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]
SethnaIndian (Parsi) Gujarati Parsi name meaning "pertaining to the banker", derived from Hindi सेठ (seṭh) meaning "merchant, banker" (see Seth).
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]
SevillaSpanish Habitational name from the city of Seville (or Sevilla) in Andalusia, Spain. The city's name is probably derived from Phoenician šplh meaning "valley, plain" through Arabic إِشْبِيلِيَة (ʾišbīliya).
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"
ShallcrossEnglish Means "person from Shallcross", Derbyshire ("place by the Shacklecross", an ancient stone cross in the High Peak, its name perhaps denoting a cross to which people could be shackled as a penance).
ShelleyEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) Habitational name from any of the three places called Shelley (Essex Suffolk Yorkshire) or from Shelley Plain in Crawley (Sussex)... [more]
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).
ShibutaniJapanese From Japanese 澁 or 渋 (shibu) meaning "rough" and 谷 (tani) meaning "valley".
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".
SiChinese From Chinese 司 (sī) meaning "to take charge of, to control, to manage" or "officer, official".
SidiqiPashto, Persian, Afghan Means "the veracious" from Arabic صَدَقَ (ṣadaqa) meaning "to be truthful, to be sincere". It is also a variant of Persian Sadeghi.
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.
SkipworthEnglish From the name of Skipwith in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The place name was recorded as Schipewic in the Domesday Book of 1086; as Scipewiz in the 1166 Pipe Rolls of the county; and as Skipwith in the 1291 Pipe Rolls, and derives from the Old English sceap, scip "sheep", and wic "outlying settlement"; hence, "settlement outside the village where sheep were kept".
SluiterDutch Occupation name for a porter, or gatekeeper. Also an occupational name for someone who made and poured alcohol. "The one who pours the alcohol." - Middle Dutch Sluter. Compare to English Porter.
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]
SolanoSpanish, Aragonese From various Spanish place names, which are derived from Spanish solano meaning "place exposed to the sun" (from Late Latin solanus "pertaining to the sun", a derivative of sol "sun")... [more]
SolariItalian Habitational name from any of various places called "Solaro" or "Solara", from solaro 'site', 'plot', 'meadow', literally "land exposed to the sun".
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".
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.
SouthamEnglish habitational name primarily from Southam (Warwickshire) and occasionally from Southam (Gloucestershire) from Old English suþ "south southern" and ham "village homestead" meaning "the southern farmstead".
SpataforaItalian This surname originates from the Italian island of Sicily, where it was first borne by a noble family of Byzantine origin, which had settled on the island in the 11th century AD. Their surname was derived from the Greek noun σπάθη (spathe) "blade, sword" (akin to Latin spatha "broad sword with a double edge") combined with Greek φορεω (phoreo) "to carry, to bear", which gives the surname the meaning of "he who carries the sword" or "sword-bearer"... [more]
SpecaItalian From a variant of spiga "spike, ear (of grain)"
SpierEnglish An English surname, meaning "the one who watches".
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").
SproutEnglish This name is derived from the name of an ancestor, meaning "the son of Sprot".... [more]
StandenEnglish Habitational name predominantly from Standen in Pendleton (Lancashire) and Standean in Ditchling (Sussex) but also from other places similarly named including Standen in East Grinstead (Sussex) Standen in Biddenden (Kent) Standen in Benenden (Kent) Upper and Lower Standen in Hawkinge (Kent) Standen (Berkshire Wiltshire Isle of Wight) and Standon (Devon Hampshire Hertfordshire Staffordshire)... [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]
StellatoItalian Stellato, which is the modern Italian word for "starry", as in "starry sky", translates to "by the stars" from the Latin word Stella. As so many Italians were navigators on ships and navigated "by the stars," and since so many surnames were derived from occupations... [more]
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]
StinchcombEnglish Habitational name from Stinchcombe in Gloucestershire, recorded in the 12th century as Stintescombe, from the dialect term stint meaning "sandpiper" + cumb meaning "narrow valley".
StrasburgGerman It is derived from the Old Germanic phrase "an der Strasse," which literally means "on the street." Thus, the original bearer of this name was most likely someone whose residence was located on a street.
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".
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"
SummerhaysEnglish Probably means "person living by a summer enclosure (where animals were grazed on upland pastures in the summer)" (from Middle English sumer "summer" + hay "enclosure").
SummerlyIrish From Irish Gaelic Ó Somacháin "descendant of Somachán", a nickname meaning literally "gentle" or "innocent".
SummersetEnglish Regional surname for someone from Somerset, an area in England. The name is derived from Old English sumer(tun)saete meaning "dwellers at the summer settlement".
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 Meant "person from the south" (from Old French surreis "southerner").
SussexEnglish Derived from an English county name meaning "region of the Saxons from the south" in Old English.
SuurorgEstonian Suurorg is an Estonian name meaning "big valley".
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".
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]
SzmulikPolish The Szmulik surname has much history. Its origins are Hebrew. It has taken on various spellings over the centuries, depending on where the person or family lived in Europe or America.... [more]
TaageperaEstonian Taagepera is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "taga" ("behind", "at the back") and "pere" ("family", "folk").
TaciroğluTurkish Taciroğlu is a last name adopted by a merchant family in Turkey in January 1934. It literally means "Son of Merchant". "Tacir" is an Arabic word (" التاجر ") in origin which means trader in Turkish... [more]
TafajAlbanian Means "descendant of Tafa", from a short form of the given name Mustafa.
TaffeEnglish Of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó Táth," meaning "descendant of Táth." It's believed to have originated as a personal name, possibly meaning "poet" or "philosopher."
TagametsEstonian Tagamets is an Estonian surname meaning "behind/back of forest".
TagaväliEstonian Tagaväli is an Estonian surname meaning "behind/back of field".
TairaJapanese Meaning "peace". Together with the Fujiwara and Minamoto, this is one of the most prominent clans in Japanese history... [more]
TakasatoJapanese Taka means "tall, high, expensive" and sato means "village, hamlet, type of measurement, league, parent's home".
TakazatoJapanese 高 (Taka) means "high, expensive, tall" and zato is a variant of 里 (sato) meaning "type of measurement, village, league, parent's home". ... [more]
TakeharaJapanese (Rare) Take means "Bamboo" while Hara means "Plain". This surname means " Plain of the Bamboo". Takehara is also a city in Hiroshima and a railway station.
TakinoueJapanese Taki means "waterfall", no is a possessive particle meaning "therefore, of", and ue means "top, above, upper".
TakitaniJapanese Taki means "waterfall, rapids" and tani means "valley".
TakiyaJapanese (Rare) Taki (滝) means "waterfall", ya (谷) means "valley". One notable fictional character who bears this surname is Genji Takiya (滝谷 源治) from Crows Zero, this surname is very rare.
TalbertEnglish, French From a continental Germanic personal name composed of the elements tal "valley" and berth "bright".
TänavsuuEstonian Tänavsuu is an Estonian surname literally meaning "street mouth" ("street entry", or "the beginning of the street"); derived from the compound words "tänav" ("street") and "suu" ("mouth").
TanieJapanese Tani means "valley" and e means "inlet, river".
TeareManx Manx form of McIntyre, from Manx "mac y teyr" and Irish "mac an tSaoir" meaning "son of the craftsman"
TeasdaleEnglish From Teesdale, the name of a valley of the River Tees in northern England, derived from the river's name (meaning "warmth" in Old English) combined with dæl meaning "valley".
TellecheaBasque Latinized spelling of "Telletxea" meaning in Basque "(from) the house with tiles"
Ten BoomDutch Means "at the tree" in Dutch. A notable bearer of this surname was Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983), a German woman who helped Jewish people take refuge into her home during the Second World War.
Te PokiMaori The word Te means "the." The word Poki possibly means "to clear the garden." This was the name of a Ngati Mutunga tidewaiter and constable on what is now the Chatham Islands named Toenga Te Poki.