SilberGerman, Jewish From Middle High German silber, German Silber "silver"; a metonymic occupational name for a silversmith, or often, in the case of the Jewish surname, an ornamental name.
SilbersteinGerman, Jewish From Middle High German silber "silver" and stein "stone"; a habitational name from a place so named in Bavaria, or a topographic name.... [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").
StaleyEnglish Byname from Middle English staley "resolute, reliable", a reduced form of Stallard.
StaleyBelgian From Old French estalee "fish trap", hence possibly a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or topographic name for someone who lived near where fish traps were set.
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").
StellrechtGerman Occupational name for a cartwright, from Middle High German stel "framework" and reht (from Old High German wurht-) "maker". Compare English -wright.
StrassmannGerman, Jewish Topographic name for someone living on a main street, from Middle High German strasse, German Strasse "street, road" and man "man".
SuginoJapanese From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
SugiokaJapanese From Japanese 杉 (sugi) meaning "cedar" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
SummerEnglish, German From Middle English sum(m)er, Middle High German sumer "summer", hence a nickname for someone of a warm or sunny disposition, or for someone associated with the season of summer in some other way.
SuzukazeJapanese From Japanese 涼 (suzu) meaning "cool, refreshing" and 風 (kaze) meaning "wind".
SzotPolish Nickname for a fish seller with a bad reputation, from szot "bad herring".
TakamotoJapanese From Japanese 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".
TakayamaJapanese From Japanese 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".
TatsunoJapanese From Japanese 辰 (tatsu) meaning "dragon of the Chinese zodiac" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
TennōjiJapanese (Rare) Composed of Japanese ten 天 meaning "heaven," ō (which becomes nō due to renjō) 王 meaning "king," and ji 寺 meaning "temple" or "Buddhist temple."
TerasakiJapanese From Japanese 寺 (tera) meaning "Buddhist temple" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".
TobaJapanese From Japanese 鳥 (to) meaning "bird" and 羽 (ba) meaning "feather".
TomlinEnglish From a pet form of Tom, a short form of the personal name Thomas.
ToriumiJapanese From Japanese 鳥 (tori) meaning "bird" and 海 (umi) meaning "sea, ocean".
ToriyamaJapanese From Japanese 鳥 (tori) meaning "bird" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill". A notable bearer of this surname is Akira Toriyama (1955–), a manga artist best known for creating the Dragon Ball manga series.
ToyosakiJapanese From Japanese 豊 (toyo) meaning "bountiful, luxuriant" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".
TrainorIrish Reduced form of McTraynor, an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Thréinfhir "son of Tréinfhear", a byname meaning "champion, strong man" (from tréan "strong" and fear "man").
TrumpEnglish Metonymic occupational name for a trumpeter, from Middle English trumpe "trumpet".
TsaiTaiwanese Alternate romanization of Cai chiefly used in Taiwan.
TsukiokaJapanese From Japanese 月 (tsuki) meaning "moon" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge". A notable bearer of this surname was Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡 芳年, 1839–1892), a Japanese artist who is widely recognized as the last great master of the ukiyo-e genre of woodblock printing and painting.
UekawaJapanese From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".
UrataJapanese From Japanese 浦 (ura) meaning "bay, inlet" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".
UshijimaJapanese From Japanese 牛 (ushi) meaning "cow, bull, ox" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".
UzumakiJapanese (Rare) This name combines 渦 (ka, uzu) meaning "eddy, vortex, whirlpool" or 太 (ta, tai, futo.i, futo.ru) meaning "big around, plump, thick" with 巻 (kan, ken, maki, ma.ki, ma.ku) meaning "book, coil, part, roll up, scroll, tie, volume, wind up."... [more]
ValeEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Middle English vale (Old French val, from Latin vallis). The surname is now also common in Ireland, where it has been Gaelicized as de Bhál.
ValenzuelaSpanish Habitational name from places named Valenzuela in Córdoba and Ciudad Real. The place name is a diminutive of Valencia, literally "little Valencia".
ValleSpanish, Filipino, Italian Habitational name from any of the many places named with valle "valley", or topographic name for someone who lived in a valley (Latin vallis).
ValleyEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Middle English valeye.
VerdeItalian, Spanish, Portuguese From Spanish verde "green" (Latin viridis), presumably a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in this color or had green eyes, etc. This is also a common element of place names.
WahlGerman, Jewish From Middle High German Walhe, Walch "foreigner from a Romance country", hence a nickname for someone from Italy or France, etc. This surname is also established in Sweden.
WillinghamEnglish Habitational name from a place named Willingham, notably one in Cambridgeshire and one in Suffolk. The first is recorded in Domesday Book as Wivelingham "homestead (Old English hām) of the people of a man called Wifel".
WillsGerman Patronymic from any of the Germanic personal names beginning with wil "will, desire".
WindEnglish, German, Danish Nickname for a swift runner, from Middle English wind "wind", Middle High German wint "wind", also "greyhound".
WindEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived near a pathway, alleyway, or road, Old English (ge)wind (from windan "to go").
WiseEnglish Nickname for a wise or learned person, or in some cases a nickname for someone suspected of being acquainted with the occult arts, from Middle English wys "wise, thoughtful, knowledgeable; alert, aware"... [more]
WittenbergLow German Habitational name for someone from a place called Wittenberg, Wittenberge, or Wittenbergen.
WrenEnglish Nickname from the bird, Middle English wrenne, probably in reference to its small size.