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]
SettaiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 摂待 (Settai) meaning "Settai", a former village in the former district of Hei in the former Japanese province of Rikuchū in parts of present-day Iwate and Akita in Japan or a division in the same place, in the area of Tarō in the city of Miyako in the prefecture of Iwate in Japan.... [more]
SetteItalian Means "seven". Probably a nickname for the seventh child of a family, though it could derive from a place name containing the element.
SettleEnglish From the town of Settle in Yorkshire, England.
SeufaleSamoan seufale is a name which is used in the islands of samoa but is also usedin other countries by the samoan people. seufale is a name passed down by a family member.
SevelevRussian Derived 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... [more]
SevernEnglish From the name of the River Severn, which is of unknown meaning. The Severn is Great Britain's longest river, flowing from Wales through much of western England to the Bristol Channel. It is one of Britain’s most ancient river names, recorded as early as the 2nd century AD in the form Sabrina; its original meaning may have been "slow-moving" or "boundary".
SevernyymRussian Means "northern". Likely denoted to someone who lived in the northern part of a village.
SevillaSpanish Habitational name from the city of Seville (or Sevilla) in Andalusia, Spain. The city's name is probably derived from Phoenician 𐤔𐤐𐤋𐤄 (šplh) meaning "valley, plain" through Arabic إشبيلية (ʔišbīliya).
SevilleSpanish, English a city in southwestern Spain; a major port and cultural center; the capital of bullfighting in Spain. Synonyms: Sevilla Example of: city, metropolis, urban center. a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts... [more]
SewallEnglish Derived from the Middle English given names Sewal(d) or Sawal(d), variants of Old English Sæweald from sæ "sea" and weald "power, authority, rule".
SewellEnglish Derived from the Middle English given names Sewal(d) and Siwal(d), variants of Old English Sigeweald, composed of sige "victory" and weald "power, authority, rule".
SewinaGerman, Polish The first available record of the Sewina family name is around 1620 in the province of Silesia, a mixed cultural region between Germany and Poland. Once part of the Prussian Empire and Germany. After World War Two, the area is now part of Poland... [more]
SeydouxFrench, French (Swiss), Occitan Derived from the Germanic names Sedulius, Sedulfus or Segedolfus. Another theory suggests Occitan roots; it might be an occupational name for someone who worked with silk, derived from Occitan sedós meaning "silky, soft"... [more]
SeyfriedGerman Derived from the given name Siegfried. The American actress Amanda Seyfried (1985-) is a well-known bearer of this name.
SferrazzaItalian Possibly derived from sferra meaning "old horseshoe, rusty knife or sword, piece of junk" or figuratively "good-for-nothing, worthless man", an occupational name for a scrap-metal merchant, or a nickname based on the latter sense... [more]
SforzaItalian Derived from the Italian verb sforzare meaning "to force, strain"; also compare the related word forza "force, strength". This was the surname of a dynasty of Milanese dukes, which held power in the 15th and 16th centuries.
ShaChinese From 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.
ShackladyEnglish Perhaps 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]
ShacklefordEnglish, Medieval English Locational 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"... [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."
ShaddyIrish Origin unidentified. Perhaps a variant of Irish Sheedy.
ShadowEnglish Origin 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]
ShahotmIndian (Sikh) The Shahot caste, one of the 13 Jatt clans associated with Sikhism, traces its origins to the 1900s. Historically, they were an agrarian community, deeply connected to the land and farming.
ShakerchiTurkish Of Turkish origin, the most widely reported origin and meaning is “Sugarman” in English. The name Shakerchi is a nickname or a surname that has been adopted by individuals with Turkish heritage... [more]
ShakshukiArabic (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.
ShakyaNepali, Indian, Hindi From 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".
ShalakUkrainian (Rare), Polish (Rare, Expatriate) Probably from an old Ukrainian word or borrowed from old Polish ślak, variant of szlak, meaning "path, trail, route, way". Also an alternate spelling of Polish Szalak, used as a Cyrillic transliteration or foreign adaptation.
ShamaJapanese (Rare) Combination of Kanji Characters "者" meaning "Person", and "間" meaning "Between", "While". Other Kanji Character Combinations possible.
ShamiArabic Means "Syrian" or "Damascene", derived from Arabic الشام (ash-Sham) referring to both Syria and the Syrian city of Damascus.
ShamounArabic, Assyrian, Jewish Derived from the given name شامون (Shamʿūn), itself an Arabic form of Simon 1, used mainly among Christians and Jews... [more]
ShanChinese From 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"... [more]
ShanChinese From Chinese 单 (shàn) referring to the ancient state of Shan, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now Henan province.
ShanderaCzech (Anglicized, Modern) Shandera is anglicized for Šandera, a patronymic for Alexander (son of Alexander), the euiqvalent of Sandoor in Hungarian or Sanders in English.
ShandyEnglish (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]
ShanklandScottish Believed to be a locational name derived from a now-lost or unidentified place name. The name is composed of the Old Scots term "schank," meaning "a projecting point of a hill" or "spur," and the suffix "-land," which indicates land or territory.
ShanksEnglish (Modern) Possibly a diminutive of LONGSHANKS, which would be given to a tall or gangly person.
ShaoChinese From 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.
ShaoChinese From Chinese 韶 (sháo) possibly referring to the ancient town of Shao that existed during the Sui dynasty in what is now Guangdong province.
SharabiJudeo-Arabic Denotes someone originally from the district of Sharab in western Yemen.
SharafkandiKurdish Denoted a person from Sharafkand, a village in the Central District of Bukan County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran.
SharettHebrew Means "minister, servant", from Hebrew שָׁרַת (sharath) literally meaning "to minister, to serve". This surname was adopted by Moshe Sharett (1894-1965), born Moshe Chertok, who was the first foreign minister and later the second Prime Minister of Israel.
ShariyUkrainian, Russian Last name of Anatoly Shariy, the leader of Party of Shariy, a Ukrainian political party that was shut down due to alleged ties to Russia.
SharonHebrew From an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew שָׁרוֹן (Sharon), which means "plain", referring to the fertile plain near the coast of Israel.
ShatnerGerman (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.
ShattuckEnglish A locational name from a family in Chaddock, a hamlet in the parish in Lancashire, England. Also a variant of Chadwick.
SheChinese From Chinese 佘 (shé), which is of unknown significance.
ShebaniArabic (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.
SheenEnglish Meaning unknown, though possibly a variant of Sean. A famous bearer of the surname is actor Charlie Sheen.
SheepshanksScottish From a medieval Scottish and northern English nickname for someone with a strange or awkward way of walking (literally "sheeplegs").
SheikhArabic, Bengali, Urdu From the Arabic title شَيْخ (šayḵ) meaning "chief, chieftain, head". It is used to denote a political or spiritual leader of a Muslim community.
SheldrakeEnglish From 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").
ShelleyEnglish, Irish (Anglicized) Habitational name from any of the three places called Shelley (Essex Suffolk Yorkshire) or from Shelley Plain in Crawley (Sussex)... [more]
ShemerJewish 1 Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant spelling of Schimmer.... [more]
ShenChinese From Chinese 沈 (shěn) referring to the ancient state of Shen, which existed during the Zhou dynasty in what is now the Henan province.
ShengChinese From 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.
SheptitskiyUkrainian This indicates familial origin with the village of Sheptychi in Ukraine, which, as of February 2017, is located within Sambir Raion in the Lviv Oblast.
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)".
SheriffEnglish, Scottish Occupational 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"... [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 From the name of the Sherpa people of Nepal, India and Bhutan, itself derived from Tibetan ཤར (shar) meaning "east" and the nominalising particle པ (pa).
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).
ShevelevRussian Derived 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.
ShimekakeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 七 (shichi) from 楠木七郎 (Kusunoki Shichirō), 五 (go) from 和田五郎 (Wada Gorō), 三 (san) from 三百騎 (sambyakuki) meaning "300 horses" and 掛 (kake), phonetically assigned to write 駆ける (kakeru) meaning "to run"... [more]
ShimoenooJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 下酔尾 (Shimoenoo) meaning "Shimoenoo", a former division in the area of Terushima in the city of Ichikikushikino in the prefecture of Kagoshima in Japan, or a name of a group of several households in the Kadowari System that took place in the Edo Period in the former Japanese province of Satsuma in parts of present-day Kagoshima, Japan.
ShimojiOkinawan (Rare) Comes from the island in Okinawa, Japan, called Shimoji. The combination of Kanji characters are 下 meaning "down, below", and 地 meaning "place, territory".
ShinglerEnglish An occupational name for someone who laid wooden tiles, or shingles on roofs, from an agent derivative of Middle English schingle ‘shingle’. ... [more]
ShinmarAncient Hebrew (Hellenized, Archaic, ?) 'Shin'; literally translated as 'god', 'crown'. 'Mar'; Hebrew translation for 'master'. Used by Ancient Hebrew descendants/Jews still existing in Middle East & India. Also a city that exists in West Punjab with majority Hebrew/Jews & synagogues.... [more]
ShinwariPashto Perhaps from Shinwar, the name of a Pashtun-inhabited district in Afghanistan. The Shinwari are a Pashtun tribe found in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
ShipEnglish This unusual name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is an occupational surname for "a mariner", or perhaps, occasionally a "ship or boat-builder". The derivation of the name is from the Olde English pre 7th Century scip, ship, in Middle English schip
ShipleyEnglish (Rare) English: habitational name from any of the various places, for example in Derbyshire, County Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire, Sussex, and West Yorkshire, so called from Old English sceap, scip ‘sheep’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’.
ShippEnglish nickname for a mariner or perhaps a boatbuilder from Middle English schip "ship". Compare Shipman . in addition the name may occasionally also have been topographic or habitational referring to a house or inn distinguished by the sign of a ship.
ShipperGerman, Jewish, English German and Jewish Cognate and English variant of Schipper. occupational name from Middle English shippere "shipman sailor seaman" (Old English scipere) perhaps also with the sense "skipper" (Middle Low German schipper).
ShippōJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 七宝 (Shippō) meaning "Shippō", a former village in the district of Toyota in the former Japanese province of Aki in parts of present-day Hiroshima, Japan.
ShiromaOkinawan (Japanized) Japanese form of the Okinawan surname 城間 (Gushikuma), derived from Okinawan 城 (gushiku) meaning "castle" and 間 (ma) meaning "among, between".
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"
ShoesmithEnglish occupational name for a blacksmith who either specialized in shoeing horses (a farrier) or in making and fitting iron blades known as shoes such as the tips of spades and the plowshares on plow moldboards from Middle English sho "shoe" (Old English scoh) and smith "smith" (Old English smiþ).