Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Sha ChineseFrom Chinese 沙
(shā) referring to the ancient state of Sha, which was part of the state of Song during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Hebei province. Alternately it may come from Sha Sui, the name of a fief that was part of Song in what is now Henan province, or from Su Sha, the name of an ancient clan that inhabited parts of present-day Shandong province.
Shacklady EnglishPerhaps from a medieval nickname for a man who had had sexual relations with a woman of higher social class (from
shag "to copulate with" (not recorded before the late 17th century) and
lady).... [
more]
Shackleford English, Medieval EnglishLocational surname deriving from the place called Shackleford in Surrey, near the town of Farnham. The origin of "shackle" is uncertain. It could be derived from Old English
sceacan "to shake"... [
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Shackleton EnglishThe place name probably means "valley by a point of land," from the Old English
scacol +
denu.
3 Another source claims the word
scacol, describes a "tongue of land."
Shaddy IrishOrigin unidentified. Perhaps a variant of Irish Sheedy.
Shade English, German, Dutch, ScottishTopographic name for someone who lived near a boundary, from Old English
scead ‘boundary’.nickname for a very thin man, from Middle English
schade ‘shadow’, ‘wraith’.... [
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Shadow EnglishOrigin unidentified. The name
Shadue,
Schadewe is recorded in England in the 12th and 13th centuries, from Middle English
shadwe ‘shadow’, Old English
sceadu (see
Shade)... [
more]
Shakshuki Arabic (Maghrebi)Most likely from Libyan Arabic شَكْشُوكَةٌ
(šakšawka) meaning “a mixture”, referring to a type of North African dish made of vegetables and fried eggs.
Shakya Nepali, Indian, HindiFrom the name of an ancient clan that inhabited parts of present-day Nepal and northern India. The name may have been derived from Sanskrit शाक
(shaka) or शक
(shaka) referring to the Sakas, a group of nomadic Iranian peoples, or from शक्य
(shakya) meaning "possible, capable".
Shalhoub ArabicPossibly from a given name based on a word meaning "generous".
Shalit HebrewFrom Hebrew שליט
(shalit) meaning "ruler" or "ruling, governing, dominant".
Shallcross EnglishMeans "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).
Shama Japanese (Rare)Combination of Kanji Characters "者" meaning "Person", and "間" meaning "Between", "While". Other Kanji Character Combinations possible.
Shami ArabicMeans "Syrian" or "Damascene", derived from Arabic الشام
(ash-Sham) referring to both Syria and the Syrian city of Damascus.
Shan ChineseFrom the place name Shan. Cheng Wang, the second king (1115–1079 bc) of the Zhou dynasty, granted to a son the area of Shan, and the son’s descendants adopted the place name as their surname. It comes from the Chinese word meaning "mountain"... [
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Shan ChineseFrom Chinese 单
(shàn) referring to the ancient state of Shan, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
Shandera Czech (Anglicized, Modern)Shandera is anglicized for Šandera, a patronymic for Alexander (son of Alexander), the euiqvalent of Sandoor in Hungarian or Sanders in English.
Shandy English (Rare)Shandy appears as a rare surname, mostly found in English-speaking countries going back to the 1600s. This name may originate from the English dialect adjective meaning "boisterous" or "empty headed; half crazy", of which the earliest record dates to 1691, though any further explanation for its origins are unknown... [
more]
Shao ChineseFrom Chinese 邵
(shào) referring to the ancient fief of Zhao, which existed during the Shang dynasty in what is now Shaanxi province. The name of the fief, 召, had the same pronunciation as the character 邵.
Sharafkandi KurdishDenoted a person from
Sharafkand, a village in the Central District of Bukan County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran.
Sharon HebrewFrom an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew שָׁרוֹן (Sharon), which means "plain", referring to the fertile plain near the coast of Israel.
Sharpton EnglishHabitational name from Sharperton in Northumberland, possibly so named from Old English
scearp "steep" and
beorg "hill", "mound" and
tun "settlement".
Shastri Indian, Hindi, MarathiFrom a title meaning "scholar", itself derived from Sanskrit शास्त्रिन्
(shastrin) denoting a person who was well-versed in the shastras (ancient Indian texts).
Shatner German (Anglicized), Jewish (Anglicized)Anglicized form of
Schattner. A notable bearer was Canadian actor William Shatner (1931-), who is known for his roles as Captain James T. Kirk in 'Star Trek', T.J. Hooker in 'T.J. Hooker', Denny Crane in 'Boston Legal', and the Priceline Negotiator in Priceline.com commercials.
Shattuck EnglishA locational name from a family in Chaddock, a hamlet in the parish in Lancashire, England. Also a variant of
Chadwick.
Shchepkin RussianFrom Russian щепка
(shchepka) meaning "sliver, splinter, chip".
She ChineseFrom Chinese 佘
(shé), which is of unknown significance.
Sheard EnglishEnglish surname which was originally from a place name meaning "gap between hills" in Old English.
Shebani Arabic (Maghrebi)From the name of an Arab tribe which is derived from Arabic شيب
(šīb) meaning "white hair, grayness" or "cold, snow". This surname is chiefly used in Libya.
Sheen EnglishMeaning unknown, though possibly a variant of Sean. A famous bearer of the surname is actor Charlie Sheen.
Sheene Irish (Anglicized)Derived from the Gaelic
siodhach which means "peaceful." Most commonly used in Ireland and originated in the county's southwest region.
Sheepshanks ScottishFrom a medieval Scottish and northern English nickname for someone with a strange or awkward way of walking (literally "sheeplegs").
Shehadeh ArabicDerived from Arabic شَهَادَة
(šahāda) meaning "testimony, witness, belief (in Islam)".
Shehata ArabicDerived from Arabic شحات
(shahhat) meaning "beggar".
Sheikh Arabic, Bengali, UrduFrom the Arabic title شَيْخ
(šayḵ) meaning "chief, chieftain, head". It is used to denote a political or spiritual leader of a Muslim community.
Sheldrake EnglishFrom a medieval nickname for a dandyish (showy) or vain man, from Middle English
scheldrake, the male of a type of duck with brightly-coloured plumage (itself from the East Anglian dialect term
scheld "variegated" combined with
drake "male duck").
Shemtov Hebrew (Modern)Means "good name", derived from Hebrew שם (
shem) means "name" and טוב (
tov) means "good".
Shen ChineseFrom Chinese 沈
(shěn) referring to the ancient state of Shen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the Henan province.
Shen ChineseFrom Chinese 慎
(shèn) meaning "cautious, acting sincerely, with care".
Shenberger English (?)The name Shenberger comes from a common mix up with the archaic Austrian-German surname Schoenberg; meaning "Beautiful Mountain."
Sheng ChineseFrom Chinese 盛
(shèng) meaning "flourishing, prosperous", also referring to the ancient state of Sheng which existed during the Zhou dynasty in present-day Shandong province.
Shenton English"Beautiful town" in Old English. Parishes in Leicestershire, and Cheshire.
Sheptitskiy UkrainianThis indicates familial origin with the village of Sheptychi in Ukraine, which, as of February 2017, is located within Sambir Raion in the Lviv Oblast.
Shereshevsky Russian, JewishName for someone originally from the city of Sharashova in Belarus, probably derived Russian шерешь
(sheresh) meaning "frozen mud, ice (on a river)".
Sheriff English, ScottishOccupational name for a sheriff, derived from Middle English
schiref,
shreeve,
shryve literally meaning "sheriff", or from Old English
scir meaning "shire, administrative district" and
(ge)refa meaning "reeve"... [
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Sherkhanzai AfghanMeaning "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.
Sherpa Nepali, Indian, Tibetan, BengaliFrom 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... [
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Sherpa SherpaFrom Sherpa ཤརཔ (
Sharpa) meaning "Sherpa", a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group.
Sherrard EnglishProbably from a medieval nickname based on Middle English
shere "bright, fair", with the derogatory suffix -
ard.
Sherrell EnglishThis 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... [
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Sherwin EnglishEnglish: nickname for a swift runner, from Middle English
schere(n) ‘to shear’ +
wind ‘wind’.
Sherwood EnglishFrom a place name meaning "bright forest", derived from Old English
scir meaning "bright" and
wudu meaning "tree, wood".
Shevardnadze GeorgianMeans "son of the falcon", from Georgian შავარდენი (
shavardeni) meaning "falcon, hawk". A famous bearer was Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze (1928-2014).
Shevelev RussianDerived by means of suffix "-ev" from Old Slavic verb sheveliti (se) meaning to make noise, to whirr, to rustle, to whistle, to wander. Initially it designated someone bold, daring, hardy, spirited.
Shi ChineseFrom Chinese 石
(shí) meaning "stone", also referring to the ancient city of Chach that is now Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Shi ChineseFrom Chinese 施
(shī) referring to the ancient state of Shi, which existed during the Xia dynasty in present-day Hubei province.