SingleEnglish Topographic name derived from Old English sengel meaning "burnt clearing" or "brushwood".
SingleEnglish From Middle English sengle meaning "alone, solitary, unmarried" or "simple, honest, sincere".
SingleGerman Derived from a pet form of a Germanic given name beginning with sing-.
SingletonEnglish Habitational name from either of two villages, one in Lancashire, derived from Old English scingol "shingle, roof tile" and tun "enclosure, yard, town", the other in Sussex, derived from Old English sengel meaning "brushwood" or "burnt clearing".
SirotaRussian From Russian сирота (sirota) "orphan", perhaps given to a foundling, or a nickname for someone who was poorly-dressed.
SjoerdsmaFrisian, Dutch Derived from the Frisian given name Sjoerd combined with the Frisian surname suffix -(s)ma, which is most likely derived from Old Frisian monna meaning "men".
SlaatsDutch Possibly a contracted form of Dutch des laats meaning "the serf", from Middle Dutch laets "serf, bondsman, freedman".
SlackEnglish, Dutch Nickname for an idle person, from Middle Dutch slac "slow, loose", Middle English slak "lazy, careless". Alternatively, the Dutch form could derive from Middle Dutch slecke "snail, slug", with a similar implication of idleness.
SlackEnglish Means "small valley, shallow dell", derived from Old Norse slakki "a slope", a topographic name for someone who lived by such a landform, or a habitational name from one of the places named with this word, for example near Stainland and near Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire.
SlatsDutch Possibly derived from a toponym related to Old Germanic slaut meaning "puddle, pool" or "ditch, channel".
SleegersDutch Older form of modern Dutch slager "butcher" and slachter "slaughterer", derived from Old Germanic *slahaną "to hit, to strike; to kill".
SmoutDutch, Flemish Means "oil, lard, melted animal fat" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who sold fat or lard, or a nickname for someone who ate – or who could afford to eat – large amounts of food containing it.
SnapperDutch From Middle Dutch snappen meaning "to chatter, babble, snap" or "to snatch, grab, seize", a nickname for a talkative person, or perhaps a thief. Compare Schnapp.
SoderiniItalian Possibly related to French soudoyer "to bribe", referring to paid mercenaries. Alternately, an elaborate form of Sodero.
SoderoItalian Probably related to the Greek name Soter, from Ancient Greek σωτήρ (sōtḗr) meaning "saviour".
SolinasItalian Meaning uncertain; could be related to Latin solum, from which comes Italian suolo "earth, ground, soil" and suola "sole (of the foot or shoe)", or from Italian salina "salt pan, salt marsh".
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.
SorboItalian Means "sorb apple, service tree" (species Sorbus domestica) in Italian.
SorellaItalian Means "sister". Nickname for someone known for behaving in a sisterly manner, or perhaps like a nun.
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".
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).
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".
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.
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.
SpannGerman Possibly derived from Middle High German spenne "disagreement, dispute, quarrel".
SpecaItalian From a variant of spiga "spike, ear (of grain)"
SpeerGerman, Dutch, English German and Dutch cognate of Spear, as well as an English variant of the same surname.
SpellaItalian Possibly a variant of Spellini. Alternatively, could derive from an inflected form of Italian spellare "to skin, flay, peel".
SpelliniItalian Possibly derived from Old Germanic spellą meaning "news, message" or "story, legend", perhaps a nickname for a storyteller or messenger.
SpijkDutch Possibly a habitational name from any of several locations called Spijk, derived from Old Dutch spich "headland, spit".
SplendenteItalian From Italian splendente "bright, shining", supposedly given to an infants abandoned at orphanages on sunny days.
SpoorEnglish, Dutch From Middle Dutch and Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for a maker or seller of spurs.
SpoorsEnglish From Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for someone who made spurs, or perhaps a nickname for someone known for wearing them.
SpringerGerman, English, Dutch, Jewish Nickname for a lively person or for a traveling entertainer, from springen "to jump, to leap". A famous bearer was Ludwig der Springer (AKA Louis the Springer), a medieval Franconian count who, according to legend, escaped from a second or third-story prison cell by jumping into a river after being arrested for trying to seize County Saxony in Germany.
SpringerEnglish An occupational name for a dancer, or perhaps a hunter, from either Old English springen "to leap" or Middle English springe "snare, trap".
StaalDutch From Old Dutch stal meaning "steel", a metonymic occupational name for a steelworker or blacksmith.
StaffieriItalian Means "footman, groom", ultimately from staffa "stirrup".
StaltonEnglish Etymology uncertain. Possibly derived from a place name, as the last element resembles the suffix -ton "town".
StamDutch Means "trunk (of a tree), stem" in Dutch, a nickname for a blocky or heavily built man.
StamponeItalian Meaning uncertain. Possibly from Italian stampare "to print, to stamp", or from Tuscan stampo "tree stump".
StarGerman, Jewish Means "starling (bird)" in German, probably denoting a talkative or perhaps a voracious person. Alternatively, an Anglicized form of Stern 2.
StarDutch Means "stiff, frozen, rigid" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch staer "having a troubled or gloomy expression; tight, stiff", a nickname either for a gloomy person or for someone who was rigid and inflexible.
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".
StatherEnglish Habitational name derived from a place in England by the River Trent 1, derived from Old Norse stǫðvar "jetties, wharfs, landing stage".
SteelEnglish Variant spelling of Steele, or an Americanized form of the German and Swedish cognates Stahl or Stål.
StegemanDutch Derived from Middle Dutch stēge "lane, alleyway; steep path, slope" and man "person, man".
StegerGerman Means "head miner" or "overman" from the German verb steigen meaning "to climb" or in this case "to lead a climb".
StegerhoekDutch Derived from Old Dutch stega "lane, alleyway; steep path, slope" and huok "corner, angle, hook".
SteinhagenGerman Derived from Old High German stein "stone" and hag "enclosure, hedge, pasture".
SteinhilberGerman Habitational name for someone from Steinhilben, from Old High German stein "stone" and hülwe or hülbe "hollow, depression; pond, puddle".
SteketeeDutch Derived from the biblical Greek word στήκετε (stekete) meaning "I stand (firm)", probably of Protestant or Huguenot origin.
StifterGerman, German (Austrian) Means "founder" in Middle High German, from stiften "to bring about, endow, donate", a name for a tenant farmer on previously unoccupied land, or a habitational name from the related word Stift meaning "endowed monastery, secular convent, church foundation".
StikvoortDutch Derived from Middle Dutch voort "ford" and an uncertain first element; perhaps from a relation of Middle High German stickel "hill, slope".
StockardIrish Variant of Stoker, an occupational name for a trumpeter derived from Gaelic stocaire, an agent derivative of stoc "trumpet, horn". The name is borne by a sept of the McFarlanes.
StokerDutch Means "stoker, one who stokes a fire" or "firestarter, agitator" in Dutch, an occupational name or a nickname for a troublemaker.
StokerScottish, Irish Means "trumpeter", from Scottish Gaelic and Irish stoc "trumpet, bugle, horn".
StolkDutch Contracted form of Stolwijk, a town in South Holland, Netherlands, probably derived from Middle Dutch stolle "lump, chunk" and wijc "farmstead, village".
StoopDutch From Middle Dutch stoop "pitcher, stone bottle, wine jug", an occupational name for an innkeeper or a nickname for a heavy drinker.
StrijbisDutch Etymology uncertain. Possibly derived from strijd meaning "conflict, strife" or "disputed, contested", an element in some place names.
StronachScottish From Gaelic srónach meaning "nosy" or "sharp-nosed".
StrynckxFlemish Variant form of Dutch Streng "strong, rope, cord", a metonymic occupational name for a rope maker. Alternatively, it could be a nickname derived from streng "strict, severe, cruel".
StuifzandDutch Means "drift-sand, quicksand" in Dutch, from the name of a town in the Netherlands.
SugaEstonian Means "brush, comb" in Estonian, referring to either a comb used for brushing hair, or a comb used in looms to separate threads while weaving (also called a reed).
SulaEstonian, Finnish Means "molten, melted, not covered in ice" or "melt, thaw" in Estonian and Finnish.
SullenEnglish Means "gloomy, ill-tempered, moody" in English, with the archaic meanings "lonely, desolate" and "mischievous, malignant, obstinate", derived from Anglo-Norman soleyn "solitary, alone".
SzálasHungarian Derived from Hungarian szál "thread, stick, straw", a nickname for a tall, thin person.
TabakDutch Occupational name for a butcher or hog breeder, from Middle Dutch tucbake composed of tucken "to pull, push, strike" and bake "hog, pig; meat from the back of a pig".
TarverEnglish Uncertain etymology. Possibly derived from Thorferth, a variant of the Old Norse given name Þórfreðr (compare Tolfree), or perhaps from Torver, the name of a former village in Lancashire... [more]
TasmanDutch Derived from Dutch tas "bag" and man "person, man". Usually a metonymic name for someone who made bags, though in at least one case it was taken from the name of a ship, De Tas.
TassiItalian Could be a patronymic form of the given name Tasso, indicate the bearer is from one of several municipalities called Tasso, or be a nickname from Italian tasso meaning "badger (animal)" or "yew".
TassoniItalian Probably derived from Italian tasso meaning "badger (animal)", though it can also mean "yew (tree)".
TellecheaBasque Castilianized spelling of Telletxea, a habitational name meaning "(from) the house with tiles", composed of teila "roof tile" and etxe "house, home, building".
TelleriaBasque Habitational name derived from Basque teileria meaning "tile works, tile kiln; place where tiles are made".
Ten BoomDutch Means "at the tree" in Dutch. A notable bearer of this surname was Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983), a German woman who helped Jewish people take refuge into her home during the Second World War.
TeneyckDutch (Americanized) From Dutch ten eik meaning "at the oak tree", a topographic name for someone who lived by a prominent oak tree. This has been a prominent family name in Albany, NY, area since the 1630s.
TerpstraWest Frisian, Dutch Derived from terp, a kind of artificial hill used as shelter during floods or high tide, and the Frisian habitational suffix -stra.
TerracinaItalian From the name of a city in Lazio, Italy, called Tarracina in Latin.
ThamesEnglish Derived from the name of the River Thames, a major river in England. It is thought to have derived from Celtic Tamesis, which may have meant "dark, cloudy" or "turbid, turbulent".
TostadoSpanish Means "toasted; tanned" or "brown, dark" in Spanish, a nickname for someone with dark skin, or who tanned easily.
TozziItalian Derived from Italian tozzo meaning "squat, stocky, thickset". ... [more]
TraffordEnglish Habitational name derived from either Trafford, Lancashire (an Anglo-French variant of Stratford), from Bridge Mickle and Wimbolds Trafford, Cheshire (derived from Old English trog "trough, valley" and ford "river crossing"), or from the now-lost settlement of Trafford in Northamptonshire (derived from Old English traeppe "trap, fish trap" and ford).
TranmerEnglish Habitational name from Tranmere, a district within the borough of Birkenhead, Cheshire, or Tranmires, an area in Hackness, North Yorkshire. Both toponyms derive from Old Norse trani "crane (bird)" and melr "sandbank, dune".
TransonFrench Possibly from Old French tronçon "block of wood", perhaps an occupational name for a woodcutter.
TrémontFrench Habitational name from any of several locations in France, derived from Latin trans "across, beyond" and mons "mountain", making it a cognate of Italian Tremonti... [more]
TremontEnglish Americanized form of Italian Tremonti or French Trémont, both habitational names meaning "over the mountain".
TremontiItalian Pluralised form of Tremonte, a habitational name meaning "over the mountain".
TrevelyanWelsh, Cornish Derived from Welsh tref "village, settlement" or Cornish trev "farmstead, town" combined with the given name Elyan.
TreviñoSpanish Habitational name from either of the places so named in the provinces of Burgos and Santander, possibly derived from Latin trifinium "place where three boundaries meet".
TricaricoItalian Denoting someone from the province of Tricarico, in Basilicata.
TroiaItalian Could derive from the name of a town in Foggia, or be a nickname derived from Italian troia "sow, female pig", which has a slang meaning of "slut".
TrompDutch Occupational name for a musician derived from trompet "trumpet, horn", or possibly Middle Dutch tromme "drum".
TroostDutch, Low German Means "comfort, consolation" in Dutch, a nickname for someone who was particularly encouraging or helpful, or perhaps a byname for a child born after the death of an older sibling.
TrothEnglish From a nickname meaning "truth" or "oath, pledge, promise", given to someone known to be truthful or loyal, or perhaps known for swearing oaths.
TrovatelliItalian Means "foundling" in Italian, literally trovato "found" and the diminutive suffix -ello.
TrovatoItalian Given to a foundling or abandoned child, literally "found" in Italian.
TumbrellEnglish (Rare, Archaic) Etymology uncertain. Possibly derived from Old English tumbrel, a kind of small, two-wheeled cart designed to be easily tipped over, or from a variant form of timbrel, a percussion instrument similar to a tambourine.
TunnardEnglish Means "town herd", from Old English tun "town, enclosure, yard" and heord "a herd", an occupational name for someone who guarded the town’s cattle.
TurbaItalian Possibly from Italian turbare, "to disturb, to trouble", itself from Latin turba, "turmoil, disturbance; mob, crowd". Alternately, it could be from the German surname Turba, of uncertain meaning.
TürnpuuEstonian Means "buckthorn tree" (genus Rhamnus) in Estonian.
TuttoilmondoItalian Possibly derived from the French given name Toulemonde, which is either itself derived from the Germanic names Thurmond or Tedmond, or from the phrase tout le monde, literally "all the world", or "everybody"... [more]
TuveriItalian Possibly from Sardinian Campidanese tuvera, meaning "pipe of the bellows", indicating someone who worked at a forge.
UpsherEnglish Habitational name denoting someone from the hamlet Upshire in County Essex, derived from Old English upp "up, upper" and scir "shire, district".
UrbinoSicilian, Italian Possibly from the name of an Italian town. Could also be from Sicilian urbu or orbu, meaning "blind", in which case it may refer to literal blindness, or a more metaphorical "blind to one's sins", especially in the case of foundlings.
UrdanegiBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the town of Gordexola in Biscay, Basque Country, probably related to Basque urdandegi "pigsty, pig pen".
UribarriBasque Habitational name derived from Basque uri "town, city" and barri "new". Compare Ulibarri.
UriondoBasque From the name of a neighborhood in the municipality of Zeberio, Spain, derived from Basque uri "town, city" and -ondo "next to, adjacent".
UrizarBasque Habitational name derived from Basque uri "town, city" and zahar "old, aged".
UrkiagaBasque From the name of the northernmost hill and mountain pass in Navarre, derived from Basque urki "birch tree" and -aga "place of, group of".
UrritzolaBasque (Rare) From the names of either of two villages in Navarre, Spain, derived from Basque urritz "hazel tree" combined with either ola "hut, cabin" or the suffix -ola "location, place of".
UrrutiaBasque Habitational name derived from Basque urruti "distant, far away".
UrrutigoitiBasque (Rare) Habitational name derived from Basque urruti "far, distant" and goiti "above, upper (part)".
UrtsuaBasque (Rare, Archaic) From the name of a mountain in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, derived from Basque ur "water" and -tzu "plenty of".
UsaiItalian Possibly from the name of the former village Usani, or alternately, from Sardinian uscare "to burn, to scorch".
UsanzaItalian Means, "custom, tradition, habit" in Italian.
UsecheBasque Habitational name from Basque Usaetxe, composed of uso "dove, pigeon" and etxe "house, home, building".
VagulaEstonian From the name of a village and a lake in Võru Parish, Võru County in southern Estonia. Possibly derived from vagu "furrow, groove" and the locative suffix -la.
ValenzuelaSpanish Habitational name from places named Valenzuela in Córdoba and Ciudad Real. The place name is a diminutive of Valencia, literally "little Valencia".
ValkDutch Means "falcon" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a falconer, or possibly derived from the given name Falk. Compare Falco.
van BeethovenFlemish Means "from the beet fields", a variant of Beethoven. A famous bearer of this name was German Clasical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).
Van BerkelDutch Means "from Berkel", the name of several villages derived from berk "birch tree" and lo "forest clearing".
Van BlankenbergGerman, Belgian, Dutch Means "from Blankenberg", a toponym from any of various places so called, in particular in Hennef and Gelderland, or from Blankenberge in West Flanders, Belgium. Probably derived from blanken "white, pale, bright" or "bare, blank" and berg "mountain, hill".
Van BoxtelDutch Means "from Boxtel" in Dutch, the name of a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch buk "buck, roebuck, hart" and stelle "stable, safe residence".
Van BrinkDutch Means "from the village green", from Dutch brink "village green, town square, edge of a field or hill".
Van De LeestDutch, Flemish Derived from Dutch leest meaning "last, boottree", a tool used by shoemakers to shape boots. This can be either an occupational name for cobblers, or a habitational name from the settlement of Leest, itself possibly named for a field in the shape of a boot.
Van DelftDutch Means "from Delft" in Dutch, a city in South Holland, Netherlands, named for the nearby Delf canal, which derives from Middle Dutch delven "to dig, delve, excavate; to bury".
Van De MarkDutch Topographic name for someone who lived by a border or boundary, from Middle Dutch marke meaning "boundary, borderland". Could also derive from the river Mark, likely originating from the same etymology.
Van den HurkDutch From any of several place names derived from the element hornik "corner".
Van Den OeverDutch Means "from the riverbank" in Dutch, derived from oever "bank, riverbank, shore". Den Oever is also the name of a village in North Holland.
VandeputteFlemish Means "from the pit, of the well", from Middle Dutch putte "pit, well".
Van DerDutch Possibly a clipping of a longer surname beginning with van der meaning "of the, from the". Alternatively, could be a variant spelling of van Deur.
Van Der AaDutch, Flemish Means "from the Aa" in Dutch, a common name for rivers and streams derived from Old Germanic *ahwō "stream, river; water".
Van Der BiltDutch Means "from De Bilt", the name of a town derived from Middle Dutch belt "mound, heap, hill".
Van Der KleijDutch Means "from Klei" (literally "from the clay"), the toponym of a settlement in the Netherlands built on clay ground.
Van Der KlokDutch Means "from the bell", from Middle Dutch clocke "bell; bell-shaped", a habitational name for someone who lived near a bell tower, or perhaps a sign depicting a bell.
Van Der KooiDutch Means "from the pen", derived from Dutch kooi "cage", given to someone who owned a duck decoy field for hunting, or who came from a place named after one.
Van Der LoopDutch From Dutch loop "course, duration; river course", a topographical name for someone who lived by a waterway, in particular a waterway called De Loop in North Brabant.
Van Der MerweDutch, South African Means "from the Merwe", Merwe being an older form of Merwede, the name of a river in the Netherlands. It derives from meri "lake, sea" and widu "wood"... [more]
VanderpanDutch From Dutch van der Pan meaning "from the pan", possibly referring to a location that resembled the shape of a pan.
Van der PlasDutch Means "from the pool" in Dutch, derived from plas "pool, puddle, pond; body of stagnant water".
Van der PloegDutch Means "of the plough" in Dutch, an occupational name for a farmer or a bookbinder (a ploeg also being a tool used in binding books), or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a plough.