SaxenaIndian, Hindi Traditionally believed to be derived from Sanskrit सखिसेना (sakhisena) meaning "friend of the army", from सखा (sakha) meaning "friend, companion" and सेना (sena) meaning "army"... [more]
ScanagattaItalian Probably means "cat killer", from Italian scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and gatto "cat", with the figurative meaning of "cheat, scoundrel". (Compare Pelagatti)... [more]
ScanavaccaItalian Possibly an occupational name for a butcher, from scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and vacca "cow".
ScannabissiItalian Possibly from scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and biscio "snake". Alternately, the first element may be from an archaic form of zanna, "tooth (of an animal)".
ScannapiecoItalian Occupational name for a butcher, from scannare "to slaughter, to cut the throat of" and piecuro "sheep, lamb".
ScheidGerman, Jewish Either a topographic name for someone who lived near a boundary (between two valleys etc.) or crossroads Middle High German scheide, a habitational name from any of various places called ScheidtScheiden... [more]
ScotfordEnglish Derived from Scotforth, the name of a village near Lancaster (in Lancashire) in England. The village's name means "ford of the Scot(s)" and is derived from Old English Scott "Scot" combined with Old English ford "ford".
ScotlandEnglish (i) "person from Scotland"; (ii) "person from Scotland or Scotlandwell", Perth and Kinross; (iii) from the Norman personal name Escotland, literally "territory of the Scots"
SeabornEnglish From an Old English personal name derived from the elements sǣ "sea, lake" and beorn "warrior".
SeabrightEnglish Derives from the Old English name Sæbeorht from sæ meaning "sea" and beorht meaning "bright". Related to Seabert.
SeaforthEnglish The name of a projection of the sea on the east coast of Lewis, on the Long Island, Scotland. Means "the forth of the sea".
SeagraveEnglish Habitational name from a place in Leicestershire, recorded in Domesday Book as Satgrave and Setgrave; probably named from Old English (ge)set meaning "fold", "pen" (or sēað meaning "pit", "pool") + grāf meaning "grove" or græf meaning "ditch".
SeatterScottish From an ancient barony called "The lands of Setter", Stromness, Orkney. Derives from the Ancient Norse word "saetr" meaning a hut or shelter for animals.
SeddaItalian From a place name in Sardinia, meaning "top of a mountain". May alternately derive from Sardinian sedda "saddle", indicating the bearer's occupation.
SeeEnglish, German Topographic name for someone who lived by the sea-shore or beside a lake, from Middle English see meaning "sea", "lake" (Old English sǣ), Middle High German sē. Alternatively, the English name may denote someone who lived by a watercourse, from an Old English sēoh meaning "watercourse", "drain".
SeedorfGerman habitational name from any of the numerous places so named from See "lake" and Dorf "village".
SekawaJapanese From Japanese 瀬 (se) meaning "rapids, current" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
SekawaJapanese Se means "current, ripple" and kawa means "river, stream".
SekewaelIndonesian The last name Sekewael is an original name from one of the island in Maluku. That one island name is "Negeri Oma." The meaning of Sekewael is "The Guardian of the River" because in "Negeri Oma" any body want to use the river of the water they have to ask for permission by Sekewael family... [more]
SekikawaJapanese From Japanese 関 (seki) meaning "frontier pass" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
SelanderSwedish Combination of Swedish sel "stretch of calm water in a river or stream" and the common surname suffix -ander (originally from Greek aner "man"). The first element, sel, is also a common place name element in Northern Sweden and it's possible that this name is both ornamental and locational in origin.
SelfEnglish East Anglian surname, from the medieval English masculine name Saulf which was derived from the Old English elements sǣ "sea" and wulf "wolf".
SelgEstonian Selg is an Estonian surname meaning "back", "spine" and "back of".
SenamiJapanese Se means "ripple, current" and nami means "wave".
SenoJapanese From 瀬 (se) meaning "current, ripple" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness, plain".
SenriJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 千里 with 千 (sen, chi) meaning "thousand" and 里 (ri, sato) meaning "league, parent's home, ri (type of measurement), village."... [more]
SenumaJapanese Se means "ripple" and numa means "marsh, swamp".
SesakiJapanese Se means "ripple, current" and saki means "peninsula, cape, promontory".
SetonScottish It has been claimed in the past that the name Seton is Norman in origin, however evidence points to it being Flemish. Various suggestions have been put forward regarding the derivation of the name but nothing proved conclusively; it probably means "town by the sea" and possibly derives from the "sea town" of Staithes in modern day North Yorkshire... [more]
ShackletonEnglish The place name probably means "valley by a point of land," from the Old English scacol + denu. Another source claims the word scacol, describes a "tongue of land."
ShadwellEnglish English surname meaning "By the shed spring"
ShelleyEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) Habitational name from any of the three places called Shelley (Essex Suffolk Yorkshire) or from Shelley Plain in Crawley (Sussex)... [more]
ShereshevskyRussian, Jewish Name for someone originally from the city of Sharashova in Belarus, probably derived Russian шерешь (sheresh) meaning "frozen mud, ice (on a river)".
SherkhanzaiAfghan Meaning "son of Sherkhan" in Pashto. Sherkhan itself means "lion king" in Persian. This surname is found among Afghans belonging to the Barech, one of the Durrani Pashto tribes.
SherlockEnglish, Irish Nickname for someone with "fair hair" or "a lock of fair hair."
SherpaNepali, Indian, Tibetan, Bengali From the name of the Sherpa people, a Tibetic ethnic group inhabiting Nepal, China, Bhutan, and the Himalayas. The name itself is derived from Sherpa ཤར (shar) meaning "east" and wa "people" (thus, "people of the east" or "eastern people"), a reference to their origin in northeastern Nepal... [more]
SherrellEnglish This surname is of English locational origin, from the place in Devonshire called Shirwell. The placename is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Sirewelle, and by 1242 as Shirewill... [more]
ShevardnadzeGeorgian Means "son of the falcon", from Georgian შავარდენი (shavardeni) meaning "falcon, hawk". A famous bearer was Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze (1928-2014).
ShibakawaJapanese From Japanese 芝 (shiba) meaning "turf, lawn, sod" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river".
ShockleyEnglish (i) perhaps "person from Shocklach", Cheshire ("boggy stream infested with evil spirits"); (ii) perhaps an anglicization of Swiss German Schoechli, literally "person who lives by the little barn"
ShrimptonEnglish Probably referring to the unknown "Estate of Shrimp"
ShrivastavIndian, Hindi Short form of Sanskrit श्रीवास्तव्य (shrivastavya) meaning "abode of wealth", itself from श्री (shri) meaning "diffusing light, radiance, splendour, beauty, wealth, prosperity" and वास्तव्य (vastavya) meaning "residence, abode, dwelling, inhabiting".
SillajõeEstonian Sillajõe is an Estonian surname meaning "river bridge".
SimbeckGerman Originates from the German prefix sim meaning "of the head" and the German word becka meaning "bull". When combined in this order, the meaning was "bull-headed", meaning stubborn and obstinant.
SjöblomSwedish Combination of Swediah sjö "lake, sea" and blom "bloom".
SjödinSwedish Combination of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and the common surname suffix -in.
SjölanderSwedish Combination of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and the common surname suffix -ander (a combination of land and the habitational suffix -er). The second element is sometimes said to be derived from Greek aner "man".
SjömanSwedish Means "seaman, sailor" in Swedish, although this name is more likely to be an ornamental name composed of Swedish sjö "lake, sea" and man "man". A notable bearer is film director Vilgot Sjöman (1924-2006).
SmithwickEnglish habitational name from Smethwick in Staffordshire Smethwick Green near Brereton Heath (Cheshire) or a lost place called Smithwick in Southover (Sussex). The place name means "the farm of the smiths" from Old English smiþ "smith" and wic "dwelling specialized farm"... [more]
SmuldersDutch Occupational name derived from Dutch des mulders meaning "son of the miller". A famous bearer is Canadian-American actress Cobie Smulders (1982-).
SnapeEnglish (British), Scottish An old, now rare surname, with various origins in Suffolk and Yorkshire in England and Lanarkshire in Scotland, derived from Middle English snaipen, “to injure; to nip (of sleet or snow); to criticize, rebuke, revile”, from Old Norse sneypa, “to disgrace, to dishonor, to outrage”... [more]
SnelsonEnglish Means "son of Snell", Snell being a nickname for a brisk or active person, from Middle English snell "quick, lively" (cf... [more]
SoamesEnglish Denoted a person hailing from a village called Soham in Cambridgeshire, England. The place name itself means "homestead by the lake" from Old English sæ "lake" and ham "farm, homestead"... [more]
SolinasItalian Meaning uncertain; could be related to Latin solum, from which comes Italian suolo "earth, ground, soil" and suola "sole (of the foot or shoe)", or from Italian salina "salt pan, salt marsh".
SonoikeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 園 (sono) meaning "orchard; plantation" and 池 (ike) meaning "pond".... [more]
SooläteEstonian Sooläte is an Estonian surname meaning "swamp/bog spring".
SoppEstonian Sopp is an Estonian surname meaning "mud", "creek" and "bottom".
SorensonJewish Means "son of the son of Sore", a Yiddish female personal name (from Hebrew Sara, literally "princess"), with the addition of the Slavic possessive suffix -in and German Sohn "son".
SotaJapanese From Japanese 颯 (sō) meaning "sudden, sound of the wind" and 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations. There is a character in Danganronpa used as a surname, but it's not actually used as a surname and it's originated from a boy's name from Japanese.
SoutaJapanese From Japanese 颯 (sō) meaning "sudden, sound of the wind" and 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations. Also used as a given name.
SpecaItalian From a variant of spiga "spike, ear (of grain)"
SpellbodyLiterature Used in Jill Murphy's books, The Worst Witch, as well as the 2017 television adaptation for the surname of Maud Spellbody. It is a combination of "spell" and "body".
SpiegelmanGerman (Germanized, Rare, Archaic), Jewish (Germanized, Rare, Archaic) The name Spiegelman is a name with both German and Jewish origins. In German the word "Spiegel" translates to "mirror". Also "Mann" translates to "man". So one could interpret the name to mean "mirror man" or less often "man of the mirror"... [more]
SpringGerman From Middle High German sprinc, Middle Low German sprink "spring, well", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a spring or well, or habitational name from Springe near Hannover.
SpringallEnglish Means (i) "operator of a springald (a type of medieval siege engine)" (from Anglo-Norman springalde); or (ii) from a medieval nickname for a youthful person (from Middle English springal "youth").
SpringbornGerman Derived from Middle Low German sprinkborn meaning "spring, well", hence either a nickname for someone who lived by a spring or a water well, or from various place names in Germany.
SproutEnglish This name is derived from the name of an ancestor, meaning "the son of Sprot".... [more]
StansfieldEnglish (British) Habitational name from a place in West Yorkshire, probably named with the genitive case of the Old English personal name Stan 1 "stone" and Old English feld "pasture, open country"... [more]
SteinbeckGerman Denotes a person hailing from one of the many places in Germany called Steinbeck or Steinbach, from Middle High German stein "stone" and bach "stream, creek". In some cases it is a South German occupational name for a mason... [more]
SteinhilberGerman Habitational name for someone from Steinhilben, from Old High German stein "stone" and hülwe or hülbe "hollow, depression; pond, puddle".
StentEnglish (Archaic) Derived from the Old Norse name Steinn meaning "stone". Recorded in several forms including Stein, Steen, Stone and Ston, this surname is english. It is perhaps not surprisingly one of the first recorded surnames anywhere in the world.... [more]
StrandbergSwedish Combination of Swedish strand "beach, sea shore" and berg "mountain".
StrathairnScottish From Strathearn, the name of a large valley of the River Earn in Scotland, derived from Gaelic srath meaning "river valley, grassland" combined with the river's name. A famous bearer is American actor David Strathairn (1949-).
StraussGerman, Jewish From the German word strauß, meaning "ostrich." In its use as a Jewish surname, it comes from the symbol of the building or family that the bearer occupied or worked for in the Frankfurter Judengasse... [more]
SuazoSpanish, Spanish (Latin American), Basque "Castilianized form of Basque Zuhatzu, habitational name from places in Araba and Navarre named Zuhatzu, from Basquezu(h)aitz‘tree’ + the collective suffix -zu, tsu."... [more]
SuchwaniSanskrit Suchwani means "decendent of Suchu", where the given name Suchu means "truthful".
SucuTurkish Means "waterman, water carrier" in Turkish.
SuekawaJapanese Sue means "posterity, close, end, powder, tip" and kawa means "river, stream".
SugieJapanese From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 江 (e) meaning "bay, inlet".
SugizakiJapanese Sugizaki (杉崎) can be translated out to (杉 = cedar; cryptomeria & 崎 = promontory; cape; spit) can be fully read as "Promontory of the cedar" it simply as "Cedar Promontory"
SungaBemba, Central African Sunga is a surname of the Bemba tribe, meaning "a person that takes care of others".... [more]
SuokasFinnish Comes from the finnish word "suo" which means swamp, and directly translated "suokas" means "swampy". This surname originally came from Karelian Isthmus, Sakkola, that in nowadays belongs to Russia... [more]
SuominenFinnish From Suomi meaning ”Finland” in Finnish. The -nen ending can be translated as "little" or "of something" (Suominen="of Finland") but is in Finland mostly seen just as a typical ending for surnames, without any actual meaning.
SurridgeEnglish From the medieval personal name Seric, a descendant of both Old English Sǣrīc, literally "sea power", and Sigerīc, literally "victory power".
SussexEnglish Derived from an English county name meaning "region of the Saxons from the south" in Old English.
SuurlahtEstonian Suulaht is an Estonian surname meaning "big bay/gulf".
SuurojaEstonian Suuroja is an Estonian surname meaning "big stream".
SuwannaphumThai (Rare) From Thai สุวรรณภูมิ (Suwannaphum), from Sanskrit सुवर्णभूमि (Suvárṇabhūmi) meaning "Suvarnabhumi", referring to various places throughout Southeast Asia as "golden land; land of gold".
SuzukawaJapanese Suzu means "bell, chime" and kawa means "river, stream".
SuzuuraJapanese Suzu means "chime, bell" and ura means "bay, seacoast".
SvanströmSwedish Combination of Swedish svan "swan" and ström "stream".
SwaileEnglish Recorded in the spellings of Swaile, Swale and Swales, this is an English surname. It is locational, and according to the famous Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley, originates from either a hamlet called Swallow Hill, near Barnsley in Yorkshire, with Swale being the local dialectal pronunciation and spelling... [more]
SwainScottish, Irish, English Northern English occupational name for a servant or attendant, from Middle English swein "young man attendant upon a knight", which was derived from Old Norse sveinn "boy, servant, attendant"... [more]
SwinburneEnglish habitational name primarily from Great and Little Swinburne (Northumberland) but perhaps also occasionally from one or other places similarly named from Old English swin "pig" and burna "stream" meaning "pig stream".