes, from Middle English tufte"tuft, clump", from Old French.
TurnerEnglish 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.
TwistEnglish, Literature Probably from the name of towns in England and Wales called Twist or Twiss. This surname was used by Charles Dickens for the hero of his novel Oliver Twist (1838), about an orphan surviving the streets of London. Dickens probably had the vocabulary word twist in mind when naming the character.
VerityEnglish From a nickname meaning "truth", perhaps given originally to a truthful person.
WalkerEnglish 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".
WallEnglish Originally denoted a person who lived near a prominent wall, from Old English weall.
Waller 2English Derived from Old English weall meaning "wall", denoting a builder of walls or someone who lived near a prominent wall.
Waters 1English Originally given to a person who lived near the water.
WattEnglish Derived from the Middle English given name Wat or Watt, a diminutive of the name Walter. A noteworthy bearer was the Scottish inventor James Watt (1736-1819).
WayEnglish From Old English weg meaning "way, road, path".
Weaver 1English Occupational name for a weaver, derived from Old English wefan "to weave".
WeeksEnglish Derived from Old English wic meaning "village, town".
WellsEnglish Derived from Middle English wille meaning "well, spring, water hole".
WestEnglish, German Denoted a person who lived to the west of something, or who came from the west.
WheelerEnglish Occupational name for a maker of wagon wheels, derived from Middle English whele"wheel".
WhiteEnglish Originally a nickname for a person who had white hair or a pale complexion, from Old English hwit"white".
WhiteheadEnglish Nickname for someone with white or light-coloured hair, from Old English hwit"white" and heafod "head".
WhittleEnglish From various English place names derived from Old English hwit "white" and hyll "hill".
WildEnglish, German Means "wild, untamed, uncontrolled", derived from Old English wilde. This was either a nickname for a person who behaved in a wild manner or a topographic name for someone who lived on overgrown land.
WinterEnglish, German, Swedish From Old English winter or Old High German wintar meaning "winter". This was a nickname for a person with a cold personality.
WolfGerman, English From Middle High German or Middle English wolf meaning "wolf", or else from an Old German given name beginning with this element.
WoodEnglish, Scottish Originally denoted one who lived in or worked in a forest, derived from Old English wudu"wood".