SonejiAmerican Gary Soneji (also known as Gary Murphy) is the antagonist in James Patterson's 1993 crime thriller novel, Along Came a Spider, which was later adapted into a movie of the same name.
SoniHindi A Suryavanshi Khatri family, the surname originating from the Punjab region of India. In India the term caste creates a crucial distinction between Varna and Jāti, even though jati does not fit into any of the four varnas and is more often referred to as Sudras.
SonozakiJapanese From Japanese 園 (sono) meaning "garden" combined with 崎 (zaki) meaning "cape, peninsula". A notable bearer of this surname is Mie Sonozaki, a Japanese voice-actress who is best known for being the Japanese dubbing voice of Hayley Atwell, Anne Hathaway, Kirsten Dunst, and Elisha Cuthbert.
SontheimerGerman Derived from any of the places named Sontheim in Germany.
SoodIndian, Punjabi From the name of a mercantile caste derived from Persian سود (sud) meaning "profit, gain, benefit".
SoomroPakistani, Sindhi From the name of the city of سامراء (Sāmarrāʾ) in present-day Iraq. This is the name of a Sindhi tribe in southeastern Pakistan, along with a historical regional dynasty in India (the Soomra).
SoormEstonian Soorm is an Estonian surname, a derivation of "sõrm" meaning "finger" and "digit".
SoosõrvEstonian Soosõrv is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "soo" meaning "swamp" and "sõrv", possibly a corruption of "serv" meaning "border" or "edge"; "swamp/marsh border".
SørbøNorwegian Habitational name from any of several places in Norway, derived from Old Norse Saurbœr, composed of saurr "mire, mud, dirt" and bœr "farm, settlement". Cognate to Sowerby.
SordinoLiterature The surname of Melinda "Mel" Sordino, the main character of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak (1999). Her surname was apparently derived from Italian sordino meaning "mute" or "deaf".
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".
SorhapuruBasque (Rare) From the name of a village in south-west France Basque Country, possibly derived from sorho "field, cultivated land" and buru "head, top, summit; leader, chief".
SorimachiJapanese From Japanese 反 (sori) referring to a unit of areal measure (equivalent to about 991.7 metres squared) and 町 (machi) meaning "town, city".
SorimeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 反り (sori), the continuative form of 反る (soru) meaning "to curve" and 目 (me) meaning "visual feature", referring to a curved landscape of a field.
SorlieNorwegian From any of several places in Norway called Sørli, derived from Norwegian sør "south" and li "slope, hillside" (see Old Norse suðr and hlíð).
SorokaUkrainian, Jewish From the nickname Soroka meaning "magpie", which indicates a thievish person or a person with a white streak of hair among black hair.
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.
SoteloSpanish From any of various places in Galicia named Soutelo, derived from Galician souto meaning "grove, plantation".
SotoheboJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 外枦保 (Sotohebo), a clipping of 外枦保門 (Sotohebomon) meaning "Sotohebo Gate", 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, as well as surrounding areas.
SottoSpanish (Philippines) Variant of Soto. This spelling variation arose during the American occupation of the Philippines, possibly by the influence of Italian American surnames.
SounessScottish (Rare) Perhaps derived from the place name Soonhouse in the town of Melrose in the Scottish Borders area (which is of uncertain meaning), or from the place names Sun-hlaw or Sunilaw near the town of Coldstream, also in the Scottish Borders in Scotland, meaning "south hill" or "sunny hill" in Old English... [more]
SournKhmer Alternate transcription of Khmer សួន (see Soun).
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.
SouthEnglish From Middle English south, hence a topographic name for someone who lived to the south of a settlement or a regional name for someone who had migrated from the south.
SouthwarkEnglish (British) A near-extinct surname. It is derived from the name of a borough in London located on the south bank of the River Thames.
SouthwickEnglish An English/Scottish locational name from a variety of places, including, Southwick in Northamptonshire, England, and Southwick in Gloucestershire, Sussex, Durham, Hampshire. ... [more]
SowerbyEnglish Habitational name from any of several places in northern England, derived from Old Norse saurr "mire, mud, dirt, sour ground" and býr "farm, settlement".
SpaansDutch Either a patronymic from the archaic given name Spaan, of uncertain etymology, or an occupational name derived from Middle Dutch spaen "wood chip, piece of wood; spoon, spatula".
SpacekPolish This is the surname of American actress Sissy Spacek (born December 25, 1949).
SpadaforaItalian Variant form of Spatafora. Spadafora is the younger out of the two surnames and yet the most common of the two, which might partly be because it is a little bit more italianized... [more]
SpagnaItalian From Italian spagna "Spain" for a Spaniard or someone who had connections to Spain. Also from the female given name of the same meaning, Italian cognitive of Spain.
SpahGerman (?), English (American) Spah (sometimes spelt Späh) is last name found most commonly in the US that is believed to be of German origin. Unsure of the meaning.
SpalloneItalian From spalla "shoulder, back", indicating someone who carried things on their shoulders. The modern translation is "smuggler". Alternately, may be an elaboration of Spalla.
SpanglerGerman Spangler is an occupational surname for "metal worker" having derived from the German word spange, meaning a clasp or buckle of the sort such a craftsman might have designed.
SpannEnglish Derived from Old English spann meaning "span (of a hand)", a unit of measurement equaling about nine inches, possibly used to refer to someone who lived on a strip of land or by a narrow footbridge.
SpargoCornish Cornish: habitational name from Higher or Lower Spargo, in the parish of Mabe, so named from Cornish spern ‘thorn bushes’ + cor ‘enclosure'.
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)"
SpeckGerman Variant of Specker as well as a locational surname from one of various places called Speck, Specke and Specken in northern Germany and Spöck in southern Germany, as well as an occupational surname derived from German Speck "bacon" denoting a butcher who sepcialized in the production of bacon, as well as a derisive nickname for a corpulent person.
SpeerGerman, Dutch, English German and Dutch cognate of Spear, as well as an English variant of the same surname.
SpeicherGerman occupational name for someone in charge of a granary. From middle high German spicher meaning "grain store".
SpellaItalian Possibly a variant of Spellini. Alternatively, could derive from an inflected form of Italian spellare "to skin, flay, peel".
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".
SpellingEnglish, Irish, Jewish Occupational name for a scholar, speaker or a story teller, derived from Middle English spellan meaning "to tell or relate". It could also be a variant of Irish Spillane or Jewish Spellman... [more]
SpenderEnglish Occupational name for a paymaster or someone in charge of finances, from Old English spendan "to spend" and Latin expendere "to pay out".
SpendloveEnglish From a medieval nickname for someone who spread their amorous affections around freely. A different form of the surname was borne by Dora Spenlow, the eponymous hero's "child-wife" in Charles Dickens's 'David Copperfield' (1849-50).... [more]
SperberGerman, Jewish From a nickname for a small but belligerent person from Middle High German sperwære "sparrow hawk" (Old High German sparwāri a compound of sparw "sparrow" and āri "eagle").
SperingEnglish There is a fish in Germany or Austria names "Spering or Spiering fish" it is in the meat Isle of Germany orAustrian fish.... [more]
SpicerEnglish, Jewish, Polish English: occupational name for a seller of spices, Middle English spic(i)er (a reduced form of Old French espicier, Late Latin speciarius, an agent derivative of species ‘spice’, ‘groceries’, ‘merchandise’).... [more]
SpiegelGerman, Jewish Metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of mirrors, from Middle High German spiegel, German Spiegel "mirror" (via Old High German from Latin speculum, a derivative of specere "to look").
SpieglerGerman, Jewish Occupational name for a maker or seller of mirrors, from Middle High German spiegel, German Spiegel "mirror" and the agent suffix -er.
SpielerGerman, Jewish Occupational Name For A Tumbler Or Jester German Spieler ‘Player’ Middle High German Spilære An Agent Derivative Of Spiln ‘To Play To Jest To Sport’.
SpiesGerman While it translates to the plural of "spy" in English, Spies is a semi-common name found throughout Germany and the surrounding nations. This surname is also popular throughout states with a high German population.
SpijkDutch Possibly a habitational name from any of several locations called Spijk, derived from Old Dutch spich "headland, spit".
SpillaneIrish Irish: reduced form O’Spillane, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Spealáin or ‘descendant of Spealán’, a personal name representing a diminutive of "speal" "‘scythe’"... [more]
SpillmanEnglish From the medieval male personal name Spileman, literally "acrobat" or "jester" (from a derivative of Middle English spillen "to play, cavort").
SpinaItalian Means "thorn" in Italian, originally a topographic name for someone who lived by a thorn bush or a habitational name from any of various locations called Spina.
SpindlerEnglish, German, Jewish Occupational name for a spindle maker, from an agent derivative of Middle English spindle, Middle High German spindel, German Spindel, Yiddish shpindl "spindle, distaff".
SpinelliItalian Variant of Spina, of uncertain etymology: could be related to several place names in Italy, to given names such as Crispino, or to the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus.
SpínolaPortuguese Portuguese topographic name from a diminutive of espinha ‘thorn’, ‘thorn bush’.
SpinolaItalian Italian (Liguria) diminutive of Spina. Italian topographic name for someone living by Monte Spinola in the province of Pavia.
SpinsterAmerican (Rare) A presumably extinct English occupational name, derived from the occupation of spinning.
SpohrGerman Occupational name for a maker of spurs, from Middle High German spor ‘spur’, or a topographic name, from Middle High German spor ‘spoor’, ‘animal tracks’.... [more]
SpoonEnglish Apparently a metonymic occupational name either for a maker of roofing shingles or spoons, from Old English spon "chip, splinter" (see also Spooner).
SpoonapplePopular Culture Edwina Spoonapple is a fictional character and the titular character from the Off-Broadway musical "Dear Edwina" (2008). She is a 13-year-old girl who wants proof of her accomplishments, just like her siblings... [more]
SpoorEnglish, Dutch From Middle Dutch and Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for a maker or seller of spurs.
SpragueEnglish English from northern Middle English Spragge, either a personal name or a byname meaning "lively", a metathesized and voiced form of "spark."
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.
SquireEnglish Surname comes from the occupation of a Squire. A young man who tends to a knight.
SquiresEnglish Surname is plural of Squire. A young person that tends to his knight, also someone that is a member of a landowner class that ranks below a knight.
StallardEnglish Byname for a valiant or resolute person, from a reduced pronunciation of Middle English stalward, stalworth "stalwart" (an Old English compound of stǣl "place" and wierðe "worthy").
StallmanGerman Variant of Staller. German: topographic name for someone who lived in a muddy place, from the dialect word stal. English: habitational name from Stalmine in Lancashire, named probably with Old English stæll 'creek', 'pool' + Old Norse mynni 'mouth'.
StalloneItalian from stallone "stallion" applied either as a nickname for someone thought to resemble a stallion or as a metonymic occupational name for someone who bred horses. from an augmentative of stalla "stable stall" used as a topographic name and as a habitational name from any of the minor places called with this word.... [more]
StamDutch Means "trunk (of a tree), stem" in Dutch, a nickname for a blocky or heavily built man.
StanawayEnglish Possibly a variant form of English Stanway, a habitational name from any of the places called Stanaway, in Essex, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire, all named with Old English stān ‘stone’ + weg ‘track’, ‘road’
StancliffEnglish Habitational name from Scout in Northowram (Yorkshire) recorded as Staynclif in 1309 and Stancliff Skoute (the home of Edward Stankliff) in 1536. The placename derives from Old English stan 1 "stone rock" with influence from Old Norse steinn "stone rock" and Old English clif "cliff bank" later with Middle English scoute "projecting cliff overhanging rock" (Old Norse skúti).
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]
StandishEnglish Habitational name Standish (Lancashire Now Part Of Greater Manchester, and Yorkshire) meaning Old English Stān ‘Stone Rock’ + Edisc ‘Enclosure; or Enclosed Park’.
StangGerman, Jewish German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) from Middle High German stang, German Stange ‘pole’, ‘shaft’, hence a nickname for a tall, thin person, a metonymic occupational name for a maker of wooden shafts for spears and the like, or a metonymic occupational name for a soldier.
StanislawPolish, German Polish from the personal name Stanisław, composed of the Slavic elements stani ‘become’ + slav ‘glory’, ‘fame’, ‘praise’... [more]
StanisławskiPolish Name for someone from any of various places named Stanisław, Stanisławów or Stanisławice, derived from the given name Stanisław.
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]
StantzGerman Possibly an altered spelling of German Stanz, a habitation name from places called Stans or Stanz in Austria and Switzerland (see also Stentz).
StanwyckEnglish Variant spelling of Stanwick. This name was borne by the American actress, model and dancer Barbara Stanwyck (1907-1990).
StaplefordEnglish Habitational name from any of a number of places, in Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Wiltshire, so named from Old English stapol meaning "post" + ford meaning "ford".
StapletonEnglish Habitational surname from any of various places in England.
StarGerman, Jewish Means "starling (bird)" in German, probably denoting a talkative or perhaps a voracious person. Alternatively, an Anglicized form of Stern 2.
StarbuckEnglish After Starbeck village in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. A famous bearer of this name was the fictional character, Starbuck, the first mate of the Pequod in Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick.
StarkeyEnglish, German From a diminutive of Stark. This surname is borne by the English musician Sir Richard Starkey (1940-), also known as Ringo Starr.
StarobratPolish (Rare) Possibly comprised of the Polish elements stary "old" deriving from Proto-Slavic *starъ and brat "brother" deriving from Proto-Slavic *bràtrъ or *bràtъ.
StaterEnglish Occupational name for an official in charge of a public weighing machine derived from Middle English stater(er), from Latin statera "balance, scales, steelyard; value", ultimately from Ancient Greek στατήρ (stater) "a weight, a standard; a type of coin".
StauberGerman, Jewish An occupational name from Staub, with the addition of the German agent suffix -er.
St AubinFrench Either a habitational name from any of several places in France called Saint-Aubin (from the dedication of their churches to Saint Albinus), or else a nickname with Saint as an (ironic) prefix to the personal name or surname Aubin.
StauchGerman From Middle High German stuche, a term used to denote both a type of wide sleeve and a headcovering. Also a habitational name from a place called Staucha, near Dresden.
StavigNorwegian Combination of Old Norse stafr "pole" and vik "bay". This was the name of a farmstead in Norway.