Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Schreiner GermanOccupational surname for a joiner (maker of wooden furniture), ultimately from Middle High German
schrīnære.
Schrepfer German (Swiss), GermanDerived from from Middle High German
schrepfer "barber-surgeon's assistant", ultimately from the verb
schrepfen "to bleed someone".
Schrijvers DutchDutch cognate of
Scriven. A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer goalkeeper Piet Schrijvers (1946-2022).
Schrock GermanSome think that the last name Schrock comes from the German word which meant something along the lines of "Jump" or "Leaps" and was probably a nickname to someone who was a great jumper, or someone who was easily startled.
Schroot DutchPossibly an altered form of
des Groot via
Sgroot, meaning "son of the
Groot", itself a byname meaning "great, large". Alternatively, it could be related to
schroot "scrap (metal)" or the older
scrode "to cut", an occupational name for someone who worked with metal, or perhaps a tailor.
Schruijer DutchPossibly a variant form of
Schreier, from Dutch
schreien or
schreeuwen, meaning "to scream, shout, yell".
Schueler GermanThe surname Schueler was first found in southern Germany, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history.
Schuh German, JewishOccupational name for a maker or repairer of shoes, derived from Middle High German
schuoch meaning "shoe". In some cases, it may have denoted a person to a house distinguished by the sign of a shoe.
Schuknecht GermanOccupational name for a shoemaker’s assistant, from Middle High German schuoch meaning "shoe" + knecht meaning "journeyman", "assistant".
Schuler JewishOccupational name for a Talmudic scholar or the sexton of a synagogue, from an agent derivative of Yiddish
shul "synagogue".
Schuller GermanPossibly a habitational name from Schüller in the Eifel.
Schulman YiddishRefers to a person, typically a Rabbi, who works at a Shul (Synagogue in Yiddish.)... [
more]
Schumer Jewish, German (Rare)Possibly taken from Middle Low German
schumer meaning "good for nothing, vagabond". Notable bearers are American comedian Amy Schumer (b. 1981) and American politician Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer (b... [
more]
Schurr GermanFrom a nickname meaning "quarrel" in German, given to a hot-tempered person.
Schürrle GermanVariant of
Schurr. A famous bearer is the retired German soccer player André Schürrle (1990-).
Schut JewishOccupational name from East Slavic
šut "jester, fool".
Schütte GermanFrom
schutter "marksman, shooter", an occupational name for an archer. Compare
Schutz.
Schutz GermanOccupational surname for an archer or a watchman, from Middle High German
schützen "to guard, protect". Also a habitational name from Schutz, a place near Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Schwaab GermanThe surname of German VfB Stuttgart footballer Daniel Schwaab, born in Waldkirch, Germany.
Schwab German, JewishGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic): regional name for someone from Swabia (German Schwaben), from Middle High German Swap, German Schwabe ‘Swabian’. The region takes its name from a Germanic tribe recorded from the 1st century BC in the Latin form Suebi or Suevi, of uncertain origin; it was an independent duchy from the 10th century until 1313, when the territory was broken up.
Schwanbeck GermanHabitational name from any of several places so named, for example near Lübeck and near Anklam.
Schwandt GermanTopographic name for someone who lived in a forest clearing, from Middle High German
swant (from
swenden "to thin out", "make disappear", causative from
swinden "to disappear" modern German
schwinden.
Schwandt GermanHabitational name from any of the various places called
Schwand or
Schwanden, all in southern Germany, named with this element, from Middle High German
swant (from
swenden "to thin out", "make disappear", causative from
swinden "to disappear" modern German
schwinden.
Schwank GermanEither a nickname for a thin person, (derived from Middle High German
swanc meaning "little, slender, thin"), a pretty person (from Middle Low German
swank "fine, dainty") or a fun, loving person (from Middle High German
swanc and Middle Low German
swank "funny idea, joke, jest, foolery").
Schwanke GermanFrom a short form of the German given name
Swaneke, a pet form of
Swane, ultimately derived from a Germanic compound name formed with
swan meaning "swan" as the first element (see
Schwenke 2).
Schwartzman JewishNickname for a dark-skinned or dark-haired person, from German
schwarz meaning "black" and
man meaning "man, person".
Schwarzbach GermanHabitational name from any of several places so named literally "dark stream", derived from the elements
swarz "black" and
bah "stream".
Schwarzschild GermanDerives from Old High German
swarz meaning "black" and Middle Dutch
schilt meaning "shield". A famous bearer of this surname is physicist and astronomer Karl Schwarzschild. (1873-1916)
Schweigert GermanDerives from an agent derivative of the German "schweigen", to be silent, and the nickname would have been given to a silent, quiet, taciturn person.
Schwein GermanMetonymic occupational name for a swineherd from Middle High German
swīn "hog".
Schweinsteiger GermanOccupational name for a pig farmer, an overseer of pigs or a nickname for someone who rode a pig, derived from Middle High German
swīn meaning "hog, swine" and
stīger meaning "foreman, mine inspector"... [
more]
Schweitz GermanEthnic name for a Swiss, from German Schweitz meaning "Swiss".
Schwenk GermanVariant spelling of
Schwanke, or apparently a nickname referring to a person's gait, derived from Middle High German
swenken meaning "to swing back and forth, to sling" (see
Schwenke 1).
Schwerdtfeger Germanoccupational name for an armorer or specifically for a servant whose job was to polish swords Middle High German Middle Low German
swertfeger (from
swert "sword" and an agent derivative of
fegen "to polish or clean").
Schwertner GermanEither a habitational name for someone from Schwerta in Silesia or an occupational name for a sword maker.
Schwimer German, JewishOccupational name meaning "swimmer" in German. As a Jewish name, it may be ornamental.
Schwing GermanOccupational name for someone whose job was to swingle flax, i.e. to beat the flax with a swingle in order to remove the woody parts of the plant prior to spinning, from Middle German swingen meaning "to swing" or swing meaning "swingle".
Scimia ItalianFrom an archaic form of Italian
scimmia "monkey", from Ancient Greek
σιμός (
simos) "snub-nosed". Has figurative meanings of "drunk" and "imitator, mimic, aper".
Scioli ItalianPossibly derived from
Scio, a shortened form of the medieval given name
Desio (from Latin
Desigus or
Desijo, associated with literary Italian
desio "desire"), or perhaps from medieval Tuscan
Ciolo... [
more]
Sciortino ItalianOccupational name from a diminutive of
sciorta,
sciurta "city guard, watchman, policeman" (Arabic
̣shuṛtī).
Scobie ScottishMeans "person from Scobie", an unidentified place in Perth and Kinross ("thorny place"). A fictional bearer is Henry Scobie, the conscience-wracked and ultimately suicidal deputy commissioner of police in Graham Greene's West Africa-set novel 'The Heart of the Matter' (1948).
Scogings English, Old DanishA surname of Scandinavian origin from the old Norse and old Danish by-name "Skeggi" or "skoggi", meaning 'the bearded one'. Common in areas invaded and settled by Scandinavians in the 8th and 9th Centuries.
Scognamiglio ItalianLiterally "millet thresher", probably from the Neapolitan verb
scugnà ("to thresh") and
miglio ("millet"), denoting cereal threshers.
Scorfano ItalianWas in the Disney + Original Movie, Luca. "Alberto Scorfano"
Scornavacche ItalianPossibly deriving from Italian words
scorno meaning shame, and
vacca meaning cow. Sicilian variant of
Scornavacca.
Scorrano ItalianDenotes someone from Scorrano, Italy. Coincides with
scorrano "to run, to flow".
Scorsese ItalianFrom a nickname that indicated a person who came from Scotland, derived from Italian
scozzese literally meaning "Scotsman, Scottish". This spelling arose from a transcription error of the surname
Scozzese... [
more]
Scotford EnglishDerived 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".
Scotland English(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"
Scotto ItalianEither an ethnic name for someone from
Scotland or Ireland from medieval Italian
scotto or
scoto meaning "
Scot", making it a cognate of
Scott, or from a diminutive of given names ending in
sco such as
Francesco (via its diminutive
Francescotto) or
Maresco (via
Marescotto).
Screeton EnglishLocational surname originating from the village of Screveton in Nottinghamshire. Derived of Old English elements
scīr-rēfa "sheriff" and
tun "settlement".
Scriblerus LiteratureThe Scriblerus Club was an informal association of authors, based in London, that came together in the early 18th century. The nucleus of the club included the satirists Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope... [
more]
Scrimshaw Medieval EnglishReferring to one who was a fencing-master, coming from the old French "eskermisseour", meaning "fencer" and which came in turn from the old high German word "skirmen", which meant "to defend".
Scroggins EnglishDerived from Middle English
scrogge meaning "brushwood", given to someone who lived near a bushy area, or perhaps a nickname for someone with a prickly personality.
Scudamore Anglo-NormanA locational surname that was first recorded in England in 1264. Derived from one of the ancient villages of Fifield Scudamore or Upton Scudamore, with
Scudamore coming from the Old English
scitemor, which means "one who lived at the moor."
Scuderi SicilianPatronymic form of
Scudero, a status name equivalent to English
Squire, from
scudero "shield-bearer", Latin
scutarius, an agent derivative of
scutum "shield"... [
more]
Scullin Old IrishThe surname Scullin originates from the pre 10th century O' Sceallain, which itself derives from the word 'sceall' meaning the stone of a fruit or the kernel.
Scurlock Welsh, IrishObscure, probably derived from 'ystog', a Welsh word meaning 'fortress'
Scurry IrishReduced Anglicized form of Gaelic
Ó Scoireadh, meaning ‘descendant of Scoireadh’.
Se Japanese (Rare)From Japanese 瀬 (
Se) meaning "rapids, ripple, current". This is the name of a division in the Ei area of Awaji City.
Seaborg English, Swedish (Americanized)English cognate of
Sjöberg, as well as the Americanized form. Glenn T. Seaborg (1912-1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements.
Seaborn EnglishFrom an Old English personal name derived from the elements
sǣ "sea, lake" and
beorn "warrior".
Seabra PortugueseHabitational name from the town of Puebla de Sanabria in northwestern Spain of uncertain meaning, possibly of Arabic, Celtic or Latin origin.
Seabright EnglishDerives from the Old English name Sæbeorht from sæ meaning "sea" and beorht meaning "bright". Related to
Seabert.
Seaforth EnglishThe name of a projection of the sea on the east coast of Lewis, on the Long Island, Scotland. Means "the forth of the sea".
Seagrave EnglishHabitational 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".
Seal EnglishVariant of
Seals, perhaps an occupational name for a person who makes saddles.
Sealy EnglishDerived from Old English
sælig "blessed, fortunate, prosperous, happy" and was used as a term to describe someone with a cheerful, happy disposition.
Seamark EnglishDerived from any of several places in France called
Saint-Marc.
Sean EnglishThe stage Surname of English singer Jay Sean (born Kamaljit Singh Jhooti)
Sears EnglishVersion of
Sayer. Used in the United States. Famous bearer of the name is Richard Warren Sears, one of the founders of Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Seatter ScottishFrom an ancient barony called "The lands of Setter", Stromness, Orkney. Derives from the Ancient Norse word "saetr" meaning a hut or shelter for animals.
Seb HindiFrom सेब
(seb) meaning "apple".
Sebald LiteratureIn 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events', Gustav Sebald was a film director who hid secret codes in his movies, a member of V.F.D., and the likely creator of the Sebald Code.
Sebert German, FrenchFrom a German personal name composed of the elements sigi meaning "victory" + berht meaning "bright", "famous".
Sebron EnglishExact origins unknown. It could possibly be from "Seabourne", from a patronymic name ("the son of Sebern"), from William Sebrin, Normandy 1180, or possibly even from Norman or Scandinavian origin.
Secchi ItalianProbably related to Italian
secco "thin, dry". May alternately derive from
secare "to cut", Sardinian
seghi "sixteen",
segete "harvest, harvest fodder", or a shortened form of
seneche "old, aged".
Seçkin TurkishMeans "exclusive, elite" or "distinguished, outstanding" in Turkish.
Sedaris GreekDavid Sedaris, author of Calypso and others, and Amy Sedaris, actress and comedienne, are two well-known siblings with the surname.
Sedda ItalianFrom a place name in Sardinia, meaning "top of a mountain". May alternately derive from Sardinian
sedda "saddle", indicating the bearer's occupation.
Seddon English"Broad hill" in Old English. A surname that most occurs in Merseyside, and Lancashire.
Sedgwick EnglishHabitational name from Sedgwick in Cumbria, so named from the Middle English personal name Sigg(e) (from Old Norse
Siggi or Old English
Sicg, short forms of the various compound names with the first element "victory") + Old English
wic "outlying settlement", "dairy farm"; or from Sedgewick in Sussex, named with Old English
secg (sedge) +
wic.
Sedin SwedishTwo famous bearers are the Swedish ice hockey players, and twins, Henrik and Daniel Sedin (b. 1980).
Sedita ItalianFrom Italian
sei "six" and
dita "fingers", either literally referring to someone with six fingers, or metaphorically to someone who was very dextrous, or perhaps ironically to a clumsy person.
Sedowski PolishHabitational name from places called Sedowice, Sedowo, Sedów, in Lublin, Bydgoszcz, Piotrków, and Sieradz voivodeships.
See English, GermanTopographic 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".
Seedat Indian (Muslim)“Lord” in Hindustani. Comes from "Sidi". May be Egyptian, Arabic or Persian in origin.
Seedorf Germanhabitational name from any of the numerous places so named from
See "lake" and
Dorf "village".
Seel GermanOccupational name for a person who makes or sells ropes.
Seely Medieval EnglishMeans "Blessed", "Happy", and/or "Lucky." By adding an Un- to Seely makes it "Unblessed", "Unhappy", and/or "Unholy." Used primarily in Northern England and Southern Scotland during the Middle English period but is derived from the Old English sǣl and gesǣlig... [
more]
Séera LiteratureComing from an old Rowénan word to mean "king" or "leader", SÉERA is nowan uncomon surname. Used by the ruling family of eastern Erikówna (see
Tyran).
Seese GermanComes from a Germanic personal name, Sigizo, from a compound name formed with sigi ‘victory’ as the first element.